Sports cards.1

Jeremy Hermida

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Please rank Shane Victorino, Thome, Andrew Jones and Jeremy Hermida?

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I need to drop one of them.

Thome, Victorino >> Jones > Hermida

Thome is one of the most consistent sluggers that's always underrated fantasy-wise. He's 35+ HR and 90+ RBI in the bank which is great for the util spot. Victorino has the potential to be the NL version of Carl Crawford.

Jones is clearly in the decline of his career but he is young enough to turn it around and be a good source of power at the expense of batting average. Hermida just continues to disappoint every year.

Athletics report: Roster

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Oakland needed to win four in a row to end the season and finish with a .500 record, but the A's felt good about themselves heading into the offseason after taking second place alone in the AL West. With the team's phenomenal young pitching, the players believe they can contend next season.
Merloni/Hermida Interview 2/20/10

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The Rain Maker Sports: Sports Bytes - May 19, 2010

NY Jets DB Darrelle Revis must be experimenting with some of the "therapeutic" plant life on Revis Island. Revis is reportedly demanding a pay raise from the Jets, one that would pay him $20 million per year. Revis is probably the best corner in the NFL, but for that kind of money I would expect him to cover both corner positions and free safety--at the same time . . .

I recognize that I'm going out on a limb, but sometimes you have to take the heat. May 29th's Vitali Klitschko-Albert Sosnowski bout will not sell more PPV buys than did Mayweather-Mosley. There, I said it . . . Incidentally, the Klitschko-Sosnowski promo video doesn't even include Sosnowski highlights. Nothing like trying to sell a fight as legitimate while ignoring the opponent . . .

Florida Marlins SS Hanley Ramirez is quickly becoming the poster boy for why so many sports fans dislike the modern professional athlete. On Tuesday, after misplaying a ball and kicking it, Ramirez appeared to only lackadaisically trot after it. Ramirez insists he was running as fast as he could but was slowed by a left leg injury that occurred an inning before when he fouled a pitch off his left shin. Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez benched Ramirez for his lack of effort. Ramirez responded by snidely suggesting that his benching was okay because "he [Gonzalez] doesn't understand that. He never played in the big leagues ." Ramirez then threw his teammates under the bus by refusing to apologize and adding, "We got a lot of people dogging it after ground balls. They don't apologize." Ramirez might have received the benefit of the doubt about his leg injury had he not earned a reputation as a non-hustler. Marlins 3B Wes Helms was among those critical about Ramirez's laissez-faire attitude: "I can't overlook it. I know people say that's just the way he is, but you know what? That's not the way it is. That's not the way the game's supposed to be played" . . .

If ESPN.com's poll about the issue is any indication, sports fan agree heartily with Gonzalez and Helms' assessment. 25,840 fans responded to the question, "What do you think of Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez benching Hanley Ramirez during a game for not hustling after a ball?" 88% agreed that it was a "Necessary move to send a message", while only 12% believe Gonzalez was "Picking an unnecessary fight with his star" . . .

Incidentally, what's with players named Ramirez and "dogging-it"?

Move over, Hanley Ramirez. According to Profootballtalk.com Washington Redskins DE Albert Haynesworth is skipping the team's voluntary mini-camp because he is upset that he is "being asked to occupy blockers" instead of being allowed to attack the QB as he was promised when he signed with the organization. Unemployment in the U.S. is at 9.9% and many Americans have seen their personal incomes drop over the past year. How many sports fans do you think sympathize with Haynesworth, whose contract is worth $100 million? . . .

Last night was a good night to be a Yankee-hater. Take your pick as to who was the goat most responsible for NY's pitiful choke at the hands of the Red Sox:

• Joba Chamberlain: There is no safe lead when Joba Chamberlain enters a game. Last night Chamberlain imploded for the umpteenth time, entering the game with the Yankees ahead 5-1. After a throwing error by Alex Rodriguez , Chamberlain fell apart. Pedroia singled, Drew doubled to left field, and Youklis singled to right field. Just like that it was 5-4. After a groundout from Victor Martinez, Ortiz singled off the right-centerfield wall to score Youklis. Tie game . . . And a waste of a strong performance by C.C. Sabathia, who pitched seven complete innings and only surrendered one run . . .
• Alex Rodriguez or Marcus Thames: The heroes of Monday night's win committed costly errors in the final two innings. Rodriguez's throwing error in the eighth started Chamberlain's swoon, while Thames dropped fly ball in the ninth extended the inning . . .
• Mariano Rivera: Sure the box score says that Rivera surrendered two unearned runs, but the truth is that if Rivera doesn't give up a double to .227 hitting Jeremy Hermida the Yankees enter the bottom of the ninth tied 5-5 instead of down 7-5 . . .
• Randy Wynn: If Wynn was playing any shallower on Hermida's double he would have been considered a fifth infielder. No excuse for this poor judgment . . . Plus, in the ninth inning with the Yanks down 7-6, Wynn struck out with the tying and winning runs in scoring position . . .

Tough night for NY Mets 3B David Wright. Three strikeouts and a ninth-inning throwing error resulting in the Braves scoring the winning run (3-2) . . .

Sometimes I question whether headline writers actually read the articles before they draft their sound bytes. For ex., here is the Associated Press headline for yesterday's Toronto Blue Jays victory over the Minnesota Twins : "Marcum outduels Pavano as Blue Jays spank Twins". Reading that I expected to learn that the game was a nail-biter that ended with a score of 2-1 or 3-2. What was the final score? 11-2 . . .

The three MLB teams with the worst record in their last 10 games are the Mets, Brewers, and Diamondbacks. All are 2-8 . . .

Contrarily, the teams with the best record in their last 10 games are the Dodgers and the Reds. Both are 9-1 . . .

The Rays are 15-4 on the road . . .

Six periods, zero goals. The Canadiens upset both the #1 seed Washington Capitals and last year's Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins, but they have proved incapable of scoring on Flyer's goaltender Michael Leighton. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Leighton is only "the third goalie to post back-to-back shutouts in the first two games of a conference finals series since 1944" . . .

About the Author

I am a PR Specialist and writer who has publicized world champions such as Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, and mega-events like Lewis-Tyson and De la Hoya-Vargas. Contact Donald Tremblay (The Rain Maker) at 718-664-3405 or at dtremblay@earthlink.net. For more info about me visit my LinkedIn Profile http://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldtremblay