UVA BASEBALL
Virginia went 3-0 in the Charlottesville regional over the weekend and now sets it sights on the Charlottesville Super Regional, where the Hoos face the California Irvine Anteaters. Irvine came out of the Los Angeles region, where it was the No. 3 seed. The Anteaters beat Fresno State 12-6, San Francisco 4-3, and then No. 1 seed UCLA 4-3 in the final.
Virginia seemed to get more and more dominant in each game. First, the Cavs took care of Navy 6-0, then beat St. John's 10-2, and finally really got the bats going in a 13-1 rout of East Carolina in the championship, a game I was lucky enough to attend. For those of you keeping track, UVA outscored its regional opponents 29-3.
The Cavaliers are looking extremely dominant right now. Danny Hultzen, Tyler Wilson, and Will Roberts are lights out on the mound, and the offense has picked up since a lull during the UNC regular season series right after exam break. Hot bats can be found up and down the lineup. In the region final against ECU, every Cavalier starter got on base, and the only starter to fail to get a hit was David Coleman. If I was a coach, Virginia is the last team I would want to be playing right now.
The Anteaters (42-16) are led on offense by Brian Hernandez, who sports a .351 batting average. Drew Hillman leads the team with 50 RBIs and five HRs and has a .336 average. Jordan Fox (.335) is also hitting above .300. Irvine's three main starters on the mound are as follows: Matt Summers (11-2, 1.72 ERA), Matt Whitehouse (4-0, 2.14), and Crosby Slaught (7-2, 3.97). The Anteaters have three other pitchers with at least four starts. Irvine plays in the Big West Conference where they went 16-8. Irvine has a 16-12 road record. The Anteaters started out the season 13-1 before losing five of their next six games. Most recently, they have gone 16-4 over their past 20 games.
In 2009, Virginia beat Irvine 5-0 and 4-1 to win Irvine's own regional. The super regional is a best of 3 game series. Game 1 is Saturday at 1 p.m. and is being televised by ESPNU. Game 2 is Sunday at 1 p.m. and is also on ESPNU. Game 3, if necessary, will be Monday on ESPNU at a time to be announced.
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MAVERICKS, HEAT SERIES TIED AT 2-2
The NBA Finals have been spectacular so far. Some could complain and say the offense hasn't been particularly sharp and the overall play has been sloppy, but no one can deny the games have been close and entertaining. No game has been decided by less than eight points. Dirk Nowitzki hurt a finger on his left hand in Game 1 but it hasn't seemed to have affected his play. Before Game 4, it was reported he was sick, but he still led the team with 21 points. Most importantly, he scored 10 points in the fourth quarter. Dallas got increased bench production in Game 4, helping them to even the series. Dwyane Wade has been incredible for the Heat, averaging 29.8 ppg in the finals. LeBron James, meanwhile, had a good Game 1 but has been quiet for the most part, averaging just 17.3 ppg. In Game 4, James was especially nonexistent, tallying only eight points all game. Chris Bosh is averaging just more than James at 18.3 ppg, and is also contributing with 6.5 rebounds per game. The series has also featured trash talking. Before Game 4, the Mavericks' Jason Terry wondered whether LeBron James would do a good a job on him defensively for the rest of the series--James shut down Terry in Game 3, especially in the fourth quarter. Terry, a major contributor off the bench, suggested that James is playing lots of minutes and a long season and playoffs is going to start to wear him down. And, sure enough, James had the above mentioned off game with only eight points, and Terry scored nine points in the final frame. Dallas' DeShawn Stevenson has also said Wade and James are good at acting like they have gotten fouled.
At this point, I think I still like the Heat to win in 7, though the Mavs are making me wonder. They've shown they can get it done in Miami, so if they win the final game in Dallas on Thursday to go up 3-2, they could certainly win 1 of 2 in Miami to take the series. But though the series is tied, it feels as if Miami has the upper hand. Despite the close margin of victories, Miami has led more minutes, and it took a monumentous 15-point, fourth-quarter comeback for the Mavs to top the Heat in a crucial Game 2. I suppose that is both good and bad for the Heat. It's good for them in that they still seem in control of the series, but also, you could say the Heat hasn't done a good job of closing out the games and has let the Mavs stick around and make it a series.
Has the trash talking gotten into James' head? We'll see and I'm sure the analysts and commentators will draw conclusions based on the King's play. He seems to be indulging too much right now in the facilitator role. He had to score so much in Cleveland because he was the one main option, and in Miami, he doesn't have to as often because he has Wade and Bosh who can also shoulder the load. But it is time for James to step up and lead the Heat to the championship. The criticism is as harsh as ever as people wonder if James is again cracking under the pressure, like he was accused of doing in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. He needs to take over games, especially down the stretch. It is obvious who the star is of the Mavs--Dirk Nowitzki. And he is doing everything in his power to will the Mavs and himself to a much sought after championship. Let's see if James responds to all that's going on around him.
Game 5, 6, and 7, if there is one, should be quite exciting.
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BRUINS TAKE IT TO THE CANUCKS TO TIE THE STANLEY CUP FINALS AT 2
In the Stanley Cup Finals, the Canucks won Game 1 at home 1-0 after Raffi Torres scored a goal with 18 seconds remaining. In Game 2, the Canucks won in overtime, also at home, 3-2, making a shot only 11 seconds into the extra period. Back in Boston, the Bruins have upped the physicality of the series and absolutely taken it to the Canucks. Boston won Game 3 by a landslide, 8-1, and then won Game 4 Wednesday night 4-0.
In Game 1, tempers flared when Vancouver's Alex Burrows bit the finger of Boston's Patrice Bergeron during a scuffle. In the games in Boston, the Bruins have made light of that fact, sticking their fingers in Burrows' face and taunting him. Early in Game 3, the Canucks' Aaron Rome blasted the Bruins' Nathan Horton with a huge check and it seemed to galavanize the Bruins. Horton didn't play in Game 4 and Rome has been suspended for the rest of the series. The Bruins are knocking around the Canucks now and it will be interesting to see how Vancouver responds.
Virginia went 3-0 in the Charlottesville regional over the weekend and now sets it sights on the Charlottesville Super Regional, where the Hoos face the California Irvine Anteaters. Irvine came out of the Los Angeles region, where it was the No. 3 seed. The Anteaters beat Fresno State 12-6, San Francisco 4-3, and then No. 1 seed UCLA 4-3 in the final.
Virginia seemed to get more and more dominant in each game. First, the Cavs took care of Navy 6-0, then beat St. John's 10-2, and finally really got the bats going in a 13-1 rout of East Carolina in the championship, a game I was lucky enough to attend. For those of you keeping track, UVA outscored its regional opponents 29-3.
The Cavaliers are looking extremely dominant right now. Danny Hultzen, Tyler Wilson, and Will Roberts are lights out on the mound, and the offense has picked up since a lull during the UNC regular season series right after exam break. Hot bats can be found up and down the lineup. In the region final against ECU, every Cavalier starter got on base, and the only starter to fail to get a hit was David Coleman. If I was a coach, Virginia is the last team I would want to be playing right now.
The Anteaters (42-16) are led on offense by Brian Hernandez, who sports a .351 batting average. Drew Hillman leads the team with 50 RBIs and five HRs and has a .336 average. Jordan Fox (.335) is also hitting above .300. Irvine's three main starters on the mound are as follows: Matt Summers (11-2, 1.72 ERA), Matt Whitehouse (4-0, 2.14), and Crosby Slaught (7-2, 3.97). The Anteaters have three other pitchers with at least four starts. Irvine plays in the Big West Conference where they went 16-8. Irvine has a 16-12 road record. The Anteaters started out the season 13-1 before losing five of their next six games. Most recently, they have gone 16-4 over their past 20 games.
In 2009, Virginia beat Irvine 5-0 and 4-1 to win Irvine's own regional. The super regional is a best of 3 game series. Game 1 is Saturday at 1 p.m. and is being televised by ESPNU. Game 2 is Sunday at 1 p.m. and is also on ESPNU. Game 3, if necessary, will be Monday on ESPNU at a time to be announced.
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MAVERICKS, HEAT SERIES TIED AT 2-2
The NBA Finals have been spectacular so far. Some could complain and say the offense hasn't been particularly sharp and the overall play has been sloppy, but no one can deny the games have been close and entertaining. No game has been decided by less than eight points. Dirk Nowitzki hurt a finger on his left hand in Game 1 but it hasn't seemed to have affected his play. Before Game 4, it was reported he was sick, but he still led the team with 21 points. Most importantly, he scored 10 points in the fourth quarter. Dallas got increased bench production in Game 4, helping them to even the series. Dwyane Wade has been incredible for the Heat, averaging 29.8 ppg in the finals. LeBron James, meanwhile, had a good Game 1 but has been quiet for the most part, averaging just 17.3 ppg. In Game 4, James was especially nonexistent, tallying only eight points all game. Chris Bosh is averaging just more than James at 18.3 ppg, and is also contributing with 6.5 rebounds per game. The series has also featured trash talking. Before Game 4, the Mavericks' Jason Terry wondered whether LeBron James would do a good a job on him defensively for the rest of the series--James shut down Terry in Game 3, especially in the fourth quarter. Terry, a major contributor off the bench, suggested that James is playing lots of minutes and a long season and playoffs is going to start to wear him down. And, sure enough, James had the above mentioned off game with only eight points, and Terry scored nine points in the final frame. Dallas' DeShawn Stevenson has also said Wade and James are good at acting like they have gotten fouled.
At this point, I think I still like the Heat to win in 7, though the Mavs are making me wonder. They've shown they can get it done in Miami, so if they win the final game in Dallas on Thursday to go up 3-2, they could certainly win 1 of 2 in Miami to take the series. But though the series is tied, it feels as if Miami has the upper hand. Despite the close margin of victories, Miami has led more minutes, and it took a monumentous 15-point, fourth-quarter comeback for the Mavs to top the Heat in a crucial Game 2. I suppose that is both good and bad for the Heat. It's good for them in that they still seem in control of the series, but also, you could say the Heat hasn't done a good job of closing out the games and has let the Mavs stick around and make it a series.
Has the trash talking gotten into James' head? We'll see and I'm sure the analysts and commentators will draw conclusions based on the King's play. He seems to be indulging too much right now in the facilitator role. He had to score so much in Cleveland because he was the one main option, and in Miami, he doesn't have to as often because he has Wade and Bosh who can also shoulder the load. But it is time for James to step up and lead the Heat to the championship. The criticism is as harsh as ever as people wonder if James is again cracking under the pressure, like he was accused of doing in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. He needs to take over games, especially down the stretch. It is obvious who the star is of the Mavs--Dirk Nowitzki. And he is doing everything in his power to will the Mavs and himself to a much sought after championship. Let's see if James responds to all that's going on around him.
Game 5, 6, and 7, if there is one, should be quite exciting.
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BRUINS TAKE IT TO THE CANUCKS TO TIE THE STANLEY CUP FINALS AT 2
In the Stanley Cup Finals, the Canucks won Game 1 at home 1-0 after Raffi Torres scored a goal with 18 seconds remaining. In Game 2, the Canucks won in overtime, also at home, 3-2, making a shot only 11 seconds into the extra period. Back in Boston, the Bruins have upped the physicality of the series and absolutely taken it to the Canucks. Boston won Game 3 by a landslide, 8-1, and then won Game 4 Wednesday night 4-0.
In Game 1, tempers flared when Vancouver's Alex Burrows bit the finger of Boston's Patrice Bergeron during a scuffle. In the games in Boston, the Bruins have made light of that fact, sticking their fingers in Burrows' face and taunting him. Early in Game 3, the Canucks' Aaron Rome blasted the Bruins' Nathan Horton with a huge check and it seemed to galavanize the Bruins. Horton didn't play in Game 4 and Rome has been suspended for the rest of the series. The Bruins are knocking around the Canucks now and it will be interesting to see how Vancouver responds.
The Stanley Cup Finals have just gotten dirty... all this bush league shit is ruining what has otherwise been an exciting series. If form holds, the Canucks will close it out in Game 6 with a one-goal win (after their one-goal win tonight).
ReplyDeleteIn LeBron's defense, how many players are there out there where averaging "just" 17.3 ppg is underachieving? Also, even despite his triple-double last game, people are still accusing him of folding under the pressure. Sorry, guys, but when one player records a triple double, it's not his fault you lost. That said, go Mavericks!
i heard though that 17 ppg (if that is indeed his average in the finals) puts him in a low percentile for players who also average 45min/gm. and a triple double is great, but u gotta bring it home in the fourth quarter, yet he only had 2 points.
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