MLB 2007: The year of the no-hitter?

Already baseball fans have witnessed at least 1 no-hitter this season. The Tigers' Justin Verlander has already achieved this feat a few weeks ago. The 20-something rising star pitcher has a bright future in Detroit. In other close instances, Curt Schilling came within 1 out of tossing a no-hitter while Minnesota's Johan Santana went 7 innings in one start before giving up a base hit.

It's becoming more of a rarity for pitchers to throw perfect games and no-hitters. They're got so much more pressure and attention on them rather than sluggers shooting for the hit cycle or 3 homers in a game. I think no-hitters are tougher to achieve than teams who go on 15-20 game win streaks because only one player (for the most part) has control of the turn of the events in a game.

One star pitcher in particular that could very well be off a near perfect performance is Ben Sheets. He can be so dominating in starts that opponents don't have much a chance at the plate. The same goes for Carlos Zambrano, Dontrelle Willis, and Roy Halladay. These guys are more than capable of shutouts and put goose eggs across the scoreboard. I anticipate another no-hitter (possibly perfect game) before the season ends. It could turn out to be an unlikely lesser known player too.

Homerun chases and record breakers are always welcomed in MLB

With the recent publicity and attention placed on Sammy Sosa's career mark of 600 homeruns MLB doesn't seem to care much about making good on promises to carry out investigations. Every fan of the game knows baseball is popular than ever this time of year and MLB is making a killing off tickets, souvenirs at ballparks, and food vendors. The sports analysts and guru on TV keep referring to Barry Bonds' pursuit of Hank Aaron's homerun record. Yeah, we all know how close he is and with a flick of the wrist a long ball can be golfed into the upper deck.

The problem remains that superstars like Bonds and Sosa continue to ride the wave of high prestige and notority, but both have unanswered questions lying in their pasts. I used to be a big Sosa fan and I still kind of like the guy in a way, but he among others (McGwire, Giambi, etc.) need to set the record straight and be open with the public and media. Fans will truly respect him in the long after his career is over. For example, the reception Ken Griffey Jr. received when returning to Seattle was amazing. He's definitely earned the fans' respect. All great Major Leaguers need to do the same.

Ken Griffey Jr. and Sammy Sosa, fast approaching career milestones

Baseball has been good to both Sammy Sosa and Ken Griffey Jr. Sure neither veteran owns a World Series ring yet they will be able to boast when the reach 600 career homeruns. They will move up the all-time list past legends such as Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, and Lou Gehrig. They're both have kind a season. Sosa returned to his old team, the Texas Rangers who were one of the few teams willing to take a chance on him the off season.

At the moment the Reds and Rangers are scuffling a bit in their respective divisions. By the All-Star break both teams will be lucky to be close to .500 or make a small dent in the standings. Ken Griffey Jr. is also nearing another career mark as the only player ever to hit all homers in all MLB ballparks.

Rumors claim the Reds are completing trading Griffey to gain more sharp pitching in the rotation. Although they need the pitching I don't think it would be a wise move. His presence alone in the lineup is a big advantage for the club. Who knows what records or highlights Griffey and Sosa will attain at the season's end?

Cavs give valigant effort in Finals, Spurs too strong to handle

What a disappointing season ending for the Cleveland Cavaliers! They gave the Spurs everything they had, but it was San Antonio veteran depth and power which propeled to a 4-0 series sweep. They captured their 4th NBA title since 1995. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker played a big part in their success. Give credit was it is due to Lebron James and the Cavs. They fought and scraped for loose balls and play real good D. Unfortunately, their Western conference opponents outscored them and had a faster lineup which got to the hoop often and executed plays.

I thought Cleveland would win at least 2 games in the Finals. Game 2 and 3 was theirs for the taking. They were unable to knock down shots late which sealed their fate. Lebron James in Gam4 last night had a good game with 25 points, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds. The rest of the team accounted for 57 points. Rookie Daniel Gibson and center Zydrunas Ilgauskas didn't have big games or score enough to give the Cavs any kind of edge.

Larry Hughes was hurt so of course he was non-factor. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker both had 20-plus points a piece. The Spurs' defense during crunch time made the difference. Still Cleveland had a great year! Better luck next season Cavs.

Cavaliers face elimination, last game this season for Lebron?

The Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves in a deep hole, down 3-0 in the Finals against the Spurs. Game 2 and 3 really could've gone either way. Unfortunately, for Cleveland shots late in the games didn't fall and too much focus on put on Lebron James. His teammates always expect him to make big plays in the clutch, but when he's double and triple-teamed what can he possible do besides try to find the open man? In the Detroit series this team played off a lot of energy from the crowd and stifled their opponents with hard-nosed defense.

I don't remember if any NBA team in history has ever came back when trailing 3-0 and the way Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are playing the Cavs will lucky if they can keep the duo under 40 points tonight at Quicken Loans Arena. Big Z and Daniel Gibson's scoring efforts are necessary if the Cavs are to win today. Sure Lebron could drop 50, but that may not be enough to prevail over San Antonio. It was a low scoring affair in Game 3. I expect another similar game tonight.
It's been a great year for the Cavs franchise despite the eventual outcome of the Finals.

BALCO investigation allegely nearing a close...well it's about time!

After a couple years filled with off and on interrogations which allowed MLB to still showcase some of today's brightest star players word is going around that the steroid investigation is on the verge of being wrapped up. How could this be with the never ending wishy-washy alibis and lame excuses for cases involving performance enhancing drugs? Jason Giambi has already felt pressure as he admitted to doing something wrong yet didn't make it clear what he did. Cheating will always exist in sports so why don't these buffon players just clear the air and tell the truth for once. They're so worried about their precious careers being in jeopardy like it really matters when they're in the mid-to-late 30s.

All eyes are on Barry Bonds, more so because he's less than 10 homeruns away from breaking Hank Aaron's all-time homerun record. This year the veteran Giants slugger is having trouble playing in the outfield. His weight gain obviously has effected his speed in trying to chase down fly balls and jump due to back soreness. Well, I think Barry was right when he claimed to a grand jury that his trainer supplied him with arthritis balm (for all I know he could have used to it rub all over his ass). The notion of Bonds having little or no feeling is in hands or lower extremities is believable, but I can't see investigators overlooking how illegal drugs came into the picture.

If Bonds is found to be guilty on two counts, which includes perjury when he testified in court then the homerun record celebration may be short-lived. I can't believe how long this steroids case has dragged on without concrete evidence being presented. The government needs to end the whole thing soon because MLB already has enough issues with pitchers beaning batters, teammates fighting in clubhouses, lack of sportsmanship, and mascots being thrown into the mix. I don't see how the integrity of the game will be intact if and when these probed athletes are found guilty especially after the fact records are broken. Bud Selig will still sit back and reap billions of dollars.

Too many critics too soon ruling out Cavs

Just because the Cleveland Cavaliers lost the Game 1 of the Finals everyone is automatically assuming the Spurs have another NBA title in the bag. Oh come on! Give the this young team some credit here. They just won 4 straight against the veteran experienced-savvy Detroit Pistons, who are former Eastern conference champs. All this pressure is on Lebron James as skeptics believe it will take a miracle for his team to succeed. That's bologna because it was obvious in the previous playoff series it was indeed a team effort. Daniel Gibson's 31 points in Game 6 against Detroit is true indicator of that.

Scoring 50-point every game is unlikely for any superstar player (Michael Jordan couldn't even pull such scoring performances off all the time). People tend to forget King James is not only a great scorer, but a unrated passer with excellent court vision while adding speed and size to draw double teams, allowing for opportunities for the open man. His ability to drive to the basket often, draw contact either scoring or kicking it to a teammate will be his most valuable asset in the Finals. Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili will no doubt make their share of spectacular plays, but none of them can't deny Lebron of impeccable timing of clutch moves late in games.

I know for the majority most basketball fans look at the Spurs' depth, scoring weapons, and experience as see these factors as unbreakable barriers for Cleveland. How can Lebron and company match up with such an overpowering team? Well, it sure helps to have a former Spurs coaching assistant on the sidelines. Mike Brown knows the ins and outs of the San Antonio game plans and their strategies. He could be a bigger key figure for the Cavs than Lebron! Who knows what the series will look like after the 2 games in Cleveland. For one thing is for sure, King James will be put on a show and make history in the 2007 NBA Finals. Make the critics eat their words, go Cavs!!

MLB managers' sheningans and tirades

The baseball world was hit with a flurry of manager outbursts, all leading to ejections. Forget about the game, these unexpected tirades are just what baseball needed to drive up the entertainment value. When fans watch their favorite teams struggle and go hitless or get slaughtered at least they can rest assure that their beloved team managers will fight for what's right. If that means sprinting on the field, kicking dirt on umpires, tossing hats and bases while furiously stomping up and down the field and yelling obscenities to get their point across then so be it.

I can't get enough of the footage from the Braves minor league team in Mississippi (AA) where the coach just lost it...and everyone thinks MLB has problems! Sports in general seem like they're getting out of control. Sportsmanship has gone out the window. Just wait until the mascots start getting involved in these fiascoes. Hats, bats, and head pieces will really start flying then. That's when the DL will not only be reserved for players.

This past weekend in MLB was awful for fines and suspensions. The following managers got ejected: Cubs- Lou Piniella, Yankees- Joe Torre, Tigers- Jim Leyland, Indians- Grady Little and Reds- Jerry Narron. The minor league coach for the Braves made all the pro managers' acts look like nothing. I think the players got a kick of seeing this type of hot-blooded emotion as footage shows them smiling and laughing. I don't know if more of these outbursts are in store for the season, but it sure can make a night at the ball park entertaining instead of watching a scuffling team.