The Blue Workhorse

Let’s play a quick game of name those numbers. Who has produced these incredible statistics?

151.1 IP / 9 W / 2.28 ERA / 195 K / 1.13 WHIP

Jake Peavy? Johan Santana? Many of you might see the line and figure it must have been a line from Peavy, Santana, or one of the other top-flight starting pitchers 151 innings through the season.

However, these stats were the combined 2007 season statistics of Carlos Marmol and Jonathan Broxton, two of the most dominant middle relievers in the game.

In terms of fantasy baseball, middle relievers are often forgotten when they can be a huge weapon as an added bonus to your pitching staff. They can be the secret key to lower WHIP and ERA, and many of these guys also pile up the strikeouts:

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Last night, the Fresno State Bulldogs completed an unprecedented run to a national championship, by defeating the Georgia Bulldogs 6-1 in the deciding Game 3 of the Championship Finals to win the College World Series.

Following the game, members of the media began comparing their title run to other great upsets in sports history, and saying it may top them all. While all the media attention is exciting, people that know baseball understand Fresno State had a damn good ball team.

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Leading the way for the walking wounded, better known as the Fresno State Bulldogs, has been third baseman Tommy Mendonca. Despite setting an NCAA record with 97 K and dislocating two fingers and severely bruising two others in regional play, Mendonca has dropped jaws in Omaha with his stellar defense and scorching hot bat.

He leads all College World Series participants in HR (a CWS record-tying 4), RBI (11), and Web Gems — seemingly making at least one highlight worthy defensive play per night. All of this even though after the game he has to awkwardly reach out his left hand in order to shake hands with fans and the media.

When Mendonca attempted to field an infield chopper in Fresno’s very first game of the NCAA tournament against Long Beach State, he came down awkwardly falling on his throwing hand when he tried to brace his fall. He had to leave the game and have x-rays taken. Doctors found no breaks, but he dislocated his middle and ring fingers and all of the sophomore’s fingers were severely bruised with their still being a good possibility there are sprained ligaments that could require offseason surgery.

Nonetheless, Mendonca came back to help lead the Bulldogs out of the Long Beach Regional, over Arizona State in the Tempe Super Regional, and through Bracket Two of the College World Series to face off with their Bulldog counterparts from across the country.

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Although my favorite team emerged victorious, in what once was the focal point of my birthday celebrations as a youth (watching Jordan hoist trophy, after trophy, after trophy…) has become a mere afterthought. I pondered the underlying reasons to my recent apathy towards the David Stern-managed league and came to one conclusion. The NBA is apathetic towards me.

There is no effort to reach out to me as a young to middle-aged professional male with strong lifelong ties to an organization. (Please understand generalizations such as this are not made of malice or ill will. Assessments of a broad section of people are not reflections of all members of a race or class, but a statement of opinion regarding generalizations arrived at through casual observations of my brief 23 years of life.) This demographic has been ignored since the late 1990s.

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“Wow” is all I could muster as I witnessed the culmination of the greatest golf tournament I have ever seen.

As the US Open came to a close with Tiger Woods hoisting yet another trophy and winning another Major, I began to reflect on what makes Tiger so good. This coupled with memories fresh from Father’s Day spurred thoughts of the characteristics I would like a son of mine to possess if I am ever blessed to have one (or ten).

If I am able to raise a family with the type of consistency, focus, and respect Tiger Woods exemplifies to the viewing public and was taught by his father, Earl Woods, I will consider it a success.

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In an attempt to jump start an anemic offense, the San Diego Padres are finally making some baseball sense. They have called up the sweet-swinging, infielder-outfielder Chase Headley from their Triple A affiliate, the Portland Beavers.

Headley has been regarded as the top offensive threat in the Padres’ organization after he tore through Double A last season posting a line of .330 AVG/.437 OBP/20 HR/78 RBI/82 R for San Antonio. This year, the former second round pick out of the University of Tennessee, struggled early in Triple A but posted a .357 average in May. Despite the early struggles, Headley’s line at Triple A Portland was still impressive: .305 AVG/.383 OBP/13 HR/40 RBI/49 R.

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Legendary Rice coach Wayne Graham was accustomed to facing Fresno State (Rice was in the Western Athletic Conference with FSU from 1996-2005), but he had never played the Bulldogs in such a big game.

While Graham’s Rice Owls are making their 14th consecutive appearance in the national tournament and their third straight trip to Omaha, Fresno State slipped into the national tournament by winning the WAC Tournament, and the Bulldogs are making their first trip to Rosenblatt Stadium since 1991.

Nonetheless, the Mike Batesole-led Bulldogs outplayed Rice pounding them 17-5 behind a 14 hit attack and solid pitching by lefty Justin Wilson (7 IP, 2 ER).

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Have you ever went and played some pickup basketball and your shoes stunk afterwards? Or do you play baseball or football and your equipment bag smells nearly repulsive?

For this Father’s Day edition of our Sunday Sports Selections series, we showcase Shock Doctor’s Power Dry products. Shock Doctor has a line of bags and blowers that dry and deodorize your equipment while it is in your bag. Therefore, you can lose that funky smell that emanates from your bag and everything you place in your bag.

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