NBA Mock Draft

April 20th, 2007: Red Sox 7, Yankees 6

April 21, 2007
Red Sox 7, Yankees 6
Rodriguez Adds to Hot Streak, but Rivera Lets Lead Slip Away

By TYLER KEPNER
BOSTON, April 20 — In the breezy days of spring training, the plan seemed so logical to Yankees Manager Joe Torre. His indispensable closer, Mariano Rivera, would be restricted to one inning in 2007. It was better, Torre reasoned, to be careful with an elbow that was fragile last September.

Only 15 games into the season, with a rally bubbling in the caldron of Fenway Park, Torre changed his mind. The Yankees needed five outs to secure a three-run lead, and Torre bypassed five other relievers to call for his old reliable.

But Rivera could not deliver. The Boston Red Sox rallied for five runs in the eighth inning, four with Rivera on the mound, to upend the Yankees, 7-6. Even Alex Rodriguez, who homered twice against Curt Schilling, could not save the Yankees this time, lining out in the ninth inning.

“Anything that happens in this park is never surprising,” Rodriguez said. “So it’s not like you’re in awe. They’ve done it to us before in this park. A five-run lead is a two-run lead. The key is to capitalize, and when you’re ahead, step on them.”

The Yankees could not do that, leaving the bases loaded in the eighth inning. And when David Ortiz doubled against Mike Myers to start the Red Sox’ half, it kicked off a rally that culminated with Álex Cora’s bloop single to left over a drawn-in infield.

“That was Arizona,” Torre said, referring to the flare that ended the 2001 World Series against Rivera. “The ball hit the back of the infield. That’s Mo. He’s going to break some bats. You don’t get good results when you have to play out of position.”

Rivera has had only two save chances this season. He blew the first last Sunday on a two-out, three-run homer by Oakland’s Marco Scutaro. This time, he had help.

After Ortiz’s double, Torre called for Luis Vizcaino, who walked Manny Ramírez. With one out, Mike Lowell singled home Ortiz.

Despite his other options, Torre said that he used Rivera because he had not pitched since Sunday and was rested. He also gave him plenty of time to warm up, and the primary setup man, the erratic Kyle Farnsworth, rarely pitches on consecutive days. The plans of spring were gone.

“I lied, what can I tell you?” Torre said. “I’m not going to defend it. I lied. I didn’t plan on lying, but I did. As it turned out, he didn’t pitch two innings. I sort of, in a roundabout way, held to the one-inning stuff.”

Jason Varitek greeted Rivera with a single to right that drove in Ramírez, cutting the lead to 6-4. Coco Crisp then tripled down the right-field line, driving in Lowell and Varitek to tie the score. Cora’s single scored Crisp to put Boston ahead.

After the Oakland loss, Rivera blamed himself for his location. This time, Rivera said, all three hits came on cutters that he did not regret.

“There’s no one pitch that I would like to bring back, not at all,” Rivera said. “Varitek hit a good pitch. Crisp hit a good pitch, too, a ground ball that just found the hole. And the other guy, Cora, hit another one. Just find the holes.”

Rodriguez has been finding holes all month, usually over outfield fences. Johnny Damon acknowledged that the Yankees were “riding that A-Rod wave.” Rodriguez has more home runs than nine entire teams and has 476 in his career, more than Stan Musial and Willie Stargell, the Hall of Famers he tied and passed Friday.

His run production is just as staggering. Rodriguez has 30 runs batted in over the first 15 games. According to the Society for American Baseball Research, no other player has done that in the past 50 years.

But for all of Rodriguez’s heroics, including an eighth-inning double, the Yankees could not do much else. After Jason Giambi singled to drive in Rodriguez and put the Yankees up, 6-2, Torre removed Giambi for a pinch-runner, Kevin Thompson.

“I’m just trying to get another run,” Torre said, “and in this ballpark, if you’re going to score from second on a base hit, it’s going to have to be someone with more leg speed than Jason has. And if things work out the way we anticipate, Jason’s spot doesn’t come up again.”

But it did, at the worst possible time. With closer Jonathan Papelbon unavailable after pitching the past two nights, the Red Sox turned to Hideki Okajima in the ninth. After Bobby Abreu walked with one out, Okajima jammed Rodriguez with a 3-2 fastball for a lineout to second.

“Throughout the whole at-bat, he didn’t give me one fat pitch, so give him credit,” Rodriguez said. “And he gave me a strike.”

Thompson was up next, and he struck out trying to check his swing on a breaking ball. Okajima, of all people, had the save, and Rivera and the Yankees had a mystifying loss.

INSIDE PITCH
Catcher Jorge Posada left the game with a bruised left thumb, sustained on the second pitch of David Ortiz’s first at-bat. X-rays taken during the game were negative, but Joe Torre said that Posada might miss two days. Josh Phelps is the emergency catcher for the Yankees, who could need to make a roster move. ... Chien-Ming Wang has been cleared to return to the Yankees on Tuesday against the Devil Rays, with Hideki Matsui scheduled to return the day before. Both are recovering from strained hamstrings, as is Mike Mussina, who will throw in the bullpen on Saturday. Torre said that it was reasonable to think Mussina could be back by the first week in May. ... Derek Jeter has reached base safely in 55 of his past 56 games, a stretch that started the day before the Yankees’ five-game sweep at Fenway last August. ... The Red Sox wore green uniforms and caps in honor of Red Auerbach, the architect of the Celtics. Bob Cousy, the Celtics’ Hall of Famer, threw out the first pitch.

Van Ness wins Citrus Basket V

post to come....seriously.

Gator Repeat?

Two number one seeds in the final. No one picked Ohio State. Three have Florida and all three are either tied for first or tied for third.

Van Ness and Sperry are tied for the lead. Van Ness has Florida on Monday night and will win Citrus Basket V if the Gators win. Sperry didn’t pick Ohio State yet he’ll be pulling for the Buckeye’s in the final. Sperry and Van Ness both picked 26 out of 32 in the first round. Sperry nosed out Van Ness in the second round 13 to 12. Sperry has an overall record of 48-15 and Van Ness is at 47-15 with one game to play. Two impressive brackets going head to head tomorow. Good luck to both of you.

KittyKatKevKev and Nayt Dogg are the other two with Florida as the Champion. If Florida wins, they will both pass Sperry to tie for second.

96 (1-1) // Sperry // Kansas City, MO
96 (2-0) // Van Ness // Portland, OR

89 (1-1) // KittyKatKevKev // Portland, OR
89 (1-1)// Bev // Overland Park, KS
89 (2-0) // Nayt Dogg // Tulsa, OK

85 // Theresa Ann // Rochester, MN

81 // Butterworth the Bulldog // Washington DC

79 (1-1) // Simba // Los Angles, CA*
79 (1-1) // Spurgin // Portland OR

78 // Edward Feedtime // Lawrence, KS

77 (1-1) // Pa O’Neil // Lenexa, KS

73 // K Dees // Washington DC
73 // Ma O’Neil // Lenexa, KS
73 // Jim // Overland Park, KS

72 // Stoph // Washington DC
72 // Kitty// Rochester, MN
72 // Liam // Kansas City, MO

71 // Argo // Portland, OR
71 // Gern Blanston // Roca Baton, FL

70 // Victoria // Portland, OR

67 // Truffle the Bulldog // Washington DC

Final Four

89 (3-1) // Sperry // Kansas City, MO

85 (3-1) // Theresa Ann // Rochester, MN

82 (1-3) // KittyKatKevKev // Portland, OR
82 (2-2) // Van Ness // Portland, OR
82 (2-2)// Bev // Overland Park, KS

81 (3-1) // Butterworth the Bulldog // Washington DC

78 (2-2) // Edward Feedtime // Lawrence, KS

75 (3-1) // Nayt Dogg // Lawrence, KS

73 (1-3) // K Dees // Washington DC
73 (1-3) // Ma O’Neil // Lenexa, KS
73 (1-3) // Jim // Overland Park, KS

72 (1-3) // Simba // Los Angles, CA*
72 (1-3) // Stoph // Washington DC
72 (1-3) // Kitty// Rochester, MN
72 (2-2) // Liam // Kansas City, MO
72 (2-2) // Spurgin // Portland OR

71 (1-3) // Argo // Portland, OR
71 (1-3)// Gern Blanston // Roca Baton, FL

70 (0-4) // Victoria // Portland, OR
70 (1-3) // Pa O’Neil // Lenexa, KS

67 (2-2) // Truffle the Bulldog // Washington DC

1-2-1-2-1-2-3-1

All of the top seeds advance to the Elite Eight, except the Badgers who are replaced by the third seed Ducks. If the Elite Eight lacks an upstart small program like George Mason, it has been replaced by an undersized player: Oregon’s Freshman 5’ 6” Tajan Porter. He shot the Ducks into the Elite Eight and Sunday they will face Florida who survived the pesky Butler Bulldogs.

Runnin’ Rebel Kevin Kruger looks just like his dad but with moppy hair. The Silver Lake, Kansas native coached his fourth different team to the Sweet Sixteen (UNLV, Florida, Illinois, Kansas State) and Kevin had the Rebels on a late rally against the Ducks. They could not overcome one of this years great tournament performances by Porter. His late free throws iced the game for the Ducks, who were withering something terrible, almost throwing away a late second half 15 point lead. Porter went 8-12 from behind the arc to get the
Ducks up big and finished with 33 points.

This from ESPN:

“You get the feeling he (Porter) was feeling good,” Ducks guard Aaron Brooks said. “He’s been doing it all year. It’s not surprising to me. I had a front-row seat, the best seat in the house.”

The Ducks wouldn’t be on the precipice of their first Final Four since winning it all in 1939 without the diminutive guard, who hit four 3-pointers against Winthrop in the second round to send Oregon to the second week of the tournament.

That he’s playing at this level at all is an upset of sorts.

The Oregon coaching staff went to Renaissance High School in Detroit to scout guard Malik Hairston, a McDonald’s All-American. But an assistant coach spotted Porter—two years younger than Hairston —draining shots from all over the court. He implored Kent to give him a chance.

Porter jumped on the scholarship offer from Oregon — the only big-name school to come calling. Now he’s become the darling of a tournament lacking a true underdog.

“I just came out with a lot of confidence,” Porter said.

After he and Hairston hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 66-49 with 5:23 to play, UNLV began chipping away.

Kevin Kruger and Michael Umeh combined for 13 points during a 17-4 run that got the Runnin’ Rebels within 70-66 with 50.2 seconds to play. But Porter hit 4-of-6 from the line in the last 41 seconds and UNLV’s Joe Darger missed a 3-pointer with 30 seconds to go.

"I did get a little heated by our intensity, about our effort and
about our concentration…"

The other bracket saw both of the top seeds overcome double digit deficiets. The Tarheels climbed out of the deepest hole:

Even before they heard coach Roy Williams hollering, Brandan Wright and his North Carolina teammates could tell they were in big trouble.

Down by 16 points early in the second half, the top-seeded Tar Heels suddenly shifted into another gear. Fueled by a huge run, they pulled off their biggest rally of the season and beat Southern California 74-64 Friday night in the East Regional semifinals.

“It was a fantastic comeback to say the least,” Williams said. “I have a great deal of confidence in my team. ... I knew we wouldn’t give up.”

“At halftime, I didn’t throw any chairs,” he said. “I did get a little heated by our intensity, about our effort and about our concentration, but I personally never lost faith in our kids,” he said.

Despite off games by Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson, the Tar Heels (31-6) saved themselves with an 18-0 run, triggered when they pounded the offensive glass.

The turnaround seemed to catch Wright by surprise.

“I didn’t know it was an 18-0 run,” he said. “When our team can make spurts like that ... we really are going to be hard to stop.”

77 (7-1) // KittyKatKevKev // Portland, OR

74 (6-2) // Sperry // Kansas City, MO

72 (6-2) // Van Ness // Portland, OR
72 (6-2)// Bev // Overland Park, KS

70 (6-2) // Victoria // Portland, OR
70 (6-2) // Theresa Ann // Rochester, MN

68 (5-3) // K Dees // Washington DC
68 (7-1) // Edward Feedtime // Lawrence, KS*
68 (6-2) // Ma O’Neil // Lenexa, KS
68 (6-2) // Jim // Overland Park, KS

67 (5-3) // Simba // Los Angles, CA*
67 (5-3) // Stoph // Washington DC
67 (5-3) // Kitty// Rochester, MN

66 (4-4) // Butterworth the Bulldog // Washington DC
66 (5-3) // Argo // Portland, OR
66 (5-3)// Gern Blanston // Roca Baton, FL

65 (5-3) // Pa O’Neil // Lenexa, KS

62 (4-4) // Liam // Kansas City, MO
62 (5-3) // Spurgin // Portland OR

60 (4-4) // Nayt Dogg // Lawrence, KS*

57 (3-5) // Truffle the Bulldog // Washington DC

* adjusted score [kittykat error]

Survive and Advance

Only 12 points seperate first from last.

Here is an incredibel stat: 22 Final Four picks have been eliminated thus far. 6 brackets have all four remaining, 8 have only lost one and 7 have lost two. That’s it! An average of 1 Fianl Four team per bracket is out. With only 12 teams left in the tournament, that’s an incredible number.




62 (4-0) // Simba // Los Angles, CA
62 (4-0)// Victoria // Portland, OR

61 (3-1) // KittyKatKevKev // Portland, OR

60 (3-1) // Van Ness // Portland, OR
60 (3-1) // K Dees // Washington DC
60 (3-1)// Bev // Overland Park, KS

59 (3-1) // Stoph // Washington DC

58 (2-2) // Sperry // Kansas City, MO
58 (2-2) // Butterworth the Bulldog // Washington DC
58 (3-1) // Argo // Portland, OR
58 (4-0) // Edward Feedtime // Tulsa, OK

57 (3-1) // Pa O’Neil // Lenexa, KS
57 (3-1) // Kitty// Rochester, MN

56 (3-1) // Ma O’Neil // Lenexa, KS

54 (2-2) // Theresa Ann // Rochester, MN
54 (2-2)// Gern Blanston // Roca Baton, FL
54 (3-1) // Nayt Dogg // Tulsa, OK

53 (2-2) // Truffle the Bulldog // Washington DC

52 (12-2) // Jim // Overland Park, KS

50 (1-3) // Liam // Kansas City, MO
50 (2-2) // Spurgin // Portland OR