Oct. 24, 2008
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24- 4:26 PM
PRICE, RAYS EVEN SERIES
David Price might be human after all.
Price surrendered his first two runs of the playoffs, including a solo homer to pinch hitter Eric Bruntlett, but was still able to close out Tampa Bay’s 4-2 win over Philadelphia in Thursday’s Game 2 of the World Series.
Even though things didn’t go perfectly, manager Joe Madden stuck with the left-hander and the move paid off.
With the tying run at the plate in the ninth and only one out, Price was able to buckle down and retire Chase Utley and Ryan Howard – the heart of the Phillies’ lineup — to preserve the much-needed win for the Rays.
On the night, Price pitched the final 2 1/3 innings and gave up two hits while striking out two and walking one.
One superhuman stat: Left-handed hitters are 0-for-7 with five strikeouts against Price in the postseason.
As for the homer, Price quipped, “I thought Carl Crawford should have caught it.”
With the series nodded at 1-1, Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. CT in Philadelphia. The game will be televised on FOX.
LOFTY DEBUT
Freshman infielder Joe Loftus started his Commodore career with a bang last night in the Black and Gold series scrimmage opener at Hawkins Field.
With the Black team trailing 3-0 in the fourth inning, Loftus cut the deficit to one with a two-run homer off starter Caleb Cotham.
“You are always in the game no matter what and the home run kind of got us going,” Loftus said. “The pitchers today were the best I ever faced and it helps us get better facing these guys.”
The Black team scored two more runs in the fifth to take Game 1, 4-3.
“Lofty” is no stranger to the long ball. He holds the record at his high school — Academy of Holy Angels — for most homers in a single season (9) and career (25).
Fans can learn more about Joe, including his transition from Minnesota to the Music City, by watching an interview from earlier this week on VUcommodores.com – click here.
And if you’d like to check out the new freshman class that was rated second overall by Baseball America, the scrimmage will resume tonight with Game 2 at 6 p.m. CT and the finale on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. Admission is free.
ANOTHER IDOL ANTHEM
Kristy Lee Cook, from American Idol fame, is scheduled to sing the national anthem at Saturday’s football game with Duke.
Cook, who finished seventh in the reality series seventh season, will be the second Idol alum to perform the anthem this year at Vanderbilt Stadium. Kellie Pickler, from Idol season 5, also sang the anthem at the season opener against South Carolina.
Cook currently has an album out with Arista Records called “Why Wait”. If you can’t wait for her performance Saturday, then make sure you’re in your seat by 1:50 p.m. CT.
HOMECOMING’S COMING
And for those of you coming in town for tomorrow’s game against the Blue Devils, don’t miss the homecoming parade starting at 10:30 a.m. at Kensington Place.
Four former Commodore standouts will serve as grand marshals of the parade – linebackers Matt Stewart and Nate Morrow, special teams ace Andrew Kerr, and SEC career receptions leader Earl Bennett.
Bennett has played in three games so far as a rookie wide receiver with Chicago this year. He was able to make the trip back to Nashville since the Bears are in a bye week.
NFL ROOKIE NEWS
Speaking of Bennett, here are some more updates on Commodores from last year’s team:
Chicago rookie left tackle Chris Williams may see the first action of his professional career next week when the Bears host Detroit on November 1. Williams, the Bears top pick in the 2008 draft, suffered an injury to his lower back during the preseason and has been inactive since.
During his time off the field, Williams was able to gain some experience by observing the veterans on the roster.
“They see everything,” he told the Associate Press earlier this week. “They see stuff you never even thought about looking at. Just being with that group and just being able to hear the conversations and the questions they ask about certain things, you learn a lot.”
Buffalo activated former rookie linebacker Marcus Buggs off the practice squad for this week’s game at Miami. Buggs will take the place of injured John DiGiorgio, who is out for the year with a torn ligament in his right knee. The Bills are in first place in the AFC East with a 5-1 record.
Also, first-year linebacker Jonathan Goff saw his first NFL action last Sunday in the New York Giants’ 29-17 win over San Francisco. After fracturing the transverse process in his back during preseason, Goff made an impact in his pro debut with two tackles on special teams. The Giants will have a big game against Pittsburgh this weekend. Both teams stand at 5-1 and lead their respective divisions.
TICKETS REMAIN
A limited number of tickets remain for the game with Duke. All seats are $22 each, so bring your family and friends out as the Commodores try to earn six victories and bowl eligibility for the first time since 1982. Let’s fill the stands with Black and Gold!
VIDEO OF THE DAY
I wanted to learn more about the Triangle, which is where Duke is located, so I emailed my good friend, Troy. This was his response:
“Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill are the Triangle. Often called the “Research Triangle” due to the large amount of corporations (IBM and others) located in the area. The Triad or Piedmont Triad is Greensboro, High Point, and Winston Salem.”
I hope that wasn’t too confusing. Here’s a video that’s a little less confusing about triangles.
