Pagan Hits a Walk Off Inside-the-Park Home; Giants Win 6-5

It was a long day for the San Francisco Giants but they somehow survived it.

Angel Pagan just after his Walk Off Inside the Park Home Run vs. the Rockies. 5-25-13 (Photo by Ezra Shaw of Getty Images)

The Giants had to fight back from a 4-run deficit against the Colorado Rockies. They did this with 3 runs in the 6th inning and then a 4th run in the 7th. However, the 7th inning should've been more than a tie for the Giants.

With one out and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Brandon Crawford hit a ground ball to the 2nd baseman DJ LeMahieu. Brandon Belt sees the grounder and heads for home plate causing LeMahieu to throw home. Belt gets under Yorvit Torrealba's tag just in time. However, home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez called him out despite the fact that Belt's foot hit home plate just before the tag was applied.

Next batter Joaquin Arias pinch hits for the pitcher's spot and flies out to end the inning with the game still tied at 4-4.

The bottom of the 8th comes around with another officiating mistake. With Marco Scutaro on 1st and 1 out, Pablo Sandoval hits a single to left center and, perhaps feeling a bit greedy, Scutaro heads for 3rd base. The throw to 3rd is on time but Scutaro manages to avoid the tag and slide into 3rd safely... except for the fact that home plate umpire Marquez came over and called Scutaro out on a tag that clearly didn't happen.

Giants Manager Bruce Bochy goes out to argue about now the 2nd blown call by Marquez and is thrown out of the ball game. Buster Posey then pops out to 2nd to end the inning.

The game heads into extras where Troy Tulowitzki hit a home run to lead off the 10th inning to make it 5-4 for the Rockies. Now the bottom of the 10th comes with Rafael Betancourt coming in to close it out for Colorado.

However, Betancourt walks Brandon Crawford to start the inning and then Guillermo Quiroz pinch hits to just bunt Crawford over to 2nd. Angel Pagan then comes up clutch with a big hit that hits the bottom of the wall in right center. Crawford scores easily and Pagan, chugging along with 3rd base coach Tim Flannery waiving him in, manages to slide head first into home just before the tag.

No way to mess up that play at the plate, Marquez.

Giants win 6-5 in 10 innings on a walk off inside-the-park home run by Angel Pagan. They had to overcome the Rockies and sloppy officiating but the Giants win in one of the spectacular finishes you will see all season.

P.S. Seriously, baseball, you got to something about the umps. Better officiating and instant replay are needed more than ever. The right team somehow won today but that doesn't always happen, does it.

Neymar Going to Barcelona? WHY!!!

Perhaps the biggest hyped player outside of Europe is Neymar. A 21 year old Brazilian born player that plays for the Brazilian football club of Santos FC.

It is no secret over the past couple of seasons that Neymar has been sought after to play in Europe. The two main contenders for him this year are the Spanish Clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid. Santos has already accepted the two offers made by the two clubs but it is now being reported that Neymar has chosen FC Barcelona over Real Madrid.

Despite the reports that Real Madrid was willing to pay 35 million euros, 10 million more than Barca's offer, Neymar chose Barcelona's offer over Madrid's, probably because he wants to play alongside Lionel Messi which he has said in the past. If the great Pele is right about Neymar being better than Lionel Messi, even eventually, then Barcelona is the clear favorite for.... everything, including the Champions League.

Luckily soccer isn't as predictable as Basketball so nothing is secured for Barcelona (except a La Liga title). If this deal works out in Barca's favor, they could remain the top team in Europe for quite a while.

P.S. Nothing exciting and unpredictable happening over there. Let's see what's happening in baseball.

Late Goal Gives Bayern Munich Champions Cup

The biggest game in Europe has come around again.

The UEFA Champions League Final was played earlier today between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. It was devastating last year for Bayern Muncih as they lost the UCL Final in penalties in their home stadium. This year was redemption.

Mario Mandzukic scored in the 60' to give Munich a 1-0 lead. Dortmund would rebound, however, with a penalty kick in 68' which was scored Ilkay Gundogan to tie the game. The game continued on and just when it looked like extras were needed to be played, Arjen Robben, through an assisted pass from Ribery, scored in the 89' for the game winner. It was too late for Dortmund to recover. Bayern Munich wins 2-1 and takes the European Champions Cup.

Fitting it was that Arjen Robben scored the goal who had missed a penalty kick in last year's UCL Final that would've most likely won the match for Munich. It was ultimate redemption for him as Robben secures the 5th UCL Title for Bayern Munich, first since 2001.

Congrats to Bayern as I hope they enjoy a great night in London and then some partying back home.

P.S. Only 388 days till the World Cup.

ALL HAIL VIVEK RANADIVE AND THE NEW KINGS OF THE CASTLE!!!

Make way for the new owners.

In an announcement in front of Sacramento's City Hall, Mayor Kevin Johnson has proclaimed to all in state capital that the Kings have a new owner. The deal was worth $348 million for the Maloofs 65% of the team (team's total valuation sale $535 million). The new owners are a group of investors lead by the Software Wizard Vivek Ranadive. "Huzzahs" were shouted as word spread throughout the land.

With the Kings staying in Sacramento, it means the new coliseum worth $447 million by the Sacramento river. There will be mutton and turkey legs, ale, bread, and eh.... okay, this play on a medieval theme is getting boring.

The bottom line is that there are new owners in the NBA and a new hope for King's fans in Sacramento. It might take a while for the new arena to be built and a decent team to be put together but for the first time in a long while, things are looking up for the Sacramento Kings.

Owners Vote Against Kings Relocation to Seattle

It looks like the Kings are staying in Sacramento... for now.

The NBA Owners voted down the proposed relocation to Seattle by a vote of 22-8. This vote coming after the relocation committee's unanimous recommendation against Kings proposed move. The Maloof family, who owns the team, has been talking to an investment group lead by hedge fund manager Chris Hansen which would've relocated the team to Seattle. That deal now seems doomed by this recent vote.

NBA Commissioner David Stern said at a news conference "It is my expectation that we'll be able to make a deal with the Maloofs and the Ranadive group to transfer title of the team in Sacramento," latter adding "It's not a certainty, but we're going to work [toward] that result."

It seems that Maloofs are stuck in ownership purgatory. They found an ownership group that they wanted to sell to but the NBA owners shot down the one thing needed to make that deal go through. And while their back up plan might include selling a minority stake of the team to the Hansen group, I'd bet that the the NBA Owners would reject that sale knowing the group's intentions.

As for the Ranadive group, the Maloofs don't seem to want to sell to them right now despite the fact that the group has managed to match the original bid put up by the Hansen group of $525 million. Now of course the Hansen group raised their bid significantly to a total of $625 million, but the Ranadive group has shown they are serious about buying the team. Unless the Maloofs can be persuaded, it seems that they are stuck with the Kings until they find a buyer they like and also wants to keep the team in Sacramento.

P.S. While I admit that I was mostly rooting for the Kings to stay in Sacramento, I can't help but feel sympathetic to Seattle. They lost the SuperSonics in 2008 and now have failed to attract a replacement team with the Kings. I get that you feel like you just got sucker punched by league a 2nd time. But understand this; you've got the Mariners, the Seahawks, and even the Sounders to fall back on. What else does Sacramento have?

Besides, I bet you'll get another chance with a different team unsatisfied with their current location real soon.

Umps Got Instant Replay Wrong? BLATANTLY WRONG!!!

Last night at the A's-Indians game in Cleveland, it was a one run affair during the top of the 9th with two outs when Adam Rosales stepped up to the plate. Rosales managed to hit a home run to left field. The umpires, however, didn't think it went over the yellow line and called it a double. They would review the hit by Rosales and anybody at home, in the press box, the dugout, and even throughout the stadium could see and tell that the ball hit the railing above the yellow line therefore making it a home run.

The umps, however, came out of the reviewing room and ruled that it was a double. Bob Melvin went off on the umps and was tossed from the game. The A's would end up losing by the one run they didn't get 4-3.

Somehow the umps got a simple instant replay call wrong. The only thing reviewable in baseball at the moment they screwed up. Mr. Magoo could've gotten that one right.

How they got it wrong is a mystery. There are only two conceivable reasons to me on how they got this one wrong. One, they didn't have access to all the replay footage and couldn't make the right call. That, however, seems hard to believe and just looking at the home run, it just seems so obvious that it hit off the railing.

The other possibility is that their arrogance and/or stubbornness got the better of them. Umps do not like being wrong in any situation and perhaps that stubbornness in the face of indisputable video evidence influenced the wrong decision.

The right thing to do is have the commissioner reverse the decision therefore tying the game at 4-4 and replaying the rest of the inning and game. They could easily do it today before game 4 of this series starts.

Chances that they will actually do the right thing? About the same of that home run being called a double after review.

P.S. Even if it's not stubbornness and/or arrogance, it's still a problem with the umpires around the Majors.

Orb Wins the Kentucky Deby

It was a wet day at Churchill Downs as the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby commenced. The rain stopped for the actual race but it sure made the track very muddy.

As for the race itself, Palace Malice lead most of the way until that final turn when the pack managed to catch up and pass him by. Palace Malice would finish 12th. Coming down the stretch, it would be Orb being rode by Jockey Joel Rosario that grabbed the lead and won the race by 2 1/2 lengths. It was the first Kentucky Derby win for jockey Rosario and for trainer Shug McGaughey.

Always brief but exciting to watch. Orb was the favorite at 5-1 odds and he certainly proved it with the burst of speed showing near the end of the race. The runner up was Golden Soul followed by Revolutionary at third.

Of course we now look ahead to the Preakness to see if Orb will be able to make a run at the Triple Crown. Not likely but it's the only thing that keeps horse racing interesting beyond the Kentucky Derby.

Knicks Survive and Win 1st Playoff Series Since 2000

Sorry, Jets. You're the only embarrassing sports franchise left in New York City. Well, at least AROUND New York City.

The New York Knicks decided not to dress in black this time as they went into Boston to face the Celtics in game 6 of their series. New York started strong by actually moving the ball around to score 24 points in the first quarter compared to the Celtics 10. The Knicks actually played a great game for the most part. They were up by as much as 26 points in the 4th quarter.

Then the Celtics caught fire. Boston went on a 20-0 run in the 4th quarter which would cut the lead down to 6. They would later cut the lead down to 4 with 3:31 to go.

The Knicks and Carmelo Anthony, however, would be able to refocus. Melo then made a couple of jumpers with one of them being a 3 pointer to get the lead back up to 9. The J.R. Smith then made a lay up and one at the free throw line to make it a 12 point game with 1:21 left. Finals score was 88-80 with the Knicks winning the series 4-2.

New York manages to stave off 0-3 series comeback attempt from the Celtics and win their first playoff series since the 2000 Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. the Pacers which, ironically, who they will play next. Indiana just put away Atlanta last night 81-73 to win their series 4-2.

As for the Celtics, they go home with questions surrounding them. It's the first time since Kevin Garnett arrived in Boston that the Celtics have been eliminated in the 1st round of the postseason.

It's not likely that things will get better in Boston for next season. Rajon Rondo will be back but KG and Paul Pierce will be another year older. Heck, Pierce and Garnett may not be back next year depending on how they feel and how the team feels.

Meanwhile, the Knicks move on trying to establish a notable era themselves. However, they've had trouble with Indiana this season splitting the season series with them 2-2. If they do get past them, then they will face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

P.S. I would say 'likely face Miami' but seriously, Come On....

2013 UCL Final Set: Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich

It's going to be an all German final in Wembley.

After both Bundesliga clubs managed to wallop their opponents in their respective first legs, they managed to hold each one of them off in leg 2.

Borussia Dortmund managed to survive Real Madrid's comeback attempt at the Bernabeu as Real took the leg 2-0. They still fell short as Dortmund advances on a 4-3 aggregate score.

As for Bayern Munich, they crushed the Messi-less Barcelona at their own home stadium of Camp Nou 3-0 making their aggregate victory 7-0.

It will be Borussia Dortmund taking on rival Bayern Munich for the Champions Cup.

Dortmund has only been to the UCL Final once back in 1997 when they defeated Juventus for their only Champions Cup title. Bayern Munich just went to the Champions League Final last year losing in penalties in their own home stadium of Allianz Arena to Chelsea. The last time that Munich has won the Champions Cup was in 2001 when they defeated Valencia in penalties (ironically enough).

As for Barcelona and Real Madrid, these top clubs will always have next year. That's the benefit of being a powerhouse. Though Real Madrid might have a lesser chance with hints and rumors that Jose Mourinho will not be their manager next season. The Mourinho era in Madrid hasn't been a pretty one but at least some silverware was won.

May 25th is the UCL Final. I need to get some Brats.

P.S. Comeback to Chelsea, Mourinho. The two Manchester clubs are killing us.