Ginobili started his first game for the Spurs in Game 5 after struggling mightily in the playoffs. He had more lanes to operate, with the Heat having to focus on the other members of the starting unit. San Antonio coach Gregg Popopvich made a brilliant counter move to Heat wanting to play a smaller lineup and developed a strategy to get his team prepared to play in a faster paced game.

San Antonio played like a well-oiled unit as every starter reached in double figures scoring 16 or more points. Also, they managed to shoot over 60 percent from the field.

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 26 points and five assists. Ginobili had a double-double with 24 points and 10 assists. Danny Green set the NBA Finals record for the most 3-pointers made en route getting his 24 points. Tim Duncan was much better from the field making 7 of his 10 field goals, scoring 17 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Kawhi Leonard added in 16 points and eight rebounds.

It worked to perfection as the team shot 60 percent from the field with Ginobili coming up big for the Spurs in Game 5.

Dwyane Wade followed up his big time performance in Game 4 with a double-double effort getting 25 points and handing out 10 assists. LeBron James also has 25 points. Ray Allen added 21 points in a reserve role. Chris Bosh ended with 16 points and just six rebounds after posting consecutive double-doubles.

While the Spurs played team basketball, the Heat went back to relying on James,  Wade and Bosh. All three of them stepped up and were the reason the Heat stayed in the game. That was not enough, even with the contributions of Ray Allen off of the bench. Miami’s defense had been a big part of their success but it was a reason the Heat were not able to pull through in a swing game in the series. The rest of the Heat’s team scored only 17 points and that will have to change if they expect to win the next two games.

San Antonio ended the first and third quarter on runs that were devastating to the comeback efforts of Miami.

In a wire to wire win, the Spurs never trailed and used multiple runs to stretch out their leads and hold serve in their final game at AT&T center. A 15-2 run for the Spurs ended the first quarter and put them ahead by 13 after the Heat tied the game. Miami would not give up and continued to fight back to cut it to a seven point deficit after a 12-0 run in the second quarter before Parker ended the half with a beautiful drive to extend the lead back to nine points.

The second half saw Miami battle back and start to get San Antonio nervous about closing their final home game of the season. They were able to get the Spurs lead down to just one point after Shane Battier’s foul shot was good as part of 3-point play started by a Wade jumper. In a matter of minutes, San Antonio charged back scoring 12 of the next 13 points to inflate the lead to 12 by the end of the third quarter.

More shooting by the Spurs got the lead to as large as 21 in the fourth quarter, which shattered the Heat’s dreams of heading back home needing just one win. San Antonio needs just one win to get their first championship since the 2007-08 season.

Miami will now be on the brink of elimination and losing in the NBA Finals in two of the last three years. A team accustomed to winning consecutive games has failed to do since earlier in the playoffs. They cannot forget about the 27-game winning streak that they went through during the regular season because the know how to string together wins. As the series shifts back to South Beach, the Heat still have a chance to achieve their ultimate goal of winning the NBA Championship.

All they have to do is win back-to-back games.

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The Chicago Blackhawks led the battle of hits in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final, edging the Boston Bruins 61 to 59 in a thrilling matchup that went to triple overtime. In Game 2, the Bruins outhit the Hawks 50-34 in single OT en route to tying the series at one game apiece.

The value of the statistic is debatable. Critics say judging a hit is subjective and depends on who does the counting and where.

But it is a tempting gauge when the speed of the stylish Blackhawks is matched against the grinding Bruins. There is no shortage of skill and speed in the yellow and black, but there is a touch of a blunt instrument to Boston at times as Milan Lucic cruises the ice like a great white shark and Zdeno Chara uses his long stick to harpoon the puck — or the player carrying it.

Combine that with an Energizer Bunny work ethic and the Bruins can leave a mark.

Everyone loves a Ferrari. But in a collision with a Mack truck, which one would you like to be strapped into?

If anything, the Maple Leafs helped wake up the Jekyll-and-Hyde Bruins in a physical seven-game first-round series that saw Toronto outhit Boston 351-290.

Bruins defenceman Torey Krug believes the hitting in Saturday’s Game 2 helped turn the tide against Chicago.

“I think it’s fair to say they were feeling pretty good about themselves after the first period and we were a little upset with how we played,” Krug said Sunday as the series switched to Boston for Game 3 on Monday and Game 4 on Wednesday. “Just getting a couple of those body checks early in the period. You saw (Bruins defenceman) Johnny Boychuk, he had a few big hits and that was really important for us, especially the way they had us clamped down in our own zone.

“You see a guy with a big hit and, all of a sudden, things change a little bit so we started taking care of the puck and getting our forecheck going and everything turned from there.”

On the other side, the Blackhawks downplayed the impact of the increased physical play.

“We know they have some guys that are playing physical,” Chicago defenceman Niklas Hjalmarsson said Sunday. “You just try to keep your head up, not to get hit too hard. But it’s something I’m used to. I don’t really think about that too much.”

Chicago’s players say there is more to winning the physical battle than just finishing checks.

“I don’t really think a whole lot about it,” Blackhawks defenceman Duncan Keith said of the hit count. “I definitely think being physical is something that you need to have. But whether they get more hits, we get more hits, I don’t go and look at that stat at the end of the game.

“I think we want to be physical, but also more than anything we want to be hard to play against. That’s being hard in the puck areas, trying to win those 1-on-1 puck battles, races for the puck.

“Boston’s got a physical team. We’ve played physical teams in Los Angeles, as well. I think for us it’s about being strong 1-on-1 with the puck, trying to be tough to get the puck.”

Although his players might ignore it, Chicago coach Joel Quenneville clearly looks at the stat sheet. While he acknowledges the Blackhawks have often trailed in the hits category, Quenneville also sees the bigger picture.

“I think we’ve got to be harder to play against than we were (Saturday),” he said. “Game 1 is more representative of how we have to play to be successful. As long as we are not deterred in where we have to travel to be successful is something we’ll talk about.

“L.A. (which Chicago beat in the Western Conference final) is a physical team. Boston, they’re a big team. At the same time we can’t get distracted knowing if we get outhit, it makes a difference. Our guys have to travel, whether it’s to the net or first to pucks, we’ve got to be there.”

The talk Sunday in the Chicago camp was about getting back to basics.

“I think the simpler we play it, the more of a direct approach, it can play in our favour,” said Quenneville, whose team is 0-3 in Game 3 during these playoffs.

2013 Stanley Cup Finals: The hits keep coming in the Stanley Cup, but the Hawks aren’t paying much attention is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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The flop happened during the second quarter. Bosh was trailing Spurs forward Tim Duncan as the two headed back down the court when Duncan established position in the paint to post up Bosh. As Spurs guard Gary Neal approached with the dribble, Duncan posted up Bosh who arrived to the spot late and tried to seal him away from getting involved with the play. Bosh then flailed his arms as if he was hit hard and fell to the ground immediately. Duncan was then called for the foul which eliminated the layup for Neal.

The flops we’ve seen in the playoffs are ridiculous. As long as fines are only $5,000, players will keep putting on Hollywood acts. Five thousand dollars to a NBA player is the equivalent of fining a normal person $12.50. The league needs to increase the fine amount if they want players to stop flopping. The coaches don’t like it and the fans dislike watching it on television. It takes the fun out of the game. Apparently owners hate flopping too. Of course out of all NBA owners Mavs boss Mark Cuban would be the first speak on it.

According to ESPN, onne of Cuban’s businesses has provided $100,000 to Southern Methodist University to do an 18 month invesigation of the forces involved in basketball collisions and attempt to figure out if video or other motion capture techniques can identify legitimate collisions and instances of flopping.

“The research findings could conceivably contribute to video reviews of flopping and the subsequent assignment of fines,” SMU biomechanics expert Peter G. Weyand, who leads the research team, said in a statement.

Hopefully flopping comes to an end next season. There has been a ridiculous amount of flops during the post-season, often by the veterans and superstars of the league.

After the game, the clubhouse level of the stadium began to flood when sewage apparently began to seep out of the shower drains. It forced players from both teams to seek refuge together in the showers of the Raiders’ locker room, which is located on a different level of Coliseum. Here’s more from reporters at the likely disgusting, smelly, nightmare-inducing scene:

It’s raw sewage coming up from the shower drains by the way. I’m told some hideous details I don’t want to share. New building, please.

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) June 16, 2013

#Athletics need a new stadium: a flood on clubhouse level means both teams showering in Raiders locker room.

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) June 16, 2013

Unbelievable. Pipes backing up in both clubhouses. Mariners scrambling to get out. Training room and showers flooded and not stopping.

— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) June 16, 2013

Never seen anything like this before. Get these poor people a new stadium. #A‘s

— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) June 16, 2013

In his 46 years here, equipment manager Steve Vucinich says he’s never seen both teams having to shower together. #Athletics

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) June 16, 2013

This can’t be all that safe. Players from both team racing up and down stairs in towels and shower shoes. #Athletics #Mariners

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) June 16, 2013

Coliseum flood caused by excessive toilet flushing, running water from sellout crowd. Both clubhouses, umpires room hit with water, sewage.

— Carl Steward (@stewardsfolly) June 16, 2013

Check of umpires’ dressing room at Coliseum: ghastly: wet toilet paper all over the floor and … you don’t want to know more. #Athletics

— Carl Steward (@stewardsfolly) June 16, 2013

#Athletics clubhouse manager Steve Vucinich says it’s likely carpet, soaked with sewage, will have to be ripped out and replaced.

— Carl Steward (@stewardsfolly) June 17, 2013

It was a like watching a deleted scene from Money Ball.

— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) June 16, 2013

And so, if it already wasn’t abundantly clear before Sunday (paging Jon Heyman), the A’s desperately need a new stadium. You hear that, Bud Selig? THE A’S NEED A NEW STADIUM.

At least the A’s are about to embark on a road trip.

Despite hitting .288 with an on-base percentage of .379, Wright is trailing San Francisco Giant Pablo Sandoval in All-Star voting.  Wright’s current designation as a back-up on the All-Star roster has led to the Mets to consider drastic measures to reel in votes.

According to Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz, the team approached online dating site Cougarlife.com to campaign for votes.

“CougarLife voted David Wright as the hottest cub,” Horwitz told CBS New York. “In our effort to expand All-Star balloting to wider audiences, so as to increase votes, we did reach out to CougarLife.”

“Last year there was a big swing of votes at the end that cost David the starting job,” Horwitz went on to say.” “We decided to do everything to make sure that doesn’t happen again this year.”

Sandoval is however producing nearly identical numbers as Wright. Batting .289 with 37 RBI the two are statistical twins.

Sandoval on the other hand is helping his team compete for their third National League Pennant in four years. Wright’s Mets far from a winning ball club.

Saying that Wright is being snubbed is beyond an exaggeration.

Wright’s position does not compare to that of players like Dominic Brown or Paul Goldschmidt.

First baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Goldschmidt is second in National League votes according to results released on June 9^th. Goldschmidt sits behind Cincinnati Reds Joey Votto faltering by more than 600,000 votes.

Goldschmidt, in only his second year, is hitting .313 and leading the National League in RBI, 59. He also sits near the top of the NL with 15 home runs, just four shy of the lead. On top of this, Goldschmidt was hitting .431 with runners in scoring position at the start of the week.  His play is a major part of Arizona’s surprising season.

Votto is hitting a slightly better .319, but has struggled in 2013 with driving in runs. With just 11 home runs and 33 RBI Votto has not been nearly the contributor the Reds expected.

To delve even further into Goldschmidt’s superiority he has six stolen bases to Votto’s two. And as of June 4^th, was hitting .389 with two outs and runners in scoring position. Votto was hitting .111 in the same category.

Despite all this, Goldschmidt probably will not overcome Votto on the All-Star ballot. Not when Votto has the name recognition that he does.

Impressively for a young player, Goldschmidt is not too caught up in his success.

“I think he understands you’ve got to kind of keep a level head and not get too excited over things,” Arizona Manager Kirk Gibson said. “He realizes the journey that he’s on and how long it is, and that’s kind of one of the ways he leads.”

Meaning he is probably not out prowling for soccer moms to vote for him.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Dominic Brown has exploded onto the scene in 2013.

In May, Brown won back-to-back Player of the Week honors. He was the National League’s player of the month in May. And he leads the NL with 19 home runs.

Brown has not cracked the top fifteen outfielders on the ballot.

Yet players like B.J. Upton have. Brown has been one of the hottest players in the majors over the last month. Upton’s team has consistently considered sending him back down to AAA. Despite this, Upton still tops Brown in All-Star votes.

The Mets believe their player is being snubbed by the voters.

A word with Dominic Brown and Paul Goldschmidt may be able to put things in perspective for them.

The post David Wright is not the biggest All-Star snub appeared first on Players View.

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“Victor was at a table surrounded by a group of friends and some girls,” a witness told the New York Post. “He was ordering Champagne for everyone, partying, having a good time, but then the police came in and stopped the party.”

The raid occurred at approximately 1:30 AM EST on Friday morning, but was nothing more than a “routine inspection” said bar owner Matthew Isaacs, who also confirmed to the Post that Cruz was there.

“It was a very uncomfortable situation,” the Post witness added. “Cruz had to sit idly by and seemed very awkward and nervous.”

The club Stash, which is a Meatpacking district hot spot, is located on West 14th Street, just below Snaps Sports Bar. It’s a common hang-out for New York athletes and other celebrities.

All in all, this story is much ado about nothing. The raid had absolutely nothing to do with Cruz or his entourage, who were likely just celebrating his newly signed one-year, $2.879 million restricted free agent (RFA) tender.

Despite his new RFA deal, the Patterson, N.J. native continues to negotiate a long-term contract with the Giants and is reportedly refusing to settle for anything less than $9 million annually.

photo credit: Football Schedule via photopin cc

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Isn’t it time to start bringing up some young prospects and let them learn on the job?

Let’s take a cue from the Tampa Bay Rays who continually bring up minor league talent and still manage to stay competitive. The Bombers could do the same cutting some of the old veterans and allowing the top prospects to showcase what the future may hold. The stigma for the New York brass is that if they do this they are throwing up the white flag on the season, this isn’t true. Many teams in both leagues infuse their lineups with some of their best young talent to see what they have and sometimes these players end up staying on the roster.

General manager Brian Cashman can’t always find the answers off the scrap heap and have to start to have confidence in the prospects. Yes, there will be growing pains, but the reward can be another Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte or Mariano Rivera emerging as a lifelong Yankee.

The likes of David Phelps, Adam Warren, Preston Claiborne, David Adams and Austin Romine have been for the most part pleasantly surprising positive moves. New York leans toward allowing some pitchers to come up, but when it comes to position players they are hesitant.

Only because of the 18 inning marathon in Oakland did the Yankees decide to bring up Triple-A standout OF Thomas Neal. The right-handed hitting Neal was batting at Scranton .333 with an OBP of .485 against lefties. Neal went 1-for-2 with a hit and walk in his Major League debut in Anaheim on Friday night. In Saturday’s game he went 0-for-3 so in typical Yankee fashion he was benched the next night. This is the problem with not letting them get consistent playing time to hone their skills. Manager Joe Girardi continues to show a lack of confidence when he decides to not allow a young player in consecutive games as some sort of punishment for not producing.

Once again it can’t be said enough you will have growing pains with young players, but the eventual upside in their growth is the brass ring.

Yankees’ veteran OF Vernon Wells has slumped rather badly recently going 6-for-39 in his last 10 games. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to see more of Neal or top 20 prospects OF ZoiloAlmonte (batting .292, 6 home runs, 36 RBIs) or OF Tyler Austin (.268, 5 home runs, 35 RBIs) get a chance?

The Yankees took a huge step forward in creating a scouting and farm system they can be proud of and one of the best in baseball. The time is now to have the guts to let it play out bringing up more position players and not just pitchers onto this Bomber roster.

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But things looked a tad brighter after last night’s 5-4 walk-off win against the Nationals. John Lannan returned to the rotation after a knee injury and pitched well; Ryan Howard finally broke out of his home run drought; and Domonic Brown seems to be getting hot again. He even delivered the game-winning RBI single in the 9th.

Despite the win though, I simply cannot stop thinking about the awful road trip. In particular, I am greatly disturbed by the events that have taken place at and around third base and home plate lately. Most of these little disasters seem to revolve around veteran third-baseman Michael Young.

I hate to keep picking on Young, who seems like a very nice guy, and maybe some of this is not his fault at all. Did you notice that Young got thrown out at home plate THREE times in the last 6 games of the road trip? My question is, does he run home on his own or is Ryne Sandburg sending him? I understand being aggressive, but Young is one of the older and slower players on this team. This is not the guy you send on a close play.

I have begun leaning towards Sandburg’s lack of experience coaching third base as the issue, especially after last night. Because it appears he got Howard into a similar jam. He was sending Howard home and quickly changed his mind, signaling for Howard to stay at third. But his momentum was already heading home and Howard got tagged out at third. Sandburg is a Hall of Famer…I get that. So he should know that you cannot stop a moving train. Either make the decision quicker or take your chances that Howard will bowl over the catcher at home.

Then again, guys have been getting tossed out on the base paths all over the place all by themselves. Young also got thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double last Tuesday. He also had a bad fielding error and hit into 2 more double plays on this road trip.

None the new players Ruben Amaro Jr. brought in this year, including Michael Young, are holding up their end of the bargain. Delmon Young is hitting only .231; Mike Adams has a 4.13 ERA and cannot seem to pitch a clean inning; Ben Revere has started out super slow, although he is improving. And Revere is young so he has a lot to learn yet. Lannan has been ok, but the injury was a huge setback.

As for the returning Phillies, too many of them are hurt or under producing. I hate to be such a downer after a rare Phillies win, but this team is just so frustrating! Who are they? Are they going to get any better? Will some of these guys ever be healthy? Your guesses are all as good as mine.

Maybe another win tonight will improve my mood? Hope so!

Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography

The Arizona Diamondbacks were rewarded for their terrible 2010 season with the number 3 overall pick in the amateur draft. This got them Trevor Bauer, a 20 year old RHP out of UCLA. Barring an injury, it was understood that Bauer would be a MLB pitcher very soon. He made his MLB debut less than a year after being drafted, going 1-2, 6.06 in 4 starts for the Diamondbacks last season. Throw in the fact he was a combined 12-2, 2.42 in 22 starts in AA and AAA, with 157 Ks in 130 1/3 IP and this is a pitcher who should have been in the mix for a middle to top of the rotation spot for the near future.
Of course, it did not work out that way. Some leaks from the organization questioned his style and work ethic as not being a “grinder”. So, Bauer was traded to the Cleveland Indians in a 3 team trade this past off season. In the trade, the Indians received Bauer from Arizona along with relievers Bryan Shaw and Matt Albers and OF Drew Stubbs from the Cincinnati Reds. The Diamondbacks got SS Didi Gregorius from the Reds and LHP Tony Sipp and 1B Lars Anderson from the Indians. And the Reds got OF Shin Soo Choo and infielder Jason Donald from the Indians in what was an eight player trade.
Bauer’s talent cannot be denied. It will be interesting to see if he becomes an ace for the Indians. That will subject the D’Backs to some criticism, even if Gregorius is the real deal. Bauer is currently pitching for AAA Columbus, going 3-2, 3.84 in 10 starts for the Clippers. I expect to see Bauer make an impact next season if not this year with the Indians.
The Diamondbacks definitely have some good young starting pitching. Ian Kennedy, a former 20 game winner, is only 28. They traded for Oakland’s Trevor Cahill before last season, who is only 25. Patrick Corbin has only gone 9-0, 2.28 at age 23 in his first full MLB season. Wade Miley has struggled, but the 26 year old won 16 games as a rookie last season. 23 year old Randall Delgado will be in the rotation at some point, with 27 year old Josh Collmenter as an option that is currently sitting in the bullpen.
The Diamondbacks made a trade in 2010 where they sent RHP Dan Haren to the Los Angeles Angels. In that trade, they received Corbin, as well LHP Joe Saunders and a LHP named Tyler Skaggs. Skaggs was 19 at the time, and has made his MLB debut with Arizona at age 21. The Haren trade may save the Bauer trade, as Corbin and Skaggs could be fixtures in the rotation for years to come. While Corbin is pitching like an ace, he does not project to be one. But Corbin and Skaggs could be solid 2 or 3s on this staff. A young rotation that has Kennedy, Corbin, Skaggs, Cahill and either Miley or Delgado looks great. It could have looked better with Bauer at the head of it. Perhaps having Gregorius as their everyday SS keeps the thought of what Bauer could have been away from the focus. Because watching him in Cleveland will not.

Live programming for Tuesday:

7:00am MTR Morning Throwdown

9:00am Morning Throwdown with Dan Girard

10:00am MTR Morning Show

1:00pm Bret Leuthner Sports Program

3:00pm The Warning Track

6:00pm Hudson Hockey

8:00pm The Hot Pocket Hour