Author Archive

Why Have a 40-Man Roster? All You Need Is Ace, Closer, and Slugger

Posted: 20th October 2009 by Ash Marshall in MLB
I was reading an article the other day where a baseball commentator said the qualities needed to make the playoffs arenÆt the qualities needed to succeed in the playoffs They said that deep starting pitching, production up and down the lineup, good middle relief and steady defense isn't nearly as important as having two dominant starters and a closer. Intrigued to know just how true this was, I began researching ...

Dolphins-Jets: Miami’s Wildcat Offense Powers Past New York

Posted: 13th October 2009 by Ash Marshall in NFL
Ronnie Brown capped off a free-scoring fourth quarter by bursting the ball home out of the Wildcat with six seconds remaining to give the Miami Dolphins a 31-27 victory over the New York Jets. The running back ensured that the fifth lead change of the period would be the final one, taking the snap from the two-yard-line and finding a seam to complete a 13-play drive. Miami quarterback Chad Henneùmaking just his ...

Free Agency: The Mets sure need to get busy

Posted: 8th October 2009 by Ash Marshall in MLB
The Mets never fail to surprize me. Never. In an off-season where they quite clearly need to have an organizational overhaul, there first order of business is to triumphantly announce a 10 per cent ticket discount for the 2010 season. That's not all though. They then proceed to fire or reassign two guys who had very little to do with the team's failures. Getting rid of your first base coach and bullpen ...

Playoff Debate No.2ùDo Torre And LA Have Anything To Prove?

Posted: 8th October 2009 by Ash Marshall in MLB
In one of the ugliest playoff games you're likely to see this year, the Dodgers stumbled their way to a 5-3 win in game one of their NLDS series against the Cardinals. Neither team could do squat with runners on base and the clubs conspired to leave a ridiculous 30 men on base. Yeah, 30! And here you were thinking that it's just A-Rod who has trouble in October. I've asked a couple ...

Twins-Tigers: Minnesota Wins War With Detroit, Clinch Playoff Spot

Posted: 6th October 2009 by Ash Marshall in MLB
It took 163 games, extra innings and a win-or-go-home tiebreaker, but Joe Mauer and the Minnesota Twins can finally breathe easyùat least for one more day.The Twins claimed the eighth and final playoff spot on Tuesday night, coming from behind twice to beat the Detroit Tigers 6-5.Jason Kubel and Orlando Cabrera hit big home runs and Alexi Casilla drove home the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning ...

Chicago Rookie James Johnson Leads Team to Big Win in London

Posted: 6th October 2009 by Ash Marshall in NBA
Preseason basketball doesn't count, eh?Don't tell that to rookie James Johnson or the Chicago Bulls who defeated the Utah Jazz in London's O2 Arena on Tuesday.Johnson scored the game's winning basket as time expired to give the Bulls a 102-101 victory and set off a flurry of celebrations similar to as if it was March.The closing moments of the contest saw Johnson experience both the highs and the lows of ...

Broncos-Cowboys: Denver Remains Perfect As Dallas Slips

Posted: 4th October 2009 by Ash Marshall in NFL
Tony Romo failed to throw a touchdown pass for the second consecutive week and the Denver Broncos defense held tight as the Dallas Cowboys slipped to a 17-10 defeat at Invesoc Field on Saturday. Having led for most of the game, the Cowboys found themselves behind in the fourth quarter. The Broncos rallied from behind and held on until the clock read all zeros to maintain their perfect start to the ...

Broncos Remain Perfect as Cowboys Slip to Defeat

Posted: 4th October 2009 by Ash Marshall in NFL
Tony Romo failed to throw a touchdown pass for the second consecutive week and the Denver Broncos' defense held tight as the Dallas Cowboys fell 17-10 at Invesco Field at Mile high on Sunday. Having led for most of the game, the Cowboys found themselves behind in the fourth quarter as the Broncos rallied from behind to maintain their perfect start to the season. Despite carrying a 10-7 lead into the final ...

Chicago Bulls Start Pre-Season On a High, Beat Indiana Pacers.

Posted: 3rd October 2009 by Ash Marshall in NBA
Having trailed for all of the first half, Chicago rallied to sneak past the clumsy Indiana Pacers 104-95 in their opening game of pre-season.Yes, it's only the first game of a largely irrelevant series of scrimmages, but the Bulls showed the type of spirit they will need to display over the course of 82 regular season games if they are to build upon their 2008 campaign.On Friday night both teams ...

Downbeat Chicago Cubs Drop Opener To Arizona Diamondbacks 12-3

Posted: 2nd October 2009 by Ash Marshall in MLB
On Tuesday, the Chicago Cubs were officially eliminated from the playoffs. On Friday, they went down without a whimper against the Arizona Diamondbacks in a lacklustre effort in front of the Wrigley faithful.Having lost all hope of a wildcard berth just three days after missing out on the NL Central crown, the Cubbies looked like a team with nothing to play for when they were defeated 12-3 by the D-Backs ...