Two straight wins for Utes; big games from Washburn

The Utah Runnin' Utes (3-8) are coming off of two wins in a row, which is quite refreshing following a string of eight straight losses.

Jason Washburn, in particular, has caught my eye the past couple of games. Washburn, a junior, has put up high numbers of points on offense, but also grabbed a lot of rebounds. In the game Monday against Portland (3-9), Washburn had a pair of huge blocks down the stretch of a tight game.

Perhaps most of all, I have noticed that Washburn is a much better free throw shooter this year. It shows that he has been working really hard at that facet of his game. I'm hoping this improvement from Washburn continues and he keeps putting up games like he did against Idaho State (2-8) and Portland. This kind of production is more of what I expected from Washburn when he came in a couple of years ago. I've always liked Washburn, but felt he could be more consistent. These last two games have really upped my hopes.

I realize the competition hasn't been the stiffest in the last two games, but it is really good for this group of Utes to get a couple of wins in a row. Utah goes on the road to face in-state rival Weber State (7-3) tomorrow night at 7 p.m. MT. The game can be seen on Altitude TV (channel 681 DirecTV, channel 61 Comcast in Salt Lake City). I'll be on the scene and will tweet out updates from Ogden. Go Utes! (P.S., here is an interesting link about recruit Jordan Loveridge).

Say it ain't so, Ryan!

It's being reported that Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Braun was recently named the 2011 National League Most Valuable Player.

If this is all true, it just plain sucks. Braun has long been a representation of what's good for baseball and has been one of my favorite players. I liked that he was willing to stay in Milwaukee and he just seemed like a guy who cares and is loyal.

Braun is appealing the results of the test via arbitration. It just seems to me, though, that if he failed a test, there was a reason for it. I'm willing to see what happens with the appeal, but I'm skeptical about the whole process.

This is all a downer, because, as I mentioned, Braun was definitely one of my favorite players. I looked up to him and loved that he seemed to have so many great qualities. He seemed like he cared more about winning and loyalty than money, which can be hard to find in professional sports. This reported positive test could really taint the way Braun is viewed by the public (and by me). And if the test is indeed accurate (which seems very likely), it's just devastating.

It wouldn't just be devastating for me, but for baseball as a whole. Braun was beloved as one of the superstars of the game and just won the MVP. I was hoping and believed that baseball had made significant strides in trying to rid the game of performance-enhancing drugs. I still think baseball has made substantial progress, but this would be a big blow. It's just bad (if it's true); I think I'll stop right there for now.

Check out this link about Andres Torres

Andres Torres, one of my favorite baseball players, was traded last night from the Giants to the Mets. This tribute to Torres, pretty much sums up how I feel about him. I don't think I could say it better myself. Andres Torres is the man. I strongly encourage you to read the linked blog post.

Jiggy Watkins suspended

Pictured: Jiggy Watkins, who has been suspended by Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak.

Utah (1-6) guard Jiggy Watkins has been suspended for a violation of team rules. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Watkins was late to practice on Monday and that his breaking of team rules had become a recurring problem. Watkins was leading the Runnin' Utes with 17.7 points per game and 4.9 assists per game.

It was already looking like a long season for Utah, but now that the Runnin' Utes have lost far and away their best player for an indefinite amount of time, well it could be even worse that what I was bracing for, if that is even possible. Watkins provided a lot for the team, especially on the offensive end of the floor. He was the only player who had been a consistent force throughout the season.

On the other hand, players have to keep team rules. I don't know too many of the details, but if we are to believe what he said at his coaches' show tonight, coach Larry Krystkowiak didn't have much of a choice. It's too bad. I understand that discipline and rules are among the most important things in sports and in life for that matter. So, hopefully Watkins can straighten things out and return to the court this season. We all know that the Utes need him.

Rough weekend for Runnin' Utes

It was a bad weekend for the Utah (1-5) basketball team. The Runnin' Utes lost to Harvard (6-0), Massachusetts (5-2) and UNC Asheville (3-4) by scores of 75-47, 90-75 and 87-65 at the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament in the Bahamas.

I don't have HDNet, so I wasn't able to actually watch any of the three games, but the scores speak for themselves. Harvard is actually a good team, believe it or not, and will probably be ranked this week. I'm not as well versed on UMass and UNC Asheville, but based on the Bulldogs' record, it doesn't appear that they are world beaters. UMass picked up their only win of the tournament against the Utes.

In looking at the statistics, it appears Utah actually had a pretty good shooting night against UMass. It's alarming that they still lost that game by 15 points. I don't give the Runnin' Utes much of a chance in their next game at Fresno State (2-4) on Saturday at 2 p.m. MT. Following this, Utah has four straight home games, three of which are against teams that one would think aren't exactly top notch. So, I'm hopeful that Utah can pick up a win or two in that stretch or this thing could get really ugly.

This Utah team appears to be much worse than last year, as last year's group actually was competitive in a number of games and posted a 13-18 record, including 7-7 in non-conference play. I can tell you right now that I will be shocked if Utah is anywhere near 7-7 going into Pac-12 play this year. Hopefully they can improve and pick a few wins, but as I've said before, it looks like it will be a long year.

Runnin' Utes blown out by Boise State

Utah (1-1) lost tonight at Boise State (2-0) by a score of 80-59. This win comes on the heels of the Runnin' Utes topping San Diego Christian College, an NAIA school, on Monday night by a score of 58-55.

I have not been impressed at all with the Utes so far this year. Honestly, they don't look like they know what they're doing out there. I know it's early, but this year's Utah team looks like the least talented Utes team I have ever seen -- not a good thing when entering the first year in the Pac-12. The team looks like it's playing pretty hard out there, they just don't look like they have a lot of talent.

Jiggy Watkins led the Utes with 19 points. Watkins so far has looked like by far the best Utah player. However, he can't do everything by himself. I expect more production from center Jason Washburn, who had 5 points and 6 rebounds in 25 minutes tonight. Sometimes I feel like Washburn just needs to play smarter. He's got talent, but he needs to keep his head in the game.

Look, I'm sure Utah will play better as the season goes on and the team gets more time to mesh and gel. So, we'll see if I'm overreacting. Maybe Boise State will turn out to be a better team than I'm expecting, but I still see tonight as an embarrassing loss. Larry Krystkowiak hasn't exactly set the world on fire in his first two games as head coach, but I'm willing to give him some time. I don't think the talent is all that great this year, as I alluded to. I think this team will get better, but this looks to have all the makings of a long year.

The Runnin' Utes host Montana State (1-1) on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. There is no television for the game, but you can watch a live stream of the game via utahutes.com

The Penn State scandal

I just watched most of the Penn State-Nebraska game today (won by Nebraska 17-14). It was the first game in a long time for Penn State without head coach Joe Paterno, who was fired earlier this week amid a major scandal involving former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. Paterno and numerous other associated with Penn State appear to have failed to report disturbing sexual allegations against young boys committed by Sandusky.

The whole situation is sad to me. Sandusky appears to be a monster. After reading the grand jury report, it was just sickening what he appears to have done. And it's a problem that Paterno and receivers coach Mike McQueary knew about at least one allegation for several years and didn't report it to the police, even if they each informed their superiors at the university. Both Paterno and McQueary deserved what they got.

I don't think Paterno or McQueary necessarily meant for more crimes to be committed, but that's just something you have to report to the police. I feel a little bad for both of them (McQueary has been placed on administrative leave and I'll bet he never coaches another game at Penn State), but not even close to as bad as I feel for all of the victims. Who knows how many kids and their families were harmed by the actions of Sandusky and how many more in the years before the grand jury investigation when Paterno and McQueary had some knowledge of the situation. Stuff like that can affect people for the rest of their lives. That's the real tragedy.

Utah football takes on Arizona today

Utah (4-4, 1-4 Pac-12) football visits Arizona (2-6, 1-5 Pac-12) today at 5 p.m. MDT (Utah time). The game can be seen in Utah on KJZZ. The Utes looked better last week at home against Oregon State (2-6, 2-3 Pac-12), winning 27-8. The key to me was that Utah limited the mistakes on offense, particularly in the turnover department. This and some nice drives in the 2nd quarter allowed Utah to open up a big lead and cruise to victory.

However, I would like to see the offense move the ball more consistently; the second half against the Beavers was certainly nothing to write home about. But, the biggest key will again be to limit turnovers. The defense has played pretty well all year and I expect that to continue today. Arizona is a team Utah probably has more talent than and probably should beat, but that certainly is no guarantee, especially on the road. The offense, and particularly quarterback Jon Hays playing smart and limiting mistakes, will be the key to the game. Follow me on Twitter for in-game updates. Go Utes!

Runnin' Utes drop exhibition to DII Adams State

The Utah Runnin' Utes (0-0) basketball team lost an exhibition game to Division II school Adams State (0-0) 61-60 last night at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. Freshman Kareem Story called a time-out that the Runnin' Utes didn't have with about 11 seconds left in a tie game and Adams State cashed in on one of the two resulting technical free throws. It leaves me with a sickening feeling to lose to a Division II school. On the bright side of things, the game was just an exhibition and therefore does not count against the team's record.

It makes me feel a little better that Butler, West Virginia and Arizona also lost exhibition games at home to similar type schools this preseason. However, it just isn't good form to lose to a DII school, even in a game that doesn't count. But, I'm going to try not to read too much into it for now. Coach Larry Krystkowiak said after the game that the phantom time-out was on the coaches; it sounded like it hadn't been discussed by the team. That shouldn't happen, the coaches should make sure the team knows there are no more time-outs, though the players should know this, too.

Utah opens up the regular season on Monday, November 14th against San Diego Christian College (0-0), an NAIA school. Adams State actually takes on Utah State (0-0) in Logan at 4 p.m. MT today in another exhibition game.

Cardinals win in 7

The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Texas Rangers 6-2 last night in Game 7 of the World Series to win it 4 games to 3. David Freese earned series MVP honors. The game that will be talked about as one of the all-timers, though, is Game 6, won by the Cardinals 10-9 in 11 innings.

It wasn't just that the Cardinals won Game 6, it was how they won. They trailed 7-5 in the 9th and 9-7 in the 10th, and were down to their final strike in both innings. In the 9th, it was Freese coming through with a two-run triple, and in the 10th it was Lance Berkman bringing home the 2nd run of the inning with an RBI single. Freese won it with a walk-off home run in the 11th.

Honestly, I think Game 6 has to be the greatest game I have ever seen, especially when you consider what was on the line and the heroics that were involved. I can't ever remember seeing a baseball game like that. There really are no words to describe how it all went down. It was simply unbelievable. You just don't see stuff like that.

After the Cardinals took Game 6, you just kind of felt like they would win Game 7 as well. It was just such a devastating loss for the Rangers that it would have been surprising to me if they had come back to win Game 7. I personally thought Rangers manager Ron Washington had his outfield playing way too deep in the "no doubles" defense with the tying run on 2nd in the 10th. Had the outfield been playing closer in, there may have been more of a play at the plate on Berkman's single.

It seemed Washington was playing more not too lose in that inning, with the winning run on first, and in doing so, did not allow his defense any chance in cutting down the tying run at the plate. However, that should take nothing away from St. Louis as there was a good chance that runner scores anyway.

It also looked to me like Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz had a chance to catch Freese's game-tying triple in the 9th, which would have won the World Series for the Rangers. Cruz seemed to almost casually drift back to attempt to make a play on the ball and he just looked awkward out there. It would have been a nice catch, but I bet Cruz could have, probably should have made that play. I was surprised when the ball got down, but it was not the most routine play and was properly scored a triple.

What a pair of moments for Freese (and one for Berkman in the 10th), I can't imagine how it would feel to accomplish something like that. What a game, this one will be talked about for ages. It is tough to come up with words for the World Series, so I'll just leave it with one word: unbelievable.

Rangers lead World Series 3-2

The Texas Rangers picked up wins the last two nights in Games 4 and 5. The Rangers lead the World Series 3 games to 2. The big story in Game 4 was Derek Holland who pitched shutout ball into the 9th. The last two games have both featured huge hits from Mike Napoli, who is in line to be the World Series MVP if the Rangers pull it out.

I think the St. Louis Cardinals are in serious trouble after losing Game 5, which was started by ace Chris Carpenter (even though the bullpen gave up the winning runs). I think the Rangers are just the stronger team at this point. The Cards really need a dynamic performance from Jaime Garcia, the type of which he gave them in Game 2. Game 6 from St. Louis is tomorrow night at 6 p.m. MT on FOX.

Albert Pujols with a historic night

Pictured: Albert Pujols connects for one of his three home runs in Game 3 Saturday night in Texas.

Well, my Utah Utes (3-4, 0-4 Pac-12) lost 34-10 to Cal (4-3, 1-3 Pac-12) tonight and looked pretty listless. So, I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time on that.

The story of the night was Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals hitting 3 home runs in Game 3 of the World Series. Pujols is the 3rd player in the history of Major League Baseball to do this in a World Series game, joining Babe Ruth (who did it twice) and Reggie Jackson. It's just the type of thing you don't exactly expect to see when you tune it to watch because it's such a rarity. I don't know if I have words to describe what an achievement it is. When Pujols hit that 3rd home run in the 9th, I let out a little yelp because I realized I had just seen something improbable and incredible.

The Cardinals now lead the World Series 2 games to 1. This means Game 4 tomorrow night is a must-win for the Rangers, especially with Cards ace Chris Carpenter slated to pitch Game 5. The Cardinals have shown that their offense is real and to be reckoned with. Game 4 will show a lot about the character of the Rangers.

Rangers stun Cardinals in ninth to even World Series

The Texas Rangers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 in Game 2 of the World Series tonight. The series is tied at a game apiece. It was very well-pitched game. The Rangers scored 2 runs in the top of the 9th to grab the lead and the win. It's a very uplifting win for the Rangers and a very demoralizing loss for the Cardinals.

The Rangers played smart in the top of the 9th to score twice. Ian Kinsler made a gutty play and just stole 2nd ahead of a great throw from Yadier Molina. Then Elvis Andrus singled and took second when Albert Pujols didn't cut off a throw from right field. It was a play Pujols should have made; the throw was there to be cut off and Pujols just missed it. The play ended up being the difference between the Rangers winning and the game still being tied. Andrus deserves credit for taking 2nd on the play, as it was a close play and required guts to attempt.

It really is fundamentals that helped determine the outcome. Pujols cutting off the ball is a fundamental play. Andrus taking the extra base may not be purely fundamental, but it was a good, aggressive play that helped his team win.

Also, good situational hitting from Josh Hamilton and Michael Young to get sacrifice flies when each had a runner on third and less than two outs. It's good hitting to get the ball in the air there when the pitchers clearly had to be going for strikeouts. I kind of have to agree with the analysts who say Tony La Russa should have stayed with Jason Motte against Hamilton, even though bringing in Arthur Rhodes brought up a left-on-left match-up. Even though Motte hasn't been the "official" closer, he's been the closer. He hadn't blown the save yet and this could be a blow to his confidence.

I understand where La Russa was coming from as he likes to go with situational match-ups, but I disagree with him on this one. Motte probably would have coughed up the save at that point anyway since the Cards only held a one run lead and there were runners on second and third with nobody out. However, he would benefit in the future from knowing he's the guy, it seems like La Russa showed some doubt in him there. We'll see what happens with Motte the rest of the series.

Finally, if I were La Russa and the Cardinals, I would start Chris Carpenter on short rest for Game 4 on Sunday. Carpenter is the Cards' best pitcher and gives them the best chance to win. If he goes in Game 4, he could come back again on short rest for a potential Game 7 and therefore pitch three times in the series instead of two. Also, Carpenter only threw 87 pitches in Game 1 and should have more in the tank to come back on short rest.

That's all for now, stay tuned to the blog for World Series updates analysis. I will try to get in some blogging about Utah football soon as well. Also, follow me on Twitter as well for World Series and Utes in-game updates and analysis as well other thoughts on sports.

Cards use clutch hitting and bullpen to take WS Game 1

The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Texas Rangers 3-2 in Game 1 of the World Series tonight. I'm going to jump straight to my thoughts on the game. The Cardinals bullpen was fantastic again. It really is shocking to me to see that group of relievers continuing to shut down the top offenses in baseball.

When I watched the Cards during the season, and especially when they took on the Giants, the bullpen was quite unimpressive. Then again, the Giants opened at home against the Cardinals when Ryan Franklin was the closer. Franklin was so bad that he is no longer with the team. Jason Motte (even with a very ugly beard) has done a bang up job in the playoffs in the closer role (even if manager Tony La Russa won't officially acknowledge he is the closer). Still, they don't have many guys down in that bullpen that strike fear into my mind. However, they have been lights out and really seem to be feeding off of each other. I credit pitching coach Dave Duncan, who has long been one of the top coaches in all of the game.

I thought Ron Washington handled his bullpen, etc. better tonight than he did in last year's World Series against the Giants, when he left guys out there far too long. In fact, he did a much better job with that. The only thing I take issue with Washington doing was pinch-hitting with Esteban German in the top of the 7th with two runners on. German hadn't had an at bat the entire postseason and did not come through. Yorvit Torrealba seemed a much better option, particularly with the Rangers carrying three catchers in the series.

Props to Allen Craig for a clutch pinch-hit single that proved to be the game winner. He rewarded La Russa for pulling starting pitcher Chris Carpenter in that spot, which I think was the right move regardless. You have to play to win and you don't know how many chances you are going to get to score. Alright, that's all for tonight, follow me on Twitter for in game updates and stay tuned to the blog for more analysis.

My World Series pick: Rangers in six

I'm picking the Texas Rangers to knock off the St. Louis Cardinals in six games in the World Series. Both teams are very solid, but I think the Rangers are just a little bit better. I know the Cardinals bullpen has been very good, but I have more confidence in the back end of the Rangers 'pen to get things done. The Cardinals have a good offense, but the Rangers' is even more potent in my book.

The wild card in the series is Chris Carpenter. If he pitches two (or three) great games like he did in Game 5 against the Phillies in the first round, then the Cardinals probably win. But I think best case scenario for St. Louis is one great start and one good start that gives his team the chance to win. And in a toss-up type of situation, well I think the Rangers are just a little bit better. That offense is something else. I'll be keen to see how the Cardinals pitching staff, and bullpen in particular, handle it.

The two teams are pretty evenly matched, and that should make for an exciting and long series. I can't wait for it to get started. Game 1 is on Wednesday from St. Louis at 6 p.m. MT on FOX. Carpenter starts for the Cards and for the Rangers it will be C.J. Wilson, who had a very solid season, but has struggled some in the playoffs. Should be fun.

LCS and NBA lockout thoughts

At left: Albert Pujols has looked locked in during the playoffs, and that was on display last night against the Brewers.

Thoughts from both LCS and on the NBA lockout:

- The Brewers aren't exactly making a lot of friends with their "Beast Mode" antics this postseason. Sure, it looks like fun and it looks like they are having a good time. But, I thought from the first time I saw it that opposing teams wouldn't look too kindly on it. The Diamondbacks certainly didn't, even countering with a snake bite type of antic that appeared to be in direct response to Beast Mode.

The Cardinals looked extra amped for Game 2 of the NLCS last night, after the Brewers won Game 1 Sunday afternoon and displayed their Beast Mode celebrations throughout the game. These teams already didn't like each other from the regular season. Last night's lopsided St. Louis win seemed like a statement to me from the Cards. They seem extra motivated to not allow Milwaukee to celebrate in front of them.

- I have tweeted this, but Albert Pujols looks particularly dialed in this postseason. He's been one of the top players in the game for several years now and always seems focused. However, it seems like he has taken his focus and determination to another level during the playoffs -- I wouldn't have really thought that was possible. Pujols made a great defensive play against the Phillies that I don't think a whole lot of first baseman would even try. He seemed especially locked in last night against the Brewers. Maybe it's his impending free agency and the uncertainty of whether he will return to St. Louis, but Pujols seems very motivated right now.

- Big match-up tomorrow at 2 p.m. MT on FOX tomorrow in Game 4 between the Tigers and Rangers. I still think that series goes seven games and I feel like the NLCS is headed in that direction as well. If Adrian Beltre of the Rangers or Victor Martinez of the Tigers are unable to play for any significant amount of time, though, it could sway the ALCS toward the opposing team. I feel like Martinez's impact is more important, not because Beltre isn't good, but because Texas' lineup has a lot of sluggers in it. Detroit needs Martinez to protect Miguel Cabrera in the batting order.

- The NBA lockout looks like it will be in effect for a while. The sides don't seem terribly close to an agreement. I thought it was a bit of a joke when commissioner David Stern threatened to cancel the entire season a couple of weeks ago. That is the definition of a threat without legs -- the league wouldn't turn down the revenue playing games brings if the players agreed to a deal. However, I think the NBA will miss about half of the season before getting this thing resolved. Of course, I don't rule out the possibility of the entire season being wiped out.

Three Game 5s spread between tonight and tomorrow

Getting ready to watch Tigers-Yankees in just a few minutes on TBS. It's the first of three decisive Game 5s in the first round. Tomorrow it's Brewers-Diamondbacks at 3 p.m. MT and Phillies-Cardinals at 6:30 p.m. MT. It doesn't get much better than this. If you get a chance, I encourage you to check out as much of these games as possible. Seasons are on the line and it's now or never. I love it.

I hope the Tigers reconsider their position of not bringing ace pitcher Justin Verlander out of the bullpen tonight should the situation warrant it. It's Game 5 and in my book, you should have all hands on deck.

Well, in any case, here we go!

National League Awards

National League Awards:

MVP: Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers. I know he played on a third place team, but he was without a doubt the best player in the National League. He led the NL in homers (39) and RBIs (126) as well as finishing in third in average (.324) and fourth in on-base percentage (.399). Additionally, he was second in the National League with 40 steals and played an outstanding center field. It's tough to admit that the MVP should go to a Dodger, but credit where credit is due.

Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers. Another tough one for me to swallow, but Kershaw was tied for the league lead in wins (21-5), first in ERA (2.28) and first in strikeouts (248). Best pitcher in the league, in my book. Particularly impressed with his 21 wins on a third-place team.

Manager of the Year: Kirk Gibson, Arizona Diamondbacks. He got that team to the playoffs.

Rookie of the Year: Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves. Great closer, even if he faded down the stretch.

Sorry not more detail, but the playoffs are under way on TBS for today.

My American League Awards

Since the playoffs start later today, it is time for my coveted annual Derek's Baseball Awards:

American League:
MVP: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers. Not only did Verlander win the AL pitching triple crown (24-5, 2.40 ERA, 250 strikeouts), but he led in pretty much every relevant pitching category, not just in the American League, but in all of baseball.

Verlander led in innings pitched (251) as well as WHIP (0.92), which measures the number of hits and walks given up per every inning pitched. He also led all of baseball in batting average against (.192) and on-base percentage against (.242). The man was simply a beast. He ran away with the Cy Young Award along time ago, but I think he was clearly the best player in the American League this year.

Others players should be mentioned in the race for 2nd in the voting, such as Blue Jays OF Jose Bautista (my pick for 2nd), Red Sox OF Jacoby Ellsbury and 1B Adrian Gonzalez and Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera. Bautista had a huge year, leading the league in homers (43) and 2nd in on-base percentage (.447 behind Cabrera's .448) and knocked in 103 runs. However, Verlander to me was just head and shoulders above the rest. I know it's been almost 20 years since a pitcher has won an MVP award, but I think Verlander clearly deserves it.

Cy Young: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers. See above, you can make all the same arguments except you don't have to factor in the hitters.

Rookie of the Year: Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals. He hit .293 with 19 home runs and 78 RBIs. There wasn't a whole lot of competition, but Hosmer still had a nice year. Also to be mentioned are Jeremy Hellickson of the Rays and Ivan Nova of the Yankees.

Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays. Maddon lost a ton of key players from last year's AL East Champion team, but still managed to get this year's team into the playoffs with a 91-71 record, despite being 9 games out of the Wild Card in early September. He kept the team believing, the man can manage.

National League: I'll hit those up later tonight or tomorrow morning since the National League Playoffs don't get underway until tomorrow.

Playoff picks

Sooo, the two teams I picked to make the World Series, the San Francisco Giants (86-76) and the Boston Red Sox (90-72) didn't even make the playoffs. I'm sad about the Giants, but think it's cool the Tampa Bay Rays (91-71) made it. Anyway, let's get cracking with my playoff picks:

American League:
Texas Rangers (96-66) over Rays in 4. The Rangers have some pitching and have a very potent offense, but the Rays have a ton of intangibles, but a ton of pitching. I think the Rangers have more talent, though, and will pull it out.

Detroit Tigers (95-67) over New York Yankees (97-65) in 5. Putting it simply: the Tigers have Justin Verlander and he gets to pitch twice in a full series. He's the best player in the American League this year in my book. Both teams have hitting and pitching, but I think Verlander makes the difference.

National League:
Philadelphia Phillies (102-60) over St. Louis Cardinals (90-72) in 4. The Phillies just have a better team. Their pitching staff, particularly the starting rotation is better. But the Cards have a good team and a good manager in Tony La Russa so they should make it a series.

Milwaukee Brewers (96-66) over Arizona Diamondbacks (94-68) in 5. The Brewers have a much better team on paper. But so did the Giants if you ask me. The D-Backs have the intangibles and mojo that could carry them past the first round. However, the Brewers have good chemistry and I think the deciding factor will be home field advantage.

Well, for the heck of it, I'll pick the LCS and World Series while I'm at it: Rangers over Tigers in 7 and Phillies over Brewers in 6. In the World Series, Phillies over Rangers in 5. More detailed picks on the succeeding rounds when they are upon us.

Tomorrow, it's Rays at Rangers at 3 p.m. MT and Tigers at Yankees at 6:30 p.m. MT. Both games are on TBS. The National League Playoffs get underway on Saturday.

What a night of baseball

Nights like tonight are what make sports -- and baseball -- great. Going into the night there were four teams, fighting for two Wild Card spots. Out of the four games played, only one was a laugher. The St. Louis Cardinals (90-72) beat the Houston Astros (56-106) by a score of 8-0. Chris Carpenter went the distance for the Cards, who later would learn they had clinched the Wild Card.

The other three match-ups were really intense. The best game of the night was the Tampa Bay Rays (91-71) defeating the New York Yankees (97-65) in 12 innings by a score of 8-7. The Rays trailed 7-0 in the 8th inning before scoring 6 runs in that frame. Dan Johnson hit a game-tying home run with two strikes and two outs in the 9th inning. That was particularly clutch since the Red Sox were winning at the time and the Rays' season appeared to be on the line.

Evan Longoria capped it off with a walk-off homer in the 12th, his second of the game. I keep thinking of the old adage that big players make big plays in big games. That describes Longoria tonight. He was incredible and this included a nifty defensive play in the top of the 12th.

Longoria's home run catapulted the Rays to the Wild Card because literally three minutes earlier the Boston Red Sox (90-72) had lost to the Baltimore Orioles (69-93). The Orioles were down to their final out against Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon before back-to-back doubles tied it and a single won it. Papelbon is one of the best closers in the game and he couldn't nail it down tonight.

It was all literally unbelievable. The Rays were down 7 runs with 6 outs to go and came back to win. The odds of both happening on the same night with a playoff spot at stake are very long. It was just an incredible, exciting night of baseball.

The Atlanta Braves (89-73) lost 4-3 at home to the Philadelphia Phillies (102-60) in 13 innings. The Braves were just a couple outs away from winning in the top of the 9th before closer Craig Kimbrel coughed up the lead.

The Braves and Red Sox blew 8 1/2 and 9 game leads in September, the largest collapses in baseball history. And it sure made for an exciting night. It really is hard to put into words, but tonight is what baseball is all about. The playoffs start Friday. I'm ready.

San Francisco Giants run as World Champions will end

The San Francisco Giants' (84-75) reign as World Champions will sadly come to an end. The Giants were officially eliminated from playoff contention with a 15-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks (93-66), who won the National League West.

It's been a rough season for the Orange and Black on a lot of fronts, most notably that of the offense. Giving up 15 runs, as they did last night, was the extreme exception, not the norm. If the pitching had gone like last night, as Giants beat writer Andy Baggarly pointed out, the team could easily have lost 100 games this year.

The offense was that bad. First baseman Aubrey Huff was named the Least Valuable Player in the National League by a New York Times article after having a great season a year ago. Also performing worse than last year were, well, a number of players on offense.

Another big part of things was the injury bug, most notably affecting reigning Rookie of the Year Buster Posey, who was injured after being bowled over by Scott Cousins of the Florida Marlins (71-88) in May. But Posey was only one of several injuries, Huff was the only regular not to miss significant time due to injuries.

Despite everything, it's been a fun run as World Champions. I have thoroughly enjoyed referring to my team as the World Champion San Francisco Giants throughout this season. Winning the World Series is an incredible thing, and I'm glad my team was able to win it all. I'm also glad that I was able to thoroughly soak it up. Hopefully they will have another good run next year (with an improved offense).

More on the Utes' big win

I thought BYU (1-2) played very sloppy the other night and that was a big part of the reason Utah was able to win by so much. I had picked BYU to win this game close at home and I was surprised by their lack of intensity and discipline, particularly in the second half. Utah (2-1, 0-1 Pac-12), though, should be given credit for applying the pressure as well as forcing and recovering them. Their skills and athleticism factoring into the win should also not be understated. Utah won the game big for a reason and forced a lot of those mistakes that BYU made.

It looked like once BYU got down by a few scores that their defense just threw in the towel, so to speak. The Utes appeared to just be trying to run the ball and take some time off the clock in the fourth quarter, but were unable to use a lot of time because they scored on a couple of long runs. It really looked to me like the defense laid down a bit. That's not acceptable from BYU's standpoint, but it is very gratifying to me as a Utah fan to see my team help bring its biggest rival to that point.

I thought Jordan Wynn was still a bit shaky at quarterback, especially for the better part of the first half. Wynn had one pass picked off and by all rights should have had another one intercepted had it not been for a BYU defender dropping a ball thrown right to him. However, I have to give Wynn credit for leading a couple of big touchdown drives late in the first half and early in the second half while the game was still in question. That shows a lot of heart.

On the other hand, I thought BYU quarterback Jake Heaps had a terrible game. I lost track of how many turnovers he had, but I know that there were at least a couple of egregious ones. Of particular note was his fumble on the Cougars' opening drive of the game when the snap went over his head. Instead of just falling on the ball, Heaps attempted to pick it up and when he failed to do so, the Utes pounced on it in the endzone for a quick touchdown. Had Heaps just fallen on the ball, BYU would have just had to punt, instead they were down 7-0.

It wasn't his only instance of poor judgement on the night. On top of that, he missed several open receivers that could have kept a number of BYU drives alive. I don't know if it would have made a difference in the long haul, but it certainly didn't help BYU's cause. I thought Heaps was going to have a great year, especially based on how strongly he finished out last season. His poor play is a bit of a shocker to me.

There is no doubt that Utah is a much better team. The Utes played harder and much more consistently than the Cougars and were able to substantially win the turnover battle. Additionally, it looked like Utah was simply more athletic and more talented than BYU; this especially became apparent in the second half.

Utes throttle BYU

At left: The Utes celebrate their huge win in Provo.

Utah (2-1, 0-1 Pac-12) defeated BYU (1-2) tonight in LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo by a score of 54-10. It was the largest margin of victory the Utes have ever had in Provo. I had the pleasure of being at the game and without providing an exact order, I'd have to say it is easily one of my favorite sporting events I have ever attended.

The whole thing really was a stunner. I actually thought BYU would win this game, being at home as well as looking to avenge last year's 17-16 loss in Salt Lake City. I also didn't think there would be a ton of points from either team. When BYU turned the ball over three times in the first quarter and Utah only managed seven points out of it (on a defensive touchdown), I thought the Utes would have trouble scoring.

In fact, BYU led 10-7 with less than a minute to go in the first half. That is really hard to believe given the final score. The Utes scored before halftime and then turned into a buzzsaw for the second half. It literally was hard to keep track of all the touchdowns, as they kept rolling in at a very high rate.

It suffices me to say that Utah just played very well in all phases of the game (well, except the kicking game -- a missed field goal and extra point, but I'll look past that for now), especially in the second half. I honestly didn't know the Utes had that in them.

It was the first time I have been at a Utah victory in Provo and I was soaking it up. There is just something about beating your biggest rival on their homefield that is just a great thing. It's a great time to be a Ute. As a Utah fan, it was also fun seeing the stadium rapidly empty out starting late in the third quarter. It was just a really good night at the game.

On another note, I liked both teams wearing their home uniforms. The colors contrast enough to make it work. I'm told that is the theme for the 2011-2012 year as part of the Deseret Duel between the two schools. I hope the Utes and Cougars continue to both wear their home uniforms against each other in the future.

It's late, so I'm not going to get into all the details, but tonight was one of those nights where it was really rewarding to be a loyal fan to a team. I love my Utes! Way to go!

Giants were World Champs for a reason

The San Francisco Giants (80-70) beat the Colorado Rockies (70-79) 8-5 tonight to capture their fifth win in a row. Pablo Sandoval had the big night, hitting for the cycle. Sandoval has had a great, comeback season after having a subpar year last season. I realize the Giants are a longshot for this season, but I want to talk about last year.

Now, people have been ragging about the Giants lately. But what particularly has stood out is when people have said the Giants weren't the best team last year or "just got hot at the right time." But, it's really not worth a lot of words since the Giants won the World Series. As I have blogged about before, in baseball you have to have a darn good season to make the playoffs, if you make it you have been consistent all year and deserve to be there.

If the Giants weren't the best team, how come nobody beat them in the playoffs? If they just got hot at the right time, how come teams didn't keep them from the playoffs? For example, they split the season series with the Phillies, who were widely regarded as the "best" National League team. There is a quote from long-time Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes that I often like to use in these situations: "The best team always wins: everything else is excuses." The Giants have the rings and the trophy and that means they were the best team last year. Case closed.

Giants in dire straights; more blackout garbage

The San Francisco Giants (73-67) lost 4-1 today to the Arizona Diamondbacks (80-60) to fall seven games out of first place with only 22 games to go in the season. It's looking like an impossibly tall order for the defending champs to get back into the postseason again. The Diamondbacks just took 2 of 3 in San Francisco, including roughing up ace Tim Lincecum last night.

The Giants still aren't mathematically eliminated, but it's looking pretty dire. The Diamondbacks have now won 11 of 12 and just don't seem like they ever lose. The Giants are lucky if they're playing .500 ball over any consistent stretch lately. Things have to turn around in a hurry and there will probably have to be some luck involved for the Orange and Black to return to October.

I was unable to watch the game due to MLB's ridiculous local blackout policy -- apparently living in Salt Lake City qualifies me as being in Arizona's "local" territory. With my cable system, however, there is no channel (even on premium packages) that carries D-Backs games.

The only way someone in Utah can watch the D-Backs play is to have the high-end Sports Pack on DirecTV. Sounds a bit like a monopoly to me and like some shady dealing between MLB and DirecTV. I was formerly a DirecTV customer, but they were unable to install it at my current apartment due to a line-of-sight problem with their satellite dish. This leaves me with no options to watch most Arizona games live, even though I am an mlb.tv subscriber. Hardly seems fair. But hey, maybe I should be thankful I didn't have the opportunity to watch today's game.

More college football predictions

Don't worry, I'll have an update on the World Champion San Francisco Giants (73-65) and their big series this weekend against the Arizona Diamondbacks (78-60) either tomorrow or Monday. But now, I'm going to break down the other Utah I-A schools. Let's start with that school down south, BYU:

-- Sat. 9/3: at Ole Miss -- Loss. I think BYU probably has more talent, but I think traveling all the way across the country to play in heat and humidity in front of a hostile SEC crowd will take its toll. I think Ole Miss pulls it out at home by 4.
-- Sat. 9/10: at Texas: -- Loss. Not an easy place to play at all and the Longhorns are typically pretty tough. Texas by 10 or 14.
-- Sat. 9/17: vs. Utah: -- Win. Not easy for me to type, but being objective, that's my pick. BYU appears to have a distinct edge at quarterback, plus will be at home and attempting to avenge last year's last-second defeat. I think the Cougars win it, but it will be close, as it usually seems to be.
-- Fri. 9/23: vs. UCF: -- Win. BYU should win this one by I'll say 14. UCF might be a little tougher than people think, but BYU should be able to handle them in Provo.
-- Fri. 9/30: vs. Utah State -- Win. The Cougars should be motivated to avenge the embarrassing loss last year in Logan and I think will win by a couple of scores.
-- Sat. 10/8: vs. San Jose State -- Win. BYU should win this one by at least 28 points, San Jose State's program has been awful for some time now.
-- Sat. 10/15: at Oregon State -- Win. I think Jake Heaps will be the difference in this one as the Cougars pull out a squeaker on the road.
-- Sat. 10/22: vs. Idaho State -- Win. Just a mere walk-over. Shouldn't be remotely close.
-- Fri. 10/28: at TCU -- Loss. Game played at Cowboys Stadium. The Horned Frogs will be playing in front of largely a home crowd and always seem to get up for BYU. Plus, TCU is pretty good. I think the Frogs win by 7.
-- Sat. 11/12: vs. Idaho -- Win. This should be a win by at least three scores, particularly at home.
-- Sat. 11/19: vs. New Mexico State -- Win. Should be a very lopsided victory as NMSU has been really bad for quite a while.
-- Sat. 12/3: at Hawaii -- Win. I think Hawaii will be up for this game and the Warriors always seem to play BYU tough on the islands, but I don't think Hawaii has enough talent to pull the upset, although it will be a close game. BYU by a field goal.

There you have it, 9-3 and a bowl game in their first season as an Independent. I'll be interested to see how it plays out.

Now I know Utah State is already underway, but to be fair I had already chalked up today as a loss for them. Here's the breakdown for the Aggies:

-- Sat. 9/3: at Auburn -- Loss. I'm surprised USU is up at halftime as I had them pegged to lose this game big, but I still don't think they pull off the upset.
-- Sat. 9/10: vs. Weber State -- Win. Should be relatively easy against an in-state I-AA school.
-- Sat. 9/24: vs. Colorado State -- Win. I'm a little iffy on this one, but I think the Aggies can pull out a close one at home.
-- Fri. 9/30: at BYU -- Loss. BYU has to be really upset about last year's stunning loss in Logan and I think the Cougars win this one by a couple of touchdowns.
-- Sat. 10/8: vs. Wyoming -- Win. The Pokes just aren't that good and I think Utah State wins by 10 or 14 at home.
-- Sat. 10/15: at Fresno State -- Loss. Fresno State is a solid program and although I think Utah State will be better this year, I don't think they will be good enough to win this one on the road.
-- Sat. 10/22: vs. Louisiana Tech -- Win. Utah State should handle a mediocre Louisana Tech squad at home.
-- Sat. 11/5: at Hawaii -- Loss. Hawaii is traditionally quite tough at home and I just don't see the Aggies flying all the way out to the islands and coming back with a win.
-- Sat. 11/12: vs. San Jose State -- Win. The Spartans have been one of the worst teams in I-A in recent years, Utah State should win this one easily.
-- Sat. 11/19: at Idaho -- Loss. I think the Vandals win this one close at home; Idaho has shown signs of improvement in recent years.
-- Sat. 11/26: vs. Nevada -- Loss. The Wolfpack just have more talent than the Aggies and will win in Logan by about 10.
-- Sat. 12/3: at New Mexico State -- Win. Same story as SJSU, New Mexico State has been terrible in recent years. Utah State wins by a couple of touchdowns.

That comes out as 6-6, 3-4 in the WAC and possibly a bowl bid in the first time in what feels like forever for USU. I think they would take that at this point.

Utes top Montana State

Utah (1-0) topped Montana State (0-1) tonight at Rice-Eccles Stadium by a score of 27-10. The Utes raced out to a 24-0 lead in the 2nd quarter before slowing up.

The running game for the Utes was pretty solid, but Jordan Wynn didn't look very impressive. Wynn needs to step it up in a hurry if the Utes are going to be anywhere near the 9-3 I picked them to finish.

I thought the defense played pretty well, despite giving up a couple of big plays. Montana State could move the ball a little here and there, but Utah was able to stop them from having too many sustained drives.

The game seemed a bit underwhelming to be honest. Give Montana State credit for playing hard and sticking around to the extent they did, but Utah needs to figure out how to keep its foot down. Hopefully the Utes will be able to look more sharp when they face tougher opponents later in the season. Sorry again for the lack of tweets during the game, the cell phone reception in the stadium wasn't working too well.

Utah Utes predictions

The Utah Utes open up their season tonight at 6 p.m. MDT against Montana State, an FCS or I-AA opponent. The game will be televised over-the-air in the Salt Lake area on KJZZ. The game really should serve as a walk-over of sorts for the Utes, who are heavily favored. The main thing I will be anxious to see tonight is how quarterback Jordan Wynn looks after having a shoulder injury last season. However, it will be tough to get a good read on this team based solely on tonight's game.

Here's a look at my predictions for the Utes this year:

-- Thurs. Sept. 1st: vs. Montana State -- Win. Just a tune-up.
-- Sat., Sept. 10th: at USC -- Loss. Tough place to play, against a good team. Not a good fit for the first road game.
-- Sat., Sept. 17th: at BYU -- Loss. Another tough road environment, against a team with a good quarterback in Jake Heaps. Plus the Cougars will be motivated to avenge last year's loss. Believe me, this pick is not what I'm rooting for.
--Sat., Oct. 1st: vs. Washington -- Win. UW is a proud program, but they haven't been that strong lately, the Utes should win at home.
--Sat., Oct. 8th: vs. Arizona State -- Win. ASU is down, Utes should handle them.
--Sat., Oct. 15th: at Pittsburgh -- Loss. It's tough to travel across the country for a college team, I think the Utes lose in a close one.
--Sat., Oct. 22nd: at California -- Win. Played at AT&T Park, home of the World Champion San Francisco Giants. Toss-up, really, but I think the Utes will be motivated and pull it out in a close one.
--Sat., Oct. 29th: vs. Oregon State -- Win. Decent opponent, but the home field will help the Utes win close.
--Sat., Nov. 5th: at Arizona -- Win. Could be dicey on the road, but I believe Utah has the better team.
--Sat., Nov. 12th: vs. UCLA -- Win. Utes should handle the Bruins pretty easily at home.
--Sat., Nov. 19th: at Washington State -- Win. This shouldn't be close, Washington State isn't very good.
--Fri., Nov. 25th: vs. Colorado -- Win. Utes by a couple of touchdowns I think.

There you have it, 9-3 overall and 8-1 in the Pac-12. Perhaps a bit optimistic, but if Wynn is healthy I believe this team can do good things, maybe even a berth in the Pac-12 title game if USC stumbles a couple of times.

I'll be on the scene, tweeting updates tonight and I'll be back on here after the game. Go Utes!

Giants fall to Astros again

The San Francisco Giants (71-63) just fell 4-3 in 11 innings to the Houston Astros (44-90), meaning they lost four out of seven to the worst team in baseball. And I mean by far the worst team in baseball. No other team even has 80 losses. The Astros have 90. In August. So, needless to say it's been a pretty sorry performance for the Giants lately. Two of the three they did win against Houston came in extra innings.

The Giants are now four back of the Arizona Diamondbacks (75-59) in the NL West. The D-Backs lost six in a row about a week ago to the Phillies (83-46) and Braves (79-54), but don't seem to lose at all to anyone else. They just completed a sweep of the San Diego Padres (60-74), meaning that Arizona has now won six in a row. The Giants will have to hope the Snakes cool off a bit or there may be no return trip to October. The big head-to-head series between the two is next weekend in San Francisco and it looks like the Giants will have to at least take two of three and probably sweep in order to feel good about things. The odds of that right now don't look so great.

Vin Scully to return for another season

I know I am a Giants fan, but I was pleased to hear that legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully will return to the booth for at least one more season. I often enjoy watching the Dodgers feed of games (even though I'm cheering for the other team) because I truly enjoy listening to Scully. He has a unique delivery and it is apparent through his broadcasting that he is a big fan of the game.

Scully is always dispensing knowledge about the game, along with unique and insightful stories. Plus his voice is a great fit for calling games. In a season where a lot of things are going wrong for the Dodgers, Scully is something they have going right.

NFL shouldn't suspend Pryor

The NFL has allowed former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor to enter the NFL via its supplemental draft, but has decreed that Pryor will be suspended for the first five games of the season. Pryor was forced to leave Ohio State before this season due to NCAA rules violations. The NCAA had suspended Pryor for the first five games of the season before his departure. Pryor had somehow been allowed to participate in last season's Sugar Bowl despite having been found being worthy of suspension by the NCAA.

However, this blog post is about the NFL. Pryor is no longer in the NCAA. And as far as I can tell, he hasn't violated any NFL rules, particularly since he declared himself eligible. So, in my view, the NFL has no business suspending him. Look, the guy messed up. Big time. But the NFL's job isn't too enforce NCAA rules. Pryor isn't eligible for the NCAA, I get it. But the NFL doesn't have to and shouldn't concern itself with cleaning up the NCAA's business. I get the NFL doesn't want to set an example that is a great escape from the NCAA.

But ask yourself this: wouldn't Pryor be better off if he was still in college? He undoubtedly would be. He would be able to showcase his skills on the national stage; plus he would be able to repair his damaged public image. As it is, NFL teams are going to be wary of drafting Pryor in the supplemental draft, and would be even if he wasn't suspended. Just being in the supplemental draft is plenty enough of a red flag for teams; it's not as if he declared for the original 2011 NFL Draft under his own free will. The punishment should be from his actions and that punishment is already significant. The NFL doesn't need to add on to something that wasn't a violation of its rules.

Tough times for the World Champion Giants

When I last posted, the World Champion San Francisco Giants were 61-44 and coming off taking 2 out of 3 from the Phillies (78-42) in Philadelphia. And the Giants had just acquired slugger Carlos Beltran, the premier piece on the trade market, from the New York Mets (59-62). The Giants led the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West by 4 games. Things were looking up.

Now, Beltran is on the Disabled List and the Giants have gone 5-13 since my last post. Their record is 66-57 and they trail Arizona (69-53) by 3.5 games in the West. It doesn't help that the Diamondbacks never seem to lose anymore. The Giants are struggling and need to turn it around soon. Real soon. The schedule is approaching September, and the Giants don't want to be too far out of striking distance.

Beltran is far from the only one hurting right now. Stellar set-up man Sergio Romo is also on the DL, and starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez left tonight's game at the Braves (72-51) with an apparent injury. Nate Schierholtz and Jeff Keppinger also have suffered injuries of some sort and their prognosis for return isn't totally certain. Not to mention, Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez are sidelined for the season. It seems the Giants have had more than their share of bad luck.

Still, all is not lost. It stands to reason that the Diamondbacks have to lose a few games and let's not forget, the Giants were even farther behind the Padres around this time last year. So, there's still hope, even if things are looking bleak right now and it kind of feels like this might not be the year. I'll keep paying attention and hoping for the best.

Charlie Manuel's sour grapes

Philadelphia Phillies (65-39) manager Charlie Manuel insists the World Champion San Francisco Giants (61-44) aren't in his team's heads after the Giants took two out of three from the Phillies in Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia this week. To me, his comments sounded like he was insecure. Additionally, he said that Giants pitchers Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain were good, but not great pitchers. Perhaps he thought both men throwing six and seven innings without giving up an earned run to his vaunted lineup was an abberation. Or maybe he's forgotten Cain's seven shutout innings against the Phils in Game 3 of the NLCS last year or Lincecum's Game 1 victory in the same series.

Manuel's statement that greatness comes with consistency (and his assertion that Lincecum and Cain have not yet achieved this) is almost laughable. Lincecum won back-to-back Cy Young Awards and the following year was the MVP of the Postseason while pitching his team to a World Series victory. If that's not consistent, I don't know what is. Cain, on the other hand, didn't surrender even one earned run the entire postseason and has a 3.39 career ERA in five full seasons, including 2.89 in 2009 and 3.14 last year. Cain's ERA is 2.91 this year, Lincecum's is 2.78. Both seem pretty consistent to me. All I'm hearing from Manuel's comments is sour grapes.

The blogging and tweeting will be limited at best until August 7th, when I return from vacation with a flourish.

Beltran looks to be headed to SF

Very sorry about the lack of blogging this month, it has been a crazy month for me (in a good way). Anyway, I thought I would just note that I'm happy to hear that the World Champion San Francisco Giants appear to be close to acquiring right fielder Carlos Beltran from the Mets in exchange for minor league pitcher Zach Wheeler. Wheeler is considered one of the Giants' top prospects. However, I think it's a good deal because Beltran gives the Giants a very realistic chance to repeat as champions -- at that's what it's all about.

Pirates in first in July

Well, it's the first place Pittsburgh Pirates (48-43). On July 15th. This is the latest the Bucs have been in first place in over a dozen years. It's truly remarkable how the Pirates are doing this, as they don't have a lot of players of note. Joel Hanrahan is having a nice season as closer, but even he wouldn't be considered a name outside of Pittsburgh. I think a lot of this success has to be attributed to new manager Clint Hurdle. It has been neat to check out a few Pirates games here and there and see larger crowds at PNC Park; there were times I wondered when I would ever see that. It's a great story and I can only hope for the sake of Pirates fans that it continues -- it has been a long time coming for the Steel City.

National League wins second straight All-Star Game

The National League defeated the American League tonight 5-1 in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Phoenix. It was the second straight All-Star win for the NL after a long winless streak. Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers (49-43) had the decisive blow with a 3-run home run in the 4th inning. Fielder was a deserving recipient of the game's MVP Award.

I have long felt that baseball has the best of all the All-Star Games in professional sports. The players are competitive and look like they are actually trying to win. This year was no different, with the exception of a few players like Derek Jeter who claimed to be injured and didn't show up despite playing in his team's most recent game. Stuff like that just isn't acceptable; I know I wrote my last blog about Jeter's 3000th hit and what a moment was -- I stand by that, but it doesn't make it right for him to stiff the All-Star Game.

Anyway, the All-Star Game was an impressive display of pitching by the National League. It was cool to see Brian Wilson of the World Champion San Francisco Giants (52-40) get the save and look pretty impressive in doing it. I also enjoyed Pablo Sandoval's RBI double in his first All-Star appearance.

I'm glad the National League won to give it home field advantage for the World Series, particularly for the possibility of my World Champion Giants reaching the Fall Classic for the second straight year. It's dumb that the All-Star Game decides home field advantage, but it will be a plus that I'll be happy to see the Giants have should they advance to the World Series again.

Jeter picks up 3,000th hit

Derek Jeter picked up his 3,000th career hit today on a home run to left field in the bottom of the 3rd inning at Yankee Stadium. Jeter is only the second player to ever record his iconic 3,000th hit with a home run, and the first to record all 3,000 of his hits with the New York Yankees. Jeter is now surely headed to the Hall of Fame, if he wasn't already assured of that. The Yankees (52-35) defeated the Tampa Bay Rays (49-40) 5-4 thanks to a 5-for-5 effort from Jeter, including the game-winning hit in the bottom of the 8th. I'm not a Yankees fan at all, but it was kind of cool to see Jeter have a big moment like this and have a nice day because he's always seemed like a class act and a good guy to me.

You really couldn't script it any better for Jeter. He has come under a lot of scrutiny lately for his numbers being down. However, I didn't think his numbers were always exactly eye-popping, but they were consistent. And Jeter has always had the it factor. Whatever it is, Jeter has it. He's always been clutch and a leader. And perhaps most importantly, he's just a winner. He's the kind of guy you'd want on your team. I think a lot of the criticism he's taken has been unwarranted. He may not always have been a pure numbers guy, but he has what it takes to be a great baseball player. Now he has the big number that will ensure his place in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Notes on the World Champs, MLB

The World Champion San Francisco Giants (48-39) lost tonight for the second straight day to the San Diego Padres (40-47) at AT&T Park. Tonight's game was by a 5-3 score. The Giants have now lost three straight overall, but still hold a one game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks (47-40) in the National League West.

Miguel Tejada seems to be cranking it up for the Giants, having raised his average by roughly 40 points over where it was a couple of months ago. It may not be much to look at statistically right now, but he seems to be playing well. Hopefully Pat Burrell can get over this foot ailment that has been plaguing him the last few days; he's had successful pinch-hit at-bats off the bench in the last two games anyway.

Padres reliever Chad Qualls spiked the ball after tagging out Giants outfielder Andres Torres to end the 7th inning; Torres was attempting to score on a wild pitch. In my book, Qualls made a total bush league move and I hope the Giants can make him pay for it before too long.

It looks like the Diamondbacks may be sticking around for a while, after all. I'm still skeptical of their bullpen, but the longer they stay in the race, the more confidence they will have. They have won in Milwaukee the last two days, which is remarkably the first time the Brewers (45-42) have lost consecutive home games all season. It's an impressive achievement for the Diamondbacks, here's to hoping the Brewers end that losing streak tomorrow.

Speaking of the NL Central, how about the Pittsburgh Pirates (45-41)? They are only 1.5 games behind the division-leading St. Louis Cardinals (47-40). It looks like the Bucs may be over the .500 mark at the All-Star Break for the first time in almost as long as I can remember. Andrew McCutchen is having another strong year and if you ask me, belongs on the All-Star team. I still like the Brewers in that division, but they need to play better on the road, where they are 16-29 (they are a very impressive 29-13 at home).

Utah basketball may not play Utah State

Utah is all set to join the Pac-12 in just another day or two. There are plans for a Pac-12 Day celebration. However, I find it unfortunate that Athletic Director Chris Hill has apparently decided to put plans on hold to play Utah State regularly in basketball. The two teams have met annually for over a half-century and to me, it's a great rivalry. I know Utah has usually lost up in Logan, but it sure has been a fun atmosphere to play in. I hate to lose that. The home team has usually won and I think Utah could still use the Aggies as a great game on an annual basis. It means a lot to people here and I don't think it would really hurt the Runnin' Utes in the RPI department too much if they lost. I'll still always cheer for Utah. I just hate to see a rivalry like that diminish.

Dirk Nowitzki soaking it all in

Dirk Nowitzki sure seems to be taking well to the role of being an NBA Champion. He and the rest of the Dallas Mavericks made an appearance on David Letterman's Top Ten List which was rather funny, particularly Nowitzki at number one. Then at the championship parade, Nowitzki belted out "We Are the Champions!" by Queen very loudly. And tonight at the Texas Rangers (41-36) game against the New York Mets (37-39), Nowitzki threw out the first pitch, which had a bit too much arm behind it. Undeterred, Nowitzki flexed his muscles for the crowd in Arlington.

The man can do no wrong. He finally captured his first NBA Title and he looks like it. He looks like he is walking on air every time I see him and I really can't blame him. To me, with this playoff run and championship, Nowitzki cemented himself as one of the all-time greats. I like that he is so willing to share himself with public. It's good that he is soaking it all in. He deserves to.

The difficult issue of MLB realignment

Baseball has been considering the issue of realignment, chiefly because there are 6 teams in the National League Central and 4 teams in the American League West. All the other divisions have 5 teams. So if you go strictly by odds, a team in the AL West has a 1 in 4 shot to make the playoffs, while a team in the NL Central has a 1 in 6 shot to make the playoffs. I get that it doesn't seem fair. However, there is a lot more to it than just moving a team from the NL Central to the AL West.

First, the team that would make the most sense is the Houston Astros (28-48). If they moved to the AL West, no other teams would have to move around. Plus, it would still make some geographic sense, since they would then be in the same division as the Texas Rangers (40-36). Plus, it would clean up a lot of scheduling in interleague play, since divisions could simply be pitted against each other (although there are other issues realignment in general would bring up). Any other scenario, such as the Arizona Diamondbacks (42-34) moving to the American League, would likely require multiple teams switching divisions as a team from the NL Central would have to be shifted to the NL West to get all the divisions to 5 teams each.

However, the biggest issue with this sort of proposed realignment is that it would push both the American and National Leagues to 15 teams each. Since the start of interleague play in the late 1990s, it has been done only for a few weeks of the year. Since baseball is an everyday game, it follows that there would have to be interleague play throughout the season in this format.

There are multiple issues with this. First and foremost to me is the tradition of the game. I don't want my team, the World Champion San Francisco Giants (41-34), playing American League teams in the final week of the season while in the chase for a National League West Division title. It just doesn't seem right. Baseball has always been primarily about league play. When the games are magnified at the end of the regular season they should be at least be played within the same league, preferably within the same division (although this clearly isn't possible for every team in every game with most divisions having 5 teams).

And then there is the issue of the designated hitter. First off, I think the DH is a bad rule. It takes out a lot of strategy from baseball that I feel was meant to be in the game. Everyone in the field should have to hit (or be pinch-hit for) when his spot in the batting order comes up and everyone that hits should have to play the field (or be taken out of the game for a defensive replacement). Baseball should require an all around game, not just a one-dimensional game. Furthermore, it creates more strategic questions for managers, particularly late in close games, which benefits the integrity of the game.

Former Oakland Athletics (34-42) manager Bob Geren, who was recently fired, looked like he had never managed a National League style game before when the A's visited the Giants earlier this season, and yet this rarely would come up in a typical American League game. Like I said, this all should be part of the game, managers should be forced to make big decisions on a nightly basis. Former Chicago Cubs (30-44) and Diamondbacks first baseman and current D-Backs broadcaster Mark Grace put it well when he said the National League is where they play real baseball. I realize the DH may be hard to get rid of since there is a lot of money in that position and a lot of productive players, but it's something that should be done.

But I digress, although it was a fun digression. Not only is the tradition of playing within your league when the games take on more importance a huge deal, there is also the issue of having games being played under different rules down the stretch. What if an AL team had a division title on the line and had to clinch it in an NL park with no DH or vice versa? It just wouldn't seem right to not be playing under ordinary rules. There would likely have to be some uniformity with the rules if interleague play was to be spread out like this or it could cause some chaos. I'd just prefer it if the teams kept to their own leagues late in the season (as well as around the time of Opening Day) as I feel it would benefit the integrity of the game.

As you can see, it's not as simple as some would have you believe it would be to realign. I realize that mathematically, the current system isn't exactly fair to teams in the NL Central. But to fix it would require a major overhaul. I don't know how exactly that would be done or if it should even be attempted.

Alternate jerseys too prevalent in day games

One thing I'm tired of in baseball is teams that always wear their alternate uniforms during day games. I don't get it. I've only noticed two teams that almost always do this and they are the Cincinnati Reds (home only) and Kansas City Royals (home and away with different color jerseys). Both teams have alternate jerseys that look pretty cool if you ask me, but the whole idea of it wrong.

Day baseball is traditional, it what they played when baseball began. And when baseball began, there were no alternate jerseys. It was home whites and road grays. Now, I'm okay with wearing alternate jerseys from time-to-time, and even occasionally during day games, but I think during matinee contests teams should stick to the traditional jerseys most of the time. Alternate jerseys are more of a modern invention and so it follows that they should go more often with the also more modern invention of night games. I just don't get that classic feel from teams when they are always wearing alternate jerseys during day games.

Catching up

Apologies for the lack of blogging the last week and a half. I will be more consistent. As it has been some time since I was on here, I would like to catch up on the developments in sports during that time period.

First off, I was happy to see the Dallas Mavericks win the NBA Finals. Their zone defense seemed to be a riddle that the Heat couldn't solve with enough consistency throughout the series. Dirk Nowitzki was clutch down the stretch of the last few games and put up solid numbers the entire Finals. Jason Terry and the rest of the supporting cast really stepped it up the last three games of the series. I thought that was the key when Miami was up 2-1 and I thought it really swayed the series in Dallas' favor.

Dwyane Wade played outstanding the first three games of the series and played well the rest of the series, but not as well as he did in the 2006 NBA Finals. LeBron James had a poor series, particularly in the fourth quarters of games. He simply was not assertive enough when he had the ball. Chris Bosh played pretty well, but needed more from Wade and James. I think the Heat will be back next year and be a Finals contender again.

The Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup Final 4 games to 3 over the Vancouver Canucks, taking Game 7 by a 4-0 score in Vancouver. Before the series, I kind of wanted the Canucks to win, but the biting incident plus the Aaron Rome hit on Nathan Horton kind of pushed me more to the Bruins. Canucks fans booing during the U.S. National Anthem prior to Game 7 didn't help either. I realize there were some cheap plays on the part of the Bruins as well, but it didn't seem nearly as flagrant to me.

Roberto Luongo didn't measure up consistently enough in the Final as goaltender for the Canucks. He was absolutely destroyed all three games in Boston, which put too much pressure on the Canucks going back to home ice in Game 7. It's typically not a recipe for success if you just fall back on the attitude that you play well at home. The Bruins were in every game and looked like they wanted it more. Luongo said he would have made the save on the lone goal scored in Game 5 which was allowed by Bruins goalie Tim Thomas. Maybe he should have been more focused on the three he allowed in the first nine minutes of Game 6 or the three he allowed at home in Game 7.

It was a fun series to watch, but I do wish that Alex Burrows had been punished for his bite. The NHL has sent conflicting messages about these types of matters and needs to make sure this type of unsportsmanlike behavior is outlawed. I did think it was funny that Bruins players were taunting the Burrows and other Canucks by sticking fingers in their faces and asking if they wanted to bite them again.

The World Champion San Francisco Giants (39-30) just took two of three in Phoenix from the Arizona Diamondbacks (38-32) this week and hold a 1.5 game lead over the Snakes in the National League West. I think the Giants have the better team and will win the division. Remember when everyone said the Colorado Rockies (33-35) were going to run away with the division? Looks like that one's not going to happen. The Giants pitching staff will keep them in the race all season long and I believe will be enough to take the division crown for the second consecutive year.

Burrows takes bite out of Bruins

At left: Vancouver's Alex Burrows bites Boston's Patrice Bergeron during Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Burrows was not suspended for his actions.

The Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins resume the Stanley Cup Final tonight at 6 p.m. MT on Versus. The Canucks lead the series 2 games to none. The series has not been a good showing for the NHL so far. During a scrum in Game 1, Canucks forward Alex Burrows bit Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron. It was clearly a bite, I could see that on television. To back that up, it was plain to see that there was blood seeping through Bergeron's glove.

Worst of all, the NHL didn't suspend Burrows, saying there was not conclusive evidence to do so. That whole notion is ridiculous, the entire world could tell it was a bite. Worse yet for the NHL, Burrows scored 2 goals in Game 2, including the game-winner just seconds into overtime. This magnifies the problem. Burrows should not have been out there, he probably should have been suspended for at least the remainder of the series.

People have often considered the NHL less civilized than other sports. Normally, I don't quite buy those arguments because I believe some clean contact is part of the game and that guys typically aren't trying to seriously injure someone else. However, biting is frowned on in every sport. It has no place in hockey, or at least it shouldn't. The NHL failing to take action opens the door for other incidents such as this to occur. It's disgraceful to hockey and the league needs to work on cleaning up its image if it wants to grow in popularity. For an incident like this to be seen on national television and go unpunished is bad news for the NHL.

In fact, in Game 2, Canucks forward Maxim Lapierre taunted Bergeron by sticking his glove in his face, likely asking him if he wanted to take a bite out of it. Also in the game, Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid appeared to ask Burrows during a scrum "You gonna bite me?" The Canucks' image is tarnished, but it also appears that the Bruins may be letting that get into their heads. Even if the Canucks are making light of the situation, the Bruins need to focus on Game 3, which is a must-win game for them. I kind of hope that Boston can pull it out, I was sort of cheering for Vancouver, but the biting incident makes it harder to do so.

Nadal captures French Open

Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer in four sets yesterday to capture the French Open championship. Federer played excellent tennis and was right there in the first two sets before winning the third. If he had won either of those, he may have been able to carry that momentum to win the match. As it is, Nadal continued his domination of Federer on clay court. It was fun watching such a great rivalry be renewed, but I was sad Federer couldn't pull this one out.

I stand by what I wrote a couple of days ago, though, in saying that Federer is the greatest tennis player of all time. He has captured the career Grand Slam and has won more major tournaments than anyone in history. I understand that he has an overall losing record to Nadal, but Nadal doesn't have the career numbers that Federer does, at least not yet. Nadal's game has come a long way in recent years, jumping from primarily a clay court specialist to a more complete player on multiple surfaces. I will be open to revisiting this debate if Nadal catches Federer in number of total majors, but for now Federer is still the all-time king in my book.

Wade leads Heat to win in Game 3

Dwyane Wade scored 29 points on 12-21 shooting from the field and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Heat defeated the Mavericks 88-86 last night in Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Dallas. The Heat now lead the series 2 games to 1. LeBron James chipped in 17 points and 9 assists and Chris Bosh had 18 points, including the game-winning jumper with under a minute to go. Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks had 34 points to lead all scorers, but his jumper at the buzzer that would have tied it hit the back rim.

Through the first three games of the NBA Finals, Wade looks like the best player on the floor to me. Having not had the opportunity to watch the 2006 NBA Finals, this is the best basketball I have ever seen Wade play. He looks downright unstoppable most of the time out there and his jump shot is going in at an extraordinary rate. James has done a good job facilitating and I think his presence allows Wade to have a little more freedom.

Right now, Wade is playing too well for the Mavericks to give him space, they probably need to double team him and force someone else to shoot it. That's what happened on the last play when Bosh knocked down the game-winner. The defense was good in forcing the ball out of Wade's hands but needed to be a little better closing on Bosh. Even so, it's better if Bosh is open than Wade, so the only problem is there should have been a little better rotation defensively.

Nowitzki is playing stellar basketball and I honestly thought his shot was going to go in and force overtime, but I guess the percentages say they can't all go in. Nowitzki needs better play around him, particularly from Jason Terry who has faltered somewhat in the Finals after having an outstanding playoffs. It wouldn't hurt for J.J. Barea to be more productive either. The Mavericks have to accomplish these things if they want to have a realistic shot at winning the series. Game 4 is tomorrow night at 7 p.m. MT on ABC.

Time for NBC to move out of the Dark Ages

Roger Federer defeated Novak Djokovic yesterday in the semifinals of the French Open, marking the end of Djokovic's near-record 40 plus match winning streak. The problem was, much of the United States was unable to see the match live on television. NBC decided to start its coverage at 11 a.m. throughout the nation, which was great for people in the Eastern Time Zone because that's right about the time the match started. As for the rest of us? Well, enjoy it on tape delay.

Tape delay may have been okay in years past (although I still can't remember ever thinking highly of it), but in today's technology-savvy age it is a downright archaic idea. If tennis wants to generate interest, it needs to ensure that its top matches are available live throughout the entire USA. Likewise with NBC, if it wants to get the best ratings, it stands to reason that more people would want to watch live tennis. NBC has also done its tape delay business with the Olympics for many years. It makes a little more sense there, but I still think everyone would be better off if those events were shown live as well.

Federer-Djokovic was one of those big-time matches with lots of anticipation that just don't come along every day. It's a shame that the entire country wasn't able to see it live on television. I had the foresight to be able to watch the match live online on nbcsports.com, but I don't think that the casual fan would go to such lengths to plan to watch such a match, just as I think they wouldn't want to watch a match on television they already knew the result of.

Another thing I'm not too fond of is that it is often ridiculously hard to find out when on earth these matches are scheduled to start. After five or ten minutes of poking around varying websites, I found that the Federer-Djokovic and Rafael Nadal-Andy Murray matches were going to be played on the same court, accompanied by a start time. Nadal-Murray was first, but there was no timetable given for when the second match would start, nor a time between matches given. Furthermore, I'm still not sure if Nadal-Murray was on television or streaming online at all, which is ridiculous for a Grand Slam semifinal. Tennis and NBC need to fix this if they both want to be considered major players among their competitors.

It's a shame that I feel compelled to spend so much time talking about this rather than the actual tennis, but I feel that all helps illustrate my point. If NBC can't show the entire matches live, they should have them start on another network and pick up the coverage throughout the nation at 11. This is still not ideal, but in this scenario, at least the entire country would be able to have the option of watching live on television.

Anyway, Federer looked like a blast from the past on Friday, knocking out Djokovic in four sets. Federer showed once again that he is the greatest tennis player of all time. He's still playing some good tennis, even if he is a bit past his prime. Early tomorrow morning, he faces his long-time rival Nadal for the French Open title. I can tell you with a surety that this match is scheduled to start at 7 a.m. MT and will be available live nationwide on NBC. At least they are doing something sensible for the final, if not for the semis. I, for one, can tell you that I will be getting up to watch.

Big Mavericks comeback ties NBA Finals

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat 95-93 tonight in Game 2 of the NBA Finals from Miami. The Mavericks overcame a 15 point 4th quarter deficit to capture the win. Dirk Nowitzki was clutch again, scoring the final 9 points for Dallas. With some of the celebrating that was going on, I think the Heat thought they had the game won. Dwyane Wade was outstanding and LeBron James was very good. Wade look completely unstoppable at times to be honest. I think there definitely was a mental lapse on the part of the Heat.

However, credit has to be given to the Mavericks for refusing to quit. They looked terrible for much of the second half -- it just seemed like they were completely out of sync, turning the ball over and making poor decisions that led to a lot of easy baskets by the Heat. The Mavericks seemed to take better care of the basketball down the stretch and to calm down when they needed to. Without the turnovers, they were able to defend Miami in more half court sets, allowing their defense to be more effective.

The Mavericks will need to show better focus throughout entire games if they expect to win the series and the Heat will need to maintain the focus they showed throughout the 3rd quarter and first half of the 4th quarter if they expect to win the series. It could very well be a good, long series. It looks like Nowitzki's left hand is healthy enough and that should mean the Mavericks are able to stay competitive in the series. I think this game was a must-win for the Mavericks with the 2-3-2 format of the NBA Finals. It would have been a tall order to ask Dallas to win all three games at home, but now if they take two of the three they can go back to Miami needing just one win to capture the title. Game 3 is Sunday night in Dallas at 6 p.m. MT on ABC.

Buster Posey's injury

Buster Posey, catcher for the World Champion San Francisco Giants (27-22), was injured in an ugly collision in the 12th inning of last night's game with the Florida Marlins (29-19). Scott Cousins of the Marlins was attempting to score on a sacrifice fly ahead of the throw from Giants right fielder Nate Schierholtz. Posey couldn't handle the throw on a hop, and Cousins ran over him. Posey suffered a broken fibula as well as strained ligaments in his left ankle. It is estimated he will be out six to eight weeks, and possibly longer.

Posey, the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, would be a huge loss for the Giants on a number of different levels. He is a great hitter who is smart and hits for average and has a little pop in his bat. He is also a great catcher, doing a great job of calling pitches and knowing the tendencies of hitters. And as if that wasn't enough, he is a great clubhouse presence and a leader on the team at a young age.

Posey should be able to spend time with the team as he rehabilitates and still contribute in leadership roles, but he will be immensely missed on the field, especially as he was just starting to find his groove offensively and was in the midst of a double digit game hitting streak. Eli Whiteside will take over behind the plate in the interim. Whiteside is a solid catcher defensively and can hit occasionally, but his offensive skills are not that of Posey.

Hopefully the Giants can ride out this injury and stay in the race; I think they are capable of doing this for at least a little while. Despite the Marlins finishing off the three game sweep this afternoon at AT&T Park, the Giants still lead the National League West by 2 games over the Arizona Diamondbacks (25-24) and 2.5 games over the Colorado Rockies (24-24), who are playing right now (the Diamondbacks lead 3-1 in the top of the 6th inning in Denver).

A lot of people were proclaiming that the Rockies were going to run away with the division after they got off to such a hot start, but they have cooled off considerably since then and recently lost starting pitcher Jorge De La Rosa for the season to an injury. The Diamondbacks have been playing very well lately, but I still think they lack the pitching depth to stay in the race all year. The Posey injury hurts the Giants' chances, no question about it, but I still think it could be a close race in the West. Hopefully he isn't out for too long. The Giants travel to Milwaukee to face the Brewers (27-23), who are riding a six game winning streak, for three games this weekend.

Mavericks make big comeback, take 3-1 series lead

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-105 in overtime tonight in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals in Oklahoma City. The Thunder led by 15 points with under five minutes to go in regulation, but the Mavericks, who never led in regulation, came back to force overtime. The Mavericks now lead the series 3 games to 1.

Dirk Nowitzki led the charge down the stretch, proving again that he is a big-time, clutch player. He hit some seemingly impossible shots and did so a couple of times despite the Thunder committing to me what looked like blatant fouls (which were not called). Nowitzki was big-time and is starting to cement his legendary status. Nowitzki ended up with 40 points and again had a strong shooting percentage, going 12 for 20 (60 percent).

You just don't see comebacks like the one tonight. When a team is up by 15 points with under five minutes to go, especially at home, it's game over. That's what made all this so impressive. On top of that, this was a game the Thunder absolutely had to have; they should have been the more desperate team. In fact, they looked like their spirit was crushed even before the game ended. After Jason Kidd knocked down a 3 to put Dallas up by 3 late in overtime, Kevin Durant looked like the Thunder had already lost; he looked completely despondent in the time-out huddle. This game is a back-breaker; I don't see the series going back to Oklahoma City. Game 5 is Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in Dallas and can be seen on ESPN and espn3.com.

Lincecum pitches a gem

The World Champion San Francisco Giants (26-19) defeated the Oakland Athletics (22-24) by a score of 3-0 on Saturday afternoon at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Tim Lincecum pitched his fifth career complete-game shutout. Lincecum showed again why he is among the best in the game and why he has won two Cy Young awards. The Giants lead the Colorado Rockies (23-21) by 2.5 games in the National League West.

The Giants are looking good and are playing like the first-place team I expected them to be before the season started. The Rockies have a good team and particularly a couple of really good hitters, but I think the Giants are the better team overall based on their pitching staff from top to bottom. I expect it to be a relatively close race all summer, but I think the Giants will take the division. The Giants wrap up the bay-bridge series at 2:05 p.m. MT on MLB Extra Innings and mlb.tv.

The amazing Dirk Nowitzki

At left: Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks (left) goes up for a shot against the Thunder's Kendrick Perkins in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Nowitzki had 48 points.

If you missed Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals last night, well, you missed quite a show. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 121-112. Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks dropped an incredible 48 points on the Thunder. The most amazing part of the whole thing is that he did it on 12-15 shooting from the field, an incredible 80 percent. And these were not only dunks and layups, but also a number of jumpshots, including those of the turnaround, fade-away variety. From the free-throw line, Nowitzki was 24-24, setting an NBA Playoffs record for number of free-throw attempts in a game without a miss.

Usually when a guy approaches 50 points, he takes a lot more than 15 shots from the field, which makes Nowitzki's performance truly one for the ages. I hope people recognize how dialed in he really was last night. Jason Terry continued his torrid postseason with 24 points on 50 percent shooting, including four 3-pointers, the last of which in the final minute put the game out of reach for good. Terry is a clutch player who has a knack for knocking down the big shot and has been referred to by Nowitzki as the team's "closer." Credit Terry for being big, but also Nowitzki for facilitating his teammates. J.J. Barea continued his strong play as well, chipping in 21 points of his own. Jason Kidd had 11 assists.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 40 points and had it not been for Nowitzki, he would have been the story of the game. Durant had an outstanding game, shooting 10-18 from the field and 18-19 from the foul line. Russell Westbrook, on the other hand, had a tough night, scoring 20 points, but doing so on just 3-15 shooting from the field. He had only 3 assists as the point guard. The Thunder are going to need improved play from Westbrook if they are going to win this series. The Mavericks guardline was significantly better than the Thunder's in Game 1.

Game 2 of this series is in Dallas tomorrow night at 7 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN and espn3.com. Meanwhile, Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals is tonight in Chicago at 6:30 p.m. MT and can be seen on TNT. The Bulls lead the Heat in that series, 1-0.