August 10th, 2014

It was looking like a very rough weekend for the Dodgers in Milwaukee.  Zack Greinke was beaten like an NFL players wife, Hanley Ramirez was injured like he always is, and the Dodgers offense was absent like Ferris Bueller.  LA was on the verge of getting swept until Clayton Kershaw stopped the bleeding.  Kershaw was brilliant again in 8 innings yesterday, and the Boys in Blue salvaged a win, which actually pushed their NL West Lead to 4.5 games over the Giants.  In his last two starts, we’ve seen why he’s becoming one of the best pitchers of the era.  Against the Angels, he “struggled”, by giving up 3 runs.  However, he eventually willed his team through some critical moments by striking out Mike Trout and Josh Hamilton.  Yesterday, he got off to a rough start by allowing the leadoff man to get on base in four of the first five innings, but once again willed his team to victory with 8 strong innings.  The Dodgers also gave him some run support as well, which was absent for much of the weekend.

You know Kershaw is great, but he’s even better than that.  He has the lowest ERA among pitchers who have started at least 100 games since 1920!  It’s nice to have a weapon like that, who can stop the bleeding of a losing streak.  There’s still issues with the Dodgers though.  Hanley Ramirez just can’t seem to get himself healthy, which is hurting his offensive production.  Hanley is in a contract year, and his agent is currently giving him advice about as good as your high school friend who told you it was a good idea to take a few bong rips.  Hanley is trying to prove he’s durable, except he’s so banged up that he isn’t always hitting.  He’d be much better off going on the DL, which he finally did,  then he can produce at a high level more often.   I like the addition of Kevin Correia and Roberto Hernandez, but the bullpen has been getting lit up of late.  I’ll take the 4.5 game lead in the NL West, but it’s clear LA has to shore up these issues before the post season.

As for the Angels, the last 6 days have been terrible.  They’ve lost 5 of their last 7 and fallen 4 games back of Oakland in the AL West.  Although the Halos and Dodgers played an exciting four game series, the Angel bats were shut down as the series went on.  Then they lost two out of three to those clam chowder head Boston Red Sox, who have nothing to play for, and are simply counting the days to oyster season in New England.  If it weren’t for Albert Pujols late inning heroics on Saturday, the Angels would have been swept.  As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Halos learned that Tyler Skaggs is going to have season ending Tommy John Surgery.  A division title is starting to slip away, and their wild card lead is shrinking fast.  The Angels are hitting just .223 since the All-Star break, which is the worst in the AL.  Suddenly the Halos are sinking faster than an Italian cruise ship.

I think it’s time for Jerry DIpoto to call the Mets, and see if he can squeeze old friend Bartolo Colon through the waiver wire, and acquire him.  Of course, it would be pretty hard to squeeze Bartolo through anything, since he’s weighs close to 300 LB’s, but the guy can obviously still pitch.  The Angels actually have the 8th toughest remaining schedule in the American League, which should bode well for them if they can ever swing the bats again.  Here’s the lone bright spot this weekend from Saturday night, since most of you were probably in bed when it happened…..

Look, I get it.  Rory McIIroy is an excellent golfer.  However, he’s just not holding my attention.  I appreciate the fact that he’s only the 4th guy to win four majors before turning 26.  But I need Tiger.  Admit it….you need him too.  You probably didn’t even watch the PGA Championship this weekend did you?  I don’t live and die by knowing what Tiger is doing, but I know that with him healthy and playing good golf, these major tournaments become that more more riveting, especially for the average fan.  Now if we could get Tiger healthy, and to rival Rory, then we’d have a great plot.  That’s a long way from happening though.  Tiger probably injured his back again while trying to change the channel so he didn’t have to watch Rory win another major.

Very tragic news in Nascar over the weekend.  Nascar driver Tony Stewart struck and killed sprint car driver Kevin Ward Jr., who had climbed out of his car and tried to confront Stewart during a race in New York.  Stewart did the right thing by deciding not to race on Sunday, and condolences to the Ward family.  However, this incident highlights an aspect of Nascar that needs to change.  It is a culture where drivers competitiveness turns into anger when things don’t go their way, and leads to confrontations like we saw on Saturday, in very dangerous situations.  Stewart himself has had similar incidents in the past where he has even thrown his helmet at another car.  Hopefully this incident will put the culture of the sport into perspective for all these drivers.

I know it’s only week 1 of the NFL preseason, but I feel like it’s safe to draw a few reasonable conclusions.  The Raiders are going to stink.  The Cowboys are going to stink.  The Houston Texans are going to stink.  There’s a pretty strong likelihood that those three teams will be picking near the top of the draft next spring.

Finally, it’s that time of year again.  One of my favorite TV programs is on for the next week: Shark Week on Discovery.  I really enjoy all of the Great White Shark encounters with Chris Fallows, and how he truly makes you realize how beautiful these animals are.  On the other hand, there still is quite a bit of dramatization with some of the other programs Discovery airs, such as last night’s “Shark of Darkness.”  Even though most scientific evidence points to the fact that Sharks are not man eating machines, and most attacks are simply a case of mistaken identity, we still see programs that hint otherwise, just to keep the viewers engaged.  The reality of it is, people don’t really tune in to Shark Week for that.  If we want to see that then we would just be watching Sharknado, and all the ridiculous movies on SyFy.  The Shark Week promo is a little odd this year, and I can’t say I’m as big of a fan as other people are.  I like Rob Lowe, but I’m still trying to figure out where he fits into this whole thing.  Here it is if you haven’t seen it….

 

August 4th, 2014

How pathetic were the Dodgers this weekend against the Cubs?  70% of you Southern Californians were fortunate enough to have missed out on this display of atrocious baseball at the Ravine, since most of you don’t have Time Warner.  I wasn’t so fortunate.  On Friday, Dan Haren pitched more like Dan Aykroyd.  Both have recently delivered extremely laughable performances.  Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford have forgotten how to hit a baseball, and the Dodgers were about as unclutch with runners in scoring position as the Dallas Cowboys are on a Sunday in January.  Josh Beckett also didn’t make LA feel any better about the back end of their rotation with his performance yesterday, not even sticking around for 5 innings and getting knocked around by former Dodger pitcher Edwin Jackson.  The last place Cubs punked the 1st place Dodgers by taking two out of three in their own house.  Adding insult to injury is the fact that it rained in SoCal over the weekend, which devastated all those fans with spray tans that were washed away.

As for the trade deadline, the Dodgers did the right thing standing pat.  Of course it would have been nice to trade for David Price or Jon Lester, but not at the expense of LA’s three best prospects, who will likely play key roles for the organization in the very near future.  Lester is nothing more than a rental for the A’s, who I think were insane to trade their star cleanup hitter for him.  Of course it’s easy to say you want Price after watching Disaster Dan and Josh Beckett pitch this weekend, but LA is still good enough to get to October with them, and then we won’t have to watch them pitch.  A Kershaw, Greinke, Ryu trio is still as good, if not better than the Tigers or A’s rotation in October, and surely better than anybody else’s in the National League.  As for you Matt Kemp haters (yes I’m talking to you idiots in the Dodgers organization that don’t actually like him personally), do you still want to trade him and pay half his salary? Yea sounds like a great idea for a guy that just hit five home runs in the last week.

On to the Angels, who took two out of three against the Rays over the weekend to close within 1 game of the A’s.  That was an important series win for the Halos, who had lost two out of three in Baltimore earlier in the week, in a series that was tighter than a Kim Kardashian jump suit.  Every game in that series was a one run game, and two went into extra innings.  Once again, that’s a tribute to the much improved starting pitching and bullpen the club is experiencing this season.  If Josh Hamilton and David Freese could show anything that resembled consistency, the Angels might actually be the best team in baseball.  Now the Angels will get ready for a big four game showdown with the Dodgers this week, starting tonight at the Ravine.  Both teams need wins badly, so it should be a fun four days.

I find it amazing how all of the ESPN baseball analysts are claiming the Angels are the big losers of the trade deadline because Oakland and Detroit improved so much.  Apparently these analysts haven’t noticed that the Angels have had their own ace who is rapidly emerging in Garrett Richards.  Richards, Jered Weaver, and the experience of CJ Wilson easily make the Angels as dangerous as the Tigers and A’s.  It just so happens that over the last week, David Price and Jon Lester have received more attention than a girl in an MBA program, which would make one think they are the best pitchers in the game.  Oh, and how soon we forget that the Angels also have the best player in baseball in Mike Trout.  Don’t sleep on the Halos folks.

I feel terrible for Paul George, and the horrific leg injury he suffered over the weekend during a Team USA basketball scrimmage.  However, all you people, like Mark Cuban, that are lining up with pitch forks and tiki torches to end NBA players participation in international competition need to settle down.  NBA players have been doing this for 22 years, and this is the first crazy injury we have seen.  George’s injury could have just as easily occurred while he was playing in that stupid Drew League that NBA players play pickup in during the summer.  NBA teams should actually feel much better about their players working out under an organized and structured environment too, where injury is actually less likely to occur than from some punk taking their guys out in a pick up game.  Creating a World Cup of basketball, as some have suggested, would be meaningless, and wouldn’t reduce the chance of injuries.  Cuban’s argument has more to do with revenue sharing or compensation from the IOC, which is understandable, but a different argument altogether.  As for George, he’s only 23 years old, and he had a clean break of his leg, with no ligament damage anywhere.  He’ll be out for a while, but no reason he can’t still be an elite player again in the NBA.

Meanwhile, Donald Sterling looks like he’s toast.  Earlier this week a judge ruled that Shelly Sterling  has the right to sell the team.  Donald will surely appeal the ruling, but that process cannot delay the sale of the team.  That means barring some wild turn of events in the appeals process, Steve Ballmer should officially be the new owner, and there should be no boycotting from Doc Rivers or Clipper players.  I’ve gotta admit, Sterling’s legal drama has been pretty entertaining to watch, and while I hope the sales goes through and the players can move on, I hope the legal process continues just for the entertainment value Donald is providing us.

In college football, the coaches poll has been released.  UCLA is ranked #7, USC #15, and I must point out the my alma matter, Notre Dame, is at #17.  I like the Bruins, and they are on the rise, but #7 seems a little too high for them.  In fact, if anything, it works against the Bruins because they will now have a target on their back.  Brett Hundley needs to prove he can be great every week, and not average every other.  More importantly, the Bruins need to prove they can beat the big boys like Oregon and Stanford, which they have yet to do.  As for USC, their #15 ranking is simply a product of their recruiting class, but that also seemed high for them.  The defense should still be solid for the Trojans, but Cody Kessler isn’t even one of the 5 best quarterbacks in the conference. Should be a fun college football season that is fast approaching.

Speaking of UCLA, Pauley Pavilion is home for Bruins basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics, however, now it can be home for swimming and diving.  After a water main broke in Santa Monica last week, parts of the campus flooded, including the newly renovated Pauley, as well as Drake field.  I’m sensing some serious insurance premiums going up here, and a potential law suit if the city doesn’t cover the damages.  Here’s a perfect opportunity to start offering boating classes at UCLAKE.

I’d be pretty fearful of a flood happening at UCLA after watching Sharknado 2 last week on SyFy.  Then again, the movie was pretty unrealistic, since someone actually married Tara Reid.  The movie was as epic as advertised, and just when you thought it was over, we learned that there is going to be a Sharknado 3 on SyFy next summer as well!  Terrible TV has never been this entertaining folks.  The only thing better than Sharknado was a whole week of Shark related movie programs on SyFy.  My favorite was the Top 15 Shark Bites, which was a program where celebrities discussed the top 15 shark movies with ridiculous deaths.  If you’re looking for some good laughs set the DVR when SyFy airs it again.

July 28th, 2014

Take that San Francisco!  The Dodgers went into the Bay Area and swept a 3 game set from the Giants over the weekend, and reclaimed a 1.5 game lead in the NL West.  San Fran stood no chance against Zach Greinke or Clayton Kershaw, while Hyun-Jin Ryu was solid last night.  Admit it….some of you Dodger fans were nervous that Jake Peavy was on the hill last night for the Giants, since he’s owned LA over the years.  You probably forgot that this isn’t the same Peavy that was the ace of the Padres.  The Boys in Blue rattled Peavy for four runs, which was enough for Ryu and the bullpen.  As for Kershaw, watching this guy pitch is simply amazing.  He is a once in a generation player that makes me stop what I am doing to watch him.  It’s about time that the team with the highest payroll in baseball started playing like a real team.  It remains to be seen if it continues.

Somebody needs to tell Dave Stewart, Matt Kemp’s agent, to shut the hell up.  If there’s anybody creating unnecessary drama between the Dodgers five outfielders, and straining the relationship between Kemp and the Dodgers, it’s Stewart.  Kemp has been swinging the bat well of late, and the Dodgers need his bat in the lineup to be an elite team.  It’s Stewart that has been creating these ridiculous Kemp for Jon Lester rumors.  As I’ve been saying for weeks, the Boys in Blue just need a little bullpen help, and then take their chances with the roster they have.  Adding another starter is overkill on a team with three aces.  That’s like ordering another round of dessert after eating a couple of ice cream sundaes.  For all of Kemp’s issues he’s working through, he’s still a better player than Crawford or Ethier.  As good as Joc Pederson could eventually be, it doesn’t make sense to depend on him in an everyday role in the middle of a pennant race either.  Matt, tell your agent to keep his mouth shut until the off-season, when everything can be sorted out.  In the meantime, be a team guy, and just be happy you’re in the lineup everyday.

The Angels are also continuing to play great baseball.  The Halos took three out of four from the Tigers over the weekend, which kept them 2 games back of Oakland in the AL West, and comfortably leading the AL Wild Card.  When the season started, we all thought the Halos had no pitching, a questionable bullpen, and few minor leaguers that could make an impact at the major league level.  We were obviously about as wrong as ESPN NBA analyst.  In their last three games the Angels have given up two runs, and none of those games were started by the front end of the rotation.  Efren Navarro should now be referred to as “F’in Navarro!” because the kid can play.  I could swear that I have seen just about all six of David Freese’ home runs this year, in person.  It’s like he’s trying to convince me not to rip him on Jock Talk LA, even though he’s been terrible for most of the season.  More importantly, the new and improved bullpen has been lights out so far.  The Halos are looking like a dangerous ball club.

The Lakers have finally hired a head coach.  After going through three rounds of interviews and endless waiting, Byron Scott agreed to a 4 year contract with the team he once played for.  Most people think that it won’t matter who the Lakers coach is because they won’t be any good next year anyway.  However, this was a very important move for the Buss Family.  Jim Buss has made two horrendous hires in a row.  He has finally made a move that will at least bring stability to an organization that has been in turmoil for years.  Scott is a disciplinarian.  So is his star player, Kobe Bryant.  Scott believes in defense first.  Resolving those two issues alone could go a long way toward putting the Lakers back on the right track, even though it will likely take time.  Most importantly, Scott was a Laker.  He understands what it means to be one, and what it will take to restore the franchise to what it once was.

Rumor had it that the Lakers were waiting things out on hiring a coach, in order to see if Doc Rivers would eventually quit his job with the Clippers, and potentially coach the Lake Show.  Obviously that never came to fruition, but that doesn’t mean Doc won’t quit.  Donald Sterling is refusing to let go.  He just doesn’t get it.  Doc Rivers, Chris Paul, and other Clipper players have been telling people they are considering sitting out the season if Sterling is still the owner.  Wouldn’t that be something? Just when you think the Clippers are on the rise and building something to be reckoned with, Donald ends up being the one to blow the whole thing up.  I definitely believe that Doc would quit, but I also have a hard time believing the Clipper players are going to sit out and forgo millions of dollars in salary over this.  It’s an interesting situation to keep an eye on if Sterling refuses to let go of his ownership.  But for the Clipper players, these seem more like idol threats.

Speaking of the NBA, what are the Cavs and Warriors thinking?  Both of these teams should have acquired Kevin Love weeks ago, and are holding the deal up over players that are nothing more than spare parts.  The Cavs were actually debating whether or not to include Andrew Wiggins in their offer for Love.  Wiggins could be a great player in three years, but during that time with Love they will be contending for titles.  The Warriors are refusing to offer Klay Thompson, who is nothing more than a nice role player, who will be overpaid very soon.  Both these teams could build a super power by adding a player like Kevin Love.  A Steph Curry-Kevin Love combo would shoot right to the top of the Western Conference for the next a few years.  A Love-Lebron-Kyrie combo in Cleveland would be winning titles in no time.  This is just another example of how there are many more terrible GM’s in the NBA, than good ones.

Well this is awkward.  ESPN’s Stephen A Smith is in trouble for some comments he made regarding Ray Rice and his domestic abuse incident with his wife.  “Screamin” A Smith said “let’s make sure we don’t do anything to provoke wrong actions, because if I come, or somebody else come, whether it’s law enforcement officials, your brother or the fellas that you know, if we come after somebody has put their hands on you, it doesn’t negate the fact that they already put their hands on you. So let’s try to make sure that we can do our part in making sure that that doesn’t happen.”  This of course resulted in a strong response from Smith’s co-worker, Michelle Beadle, who’s tweet you can see below.  I’m not sure if these comments are a fire-able offense, but they are a little thoughtless and insensitive.  This is probably where Smith takes his act to satellite radio where he can rant and rave all he wants.

So I was just forced to watch this morning’s First Take. A) I’ll never feel clean again B) I’m now aware that I can provoke my own beating.

— Michelle Beadle (@MichelleDBeadle) July 25, 2014

Finally, it’s coming.  You’ve been waiting a whole year for it.  This Wednesday, on SyFy, will be the sequel you’ve all been waiting for: Sharknado 2.  That’s right folks.  The first movie just wasn’t terrible enough, that they had to create a second one.  I don’t know about you guys, but I am going to be firmly planted on my couch on Wednesday evening for this historically bad television that will be airing.

July 21st, 2014

What a strange team the Los Angeles Dodgers are.  The Boys in Blue managed to salvage a win last night against the Cardinals, their only one of their 3 game set in St. Louis.  Clayton Kershaw gave up three runs, which happens about as often as it snows in Los Angeles.  Hanley Ramirez was hit not once, but twice, which only added to his various ailments, but Adrian Gonzales came through in the 9th to put the Dodgers back into a 1st place tie with the Giants.  The more I watch this team, the more I realize that it’s a talented lineup that lacks fundamentals and discipline that could cost them in the long run.  It starts with four expensive veteran outfielders, all of whom have yet to find consistency at the plate, and are playing defense as if Mike D’Antoni were coaching them.

If Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, or Carl Crawford played halfway decently, the Dodgers would be running away with the league.  Kemp isn’t the same superstar after all his injuries, neither is Crawford, while Ethier’s consistency has been in question for years.  Even Yasiel Puig’s power numbers are down, while Adrian Gonzales has struggled for over a month.  Maybe Mark McGwire needs to introduce steroids to his hitters, because thus far, it looks like he’s teaching his hitters a complete lack of plate discipline.  To make matters worse, the fat contracts of these outfielders are forcing the Dodgers to play their most talented players, but not their best.  Joc Peterson is easily the best center fielder in the organization right now, and one of the best prospects in baseball, yet the Dodgers won’t call him up.  It seems as though the only way LA will be fix this situation is by eating some salary on one of these outfielders through a trade.  In the meantime, it seems like a good bet that this situation will cost the Dodgers on the field this season.

Meanwhile. the Angels are on fire, but unfortunately they play in the same division as the Oakland A’s, who have the best record in baseball.  The Halos took two of three over the weekend against the Mariners, to remain 1.5 games back of Oakland.  For a team with one of the worst farm systems in baseball, according to those baseball nerds at ESPN, the Angels have quickly developed some solid major leaguers that are helping them right now.  CJ Cron, Garrett Richards, Kole Calhoun have all come out of nowhere to make Jerry Dipoto suddenly look like he knows what he’s doing.  I don’t know who Efren Navarro is, but the dude sure looks like he can play ball.  On Friday, he had the game winning RBI single in the 16th inning, and he even threw out a runner at 2nd base on a nice defensive play.  It probably doesn’t hurt either to have Mike Trout on your team.

Obviously Jerry Dipoto has been reading Jock Talk LA, in hopes of saving his job.  For months I’ve been saying that Dipoto needs to add at least two arms to the bullpen to give the Angels a chance down the stretch and in the playoffs.  Over the last three weeks, Dipoto has traded for Jason Grilli, Joe Thatcher, and Huston Street.  The Angels have now completely revamped the backend of their bullpen, which was a must.  The bullpen is really one of the easiest problems to fix for a team.  The Halos pen was giving away games like they were some charity organization.  Now the Angels seemed poised for a great duel with the A’s down the stretch, and possibly a deep post season run.  Just think how good this team could be if Josh Hamilton remembered how to play baseball?

When the Lakers acquired Carlos Boozer off of amnesty waivers this week, somewhere, Jack Haley was screaming “I told you so!”  For those of you who don’t remember, the former Laker player, and Fox Sports Analyst put his reputation on the line in 2005, when he declared that the Lakers were going to acquire Boozer in a blockbuster trade with Utah.  That trade never happened, Haley lost his credibility, and eventually, his job.  Back in those days, Chris Broussard and Ric Bucher would have been out of a a job much faster than Haley.  As for the Lakers, they rounded out their roster this week by signing Xavier Henry, Ryan Kelly, Ed Davis, and Wesley Johnson in addition to Boozer.  I really don’t see the point of adding Boozer.  He’s half the player he used to be, and he’s only going to take minutes away from Julius Randle’s development.  For those of you that missed the Lakers Championship drought video from Funny or Die, you’ll get a good laugh….

The NFL to LA rumors are picking up again.  Well, not really.  It’s just that the LA Times is trying to make us think that they are picking up.  The NFL has decided to hold next years draft in Los Angeles, which has begun to fuel this speculation.  There’s also the fact that the Chargers, Rams, and Raiders, can now opt out of their stadium deals at any time after this season, and potentially relocate to LA.  None of that matters though.  Those teams can’t get a stadium in their current city, and they won’t be able to get one here in LA.  We’ve got two different proposals, and the league likes neither, yet they are the ones who desperately want a team or two back in LA.  The tax payers of Southern California refuse to fund a stadium, and rightfully so.  If the NFL wants back in LA, then they should be the ones to pay for it.  Football has been gone so long that nobody here knows they miss it, which mean nobody is going to pay for a stadium.

Finally, Rory McIlroy cruised to an easy win at the British Open over the weekend, but what a boring tournament it was to watch.  Rory is a very good golfer, and I love the story about his dad placing a bet on him years ago, and cashing in on it yesterday.  However, the average fan doesn’t care.  The average fan wants to see Tiger, and wants to see him dominate.  I’m not sure we’ll ever get to see Tiger play at that level that he was at back in 2006, but at least seeing him back near the top of the leader board would make things much more interesting for the viewer.

July 14th, 2014

It was a a complete free agency failure for the Lakers.  All we heard about for the last three years was how the Lakers were going to make a splash in free agency to reload their team.  They showed up about as prepared as I am to date Megan Fox.  No coach, no young talent, an aging and broken down superstar, and an ownership that probably couldn’t even agree on what to order for lunch right now.  It’s no wonder the Lakers not only didn’t get Lebron or Carmelo, but lost Pau Gasol, and had to overpay to keep Nick Young and Jordan Hill.   The Lakers were so desperate they couldn’t even get Pau to accept a 3 year $29 million deal, which would have been a bad deal.  It’s true what they say about Pau, he really is a nice guy.  So nice that he actually saved the Lakers from themselves by turning down that deal.

The only small bright side is that the Lakers ripped Jeremy Lin’s expiring contract and a 1st round pick from the Rockets for nothing, and the Rockets didn’t even get Chris Bosh after clearing their cap.  The joke is still on the Lakers though, who have assured themselves of being a lottery team for another season, without a lottery pick (Phoenix owns the Lakers 1st round pick next year if it’s outside the top 5).  The Lakers had plenty of money to go get some young talent with some upside like Isaiah Thomas, Lance Stephenson, or even Trevor Ariza.  There’s a lack of commitment to the free agency plan, and a lack of commitment to rebuilding.  That means there’s a complete lack of leadership, no matter what the front office is saying publicly.  Kobe is going to have aneurysm on the court next season, once he realizes who his teammates are going to be.  As blasphemous as this sounds, the Lakers should call the Knicks and see if they can trade Kobe for Amare Stoudemire, a draft pick, and one of their young players.  Give him the chance to win his 6th ring, and let the Lakers commit to rebuilding.

Pau Gasol was probably writing apology letters to all 29 NBA teams that he did not sign with, while Lebron James was holding the entire league hostage again over another free agent decision.  Lebron’s decision to go back to Cleveland was an admirable one, and he sounds like he’s matured a lot when you read his sports illustrated essay, where he announced the decision.  It’s a great story that he feels a connection to the place he was born and raised in, and I do hope he is actually able to win one for Cleveland.  I mean it’s Cleveland folks…….if you’ve never been there…..believe me, they need it badly.  The only thing that should make Cavs fans nervous is the fact that he can opt out next year, and test the market again in 2016.  Of course Lebron’s mouth piece, Brian Windhorst, was on ESPN saying that he did this because he’ll receive a higher max salary in 2016.  Good one Windhorst! Go back to Hometown Buffet!  Why does he have an opt out after next year then?  Why wouldn’t he just sign a longer deal with the same opt out in 2016?  Lebron seems about as committed to the Cavs as I was to my 6th grade girlfriend.  Here’s a preview of next season’s Miami Heat season opener…..

We’ve reached the All-Star break in baseball, and for all the complaining I’ve been doing, the Dodgers have the best record in the National League.  The Boys in Blue took 3 out of 4 from the Padres at the Ravine over the weekend, and the pitching continues to be lights about.  It’s almost an outrage that Clayton Kershaw actually gave up a run in his last outing, which ended his shutout streak at 41 innings.  General Manager Ned Colletti indicated yesterday that it was unlikely the Dodgers would make a trade for a big name like David Price or Cole Hamels.  What the Dodgers really need to do is get the back end of the rotation healthy, find some bullpen and bench help, and  get some consistency at the plate from their outfielders.  They also need to get some better food options at the stadium, where you can’t even get salsa to go along with your nachos.  The Dodgers and their stadium have their flaws, but they still have enough talent to come out of the NL and make it to the World Series.

As for the Angels, their first half was a very pleasant surprise.  After completing a 4 game sweep over the Rangers, the Halos are just 1.5 games back of the A’s in the AL West, and they hold the 2nd best record in baseball.  Last season the Angels were just 4-15 against Texas, and they are already 8-2 this season.  The Halos should feel great about their pitching, and the offensive support around Mike Trout and Albert Pujols.  The real question is whether or not they think Joe Smith is the long term answer as their closer.  I still think this team needs multiple arms in their bullpen to give themselves a chance in the fall.  Their needs to be an investigation on why Garrett Richards didn’t make the all-star team though.  Richards is 11-2 with a 2.55 ERA, which is 5th in the AL.  There were 13 pitchers picked ahead of this guy?  He was snubbed not once, not twice, but three times, after he was passed over again as a replacement for David Price on Saturday.  I’m thinking Richards must have slept with John Farrell’s wife.

I admit it, I actually watched the World Cup Final on Sunday.  I had to see what the fuss was all about as the Nazi’s and the drug cartel went to battle over that gold trophy.  Pretty entertaining game, but I was a little disappointed Lionel Messi didn’t complete his legacy with a win for Argentina.  I love to see greatness, and we witnessed a number of those amazing moments from Messi in the tournament, but not yesterday.  However, nobody should feel as bad about themselves as Brazil, who just got blown up in their last two games, and it was in front of their home crowd.  The Germans should be called in front of the United Nations this week to determine if they should be charged with crimes of war against Brazil.  The Brazilian soccer team was so bad, their week was even worse than the Lakers’.

What a weird free agent signing by the Anaheim Ducks over the weekend.  The Ducks signed forward Danny Heatley to a free agent contract for $1 million.  Heatley should have to pay the Ducks $1 million just to be on the roster.  His game has been in rapid decline for years, he’s a locker room cancer without any accountability, and has had little success in the playoffs.  To come to think of it, he’ll fit right in while he’s in Anaheim then!  Meanwhile Anze Kopitar is enjoying his breakfast out of the Stanley Cup…….

July 7th, 2014

Is Kobe Bryant actually fat now?  Look at the picture and decide for yourself.  The man on the left looks like Kobe.  The man on the right looks closer to a black Marlon Brando who ate Kobe Bryant.   Ok, so I’m really not sure about the authenticity of this gut, but the fact people are even talking about it makes you wonder what kind of shape Kobe is going to be in come training camp.  The Mamba will have basically been out of a competitive NBA game for 1.5 years come this fall.  Kobe’s achilles and knee injuries may have healed, but his body may no longer be able to take the rigorous workouts he used to put himself through, which means he may very well look like Dwyane Wade did this year.  For someone who the Lakers are counting on for the next two years, at a price of $48 million, that can’t make any current free agents feel good about joining the Lakers.

Speaking of free agents, let’s be real: Lebron is going to re-sign with Miami, and Carmelo is going back to the Knicks to get paid.  So let’s talk about what the Lakers need to do to avoid being more embarrassing than Joan Rivers next season (more on that later).  They should sign Sacramento point guard Isaiah Thomas for around $8 million, sign Lance Stephenson for $10 million, re-sign Pau Gasol for $10 million, and then waive Steve Nash to save $6 million.  At least that way, the Lakers would have some young talent with some upside to work with, which might even be a dark horse come playoff time.  The longer the Lakers chase Melo and Lebron, the more likely they will be left with nothing but D-League players on their roster come the fall.

As for the Clippers, the addition of Spencer Hawes was a solid move.  Hawes gives the Clipps some badly needed front court depth behind Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, which the team severely lacked last season.  He also comes at a reasonable 4 year and $23 million price tag, which is actually much cheaper than many role players are getting these days.  Also good signing of Jordan Farmar to replace Darren Collison.  I still think Doc Rivers needs to get over his determination to sign Paul Pierce though.  Pierce’s production dropped off big time last year, and he went through stretches where he shot the ball very poorly.  Matt Barnes and JJ Reddick are way better options in the rotation at this point than Pierce.  Rivers trying to sign Pierce is like trying to get back together with your high school girlfriend 10 years later when she’s put on a ton of weight.  Stay away Doc.  This was amusing though….

Oh this is awkward… RT @spencerhawes00: Hey @blakegriffin32 you know 32 is my number you wanna arm wrestle for it or something?

— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin32) July 6, 2014

To baseball, where the Dodgers had a very nice weekend in Colorado, taking three out of four from the Rockies, and maintaining a slight edge over the Giants for 1st place in the NL West.  The pitching continues to be unbelievable, especially from Clayton Kershaw, who might never give up a run again.  Kershaw is a once in a generation player, and every time he takes the mound, I feel like I need to stop what I am doing to watch him.  I’m not sure if he’ll break Don Drysdale or Orel Hershiser’s mark for shut out innings, but it sure is fun watching him try.  Speaking of pitching, interesting idea floated by Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal, who says the Dodgers may trade for David Price just to put pressure on DirecTV to strike a deal with Time Warner.  I don’t think so Ken.  David Price isn’t a bigger star than Clayton Kershaw or Yasiel Puig right now, and the Dodgers have recently thrown two no-hitters, yet DirecTV isn’t budging.

Congratulations to Kershaw, Puig, Zach Greinke, and Dee Gordon on making the NL all-star team. Well deserved by all of them.  I would have really liked to see reliever JP Howell make it as well, however, middle-relievers are easily over-looked in the all-star selection process.  I’m also a little bummed that Josh Beckett was not selected on the ballot for the final roster spot in the NL.  Beckett’s record may not show it, but he’s really been outstanding this year, including his recent no-hitter and another great outing yesterday.  When the Dodgers made that trade with the Red Sox, it was really to get Adrian Gonzales, but Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett’s salary came with him.  LA was just hoping they could give Beckett a few beers and a bucket of fried chicken, and he would sit  quietly in his corner of the clubhouse without blowing things up.  Instead, he’s re-invented himself and become a major contributor.

Down the freeway, the Angels very quietly have the 2nd best record in the AL after completing a four game sweep of the Astros this weekend at the Big A.  It’s amazing how much better the Angels are just by taking care of business this year against scrub teams like the Astros.  The Halos are 3.5 games back of the A’s in the AL West, and holding a firm grip on a wild card spot.  To me, the Angels have one of the biggest all-star snubs of all in pitcher Garrett Richards, who is 10-2 with a 2.71 ERA.  You can still vote Richards in for the final roster spot, but his inclusion should have been a no-brainer.  Erik Aybar has also had an all-star caliber season, and I’m surprised he didn’t make it as well.

The bad news for the Angels is that  A’s made a huge move this week to make them the favorites to win the American League pennant.  Oakland acquired, not one, but two starting pitchers, in Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel, from the Cubs for some prospects.  This has to put a little heat on Jerry Dipoto to do something to upgrade the Halos pitching staff, whether it’s another starter, or more help in the bullpen.  The Oakland trade also means we’ve come to that really awkward moment where Jeff Samardzija is the best wide receiver in Oakland.

I did enjoy the US Men’s Soccer team’s run in the World Cup, but I’m not sure it’s going to change much for me or anybody else in the next four years.  Does the casual fan have any greater desire to follow the MLS now, or watch the Premier League?  I know I don’t.  We simply dump too much money in other sports, and are far more interested in the NFL, the NBA, and even the NHL, than soccer in this country.  There’s some argument to be made that baseball’s interest is slowly deteriorating and may not last another 10 years, but the TV money spent on baseball will be difficult for soccer to duplicate.  Still, Team USA had a run through the “Group of Death” and against Belgium that we can all be proud of, and we should expect to go much further in the tournament in 2018.

I spent my 4th of July in Manhattan Beach, and was terrified when I discovered that a swimmer had been attacked by a Great White Shark.  Fortunately, the swimmer was ok, but I’d like to take this opportunity to point out the idiots that were responsible for this incident.  This was no accident, it was a case of a stupid fisherman agitating a shark for 45 minutes by hooking it (which is illegal), and then let it go amongst a bunch of swimmers.  Even more idiotic was the reaction of the fisherman and his friends who filmed the attack, and were laughing about it while it took place. It’s amazing that these idiots live among us.  Take a look for yourself….

Finally, did anyone catch the Joan Rivers interview on CNN?  Rivers stormed out of an interview with Fredericka Whitfield a few days ago, while trying to promote her new book.  Rivers believed that Whitfield was being too negative and was making personal attacks on her during the interview with her line of questioning, which caused her to storm out of the room.  Even though Whitfield was somewhat condescending in her line of questioning, Rivers has made a career out of making fun of people.  Frankly, I find her ridiculous looks after all her plastic surgery far funnier than any of her jokes, but Rivers should be much more thick skinned given that she’s a comedian.  Clearly she can dish it out, but can’t take it.

June 30th, 2014

Thursday night was one of the better nights for the Los Angeles Lakers in quite some time.  The Lakers used the 7th pick to select Kentucky Freshman Power Forward, Julius Randle, who was a double-double machine this past year.  Randle probably won’t become the next Tim Duncan, but seems like a good bet to be a solid pro.  LA was fortunate that Randle slid out of the top 5, because he probably should have been in the top 3, had it not been for a rumored foot injury.  I even like the selection of Jordan Clarkson in the 2nd round, who might even give the Lakers some badly needed athleticism in the backcourt.  More importantly, I’m just glad that Jim Buss wasn’t drinking tequila with his favorite scout Chaz, who is also a former bartender, which could have caused the Lakers to trade away the pick to Miami for Lebron’s game worn underwear.

I’m not even going to bother addressing the ridiculous Carmelo Anthony and Lebron James pipe dream rumors because it’s not happening.  However, one free agent that appears like he will inevitably re-sign with the Lakers is Pau Gasol.  Pau is already running out of options with Dallas acquiring Tyson Chandler, Memphis re-signing Zach Randolph, and Chicago trying to move heaven and earth for ‘Melo.  No matter how many trade rumors pop up, and no matter how many times the Lakers seemingly have deals in place to trade him, he always finds a way to remain with the team.  It’s almost like the move “What About Bob?”, where Bob is Pau, and the Lakers are Richard Dreyfuss.  I’m sure when Pau re-signs in another week or two, the Lakers will probably announce that he’s back on the trade block.

You definitely cannot blame NBA players for wanting to experience free agency, and enjoy it.  In fact, if I were an NBA free agent, I would definitely meet with all 30 teams.  “So where are we doing to dinner tonight guys?  I’m feeling like Mexican!”  Then by the time I got to Cleveland, I’d say “You know, if you really want to me sign, I’m going to need at least two more seafood towers.”

As for the Clippers, I’m not really sure what Doc Rivers was thinking by drafting guard CJ Wilcox on  Thursday night.  Hey Doc, I’m not sure if you noticed, but your team is loaded with guards, you are pretty thin in the front court, and might be losing even more front court players due to free agency.  It would have even been better if the Clippers had traded the pick along with a crummy contract like Jared Dudley.  Rivers insists that the Clippers wanted to take “the best player available”, but you usually do that when you are picking in the lottery.  Then again, the Clippers were used to picking in the lottery for so many years, I guess they still don’t know how to act any differently.

Somehow, the U.S. men’s soccer team survived “The Group of Death”.  Although the tie against Portugal felt more like a loss, the fact that we only lost 1-0 to Germany, has to make one feel like we can compete with anybody.  Yes, I realize that the Germans had the ball for about 70% of the match, but we also played like we wanted a tie.  Supposedly we are underdogs against Belgium, but they qualified out of some dumpster fire that is the equivalent of last year’s NFC East.  Meanwhile, we’ve already faced some of the toughest competition in the tournament.  I don’t know about you guys, but I feel like I can’t eat Belgian waffles for at least a week with Tuesday’s matchup looming.

On to baseball, where the Dodgers have caught the hated San Francisco Giants atop the NL West, after taking three out of four games against the Cardinals this weekend.  The Boys in Blue have won 12 of their last 16 games, and have made up 9.5 games on San Fran in the last three weeks, while their Nor Cal rivals were probably busy slamming too much organic food and crab sandwiches over that stretch.  Clayton Kershaw was brilliant again yesterday, extending his shutout streak to 28 innings.  The entire lineup is hitting, the bullpen is slowly getting its act together, and the rest of the starting pitching is solid.  The best part is the team hasn’t even played it’s best ball yet, having not won more than 3 straight all year.  The worst part though, is that Hanley Ramirez is made of glass, suffering from a shoulder injury and then a calf injury.  He’s probably headed to the DL, which is where Justin Turner also went this weekend as well.

With the trade deadline approaching, the rumors continue to fly that the Dodgers could make a deal for Rays ace David Price.  That deal would simply be absurd.  If the Dodgers acquire Price, he would essentially be their 3rd or 4th starter with the way their entire rotation is pitching.  Of course he would be nice to have, but it would be totally unnecessary.  Instead, the team should look to improve their middle relief, and their bench with the likes of a Ben Zobrist from Tampa Bay, Joaquin Benoit from San Diego, or Joe Thatcher from Arizona.  How much more money can the Dodgers spend?  If LA is going to win a World Series this year, for the most part, the current core of the team is going to have to get it done.

As for the Angels, they dropped two out of three to the Royals in disappointing fashion over the weekend, and are now 6 games behind the A’s for first place in the AL West.  Yesterday Howie Kendrick committed a critical error in bottom of the 9th, which would gotten the Halos to extra inning had he turned a double play.  To make matters worse, Albert Pujols is suffering from a groin injury.  The Halos still lead the AL Wild Card, but they still need bullpen help badly.  I don’t think last week’s Ernesto Frieri for Jason Grilli trade with the Pirates solves anything, as both teams just swapped garbage.  Relievers definitely have the ability to turn it around, but putting all your hopes on Grilli closing games is like hoping Kim Kardashian will stop dating black dudes.

Finally, it’s really a bummer to find out that the LA Kings will not be re-signing defenseman Willie Mitchell, who was a key part of the last two Stanley Cup Championships.  Mitchell is 37 years old, but the Kings already have 6 defenseman under contract next year, and a few other emerging prospects behind them.  The Kings also made a surprising trade at the NHL Draft, by sending center Linden Vey to the Canucks for the 50th pick.  Vey was thought to be the heir apparent to either Jared Stoll or Mike Richards in the near future, but LA clearly feels like they will be hanging onto those two for a while.  This just goes to show you how brilliantly GM Dean Lombardi has managed the salary cap, as he has lost very little over the last few years.  Just more evidence that the Kings will be in Cup contention for the next few years.  Still, thanks for your contributions Mr. Mitchell, you will be missed.

June 23rd, 2014

How did we blow it?  The United States was oh so close to advancing past the “Group of Death” in the 2014 World Cup, until Portugal tied it in the last 30 seconds yesterday.  I guess that’s why you have to play hard for 90 minutes…..plus whatever they throw on the clock for stoppage time.  I’m sure when Portugal scored that game tying goal, Tony Romo was saying “now they know how I feel!”  Meanwhile, the Miami Heat fans were trying to figure out whether they should be buying USA or Portugal jerseys.  A win against Portugal would have meant that Thursday’s game against Germany would have been meaningless, and the US could have rested players.  Instead, both teams need a win or tie to advance.  Hopefully Jurgen Klinsmann has called his fellow Germans and negotiated a tie with them.

I don’t even really like soccer, or football, or whatever the rest of the world is calling it.  However, how can one not get caught up in Team USA’s World Cup run?  Not watching is simply un-American.  What’s even better is that were watching a team that is a huge underdog, yet they are more than holding their own with some of the most talented teams in the world….well at least according to the FIFA rankings.  Now we all just have to figure out some ridiculous excuse to get out of work on Thursday to watch the game against Germany.

With the NBA draft approaching on Thursday, this is going to be an interesting week for the Lakers.    They are currently trying to decide whether to keep the 7th pick, or trade it.  One rumor that is floating around is the idea the Lakers would trade the pick to Golden State for Klay Thompson, which would also facilitate a Kevin Love trade to the Warriors.  That trade would be a tragedy if it occurs.  Klay Thompson is a nice role player, but he’s likely already reached his peak.  He’s also due for a big extension in a few months.  When you are rebuilding your team, you don’t build around expensive role players.  The 7th pick is going to have way more value and potential.  Another tragedy would be if the Lakers were to select Joel Embiid if he falls to the 7th spot.  I had my doubts about his health with his back injury, and now you add a foot injury to that?  No thanks.  I’ll take my chances with Marcus Smart, Julius Randle, or Aaron Gordon.

I’m officially concerned about Kobe Bryant, and what he has left in the tank.  Recently, U.S. Soccer coach Jurgen Klinsmann compared leaving Landon Donavan off the U.S. Soccer team to giving Kobe Bryant a $48 million contract.  Klinsmann said keeping stars past their prime is an American thing, and that “it makes no sense”.  Kobe responded last week by saying his comments were “commical”, and that Klinsmann fails to realize it’s about “rewarding players for what they have done while balancing the team going forward.”  That’s it?? That’s all he had to say??  That’s not the Black Mamba we all know.  The old Black Mamba would have said something like “wait until I’m  dropping 30 points a night and getting first team all NBA this year then we’ll see how he feels”.  The older Kobe is now questioning his own basketball mortality, which doesn’t bode well.

As for the Clippers, they are very quietly targeting Lebron James in free agency, if he opts out of his contract.  It’s going to take moving mountains to get this done, but Lebron would have to call the Clippers, and tell him he’s coming.  At that point, the Clippers would have to trade DeAndre Jordan, Jamal Crawford, and Jared Dudley to teams with salary cap space.  The Clippers ownership situation would have to be resolved as well for Lebron to make the move as well.  It’s a stretch, but don’t rule it out.  Lebron’s best move is still sticking with the Heat.  He’s simply going to hurt his legacy by continuing to move from one franchise to another, where he can play on a stacked team.  The 80’s Lakers and Celtics, and the 90’s Bulls had years where they didn’t win the NBA Finals, but Magic, Larry, and Michael never left for a better situation.  It’s no wonder Pat Riley told everyone to “get a grip” last week.

The Kings are partying their ass off after winning the Stanley Cup, and rightfully so.  This year’s parade in downtown might have looked weak, but that’s because of the serious crowd control the LAPD put into effect.  There were still 500,000 people that showed up, plus another 20,000 for the rally at Staples.  Then there was a 2nd parade that went through Hermosa, Manhattan, and Redondo Beach, which had another strong turnout.  That was a brilliant idea, which allowed the fans to get even closer to the players over a much bigger area, and great for the players to since nearly all of them live in those three cities.  There’s nothing like partying in your own backyard.   LA may not be a “hockey town” but that doesn’t mean the Kings don’t have a very strong, loyal following.  That following has been there for the last 40 years.   Poor Jonathan Quick though.  They told him he couldn’t speak at the rally this year because he dropped an F-bomb at the 2012 rally.  So Mayor Garcetti steps up to the mic and says this…….

Smart move by Dean Lombardi to hang on to Mike Richards and not buy him out.  He stepped up his game in the playoffs, and played a big leadership role in the dressing room.  Richards also told Lombardi that it isn’t his age or injury that caused him to have a poor regular season.  Its that he simply wasn’t preparing like a 29 year old should, as opposed to cutting corners in training like he could when he was 22.  In other words, he was partying too hard.  I’m sure Lombardi appreciated his candor, and hopefully he returns to the Mike Richards of a few years ago.  However, I’m not sure the partying is going to stop since he just won another cup.  Here they were in Vegas a few days ago…….

On to baseball, where the Dodgers are trying to chase down the Giants in the NL West.  The boys in blue took 2 out of 3 from the Padres, but Kenley Jansen choked away a two run lead on Friday night, which would have put the Dodgers just 3 games back of the struggling Giants.  Even though LA is 7-3 in their last 10 games, they still haven’t won more than 3 in a row.  On the bright side, Clayton Kershaw showed us all earlier in the week, how lucky we are to watch him pitch every 5 days.  Kershaw pitched one of the most brilliant no-hitters against the Rockies, and frankly, it should have been a perfect game.  Hopefully LA won’t waste his brilliance by underachieving the rest of the way.

As for the Angels, it’s good to finally see them taking care of the Rangers.  It feels like Texas has really had the Halos number the last few seasons, but after the Angels swept a 3 game set this weekend, it now feels like the tables have turned.  The starting pitching is holding up, the offense is clicking, and the Halos lead the Wild Card.  The only bad news is their bullpen seems determined to lose games, and sometimes Mike Scioscia does too.  What happened to the brilliance of Scioscia?  This guy used to be considered the best skipper in baseball.  Now he seems to make questionable decision after questionable decision.  Are there any managers available at the trade deadline???

June 16th, 2014

As a sports fan, you live for moments like Friday night at Staples Center.  What an honor it was to be there, watching the longest game in the history of the Kings franchise, and seeing Alec Martinez win the Stanley Cup for the Kings.  It wasn’t too long ago that I never thought I would see the Kings  win a Stanley Cup in my lifetime.  Suddenly, I’ve now seen two in the last three years, and one of the greatest runs in LA Sports history.  LA just went through the gauntlet.  They came back from 0-3 to beat San Jose in 7 games, defeated the Ducks in 7 games after trailing 3-2, took down the defending champion Blackhawks in 7 games, and defeated the Rangers in 5 grueling games.  These guys are going to party their asses off between now and September, and they sure have earned it!

When the Kings won their first Cup two years ago, I thought they could be a team that could have a few more runs in them.  Not 1980’s Edmonton Oiler dynasty, but a team that could win 2 or 3 Cups in 5 or 6 years.  However, not only have they won 2 titles in 3 years, you could argue if they had been healthy last year they might have three-peated.  Drew Doughty is only 24.  Jonathan Quick is only 28.  Anze Kopitar is only 26.  All of these guys are under contract for many years to come, so this team will likely continue to be in contention for the next few years.  I’ve gotta hand it to Dean Lombardi, who put this team together.  For years, I thought the man was taking this franchise on an endless rebuild.  Instead, he was in the process of building a dynasty.  Thank you Dean for making me eat crow.  My neighbors hate me for all the noise I’ve made during this playoff run, but I don’t care.  I can’t stop smiling.

Congrats to the Spurs for winning the NBA title over the Miami Heat.  Lebron played well, but just couldn’t get any help from Dwayne Wade, who suddenly looks old and out of shape.  Three straight beat downs by the Spurs?  Lebron can’t be happy with his teammates, but I still don’t think he’s leaving Miami.  He holds all the leverage, which means he can even force Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to take less to bring Carmelo to Miami.  As for Tim Duncan, he’s easily a top 10 player of all time, and the best power forward of all time.  However, anybody that says he is the player of the decade over Kobe Bryant, is simply obnoxious.  The Spurs have never repeated, while Kobe and the Lakers three-peated and repeated.  Kobe’s Lakers have owned the Duncan led Spurs head-to-head in the playoffs, and Duncan’s last title has come three years after the decade ended anyway.  Duncan is great, but his legacy isn’t Kobe’s.

Elsewhere in the NBA…..I can’t wait to see what Donald Sterling does next.  Sterling is hiring private investigators to dig up dirt on the NBA.  Not because it’s going to help him get his team back, but just because he can.  This is going to get really good!  Meanwhile, Derek Fisher was hired by the Knicks, which is a solid choice.  The Knicks have stunk for a while, so Fisher can’t do any worse than his predecessors.  I’m not sure why Laker fans are so upset about this though.  Hiring Fish in LA would have been more of a science experiment.  I’d rather have a coach who actually has experience.  Glad to see Byron Scott get a 2nd interview from the Lakers as well.  That’s one of the best decisions this front office has made in recent memory.

Now that the Kings have raised the Cup, LA sports fans will unfortunately, be forced to turn their attention to the mediocre LA Dodgers.  With a record of 37-34 and tied for a wild card spot, things might not seem all that bad.  Then you realize that LA is only 15-19 at home, and 7.5 games behind the Giants in the NL West.  Oh yea…and they have the highest payroll in baseball.  The Dodgers need something to jumpstart them.  I’m not sure that sitting around and waiting for Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier to star earning their paychecks is the answer.  That means somebody has to be traded, and Joc Pederson needs to be called up to play.  The Dodger front office is about to take more heat than James Ramsey in Hell’s Kitchen, as most fans can’t even watch their games on TV, and the fans that are showing up are paying top dollar to watch an underachieving ball club.

Then there’s the Angels, who had a decent showing against Oakland, followed by a let down against the Braves this weekend.  And then there’s the Halo bull pen.  Let’s go for a live look at Ernesto Frieri now…..

Ok, so Ernie did have a stretch where he was closing out games, but in the last two weeks when he’s blown a save, he knows how to do it in spectacular fashion.  Is Scioscia really going to keep giving this guy the ball late in August and September with a playoff spot on the line?  I feel like I need a good bottle of scotch next to me to get through an inning with him on the mound.  Memo to Jerry Dipoto: find a couple of arms to put in your bullpen before the trade deadline.  That might make up for all your previous messes, and actually get your team back to the post season.

Ok, I get it.  It’s that time again.  The time where we act like we all really care about soccer for the next three weeks.  I do really hope the U.S. does make it out of “The Group of Death”, but it’s pretty hard to be optimistic when coach Jurgen Klinsmann doesn’t even think we have a chance.  Yes, I know ESPN probably took his comments out of context, but it’s still hard for me to believe he thinks we really have a shot.  I’m also a little bit interested to see if someone is going to get murdered during the World Cup, since we are talking about soccer fans in Brazil.  The US must defeat Ghana today, or else we go back to ignoring soccer for another four years.  We’ll also probably have to listen to this guy again….

Did anybody actually know that the U.S. Open was this weekend?  The only way NBC could have saved their ratings was if they showed a split screen of Paulina Gretzky in the gallery.

And finally, the season finale of Game of Thrones was on HBO last night, and quite an ending it was.  Spoiler alert for those of you who have yet to see it.  Let’s recap quickly.  Beyond The Wall, Jon Snow tries to negotiate with The King Beyond The Wall, but the negotiations are interrupted by  Stannis Baratheon.  Stannis asks Jon what his father would do with Mance, and Jon says show him mercy, and take him as prisoner.  Back at Castle Black, Jon helps burn the bodies from the battle.  Further north, Bran and his gang are ambushed by some crazy skeleton fighters, which results in the death of Jojen.  Bran escapes and meets the Three-Eyed Raven, who tells him he won’t be able to walk again, but will eventually learn to fly.  Brienne and The Hound do battle over Arya, and even though Brienne leaves him for dead, Arya gets away.  Arya boards a ship and then heads to the free city of Braavos.

In Kings Landing, things get crazy.  Cersei admis to Tywin that she has an incestual relationship with her brother.  Jamie frees Tyrion, and while trying to get away he finds Shay in Tywin’s bed.  The two begin to fight, and Tyrion strangles her to death.  Tyrion grabs a cross bow, and runs into Tywin.  Tyrion shoots his father twice, killing him, after he called Shay a whore several times.  Varys then smuggles Tyrion away on a ship, on the way to a free city.  Meanwhile, Dany is forced to put her dragons in chains, once she finds out that one of the dragons killed a three year old.

This was a very good season finale, and one that finally felt like a victory for “the good guys” which is rare in this show.  Jon meeting Stannis makes things more interesting in the north, but there was definitely a weird vibe going on with Jon and Lady Melisandre.  I’m really going to miss the banter between Arya and The Hound.  I think that we might see Tyrion and Arya actually meet in the free city they are going to.  It’s sad that Tyrion was forced to kill the woman he loved, but the shocking part was seeing Tywin die.  Now what is left of Kings Landing without a strong leader?  It seemed like an episode about some of the good characters breaking away and gaining freedom, like Arya, Tyrion, and even Jon to some extent.  However, I’m disappointed we didn’t get to see any further developments from Sansa Stark and Littlefinger.  There should be some great new story lines in the next season, but it’s going to be a long wait before the next season starts! Ugh, I have withdrawals already!

June 9th, 2014

The Kings are like that kid that sits next to you in class, who never does his homework, never pays any attention to the teacher, then aces the test when it’s all over.  On Saturday, the kings became the first NHL team to win three straight playoff games after trailing in each of them by 2 goals.  They are now just 2 wins away from winning the Stanley Cup.  The Rangers and their fans are obviously very bitter about the third goal the Kings scored, where Dwight King definitely interfered with Henrik Lundqvist, before deflecting a shot past him.  However, they had plenty of chances to win the game in regulation, and in OT on the power play.  The Rangers didn’t get screwed by the refs.  They got screwed by their inability to hang on to the lead in both games 1 and 2.  Since round 1, I’ve been saying the Kings can’t keep playing like this.  Now they are two wins away from the cup.  So uh….they can’t keep playing like this right?

This series isn’t over yet.  The Kings may feel like a team of destiny, but the Rangers could have just as easily won both games at Staples.  They might even take two at home if they can hold a lead.  I’m thinking this could still go six games, but the Kings offensive depth has been remarkable.  Dustin Brown had a terrible year, yet the captain has been clutch during the biggest moments of the season.  Most fans are probably wondering why we’re seeing so much scoring when these are supposed to be the two best goaltenders in the world, but we’re still seeing spectacular saves at critical moments from both these guys.  If the Rangers grab a two goal lead in the next game, I expect Rangers Coach Alain Vigneault to decline the lead to avoid blowing it.

I’ve gotta give major props to Fox Sports West’s Patrick O’Neal, who tactfully criticized ESPN LA’s Steve Mason and John Ireland for the lack of Kings coverage during the Stanley Cup Final.  News flash to those of you in denial, the NHL has a very significant group of loyal fans, and it’s been that way for a long time.  So do the LA Kings, who have been selling out their games for years, yet haven’t received adequate coverage.  Most Kings fans, and hockey fans, resort to non-main stream sources to follow their sport.  However, when the main stream media tries to cover it, it’s been an embarrassment.  In turn, those members of the main stream media hate it when “hockey guy” criticizes them when they try to cover their sport.  Look main stream media…. cover the sport when it’s necessary, like right now, and just make sure you’re doing your research!  It’s your job! Then us hockey fans will actually appreciate what you are doing, instead of mispronouncing names, and screwing up stories.  In case you missed Patrick O’Neal, here he is:

Patrick O’Neal’s rant with Mason & Ireland 6/4/14

To the NBA….It’s June and the Lakers don’t appear anywhere close to naming a head coach.  However, one name that we can definitely eliminate from consideration is Derek Fisher, according to sources.  Fisher as a head coach has a nice ring to it, especially considering he has a great relationship with Kobe.  However, the Laker head coaching job isn’t one for a rookie head coach.  If the Lakers have no intention of being competitive for the next 3 years, which at this point I’m still unsure, then bring him on as coach.  However, you can’t rebuild a team with a short term head coach in place.  I love D-Fish and everything he has done for the Lakers, but he needs to learn how to be a head coach before getting the highest profile job in the NBA.

I was really hoping the Spurs would win game 2 of the NBA Finals, because I really wanted to see how the Heat would respond down 2-0.  Miami has never faced such a situation in the Big 3 era, and it would really give them the opportunity to demonstrate to us naysayers that they aren’t just a bunch of frontrunners.  I did find “cramp gate” pretty amusing.  It’s almost like the Spurs knew Lebron would get cramps without a/c in the building, so they purposefully shut down their a/c.  That sounds right up there with people in Sacramento giving Kobe Bryant food poisoning a few years ago during the Lakers playoff series with the Kings.

Let’s go to baseball, where you haven’t been missing much if you can’t watch the Dodgers.  Coming into Sunday, the Dodgers were 9.5 games out of first place in the NL West, and .5 games out of the wild card.  I’m was starting to wonder if the Dodgers are really this bad, or if it’s just that the Giants are that good?  I wondered until Don Mattingly criticized his team for being “selfish” and made reference to a lack of cohesion.  There’s a lot of blame to go around here, but this is definitely Mattingly’s job to get these guys on the same page, and playing cohesively.  It may not be his fault that Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier aren’t earning their paychecks, but it is his fault that he can’t get his players to buy into the team concept.  Better make this happen soon Don, or else Guggenheim will have no problem paying you to sit on a beach for the next few years, while somebody else does your job.

The Angels are still hanging tough in the American League, but here comes Oakland again this week.  The Halos put together a nice effort over the weekend, sweeping the White Sox at the Big A, and they are now 4.5 games back of the Athletics.  A couple of wins would certainly help the Halos remain in contention in the AL West, and not focus entirely on the wild card.  By the way, I’m still puzzled about these odd Jared Weaver gnome’s the Angels gave away at the stadium Friday night.  The bobble heads are cool, but gnome’s?  Let’s see how weird looking we can start making our best players…….

I can’t believe I actually pulled my car over on the side of the road on Saturday afternoon to watch the Belmont Stakes on my phone.  What a disappointment!  California Chrome totally flopped.  Then to make matters worse, California Chrome’s owner, Steve Coburn, criticized the current system, allowing horses to compete in the Belmont, without running in the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness.  While there is probably some truth to what Coburn is saying, the timing of his rants on Saturday, followed by more rants with the media on Sunday, just make it look like he’s sucking on sour grapes from the loss.  Chrome’s victory in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness by such a wide margin made everyone believe he was going to dominate the field.  The Triple Crown isn’t supposed to be easy, so if Coburn had a problem with it, he should have held his horse back in one of the races instead of complaining at the end.

And finally, Game of Thrones returned last night with the 2nd to last episode of the season.  This episode was all about the Night’s Watch and their battle at the wall with the Wildlings.  Spoiler alert for those of you who have it on DVR, and have yet to see it.  Let’s recap quickly.  The episode is filled with battle scenes at the wall between the Wildlings and the men of the Night’s watch.  Prior to the battle, Gilly comes to the wall seeking shelter, and Sam gives it to her, and even sneaks in a kiss with her prior to the battle.  Ser Allister has a duel with Wildling leader Tormund Giantsbane, in which he is badly wounded.  However, the Wildling leader is eventually captured by the Night’s Watch, who won the war.  In the process, Ygritte is killed just before she is about to shoot Jon Snow with an arrow, as she is shot by a young boy.  Ygritte dies in Jon’s arms.  The Night’s Watch won the battle, but Jon Snow tells Sam, they have simply held off their opponent for now.

This episode ended up being better than I thought.  Previously, I had found the storyline in the far north to be the least interesting of all the show’s plots.  However, there were several things that made this episode riveting.  The one theme that stood out, is the fact there remains a boyish element to the entire Night’s Watch.  This was evident early on in the battle, when Ser Allister barked orders at his men, and they failed in executing these battle tactics when they were finally being tested.  The boyishness also became more evident in Sam’s discussion with Jon about what it was like to be with a woman, as well as his first kiss with Gilly.  As for Ygritte and Jon, the final moments between the two of them seem to be peaceful, and neither had any anger towards each other.  However, clearly Jon’s loyalty to the Night’s Watch saved his life, and preserved his reputation as one of the few real heroes left in Game of Thrones.  Even though that loyalty probably cost him the woman he loved.  Looking forward to what is sure to be a wild season finale next week!