http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/ More sports than you can handle courtesy of The Daily Times sports desk. en Copyright 2008 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:10:48 -0700 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Aztec has won its seventh game of the season, toppling Bayfield 41-7 tonight on the road. Remarkably, that's Aztec's lowest point total of the season. http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/aztec_routs_bayfield.html http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/aztec_routs_bayfield.html Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:10:48 -0700 Rio Rancho has taken a 31-0 halftime lead over Piedra Vista at Hutch. http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/rio_rancho_adds_to_lead.html http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/rio_rancho_adds_to_lead.html Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:31:22 -0700 The Piedra Vista Panthers have dropped into an early hole against Rio Rancho. The Rams lead 21-0 after a quarter of play at Hutchison Stadium. PV is missing two of its best players: running back and linebacker Eli Finch and quarterback Brennon Shay. That would be like the Denver Broncos playing the Jaguars without Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall (who both happen to play for my fantasy football team). http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/pv_trailing_early.html http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/pv_trailing_early.html Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:54:11 -0700
Manuel's mother dies before Game 2 of NLCS

PHILADELPHIA -- A grieving Charlie Manuel plans to be in the Philadelphia Phillies' dugout Friday afternoon for Game 2 of the NLCS, just hours after his mother died.
The Phillies said that June Manuel died Friday morning at Roanoke (Va.) Memorial Hospital after a brief illness. She was 87. The Phillies had no information about the cause of death.
Manuel found out Friday morning after a meeting with his staff before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Manuel watched batting practice from his customary spot behind the cage, but did not talk to the media and his usual pregame press conference was canceled.
Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez, whom Manuel managed in Cleveland, was among the players and coaches who stopped to offer condolences. Dodgers manager Joe Torre put a hand on Manuel's shoulder as the two chatted, and former Phillies closer Mitch Williams also dropped by behind the cage.
Manuel shook some hands as he walked into the dugout after batting practice, but did not take questions. The Phillies beat the Dodgers 3-2 in Game 1 on Thursday night.
June Manuel lived in still lived in Buena Vista, Va., where the Phillies manager was raised. She is survived by 10 children. Funeral arrangements were pending.

Speaking of the NLCS, wasn't it nice of Manny Ramirez to admire his RBI double for roughly 22 minutes in Thursday's opener? It could have been a triple, which would have given the Dodgers a better chance to plate a run. By the way, L.A. lost 3-2, and Manny didn't score after his long-admired double. How could any Dodger fan defend that?

]]> http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/philly_manager_manuel_loses_mo.html http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/philly_manager_manuel_loses_mo.html Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:39:21 -0700
Lynx coach James Rich was beyond upset following his team's 2-1 loss. The first time these two squads played, in late August, Rehoboth was a 3-2 winner. Thursday, though, was a much different story as the Scorpions controlled play, especially for the first 40 minutes.

There's no denying it was a physical contest, with bodies flying and injuries surfacing. Still, it was a quality game between two very talented clubs, including perhaps the best in Class 1-3A. I thought, if only a bit, Rich's reaction overshadowed the product on the pitch. It smacked of excuse-making. To be fair, I've interviewed Rich before (after the Lynx clipped Piedra Vista in a shootout on Sept. 11) and I have a lot of respect for both him and his program. I just disagreed with his comments Thursday.

Here's what he had to say.

Asked what the difference was between the rematch and the first contest, Rich said: "The officials. I hate to say that and I hate to get negative."

He then made a plea for more officials in the Four Corners. Now, if soccer is anything like other sports, and I'm guessing it is in this regard, there's a dreadful shortage of capable refs. Already this fall, I've seen multiple matches with just two officials, and that's mind-boggling to me. Consider there's 20 or so players on a field that's 120 yards long and some 60 yards wide. And just two officials? That's not right, nor is it safe.

Which was Rich's chief argument. "I've championed through the state, through NMAA, to look at finding more officials, especially for the Four Corners region up here in the Farmington area. We thought we were going to have a two-man system (Thursday). We played Tuesday up in Bloomfield with a two-man system. So I'd like to appeal to the great folks in the Farmington region to please try to get themselves certified. We need refs, that's the bottom line. We need officials."

As for the chippy nature of Thursday's match, the coach offered this assessment: "Very physical. A lot of stuff was allowed to happen. Our guys are banged up. We haven't played a physical game like this all season, and now we got four guys that are hurt very severely. It's just frustrating that, when we go throughout the state ... we play all over the state, and not a lot of the officials will allow that to occur. They (the officials in Thursday's game) just allowed it to occur."

Moving on to football, we could be in for a good showdown at Hutch tonight between Piedra Vista and Rio Rancho. That's the best game on the docket. I know coaches hate the common-opponent approach, but both PV and the Rams have played Goddard this season, with the Rockets beating Rio Rancho 50-36 and the Panthers 42-20. Those scores would lead us to believe tonight's contest could be close (coaches are cringing right now at that school of thought).

Here's the Week 7 power poll.

1. Aztec (6-0): If I'm Tiger coach Brad Hirsch, I'm doing everything in my power to make my team's practices as competitive and intense as possible. Aztec's games have been far from competitive this fall, a testament to the Tigers' talent.
2. Bloomfield (3-2): Food for thought: The Bobcats' JV beat Miyamura 27-0. Miyamura, in turn, spanked Tohatchi 46-6. What does all that mean? Enjoy tonight's Bloomfield-Tohatchi Homecoming game.
3. Kirtland Central (4-2): The Broncos are doing what every coach hopes for: they're making steady progress each week.
4. Piedra Vista (3-3): PV's in the same boat as KC, with an 0-3 start giving way to an impressive three-game winning streak.
5. Farmington (2-3): Last week's 68-point win over Española was nice, but the Scorps can send a much clearer message Saturday at Silver.
6. Shiprock (3-1): The Chiefs travel to Bernalillo tonight.
7. Navajo Prep (1-4): The Eagles host a tough McCurdy squad Saturday afternoon at Tibbetts.

Before I sign off, a few other tidbits.

Who's going to win the Red River Rivalry on Saturday morning, OU or UT. By the way, that's one of those games I will attend before my life is over. Just seems like a blast. And I always see OU fans wearing shirts that say: you can't spell (derogatory word) without UT. OK then.

When did gas prices plummet? I paid $3.27 a gallon this afternoon. Of course, this is from the same person who simply couldn't figure out why my paltry retirement account has dropped faster than Pacman Jones' credibility the past two weeks. Apparently, our economy's not doing so hot. Who knew?

There's a rodeo at McGee this weekend. Both shows, Friday and Saturday, start at 7. That's all I got there.
]]> http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/week_7_power_poll_and_other_ti.html http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/week_7_power_poll_and_other_ti.html Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:42:10 -0700 If you have some free time this afternoon, you might consider heading up to Hutchison Stadium for Farmington's boys soccer game against Rehoboth. Lynx forward Brett Cherney leads the state in scoring with 34 goals and eight assists. Rehoboth already owns wins over FHS and Piedra Vista this season. Having had the chance to watch Cherney play, it's well worth the price of admission in much the same fashion PV's Pablo Quintana is. Both are formidable goal-scorers with a sixth sense to find the net. http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/fhsrehoboth_boys_soccer_this_a.html http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/fhsrehoboth_boys_soccer_this_a.html Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:54:51 -0700
LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
(Best-of-7)
All Times MDT
American League
Friday, Oct. 10
Boston (Matsuzaka 18-3) at Tampa Bay (Shields 14-8), 6:37 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 11
Boston (Beckett 12-10) at Tampa Bay, 6:07 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 13
Tampa Bay at Boston (Lester 16-6), 2:37 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 14
Tampa Bay at Boston (Wakefield 10-11), 6:07 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 16
Tampa Bay at Boston, 6:07 p.m., if necessary
Saturday, Oct. 18
Boston at Tampa Bay, 2:37 p.m., if necessary
Sunday, Oct. 19
Boston at Tampa Bay, 6:07 p.m., if necessary

National League
Thursday, Oct. 9
Los Angeles (Lowe 14-11) at Philadelphia (Hamels 14-10), 6:22 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 10
Los Angeles (Billingsley 16-10) at Philadelphia (Myers 10-13), 2:35 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 12
Philadelphia (Moyer 16-7) at Los Angeles (Kuroda 9-10), 6:22 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 13
Philadelphia (Blanton 4-0) at Los Angeles, 6:22 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 15
Philadelphia at Los Angeles, 6:22 p.m., if necessary
Friday, Oct. 17
Los Angeles at Philadelphia, 6:22 p.m., if necessary
Saturday, Oct. 18
Los Angeles at Philadelphia, 6:22 p.m., if necessary ]]> http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/mlb_playoff_schedules.html http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/mlb_playoff_schedules.html Wed, 08 Oct 2008 22:15:32 -0700 Reilly, McClelland umpire crew chiefs for LCS

-- The Associated Press --

NEW YORK -- Mike Reilly was picked Wednesday as the umpire crew chief for the NL championship series and Tim McClelland was selected as crew chief for the ALCS.
Reilly will be working his ninth LCS, McClelland his eighth.
Also working the NL series will be Mike Winters, Gary Cederstrom, Jerry Meals, Ted Barrett and Mike Everitt. McClelland will be joined by Derryl Cousins, Brian Gorman, Brian O'Nora, Alfonso Marquez and Sam Holbrook.

]]> http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/aztecs_everitt_working_nlcs.html http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/aztecs_everitt_working_nlcs.html Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:38:01 -0700
Anyway, the passing time leads us to this week's Coaches Polls. In Class 4A football, Aztec slides up to No. 2 despite being the lone unbeaten in Class 4A. Goddard is ranked first, while Artesia drops to No. 3. Speculation was that with Aztec winning by 362 points last week, and both Goddard and Artesia suffering setbacks, the Tigers would bypass those clubs en route to the top spot. Realistically, it doesn't matter. After all, it's October, and Aztec is much more concerned about a No. 1 rank in mid-December.

For now, here's this week's football and volleyball polls.

Coaches Polls
* First-place votes in parentheses

FOOTBALL
Class 5A
1.    Las Cruces (15)
2.    Eldorado (3)
3.    Mayfield
4.    Clovis
5.    Sandia
6.    La Cueva
7.    Manzano
8.    Oñate
9.    Rio Rancho
10.   Cibola
Others receiving votes: Rio Grande 17, Carlsbad 8, Hobbs 2, Highland 1.

Class 4A
1.    Goddard (7)
2.    Aztec (5)
3.    Artesia (4)
4.    Belen
5.    Kirtland Central
6.    Piedra Vista
7.    Moriarty
8.    St. Pius
9.    Silver
10.   Volcano Vista
Others receiving votes: Los Alamos 17, Santa Teresa 9, Roswell 5, Farmington 4, Del Norte 4, Bernalillo 3, Capital 2.

Class 3A
1.    Portales (8)
2.    Bloomfield
3.    Lovington (1)
4.    Socorro (1)
5.    St. Mike's (1)
6.    Cobre
7.    Ruidoso
8.    Hatch
9.    Raton
10.   Academy
Others receiving votes: Hot Springs 17, Robertson 4, West Las Vegas 4, Pojoaque 1.

Class 2A
1.    Dexter (9)
2.    Santa Rosa (1)
3.    Texico (1)
4.    Lordsburg
5.    Tularosa
6.    Estancia
7.    Cloudcroft
8.    Capitan
9.    Tucumcari
10.   Eunice
Others receiving votes: Laguna-Acoma 10, NMMI 4.

VOLLEYBALL
Class 5A
1.    Rio Rancho (10
2.    La Cueva
3.    Mayfield (2)
4.    Las Cruces (1)
5.    Cibola
6.    Gadsden
7.    Eldorado
8.    Clovis
9.    Sandia
10.   Manzano
Others receiving votes: Alamogordo 12, Oñate 9, Gallup 5, Hobbs 3, Santa Fe 2, Carlsbad 2, Los Lunas 1.

Class 4A
1.    Moriarty (10)
2.    Goddard
3.    Roswell
4.    Piedra Vista
5.    St. Pius
6.    Del Norte
7.    Los Alamos
8.    Aztec
9.    Academy
10.   Shiprock
Others receiving votes: Capital 12, Deming 8, Artesia 8, Kirtland Central 6, Volcano Vista 5, Silver 5, Belen 3, Farmington 1.

Class 3A
1.    Pojoaque (6)
2.    Ruidoso (4)
3.    St. Mike's
4.    Hope Christian (1)
5.    Portales
6.    Robertson
7.    Bloomfield
8.    Hatch
9.    Santa Fe Indian
10.   West Las Vegas
Others receiving votes: Wingate 19, Crownpoint 10, Raton 4, Socorro 3, Laguna-Acoma 3, Thoreau 3, Zuni 2, Lovington 2, Hot Springs 1.

Class 2A
1.    Mesilla Valley (7)
2.    Texico (1)
3.    Estancia (1)
4.    Navajo Prep
5.    Tularosa
6.    Jal
7.    Bosque
8.    Rehoboth
9.    Clayton
10.   Eunice
Others receiving votes: Capitan 7, Penasco 5, McCurdy 4, Cloudcroft 4, Mora 3, Lordsburg 3, Santa Rosa 3, Navajo Pine 2, Ramah 1, Dulce 1.]]> http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/oct_8_coaches_polls.html http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/oct_8_coaches_polls.html Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:07:21 -0700
As it stands now, the Rays will hook up with the winner of the Boston-Anaheim series (the BoSox are currently leading 2-0 in the seventh). In the National League, it's the Dodgers and Phillies.

The thought of the Rays and Red Sox meeting with a World Series berth at stake is wonderful. That would be a good series, a nice swap from what, so far, has been a pretty meek postseason (I blame the Cubs for that).

My guess, Boston over Tampa Bay in six games. The NL is a little tougher. The Dodgers were rippin' and rollin' toward the World Series, but a five-day layoff could sap some of the momentum attained from embarrassing the Cubs. This is a tough one to pick, but let's settle on the Dodgers in five.
]]> http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/baseball_playoff_update.html http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/baseball_playoff_update.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:33:41 -0700
Well Corbin and his family are back home in Louisiana, having returned in late September following some rehab in Dallas. According to Corbin's mom, Theresa, he is doing "wonderful and has way exceeded the expectations of his doctors and those in the medical field." She went on to write in an e-mail that Corbin walked, with help from his dad, out of the Baylor Institute of Rehabilitation two weeks ago.

"His intentions, and ours, too, are to return to Farmington for the 2009 NHSFR and WALK into the arena, tip hat, and thank the people there," Theresa wrote.

The Carpenters remain grateful for all the goodwill ushered their way from the folks of Farmington during what had to be a nerve-wracking time.

I'll be talking with Corbin and Theresa on Tuesday and putting together a story for Wednesday's paper.
]]> http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/corbin_carpenter_up_and_walkin.html http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/corbin_carpenter_up_and_walkin.html bull riding Corbin Carpenter Louisiana Theresa Carpenter Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:23:20 -0700 New Mexico thoroughbred breaks record

The Associated Press

HOBBS -- It was an easy win for Peppers Pride. About three lengths, in fact.
With the victory Saturday in a 6-furlong allowance race at Zia Park, the New Mexico thoroughbred put herself into the record books. She has now won 17 times in as many starts, setting a modern North American record.
Peppers Pride crossed the line in 1:10.20.
Before Saturday, Peppers Pride shared the mark of 16 straight victories with Triple Crown winner Citation, two-time horse of the year Cigar, Mister Frisky and Hallowed Dreams.
Peppers Pride has career winnings of more than $867,000. Owner Joe Allen, a steak and barbecue restaurateur in Abilene, Texas, estimated she's added about $50,000 under New Mexico breeders incentives.

]]> http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/peppers_perfect.html http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/peppers_perfect.html Peppers Pride Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:40:59 -0700
What about Bloomfield-Zuni?

Another week of prep football beckons, with a much-to-be-desired slate. The two contests on the radio tonight are Aztec vs. Gallup (FOX AM 1340) and Farmington vs. Española Valley (KNMI 88.9 FM and KPCL 95.7).

In a related story, it's time for the prep football power poll.

1. Aztec (5-0): It's gotten to the point where 50 points is expected.
2. Bloomfield (2-2): Don't let the record fool you, the Bobcats are one of the state's best squads.
3. Kirtland Central (3-2): A big win over Silver sets the Broncos up nicely with district play approaching.
4. Piedra Vista (2-3): Suddenly, the Panthers are on the verge of reaching .500.
5. Shiprock (3-1): The Chiefs dropped their first game of the fall last week.
6. Farmington (1-3): A bye week gives way to tonight's Homecoming celebration for the Scorpions.
7. Navajo Prep (1-4): The Eagles broke into the left-hand column a week ago, and travel to Ramah tonight.
]]> http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/week_6_prep_fb_power_poll.html http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/week_6_prep_fb_power_poll.html Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:47:52 -0700
This year's event is a bit different than in years past. Typically, there is two loops: 18 miles and 30 miles. Saturday, however, the 18-miler has been shortened to 15 because of a private landowner's unwillingness to fully work with the city. To be fair, said landowner has regularly opened his property for bike riders to pass through (while collecting a small fee from race officials). Not this time, so the city has simply changed the short loop.

Switching gears, this week's Coaches Polls were released today, and a few local clubs continue to climb up the charts. The Bloomfield Bobcats jumped all the way to No. 2 in the Class 3A football rankings, while Aztec remains third in 4A. On volleyball's hardwood, Piedra Vista is fifth in Class 4A.

Here's the full list.

Coaches Polls
Oct. 1
* First-place votes in parentheses

FOOTBALL
Class 5A
1.    Mayfield (9)
2.    Las Cruces (6)
3.    Eldorado (1)
4.    Sandia
5.    Clovis
6.    La Cueva
7.    Rio Rancho
8.    Manzano
9.    Cibola
10.  Oñate
Others receiving votes:  Carlsbad 5, Hobbs 3, Rio Grande 2, Albuquerque High 1.

Class 4A
1.    Goddard (12)
2.    Artesia (3)
3.    Aztec (1)
4.    Belen
5.    Piedra Vista
6.    Kirtland Central
7.    Moriarty
8.    Los Alamos
9.    Volcano Vista
10.  Silver
Others receiving votes:  Del Norte 17, St. Pius 17, Farmington 9, Roswell 7, Bernalillo 6, Capital 4, Grants 4, Santa Teresa 2.

Class 3A
1.    Portales (7)
2.    Bloomfield
3.    Lovington (1)
4.    St. Mike's (2)
5.    Socorro (1)
6.    Ruidoso
7.    Cobre
8.    Raton
9.    Hatch
10.  Hot Springs
Others receiving votes:  Academy 10, Robertson 10, West Las Vegas 2, Zuni 1, Pojoaque 1

Class 2A
1.    Santa Rosa (7)
2.    Lordsburg (1)
3.    Texico
4.    Dexter (1)
5.    Tularosa
6.    Cloudcroft
7.    Estancia
8.    Capitan
9.    Eunice
10.  Tucumcari
Others receiving votes:  Laguna Acoma 3, NMMI 1.

VOLLEYBALL
Class 5A
1.    Rio Rancho (9)
2.    Las Cruces (1)
3.    La Cueva
4.    Mayfield
5.    Eldorado
6.    Cibola
7.    Gadsden (1)
8.    Clovis
9.    Sandia
10.  Oñate
Others receiving votes:  Hobbs 8, Manzano 7, Alamogordo 7, Highland 6, Los Lunas 3, Santa Fe 2.

Class 4A
1.    Moriarty (8)
2.    Goddard
3.    St. Pius (2)
4.    Roswell
5.    Piedra Vista (1)
6.    Del Norte
7.    Los Alamos
8.    Academy
9.    Aztec
10.  Volcano Vista
Others receiving votes:  Shiprock 8, Capital 7, Kirtland Central 6, Artesia 5, Española 4, Belen 2,

Class 3A
1.    Pojoaque (7)
2.    Ruidoso (3)
3.    Robertson
4.    St. Michael's
5.    Portales
6.    Hope Christian
7.    Santa Fe Indian
8.    Hatch
9.    Bloomfield
10.  Crownpoint
Others receiving votes:  Raton 9, West Las Vegas 5, Wingate 4, Thoreau 4, Hot Springs 4, Dexter 3, Lovington 1, and Sandia Prep 1.

Class 2A
1.    Texico (2)
2.    Mesilla (5)
3.    Estancia (1)
4.    Jal
5.    Navajo Prep
6.    Tularosa
7.    Bosque
8.    Clayton
9.    Rehoboth
10.  McCurdy
Others receiving votes: Eunice 11, Capitan 11, Penasco 10, Coronado 9, Mora 9, Santa Rosa 9, Hagerman 9, Navajo Pine 8, Loving 7, Ramah 1, Lordsburg 1, Jemez Valley 1.
]]> http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/coaches_polls.html http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/10/coaches_polls.html Wed, 01 Oct 2008 11:04:06 -0700
Eight games in the area, and coaches from each of the six that we weren't able to cover called in with scores and stats. That's huge, and along with being much-appreciated by Darren (who was at the office alone so I could watch the Twins flail helplessly at not-even-close pitches) and I, it's no doubt much-appreciated by our readers. A big thanks to all the coaches.

See, it's like I always say: Behold the power of whining!

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's the link to my Sunday column:
http://www.daily-times.com/sports/ci_10580420
]]> http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/09/big_thanks_to_coaches.html http://blog.daily-times.com/sports/2008/09/big_thanks_to_coaches.html Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:49:23 -0700