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Pat Burrell:
Phillies LF continues his sizzling April, smacking a 2-run HR and extending his April RBI total to 17 (in 7 games). And it's only April 12th!
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The Lead Item
Two Words For You:
PRIOR. RESTRAINT.
Which NL starting pitcher would you
most want to build a franchise around?
Mark Prior is the default, but he comes with a
"if healthy" caveat the size of Chicago's Sears
Tower.
Unintentionally, the Padres are building theirs around
Jake Peavy, thanks to building the most
pitcher-friendly park in baseball.
Prior makes his 2005 debut today in a Wrigley day-game
after spending his spring with an elbow injury that is
freaking out Cubs fans.
Peavy started his '05 last week (6.6 IP, 0 ER) similar
to the way he ended 2004 -- as the NL's ERA
king.
Two seasons removed from Prior's NLCS meltdown (more
his fault than Bartman's), Peavy's Padres are the NL's
hot team with young pitching.
Even though teammate Carlos Zambrano has emerged as
the Cubs' real ace, Mark Prior remains a
near-mythic "franchise" name among fans.
That's why all eyes are on Wrigley today, for any sign
of pain. The franchise is banking on it. Both
franchises, actually.
More: See Big 5, Today's Poll for more NL
"franchise" SP talk.
Sox Ring Ceremony
"Great/corny/ridiculous" is how one of
my informed colleagues aptly put the Fenway
festivities. That's right on the money.
For me, the highlight moment was the Sox fans'
playful cheering for... Mariano Rivera, who took it in
stride, tipping his cap.
Also enjoyed ex-Sox Derek Lowe and Dave
Roberts, dressed in their old Sox jerseys. Some
critics had issues with that; yikes, lighten
up.
Oh, was there a game? Boston should hold a
party before every game with NY, based on the
way they thumped them 8-1 afterward.
Still waiting to see replicas on the hands of
RSN faithful everywhere. (Oh, right: Title rings look
ridiculous when you didn't earn them.)
Nuggets Rule
Denver is the new No. 1 in Stein's NBA
Power Rankings, clinching a playoff spot last night
that two months ago looked improbable.
It's an exciting turnaround story, but Denver
must climb into the 6th seed to have a chance
to make it out of the first round.
If the season ended today, they'd be playing the Spurs
-- Denver's only chance would be with Duncan still out
of the Spurs' lineup.
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CHECK OUT THE QUICKIE EVERY WEEKDAY MORNING! |
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| WHO'S GOT THE MOMENTUM ... |
Reggie Miller: Passes Logo for NBA career scoring (12th)
Curt Schilling: Says he's "ready" for Wed debut vs. NYY
Carl Pavano: Says he's "fine" and will make next start
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| ... AND WHO'S GOT NO MO' |
A. Iverson: May miss game vs. Boston tonight (7, ESPN2)
LaVar Arrington: Lashes out at Skins for lack of support
Mike Tyson: Signs for comeback fight, June 11 in D.C.
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(Denver should avoid the 5th seed, too; that matches
them up with the Suns in the second round, and PHX
owns them.)
NBA Limit Racist?
Jermaine O'Neal is allowed to take the
NBA age-limit talk personally, given that he's part of
the extensive prep-to-pro talent pool that makes a
20-y.o. limit such a ludicrous proposition.
But is J.O. right in saying the policy could be
racist?
His accusation speaks to intent, and I don't
think that's the NBA's intent. The policy is, however,
culturally biased: It affects African-American players
way more than white ones.
The league might argue that the policy helps the
greater proportion of African-American teens who would
otherwise be making a mistake by entering the NBA too
early.
(Of course, the prep-to-pro leap has yet to be proven
a mistake, based on the proportion of teens who have
turned into good or great players.)
LeBron for MVP?
Literally shouldering the Cavs into the
playoffs, he delivered yet another 48-minute effort in
a W over Orlando to put the Cavs in sole possession of
7th place in the East over the idle Sixers.
LeBron may earn Cleveland its spot, but with all these
no-rest games, will he have anything left in his tank
for the first round? He's leading the league in
minutes logged by the equivalent of nearly two full
games.
If the Cavs do hold on to the 7-seed, their reward is
a date with the Pistons, who clinched the Central
Division title (and the No. 2 seed) with a win last
night over the Bulls.
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T.O. Calls Len P.
"I can't do right and I can't do
wrong," Owens told ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli in a
phone call last night.
T.O. also can't really give a good explanation about
rumors he's looking to modify his Eagles
contract.
He can, however, take a quick shot at McNabb
while defending his Super recovery: "I wasn't the guy
who got tired in the Super Bowl."
Tracking...
Quickie Book Club
Some baseball titles:
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Burning":
Jonathan Mahler's book vividly describes wild summer
of '77 in NYC.
"Luckiest Man": Jonathan Eig has put together
the definitive bio of Lou Gehrig.
"Baseball Prospectus 2005": Has become the
indispensable gold standard for anyone who takes
baseball seriously.
"All Those Mornings...": Great collection of
legendary Shirley Povich's Washington Post columns,
baseball and more.
Yes, there are many, many offerings about the Red
Sox. Not my bag....
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Rockies Jorge Piedra:
MLB 'roid "outings" are making a mockery of critics who think that the stars are the big juicers. Makes sense that marginal players need extra help.
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Today on ESPN.com
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| Quickie live! |
| NBA Power Rankings |
| T.O. Calling |
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| Ranking NL SP Franchise "Anchors" |  Mark Prior
| Caveat: "When healthy"
|  Jake Peavy
| Low-profile in Petco
|  Ben Sheets
| Brewers' Johan S.?
|  Jason Schmidt
| Reliably excellent
|  Tim Hudson
| | Must prove NL mettle |
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More from Fenway: Perhaps the best sight was Pats LB
Tedy Bruschi throwing out the first pitch.
Tim Hudson NL Cy Watch: Makes 2nd start of season vs.
those pesky Nats.
NFL Draft: Braylon Edwards meets with 49ers, SF media
and calls himself a "Terrell Owens-type of receiver."
Is that worth a No. 1 overall pick?
Michelle Wie competing on the PGA Tour is one of the
best storylines in sports. She'll play in July's Deere
Classic, in a must-see.
Pats Management Watch: Restructure Corey Dillon's deal
to ease cap hit now and pay him more later. More smart
thinking from NE front office.
Thought last year's Mickelson Masters would be hard to
top? TV ratings were up 41 PERCENT in 2005 (best since
Tiger's charge in 2001).
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