snorgles

Baseball Update:
Jason Giambi knows when to turn it on, blasting a game tying homerun in the seventh and then a game winning single in the ninth to help the Yankees avoid a three game sweep by the Red Sox with their 3-2 win. New York also received some good news, pitcher Joba Chamberlain is hoping to come off the DL by next week. He would however be returning to the bullpen and not the starting rotation.

The Red Sox on the other hand, will be sending their ace Josh Beckett to see Dr. James Andrews about his right elbow. Beckett was scheduled to pitch on Friday, but has since been scratched. Everytime I hear the name Dr. James Andrews I hear that music that plays in the background of horror movies when the bad guy [insert name here] enters a scene.

With Thursday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays, the Rays are guaranteed their first non-losing season in franchise history.

Aramis Ramirez hit a grand slam in the eighth inning for the Cubs, which helped them rally past the Phillies, 6-4. The Phils now sit a game behind the Mets as they continue their series in Wrigley.

Foxsports.com is reporting the Phillies have acquired Matt Stairs from the Blue Jays for a unnamed prospect.

Florida's postseason hopes are slipping away after losing to the Braves, 4-2. The Marlins are just 10-15 in the month of August and sit 6 games behind the Mets in the NL East. Meanwhile, can I just give a shout-out to Charlie Morton who pitched six great innings, allowing just two runs and to Brian McCann, whose three run homer in the fifth ended winning the game for Atlanta.

The Braves reliever Rafael Soriano had season ending elbow surgery on Thursday. He is expected to be ready by spring training.

It's not a good sign when you get swept by the Nats, so while I'm not ready to conceed the West to the Diamondbacks, the Dodgers certianly aren't making much of case for themselves falling to Washington, 11-2. Cristian Guzman completed the cycle in the win. LA sent pitcher Clayton Kershaw down to Triple-A Las Vegas following Thursday night's loss. He allowed five runs in that game.

The Nationals have shut down right hander Shawn Hill for the remainder of the season after experiencing swelling in his right elbow.

The A's have proven to be quite a thorn in some of the American League's best teams' sides. Kurt Suzuki doubled in the winning run in Oakland's 3-2 win over the Twins to give them two straight wins (a big thing in Oakland) and three wins in the past four games. Their other victim, the Los Angeles Angels, who just dropped a series to the A's this week.

The Angeles rebounded from their loss on Wednesday with a come-from-behind win over the Rangers. Pinch hitter Juan Rivera hit a three run double that started a five run eighth, which proved to be the difference in their 7-5 win.

The Angels placed Howie Kendrick on the DL with a strained left hamstring.

Nascar Update:
While people may wish they could all be California girls, many race fans are glad not all tracks are like Fontana. Despite the fact that the track boasts sweeping turns and multi-groove lanes along its flat 2 mile track, the racing is usually less than spectacular. The once mighty Southern 500 raced at Darlington on this weekend is long gone, but its absence does not mean this race is unimportant. With only two races to go until the beginning of the Chase, drivers will racing as hard as they can to get one of the 12 lucky spots. So who will land in Victory Lane at the Pepsi 500? You'll have to watch ESPN beginning at 8 PM/est to find out.

Look back at this year's freshman class of Nascar Cup drivers here. You could almost do a where are they now with some of them.

News&Notes: Top seeded Ana Ivanovic is out of the US Open after falling to Julie Coin, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3...James Blake, Serena and Venus Williams advanced...The Giants were once again able to handle the Pats in both team's final preseason game, 19-14. Tom Brady watched the game from the sidelines...Roger Goodell is in a very giving mood, cutting Broncos WR Brandon Marshall's suspension by two games...Good news, Texans receiver Harry Williams was able to walk by himself. Williams has been in the hospital since suffering a neck and spine injury last week...Last night was the start of College Football. While I'm not a huge fan, I'll give you a sneak peek at last night's games. Oregon State fumbled away a chance to win, falling to Stanford, 36-28...Wake Forest dumped Baylor, 41-13...And Uconn embarrassed Hofstra, 35-3...Sad news, the only US-born F1 champ, Phil Hill has died at the age of 81.

Check this out: For all of you "Always Sunny In Philadelphia" fans who can't wait until the September 18th premiere of the hilarious FX show can wet your appetite with this awesome blog.

It's been fun blogging with you,
Kate