Union Held to a Draw

The Philadelphia Union needed three points today at home but Colorado held them to a 1-1 draw. The Union outplayed the Rapids in the first half, but again they gave up the first goal in the 59th minute. Jeff Larentowicz, who had a whole section rooting him on (he is from the area), drove home a long strike.

The Union had chances but were just unable to finish until Danny Mwanga finally tied it up in the 73rd minute. Mwanga broke away from the defenders and slotted it home when it was just him and the goalie. Union fans rejoiced as the Union then looked to take the lead.

They were unable to due it. Late in the game, Sebatien Le Toux made a nice run in the box. While he was running to the ball, he was clipped by a Rapids defender. Le Toux was brought to the ground, and the scoring chance was foiled. To the coach Peter Nowak's disgust, the official motioned "play on" to the players.

The Union should have had a penalty shot, but that's neither here nor there. Sometimes you don't get those calls. The Union now sit with 17 points, and at 7th place in the Eastern Conference.

Daily Roundup: 5/8/10

Braves Beat Phils: The Phillies managed only one run against Braves' starter Kris Melden. That run came in the 2nd inning, when Shane Victorino's RBI single scored Brian Schneider. The Phillies had trouble with runners in scoring position. For instance, in the bottom of the 4th, with 2 men on and none out, the Phillies failed to get either run home. The Phils got 9 hits against Melden but did not register a hit against the Braves bullpen.

Joe Blanton looked good right up until the 6th inning. The Braves got their first hit in the 5th and Blanton looked to be in control. One big inning did him in. In the 6th, he allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, and no home runs. Still not a bad outing for Blanton. You're not going to win with one run.

Union Crushed: Real Salt Lake, defending MLS champions, showed the Union exactly why they are champions. They dominated the Union, beating them 3-0. The Union had defense lapses. On one of the goals, a union defender watched as a Salt Lake player went past him and scored. It is tough on the Union (1-6) because they have played 6 of 7 games on the road. They did win their only home game.

Sixers Coaching Update: According to Philly.com, the Sixers will meet with both Bill Laimbeer and Dan Majerle in the coming days. Laimbeer, a former Pistons star, has been very successful coaching in the WNBA. Will he be able to make the jump to the NBA? Majerle is a Phoenix Suns assistant coach. Shouldn't he be worrying about the San Antonio Spurs?

Daily Roundup: 5/6/10

Phils Take 3 of 4 From Cards: The Phillies handled the Cardinals today, beating the Cards 7-2. Actually, they handled the Cardinals all week, beating them 3 out of 4 times. Today, ace Roy Halladay pitched 7 innings, gave one earned run, and struck out 9. That effort got Halladay (6-1) his 6th win of the season. The Phillies bats made sure this game was never in doubt.

Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse was pounded from inning #1. Jayson Werth hit a 3-run home run in the first to open the scoring. Raul Ibanez crushed a high fastball into the upper deck (416 feet) in the 6th inning to put the Phils ahead 6-1. Werth had a breakout game, going 3-4 with 3 RBIs and a home run. Werth is batting .354 with 21 RBIs on the year.

The Phillies start a 3-game series with the Braves tomorrow. Jamie Moyer is pitching for the Phils, with Derek Lowe on the mound for the Braves. Game time is 7:05pm.

Robin Roberts Passes Away: Phillies Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts has died at the age of 83 at his home in Florida due to natural causes. Roberts was a key player on the 1950 Whiz Kids NL pennant-winning team. He is the best right handed pitcher in Phillies history. Roberts had 6 20-win seasons. He was first in complete games (237) and second in wins (199) in the '50s.

Now I never saw Robin pitch. He was before my time, but from what I hear, this guy was one heck of a pitcher. He was a Phillies legend who will never be forgotten.

United coming to Town: One of the top soccer clubs in the world, Manchester United, will be coming to Philadelphia to play the Union in an exhibition game at the Linc. The game is scheduled for July 21rst. This is a very exciting for the Union. They have a chance to play a top European team in their first year of existence. Usually, top clubs tour America once every several years. You bet that this game will draw big crowds.

Daily Wrapup: 5/2/10

Union Lose Again: The Philadelphia Union were promptly rolled over by the LA Galaxy last night. The final score was 3-1 and the Union's record is now 1-4. The MLS' leading goal scorer, Edison  Buddle, scored two goals against the Union. By the time the whistle sounded for the end of the first half, the Union were down 3 goals and also down a man.

The Union have showed a lack of discipline all season. Stefani Miglioranzi saw the red card this time. The Union will never have a chance if they're a man down every game. One bright spot in this game was the play of 17-year old Jack McInerny. He scored his first MLS goal last night.

Mayweather outlasts Mosely: I spent a good deal of time last night trying to watch this fight online for free. Anyone who does this regularly knows that it is hard to find a good stream that won't get shut down. Usually I can find one and watch the all of the fight. Last night I only caught a little of the fight because of computer issues.

Mosely hurt Mayweather early but then Mayweather dominated the Mosely for the rest of the fight. Mayweather needs to fight Pacquiao next. I know why Mayweather didn't want Pacquiao to be his first fight back. Pacquiao is the best fighter in the world and he will be until somebody beats.

Rollins May Miss More Time: Philly.com is reporting that Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins may miss more time than expected. It was first reported that Rollins would miss 2-4 weeks. It is now looking like Rollins may miss more than 4 weeks after several setbacks in his recovery.

Rollins: "I was jogging and I actually picked up the pace and that part didn’t bother me. But when I started shuffling and then turned around to really go, that hurt. Going to the right, that doesn’t bother me. Shuffling left and turning to run, that’s when you feel it grab."

Late Games: Tomorrow I may post about tonight's Phillies game.

Daily Roundup: 4/30/10

I already posted about the Phillies game here.

Madson on DL: Phillies relief pitcher Ryan Madson is on the DL for a broken toe.  Antonio Bastardo, who was optioned to the minors yesterday to make room for Brad Lidge, will rejoin the bullpen in Madson's absence. Madson has not done a good job in the closer's role this season. He has blown two games so far.

Hopefully, Brad Lidge can step up and close games better than Madson had. Now that Madson is no longer here to close, Lidge will be most likely thrusted into the spot right away.

Abiamiri's Injury Trouble: Eagles defensive end Victor Abiamiri underwent microfracture knee surgery. It looks unlikely that he will be able to return by the season opener. This serious injury may even threaten his career.

Abiamiri: "I know that I've been hurt a lot since I've been here. When I got hurt during the season, I was like, 'I'm just going to play through it.' It was bothering me through the season, but I figured I'd get it fixed at the end of the season. And I did. It's just that the amount of the time it takes for it to heal up is pretty extensive."

Big Sports Day: Tomorrow will be a big sports day for Philadelphia sports fans. The Flyers will play Game 1 of their second round series against Boston at 12:30. Roy Halladay starts for the Phillies against the Mets tomorrow at 3:30. The Philadelphia Union (1-4) play the top team in the Western Conference, the LA Galaxy, tomorrow at 10:30. The Kentucky Derby will also be held tomorrow.

It should be fun....