IT IS OUDAAA HEREE!

"IT IS OUDDAAA HEREEE, RYAN HOWARD!" Harry K.

It is a call that we have heard over a hundred of times but on the night that we need to hear it most, it wasn’t there. Last night Ryan Howard made MLB history by slamming his 200th homerun in record time. As many of us tried our best Harry K impersonation as the ball sailed out of Landshark Stadium in Miami it wasn’t the same. It is the first big moment for the Phillies with a different voice.

No matter who made the call the undisputable fact is that Ryan Howard now stands alone as the fastest player to ever hit 200 homeruns. He cruised past Ralph Kiner’s 70 year old record by 48 games. Ryan Howard is known for his power as he is on track for 48 homeruns and 150 rbi’s.
Since he came into the league he has been amongst the league’s elite. He has won a silver slugger award, NL Rookie of the Year, NL MVP, 2 NL East titles, an NL Pennant and not to mention a World Championship. He has the potential of being one of the best Phillies in franchise history. It is true a strong start doesn’t translate into a hall of fame career but it can’t hurt. Howard belittled ARod’s start and they think he’ll be the homerun champ, so where’s the love for Howard?

He is about to turn 30 and unfortunately came up to the majors late by the Phillies who wanted to make sure he was ready to go. One of the biggest knocks against Howard is his fielding and strikeout numbers. Both of these problems are what Howard had dedicated his offseason to fixing. He isn’t going to break any more strikeout records and he is nimble as a big cat at the cool corner now that he dropped a lot of weight in the offseason.

Howard may or may not find himself immortalized in Cooperstown but he does get the satisfaction of being faster than any homerun hitter already there. He probably will end up with 500+ homeruns and hopefully a few more championships. It was a night that the Phillies got to honor one of their even though another great wasn’t there to see it.

WANTA TAKE THIS OUTSIDE?!

One of the fastest growing sports events in the country is moving to one of the grandest stages in all of sports. The NHL announced today that the Philadelphia Flyers will due battle with the Boston Bruins in the Winter Classic at Fenway Park. The Classic was named the “Sports Event of the Year” by the SportsBusiness Journal.

"The NHL Winter Classic is truly a great day for hockey. It has become arguably the biggest game played during the NHL's regular season and offers a tremendous opportunity to showcase our great sport of hockey to millions of worldwide viewers. Despite the fact that the Classic has to compete with a full slate of College Football Bowl games it has proven itself worthy of the spotlight

The 3rd Annual Winter Classic will be played in the shadows of the Green Monster at Fenway. Fenway is a cultural icon and has brought countless memories to the sports world. The previous Classics have been in Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo and Wrigley Field in Chicago. This years matchup will feature to blue collar teams from two blue collar cities.

The Flyers newly revamped with Chris Pronger and Ray Emery will battle Tim Thomas and a giant of a man in Zdeno Chara and the Boston Bruins. The Bruins are one of the Original Six teams while the Flyers are members of the first NHL expansion. It has the ingredients for one special event.

NICK v. MIKE Celebrity Baseball

Last night concluded the festivities in St. Louis for the All-Star Game. It was a lot of fun to see all of the different events that took place including the Celebrity Softball game. And as many of you know Michael and I are big softball players in our older age and were flattered when ESPN and Major League Baseball picked us over Mike and Mike to be the captains for the 2010 softball game in Anaheim.

Michael being an A’s fan is going to be the captain of the American League, while I being a die hard Phillies fan will captain the National League. This game isn’t for money or home field advantage it is for the love of the game and for bragging rights. Without further delay I present to you the teams…

“Please welcome the visiting National League” PA Announcer.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

1. Meg Fox-What are you talking about, I didn’t pick her because she is drop dead gorgeous. Well a little but mostly for her speed and her potential as a leadoff man. In transformers 2 she was able to sprint away from Megatron and heavy fire, so I think she’ll be fine beating out a close play at second. Plus the other team will be dumbfounded as they watch her do the running.

2. John Krasinski- aka Jim from the Office is a proven competitor. He played his heart out in a basketball game versus the warehouse guys, placed second in the Office Olympics and didn’t stop until he got Pam. He’s got the heart of a lion.

3. Cal Ripken Jr.- Before Robert Downey Jr. Cal Ripken was known as Iron Man. As we all know the celebrity game can get kind of aggressive and therefore we will rely heavily on Mr. 2,632-consectutive-games for some insurance.

4. Kevin James- He big and he’s mean. This porky, funny man from Queens will provide a great power bat to the National League lineup. Unfortunately his agility is limited. Therefore we will probably stick him at first or behind the plate. Batting clean up James we go from King of Queens to King of the Diamond.

5. Serena Williams- She has dominated women’s tennis and will do the same on the diamond. One forehand could push the National League over the top.

6. Shaq- It is true he has a huge strike zone. But if he gets a hold of one its going to be gone. Plus I don’t think any AL pitcher is going to want to strike him out because he will be under command to charge the mound. And that would scare me.

7. Josh Charles- known for being in the Dead Poet’s Society is the Nick-based character on the show Sports Night (the show that we based our show off of). He had to be on the team.

8. Lee Corso- The ESPN College Gameday host, Scooter is a fast, fun-loving player that will provide team leadership and strategy. If Michael thinks he is going to win, Corso will give him a “not-so-fast-my-friends”. Now that deserves a big ole “Yo”.

9. Steve Carlton-This pitching legend will take the bump for the NL. He will take his four Cy Young’s and half a billon strikeouts and try and belittle the American League Offense.

10. Steven Colbert-He is quick witted, funny and smart. He has hosted his show, ran for president and tried out for the army in Iraq which proves to me that he is a versatile player that can be utilized as a great presence off of the bench.

11. Evangeline Lilly- She holds her own on a male dominated island. Kate kicks butt on the island from Lost and will do so on the diamond.

12. Emma Watson- the witch with the pitch. Bringing her in late as a relief for Carlton, Watson not only brings magic to the mound but an international flare for an expansion for the game.

13. Nick Esposito-this super star south paw aims to win one for the National League.


AMERICAN LEAGUE
“Now, the moment you have all been waiting for your American League celebrity all-stars!”.
1. Ricky Henderson - My favorite player as a kid, and who better to start of the game for you than the best leadoff hitter of all-time?

2. Mia Hamm - Great athlete with some speed from having played as a world class striker. Just needs to put the ball in play to get Ricky around the bases.

3. Kevin Costner - Whether it be Crash Davis or Ray Consella, the guy knows baseball. Putting him in the three whole should allow him to use his vast movie baseball knowledge to be patient and help the team.

4. Justin Timberlake - The guy has a good golf game, and I'm hoping that some good fairway drives can turn into at least warning track power. Plus he's got good moves on stage, so he should be able to make his way around the bases pretty well.

5. Jennie Finch - One of the best softball pitchers on the U.S. team, she should be one of the leaders on the field.

6. Matt Damon - As a huge Red Sox fan, I expect him to bring passion for the game. Not to mention the fact that he played Jason Bourne, so hopefully he's still got some of that strength left in him.

7. Misty May Treanor - The small but powerful volleyball player is married to a Marlins catcher, giving her some baseball knowledge. Also her small frame makes her hard to pitch too.

8. Dennis Eckersley - Will be a bigger presence on the mound than at the plate. Just hoping he doesn't throw a back-door slider like he did in Game 1 of the 1988 Series.

9. Matthew Perry - As a kid, he was a ranked amateur tennis player in Canada, his home country. His athleticism and comedic nature are good contributions to this team. Plus wanted some international flare.

10. Amy Adams - Her sweet nature is intended to keep the team up even when the scoreboard states otherwise. I'm sure she can play a mean second as well!

11. Robin Williams - Every team needs a club house guy, who gets the team motivated, but knows how to have fun. Who's better than this guy?!? He's great in serious roles and comedic ones, and he's become a big baseball fan as of late.

12. Tina Fey - One of the most popular women on television, she'll bring out a crowd. Not to mention that she's a Yankee's fan, and while I hate them, it at least shows dedication to the game.
13. Michael Bobich- Michael is going to rely on some of his leadership skills as well as his storied baseball background, he will try to not get intimidated by playing in his AL West rival Angels’ ballpark.


***Let us know what you think and who would be on your celebrity softball team.

This Time it Counts

Tuesday we get a special treat. No it’s not the debut of NCAA 10 or the midnight showing of Harry Potter: Half Blooded Prince it is the Major League Baseball All-Star game. The Midsummer classic is arguably the best all-star game out there and in a pivotal move six years ago; commissioner Bud Selig made it the most relevant. Six years ago he decided that the All-Star game would decide who gets home field advantage in the World Series. This has spurred constant debates, is it fair that one game gets to decide something that 30 teams play 162 games each to decide on their own?

I am against the way that the All-Star game decides this for a few reasons. Maybe it’s because I am a National League fan and they haven’t won one in close to a decade. But as I did the research I discovered that even that argument doesn’t hold water. Despite getting demolished in the all-star game the National League has taken three out of six titles from the American League. So then what’s the big deal?

First, is the fact that the fans are the ones picking the teams. I love the fact that we get to vote for our heroes but its not exactly fair if Phillies fans vote more than a D-Backs fan. This year the Philadelphia radio station WIP ran a contest for ten fans to come down to Citizen’s Bank Park and vote for Shane Victorino. While he is deserving, I don’t think it is right that a team could use the mobster mentality “vote early and often” to get their players in. For example last season Big Papi was voted into the All-Star game despite playing for less than a month the first half of the season. It is like high school and has been reduced to a popularity contest.

It’s one of those things that if the fans are going to vote for the players than it shouldn’t count for the post season. If it is going to count then leave the fans out of it. I would be frustrated if I played on a team that won over a hundred games but then couldn’t have my game 1 or 7 at home because a bunch of guys we played all season lost it for us.

With that said Major League Baseball hasn’t run into a problem yet but it is something that gives us unnecessary headaches during the middle of the summer. It is the best all-star game but it shouldn’t affect one of the best moments in the fall.

This year i think it is the best chance for the NL to get home field advantage. Here are my predictions...

Derby---> Dark Horse Brandon Inge (Detroit)
ASG-----> National League 9- American League 6
MVP----> Albert Pujols (home town hero)