Flow Vs Radio Audio Broadcast

This is where so many people seem to confuse the 2 terms. Audio Streaming is very often called Internet Radio, but there the similarity ends. Why? You might ask, how are they different? The 2 terms aren't really so different from each other, the nfl throwback jerseys
1 thing that doesn't distinguish them, the supply of each.
Let's take a look at audio streaming:
The audio stream is simply a sound from a source that's feeding through a special type of server (streaming server). If I just say, I mean it is just streaming in a nutshell. But setting up is far removed from the simple explanation.
Now lets take a look at the actual radio transmission & then we come back to the creation of each medium.
As I've mentioned are both very similar, it's just delivering the content differs. As we saw above, the streaming server takes care of delivery, whereas the real radio broadcast delivery is using radio signals. Which of course is independent of any Internet connexion so the abolition of the streaming server.
While they're basically the same & used the same they're actually 2 different identities. The same language is used for both EG: Broadcasting, Cueing, Play list, sponsors, etcetera. This isn't quite politically correct.
Both need a platform to run on, streaming, Internet, while the actual radio needs radio towers to achieve the same. "But the huge costs involved in setting up a real radio station is very prohibitive compared to the streaming audio. With real radio broadcasts you must apply for a licence & frequency to operate on, is this to be unique to your radio station. Other people may have the same frequency, but they must be out of reach of your signal, otherwise the 2 stations would jam each other & effectively cancel each other out.
The allocation of frequencies isn't taken lightly & can cost many thousands of dollars (can be as high as hundreds of thousands of dollars). Cost by constructing several transmission towers that carry the signal in the region of hundreds of San Diego Chargers jersey
thousands of dollars.
While on the other hand, the simplest set up on the internet is basically free all you need is a good collection of stuff to send, & a time slot to send in the But be warned if you're thinking of setting up a free audio streaming account, make double sure you read all the fine print on the contract. Thought you might be put to some listeners thus doesn't give you room to grow.
On the other hand, you can move on & find someone who gives you the opportunity to use their streaming server at a cost. When looking for these types of renal Make sure you do your homework really well, so to get the best price for the best service. Ok fine everything that's done or is it? No, you have only just begun, now you need a compatible computer to run it on with the right software. (This isn't cheap, & you get what you pay for) a big part of warehouse space to store the whole station, I prefer the external medium because of its low cost to those entities. Just when you think you have covered all the bases you'll find you're stuck with what we call the bandwidth costs, these are almost always separate to the monthly cost of the server so be aware of it. This can vary from a few dollars a month to thousands per month depending on the listener base, the greater the # of the high bandwidth charges will be as well.
Ok lets tote it all up & then you can make & informed decision about which platform is right for you.
Frequency License
Streaming none.
Real Radio many thousands of dollars.
Superstructure
Streaming we already have in place on the Internet.
Real Radio Installation of transmission towers.
Contents
Streaming usually no external storage is sufficient.
Real Radio Normally a building to Chicago Bears jersey
work from, depending on the # of employees.
I personally believe streaming option is best for a start, you may find you've to go offline. But as the Internet grows, I can not see you run out of listeners as long as you work with integrity & honesty & provide top content.

Bayern hopes to leave German woes behind at Basel

GENEVA (AP)—Bayern Munich will look to leave its domestic woes behind when it travels to FC Basel on Tuesday in Group E of the Champions League.
In the group’s other match, AS Roma is aiming to build on its nfl throwback jerseys
first win of the season when it meets Romanian side Cluj.
Defending Bundesliga champion Bayern lost 2-1 at home on Saturday to Germany’s surprise leader FC Mainz. Bayern is already 10 points behind Mainz in ninth place, and coach Louis van Gaal acknowledged after the match that his club played poorly “for the first time this season.”
Bayern’s management is hoping for a quick turnaround, and it signed Van Gaal to a one-year contract extension Monday to keep him at the club through to June 2012. A different story could await Van Gaal’s side in the Champions League.
Runner-up a year ago, Bayern got off to an excellent start with a 2-0 victory over Roma two weeks ago. The German team will be the favorite when it meets Basel in Switzerland, even with a side missing injured playmakers Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.

“There is nothing better than this,” Bayern defender Philipp Lahm said. “In the current situation, to make a statement in the Champions League would be worth its weight in gold.”
Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge agreed.
“That is the nice thing about football: you can correct things three days later,” Bills jersey
said Rummenigge. “They have to be corrected because you cannot survive in the Champions League with this kind of performance.”
On form alone, Basel stands a chance. It went to FC Zurich on Saturday and crushed its archrival 4-1 behind a two goals from in-form striker Marco Streller. The team showed mettle, too, holding on for the last half-hour with only 10 men after Behrang Safari was sent off.
Basel was a 2-1 loser against Cluj in Romania in its first Champions League match, and the club must get a result against Bayern if it is to have a realistic chanced of making the last 16.
“Against Zurich, we were very concentrated defensively, good in building up play and very efficient in attack,” said Basel coach Thorsten Fink, a Champions League winner as a player with Bayern in 2001.
“We must play exactly the same way on Tuesday,” Fink said.
Meanwhile, AS Roma hosts Cluj after beating five-time defending Italian champion Inter Milan 1-0 on Saturday.
Substitute Mirko Vucinic scored the winning goal in injury time from Daniele De Rossi’s cross, ending a run of two draws and two defeats for last season’s Serie A runner-up.
“It was an important result because it gets us some points in the league, but more importantly it shows me that the guys know how to win,” Roma coach Claudio Ranieri said.
Vucinic came on with 15 minutes remaining for Roma captain Francesco 49ers jersey
Totti, who was angry about being substituted. But the rest may help Totti against Cluj.
The Romanian champion is level with Bayern atop Group E with three points, and hopes to build on its opening victory over Basel.

As Advertised Bryant Electrifying In Home Opener

ARLINGTON, Texas - While Dees Bryant flashed some of that explosive talent in his debut last week in Washington, it was definitely on display in the home opener against the Bears.
The Cowboys had one of the league's top punt returnees last nfl jerseys
year in Patrick Crayon, who returned to two touchdowns for scores in 2009.
Bryant now has half of that total after taking a 62-yard return to the house for his first career touchdown.
On his first punt return in front of the home crowd, Bryant cut his way through the would-be Chicago tacklers to find a hole on the left side. Upon seeing daylight, he dashed down the field for the touchdown. It was the Cowboys' first score of the game and gave them a 7-3 lead.
Bryant became the first Cowboys rookie since Reggie Swanton to return a punt for a touchdown, and just the fifth overall in franchise history.
Along with superb special teams play, Bryant also showed his budding chemistry with Room. Despite only being targeted twice, he made the most of his chances and caught both balls for key gains.
The first catch came on the opening play of the second half. Starting from Vikings jersey
their own 34-yard line, the Cowboys called on Bryant to run a crossing pattern over the middle. Room hit Bryant in stride for a 24-yard reception, which brought the offense into Chicago territory. The play started a drive that ended with kicker David Buehler making a 28-yard field goal to pull the team to within three of Chicago.
On the sideline, Bryant sat multiple times with Room and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett to discuss the offense. While usually those meetings are reserved for quarterback and coach, Bryant made it a point to get involved, which could explain his increasing role in the offense.
"He's working hard, his passion for the game comes out each day he's out there, and it's something that shows on the practice field," Room said after the game. "He'll continue to get better and he has a bright future."

Bryant's next catch illustrated what could become a long-term connection with Room. On third down and 12 from its own 11-yard line, the team was stuck in a battle for field position. Out of the shotgun, the pocket collapsed and Room was sent scrambling to the right.
Noticing the play breaking down, Bryant came back towards the quarterback, and Room hit him for a 28-yard reception, more than enough to earn a first down.
Later in the game, while fielding another punt return, Bryant was hit hard in the leg and limped off to the sidelines. After being examined by trainers, he rode on the stationary bike a little before returning to action. Bryant said after the game the injury was not to his ankle and was Colts jersey
not serious.
The Cowboys are lucky the injury isn't worse because if Bryant's first two appearances are any indication of his future, the team will need him if it hopes to overcome its 0-2 start.

Patriots review loss to Jets, prepare for Bills

The video wasn't a blockbuster for the New England Patriots. And the director wasn't happy.
This week's film review after Sunday's 28-14 loss to the football jerseys
New York Jets was ''not very fun, obviously,'' wide receiver Wes Welker said Thursday.
Coach Bill Belches could point to the two interceptions and lost fumble, the scoreless second half and the career day for Jets quarterbacks Mark Sanchez against a young secondary.
Linebacker Tully Banta-Cain had to relive his roughing the passer penalty that helped set up a touchdown and a 7-7 tie in the second quarter.
''The week's a little bit gloomier than normal,'' Banta-Cain said, ''but we're a resilient team and Bill's a resilient coach and he understands that we can't dwell too much on what happened last week. But, at the same time, that bad taste is still in our mouth and we want to get it out.''
The Patriots (1-1) can get rid of it at home Sunday against the Bills (0-2). Buffalo is coming off a 34-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers and has lost its past 13 matches with New England.
The task for the Patriots is to ignore all that and view the Bills as a serious challenge.
Belches has a knack for making weak teams sound like Super Bowl winners and his players buy into that, even though the Bills are two-touchdown underdogs.
''They're obviously a good team so he's not blowing smoke or anything like that,'' Welker said. ''He's just making sure we're staying on top of things.''
Belches actually has some evidence to back up his argument that the Bills pose a serious threat. They lost to the Patriots 25-24 in last year's opener by allowing two touchdowns in the last 2:06. And the final score of the second meeting was close, 17-10.
''We don't take any game lightly,'' said Banta-Cain, who had five of Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
his 10 sacks last season against the Bills. ''Looking at last year, both games were pretty close. Buffalo always gives us a good fight.''
Imagine how nose tackle Vince Wellford will feel if the Patriots lose. He was mad after losing to the Jets, a popular pick to do well in the playoffs.
''I hate to lose. I want to win every game. It's impossible, but that's just me,'' he said. ''I was just kind of frustrated, but we can learn from it.''
So the Patriots review video, study the game plan and work hard at practice. And as the week goes on, the mood lightens.
Right?
''You never know what to expect from Bill,'' Banta-Cain said. ''We're always pretty intense around here on how we approach games. So there's really never a light moment unless we create it ourselves within the players. But when it comes to Bill, it's all about business.''
Last year's comeback win over the Bills was a rarity for the Patriots - a solid finish in a season in which they struggled in the second half. Of their six losses, they held halftime leads in four of them.
And this year they've been outscored 39-14 after intermission.
''We have to know how to finish games,'' Wellford said. ''That's one thing we want to get turned around quick.''
If the Patriots do it on Sunday and beat the Bills, maybe Belichick's film Minnesota Vikings jersey
review will be less critical.
''No,'' Banta-Cain said. ''Sometimes he's even more cutthroat after a win because, let's face it, you get a win (and) some guys feel they can be complacent or kind of let up a little bit. So you never want to be too high or too low. So Bill does a good job, whether it's a win or a loss, to keep our heads in the game.''

24 sep 10 Bills WR Evans backs QB shuffle

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP)—No fan of in-season quarterback shuffles, Bills receiver Lee Evans(notes) wasn’t in a position to dispute the latest decision to go with Ryan Fitzpatrick(notes) as the starter.
Evans backed the switch Wednesday by nfl jersey
saying something had to give on an offense that’s shown little spark under Trent Edwards(notes) in opening the season with two losses. The seventh-year receiver then added he believes Fitzpatrick has a better feel for the game.
“It’s a little bit surprising, but I think the overall feeling was we weren’t playing up to the potential of being as good as we can be,” Evans said.
When asked to compare the two quarterbacks, Evans credited Fitzpatrick in noting he’s unafraid of throwing passes into coverage and capable of manufacturing plays on the fly.
“He just feels the game and reacts off instinct. Fitz just has that different demeanor about him than Trent does,” Evans said. “And with that, you have a chance.”
Evans’ comments came as Bills players returned to practice for the first time since coach Chan Gailey announced the quarterback change Monday. The move came a day after a 34-7 loss at Green Bay in which the offense managed just 186 yards—20 more than it had in a 15-10 loss to Miami a week earlier—and Edwards threw two interceptions and was sacked four times.
Though Gailey said not all the blame should be placed on Edwards, he made the switch in a bid to kick-start an offense as Buffalo prepares to play at AFC East rival New England this weekend.
Evans didn’t blame Edwards, but also didn’t go out of his way to say anything to support the fourth-year player. And this came after a game in which Evans was thrown to only once—leading to a pass interference penalty—and held without a catch for only the third time in his career.
Evans said there was nothing unusual or complex about how the Packers defended him.
This marks the fourth time in Evans’ seven years in Buffalo the Bills have changed starters due to performance, and the second straight season Edwards has lost his job to Fitzpatrick.
As difficult as it is to adjust to a new quarterback on the fly, Evans noted the offense is familiar with Fitzpatrick, who went 5-4 in nine games he had a majority of playing time last season. And then there’s the timing of the move.
“I guess it’s better early than late,” Evans said. “We still have a chance to do a lot of good things.”
There’s a lot to improve for an attack that’s managed only Chicago Bears jersey
352 yards and scored 17 points in two games. Edwards went a combined 29 of 52 for 241 yards with a touchdown, two interceptions and was sacked seven times in showing no signs of the confidence and zip he had displayed in winning the starting job in the preseason.
Fitzpatrick, a sixth-year player, might not be as strong-armed as Edwards, but he’s has proven to be more resourceful in having a hand in five of Buffalo’s six wins last season.
Fitzpatrick’s numbers were not much better than Edwards last year. He had a lower completion percentage (55.9 to Edwards’ 60.1), lower passer rating (69.7 to 73.8) and threw 10 interceptions, three more than Edwards.
What separated Fitzpatrick was his ability to get the ball to his main receivers—Evans and Terrell Owens(notes)—and make deep throws. The Bills completed three passes of 50 yards or longer last season, all of them by Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick said he’s not going to force throws to Evans if he’s covered, but noted the importance of getting the team’s top receiver involved.
“Lee’s a big part of our team,” Fitzpatrick said. “He’s a guy we want to get the ball, too. But it has to be the right situation.”
Fitzpatrick shrugged off the pressure, when reminded he’ll start against the Patriots, a team that’s defeated the Bills in 18 of the past 19 meetings, including 13 straight.
“Just another football game,” he said. “If we have to run the ball on every snap, if we have to throw it deep, whatever it takes.”

Edwards was surprised by his sudden demotion, but accepted it.
“That’s the decision that’s made, and I’ve got to respect that,” Edwards said. “I’m not going to hang my head. I’m obviously frustrated and disappointed, but it’s a long season. Things can change. And I’ll still be ready to go.”
Notes: LG Andy Levitre(notes) was held out of New Orleans Saints jersey
practice for precautionary reasons after he hurt his neck against Green Bay. Gailey said Levitre is expected to practice Thursday. … LB Paul Posluszny(notes) (knee) has already been ruled out. … Of the four times Bills quarterbacks threw for more than 200 yards last season, Fitzpatrick did it three times, including a season-high 297 in an 18-15 loss to Jacksonville.

Cain completed a school-record 87.0 percent of his passes while improving to 9-1 as a starter

If quarterback Terrance Cain continues his impressive play, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham may have a difficult decision on his hands.
The 13th-ranked Utes look to open 4-0 for the second time in nfl jersey
three years when they host San Jose State on Saturday.
Starting quarterback Jordan Wynn has been out of action since injuring his thumb during a season-opening 27-24 overtime win against then-No. 15 Pittsburgh. Wynn went 21 of 36 for 283 yards and three touchdowns.
Cain has stepped up in Wynn’s absence, leading Utah to back-to-back wins. The Utes posted a 56-14 victory at New Mexico last Saturday night, with the senior going 20 of 23 for 248 yards with a career-high three touchdowns and also running for a score.
“He was almost perfect on Saturday,” Whittingham said. “… He has played exceptionally well in two games. His pass efficiency rating is off-the-charts good.”
Cain completed a school-record 87.0 percent of his passes while improving to 9-1 as a starter. He is 33 for 43 with 455 yards, five TDs and no interceptions this season.
“It’s great to have that stat but the most important stat is to get the victory,” Cain said. “That’s all I’m worried about.”
With Cain playing at an exceptionally high level, Whittingham has had the luxury of taking it slow with Wynn, who is expected to throw in practice this week. It has not yet been determined who will be under center Saturday.
Aside from the quarterback position, the Spartans should be concerned Steelers jersey
about the Utes’ punt-return unit, due in large part to the speedy Shaky Smithson.
Smithson leads the Mountain West Conference and ranks fourth in the nation with a 26.6-yard punt return average. He won his second consecutive MWC special teams player of the week award after returning four punts for 140 yards— including a 73-yard touchdown—against the Lobos.
“You really don’t want to think too much,” he said. “You just want to execute whatever the coach calls. And I know my teammates are going to make great blocks, and all I have to do is run the ball, then just make a couple people miss. All the great special teams players just make a couple of people miss.”
Utah’s No. 13 ranking is its highest since defeating Alabama in the 2008 Sugar Bowl and ending the year at No. 2 with a 13-0 record. It has won 19 consecutive home games and 30 of 31 overall against unranked teams.
San Jose State (1-2) is averaging 11.0 points - third-fewest in the FBS - and will likely need to find a way to put points on the board if it wants to keep up with the Utes, who are scoring 40.3 per game.
The Spartans picked up their first win of the season by beating Southern Utah 16-11 on Lamon Muldrow’s 6-yard touchdown run with 1:10 remaining last Saturday night.
Utah will be the third Top 25 opponent for San Jose State in 2010 after losing 48-3 at No. 1 Alabama in its opener and 27-14 at 11th-ranked Wisconsin the following week.
The Spartans have lost 15 straight against ranked opponents since Vikings jersey
beating then-No. 9 TCU in 2000.
The Utes lead the all-time series 5-1, with their only loss coming in 1974.

Big things were expected of quarterback Jordan Jefferson in his second season as the starter

West Virginia isn’t known for a prolific air attack, but its passing game is a big reason why the team is off to a strong start.
The lack of one is what has LSU fans concerned despite an nfl throwback jerseys
unbeaten record.
This Saturday night matchup is the biggest potential stumbling block to a possible perfect season for the 22nd-ranked Mountaineers, who will try to hand the No. 15 Tigers their first non-conference loss at Baton Rouge in a decade.
“LSU is a great tradition and a great venue. It is a big showcase for college football and it is a chance for the Mountaineers to go down and see how we measure up,” coach Bill Stewart said. “Teams have not been too successful down there in Tiger Country, and maybe we will be blessed a little bit better.”
No team outside the SEC has won there since UAB on Sept. 23, 2000, with LSU since winning all 28 home games against non-conference foes. The Tigers also are riding the longest overall non-conference win streak in the nation, taking 30 in a row since a 2002 season-opening loss at Virginia Tech.
However, the Tigers (3-0) have looked a bit vulnerable this year - their opponent was within one score well into the second half of all three games - partly because the passing game hasn’t gotten on track.
Big things were expected of quarterback Jordan Jefferson in his second season as the starter, but he’s the 10th-rated passer in the SEC and has failed to throw for 100 yards in back-to-back games.
“As a receiving corps, we have things we have to work on. It’s not all Jordan,” wideout Russell Shepard said.
An emerging group of receivers is a key reason West Virginia (3-0) could win at San Francisco 49ers jersey
Tiger Stadium and jump into the national title picture. LSU is the only current Top 25 team on the Mountaineers’ schedule and their only other remaining opponent which hasn’t lost is Rutgers.
“I’m really pumped up to see what I can do and see what the team can do,” said Tavon Austin, the Big East’s leading receiver with 21 catches and 281 yards. “It’s going to be something down there (in Baton Rouge).”
Austin and fellow first-year starter Stedman Bailey, who had two touchdown receptions in a 31-17 win over Maryland last Saturday, have teamed with senior Jock Sanders to give sophomore Geno Smith plenty of capable targets.
Smith is the Big East’s top-rated quarterback and leads the conference with 800 yards passing. No West Virginia player has led the Big East in that category since Marc Bulger in 1998, mainly because the offense has been built around a ground game led by star rushers like Noel Devine and Steve Slaton as well as mobile quarterbacks Pat White and Rasheed Marshall.
“I think their quarterback is a very, very talented guy,” LSU coach Les Miles said of Smith. “I think that he gives them every opportunity at success in the offense that they are running.”
Smith is also helped by opposing defenses focusing heavily on Devine. The nation’s active rushing leader with 3,735 yards, Devine has run for more than 100 yards in all three games and has added 13 receptions for 89 yards.
LSU has a good rushing attack led by Stevan Ridley, who has run for 318 yards, but he is facing a West Virginia defense that is holding opponents to 62.7 rushing yards per game - eighth-best nationally.
That may mean Jefferson needs to step up, but the Mountaineers pass Buffalo Bills jersey
defense could get a boost if Stewart reinstates senior cornerback Brandon Hogan. The all-Big East first-team selection was allowed to practice Tuesday for the first time since being suspended indefinitely for a drunken driving arrest earlier this month.
While West Virginia has won five of six against ranked teams, the Tigers have dropped their last three home games versus Top 25 foes. These programs are meeting for the first time.

Wolfpack schedule review: Week three recap

As NC State makes their way through the 2010 season, The Wolfpacker will take a look back each week to see how NC State’s opponents have fared with their respective schedules. Here’s a recap of week three for the Pack’s 2010 opponents.
Western Carolina (1-2)

Sept. 4 at Carter-Finley Stadium (NC State 48, Western Carolina 7)
Week three recap: One week after losing to Division II football jerseys
Tusculum in what may have been the school’s first ever loss to a non-Division I team since 1976, Western Carolina surprised previously 2-0 Gardner-Webb 28-14. Gardner-Webb had a surprising 38-37 overtime win over Akron the week before.
The key for the Catamounts was forcing six Bulldogs turnovers, including five interceptions. Torez Jones had four interceptions, while Adam Hearns returned his pick 22 yards for a touchdown. Mitchell Bell added a 45-yard fumble return for a score, and running back Michael Johnson sealed the win with a 60-yard touchdown run with 8:49 left.
The game also marked the return of star receiver Marquel Pittman, who missed the first two games with a suspension. Pittman caught seven passes for 114 yards, including a 78-yard score.
Statistical leaders:
Passing - Zac Brindise: 39 of 67 for 482 yards and four touchdowns, one interception
Rushing - Michael Johnson: 34 carries for 208 yards, one touchdown
Receiving - Jacoby Mitchell: 12 catches for 155 yards, Chicago Bears jersey
one touchdown
2010 schedule
Sept. 4 at NC State (L, 48-7)
Sept. 11 vs. Tusculum (L, 54-30)
Sept. 18 at Gardner-Webb (W, 28-14)
Sept. 25 vs. Chattanooga
Oct. 2 at The Citadel
Oct. 9 vs. Samford
Oct. 16 at Wofford
Oct. 23 vs. Appalachian State
Nov. 6 at Furman
Nov. 13 vs. Georgia Southern
Nov. 20 at Elon
Central Florida (2-1)
Sept. 11 at Bright House Networks Stadium, 7:30
Week three recap: Freshman Jeffrey Godfrey got the start at quarterback after rallying Central Florida to a near-tie in the fourth quarter against NC State Sept. 11. Godfrey completed 15 of 24 passes for 130 yards and ran 13 times for 44 yards in Central Florida’s 24-10 win at Buffalo.
UCF led 10-3 at halftime, but the game was tied at 10-10 when UCF went on two methodical fourth quarter drives topped off by a pair of Ronnie Weaver touchdown runs. Defensive end Darius Nall was named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week after making nine tackles, including New Orleans Saints jersey
three for losses and two sacks, and forcing a hurried pass that was intercepted by defensive end Bruce Miller and returned 30 yards for a touchdown.
Statistical leaders:
Passing - Jeffrey Godfrey: 28 of 41 for 302 yards, one touchdown
Rushing - Jonathan Davis: 44 carries for 149 yards, one touchdown
Receiving - A.J. Guyton: 12 catches for 154 yards, one touchdown

RED SOX NOTEBOOK;Dice out, Lester in to start vs. Rays

The Red Sox pitching rotation for the all-important series in St. Petersburg, Fla., against the Rays was upgraded yesterday at the expense of Daisuke Matsuzaka's sore back.
Matsuzaka was scheduled to pitch the opener tomorrow night, but an hour before last night's doubleheader nightcap the Sox announced that Jon Lester would pitch in Matsuzaka's place.
Tim Wakefield took Lester's start last night.
Lester, with a 13-8 record and 3.26 ERA, has been the nfl throwback jerseys
team's second-best starter this season, trailing only Clay Buchholz, who will pitch the second game against the Rays, with John Lackey (12-7) pitching the finale.
Matsuzaka (8-4, 4.19) has begun to settle down and show more consistency of late. He has been experiencing a back issue at least since Tuesday mid-afternoon, when he wore a heating pad in the lower back area.
Lester is 1-1 with a 5.23 ERA this season after two starts against the Rays. He lost his first decision to them at Fenway during his rough April, but on May 25 at the Tropicana Dome he went six innings and allowed just one hit and no runs to go with five walks and nine strikeouts. In his career at the Tropicana Dome, Lester is 3-0 with a 3.60 ERA in five starts.
Speed orders
During the ninth inning of the afternoon game, second base umpire Joe West told Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon to quicken his pace in a 5-3 Sox win.
Both West, well known for his distaste of slow-paced games, and third base umpire Angel Hernandez were timing Papelbon during the inning - with West particularly demonstrative about clicking his stopwatch behind the closer. Both felt he was in clear violation of the 12-second rule to deliver once a batter is in the box.
West and Hernandez consistently had Papelbon at 14 seconds. The pitcher made no apologies afterward, explaining that he could not risk anything quicker, thanks to the horrible conditions.
''The mound got beat up for nine innings with rain, so I'm not going to go Bills jersey
out there and put myself in a situation where I'm going to slip and get hurt,'' Papelbon said.
''I think there are certain situations where you have to give and take a little bit, and understand players need to make sure that they're out there playing in safe conditions and not going to get hurt.'' . . .
Second baseman Dustin Pedroia was awaiting word from specialists who examined the test results on his broken left foot.
Double toss
Tempers flared at the start of the third inning of the nightcap, after third baseman Adrian Beltre apparently said something to home plate umpire Dan Bellino as he took the field. Bellino swiftly ejected Beltre, who had struck out looking for the second out of the second inning.
Beltre, whose intensity is not to be trifled with on a good day, took great exception to the expulsion and had to be restrained by both manager Terry Francona and catcher Kevin Cash. After Beltre finally left the field, Francona began an up-close jawing session. Soon after, Francona got tossed, too. He spent a full minute further ranting at a full phalanx of the umpiring crew protecting Bellino, before finally leaving the diamond.
Yamaico Navarro came in to play for Beltre at third. It was Beltre's second career ejection, the first coming on Aug. 24 eight years ago when he was a Dodger.
For Francona, it was his third ejection this season, 29th time in his career. . . .
With the win in Game 1, the Sox won the series and have now won or split each of its last five home series, and 14 of their last 15. . . .
After pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings in the first game, Daniel Bard 49ers jersey
notched hold No. 28 on the season, a new franchise single-season record. . . .
The home run Seattle's Russell Branyan hit in the seventh inning of Game 1 off Josh Beckett was his first here in 16 games. He has now homered in 36 of the 39 ballparks he has batted in his career. He is 7-for-16 against Beckett. Three of those hits are for home runs.

Finally, order is restored;The eight regulars start in lineup for first time since May

The Phillies' blueprint lineup finally held a reunion at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night.
All the guys were back together and batting in the order manager Charlie Manuel and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. intended when the season opened 20 weeks ago.
Jimmy Rollins was at the top, Placido Polanco batted second, and football jerseys
Chase Utley hit third during the Phillies' game against the Houston Astros. Ryan Howard was the cleanup man, followed by Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino, and Carlos Ruiz.
It was the first time they had played together since May 21, when Rollins went to the disabled list a second time.
They just could not get through the entire game intact, although injuries were not the problem this time. By the end of the Phillies' strange 4-2, 16-inning loss, Roy Oswalt was playing left field, Ibanez was at first base, and Brian Schneider was catching.
Thank Scott Barry, a triple-A fill-in umpire, for that arrangement. Barry showed why he belongs back in the minor leagues in the 14th inning of this 5-hour, 20-minute marathon. With runners at first and second and two outs, Howard thought he had checked his swing on a two-strike pitch from righthander Mark Melancon.
Asked for an appeal of the call from home-plate umpire Greg Gibson, Barry ruled that Howard had swung, and the Phillies first baseman threw his bat in disagreement. Barry immediately ejected Howard, who reacted by going after the third-base umpire.
Whether it was a bad call is irrelevant. What mattered is that Barry's decision to eject Howard played a major role in the outcome of the game, and that's inexcusable for any big-league umpire.
None of the 45,494 who showed up at the ballpark Tuesday night came to see Scott Barry umpire. Sometimes an ump has to take the abuse and turn away. In this case, Howard was at least 100 feet away when Barry ejected him, so it should have been easy for the umpire to turn his head and ignore Howard's tirade.
Houston's Chris Johnson had the same reaction on a call the night before and was not ejected.
"I've never seen him upset like that," Manuel said when asked about Chargers jersey
Howard. "I've seen him mad, but not like that."
For the record, it is only the second time in his career that Howard has been ejected. Also for the record, Barry ejected Washington's Ryan Zimmerman for the first time in his career in a tie game last week against Chicago.
The ejection played a role in the outcome in two ways. When the Astros scored the second of their two runs in the top of the 16th, it was because Ibanez had to play first base and he could not handle a relay throw from Utley that would have been an inning-ending double play.
In the bottom of the 16th, the Astros got to pitch to Oswalt with the game on the line because he occupied Howard's cleanup spot.
Whoever is in charge of major-league umpires should tell Barry that he cannot have that kind of impact on a game.
"I don't want to get caught up in criticizing them," Manuel said. "I don't think that's any good. They call them as they see them, and we're going to leave it at that."
The entire episode could have been avoided if the Phillies had managed more than 10 hits and two runs.
Six of the starting eight have spent time on the disabled list. The only exceptions have been Ibanez and Werth, who combined to account for the Phillies' only run Tuesday while Cole Hamels was still in the game.
Now, with the first-place Atlanta Braves still well within reach and the lineup intact, the Phils are expected to take off.
It might not happen.
Utley has batted only .250 in seven games since returning from the disabled list.
After going 0 for 7 with five strikeouts in Tuesday's disaster, Howard is Bears jersey
hitting .105 since returning from the DL.
If this is truly to be a magical season because of what was perceived as a marvelous lineup, Utley and Howard need to shake off their ailments and start producing.

BRADEN BRACED FOR BRONX BOOS - A'S LEFTY EXPECTS FAN SKEWERS

Don't be surprised if you hear "Get Off Our Mound!" chants from Yankee fans Thursday.
Dallas Braden is ready for such venom - or whatever Bronx bravado might come his way.
The mouthy Oakland A's lefty is nfl jerseys
slated to start against the Yankees at the Stadium - the first time he'll face them since he and Alex Rodriguez feuded back on April 22, when A-Rod crossed Braden's mound in Oakland after an out, and Braden snarled "get off my mound!" at the Yankee third baseman.
Rodriguez responded in the press by mocking Braden's modest major-league accomplishments.
Braden has since pitched a perfect game - and even patched things up with A-Rod. But Bronx fans still figure to vent some vitriol.
"You guys wouldn't be New Yorkers, right, if that wasn't the case?" Braden said at the Stadium yesterday when asked if he thought he'd get an earful.
"That's part of the excitement. They've had a while to think of some good stuff, so don't disappoint."
Rodriguez and Braden haven't faced each other since that April encounter, and they won't Thursday, either, since A-Rod is on the disabled list. Braden was DL'd when the Yankees visited the A's in July.
The two did, however, make up on that Yankee road trip, even cooperating Indianapolis Colts jersey
on a charity T-shirt.
"It was a great notion on their behalf, a great idea as far as [Joe] Girardi was concerned to kind of put a positive spin on things. And it's exactly what happened," Braden said.
"And a lot of good people, a lot of good charities benefited from that. That's always a positive."
Actually, the Braden-Rodriguez feud initially got worse before it got better. Three starts after Braden faced the Yankees, he pitched that perfect game against the Rays. After that game, Braden's grandmother declared, "Stick it, A-Rod."
Still, last month, Braden gave A-Rod a "perfect game" poster and game ball as presents, and Rodriguez reciprocated by signing 10 "Get Off My Mound" shirts for charity.
Braden (9-9, 3.28 ERA) isn't disappointed he won't have the chance to face A-Rod this week.
"I don't put value on any one player in this game," the 27-year-old said.
"Each player is as important to me to get out as the next one. Nobody's a bigger out. Nobody's a better competitor."
Immediately after Mound-Gate, Braden ripped A-Rod, saying, "The Dallas Cowboys jersey
guy was tasting himself too much to apologize. I have a lot of respect for what he has done in the game, but I am disappointed to see the other side. ... He should maybe just watch his captain [Derek Jeter] a little more often."
Braden also warned that "there will be repercussions if it happens again."
Rodriguez, in turn, said, "I was a little surprised [that Braden warned him not to run over the mound] because I never heard that, especially from a guy with a handful of wins in his career."

TV reporter's locker room foray touches off debate

The New York Jets have apologized for boorish behavior directed at a female TV reporter in their locker room. A training session for players is in the works. The reporter herself says it wasn't really so offensive. So we can all move on, right?
Of course not.
Because in less than a week, Ines Sainz has become the focus of football jerseys
renewed debate over the thorniest of issues: Women's access to men's locker rooms; their choice of attire on the job; and even the highly charged question of whether the way a woman dresses can ever mean she's ''asking for'' consequences.
First, the background: Sainz, a reporter from Mexico's TV Azteca, entered the Jets locker room last weekend to interview quarterback Mark Sanchez. She was wearing tight jeans and a snug white blouse. She felt uncomfortable - the actual behavior by the players is in dispute - and tweeted that she was ''dying of embarrassment.''
Sainz didn't complain to the team, but others did. Jets owner Woody Johnson called to assure her it wouldn't happen again.
And on Friday evening, the NFL announced it was implementing a training program for all 32 teams on proper conduct in the workplace. The league said an investigation had showed that while there was ''unprofessional conduct'' in the locker room, Johnson and his staff had acted promptly to correct the situation.
Whether the NFL action would quell the chatter on the airwaves and in the blogosphere was another story, however, because Sainz had people talking from the get-go.
She went on several TV shows to discuss the incident, wearing an undeniably revealing black blouse that seemed more risque than what she'd worn in the locker room. On Fox News, her interviewer, Jon Scott, ignored the top but said of her earlier attire: ''Could they get any tighter, those jeans?''
''They are my size,'' she responded.
The NFL Network's Brian Baldinger laid the blame squarely on what he called Sainz's ''painted-on jeans.''
''If you come into the NFL dressed the way that she is dressed you are just asking,'' he told a Philadelphia sports radio show. ''I mean the boys are just having fun,'' he said. ''If she walked into any locker room in the league, the exact same thing would have happened.'' He said he felt the Jets had no need to apologize.
In a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press, the NFL Network said: ''We discussed with Brian his comments. He understands they were not appropriate.''
But similar thoughts were echoed by many on Twitter and Facebook.
''You dress provocatively, you'll get provocative attention,'' Stephen Peters, a 25-year-old sports reporter from Irving, Texas, wrote on Facebook.
''Testosterone is high in those locker rooms and she needs to Bills jersey
realize the clothes/style she wears is solely to catch attention. Dress like a professional and you'll receive professional attention.''
Of course, such opinions infuriated many, who felt a woman should be able to wear whatever she wants, to work or elsewhere - without inviting crude comments, or worse.
''The only question is whether it's OK with her employer,'' said Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women. (And clearly TV Azteca is OK with it, because its website features her in a series of racy getups.)
And blaming the attire, O'Neill said in an interview, is blaming the victim: ''It's the way we traditionally minimize sexual harassment.'' What makes that line of thought more dangerous, she added, is that it's also the way some people might justify sexual assault.
And while many were condemning the players' behavior while still criticizing Sainz for her attire, O'Neill said you can't have it both ways. ''It's still blaming the victim,'' she said.
Kim Hachiya, also discussing the issue on the Web, agreed.
''Asking her to 'tone down her wardrobe' is the slippery slope that leads people to require women to wear burqas to keep them 'safe' or from tempting men,'' said Hachiya, 55, who works in public relations at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. ''No woman ''asks for'' or ''deserves to be'' harassed or sexually assaulted regardless of her clothing choices or behavior.''
But Veronica Richardson, a paralegal in Raleigh, N.C., thought Sainz needed to take responsibility for her clothing choices. ''I would not want a male 'reporter' coming into the female locker room with his genitals half showing,'' said Richardson, 38. ''It was her job to dress professionally. If she wants to wear cleavage-shirts and tight jeans, then she can deal with it.''
That such thoughts were expressed by women shocked Nathan Wallner, a professional martial arts fighter from Kingsford, Mich. who wrote on Facebook and spoke in a follow-up interview.
''I can't believe it,'' said Wallner, 27. ''It's taking women back a few steps when they say she deserved this. So she wore tight pants. That's the world we live in today.''
Some saw a cultural angle at play - a Latin style of dressing more freely and in some cases, more expressive of one's sexuality. ''Latina women are very proud of their bodies,'' NOW's O'Neill said. ''That doesn't mean sexual harassment is OK.''
Others accused Sainz of manufacturing the incident for attention. ''Listen, the woman complains about men ogling her. ... Then she shows up on TV with cleavage from here to Halloween,'' David Suznavick, 55, wrote on Facebook. ''Is it sweeps month yet?''
In its statement Friday evening, the NFL said Sainz told the league she had ''not seen or heard any catcalls, sexually explicit or offensive comments or gestures directed at her, and did not believe she was subjected to any improper conduct.''
It also said that other reporters present described the atmosphere as ''juvenile, immature and high school'' - but ''not over the top.''
Whatever did happen, though, the incident inevitably revived the debate over female sports reporters working in locker rooms - something they do as an essential part of their job. Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis went so far as to suggest that women entering the locker room would naturally suffer uncontrollable surges of lust.
''You put a woman and you give her a choice of 53 athletes, somebody got to be appealing to her,'' he said on a radio show this week, in comments that were roundly criticized. ''You know, somebody got to spark her interest, or she's gonna want somebody.''
Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs said simply that women shouldn't be allowed in locker rooms, period.
''The locker room is the place where us guys, us football players, we dress, we shower, we're naked, we're walking around and we're bombarded by media,'' Briggs told NBCChicago.com. ''A lot of times I'm asking the media to wait until I'm dressed.''
In a column in The Washington Post, writer Sally Jenkins said locker-room encounters are often uncomfortable - for everyone. But, she said, they are an essential part of covering sports teams.
And usually, she added, they pass without incident.
''It's uncomfortable at times, sure,'' Jenkins wrote. ''But it's not that 49ers jersey
big a deal. All it takes is a little courtesy, a little humor, and some terry cloth.''

NFL teams prepping for lockout

Players for four NFL teams have already taken a key step in their looming fight with the league over pay — a fight that may include a lockout next year.
Carl Francis, a spokesman for the NFL Players Association, confirmed in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Friday that Indianapolis, Dallas, New Orleans and Philadelphia have all voted unanimously to decertify the union. He said union leaders were still collecting voting cards from nfl jerseys
other teams.
Decertification would strip the union of its collective bargaining rights on behalf of the players, so the move might seem counter-intuitive. But since antitrust laws exempt NFL owners from being sued by unions that are negotiating CBAs, decertification would in essence eliminate the union and allow players to sue the NFL in the event of a lockout — giving them potential leverage in their dispute with the owners.
Colts center Jeff Saturday said the Indy vote took place Wednesday and that he expects the other 31 teams to do the same thing — unanimously.
''When it's explained why you're doing it, I don't think anyone would vote against it,'' he said.
League officials declined to comment.
No immediate action is expected by the NFLPA, but voting now will help Chargers jersey
the union avoid the logistical nightmare of tracking down players for voting cards and signatures during the offseason. The collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the union expires in March.
Players have been told that if the union does not decertify before the CBA ends, the NFLPA would have to wait six months to sue the league.
NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith is expected to meet with each team over the next few weeks. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell also answered questions from Colts players during a training camp meeting last month.
It's not the first time this has happened.
The NFLPA was decertified in 1989, two years after a failed players' strike. It returned as a union in 1993, when a contract was reached with the league that provided for free agency. That landmark CBA was renewed or restructured several times since 1993, including in 2006. The owners opted out of that deal two years ago.
The players currently get 59.6 percent of designated NFL revenues, a number agreed to in the 2006 CBA. The owners say that's too much, arguing that they have huge debts for building stadiums and starting up the NFL Network and other ventures, making it impossible to be profitable.
The NFL generates nearly $8 billion in revenues annually, with about $1 billion going to operating expenses. The owners get about 40 percent of the rest, but they want about $1.3 billion more before the players get their cut, and they'd like two more regular-season games to get more money out of Bears jersey
the networks for everyone.
Players have said they won't take anything that amounts to a pay cut. Smith has been warning players since he took office in early 2009 to put aside money in case of a work stoppage.

Harbaugh: LB likely out for 2010

Baltimore linebacker Sergio Kindle's rookie season is likely over, and possibly his football career.
Kindle fractured his skull shortly before training camp in July when he fell down two flights of cheap nfl jerseys
stairs. The former Texas standout underwent a series of neurological exams from independent doctors in Baltimore.
''He's got some serious issues that he's dealing with,'' Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Friday after practice. ''The chances of him playing this year are slim. We're going to be very, very careful. The doctors are going to very careful. Sergio is going to be very careful with that type of an injury.''
Kindle, a former Big-12 standout, said it's just a matter of time before he returns to football.
''I know I'll play football again,'' he said. ''I don't know Indianapolis Colts jersey
when, but I'm going to make it back.''
The Ravens are giving him that chance.
Harbaugh said that Baltimore still plans to sign the second-round draft pick to a contract — one that offers the team protection in case Kindle isn't able to play again.
The coach said the Ravens intend ''to sign him to some form of a deal that reflects the situation and give him an opportunity.''
However, because of the nature of the injury, there's no guarantee Kindle will make it back.
''There's no way to predict these things,'' Harbaugh said. ''You don't know how the brain heals. It's different in everybody. We'll just see how it goes.''
Before Friday's announcement, Kindle had said Thursday that he's remaining patient as he waits for the Ravens to talk with the NFL Management Council before proceeding with contract talks.
''They're supposed to do that before they can talk to me,'' he said. ''I hope we're talking soon about me coming back there and doing my contract. I don't know when that will happen, hopefully soon.''
Kindle said he continues to make steady progress and is working out hard.
''I'm feeling good,'' he said. ''I'll be feeling a lot better once Dallas Cowboys jersey
I get back there.''
Kindle said he remains upbeat about his outlook.
''I'm not frustrated,'' Kindle said. ''At first, I was because I didn't understand and now I understand. Being patient is a good thing. Being frustrated won't help. I'm waiting for the good word.'

AL Capsules

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—Dan Johnson(notes) hit a pair of two-run homers Wednesday night, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-3 victory over the New York Yankees and back into first place in the AL East.
The teams with the baseball’s top two records flip-flopped positions in the standings for the third straight night. The first two games of nfl throwback jerseys
the important series went extra innings, with the Rays winning 1-0 on Monday and the Yankees regaining the division lead by a half-game with an 8-7 win on Tuesday.
The finale was filled with plenty of drama, too, even though the Yankees and Rays are far from finished. They’ll play four more games in New York next week, with Tampa Bay holding an 8-6 edge in the season series.
Both of Johnson’s homers came off Phil Hughes(notes) (16-8), who retired two of Tampa Bay’s most dangerous hitters—Carl Crawford(notes) and Evan Longoria(notes)—before giving up a two-out single to Matt Joyce(notes) and Johnson’s second homer of the night in the seventh.
The Yankees had taken a 3-2 in the top of the seventh on Curtis Granderson’s(notes) two-run homer off Chad Qualls(notes) (1-0).
Red Sox 5, Mariners 1
SEATTLE (AP)—Clay Buchholz(notes) pitched seven solid innings, Victor Martinez(notes) hit a two-run double and the Red Sox beat the Mariners to complete a three-game series sweep.
Buchholz (16-7) allowed one run—Russell Branyan’s(notes) first-inning homer—and four hits in his first victory since Aug. 22. The All-Star right-hander was 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA in his previous three starts.
Buchholz did not allow a hit after Chone Figgins’(notes) two-out single in the third. He lowered his ERA to 2.48, second in the American League.
The Mariners have lost seven straight.
Angels 7, Indians 0
CLEVELAND (AP)—Jered Weaver(notes), staked to a seven-run lead after two innings, earned his first win in more than a month as the Angels beat the Indians.
Weaver (12-11) retired 21 of the 22 batters he faced over seven innings to snap the longest losing streak of his career at four games. He is 1-4 in seven starts since defeating Detroit 4-2 on Aug. 6.
The right-hander struck out seven to take over the AL lead with 218, four more than Seattle’s Felix Hernandez(notes). He retired the first 11 men he faced until Shin-Soo Choo(notes) hit a sharp single past second baseman Howie Kendrick(notes) with two outs in the fourth. That gave the outfielder a .476 (10 for 21) career average against the Angels ace.
Orioles 3, Blue Jays 1
BALTIMORE (AP)—Brad Bergesen(notes) pitched a seven-hitter, and Minnesota Vikings jersey
the Orioles withstood Jose Bautista’s(notes) major league-leading 47th home run and ruined the debut of right-hander Kyle Drabek(notes) with a victory over the Blue Jays.
Bergesen (7-10) struck out three and walked none in his third career complete game, second this season. The right-hander came in with a 6.99 ERA in five lifetime starts against the Blue Jays, but dominated this one after yielding a solo homer to Bautista in the first inning.
Bergesen was aided by two double plays, and the Orioles threw out a runner at the plate.
Baltimore swept the three-game series and have won nine of 11 games. The Orioles are 26-15 under manager Buck Showalter, including 9-6 against the AL East.
Rangers 11, Tigers 7
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)—David Murphy(notes), Vladimir Guerrero(notes) and Ian Kinsler(notes) hit long home runs for the AL West-leading Rangers in a victory over the Tigers that stretched their winning streak to seven games.
In what might have been their last home game before clinching the division title, the Rangers built an 8-2 lead in the fourth on Murphy’s three-run homer. The 426-foot blast into the second deck of seats in right by Murphy chased Armando Galarraga(notes) (4-6), who had already allowed Guerrero’s 449-foot homer deep into the visitors bullpen in left-center to start the second.
Colby Lewis(notes) (11-12) went six innings to win his second straight start after needing 10 chances to finally get his 10th victory.
Twins 9, White Sox 3
CHICAGO (AP)—Joe Mauer(notes) had three hits, including a three-run homer, and the Twins took a commanding eight-game lead in the AL Central with a victory over the White Sox.
With 17 games left for both teams, Minnesota has basically secured the division barring an epic collapse. The Twins’ magic number to win the division is 10.
Twins starter Brian Duensing(notes) (9-2) pitched six innings, allowing two runs while scattering nine hits. He struck out four and walked one. The left-hander, who was promoted to the rotation in late July, is 6-1 as a starter.
The Twins have won 10 of 11 and have baseball’s best record since the All-Star break at 41-16. They improved to 6-2 in Chicago.
Royals 6, Athletics 3
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—Wilson Betemit(notes) hit his first career grand slam and Bruce Chen(notes) picked up his 10th victory as the Royals beat the Athletics.
Betemit, who homered and drove in four runs Tuesday, worked a full count from Trevor Cahill(notes) and fouled off the next three pitches before homering just inside the right-field pole.
Mitch Maier(notes) doubled, Jarrod Dyson(notes) had Indianapolis Colts jersey
an infield single and Billy Butler(notes) walked before Betemit’s 12th home run that snapped Cahill’s 15-inning scoreless streak.
Chen (10-7), who was 1-13 from 2007-09, gave up three runs in the first two innings. He went five innings, allowing three runs, six hits and a walk. Chen, who started the year in the minors, leads the Royals in victories.

Yankees take a hit, even if Jeter doesn’t

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – There may not be a bruise on Derek Jeter’s(notes) left forearm, but there is certainly blood in the water now.
Jeter’s hit-by-pitch – actually it was a missed-by-pitch – seemed to light a match in an already smoldering rivalry between the two best teams in baseball Wednesday night. The chain reaction was swift: an argument, an ejection, a go-ahead New York Yankees home run, a go-ahead Tampa Bay Rays home run, and then the kind of angry ninth-inning noise usually reserved for ballparks in football jerseys
colder climates. By the time the game ended in a 4-3 Rays victory and Jeter admitted “acting,” the Rays were back in first and the table was set for more bitterness in the Bronx.
In other words: It’s on.
Jeter will take heat for this one. He spun away from an inside pitch from Rays reliever Chad Qualls(notes) in the seventh with nobody on and the Yankees down a run. The trainer ran out and Jeter clutched his forearm like a veterinarian cradles a frail dove. Problem: The pitch hit the bat knob and nothing else. Replays proved it, but all Rays manager Joe Maddon needed to see was the ball screaming into the infield as if Jeter’s wrist was made of titanium steel. “Oh my god,” Maddon said after the game, “I thought it would be a line drive into right field.” Maddon knew the ball hit the bat, but he wanted to hear an umpire tell him the ball hit Jeter. “Nobody knew that,” he said, “but everyone knew it hit the bat.” All he heard from the umpires, he said, was “That was the call that was made.” (Catcher John Jaso(notes) diplomatically offered: “I heard … not flesh.”) Maddon stayed out for a while, and Jeter stood on first and stopped tending to his wrist. “There was some vibration,” Jeter said. “And acting. My job is to get on base.”
If Alex Rodriguez(notes) pulled such a move, he’d be skewered. And Jaso timidly muttered, “I would never do that.” But Maddon praised Jeter for his “performance,” wished his own players would pull off something similar, and suggested that “There are several thespians throughout Major League Baseball.”
The Rays fans, however, were ready to throw tomatoes, and the energy in a normally serene ballpark ratcheted up a few kilowatts – especially after Curtis Granderson(notes) brought Jeter home with a go-ahead two-run homer. The crowd’s response, roughly translated: “This Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
Means War.”
Rays DH Dan Johnson(notes) basically felt the same way. “That does light a fire,” he said. So Johnson, who had hit a two-run homer earlier in the game, belted another one in the bottom of the inning, and the Rays led for good. (Johnson, with fewer than 100 major league at-bats since 2007, knocked in all four Rays runs. He returned to the clubhouse to find Maddon sitting on the couch, alone, watching the events unfold on a flat-screen.)
When Jeter batted again in the ninth – having given up all premise of pain – fans blasted him. Here was one of the most celebrated people in the Tampa area treated like a babyface wrestler turned bad. Jeter struck out swinging, and the Trop boomed.
It was a perfect ending to a hugely entertaining series. All three games were decided by one run. Two teams that have spent nearly two months within two games of each other traded first place three times. There were three unlikely heroes – the Rays’ Reid Brignac(notes) on Monday, the Yankees’ Greg Golson(notes) on Tuesday and Johnson on Wednesday. There was an extra-inning walk-off homer and an extra-inning walk-off putout at third. (A tag-off? A throw-off? A slide-off?) There were even two nifty plays by the Rays’ right field ballboy. And Derek Jeter turned evil.
Well, at least in some eyes.
But more importantly, there was the perfect setup for the four games between the teams in the Bronx beginning Monday – and maybe seven after that in the ALCS. The Rays crowd of a tick under 30,000, so lamented for being passive, grew louder and louder almost by the inning, as Monday’s empty seats filled gradually until the place felt bursting by comparison. It was like a mob gathering on a tree-lined street to gawk at a domestic dispute.
“This was about as good as it gets,” Maddon said. “It was incredibly intense. Both sides were into every pitch. It was a lot of fun to participate in.”
It’s only going to get more heated, especially when interesting quotes surface, this courtesy of Yankees starter Phil Hughes(notes): “It’s not quite a rivalry. It’s not the feel of Fenway. The fans pack it in at 25,000. But they’re a good team. They’re not going away, so we’ll have to deal with them.”
They’re going to have to deal with them in only a few days. “It’s Indianapolis Colts jersey
a major thing for us,” said Johnson, eyes widening.
The World Series of the 2010 regular season continues with Game 4 on Monday in New York. There may not be any more acting.

Manning looking for win after battering in Houston

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Peyton Manning(notes) walked into the Colts locker room Wednesday, stood tall and answered every question.
To the league’s four-time MVP, it’s just another game week.
He’s facing a formidable foe, a familiar quarterback—another nfl throwback jerseys
Manning—and a defense that poses as many challenges as the one that just beat him up in Houston. To the older brother, it’s time to forget about the past.
“I don’t really keep a count, I guess,” Manning said, when asked whether he was hit more than usual in the season-opener.
The short answer is yes.
But it’s not just the Colts’ franchise quarterback in an unusual predicament heading into Manning Bowl II.
Instead of taking an undefeated record into November, as the Colts have four of the five previous seasons, they’re 0-1 and in dire need of protecting their home field Sunday. They have lost the division opener for only the second time since the AFC South was established in 2002, and the six-time division champs suddenly find themselves in last place.
Hey, it could be worse.
The relentless battering that Manning took last weekend has been replayed dozens of times on local and national TV and in film rooms in Indianapolis and New York. Fortunately, for the Colts, Manning survived the countless twists and tugs, pushes and shoves to give his offensive line another chance against Eli and the Giants.
“We weren’t good enough, flat out, across the board,” right tackle Ryan Diem(notes) said of the line’s play. “We’ve got to get that corrected. Our No. 1 goal every week is pass protection, to keep him off the ground, to keep him healthy.”
It will be quite a challenge against a Giants defense that has made pressuring quarterbacks a decades-long quest.
No, Lawrence Taylor and Michael Strahan(notes) won’t be around this Sunday, but new coordinator Perry Fewell has plenty of help.
Former Pro Bowl defensive ends Osi Umenyiora(notes) and Justin Tuck(notes) form, perhaps, the best pass-rushing tandem east of Indianapolis. The third end, Mathias Kiwanuka(notes), is returning to his hometown after posting two sacks against Carolina. In all, the Giants had four sacks last Sunday and knocked Panthers quarterback Matt Moore(notes) out of Indianapolis Colts jersey
the game with a concussion.
And this week, Fewell might add some new packages to test Manning and his offensive line, which isn’t 100 percent.
Left tackle Charlie Johnson(notes) finally returned last week after missing 32 days and all four preseason games with a sprained right foot. Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday(notes) also started last week, a month after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, and Jamey Richard(notes) is expected to make his second career start at left guard.
The combination against Houston didn’t work too well. Manning got hit between the shoulder blades, high and low on the same play, even tripped over a teammate as he threw the ball.
Unless the Colts block better, the Giants will likely take the same tack.
“They’re very athletic, with a lot of flat out athleticism showing up at all phases: the front, the linebackers, the safeties,” Manning said. “There is a lot of speed.”
The defensive strategy is hardly a secret.
For almost all of Manning’s 13 NFL seasons, opponents ranging from the Patriots to the Saints have tried to find new ways to keep Manning on the run.
“I can give the defense here all the information that I can and it’s all: Can we get to Peyton? Can we knock him down? Can we get to him before he gets the ball out? You can know a route is coming and still not cover it,” said Jim Sorgi(notes), Manning’s former backup who signed with New York during the offseason. “You have to get lucky. You have to hit him, hit him early and force some turnovers and get them to punt once in a while.”
Few have succeeded.
But if last weekend’s game proved anything it was this: The Colts offense isn’t the same when Manning gets hit.
While he finished 40 of 57 for 433 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions, a career high for completions and the third-highest yardage total of his career, the Colts tried to protect Manning with quicker passes in the second half and never could catch up to Houston.
This week, the Colts will face a similar defensive style with what they hope will be different results.
“We have pretty high standards in terms of Dallas Cowboys jersey
what we believe and how pass protection should be handled to keep the quarterback off the ground,” coach Jim Caldwell said Wednesday. “One time is too many, so he got hit a few times too many and we’ve got to do a better job this week.”
AP Sports Writer Tom Canavan in East Rutherford, N.J., contributed to this report.

Patriots still strong despite preseason forecasts

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP)—The New England Patriots ended last season badly— Tom Brady(notes) with a mediocre stretch of games, Wes Welker(notes) with a knee injury and the Baltimore Ravens with a lopsided first-round playoff win over Bill Belichick’s team.
The New York Jets reached the AFC title game, then grabbed the football jerseys
offseason spotlight by adding big-name veterans, making “Hard Knocks” must-see TV and signing, after a long holdout, the only player who coach Rex Ryan says can cover Randy Moss(notes), Darrelle Revis(notes).
Then this season’s games began.
So the national sports magazine that had New York quarterback Mark Sanchez(notes) on the cover when it picked his team to win the division over New England put Brady there this week for the 12th time, with Moss by his side.
The Patriots are off to a good start in pursuit of their seventh AFC East title in eight years, but one game doesn’t make a season. How these teams compare will be clearer Sunday when they meet at the New Meadowlands Stadium, where Revis will try to shut down Moss.
“I look forward to the matchup,” Moss said. “I have a lot of respect for Darrelle Revis. He’s a young player who definitely matured faster than most young players do. I’ll get the best from him. He’ll get the best from me. The only thing I can say is, collectively as a team, hopefully we get the best of the Jets.”
Three-time Super Bowl champion New England dominated Cincinnati, another team that got offseason hype when it signed Terrell Owens(notes) to join Chad Ochocinco(notes) as a dangerous wide receiving duo who also happen to be reality TV stars.
“Hype doesn’t come from us,” Patriots running back Sammy Morris(notes) said. “We’re just focused on going and playing the game.”
Brady was sharp in the opener, completing 25 of 35 passes for 258 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions just three days after he was “scared out of my mind” but unhurt in a two-car crash. He wasn’t sacked as the Patriots overcame the absence of two-time Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins(notes), an unrestricted free agent who hasn’t reported.
Welker had eight catches for 64 yards and two TDs less than eight months after surgery for a torn knee ligament. Moss, despite feeling unappreciated by his lack of a contract for 2011, had five receptions for 59 yards before voicing his concerns at a postgame news conference.
Add in touchdowns on interception Minnesota Vikings jersey
and kickoff returns and the dominance was thorough.
“We put it all together,” nose tackle Vince Wilfork(notes) said. “We were flying around. There were times when it was like we were on another planet.”
Now they’re back down to earth, where Belichick likes it.
“I don’t think there’s anything that carries over into the next game, per se,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter how you did last week or who you did it against. It’s different people. It’s a different scheme. It’s different the next time you do it. You have to prove it every week in this league. Last week doesn’t mean anything.”
The Jets hope he’s right.
Against the Ravens last Monday night, they gained just 176 yards with six first downs and no touchdowns. Sanchez threw for 74 yards.
Brady has said he “hates” the Jets and wouldn’t watch “Hard Knocks.” On Sunday, he’ll get a closeup view of the defense that was ranked first in the NFL last year.
New England’s defense is rebuilding with speed and athleticism. Only four defenders who started the 33-14 playoff loss to Baltimore started against Cincinnati. The first-string cornerbacks are rookie Devin McCourty(notes) and second-year pro Darius Butler(notes). And two reliable veteran starters, defensive end Ty Warren(notes) and cornerback Leigh Bodden(notes), are out for the season.
“We wanted to contain them and limit the big plays,” Butler said of the Bengals. “You can be more aggressive and take your shot because even if you miss your tackle, there’s three or four more guys coming to back you up, so it gives you more confidence when you have speed out there.”
The defense lost four mainstays before last season—Tedy Bruschi(notes) and Rodney Harrison(notes) to retirement and Richard Seymour(notes) and Mike Vrabel(notes) in trades. The current Patriots have just eight players from their last championship team that won the Super Bowl after the 2004 season.
While television viewers’ eyes were on the Jets training camp and their ears on Ryan’s salty language, the tightlipped Belichick kept the Patriots out of the spotlight.
“Who knows what’s right or wrong?” Brady said. “Our style has worked for us and that’s what’s most important. We’re not trying to be the Jets and they’re not trying to be the Patriots.”
Those two styles will clash on Sunday—a loudmouthed team whose coach talks about winning the Super Bowl and a quiet club that focuses on the next game, not the next title.
“As a team, I can honestly tell Dallas Cowboys jersey
you we’re not riding high,” Moss said. “The Jets were the Super Bowl favorites to whoever’s eyes and we respected that. And I think that the only motivation that you can have as a player or coach is to go out here and just work harder every day.”

Dolphins’ Ricky Williams predicts no lockout

DAVIE, Fla. (AP)—The running back who once staged a walkout predicts there will be no lockout.
Ricky Williams(notes) has been known to miss a season from nfl jerseys
time to time, but he expects to be playing in 2011. The Dolphins running back is also their new player representative, and he’s optimistic the NFL Players Association and the league will reach a collective bargaining agreement without a labor stoppage.
Given his independent streak, Williams might seem a curious choice as a spokesman for union solidarity. He abruptly retired before the 2004 season, and in the wake of repeated violations of the league’s drug policy, he missed all but one game in 2006-07.
Williams became the player representative when he replaced Greg Camarillo(notes), who was traded last month.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—Vince Young(notes) says he didn’t Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
want the Heisman Trophy anyway.
The Heisman Trust decided Wednesday to vacate the 2005 award after Reggie Bush(notes) forfeited it Tuesday. The news came shortly after Young talked to reporters, trying to dodge questions about the Heisman because he’s busy preparing for his first career start against Pittsburgh.
The man who finished second to Bush in the Heisman voting has been deluged with questions over the past week. Did Young want the Heisman? Would Young accept?
Young said in a couple of Dallas Cowboys jersey
tweets Tuesday night that he considers Bush the 2005 Heisman winner. He repeated that Wednesday and begged reporters to quit asking about the Heisman.
“Why would I want it?” he asked.

Although Pittsburgh has gotten to the Reds’ bullpen

Following an abysmal road trip, the Cincinnati Reds appear to have regained their swagger at Great American Ball Park.
Coming off a second straight victory in their final at-bat, the cheap nfl jerseys
first-place Reds look to complete a weekend sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.
After limping home from a 1-6 road trip, Cincinnati (81-61) has reclaimed a seven-game lead over second-place St. Louis in the NL Central by winning the first two in this series.
Although Pittsburgh has gotten to the Reds’ bullpen, sending Friday’s opener to extra innings by scoring two runs off closer Francisco Cordero(notes) in the ninth and then plating four in the eighth Saturday to take a one-run lead, Cincinnati has guaranteed itself its first non-losing season since finishing 85-77 in 2000.
The Reds won the series opener 4-3 in 12 innings on a bases-loaded grounder off the bat of Jonny Gomes(notes). In Saturday’s 5-4, 10-inning victory, Cincinnati tied the score on Chris Heisey’s(notes) run-scoring, one-out double in the ninth. Joey Votto(notes) completed the comeback with a solo homer an inning later.
It was the first career game-ending home run for Votto, who was serenaded with chants of “MVP” by the fans as he circled the bases.
“Thank God for Joey Votto,” manager Dusty Baker said. “That’s MVP stuff right there.”
Cincinnati has won a season-best six straight at home and is 10-1 at Great American Ball Park since Aug. 13.
The Pirates (47-94), meanwhile, have lost 17 of Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
their last 18 road games overall and are 3-12 at Cincinnati since the start of last season.
The Reds have won 10 of the last 12 meetings in the season series with the Pirates, with Sunday’s probable starter Johnny Cueto(notes) (12-5, 3.45 ERA) a big reason why. The right-hander has limited Pittsburgh to one run and seven hits over 21 innings while winning his last three starts against the Pirates.
Cueto will seek to bounce back from Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to Colorado. He gave up four runs in six innings in his return to the Reds after missing a few days to attend the funeral of his uncle in the Dominican Republic.
The Pirates counter with Brian Burres(notes) (3-3, 5.75).
Burres, who has spent much of the season with Triple-A Indianapolis, started Monday against Atlanta only because of Jeff Karstens’(notes) arm and shoulder fatigue. Making his first start for the Pirates since May 29, the left-hander allowed one run and five hits while walking none in six innings of a 3-1 victory, and earned himself another turn in the rotation.
“I felt like when I needed to, I could make a good pitch,” said Burres, who earned his first victory since beating the Cubs on May 6. “I didn’t always get ahead of the hitters, but I’d get out of it with a good pitch.”
Burres didn’t have much luck in his lone career start against the Reds, permitting five runs in 3 2-3 innings of a 7-5 loss May 24.
Neil Walker’s(notes) two-run single Saturday Minnesota Vikings jersey
capped Pittsburgh’s four-run eighth inning and extended the second baseman’s hitting streak to a career-high 17 games. Walker is batting .370 with 18 RBIs during his run - the longest by a Pirates rookie since 1971, when Rennie Stennett hit in 18 straight.

What this team is learning is that, if you play good baseball

The Baltimore Orioles have experienced a resurgence since Buck Showalter took over as manager, but completing their first sweep at Comerica Park in more than six years could be difficult.
Justin Verlander(notes) looks to improve to 5-0 in his career against the Orioles when he takes the mound for the Detroit Tigers in the finale of a three-game set Sunday afternoon.
Baltimore (55-87) won for the sixth time in seven games, and raised its record to 23-14 under Showalter after a 5-3 win Saturday. Adam football jersey
Jones(notes) had four hits for the Orioles, who are averaging 5.6 runs in their last seven games.
Baltimore entered the series having dropped five straight in Detroit, but now is in position for its first sweep at Comerica Park since May 28-30, 2004.
The Orioles are 11-6 on the road under Showalter after going 14-40 away from home with Dave Trembley and Juan Samuel at the helm.
“What this team is learning is that, if Dallas Cowboys jersey
you play good baseball, you can win anywhere,” Showalter said. “That’s what I’ve told them - the teams that play deep into October are the teams that can win on the road. That’s what we will have to do in the years to come.”
However, the Orioles traditionally have struggled against Verlander (15-8, 3.53 ERA), who is 4-0 with a 2.57 ERA in six starts against them.
Verlander is 3-1 with a 2.48 ERA in his last six starts overall. He allowed one run, five hits and struck out seven in seven innings of a 9-1 win over the White Sox on Tuesday.
“I really felt like I got my curveball tonight,” he said. “It took me 30 starts to find it, or however many I’ve had this year, but it was kind of like a light bulb went off. I can’t say it will be there the rest of the year, but I had the hard curve tonight. Hopefully, I can retain that feel.”
Brian Roberts(notes), who had three hits of Baltimore’s 16 hits Saturday, is batting .419 over the last seven games. However, he’s 3 for 16 against Verlander.
The Tigers are trying to avoid their first three-game losing streak since Aug. 17-19.
Detroit is 3 for 17 with runners in scoring position during the Minnesota Vikings jersey
series, and will try to get its offense going against Chris Tillman(notes) (1-4, 7.42), who will make his second start for Baltimore since being recalled from the minors Sept. 5 to face Tampa Bay.
The right-hander allowed three runs and six hits in 5 1-3 innings, but didn’t get a decision in the Orioles’ 8-7 win. He has no record and a 7.50 ERA in one career start against the Tigers.

Stauffer shines in Padres’ win over Giants

SAN DIEGO (AP)—Tim Stauffer(notes) threw six sparkling innings and Yorvit Torrealba(notes) homered as the San Diego Padres beat the San Francisco Giants 1-0 on Saturday to retain the National League West lead.
The Padres (80-61) snapped a virtual tie for the top spot in the division, taking a one-game lead over the Giants (80-63) after dropping the first two in the four-game set. San Francisco pulled within one percentage point of San Diego with Friday night’s 1-0 win.
Stauffer, the club’s long reliever, made just his third start of nfl jersey
the season but was sensational. He yielded three hits and pitched out of his only jam in the second.
Torrealba’s fifth homer in the third landed in the right-field porch and helped San Diego win for just the fourth time in 16 games.
Luke Gregerson(notes), Mike Adams(notes) and Heath Bell(notes) each pitched a hitless inning in the Padres’ 18th shutout of the season. Bell earned his 40th save in 43 chances.
Braves 6, Cardinals 3, 12 innings.
At Atlanta, Alex Gonzalez(notes) hit a three-run homer in the 12th inning as Atlanta beat St. Louis to move into a share of the NL East lead. With runners on first and third base and the outfielders playing shallow to guard against a sacrifice fly, Gonzalez hit the winning shot off Mitchell Boggs(notes) (2-3) into the left-field seats.
The Braves improved their major league-best home record to 51-20 and grabbed a share of the division lead with the Philadelphia Phillies, who lost to the New York Mets 4-3.
Albert Pujols(notes) had three RBIs for St. Louis, which is facing an uphill climb to return to the playoffs.
Mets 4, Phillies 3
At New York, Mike Pelfrey(notes) was dominant into the eighth inning to earn his career-high 14th victory as New York stopped Philadelphia’s four-game winning streak.
Ike Davis(notes) kept up his big September with four hits and three RBIs and Jose Reyes(notes) homered for the Mets, helping quiet the red-clad Philadelphia fans in the Citi Field crowd of 35,788.
New York was able to slow the surging Phillies in their pursuit of a fourth straight NL East title even without center fielder Carlos Beltran(notes), who sat out with tendinitis in his left knee. He is day to day.
Marlins 4, Nationals 1
At Washington, Anibal Sanchez(notes) remained unbeaten against Washington, allowing four hits in 7 2-3 innings to pitch Florida past the Nationals for the fifth straight time.
Emilio Bonifacio(notes) hit a two-run single to back Sanchez (12-9), who gave up one run, struck out four and walked none. He has a 2.29 career ERA against the Nationals, going 2-0 this year. Wilson Ramos’(notes) RBI double in the eighth was the first earned run Sanchez allowed against the Nationals in 23 1-3 innings.
Dodgers 6, Astros 3
At Houston, reliever Brandon Lyon’s(notes) threw away a bunt for Indianapolis Colts jersey
a tiebreaking two-run error in a three-run ninth inning to give Los Angeles a win over Houston.
Dodgers manager Joe Torre was ejected in the first inning by plate umpire Paul Emmel. Torre complained from the dugout after Casey Blake(notes) was called out on strikes, then left the dugout following the ejection to speak with Emmel.
With the score 3-3, Trent Oeltjen(notes) singled off Lyon (6-6) and Reed Johnson(notes) reached on a bunt single down the first-base line.
A.J. Ellis(notes) bunted, and Lyon picked up the sacrifice, then hesitated and threw wildly to first as two runs scored. Ellis went to third on the error and scored on pinch-hitter James Loney’s(notes) double.
Reds 5, Pirates 4, 10 innings
At Cincinnati, Joey Votto(notes) led off the bottom of the 10th inning with his 33rd homer, sending Cincinnati to a wild victory over Pittsburgh that extended their NL Central lead to a daunting seven games.
Votto hit the fourth pitch from Justin Thomas(notes) (0-1) into the seats in left, touching off chants of “MVP” with his first career game-ending homer.
Edinson Volquez(notes) dominated for seven innings, allowing one hit and fanning 10 before turning a 3-0 lead over to the Reds bullpen.
Neil Walker’s(notes) two-run single past hard-throwing Aroldis Chapman(notes) completed Pittsburgh’s rally to a 4-3 lead in the eighth. Joel Hanrahan(notes) blew the save chance, giving up a tying double by Chris Heisey(notes) in the ninth.
Cubs 1, Brewers 0
At Milwaukee, Ryan Dempster(notes) struck out eight batters in seven crisp innings, earning his 100th career win and helping Chicago beat Milwaukee.
Xavier Nady(notes) homered for Chicago, which got an outstanding outing from Carlos Zambrano(notes) in a 4-0 victory in the series opener Friday night.
Dempster (13-10) allowed three hits and walked two, improving to 15-2 with a 2.90 ERA in 22 career starts against the Brewers. The right-hander retired 21 of the first 26 batters on his way to his 50th victory with Chicago.
Rockies 2, Diamondbacks 1
At Denver, pinch-hitter Jonathan Herrera’s(notes) sacrifice fly off Mike Hampton(notes) broke a seventh-inning tie as Colorado rallied past Arizona for its ninth straight victory.
Rookie Matt Reynolds(notes) (1-0) picked up his first major Minnesota Vikings jersey
league win by working one scoreless inning as Colorado stayed 2 1/2 games behind San Diego in the NL West race. The Padres beat San Francisco 1-0.
Diamondbacks right-hander Rodrigo Lopez(notes) cruised along until the seventh, when he gave up three straight hits, including Miguel Olivo’s(notes) RBI single that tied it at 1 and took Ubaldo Jimenez(notes) off the hook for a hard-luck loss.

Angels beat Tribe in 16 inning on Mathis’ sac fly

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)—Neither team had a hit over the first four innings. The game finally ended after 4 hours, 55 minutes and 506 pitches when Jeff Mathis’(notes) sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 16th inning gave the Los Angeles Angels a 4-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians on nfl jersey
Wednesday night.
The Angels got home runs from Mike Napoli(notes) and rookie Peter Bourjos(notes) in the longest game of the season for both teams. Each used eight pitchers.
“That’s battling. That’s the fight we were looking for,” said Torii Hunter(notes), who doubled and scored the winning run. “Even if we would have lost the game, I promise you, I still would have been so happy because we showed a little fight. That’s how you ball. You go out there and keep battling no matter what.”
Cleveland rookie Hector Ambriz(notes) (0-2), working his fourth inning of relief, gave up the leadoff double to left-center by Hunter on the 500th pitch of the game. Hunter advanced on Alberto Callaspo’s(notes) grounder to first base and jogged home after Mathis’ flyball to right field.
“We did what we had to do,” Hunter said. “The fans definitely got their money’s worth. They got two games for the price of one. I’m so tired. I mean, 500 pitches is a lot. We all were tired. We just kept drinking Gatorade, coffee … I started shaking in the 14th inning. I was having withdrawl.”
Matt Palmer(notes) (1-1) pitched three innings of two-hit relief for the victory, striking out the side in the 15th.
“My hat goes off to those guys in the bullpen, coming in and having to do some extra work tonight,” Mathis said. “Matt threw the ball well. He was locating his sinker and his fastball and mixing the breaking ball. He did a great job.”
Fernando Rodney(notes), who took over the closer’s role for the Angels after Brian Fuentes(notes) was traded to Minnesota on Aug. 27, gave up the tying run in the ninth on a one-out RBI single by pinch-hitter Jayson Nix(notes). The blown save was Rodney’s fourth in 12 opportunities this season, and just his fifth in 52 chances dating to 2008 with Detroit.
“There’s not a lot pitchers can control besides making pitches. He had a broken-bat hit, an infield hit, another off the end of the bat,” manager Mike Scioscia said in Rodney’s defense. “Closers are going to get nicked up here and there. But I think his stuff looks good. It’s all there. He has all the potential to be the closer we need.”
Callaspo singled with one out in the bottom of the ninth and tried to score on a pitch from Joe Smith(notes) that broke off the glove of catcher Lou Marson(notes) and to the right of home plate. But Marson, who entered the game that inning after Nix batted for starting catcher Chris Gimenez(notes), hustled after the ball and threw to Smith for the tag on Callaspo.
“On the offensive side, it was like root canal. Some things are a little painful right now,” Scioscia said. “We just couldn’t execute some little things that might have ended it a lot sooner.”
Cleveland center fielder Michael Brantley(notes) robbed Indianapolis Colts jersey
Juan Rivera(notes) of a home run leading off the 10th against Justin Germano(notes), after the Indians stranded two runners in scoring position in the top of the inning on a groundout by Andy Marte(notes) against Bobby Cassevah(notes). The rookie right-hander escaped another jam in the 11th, retiring Asdrubal Cabrera(notes) on a comebacker with runners at the corners.
The Indians stranded a season-high 16 baserunners, surpassing the 14 they left on base against the Angels in a 5-2 loss on April 26 at Anaheim.
“Unfortunately we had a few situations where we could’ve put the game away, but we didn’t come up with the big hit,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “When you play that long, yes, you want to win and it hurts. But you have to look at the positive side—that we’re still pitching well. And that’s something to make us happy.”
The Angels loaded the bases in the 11th against Germano, who gave up a walk and a hit-and-run single to Hunter before walking Callaspo intentionally to set up a possible double play. But Mathis fouled out to Marson on an attempted suicide squeeze and Erick Aybar(notes) struck out.
“We’ve been struggling to push them across as it is, so we tried any way we could to push one across there,” Mathis said. “The pitch was down and away, but it was a pitch I’ve gotten down before and I should have gotten down tonight. I didn’t get it done, but luckily, we got another runner on and I got another shot at it. I was glad I got a second chance, for sure.”
Scott Kazmir(notes) matched Cleveland’s Josh Tomlin(notes) pitch-for-pitch through the fourth and left after six innings with a 3-1 lead before the Angels’ bullpen squandered it.
Marte, who came in with four hits in five career at-bats against Kazmir, struck out both times up against the left-hander. His next time up, he hit his fourth homer of the season with one out in the seventh off rookie right-hander Jordan Walden(notes) to trim the Angels’ lead to 3-2.
Kazmir allowed a run and two hits, struck out six and walked three. Tomlin gave up three runs and three hits over six innings, walked three and struck out four in his eighth career start.
NOTES: For the third straight game, an Angels pitcher threw Dallas Cowboys jersey
the ball away trying to pick off a runner at first base. This time it was in the 16th, when Shin-Soo Choo(notes) advanced on the error by Palmer after drawing a two-out walk. Jordan Brown(notes) stranded him with a comebacker. … Neither team had a hit until Cleveland’s Jason Donald(notes) led off the fifth with a double inside third base and scored one out later on a single by Trevor Crowe(notes). But Napoli put the Angels ahead in the bottom half with his 23rd homer, a two-run shot and their first hit.