Molina's pinch-hit 3-run HR helps the Giants to a comeback victory

just graffiti - Sport News

It might have been the slowest home run trot in major league history, but Bengie Molina meant no disrespect.

He simply couldn't go any faster.
Molina certainly quickened hearts on a chilly night at China Basin. Out of the lineup again because of a sore right quadriceps, he came off the bench and delivered a three-run home run in the eighth inning, sending the Giants to a sudden and significant 4-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night.
Molina drilled an 0-2 slider from Chad Qualls high into the foggy air, and after a seemingly interminable wait, it settled into the first row of the left field bleachers.
A smallish crowd of 27,645 erupted and wouldn't stop chants of "Ben-gee" until Molina acknowledged them with a curtain call.
Worn down by a heavy workload over the weekend at Coors Field and miscast for two seasons in the cleanup spot, Molina's swing might have been his biggest in three years as a Giant.
"It's been a battle for me," said Molina, who wasn't sure if he'd be in the lineup today. "I've played more than usual. I haven't gotten many days off to refresh myself. But I feel good.
"I have a feeling I'll finish strong."
And what about those chants from the stands?
"Unbelievable," Molina said. "I haven't gotten that feeling the whole year. The fans, believe it or not, are a big part of this. I hope they understand that. They can pump you up big-time."
Or they can voice disapproval.

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They exercised that right when Justin Miller relieved Jonathan Sanchez to begin the eighth inning."Oh yeah, I can hear it," said Miller, who fueled Monday's crushing defeat at Coors Field in which he walked Rockies pitcher Adam Eaton with the bases loaded.
"I understand where they're coming from, but I'm ready to help this team. What's in the past is in the past."
Miller moved forward with a scoreless eighth to receive the victory. It was the wonder drug he needed after he failed to retire any of the last nine hitters he faced in Colorado.
"I woke up in my bed (Tuesday) saying, 'What the hell happened?'"‰" Miller said. "I felt like I fell off a third-story building. It was physically and mentally exhausting.
"But I knew what I was capable of. Those two games, it wasn't me."
Sanchez allowed a leadoff home run to Ryan Roberts but gave the Giants exactly what their weary bullpen needed. He pitched seven innings and his only two walks — one intentional — came during the Diamondbacks' two-run rally in the sixth inning.
With closer Brian Wilson unavailable after throwing 70 pitches over the previous two nights, Brandon Medders retired the final three hitters — against his former team, no less — to record his first career save.
Medders wasn't supposed to be Wilson's understudy, but Sergio Romo couldn't get loose in time. That's how suddenly Molina's shot changed the game.
Soft-tossing left-hander Doug Davis, a Northgate High product, dominated a lineup that lacked Molina and Pablo Sandoval, who had a respiratory ailment in addition to a bruised right calf.
But Edgar Renteria quietly began the winning rally with a two-out, seven-pitch walk in the eighth, and Randy Winn followed with a soft single. Qualls relieved Davis, and Giants manager Bruce Bochy didn't hesitate to replace Ryan Garko with Molina, who was 3-for-5 against the Diamondbacks closer.
Qualls threw three consecutive sliders. The third one stayed in Molina's happy zone.
The Giants took their team photo Wednesday afternoon. Then they took the field knowing that a victory would improve their playoff picture one way or the other.
As it turned out, the Los Angeles Dodgers won at Colorado, allowing the Giants to move within three games of the Rockies in the wild-card race.

GIANTS 4,
D'BACKS 3

tODAY:
Diamondbacks (Yusmeiro Petit 2-8) at Giants (Joe Martinez 3-1), 7:15 p.m.
TV: CSNBA. Radio: 680-AM

Nl wild-card race
W L GB
Rockies 72 55 --
GIANTS 69 58 3
Marlins 67 59 41 2
Braves 66 60 51 2
inside

Rohlinger gets chance to make better impression. Page 3

Baghdatis eliminated from Pilot Pen

just graffiti - Sport News


NEW HAVEN -- Marcos Baghdatis wanted to show his gratitude for receiving one of the four wild cards into the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament by contending for the men's singles title. Yet with the crowd behind him at the Stadium Court, it was apparent from the outset that Baghdatis didn't resemble the player that was once ranked eighth in the world.
Struggling with Frederico Gil's serve throughout, Baghdatis was unceremoniously eliminated in the opening round of the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament with a 6-4, 6-3 loss. Gil, a native of Portugal who worked his way into the main draw through the qualifying round, will play 12th-seeded German Philipp Petzschner in the second round. Baghdatis, meanwhile, was left wondering what went wrong.
"It was just one of those days where you get on the court and you can't find your way," said the 24-year-old from Cyprus. "It's really frustrating and I'm real sorry for the tournament. They gave me a wild card and I acted like an idiot."
Baghdatis, who was ranked eighth on the ATP World Tour in August of 2006, has struggled to return to Top-10 form after sustaining a stress fracture in his right wrist and a back injury last year. Both players held serve through the first nine games, but Gil broke with Baghdatis serving at 4-5, to take the first set.
Recognized as possessing a strong serve and forehand, Baghdatis was a victim of Gil's powerful baseline game in the second set. Painting the lines with winners and setting up Baghdatis

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with his blistering first serve, Gil won the match in 1 hour, 22 minutes. "I'm so disappointed now, there's no excuse for today," said Baghdatis, who is currently ranked 109 in the world. "It's very frustrating that I wasn't able to come back or fight back in this match."
Always a popular player, Baghdatis' best performance at a Grand Slam occurred when he advanced to the finals of the 2006 Australian Open where he lost to Roger Federer. He is remembered as being the last opponent that American Andre Agassi defeated in his career, a victory that came at the U.S. Open.
There will be no trip to The National Tennis Center next week for Baghdatis. He opted to not to play in the U.S. Open several weeks ago, a decision he hopes will help him get his health back.
"Right now, I'm going to go home, practice and work hard to come back," he said. "I have no pain right now, which is important. I'm just going to try my best to forget this match."
It was a good day at the Connecticut Tennis Center for Americans Kevin Kim and Robert Kendrick. The unseeded Kim, who is ranked No. 100 on the ATP World Tour, registered a 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 win against Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili in first round action at the Grandstand.
Kim, whose highest ranking was when he reached No. 63 in 2005, has a stern challenge ahead of him in the second round. He will face seventh-seeded Igor Andreev of Russia, who is currently the world's 30th ranked player.
Unseeded Kendrick, meanwhile, upended qualifier Frederik Nielsen of Denmark, 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (5) in the second match of the day at the Stadium court. The 29-year-old from Fresno, Calif., has the unenviable task of playing top-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko in the second round. Ranked No. 8 in the ATP World Tour, Davydenko has garnered 16 singles titles.
Italian Potito Starace needed three sets to get past German Misha Zverev (6-3, 2-6, 6-3), as did German Bjorn Phau against fellow countryman Benjamin Becker, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3. Also winning their first round matches were Italian Simone Bolelli, who vanquished Christophe Bochus of Belgium 6-3, 6-4, Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay, who downed Andrey Golubev from Russia, 6-3, 6-4 and Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, a 6-2, 6-2 winner against Yen-Hsun Lu (Chinese Taipei).

Best Washing Machines

just graffiti - IT News 

Advice in purchasing your washing machine
a buying guide so you can narrow down your search.

Do you want the top washing machine or dryer for your house? Let us show you how to choose the top model to suit your needs.

It can feel like a maze - with so many washers out here it can be difficult to make your choice.

When it comes to doing laundry obviously you want the best washing machine you can get - this makes life that little bit easier! Choose wisely - because a bad one will have the opposite effect!!

The most important thing is to make a choice based on your individual needs. If you have a low budget and don’t wash very much – just a cheap cleaning machine should fit the bill.

Take your time and do a little homework:

There are questions you need to ask about the washer

Above we gave you general questions to consider. Now when you are looking at a potential washer there are specific questions which are useful to ask about the washer.

These questions will help you choose really which one is right for your budget and lifestyle.

What is my space available? take any space concerns into consideration. If you have a small house that has limited room available for your washer, then you are going to need something that can realistically fit within the small amount of space you have available. In some cases, a washer and dryer combination may even be a great idea if you really want to conserve on space.

How does the washer load? You can purchase either front loading or top loading machine. You’ll want to get the best washer which works for you. Compare the advantages and disadvantages between front loaders and top loaders. What is the loading capacity? The load capacity is the dry weight of clothes. If you live alone and don’t have a huge amount of laundry to do, then you can go with a smaller capacity. However, if you have a large family with several children, you’ll want to go with a larger capacity of at least 6 kg or more. Washing a larger load will also be more economical. The following guide lines will help you determine what size is the best washing machine for you.

Single person Less than 4.9 Kg
Couple without children 5 kg - 5.4 kg
Family with 2 children 5.5 kg - 5.9 kg
Family with 3-4 children 6 kg and more

How does the washer spin? The spinning of the clothes washer is going to be important to how quickly the laundry will end up drying. The higher the speed of your motor, the more efficient the spinning will be. Also consider the type of spinning for your machine so it will dry the clothes as much as possible before using the tumble drier or hanging on the line. If you don’t have a drier then you will want to be looking at spins of above 1000rpm to make sure the clothes are reasonably dry.

What programs does the washer have? There are anti wrinkle programs, delicate programs, delayed starts, short wash cycles, and even automatic programs for you to choose from when considering various washing machines.

Is it noisy? An important question to ask…..if the machine is going to be placed where you like to hang out then a quiet one is essential. If the machine is somewhere away from people like in the shed or garage then the noise level won’t be such a concern.

How fast is it ? A fast machine is very convenient as long as the whites are white.

What is the water and energy efficiency ? Efficient washers can actually save you pennies. This is useful for people washing regularly.

The Base ? Washing machines are heavy and can vibrate a lot. You need to consider the base of the washer and where you will place it. You don’t want your house to be rockin and rollin ! Choosing the correct mode at the right price can often mean a trade of between features. Remember the most important thing is to find the best washing machine that fits your current need.