Pioneer Skies : CBSSports.com Blogs

Tucson's swan song?

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:59:14 EST

Baseball is apparently dying in Tucson.

Next season, the White Sox are moving operations to Glendale from Tucson Electric Park. That will leave the Rockies and the Diamondbacks as the only two MLB teams who train in Tucson. Tucson is roughly two and a half hours southeast of the greater Phoenix area, which is currently the spring home of nine MLB teams in seven venues. In 2009, the Phoenix area could be host to as many as thirteen teams in nine venues. The Dodgers will join the White Sox in Glendale and the Indians and Reds may share a facility in Goodyear.

The teams in Tucson still play all the other Cactus League teams, despite the long commute. The greater distance means more expenses for the southern teams. The White Sox might not be the only team to heading north in the near future. The Arizona Daily Star has a story about possible renovations to Hi Corbett Field that may take place in order to keep the Rockies in Tucson. The most recent idea calls on the University of Arizona to take charge of the facility and spearhead the $10-20 million renovations. The problem is that UA already has excellent baseball facilities in Kindall/Sancet Stadium. Kindall/Sancet is said to be one of the finer parks in the Pac-10, with recent $2 million renovations of its own.

Spring Training planner

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 1:09:41 EST

I have recently arranged for accommodations for my trip to Spring Training in AZ. I will be staying in Chandler AZ from March 17-21. The closest park is Tempe Diablo, the spring home of the Angels. There are a lot of games being played while I'm there. What do you think would be the perfect week of baseball? Here's the list of games:

Monday March 17th

Brewers* at Mariners*, 1:05 @ Peoria Sports Complex

Giants at Rockies, 1:05 @ Hi Corbett Field

5OT, nuff said...

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:41:57 EST

Okay....

I know that Kansas is still undefeated. I know that some people will be upset with what I have to say. Nevertheless....

THE BAYLOR BEARS ARE THE BEST TEAM IN THE BIG XII. It's as simple as "116-110 5OT". The Aggies saw their 15 game home winning streak come to an end in dramatic fashion. The Bears pulled out the victory despite having five players foul out. Depth like that is a true credit to coach Scott Drew.

Baylor has some of the best guards in the country. They have only lost to Washington State (16-1) and Arkansas (13-5). BU's key victories (besides tonight's) include wins over Winthrop (12-7) and Notre Dame (13-4) both of which--like tonight--were on the road.

Bittersweet Nene Update

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 0:03:17 EST

Well, Nene's Tumor was malignant after all. However, reports are saying that it did not spread and his odds to recover are nearly 100%.

http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/10592709

DENVER -- A testicular tumor removed from Denver Nuggets forward Nene was malignant.

The team said Tuesday the tumor was discovered early, and tests showed the cancer was isolated.

Bud Selig endorses domestic violence!

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 0:06:51 EST

"It's only my wife. I'll punch her out."

www.sportingnews.com/blog/TheSportingBlog/130843/

Should this man really be commissioner of America's past time? Spousal abuse is never something to joke about. Bud Selig should be fired immediately.

Jeremy Affeldt signs with the Reds

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:41:29 EST

Ken Rosenthal reports that the Reds have signed LHP Jeremy Affeldt.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7695584

The Reds, striking a bargain with one of the top remaining free-agent pitchers, have reached preliminary agreement with left-hander Jeremy Affeldt on a one-year, $3 million contract, according to major-league sources.

The deal, pending a physical, will be the Reds' third significant pitching acquisition of the off-season. The team previously signed free-agent closer Francisco Cordero and acquired right-hander Edinson Volquez in a trade with the Rangers.

More on Troy

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 0:37:28 EST

On the MLB boards, somehow I got to comparing Tulo to Rookie-of-the-Year winning shortstops. I think the best comparison (better than with Angel M. Berroa) is:

Hanley Ramirez, 2006

158 G, 633 AB, 119 R, 185 H, 46 2B, 11 3B, 17 HR

59 RBI, 51 SB, 56 BB, 128 K, .292 AVG, .353 OBP, .480 SLG

Tulowitzki agrees to record contract extension

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:36:55 EST

The Denver Post reports that the Rockies and SS Troy Tulowitzki have reached an agreement for a 6 year $30 million contract extension.

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_8022077

Only the ironing out of small details stands in the way of a historic contract with shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.

In a deal first reported in The Denver Post, the Rockies and Tulowitzki have agreed to the parameters of a six-year, $30 million contract with a club option for a seventh season, the largest given a big leaguer with less than two years' experience.

Pios show some life

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:15:50 EST

Well Denver beat Bemidji State 4-2 last night. It wasn't the most polished game from DU, but they did emerge with a win. Hopefully this gives them some life and they can get right during this bye week. cmc18v found this interesting article and brought it to my attention. It was written by Virg Foss of the Grand Forks Herald:

http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=64442&section=Sports&freebie_check&CFID=84933581&CFTOKEN=18238027&jsessionid=883086d0e0a1615c2c59

I've never been a believer in the various conspiracy theories floating around out there. I'm not about to become a subscriber now.

But sometimes I do wonder.

A rough night for hockey, pt.2

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:08:04 EST

The Avs game was a tough pill to swallow, but even more frustrating was the play of the Denver Pioneers. The Pioneers lost 5-2 at Air Force last night. This was the first time the Falcons have been the Pioneers since 1980. Peter Mannino, who is supposed to be DU's Hobey Baker candidate, allowed four goals on 13 shots.

1980!!

I'm afraid that the Pioneers might be starting another late season collapse. A collapse similar to those that have plagued the Pios' last two seasons. Last week, DU limped to a weekend split against Wisconsin. The game that DU won should have gone to overtime, but the ref blew a call and ruled that time expired before the Badgers' tying goal crossed the goal line. Perhaps this blunder motivated Wisconsin, because the next night they outplayed DU and cruised to a 7-2 win. It was ugly. Now it seems that DU can't shake the funk. They've already slipped in the rankings from 3rd in the nation to 4th. Tonight they host the Bemidji State Beavers, who last night lost 5-4 to Colorado College. It'll be the Pioneers last home game until they host Minnesota on February 8th and 9th.

A rough night for hockey, pt.1

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 14:15:00 EST

I went to the Avalanche game last night. The Blackhawks won in an overtime shootout. Jose Theodore continued his impressive play, giving up only one goal on 23 shots in 65 minutes of play. However, he gave up shootout goals to Patrick Kane and Robert Lang. Kane scored the Hawk's only goal in regulation too. Martin Havlat had a great cross-ice outlet pass that allowed Kane to get behind the Avs defense.

Aside from the shootout, the first ten minutes of the game were really the best part. Kane scored two and a half minutes in, then a minute later Ian Laperriere fought Adam Burish, and Andrew Brunette scored the Avs only goal about eight minutes after the opening faceoff. I was glad to see the fight, which Laperriere won. I've been thinking that I've seen too much college hockey, where there are no fights, this season. The game really bogged down, especially in the second period. Both teams had their chances, including some really close ones, to score and put the game away, but neither team could finish.

Rockies sign Matt Holliday!!!

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:13:47 EST

The Rockies have signed Matt Holliday to a 2 year $23 million deal. This covers his arbitration years. This is great news. It gives me hope that the Monforts will sign him to a long term deal instead of letting him depart to free agency. Still, a lot can happen in two years...

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10585235

DENVER -- The Colorado Rockies want to lock up Matt Holliday with a long-term deal. For now, they have settled on two years.

The All-Star left fielder agreed to a $23 million, two-year contract with Colorado on Friday, avoiding arbitration just hours before players and teams exchanged salary figures.

No nascent Nene news?

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:06:59 EST

Apparently the status of Nene's tumor might not be clear. While there was a report yesterday that the tumor was benign (see the previous blog post), that news was pulled from Nene's personal site. Curious, I went to Nene's site myself to investigate the matter. Unfortunately, the website is in Portuguese. I should have figured as much. If any of you reading this can speak Portuguese and want to let me know what it says, please chime in!

Nene's site - http://www.nene31.com.br/publicsite/pt_home.php

Statement removed story - http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/10582798

I'm happy to report that the Nuggets have found their winning ways once again. They beat the Utah Jazz 120-109 last night. Linas Kleiza dropped 41 points!! Way to go LK!!

Nene's Tumor is Benign

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:50:42 EST

http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/10582798#

DENVER -- The testicular tumor removed from Denver Nuggets forward Nene was benign, according to a statement posted Thursday on the player's website.

The tumor was removed Monday at a Denver hospital.

"The joint medical team handling Nene's health has just released the results of the biopsy," the website said. "According to reports presented by doctors, the exams show that the tumor is benign."

on the brightside...

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 12:25:05 EST

How about some good news? For this, I turn to College Basketball.

http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/gamecenter/recap/NCAAB_20080115_NE@CO

Coach Jeff Bzdelik has his first Big XII conference win as the CU Buffs beat the hated Nebraska Cornhuskers. Coach Buzz certainly has his work cut out for him. It's good that he has a conference win under his belt. Hopefully the Buffs can make a good showing in what is a very tough conference. Last night's TV crew talked a lot about how the players, Richard Roby especially, were doing a good job of buying into Bzdelik's scheme and Princeton-style offense. That's a good first step, but if the Buffs want to be competitive at all, they'll have to win all their home games and give it their best shot on the road. The Buffs travel to Austin to take on the Longhorns on Saturday.

Baseball frustrations

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 18:03:50 EST

Some musings about baseball on this Wednesday morning...

http://www.denverpost.com/kiszla/ci_7972099

Bud Selig has got to go. I don't know how this corpse still has a job. Kiszla wrote a good column about how the Used Car Salesman fouled up the whole steroids issue. However, the truth is that this is just one of a long list of Selig's failures. The 1994 strike, the abomination of interleague play, the suspicious rise of his pet Milwaukee Brewers (how the hell are they in the NL?), a tie in the All Star game, and the ever-increasing gap between the rich and poor teams are all attributable to Selig's incompetent attempt at leadership. I see all this garbage about the presidential election. When will America realize that the most important position in this country, Commissioner of Baseball, has been occupied by a complete fool for too long? Major League Baseball is successful in spite of Bud Selig. Sic semper tyrannis!

Nene update

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:40:46 EST

http://www.nba.com/nuggets/news/nene_surgery_011508.html

DENVER, Jan. 15 -- Denver Nuggets forward Nenê underwent successful surgery to remove a testicular tumor yesterday. Results of a biopsy to determine the presence of cancer are pending.

“A right testicular mass was found incidentally and it was managed surgically,” said Dr. Fernando J. Kim, Chief of Urology at Denver Health Medical Center. “Nenê is recovering well and in good condition.”

“I want to thank my fans, my teammates, the Nuggets organization and everyone that’s been supporting me,” said Nenê. “My victory will represent their victory as well. Thanks for being with me in this moment. I will remember all the appreciation. I thank God that we could detect this at such an early stage.”

Get well soon, Nene!

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:18:01 EST

http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/10578602

DENVER -- Doctors removed a tumor from Nuggets forward Nene, according to the player's website Tuesday.

The statement said the surgery was done Monday at a Denver hospital, but it did not indicate whether the tumor was cancerous or where it was located.