Posted in Baseball on April 29, 2010 by Trey Warren
With just three games remaining, the Paradise Valley Pumas find themselves three games back in the conference standings, behind only Gateway Community College.
PVCC plays Scottsdale today and finishes there regular season schedule against who else, Gateway. Although they are three games back, they hold the best overall record amongst the Division II teams in the conference. PVCC’s pitching staff will be the key to the final two games; Gateway leads the conference in stolen bases, walks and triples.
If the Pumas win out, there will be a two-way tie for first at 22-15 and both teams will be an even 2-2 against each other. After that it is unknown. In Major League Baseball, a tie is decided by a one-game playoff.
Willie Mays Hays, played by Omar Epps, got on base via a walk. In a critical game against the Chicago White Sox, Epps came around third and looked as if he would collide with the catcher at home.
Jokes on the catcher, as Epps leaped over the catcher and touched home. Who thought that would happen in real life? Fordham’s Brian Kownacki made a movie come to life.
After a controvertial five round fight at UFC 104, Light Heaveyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida will defend his title for the second time in a row against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
Rua dominated the majority of the fight, landing 43 more power shots than Machida, including 48 of 68 leg kicks. However, Machida’s arm was raised at the end of the fight, rather than Rua’s. This rematch is one of the most hyped up and anticipated fight in recent memory.
This fight very well could be the best fight since Forrest Griffin fought “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 86 in 2008. Machida and Rua combine for 34 wins, including Machida’s unblemished 16-0 record. But fans have seen hyped up fights turn into blunders, such as the rematch between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, which Lesnar won in the second round by TKO.
Machida’s karate style has been the biggest problem for his opponents but Rua seemed to find the answer with powerful leg kicks. After seeing each other once, Machida has the advantage of learning to avoid the leg kicks. Machida’s style of waiting and destroying should help him win the rematch against Rua, and staying undefeated.
After starting the season 9-0, PV has gone 20-13 and is currently on a four game losing streak. The Pumas are also currently tied with Mesa Community College with a conference record of 15-11.
With eleven games left, the Pumas will face off against Cochise College, the last remaining Division I team on their schedule. During those eleven games, they will play Chandler-Gilbert, Glendale, Scottsdale, Gateway and Phoenix before the conference tournament begins. PV is a combined 6-5 against those teams.
If the Pumas can win seven of the remaining eleven games, they will surpass their 2009 mark of 35-21. With a little help from their opponents, they could win back-to-back regular season conference titles, the first since Mesa accomplished the same feat during the 03-04 seasons.
Coming off of a season where they finished 1-15, the St. Louis Rams need much more than a No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
But what do they need most? For starters, defense. The Rams ranked No. 29 in total defense and No. 31 in points allowed per game. Sadly, their only win came against the 2-14 Detroit Lions, who are dead last in the NFL in points allowed per game. St. Louis still could only muster two touchdowns and a field goal in a seven point win.
Running back Steven Jackson rushed for 1,416 yards and 4 touchdowns on 324 carries in 2009 (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images).
Its hard to blame a 1-15 season on just defense, especially when the Rams offense only averaged 10 points a game, dead last in the NFL. So how about a quarterback? Marc Bulger was limited to just nine games last year due to injuries. Running back Steven Jackson was the main contributor to the Rams offense last year and only scored four touchdowns, his lowest total since 2004.
Let’s look at the 2006 NFL Draft. The Houston Texans surpassed on Reggie Bush and took defensive lineman Mario Williams with the first pick. They improved from 2-14 to 6-10, 8-8, and this year, 9-7, one win away from their first playoff appearance.
Let’s face it; St. Louis won’t go from worst to first in one year. It is possible though, since Miami just did it last year. The Dolphins finished 1-15 during the 07-08 season, and improved to 11-5 the next year, winning the AFC East Division.
Defensive linemen, Ndamukong Suh has gotten the most talk about the No. 1 pick. The star Nebraska Cornhusker took home four awards last year as one of the most dominant defensive tackles in history. However, Gerald McCoy has made a lot of noise since the end of his Oklahoma career, and is being considered a smarter choice for St. Louis.
As for a quarterback, who better than Sam Bradford? Bradford won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore at Oklahoma two years ago. Last year, his season was cut short after reinjuring his shoulder against Texas. On the other hand, Jimmy Clausen, junior from Notre Dame, worked under Head Coach Charlie Weiss, a former offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. Many believe he is a smart choice because of working under a pro-style offense.
Last year, the Detroit Lions took quarterback Matthew Stafford as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft. They improved from a historic worst, 0-16, to a more exciting 2-14. However, Detroit doesn’t have the potential running game that the Rams have.
It is up in the air for the Rams, who could use two picks like middle school dodgeball. However, they just get one. They were near the bottom rung of the ladder in many of both offensive and defensive categories. It is obviously a rebuilding period, and a top draft pick isn’t the only thing they need.
Spring Training begins tomorrow for the Texas Rangers, and fans will get to see the lineup that hit the second most homeruns in the 2009 season.
However, Texas adds a little more power to an offense that hit 224 homeruns last year. Former Angels slugger, Vladimir Guerrero was added to the lineup when Texas picked him up as a free agent in the offseason. He will join a hard-hitting outfield with Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz, last year’s Homerun Derby runner-up. The Rangers also added speed in the outfield with Endy Chavez.
Ian Kinsler and Josh Hamilton during a Spring Training workout in Surprise AZ. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Texas’ main problem from last season is still pitching, who had a team ERA of 4.38, ranking 18th in Major League Baseball. Scott Feldman led the team with 17 wins and a 4.08 ERA but may not be number one in the rotation come April. The Rangers added hard-throwing right-hander Rich Harden, who had a disappointing 2009 season with the Chicago Cubs. Spring will ultimately decide who is one and who is two in Texas’ rotation.
With the ability to score runs with one swing of the bat, the Rangers can make a run at the AL West title in 2010. All is needed is stability in the rotation and the bullpen. Something to avoid for the ball club in Dallas; post All-Star Break slump. Last season, the Rangers were leading the Al West going into the All-Star Break and quietly faded far out of reach of the division title, as well as the Wild Card.
The Texas Longhorns men’s hoops team posted 91 points in a 40-point domination over Nebraska.
Now, Nebraska is at the bottom of the Big 12 foodchain, but Texas did something this game that they have had trouble all season, shoot free throws. Before the Nebraska game, the Longhorns were shooting 61 percent from the line. Aginst the Cornhuskers, they hit 22 of 30 free throws(73%).
J'Coven Brown has stepped for Texas, averaging 10 points in just 22 minutes a game in his freshman season.(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Texas still needs more support from the bench. They accounted for 29 points against NU, but only came from two players. J’Coven Brown scored 28 in the losing effort against Kansas, the only player to score off the bench.
The Horns have a big road test against Missouri tonight, a team that has only lost one home game in the last two years. The bench will need to help the starting five on the road. Missouri has only given up 65 points a game this season.
Since being ranked No. 1 for the first time in school history, the Texas Longhorns have lost 5 of their last 7 games.
Texas began their reign atop the men’s college basketball ranks with a difficult road win at Iowa State. Texas returned home and was taken to overtime by rival Texas A&M. After staying perfect in their first week as the best team in the nation, it all went downhill from there.
On ESPN’s famed Big Monday, Texas traveled to Kansas State, who was ranked No. 9. The Longhorns started the second half down 36-26, and after staging a comeback, the Wildcats pulled away for a 71-62 win. The following Saturday, Texas went to UConn and was dominated the entire game, losing by 14 points.
Texas dropped to No. 6 in the Coaches’ Poll the following week. Texas Tech came to Austin and threatened Texas in the first half, before star Damion James broke out with 28 points. All of Texas’ starting five scored double figures.
Texas found themselves in their second overtime game of the season after finding themselves down nine points at home to the Baylor Bears. J’Coven Brown and Avery Bradley both missed 3-point field goals with less than ten second left and Baylor game texas their third loss of the year.
Texas traveled through Oklahoma to lay Oklahoma State. Jordan Hamilton came off the bench to score 27 in a 72-60 win over the Cowboys. The Longhorns went to Norman next to play a struggling Sooners team. Texas found themselves down 18 at the end of the first half and shot just 31%(10-27) from the free throw line all game, a problem they have been facing all year. Texas fell to Oklahoma 80-71.
No. 1 Kansas came to Austin and dominated Texas for their second straight loss. However, Texas might have found a permanent guard in J’Coven Brown, who scored 28 in the loss. Brown and Damion James scored 52 of the Horns 68 points. In fact, Brown’s 28 points were the only points to come from the bench.
Free throws have been Texas’ number one concern, ranking 326 out 334 teams in Division 1. They are in the top 5 in scoring offense, but field goal percentage has fallen in the past few weeks. They play Nebraska at home and then travel to Missouri and Texas Tech. As long as they establish a permanent guard and hit free throws, they will find their way back into the top 10.
I have been hearing today that some people believe that Peyton Manning’s legacy is harmed do to the game last night. Let me tell you something.
Not even close.
Peyton Manning is still arguably the greatest quarterback to play in professional football. Multiple MVP awards, one Super Bowl rings. You can’t blame Manning for the game last night. Did you see some wide open drops by his receivers.
Peyton Manning will be a first year Hall of Fame inductee. Brett Favre is 19,000 yards ahead in passing but 7 years older. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Peyton on the top of that list as well.
The New Orleans Saints were down 10-0 after the first quarter of their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise History.
The first half ended with two 40+ yard field goals by Saints kicker, Garrett Hartley. With a 10-6 halftime lead for the Colts, the two No. 1 seeds were in a defensive battle. Once the second half started, that all changed for one side.
New Orleans came out on fire, and quarterback Drew Brees led the comeback. Brees completed 16 yard a touchdown pass to Pierre Thomas. Running back Joseph Addai answered back for the Colts with a 4 yard touchdown run. The Saints next drive made history when Garrett Hartley made his third field goal of more than 40 yards.
The Saints dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring the Colts 15-0 on their way to winning the franchise’s first championship. Drew Brees connected with Jeremy Shockey from two yards out, and also converted the two-point conversion with a great rolling catch by Lance Moore. League MVP Peyton Manning was intercepted by Tracey Porter, who took it back 74 yards for a touchdown, putting the game out of reach.
Both quarterbacks combined to throw for 621 yards and 3 touchdowns. Drew Brees tied a Super Bowl record by completing 32 passes. Eight different receivers contributed to the passing game, including Marques Colston who had 7 receptions for 83 yards.
Drew Brees celebrates with his son and wife after the Saints 31-17 win over the Colts.(Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Until Manning’s interception, XLIV was shaping up to be one to remeber. New Orleans will forever remember this day, winning it’s first Super Bowl in more than 40 years of existance.
