10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (5/23-5/25)

10. Manny Ramirez Signed as Player Coach For Cubs Minor League Team
            I don’t doubt that Manny Ramirez is a true student of hitting, but his ability to teach younger players his methods is something to keep an eye on. Ramirez was one of the more eccentric players in his day, so we’re not sure a typical minor leaguer will understand his tips.

9. Rory McIlroy Makes Stunning 7-Shot, Final Round Comeback

            “I ditched the bitch, and now I can win golf tournaments.” – Rory McIlroy’s comments after winning the BMW PGA Championship.

            Alright, he didn’t actually say that, but he should’ve.

8. Heat Win Rock Fight Against Pacers
            It literally felt like Ray Allen was the only person in the arena that could properly shoot a basketball. Game 4 is a must win for the Pacers.

7. Nico Rosberg Claims Second Straight Monaco Grand Prix
            Even better, Lewis Hamilton spent the majority of the weekend complaining about his fellow Mercedes driver. One of the most underrated things in all of sports is a Formula One rivalry developing between teammates.

6. Los Angles Kings Take Game 3 Over Defending Champs

            The Kings acquisition of Marion Gaborik at the trade deadline should go down as the transaction of the year, as Los Angles’ offense looks totally different than it did in the regular season. 

5. Josh Beckett Throws First No-Hitter of 2014

            Big news…Beckett cares this year!

4. Serge Ibaka’s Comeback Sparks Game 3 Rout For Oklahoma City

            I guess Ibaka should’ve been the MVP of the league.
        
3. Jimmie Johnson Ends Winless Streak
            Johnson has had multiple chances to get in the win column this season, and was finally able to breakthrough with a late race pass of Matt Kenseth.
         
2. Martin St. Louis Nets Overtime Winner, Gives Rangers 3-1 Series Lead
            St. Louis’ inspired play since the death of his mother has New York on the verge of its first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 1994.

1. Ryan Hunter-Reay Wins Second Closest Indianapolis 500

            It’s a good thing Hunter-Reay was able to hold off Helio Castroneves, otherwise the world wouldn’t of got to see his young son celebrate with him in a matching fire suit.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Past Weekend (12/17-12/19)

10. ESPN Fires Employee Responsible For Offensive Jeremy Lin Headline
            It’s very disconcerting that such a headline could make it all the way to being publicly viewed. You’d think an organization like ESPN would have better forms of checks and balances.

9. Jimmie Johnson’s Car Fails First Tech Inspection at Daytona

            It’s great to see that Chad Knaus vacation this off-season didn’t change his devious ways too much. There hasn’t been a more hate-able crew chief in the history of NASCAR.

8. Seeds Are Planted For Rick vs. Shane Showdown on “The Walking Dead.”

            No Credentials would like to hear from the readers. Who do you want to see survive, Rick or Shane? My vote is for Shane. If you’re willing to have your response posted (get it to me via e-mail at c_muir@hotmail.com, twitter @nocredatall, or on Facebook) I’ll run them in a post before next week’s episode.

7. Carl Edwards Win Pole for Daytona 500, Roush-Fenway Sweeps Front Row

            Qualifying at Daytona means about as much as a politician’s guarantee to lower taxes, but Edwards should be pumped to start 2012 on a high note after the disappointing end to last season.

6. Beckett and Lester Acknowledge Lack of Judgment Last September

            We can file this news bulletin in the “better late than never” department. Perhaps the need for redemption will empower both Red Sox pitchers to reaffirm their status as aces.

5. Lionel Messi Scores Four Goals in One Game
            For those of you not in the know, four goals is a lot.

4. Spurs Nearly Blow Lead, Defeat Clippers in Overtime

            It was impressive feat for San Antonio to win it’s tenth straight game in the Clipper building, but they paid a heavy price to do it. Manu Ginobili, who was making his fourth start after missing 22 with a broken wrist, suffered a strained oblique after a hard screen by Kenyon Martin. San Antonio also lost backup center Tiago Splitter to a strained right calf. For a team that has been trying to baby Tim Duncan through this condensed regular season, that’s a big deal.

3. Tim Wakefield Retires

            I’m just going to list all of the memorable (for better or worse) players Wakefield was teammates with during his run in Boston that I can type from memory in five minutes.

Roger Clemens

Mo Vaughn
Jose Canseco
Tim Naehring
Scott Hatteberg
Jason Varitek
Heathcliff Slocumb (unofficially, his trade was the catalyst for the foundation of the 2004 Red Sox, along with steroids)
Derek Lowe
Pedro Martinez
Troy O’Leary
Trot Nixon
Nomar Garciaparra
John Burkett
Hideo Nomo
Johnny Damon
Manny Ramirez
David Ortiz
Curt Schilling
Mark Bellhorn
Rich Garces
Orlando Cabrera
Dave Roberts
Kevin Millar
Lou Merloni
Jacoby Ellsbury
Matt Clement
David Wells
Jonathan Papelbon
Hideki Okajima
Kevin Youkilis
Clay Bucholz
Jon Lester
Josh Beckett
John Lackey (woof)
Dustin Pedroia
Dante Bichette
Aaron Sele
Adrian Gonzalez
J.D. Drew
Carl Crawford
Bronson Arroyo
Daniel Bard
PAPELBON (still a little distraught he’s no longer with the Sox)
Keith Foulke
Jared Saltalaicantspelltherestofhisname

            Playing with all those guys (and the many more that I forgot, like Todd Walker, Tom Gordon, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Carl Everett, ect.) is an accomplishment on it’s own. I’ll remember Wakefield for being the most fun Red Sox pitcher to watch (after Pedro) for how quickly he worked. I’ll remember him for his quirky knuckleball, which usually led to either 8 innings of one run ball or 2 innings of 9 run ball. I’ll remember him doing whatever was asked of him (remember him getting 15 saves in 1999? Crazy). I’ll remember him for bouncing back after giving up the series clinching home run to Aaron Boone in the 2003 ALCS (most pitchers would’ve been destroyed by that moment). It’s more likely that baseball fans will see another Pedro Martinez before we ever see another Tim Wakefield.

2. Linsanity Continues Sunday Against Dallas

            Linsanity is just like Tebow Mania, with the only difference being that the player at the center of the craze is actually pretty good.

1. Kyle Busch Nearly Wrecks Twice, Wins Wild Bud Shootout

            Classic NASCAR fans can rejoice. Pack racing is back (at least until the last two laps anyway). Kyle Busch put on one of the best displays of driving in restrictor plate history with two brilliant saves, and then his slingshot move to nip Tony Stewart at the finish line. Folks should be looking forward to a great Daytona 500.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Past Weekend (4/8-4/10)

10. Manny Ramirez Retires to Avoid 100-Game Steroids Suspension

            I plan on writing an obituary for Manny’s career sometime by the end of the week, so I won’t write too much here (for some analysis from an actual expert, read this post by ESPN’s Buster Olney). I will say that it is a sad end for one of my favorite Red Sox players of the ‘00s.

9. Derrick Rose Drops 39 Against Magic

            MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!

8. New Jersey Devils Coach Jacques Lemaire Retires

            Lemaire and the Devils are sort of like Ronnie and Sammy from “Jersey Shore”. Lemaire first coached the Devils 1993 to 1998. After coaching the Minnesota Wild for the first nine years of their existence, he returned to New Jersey to coach for the 2009-10 season. He tearfully announced his retirement after last season, but was brought back this past December after New Jersey woefully underachieved for the first three months of the season. I don’t know if there is a place where you can wager on this sort of thing, but I’d like to bet that Lemaire is back on the bench for New Jersey at some point (possibly next season, if Ilya Kovalchuk is to be believed).

7. Matt Kenseth Dominates Under the Lights at Texas

            Kenseth had the fastest car all-night, and pretty much stunk up the show. It was good to see the former champion snap his 76-race winless streak.

6. Minnesota Duluth Wins NCAA Men’s Hockey Championship

            You can always count on the Frozen Four for producing at least one school that no one had ever heard of before.

5. Nuggets PG Ty Lawson Hits 10 3-Pointers

            Normally this event wouldn’t stick out to me, but the fact he is on my fiancée’s fantasy team (the team that I happen to be playing in our fantasy basketball championship) made this occurrence a bit of a bummer. Lawson had never hit more than three shots from three-point range in a single game before his performance Saturday night. 

4. New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks Sneak Into Stanley Cup Playoffs

            No offense to the fans of the Stars and Hurricanes, but the Stanley Cup Playoffs are much more interesting if the Rangers and Blackhawks are involved.

            By the way, I’ll be posting my uninformed first round NHL picks Tuesday evening. I’m super excited about it.

3. Heat Blast Celtics

            This isn’t actually awesome for Celtics fans such as myself, but it was a noteworthy event. Either Boston doesn’t care about potentially playing a second round Game 7 in Miami, or this team is truly fractured after the Kendrick Perkins trade.

2. Red Sox Win Two Out of Three Against Yankees

            I’m not sure where Boston found the 2007 edition of Josh Beckett, but it sure was a pleasure to watch him pitch last night. Hopefully ignorant Red Sox fans don’t think the sky is falling anymore.

(EDITORS NOTE: Within the next month, I’ll be writing a Magna Carta-esque document for a new group of Red Sox members. It will be primarily targeted at the pre-2004 Red Sox fan. I’m still trying to work all the kinks out, but there’s a possibility that it will be a separate web page. Stay tuned…)

1. Charl Schwartzel Wins Masters

            The only two rounds of golf I ever make a point to watch are the final rounds of The Masters and the US Open, and Sunday’s final round at Augusta didn’t disappoint. For a very casual fan of golf, this event had everything you wanted. There was Rory McIlroy (who started the day in the lead by four shots), who bombed almost as bad as The Situation did on the Donald Trump Roast (I say almost, because no one will ever bomb as bad as the Sitch did). His final round 80 was the score for the 54-hole leader since 1956. There was a point on the back nine where six golfers were tied for first. Among them was Tiger Woods, who went –5 on the front nine but couldn’t get over the hump after that. There was Jason Day’s significant other, who is somewhere between an 8.5 and a 8.75 on a ten point scale (that’s right, my scale has decimals. Deal with it). Finally, there was South Africa native Charl Schwartzel (wouldn’t of that been a great name for a bad guy in one of the “Die Hard” movies?), who birdied the last four holes to bring home the tacky Green Jacket. Sure we were missing Phil Mickelson, gratuitous violence, and full-frontal female nudity, but what more could you ask for from a golf tournament?  

Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Rounds 10-11

10-109 = Michael Bourn, CF, Astros – Bourn is a proven base stealer who has swiped 153 bases the past three seasons. He should get at least 85 runs scored as well batting lead off for the Astros.

10-110 = Chad Billingsley, SP, Dodgers – Billingsley has solid strikeout numbers, but like most young starters has struggled with walks. If he can get his WHIP under 1.20, he could finish the season as a top-15 starter.

10-111 = Jonathan Broxton, RP, Dodgers – After being one of the most consistent relief pitchers in all of baseball the past five years, Broxton imploded in the second half of 2010. His second half ERA was over 7, and he blew five out of eight save chances before being removed from the closer role for the rest of the season. Los Angeles appears committed to giving Broxton a shot at rediscovering his mojo in the closer spot. If he returns to his 2009 form, you’re getting a guy who posted a WHIP of 0.96 in the 10^th round. Just be prepared with a plan B if Broxton gets off to a rocky start.

10-112 = Michael Young, 3B, Rangers – In retrospect, Young should’ve gone much higher in this mock. As long as he isn’t traded before the season, Young will fill a super utility role for Texas. He could very well have eligibility at all four infield positions, as well as the outfield. He’s going 70^th in ESPN drafts, which feels a little high for me, but if you’re looking to fill your team with guys that will have multiple position eligibility, there aren’t many better options.

10-113 = Ian Desmond, SS, Nationals – Desmond still has some untapped potential, but even if he doesn’t reach it in his age 25 season, he’s a solid bet for 10 home runs and 15 stolen bases.

10-114 = Chone Figgins, 2B, Mariners – Figgins is an interesting bounce-back candidate. Even during a miserable 2010, he still managed to rack up 42 stolen bases. If he can up his average closer to his career number of .287, he could be a great late-round option to fill second base. Figgins will also add 3B eligibility very early in the season (depending on your league’s settings).

10-115 = Matt Wieters, C, Orioles – Here’s the list of things Wieters was supposed to do when he was called up to the Majors.

1. Hit 50 home runs and collect 200 RBIs
2. Turn water into wine
3. Destroy meteors and other space debris that could impact the Earth
4. Bring Jimi Hendrix back from the dead
5. Fix the economy

Needless to say, Wieters hasn’t delivered yet. He’s currently going 170^th in ESPN drafts, when some people were reaching on him in the 6^th round a year ago. Another bounce back candidate in the 10^th round of the mock.

10-116 = Brett Anderson, SP, Athletics – Anderson was my favorite under the radar pitcher going into 2010, but unfortunately two separate elbow issues limited him to only 112 innings. When he did pitch, he put up a 2.80 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP.

10-117 = Neftali Feliz, RP, Rangers – Feliz was a stud closer for the Rangers during the American League pennant winning season. Feliz record 40 saves and put up a 0.88 WHIP. The only reason he’s not being taken in the 6^th or 7^th round as a closer is the chance that he ends up as a starter this season. Even as a starter, Feliz could provide solid value. This team now has the option to punt saves (which means not drafting closers, but finding starters who will have RP eligibility).

10-118 = Grady Sizemore, CF, Indians – Sizemore has been to fantasy teams what osteoporosis is to senior citizens each of the last two seasons. It’s unlikely that he’ll ever return to the 30-30 numbers he put up in 2008 after the micro-fracture surgery he underwent, but round 10 is a decent spot to take a flier on him.

10-119 = Geovany Soto, C, Cubs – Soto is a great option at catcher if you wait this long to draft one. He’s very selective at the plate, which gives him a pretty safe floor of .280 for a batting average. If he has more luck with BABIP, Soto is capable of putting up a .320 average along with 25 home runs.

10-120 = Nick Markakis, RF, Orioles – Markakis isn’t the sexiest pick, but of all players taken in the 10^th round here, he’s the safest. You can pencil him in for a line around .300-15-80-10-85.

11-121 = Andrew Bailey, RP, Athletics – You’re going to get Bailey at a discount thanks to a minor surgery on his elbow at the end of last season. He might start the year slow, but expect over 30 saves and WHIP below 1.00.

            Team 1 Roster = Albert Pujols, Dustin Pedroia, Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, Ichiro, Hunter Pence, Brian Wilson, Casey McGeehee, Dan Haren, Nick Markakis, Andrew Bailey

11-122 = Wandy Rodriguez, SP, Astros – Rodriguez will struggle earning wins pitching for a shoddy Astros team, but you won’t care if he repeats his 2^nd half peripheral numbers from 2010 (2.11 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings after the all-star break).

            Team 2 Roster = Miguel Cabrera, Tim Lincecum, Jose Reyes, Brandon Phillips, Adrian Beltre, Jay Bruce, Roy Oswalt, Jacoby Ellsbury, Chris Young, Geovany Soto, Wandy Rodriguez

11-123 = Mark Reynolds, 3B, Orioles – Let me start by saying I will never own Mark Reynolds on a fantasy team. He has swung and missed an astonishing 17% of the time each of the last three seasons (far and away the league leader all three years in that dubious category). Some fool will draft him for his power potential, but his poor batting average and insane strikeout totals are not worth it. I’d recommend putting him on your exclude list on your pre-draft rankings.

            Team 3 Roster = Robinson Cano, Matt Kemp, Kevin Youkilis, Jimmy Rollins, David Price, Billy Butler, Shane Victorino, Shaun Marcum, J.J. Putz, Grady Sizemore, Mark Reynolds

11-124 = Aubrey Huff, 1B-LF-RF, Giants – A great Swiss-army knife option to take in the middle rounds. Huff has an outstanding walk to strikeout ratio, and is a solid bet for 20 home runs and at least 90 RBIs. 

            Team 4 Roster = Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Zimmerman, Shin Soo Choo, Josh Johnson, Rickie Weeks, Kendry Morales, Yovani Gallardo, Colby Rasmus, Max Scherzer, Neftali Feliz, Aubrey Huff

11-125 = Bobby Abreu, LF-RF, Angels – He’s getting a little long in the tooth, but as a late round option he can help you. He still gets on base (even though his batting average dropped to a career low .255, he still managed to draw 87 walks), and has stolen at least 20 bases in each of the past 12 seasons.

            Team 5 Roster = Hanley Ramirez, Felix Hernandez, Ian Kinsler, Jose Bautista, Justin Morneau, Jered Weaver, Mike Stanton, Jonathan Papelbon, Brett Gardner, Brett Anderson, Bobby Abreu

11-126 = Trevor Cahill, SP, Athletics – Cahill doesn’t get a bunch of strikeouts, but his ability to induce groundballs is what drove him to finish the year with 18 wins. Bump him up a round or so if you are in a league that counts GIDP (grounded into double plays) as a stat category.

            Team 6 Roster = Evan Longoria, Ryan Howard, Zack Greinke, Justin Upton, Derek Jeter, Joakim Soria, Alex Rios, Brian Roberts, Clay Buchholz, Matt Wieters, Trevor Cahill

11-127 = David Ortiz, UT, Red Sox – If you can withstand an awful April (he’s gotten off to miserable start each of the past two years), than this pick will look like a bargain for you. Ortiz should benefit from Boston being able to give him more days off against left handed hitters, which will improve his overall batting average.

            Team 7 Roster = Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Hamilton, Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, Jayson Werth, Andre Ethier, Matt Cain, Pablo Sandoval, Rafael Furcal, Chone Figgins, David Ortiz

11-128 = Ted Lilly, SP, Dodgers – Lilly isn’t going to excite anyone, but he always puts up a solid WHIP and ERA year in and year out. Pitching in Dodger Stadium for a full season could lower his ERA even more due to less balls leaving the park.

            Team 8 Roster = Joey Votto, Carlos Gonzalez, Matt Holliday, Dan Uggla, Cole Hamels, Tommy Hanson, Pedro Alvarez, Heath Bell, Corey Hart, Ian Desmond, Ted Lilly

11-129 = Juan Pierre, LF, White Sox – Pierre returned to a full-time gig with the White Sox in 2010 and rewarded them with 68 stolen bases. Pierre will also give you solid run production hitting at the top of the White Sox lineup.

            Team 9 Roster = Roy Halladay, Mark Teixeira, Andrew McCutchen, Ubaldo Jimenez, Brian McCann, Mariano Rivera, Delmon Young, Stephen Drew, Kelly Johnson, Michael Young, Juan Pierre

11-130 = Josh Beckett, SP, Red Sox – Coming off his worst season in the Majors (largely due to a back injury), Beckett is poised for a comeback. If Beckett rights himself, he has 20-win potential pitching for a powerful Red Sox squad.

            Team 10 Roster = Carl Crawford, Prince Fielder, Joe Mauer, Jason Heyward, Aramis Ramirez, Alexei Ramirez, Martin Prado, Drew Stubbs, Francisco Liriano, Jonathan Broxton, Josh Beckett

11-131 = Huston Street, RP, Rockies – A little risky due to his declining strike out rate over the past few seasons, but he has the longest leash of any closer available at this point in the draft.

            Team 11 Roster = Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, Jon Lester, Buster Posey, Adam Dunn, Mat Latos, B.J. Upton, Ben Zobrist, Elvis Andrus, Chad Billingsley, Huston Street

11-132 = Starlin Castro, SS, Cubs – Castro was only the 4^th player in the last 50 years to post a .300 batting average at the age of 20. If he keeps his average up, he should produce solid run totals and stolen bases hitting in the top third of the Cubs lineup.

            Team 12 Roster = David Wright, Chase Utley, Nelson Cruz, C.C. Sabathia, Carlos Santana, Carlos Marmol, Paul Konerko, Chris Carpenter, Brandon Morrow, Michael Bourn, Starlin Castro