World Series Game 1 and Carlos Tevez

It's official. Cliff Lee is no longer invincible. Last night, in Game 1 of the World Series, Lee was absolutely battered by the San Francisco Giants. He didn't last 5 innings, and gave up 7 runs, 5 of which were in his last 2/3 of an inning. Lee was THE hype going into this series, and the majority of the stories revolved around pitching. If the first game is any indication of how the rest of the series will be played, then sit back and enjoy the slugfest. The game ended 11-7 for the Giants. As much as I would love to see a high scoring series, both of these teams are known for their pitching, and tonight will likely be a turnaround to favor the pitchers. However, if we look at last night there are a couple people I feel like need recognition for their performance.

Although Juan Uribe entered with a batting average below .200, but has had some clutch hits so far in the playoffs. In the series against the Phillies, he had a walk-off sacrifice fly as well as the game winning HR in the series clinching game. Last night, in a 5-2 game, Uribe came to the plate with 2 men on base. Uribe got thrown a pitch right down the middle and he was not going to let the pitcher off the hook. He absolutely crushed it to left field and essentially put the game out of reach with the 3-run HR. He also made some unbelievable plays in the field while playing at 3rd base. When I first started watching the Giants this season, I was a little surprised seeing Uribe play 3rd. He has a little bit of a bigger build than other MLB infielders, but he has the ability and quickness as any other does. He has really surprised me so far and I look forward to watching him even more.

Tim Lincecum was the starter for the Giants in Game 1. It looked to be going in the wrong direction early for Lincecum but he was able to fight his way through 5 2/3 innings. In the first inning, the Rangers got a run and had a guy on first and third with only 1 out. Lincecum was able to get Kinsler, one of the best hitters for Texas, to ground into a double play to end the inning. The next inning, he gave up another run, but stranded a man on third again. Although he did give up 2 more runs in the 6th inning, he outlasted his opponent, Cliff Lee, and was able to register the win in his first ever World Series, at the age of only 26.

The other story, which is still developing, is about good ol' Carlos Tevez. For those of you who don't know how I feel about Tevez, let me give you a quick background. He played for one of the best Manchester United teams in recent history. A team that won the Premier League two years in a row, a team that won the European Cup. Tevez was essentially a fringe player, but came off the bench many times to score the very crucial goals for the club. He was well appreciated by the fans (as demonstrated by me buying a Tevez jersey two months before his controversial exit) but because he was not starting every single game, he asked to leave. He began to talk negatively about the club and upset a lot of fans. To even make matters worse, he went to Manchester City. That move, coupled with his negative comments, put him in the absolute dog house with anyone associated with Manchester United. I don't respect anything the guy says anymore, let alone believe any of it. He left for "first team football" but that didn't involve playing in Europe, which he had said he wanted, and he was convinced to play for City because he was paid more.

Anyways, since he started playing for City, and not winning any trophies, he has made multiple comments about how he doesn't enjoy the life of a footballer and may consider early retirement. Not just retirement from Argentina, but from football altogether. This may be horrible to say, but as a United supporter, hearing him say these things makes me happy. It reinforces the fact that United is the strongest club in the world, not just on the field, but off the field. While he was in Red, he only had positive things to say about football and how he played for the love of the game. Now he cannot say anything besides how he wants to quit. Yesterday, after picking up an injury on the weekend, he traveled home to Argentina to recover from his injury. This only brings up the question of if he will ever come back. A couple years ago, we saw Robinho leave City for a couple weeks to go home and take care of some personal issues, and never come back. I would love to see Tevez try and make it big with Boca, and of course realize a few years down the road that he should have never left England, let alone United, if he hasn't realized that already. Just another example of the intelligence and power, or lack of, that City has in their attempt to become one of the biggest clubs in the world. And in dedication to Elder Matthew Duke, "This is how it feels to be City. This is how it feels to be small. This is how it feels to be a team that wins nothing at all, nothing at all."

On a side note, I think I found my dream job, to an extent. ESPN posted a job listing for a tax accountant. I think I'm going to take my chances, and see what comes of it. Wish me luck!