Saturday, June 27, 2009

Marietta's Oudin

Don't look now, but Marietta's Melanie Oudin (pronounced oo-dan?) is starting to make some noise on tennis' grandest stage. The 17 year old phenom has won her first two matches at Wimbledon and will face Poland's Agniezka Radwanska in the round of 16. "She can play with these girls," said coach Brian deVilliers. Dude must have some psychic connections. Just kidding. But this is a compelling story to follow, in a sport that's mostly boring. Good luck Melanie. Hope you shock the world. I won't be watching, but I'd love to read about it on the ESPN ticker.

Boston vs Braves

My Braves just lost again. This one was a brutal 1-0 defeat to the Red Sox. The season is getting long and the losses are piling up. Although the other NL East contenders ain't running away with the pennant, the distance between Atlanta and first place seems like a hundred miles. Every loss is a lost opportunity to gain some ground. The Braves' post season chances are starting to wave goodbye to Atlanta in the rear view mirror. If GM Frank Wren wants to see this team succeed, he must act NOW. The Braves desperately need another bat in the lineup and at least one more dependable arm in the bullpen. If Atlanta stays with the status quo, it will be 4 straight years without a post season appearance for the Braves. That ain't acceptable around here! But, there is some good news. College football is one day closer.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Sean Costello Band

I know this is supposed to be a sports blog, but if anyone is interested in hearing some authentic blues, you need to get down to Centennial Park on Thursday afternoon or to Ray's on the River this Saturday night. Sean Costello's band will be performing some of their trademark hits in honor of his memory. Costello was an incredibly talented guitarist, song writer, and musician. Unfortunately, he left this world behind on April 15, 2008. Sean was just 1 day shy of 29 years old at the time of his passing. One of the highlights of his career, was the opportunity to play alongside the legendary B.B. King in 1997. Costello's band drew high praise from the blues community for their 2002 album titled "Moanin' for Molasses." If you have the opportunity to see these guys perform, make the most of it.

You can also check them out on youtube. Type in Sean Costello or Melvin Zachary. (Or, you can just click on the title of this post).

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Bad Calls Crush Braves

The Atlanta Braves just fell victim to some of the WORST officiating in the history of baseball. With 2 outs and men on 1st and 3rd in the 9th inning, Pittsburgh Pirate Andy LaRoche took strike three. This pitch should have ended the inning, but the bum behind home plate erroneously called it ball 3. LaRoche was granted new life vs Braves reliever Rafael Soriano. Andy drilled a 3-2 pitch up the middle for a 2 run single, that turned out to be the difference in today's game.

The Braves had a potential 9th inning rally cut short, as the umpires blew another call. A single by Kelly Johnson would have brought the tying run to the plate with one out in the Atlanta 9th. But, Johnson was called out at first base. The throw from Adam LaRoche to Matt Capps clearly did not beat Kelly to the bag. Replays showed Johnson touching first base in a perfectly synchronized stride with the Pittsburgh pitcher. A tie is supposed to go to the runner. Unfortunately, the 1B umpire made a horrible call, and ruled the runner out. With 2 gone and all momentum lost, catcher Brian McCann struck out to end the game.

Tough loss for the Braves, who just fell to 29-30 and are now 6 games behind the NL East leading Philadelphia Phillies. After a disappointing home stand (4-5), the Braves travel to Baltimore. Friday night's game is scheduled for 7:05 ET, as highly touted rookie, Tommy Hanson (9.00 ERA) will square off against the Orioles' Jason Berken (7.04 ERA). The Braves must put together some wins, or their season could be over before the 4th of July.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Moylan's meltdown

The Atlanta Braves, sparked offensively by former Pirate Nate McLouth (3-5 with a HR), took a 6-3 lead into the 7th inning against Pittsburgh. Then came Peter Moylan and his 5.40 ERA. The Braves reliever gave up 4 hits and allowed 3 earned runs in a very poor performance out of the bullpen. Atlanta had a firm grasp on this game, until Moylan was allowed to put his Australian fingerprints on the baseball. The Braves led 5-1 after 5 innings. Kenshin Kawakami gave up 2 runs in the 6th, but Moylan's 7th inning meltdown cost him a chance to win his 4th game of the season. This one is headed for extra innings, as Chipper Jones just missed a walk off homerun. Rafael Soriano is on the mound for Atlanta.