week 16: San Francisco

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week 15: Denver

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week 14: Arizona

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week 13: Cincinnati

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week 12: Atlanta

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week 11: Jacksonville

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week 10: Tennessee

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week 9: Seattle

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week 8: San Diego

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week 7: New England

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week 6: Pittsburgh

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Carpenter and Hill voted comeback players of year

NEW YORK (AP)—Chris Carpenter(notes) has been voted NL comeback player of the year and Aaron Hill(notes) has won the AL award.

Limited to four starts over the prior two seasons because of elbow surgery and a shoulder injury, Carpenter was 17-4 with a league-leading 2.24 ERA for the St. Louis Cardinals. The 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner, Carpenter won 11 consecutive decisions from early July to early September.

Hill appeared in just 55 games in 2008 due to a concussion. He hit .286 for the Toronto Blue Jays this year and established career highs with 36 homers and 108 RBIs, the most among major league second basemen.

The awards were voted on by the 30 beat writers of MLB.com.

week 5: NY Giants

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St. Louis, Philadelphia, New York, LA Angels

St. Louis, New York

St. Louis in 6
36

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I don't know. He added a 2 run RBI double giving him 6 RBI's for the day. Carpenter is not not a good hitting pitcher (career .105) but he's having a good day today. The home run came off Cincinnati pitcher Kip Wells.

Edit: Cardinals win game 13-0


Carpenter after grand slam today

Cardinal pitcher Chris Carpenter hits a grand slam in the second inning. It was the first homer of his career. Cards lead 5-0 in the second.

week 4: Chicago

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09.27.2009 12:26 am
Carpenter: Wainwright Deserves Cy Young
By Derrick Goold
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

DENVER — The last race left for the St. Louis Cardinals before the end of the regular season may have come to a sudden end Saturday night, too, as Adam Wainwright gained a hearty endorsement for his Cy Young candidacy.

It came from arguably his chief rival for the award: teammate Chris Carpenter.

“If that game right there doesn’t solidify him as the best pitcher in the league, then I’m can’t imagine what would,” Carpenter said, goggles perched on his forehead, sticky from the Cardinals’ clinching celebration. “I think that’s what it’s all about. That game, that eighth inning, and everything he did tonight. That’s what you want: Your big stud on the mound. Big game. Big situation. And he comes through.”

In a clear sign of his support of his most consistent starter and Wainwright’s place on the team, manager Tony La Russa left the righthander out to decide the game. Wainwright threw a career-high 130 pitches, and none bigger than a curveball to Jason Giambi that ended the threat in the eighth inning. Holding on to a one-run lead, Wainwright faced Giambi with the tying run at second base. The go-ahead run was at first base. The inning was sliding away from him — until it wasn’t.

He froze Clint Barmes for the second out of the inning, and on his 130th pitch of the game, he froze Giambi with a curve ball the former MVP would later argue was low. That was his 89th strike of the game. For perspective: Carpenter threw only 12 more pitches total Friday night than strikes Wainwright threw Saturday.

Third baseman Mark DeRosa and others likened it to Wainwright’s signature pitch: The curveball that froze New York back in 2006 when he K’d Carlos Beltran with the bases loaded to win the pennant.

Carpenter saw it as a clincher of another sort.

“He got 130 pitches into that game and he kept grinding and grinding and making big pitch after big pitch and then a bigger pitcher,” Carpenter said. “That is what it means to be the best pitcher in the league, and in a lot of ways that’s what his whole season has been like. He’s just been grinding out games like that all year.”

Wainwright held the Rockies 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and he struck out 11 batters in his eight innings. The win gave him 19 for the season and gives him a chance to be the major leagues’ first (and likely only) 20-game winner in his final start of the regular season. He has a career-high 204 strikeouts to go with what will likely be a league-leading total in innings pitched, not to mention those lengthy streaks of starts he had with at least six innings and no more than two earned runs.

The Cy Young Award has been boiled down to a three-man race, with each having his say in the past three weeks or so. Just when San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum would pull ahead, Carpenter would chase him down. Those two — both having won the award before — had been getting most of the press. Wainwright may have the better claim. As a scout recently told me about the three pitchers: “Consistency and being there for the team every five days has to count for something. Wainwright has done that.”

Sometime Saturday, a normal regular season game that really didn’t mean as much as it felt it did transcended its stature, and that probably had a lot to do with Wainwright staying in the game, staying in to close out his win and to clinch the NL Central title for the Cardinals.

That’s how La Russa saw it: “He might have won the award in the eighth inning.”

That’s how Carpenter sees it.

But not just because of the eighth.

“This is what he did all year for us,” Carpenter said. “Night after night, start after start, to do what he did and then did again tonight, 100 percent he should win it. One hundred percent he’s the one.”

Pujols sets NL season mark for assists at 1st base

DENVER (AP)—Albert Pujols(notes) has recorded his 181st assist of the season, setting a National League mark for first basemen.

The St. Louis Cardinals slugger eclipsed the record in the fourth inning Sunday against Colorado when he flipped the ball to pitcher Kyle Lohse(notes), who was covering first base on a grounder.

Pujols surpassed the mark held by Mark Grace, who had 180 assists with the Chicago Cubs in 1990.

Bill Buckner holds the major league record with 184 assists in 1985 for the Boston Red Sox.

Braves manager Bobby Cox to retire after 2010 season.

week 3: Baltimore

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The Durham Bulls beat the Memphis Redbirds 5-4 in 11 innings Tuesday night to win the Triple-A Championship.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-triple-achampionship&prov=ap&type=lgns

Pacific Coast League Champion Memphis Redbirds and International League Champion Durham Bulls are playing for the Triple-A Baseball Championship as I type. No score in the 1st. Game is on ESPN2.

Pujols is the best NL player, period.




By Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports 5 hours, 14 minutes ago

Sometimes, amid the noise and the statistical warfare, the best player is the most valuable player, no more complicated than that.

Sometimes the guy who looks like the best player … is. The eyes agree with the bottom line. The pitchers say he is the best hitter. The players say he is the best teammate. The manager says he’s never had one quite like him.

He hits and his team wins, and wins even more than most predicted it would. He’s the most productive hitter in the National League and the pivotal player for the Central Division champion, and therefore Albert Pujols(notes) of the St. Louis Cardinals is the National League MVP for the second time in two seasons and third time overall.

Barry Bonds(notes) won seven MVPs, presumably some of them on his own. Pujols would join eight others with three, including Alex Rodriguez(notes), Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio and Jimmie Foxx.

“It would put him in an elite group,” Rodriguez said Monday night. “He’s been a very special player, and I see two or three more coming for him, too.”

Perhaps most meaningful to Pujols, Hall of Famer and longtime Cardinal Stan Musial also was a three-time winner.

Pujols, 29, and Musial, 88, are close. They were seen laughing and chatting at Busch Stadium in the days leading to the MLB All-Star Game this summer in St. Louis. They’ve talked strike zones, bat weights, salaries and golf. They’ve talked ball.

Pujols’ friends say he admires Musial’s skill, of course, and is amazed by Musial’s longevity. In 22 seasons, Musial played in 24 All-Star Games. He took his first big-league at-bat as a 20-year-old in 1941, and hit until he was 42 in 1963.

Pujols is nine years in. He carries much of the Cardinals’ offense and, for better or worse, the notion that a power hitter could come out of the last era both clean and revered. On top of the 37 home runs and 116 RBI he had last season to outpoint Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard(notes) in a close MVP vote, Pujols has piled another 47 home runs and 128 RBI. By Monday evening he led the league in home runs, was tied with Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder(notes) for the RBI lead and was second to Hanley Ramirez(notes) in batting, .329 to .352.

In a career that already has seen seven finishes in the top three of the MVP voting, eight All-Star Games and the National League Rookie of the Year award, Pujols previously has led the league in one Triple Crown category – the batting title he won in 2003. He could lead in two more. Either way, he’s the MVP.

The others:

Hanley Ramirez, Marlins: He’ll win the batting title and probably finish third (behind Pujols and Fielder) in OPS. Also led the league in batting with runners in scoring position (.375).

Prince Fielder, Brewers: Outside the occasional outburst, pretty quietly put up an impressive year. The undisputed leader in Milwaukee.

Ryan Howard, Phillies: Another season of same old, same old for Howard, who thinned down, had a big season at the plate, was better around the bag and will come in behind Pujols again.

Ryan Braun, Brewers: GM Doug Melvin needs to figure out how to win while Braun and Fielder are still in their primes – and affordable.

Chase Utley(notes), Phillies: Near career highs in home runs and on-base percentage, arguably more valuable than Howard.

Andre Ethier(notes), Dodgers: Leads Dodgers in RBI (101), league in walk-off hits (six).

Pablo Sandoval(notes), Giants: Did all he could to lug a dead offense, driving in 43 runs in June and July.

Derrek Lee(notes), Cubs: Back over 30 homers and 100 RBI for first time in four years.

Troy Tulowitzki(notes), Rockies: The Rockies got hot right about the time he did.

Matt Kemp(notes), Dodgers: Has 40-40 potential; pretty good as is.

09/19/2009 3:02 AM ET
Redbirds topple Cats as PCL champs
MacLane masterful; Memphis continues perfect postseason
By Brittany Ghiroli / Special to MLB.com



When they look back on their magical postseason run, the Memphis Redbirds will remember one particular word: perfect.

Memphis made it 6-for-6 in playoff games Friday, capping an impressive run to the Pacific Coast League title with a 6-0 blanking of the two-time defending champion Sacramento River Cats.

"We've got the will to win, that's for sure," said Evan MacLane, who did not allow a run in two playoff starts. "There's nothing else I can say. Everybody did their part, they knew their role."

MacLane's left arm made sure the Redbirds' will produced a championship. The Minor League veteran struck out eight over 8 1/3 dominant innings, helping complete a sweep of the best-of-5 Finals.

MacLane scattered nine hits but hunkered down with men on base to effectively stop the River Cats. Sacramento stranded eight runners and didn't have an answer for his devastating curve and meticulous control.

"I just had to go out there and throw my game," said MacLane, who has strung together six consecutive quality outings. "I'm not an overpowering pitcher; I've got to throw for strikes."

The 26-year-old made good on his pregame mantra and didn't issue a walk in a 111-pitch performance.

The offense did the rest as Memphis scored in the first inning and never looked back. Jarrett Hoffpauir and former second-round pick Jon Jay each had three hits and scored twice, while Brian Barden delivered a two-run single. David Freese, who provided a series of game-winning hits in the Redbirds' closely contested playoff wins, chipped in an RBI single.

"We've battled through good times and bad and got through," MacLane said of a Memphis team that clinched the American North Division title, despite owning a road record that was six games under .500. "Everything came together [Friday night] and this whole series."

And arguably the entire postseason.

The Redbirds flew into the playoffs after a strong finish to the regular season and parlayed that hot streak into a three-game semifinal sweep of Albuquerque. The underdog squad hit its stride in that series, batting .333 while compiling a 1.33 ERA. MacLane hurled seven shutout innings in last week's semifinal clincher and the Memphis staff had a 24-inning scoreless streak going until the fifth inning of Wednesday's Game 2 win, in which Adam Ottavino set a franchise playoff record with nine strikeouts.

The Redbirds twice shut out the high-powered River Cats and held Sacramento -- which totaled 36 runs in its four-game semifinal win over Tacoma -- to a grand total of two runs.

"The mood stayed the same throughout the whole [postseason]," MacLane said. "We just had the confidence. Every day we just kept the same attitude, the same focus. We didn't get too up or to down."

Memphis will look to up its playoff win streak to seven when it takes on the International League champion Durham Bulls in Tuesday's winner-take-all Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game in Oklahoma City.

Brittany Ghiroli is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

week 2: Green Bay

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week 1: New Orleans

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Cardinal manager Tony La Russa insist NL's best record "is a sign of nothing."

“It’s a sign of nothing,” La Russa spat during the post-game press conference on Wednesday night. “It’s a sign of a potential distraction for our team. What you need to do is crank out series and try to get to the finish line. anything that the team thinks about other than that — it’s a distraction. … It’s got zero value.

“It’s only value is a negative one,” the manager concluded. “It’s a distraction.”

Chris Carpenter pitches 1 hitter in Cardinals 3-0 win over Milwaukee. Carpenter (16-3) won his 11th straight decision and leads the majors with a 2.16 ERA.

John Smoltz won his first game as a Cardinal. He pitched 5 innings allowed no runs on 3 hits and had 9 Strike outs. Cardinals win game 5-2.

That's true. I've been reading labels more the past couple of years and trying to stay away from things like high fructose corn syrup.

Health
Human Lifespans Nearly Constant for 2,000 Years

By Benjamin Radford, LiveScience's Bad Science Columnist

posted: 21 August 2009 03:26 pm ET


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, often the harbinger of bad news about e. coli outbreaks and swine flu, recently had some good news: The life expectancy of Americans is higher than ever, at almost 78.

Discussions about life expectancy often involve how it has improved over time. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, life expectancy for men in 1907 was 45.6 years; by 1957 it rose to 66.4; in 2007 it reached 75.5. Unlike the most recent increase in life expectancy (which was attributable largely to a decline in half of the leading causes of death including heart disease, homicide, and influenza), the increase in life expectancy between 1907 and 2007 was largely due to a decreasing infant mortality rate, which was 9.99 percent in 1907; 2.63 percent in 1957; and 0.68 percent in 2007.

But the inclusion of infant mortality rates in calculating life expectancy creates the mistaken impression that earlier generations died at a young age; Americans were not dying en masse at the age of 46 in 1907. The fact is that the maximum human lifespan — a concept often confused with "life expectancy" — has remained more or less the same for thousands of years. The idea that our ancestors routinely died young (say, at age 40) has no basis in scientific fact.

Yet this myth is widespread, and repeated by both the public and professionals. A few examples:

* An article on Egyptian pyramid builders in the November 2001 issue of "National Geographic" noted, "Despite the availability of medical care the workers' lives were short. On average a man lived 40 to 45 years, a woman 30 to 35."

* In a 2005 press release for the TV show "Nightline," a producer wrote, "I am 42 years old. I live in a comfortable home with my family.... I'm lucky. If I were in Sierra Leone, the poorest country in Africa, chances are I'd be dead at my age. The life expectancy there is 34 years of age."

* A Dec. 18, 2003, Reuters news story on the impact of AIDS in Africa reported that "A baby girl born now in Japan could expect to live 85 years, while one born in Sierra Leone probably would not survive beyond 36."

Such statements are completely wrong; most people in Sierra Leone are not dropping dead at age 34. The problem is that giving an "average age" at which people died tells us almost nothing about the age at which an individual person living at the time might expect to die.

Again, the high infant mortality rate skews the "life expectancy" dramatically downward. If a couple has two children and one of them dies in childbirth while the other lives to be 90, stating that on average the couple's children lived to be 45 is statistically accurate but meaningless. Claiming a low average age of death due to high infant mortality is not the same as claiming that the average person in that population will die at that age.

Of course, infant mortality is only one of many factors that influence life expectancy, including medicine, crime, and workplace safety. But when it is calculated in, it often creates confusion and myths.

When Socrates died at the age of 70 around 399 B.C., he did not die of old age but instead by execution. It is ironic that ancient Greeks lived into their 70s and older, while more than 2,000 years later modern Americans aren't living much longer.

Benjamin Radford is managing editor of the Skeptical Inquirer science magazine. His books, films, and other projects can be found on his website. His Bad Science column appears regularly on LiveScience.

With two home runs Monday, Los Angeles Angels outfielder Vladimir Guerrero joined an exclusive group of hitters who have both 400 career home runs and a career batting average of at least .320. Guerrero is the sixth member of the group, and the other five are all in the Hall of Fame. A good way to define a group is by showing who isn’t a member: Larry Walker (383 HR, .313 BA), Chipper Jones (422 HR, .310 BA) and Alex Rodriguez (574 HR — 9th all-time — and a .304 BA). The six members are:

* Babe Ruth … 714 HR … .342 BA
* Jimmie Foxx … 534 HR … .325 BA
* Ted Williams … 521 HR … .344 BA
* Lou Gehrig … 493 HR … .340 BA
* Stan Musial … 475 HR … .331 BA
* Vladimir Guerrero … 400 … .322 BA

The set of six is about a year shy of gaining a seventh member. You Know Who is likely next. Albert Pujols has 355 career home runs, and he carries a .334 career average into tonight’s game against the Reds.

I remember watching them after school when I was a kid. Jerry Mathers (Beaver) is 61, Tony Dow (Wally) 64, and Ken Osmond (Eddie) 66. Beaver and Wally's TV Mom Barbara Billingsley (June Cleaver) is 93.

Albert Pujols grand slam in the 7th inning against the Chicago Cubs gives him 1,002 career RBI's. Cardinals win game 8-2.

Hall of Fame third baseman George Kell dies at 86

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – George Kell, the Hall of Fame third baseman who edged Ted Williams for the 1949 American League batting title and became a Detroit Tigers broadcaster for nearly 40 years, died Tuesday. He was 86. Jackson's Funeral Home in Newport confirmed the death but did not give a cause. The Hall of Fame said he died in his sleep at his home in Swifton. Kell was severely injured in a car crash in 2004 but was able to walk with a cane about six months later.

Kell outlasted Williams for the 1949 batting crown, hitting .34291 while the Boston Red Sox great finished at .34276. Kell played 15 seasons, hitting more than .300 nine times and compiling a career average of .306. He was a 10-time All-Star.

"I grew up idolizing Stan Musial and George Kell," said Brooks Robinson, another Hall of Fame third baseman from Arkansas. "I played a lot of baseball in Swifton and Newport, where George is from. ... He was a hero to me on and off the field.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090325/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bba_obit_kell_12

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total score: 42

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1-3-6-8-10-12-14-16-18-19-22-24

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1-3-6-7-9-12-13-15-17-19-21-24

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