I want to start by saying we have a fantastic team. LSU made a couple of plays in the outfield, we got robbed on strike three that Miller threw in the 11th and I’m not so sure Spence Navin wasn’t safe at home on that throw from right field. It’s hard to get over that one, but we’ve moved on and now it’s serious business tonight at 7 PM ET/6 CT on ESPNU against East Tennessee State. ETSU has this starting pitcher, Kerry Doane, who is pretty doggone good. He leads the country in complete games with 12, he’s like 13-1 something like that, and his ERA is under 2. He’s dangerous. We’ve got to bring it tonight. That’s a must. Illinois defeated Ga. Tech about 20 minutes ago, 6-4, in somewhat of a surprise. It was a really good game. Illinois has two position players who are twins brothers with their last names Pharr. One of them hit two long ones today. The Georgia Tech coach started his second starter today instead of his Friday Night guy and it cost him. So, we’ve got to take care of business tonight. Need a good outing from Zo. I love the way Vince Conde and Xavier Turner are hitting the ball right now. Need good production from our older guys, Kemp, Yaz, Gregor (who had an excellent SEC tourney at the plate), and Harrell. Not sure if Jack Lupo will be in left field, he’s been hurt, but I like any of our other options, John Norwood, Kyle Smith or Rhett Wiseman. Will have a report tomorrow on the game.
Mike Minor with a beautiful pitching performance last night. Went 7, threw 103 pitches, 73 for strikes (the guy just throws strikes), allowed three runs, but they were unearned as his shortstop, Andrelton Simmons, made an error on what would have been the third out. Mike didn’t walk a batter and struck out five. Mike has it going. He’s 7-2 now with a 2.49 ERA. Just a phenomenal pitcher right now. Braves playing tremendous baseball right now in first by a good five games over the Washington Nats. Really like what I’m seeing out of Mike. The Braves like what they’re seeing too. Braves host Nationals this weekend.
Dave Price interviewed with Todd Kalas (TK), the field reporter for the Rays’ broadcast, on Monday and said his arm feels good. Not sure when DP will be back, but should be in the next couple of weeks.Threw some on Monday and he felt good he said afterwards, so hopefully it’s in a week and a half. That seems about right. Rays have won five in a row after beating the Yanks Sunday, 7-0, and taking four straight from the lowly Marlins. Go to Cleveland tonight. Three back of the BoSox in the American League Big East.
Pedro didn’t play last night because he got two wisdom teeth pulled yesterday. Petey, come on man, can’t you do that another time and not during the Tigers’ series? The Bucs still won, 1-0. They are playing terrific baseball right now having taken three of four from Detroit, and the only loss they absorbed was Monday at Detroit when Justin Verlander pitched, but they got to him eventually and only lost 6-5. They played two in Detroit and two in the Steel City. El Toro (Pedro) had a beautiful two-run double on Wednesday Night that was critical to winning the game. We need him back tonight as the Reds come to town. Bucs around one and a half back of the Cards, who are playing incredible baseball right now. Bucs at 34-20. Started this Tony LaRussa book, One Last Strike. Tony, as many of you know, managed the Cards from 1996-2011 and won two world series titles with the Cards (2006, ’11). Read John Grisham’s foreword of the book last night. John and Tony are good friends, and John said when they get together, Tony, who according to John is a voracious reader, wants to talk about books and writers, and John wants to talk about hitting, pitching and defense on the Cardinals. It’s pretty funny. I would contend that Tony is the best manager the game has ever seen. Three World Series titles (one with Oakland in ’90). I know Joe Torre had four, but it just seemed to me that LaRussa could get more out of his players than any manager I’ve ever seen. Plus the talent Torre had was out the roof. Jeter in his prime, all those great position players. He was loaded. LaRussa got more out of less talent than Torre did. I would say they are the two best ever. John is the ghost writer and Tony talks about the comeback from 10 games down in the standings in 2011 with not much time left, which led to the World Series title. I’m excited about reading this one.
One last thing: I admire LeBron James for his work ethic and his recent (in the last two years) maturity. He’s grown up a lot and seems to be a good family man now. But he was complaining in February of this season that he was not paid like baseball players are paid. LeBron made $17.9 million in salary in 2012 and $40 million in endorsements. LeBron, I think you’ll be able to feed your family and have a good life on that. I understand what he’s aaying. There’s no salary cap in baseball and A-Rod is making $29 million a year this year, which he’s been doing for the past 10 years it seems like at least.. LeBron is much more valuable to his team than A-Rod is at this point, especially if he wins it again–and I’m starting to seriously reconsider my opinion that the Spurs are going to win it as the Heat look very deep and loaded and hard to beat– but come on ‘Bron. Saying that you’re underpaid at $58 million in 2012– and there will be more this year– is just not going to sit well with America. LeBron was complaining that baseball has no salary cap like basketball and they can pay these tremendous salaries.
I like LeBron overall, but he really says stuff he should just keep to himself sometimes. He’s honest to a fault. Don’t get me wrong; integrity trumps pretty much everything. But when you’re talking to the press, you need to keep something like that to yourself and talk about it with D Wade and Bosh, and not the media. I’ve got to reassess my Spurs pick. It’s going to be versus the Heat. The Heat are going to beat the young Pacers. I’ll go ahead and change; Heat in seven. Will be a tremendous series, but the Heat is just too deep and talented for anybody else. Spurs can stick with them with their starting five or six, but the Heat just keep throwing player after player at you. t’s pretty relentless. Heat in 7.
Will have more tomorrow. Ryan Flaherty has been playing a good bit for the O’s and hitting it pretty well. Mike Baxter playing some for the Mets. Sonny pitches tonight for Sacramento (triple A) and Sam Selman (VU ’12) goes tonight for the Wilmington BlueRocks.Will have Sonny, Sam and of course, Pedro, and our game report tomorrow.