Bleacher Report - Articles by Kevin Boyle

Purple People Eaten: Jackson Plays Like the Bench Player He Was Born to Be

Kevin Boyle — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 13:06:15 -0500

MINNESOTA - Winter greetings from Minneapolis! It's bright and sunny and...about two degrees (negative fourteen with the windchill). Cold as it may have been outside, however, nothing looked colder than the Vikings offensive unit inside the Metrodome during their showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles during Wildcard Weekend.

During this past week, NFL rushing leader, Adrian Peterson, vocally displayed his disdain of the media's focus on his fumbles as opposed to the positive aspects of his game. But instead of worrying about getting his feelings hurt, the butterfingered former Sooner should have been making a more conscious effort of picking up the slack for his Arena ball-caliber quarterback.

The Vikings looked strong in the early going, or at least their defense did. The number one run defense in the NFL led by three Pro Bowlers tore apart the Eagles offensive line, repeatedly roughing up Donovan McNabb. Of course, not even star defensive end Jared Allen and company are perfect. They gave big time yardage on a few key passes by Andy Reid's golden boy.

The majority of those plays led to one of four David Akers' field goals (44, 51, 31, and 45 yards). The big kicker for the Phil-birds, however, was Donny Mac's dump pass to the dangerous Brian Westbrook who took off a video game- esche touchdown campaign featuring an extensive blocking clinic.

Peterson's counterpart, Chester Taylor didn't look half bad for Minnesota, unfortunately that can't be said for the other 10 on that side of the ball. Big baby Peterson got nowhere in the early going and after taking a big hit from star safety Brian Dawkins earned his millions by taking a seat on the sidelines. He made up for it on the team's next drive, however, having his only semi-decent play of the game on a 40 yard touchdown run.

Not too much later, Peterson was joined on the list of shame by Tarvaris Jackson who threw a pick off right into the arms of corner back Asante Samuel with a clear run all the way back to the end zone.

As the game progressed, Jackson mounted a miracle drive that did manage to keep the Vikings in the game. But you see, this drive could only be considered a miracle due to the way Tarvy played the rest of the game. It seemed as if the game clock dwindled at the same speed as any signs of talent that Jackson seemed to have.

It was all capped off on the Vikings' final offensive play when Minnesota center Birk's snap bounced off Jacksons' ankle, right into the hands of the Eagles defensive line. I guess you could say that Jackson came full circle this season, starting off terribly, making a comeback, then dropping off again. All in all, the dismay of the twin cities now falls upon his shoulders and his shoulders alone.

As for the boys from the City of Brotherly Love, they have a date with the defending Super Bowl champion G-Men next Sunday afternoon in the Meadowlands. And if McNabb can cut down in the turnover department, Philly may even hit Tampa in February.

Rafael Nadal Wins Big in Third Round of the Olympics

Kevin Boyle — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:24:48 -0400

The haze was thick, but Nadal managed to see through, just as he saw through all challenges in his third round match against Igor Andreev in Beijing on Tuesday.

The blinding smog that consumed the host city of the 29th Olympiad was so overwhelming that Olympic officials were forced to engage the lights on Court One for a 4:00 PM match.

The court, resembling a Spanish bull ring, was home to Rafael Nadal's annihilation of Russia's Andreev. Nadal's impressive victory saw Andreev lose in a devastating 6-4, 6-2.

The win also moved Nadal deeper into the tournament, where he looks to accompany his big wins at the French Open and Wimbledon with a gold medal in 2008.

Many spectators relish the possibility of Sunday's gold medal match posing as a rematch of the epic Wimbledon final between the aforementioned Nadal and his rival, Roger Federer.

Cy Young or MVP: Edinson Volquez vs. Josh Hamilton

Kevin Boyle — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:34:12 -0400

Throughout baseball's modern history, one of the most intriguing topics regards the value of an everyday player versus that of a starting pitcher. This topic has become a subject of much attention since the recent trade between the Texas Rangers and Cincinnati Reds in which the Rangers sent last year's minor league Nolan Ryan award winner, Edinson Volquez to southern Ohio in exchange for the offensive machine, outfielder, Josh Hamilton.

Edinson Volquez, 24, was last season's top minor league pitching prospect. This season, however, Volquez is not only in the major leagues, but is almost a shoe-in for the National League Rookie of the Year Award, and he stands as a candidate early on for the National League Cy Young Award as well. Posting 10-3 record with an ERA just over 2, Volquez's impressive 2008 campaign also includes the posting of 110 strikeouts in just 16 starts.

The Reds weren't just given a pitching prodegy, but instead attained him only by sending red hot hitter, Josh Hamilton, to Arlington.

Josh Hamilton was a star minor league prospect from the late 1990's until early this decade, but his demons of drug abuse overcame him, and in 2003, Hamilton left the game of baseball, seemingly for good. But the young slugger returned in late 2006, and he made his major league debut with the Reds on April 20, 2007.

In his rookie season, Josh played in 90 games, hitting 19 long balls and putting up a .292 batting average. And while he didn't even hit the 50 mark in RBI's, the Rangers saw enough potential in him to give potentially the best starter in many years for him.

On the season already, Hamilton has 80 runs batted in, and has met his own home run total from all of last year. He has quickly become an MVP candidate.

While both men have had phenomenal season thus far, the question of their value is still, and may always remain, in question.

New York Yankees: A Day To Remember

Kevin Boyle — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:57:46 -0400

Tuesday, March 18, 2008 will go down in history as one of the most moving, proudest days in the history of baseball.

After the April 16, 2007, shootings at Virginia Tech University, New York Yankees' owner, George Steinbrenner, donated $1 million to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, and promised that during Spring Training 2008, the Yankees would play an exhibition game against the school's baseball team on a scheduled off day.

Eleven months and two days later, Steinbrenner fulfilled that promise when his team made their way onto the Blacksburg Campus.

The team gathered around a memorial in which there were 32 stones, one for each victim of the shootings, as they paid their respects to those innocent students. Manager Joe Girardi held back tears as he became overwhelmed as the realness of the tragedy set in.

"It's just a real reminder of how precious life is and how fortunate we are to have our health and be able to do what we do," said the new skipper on this day where emotions ran wild.

The Bombers signed autographs for VT players and fans alike as 5,000 filled English Field. Members of the team came into contact with people who had been directly affected by last year's events.

There was even one occurence in which Yankees' captain, Derek Jeter, was approached by a young woman, a fan of his, whose fiancee had been one of last year's casualties. Derek took a photo with the woman in front of a monument that the school's student body had erected in honor of her deceased significant other.

"She did smile, so it's a good story," Jeter said later. He went on to compare the events to September 11, also stating that he didn't know exactly how this game helped, but that seeing these students smiling and enjoying themselves was definitely a positive.

On a very emotional, exhausting day, filled with tragic stories and heart-warming memories that will last a lifetime, Joe Girardi's words may have summed up the feelings of the team and students best:

"What I take from it is you should give your best every day, because you never know about tomorrow. When you're trying to do something like winning a championship, this should move you to do whatever you can. You never know what will happen tomorrow."

Jeff Karstens: The Will To Fight

Kevin Boyle — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:07:40 -0400

When asked to name players within the New York Yankees organization, I guarantee you that Jeff Karstens would not be near the top of the list. And while he may not be a superstar or even have a spot on the major league club, this 25-year-old kid has a work ethic and determination that anyone can admire.

On September 24, 1982, deep in southern California, Mr. and Mrs. Karstens gave birth to a little boy who, although they didn't know at the time, had a great talent and an even greater will.

In his senior year of high school, young Jeff Karstens earned the titles of Mount Miguel High School's most valuable player, First-Team All-Conference Honors selection, and Second-Team All-San Diego selection. Posting an 8-2 record and an ERA under three, the teenage hurler showed how talented he truly was.

Four years later, during the 19th round of the 2003 amateur draft, Karstens received a call from The New York Yankees, giving him the oppurtunity to reach the top of his trade with the most prolific franchise on the planet.

In 2005, the 22-year-old led the Trenton Thunder's Double-A pitching staff while finishing in the top five in the league in innings pitched and finishing in the top three in wins and starts.

The following season, Karstens was promoted to the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers. Karstens had trouble finding his way with the team, showing an incapablity to win games and posting an ERA near 10.

This eventually led to Karstens being send back down to his Thunder team of the previous year, where he fought back from his season that had, to this point, been disappointing, going undefeated and posting an ERA of 2.31.

Jeff's rebound allowed him to get the call back to Columbus where this new-found dominance continued as he finished his Triple-A season with five consecutive wins and an ERA below two.

On August 19th of that same season, Karstens hard work and determination was finally rewarded when he got the call that changed his life forever. He was officially a major leaguer.

Three days later he stepped onto the mound in a Yankees uniform for the first time when he took on the Seattle Mariners. The rookie showed his talent again as he pitched into the sixth inning while only giving up 3 runs on the most exciting day of his young life.

Karstens received a no-decision in his first major league start, but five days later, he won his first game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, throwing six innings of work and once again only giving up three runs.

The following season, the San Diego native continued to impress the team, as he showed very dominant in Spring Training.

Due to early injuries to the Yankees starting pitchers, Karstens got the call to take the mound again on April 28 against the rival Red Sox.

The very first batter of the game, Julio Lugo bashed a ball off Jeff's leg. Joe Torre and trainer Gene Monahan suggested Karstens leave the game, but he insisted he was alright wanted to continue. He went on to face one more batter before it appeared as if he was worse off than it had originally appeared.

X-rays taken later showed that Jeff had fractured his fibula, quite a painful injury. Yet Jeff's desire to lead, to win, to face the future American League East Champions overcame that pain and he tried to fight on.

After surgery and months upon months of rehab, Karstens finally returned to the majors, but after going that long without pitching, he had a very unimpressive performance.

Jeff was demoted to Triple-A, but he fought back once again, returning to the Yankees major league club the following month.

Entering the 2008 season, he may not have a guaranteed spot in the starting rotation or on the Yankees pitching staff at all, but you can be sure that Jeff Karstens will continue to fight through anything that stands before him as he looks to achieve his full potential and become one of the most fearsome starting pitchers that baseball has ever seen.

New York Yankees Preview: Can They Make The Cut?

Kevin Boyle — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:33:12 -0400

Throughout the course of history, the New York Yankees have won 25 World Series Championships, 39 American League pennants, and 9,383 total games. The team has made the playoffs every season since 1995. They have also made it to the American League Championship Series in six of the last 10 seasons.

Yet all that may not be enough to save the Yankees in 2008.

The most prestigious team in the history of sports is not projected to make the playoffs this season. As for any questions on how that could be, a simple look at their current roster could provide the answers.

The Yankees starting rotation this season is filled with question marks.

Behind former Cy Young candidate, Chien-Ming Wang, and the steady-staying Andy Pettite, the Yankees have a staff of potential, but no promises.

The Bronx Bombers will look to the veteran Mike Mussina to help balance a primarily young rotation, but with numbers like last season's 11-10 record, 5.15 ERA, and strike out total under 100, Moose looks as though his days of 18-win seasons are long behind him.

Behind Mussina, the Yankees have three young hurlers in Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Joba Chamberlain.

Hughes, while appearing to be the "real deal," lacks the experience that Joe Girardi needs to have confidence in him.

Kennedy, the least proven of the trio, is going to be relied on as the Yankees' number five starter. Kennedy is a true wild card for this team, and the risks may be greater than the rewards.

Meanwhile, pitching's latest phenomenon, Joba Chamberlain is very confident in his abilities, but less experience than his two young colleagues, it's not yet known whether or not Joba can truly lead this team.

If this rotation manages to get some leads, the Yanks will need solid arms to hang on to them, and with the 2008 bullpen, that stands as a task to be seen. Ahead of one of the greatest closers in the history of the game, the Yankees have pretty steady LaTroy Hawkins, high-ERA yielding Kyle Farnsworth and Jose Veras, inconsistent Brian Bruney, and last season's injury-plagued Jeff Karstens.

As for Joe Girardi's offense, it's pretty consistent with the likes of Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, and reigning AL MVP Alex Rodriguez. But with other players constantly aging, there are questions surrounding stamina and health.

The Yankees will look to prove the critics wrong and overcome the odds to make the playoffs yet again, but one must question if this 13-year reign of dominance has finally come to an end.

New York Yankees: In Phil Hughes We Trust

Kevin Boyle — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:20:02 -0400

Walk into any Modell's Sporting Goods and take a look around at the New York Yankees merchandise.

Whether it's posters, jerseys, t-shirts, or even gym bags, there's one name that you're guaranteed to see.

No, it's not Jeter. It's not Rodriguez or Cano. It's not Giambi or Rivera either.

The name you will see, however, is Chamberlain.

Last year's surprise phenom went 2-0 with 34 strikeouts and an era of 0.38 while coming out of the bullpen primarily as Mariano Rivera's eighth-inning setup man.

But one may question how impressive these numbers truly are with the little experience Joba actually has on his resume. While quickly rising in popularity with the fans, Brian Bruney's replacement only pitched in 19 games with 24 total innings, not even playing enough to be considered an official major league rookie.

With this lack of experience, it's interesting to explore why Chamberlain is looked at as the biggest youngster in pinstripes since Derek Jeter in the mid-90's.

This time last year, baseball enthusiasts were singing the praises of the man considered to be the second coming of Roger Clemens, Phil Hughes.

Hughes, like Chamberlain, enjoyed a degree of success last year with a 5-3 record and 58 strikeouts in 13 starts with the Yankees. The hype surrounding Hughes during the spring of 2007 was huge, and he proved speculators right when he went on to do exactly what was expected of him for the Bombers.

Yet at that time, no fan would even know what a Joba was, let alone expect one to lead the team's pitching staff for years to come.

But this spring, all eyes are on Chamberlain, and not Hughes, who has already had more success this spring than his counterpart, as well as in last year's ALDS against the Cleveland Indians.

So while all eyes may remain on Joba this spring, Phil Hughes continues to dominate in silence.

Yet, when March 31st finally arrives, Hughes will look to break that silence, and show the world the true face of the future.