Light's Take on the Pitch Count

Now in days, there is too much emphisis placed on the pitch count. Managers act as if something magical happens once a pitcher reaches 100 pitches and all of a sudden he should be pulled from the game at the first chance, even if he has a shut out going. In my opinion, a pitcher should be in the game until he surrenders a few back to back hits or a few back to back walks. Theres no need to baby pitchers (like how the Yankees babied Joba ever since he came up). They're professionals and don't need to be babyed by a pitch count. If a pitcher is still throwing strikes and throwing the ball good, why would you replace him (espically in the AL, when the pitcher doesn't even bat), and i've seen pitchers who were doing great, get replaced, it happens all the time. If the pitch count got taken out of the game, teams would get a lot more productivity out of thier starters because they would be throwing complete games more often, which, in turn, gives the bullpen rest.

MLB to Hold Hall of Fame Parade During All-Star Weekend

In celebration of the last year of Yankee Stadium, Major League Baseball has decided to hold a parade of Hall of Famers on 6th Ave. in NYC during All-Star Weekends. The current plan is to have every living and available hall of famer to march through 6th Ave. in New York City, on what will most likely be Tuesday, July 15 (the day of the game). If you live in the area, I highly suggest you don't miss this.

2008 NHL Entry Draft: Good news for Tampa Bay

The 46th NHL Entry Draft was held on June 20-21, 2008 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. This marks the second time in only four years that the city of Ottawa has hosted an NHL entry draft: the last time they hosted it was in 2005 during the NHL lockout. Instead of using Corel Centre (present-day Scotiabank Place), the draft was held in Ottawa's Westin Hotel.

The Tampa Bay Lightning had won the draft lottery and, with their first overall pick, selected Steven Stamkos from the OHL's Sarnia Sting.

The Scarborough, Ontario native has scored 100 goals and 97 assists for a total of 197 points in just two seasons with the OHL's Sting, making him the projected #1 pick for this year's draft.

Other notable picks from the NHL draft include: Drew Doughty to the Kings, Zach Bogosian to the Thrashers, Luke Schenn to the Maple Leafs, Nikita Filatov to the Blue Jackets, Mikkel Boedeker to the Coyotes, and Cody Hodgson to the Canucks.

On top of drafting Steven Stamkos, the Lightning and Vincent Lecavalier agreed to a 9-year $77 million contract on June 25, which would make the French Canadian the third richest player in the NHL behind Sidney Crosby and, of course, Alexander Ovechkin.

How to Chat at Sports Sector!

There is a chat feature at the bottom of the page, as mentioned before. It is possible to chat as a guest, but it is RECOMMENDED you create a Geesee account, which is free and takes 1 min. to do. You can do it by clicking "sign up" when the chat opens. Enjoy the partially advanced Sports Sector, and more changes are on the way!

Breaking News: Hideki Matsui to the DL

The Yankees have suffered another harsh blow, as they have been forced to place OF/DH Hideki Matsui on the DL. Matsui was set to take David Ortiz's place in the All-Star game if Ortiz was unable to play, but this will obviously not occur. Matsui has been suffering from knee pains of late, possibly due to an injury sustained two years ago.

Enjoy the New Chat!

I have added a section for everyone to chat! It is at the bottom of the page, and you can chat at anytime as a guest, or you can create a username for Geese, which is free. Enjoy! Every week, I hope to have an organized chat about sports, so stay tuned!

Delgado's Monster Game

In Game 1 of a day-night doubleheader against the New York Yankees, Carlos Delgado has gone 3-5 with 2 Home Runs and 9 RBI's. This included a Grand Slam and 3-Run Homer. He had 10 RBI's in the month of June prior to Game 1. The Mets routed the Yankees 15-6. Don't forget this is only the first game, which took place at Yankee Stadium. The second game will be at Shea.

A Thanks from Jon

All news aside, I want to thank all of you who have been following this blog, as it truly means alot to me. I as well as my co-contributors are more than happy to bring you the sports and news here, and there are big plans in the future for this site. I can't fill you in on that at this moment, but if all goes well, and we continue to get more support, you may see a big overhaul going on soon. Remember to vote on the polls, comment on the articles, and just enjoy Sports Sector, your 24 hour source for everything sports :D

The Winners of the 2008 NBA Draft

Well, the 2008 NBA Draft was one that went did not go without controversy, as a record amount (12) of freshman were taken in this draft. Alongside that, we saw an unbelievable amount of trades, some not even involving people drafted. When it's all said and done however, some teams win by having the draft of their lives. The following is a list of those teams who I feel had a successful draft day (in no particular order):

Winners:

1. Chicago Bulls-Hey, these guys got the first overall pick, and selected a guy who is sure not to disappoint. He will be sure to work with the high-status of basketball, and is sure to bring the Bulls into a much potent spot in the Eastern Conference.

2. Miami Heat- The Heat selected after the Bulls, and they did not miss out. After selecting F Michael Beasley and acquiring Mario Chalmers, the Heat take a lineup that includes Dwayne Wade, Mario Chalmers, Michael Beasley, Shawn Marion, amongst others. Look for them to be a force in the Eastern Conference.

3. New Jersey Nets-The third Eastern Conference team in a row. The Nets began the day by trading away star F Richard Jefferson to the Bucks in return for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons. Although Jefferson is widely considered one of the best fowards in the league, it cuts 10 million dollars from the Nets cap, and enables them to make a move for LeBron James in 2010. The Nets also added highly-touted C Brook Lopez out of Stanford, F Ryan Anderson, and getting a steal at number 40 in Chris Douglas-Roberts. This leaves the Nets with a potential starting lineup of Devin Harris, Vince Carter, Ryan Anderson, Nenad Kristic, and Brook Lopez.

4.Milwaukee Bucks-After acquiring Richard Jefferson from the Nets for virtually no one, the Bucks only helped their clause by selecting F Joe Alexander out of West Virginia. Although going into draft day the Bucks looked weak, they leave with a starting lineup of Michael Redd, Mo Williams, Richard Jefferson, Charlie Villanueva, and Andrew Bogut.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves-Late after the draft, the Timberwolves acquired F Kevin Love, F Mike Miller, F Brian Cardinal, and C/F Jason Collins from the Grizzlies in return for G O.J. Mayo, G Marko Jaric, G Greg Buckner, and F Antoine Walker. Although many people don't expect Love to be an immediate All-Star like potentially Mayo, his aggressiveness will assist the ailing T'Wolves. Alongside that, Mike Miller is one of the most pure shooters in the league, and is sure to help their shot percentage from the field. Collins never developed into the Center the New Jersey Nets had hoped for, but he can still provide the boards needed to control a game. Although Mayo can go on to help the Grizzlies, this trade best helps the T'Wolves for the time being. C Nikola Pekovic should also bring a post prescence to Minnesota.

Notables:

1. Memphis Grizzlies-Although you lose Kevin Love and Mike Miller, you gain the man who is possibly most NBA ready in O.J. Mayo. You also acquire a man who was supposed to be a top 10 pick in Darrell Arthur. While the big trade may not assist them immediately, it should lead to some playoff appearances in the future for the Grizzlies.

2 Indiana Pacers-The Pacers traded F Jermaine O'Neal and F Nathan Jawai to Toronto for G T.J. Ford, C Rasho Nesterovic, and the rights to C Roy Hibbert. Hibbert led Georgetown into the NCAA tournament multiple times during his collegiate career. In a trade with Portland, they acquired G Jarret Jack and the rights to G Brandon Rusch. The Pacers look great going into the season now with a restacked backcourt. They may need a little help in the post, but look to be a contender now.

3.Portland Trailblazers-Although the Trailblazers only picked one legit player in the draft in G Jerryd Bayless, they made spectacular trades, picking up future picks in drafts, as well as giving the fans of Portland more hope. They have C Greg Oden making is debut this season, alongside top players Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. It should be a good season out in Portland.

Stay tuned for the losers of the draft later on in the day.