By Jorge Bannister
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
I apologize for my lack of writing the past three weeks. I have been absolutely swamped with my baseball season. Now that the season is over -- for us anyway -- I am back and with full force through the College World Series.
Conference tournaments are underway across the nation.
Now, I know the Atlantic 10, Big East, Conference USA, the MVC and the Mountain West are mid-major to major conferences in other sports, but in baseball that’s just not the case. I will go through the first two days of action from the big conferences. You should be able to figure them out from the posting.
Atlantic Coast Conference
Day 1 (Wednesday, May 20)
Florida State 7, Boston College 2
Miami 8, Georgia Tech 6
North Carolina 8, Duke 3
Day 2 (Thursday, May 21)
*Boston College 7, Georgia Tech 3
Florida State 4, Miami 2
Virginia 6, Clemson 5
Day 3 (Friday, May 22)
*Miami vs. Boston College, noon
*Clemson vs. Duke, 4 p.m.
North Carolina vs. Virginia, 8 p.m.
Day 4 (Saturday, May 23)
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech, noon
North Carolina vs. Clemson, 4 p.m.
Virginia vs. Duke, 8 p.m.
Championship Game (Sunday, May 24)
1 p.m.
* = Elimination game
Outlook: There’s too much parody in the league this year. I mean, Boston College beating Georgia Tech, get real. Still, look for a Florida State-UNC final with the team with the rested arms getting the win.
Big XII
Day 1 (Wednesday, May 20)
Kansas State 5, Kansas 4
Baylor 14, Texas 9
Missouri 5, Texas A&M 2
Oklahoma 5, Texas Tech 2
Day 2 (Thursday, May 21)
Texas 9, Kansas 3
Kansas State 9, Baylor 4
Day 3 (Friday, May 22)
Missouri vs. Texas Tech, 4 p.m.
Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M, 8:30 p.m.
Day 4 (Saturday, May 23)
Kansas vs. Baylor, 10 a.m.
Texas vs. Kansas State, 1:30 p.m.
Oklahoma vs. Missouri, 5 p.m.
Texas A&M vs. Texas Tech, 8:30 p.m.
Championship Game (Sunday, May 24)
1 p.m.
Outlook: Whoever wins the Texas-Kansas State game will be in the title game against either Oklahoma or Baylor.
Big West
UC-Irvine wins the title. There’s no postseason tournament.
Pac-10
All that’s listed on the Web site is the following: Champion determined by three-game round-robin play.
As of right now, Arizona State (42-11, 19-5) is atop the conference. Washington State (28-23, 16-8), UCLA (26-27, 14-10), Oregon State (33-16, 13-11) and Washington (25-27, 13-11) finish off the Top 5.
Outlook: Arizona State is the clear-cut favorite. They’ve dominated all year long both in and out of conference. Look for the Sun Devils to be the Pac-10 champs. Although, you can never count out Oregon State.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
I Bet Papi Got His First Good Night's Sleep In Weeks
By Erik Pesta
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
You can breathe a little bit easier, Red Sox Nation. David Ortiz finally hit a baseball over the fence, the first time he has done so in a season that has had just about everyone (myself included, on several occasions) questioning his status among the league's elite hitters. While he still has a long, LONG way to go to get back to where he used to be, it's certainly a step in the right direction for Ortiz, and you could feel the weight lifting off of his broad shoulders as he rounded the bases at Fenway Park last night. After receiving the "silent treatment" from his teammates, which is usually reserved for rookies after their first Big League round tripper, the rest of the Red Sox then celebrated with Ortiz before he stepped out of the dugout to tip his cap to the crowd. Here's to hoping Papi can now relax at the plate, and start to really heat up along with the weather.
Ortiz wasn't the only member of Boston's lineup to homer in an explosive fifth inning. Jason Varitek, Jason Bay and Mike Lowell all joined in the fun, with Lowell's shot putting the score out of reach, 8-0. The Red Sox would go on to win, by a final score of 8-3. The fifth inning blast was Varitek's second of the night, as he hit a line shot into the first row of the monster seats in the third, giving the home team their first run of the ball game. Kevin Youkilis made a triumphant return from the disabled list, going 3-for-5 on the night with a run scored and pushing his batting average to .404 on the year. Jacoby Ellsbury also contributed both offensively and defensively. The young speedster extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a bunt single in the third inning, and also tied a Major League record with 12 putouts in a nine inning game. The feat had been accomplished twice previously.
Brad Penny pitched fairly well, giving up just two earned runs while scattering nine hits over 6.2 innings pitched, lowering his ERA to 6.07. The big right hander is now 4-1 on the year.
The Red Sox now sit just 1.5 games behind the division leading Blue Jays as they go for the sweep tonight. Jon Lester (2-4, 6.51 ERA) takes the mound for Boston, against Toronto's first year starter Robert Ray (1-1, 3.60 ERA). First pitch is at 7:10 from Fenway Park in Boston.
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
You can breathe a little bit easier, Red Sox Nation. David Ortiz finally hit a baseball over the fence, the first time he has done so in a season that has had just about everyone (myself included, on several occasions) questioning his status among the league's elite hitters. While he still has a long, LONG way to go to get back to where he used to be, it's certainly a step in the right direction for Ortiz, and you could feel the weight lifting off of his broad shoulders as he rounded the bases at Fenway Park last night. After receiving the "silent treatment" from his teammates, which is usually reserved for rookies after their first Big League round tripper, the rest of the Red Sox then celebrated with Ortiz before he stepped out of the dugout to tip his cap to the crowd. Here's to hoping Papi can now relax at the plate, and start to really heat up along with the weather.
Ortiz wasn't the only member of Boston's lineup to homer in an explosive fifth inning. Jason Varitek, Jason Bay and Mike Lowell all joined in the fun, with Lowell's shot putting the score out of reach, 8-0. The Red Sox would go on to win, by a final score of 8-3. The fifth inning blast was Varitek's second of the night, as he hit a line shot into the first row of the monster seats in the third, giving the home team their first run of the ball game. Kevin Youkilis made a triumphant return from the disabled list, going 3-for-5 on the night with a run scored and pushing his batting average to .404 on the year. Jacoby Ellsbury also contributed both offensively and defensively. The young speedster extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a bunt single in the third inning, and also tied a Major League record with 12 putouts in a nine inning game. The feat had been accomplished twice previously.
Brad Penny pitched fairly well, giving up just two earned runs while scattering nine hits over 6.2 innings pitched, lowering his ERA to 6.07. The big right hander is now 4-1 on the year.
The Red Sox now sit just 1.5 games behind the division leading Blue Jays as they go for the sweep tonight. Jon Lester (2-4, 6.51 ERA) takes the mound for Boston, against Toronto's first year starter Robert Ray (1-1, 3.60 ERA). First pitch is at 7:10 from Fenway Park in Boston.
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