Monday, November 1, 2010

San Francisco Giants - World Series 2010 Champions!!

Well, Giants fans, congratulations!  Your team won the 2010 Major League Baseball World Series!  It was an exciting weekend as the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers battled out to see who would be this year's new World Series champion.  The first game, on October 27, was won by the SF Giants, with a score of 11-7.  The Giants also won the next game, played on October 28, 9-0.  The Rangers then made a comeback on October 30 and won 4-2.  However, they weren't so lucky when they played the next night, Halloween, when the Giants won 4-0.  This was when the Giants fans started getting big heads, and rightfully so.  The SF Giants won the last game today, November first, against the Rangers with a score of 3-1.  So, congratulations to the Giants on their first title in 56 years!!  Also, congratulations to the Rangers for making it to the World Series for the first time in franchise history, and battling it out against the ruthless Giants!  Stay in tune with my new blog, Amazing Earth, where I will be writing and reminiscing about some places I have visited, what they were like, and what I did/did not like about each.  So, check it out!!


Monday, October 25, 2010

World Series!!!

Now we finally have it - the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers are taking the World Series!  These two teams will battle it out in a series of four games, with three remaining games, if necessary (if they get tied up)  The Giants won their spot in this year's World Series in their last game against the Philadelphia Phillies in the Playoffs, on October 23.  The final score was a close 3 - 2; a win for the Giants.  Now, Giants and the Rangers are scheduled to start the World Series Playoffs on Wednesday, October 27, in San Francisco at the Giants' stadium.  They will play again the next day, Thursday, October 28, also in San Francisco.  Then the teams will move on to Texas, and play two more games, on October 30 and October 31.  This should be a very interesting World Series.  Two teams nobody expected will be playing against each other, the Rangers for the first time in history!  Don't miss out on this year's 2010 MLB World Series!  It's going to be exciting and, most likely, very unpredictable.


Click here to see more information, as well as predictions as to which team will win and why.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Playoffs - 1 Down, 2 to Go!

Yesterday was an exciting night for all Texas Ranger fans, but a disappointing for all those Yankee fans.  It was an exciting game for them last night, October 22, as the Texas Rangers played against the New York Yankees for the final time, to determine who would be going to play at this years MLB World Series.  As I'm sure many of you heard, the Texas Rangers will be playing in the World Series for the first time in franchise history!  During last night's game, the score was tied 1-all until the 5th inning, when Vladimir Guerrero, from the Rangers, hit a two-run double with a runner on third base.  (For those of you who don't know, a double is a hit that brings in 2 runs home)  It was all downhill from there for the Yankees.  Sorry, Yanks!  Try again next year.  As for the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants, the Phillies won the last game on Thursday, 4 - 2.  The teams are scheduled to play against each other today, October 23 in Philadelphia at 7:57 pm.  (The game will be on Fox for those interested in watching!)  For a full summary of last night's game, visit This link!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Playoffs - Getting Closer and Closer to the World Series!

I'm getting excited now - the MLB World Series starts this next Wednesday, October 27!  Who will be going, you ask?  So far, the San Francisco Giants have a lead on the Philadelphia Phillies - they won the last two games 3-0 (October 17), and 6-5 (last night, October 20).  They are scheduled to play again tonight, October 21, in San Francisco, and October 23 and 24 in Philadelphia, if necessary.  New York Yankee fans were ecstatic when the Yanks made a comeback last night, playing against the Texas Rangers.  The score was 7-2, with the Yankees in the lead.  However, the Rangers had won the previous two games 8-0 (October 18), and 10-3 (October 19).  The Rangers will be playing the Yankees on October 22 in Texas, and again on October 23 in Texas, if necessary.  Who will make it to the 2010 MLB World Series??  It's down to the wire.  The Phillies and the Yankees have only a few more chances to make their comebacks against the Giants and the Rangers, who are currently in the lead.  The pressure is on!  If anyone is interested, the next Phillies/Giants game will be shown at 7:57 pm on Fox on October 23, and the Yankees/Rangers game will be shown on TBS at 8:07 pm on October 22.  Tune in to watch the action and feel the tension as these final four teams battle it out to make it to the top!


More Info-Giants/Phillies

More Info-Yankees/Rangers

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Most Recent Playoffs Update

This has been a busy week for the Major League Baseball teams as they have competed for the #1 spots in the Playoffs, in hopes of making it to the MLB World Series, which is coming up soon.  So far the Minnesota Twins, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Atlanta Braves have all been eliminated from the playoffs.  Now, the fight for the number one position in the National League is between the San Francisco Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies.  Also, the Texas Rangers are playing against the New York Yankees for the number one spot in the American League.  Each team that wins out of each of these leagues will go on to play each other in the World Series.  The Phillies and the Giants are scheduled to play from the dates of October 16 through October 24.  The Yankees and the Rangers are scheduled to play through October 15 to October 23.  So far, the Yanks won 6 - 5 against the Rangers on October 15, but the Rangers bounced back the next day with a score of 7 - 2.  Who will make it to the World Series?  We will have to wait to find out.  If you have any opinions, post them in a comment!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Playoffs Update #2

Things are changing among scores of the MLB playoff teams.  Until recently, the Tampa Bay Rays were trailing behind the Texas Rangers, losing the first two games 1-5 and 0-6, but now the Rays are catching up!  They are more than catching up, actually.  On October 9 the Rays played the Rangers and won with a score of 6-3 and on October 10 they won again, 5-2.  Is this a glorious comeback for the Rays?  Will they continue on this winning streak?  We will see, with their next game on October 12.  The last two games of the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves were a tie, the Giants won one and the Braves won one.  On October 10, however, the Giants beat the Braves with a close score of 3-2.  Let's see if they will continue winning or if the Braves will make a comeback.  The Philadelphia Phillies are stomping the Cincinnati Reds, losing only one of their playoffs game so far.  They last played yesterday, October 10, and the Phillies won 2-0.  The New York Yankees won their American League Series with a sweep against the Minnesota Twins.  Sorry, Twins!  Check back for more MLB Playoff Updates!


Check out the Yankees' Page!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Playoffs Update #1

It's been an exciting first week of the Major League Baseball playoffs 2010!  The Philadelphia Phillies played the Cincinnati Reds, the Tampa Bay Rays played the Texas Rangers, the Minnesota Twins played the New York Yankees, and the San Francisco Giants played the Atlanta Braves.  On the first playoff day, Wednesday, October 6, the Phillie's pitcher Roy Halladay threw a no hitter!  Not only that, but it was his second no hitter, which makes baseball postseason history!!  And for those of you who are not familiar with a no hitter, it is when not one batter from a team hits the ball.  This means not one player from the Reds hit a ball during this game.  Roy Halladay did have one walk, to Reds player Jay Bruce, on a full-count pitch.  (A full-count pitch is when there are two strikes and three balls; three strikes are needed for a strike-out and four balls are needed for a walk)  Jay Bruce was the only player from the Reds to get on base the entire game!  Needless to say, the Phillies won the game 4-0.  Then there were the Rays and the Rangers.  The Rays are off to a rough start, with their first two games ending in 1-5 and 0-6 with the Rangers in the lead.  However, the Rays still have a chance, because they have patience, a good defense, and good pitching.  The Twins and the Yankees are playing each other and so far, the Yankees are leading the last two games 6-4 and 5-2.  Some think the Twins could still win because they love to prove everybody wrong.  The Giants vs. the Braves have current scores of 1 (Giants) to 0 (Braves) and 4 (Giants) to 5 (Braves) in an 11th inning game.  Keep checking in for more exciting updates of the 2010 MLB Playoffs!

Check out this video!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Clearing Up of Some "Baseball Issues"

Sorry if I didn't make some things clear with my earlier blog on playing baseball.  There were some questions and I am here to clear them up.  First of all, every player does play both offense and defense.  The whole team will be playing offense and the opposite will be playing defense, then they will switch after 3 innings.
 As for stealing base, it's a little hard to explain, but I will try my best!  Well, you know it all depends who's on base.  Say there's someone on first base and nobody else on base.  After the pitcher pitches the ball to the batter, if the first base runner thinks he can make it to second base on time, he can steal it.  However, if the opposing team on defense sees that he is stealing, they can try to throw the ball to get him out.  If someone is stealing though, and the defense has the opportunity to get them out, they must tag the runner with the ball before he hits the base.  This is a different rule than if he is just running because a ball is hit; then there is no need to tag him.  I hope that makes it clear!  Post any more questions!!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

PLAYOFFS: Who's Going??

It's been an exciting weekend as it was determined who will play in this year's MLB playoffs.  First of all, for those of you who don't know, the playoffs are a series of games used to determine who will play against each other in the World Series.  Winning the World Series is the ultimate title for a baseball game, much like winning the Super Bowl.  Three teams from the National League and three teams from the American League are chosen to play in the playoffs, along with a team from each league as the "wild card." The three teams are chosen by wins against opposing teams and the wild card is the team with the best record.  In the playoffs this year for the National League are the San Francisco Giants (NL West), the Cincinnati Reds (NL Central), and the Philadelphia Phillies. (NL East), and the wild card team is the Atlanta Braves.  For the American League, the Texas Rangers (AL West), the Minnesota Twins (AL Central), and the Tampa Bay Rays (AL East) will be playing, along with the New York Yankees as the wild card.  Personally, I think the Giants will win the NL playoffs and the Yankees will win the AL playoffs, leading to the two playing against each other at the World Series.  It will be interesting to see it all happen!  Post a comment if you have any predictions! :)

MLB Standings

Monday, September 27, 2010

Baseball: The Game & How to Play It

Hello, everyone!  So, I had a request to explain the game of baseball, for those of you who do not know its rules and how it is played!  This blog today will be about just that!!
First of all, there are generally 9 innings and 3 outs per inning.  An inning is a certain amount of time where one team is on offense and one is on defense.  The team on offense is up to bat and the team on defense is out in the field (just think 'defend', as they are defending the infield).  There are four bases: 1st base, 2nd base, 3rd base, and home base.  There is a first baseman on 1st base, a second baseman on 2nd base, and a third baseman on 3rd.  There is also a shortstop in between 2nd base and 3rd base.  The catcher squats behind the home plate.  There is also a right field, left field, and center field, which are the outfields, and each their own player.  There is a pitcher, who stands on a mound facing the catcher.  The pitcher's job is to throw the ball, aiming for the catcher, trying to strike out the batter.  The batter will strike out if they swing three times and miss each time, or if they get two fouls and miss the last one.  A foul ball is when the batter hits the ball, but it goes outside of the play lines.  If the batter hits the ball, it is the defense's job to try to get the batter "out."  They will throw the ball to whichever base the batter is on, and if the ball gets there before the batter and the baseman tags the batter with the ball, the batter is out.  A "homerun" is when the batter hits the ball out of the field.  This means he, and whichever of his teammates are on base at the time, get to run all the way home and score.  After there are three outs, the teams change positions.  Once the teams have changed twice it is called an inning.  So, therefore, an inning consists of both teams having played once on both defense and offense.  The teams will play like this until the 9th inning, and at the end of the 9th, whoever has more points wins the game.  These are the fundamentals and basics of baseball!! Questions?? Leave me a comment! :)

Friday, September 24, 2010

Blog #2: NL West Standings

Today's post will be about the National League West standings so far.  There has been close competition between the NL west this season.  
In first place are the San Francisco Giants, with 86 wins and 67 losses.  Putting them in first place was their last game at the Chicago Cubs stadium, where the Giants won 13-0!! Their next game will be today in Colorado against the Rockies.
Close behind in second, are the San Diego Padres, with 85 wins and 67 losses.  They lost 1-3 against the Dodgers in LA on September 23 and are to play next today versus the Cincinnati Reds.
Coming in third are the Colorado Rockies with 82 wins.  They got their 70th loss in Arizona on September 23 against the Diamondbacks, losing  a close one with a score of 9-10.  They might have a chance at another win against the Giants today in Colorado.
In fourth place is my personal favorite team, the LA Dodgers.  They are not far behind with 74 wins and 79 losses.  They last played the Padres on September 23 and won 3-1.  They will play the Diamondbacks today in Arizona, and I'm hoping they will make another win!!
The top MLB performers for the National League as of now are:
Josh Johnson for pitching and Carlos Gonzalez for batting.  Johnson is on the Florida Marlins and has an ERA (earned run average) of 2.30 and 186 Ks (strikeouts).  Colorado Rockies player Gonzalez has a batting average of .342 with 33 homeruns.


I do not know how many of you follow baseball or even like it, but, to me, watching a game or especially attending one in person is the greatest way to spend my day!  Take Dodger stadium for example.  The crazy Dodger fans chant and yell and cheer all the time, the whole time, which makes the game so much more fun and interesting!  So if you have never been to a game, consider going.  Even if you do not like baseball, it is still fun and exciting to spend the day in the stadium.


The teams in the National League west are playing today, heavily competing for the number one spot.  More updates to come with new scores and standings!





Monday, September 20, 2010

Blog #1




Hi, I'm Emily Underwood and I'm part of the English 100-31 class at CSULB.  My blog will be about updates for Major League Baseball.  You should read my blog because you will then know what's going on in the MLB world!! How exciting is that?!  Baseball is America's favorite pastime and I think it is so fun to follow.  Plus, who doesn't enjoy going to a game and eating a delicious hot dog??  So it will all be here (everything, that is, except the stadium and the hot dog).  This blog will be about standings of different teams and different leagues, for example the American and National Leagues.  It will also be sectioned into different directions, for example, the American League East.  I will write about standings (which teams are leading in wins), most recent games, next games, players, and my opinions about them.  I realize it might be a controversial blog, especially if you are a baseball follower and have a different favorite team than I!  However, it should still be fun, and even if you don't follow a certain team you will still be able to strike up a conversation about this baseball season with someone!  So make sure to check out my posts, and stay up to date on the latest in Major League Baseball!  Thanks for visiting :)