Today’s halfman award nominee-Boston Celtics

On Monday, the Boston Celtics won their 11th straight game against the Memphis Grizzlies, and improved their NBA best 20-4 record overall.  The Celtics have been winning most of their games on the road so far this season winning 12 out of their 13 road games.  The Celtics also are leading the league in margin of victory at almost 10 points per game.  With the Eastern Conference only having five teams with a winning record, expect the Celtic record to keep climbing.  Boston you have earned our halfman nominee for today.

Voting Friday night thru Monday morning. Awards handed out on Mondays

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Today’s halfman award nominee-Albert Pujols

Today, Albert Pujols won his second straight NL MVP award.  Pujols is the first the win back to back titles since Barry Bonds won four straight from 2001-2004.  Pujols was a unanimous pick, winning by over 200 votes.  Pujols had a batting average of .327, belted 47 homeruns, and had 135 runs batted in. Those numbers good enough to get your the NL MVP and our halfdog nomination of the day.

Voting Friday night thru Monday morning. Awards handed out on Mondays

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Today’s halfman award nominee-Tim Lincecum

Today Lincecum won his second straight CY Young award.  Lincecum who only had 15 wins on the season, but did lead the NL in strikeouts, quality starts and was second in ERA.  Even with his marijuana charges, Lincecum picks up the CY Young and our halfman award nominee.

Voting Friday night thru Monday morning. Awards handed out on Mondays

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Ken Griffey Jr. was the best!

Ken Griffey Jr.is one of my heroes.  He is one of the greatest baseball players of mine or any generation.  If it weren’t for injuries he would’ve been  the all-time home run leader.   While all of these things are great, the biggest contribution that Griffey has made to society is Ken Griffey Jr. baseball for the Super Nintendo.  You remember the game, the one where a young spry Griffey could hit any and every pitch out of the park, not too mention how amazing he was in the field. That’s right we are talking about the best baseball video game ever people.

New technology has changed the way that everyone views video games, if you don’t believe me look at the new Call of Duty Modern Warfare II, those graphics are unbelievable.  While new graphics are awesome, I wish we could go back to the good old days of Ken Griffey Jr. baseball and have some real fun.  On that game the Mariners were unstoppable with Griffey hitting and Randy Johnson pitching you couldn’t lose.  Griffey would hit a home run almost every at bat and Johnson threw over a 100 mph.

There have been other games that were alright, some will argue that Tony Larussa baseball on the Sega Genesis is better and others might think the more recent MVP baseball series is the best.  For me though, there is and always will be just one video baseball game that sits a notch above the rest and that game is Ken Griffey Jr. baseball.

So thank you Ken Griffey Jr. for waiting too long to retire and being in the news, because you have reminded me how great my childhood was and how much I loved your video game.  I am going to the mall tomorrow to see if they happen to have a Super Nintendo system and I will buy it as long as they can provide me with a copy of Ken Griffey Jr. baseball.

Written by: Jesse Kunz

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Halfman of the week-Chase Utley

Our halfman of the week award goes to Chase Utley of the Philadelphia Phillies.  Despite his team losing to the Yankees in the world series, Chase Utley had a series to remember by hitting 5 home runs and tying the MLB record.  Hideki Matsui who won the World Series mvp was also a nominee but Utley took our fan vote by a landslide.  Congrats Utley and least you won something this week.

Voting Friday night thru Monday morning. Awards handed out on Mondays

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Football is King!

Last week, Hideki Matsui was the World Series MVP and a halfman nominee.  When we did our story on Matsui we found that nobody had seen what his life looked like, but there were plenty of pictures of the other players wives and girlfriends, they’re not what I’d call ugly.  It got us thinking, what sport has the hottest wives and girlfriends, or WAG’s as they’re called?

We started looking at NBA players wives and girlfriends, because let’s be honest, Mrs. Parker is looking good andMarko Jaric has Adriana Lima.  How Jaric got Lima I have no idea, but if the guy wants to start giving classes on how to get women I’ll be first in line, no matter the cost.  While the top NBA WAG’s are amazing their talent pool doesn’t have as much depth as another sport.

After we looked into NBA WAG’s we turned our attention to the NFL WAG’s and we found out that Jeff Garcia gives men everywhere hope with his lady friend, Carmella Decesare.  The NFL does have Gisele and a few other good looking women to back a claim that they are the best looking WAG’s, but they aren’t the winner here at HMHD.

The distinction of best WAG’s at HMHD goes to soccer or football as they call it everywhere else and it’s a landslide my friends.  I thought soccer was a communist sport, but now I can see why the rest of the world seems to like the sport, the girls.  Every other sport had a top ten WAG’s and ten is nice, but how about a top 100 because that is what we found when we looked at soccer,  the top 100 footballer’s WAG’s.  After seeing these WAG’s I have been working on my soccer ball handling skills and every time I score a goal I’ve been ripping my shirt off.  Since I’ve been training hard, I never lose at FIFA 10 on my PS3, I figure Abigail Clancy will be dumping Peter Crouch for me pretty soon.

Written by: Jesse Kunz

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Today’s halfman award nominee-Hideki Matsui

Today’s halfman award nominee is Hideki Matsui.  Matsui’s performance in game 6 of the World Series was remarkable.  Matsui had six rbi’s last night and took home the World Series M.V.P. award.  We had to pick Matsui even if his wife isn’t as hot as the other players.

Voting Friday night thru Monday morning. Awards handed out on Mondays

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Today’s halfdog award nominee-Ryan Howard

Today’s halfdog award nominee is Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies.  Howard set a new record for the most strikeouts in the World Series with 13. Maybe Jared Fogle should have told him it was the World Series.  They seem buddy-buddy.

Voting Friday night thru Monday morning. Awards handed out on Mondays

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One Pitch

When Mariano Rivera came in during the 8th inning last night the game was over.  The commentators knew it, the Yankees knew it, the fans knew it, and most importantly the Phillies knew it.  As I watched Mariano Rivera work the 8th and the 9th inning of last night’s series clinching victory, it made me realize how much respect I have for him.  I should put it out there so that the readers know it, I hate the New York Yankees, but I respect no player more than Mariano Rivera.

Rivera has been the linchpin in each of the Yankees five world series victories.  I know that Derek Jeter is Mr. Yankee and he has a laundry list of beautiful women that would make anybody jealous.  If it weren’t for Mariano Rivera they might have one or two world championships, but there is no way that they have five.  Derek Jeter’s clutch hit highlight reel is as good as anyone in the history of the game, but if you ask around baseball the one guy that the Yankees can’t do without is Rivera.  The New York Yankees have 27 world series championships and five of them are thanks to Mariano Rivera.

Let’s go back to 1995 when Mariano Rivera was a minor league prospect with average stuff.  He was throwing his fastball at around 88-90 mph which is good, but not great.  Things changed for Rivera when the Yankees were looking into trading for Tigers pitcher David Wells and the Tigers were interested in Rivera who was pitching for the Yankees AAA affiliate in Columbus.  Rivera was three years removed from elbow surgery and by all accounts made a full recovery.  Then General Manager Gene Micheal was looking into the deal with the Tigers and called Columbus to check on Rivera’s numbers.  When he asked how hard Rivera was throwing Micheal was shocked when he heard he was touching 96.  Micheal cut off trade talks with the Yankees then and there and the rest is history.

Rivera lives and dies by one pitch, the cutter.  The pitch that every player in the game knows and fears.  When you step into the box against Rivera everybody knows it coming and it doesn’t matter, the cutter is just that good.  He throws it as hard as a fastball, but it moves like a slider.  That’s why so many major league hitters have shattered their bats against him over the years, last night was no different for the Phillies.

As soon as you hear Enter Sandman over the loud speaker at Yankee Stadium the night is over.  There isn’t anybody as calm and collected in the business as Mariano Rivera.  Have you ever seen Mariano Rivera lose his cool under any circumstance or even show the slightest bit of worry?  I haven’t and you never will because that’s not Rivera.  Come to think of it when was the last time you heard Rivera say anything?  The only time you hear from him is after a World Series victory and even then he gives you the company line.

Nothing exemplifies the Yankee way more than Rivera’s stall worth presence in the 9th inning.  Last night the commentators mentioned a stat that blew my mind.  The Yankees have handed Rivera the lead of at least four runs 205 times including last night and they have lost once.  One time that’s it, I challenge anyone to find a better stat in all of baseball, one out of every 205 chances that’s incredible.  All you can do is tip your cap just like the many players who have headed back to the dugout after failing against Rivera and his pitch, the cutter.

Written by: Jesse Kunz

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World Series Recap

As everybody knows, the New York Yankees won their baseball leading 27th World Series title last night beating the Phillies seven to three.  Fittingly the Yankees won the title to break in their new 1.5 billion dollar ballpark. Looking back at the last week and a half, there were a lot of things that I was not expecting to happen in the 2009 World Series, but a lot that I was, it was an interesting series to say the least.

I was expecting C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee to be the aces that they needed to be. Cliff Lee won both games he started (one against Sabathia). I expected that there was going to be a lot of home runs hit by both teams. Philadelphia hit 11 while the Yankees hit 6. I expected Derek Jeter to get hits left and right, and he did racking up 11 hits. I expected Mariano Rivera to be the dominant closer, and he was only allowing three hits in his 5.1 innings pitched. I expected guys from top to bottom on both lineups to contribute, and they did. Every started except Robinson Cano scored at least a run during the World Series. I expected the series to go at least to a game 6 which it did and I expected every game to be a close, watch every single pitch type series, which it was.

What I wasn’t expecting first off was that Ryan Howard would set a new World Series record with 13 strikeouts. I expected some, yes, but not a new record especially after he was named NLCS MVP and was lights out the first two rounds of the playoffs. I didn’t expect Chase Utley to tie the record for the most home runs in a World Series with six. Utley had two games with two home runs and was the only reason why Philly was still in the series. I expected Utley to hit, but not like that.  I wasn’t expecting Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira to have mediocre performances, 2 combined home runs and 10 combined hits. I wasn’t expected Hideki Matsui to go 8 for 13 with 3 home runs and 8 RBIs.  I wasn’t expecting 6 of those runs batted in to come in game 6 alone. And I didn’t expect Matsui to be the series MVP.  I wasn’t expecting Andy Pettite to go 2-0 and Pedro go 0-2. (should have started Hamels) And last but not least I did not expect the New York Yankees to win the World Series. I picked Philly in 7.

So congrats to the Yankees! I guess you can buy championships, it just takes a huge payroll and a billion dollar new stadium. The 2010 baseball season starts in officially 151 days and will the Yankees win their 28th championship, or will some other team get it? Only time will tell but the book is now closed on the 2009 baseball season and lets gear up for spring training.

Written by: Matthew Flygare

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