From the "7-Up Stinks Studios," here we go...
Atlanta Braves third baseman Joe Mather (4) is forced out by Houston Astros shortstop Clint Barmes (12) on a Martin Prado ground ball in the second inning of a baseball game in Atlanta Monday, May 16, 2011. Atlanta won 3-2. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)Braves doing the little things
We discussed the hidden value in baserunning on Monday. On Monday night the Braves took a couple of extra bases - and ran every time the ball was hit to left fielder Carlos Lee - on the way to a 3-2 win over the Astros.
Eric Hinske aggressively exploited the Astros and Lee going first to third and allowed the Braves to score two runs. That's right, taking one extra base was the difference in the game.
Follow along:
Hinske singled. Alex Gonzalez singled to left center, and Hinske took advantage of Lee's below average throwing arm. So with runners on first and third and no outs the Astros pulled the infield in to protect their 1-0 lead. Freddie Freeman bounced out to first, and Gonzalez moved up to second. If Hinske doesn't take the extra base, that ground ball is a double play.
Joe Mather singled to right to score Hinske and Gonzalez; if Mather was at the plate with a runner on third and two out, the Astros would have walked him and faced the pitcher's spot.
Plus, taking a good lead and an aggresive secondary lead - things that are not as obvious as taking an extra base - are just as important.
Lil' Nate McLouth scored the game-winning run on Hinske's single to right because McLouth got a great break from second and was able to beat the throw of Hunter Pence, who has one of the better throwing arms in baseball
Well done Braves, especially for a lineup that had all of one at-bat from stars Jason Heyward and Chipper Jones and got an 0-for-7 showing from its best four hitters (Jones, Heyward, Brian McCann and Dan Uggla).
Side note: On Monday Hinske had three hits - including a bunt single against the super overshift defenses use againt dead-pull hitters - to raise his average to .356. It's a big-time nice surprise from a guy that will get a lot of ABs with the injuries on the roster.
Side note, part deux: With nobody on base, why aren't more players looking to bunt for a hit against the super overshift defense?
NBA playoffs with a twist
Now that we've arrived at the NBA final four, let's take a look at what has happened. In truth there are more questions than answers at this point, which brings us to something we've been itching to try: The 5-in-10 Q&A for the 5-at-10 by the 5-at-10 (that's right, that's five questions with 10-word answers asked by us to us).
Let's give it a whirl:
Which teams will meet in the finals? Still believe in the Heat; feeling good about OKC.
Who is the breakthrough star in these playoffs? It's Derrick Rose, who has overwhelmingly validated his MVP.
Who will be the star of the next 10 days in these conference finals? Hello Russell Westbrook - no Dallas player can check him.
What is storyline that is about to be way, Way, WAY overplayed? Let's go with Jason Kidd's last shot at a title.
Is this the beginning of a new NBA era? Not yet. Thunder have arrived; megateams are still in play.
Bonus question: What's the black cloud of the great theater that has been these playoffs? Labor unrest is on the horizon
NFL labor issues becoming serious
Today is the last day of the current mandated mediation session between the NFL players and the NFL owners. The 5-at-10 has stayed relatively silent on this matter primarily because there has not been a lot to say through the previous days, weeks and months of labor disharmony.
Well, the court has now flipped sides and said the owners have the right to lockout the players and today's meetings between the sides will likely be the last time they get together before June 3, when they are scheduled to return to court. Yes, everyone is hoping to get a deal done so the games are not affected. Wait, that sentence needs to be reshaped - everyone is hoping to get a deal done so the SCHEDULE is not affected. If the sides work out a deal by lunch today, the games - the on-the-field product - will be affected by the shut down of the last couple of months.
Here's the thing: When the calendar gets to June, the amount of offseason work that is being missed starts to mount; rookies are really falling behind; new coaches are definitely behind in implementing new schemes. The game - or the quality of games, that is - has already been affected.
Look for experienced teams to have an advantage, especially early. That is if they ever get out of court rooms and board rooms and back on the field, of course.
Wow - it's like an October sports weekend in pop culture
In the 5-at-10 sports world, October weekends are the best (The best, Jerry, THE best). College football, NFL football, playoff baseball, NASCAR in the chase, college hoops about to start practice - a good time is had by all (Hello, BIspy4).
Well, if you can excuse the brief sports timeout, there's a lot of eye-popping celeb news out there.
- Riverbend artitst and country star Miranda Lambert got married - and at the reception she served deer she harvested. Awesome. Pass the cornbread.
- Jerry Lewis has announced he will step down from his annual Labor Day telethon for MDA. Sad day.
- "Dougie" rapper M-Bone was killed in a drive-by shooting.
- California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted to fathering a child with one of his staffers. That helps explain Arnold's split with longtime wife Maria Shriver.
- Donald Trump will not run for President, and collectively the country just released a satisified sigh of relief whether they know it or not.
Sorry, we know this is a family-oriented-Intertube-web-based sports column, but wow that's some heavy stuff.
Back to sports with a little this and that
- Congrats to Baylor offensive lineman Barrett Gouger, who committed to Vandy on Monday. Anytime you get an SEC football offer is a good thing and getting a scholarship to Vandy is like scratching off a $250,000 lottery ticket.
- Eldrick Woods said he did not further aggravate his injured knee or Achilles' last week in his less-than-impressive nine-hole walk before WD-ing at The Players and Woods is still planning on playing in the U.S. Open. Dr. 5-at-10's diagnosis is that physical ailments are only a part of the problem for the golfer formerly known as Tiger.
- The NBA draft lottery is tonight, so we'll know the NBA draft order this time tomorrow. Yes, the 5-at-10 loves the NFL draft. You know this. The 5-at-10 still enjoys the NBA draft, it's just more difficult to follow with the global draft pool of today.
- Drama for MLB's big boys: Philadelphia's Cliff Lee continued to struggle with a six-walk loss Monday. He now is winless in his last six starts. The Yankees have major issues in the clubhouse (Hey, thanks Jorge Posada) and have lost six consecutive games. We'll have more on this in Friday's mailbag.
Until tomorrow.