Skies Clear for Phillies in Clearwater

By: Lily Zhao

(ESPN.com)

One big hit made Luis Montanez a big hit.

Montanez's walk off home run in the tenth inning helped redeem the Philadelphia Phillies 10-3 loss to the Houston Astros yesterday.

The Phillies would go on to win 5-4, fending off a late comeback by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Montanez would end the game with 1 HR and 4 RBIs.

Earlier in the game, the Phillies led 4-0 at the bottom of the fifth inning. Third baseman Placido Polanco would hit a single on a ground ball and score on the next play, as center fielder Shane Victorino homered on the fly ball to right field.

It looked as if the Phillies had the game in control. However, Pittsburgh's bats came alive at the top of the sixth, when Phillies manager Charlie Manuel pulled most of the his starters out of the game.

Casey McGehee's single would allow Josh Harrison to score the first run of the game for the Pirates. harrison, McGehee and Rod Barajas had three consecutive hits off Phillies right-hander Dave Bush. McGehee and Brock Holt would both score, bringing the Pirates within one run 4-3.

Aside from Starling Marte's homer at the top of the eighth, the Pirates could not muster enough offense the rest of the game to complete the comeback.

Both teams will face off again March 12 at McKechnie Field.

Astros Blast the Phillies for Second Straight Win

By: Lily Zhao

(Phillysportsdaily.com)

The runs came fast and often.

The Houston Astros outplayed and outscored the Philadelphia Phillies 10-3 for their second straight Spring Training win.

Jordan Schafer and J.D. Martinez led the way for the Astros. At the top of the first inning, Schafer singled and went on to score the first run. Martinez added two hits and three RBIs.

Schafer and Martinez took Phillies pitcher Vance Worley to task, each recording a single. Worley gave up a run in each of the two innings he pitched.

Astros right-hander Bud Norris threw three scoreless innings in his first start. His consistent pitching allowed the Astros to get onto the plate early and often, especially with the Phillies star-studded trio of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee not on the mound.

The Phillies did not get their first hit of the game until Shane Victorino hit a one-out single in the bottom of the fourth, while the Astros offense came alive.

At the top of the fourth, Jason Castro would single to centerfield, allowing Brett Wallace to run to second. From there, the floodgates would open for Houston. Castro, Wallace, Schafer and Brian Bogusevic would all score, putting the Astros up 6-0.

Philadelphia would make a late run in the late innings as Luis Montanez hit a two-run double and Hector Luna hit his second home run of the season. The Phillies effort was a little too late as the team added only three runs in the last couple innings.

The Astros improve to 4-1, while the Phillies fall to 2-2 on the season.

The Voice Behind the Team

By: Lily Zhao

(Erik Kellar, AP)

His No. 28 jersey might be retired, but his voice carries on.

After 22 years on the mound, former Minnesota Twins pitcher Bert Blyleven traded in his seat in the dugout for one in the broadcast booth seven years ago.

The 60-year-old has been the color commentator for the Twins for the past seven years and is gearing up for another round of broadcasts this year.

"I grew up loving the game of the baseball, I fell in love with it," Blyleven said. "Being an announcer for the Minnesota Twins kind of came second hand to me only because I like to talk, and I like to talk about pitching and hitting."

Last year he took his voice to Cooperstown for his Hall of Fame acceptance speech.

After 14 years on the ballet, Blyleven was recognized for a stellar career that included 287 wins and two World Series rings.

"You wear this Hall of Fame ring... with a lot of pride," Blyleven said. "It's a very, very small fraternity and I'm very proud to be part of the baseball Hall of Fame."

Blyleven can be seen alongside play-by-play analyst Dick Bremer announcing Twins games on Fox Sports North.

Twins' Ben Revere has high hopes for the 2012 season

By: Lily Zhao

Minnesota Twins outfielder Ben Revere is making a name for himself.

The Lexington, KY native burst onto the scene by recording 34 stolen bases and making acrobatic catches in center field last season. Revere is also one of only three Twins players to play more than 100 games last year due to injuries on the team.

"We were one of the hottest teams last year... teams know we can compete against them but hopefully we stay healthy," Revere said.

Despite the injuries, the 23-year-old says the team is practicing hard to bounce back from a 99-loss season.

"Everybody is preparing themselves," he said. "With the year we had last time, it was a tough one, but we're going to come in here and prepare ourselves so we can hopefully have 99 wins."

With that hard work ethic, Revere says bringing a trophy back to Minnesota will be the greatest reward.

"That's why we're here... waking up at six o'clock in the morning," Revere said. "Get on the field, bust our tails so we can win that World Series because I want that ring."

Could the Boston Celtics survive without media coverage?

By: Lily Zhao

If you look down on the Celtics' home court, you will see a big "@Celtics" twitter handle insignia permanently imprinted on the hardwood. In today's evolution of social media, outlets like Twitter and Facebook have fueled coverage of the Celtics.

(iamagm.com)

Members of the media document and report on games, press conferences, public events, rookie signings, trade rumors and everything in between. Many fans now a world of knowledge at their fingertips because of the media -- they can turn to trusted sites like the Boston Globe or Boston Herald, turn on the radio for WEEI or 98.5 the Sports Hub, or turn on their TVs to watch ESPNBoston and NESN. But, what would happen if media coverage suddenly went away? Could NBA teams like the Celtics survive without it?

Travis Singleton from BlackAthletes.net seems to think so. He believes the media does open many doors for Celtics fans by letting fans know what exactly is going on with their favorite NBA team. Singleton says media coverage has benefited the C's because members of the media are the people who track all the team stats, film and analyze what happens during games and lets them know what is going on with other teams in the league.

However, Singleton says that because Boston is such a sports city, stopping media coverage on the team would not really affect them at all.

"The Celtics could definitely survive without media coverage because it's an NBA brand," he said. "The National Basketball League can sell itself on its brand loyalty alone."

ESPNBoston.com writer Greg Payne says he gets complaints from some veteran players about the media being too nosy, overwhelming and invasive in their personal lives on and off the court. Payne says players like Ray Allen and Paul Pierce wouldn't mind not having the media around because they have been on the team for so long.

However, younger players on the team are the ones who thrive on media attention.

"Younger guys like Avery Bradley, for instance, get great exposure," Payne said. "You see writers around the league saying things about how he's one of the best on ball defenders in the league and that can help the mindset of a young player like him feel like he belongs."

Jeffrey Twiss, the VP of Media Relations for the Celtics, thinks differently.

Twiss believes if media coverage were to stop all together for the Celtics, it would be detrimental for the future. He says media coverage is what helps drive interest for the team and its players. Without social media outlets, the team would be irrelevant because no one would know what was going on with the team and thus lose interest.

"There's a fine balance between the media and our team," Twiss said. "Neither one of us could exist without the other."

Bruins: First Trades of the Day

By: Lily Zhao

In the first moves of the day for the Bruins on NHL deadline day, the Bruins have acquired Brian Rolston and Mike Mottau from the Islanders and Greg Zanon from the Wild.

(boston.rawsignal.com)

Rolston, the 39-year-old forward from Flint, MI, will add depth to the B's frontline. As an older veteran player, he could provide solid playing time for Claude Julian's top three lines. He has just nine points this season.

Rolson's teammate Mottau will return to his home state. Born in Quincy, MA, Mottau has just two assists this season, after coming back to the ice following a concussion earlier this season. 

And in one of the first trades amongst teams today, the Bruins have traded defenseman Steven Kampfer for Wild defenseman Greg Zanon. 

Kampfer, who has been injured, did not see any significant playing time this season. He only played 10 games.

Zanon was added to the backline to hopefully work alongside Dennis Seidenberg. Zanon played in 39 games this season and has 104 blocked shots. He should be the big body B's general manager Peter Chiarelli is looking for.

Bruins Deadline Day: Possible Trade Options


By: Lily Zhao


It's that time of year again.

It's the day most NHL players usually dread and most fans usually enjoy.

The NHL trade deadline has finally arrived and the Bruins are on the clock.

The team has until 3 p.m. today to close their business on the trade front. And unless anything drastic changes before then, B's general manager Peter Chiarelli is still looking to fill holes along the forward and defenseman ranks.

He wants a forward who can play on one of the team's top three lines, and a defenseman capable of logging valuable minutes among the backline.

"My motivating factors are, first of all, depth," Chiarelli said. "And then injury, especially to our forwards. Both Nathan (Horton) and (Rich Peverley) remain out, and though we expect both are going to be back, you have to make sure you are covered."

He's right, but Chiarelli just recently added wanting to obtain an impact player as well.

I say good luck.

Yes, he is right in wanting to get that player.

With injuries to Horton (concussion) and Peverley (knee), along with the team's overall lackluster play since the beginning of January--not counting Wednesday night's win--it's crucial for this team to get someone who can be a consistent scorer.

However, with an estimate of $13.2 million under the salary cap and a mediocre, thin market for impact forwards, chances of Chiarelli finding that star player this season look slim.

(Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Chiarelli even said himself that prices this year were "through the roof."

"Last year we talked about adding a couple more bodies and chemistry. We were fortunate to get a couple of players that had additional years on their contracts and fit into our two-way system," he said. "We paid a good amount last year to get some players in -- I'm not saying we won't this year -- but (prices are) through the roof."

Along with high prices, another aspect hindering the B's from snatching a power forward are negotiations of trading amongst teams.

The biggest names on the market, Blue Jackets' Rick Nash and Jeff Carter come at a big price because Columbus wants a goaltender in return.

I doubt Chiarelli is ready to let go of 24-year-old goaltender Tuukka Rask.

What would be the most helpful for the team will be to focus on getting a forward for less money that will still have that ability to score goals, and a defenseman that can put in ample time in the backline.

According to ESPN.com, forwards Ales Hemsky (Edmonton Oilers), Milan Hejduk (Colorado Avalanche), Kyle Okposos (New York Islanders) and Sami Pahlsson (Columbus Blue Jackets) seem to be good options for the B's.

Out of all these forwards, I believe Pahlsson would be the best asset for Boston. He's a former Bruin and if he's picked up by the B's, this could allow Chiarelli to move some players around.

On the defensive front, Johnny Oduya (Winnipeg Jets), Jaroslav Spacek (Carolina Hurricanes) and Lubomir Visnovsky (Anaheim Ducks) could help in the backline.

Spacek has the best range for the team. The 38-year-old unrestricted free-agent-to-be, if signed by the B's, could push the depth charts. He plays well on the power play and will add another experienced body to help Dennis Seidenberg and Zdeno Chara, especially after Johnny Boychuk's injury earlier this season.

With Chiarelli looking to change the look of the team, there's good news for current B's players. The GM said he does not intend or want to break up the core of the present team.

"I've been clear in telling people I've talked to that I don't want to move anyone off our roster," Chiarelli said.

Bruins fans rejoice. Bruins players take a deep breath.

Come the end of Manic Monday, we'll see just how this team will look.

The clock is ticking.