Angels sweep boston in 9th inning

After two years of first-round futility, the Angels will now get that chance, after the Yankees completed a first-round sweep of the Minnesota Twins. And after the way they swept the Red Sox in the American League Division Series, the Angels appear as formidable as any team they have had since 2002, when they won the World Series.

At the very least, their 7-6, series-clinching win over Boston Sunday made one thing resoundingly clear: Against the Angels, no lead is safe.

The Red Sox had a three-run lead going into the eighth inning. They had a two-run lead going into the ninth with closer Jonathan Papelbon on the mound. They had the Angels down to their last out, down to their last strike. The crowd of 38,704 was on its feet, ready to celebrate and look forward to Game 4.

None of it mattered.

Bobby Abreu’s double off the green monster drove in a run and kept the inning alive. And after the Red Sox intentionally walked Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero made them pay with a single to shallow center field that drove in two runs to give Los Angeles the lead.

The ballpark was silent. The Red Sox were stunned. They went down in order in the bottom of the ninth against Angels closer Brian Fuentes, bowing out in the first round for the first time since 2005. And the Angels moved on to the ALCS for the first time since that same year, after losing to the Red Sox in the first round in 2007 and 2008

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Manny Pacquiao: Best Pound for Pound Boxer

I was really excited about this fight! I really didn't know who was going to win between the two. They are both really good fighters but I was really aiming for Manny Pacquiao to win. It was disappointing to see the fight end so early. Reporting from Las Vegas -- On a stunning Saturday night in Las Vegas, you could almost hear the 90 million people on those Pacific Islands thousands of miles to the West, screaming in delight.Their guy, Manny Pacquiao, the pride of the Philippines, had just beaten Oscar De La Hoya. Not just beaten him, destroyed him. Humiliated him. Sent him into retirement. Pacquiao's victory had ended an era in boxing that spanned more than 10 years and was the personal domain of a great boxer known as the Golden Boy.

No mas.

After eight rounds of taking a barrage of punches from the stocky, supposedly undersized Pacquiao, De La Hoya walked across the ring to Pacquiao. But not to box. To congratulate Pacquiao on being the better man, the better fighter, the new No. 1 kid on the block.

De La Hoya then told Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, who had predicted all this, "You were right, Freddie. I don't have it anymore."

Seldom has a retirement been announced so dramatically, nor correctly, although De La Hoya may fudge for a week or so.

It went down officially as an eighth-round technical knockout. Roach, who had trained De La Hoya a year and a half ago in his split-decision loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in this same MGM Grand ring, had predicted Pacquiao would take out De La Hoya in the ninth round.

"The only surprise in this one," Pacquiao said, "was that my trainer picked the round."

Roach had called a lot more than this. Among other things, he had said that De La Hoya could no longer "pull the trigger." In this one, the Golden Boy seldom even got the gun cocked.

De La Hoya was favored by most boxing experts based on the fact that his body frame was an estimated 20% bigger than Pacquiao's. Those experts apparently didn't factor in the size of Pacquiao's heart, nor the length of De La Hoya's tooth.

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Don't forget the STRENGTH training!

A few months ago I was lucky enough to take a pilates class and a nutrition course at the same time. Why is this lucky? Because I was able to surround myself and become educated with all aspects of health. Not only the physical but the inner aspects as well, such as the consumption of nutrients and vitamins. My nutrition professor was a triathelete so she was a hard-core health fanatic. Some things she emphasize was the importance of not only doing cardio exercises, but also strength training and flexibilty exercises.

This was a huge enlightment to me. I've always only considered the importance of cardio exercises, the treadmill, the running. I mean, that's what I've always been taught, "It is good to run. It's good for your heart." I guess everyone was so busy emphasizing the importance of cardio that the other aspects of fitness were inevitably left out. Accirding to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, "Despite the proven benefits of strength training, many women do not lift weights for the fear of developing large muscles and gaining weight."

Strength training works your muscles and increases your muscle strength. Increasing your muscle strength will help you perfrom daily tasks easier, such as opening a jar or lifting the end of a sofa to vacuum. Not only does strength training increase muscle strength. As you age, your chances of falling and breaking a bone drastically increases. The Pennsylvania Department of Health also states that strength training has has been effective in increasing bone density and strengthening tendons and ligaments.

As I've said in other blogs, balance is KEY. Yes, cardio is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. BUT, there are other crucial aspects as well. STRENGTH TRAINING being one of them. It's easy to incorporate strength training into your life without developing hugh bulging muscles. The Pensylvannia Department of Health advises to ust do about 8-12 repitions in sets of 3. Or you can consult a professional trainer for advice on strength training. The important things is to just get started!

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Supporting the Troops

Whether you're against the war or for it, there should be no question if you should support our troops. Many have given their lives for the call of duty and many return home injured physically and/or emotionally from the horrors of war. I often change the channel when news of the violence from the war comes on. It's not because I don't find it interesting or that I think it doesn't concern me, I change it because it saddens me. The soldiers are out there fighting for a cause bigger than themselves. I wish I could do more than send out prayers to support our troops.

Fortunately, there are those out there making big strides to help our Veterans. Homes for Our Trooops is a non-profit organization who finds volunteers to build homes for wounded veterans. David Battle never knew he would return home from war with both legs and one arm gone forever. After coming home to his wife and four children on Christmas day, having been living in a room at a community home for hospitalized veterans for a year. They are more than deserving of a place to call home.

Thanks to Home for Our Troops, which was started by John Gonsalves in 2003, Battles and his family will be able to move to a four bedroom home in Pasadena sometime next year. Homes for our Troops have built 33 homes and have 19 in progress in 24 states. "There's nothing else I would rather do than what I'm doing now," Gonsalves said. "After Sept. 11, there was a void in my life of, you know, 'What am I doing for my country?'"

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14-2 Lakers

I was very devastated when I was watching this game last night. Indiana had it very lucky. Although the Pacers beat Celtics, I'm pissed because Lakers were on a huge roll! It was that last second they were playing like hot potatoe! and bam that ball went in the Pacer's basket. I still get mad just thinking about it. They won by one point! It's pretty much true that Lakers left their defense at home. I'm just so mad that was such a lucky shot! The Lakers became unglued in the fourth quarter and lost to the Indiana Pacers, 118-117, on a last-second tip-in by forward Troy Murphy that sent Conseco Fieldhouse into a Tuesday night tizzy.

Long before the Lakers felt a postgame chill while boarding the team bus, they were abandoned by their source of inspiration this season, a defense ranked among the league leaders in virtually every statistical category.

Inspiration turned to desperation as the Pacers (7-10) picked them apart with several drives to the basket on the way to overcoming a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter.


Add to it an updated version of Murphy's Law -- let a bad team stick around long enough, and bad things will happen.

Pacers guard Marquis Daniels airballed a wild reverse layup attempt with 1.9 seconds left, but Murphy was there for a left-handed tap that pranced around the rim before falling into the hoop as time ran out.

Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said the play was "fortuitous." Pacers Coach Jim O'Brien called it "special . . . a great, great feeling for everyone who is a Pacer." Kobe Bryant simply hoped the ball would have fallen through more cleanly to allow some sort of a Lakers rebuttal.

Whatever the perspective, the Lakers (14-2) failed to keep pace with the franchise-best 16-1 start of the 2001-02 team. Instead, they fell to a Pacers team that had lost five of its last six.

It certainly looked good for the Lakers after Trevor Ariza and Jordan Farmar sparked a 17-0 run in the last 2:28 of the third quarter to provide a 101-86 advantage. The lead swelled briefly to 16 before the Pacers came rumbling back.

The Lakers posted 30-36-35 across the first three quarters, but were outscored in the fourth, 32-16. The Pacers banged through their interior for a surprising six offensive rebounds in the quarter, none more important than Murphy's tap, his 17th rebound.

"That's what happens when you put yourself in a position against a team that we should have beat by 10 or more points," forward Lamar Odom said. "We had them down 16 in the fourth. That was our first letdown of the season."

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LAKERS 14-1

Hey everyone I'm back to give an obvious update about the Lakers! My Lakers have done such a good job so far that they have 14 wins and 1 loss. I'm so proud of them! I really would like to see them play Boston Celtics and actually show them up for last years loss! The Lakers on Tuesday begin a trip that takes them to Indianapolis, Philadelphia on Wednesday night and Washington on Friday night.

The challenge for the Lakers' deep and talented reserve unit is maintain a high level of success in hostile environments.

"I think we are mature enough to keep our composure, to keep our poise on the road," guard Sasha Vujacic said. "We did pretty good last year on the road, so coming into this season, I think we're more mature and we're playing together. We've just got to do what we're doing right now."


As of Monday, the Lakers' bench was the second-highest-scoring reserve group in the NBA, averaging 37.2 points per game. Minnesota (38.9 points) was first, Portland (36.9) third, San Antonio (36.8) fourth and Oklahoma City (36.8) fifth.

Lakers Coach Phil Jackson has talked about the difficulties his second-unit players face on the road: how they become more rattled, how they don't get many calls, how the game slows down.

"They have to be able to execute in the half-court game," Jackson said. "That's what we're really working with this young group at. Runs are good, transition defense, steals -- all those things. They are exploding the game a little bit with their higher-pace game. But then when that pace is over and they're into that half-court, we have to be able to execute."

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Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya: The Biggest Fight of the Year

The Philippine Boxer is hoping that he will extend his streak by beating Oscar De La Hoya. Pacquiao has never lost a fight and I don't think that he will for a very long time. People call him the "Mexicutioner." This fight will be held on December 6, 2008 and I know that everyone is waiting for the big night to see who will win. You have to admit this will be an exciting game, because finally these two champions will come together. In my opinion, Pacquiao will do his thing and show everyone what he is made of again. Considered the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Pacquiao is walking around now near 150 pounds. He's buoyed by information from his trainer and promoters and is convinced he'll extend his current eight-fight winning streak that includes victories over Mexican stars Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez.

A computer study shows that in recent years De La Hoya's punch and jab rate steadily deteriorates after the sixth round in his fights. Longtime Top Rank matchmaker Bruce Trampler drove in from Las Vegas to script with Pacquiao a strategy to beat the same fighter whose early career Trampler once so artfully directed.


Boxing followers have tabbed Pacquiao "The Mexicutioner" because of this winning streak, and Pacquiao is confidently promising De La Hoya, 35, will be the next to fall in their Dec. 6 fight.

"I think so," Pacquiao, 29, says, relaxing in his upscale Los Angeles apartment after a recent Hollywood gym training session. "He's not the good Oscar I saw before. He's still dangerous, but not as good as he was before."

Pacquiao will earn a guaranteed $11 million plus a possible pay-per-view percentage for the fight.


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