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2012-13 National Basketball Association Preview

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As I write this, I haven’t seen the sun in days, it’s in the mid-40’s outside, and if I wasn’t listening to Shovels and Rope right now, I would be listening to rain trickling off of my porch.

In short, the NBA season is upon us.

What a disadvantage the NBA is at. Baseball’s season begins in my favorite annual period, when the weather has been warmer for a few weeks, trees are blossoming, the sun is out longer, and people are generally more positive. Football begins when the heat of summer is fading away (which other people like. I’m fond of the heat. Just not the Heat.). Pumpkins, hayrides, sweet potato-based side dishes, and sweaters.

The NBA season begins when everything is dying. Trees are naked. Noses are running. The sun is out for approximately 4 hours per day. It’s hard to get excited about very much in late October, unless you like Halloween. Because I’m no longer 8 years old, Halloween has about as much appeal to me as St. Patrick’s Day.

This year’s NBA season brings with it some terrific storylines. Everyone’s favorite bipolar center, Dwight Howard, joins forces with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, and Steve Nash to form the NBA’s best starting lineup.

Ray Allen, after being disrespected or something, left the family in Boston for redder pastures in South Florida with the reigning champion Miami Heat.

Brooklyn has a team now. Did you  know that? They have really cool merchandise. Their court looks awesome. Jay Z. I’d really like the Brooklyn Nets if I didn’t dislike their players so much.

Will Derrick Rose make it back to Chicago to give the Miami Heat some competition in the Eastern Conference?

Given 16 more opportunities than last year, will the Charlotte Bobcats top their 2011-12 win total?

Of course, none of the above will be truly relevant until baseball’s season begins and the NBA’s regular season is finally winding down. But at least the weather will be better.


EASTERN CONFERENCE
1. Miami Heat
2. Boston Celtics
3. Indiana Pacers
4. Philadelphia 76ers
5. Brooklyn Nets
6. Chicago Bulls
7. Atlanta Hawks
8. Milwaukee Bucks
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9. New York Knicks
10. Washington Wizards
11. Cleveland Cavaliers
12. Detroit Pistons
13. Orlando Magic
14. Toronto Raptors
15. Charlotte Bobcats

Eastern Conference Outlook: I see no real reason why the Miami Heat won’t get back to the NBA finals. I think the most interesting challenger, come playoff time, will be the Philadelphia 76ers, who are young, deep, and fun to watch. Do I think they can push Miami to seven games? No. But as far as exciting 5 or 6 game series go, this could be it.

This, of course, raises the question of the Boston Celtics. I have Boston finishing second in the East, less because of homerism and more because I think over the course of a regular season, they’ll be the second best team in the conference. It’s not an original narrative, but I do think that the Celtics age will hurt them in the final third of the season. The roster is deeper this year than in year’s prior, but in today’s NBA, you can’t be relying on players born in the 1970s year-after-year. Three of the Celtics top 6 players were born in the day’s of disco. Kevin Durant was born in the day’s of grunge.


WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Denver Nuggets
4. Los Angeles Clippers
5. Oklahoma City Thunder
6. Memphis Grizzlies
7. Utah Jazz
8. Dallas Mavericks
____________________
9. Houston Rockets
10. New Orleans Hornets
11. Portland Trail Blazers
12. Minnesota Timberwolves
13. Golden State Warriors
14. Sacramento Kings
15. Phoenix Suns

Western Conference Breakdown: You could shuffle around the top 5 in the West and I’d have a hard time arguing with you. That said, these are predictions.

I don’t think the Lakers will have the same identity issues that Miami had in year 1 with their Big 3. Kobe Bryant is the alpha dog there. I think the biggest issue for LA, besides their less than stellar bench, is Dwight Howard’s health. If Howard’s back isn’t an issue for the majority of the season, LAL should find their way to the NBA finals. It’s a short window. Kobe, Nash, and Gasol are not going to get any younger. And they’ll have to overcome Mike Brown’s deficiencies as an NBA coach, but I think they do it.

San Antonio makes the best case for Western Conference runner up because of their depth and coaching (or the exact opposite of the Lakers). And while Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili aren’t exactly in One Direction’s age demographic, their role players are significantly better than the Lakers, with Kawhi Leonard, Gary Neal, and Tiago Splitter.

I’m of the mindset that you can’t just plug Kevin Martin into the bench rotation for Oklahoma City and viola! you’re just as good or better. The Thunder’s on-court chemistry (you know, except for when Russell Westbrook isn’t passing to his teammates) will be affected without James Harden. I think there’s a step back in OKC’s future.

Finally, if you’re looking to be entertained 4 times over the course of the NBA season, watch the Clippers and Nuggets. They’ll be the two most exciting, watchable teams in what can sometimes be an unwatchable regular season.

NBA FINALS
Miami Heat over Los Angeles Lakers in 6. Maybe Miami doesn’t show up hungry this season. I think they’ll show up relaxed, with the spotlight a little less bright. And relaxed can be good. As long as it’s not complacency.

MVP: LeBron James
Rookie of the Year: Damian Lillard

2012 NFL Preview

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Ignore the fact that a game has already been played….

American Football Conference

AFC East
1. New England (12-4)
2. Buffalo (8-8)
3. New York (7-9)
4. Miami (2-14)

AFC North
1. Baltimore (11-5)
2. Pittsburgh (9-7)
3. Cincinnati (6-10)
4. Cleveland (2-14)

AFC South
1. Houston (13-3)
2. Tennessee (8-8)
3. Indianapolis (7-9)
4. Jacksonville (4-12)

AFC West
1. Kansas City (10-6)
2. Denver (9-7)
3. San Diego (9-7)
4. Oakland (6-10)

AFC Wild Card Round
Baltimore (3-seed) over Denver (6-seed)
Pittsburgh (5-seed) over Kansas City (4-seed)

AFC Divisional Round
Houston (1-seed) over Pittsburgh (5-seed)
Baltimore (3-seed) over New England (2-seed)

AFC Championship
Houston over Baltimore

National Football Conference

NFC East
1. Dallas (10-6)
2. Philadelphia (9-7)
3. New York (8-8)
4. Washington (4-12)

NFC North
1. Green Bay (13-3)
2. Chicago (11-5)
3. Detroit (7-9)
4. Minnesota (3-13)

NFC South
1. Atlanta (14-2)
2. New Orleans (10-6)
3. Carolina (8-8)
4. Tampa Bay (6-10)

NFC West
1. Seattle (10-6)
2. San Francisco (8-8)
3. Arizona (8-8)
4. St. Louis (5-11)

NFC Wild Card Round
New Orleans (6-seed) over Dallas (3-seed)
Chicago (5-seed) over Seattle (4-seed)

NFC Divisional Round
Atlanta (1-seed) over New Orleans (6-seed)
Chicago (5-seed) over Green Bay (2-seed)

NFC Championship
Chicago over Atlanta


SUPER BOWL SOMETHING OR OTHER
Chicago over Houston

NFL MVP: Matt Ryan (QB/Atlanta)
NFL Rookie of the Year: Russell Wilson (QB/Seattle)
NFL Coach of the Year: Mike Smith (Atlanta)
NFL Defensive Player of the Year: Julius Peppers (DE/Chicago)









Week 2 College Football Picks

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We’re moving to the blog this year

I wasn’t terribly excited about the start of the college football season a week ago. Much of that can probably be blamed upon the fact that I knew I would  miss all of Week 1 while I was in Charlotte at the DNC. It was a very strange experience. I don’t find myself disconnected from college football, well, ever. I was concerned that it would affect my feelings toward the entire season.

Then I looked at this week’s schedule. Yes, there are no matchups between ranked teams. But there are a slew of really intriguing games today. So without further ado, lets get the Mid-Atlantic Bias College Football Picks started, albeit a week late, with my Week 2 selections. A reminder, I use Danny Sheridan’s Saturday morning lines. The “Upset Special” is me picking an underdog to win outright. The “Wippich Special” find me picking the UNC game for the UNC fan (and MAB reader) Jason Wippich.

On to Week 2:

Auburn (+3) over Mississippi State (UPSET SPECIAL)
Virginia (-9.5) over Penn State
Kansas State (-7) over Miami (FL)
Florida (PK) over Texas A&M
Nebraska (-4.5) over UCLA
Washington (+24) over LSU
Georgia (-1.5) over Missouri
Illinois (+4) over Arizona State
Arizona (+11) over Oklahoma State
North Carolina (-10) over Wake Forest (WIPPICH SPECIAL)

Bias Bulletin

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Some Baseball-y Things
A fairly abbreviated schedule yesterday, but there are some things I’ve missed, so consider this your Week in Review.
-The Texas Rangers and LA Angels played a fairly big series in Arlington this week with the Rangers and Angels splitting a 4-game series. LA had a chance to win each game, especially Wednesday’s, but their bullpen did them in in both Texas victories. Wednesday night, closer Ernesto Freiri gave up home runs in the 9th and 10th innings, as Texas rallied for an 11-10 victory. Last night, Texas didn’t wait until the 9th, hammering the Angels in the 7th inning to win 15-9. And no, they weren’t playing football. Texas maintains their 5 game lead on the Angels, who also sit a ½ game behind the A’s in the West. LA would currently be the AL Wild Card 2.
-The San Francisco Giants are struggling mightily since losing Pablo Sandoval to a hamstring injury. The Giants are 3-7 in their last 10 games and are coming off a disappointing series loss to the New York Mets at AT&T park. New Giant Hunter Pence is 0-6 in his first two games in the Bay. The Giants lead the NL West by a ½ game over the Dodgers and 2 games over the Diamondbacks.
-We may have seen the end of the road this week for three former All-Stars as Bobby Abreu, Derek Lowe, and Hideki Matsui were all either released or DFA’d (designated for assignment, which is the precursor to being released). Only Lowe is expected to be picked up, but this was clearly the end of the road for three players whose time passed a few years ago.
What The Playoffs Would Look Like Today
AL Wild Card Matchup: Los Angeles @ Oakland
AL Divisional Round WC/1: Wild Card game winner vs. New York Yankees
AL Divisional Round 3/2: Chicago White Sox vs. Texas Rangers
NL Wild Card Matchup: Atlanta @ Pittsburgh
NL Divisional Round WC/1: Wild Card game winner vs. Cincinnati Reds
NL Divisional Round 3/2: Washington Nationals vs. San Francisco Giants
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
The Nationals welcomed back Jayson Werth last night and got 7 stellar innings from Ross Detwiler to salvage the final game of their 3-game series with the Phillies.
Werth lined a ball to left field for a hit in his first at-bat and finished the game 1-3 with a walk. He played center field. It was the first time all season that the Nats had Ryan Zimmerman, Michael Morse, Adam LaRoche, and Jayson Werth in the lineup on the same day.
The story, though, was Detwiler, who bounced back from a rough outing in Milwaukee last weekend to earn his 6th victory of the season. Detwiler gave up just 3 hits in the outing. Sean Burnett and Tyler Clippard cleaned up to preserve the 3-0 win.
The Nats begin a 4-game series with the Miami Marlins today, with a double header. It’s also a single-admission game for those of you who like 18 innings of baseball for the price of 9. Here are the matchups for the weekend series:
Friday, 4:05 p.m.: Brad Hand v. John Lannan
Friday, 7:35 p.m.: Josh Johnson v. Gio Gonzalez
Saturday, 7:05 p.m.: Mark Buehrle v. Jordan Zimmermann
Sunday, 1:35 p.m.: Ricky Nolasco v. Stephen Strasburg
Games of the Weekend
Baseball’s biggest series this weekend will take place in the Queen City as the red hot Reds host the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pittsburgh enters the series 3 ½ games behind the Reds. Of course, ESPN being what it is, the Sunday Night Baseball game this week is the Brewers and Cardinals. So enjoy that.
The Bulletin is going to be gone all of next week. It will return on August 13th with a full recap of all of the tape-delayed Olympic excitement that it missed. Or baseball. Probably baseball.

Bias Bulletin

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The Bulletin returns…
Baseball Trade Deadline Extravaganza
We didn’t see the blockbuster trades (Cliff Lee, Justin Upton, Jacoby Ellsbury) at the deadline, but we did see a lot of movement over the previous two weeks, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants making the biggest moves.
Los Angeles acquired SS/3B Hanley Ramirez, RP Brandon League, and OF Shane Victorino at the deadline, all without having to give up their top prospect (pitcher Zach Lee). The additions of Ramirez and Victorino, coupled with the return of a healthy Matt Kemp, may have forced the Giants hand.
San Francisco, with LA hot on their trail, made the biggest acquisition at the deadline, acquiring Phillies RF Hunter Pence. Pence will be a huge upgrade for the Giants in RF.
In the American League, the Texas Rangers acquired Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster just before the deadline, a move made even more essential, as Texas announced yesterday that pitcher Neftali Feliz will miss the remainder of the season (and part of next) due to Tommy John surgery.
Other Baseball Notes
-AJ Burnett continued his “I Hate New York” tour last night, winning his 13th game for the Pirates while tossing a complete game, 1-hit shutout against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Meanwhile, Freddy Garcia is a starting pitcher for the Yankees.
-Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander saw his streak of consecutive 6+ inning starts to a rain-shortened end in Boston last night. Nats pitcher Jordan Zimmermann now holds the streak for most consecutive 6+ inning starts.
-The Arizona Diamondbacks are warming up and find themselves just 3 ½ games behind the Giants for the NL West lead.
-The LA Angels are on fire (over the last two games), outscoring the Texas Rangers (over the last two games) 21-10. Mike Trout hit a HR last night. This is not surprising. He had 10 in July.
-Josh Beckett hungry! Josh Becket back hurt! Josh Beckett no pitch!
Your Daily (?) Washington Nationals Update
Okay, maybe not daily. The Nats took 3 of 4 games from the Brewers over the weekend, only to return to Washington last night, with Stephen Strasburg on the mound, and get hammered by the Phillies, 8-0 (It’s worth noting (no it’s not) that in the last two Nats games I’ve been to, they’ve lost by a combined score of 12-0.). The Nats were led last night by Mark DeRosa who went 0-4 with 4 strikeouts. He is currently available in 105% of all fantasy leagues.
But, relax people. Even with the loss, the Nats still possess MLB’s second best record. And if you’re going to lose a game, you do it 8-0 while giving Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche the day off with back soreness. The Nats will have a chance to bounce back tonight when Edwin Jackson and Vance Worley face off at 7:05 at Nationals Park.
Game of the Day
Tape delayed Olympic action!!!!!!!!!
New York Mets @ San Francisco Giants (10:15/MLB.TV). Jon Niese and Matt Cain square off as Hunter Pence makes his San Francisco debut.

Bias Bulletin

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5 Baseball Tidbits
-Condensed
-Schedule
-Yesterday.
-No
-Trades

Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
Knowing that the Milwaukee Brewers will likely trade Zack Greinke before Sunday’s game, you would have looked at the matchups for this weekend’s Nats/Brewers series and thought that last night was the most likely loss for the men from D.C. You also would have been wrong.
The Nationals needed just an Adam LaRoche HR and a Steve Lombardozzi 3-run triple in the second inning. Of course, they got much more, en route to an 8-2 victory. The win was the Nationals season-high 6thin a row. They are now tied with the New York Yankees for the best record in the Majors.
Ross Detwiler will look to continue his “No Defeat” streak (hasn’t lost a start since May 19) against the Brewers’ Michael Fiers. Game time is 8:10 p.m. on MASN 2. For the rest of the weekend:
Saturday: Jordan Zimmermann v. Randy Wolf (7:10 p.m./MASN2)
Sunday: Gio Gonzalez v. (for now) Zack Greinke (2:10 p.m./DC50 and TBS (nationally))
Games of the Weekend
The Summer Olympics “get under way” (they already started, which is stupid, but whatever) tonight with the Opening Ceremonies. They’ll air LIVE!!!!! (on Tape Delay) on NBC at 7:30 p.m.
A note about the Bulletin and the Olympics: I could care less about the Olympics, really.  Events like the Olympic games lose an enormous quantity of value when they’re aired on a tape delay and you already know the results. Really, this is NBC’s fault for focusing on primetime coverage. As Twitter gets more and more popular, more and more people are going to know the results of the games before they air in the States. I’ll watch some basketball and some track and field, but that’s about it. So if you’re looking for in depth, Bulletin coverage, you’re reading the wrong Bulletin. I’m going to focus on the baseball races and the Washington Nationals. And the Dwight Howard trade watch.
Baseball Series of the Weekend:
(not the Red Sox @ Yankees series)
Dodgers @ Giants. LA trails San Francisco by 3 games in the NL West entering tonight’s game.
Enjoy your weekends!

Bias Bulletin

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5 Baseball Tidbits (As Difficult As It May Be To Find Them)
-Ryan Dempster was still not traded to the Atlanta Braves yesterday, but he did find time to pitch well and then throw a hissy-fit in the Cubs dugout, slamming Gatorade coolers and generally being a Ryan Dempster. Dempster was upset about being pulled from the game after just 6 innings. I’m sure his temper tantrum had nothing to do with him not actually wanting to be traded. Nothing at all.
-Tommy Hanson did something very bizarre last night. He got his 11th win of the season, sure, but that’s not it. No, Hanson got his 11th win and allowed only 1 run, while walking 7 and allowing 7 successful stolen bases in 5 innings. The Braves beat the AAA Miami Marlins 7-1 in Taxpayer Subsidized Flying Dolphins Park.
-The Oakland Athletics won their 7th consecutive game and 9th out of their previous 10 in spectacular fashion last night, blowing out the Toronto Blue Jays 16-0. Oakland was led, offensively, by Coco Crisp who went 3-5 at the plate with 2 homers. Meanwhile, starter AJ Griffin was able to not surrender 16 runs to the Blue Jays. Oakland is now in a tie with the Angels for AL Wild Card #1.
-Ever the motivated baseball player, Hanley Ramirez flew to St. Louis to suit up for his new Dodger teammates yesterday and delivered 2 hits, including a triple in his first at-bat. Hanley Ramirez: Always Putting Team First.
-The Colorado Rockies have followed through on their proclamation that they’ll relax the 75-pitch counts for their starters. Last night, Jeff Francis pitched his best game in nearly 3 years, which for other starting pitchers is commonly known as a “quality start.” Sure, 6 innings, 2 runs, and 4 strikeouts isn’t exactly Cy Young-like, but for a Rockies team that will take good pitching any way they can get it, a start like this had to be very welcomes. The Rockies won 4-2.
Dwight Howard Trade Watch
Dwight Howard would like to remind you that he would still like to be traded.
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
As the Washington Post’sAdam Kilgore pointed out on Twitter yesterday, the Nationals are now 5-1 since “the turning point loss that derailed their season.”
Stephen Strasburg was very Strasburg-y yesterday in Queens, as he struck out 11 Mets in 7 strong innings. Strasburg made just one mistake in the game (a flat fastball that Ike Davis lined over the right field wall). The Nats bullpen looked shaky in the 8th (or, more accurately, looked “real Henry Rodriguez-y”), but held on to give the Nats a sweep.
Washington will now travel to the land of fitness and coconut water (Milwaukee) to take on the Brewers in a four-game set. Tonight’s pitching matchup sees Edwin Jackson and Yovani Gallardo squaring off. Game time is 8:10 in the East. The game can be found on a MASN.
Game of the Day
A very condensed baseball schedule today, gives us few options. That said, let’s look to the Oakland A’s to see if they can keep their winning streak intact. Tommy Milone will take the hill for Oakland as they go for the sweep in Toronto. Milone will be opposed by Aaron Laffey (Taffy). Game time is 12:37 p.m. because Canada.

Bias Bulletin

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We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled “5 Baseball Tidbits” for “The Miami Marlins: Worse Than Chicken Pox”
The Florida/Miami Marlins franchise has won 2 World Series titles since 1997. Only the Cardinals, Yankees, and Red Sox have won multiple titles in that 14 year span. No one would argue that the Red Sox, Yankees, and Cardinals are wildly successful franchises. Each team ranks consistently near the top of attendance percentage, regular season wins, and more recently, farm system strength. Each plays in their own little baseball palace, representative of their individual markets. Boston’s Fenway Park is old and historic, like Boston. New York’s Yankee Stadium is sprawling and audacious, like New York City. And St. Louis’ Busch Stadium is, well, Midwestern (okay, so the narrative falls a little flat here, but trust me, people say nice things about Busch Stadium). Much like how they say nice things about the Midwest.
The Miami Marlins are not the Cardinals, Red Sox, or Yankees. For years, they played in a ¾ empty football stadium that wasn’t quite in Miami, but wasn’t quite in Fort Lauderdale. Every year, the Marlins built up their farm system, their prospects succeeded, and were subsequently traded for newer, younger players. And the cycle continued. Some years (1997 and 2003) were very successful. Other years (the rest of them) were not.
Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria complained consistently that the team couldn’t compete in the modern market because they didn’t have a beautiful, personalized baseball mecca. After years of wrangling, haranguing, and hand-wringing, Loria got his wish. That wish was a taxpayer-funded stadium in Miami proper.
The Florida Marlins became the Miami Marlins at the start of this season; new ballpark, new name, new uniforms, new mentality. That was, until Monday.
After a free agent shopping spree, the Marlins entered the season with elevated expectations. Visions of playoffs dancing in heads and whatnot. However, things don’t always work out that way. The Marlins entered Monday, July 23 trailing the first place Washington Nationals by double digits. Jeffrey Loria decided to throw in the towel.
In the past three days, the Marlins have traded away their best pitcher, their starting second baseman, their lefty setup man, and their most recognizable star. More is expected to come. Maybe their closer, Heath Bell. Maybe their oft-injured, but very talented pitcher, Josh Johnson.
It appears that everything must go in Miami. Perhaps the team should be next.
Other Transactions
-The Philadelphia Phillies have signed pitcher, and lover of the Old Skool, Cole Hamels to a 6 year contract extension. Hamels will make $144 million over the duration of that contract.
-Across I-76, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded three quality minor league prospects for Astros “ace” Wandy Rodriguez, who is under contract through 2014.
-The Boston Red Sox traded Brent Lillibridge (who they acquired in the Kevin Youkilis trade) to Cleveland for something.
-The Arizona Diamondbacks traded Ryan Roberts to the Tampa Bay Rays for something. Just not the same something that the Red Sox got from Cleveland.
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
Gio Gonzalez bounced back spectacularly from a rough start against the Mets last week, as he led the Nationals to their 4thstraight victory. Gonzalez pitched 7 innings, allowing just 2 hits, while striking out 4. He threw just 87 pitches.
Offensively, the Nats were led, again, by Ryan Zimmerman, who is giving everyone a good reason to get a cortisone shot. Zimmerman was 3-for-5 at the plate and rock solid in the field again. The Nats won 5-2.
They’ll go for the sweep today, in what looks like an enormous mismatch. Stephen Strasburg will oppose Jeremy Hefner. Game time is an absurd 12:10 p.m. and you can find the game on the MASN.
Game of the Day
Padres @ Giants (3:45). Can the Freaky Franchise continue his 2nd half resurgence? Is Jason Marquis a mediocre pitcher, benefiting from pitching in the NL West? Find out today, LIVE, from San Francisco!!!!

Bias Bulletin

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5 Baseball Tidbits
-In the most relevant trade of the day yesterday, the Detroit Tigers shored up their pitching staff by acquiring Anibal Sanchez from the Miami Marlins, along with 2B Omar Infante, for top pitching prospect Jacob Turner and others. The move gives Detroit a starter who will contribute immediately, and serve as a really solid #2 starter behind Justin Verlander. This is clearly a move by Detroit to win and win now.
-In the most headline-grabbing trade of the day yesterday, the New York Yankees traded a couple of corn cobs for Ichiro Suzuki. And we didn’t have to wait long for Ichiro’s return to Seattle, as he simply walked from one end of Safeco Field to the other and made his Yankee debut against his old team. He got a hit and a stolen base in his first at-bat. The Yankees snapped their losing streak, thanks largely to another solid start from Hiroki Kuroda.
-In the most talked-about trade that didn’t actually happen yesterday, but was reported to have been finalized, the Atlanta Braves did not acquire Chicago Cubs starter Ryan Dempster in exchange for Braves prospect Randall Delgado. Expect this trade, or something like it, to actually be finalized today.
-In other Chicago Cubs news (and why not???), Jeff Samardzija pitched perhaps his best game as a Major League starter last night against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Samardzija went 8 innings, allowing only one hit (to Andrew McCutchen) and striking out 5 while throwing only 99 pitches. It was an efficient and dominant start from a pitcher the Cubs would like to slot into their number 2 rotational spot for the next decade.
-In yesterday’s Game of the Day, the Miami Marlins shut down the Atlanta Braves thanks to a big start from Josh Johnson. Of course, the Marlins traded one of their best pitchers and their starting second baseman before the game, so maybe this win wasn’t so big after all.
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
In the first inning of last night’s game against the Mets, the Nats got a single from Steve Lombardozzi and a home run from Bryce Harper to take a 2-0 lead. Jordan Zimmermann continued his streak of 6 IP in every start this season, allowing just 1 run (a David Wright homer).
Manager Davey Johnson decided to go to his bullpen in the 7th, giving the ball to Drew Storen to get Wright out. Storen did, but was then pulled for Michael Gonzalez. Gonzalez’s first pitch was deposited into the night by Ike Davis.
What’s missing from this story is that between that 2-run first inning and the 9th inning, the Nats had 0 hits. Then came the 10th inning.
Roger Bernadina base bit. Sandy Leon reaches on a botched fielder’s choice. Mark DeRosa bunts. Bernadina is thrown out at third. DeRosa is safe at 1st. Steve Lombardozzi singles to load the bases. Bryce Harper singles to drive home Leon from third. Ryan Zimmermann hits an opposite field double to the wall to clear the bases. Michael Morse hits a two-run home run.  Tom Gorzelanny walks.  Tom Gorzelanny closes out the bottom of the 10thto give the Nats their 56th win of the season.  Combined with Atlanta’s loss, the Nats are now 4.5 up on the Braves.
The Gio Gonzalez/RA Dickey rematch will take place tonight. Gio will look to stick around longer today than he did on Thursday. Game time is 7:10 p.m. on MASN.
Games of the Day
Team USA (basketball) will play their final Olympic tune-up game today in Barcelona against Spain. Game time is 4:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Today’s baseball game of the day takes us to St. Louis for the Dodgers and Cardinals. Clayton Kershaw and Adam Wainwright face off at 8:05 p.m. on MLB Network.

Bias Bulletin

/ Jason / 1 Comment

Let’s Just Get This Out of the Way (A Definite Editorial)
I dislike talking about Penn State. I think, for the dozens of victims of Jerry Sandusky’s child rape, seeing attention given to whether or not a bronze statue should remain outside of Beaver Stadium, has to be demeaning. The sheer notion that we should debate whether a statue, symbolizing a man who hid violence against children, should be presented for all to see, shows how misguided we are sometimes.
Yesterday, Penn State officials did what they should have done weeks ago, when they removed the statue of former coach Joe Paterno. Today, the NCAA, for all intents and purposes, dismantled Penn State’s football program. A 4 year bowl ban. A $60 million fine. The loss of 10 scholarships a season for the next four seasons. And the most powerful strike, the ability for any current player to transfer without penalty immediately.
It will be a long time before Penn State football is good again. Truthfully, that doesn’t matter in the least bit. And if it does, perhaps a moment of reflection on the priorities of life is due.
Adam, Meet Jean. Jean, Adam.
Jean Van de Velde’s name is synonymous with “epic collapse.” The French golfer had the 1999 British Open in his grasp, only to collapse epically. Van de Velde needed only to double bogey the 72nd hole of the tournament to win. That wasn’t enough for him. Van de Velde slung the ball around the course (into water, into the rough, into ditches, into canyons), eventually triple-bogeying the hole. He would go on to lose in a playoff.
Yesterday, Adam Scott “Van de Velded” his chance to win the British Open. Scott led by four strokes with four holes to play, but managed to bogey each hole. That, combined with Ernie Els’ birdie, gave the South African golfer his first major victory in a decade, at a time when no one even remembered that he was golfing.
Jean Van de Velde never won a major tournament. Time will certainly tell if Adam Scott awaits the same fate.
5 Baseball Tidbits
-Reds shortstop Barry Larkin and Cubs third baseman Ron Santo were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday. Santo’s induction was particularly uncomfortable for many because he was inducted after his death. His presence in the Hall of Fame is certainly a debatable issue. All of that aside, his wife delivered a really poignant speech in Cooperstown yesterday, in his place.
-The Oakland Athletics continued their bizarre and unexplainable surge by sweeping the New York Yankees in a four-game series this weekend, capped off by a Coco Crisp walk-off double yesterday. The A’s have won 11 games in walk-off fashion in July, which is, insane.
-The A’s, Orioles, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Tigers, Dodgers, Reds, and Diamondbacks all completed sweeps over the weekend. This means nothing. It’s just interesting, I guess.
-Perhaps the most important of the above sweeps (sorry D’backs fan!) is Detroit’s over the (previously) first-place Chicago White Sox. The Tigers have now moved into sole possession of first place in the AL Central, a spot many believed they would occupy for the entire season.
-From the files of “weird” we look at the St. Louis Cardinals seventh inning on Saturday against the Cubs. The Cardinals scored all 12 of their runs in that inning. That is certainly weird. How they did it is much weirder. The Cardinals hit 7 doubles in the 7th inning. Seven. That had happened only once before (the Boston Bees in 1936, of course).
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update (And Boy, Is It A Doozy)
The Nationals entered their weekend series with Atlanta holding a 3.5 game lead. They exited it with a 3.5 game lead. This is why looking at the standings doesn’t tell the whole story.
Friday night, the Nationals suffered the most crippling loss in franchise history. The Nats held a 9-0 lead, only to see the Braves rally for 10 unanswered runs. Atlanta sent baseball’s best closer, Craig Kimbrel, out for the 9th to pick up the save. Danny Espinosa had a different idea, though; one that involved an opposite field home run. It was for not, though, as Atlanta scored in the top of the 11th and held Washington scoreless in the bottom half of the inning.
Then came a doubleheader on Saturday. In a game the Nats needed to have, their offense disappeared. They were shutout in Game 1. Adding insult to injury, Bryce Harper fouled a ball off of his foot and had to leave the game.
The Nats entered the nightcap with Atlanta trailing them by just 1.5 games. On the hill was John Lannan. Lannan had spent the entire year in AAA after serving as the franchise’s “ace” for the previous three seasons. In his first start back, Lannan pitched the most important 7 innings of his career, keeping Washington in it before they piled on late to win 5-2.
Yesterday’s game was much easier. Thanks to two home runs by Ryan Zimmerman and a wonderful performance from Ross Detwiler, the Nats drew to a split in their weekend series.
Then came the bad news…
Shortstop Ian Desmond will miss a substantial amount of time due to an oblique tear. Danny Espinosa will move over to his natural position of shortstop and Steve Lombardozzi to his natural position of second base, but the Nats will miss Desmond’s bat. He’s been, for much of the season, a rock in the Nationals lineup.  The Nats will have to survive without him, as you can add Ian Desmond to the list of injuries this team has had to deal with.
The Nats begin a three-game series with the New York Mets in Queens tonight. Jordan Zimmermann will face Chris Young. Game time is 7:10 on one of the MASNs.
Game of the Day
Braves at Marlins. The Marlins need this game and this series, or else they risk putting themselves in a deep hole. With their ace on the mound, tonight would be the night to turn their season around. Mike Minor will take the hill for Atlanta. Josh Johnson for the Marlins. Game time is 7:10 p.m.