... 'Cause we win tonight. [Well we won last night, at least.]
Hey Jim? Can I steal your QotD and use it here too? I've got two really good ones for today:
Quote of the Day #1: "Reynolds breathed it and then delivered." - Nick Piecoro I sure hope that's nothing like Experience It. (And, Nick? You have to breathe in before you deliver, but Mark won't ever have that problem.) (I know it's related to the sentence above it but that wasn't there last night and it was much funnier.)
Quote of the Day #2: What movie? I've been trying to figure out who's country this is. - Devin There were a lot of funny comments about TBS last night, but Devin's is the one I'm going to keep laughing at for quite some time. Thanks, Devin. Very clever. :)
Well we took Game 1, and I think we all feel better about this series. I know I do! What a game yesterday! I think it was everything we expected, a low-scoring battle of aces which the D-backs pulled out of the hat. You know, while everyone's going to be criticizing Pinella's move last night, it wasn't a bad move in theory. His bullpen has been terrific all year, and he's bringing back his pitcher in Game 4 if it's played. Zambrano kept them in Game 1, and he knows the likelihood for a sweep against these Diamondbacks is low, so he wants Zambrano to be good in Game 4 too. So he hands the ball to his reliever who has a a 1.43 ERA with 96 Ks in 69.1 innings. It backfired, and that sucks, and for a short series it's even worse, but in theory it's not bad.
Dang, there's a lot of news today. I don't know what's going to be the best way to cover all this... I may have to just categorize them by source.
Arizona Republic
Dan Bickley and Nick Piecoro both talk about said Zambrano move. Zambrano wanted to pitch more, he says, but the Cubs blamed their lack of offense. Notes on the Cubs discuss the move at catcher, benching Kendall and starting Soto.
Drew and Reynolds come through in Game 1, and if they were anonymous before, they are no longer. (But people on the east coast went to sleep, as we all know, so they still are.) Davis worked hard to get this team to the post-season, and he's ready for his chance to show why. Stephen Drew's hot streak continues; he says he's been comfortable a while, and hopefully these hits will continue to "fall in" to the bleachers!
AP/Y! Sports
-
Jeff Passan bullet points Interesting, but not aimed at the true Arizona fan.
-
AP Recap Not bad for game action, should anyone here actually happened to have missed the game
- Nice little ditty on Mark Reynolds by a SportsTicker writer
(follow the Entry Link for more)
Reynolds makes debut - better little article on Mark Reynolds. Also one on Stephen Drew's Game 1 performance and season-long learning experience
Cubs, Dbacks set hits home for Grace Discusses (sort of) Grace's ties to both teams. Quote:
"My mom and dad taught me a long time ago not to bite the hand that feeds you, and right now I'm being fed very well by this team," said Grace. Really Gracie? That's the best thing you can think of to say in that situation?
Davis rides momentum into Game 2 Quote:
That Davis on Aug. 25 defeated the Cubs -- a team that's just 19-24 this season against left-handers -- certainly didn't hurt Davis case, either. But why has he been successful against the Cubs? "It just seems that every time I face them, it feels like I can execute a plan that I've been working on for the week before that," Davis said. "It's something that I study and figure out what hitters' weaknesses are, and I try to execute my pitches and let my fielders work behind me."
Colangelo returns to throw out first pitch I didn't know this, this was a nice touch, especially to RJ (who apparently sat in on the radio broadcast) Quote: "My thought to do this was to kind of connect the great success of the past to the present," Kendrick said.
-
Chess Match: Pitcher Selection Conor Jackson and the bullpen help Bob Melvin look good again in pulling Webb after 7; Pinella, not so much..
-
Notes: Melvin goes with 11 pitchers Melvin felt more comfortable with 11 pitchers, and I can't blame him! He was so excited to tell Hammock he made the post-season roster, he told him early. Jay Bell & Matt Williams are to throw out first pitches in Game 2.
-
Short Hops Brief look at the key players of Arizona's win.
- Webb gem boosts Dbacks past Cubs I guess this would be the MLB.com recap. It talks about Webb, his nerves (if any), his pitch selection, troubles in the 6th, and the offensive support.
Others
Experts: Who's going to win? Nobody picked us to even make the World Series, and 4 of 20 picked us to beat the Cubs. Well, let's see what they say 2 or 3 games from now!
Yahoo's being stupid again so I can't get the game preview. But, as we all know, it's Davis vs Lilly. Tonight at 7, be there or be here. (And remember, TBS is your exclusive home for the Division Series. ::gag::)