Tigers, Giants emblematic of baseball era where being best for 162 games means little in Oct

SAN FRANCISCO -- Best in baseball? The Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants spent much of the season just trying to catch mediocre teams like the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers just to win their divisions.

Those up-and-down regular seasons are distant memories now that the Giants and Tigers have raced through the playoffs and are getting ready for Game 2 of the World Series in San Francisco on Thursday night.

The Giants trailed the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West as late as mid-August before making a strong run to win the division and finish tied with the third-best record in the National League.

The Tigers were merely six games over .500 with three weeks left in the regular season and made the playoffs despite posting the seventh-best record in the American League.

"You know what, I think these are the best two teams and the hottest teams, too," Tigers reliever Jose Valverde said. "The first two months, you see Detroit is in last place. Chicago, Cleveland, everybody's laughing. What happened now?"

For much of its history, baseball was a grueling, six-month endurance test, with only the top team in each league going to the post-season.

Now, with six divisions and four wild-card teams, it's more a matter of just getting into the tournament and getting on a roll in October.

"I think ideally you like to see the teams that have the best record end up there," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "But as we have mentioned many times, once you get to the playoffs it does become a little bit of a crap shoot, who's playing the best at that time. You understand that. That's why wild-card teams have done well. A lot of them are fighting to get there, but they're also playing well at the right time."

Both the Giants and Tigers got in as division winners but they were not the top teams in their leagues over the 162-game haul.

Washington finished with baseball's best record this year with 98 wins but fell in the division series to the 88-win St. Louis Cardinals, who won it all the previous year as a wild-card team. The Cardinals won a one-game playoff under the new wild-card format just to get to the divisional series.

Detroit, with 88 wins, finished behind the other four AL playoff teams, as well as the Los Angeles Angels and Tampa Bay Rays despite playing in the AL's weakest division. But the Tigers knocked off AL West champion Oakland in the first round and swept the New York Yankees, who had the AL's best record, in the league championship series.

"You just need to get hot like the Cardinals did last year," Tigers outfielder Don Kelly said. "You have to play your best baseball at the right time. But over the course of the year you have to keep yourself there, you have to keep yourself in it. You can't get too far behind. That's what we talked about a lot as a team. We just had to stay right there because we knew we could pull it out at the end."

No team had ever finished this low in its league and made it to the Series. The previous low was fifth, by three eventual World Series champions: Minnesota in 1987, the New York Yankees in 2000 and the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals, who beat the Tigers despite winning only 83 games in the regular season.

In the 18 postseasons since the playoffs expanded in 1995, the team with the best overall record in the regular season ended up as World Series champion just three times. The Yankees did it twice, in 1998 and 2009, and Boston accomplished it as well in 2007. That one out of six rate is little better than if the champion was chosen randomly.

More common is a case like the 2004 St. Louis Cardinals, who won 105 games in the regular season but were swept by wild-card winning Boston in the World Series.

"Being on a team in St. Louis in 2004, which was a team pretty much wire to wire was a pretty dominant team, nobody felt sorry for us at any point when we didn't pull it off in the World Series," said Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, a catcher the '04 runner-ups. "But you take your chances, when a team rolls like that. Typically you have enough there to win it all. It's just a matter of the timing and guys taking advantage of the opportunities."

This is not a phenomenon exclusive to baseball. The NFL and NHL playoffs have often been about determining which team is hottest come playoff time. The Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup in June as an eight seed, the New York Giants were a No. 4 when they beat New England in the Super Bowl in February.

That wasn't the case in baseball during the pre-playoff days. The winner of the National League faced off each fall against the winner of the American League in the World Series. The team with the best record went 38-27 in those Series from 1903 through 1968, according to STATS LLC.

The post-season turned into a bit of a crap shoot once the league broke into divisions, allowing four teams to make the playoffs. The best regular season team won in seven of those 25 seasons before wild-cards were added in 1995.

"If you're asking me, even if it's not us, I always hope that the team that's had the best year, they end up battling to win the World Series," Bochy said. "But it's a great game how we have it set up."

Source: ottawacitizen.com

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With Bumgarner and bunt, SF beats Tigers 2-0 for 2-0 World Series lead

SAN FRANCISCO -- A Giant dose of small ball, and suddenly San Francisco finds itself in a most unique position -- way ahead in a post-season series.

Madison Bumgarner shut down the Detroit Tigers for seven innings, then the Giants took advantage of a bunt that stayed fair to eke out the go-ahead run in a 2-0 win Thursday night for a 2-0 edge in the World Series.

Gregor Blanco's single trickled to a stop inches fair on the infield dirt, setting up Brandon Crawford's run-scoring double-play grounder in the seventh. Hunter Pence added a sacrifice fly in the eighth, and that was plenty for the Giants.

Game 3 will be Saturday night in Detroit and for once, the masters of the October comeback aren't playing from behind. The Giants overcame a 2-0 deficit to beat Cincinnati in the best-of-five division series and escaped a 3-1 hole against St. Louis in the NLCS.

The loss certainly left the favoured Tigers wondering what else could go wrong. Prince Fielder was thrown out at the plate by a hair and moments later starting pitcher Doug Fister was struck squarely in the head by a line drive.

The 6-foot-8 Fister managed to stay on the mound, and even excelled. Bumgarner more than matched him, however, allowing just two hits before the San Francisco bullpen closed it out before another pulsating crowd.

Santiago Casilla pitched a perfect eighth and Sergio Romo worked the ninth for a save in the combined two-hitter, leaving Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera in a huge hole heading back to Comerica Park. Anibal Sanchez will start for the Tigers against Ryan Vogelsong in Detroit.

The Tigers looked foggy at the plate, maybe still lost following a five-day layoff after an ALCS sweep of the Yankees. Cabrera hopped up and twisted away after third baseman Pablo Sandoval, who homered three times in the opener, snared his early line drive.

Bumgarner had something to do with the Tigers' troubles, too.

Bumped from the NLCS rotation after two poor post-season starts, he returned with a flourish. The left-hander struck out eight and looked as sharp as he did in the 2010 World Series when, as a 21-year-old rookie, he stopped Texas in Game 4 on the way to a championship.

This game was scoreless in the seventh when the Giants went ahead, right after actor Tom Hanks -- a former peanut vendor at the nearby Oakland Coliseum -- sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" on the field.

Pence led off with a single and Fister departed, getting lots of hugs in the dugout. Rookie reliever Drew Smyly walked Brandon Belt on a full-count pitch and Blanco's bunt loaded the bases.

The Tigers kept their infield back up the middle, and had no play at the plate on Crawford's bouncer.

Pence added the insurance run the next inning with his flyball off Octavio Dotel.

Fielder and the Tigers came up inches short of taking an early lead, the result of yet another alert play by second baseman Marco Scutaro and a dubious decision by third base coach Gene Lamont.

Fielder was hit by a pitch to lead off the second, Delmon Young followed with a double and when the ball rattled around in left field, Lamont waved the burly slugger home. Even with no outs, Lamont sent him.

Scutaro, in the middle of every big play for the Giants this month, dashed across the diamond, caught Blanco's relay and unleashed a strong throw to the plate. All-Star catcher Buster Posey made a swipe tag to Fielder's backside, just as the Tigers star slid home. Umpire Dan Iassogna had a clear look and made a demonstrative call -- out!

Fielder immediately popped up from his slide and pleaded his case with two hands. Tigers manager Jim Leyland rushed out and pointed to the plate. At second base, Young yelled, "No!"

But even if there was replay review, it wouldn't have helped the Tigers. Because TV replays showed Iassogna, working his first plate job in a World Series, got it right.

There was no dispute that Fister somehow avoided a serious injury moments later.

With two outs in the Giants second, Blanco lined a shot up the middle that hit Fister on the right side of the head and deflected on the fly to shallow centre field.

Fister showed no visible effect from the blow -- in fact, some in the crowd wondered whether the ball perhaps glanced off his glove because Fister stayed on his feet. Only when fans saw replays did groans echo around the ballpark.

Leyland, pitching coach Jeff Jones and a trainer went to the mound, and Fister insisted on staying in the game. He walked the next batter to load the bases, but retired Bumgarner on a popup, starting a streak of 12 straight hitters set down by Fister.

Among those who winced was Oakland pitcher Brandon McCarthy, who sustained a skull fracture and brain contusion after being hit by a line drive last month.

"I'm not watching but did just see the replay. Certainly hope he's ok," McCarthy tweeted.

NOTES: Bumgarner struck out Austin Jackson and Omar Infante to start the game. Two other Giants fanned the first two batters in a Series game: Christy Mathewson (1905) and Carl Hubbell (1933). ... Bumgarner picked off Infante at first base to end the fourth. Infante made a break for second and, like Fielder earlier, came up short with his slide. ... Scutaro was the only Giants hitter to have previously faced Fister. ... Posey has a hit in all seven World Series games in his career.

Source: ottawacitizen.com

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All of Canada’s nuclear reactors running for first time in nearly 20 years

OTTAWA — For the first time in almost two decades, all 20 of Canada’s nuclear power reactors are supplying electricity to the grid.

The milestone was reached this week when the Point Lepreau reactor was connected to New Brunswick’s electrical grid for the first time in since March 2008.

The controversial refurbishment project to extend the plant’s operational life to 2025 is three years behind schedule and $1 billion over its $1.4-billion budget.

In Ontario, the Bruce Power generating station at Tiverton is now running all eight of its reactors for the first time in 17 years. Bruce’s refurbished Unit 2 reactor was restarted last week and synchronized to the province’s grid, the first time it has seen service since 1995.

Neither Lepreau nor Unit 2 will resume full power until commissioning activities, including safety system shutdown testing, are complete and final approvals are issued by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

Meanwhile, the Unit 1 reactor at the Bruce site on the shore of Lake Huron returned to service Sept. 20 after a 15-year shutdown for refurbishment. It is now at commercial operating status.

The cost to the privately-held Bruce Power corporation to update units 1 and 2 has been enormous — $4.9 billion, almost double the original estimate.

Bruce Power says once Unit 2 is approved for full power, the pair will produce enough electricity to power the cities of Ottawa and London, Ont., combined.

Bruce is the largest nuclear facility in North America in terms of output, with a total output capacity of 6,224 megawatts (MW). It houses two nuclear generating stations — Bruce A and Bruce B — each with four CANDU reactors.

The return to service of the 750 MW 1 and 2 reactors doubles the number of operational units from 2001 when Bruce Power purchased the operation from Ontario Hydro. Power generation from all eight reactors is considered essential if the Ontario government is to achieve its goal to eliminate coal-fired electrical generation by 2014.

At mid-afternoon Thursday, hourly nuclear generation in Ontario amounted to 10,130 MW, while coal-fire plants generated 628 MW. Hydro power supplied about 3,870 MW, natural gas 1,195 MW and wind 1,060 MW.

Source: ottawacitizen.com

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Autopsy being done on human head discovered in Edmonton back alley

 A group of teenagers walk past the spot where a human head was found inside a cardboard box by a woman walking her dog in Edmonton on Wednesday October 24, 2012. 

An autopsy is being done this morning on a human head found in an Edmonton alley.

City police say it’s not known how long the process will take, but results could be available as early as this afternoon.

A woman found the head while walking in a northeast neighbourhood Wednesday morning.

Investigators are trying to determine whether the head belongs to the body of a man found in a rural area east of the city on the weekend.

Local news media say residents of Ranfurly have been talking about how the body was decapitated and found lying in a ditch next to a running pickup truck.

An autopsy was performed on that body Monday and the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.

Source: o.canada.com

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Barack Obama explains source of Donald Trump grudge match: ‘This all dates back to when we were growing up together in Kenya’

One thing is clear in the feud between U.S. President Barack Obama and blowhard businessman Donald Trump: the president has better comedy writers on his staff.

On the same day Trump took to YouTube in an attempt to blackmail the president via charity, Obama appeared on “The Tonight Show” to explain the source of Trump’s resentment of him.

“This all dates back to when we were growing up together in Kenya,” the Hawaii-born Obama dryly told Jay Leno. “We had constant run-ins on the soccer fields. He wasn’t very good and resented it. When we finally moved to America, I thought it would be over.”

Trump, the real estate mogul turned television caricature, is the de-facto leader of the “birther” movement — the long discredited but remarkably resilient conspiracy theory that Obama was born outside of the U.S. and thus, is not constitutionally eligible to be president.

Earlier Wednesday, Trump offered $5 million to the charity of Obama’s choice if he would release his academic records and passport applications.

“I have a deal for the President. A deal I don’t believe he can refuse,” Trump said in his YouTube video. “Frankly, it’s a cheque that I very much want to write.”

Trump gave no hints to what he expected to find in those records, less than two weeks before the election.

Trump’s announcement was largely mocked on Twitter for hyping his “game-changing” announcement. 

Source: news.nationalpost.com

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UN war crime investigators seek access to Syria

GENEVA - United Nations war crimes investigators said on Thursday they had asked to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to seek access for their team, which has been shut out of the country since being set up a year ago.

The team, led by Brazilian expert Paulo Pinheiro, has been gathering evidence and testimony on atrocities committed by Syrian government forces and armed rebels in the 19-month-old conflict.

"We decided to send a letter to President al-Assad calling for a meeting ... it would be very important that he could receive us," Pinheiro told reporters in Geneva.

"We intend to go there without conditions to meet President Assad to discuss access of our commission to Syria," added Pinheiro, who went to Damascus in June in his personal capacity for talks with senior Syrian officials.

Carla del Ponte, a former U.N. war crimes prosecutor who has joined the inquiry, was asked about similarities with past investigations including those into war crimes in former Yugoslavia. "The similarity is of course we are handling the same crimes, crimes against humanity and war crimes for sure."

She added: "My main task will be to continue the inquiry in the direction of determining the senior political and military authorities responsible for these crimes."

The investigators have drawn up a secret list of Syrian individuals and units suspected of committing crimes including murder and torture, which they say could pave the way for future criminal prosecution. — Reuters

Source: gmanetwork.com

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Apple loses again in Dutch suit against Samsung

Apple loses again in Dutch suit against Samsung

AMSTERDAM (AP) - A Dutch court has again ruled against Apple Inc. in a suit against South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co., saying that Galaxy tablet computers don't infringe an Apple patent on touch screen interfaces.

The Dutch case is one of many Apple is pursuing against Samsung in their reciprocal patent war. If Apple had been successful in the Netherlands, it could have disrupted Samsung's ability to distribute in Europe through the port of Rotterdam.

Apple lost a request for a provisional ruling in August 2011, and an appeal in January. The Hague District Court's ruling published Thursday is a full-fledged civil suit on the same point. Like British and German courts, the Dutch court found that the touch screen interface Samsung's Galaxy tabs use does not violate Apple's patents.

Source:  keyc.tv

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