Baily's Sports & Stuff

Sacramento Rivercats vs Tacoma Rainiers The Sacramento Rivercats have always been an MILB powerhouse. But entering this series, they were 38-38 (even). Not anymore. Dallas McPherson hit a 3 run home run in the eighth inning, Ross Wolf and Michael Branyan struck out 4 of the last 5 Tacoma batters as the Rivercats beat the Rainiers 7-5. The Rivercats can sweep Tacoma with a win today at 11:35 AM PT. Sacramento's first 5 batters got out, but Steve Tolleson hit a solo homer in the second. Matt Carson hit a homer in the fourth, and soon the score was 3-3. Even though Tacoma had 3 runs thru 6 innings, Graham Godfrey 2-hit the Rainiers. He was relieved in the seventh by Jamey Wright. In the eighth, Tacoma singled in a run and Wright walked in a run. Soon, Tacoma led 5-3. It looked like the Cats were in trouble. But Michael Branyan struck out 2 batters, and the Rivercats got out of the inning. Chris Carter kicked things off with a single, and the Rivercats had runners o...

When the draft comes, trades are made. Big trades. Franchise-defining trades. But, we can start with the rookie trades. So, here are some possible trades that could happen in the NBA! Also, we have some draft analysis. 76ers and Kings The 76ers and the Wizards could have made a swap in picks, but I think Phillly should have either stayed where they were or traded back so they could get DeMarcus Cousins at 5. The Kings would have been willing to trade up to #2 to get Evan Turner, an amazing all-around player, and give up someone else that they don't really need, like Ime Udoka and Jon Brockman. In return, they would get a 76ers bench player, or they would get 2 M or something in cash. New Jersey Nets; Draft Analysis Derrick Favors is a reach. His career high is 22 points, and he averages 12 PPG. He does average 8 RPG, and he is really athletic, but I just don't understand why the Nets picked him. And the 76ers were considering picking him! They just should have made the de...

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Tampa Bay Rays Edwin Jackson threw the second no-hitter in Diamondbacks history Friday night as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0. Despite walking 8 batters and throwing 149 pitches, Jackson didn't let Tampa Bay's balls get by anyone. But he walked 7 batters in the first 3 innings, and in the third he got put in a jam. But he got out of a jam after a spectacular play by Mark Reynolds, and the no-no kept going. Jackson had so much control, and he was still going strong in the 9th inning. He struck out B.J Upton on a perfect fastball, then he got Hank Blalock to fly out on a sinker. Next up was Jason Bartlett, and he hit a chopper to shortstop and Jackson had the no-no. Jackson got many people down low, and his sinker was amazing. This is the 3rd no-no or perfecto out of the last 5 against Tampa Bay, and the 3rd straight against a Florida team. This is the 267th no-hitter in MLB history and the first for Edwin Jackson. Surpir...

Again, we had trades, surpirses and a fun 4 and a half hours in the 2010 NBA Draft. So, let's get into the action and find out about the new rooks of the NBA! Lottery Picks 1 Wizards-John Wall, PG, Kentucky 2 76ers-Evan Turner, SG, Ohio State 3 Nets-Derrick Favors, PF, Georgia Tech 4 Timberwolves-Wesley Johnson, SG, Syracuse 5 Kings-DeMarcus Cousins, C, Kentucky 6 Warriors-Ekpe Udoh, PF, Baylor 7 Pistons-Greg Monroe, PF, Georgetown 8 Clippers-Al-Faroq Aminu, SF, Wake Forest 9 Jazz-Gordon Hayward, SF, Butler 10 Pacers-Paul George, SF, Fresno State 11 Hornets (trade to Thunder)-Cole Aldrich 12 Grizzles-Xavier Henry, PG, Kansas 13 Raptors-Ed Davis, PF, North Carolina 14 Rockets-Patrick Patterson Best Lottery Pick: Wesley Johnson, Timberwolves: Johnson is able to shoot the mid-range j, knock down the 3, and drive inside. He is athletic, and he can play defense. He isn't a reach, because he isn't a freshman, and he can help his team in the clutch. He won't ...

Slovakia vs. Italy The tears on Slovakia’s faces were supposed to show the result; the result of finishing last. The tears on the Azzurri’s faces were supposed to be the tears of relief, as they were able to hold off Slovakia. But it wasn’t. It was all different. Robert Vittek gave Slovakia 2 goals early, and Kamil Kopenuk scored on a perfect bouncer as Slovakia upset Italy to advance to the Round of 16, where they will play the Netherlands. Antonio Di Natale scored with tons of open net on the left side for Italy, and Fabio Quagliarella scored in extra time for the Italians. But perhaps the biggest headline for Italy was Simon Pepe’s miss off the post late in extra time. This is the first time that Italy has finished last in group play. France finished last in their group, so the defending champion and runner-up finished last. Slovakia finished second with 4 points, and Italy finished with 2 points. Paraguay won the group with 5 points, while New Zealand finished thir...

United States vs. Algeria As the time wound down, the United States were getting closer and closer to not advancing to the Round of 16. They got closer and closer and closer and then… Landon Donovan. Donovan banked home a rebound in extra time as the United States beat Algeria 1-0 to seal a berth in the Round of 16. The USA missed many opportunities to score early, and they dominated the game. But until Donovan put a loose ball home with 3:30 left, many US fans thought they would be out. When Algeria had the ball in their zone with 4 minute left, the US looked doomed. But Tim Howard made a great throw-in, the US picked apart the Algeria defense, and they got a shot on goal. Algerian keeper Rais M’Bolhi made the routine save, but he couldn’t hold on to the ball. A charging Landon Donovan came in, and he scored the goal. #20 Australia 2, #15 Serbia 1 Tim Cahill and Brett Holman hit the right corner of the goal late as Australia beat Serbia. The Aussies missed out on the kno...

US Open Once it was announced that the 2010 US Open would be at Pebble Beach, we knew that it would be a great Open. The Pebble Beach course proved very hard, and it showed. Not to Graeme McDowell. McDowell kept himself even through holes that were playable, and he was able to shoot a +3 on the final day in a 1 stroke victory that has made him popular in the US. McDowell, a native of Northern Ireland, is very well known in Ireland. He has won many tournaments there, but he was not well known in the US. But he is now. Gregory Havret shot a 72 on a 71 course, and he shot one over for the day. But he missed a critical putt on the 513 yard 18th hole, and that cleared the way for McDowell. Ernie Els came back, and he came back to tie McDowell early in the final round. But then he started to feel the pressure of Pebble Beach, and he finished in 3rd with a score of +2. Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods got fourth, but both players could have done better. If Woods had stayed a...

England 0, Algeria 0 Rais M'Bolhi made 5 key saves and he helped keep England in check as Algeria tied England 0-0 to give the US control of their own destiny. Germany 0, Serbia 1 Milan Jovanovic got the ball past Germany to take advantage of a red card in a 1-0 win. Serbia and Germany have 3 points each. Slovenia vs. USA Slovenia 2, USA 0. Slovenia 2, USA 0. Slovenia 2, USA 0. The halftime score rang in the minds of United States fans like a bill that they would have to pay. But, it would stop. And get better. The US rallied from down 2-0 against group leader Slovenia to tie the game at 2 and stay alive in group play. Michael Bradley, the coaches son, scored the equalizer. Late in the game, the USA took the lead with a goal. But a terrible call took the goal back, and the score remained 2-2. Landon Donovan scored the first goal by hitting the top corner of the net. It was an easy save for the goalie, but he didn't put his hands up to make it. The score ...

The Los Angeles Lakers knew from the start that if they didn't repeat, then their season would be a failure. They knew that they needed the #1 seed, and they knew that they needed to beat their opponents in fascinating style. They did that, and then more. Kobe scored 23 and grabbed 15 rebounds, Ron Artest scored 20 and hit a key 3 late, and the LA Lakers rallied from down 49-36 in the third to win their 16th NBA Championship. The final score was 83-79. LA finally won a classic Game 7 against Boston, and they did indeed do it in fascinating style. They trailed by 13 in the third quarter, but Kobe and Lamar Odom helped LA cut the deficit to 4 in the fourth. From there, they knew that with the crowd and the momentum, they would be able to win. And Kobe and Ron Artest did that. Kobe nailed 3 free throws, and Artest converted a 3 point play. Derek Fisher nailed a 3, and Kobe got on target and he started to make his free throws. After a Pau Gasol layup, LA led 76-70 with 1...

Today we had a huge upset. The favorite went down to the Swiss, Chile handled Honduras, and Uruguay took care of South Africa. Find out what happened right here. Honduras 0, Chile 1 Mauricio Isla set up Jean Beausejour with a beautiful pass to score the only goal for Chile in a 1-0 win. South Africa 0, Uruguay 3 Diego Forlan scored in the 24th and the 80th minute as Uruguay beat South Africa 3-0. Spain vs. Switzerland No one saw it coming. No one thought it would happen. No one believed it would happen. No one, except Switzerland. And they were right. Gelson Fernandes scored on a short kick that just barely got away from Fernandes’ foot, and the Swiss upset favorite Spain 1-0. Spain had many chances, but Swiss goalie Diego Benaglio stopped them all. He made a huge save in the 24th minute where a hard shot came at him, and he caught the ball. When the game ended, Fernandes went to his knees and raised his arms up high. He knew that Switzerland pulled off an upset that wou...

The Los Angeles Lakers have the tallest guys in the league, and technically, they have the best defense in the league. They just have to put it together. The Lakers secrets have been revealed. Kobe scored 26, Pau Gasol scored 17 and the Lakers defense held Boston to just 67 points, and the Lakers beat the Celtics 89-67 to force Game 7. The Lakers defense would not let Boston in the paint. And when they did, Boston was forced to take a bad shot. With Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol both over 7 feet tall, it will be hard to score over the Two Trees. If the Lakers had given this kind of effort at the start of the year, they could have been 70-12 and a team that went 12-1 in the playoffs, and a team that beat the Celtics in 5 or 6 games. But if they play like this in Game 7, LA could easily have another trophy. Game 7 is Thursday night at 6 PM PT in Los Angeles. Prediction: LA 99, Boston 91 Report: Tom Izzo will stay at Michigan State. Izzo declined an offer from the Cavali...

June 13 Another exciting day in the FIFA World Cup! 2 late game-winning goals made a fantastic start, and then an offensive explosion capped off the action. Get the sccop on all the action right here. Germany 4, Australlia 0 Thomas Mueller scored a goal, and set up 2 goals with his beautiful passing as Germany dominated Australlia 4-0. Algeria 0, Slovenia 1 Robert Koren hit a ball that bounced into the right corner of the goal in the 79th minute as Slovenia, the smallest country in the World Cup took the lead in Group C with a 1-0 win over Algeria. Serbia 0, Ghana 1 Asamoah Gyan knocked a penalty shot into the high corner of the goal in the 84th minute as Ghana took advantage of a red card to beat Serbia 1-0.Ghana has won 3 World Cup games in which they have scored a goal. BD's Game of the day: Serbia 0, Ghana 1

USA vs. England In the most anticipated soccer match ever, Tim Howard knew that he could make a big impact. And after he let in an early goal, it was time to get down to business. And he did get down to business. Howard overcame a rib injury in the first half to make 7 huge saves and stop England on many scoring chances to help the U.S tie England 1-1. Clint Dempsey scored an unearned goal when goalie Robert Green lost control of the slippery ball and it went in. England scored early when Steven Gerrard beat Howard 3:33 into the game. England had many scoring chances, but Howard's ability to hold onto the ball stopped England from scoring. Howard was also key on clearing the ball. The gift of Robert Green will give the US momentum and an extra point. The United States will play Slovenia, while England plays Algeria. Both games or on June 18. World Cup Update Park Si-Jung scored on a sliding goal early in the second half as South Korea beat Greece 2-0. Gabriel Heinze ...

Lakers vs Celtics Every time the Celtics step on the court, they know that every player can be a star and be a key to a victory. This is one thing Glen Davis always knew. And he always will. Davis scored 9 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, and the Celtics evened up the NBA Finals with a 96-89 win over the Lakers. Game 5 is Sunday night in Boston. The Lakers bench got 10 from Lamar Odom, but they finished with only 18 bench points. Davis scored as many points off the bench as the Lakers did, and Nate Robinson also scored 12. Rasheed Wallace and Tony Allen each scored 3, and the C's bench combined to double the Lakers bench. Paul Pierce scored 19 for Boston, and he had 6 boards and 5 dimes. KG scored 13, and Ray Allen broke out of a shooting slump to score 12. Kobe scored 33 for the Lakers, and Pau Gasol scored 21, but it wasn't enough. For the Lakers, Bryant and Gasol have stepped up and scored 20+ points, but no one else has helped them. Lamar Odom is now...

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Philadelphia Flyers From the start, Patrick Kane knew that the Blackhawks had the team, talent, and experience to win the franchise's 1st Cup in 49 years. And, when Game 6 went into OT, he knew he had to be the hero. And he stepped up. Kane scored the game-winning OT goal for the Blackhawks, and Chicago hoisted the Cup for the first time in 49 years with a 4-3 OT win over Philadelphia. The Blackhawks won the series 4-2. Jonathan Toews won the Conn Symthe Trophy with 29 points (goals and assists) and he was the first to hoist the Cup. Marian Hossa, who was in his third straight Cup Final, followed, and then it went on and on and on and finally to Patrick Kane. The goalies played well in the first period early, but Michael Leighton let a power play goal by Dustin Byfuglien in. But Philadelphia got the PP advantage right back, and Scott Hartnell scored with 27 seconds left in the first. In the second, Danny Briere scored 8:00 into the period, bu...

Lakers vs. Celtics When the Lakers need someone to help their team, who do they turn to? Kobe Bryant. But with Kobe shut down, who would they turn to next? Derek Fisher. Fisher scored 11 in the fourth quarter, including a 3 point play with 3 Celtics charging at him while Fisher was attempting a layup. The Lakers won 91-84. Game 4 is Thursday night in Boston. Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett were picking apart LA early, but Kobe and the Lakers got back on track. LA finished the quarter on a 10-1 run, and Lamar Odom converted a 3 point play at the buzzer of the quarter. The Lakers kept knocking down jumpers, and they extended their run to 32-8 by taking a 37-20 lead. But Boston fought their way back, down just 52-40 at the half. In the third quarter, the Celtics came out on a 7-2 run, and they cut the deficit to 6, but they couldn't stop Kobe. He scored 9 of LA's 15 points, and he looked to be a threat in the 4th quarter. But in the fourth, Boston came back. With 9:45...

NBA Finals: Boston Celtics vs. LA Lakers The LA Lakers were an unstoppable home team. They were 9-0, and they were coming off of a 102-89 win over Boston in Game 1. That would change. During the second quarter, Ray Allen got into a rhythm, knocking down 3 after 3 after 3. He finished with 7 in the first half as the Celtics beat LA 103-94. Allen finished with 32, and Rajon Rondo was able to drive past the Lakers and score. He also grabbed 12 rebounds, even though he is only 6'1. And, as always, he found people for assists, and he finished with 19 points, 12 boards, and 10 dimes (a triple-double). Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum each scored 21, and Pau Gasol scored 25 and grabbed 8 rebounds. However, the Celtics bench outscored the Lakers bench 24-15, and they had 4 players in double-figures compared to the Lakers 3. Game 3 is Tuesday night at 6 PM PT. The Celtics have 3 straight home games, so they can take the series by winning all 3. Pick: Celtics in 7. Stanley Cu...

Other than a spectacular Game 2, Antti Neimi has been nothing. Many people agree that his performance has been bad, and they only won Game 1 because the 'Hawks offense was spectacular. Philadelphia took advantage of this, and they lit Neimi up. Mike Richards, Matt Carle, and Claude Giroux scored in the first 19:23 to give Philly a 3-1 lead, and Michael Leighton didn't let Philadelphia down as the Flyers won 5-3. Richards scored first on a power play, and Carle skated up and beat Antti Neimi 10:13 later. Patrick Sharp and Claude Giroux traded goals in 51 seconds, and the score was 3-1 after one. Neimi played well in the second, but unfortunately for the Blackhawks Michael Leighton made some nice saves and didn't let a goal in. And then, Ville Leino scored, and the game looked over. Midway through the third, it was still a 4-1 game. But with 7:59 left, Dave Bolland scored. The pressure caught up to Michael Leighton, and Brian Campbell scored 15:50 into the third. Th...

LA Lakers vs. Boston Celtics The most storied rivalry in history. 15 titles vs. 17 titles. The 12th championship meeting in team history. That means we can expect great things, right? Not really. Kobe Bryant scored 30 points, Ron Artest scored 15, and the Lakers took control of Boston late in the second quarter as Los Angeles won 102-89. Game 2 is Sunday night at 5 PM PT in LA. 27 seconds into the game, Ron Artest and Paul Pierce were back-to-back, elbows locked together. They both tumbled onto the court, earning a double technical. Pau Gasol owned Kevin Garnett, forcing him to miss easy shots and score only 16. Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen scored only 25 points together. 4 Celtics players and 4 Lakers players scored in double-digits. Kobe was also making tough passes down low, and he had 6 assists and 7 rebounds. In addition, he was knocking down the fadeaway jumper he loves to take, and he finished the game with a 3 pointer as the clock wound down. Gasol had the a...

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Philadelphia Flyers It was time the Flyers got back into this series. It was time they made it even. And when Game 3 went into OT, they knew they had their chance. Claude Giroux scored off a rebound 5:59 into OT as the Flyers beat the Blackhawks 4-3 in OT Wednesday night. Game 4 is Friday night in Philadelphia. Danny Briere finally got the puck past Antti Neimi 14:58 into the first period, and Philly led 1-0 after 1. However, Duncan Keith knew that the game wasn't over, and he scored early into the second period. But Philadelphia again took advantage of a power play. This time it was Scott Hartnell who scored on the power play, and the Flyers regained a 1 goal lead. However, center John Madden found Brent Sopel to get the puck past Michael Leighton to tie the game, and give Chicago the momentum. 2:50 into the third period, Patrick Kane scored and Chicago had a 3-2 lead. But that wouldn't last long. Philadelphia quickly got the puck in the...

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Chicago Blackhawks From the moment the puck dropped, both goalies were unstoppable. Michael Leighton didn't let anything get by him, and Antti Neimi stopped great one-timers and made some nice glove saves. But 28 seconds changed the game. Marian Hossa scored off of a rebound with 2:51 in the second period, and Ben Eager got the puck past Michael Leighton's glove as Chicago beat Philadelphia 2-1 to take a 2-0 series lead. Game 3 is Wednesday at 4:30 PM PT. Antti Neimi used his instincts to block quick shots, and use his leg and his glove. The Flyers had some great shots, and they probably could have scored 5 goals against Evgeni Nabokov. But Neimi was unstoppable. The Blackhawks defense helped out, too. Neimi had help all playoffs with blocked shots, and Chicago had 18 in Game 2. Although the Blackhawks have averaged 4 goals per game, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Dustin Byfulgien have not scored. In fact, Toews and Kane don't hav...