Game 5 start Wilson’s Texas swan song? (AP)
Game 5 start Wilson’s Texas swan song? (AP)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)—St. Louis’ Allen Craig(notes) had no chance of getting another pinch-hit RBI off Texas reliever Alexi Ogando(notes) in Game 3 of the World Series. Craig pulled off that feat to win Game 1, then did it again for the first run in Game 2. His success earned him a spot in the starting lineup Saturday night. He was batting second and playing right field, with Lance Berkman(notes) moving to designated hitter. Craig is the first player to have two pinch hits in a single World Series. For them to come in his first two World Series at-bats, and both to be so crucial, is pretty incredible. For them to come off the same pitcher, and on virtually the same pitch in the same spot is “kind of weird,” Craig said. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. It also was the byproduct of a lot of hard work. As a rookie in 2010, Craig went 1 for 7 with three strikeouts as a pinch hitter. He didn’t exactly embrace the role for all the obvious reasons—coming off the bench means you’re not starting, and the odds are stacked against a guy coming in cold with only one chance to make something happen. But Craig took a different approach this season. He accepted that it was his way of making a difference when he didn’t start. He talked to coaches Mark McGwire and Mike Aldrete about the best mindset for those chances, and the results showed. He went 7 for 22 with only a single strikeout. His .318 as a pinch hitter was even a smidge better than his .315 average in all other at-bats. “I try to take it for what it’s worth—a brief chance to impact the game,” Craig said. “Most of the time, you’re not going to be successful because it’s that hard to do. I just try not to put too much pressure on myself and trust my ability and keep it simple. Don’t try to hit the ball too hard or anything like that. Just see it, hit it and hope they can’t catch it.” So is it fair to say that he no longer considers it a pain? “It’s grown on me a little bit,” Craig said, smiling. GUNNING FOR 80: Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki was so excited about taking the mound for the ceremonial first pitch of Game 3 of the World Series that he tweeted about it before heading out to Rangers Ballpark. He wrote: “Fired up for tonight. Already warmin up in my backyard. Radar gun gonna read mid 80s. Let’s do this. Go rangers.” Nowitzki threw out a first pitch this summer, soon after leading the Mavs to their first NBA championship. As the MVP of the finals, he received a huge ovation and lots of laughs for walking out carrying a basketball. He did his trademark step-back jumper with the big ball, then threw the pitch so high that Michael Young had to jump to catch it. Young was to be behind the plate again. Nowitzki was in the stands for Game 6 of the AL championship series, wearing his Rangers jersey with his name and basketball number, 41. Between him being a fan, and the championship connection, it only made sense for him to have this honor—except, apparently, to some MLB officials. Nowitzki initially was told he couldn’t do it, supposedly because of something to do with the NBA lockout. Once word of that spread, and was roundly panned, baseball officials gave the green light. Meanwhile, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa went to dinner Friday night with Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. “I asked him about what we do to get an edge in this series, and he said, `Hand the ball to Dirk,”’ La Russa said. “And I said, `I can’t do that.’ He said, `This is Dallas, I can’t be telling the Cardinals how to beat the Rangers.”’ GRIDLOCK: The Rangers and their NFL neighbors, the Cowboys, are doing all they can to spread the word to people with tickets on Sunday—leave early. Like, now. The Cowboys kick off at 3:15 p.m. Sunday against, of all teams, the St. Louis Rams at their stadium, just a few blocks from the Rangers’ ballpark. The Rangers and Cardinals begin Game 4 of their series at 7:05 p.m. Because of the proximity of the venues, each team uses the others’ parking lots. They can’t this time, and there will be the traffic nightmare of roughly 80,000 football fans leaving around the time 50,000 baseball fans will be arriving. “We encourage everyone to be patient and arrive early,” the Cowboys wrote in a news release issued Friday. To try unclogging things, the Cowboys are opening their parking lots at 10 a.m. The Rangers are opening their lots at 2 p.m. FLIP IT, FLIP IT GOOD: Sluggers Josh Hamilton of the Rangers and Lance Berkman of the Cardinals will be down the street a few hours before Game 4 on Sunday taking part in the pregame coin toss for the game between their cities’ NFL teams. Hamilton will represent the Cowboys, and Berkman the Rams when the referee makes the flip. Kickoff is at 3:15 p.m. The Rangers are scheduled to take batting practice at 4:15 p.m., and the Cardinals at 5:15 p.m. GAME 4 STARTERS: Texas left-hander Derek Holland was a joke in his World Series debut last year. He walked all three batters he faced in Game 2, only to see them all score after he left. Seriously, Holland himself says he jokes about how things went “because if you let it eat you up, it’s going to hurt you more.” He also proudly notes that he bounced back with a scoreless inning in his only other outing, the final inning of a loss in Game 4. On Sunday night, he’ll get a chance for a better World Series memory when he starts Game 3 against St. Louis and right-hander Edwin Jackson. “To be honest, now that I’m getting to start, I have a lot more that I want,” Holland said. “I feel like I’ve got a lot to prove after what happened last year, but it’s obviously not going to take me out of my game or what I have to do for this next start.” Jackson’s World Series history is similarly underwhelming. In 2008, he pitched two innings in relief for Tampa Bay in a Game 4 loss to the Phillies. “I’m definitely going to take advantage of it and do my best and leave it on the field,” Jackson said. Both starters are 1-0 this postseason, and both their teams are 3-0 when they start. They haven’t exactly been innings-eaters, though. Jackson has gone from six innings to 4 1-3 to two innings. His ERA is 5.84 and opponents are hitting .314. Holland has gone 2 2-3 and 4 2-3 in his last two starts. Jackson started once against Texas this season and lost, giving up four runs on 11 hits over 5 1-3 innings while pitching for the White Sox. MISSING MITCH: A year ago, rookie first baseman Mitch Moreland was a surprise standout for the Texas Rangers in the postseason as the went to their first World Series. Going into Game 3 of this year’s World Series, Moreland was hitting only .105 (2 for 19) in the playoffs and hadn’t yet played against the St. Louis Cardinals. And the left-hander wasn’t in the lineup against a right-handed pitcher Saturday night. “It’s obvious he hasn’t had a very good playoffs compared to last year,” manager Ron Washington said Saturday. “We certainly haven’t given up on Mitch.” Moreland didn’t make his major league debut until late July 2010 after Justin Smoak was traded for Cliff Lee. But Moreland played 15 of 16 playoff games last year (starting 13 at first base) and a team-best .348. He was 6 of 13 in the World Series, including a homer in Game 3 at Rangers Ballpark, and was the only Texas player with a hit in every World Series game. In 134 games this season, his first full season in the majors, he hit .259 with 16 homers and 51 RBIs. “He’s progressed a heck of a lot,” Washington said. “He handled himself well when things didn’t go as well. That’s growth. We’ve still got a lot of confidence in Mitch.”
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Troicki, Zvonareva into Moscow quarters (AP)
Troicki, Zvonareva into Moscow quarters (AP)
MOSCOW (AP)—Igor Andreev, slowed by knee pain in a hometown tournament he won in 2005, lost to eighth-seeded Andreas Seppi of Italy 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) Monday in the first round of the Kremlin Cup. Another Italian, seventh-seeded Roberta Vinci, did not fare so well, beaten by Vera Dushevina of Russia 7-6 (4), 6-4. Andreev, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 18 in 2008, has dropped to No. 115 and hasn’t made it to a quarterfinal this season. He will decide his future in tennis later this year. “You cannot beat anyone playing on one leg,” he said. On Monday, he broke twice to win the first set. But Seppi, ranked 53rd, made one break in the second set and one more early in the third to serve for the match at 1-1 and 5-4 up. But the Russian broke back to force a tiebreaker. “A tiebreaker is always a lottery,” Andreev said. “I made a couple of mistakes, then narrowed the gap to 5-4 down but luck was on his side.” Dushevina was down 4-0 in the first set and 4-2 in the second before winning four consecutive games to wrap up the match. “It was a tough match and I was trailing in both sets,” Dushevina said. “But I managed to turn my luck.” Also in the women’s first round, Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi defeated Italy’s Sara Errani 6-0, 7-5; Nadia Petrova beat fellow wild card Evgeniya Rodina 6-4, 7-6 (3) in an all-Russian match; and Serbia’s Bojana Jovanovski ousted Ukraine’s Alona Bondarenko 6-3, 6-0. In the men’s opener, Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia advanced to the second round with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Karol Beck of Slovakia; Pere Riba of Spain beat Andreas Haider-Maurer of Austria 6-2, 6-7 (1), 6-3; and Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan defeated Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic 7-6 (5), 7-5. Janko Tipsarevic, the runner-up in 2009, headlines the men’s draw. Vera Zvonareva, who won in 2008, tops the women’s field. Zvonareva is among the seven players who have already qualified for next week’s season-ending WTA Tour championships in Istanbul. Second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, who won the China Open in Beijing a week ago for her second straight title and third of the season, needs to win just one match in Moscow to secure the last spot in the championships. Third-seeded Marion Bartoli, who beat Samantha Stosur in the Japan Open final Sunday, has a slim chance of qualifying if she wins in Moscow and Radwanska loses her opener.
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Etan Thomas considers the owners’ point of view, in caricature
Etan Thomas considers the owners’ point of view, in caricature
Veteran big man Etan Thomas(notes) is the rare NBA player who may be better known for his exploits off the court than on it. In addition to occupying the end of many teams’ benches, Thomas has written and performed poetry, become a political activist, and served as a vice president of the players’ union. He has many interests — not quite a renaissance man, but not your typical professional athlete either. In other words, he has a reputation as a thoughtful man. So, when he penned a piece for ESPN.com written from the point of view of the NBA owners during the lockout, I approached it with some interest. Here’s a sample: The fans will always side with us no matter what the facts are. They don’t see us as greedy; they see the players as greedy. They don’t see us as being unreasonable; they see the players as being unreasonable. Their anger will turn directly toward the players once they no longer have basketball in their living rooms. We know fans don’t want to see their favorite teams broken up because of a strict hard cap or an incredibly harsh luxury tax, which is the same as a hard cap. But it isn’t about what the fans want; we plan to impose our will on the players, and the fans will have no choice but to accept the outcome. We haven’t budged drastically from our original proposal because, quite frankly, we don’t feel we have to. We’re just going to sit back and wait for the players to self-destruct while we stick to our position. [...] We also know that if teams controlled their own spending, hired the right people to evaluate talent and made better decisions, they wouldn’t be operating in the red. But that isn’t how we are going to present it to the public. We will divert the attention away from the real crux of the problem. These passages are indicative of the quite lengthy piece: It presents the owners as condescending, arrogant, and generally disdainful of anyone who dares question their right to make money. (There’s also a bizarre reference to the romantic comedy “The Break-Up,” presumably because it’s Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley’s favorite movie.) It’s a reasonably accurate portrait of the apparent owner mindset, but also one that seems counterproductive to the task at hand. I’m no fan of the owners’ approach to the lockout — it’s mean-spirited at best (and dishonest at worst) to make claims of financial ruin without opening every franchise’s books. However, Thomas is not just a commentator on the lockout: He’s a key member of the negotiating team. Given his role, painting the owners in such a poor light goes well beyond spin control and veers towards recklessness. As a negotiator, Thomas must keep things courteous and respectful at all times. Things would be different if the players’ union were taking an especially hardline stance during these talks, but all indications show that it is focused on working out a deal. How exactly does Thomas’ column help it reach that goal? It’s necessary for a union leader to boost morale and remind members that their cause is a noble one. But that’s best done by arguing for the righteousness of their own point of view, not turning the perspective of the opposition into something they’re likely to construe as a barren field of straw men. The lockout is a labor fight, not a debate of principles judged on the merits. The players need to win the battle by convincing the owners to agree to their demands, not by insulting them in public. Why would Thomas feel the need to alienate them when they’ve already shown the ability to be remarkably immature in the face of perceived slights and discord? Is a bigger gap between players and owners a positive outcome at this stage? Related: NBA lockout
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Radwanska wins Pan Pacific Open (AP)
Radwanska wins Pan Pacific Open (AP)
TOKYO (AP)—Maria Sharapova defeated Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand 6-2, 7-5 Monday in a second-round match at the Pan Pacific Open played under the roof because of rain. After taking the first set in 30 minutes behind a blistering forehand, the second-seeded Russian quickly went up 3-0 in the second set before faltering. Tanasugarn suddenly came to life, breaking in the fourth game and winning five of the next seven games to make it 5-5. Sharapova dug in during the 11th game, however, breaking again and then closing the match with an ace at a covered Ariake Colosseum. “I served really well today,” Sharapova said. “It was important for me to serve well because she reads the ball really well. I had a bit of letdown in the second set. She started playing really well. I was glad I was able to come back and win it in two sets.” Also advancing were seventh-seeded Marion Bartoli of France and two top Serbians, eighth-seeded Jelena Jankovic and 12th-seeded Ana Ivanovic. Sharapova said the players are happy to support this tournament following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. “The commitment the players have shown is incredible,” she said. “With nearly a full draw, I think the players have shown their dedication.” The annual WTA Tour tournament is normally outdoors, but late-morning rain forced the closure of the roof over the main court and suspension of play on outdoor courts. Bartoli defeated Ayumi Morita of Japan 6-3, 0-6, 6-3, and Jankovic beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-2. Bartoli prevailed in a baseline battle despite a second-set whitewash. She overpowered Morita with a strong backhand in a final set featuring service breaks in the first three games. Morita committed several unforced errors in the third set, leading to her defeat. Serving to stay in the match, Morita staved off four match points before succumbing. Qualifier Mandy Minella of Luxembourg rallied past Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, and Ivanovic defeated qualifier Anastasia Rodionova of Australia 6-4, 6-0. Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, seeded first in the $2 million tournament, has a first-round bye and on Tuesday plays the winner of the match between Rebecca Marino of Canada and Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia. U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur of Australia also opens Tuesday, facing Maria Kirilenko of Russia or Erika Sema of Japan.
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