7th Inning Stretch with Scott Fragale - Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Trio Of Winners In Beat The Blogger Contest
Posted by Tuff Stuff

The Blogger posted a solid effort, correctly picking 7 of 10 but it wasn't enough to hang with a trio of contestants who totaled scores of nine to tie for the top spot in last week's Beat The Blogger contest.

John W, Joann and Steve Emerick each got 8 of their 10 picks correct and then utilized the Doubler to push their totals to 9 and win the weekly prize. For their efforts, all three will be receiving an 8-by-10 signed color photo.

Thanks to everybody for playing and good luck with your picks this week.

For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest, the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler" and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning. If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for the weekly contest and that's where the Chipper Jones jersey comes into play. If we can get more than 300 entries this week, the weekly winner will receive the Jones jersey so we need everybody to spread the word about the contest so we can reach our goal.

This week's Matchups
Saturday July 4
MLB
Toronto at NY Yankees
Milwaukee at Chicago Cubs
Houston at San Francisco
Oakland at Cleveland
Arizona at Colorado
Sunday July 5
Baltimore at LA Angels
Pittsburgh at Florida
St. Louis at Cincinnati
NY Mets at Philadelphia
Detroit at Minnesota

GOOD LUCK and HAPPY 4th Of JULY

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 2:47:34 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [36]

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Beat The Blogger Picks
Posted by Tuff Stuff

We had a pair of winners in this past week's Beat The Blogger contest, with Aubrey Thomas II and Lukas each picking 9 of 10 matchups correctly and adding their doublers to tie for the top spot. For those of you who came up short, check out this week's matchups below and post your picks to try and win again.

For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest, the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler" and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning. If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for the weekly contest and that's where the Chipper Jones jersey comes into play. If we can get more than 300 entries this week, the weekly winner will receive the Jones jersey so we need everybody to spread the word about the contest so we can reach our goal.

This week's Matchups with Blogger's picks in parenthesis
Saturday June 27
MLB
Philadelphia at Toronto (Philadelphia)
Minnesota at St. Louis (Minnesota)
Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox (White Sox)
Florida at Tampa Bay (Florida)
NY Yankees at NY Mets (Yankees)
Sunday June 28
Kansas City at Pittsburgh (Royals, Doubler)
Boston at Atlanta (Boston)
Washington at Baltimore (Baltimore)
Colorado at Oakland (Colorado)
Detroit at Houston (Detroit)

GOOD LUCK

Wednesday, June 24, 2009 8:01:49 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [45]

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Not So Deep Thoughts: A U.S. Open Win Worth Waiting For
Posted by Tuff Stuff

Anybody who has ever read my blog knows I'm a big fan of the game of golf. Some might even say fanatical. It's not that I'm that good at it or anything, there's just something about the game and the possibility that on any given day, everything can come together and you can post your best-ever score. Part of the lure of the game is also about being outside on a warm, sunny day, although I've had just as much fun playing on some colder days when the wind was blowing harder than my John Daly-like swing (minus the eye-popping results) so maybe the outdoor element doesn't factor in as much as I initially thought. Whatever it is, I'm drawn to the game like no other and the story of Lucas Glover's win at the U.S. Open makes me enjoy it just that much more.

Sure, I would've enjoyed watching Tiger make another late-round charge with the massive galleries of people on hand erupting in unison as he climbed up the leaderboard, but there's something about a longshot defying the odds as well. Glover was such an underdog coming into the tournament that oddsmakers didn't assign any specific odds for him. So, if you were looking to wager on the now-famous Clemson alum you would've had to do so via a 5-1 "field" pick of the other guys the sportsbooks deemed a waste of time. One England-based book did acknowledge Glover's chances, deeming him a 400-1 shot but my guess is Glover himself would've passed on those odds as well.

And its understandable why many would've overlooked Glover coming in. Sure, he had several solid showings this year, but had never even made a cut at the U.S. Open in three previous tries and had never finished higher than 20th in any of the majors he had teed it up in. But that's why the game is so great, because before the first ball is teed up on Thursday, the tournament is there for the taking for anybody in the field.

Glover, 29, somehow did the unthinkable and held off late surges by accomplished players like David Duval (who's comeback was equally as unlikely as Glover's victory) and Phil Mickelson, and that's why the game is so great. They say that on any given Sunday any team can put it all together and pull a major upset in the NFL, and as teams like the 2006 Cardinals and 2007 Rockies proved, getting hot at the right time can propel a team into the World Series, but golf, unlike any of the other major sports, affords the opportunity for anybody in the field to turn four solid days of play into a life-altering event.

And while Glover's humbled and somewhat shocked demeanor after winning the championship may have made it seem as though he was taking the win in stride, I'd give you 400-1 odds he was bordering on hyperventilating on the inside. And why wouldn't he be? He just won the U.S. Open. The tournament every American golfer dreams of winning and every professional player worldwide covets. He instantly became $1.3 million richer (the winner's purse) and will undoubtedly be signing several new endorsement deals that will triple those totals. He'll also be hitting the celebrity circuit in the next few days, making appearances on Letterman, Leno and Conan, not to mention spots on SportsCenter, The Today Show, and of course, what championship run would be complete without a parade at Disneyland.

You wouldn't think four solid days of play could change a person's life so dramatically and that the days prior to the win will soon be viewed as ancient history, but that's exactly what's on tap for Lucas Glover. A dream ride into the golf's brightest spotlight, a whirlwind cross-country tour and highered expectations ever time he tees it up from this point forward. And while it will likely seem a little overwhelming at times for the unassuming North Carolina native, I'm guessing all the extra fuss will be worth it every time he looks at the new shiny, silver trophy on his mantle. He won the U.S. Open playing the game he loves. And watching his incredible and unlikely journey unfold is just one of the many reasons the game of golf can be so sweet. Ya gotta love it.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 6:00:10 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [0]

Beat The Blogger Results/Matchups
Posted by Tuff Stuff

We had a pair of winners in this past week's Beat The Blogger contest, with Aubrey Thomas II and Lukas each picking 9 of 10 matchups correctly and adding their doublers to tie for the top spot. For those of you who came up short, check out this week's matchups below and post your picks to try and win again.

For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest, the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler" and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning. If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for the weekly contest and that's where the Chipper Jones jersey comes into play. If we can get more than 300 entries this week, the weekly winner will receive the Jones jersey so we need everybody to spread the word about the contest so we can reach our goal.

This week's Matchups
Saturday June 27
MLB
Philadelphia at Toronto
Minnesota at St. Louis
Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox
Florida at Tampa Bay
NY Yankees at NY Mets
Sunday June 28
Kansas City at Pittsburgh
Boston at Atlanta
Washington at Baltimore
Colorado at Oakland
Detroit at Houston

GOOD LUCK

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 2:24:31 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [24]

Monday, June 22, 2009

Beat The Blogger Results
Posted by Tuff Stuff

The Beat the Blogger winner will be announced Tuesday a.m. so please check back to see if you're a winner. The matchups for this week will also be posted Tuesday so make sure you get yours posted to win the prize this time around.

For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest, the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler" and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning. If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for the weekly contest and that's where the Chipper Jones jersey comes into play. If we can get more than 300 entries this week, the weekly winner will receive the Jones jersey so we need everybody to spread the word about the contest so we can reach our goal.

This week's Matchups (winning picks in parenthesis)
Saturday June 20
MLB
Tampa at NY Mets (Tampa)
Chicago WS at Cincinnati (Chicago)
Atlanta at Boston (Boston)
LA Dodgers at LA Angels (Dodgers)
Arizona at Seattle (Seattle)
Sunday June 21
Milwaukee at Detroit (Detroit)
Oakland at San Diego (San Diego)
Houston at Minnesota (Houston)
PGA Tour U.S. Open
Who will win: Tiger Woods or Rest of the Field? (Field)
What will the final winning score be: -1 to -6 or -7 or lower? (-1 to -6)

Monday, June 22, 2009 10:31:16 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [0]

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Beat The Blogger Picks
Posted by Tuff Stuff

We fell short of our goal of getting more than 300 entries in the Beat the Blogger contest, but we are inching closer and the numbers continue to rise which is good to see. One newcomer to the contest e-mailed me and said he forwarded the link to the contest to more than 500 of his co-workers and that's exactly the kind of initiative we need to reach our goal so follow suit and we'll get there. The good news is we'll give it another shot this week, and if we can eclipse the 300 mark, one lucky

winner will claim the authentic, signed Chipper Jones jersey that the Blogger is just dying to give away.

Beat The Blogger veteran "Peter" and newcomer Mary Tennigan each scored 10 points to tie for the top spot this week and will both be receiving a signed 8-by-10 photo for their efforts. Congrats to both. The matchups for this week are posted below so get your picks in so you can join the list of winners, too.

For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest, the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler" and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning. If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for the weekly contest and that's where the Chipper Jones jersey comes into play. If we can get more than 300 entries this week, the weekly winner will receive the Jones jersey so we need everybody to spread the word about the contest so we can reach our goal.

This week's matchups are posted below so make sure you get your picks posted 1/2 hour before the start of the first mathcup on Saturday which is the US Open so cutoff will be 7 a.m. (Eastern) on Saturday morning. And don't forget to spread the word about how easy it is to win playing Beat The Blogger so we can reach our goal of more than 300 entries this week.

This week's Matchups (Blogger's picks in parenthesis)
Saturday June 20
MLB
Tampa at NY Mets (Mets)
Chicago WS at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
Atlanta at Boston (Boston)
LA Dodgers at LA Angels (Angels)
Arizona at Seattle (Seattle)
Sunday June 21
Milwaukee at Detroit (Detroit)
Oakland at San Diego (Oakland)
Houston at Minnesota (Minnesota)
PGA Tour U.S. Open
Who will win: Tiger Woods or Rest of the Field? (Field) (doubler)
What will the final winning score be: -1 to -6 or -7 or lower? (-7 or lower)

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 8:39:32 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [44]

Not So Deep Thoughts: Not quite murder, but pretty damn close
Posted by Tuff Stuff

I read with disbelief how Donte Stallworth received a 30-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter. While I'll admit I'm no Johnny Cochran, I'm pretty sure DUI manslaughter translates into Stallworth killing a man with his car while he was legally drunk. And while I'm not sure what the normal sentence (Stallworth was facing 15 years in prison before reaching a plea) is for somebody who commits murder, I'm fairly certain it's a bit longer stay than 30 days.

Apparently, Stallworth was given a lighter sentence because (according to his lawyer) "He acted like a man. He remained at the scene. He cooperated fully."

Good to know. I'm sure the family of the man who he killed are very appreciative that Stallworth stepped up and did the right thing after killing the man they loved. Unfortunately, it took killing a man to make him start doing the right thing. If only he would have done the right thing before the tragic accident occurred. If only Stallworth would have stopped drinking earlier that night. If only Stallworth would have "acted like a man" and drank responsibly. If only Stallworth would've hired a driver to take him home with the $4.5 million signing bonus he received the day before the crash. If only.

Stallworth's sentence is actually only 24 days in jail, two years of house arrest, eight years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service so maybe justice was served afterall. And don't forget the NFL still has to levy it's punishment. My guess is commissioner Roger Goodell will hand down a three-game suspension and by October, just seven months after the tragedy occurred, Stallworth will return to the life he had before the "accident." Unfortunately Reyes won't be able to do the same.

I remember when I was a kid, I got 60 hours of community service for carving my initials into some playground equipment. If only I had "acted like a man, remained at the scene and cooperated fully," maybe my sentence would've been reduced to a minute of pulling weeds at the neighborhood church instead of the 60 hours I served. I suppose that's what I deserved for making my money cutting lawns instead of playing professional football.

Because the grieving family wanted to "bring closure to this emotional and tragic event," Stallworth was able to reach a confidential financial settlement to avoid a potential lawsuit from the family of 59-year-old Mario Reyes, the man Stallworth killed. Stallworth was covered by two separate insurance policies, a car insurance policy and a $5 million umbrella policy that have undoubtedly been transferred directly into the Reyes family account and serve as protection for Stallworth from a future lawsuit from the family.

So there you have it. Man gets drunk, decides to drive despite the numerous options to avoid doing so and ends up taking the life of an innocent man. Little more than three weeks after receiving his sentence, man resumes his life in the NFL where he'll take in $5 million for the season while the family of the victim mourns for a lifetime. What a country.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 3:33:34 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [0]

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Beat The Blogger Results/Matchups
Posted by Tuff Stuff

We fell short of our goal of getting more than 300 entries in the Beat the Blogger contest, but we are inching closer and the numbers continue to rise which is good to see. One newcomer to the contest e-mailed me and said he forwarded the link to the contest to more than 500 of his co-workers and that's exactly the kind of initiative we need to reach our goal so follow suit and we'll get there. The good news is we'll give it another shot this week, and if we can eclipse the 300 mark, one lucky

winner will claim the authentic, signed Chipper Jones jersey that the Blogger is just dying to give away.

Beat The Blogger veteran "Peter" and newcomer Mary Tennigan each scored 10 points to tie for the top spot this week and will both be receiving a signed 8-by-10 photo for their efforts. Congrats to both. The matchups for this week are posted below so get your picks in so you can join the list of winners, too.

For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest, the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler" and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning. If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for the weekly contest and that's where the Chipper Jones jersey comes into play. If we can get more than 300 entries this week, the weekly winner will receive the Jones jersey so we need everybody to spread the word about the contest so we can reach our goal.

This week's matchups are posted below so make sure you get your picks posted 1/2 hour before the start of the first game on Saturday to be eligible. And don't forget to spread the word about how easy it is to win playing Beat The Blogger so we can reach our goal of more than 300 entries this week.

This week's Matchups (Winning picks in parenthesis)
Saturday June 20
MLB
Tampa at NY Mets
Chicago WS at Cincinnati
Atlanta at Boston
LA Dodgers at LA Angels
Arizona at Seattle
Sunday June 21
Milwaukee at Detroit
Oakland at San Diego
Houston at Minnesota
PGA Tour U.S. Open
Who will win: Tiger Woods or Rest of the Field?
What will the final winning score be: -1 to -6 or -7 or lower?

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 4:08:42 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [21]

Monday, June 15, 2009

Beat The Blogger Results
Posted by Tuff Stuff

We fell short of our goal of getting more than 300 entries in the Beat the Blogger contest, but we did have a record number of entries so we might be able to give away the Chipper Jones jersey before the National gets here (This year's National Convention is July 29-Aug. 2). I haven't tallied up the totals to see who this week's winner is yet but the results of the games are listed below so you can get a head start and see how you fared and I'll have the official results first thing Tuesday for you.

This week's Results (Winners in parenthesis)
Saturday June 13
MLB
Minnesota vs. Chicago Cubs (Minnesota)
Boston vs. Philadelphia (Boston)
Oakland vs. San Francisco (San Francisco)
New York Mets vs. New York Yankees (Mets)
Atlanta vs. Baltimore (Baltimore)
Sunday June 14
New York Mets vs. New York Yankees (Yankees)
Detroit vs. Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
Cincinnati vs. Kansas City (Kansas City)
San Diego vs. L.A. Angels (Angels
Washington vs. Tampa Bay (Rays)

Monday, June 15, 2009 4:37:39 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [0]

Friday, June 12, 2009

Not So Deep Thoughts: Time For Some Fearless Forecasting
Posted by Tuff Stuff

From time to time, I'll be surfing around some sports sites and a few things will jump out at me that I feel compelled to share my thoughts on. But instead of just giving you my two cents on the topics, I decided mixing it up and providing you with a fearless forecast of the future might be more fun. So, without further ado, here's a look into the crystal ball as I see it. Some are serious, some not so much but that's for you to decide which ones are which.

Ryan Leaf: How can a former No. 1 draft pick with so much potential end up being on the run from the law for drug and burglary charges just when it seemed he had got his sh%t together? Apparently Leaf's lawyer talked him into surrendering to law officials and he will stop running and come out of hiding any time now. The real question is: If Ryan Leaf is hiding, does anybody other than law officials pursue a search?

Prediction: Leaf surrenders, spends several months in prison for the charges, gets his mess of a life back in order, appears on "Outside the Lines" in their "Where Are They Now" segment, where Jeremy Schaap reports that he's now working at a homeless shelter and that he's found God. Two months later, ESPN reports that Leaf was caught stealing cans at the shelter and now faces 3-5 years in prison and a lifetime ban from all the soup kitchens on the West Coast.
NL Central Race: Currently, all six teams are within five games of the top spot with the suddenly ice-cold Brewers holding a 1/2-game lead.
Prediction: The smoke-and-mirrors starting pitching efforts that have helped Milwaukee hold the lead for the last several weeks will disappear quicker than you can "Manny Parra's latest demotion to the Minors" but the Brewers will remain in the hunt by virtue of winning countless 9-8 tilts. The Cubs will get healthy, take over the lead for July and August only to fade down the stretch. The Cardinals will get healthy again and will ride Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel, King Albert and a solid starting pitching rotation all the way to the division title.
The NBA: Kobe and the Lakers will finish off the Magic in Game 6 and the orginization will overtake the Celtics as the most storied franchise in the history of professional basketball, at least by those who live West of the Mississippi River.
Prediction: Kobe Bryant stars in a new Spike Lee documentary entitled "The Best That Ever Played and Not Just Because I Say So." Meanwhile, the league's propensity for overpaying stiffs finally catches up with it and the league is forced to start reducing salaries which ultimately causes a Labor Strike and more than half of the 2010-11 season is lost to a work stoppage. During the strike, overpaid salary poster boys Jim Mcllvaine, Bobby Simmons, Cuttino Mobley and Ben Wallace comment on the situation saying: "This is really unfortunate. The NBA has always paid its players fairly in the past and now they want to slash salaries like this and expect guys to feed their families on $4-$5 million a year. This isn't Somalia, these guys should be paid fair market value just like we were. This new system is going to ruin the league."

Brett Favre: Vikings coach Brad Childress continues to plead the 5th regarding Favre's status and a possible return to the league. Favre is said to be continuing his comeback effort by working out privately to get his surgically repaired arm back in shape but hasn't commented since announcing his decision to retire after last season's sub-par finish to the season.
Prediction: ESPN's Chris Mortenson reports that the legendary quarterback ha surprised everyone, especially the Vikings, and comes out of retirement to play for the Detroit Lions. Favre, never one to back down from a challenge, cites that beating out Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfals wasn't worth all the time and effort he would need to put in to complete another comeback, so he decided to see if he could beat out the No. 1 pick and prove that he's still the man.
"I got so much satisfaction watching Aaron Rodgers wasting away on the sidelines in Green Bay that I thought I'd come into Detroit and see if I could do the same with (Matthew) Stafford. Besides, if I come in and lead the Lions to a 1-15 record, I'm a Motown God. And I could still stick it to the Packers and Ted Thompson twice a year if I'm playing for the Lions so it's a win-win for everybody."

Later that day, ESPN's John Clayton reports that Favre is still retired and has no plans of joing the lions or any other team in 2009 and Mortenson is fired.

There you have it, got any predictions you'd like to share. Step up and make a post, we'd love to hear about them.

Friday, June 12, 2009 6:12:25 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [0]

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