Is Philadelphia's Roy Halladay the National Leagues Best Pitcher?

The remaining regular season schedule is set up to allow Phillies righty Roy Halladay at least two more starts before the Phils begin their post season push; however , its more than likely that tonights start against Washington will be Roy’s last before the play-offs.

There is no question that Harry Leroy Halladay has been a work horse for Philadelphia Skipper Charlie Manuel this season, as he currently leads the National League with 241.2 innings pitched to go along with a league leading 8 complete games, so resting that arm would help to do a body good.

Tomorrows start against the Nationals could also go a long way in solidifying what should be the Phillies seventh Cy Young Award in team history; Steve Carlton, 1972, 1977, 1980 & 1982, John Denny 1983 and Steve Bedrosian 1987.

Yes, I said it Cy Young, the award given annually to Major League Baseball’s (MLB) best pitchers, one each in the National League (NL) and American League (AL).

Each league's award is voted on by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, with two representatives from each team, which means 28 ballots are cast for the American League winner, and 32 ballots cast for the National League. Each voter places a vote for first, second, and third place among the pitchers of each league. The formula used to calculate the final scores is a weighted sum of the votes. The pitcher with the highest score in each league wins the award. If two pitchers receive the same number of votes, the award is shared.

You would think that Halladay’s numbers would speak for themselves. A win tomorrow would give him a league leading 21 wins, one more than Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright who by the way will also have another chance this week to win his twenty-first.

Wainwright’s 2.43 earned run average (ERA) is a scant better than Halladays 2.53, and as I write this blog both pitchers are tied for the league lead with 213 strikeouts.

Yes it’s that close.

So why should Roy win the Cy? For Starters eight complete games verses five for Wainwright, and to date Halladay has walked only 30 batters verses Wainwrights 56.

(Insert drum roll here please) Oh yes and did I fail to mention that on a mild Miami night back on May 29, the six-foot-six, 230 pound Halladay struck out 11 Florida Marlins while on his way to recording just the 20th perfect game in MLB history.

Think about it, 135 years of baseball and only 20 perfect games. The Phillies by the way are just the fifth team to boast two perfect game pitchers in team history. Jim Bunning threw Philadelphia's other one on June 21, 1964 vs. the Mets.

So there you have it, I have stated my case for Roy Halladay as the 2010 National League Cy Young award winner, besides that trophy would look really nice next to Halladays 2003 AL Cy Young award.

By the way if Halladay does win this year’s award, he would join Roger Clemens, Gaylord Perry, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martínez as the only pitchers to win the award in both leagues.

Seattle Based TEKK Company On The Rebound

Innovative is perhaps the best way to describe Tekk Athletic, Inc., the Seattle, Washington based company that has clearly moved to the head of the class when it comes to innovative training products for both soccer coaches and players.

Eight years ago I not only had the opportunity to meet Tekk Athletic CEO Tim Gill, but also to take advantage of his offer to try a set of his company’s trade mark one-piece training goal; a durable five foot by eight foot portable goal that sets up and folds down in less than two minutes.

Trust me when I tell you that my Tekk goals have seen their fair share of usage over the years. In addition to the obvious, my favorite aspects of the Tekk one-piece training goals are the permanently attached rebounding nets and custom storage bags, making it easy to throw into the back of my company’s, Goalstopper Academy Trailer.

Speaking of rebounding, Tekk has done it again, this time creating a one-piece goal that also turns into a rebounder/trainer, the only one of its kind in the world.

Of course the beauty of the Tekk Trainer is that it can be used for, team training, keeper training and for individual training. Hey I have two boys who love bouncing balls off the side of the house, after a while that gets to be a bit annoying, but with the rebounder my siding is now safe and so is my sanity.

The Tekk trainer is currently being used by the top players and coaches in America, from professionals through to youth players of all ages. For players who want to become better quickly and improve their passing, shooting, control and agility I recommend that you seriously consider purchasing.

Again, this product is great for players of every position whether you’re a field player or a goalkeeper. Go to www.tekk.com/trainer to view the video and get more information. If you’re a goalkeeper also check out the video at http://www.youtube.com/user/747tekk#p/f/0/1_dNbx-YJhA. You can view more videos of the Tekk Trainer at www.youtube.com/747tekk.

Through Tekk’s support our members will be able to purchase the Tekk Trainer for $249.99, a savings of $110.00 off the retail price and you will also receive a target rebounder net valued at $80.00 for free. This is for a limited time and will expire September 30th. Apply coupon code “TEKK28” at checkout to receive the special price.

Philadelphia Soccer Fans Finally Finding Their Niche

Why waste your time and money building a soccer specific stadium near Philadelphia? Professional soccer never has and never will survive in an area where the Philadelphia Eagles and Philadelphia Phillies are king.

No, but it can certainly co-exist.

For as long as I have lived here in the Delaware Valley that has always been the mantra, soccer sucks and no one cares.

News Flash! People do care and there is evidence that professional soccer cannot only survive in Philadelphia, but also thrive, thanks in part to the sixteenth member of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the friendly confines of PPL Park.

Last night the Philadelphia Union not only hosted, but beat one of the top club teams in the world, thanks to a 1-0 result over visiting Chivas de Guadalajara. The Mexican side not only brought their attacking style of play, but also several hundred of their spirited fans which only added to the electrifying atmosphere on this balmy summer night.

“Two things I hear when people walk in here (PPL Park)” said Union President Tom Veit, “Oh what a great building and then oh what a great atmosphere”. “You can’t build that, you can’t create that, it’s gotta be organic, its gotta happen when its right, especially in soccer, which is a sport where the passion of the fans help create the atmosphere”.

In addition to last night’s game against Chivas de Guadalajara, the Union have played seven MLS Games at PPL Park so far this season and emerged a 1-0 winner over Scottish club side Celtic.

Before the MLS announcement that the Union would join the league, there had been one U.S. Men’s National Team game played here in Philadelphia in 30 years. Since the announcement, the city has hosted several Gold Cup games and the U.S. National team in their last match before departing to South Africa for World cup 2010.

Oh did I also fail to mention that the Union in conjunction with the Philadelphia Eagles, helped put 54,000 fans in the stands at Lincoln Financial Field this summer for a 1-0 loss to English Premier League Power Manchester United.

“ I don’t think any other MLS team has done this” Expressed Veit, “Within the first 120 days of the building being open we will have hosted two national team games, two friendlies with two of the top club teams in the world, we will have the league leading LA Galaxy coming in, theoretically we could have (David) Beckham, NY Redbull with Thierry Henry and we also have Villanova playing South Florida here”

So, I guess it’s safe to say that PPL Park has exceeded Veits expectations?

“If you had asked me what your dream was, this probably would have been it. You go in and hope for the best, plan for the worst and yet it has been all that we could have expected, especially from our fans

but we still get up every day saying we still have a lot to do”.

Well, in addition to creating a slice of heaven for soccer fans here in the Delaware Valley, this 18,500 seat venue along the Delaware River has also created about 600 jobs for residents of Chester, Pa. and surrounding areas.