Thursday, April 29, 2010

Pitching, puck and a dash of tennis

It had to happen sooner or later. The Twins finally lost a series this season, after winning their first six to start the year. They lost the final two games of a three-game set in Detroit this week, in a rematch that had been awaiting the Tigers since their end-of-season collapse and loss in Game 163.

All about pitching
Francisco Liriano seems to have regained his dominant 2006 form. He's throwing deep into ball games. He's leading the majors with a 0.93 ERA, and his record is 3-0. On a pitching staff without an established ace, Liriano is making his case to take over as the No. 1 guy.

Just a month into the season, it's too early to make that proclamation, but he's well on his way to shedding the bad memories of the last couple seasons.

On the other hand, opening-day starter Scott Baker seems to have sunk into another one of his low spots on his pitching roller coaster. Simply put, consistency and Baker don't mix. The Twins put up some early runs for Baker Wednesday night, and he responded by turning a 6-1 lead into a 6-5 game.

The bullpen fell apart (my Twitter feed was flooded with "Crain Wreck" mentions), Gardy got tossed for the first time this season and the final score ended up 11-6. So, it wasn't all Baker's fault, but only going four-plus innings isn't getting it done. Let's hope he can find his peak again.

Former Wild players shine
In a huge upset in game seven of the first round of the NHL playoffs, golden boy Alexander Ovechkin and his No. 1 Washington Capitals were eliminated by the No. 8-seeded Montreal Canadiens. Versus isn't going to like that one for ratings.

Habs goaltender Jaroslav Halak was spectacular once again, but in the 2-1 victory, it was two former Wild players who provided the offensive spark: Dominic Moore and Marc-Andre Bergeron. It's nice to see former Wild players have some success.

Speaking of which, my birthday buddy Benoit Pouliot will also be heading to the second round with Montreal. He was traded for Guillaume Latendresse earlier in the season. It was a move that worked wonders for both sides, something you don't see too often.

It's a good day to watch some tennis
On Tuesday I visited my old stomping grounds, or the tennis courts at Andover High School. It was a beautiful day - sunshine and no wind, a perfect combination for a good tennis day. I was in the mood to watch a little live tennis action, so I thought I'd stop by.

I watched the third-singles match featuring my awesome neighbor Erik Jones. He's a ninth grader, but he's been playing on the varsity squad since seventh grade. He is turning into quite the player; I sure wouldn't want to face him in a competitive setting (although we have hit around together, for fun).

Erik was well-matched against an eighth grader from Maple Grove. The pair had a number of lengthy points and games. Some of the shots they hit back and forth to try and put the other away were amazing. Some well-positioned put-aways and point conclusions drew visible and audible emotion for both players, which was great to see.

The end result was a 6-4, 6-3 win for the Maple Grove eighth grader. But what matters is it was a well-played match. Erik was down early in the first set, but rallied to win four games. It was a good show, and I'm glad I was there to watch. Keep up the good work Erik!

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