When the Red Sox entered the eighth inning with a 5-2 lead, the Angels’ chances didn’t appear to be too great. But, with the Angels trailing by a run in the ninth, Vladimir Guerrero hit a two-run single to give Los Angeles the lead. Brian Fuentes pitched a perfect ninth to put the Red Sox to bed.

Guerrero finished the contest 2-for-4 with one run and two RBIs, while Bobby Abreu was 3-for-5 with two runs and one RBI.

The Red Sox have plenty of blame to go around. Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, Kevin Youkilis, Jason Bay and David Ortiz all hit under .200 for the series.

For the Angels, they now move on to face the New York Yankees for a right to advance to the 2009 World Series.

Bobby Abreu celebrates the sweep of the Red Sox (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Red Sox Swept by Angels

I’ll kick things off with a commercial that wasn’t on my first list, but while watching another, it was recommended and I loved it. It’s a Dunkin’ Donuts spot with former Boston Red Sox player Johnny Damon and General Manager Theo Epstein. Damon has a secret and Epstein is reaping the benefits of knowing what it is. Take a look.

The next video is one that I would consider the greatest commercial of all-time that involves MLB players. Here’s a hint, “Come on, Alice!” It stars Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine with an appearance by Mark McGwire. Have a look at why chicks dig the long ball.

Before running across this next video on YouTube, I had honestly never heard or seen it before. But, this is a hilarious video. It’s about the New York Yankees and a new dance move. Seen in the commercial are David Cone and Luis Sojo, talking about what Orlando Hernandez has done in the nightclub scene.

The best part of this next commercial is the very end. It’s really slow at first, but the line fired off by former MVP Justin Morneau makes it worth the wait. Several All-Star players wait in line for a store to open and Morneau appears to jump at the front of the line. Take a look.

Let’s take a trip back to the mid-70s for this next clip. Did you know Pete Rose could sing? If you didn’t, you do now… Check it out.

The Seattle Mariners have some great marketing people. I’ve run across about 10-15 commercials that could have made this list and some that are just great commercials, but this is one of the best. It seems long ago since Ken Griffey, Jr. wore a Mariners jersey with the number 24 on the back, but I bet Seattle fans would love to see this on the field.

Here’s another great spot highlighting Griffey from Nike. Griffey takes aim at a fan’s sign that says, “Hit it here!”

Here’s another local team commercial. This one is from this season – a Minnesota Twins preseason spot. The entire Twins pitching staff is standing out on the field and about to sing you a song. Make sure you take a look at the groundskeeper that is watering the field during the song.

This next commercial is the only one that I’ve seen that even comes close to the Maddux and Glavine long ball spot. It’s a Pepsi commercial where Vladimir Guerrero and Alex Rodriguez have a little hitting contest that ends when the lights go out. Have a look.

The last commercial I have today is another fairly recent commercial by Vitamin Water. It stars David Ortiz and Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher on the badminton court. The slam of the shuttlecock by Ortiz is hilarious.

I’m sure I missed some other very funny commercials. So, let me know about it. Which commercial do you think is the funniest? Also, make sure you check back next Thursday for 10 of the worst commercials ever made that star MLB players.

Post from: EveryJoe

Thursday 10 – Funniest MLB player commercials

So, if this hasn’t been confusing enough already, let’s take a look at this week’s top 10.

Top 10 Worst MLB Debuts by All-Star Players (since 1988)

#10 – Dan Haren, 2003 – After being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2001, Haren made his MLB debut with the Cards on June 30, 2003. Haren’s first season in the big leagues was not kind to the right-hander, who posted a 3-7 win-loss record. Haren pitched 72 and two-thirds innings for St. Louis, while posting a 5.08 earned run average and allowing nine home runs. Haren was traded halfway through the 2004 season to the Oakland Athletics.

#9 – Curt Schilling, 1988 – Schilling was a September call up by the Baltimore Orioles in 1988, where he pitched only 14 and two-thirds innings. The righty posted an 0-3 record while giving up three long balls and seeing his ERA balloon up to 9.82. Schilling also walked 10 batters, while striking out only four in his debut season. Schilling had been acquired from the Boston Red Sox just over a month prior to his MLB debut. The six-time all-star lasted only two more seasons in Baltimore before being traded to the Houston Astros.

#8 – Vladimir Guerrero, 1996 – Guerrero was also a September call up in 1996 with the Montreal Expos. Now known as one of the most free-swinging players in the game today, Guerrero only struck out three times in his debut season, which saw him have 27 at bats. Guerrero also posted a .185 batting average and a .185 on base percentage. He had just five hits in his first big league season, one of which was a solo home run.

#7 – Manny Ramirez, 1993 – Before Manny was being, well, Manny, he was… well, just another guy. Ramirez’s debut season in 1993 started on September 2, with the Cleveland Indians. Ramirez spent only two seasons in the minors before being called up, where he hit a measly .170 in 53 at bats for the Indians in 1993. He did swat a pair of home runs and drive in five during his debut season. In 1994, Ramirez would go on to finish second in the Rookie of the Year voting.

#6 – Larry Walker, 1989 – Another former Montreal Expos player makes this distinguished list after Walker appeared in the big leagues for the first time in 1989. Walker batted only .170 in 47 at bats, while striking out 13 times. The 1997 MVP had only eight hits in his debut season. Though most people won’t remember this horrible season for Walker, he will forever be remembered as the guy that caught a fly ball and tossed into the stands, then realized there were only two outs. Walker then went back into the stands and took the ball away from a fan to throw it into the infield to stop a runner from advancing.

#5 – Derek Lowe, 1997 – Lowe made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners on August 26, 1997. The right-hander went 2-4 with the Mariners before being traded along with catcher Jason Varitek to the Boston Red Sox. Lowe went 0-2 for Boston in ‘97 and finished the season a combined 2-6 with a 6.13 ERA in 69 innings pitched. However, Lowe was a favorite for many hitters that season, giving up 11 home runs. In case you are wondering, Lowe and Varitek were traded for Heathcliff Slocumb. Lowe and Varitek each appeared in two All-Star games while wearing a Boston jersey, while Slocumb lasted only one more season with the Mariners.

#4 – Troy Glaus, 1998 – Glaus was brought up July 31, 1998, as the Anaheim Angels were in the middle of a heated race for the AL West crown. Most likely, Glaus received the call up to provide a little pop to the third base position, which was being poorly held down by Dave Hollins. However, Glaus was not the answer as the 6-5 UCLA product batted .218 and his only one home run in 165 at bats. Glaus did drive in 23 runs, but struck out 51 times during his debut season. Though Glaus went to three All-Star games and won the Silver Slugger award twice while wearing an Angels uniform, he was unable to help Anaheim overtake Texas during the ‘98 season and finished three games out of the AL West title.

Former Atlanta Braves southpaw Steve Avery had a rough debut season in 1990, posting a 5.64 ERA with a 3-11 record.

#3 – Steve Avery, 1990 – Avery really had two debuts as he attempted a comeback during the 2003 season, however, Avery’s true debut season of 1990 was rough for the Michigan native. Avery posted a 3-11 record for the Atlanta Braves with a 5.64 ERA in 99 innings pitched. The southpaw did post a complete game shutout, however he also allowed seven home runs during his debut season. Surprisingly enough, Avery did not lead the Braves in losses during the ‘90 campaign. He was one of three Braves pitchers to be saddled with 11 losses that season, however Tom Glavine led Atlanta with 12 losses.

#2 – Alex Rodriguez, 1994 – That’s right. Even A-Rod can have a bad season. After the Mariners shipped out Omar Vizquel, Rodriguez was called up on July 8, to assist with the shortstop duties, which were being held down by Felix Fermin. A-Rod’s time at the plate was limited in ‘94, as he batted just .204 in 54 at bats. The future Hall-of-Famer had only two RBI in his debut season and struck out 20 times (37% of the time or once every 2.7 at bats – OUCH!). Yes, it got a lot better for Rodriguez two years later when he finished second in the MVP voting.

#1 – Eddie Guardado, 1993 – Do you remember when Guardado wasn’t “Everyday Eddie?” Fans in Minnesota sure do. During the 1993 season, Guardado was called up on June 13, 1993, as a starting pitcher. The left-hander posted a 3-8 overall record with the Twins during his debut season. He also posted a 6.18 ERA in 94.2 innings pitched and allowed 13 home runs. Batters hit at a .319 clip against Guardado and compiled 123 hits, including 52 that went for extra bases. Obviously, the Twins figured out that Guardado was not a starting pitcher, but it wasn’t until the 2000 season that “Everyday Eddie” was born. Guardado has made two trips to the All-Star game, including the 2002 season when he finished 15th overall in the MVP voting.

There were many other All-Stars that just missed the list, including John Smoltz (1988), Andy Ashby (1991), Miguel Tejada (1997), David Justice (1989) and Johan Santana (2000). Do you think someone was left off of this list? Let me know.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: EveryJoe

Thursday 10 – Worst MLB debut seasons by All-Star players (since 1988)