Upsets And Just Simply Upset

Meet Korea's Rocky.
(espn.com)

Did a meteor just hit? Are the seas rising right now? Has Hazeltine burned to the ground? In the PGA Championship this past Sunday, Tiger lost for the first time after leading into the final round in a major. And the defeat was not to Phil, Paddy, or Sergio, but to 37 year old Korean born Y.E. Yang, who had won only one previous tour event. Can you say 300,000-volt shock appeal? Even though I was deflated when Tiger came up short for his 15th major and 5th Wannamaker, I was highly impressed with this kid....errr 37 year old unknown on the scene. Nevermind the fact that he was 110th in the world when this tournament started, he showed the poise of someone who had been playing for over 20 years, despite that this is only his 2nd year on the PGA tour. He laughed off near-misses on putts, almost as if he knew he was going to make that eagle on the 14th hole to stun the world. He let out small chuckles after some tough shots, just sensing he would nail that 2nd shot on 18 to all but seal victory. He had similar mental strength as a body builder has physical strength, which was actually Yang's childhood aspiration. That changed of course when he was 19 when he found that he had enough talent to make the big bucks playing the game of golf rather than teaching it. The most amazing thing is that this wasn't the only time that Mr. Yang held off Tiger. In the 2006 HBSC Championship in Shanghai, the Korean beat Tiger by two strokes, which may have been foreshadowing the grander moment that was to come. The question becomes, "Did Tiger choke"? Woods did shoot a 75 (3-over) in the final round and misread putts all afternoon, very un-Tigerlike in a major. But it wasn't exactly a bout of the Paddy Harrington yips that did him in this one. In fact, no one was consistently making putts on the Hazeltine greens all weekend. I believe in the end, Tiger simply, and finally got slayed by an opponent who had maintained enough mental moxie to carry through 72 holes in a major event. Yes, I have had enough of defeat from my favorites lately. But at least in this occasion, there is a great story to be told and the game of golf will only be better for it. For one, I'm crazy about clutch performances, and Yang's performance on that final round against possibly the all-time great in the sport was definitely worth marveling. Plus in a continent that is ready to embrace the game (And Koreans seem to dominate the women's game already), this David-Goliath victory may be the straw that stirs the Sprite in terms of the emergence of golf's popularity in the Asian continent. More than I can say for what I'm gonna talk about next.

My feelings exactly.
(boston.com)

Well, where do I begin here? Hell, I don't even want to start anywhere in discussing this recent blowup of season, but the writing is appearing clearer on the wall by every week's end. After Sunday afternoon's loss in Texas, the Sox are 12-17 since the break, including an anti-whopping 4-12 against winning teams since the All-Star break. The playoffs have definitely become less of a certainty as the Sox are now a half-game back in the AL Wild Card behind those surging Rangers, all while the Yanks have done everything but popped the cork with their 7.5 game lead in the East. Hell, we were a clutch V-Mart double away from getting swept outright this weekend in Arlington. It's getting to the point that whenever Beckett or Lester don't pitch, I'd rather watch some 1940's boxing re-run on ESPN classic, or struggle through an entire episode of Party of Five (hurts just saying) than to watch the other three in the rotation. Granted, Buchholz pulled another rabbit out with a 7 IP, 1 ER performance against the Tigers on Thursday. However, our anemic offense once again showed their prowess of futility and couldn't muster more than 4 hits of Detroit ace Justin Verlander, which is a definitely a task but still mighty frustrating. Penny is painfully inconsistent, kind of like getting your leg sawed off, at the knee, with all the tendons and ligaments and all that jazz. To top his 5.22 ERA, 27 out of 29 baserunners have been successful in stealing off of him. I think whenever Penny and 'Tek are the battery, they should just put starting blocks on each base for the runners just to make it more exciting and appropriate. Tazawa is exciting and will probably have a decent future, however he is being forced to learn how to pitch in the major league level in the scorching fire of a division...ummmm...Wild Card race due to ineptitude and injury. There is no way you can bank on a young kid who pitched in the Japanese Industrial League last year to save your team from the brink of mediocrity, although it doesn't stop all of us Sox fans from trying. It appears as if the weight of expectations are now placed on the calf of Wakefield and the shoulder of Matsuzaka to save this once "Mariana Trench"-deep rotation. The return of Alex Gonzalez and the imminent return of Paul Byrd doesn't exactly fill me with feelings of warm and fuzzy nostalgia. All of this, and I just found out that this weekend's Yankees series will start off with Penny and Tazawa. For the sake of my right hand, I'll stop ranting before I punch a hole through my window. Happy Monday everyone!

Before I Peace: Deadline Doom

(ejmabaseball.com)

It goes without saying that the "Natinals" need some kind of buzzworthy player on their club that will sell uniforms with any form of spelling in the front of them. Enter one of the most highly touted prospects in a long time, Stephen Strasburg, who tore up the college circuit at San Diego State with 133 Ks in 97 1/3 innings and even garnered a 23 K performance against Utah! As the midnight deadline approaches, the Nats have offered the righty phenom a record $17 million dollar contract with incentives that would make it $20 million. Combined, that is almost double what Mark Prior received when he was drafted. I'm probably not the only guy who has said that no salary would be substantial if I played for the Nats. But if I were the young kid, I would take it and giggle happily for this may literally be a steal (A Steve Miller song comes to mind). As this Thomas Boswell article in the Washington Post details early on, prospect pitchers drafted this high don't exactly save the world, yet the baseball world doesn't exactly learn. Forget the WebMD Mark Prior injury report, only one pitcher taken in the top 18 has won 200 games, and nobody in the top 4 has won a Cy Young. If you reject this deal Mr. Strasburg, it wouldn't exactly start off your reputation on a high note, considering you are already affiliated with El Diablo...ehemm...Scott Boras. Looking for a better offer from a potentially better locale perhaps? Well, it looks like the Nats are on their way to being on top of the draft board next season as well, so you are not doing yourself any favors by playing hardball on the negotiating table this year. I'm going out on a limb here, but I don't think your boyhood dream was to throw 102-MPH fastballs for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.

Mochaman's Fantasy Baseball Report
- Bubba Gump Shrimpz - 145-100-21 (2nd, Steroid Freaks' Anonymous, 7 GB)
Got the big week I needed, but only gained a half game. Pitching survived despite horrible weeks from my relievers (Papelbon, Cordero, Nuñez). Super excited that Dan Haren is back, and with Tim Lincecum, should propel my team to future success. Must stay within striking distance in order to force a heavyweight battle between me and my buddy P-Mac for the division crown. Once again livin' on the edge On Cloud 10!

- Mocha Sox - 83-100-7 (10th, Yahoo Public 38095, 26.5 GB)
Looks like Mocha Magic hit another road block. Pitching wasn't helped out by Wandy Rodriguez's poor outing. Praying for Justin Upton to come back and liven up this offense. Only 8.5 GB of playoff contention with 3 weeks left, but time is going to run out faster with this inconsistent play (Kinda' like another Sox team I know.).

- Firehawks - 84-94-12 (8th, Yahoo Public 162279, 26.5 GB)
Another series won for the 'Hawks. The team offense got a boost from the resurgence of both Bay and Tulowitzki. However, it was the Beckett/Lester led pitching staff that carried the team to a 7-3 series victory. 10 GB away from creeping out the consolation bracket with only a few matchups left. Needless to say, coming up huge this week is somewhat important.