(MLB) The Bloody Sock: Not Actually Blood?

Game Six of the 2004 American League Championship Series was perhaps the greatest pitching performance in League Championship Series History. In that game, with the Boston Red Sox facing elimination, Curt Schilling, only pitching in the game with a bloody sock due to a dislocated ankle tendon, put together so he could step off and on the Yankee Stadium pitching mound, threw seven and two thirds of shutdown baseball and helped the Boston Red Sox stay alive to complete "The Greatest Comback in Sports History" and help the Boston Red Sox end the Curse of the Bambino.


Now fast forward three years later to the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles. In the game, Orioles Play by Play Man Gary Thorne said that Red Sox Catcher Doug Mirrabelli told him the sock "was painted"

This has created a whole new controversy on a story that is so three years ago. Gary Thorne has responded to this story and so has Curt Schilling. (check out his blog site for his response) I like his response. It explains, in detail what he had to go through to pitch in that game.

I remember watching Game Six of the 2004 ALCS, glued to the TV, wondering how Curt Schilling could pitch through all the pain, yet alone be on the mound for that game, and I just find it unbelievable that someone would try to say the blood was fake.

Hopefully, testing on the sock gets completed soon, so this story can die once and for all.

(MLB) Joe Torre on the Hot Seat In APRIL??? Are You Kidding Me?

Rumors were flying before the start of the second game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees that Yankee Manager Joe Torre would be fired if the Yankees were swept by the Boston Red Sox, and Torre's job may STILL be on the line depending on how the Yankees do IN APRIL!!! Are You Kidding Me! Joe Torre could lose his job for the Yankees perform in the month of April is absolutely CRAZY and Makes NO SENSE WHATSOEVER! Look, the Yankees have had some bad luck. They have had three starters on the Disabled List (make it four, as Jeff Karstens was put on the DL after being hit in the leg with a line drive) and their bullpen has been overworked. The Yankees may be in a slump, but Championships are NOT won in the month of APRIL!

(The Yankees won their game today, hopefully ending any talk of Torre being fired in APRIL! Unbelievable!)

(MLB) Yankees have No Pitching (right now!)

The Yankees have lost again, this time to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 10-8. The Yanks lost this game because of NO PITCHING! Don't blame A-Rod. he did his part to try to make the Yankees win, as he homered twice in the game (he homered in the top of the ninth and for a second it looked like the Yanks would win), but the Yankees offense wasn't good enough to counter the lack of pitching. A-Rod is on pace to break the record for most homeruns in the Month of April (he tied it on his second homerun of the game) and is two runs away from breaking the record for most Runs Batted In for the month of April. Right now the Yankees are tempted to make Roger Clemens speed up his decsion to possibly return to the Bronx.

(NBA) NBA Playoffs

The NBA Playoffs have begun, and there have already been some suprises. Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony running all over the San Antonio Spurs in game one was not suprising. What was a suprise, though, was the Golden State Warriors shutting down the Dallas Mavericks, defeating them 97-85. True, it's only game one, and I still think the Mavericks and Spurs will win, it's still suprising, nonetheless. Kobe Bryant just could not knock any shots down late in the game as the Phoenix Suns defeated the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls defeated the weakened Miami Heat.and the Detroit Pistons defeated the Orlando Magic.

(XBOX) Major League Baseball 2K7

It was April 19th, My birthday. And on my birthday, I purchased the XBox version of Major League Baseball 2K7.

Pitching in MLB 2K7 is fine,the Payoff Pitching System lets you press a single button to determine both speed and accuracy works fine. Batting is also spectacular in MLB 2K7. The Swing Stick is probably about as close as you can get to swinging a bat in a videogame.

Another great thing about MLB 2K7 is the Game Sound. The game has a telvision style atmosphere, with ESPN Commentators Jon Miller calling the action and MLB Hall of Famer Joe Morgan dissecting the action. These two have worked together on ESPN for a long time and it really comes through in the videogame. They will analyze plays, tell stories, and even have in-depth commentary for rare events, like perfect games and no hitters. Before the game begins, Jeannie Zelasko (MLB on Fox Pregame Host) and Steve Physcioc (Los Angeles Angels Announcer) do an in-depth pregame show. The things these two talk about is impressive. They will analyze the starting pitchers, talk about how a respective club did last season and how they can improve, and, when you place two historic teams against each other, they will talk about the historic team and the record, and the hall of fame players. The stadium sound is great as well. Umpires emphatically call balls, strikes, and outs, and the Public Adress Announcer announces when batters are up, and makes product and game announcements.

Unlike MLB 07: The Show's soundtrack, which Totally Rocks, the Soundtrack for Major League Baseball 2K7 Absolutely Sucks! Wolfmother Nerf Herder, and Nirvana round out the "known band" part of the soundtrack. Wolfmother, Nirvana, and Nerf Herder are okay, not spectacular, but okay. It's all of the Unknown bands rounding out this soundtrack that make it bad. It's almost like MLB: 07 took all of the good artists, leaving MLB 2K7 to go with all of the Indie Rock groups.

MLB 2K7 is a good game of baeball, whether it is the Payoff Pitching, the Swing Stick, or the Franchise Mode. MLB 2K7 is a solid game of baseball, although if you have a PS2, PS3 or PSP, MLB 07: The Show is a better game.

(NFL) NFL Schedule Released

The NFL Schedule was released this Wednesday, and there are plenty of games worth sitting in front of the TV for, or at least, if you cannot watch it live, to Tvio and watch later. The season starts Thursday September 6th as the Indianapolis Colts open the season at home against the New Orleans Saints.

WEEK 1
Indianapolis Colts vs New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees against Peyton Manning. Reggie Bush against Joseph Addai. Marques Colston against Marvin Harrison. Adam Vinateiri against Olindo Mare. A great game on many levels.

Sunday
That Sunday, the Chicago Bears have a rocky Road To Repetition as they lead off the season against the San Diego Chargers. The League's Best Offense against the League's best defense.

Sunday Night
Tony Romo leads the Dallas Cowboys against Eli Manning and the New York Giants in the first Sunday Night Football game of the year.

Monday Night
Ken Whisenhunt leads the "new" Arizona Cardinals against the San Francisco 49ers in an NFC West Rivalry Game.

WEEK 2
Panthers vs Texans: The David Carr Bowl: David Carr gets to watch from the sidelines as Matt Schaub gets dropped on his head by the fierce Carolina Pass Rush, and as Carolina slaughters the Houston Texans.

Sunday Night
San Diego vs New England: A rematch of the AFC Divisional Playoff game, where San Diego self destructed on their chance to face the Colts in the AFC Conhampionship Game.

WEEK 3

Indianapolis vs Houston: This AFC South rivalry heated up as David Carr was able to lead the Texans to an upset victory of the Indianapolis Colts on the last week of the regular season.

Sunday Night
Dallas at Chicago. This would be more intesesting if Thomas Jones was still on the Bears.

WEEK 4
Kansas City vs San Diego: Larry Johnson vs Ladanian Tomlinson. Two of the best pure runners in the NFL going at it.

Denver vs Indianapolis: Brandon Stokely caught Peyton Manning's record breaking Touchdown Pass, earned his second Super Bowl Ring (his first came with Baltimore) and went Mile High to Denver, where the Colts seem to always have Denver's number.

Sunday Night
Philadelphia vs New York Giants: Big NFC East rivalry continues. Eli Manning vs Donovan McNabb.

WEEK 5

Atlanta vs Tennesee: Mike Vick against Vince Young. Great game of two very mobile QB's.

Sunday Night
Chicago vs Green Bay: The biggest rivalry in the NFL takes place at "The Frozen Tundra."

WEEK 6

New England vs Dallas: Tom Brady vs Tony Romo. Terrell Owens vs Donte Stallworth. DeMarcus Ware vs. Adalius Thomas. Icing on the Cake: Carrie and Giselle. Forget the game. I would love to just see Carrie and Giselle.

WEEK 7

Tennesee vs. Houston: Matt Schaub vs Vince Young. Big AFC South game.

Minnesota vs. Dallas: Brad Johnson watches from the sideline as Dallas plays his old team.

WEEK 8

Pittsburgh vs Cincinnati: Always a big rivalry game for both teams.

WEEK 9
New England vs Indianapolis: This is the Super Bowl before the Super Bowl. Peyton Manning, finally getting a Super Bowl ring last season, will face the guy with three Super Bowl Rings, Tom Brady. New England is bloodthirsty for revenge. They know they would have won gone to the Super Bowl and have defeated the Bears if Tom Brady did not throw that interception late in the game.

WEEK 10

SUNDAY NIGHT
Indianapolis vs San Diego: One week after facing the Patriots, it will not get any easier, as the Colts will play the Chargers from San Diego.

WEEK 11

SUNDAY NIGHT
Chicago vs Seatle: The Seahawks were defeated by the Bears last year on Sunday Night Football, and were knocked out of the posteason by the Bears. Seattle will be hungry for revenge,

WEEK 12

THANKGIVING DAY
Indianapolis vs Atlanta: While you finish stuffing your face with stuffing and turduckens, Mike Vick vs Peyton Manning will square off on NFL Network.

MONDAY NIGHT

Miami vs Pittsburgh: Joey Porter was a vital cog of the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl XL victory, and he will have plenty to say as he faces his former team.

WEEK 13

New York Giants vs Chicago: That game last year, on Sunday Night Football, was where Devin Hester set a new NFL record for the longest return of a missed field goal in the history of the NFL. If New York was smart, they will be sure to make their field goals this year.

WEEK 14

SUNDAY NIGHT

Indianapolis vs Baltimore: The Colts used to be in Baltimore. The Ravens are now in Baltimore. The "We hate Robert Irsay" crowd will be in full force in Baltimore.

MONDAY NIGHT

New Orleans vs Atlanta: Joe Horn faces his former team in a big rivalry game.

WEEK 15

Philladelphia at Dallas: Get out your popcorn, as Terrell Owens will surely be the highlight of this game.

MONDAY NIGHT

Chicago vs Minnesota: Big NFC North rivalry game.

WEEK 16

Cleveland at Cincinnati: The Battle of Ohio, and Chris Henry will be a part of it.

WEEK 17

New Orleans vs Chicago: A rematch of the 2006 NFC Championship Game, and this game could have playoff implications for one or Both teams.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Kansas City vs New York Giants: Not a bad way to finish the 2007 NFL Regular season, as Larry Johnson will face Thomas Jones. This game will be a treat for those who love the running game.

The Road to Super Bowl XLII has been carved. Are You ready for some football?

(PSP) MLB 07: The Show

Click on the video to see a preview of MLB 07: The Show for the PSP.




On Saturday, I bought myself an ealy birthday present, MLB 07: The Show for the PlayStation Portable. I had heard very good things about the game, and I decided to check it out for myself. I put in the game and I first thing I noticed was the graphics are abseloutely amazing, particularly for the PSP. Stadiums are dead on, from historic Wrigley Field, to the new Busch Stadium in St Louis, to the monuments of the Great Yankees beyond the bullpen at Yankee Stadium. Players look like their real life counterparts, their faces and stances are dead on. Onto the actual game itself, the game has the new Pitch Command System. If you throw more strikes, it will be easier to throw that pitch. Throw balls, and it will be harder to throw that pitch accurately. It works fine for the PSP. Another new part of the game is the Umpire System, you will have three sets of umpires, one that has a tight strike zone, another with a wide strike zone (these umps are called the Pitcher's Best Friend), and an ump that will call it right down the middle. It keeps the game realistic. Another new mode in MLB 07 is "Road to the Show", which is where you make a player, and work through his ups and downs, from the majors to the minors, and hopefully, when you retire, you will have enough votes to make it to the Hall of Fame. You play the game only from your position. When you are not involved, the game fast forwards to the next time you are involved. The game's presentation is amazing, the graphics are spot on. Some game reviews have talked about a frame rate issue, but I haven't seen it my copy of the game. Also great is the sound. Matt Vasgersian handles the play by play and does a great job. Dave Campbell and Rex Hudler handle the analysis, and they also do a fine job. The commentary team as a whole has many different team and player specific nuggets, which adds to the rich presentation. I would be remiss if I did not also mention the umpires also sound great, as they will emphatically call players out and safe and call balls fair and foul. The crowd sounds great as well. As expected, they cheer the home team, boo the visiting team, and cheer for their favorite players and boo the opposing teams. I would also be remiss if I did not talk about the great Musical selection in the game. From Chevelle ("Antisaint") to Switchfoot ("Oh Gravity!") to My Chemical Romance ("This is How I Dissapear" ) to Wolfmother ("The Joker and the Thief") to Fall Out Boy ("Carpal Tunnel of Love") the game's tunes rock from the first inning to extra innings. The game has a season mode, where you can lead your favorite team to the World Series for Multiple Seasons. King of the Diamond is another fun mode in the game, and it is perfect for people who want to bat and pitch but do not want the pressure of an actual game. A batter will face a pitcher, and they will get singles, doubles, triples, or homeruns depending on where they hit the ball. When the turn of that team is over, their pitcher will face the opposing teams hitter, where he will try to prevent the opposing hitter from scoring any runs. This is another mode that is a lot of fun. For those that want to only slug the longball, yes the game does have the Home Run Derby, and the game's Home Run Derby is just as realistic as the actual derby. You have ten outs to hit as many home runs as possible. Hit enough homeruns to continue advancing through the rounds, and win in the final round, and you will be able to call yourself Home Run Derby Champion. If you want to get into a game without playing a game, the game has a manager mode, where you can choose to watch the game from the dugout, the pitcher, or the press box. You can do anything an actual manger would, from telling a pitcher to hit a batter,to calling for the intentional walk, this is a lot of fun.

In short, MLB 07: The Show is just plain fun, from King of The Diamond, to Road to the Show, to Manager Mode, to playing as the great legends like Nolan Ryan and Babe Ruth, MLB 07: The Show really is "The Perfect Game."

Score: 9/10