Montana 16

My daughter's team played in the 12 national division at the MEQ. There were only 15 teams so I think there was only one bid. So basically the winner of the gold bracket qualified and no other teams is that correct?

My daughter is on a 12s team and switched positions this year and isn t receiving many sets. She isn t the hardest hitter on the team but is a consistent player who doesn t miss often. Short of encouraging her to YELL for the ball more I am not sure what to do. Talking to the coach I think would be a last resort. He already told her to be more aggressive in general.

According to fantasy projection Austin is the pick. Austin had a big game against the Falcons but appears to be a possession type receiver. He is playing Dallas but is still a rookie. Wallace did much better in week #2 and is up against the Falcons.

Disclaimer: I am not a Pirates fan but wow their pitching looked good against my Cardinals (aside from last night). Wild card would obviously skew this.

I would go with:

1. Liriano

2. Locke

3. Burnett

If they make NLCS I might add Cole as 4th starter unless they are trailing. Cumpton pitched well but there is not much of a sample size to go by. Morton got bombed last night.

Who wins this series? The Cards are limping offensively and I don't feel very good about it I must admit.

Matt Adams of the Cardinals griped about a borderline pitch that the umpire called strike three on as he was walking back to the dugout. The HP umpire proceeds to take his mask off and "shoe" him away. Mike Matheny yells from the dugout to protect his player.

But that is not all...

At the end of the game Matheny argues with the HP umpire about the situation. This guy then proceeds to "eject" Matheny after the game is over! I will give credit for the heavy umpire that intervened between Matheny and the HP umpire he was very diplomatic. He even waived the HP umpire to get off the field which was poetic justice in my book.

I personally liked the move to make him interim hitting coach and it is good to see #5 in uniform again. If you listened to his press conference I don't know how you could not be impressed. I saw part of the Royals/Rangers series and it looked like Alex Gordon is getting out of his funk and the Royals' hitters appeared to be taking better at bats. Anyone disagree? If so I would be curious to know why.

Strasburg pitched 159.1 innings this season. Case study Adam Wainwright who is also coming off Tommy John surgery. After 159.1 innings this year Wainwright had an ERA of roughly 3.50 and opponents batting avg of .250. Since hitting that 159.1 IP mark his ERA was close to 7.00 and opponent avg increased 100 points to .350 (not cumulate season totals but just during that time span) He is roughly at 185 IP now.

I credit Fox Sports Midwest for showing this graphic during yesterday's Cardinals/Dodgers game.

Carlos Beltran threw him out last night. This is the first time I have seen this play live. I think if he had hustled a little more he could have beat this out. Can't see him out of the box but he wasn't running very hard IMO.

I just tried it and really like it. They had a ten dollar special for the end of the season.

BQ - Favorite AL broadcaster (I like Hudler with Royals)

BQ2 Favorite NL broadcaster (I like Vin Scully)

He had four hits on Sunday and a big HR last night. He is batting .311 and took the RBI lead in the NL with 80.

He has not been good lately and I realize Cueto would have been a better choice. Just curious if he is the first All Star SP to get switched to the bullpen in the same year. If not do you know who else this has happened to?

Your team is tied late top of 8th. No outs two men on. The relief pitcher is on the ropes and has thrown 7 consecutive pitches for balls. Your slugger swings at the first two pitches. I mean seriously? How about some plate discipline!

or Maybe Clint Hurdle gave him the green light? Do the Pirates have too many free swingers?

Will they:

A. Still hold a grudge and boo every Cardinal at bat

B. Forgive and forget this year's Phillies team has issues that are more cause of concern.

C. Pujols and La Russa are both gone and Carpenter is on the DL so this is just another game.

D. Wear T-shirts that show a picture of the rally squirrel being injured in some creative fashion.

I am a solid 4.0 player. Thanks to lessons recently I am tearing it up in my intermediate clinic. I am going to try interclub (doubles) in the fall. All phases of my game are solid I have a good serve but need to establish consistency. Same with volleys. Should I focus on these areas and try playing with better players as much as possible?

While it wasn't perfect I think it has potential. The pilot episode contained a lot of storyline to cram into a 2 hour timeframe. I will give it a chance. Some did not like the lead actress for this role.

If you did I am curious about what you thought about it. I enjoyed it a lot but definately not a "family" movie.

It did not focus much on Ty's stats or his playing career but gave a glimpse as to what the man was like (my grandfather had told me a little bit). I thought Tommy Lee Jones was outstanding in this role.

I saw on Sportscenter this morning that he said that Bobby V. wasn't a good fit for the Sox and had an "interesting" philosophy on managing but Schilling did not elaborate. Schilling wanted Sveum for the job. It seems bizzare for an ESPN commentator to rail against a former collegue. Did the two just not work well together? It seems like there is a vendetta going on here about something.

Not talking steriods on this one. I am very disappointed in this hiring. Matheny has no managerial experience and very little coaching experience. He was my LAST choice out of the six candidates.

A. Lewis gets rocked early

B. Oh-GONE-doh! serves up another moonshot to Pujols

C. Feliz. He is a blown save waiting to erupt.

D. Ranger offense gets mowed down again by Jaime Garcia

E. Sorry Montana 16 you will have to wait til '12 for #11