07/23 Daily Card MLB, WNBA, CFL

MILEHIGHMONSTERS · 07-23-09, 04:39 PM

These are remaining plays for today. I just edited the first post and my plays are now added for today. Good luck

MILEHIGHMONSTERS · 07-23-09, 04:47 PM

Write-ups/info to follow

MILEHIGHMONSTERS · 07-23-09, 05:27 PM

CFL
Montreal -14 (-110)

THE CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL -- It's early in the season to talk about a battle for first place, but the unbeaten Montreal Alouettes facing the resurgent Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Week 4 of the CFL season is certainly an intriguing match-up.

A year ago, the Ticats went 3-15, last in the CFL for a fourth straight season, but they have now won two of their first three games, including last week's 25-13 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

A win over the Alouettes at Percival Molson Stadium on Thursday (TSN, 7:30 p.m. ET) would put them even with Montreal, with a win in their pockets over their top East Division rival.

"They're the best team in the league now, so we just want to put ourselves in a position to have a chance to win the game and compete with them," Ticats slotback Dave Stala, a former Alouette, said Wednesday.

"Whoever wins is first in the east so we want to give them a fight."

It is a formidable challenge for Hamilton despite the strong start. The Alouettes have crushed all three opponents they have faced this season - Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatchewan - by a combined score of 133-53.

They have averaged 44.3 points per game - more than 10 per game ahead of second-place Calgary - while allowing a league low 17.7 per game.

Quarterback Anthony Calvillo has been dominant, completing 72.7 per cent of his passes for five touchdowns. The 16-year veteran has tied former Roughrider Ron Lancaster for second place in career touchdown passes with 333.

But he is more concerned with a suddenly tough Hamilton defence than with passing Lancaster.

"I want to go out and execute our offence," he said. "We have a major opponent - a much-improved Ticat team.

"The film shows they are a lot better team. It'll be a challenge for us, but if we play the game we want to play, the touchdowns will come."

Hamilton's pass defence has been best in the league this season, although they have struggled against the run, while Montreal has been strong on both sides of the ball.

"They have an identity," slotback Ben Cahoon said of the Ticats defence. "They're confident, they're well -coached and they're athletic.

"They're flying around. It is a different Hamilton Ticats team."

A key for Montreal will be stopping quarterback Quinton Porter, who is sixth in the league in rushing this season behind his running back DeAndra Cobb.

"We know the damage that Quinton Porter can do - he did it too us in our second game against them last year here," said Montreal coach Marc Trestman. "When he's playing at that level, he's unstoppable, and plus he can run."

The Alouettes' quick start has their more enthusiastic fans talking of an 18-0 season, which Cahoon called "foolish."

But after going 3-5 against West Division clubs last season, they are 3-0 this year, including wins in Calgary and Regina, and have clearly been the better team in all three games. The challenge now is to avoid overconfidence.

"We came out strong early and caught some teams that had not jelled yet," he said. "It was good timing for us.

"Calgary, for whatever reason, is taking a while to come together and Saskatchewan as well. We've got off to very good starts before and teams always improve and try to figure us out. It balances out in the second half of the season.

"We had a great training camp. That got us ready to play mid-season-form football right from Week 1, from the first drive of our season. That drive alone in the first game against Calgary is as good of football as I've ever been part of."

Trestman said the Alouettes games thus far have been closer than they appeared and that "scores are like fairy tales, they're not true."

In Montreal, the talk is still of the remarkable catch Cahoon made last week against the Roughriders, when he reached around linebacker Tad Kornegay's helmet, snared a pass and held on as both tumbled to the ground.

Cahoon has made many spectacular catches in his 12-year career - his one-handed, diving grab in the 2003 Grey Cup game is a classic - and even he rates this one in his top 5.

"I had a good view of the ball and got a good clean catch on it," he said. "I don't know how his head got in there.

"I just remember thinking 'hold onto this beast, hold on,' and I was happy it didn't get knocked out. To him, it must have looked like I just jumped on him and tackled him."

The 37-year-old Cahoon, the league's all-time catch leader for a Canadian player, is seventh in receiving this season with 17 for 221 yards and second on the team behind Kerry Watkins, who has 251 yards and three touchdowns.

They will have big receiver Jamel Richardson back with them this week after missing two weeks with an injury. He'll replace S.J. Green.

The Ticats will be missing receiver Airsee Currie (foot) and linebacker Otis Floyd (concussion), while receiver David Ball and fullback Darcy Brown come into the lineup.

MILEHIGHMONSTERS · 07-23-09, 05:38 PM

MLB
St. Louis (Wainwright) ML -172 (10 units)
LAA (Weaver) ML -150 (5 units)

St. Louis (Wainwright) ML -172 (10 units)

STL: RHP Adam Wainwright (10-6, 3.01 ERA)
Wainwright was a tough-luck loser on Saturday night when he gave up two runs and five hits in seven innings but fell to Arizona ace Dan Haren. Wainwright pitched well, giving up his first run on a bloop single to center and his second on a wind-aided home run to the right-field corner. The workhorse has gone at least seven innings in five straight starts, and the Cardinals are 3-2 in that span. He has not faced Washington this year.

WSH: RHP Collin Balester (Major League debut)
Balester, who was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse following Wednesday's game, will get the starting nod in Thursday's makeup game after Zimmermann was placed the 15-day disabled list with right elbow discomfort. Balester went 6-4 with a 3.38 ERA in his past 12 starts with Syracuse. Over that period, he posted 41 strikeouts and a .274 batting average against in 69.1 innings. Overall, Balester went 7-9 with a 4.35 ERA in 19 Triple-A starts.

LAA (Weaver) ML -150 (5 units)

LAA: RHP Jered Weaver (10-3, 3.48 ERA)
Weaver lasted only 3 2/3 innings Saturday against the A's, his shortest outing of the season. He gave up eight hits and five earned runs. But he had a good excuse for the poor performance. After the first inning, Weaver became "nauseous and woozy" because of what manager Mike Scioscia called a "viral" problem. Weaver is 10-3 overall with a 3.48 ERA, but he has not been as sharp lately as he was earlier in the season. In his past six starts he is 3-1, but he has a 7.29 ERA during that stretch.

MIN: RHP Scott Baker (8-7, 5.10 ERA)
Baker delivered a gem of an outing to open the second half. The right-hander held the Rangers to just one run on six hits over eight innings. He kept an aggressive-swinging Texas ballclub off balance by throwing a lot of first-pitch strikes and moving the ball in and out of the strike zone. The Twins hope to see more of that from Baker throughout the second half. He'll next face the Angels, a team he's gone 0-4 against with a 5.88 ERA in six career starts.

MILEHIGHMONSTERS · 07-23-09, 08:13 PM

GL 2 U also G

MILEHIGHMONSTERS · 07-24-09, 12:51 AM

Originally posted by MILEHIGHMONSTERS

MLB
St. Louis (Wainwright) ML -172 (10 units)

LAA (Weaver) ML -150 (5 units)

CFL
Montreal -14 (-110)

WNBA
NO PLAYS

YTD:
MLB: 69-50, 57.98%, +59.65 units
CFL: 2-0, 100%
WNBA: 3-3, 50%

YTD:
MLB: 71-50, 58.68%, +74.65 units
CFL: 2-1, 66.67%
WNBA: 3-3, 50%

edge323 · 07-24-09, 01:04 AM

wow that angels game was unbelievable!

MILEHIGHMONSTERS · 07-24-09, 01:19 AM

Finally got a good break

MILEHIGHMONSTERS · 07-24-09, 01:46 AM

Back in the morning with tomorrow's plays.

Beastxxx · 07-24-09, 11:58 AM

Hey MHM wake up. Time to get to work dude.
Lets play ball

Beastxxx · 07-24-09, 12:01 PM

2 early games
I like the
Tigers in game 1
Cubs
Lets get going.

MILEHIGHMONSTERS · 07-24-09, 12:56 PM

I post a new thread daily beast