Tiger Again...Barely

I might say this about a lot of things, but I think I could watch the Sunday Round at the Masters every day and never get tired of the drama. Every year it delivers in big way, and this year was no exception. Tiger Woods played just well enough to win in the final round, and Chris DiMarco showed as much grit as any player I can remember.

Whether it was the Miracle on 16 when Tiger chipped in, or whether it was DiMarco knocking it stiff on virtually every hole, the drama and the tension were front and center on Sunday in Augusta. There is no question that the tournament once again lived up to hype.



Above, find Chris DiMarco, a dude who has nothing to feel bad about.

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The Rangers finish their road trip with a fine comeback win over Seattle to sit at 3-3. I thought this would be a fine time to look at the starting pitching, which has been decent, but not quite enough to make us forget about the Braves of the mid-90’s. Pay special attention to the ground ball to fly ball ratio. Somehow, they are getting hitters to ground out. This keeps the ball in the park, and allows the infielders to do their job. Drese learned this last year, and now the claim is that Park is figuring out the sinking pitches, too. Add that to Pedro Astacio’s fine work on Saturday, and maybe this thing has some promise after all. Good luck, Orel.

Drese 4/5: 7ip, 6h, 3er, 1bb, 0k, 15 ground/6 fly
Rogers 4/6: 6ip, 5h, 1er, 2bb, 1k, 11 ground/5 fly
Young 4/7: 4ip, 7h, 3er, 1bb, 3k, 5 ground/4 fly
Park 4/8: 5.2ip, 4h, 3er, 2bb, 2k, 10 ground/5 fly
Astacio 4/9: 7ip. 6h, 2er, 0bb, 7k, 10 ground/4 fly
Drese 4/10: 5ip, 7h, 6er, 2bb, 1k, 9 ground/4 fly

The starters have a combined ERA of 4.67 so far, and have worked 5.7 innings per start. This is improved from 2004 (although I admit the sample size is pretty small after 6 games), and it needs to be given the bullpen’s shorthanded state at this point.

Allow me to reprint something from the March 1, 2005 blog, where I took a look inside the statistics of the rotation:

The Starting Rotation actually was not that great in the rankings, finishing 11th out of 14 American League Teams with a rotation ERA of 5.16 (ahead of Chi, TB, and KC) and pitching fewer innings than anyone in league besides Tampa Bay, averaging about 5.5 innings per start.

Again, it is all about baby-steps, but it sure is interesting to see what the staff could look like if Pedro Astacio’s start on Saturday is anything close to what he is going to present 30 times this year.

Links:

Rangers 7, Mariners 6 …Dellucci does is again!



Gordon wins in Martinsville after being 3 laps down!

Stackhouse awaits suspension after the Snyder fight …

Chan Ho Park Feature from the LA Times …

In Texas, he is considered a colossal bust, a financial burden, and another infuriating misstep by a historically pitching-thin organization, but necessary if the Rangers are to challenge the Angels in the American League West.

In Park's introductory news conference, owner Tom Hicks announced that the Rangers had finally acquired a No. 1 starter, and there are those in the organization who believe Park, unaccustomed to such pressure, was finished at that moment. Others have cast the blame for Park's failure on training modifications made by Ranger trainers and coaches, causing the hamstring injury that led to mechanical adjustments that resulted in chronic back pain. That was three years ago.

It is a lot to bear for a proud player, whose Dodger career started inauspiciously in a clubhouse in Chicago, where one chilly afternoon he would have fought every teammate after his new suit was slashed in a hazing incident, the value of which he did not comprehend.

"Three years is a long time," said Park, who maintains an off-season condominium in Marina del Rey. "I expected it to be a great time in my life."

Sports Guy on the NBA MVP race …more gold from Bill Simmons…

Galloway blames the Rangers front office for schedule …and makes sense…




You might have heard a call in the 2 o’clock hour of the show on Friday that tried to convince us that you could unlock your car by using your cell phone, and having someone at home press the spare keyless entry controller into the phone. It sounded absurd, but I gave it a chance. Well, here is Snopes on the Keyless entry/cellphone lie …

And Urban Legends weighs in …

Comments: Comforting though it may be to imagine you can unlock your car door in an emergency by receiving a distant signal via your cell phone, it can't possibly work - not with the technology as it now stands, at any rate.

Here's why:

Your remote car key operates by sending a weak, encrypted radio signal to a receiver inside the automobile, which in turn activates the door locks.

Since the system works on radio waves, not sound, the only conceivable way a signal from your spare remote could be picked up by one cell phone and relayed to your car's onboard receiver by another would be if both phones were capable of sending and receiving at exactly the same frequency as the remote itself - which they can't be, given that all remote entry devices operate at frequencies between 300 and 500 MHz, while all mobile phones, by law, operate at 800 MHz and higher.

It's apples vs. oranges, in other words. Your cell phone can no more transmit the type of signal needed to unlock a car door than your remote key is capable of dialing up your Aunt Mary ... though no one can predict what miracles the future may bring.

Cool Sports News site: Larry Cornell.com …Obviously inspired by drudge…