Hello,
On Saturday the Dodgers beat the Phillies 4-3, this is the Dodgers 7th win in 8 games. Yasiel Puig seems to be cooling down, yesterday he was 1 for 4 and his batting average lowered to a still amazing .417. However Hanley Ramirez seems to be heating up, yesterday he was 3 for 4 and is hitting .394. He seems to be fully healthy now.
I love Hyun-Jin Ryu, but he gives up too many hits. However he's usually able to scatter the hits so that teams don't score many runs against him. On Saturday he gave up 7 hits in his 7 innings but only two earned runs. That explains his solid 2.83 ERA. Ryu ended with a no decision, which keeps his record at 6-3.
The Dodgers led 3-2 going into the top of the 9th inning with Kenley Jansen coming in to secure the victory. Jansen has been the Dodgers best closer this season, getting 7 saves in 9 attempts. Jansen came in for the save attempt, but allowed the tying run in the top of the 9th. He wasn't helped by the errors of Matt Kemp or Puig. He also wasn't helped by giving up two hits. Thankfully the Phillies didn't score any more runs in the 9th inning. That gave LA a chance to win the game in the 9th inning, which is what they did. Ramirez had a single, Andre Ethier walked followed by A.J. Ellis with a single. That hit drove in Ramirez. Ramirez was 3 for 4 and is hitting .394 this season. He was involved in every Dodgers run.
The Dodgers usually don't get the timely hit, in the fourth inning the Dodgers had the bases loaded and no outs. A.J. Ellis hit into a double play and then Juan Uribe grounded out. The only two players of late to get the timely hit are Ramirez and Puig. Ramirez's mammoth first inning home run was timely and gave LA 3 quick runs. He also had the timely hit to get on base in the bottom of the 9th inning. It was good to see A.J. Ellis have the timely hit in the bottom of the 9th inning that drove him in.
Although the Dodgers have won 7 of 8 games, I get the feeling Dodgers success is built on a faltering foundation. If the Dodgers start averaging 5 runs per game, there's no reason they shouldn't, and crawl their way back to .500 I'll have a lot more belief in their success.
I'm beginning to wonder if we've seen the peak of Matt Kemp. Yesterday he committed his 5th error of the season and was 0 for 3 from the plate. Kemp is hitting. 249 this season. He's committed more errors than has home runs, he only has two home runs. Is he fully healthy or is he on the downside of his career?
Somebody has stumbled on this blog wondering what Scott Van Slyke's walk up music is. I can't say for the rest of the season, but on the night of June 29th it's Led Zeppelin's "When The Levee Breaks". It's one of the many amazing songs on the greatest CD ever, Led Zeppelin's 4.
"When The Levee Breaks":
To no Dodgers fan chagrin, Josh Beckett is going to have surgery in the next few days. He'll be out for the rest of the season. Where or where will the Dodgers be able to find a player who will be able to replace Beckett's 0-5 record and .519 ERA. In a weird way, that's good news for the Dodgers. They know he's not coming back, that's one less thing to worry about in trying to trade for another starter.
LA is now 37-43, but still last place in the NL West. Although they are still in last place, they're closing in on the rest of the NL West. The Dodgers trail the first place Diamondbacks by 5 games, but I believe at one point LA was as far back as 8.5 games. With the Giants losing 6 straight games, LA is only one game behind them. LA has a 5.3% chance of making the playoffs. Although it's a long shot for LA to reach the playoffs, winning 7 of 8 certainly increases their chances. But this offense needs to learn how to score more runs. The Dodgers remain in 28th place, of 30 teams, in MLB for runs scored.
Upcoming: The Dodgers play their final game in this 7 game home stand today. They are 5-1 so far and have one more game with the struggling Phillies. Today's scheduled pitching match up is the goggled Stephen Fife (2-2, 3.41 ERA) vs. Kyle Kendrick (7-4, 3.46 ERA).
The Pirates continue their incredibly hot streak, when was the last time they played this well? Was it the last time they made the playoffs or was it before then? They're the first team in MLB to get to 50 wins. Pedro Alvarez hit his 20th home run and Garrett Jones added his 7th home run. Those two runs were just enough to support Franklin Liriano's 7 hits and 1 run allowed over 6 innings. Jason Grilli came in to clean up the Brewers with a perfect 9th inning, getting 3 outs on 6 hits. That's the definition of efficiency.
The Pirates are now 20 games over .500, if nothing else this will be the first time in 21 years that they finish above .500? Right? I don't expect them to win the NL Central, the Cardinals are probably too good, but a wild card spot would be nice.
Baltimore continues to roll, they steamrolled the sliding Yankees today 11-3. I love Alex Rodriguez's imitation of Dwight Howard in whether he'll play for the team he's with or not. (Let's hope Howard decides where he's playing tomorrow, the first day of free agency. I won't tolerate another Howard attention tour. Some team is going to overpay him and they'll regret signing him in 2 or 3 years. Let's not endure a long drawn out process now. Howard says he's about where he can get the most rings. No he's not, he's about where he can get the most attention. If he cared truly about rings he'd be a hell of a lot better free throw shooter.) Boston continues to lead the AL East, although they haven't played well of late. Baltimore hasn't played great lately either. However they've won 3 games in a row and only trail the Red Sox by 2.5 games. The Yankees continue to fall apart right before our eyes, they've lost 4 in a row and 7 of 10 games. They trail the Red Sox by 5.5 games.
Congrats to Michael Cuddyer, tonight he had a hit in his 26th consecutive game. Congrats to Pedro Alvarez for getting a hit in his 12th straight game and for smashing 20 home runs. Also a tip of the hat to Chris Davis, he hit his 29th and 30th home runs of the season.
themusicaddict
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Dodgers Daily, June 28th, 2013: Glad It Only Counts As One Loss, Pirates Have Best Record, Chipper's #10 Retired
Hello,
The Dodgers were absolutely blasted on Friday, getting beat down 16-1 by the Phigthing Phillies. What can be said about this game, other than I'm glad it only counts as one loss. In this kind of game you just do the best you can, take it like a man and tip your hat to the other team. Here's a tip of my hat to the Phillies.
I can't really rip on the Dodgers either, a team is going to be on the wrong end of one of these losses two or three times a year. After having two decent to good games, Chris Capuano really struggled in this game. He only lasted 3.2 innings, giving up 10 hits, 7 runs. His ERA jumps to 4.72. But I'm sure the scrappy Capuano was fighting as hard as he could.
While the Dodgers were doing what they could to minimize the damage, the Phillies were unloading on their pitching staff. The Phillies scored in the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth inning. Sadly the Dodgers best pitching performance was by Skip Schumaker, yes the Dodgers outfielder. In one inning of play he gave up a hit and 2 walks, but no runs. He also pitched earlier in the season and still has a 0.00 ERA.
Philadelphia had a big game, but they'll be very lucky to make the playoffs. Add the Dodgers to the teams that will be lucky to make the playoffs, their 6 game winning streak was ground to a screeching halt yesterday. LA only had 5 hits and 1 run, something that has happened to this Dodgers offense too many times this season. The Dodgers are now 36-43 and at home in last place in the NL West. They trail the first place Diamondbacks by 6 games. LA has two more games with the Phillies and then they get a day off. Saturday's pitching match up should be a good one, Cliff Lee (9-2, 2.51 ERA) vs Hyun-Jin Ryu.
After Sunday's home game the Dodgers will go on a string of road games. Starting Tuesday 15 of the next 19 Dodgers games are on the road. They close the first half of the season with 13 straight games against NL West teams, we'll have a lot better read on this team once it's the All-Star break. LA plays in Colorado from July 2nd to July 4th, in San Francisco from July 5th to July 7th, followed by going to play the Diamondbacks from July 8th to July 10th. LA's final four games before the break will be against the Rockies in Chavez Ravine. They have July 15th to July 18th off for the All-Star break and start the second half of the season against the Nationals on their home field.
Philadelphia has scored 316 runs this season, which is 32 more runs than the Dodgers. LA seemed to be rising in the runs scored category, but other teams surged yesterday. After being tied for 26th in MLB for runs scored following Thursday night's games, the Dodgers have dropped to 28th place by themselves. They'll be battling with the Mariners and Nationals in order to move up or at least not to drop even more Saturday.
I realize I focus too much on runs scored and I know that's only one facet that makes for a successful team. Great pitching and timely hitting are two other key facets to success. In fact, the Pirates are only 19th in runs scored, however they have the best record in MLB. Pittsburgh is 49-30, won 7 in a row and 8 of 10 games. The Pirates have a 84.3% chance of reaching the playoffs. Since St. Louis lost on Friday, Pittsburgh leads the NL Central by 1 game. The Reds are in third place, 4.5 games back.
Gerrit Cole got the win for the Pirates, he's the first Pirates pitcher to win his first 4 starts in over a century. He's 4-0, but his ERA is a bit shaky at 3.70. Cole had a hit and was walked once in the game. He's hitting .333 and has an OBP of .429. Not to put too much pressure on the young fellow, but he needs to keep on performing at a high level for the Pirates to reach the playoffs. Of course they need to get their injured pitchers healthy again.
Meanwhile in Atlanta, the Braves won and also retired Chipper Jones' #10. The former All-Star third basemen is one of the greatest Braves ever. Not only was he a great player, but he actually stayed with one team for his whole career. That's an extremely rare thing. Thanks Chipper for all the great memories.
Meanwhile Atlanta got a huge win in a stretch of time they've been struggling. On Saturday they put the wood to the Diamondbacks, they have 2 straight wins. According to ESPN, Atlanta has a 92.2% chance of making the playoffs. The Braves are still comfortably in first place in the NL East. I don't get the feeling that the Nationals or the Phillies will mount much of a charge in the second half of the season. Atlanta is 46-30, in spite of only winning 4 of their last 10 games. They still lead the Nationals by 5.5 games. The Braves lead the third place Phillies by 7.5 games.
themusicaddict
The Dodgers were absolutely blasted on Friday, getting beat down 16-1 by the Phigthing Phillies. What can be said about this game, other than I'm glad it only counts as one loss. In this kind of game you just do the best you can, take it like a man and tip your hat to the other team. Here's a tip of my hat to the Phillies.
I can't really rip on the Dodgers either, a team is going to be on the wrong end of one of these losses two or three times a year. After having two decent to good games, Chris Capuano really struggled in this game. He only lasted 3.2 innings, giving up 10 hits, 7 runs. His ERA jumps to 4.72. But I'm sure the scrappy Capuano was fighting as hard as he could.
While the Dodgers were doing what they could to minimize the damage, the Phillies were unloading on their pitching staff. The Phillies scored in the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth inning. Sadly the Dodgers best pitching performance was by Skip Schumaker, yes the Dodgers outfielder. In one inning of play he gave up a hit and 2 walks, but no runs. He also pitched earlier in the season and still has a 0.00 ERA.
Philadelphia had a big game, but they'll be very lucky to make the playoffs. Add the Dodgers to the teams that will be lucky to make the playoffs, their 6 game winning streak was ground to a screeching halt yesterday. LA only had 5 hits and 1 run, something that has happened to this Dodgers offense too many times this season. The Dodgers are now 36-43 and at home in last place in the NL West. They trail the first place Diamondbacks by 6 games. LA has two more games with the Phillies and then they get a day off. Saturday's pitching match up should be a good one, Cliff Lee (9-2, 2.51 ERA) vs Hyun-Jin Ryu.
After Sunday's home game the Dodgers will go on a string of road games. Starting Tuesday 15 of the next 19 Dodgers games are on the road. They close the first half of the season with 13 straight games against NL West teams, we'll have a lot better read on this team once it's the All-Star break. LA plays in Colorado from July 2nd to July 4th, in San Francisco from July 5th to July 7th, followed by going to play the Diamondbacks from July 8th to July 10th. LA's final four games before the break will be against the Rockies in Chavez Ravine. They have July 15th to July 18th off for the All-Star break and start the second half of the season against the Nationals on their home field.
Philadelphia has scored 316 runs this season, which is 32 more runs than the Dodgers. LA seemed to be rising in the runs scored category, but other teams surged yesterday. After being tied for 26th in MLB for runs scored following Thursday night's games, the Dodgers have dropped to 28th place by themselves. They'll be battling with the Mariners and Nationals in order to move up or at least not to drop even more Saturday.
I realize I focus too much on runs scored and I know that's only one facet that makes for a successful team. Great pitching and timely hitting are two other key facets to success. In fact, the Pirates are only 19th in runs scored, however they have the best record in MLB. Pittsburgh is 49-30, won 7 in a row and 8 of 10 games. The Pirates have a 84.3% chance of reaching the playoffs. Since St. Louis lost on Friday, Pittsburgh leads the NL Central by 1 game. The Reds are in third place, 4.5 games back.
Gerrit Cole got the win for the Pirates, he's the first Pirates pitcher to win his first 4 starts in over a century. He's 4-0, but his ERA is a bit shaky at 3.70. Cole had a hit and was walked once in the game. He's hitting .333 and has an OBP of .429. Not to put too much pressure on the young fellow, but he needs to keep on performing at a high level for the Pirates to reach the playoffs. Of course they need to get their injured pitchers healthy again.
Meanwhile in Atlanta, the Braves won and also retired Chipper Jones' #10. The former All-Star third basemen is one of the greatest Braves ever. Not only was he a great player, but he actually stayed with one team for his whole career. That's an extremely rare thing. Thanks Chipper for all the great memories.
Meanwhile Atlanta got a huge win in a stretch of time they've been struggling. On Saturday they put the wood to the Diamondbacks, they have 2 straight wins. According to ESPN, Atlanta has a 92.2% chance of making the playoffs. The Braves are still comfortably in first place in the NL East. I don't get the feeling that the Nationals or the Phillies will mount much of a charge in the second half of the season. Atlanta is 46-30, in spite of only winning 4 of their last 10 games. They still lead the Nationals by 5.5 games. The Braves lead the third place Phillies by 7.5 games.
themusicaddict
Friday, June 28, 2013
Dodgers Daily, June 27th, 2013: Dodgers Win 6 In A Row, Puig The Hero Again
Hello.
The Dodgers beat Philadelphia on Thursday 6-4, this is their 6th straight win. It's the Dodgers longest win streak this season. Yasiel Puig was the hero again. He drove in two runs with his 7th inning single. Kenley Jansen was able to shut down the Phillies in the 9th inning and earn his 7th save of the season. Zack Greinke moved to 5-2 with the win, although his 3.94 ERA is nothing to brag about. But will LA be able to keep this up. They've been terrible for most of the season for a reason, it wasn't a fluke.
Puig has 16 RBIs and is hitting .427 this season. In Puig's 23 games this season, he's tied for 5th on the Dodgers in RBIs. Those 23 games are about 1/3rd of the games that most of the other Dodgers have played. In spite of that he's second on the Dodgers in home runs, 10th in number of hits and 9th for number of runs scored. The Dodgers do seem to score more when he's involved.
While I do like Puig, I think the contraversey over whether he should be an All-Star is sort of pointless. In his limited time in MLB, he has certainly played like an All-Star. If he gets voted in or selected by the manager, then I'll enjoy it. If he doesn't get selected he can rest for the second half of the season. I don't really have an opinion of whether Puig is worthy of the All-Star game. But I know there will be players that are invited to the All-Star game who aren't deserving. I'd be fine if Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford aren't invited to the All-Star game.
I'm optimistic about LA getting better throughout the season. Of the players that played yesterday, A.J. Ellis has the lowest batting average. He was 0 for 2 and is hitting .246. Skip Schumaker has the second lowest batting average, he was 0 for 3 and is hitting .249. Up next are Kemp and Ethier, both are hitting .256. It was good to see Ethier have 2 RBIs yesterday and also good to see Kemp to go 2 for 4. When .246 is the lowest average of a key player on your team, LA should feel good about their chances. The potential for this team if Kemp starts hitting .300 with some power is high.
After the Dodgers scored 16 runs in their last 3 games, they've moved up to being tied for 26th place in MLB for runs scored. Both teams have scored 283 runs, next up is the Royals. Kansas City has scored 293 runs. Again the Dodgers and Mariners are closer to the team that's behind them in front of them. Both of those teams are ahead of the White Sox by only 6 runs. (Update: The White Sox have scored 9 runs so far on Friday and have passed both the Dodgers and Mariners. The White Sox aren't even winning either.) The team with the most runs in MLB is the prodigious Red Sox, they've scored 417 runs.
LA is 36-42 and have a 7.3% chance of making the playoffs. They're still last place in the NL West, 6 games behind the first place Diamondbacks. But they're slowly crawling back into the NL West race. They are only 2 games back of the tied for third place Giants and Rockies.
Upcoming: In the second game of the Dodgers-Phillies series the scheduled pitching matchup is Chris Capuano (2-4, 4.09 ERA) vs. John Lanaan (0-2, 5.84 ERA). Capuano has had a couple of good starts, can he make it 3 good starts in a row?
Although the top of the Dodgers pitching staff seems to be rounding in shape, I'd still like to see them trade for Ricky Nolasco. That's as long as they don't have to give up too much. According to ESPN's Jim Bowden they might only have to give up two minor league starters. I'd take that trade. It would mean the Dodgers wouldn't be forced to rely on Stephen Fife, Ted Lilly or Josh Beckett for the rest of the season hopefully. I hope LA lets Fife continue to mature and LA can find a way to trade Lilly and Beckett for prospects. Even if they aren't traded for the most exciting prospects. With their abilities declining and their injury history, the Dodgers can't rely on Lilly or Beckett again. I look forward to when their contracts come off the Dodgers books.
Looking forward, LA will resign Kershaw and he'll be with the Dodgers for many years. After this season LA has Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu for five more years. It looks like they'll be set for the next few years with those 3. If Capuano can develop into a solid 4th pitcher, then they would only need one more starter. If they like Nolasco they could resign him at the end of this season or sign another free agent. Also Chad Billingsley should be able to play most of next season.
The AL East continues to be hard fought, both the Red Sox and Orioles won yesterday. Runs scored doesn't guarantee playoff success. It isn't a coincidence that the Red Sox and Orioles lead all of MLN in runs scored and are at the top of the Al East. Currently Boston leads Baltimore by 3.5 games. The Red Sox have scored an incredible 417 home runs, Baltimore has scored almost as impressive 391 runs.
In third place is the soap opera Yankees (As The Yankees Turn?), they are 4.5 games back and seem to be fading. New York is 22nd for runs scored, but still third in their division. Tampa Bay is in 4th place in the AL East, 6 games back of the Red Sox. However in runs scored the Rays are 8th in MLB, but trail the Yankees. Meanwhile after the Blue Jays won 11 games in a row, they've lost 3 of 4. They are 7.5 games out of first place. Toronto is 10th in MLB in runs scored, yet last place in the very tough AL East. The AL East continues to look like it will be the best pennant race.
Obviously pitching is a key component of a winning team, obviously no one can discount that.
themusicaddict
The Dodgers beat Philadelphia on Thursday 6-4, this is their 6th straight win. It's the Dodgers longest win streak this season. Yasiel Puig was the hero again. He drove in two runs with his 7th inning single. Kenley Jansen was able to shut down the Phillies in the 9th inning and earn his 7th save of the season. Zack Greinke moved to 5-2 with the win, although his 3.94 ERA is nothing to brag about. But will LA be able to keep this up. They've been terrible for most of the season for a reason, it wasn't a fluke.
Puig has 16 RBIs and is hitting .427 this season. In Puig's 23 games this season, he's tied for 5th on the Dodgers in RBIs. Those 23 games are about 1/3rd of the games that most of the other Dodgers have played. In spite of that he's second on the Dodgers in home runs, 10th in number of hits and 9th for number of runs scored. The Dodgers do seem to score more when he's involved.
While I do like Puig, I think the contraversey over whether he should be an All-Star is sort of pointless. In his limited time in MLB, he has certainly played like an All-Star. If he gets voted in or selected by the manager, then I'll enjoy it. If he doesn't get selected he can rest for the second half of the season. I don't really have an opinion of whether Puig is worthy of the All-Star game. But I know there will be players that are invited to the All-Star game who aren't deserving. I'd be fine if Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford aren't invited to the All-Star game.
I'm optimistic about LA getting better throughout the season. Of the players that played yesterday, A.J. Ellis has the lowest batting average. He was 0 for 2 and is hitting .246. Skip Schumaker has the second lowest batting average, he was 0 for 3 and is hitting .249. Up next are Kemp and Ethier, both are hitting .256. It was good to see Ethier have 2 RBIs yesterday and also good to see Kemp to go 2 for 4. When .246 is the lowest average of a key player on your team, LA should feel good about their chances. The potential for this team if Kemp starts hitting .300 with some power is high.
After the Dodgers scored 16 runs in their last 3 games, they've moved up to being tied for 26th place in MLB for runs scored. Both teams have scored 283 runs, next up is the Royals. Kansas City has scored 293 runs. Again the Dodgers and Mariners are closer to the team that's behind them in front of them. Both of those teams are ahead of the White Sox by only 6 runs. (Update: The White Sox have scored 9 runs so far on Friday and have passed both the Dodgers and Mariners. The White Sox aren't even winning either.) The team with the most runs in MLB is the prodigious Red Sox, they've scored 417 runs.
LA is 36-42 and have a 7.3% chance of making the playoffs. They're still last place in the NL West, 6 games behind the first place Diamondbacks. But they're slowly crawling back into the NL West race. They are only 2 games back of the tied for third place Giants and Rockies.
Upcoming: In the second game of the Dodgers-Phillies series the scheduled pitching matchup is Chris Capuano (2-4, 4.09 ERA) vs. John Lanaan (0-2, 5.84 ERA). Capuano has had a couple of good starts, can he make it 3 good starts in a row?
Although the top of the Dodgers pitching staff seems to be rounding in shape, I'd still like to see them trade for Ricky Nolasco. That's as long as they don't have to give up too much. According to ESPN's Jim Bowden they might only have to give up two minor league starters. I'd take that trade. It would mean the Dodgers wouldn't be forced to rely on Stephen Fife, Ted Lilly or Josh Beckett for the rest of the season hopefully. I hope LA lets Fife continue to mature and LA can find a way to trade Lilly and Beckett for prospects. Even if they aren't traded for the most exciting prospects. With their abilities declining and their injury history, the Dodgers can't rely on Lilly or Beckett again. I look forward to when their contracts come off the Dodgers books.
Looking forward, LA will resign Kershaw and he'll be with the Dodgers for many years. After this season LA has Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu for five more years. It looks like they'll be set for the next few years with those 3. If Capuano can develop into a solid 4th pitcher, then they would only need one more starter. If they like Nolasco they could resign him at the end of this season or sign another free agent. Also Chad Billingsley should be able to play most of next season.
The AL East continues to be hard fought, both the Red Sox and Orioles won yesterday. Runs scored doesn't guarantee playoff success. It isn't a coincidence that the Red Sox and Orioles lead all of MLN in runs scored and are at the top of the Al East. Currently Boston leads Baltimore by 3.5 games. The Red Sox have scored an incredible 417 home runs, Baltimore has scored almost as impressive 391 runs.
In third place is the soap opera Yankees (As The Yankees Turn?), they are 4.5 games back and seem to be fading. New York is 22nd for runs scored, but still third in their division. Tampa Bay is in 4th place in the AL East, 6 games back of the Red Sox. However in runs scored the Rays are 8th in MLB, but trail the Yankees. Meanwhile after the Blue Jays won 11 games in a row, they've lost 3 of 4. They are 7.5 games out of first place. Toronto is 10th in MLB in runs scored, yet last place in the very tough AL East. The AL East continues to look like it will be the best pennant race.
Obviously pitching is a key component of a winning team, obviously no one can discount that.
themusicaddict
themusicaddict's Jazz 2013 NBA Draft Review: Yes To Burke and Gobert!
Hello,
Entering Thursday's NBA draft, the Jazz had the 14th and 21st picks in the first round. Utah turned those two first round picks into Trey Burke of Michigan. I'm excited by that move, the Jazz desperately needed a young, quality point guard. Via another trade the Jazz were able to get a center that they were coveting in Rudy Gobert. Getting another young big should help the Jazz and I'm also good with that pick. Late Thursday night the Jazz also acquired the rights to Brazilian Raul Neto. I don't know how well he'll work out, but another young guard is worth the risk.
Now the Jazz need to go to a complete youth movement. They should let most of their veterans leave, only keeping a few as back up players. There's no point for the Jazz to repeat the miserable season of last year. Sadly Utah is stuck with Marvin Williams. As for Paul Milsap I'd be good if they let him go or if they resign him, he probably still has another few productive years in him. I wouldn't break the bank to keep him though.
As soon as possible the Jazz should renounce their rights to Jefferson, unless they can get some kind of beneficial sign and trade for him. Since they can keep Randy Foye relatively cheaply, perhaps they should bring him back. I'd love for the Jazz to have a great 3 point shooter to give Kanter and Favors more room to operate in the post. I just hope that they both learn how to play great defense, unlike the one dimensional game of Big Al Jefferson. Big Al's game is as unimaginative as his nickname.
Utah already has Enes Kanter, Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward and added Burke, Gobert and Neto. I'm not a big Hayward fan, he's too skinny to get to the basket on a regular basis. I hoped for more from him when he was drafted by the Jazz. Utah had three veteran point guards last season, Mo Williams, Jamaal Tinsley and Earl Watson. Now they can dump at least 2 of them. Keep one as a backup to Burke, but play Burke 40 minutes a night. Give Gobert and Neto a few minutes a night as well, if either makes the team. They probably both will, but you never know what you are getting with international players. Are you getting Dirk Nowitski or Darko Milicic?
The 2013-2014 Jazz team probably won't win a lot of games, but they'll sure be fun to watch. The Jazz were unwatchable for most of last season.
Going into the draft I hoped that the Jazz wouldn't draft Shabazz Muhammad, Mason Plumlee, Kelly Olynyk or Jeff Withey. Technically the Jazz did end up selecting Muhammad, but that was part of a trade the Jazz made. I was very pleased when one pick before the Jazz's first first round pick Dallas selected Olynyk. (Olynyk was getting stuffed by the center of the the 16th seeded Southern when the two teams played in SLC in the NCAA Tournament.) The Mavs very smartly traded Olynyk to the Celtics for the 2013 #16 pick and two future second round picks. (Although part of the reason to make this trade was to create cap room for Dwight Howard. Is Jerry Jones in charge of their player personnel moves as well?) The Mavs ended up with the player I hoped would end up in Utah, Shane Larkin. I just love how athletic he is.
Brooklyn selected Plumlee at 22 and later traded for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Look for Plumlee to only play a few ineffectual minutes a game. In the second round, at # 39, the Trailblazers drafted Withey. I stumbled across something so funny I'm quoting it verbatim from ESPN.com: "Withey is one of the best shot blockers in the draft. He doesn't really do much else, but he's a guy who should get 15 minutes a night as a solid backup." I had to laugh when ESPN was showing highlights of Withey, they kept on showing the same play over and over again. I'm guessing because that's about as many great plays Withey had this past season. I hope he's smart and took his college education seriously, he won't be in the NBA long.
The trade the Nets made seems to indicate that they are the way up to the detriment of the Knicks. I hope New York enjoyed making it all the way to the second round last season. The Bulls have Derrick Rose coming back, the Pacers have Danny Granger come back, the Nets got a lot better with their draft day trade. Meanwhile the poorly run Knicks only had one pick in the draft. They used that to draft Tim Hardaway Jr. The Knicks should let J.R. Smith go after he opted out. With Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks already have one too many ball hogs who's a poor shooter. Will the Knicks even get out of the first round next season.
I love that Dwight Howard is probably not going to resign with the Lakers, although the Lakers will be glad that they weren't able to resign him in a couple of years. Howard is extremely athletic, or at least used to be, people allow his potential to blind them to the kind of player he'll never be again. There's no way I'd want Howard to play for my Jazz, if he's still a key player in the NBA in 5 years I'd be very surprised. I wonder how many free throws Howard has shot this off season.
Back in March I wrote about the absurdity of any team signing Howard to a max contract. Giving him about $122 million for 5 years, really. If they are going to give away their money, they should give it to something that is much more useful. I predicted that Howard would stay in LA because they could give him the most money. Howard is all about himself, he's indicating he won't go back to LA. Maybe he's putting up smoke screens as well. When all is said and done, I'm glad that he won't end up in Utah.
Having Howard for all of last season and hearing all his whining before the season I can't believe that the Lakers really still want him. They went to the bizarre lengths of putting up signs to ask Howard to "Stay". As Dan Patrick says you are the Lakers, you don't beg anyone to play for you. The Lakers putting up signs made me laugh, but I started thinking about it a little more. Maybe the Lakers are just putting on a facade and don't really want Howard back. Are they making all these moves to cover themselves with the fans for the future.
What does ESPN NBA expert Tim Legler say about the best fit about Howard? I like what Legler says about Howard about being beat up and how he may no longer be in the prime of his career:
Sticking with the Lakers and their future players. The Lakers only had one pick in the NBA Draft. I'm not sure what their draft criteria were. It seems they were looking for a slow, white, pasty guy who's not going to last long in the NBA. If that was their criteria, they made the best possible pick. The Lakers drafted Duke's Ryan Kelly. That's hilarious, is today June's Fools Day? Sure Kelly can shoot, but who is he going to defend? He just doesn't have the athleticism to last in the NBA for long. Perhaps when he and Plumlee are out of the NBA in a few years, they can form a company. It looks like the Lakers are on the way down for a bit, not the way that Bryant wanted to go out.
Meanwhile in the NFL: The moral rot of the Dallas Cowboys continue. Although Josh Brent has been imprisoned because of the repeated bad decisions he's made, Dallas keeps him on the roster. Why? I have no idea. The Cowboys have said that they still want to support him through the legal process. That's fine, but he doesn't need to be on the roster for them to support him. I would think the Cowboys would expect a lot more from him, there doesn't seem to be any consequences for his repeated errors. I wouldn't call them mistakes, because he keeps on doing the same stupid thing over and over again.
So then why do the Cowboys keep him around? I think it's because Jerry Jones thinks he can still play. Jones is so desperate to show that his way is the right way, he wants to keep Brent on the team in hopes that one day he'll help the Cowboys win. Of course all the bad karma he brings on the team doesn't help the Cowboys any.
Just when I think the Cowboys have finally hit their nadir, they find a way to hit a new low. The moral rot of Jones and his desperation to be relevant continues to haunt the Cowboys. How many more years of this bullcrap do the Cowboys and their shrinking number of fans have to go through before there's relief?
themusicaddict
Entering Thursday's NBA draft, the Jazz had the 14th and 21st picks in the first round. Utah turned those two first round picks into Trey Burke of Michigan. I'm excited by that move, the Jazz desperately needed a young, quality point guard. Via another trade the Jazz were able to get a center that they were coveting in Rudy Gobert. Getting another young big should help the Jazz and I'm also good with that pick. Late Thursday night the Jazz also acquired the rights to Brazilian Raul Neto. I don't know how well he'll work out, but another young guard is worth the risk.
Now the Jazz need to go to a complete youth movement. They should let most of their veterans leave, only keeping a few as back up players. There's no point for the Jazz to repeat the miserable season of last year. Sadly Utah is stuck with Marvin Williams. As for Paul Milsap I'd be good if they let him go or if they resign him, he probably still has another few productive years in him. I wouldn't break the bank to keep him though.
As soon as possible the Jazz should renounce their rights to Jefferson, unless they can get some kind of beneficial sign and trade for him. Since they can keep Randy Foye relatively cheaply, perhaps they should bring him back. I'd love for the Jazz to have a great 3 point shooter to give Kanter and Favors more room to operate in the post. I just hope that they both learn how to play great defense, unlike the one dimensional game of Big Al Jefferson. Big Al's game is as unimaginative as his nickname.
Utah already has Enes Kanter, Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward and added Burke, Gobert and Neto. I'm not a big Hayward fan, he's too skinny to get to the basket on a regular basis. I hoped for more from him when he was drafted by the Jazz. Utah had three veteran point guards last season, Mo Williams, Jamaal Tinsley and Earl Watson. Now they can dump at least 2 of them. Keep one as a backup to Burke, but play Burke 40 minutes a night. Give Gobert and Neto a few minutes a night as well, if either makes the team. They probably both will, but you never know what you are getting with international players. Are you getting Dirk Nowitski or Darko Milicic?
The 2013-2014 Jazz team probably won't win a lot of games, but they'll sure be fun to watch. The Jazz were unwatchable for most of last season.
Going into the draft I hoped that the Jazz wouldn't draft Shabazz Muhammad, Mason Plumlee, Kelly Olynyk or Jeff Withey. Technically the Jazz did end up selecting Muhammad, but that was part of a trade the Jazz made. I was very pleased when one pick before the Jazz's first first round pick Dallas selected Olynyk. (Olynyk was getting stuffed by the center of the the 16th seeded Southern when the two teams played in SLC in the NCAA Tournament.) The Mavs very smartly traded Olynyk to the Celtics for the 2013 #16 pick and two future second round picks. (Although part of the reason to make this trade was to create cap room for Dwight Howard. Is Jerry Jones in charge of their player personnel moves as well?) The Mavs ended up with the player I hoped would end up in Utah, Shane Larkin. I just love how athletic he is.
Brooklyn selected Plumlee at 22 and later traded for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Look for Plumlee to only play a few ineffectual minutes a game. In the second round, at # 39, the Trailblazers drafted Withey. I stumbled across something so funny I'm quoting it verbatim from ESPN.com: "Withey is one of the best shot blockers in the draft. He doesn't really do much else, but he's a guy who should get 15 minutes a night as a solid backup." I had to laugh when ESPN was showing highlights of Withey, they kept on showing the same play over and over again. I'm guessing because that's about as many great plays Withey had this past season. I hope he's smart and took his college education seriously, he won't be in the NBA long.
The trade the Nets made seems to indicate that they are the way up to the detriment of the Knicks. I hope New York enjoyed making it all the way to the second round last season. The Bulls have Derrick Rose coming back, the Pacers have Danny Granger come back, the Nets got a lot better with their draft day trade. Meanwhile the poorly run Knicks only had one pick in the draft. They used that to draft Tim Hardaway Jr. The Knicks should let J.R. Smith go after he opted out. With Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks already have one too many ball hogs who's a poor shooter. Will the Knicks even get out of the first round next season.
I love that Dwight Howard is probably not going to resign with the Lakers, although the Lakers will be glad that they weren't able to resign him in a couple of years. Howard is extremely athletic, or at least used to be, people allow his potential to blind them to the kind of player he'll never be again. There's no way I'd want Howard to play for my Jazz, if he's still a key player in the NBA in 5 years I'd be very surprised. I wonder how many free throws Howard has shot this off season.
Back in March I wrote about the absurdity of any team signing Howard to a max contract. Giving him about $122 million for 5 years, really. If they are going to give away their money, they should give it to something that is much more useful. I predicted that Howard would stay in LA because they could give him the most money. Howard is all about himself, he's indicating he won't go back to LA. Maybe he's putting up smoke screens as well. When all is said and done, I'm glad that he won't end up in Utah.
Having Howard for all of last season and hearing all his whining before the season I can't believe that the Lakers really still want him. They went to the bizarre lengths of putting up signs to ask Howard to "Stay". As Dan Patrick says you are the Lakers, you don't beg anyone to play for you. The Lakers putting up signs made me laugh, but I started thinking about it a little more. Maybe the Lakers are just putting on a facade and don't really want Howard back. Are they making all these moves to cover themselves with the fans for the future.
What does ESPN NBA expert Tim Legler say about the best fit about Howard? I like what Legler says about Howard about being beat up and how he may no longer be in the prime of his career:
Sticking with the Lakers and their future players. The Lakers only had one pick in the NBA Draft. I'm not sure what their draft criteria were. It seems they were looking for a slow, white, pasty guy who's not going to last long in the NBA. If that was their criteria, they made the best possible pick. The Lakers drafted Duke's Ryan Kelly. That's hilarious, is today June's Fools Day? Sure Kelly can shoot, but who is he going to defend? He just doesn't have the athleticism to last in the NBA for long. Perhaps when he and Plumlee are out of the NBA in a few years, they can form a company. It looks like the Lakers are on the way down for a bit, not the way that Bryant wanted to go out.
Meanwhile in the NFL: The moral rot of the Dallas Cowboys continue. Although Josh Brent has been imprisoned because of the repeated bad decisions he's made, Dallas keeps him on the roster. Why? I have no idea. The Cowboys have said that they still want to support him through the legal process. That's fine, but he doesn't need to be on the roster for them to support him. I would think the Cowboys would expect a lot more from him, there doesn't seem to be any consequences for his repeated errors. I wouldn't call them mistakes, because he keeps on doing the same stupid thing over and over again.
So then why do the Cowboys keep him around? I think it's because Jerry Jones thinks he can still play. Jones is so desperate to show that his way is the right way, he wants to keep Brent on the team in hopes that one day he'll help the Cowboys win. Of course all the bad karma he brings on the team doesn't help the Cowboys any.
Just when I think the Cowboys have finally hit their nadir, they find a way to hit a new low. The moral rot of Jones and his desperation to be relevant continues to haunt the Cowboys. How many more years of this bullcrap do the Cowboys and their shrinking number of fans have to go through before there's relief?
themusicaddict
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Dodgers Daily June 26th, 2013: Dodgers Win 5 Games In A Row!, Pirates Tied For Best Record In MLB!
Hello,
Yesterday both the Dodgers and the Pirates won, continuing both of their hot streaks. Now if only Jerry Jones would step down as the alleged GM of the Cowboys, then today would be an even better day!
In LA, the Dodgers were able to complete their sweep of the Giants. They won the third and final game of the series 4-2. For the Dodgers, It continues to be the Puig and Ramirez show. Yasiel Puig bounced back from having 0 hits on Tuesday, he was 3 for 4 and improves his batting average to .435. I do love all that he brings to the Dodgers. However many times I wish he'd be happy with a single and not try to stretch it into a double. I understand that he's probably tired of LA losing and scoring so few runs and he's trying to help their offense. Sometimes he just needs to be happy with a single and live to fight another day. Since he's by far the most consistent Dodger, I'm so very glad he's in LA.
Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 3 and had an RBI, he's hitting .375 this season. Adrian Gonzalez is hitting .299, but no other Dodger is near .300. The Dodgers had 12 hits, but only 3 RBIs. what's up with that? The Dodgers are winning, but their margin of error is very low. LA needs to score even more runs to be a consistent winner. Again they are winning, but their margin of victory are razor thin. LA has the talent to score a lot of runs, I'm not sure why they haven't.
I didn't see or hear anything about Matt Kemp being sick or hurt yesterday, I wonder why he didn't start in Wednesday's game. The Dodgers desperately need him to be at least at 85% if they want to make a real run for the playoffs this season.
I was glad to see hard luck Clayton Kershaw get his first win in over a month. He only gave up 4 hits and 2 runs in his 8 innings pitched and lowered his ERA to 2.08. He has the 4th best ERA in all of MLB at 2.08. He trails the Pirates Jeff Locke just barely, Locke is at 2.06 ERA. In spite of that stellar ERA, Kershaw is only tied for 36th place in number of wins. He has the 5th most strikeouts in all of MLB with 118. He's also tied with Cliff Lee with a 4.5 Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
Thankfully Brandon League didn't pitch and Kenley Jansen earned his 6th save of the season. He pitched an inning of hitless relief and has an ERA of 2.31, which is less than half of League's ERA.
The Dodgers are still in last place in the NL West, but they are catching up to everybody else in their division. In the NL West the Dodgers are the only team that has a winning streak. First place Arizona has lost 3 games in a row, the Rockies and Padres have lost 2 in a row. The fourth place Giants have lost 4 games in a row. The Diamondbacks are the only team above .500 in this very mediocre division.
LA is now 35-42 and 6 games behind the Diamondbacks. Although they have now 5 games in a row, they are only 6-4 over their last 10 games. The Dodgers have a 6.2% chance of reaching the playoffs. That's the highest that percentage has been in a very long time.
But again the Dodgers are doing just enough to win, they aren't dominating anyone. I wouldn't say that I'm a believer yet. Honestly I think most of these wins have been smoke and mirrors. Not that I'm complaining that they are finally winning. LA needs to start looking better on the field and winning more convincingly before anyone will take them seriously.
Upcoming: LA starts a 4 game series with the Phillies tonight. The scheduled pitching matchup will be Zack Greinke (4-2, 3.79 ERA) vs. Jonathan Pettibone (3-3, 4.14 ERA). The Phillies are 3rd place in the NL East, which is about as mediocre a division as the NL West. Philadelphia is 38-41 and 7 games behind first place Atlanta. According to ESPN.com, the Phillies only have a 6.9% chance of making the playoffs.
Staying in the state of Pennsylvania, the Pirates continue their historic run. Pittsburgh is 48-30 and tied with the Cardinals for first place in the NL Central. Even more importantly those two teams are tied for the best record in all of MLB. The Pirates have won 6 games in a row and 8 of 10, they have an 80% chance of making the playoffs.
The Pirates aren't even close to being at full health. Still on the DL is A.J. Burnett, Wandy Rodriguez and James McDonald. If they can get all three players back, near to full health, I like their chances of reaching the playoffs. Also the Pirates need to show their fans that they are serious about winning by going out and getting a productive player before the trading deadline. The player doesn't need to be a superstar, but a player that will strengthen a weakness the Pirates currently have.
I've complained and whined a lot about how high the Dodgers payroll is and how little they are getting from their roster. However the Yankees are probably even in worse shape. They pay more than the Dodgers and it seems like the Yankees are about to go into the proverbial toilet. After their Thursday afternoon loss to the Rangers, the Yankees have only won half of their last 10 games. They are third place in the AL East, trailing the first place Red Sox by 4 games. With how tight the AL East is, it's conceivable that the Yankees could finish in last place. Of course it's conceivable that any of the teams in that division could finish in last place.
The Yankees continue to lose players. Mark Teixeria is out for the rest of the season, however I'm not sure the Yankees will even miss him. Kevin Youkilis is out for several more weeks. Curtis Granderson is also out, so is Derek Jeter. However Jeter looks like he could be back relatively soon. And the whole tit for tat between Alex Rodriguez and Brian Cashman has been hilarious. Cashman is absolutely right, ARod does need to shut up.
Rodriguez thinks the Yankees don't want him to return this season and perhaps ever again. Well, duh. If this was the NFL, the Yankees would probably just cut him and move on. If they can't dump his atrocious contract, I'm sure they'd like to see him suspended for 100 games. During a suspension the Yankees wouldn't have to pay him and that money wouldn't count against their salary. That would save the Yankees a big chunk of change, money they could save or use for a player that is much more productive.
themusicaddict
Yesterday both the Dodgers and the Pirates won, continuing both of their hot streaks. Now if only Jerry Jones would step down as the alleged GM of the Cowboys, then today would be an even better day!
In LA, the Dodgers were able to complete their sweep of the Giants. They won the third and final game of the series 4-2. For the Dodgers, It continues to be the Puig and Ramirez show. Yasiel Puig bounced back from having 0 hits on Tuesday, he was 3 for 4 and improves his batting average to .435. I do love all that he brings to the Dodgers. However many times I wish he'd be happy with a single and not try to stretch it into a double. I understand that he's probably tired of LA losing and scoring so few runs and he's trying to help their offense. Sometimes he just needs to be happy with a single and live to fight another day. Since he's by far the most consistent Dodger, I'm so very glad he's in LA.
Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 3 and had an RBI, he's hitting .375 this season. Adrian Gonzalez is hitting .299, but no other Dodger is near .300. The Dodgers had 12 hits, but only 3 RBIs. what's up with that? The Dodgers are winning, but their margin of error is very low. LA needs to score even more runs to be a consistent winner. Again they are winning, but their margin of victory are razor thin. LA has the talent to score a lot of runs, I'm not sure why they haven't.
I didn't see or hear anything about Matt Kemp being sick or hurt yesterday, I wonder why he didn't start in Wednesday's game. The Dodgers desperately need him to be at least at 85% if they want to make a real run for the playoffs this season.
I was glad to see hard luck Clayton Kershaw get his first win in over a month. He only gave up 4 hits and 2 runs in his 8 innings pitched and lowered his ERA to 2.08. He has the 4th best ERA in all of MLB at 2.08. He trails the Pirates Jeff Locke just barely, Locke is at 2.06 ERA. In spite of that stellar ERA, Kershaw is only tied for 36th place in number of wins. He has the 5th most strikeouts in all of MLB with 118. He's also tied with Cliff Lee with a 4.5 Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
Thankfully Brandon League didn't pitch and Kenley Jansen earned his 6th save of the season. He pitched an inning of hitless relief and has an ERA of 2.31, which is less than half of League's ERA.
The Dodgers are still in last place in the NL West, but they are catching up to everybody else in their division. In the NL West the Dodgers are the only team that has a winning streak. First place Arizona has lost 3 games in a row, the Rockies and Padres have lost 2 in a row. The fourth place Giants have lost 4 games in a row. The Diamondbacks are the only team above .500 in this very mediocre division.
LA is now 35-42 and 6 games behind the Diamondbacks. Although they have now 5 games in a row, they are only 6-4 over their last 10 games. The Dodgers have a 6.2% chance of reaching the playoffs. That's the highest that percentage has been in a very long time.
But again the Dodgers are doing just enough to win, they aren't dominating anyone. I wouldn't say that I'm a believer yet. Honestly I think most of these wins have been smoke and mirrors. Not that I'm complaining that they are finally winning. LA needs to start looking better on the field and winning more convincingly before anyone will take them seriously.
Upcoming: LA starts a 4 game series with the Phillies tonight. The scheduled pitching matchup will be Zack Greinke (4-2, 3.79 ERA) vs. Jonathan Pettibone (3-3, 4.14 ERA). The Phillies are 3rd place in the NL East, which is about as mediocre a division as the NL West. Philadelphia is 38-41 and 7 games behind first place Atlanta. According to ESPN.com, the Phillies only have a 6.9% chance of making the playoffs.
Staying in the state of Pennsylvania, the Pirates continue their historic run. Pittsburgh is 48-30 and tied with the Cardinals for first place in the NL Central. Even more importantly those two teams are tied for the best record in all of MLB. The Pirates have won 6 games in a row and 8 of 10, they have an 80% chance of making the playoffs.
The Pirates aren't even close to being at full health. Still on the DL is A.J. Burnett, Wandy Rodriguez and James McDonald. If they can get all three players back, near to full health, I like their chances of reaching the playoffs. Also the Pirates need to show their fans that they are serious about winning by going out and getting a productive player before the trading deadline. The player doesn't need to be a superstar, but a player that will strengthen a weakness the Pirates currently have.
I've complained and whined a lot about how high the Dodgers payroll is and how little they are getting from their roster. However the Yankees are probably even in worse shape. They pay more than the Dodgers and it seems like the Yankees are about to go into the proverbial toilet. After their Thursday afternoon loss to the Rangers, the Yankees have only won half of their last 10 games. They are third place in the AL East, trailing the first place Red Sox by 4 games. With how tight the AL East is, it's conceivable that the Yankees could finish in last place. Of course it's conceivable that any of the teams in that division could finish in last place.
The Yankees continue to lose players. Mark Teixeria is out for the rest of the season, however I'm not sure the Yankees will even miss him. Kevin Youkilis is out for several more weeks. Curtis Granderson is also out, so is Derek Jeter. However Jeter looks like he could be back relatively soon. And the whole tit for tat between Alex Rodriguez and Brian Cashman has been hilarious. Cashman is absolutely right, ARod does need to shut up.
Rodriguez thinks the Yankees don't want him to return this season and perhaps ever again. Well, duh. If this was the NFL, the Yankees would probably just cut him and move on. If they can't dump his atrocious contract, I'm sure they'd like to see him suspended for 100 games. During a suspension the Yankees wouldn't have to pay him and that money wouldn't count against their salary. That would save the Yankees a big chunk of change, money they could save or use for a player that is much more productive.
themusicaddict
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
themusicaddict's Greatest CDs Of All-Time: The Go-Go's "Beauty and the Beat"
Hello,
I've written a couple of these blogs in the past, but I plan on writing a series of them. These basically are some of the greatest CDs of my lifetime. Some of these CDs had an immediate impact on me, such as Def Leppard's Hysteria. Some CDs I wasn't really interested in at first and they took awhile to grow on me, such as Bob Marley's "Legend". Other CDs I resisted for the longest time and I eventually started to like them. Although I can't think of an example right off. This series will mostly cover CDs from the late 60's to now. Maybe I'll add some CDs from before I began my sojourn on this mortal coil.
"'Beauty and the Beat'" was the Go-Go's debut album, released in 1981 by I.R.S. Records. The album hit #1 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart, and was the first album to top the chart by an all-female band that wrote and performed its own songs. The album's singles, "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got The Beat," also charted in several countries, fueling album sales of more than two million in the U.S. alone. Beauty and the Beat is considered one of the decade's defining albums and it is on Rolling Stone's list of the '500 Greatest Albums Of All Time.'" (Thanks to amazon.com.)
Although I do love the 80s and think that that decade had the best music, I'll write about classic albums from other decades. Heck, if I can find some great CDs from the last few years, I'll include those. I do realize there are great CDs being made now, it's just that you have to dig to find them. But no era will come close to the incredibly fertile decade of the 80s.
Let's start with the cover that immediately catches your eye:
When this record was released CDs weren't around, at least commercially. This record was released on July 8th, 1981. If you are a bored teenage boy, as I was, this cover caught your eye. It's the middle of the summer, school is out and there's nothing better to do. So you ride your bike over to the local mall, visit the local record store among other places. How would a teenage boy not notice this cover?
I didn't buy it then and in fact I don't think I bought it before today. However along the way I became a Go-Go's fan and liked many of their songs. I liked the idea of an all female band who sang their own songs and played their own instruments. In fact I'm not sure why all female bands weren't popular long before the early 80s. (Well other than the usual stupid reasons.) "Beauty and The Beat", the Go-Gos debut CD, is probably the best CD of the few they've made.
I'm going to add the Youtube video for all 11 songs from this CD, including original videos if I can find them. Enjoy! This blog runs in the same order as the CD. The Go-Gos had incredible timing in starting their career. Just two weeks after "Beauty and the Beat" was released MTV blasted off. There were only a few videos at the time, any video with attractive women was obviously going to be shown a few times. "Our Lips Are Sealed" was a very popular CD when MTV started. With attractive women, a great sound and MTV's help no wonder The Go-Go's broke out big. Like "Beauty and the Beat's" cover, the first song catches your ear as well with the very infectious "Our Lips Are Sealed":
Following "Beauty and the Beat" was "How Much More", it quickly became obvious that the Go-Go's were going to have a very identifiable sound. Many bands have a fun, poppy and upbeat sound, but no other band has ever sounded like the Go-Go's. "How Much More":
Up next is "Tonite", here's the Go-Go's performing it live in 1981:
"Lust To Love" wasn't a big hit, but it's probably one of the Go-Go's most enduring songs:
"This Town":
If anybody wondered if the Go-Go's were going to be a one hit wonder, this next song answered the question. "We Got The Beat":
This was the closest that the Go-Go's got to a ballad: "Fading Fast":
This song feels a bit like a bit of a filler. "Automatic":
"You Can't Walk In Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep)" (live in 2000):
"Skidmarks On My Heart" (live in 2001):
"Can't Stop The World":
Of course Belinda Carlisle went on to have a pretty good solo career. "Heaven Is A Place On Earth" is one of the catchiest songs ever. However I prefer to give solo attention to one of her bandmates, that would be Jane Wiedlin and her criminally forgotten "Rush Hour":
If you have any requests for future greatest CDs of all-time blogs, please send me a request. Of course it would have to be a CD that I think is a classic.
themusicaddict
I've written a couple of these blogs in the past, but I plan on writing a series of them. These basically are some of the greatest CDs of my lifetime. Some of these CDs had an immediate impact on me, such as Def Leppard's Hysteria. Some CDs I wasn't really interested in at first and they took awhile to grow on me, such as Bob Marley's "Legend". Other CDs I resisted for the longest time and I eventually started to like them. Although I can't think of an example right off. This series will mostly cover CDs from the late 60's to now. Maybe I'll add some CDs from before I began my sojourn on this mortal coil.
"'Beauty and the Beat'" was the Go-Go's debut album, released in 1981 by I.R.S. Records. The album hit #1 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart, and was the first album to top the chart by an all-female band that wrote and performed its own songs. The album's singles, "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got The Beat," also charted in several countries, fueling album sales of more than two million in the U.S. alone. Beauty and the Beat is considered one of the decade's defining albums and it is on Rolling Stone's list of the '500 Greatest Albums Of All Time.'" (Thanks to amazon.com.)
Although I do love the 80s and think that that decade had the best music, I'll write about classic albums from other decades. Heck, if I can find some great CDs from the last few years, I'll include those. I do realize there are great CDs being made now, it's just that you have to dig to find them. But no era will come close to the incredibly fertile decade of the 80s.
Let's start with the cover that immediately catches your eye:
When this record was released CDs weren't around, at least commercially. This record was released on July 8th, 1981. If you are a bored teenage boy, as I was, this cover caught your eye. It's the middle of the summer, school is out and there's nothing better to do. So you ride your bike over to the local mall, visit the local record store among other places. How would a teenage boy not notice this cover?
I didn't buy it then and in fact I don't think I bought it before today. However along the way I became a Go-Go's fan and liked many of their songs. I liked the idea of an all female band who sang their own songs and played their own instruments. In fact I'm not sure why all female bands weren't popular long before the early 80s. (Well other than the usual stupid reasons.) "Beauty and The Beat", the Go-Gos debut CD, is probably the best CD of the few they've made.
I'm going to add the Youtube video for all 11 songs from this CD, including original videos if I can find them. Enjoy! This blog runs in the same order as the CD. The Go-Gos had incredible timing in starting their career. Just two weeks after "Beauty and the Beat" was released MTV blasted off. There were only a few videos at the time, any video with attractive women was obviously going to be shown a few times. "Our Lips Are Sealed" was a very popular CD when MTV started. With attractive women, a great sound and MTV's help no wonder The Go-Go's broke out big. Like "Beauty and the Beat's" cover, the first song catches your ear as well with the very infectious "Our Lips Are Sealed":
Following "Beauty and the Beat" was "How Much More", it quickly became obvious that the Go-Go's were going to have a very identifiable sound. Many bands have a fun, poppy and upbeat sound, but no other band has ever sounded like the Go-Go's. "How Much More":
Up next is "Tonite", here's the Go-Go's performing it live in 1981:
"Lust To Love" wasn't a big hit, but it's probably one of the Go-Go's most enduring songs:
"This Town":
If anybody wondered if the Go-Go's were going to be a one hit wonder, this next song answered the question. "We Got The Beat":
This was the closest that the Go-Go's got to a ballad: "Fading Fast":
This song feels a bit like a bit of a filler. "Automatic":
"You Can't Walk In Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep)" (live in 2000):
"Skidmarks On My Heart" (live in 2001):
"Can't Stop The World":
Of course Belinda Carlisle went on to have a pretty good solo career. "Heaven Is A Place On Earth" is one of the catchiest songs ever. However I prefer to give solo attention to one of her bandmates, that would be Jane Wiedlin and her criminally forgotten "Rush Hour":
If you have any requests for future greatest CDs of all-time blogs, please send me a request. Of course it would have to be a CD that I think is a classic.
themusicaddict
Dodgers Daily: June 25th, 2013: Matt Kemp Is Back, Dodgers Win 4 In A Row, Pirates Continue To Roll
Hello,
On Tuesday Matt Kemp was activated from the 15 day DL, he'd been on a 3 game rehab assignment in Albuquerque. He didn't exactly burn up the base paths in his three games in Albuquerque. He was 2 for 11 and struck out 6 times as an Isotope. The Dodgers had talked about leaving Kemp in Albuquerque to get his swing back, I'm so glad they didn't. I do wonder after he missed 24 games, will we be getting the start of 2012 (great) Kemp or the start of 2013 (not so good) Kemp?
After the Dodgers lost 5 straight games to the Giants, they've won the last two in this long-time rivalry. With their 6-5 win on Tuesday, LA has won 4 straight games. That's their season long winning streak. After only one game, it looks like LA may be getting the 2013 early season Kemp. Again it's only one game so I'm not jumping to any conclusions. Kemp was 1 for 4 and is hitting .251 this season. He also made a nice catch to end the game.
The offensive star of the game was Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez hit his 5th home run, was 2 for 4 and he's hitting .361 this season. This offense needs his bat desperately, I'm hoping he'll stay healthy and productive.
Of course this Dodgers offense needs any offense. LA has played 76 games and have scored at least 5 runs only 24 times. To no one's surprise the Dodgers are 19-5 in those games. Even though LA seems to be finding it's offense of late, they remain 28th place in MLB in runs scored. They are closer to the 29th place team than to the 27th placed team.
Yasiel Puig continues to show that he's human. Monday night he misplayed a fly ball, but I like that he hustled after the ball after he missed the catch. He didn't pull a Josh Hamilton and act like his team is lucky to have him. On Tuesday, Puig was 0 for 4 and his batting average lowers to .420. Even when Carl Crawford gets back, in about 2 weeks, I hope Puig continues to be the starter.
For the most part the pitching was good. Stephen Fife had a decent game for the Dodgers, improving his record to 2-2. He has an ERA at 3.41. Kenley Jansen had pitched 3 straight days, so he was given the night off. Paco Rodriguez earned this first save of the season. Sadly the game ended up being closer than it should have been. One of Ned Colleti's worst signings, Brandon League, made the game very exciting. He pitched to three batters and recorded no outs. Instead he gave up 3 hits and 2 earned runs as his ERA continues to soar around 6. His current ERA is 5.72, which is probably pretty secure as I don't know how much more Don Mattingly is going to trust him to pitch.
The Dodgers are now 34-42 and they've won 6 of their last 10 games. But they are still in last place in the NL West, trailing the first place Diamondbacks by 7 games. The chances for the Dodgers making the playoffs have improved all the way to 4.8%. Can they break 5%?
Upcoming: the Dodgers go for a rare series sweep on Wednesday as they host San Francisco one final time. It will be Dodgers hard luck pitcher Clayton Kershaw (5-5, 2.06 ERA) vs. hard hit Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum (4-7, 4.52 ERA). Lincecum has slipped a lot since he was known as the Freak.
Of the 7 teams that I follow, 6 of them won on Tuesday. Besides LA, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Oakland, Boston and Atlanta won. My only team that didn't win, predictably was the Cubs, but they did win in one way yesterday. Having exhausted any chance to trade Carlos Marmol the Cubs "designated him for assignment". That's a nice way to say they dumped him. He should be a free agent soon, although I'm not sure why any team would sign him. Marmol was 2-4 this season, with a 5.84 ERA. He also had 3 blown saves, which is more than the saves he had: 2
The Cubs need to prepare for the future and Marmol wasn't part of the Cubs long term plans anyway. The Cubs, who are 31-44 and 16 games behind St. Louis, only has a 1.9% chance of making the playoffs. The Cubs look like they could trade starter Matt Garza soon. Maybe they could trade Garza to the Pirates, although I'm sure that's a pipe dream.
Garza would give the Pirates one more solid starter, which is one of their weaknesses currently. In spite of that the Pirates are rolling. Last night, after they blasted Seattle 9-4, the Pirates improved to 47-30. They have the second best record in MLB and trail the incredibly hot Cardinals by 1 game. St. Louis is the team with the best record in MLB.
Clearly this is shaping up to being one of the best seasons in Pirates history, at least their recent history. The Pirates have won 5 games in a row and 7 of their last 10 games. Pittsburgh hit 5 home runs in this game, the first time they've done that since 2009. Starling Marte continues his very good rookie season by having 3 more hits, he had a triple and two solo home runs. Marte finished the day 3 for 5 and is hitting .283 this season.
themusicaddict
On Tuesday Matt Kemp was activated from the 15 day DL, he'd been on a 3 game rehab assignment in Albuquerque. He didn't exactly burn up the base paths in his three games in Albuquerque. He was 2 for 11 and struck out 6 times as an Isotope. The Dodgers had talked about leaving Kemp in Albuquerque to get his swing back, I'm so glad they didn't. I do wonder after he missed 24 games, will we be getting the start of 2012 (great) Kemp or the start of 2013 (not so good) Kemp?
After the Dodgers lost 5 straight games to the Giants, they've won the last two in this long-time rivalry. With their 6-5 win on Tuesday, LA has won 4 straight games. That's their season long winning streak. After only one game, it looks like LA may be getting the 2013 early season Kemp. Again it's only one game so I'm not jumping to any conclusions. Kemp was 1 for 4 and is hitting .251 this season. He also made a nice catch to end the game.
The offensive star of the game was Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez hit his 5th home run, was 2 for 4 and he's hitting .361 this season. This offense needs his bat desperately, I'm hoping he'll stay healthy and productive.
Of course this Dodgers offense needs any offense. LA has played 76 games and have scored at least 5 runs only 24 times. To no one's surprise the Dodgers are 19-5 in those games. Even though LA seems to be finding it's offense of late, they remain 28th place in MLB in runs scored. They are closer to the 29th place team than to the 27th placed team.
Yasiel Puig continues to show that he's human. Monday night he misplayed a fly ball, but I like that he hustled after the ball after he missed the catch. He didn't pull a Josh Hamilton and act like his team is lucky to have him. On Tuesday, Puig was 0 for 4 and his batting average lowers to .420. Even when Carl Crawford gets back, in about 2 weeks, I hope Puig continues to be the starter.
For the most part the pitching was good. Stephen Fife had a decent game for the Dodgers, improving his record to 2-2. He has an ERA at 3.41. Kenley Jansen had pitched 3 straight days, so he was given the night off. Paco Rodriguez earned this first save of the season. Sadly the game ended up being closer than it should have been. One of Ned Colleti's worst signings, Brandon League, made the game very exciting. He pitched to three batters and recorded no outs. Instead he gave up 3 hits and 2 earned runs as his ERA continues to soar around 6. His current ERA is 5.72, which is probably pretty secure as I don't know how much more Don Mattingly is going to trust him to pitch.
The Dodgers are now 34-42 and they've won 6 of their last 10 games. But they are still in last place in the NL West, trailing the first place Diamondbacks by 7 games. The chances for the Dodgers making the playoffs have improved all the way to 4.8%. Can they break 5%?
Upcoming: the Dodgers go for a rare series sweep on Wednesday as they host San Francisco one final time. It will be Dodgers hard luck pitcher Clayton Kershaw (5-5, 2.06 ERA) vs. hard hit Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum (4-7, 4.52 ERA). Lincecum has slipped a lot since he was known as the Freak.
Of the 7 teams that I follow, 6 of them won on Tuesday. Besides LA, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Oakland, Boston and Atlanta won. My only team that didn't win, predictably was the Cubs, but they did win in one way yesterday. Having exhausted any chance to trade Carlos Marmol the Cubs "designated him for assignment". That's a nice way to say they dumped him. He should be a free agent soon, although I'm not sure why any team would sign him. Marmol was 2-4 this season, with a 5.84 ERA. He also had 3 blown saves, which is more than the saves he had: 2
The Cubs need to prepare for the future and Marmol wasn't part of the Cubs long term plans anyway. The Cubs, who are 31-44 and 16 games behind St. Louis, only has a 1.9% chance of making the playoffs. The Cubs look like they could trade starter Matt Garza soon. Maybe they could trade Garza to the Pirates, although I'm sure that's a pipe dream.
Garza would give the Pirates one more solid starter, which is one of their weaknesses currently. In spite of that the Pirates are rolling. Last night, after they blasted Seattle 9-4, the Pirates improved to 47-30. They have the second best record in MLB and trail the incredibly hot Cardinals by 1 game. St. Louis is the team with the best record in MLB.
Clearly this is shaping up to being one of the best seasons in Pirates history, at least their recent history. The Pirates have won 5 games in a row and 7 of their last 10 games. Pittsburgh hit 5 home runs in this game, the first time they've done that since 2009. Starling Marte continues his very good rookie season by having 3 more hits, he had a triple and two solo home runs. Marte finished the day 3 for 5 and is hitting .283 this season.
themusicaddict
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Dodgers Daily, June 24th, 2013: Puig, Dodgers One Man Offense, Does It Again.
Hello,
For the first time since April 7th, the Dodgers have won 3 games in a row. With the Dodgers being so mediocre this season, this is a major breakthrough. LA was able to beat the Giants 3-1 in the first game of their 3 game series.
Who was the star for LA. Well who else? Yasiel Puig, the one man Dodgers offense, was the star yet again. Puig was 3 for 4 and had half of the Dodgers hits. He hit his 7th home run of the season in the first inning and had a tie breaking RBI in the 8th inning. Puig provided 2/3rds of the Dodgers RBIs. Puig is hitting .442 this season.
Meanwhile Adrian Gonzalez was 0 for 4 and is hitting .297. Andre Ethier had another zero hit game, 0 for 3 and is hitting .252. Mark Ellis was 1 for 3 and is hitting .266 this season. Meanwhile in a rehab assignment, Matt Kemp was 1 for 3 and is hitting .182 for the Isotopes.
Although the Dodgers have won 3 games in a row, they still only won 5 of their last 10 games. Their three consecutive wins gets them to 33-42 this season. They're still in distant last place in the NL West and trail the first place Diamondbacks by 8 games. LA has improved to having a 3.4% chance of making the playoffs now. Whoo-hoo!
The Dodgers have won these three games by scores of 6-1, 3-1 and 3-1. In other words this streak isn't built to last. In the Blue Jays recent 11 game winning streak, they scored a total of 70 runs, which is an average of 6.4 runs. The Blue Jays scored 3 runs or less twice in their 11 game winning streak.
LA has scored 12 runs in their 3 straight wins, an average of 4 runs a game. The Dodgers have already scored 3 runs or less in their 3 wins. Dodgers pitching has been great at preventing runs, but LA's offense needs to be a lot better at scoring runs. That is if they want to be a major player this season.
themusicaddict
For the first time since April 7th, the Dodgers have won 3 games in a row. With the Dodgers being so mediocre this season, this is a major breakthrough. LA was able to beat the Giants 3-1 in the first game of their 3 game series.
Who was the star for LA. Well who else? Yasiel Puig, the one man Dodgers offense, was the star yet again. Puig was 3 for 4 and had half of the Dodgers hits. He hit his 7th home run of the season in the first inning and had a tie breaking RBI in the 8th inning. Puig provided 2/3rds of the Dodgers RBIs. Puig is hitting .442 this season.
Meanwhile Adrian Gonzalez was 0 for 4 and is hitting .297. Andre Ethier had another zero hit game, 0 for 3 and is hitting .252. Mark Ellis was 1 for 3 and is hitting .266 this season. Meanwhile in a rehab assignment, Matt Kemp was 1 for 3 and is hitting .182 for the Isotopes.
Although the Dodgers have won 3 games in a row, they still only won 5 of their last 10 games. Their three consecutive wins gets them to 33-42 this season. They're still in distant last place in the NL West and trail the first place Diamondbacks by 8 games. LA has improved to having a 3.4% chance of making the playoffs now. Whoo-hoo!
The Dodgers have won these three games by scores of 6-1, 3-1 and 3-1. In other words this streak isn't built to last. In the Blue Jays recent 11 game winning streak, they scored a total of 70 runs, which is an average of 6.4 runs. The Blue Jays scored 3 runs or less twice in their 11 game winning streak.
LA has scored 12 runs in their 3 straight wins, an average of 4 runs a game. The Dodgers have already scored 3 runs or less in their 3 wins. Dodgers pitching has been great at preventing runs, but LA's offense needs to be a lot better at scoring runs. That is if they want to be a major player this season.
themusicaddict
Monday, June 24, 2013
Things I'm Not Writing About Today, June 24th, 2013: "World War Z", NBA Draft & Jazz Just Say No To Jimmer (Updated June 25th, 2013)
Hello,
These are things I'm definitely not writing about today.
Sports:
Aaron Hernandez: arrest him already.
The NBA Draft: According to ESPN.com's Chad Ford, the Jazz are projected to select Lucas Noguiera at 14 and Dennis Schroeder at 21. I don't know anything about Noguiera and about the only thing I know about Schroeder is that he's a project.
Dearest Jazz, please do not draft the following players: Kelly Olynyk. I watched him play in March Madness in Salt Lake. My impression of him is that he's soft. He played too much outside of the key, I want my centers to play near the basket. The Jazz have had success with Gonzaga players, but that was John Stockton. He was tough as nails. (To the ESPN "expert" who suggested that Olynyk could end up to the Jazz at #14 on Thursday, I have one thing to say "Noooooo!". It's only funny until someone like that ends up on my team.)
- Please don't draft Jeff Withey, the Jazz haven't done well with slow, stiff, white centers.
- Mason Plumlee: Not only is he a Dukie, but see above.
- Shabazz Muhammad: He may have a tremendous upside, but his off the court issues will probably prevent the conservative Jazz from drafting him. I'm good with that.
Another thing I don't want to see is Jimmer Fredette possibly coming to the Jazz. Just as I begged the Jazz not to draft Fredette two years ago, now I'm begging them not to trade for him. Apparently there's rumors out there that the Kings want to trade Fredette for a first round pick in Thursday's NBA Draft. Because Fredette played college ball in Utah, of course the rumors are that he may end up with the Jazz. The Jazz have the 14th and 21st pick in the first round, I'd prefer having those picks over Fredette. I know this isn't a deep draft, but both of those picks could be diamonds in the rough. People already know what they get with the Jazz.
Let's be frank, Fredette was a great college player. I appreciate all the fun times and great memories he brought to the Cougars. However he doesn't have the skill level to be an impact player in the NBA. If the Jazz trade for Fredette, that would be a step back for the Jazz. The small amount of buzz he would create would be negated by his many distractions he'd bring. It would be similar, on a much smaller scale, to the circus surrounding the Jets and Tim Tebow.
I'm a humongous BYU fan, counting down to going to their home football games this season, but I want the Jazz to have nothing to do with Fredette. I have nothing personal against him and wish him only the best. However he's not going to be a piece of the puzzle to get the Jazz back to being a significant player in the playoffs.
To the person who was wondering on 1280 The Zone this morning if Jimmermania has abated in Utah? The answer is yes, you can now buy his autobiography for half price at local stores. Not only that, but there are a lot of copies remaining.
I would like to see the Jazz draft at least one point guard. I'd be happy if the Jazz draft point guards with both of their first round picks. That way those two players can compete against each other, making each better hopefully. No more of the fill in free agent point guard, let the young point guard(s) learn by playing in games. If I could pick for the Jazz, I'd pick Shane Larkin at 14. I wouldn't be opposed to the Jazz selecting Dennis Schroeder or Isaiah Canaan following Larkin's selection. (Please no more Mo Williams or any of those other current mediocre NBA point guards the Jazz have had recently.)
Chad Ford on ESPN.com is projecting that the Jazz could get Nate Wolters in the second round. I was surprised I'd heard of who he projected for the Jazz. Ford projects that Wolters could go to the Jazz in the second round. I'd be so good with that. With all the free agents the Jazz have, there could be a lot of holes for the Jazz to fill. Wolters could make the Jazz and might even be a good rotation player.
Jazz don't screw this up and you could have a lot of excitement about this seasons team. Go 100% with a youth movement. The only free agent I would even want back would be Paul Milsap, but only if he realizes he's here to help with the youth movement.
The Cowboys' DeMarcus Ware is doing advertisements for Depends adult diapers. That's definitely a metaphor for something, I'm just not sure what. I bet the size he wears is a lot bigger than the size Jerry wears.
Entertainment:
The "World War Z" movie and book are completely different. I went to see the "World War Z" movie this past Friday. It was opening day and I was surprised that the theatre was less than a 1/3 full. But it's a great movie. The opening scene is perfect, setting the tone for the tension of the whole movie. Brad Pitt has received mixed reviews in his performance, but I thought he did a fantastic job. Sometimes it's hard to separate him as an actor and him as Mr. Angelina Jolie.
The movie is also incredibly smart and the action is intense. Don't be fooled by the previews for the movie. If you are like me you thought you knew what the previews were showing. As for me I was wrong in what I thought I knew. I loved that I had no clue of what was going to happen next. Although the movie slowed down at the end, it was a very satisfying conclusion.
I was so jazzed by the movie that I started reading the "World War Z" book by Max Brooks that same day. I'm enjoying it, but the book being broken down into a series of oral histories isn't the most entertaining form of writing for me. I wish the story was told more like the movie in a straight forward narrative. That being said I'm enjoying the book, just not as much as I enjoyed the movie.
"The Killing" is starting to repeat some of it's mistakes of it's first two seasons. The first half of the episode of "Scared and Running" built tension perfectly, but somehow that petered out. "The Killing" spends too much time on false leads.
We've seen the scene when someone calls a cell phone and then finds that cell phone near by.
I'm tired of how constantly dark each episode is, the contrast between the show and the commercials is amazing. The show can still be good with more lighting. "The Killing's" lighting bill must be almost nonexistent. Although when the show is outside, it's usually overcast.
Joel Kinnaman's coolness and sense-of-humor needs to play a bigger part for the rest of this season.
Peter Sarsgaard as serial killer Ray Seward has been great, but that story line is starting to get tired. When are we going to find out the point of his character?
It's funny through the first 2/3rds of "Running and Scared" I liked it and planned on recommending it. However for me the last third of the episode and I started to see how the show is repeating it's mistakes. I hated the whole tracking down the girl, who the detectives thought was Kallie, but it was someone else. There's way too much of that kind of thing.
"The Killing" needs to lighten up in multiple ways. For now I'll continue watching it, but if becomes too much like season 1 or season 2 and I'm going to have to bale.
themusicaddict
These are things I'm definitely not writing about today.
Sports:
Aaron Hernandez: arrest him already.
The NBA Draft: According to ESPN.com's Chad Ford, the Jazz are projected to select Lucas Noguiera at 14 and Dennis Schroeder at 21. I don't know anything about Noguiera and about the only thing I know about Schroeder is that he's a project.
Dearest Jazz, please do not draft the following players: Kelly Olynyk. I watched him play in March Madness in Salt Lake. My impression of him is that he's soft. He played too much outside of the key, I want my centers to play near the basket. The Jazz have had success with Gonzaga players, but that was John Stockton. He was tough as nails. (To the ESPN "expert" who suggested that Olynyk could end up to the Jazz at #14 on Thursday, I have one thing to say "Noooooo!". It's only funny until someone like that ends up on my team.)
- Please don't draft Jeff Withey, the Jazz haven't done well with slow, stiff, white centers.
- Mason Plumlee: Not only is he a Dukie, but see above.
- Shabazz Muhammad: He may have a tremendous upside, but his off the court issues will probably prevent the conservative Jazz from drafting him. I'm good with that.
Another thing I don't want to see is Jimmer Fredette possibly coming to the Jazz. Just as I begged the Jazz not to draft Fredette two years ago, now I'm begging them not to trade for him. Apparently there's rumors out there that the Kings want to trade Fredette for a first round pick in Thursday's NBA Draft. Because Fredette played college ball in Utah, of course the rumors are that he may end up with the Jazz. The Jazz have the 14th and 21st pick in the first round, I'd prefer having those picks over Fredette. I know this isn't a deep draft, but both of those picks could be diamonds in the rough. People already know what they get with the Jazz.
Let's be frank, Fredette was a great college player. I appreciate all the fun times and great memories he brought to the Cougars. However he doesn't have the skill level to be an impact player in the NBA. If the Jazz trade for Fredette, that would be a step back for the Jazz. The small amount of buzz he would create would be negated by his many distractions he'd bring. It would be similar, on a much smaller scale, to the circus surrounding the Jets and Tim Tebow.
I'm a humongous BYU fan, counting down to going to their home football games this season, but I want the Jazz to have nothing to do with Fredette. I have nothing personal against him and wish him only the best. However he's not going to be a piece of the puzzle to get the Jazz back to being a significant player in the playoffs.
To the person who was wondering on 1280 The Zone this morning if Jimmermania has abated in Utah? The answer is yes, you can now buy his autobiography for half price at local stores. Not only that, but there are a lot of copies remaining.
I would like to see the Jazz draft at least one point guard. I'd be happy if the Jazz draft point guards with both of their first round picks. That way those two players can compete against each other, making each better hopefully. No more of the fill in free agent point guard, let the young point guard(s) learn by playing in games. If I could pick for the Jazz, I'd pick Shane Larkin at 14. I wouldn't be opposed to the Jazz selecting Dennis Schroeder or Isaiah Canaan following Larkin's selection. (Please no more Mo Williams or any of those other current mediocre NBA point guards the Jazz have had recently.)
Chad Ford on ESPN.com is projecting that the Jazz could get Nate Wolters in the second round. I was surprised I'd heard of who he projected for the Jazz. Ford projects that Wolters could go to the Jazz in the second round. I'd be so good with that. With all the free agents the Jazz have, there could be a lot of holes for the Jazz to fill. Wolters could make the Jazz and might even be a good rotation player.
Jazz don't screw this up and you could have a lot of excitement about this seasons team. Go 100% with a youth movement. The only free agent I would even want back would be Paul Milsap, but only if he realizes he's here to help with the youth movement.
The Cowboys' DeMarcus Ware is doing advertisements for Depends adult diapers. That's definitely a metaphor for something, I'm just not sure what. I bet the size he wears is a lot bigger than the size Jerry wears.
Entertainment:
The "World War Z" movie and book are completely different. I went to see the "World War Z" movie this past Friday. It was opening day and I was surprised that the theatre was less than a 1/3 full. But it's a great movie. The opening scene is perfect, setting the tone for the tension of the whole movie. Brad Pitt has received mixed reviews in his performance, but I thought he did a fantastic job. Sometimes it's hard to separate him as an actor and him as Mr. Angelina Jolie.
The movie is also incredibly smart and the action is intense. Don't be fooled by the previews for the movie. If you are like me you thought you knew what the previews were showing. As for me I was wrong in what I thought I knew. I loved that I had no clue of what was going to happen next. Although the movie slowed down at the end, it was a very satisfying conclusion.
I was so jazzed by the movie that I started reading the "World War Z" book by Max Brooks that same day. I'm enjoying it, but the book being broken down into a series of oral histories isn't the most entertaining form of writing for me. I wish the story was told more like the movie in a straight forward narrative. That being said I'm enjoying the book, just not as much as I enjoyed the movie.
"The Killing" is starting to repeat some of it's mistakes of it's first two seasons. The first half of the episode of "Scared and Running" built tension perfectly, but somehow that petered out. "The Killing" spends too much time on false leads.
We've seen the scene when someone calls a cell phone and then finds that cell phone near by.
I'm tired of how constantly dark each episode is, the contrast between the show and the commercials is amazing. The show can still be good with more lighting. "The Killing's" lighting bill must be almost nonexistent. Although when the show is outside, it's usually overcast.
Joel Kinnaman's coolness and sense-of-humor needs to play a bigger part for the rest of this season.
Peter Sarsgaard as serial killer Ray Seward has been great, but that story line is starting to get tired. When are we going to find out the point of his character?
It's funny through the first 2/3rds of "Running and Scared" I liked it and planned on recommending it. However for me the last third of the episode and I started to see how the show is repeating it's mistakes. I hated the whole tracking down the girl, who the detectives thought was Kallie, but it was someone else. There's way too much of that kind of thing.
"The Killing" needs to lighten up in multiple ways. For now I'll continue watching it, but if becomes too much like season 1 or season 2 and I'm going to have to bale.
themusicaddict
Dodgers Daily, June 23rd, 2013: Dodgers Win 2 In A Row!, Pirates Continue Improving, Here Come The Jays!
Hello,
The Dodgers won the third and fourth games in their series with the Padres, winning on Sunday 3-1. I predicted that the Padres would win 3 of 4, gladly I was wrong. But for those folks who think this team is finally rounding into shape, let's not get too excited yet.
The Dodgers have won 2 in a row, that's true. However they've still only won 4 of their last 10 games. They're still in last place in the NL West and trail first place Arizona by 8.5 games. They trail fourth place San Diego by 5 games. Clearly a lot of work still needs to be done. Other concerns: LA is still short handed. Matt Kemp had his first rehab assignment at Albuquerque last night, he was 0 for 5 with 4 strikeouts. It looks like Carl Crawford could be out a few more weeks, although LA planning for a future without Crawford wouldn't be the worst idea ever. With his injury history, LA can't just plan on him. When he can contribute, great. But LA needs to move on with healthier players as they have the chance.
Other concerns the Dodgers 27th place in home runs this season. One of the teams LA leads is the Giants, they actually have 8 less homers. Don't look for a lot of homers in their 3 game series starting today. The Dodgers are still 28th place in runs scored in MLB, they only lead the slightly less terrible Nationals by one run.
I'll start believing more in the Dodgers when they go on a similar run to the Blue Jays, winners of 11 in a row. If the Dodgers win 6 of 11, I would be impressed with that. According to ESPN.com LA has a 2.8% chance of reaching the playoffs.
Yasiel Puig seems to be cooling down a bit. Yesterday he was 1 for 4, but is still hitting an incredible .425. Puig also had a nice play in right field on Sunday. I'm glad he's still doing well, but I'll be glad when two or three other Dodgers start playing as consistently as him. Adrian Gonzalez was 2 for 4, had his 10th home run of the season and raised his batting average to .302. Hanley Ramirez followed Gonzalez's 9th inning home run with a home run of his own, his 4th of the season. Ramirez was 1 of 4 and is hitting .358 in the season.
Also Chris Capuano, pitching on short rest, was good in his 5 innings. He gave up 4 hits, but no runs and lowered his ERA to .409. Is Capuano rounding into the Dodgers 4th starter? Let's hope so as the Dodgers desperately need a 4th starter. I'd love that the Dodgers can move on from Josh Beckett and Ted Lilly before the trading deadline. I realize it's a long shot for Beckett, the Dodgers are probably stuck with his contract at the end of next season. Kenley Jansen gave up Carlos Quentin's home run in the 9th inning, but still ended up with his 4th save of the season.
Upcoming for the Dodgers, they open a 3 game series with the Giants today. The scheduled pitching matchup is Hyun-Jin Ryu (6-3) vs. Madison Bumgarner (7-4). The Dodgers have won 2 in a row, but can they win their third game in a row on Monday? The last time they won 3 in a row was April 7th, when they completed a 3 game sweep of the Pirates. San Diego beat them in the Dodgers next game, halting LA from winning 4 games in a row. That 3 game winning streak remains the Dodgers longest winning streak this season. Dodgers-Giants game 1 is on ESPN2 tonight, if you want a watch a probable low scoring game.
The Dodgers play only 1 of 4 games on Monday. There's a chance they can move out of the 28th place in MLB for runs scored. All they have to do is to score 9 runs tonight and they'll move past the White Sox for 27th place in runs. What's that? You say the Dodgers are one of the most anemic offensive teams in MLB. We'll just overlook the fact that it took the Dodgers their last 3 games to score 9 runs. We'll also overlook the fact that after tonight LA will have played two more games than the White Sox.
Things were looking grim for the Pirates yesterday as their game entered the 9th inning. They were down 6-3 and facing the Angels red hot closer. However the Pirates scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th inning to tie the game. The Angels couldn't score in the bottom of the 10th inning and the game went into the 10th inning. Pittsburgh was able to score 4 runs in the top of the 10th to take a 10-6 lead. The Angels were able to score 3 runs in the bottom of the 10th inning, but the Pirates had just enough to win. Pirates closer Jason Grilli struck out Mike Trout to clinch the win for the Pirates.
After Grilli has been so rock strong the early part of the season, he has really struggled of late. Grilli did just enough to close the doors on the Angels, but he sure made the bottom of the 10th inning exciting. In his 1 inning of work he gave up 5 hits, 3 runs as his ERA rose to a still excellent 1.82. I do wonder how his confidence is going to be the next time he pitches though.
Pittsburgh, 46-30, has 4 games in a row and 7 of 10. They move to second place in the NL Central and only trail the first place Cardinals by 1 game. It helps the Pirates can sweep their weekend series while the Pirates are sweeping their weekend series. Pittsburgh and St. Louis are the only teams with a winning percentage above .600. Pittsburgh moves 16 games above .500 and has a 69.8% chance of making the playoffs.
Meanwhile the Blue Jays continue to roll, rolling over my Orioles. Toronto is clearly MLB's hottest team with their 11 wins in a row. The team with the next longest win streak is the Rangers, who've won 5 in a row. They were the team to sweep the Cardinals over the weekend.
The AL East continues to contract, there's only 5 games separating the first place Red Sox and the last place Rays. Boston has struggled of late, losing 4 of 5, but still remain in first place in the AL East. It helps that the second place Orioles were swept over the weekend. The O's are two games behind the Red Sox. The Evil Empire is in third place, with a 41-34 record, they trail Boston by 2.5 games. In 4th place is those Blue Jays, they are 5 games back. Then the team the Blue Jays play today, the Rays, are also 5 games back.
We'll know a lot more about this Blue Jays team when their next 7 games are over. After battering Orioles pitching for 24 runs in 3 games, the Blue Jays start a 3 game series with the Rays today. That series is in Tampa. Then Toronto travels to play the Red Sox for a 4 game series, starting on Thursday.
themusicaddict
The Dodgers won the third and fourth games in their series with the Padres, winning on Sunday 3-1. I predicted that the Padres would win 3 of 4, gladly I was wrong. But for those folks who think this team is finally rounding into shape, let's not get too excited yet.
The Dodgers have won 2 in a row, that's true. However they've still only won 4 of their last 10 games. They're still in last place in the NL West and trail first place Arizona by 8.5 games. They trail fourth place San Diego by 5 games. Clearly a lot of work still needs to be done. Other concerns: LA is still short handed. Matt Kemp had his first rehab assignment at Albuquerque last night, he was 0 for 5 with 4 strikeouts. It looks like Carl Crawford could be out a few more weeks, although LA planning for a future without Crawford wouldn't be the worst idea ever. With his injury history, LA can't just plan on him. When he can contribute, great. But LA needs to move on with healthier players as they have the chance.
Other concerns the Dodgers 27th place in home runs this season. One of the teams LA leads is the Giants, they actually have 8 less homers. Don't look for a lot of homers in their 3 game series starting today. The Dodgers are still 28th place in runs scored in MLB, they only lead the slightly less terrible Nationals by one run.
I'll start believing more in the Dodgers when they go on a similar run to the Blue Jays, winners of 11 in a row. If the Dodgers win 6 of 11, I would be impressed with that. According to ESPN.com LA has a 2.8% chance of reaching the playoffs.
Yasiel Puig seems to be cooling down a bit. Yesterday he was 1 for 4, but is still hitting an incredible .425. Puig also had a nice play in right field on Sunday. I'm glad he's still doing well, but I'll be glad when two or three other Dodgers start playing as consistently as him. Adrian Gonzalez was 2 for 4, had his 10th home run of the season and raised his batting average to .302. Hanley Ramirez followed Gonzalez's 9th inning home run with a home run of his own, his 4th of the season. Ramirez was 1 of 4 and is hitting .358 in the season.
Also Chris Capuano, pitching on short rest, was good in his 5 innings. He gave up 4 hits, but no runs and lowered his ERA to .409. Is Capuano rounding into the Dodgers 4th starter? Let's hope so as the Dodgers desperately need a 4th starter. I'd love that the Dodgers can move on from Josh Beckett and Ted Lilly before the trading deadline. I realize it's a long shot for Beckett, the Dodgers are probably stuck with his contract at the end of next season. Kenley Jansen gave up Carlos Quentin's home run in the 9th inning, but still ended up with his 4th save of the season.
Upcoming for the Dodgers, they open a 3 game series with the Giants today. The scheduled pitching matchup is Hyun-Jin Ryu (6-3) vs. Madison Bumgarner (7-4). The Dodgers have won 2 in a row, but can they win their third game in a row on Monday? The last time they won 3 in a row was April 7th, when they completed a 3 game sweep of the Pirates. San Diego beat them in the Dodgers next game, halting LA from winning 4 games in a row. That 3 game winning streak remains the Dodgers longest winning streak this season. Dodgers-Giants game 1 is on ESPN2 tonight, if you want a watch a probable low scoring game.
The Dodgers play only 1 of 4 games on Monday. There's a chance they can move out of the 28th place in MLB for runs scored. All they have to do is to score 9 runs tonight and they'll move past the White Sox for 27th place in runs. What's that? You say the Dodgers are one of the most anemic offensive teams in MLB. We'll just overlook the fact that it took the Dodgers their last 3 games to score 9 runs. We'll also overlook the fact that after tonight LA will have played two more games than the White Sox.
Things were looking grim for the Pirates yesterday as their game entered the 9th inning. They were down 6-3 and facing the Angels red hot closer. However the Pirates scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th inning to tie the game. The Angels couldn't score in the bottom of the 10th inning and the game went into the 10th inning. Pittsburgh was able to score 4 runs in the top of the 10th to take a 10-6 lead. The Angels were able to score 3 runs in the bottom of the 10th inning, but the Pirates had just enough to win. Pirates closer Jason Grilli struck out Mike Trout to clinch the win for the Pirates.
After Grilli has been so rock strong the early part of the season, he has really struggled of late. Grilli did just enough to close the doors on the Angels, but he sure made the bottom of the 10th inning exciting. In his 1 inning of work he gave up 5 hits, 3 runs as his ERA rose to a still excellent 1.82. I do wonder how his confidence is going to be the next time he pitches though.
Pittsburgh, 46-30, has 4 games in a row and 7 of 10. They move to second place in the NL Central and only trail the first place Cardinals by 1 game. It helps the Pirates can sweep their weekend series while the Pirates are sweeping their weekend series. Pittsburgh and St. Louis are the only teams with a winning percentage above .600. Pittsburgh moves 16 games above .500 and has a 69.8% chance of making the playoffs.
Meanwhile the Blue Jays continue to roll, rolling over my Orioles. Toronto is clearly MLB's hottest team with their 11 wins in a row. The team with the next longest win streak is the Rangers, who've won 5 in a row. They were the team to sweep the Cardinals over the weekend.
The AL East continues to contract, there's only 5 games separating the first place Red Sox and the last place Rays. Boston has struggled of late, losing 4 of 5, but still remain in first place in the AL East. It helps that the second place Orioles were swept over the weekend. The O's are two games behind the Red Sox. The Evil Empire is in third place, with a 41-34 record, they trail Boston by 2.5 games. In 4th place is those Blue Jays, they are 5 games back. Then the team the Blue Jays play today, the Rays, are also 5 games back.
We'll know a lot more about this Blue Jays team when their next 7 games are over. After battering Orioles pitching for 24 runs in 3 games, the Blue Jays start a 3 game series with the Rays today. That series is in Tampa. Then Toronto travels to play the Red Sox for a 4 game series, starting on Thursday.
themusicaddict
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Dodgers Daily June 22nd, 2013: Dodgers Win Too Little Too Late? Braves Struggling
Hello,
In the third game of the Dodgers-Padres four game series, the Dodgers prevailed 6-1. San Diego has won two of the three games so far. Saturday's game was almost beside the point as people's attention was probably on Greinke-Quentin 2: The Rematch. Both the Dodgers and Greinke were able to prevail this time. But this victory has the feeling of winning the battle, but losing the war.
The last time these two teams got together, with Zack Greinke pitching, a brawl broke out after he hit Padres slugger Carlos Quentin. That brawl occurred on April 11th and resulted in Greinke getting his collar bone broken. Greinke then was out a few weeks recovering from his injury and Quentin was out a few games due to suspension. Greinke faced Quentin three times in this game, Quentin was 0 for 3 and struck out twice. Although the crowd was well aware of the inherent drama, the game went on without a hitch.
Although LA has only won 4 of their last 13 games, the Dodgers hope this is the start of playing much better. Their are multiple optimistic quotes coming out of the Dodgers clubhouse. Honestly I laugh at their ridiculous optimism, how is this team going to suddenly learn how to score runs? LA has moved up to 28th place in runs scored, but they still are only averaging 3.57 runs per game. The lowest scoring team in MLB that is successful is the Pirates, they average 3.77 runs per game.
Although I think the Dodgers' optimism is unwarranted, there were some encouraging signs Saturday. Greinke had a great game, 8 innings, gave up 4 hits and only one earned run. He's now 4-2, but his ERA is still at bit high at 3.79. Greinke also struck out 8 Padres. He also got on base twice as the result of two walks. I see the potential the Dodgers paid him so much money for. That was probably his best game of the season. But he did get in that stupid fight, mostly due to his own actions. If he stays healthy and continues to pitch like he did on Saturday, this contract could work out for the Dodgers. However the chances of it working out over the long term for LA seem very slim to me. This type of contract usually favors the player.
Other good signs for the Dodgers: Although Yasiel Puig didn't get a hit, the Dodgers were still able to score 6 runs. Ever since he's been up from Chattanooga, Puig usually is the catalyst for any runs LA has scored. In this game Puig was 0 for 3, but still managed to get on base twice due to walks. He's still hitting .435 and his OBP is .473. Adrian Gonzalez was only 1 for 4, but he did hit his 9th home run this season. Petco Park isn't the easiest place to hit home runs either. Hanley Ramirez had a home run as well, his third of the season. But as is the case most of the time when the Dodgers do hit home runs, both were solo shots.
Although a good win, ultimately it's only one win. It's probably way too little, way too late. But it's nice to think about this the potential of this lineup when the Dodgers eventually get a healthy Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford back. Although I'm not optimistic that the Dodgers can avoid the injury bug the rest of the season.
LA is now 31-42, last place in the NL West. They trail the first place Diamondbacks by 9.5 games. LA has won 1 game in a row, but only 4 of their last 10. As I noted above they've only won 4 of their last 13 games. LA has a 2.2% chance of reaching the playoffs.
Upcoming: Following a good outing last game, Chris Capuano is scheduled to start for the Dodgers on Sunday. Capuano is 2-4 and has a 4.62 ERA. The scheduled starter for the Padres is Andrew Cashner (5-3, 3.56 ERA). It looks like it will be a nearly full house in San Diego on Sunday with only a few tickets remaining.
LA starts a 7 game home stand on Monday. On Monday they start by playing the Giants for 3 games, San Francisco is one of the 4 teams clumped together in the NL West. Those 4 teams have left LA in distant last place. Next LA will welcome the faltering Phillies for 4 games. The Phillies still have a chance of making the playoffs only because the NL East is so weak this season.
The Braves are really struggling of late, they've been shut out two games in a row. The last run they scored was in the 3rd inning of their Thursday game against the Mets. Atlanta has been shut out 11 times this season, which leads MLB. Atlanta also has lost 3 in a row and have only 4 of their last 10 games. But since the NL East is so bad this season, they still lead the Nationals by 5 games. The underperforming Nationals, one of only two teams to have scored less runs than the Dodgers, are only 37-37.
As always thanks to ESPN.com for many of the stats quoted in this blog.
themusicaddict
In the third game of the Dodgers-Padres four game series, the Dodgers prevailed 6-1. San Diego has won two of the three games so far. Saturday's game was almost beside the point as people's attention was probably on Greinke-Quentin 2: The Rematch. Both the Dodgers and Greinke were able to prevail this time. But this victory has the feeling of winning the battle, but losing the war.
The last time these two teams got together, with Zack Greinke pitching, a brawl broke out after he hit Padres slugger Carlos Quentin. That brawl occurred on April 11th and resulted in Greinke getting his collar bone broken. Greinke then was out a few weeks recovering from his injury and Quentin was out a few games due to suspension. Greinke faced Quentin three times in this game, Quentin was 0 for 3 and struck out twice. Although the crowd was well aware of the inherent drama, the game went on without a hitch.
Although LA has only won 4 of their last 13 games, the Dodgers hope this is the start of playing much better. Their are multiple optimistic quotes coming out of the Dodgers clubhouse. Honestly I laugh at their ridiculous optimism, how is this team going to suddenly learn how to score runs? LA has moved up to 28th place in runs scored, but they still are only averaging 3.57 runs per game. The lowest scoring team in MLB that is successful is the Pirates, they average 3.77 runs per game.
Although I think the Dodgers' optimism is unwarranted, there were some encouraging signs Saturday. Greinke had a great game, 8 innings, gave up 4 hits and only one earned run. He's now 4-2, but his ERA is still at bit high at 3.79. Greinke also struck out 8 Padres. He also got on base twice as the result of two walks. I see the potential the Dodgers paid him so much money for. That was probably his best game of the season. But he did get in that stupid fight, mostly due to his own actions. If he stays healthy and continues to pitch like he did on Saturday, this contract could work out for the Dodgers. However the chances of it working out over the long term for LA seem very slim to me. This type of contract usually favors the player.
Other good signs for the Dodgers: Although Yasiel Puig didn't get a hit, the Dodgers were still able to score 6 runs. Ever since he's been up from Chattanooga, Puig usually is the catalyst for any runs LA has scored. In this game Puig was 0 for 3, but still managed to get on base twice due to walks. He's still hitting .435 and his OBP is .473. Adrian Gonzalez was only 1 for 4, but he did hit his 9th home run this season. Petco Park isn't the easiest place to hit home runs either. Hanley Ramirez had a home run as well, his third of the season. But as is the case most of the time when the Dodgers do hit home runs, both were solo shots.
Although a good win, ultimately it's only one win. It's probably way too little, way too late. But it's nice to think about this the potential of this lineup when the Dodgers eventually get a healthy Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford back. Although I'm not optimistic that the Dodgers can avoid the injury bug the rest of the season.
LA is now 31-42, last place in the NL West. They trail the first place Diamondbacks by 9.5 games. LA has won 1 game in a row, but only 4 of their last 10. As I noted above they've only won 4 of their last 13 games. LA has a 2.2% chance of reaching the playoffs.
Upcoming: Following a good outing last game, Chris Capuano is scheduled to start for the Dodgers on Sunday. Capuano is 2-4 and has a 4.62 ERA. The scheduled starter for the Padres is Andrew Cashner (5-3, 3.56 ERA). It looks like it will be a nearly full house in San Diego on Sunday with only a few tickets remaining.
LA starts a 7 game home stand on Monday. On Monday they start by playing the Giants for 3 games, San Francisco is one of the 4 teams clumped together in the NL West. Those 4 teams have left LA in distant last place. Next LA will welcome the faltering Phillies for 4 games. The Phillies still have a chance of making the playoffs only because the NL East is so weak this season.
The Braves are really struggling of late, they've been shut out two games in a row. The last run they scored was in the 3rd inning of their Thursday game against the Mets. Atlanta has been shut out 11 times this season, which leads MLB. Atlanta also has lost 3 in a row and have only 4 of their last 10 games. But since the NL East is so bad this season, they still lead the Nationals by 5 games. The underperforming Nationals, one of only two teams to have scored less runs than the Dodgers, are only 37-37.
As always thanks to ESPN.com for many of the stats quoted in this blog.
themusicaddict
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Dodgers Daily, June 21st, 2013 Different Game, Same Result, Pirates Continue To Do Well
Hello,
For those of you who are stumbling on this blog for the first time: This is one in my continuing series of blogs about the Dodgers following nearly every game day. It's become a very frustrating experience as they've been so bad this season. Their inability to score runs is probably the most frustrating part about being a Dodgers fan. Over the years I've also started cheering for the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Oakland A's, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Atlanta Braves. Fortunately all those teams are better at scoring runs.
In Game 2 of their 4 game series San Diego beat LA 5-2. San Diego has won the first two games in the series, the Padres are well on their way to winning 3 of 4 games in this series. That's what I'd predicted. Once again that doesn't say I'm good at predicting things, it just says I have some common sense. I can see that the two teams are going in completely opposite directions, the Padres have been just as good as the Dodgers have been bad. Due to that and the Padres being at home, predicting they win 3 of 4 was the only logical conclusion. Earlier this season the Padres swept the Dodgers in LA.
Anyway the less said about the Dodgers the better, I just want to point out a few things. Again the Dodgers offense scored very little, only two runs. LA finished with 8 hits, as usual they weren't able to string enough of their hits together to win the game. Yasiel Puig, Mark Ellis and Juan Uribe all had 2 hits each. Yasiel Puig remains the best Dodger player by far. I keep on hearing about this small sample size nonsense and I understand it. However all I can is he keeps on getting hits. On Friday Puig was 2 for 4 and is hitting .455 this season. I do realize that there's no way he'll continue hitting at that level. As always Puig played a part in both of the Dodgers runs. But I do believe we are seeing a superstar in the making. There has to be at least one good piece of the news for the Dodgers this season, right?
Hanley Ramirez was 1 for 2 and is hitting .378 in limited action. Maybe that's the key for the Dodgers is to only have their players play limited games this season. Oh yeah with all the Dodgers injuries, that's exactly what they're doing. Besides Puig and Ramirez, no other active Dodger is hitting .300. Adrian Gonzalez, who did all he could the early part of the season to keep the Dodgers afloat, was 0 for 4. His batting average drops to .299.
The Dodgers are 30-42 and 9.5 games behind first place Arizona. LA has won only 3 of their last 10 games. Meanwhile the hot Padres have surged to second place in the NL West. They've won 8 of 10 and trail the Diamondbacks by 2.5 games. Having a home series with the Dodgers can cure a lot of a team's woes. As of now the Dodgers have a 1.6% chance of reaching the playoffs.
If the Dodgers could miraculously discover an offense they still could make a run in the compacted NL West. Especially if Matt Kemp comes back like he was at the first of the 2012 season. According to a Ramirez tweet Kemp is about to go on a rehab assignment to Albuquerque. Although Kemp before his injury wasn't outstanding, he was only hitting .251, with 2 home runs and 17 RBIs. My hope is that the Dodgers don't rush back Kemp on a season that may already be lost. If he's fully healthy though, then let him play.
Dodgers ace, Clayton Kershaw, had another rough game. He pitched 6.0 innings, gave up 7 hits, 4 earned runs and 1 walk. Although his ERA is 2.06, his record drops to 5-5. Sadly Kershaw, and all Dodgers pitchers, play on a team that provides so little run support.
The scheduled pitcher for today for the Dodgers is Zack "Brawl Facilitator" Greinke. I'm hoping he'll finish the season with more wins than brawls facilitated. I'm pretty sure the Dodgers didn't pay Greinke $147 million over 6 years for his pugilistic skills. San Diego's scheduled pitcher is Edinson Volquez, he's 5-5 with a 5.84 ERA. Although he has the same record as Kershaw, the Padres offense give their entire pitching staff 58 more runs in run support than LA.
In the updated runs stat, the Dodgers remain in 29th place. They only lead the awful Miami Marlins as of now. However the Marlins have been doing better ever since Giancarlo Stanton has been back. They are starting to close in on the Dodgers. After Miami scored 6 runs yesterday, they only trail the Dodgers by 28 runs. Again this shows that money spent doesn't guarantee success. (Although I'd much rather the Dodgers ownership group than the cheap Jeffrey Loria as my team's owner.) LA has the second highest payroll in MLB and the Marlins have the second lowest payroll. At this point of the season the Dodgers are paying $848,246.70 per run, meanwhile the Marlins are paying $174,545.81 per run. Just for fun the lowest paying team in MLB is the Houston Astros. They've scored the 19th most runs in all of MLB at 286 runs, they are paying $85,064.81 per run. (All numbers are approximate, salary info is provided by deadspin.com before the season started.)
On to the Pirates, Pittsburgh fortunately is playing one of those terrible LA teams. They beat the Angels 5-2 on Friday. Pirates rookie pitcher Gerrit Cole has had a promising start to his career. After the Pirates win yesterday, Cole moved to 3-0 on the season. He pitched 6.1 innings, gave up 4 hits and 2 earned runs. I do wish his 3.44 ERA was about .44 lower though. Pedro Alvarez was the the Pirates offensive hero for the second day in a row. On Friday he was 2 for 3 and hit his 17th home run of the season. He also has 49 RBIs although his batting average is only .229. However of late he does seem to be finding his swing.
The Pirates, 44-30, have moved into second place in the NL Central, they trail the very hot Cardinals by 3 games. The Pirates have won 2 in a row and 6 of their last 10 games. Pittsburgh now has a 58.9% chance of making the playoffs. If nothing else I hope this is the year Pittsburgh finally finishes above .500, which would be the first time in 20 years. With 88 games left in the season Pittsburgh is 14 games over .500. The Pirates have started out hot the last two seasons only to crash and burn in the second half of the season. Hopefully they've learned their lessons from the past couple of seasons.
Meanwhile the AL East continues to contract on itself as the Toronto Blue Jays have won 9 straight games. As I'm writing this blog it looks like the Blue Jays might win their 10th game in a row, they have a 4-2 lead over the Orioles in the top of the 9th inning. As of Friday night the Red Sox also won, keeping the difference between first place Boston and last place Toronto at 7 games. The Blue Jays are officially the hottest team in MLB right now as they've won 9 of their last 10 games. The AL East is going to be fun to follow the last 60% of the season.
themusicaddict
For those of you who are stumbling on this blog for the first time: This is one in my continuing series of blogs about the Dodgers following nearly every game day. It's become a very frustrating experience as they've been so bad this season. Their inability to score runs is probably the most frustrating part about being a Dodgers fan. Over the years I've also started cheering for the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Oakland A's, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Atlanta Braves. Fortunately all those teams are better at scoring runs.
In Game 2 of their 4 game series San Diego beat LA 5-2. San Diego has won the first two games in the series, the Padres are well on their way to winning 3 of 4 games in this series. That's what I'd predicted. Once again that doesn't say I'm good at predicting things, it just says I have some common sense. I can see that the two teams are going in completely opposite directions, the Padres have been just as good as the Dodgers have been bad. Due to that and the Padres being at home, predicting they win 3 of 4 was the only logical conclusion. Earlier this season the Padres swept the Dodgers in LA.
Anyway the less said about the Dodgers the better, I just want to point out a few things. Again the Dodgers offense scored very little, only two runs. LA finished with 8 hits, as usual they weren't able to string enough of their hits together to win the game. Yasiel Puig, Mark Ellis and Juan Uribe all had 2 hits each. Yasiel Puig remains the best Dodger player by far. I keep on hearing about this small sample size nonsense and I understand it. However all I can is he keeps on getting hits. On Friday Puig was 2 for 4 and is hitting .455 this season. I do realize that there's no way he'll continue hitting at that level. As always Puig played a part in both of the Dodgers runs. But I do believe we are seeing a superstar in the making. There has to be at least one good piece of the news for the Dodgers this season, right?
Hanley Ramirez was 1 for 2 and is hitting .378 in limited action. Maybe that's the key for the Dodgers is to only have their players play limited games this season. Oh yeah with all the Dodgers injuries, that's exactly what they're doing. Besides Puig and Ramirez, no other active Dodger is hitting .300. Adrian Gonzalez, who did all he could the early part of the season to keep the Dodgers afloat, was 0 for 4. His batting average drops to .299.
The Dodgers are 30-42 and 9.5 games behind first place Arizona. LA has won only 3 of their last 10 games. Meanwhile the hot Padres have surged to second place in the NL West. They've won 8 of 10 and trail the Diamondbacks by 2.5 games. Having a home series with the Dodgers can cure a lot of a team's woes. As of now the Dodgers have a 1.6% chance of reaching the playoffs.
If the Dodgers could miraculously discover an offense they still could make a run in the compacted NL West. Especially if Matt Kemp comes back like he was at the first of the 2012 season. According to a Ramirez tweet Kemp is about to go on a rehab assignment to Albuquerque. Although Kemp before his injury wasn't outstanding, he was only hitting .251, with 2 home runs and 17 RBIs. My hope is that the Dodgers don't rush back Kemp on a season that may already be lost. If he's fully healthy though, then let him play.
Dodgers ace, Clayton Kershaw, had another rough game. He pitched 6.0 innings, gave up 7 hits, 4 earned runs and 1 walk. Although his ERA is 2.06, his record drops to 5-5. Sadly Kershaw, and all Dodgers pitchers, play on a team that provides so little run support.
The scheduled pitcher for today for the Dodgers is Zack "Brawl Facilitator" Greinke. I'm hoping he'll finish the season with more wins than brawls facilitated. I'm pretty sure the Dodgers didn't pay Greinke $147 million over 6 years for his pugilistic skills. San Diego's scheduled pitcher is Edinson Volquez, he's 5-5 with a 5.84 ERA. Although he has the same record as Kershaw, the Padres offense give their entire pitching staff 58 more runs in run support than LA.
In the updated runs stat, the Dodgers remain in 29th place. They only lead the awful Miami Marlins as of now. However the Marlins have been doing better ever since Giancarlo Stanton has been back. They are starting to close in on the Dodgers. After Miami scored 6 runs yesterday, they only trail the Dodgers by 28 runs. Again this shows that money spent doesn't guarantee success. (Although I'd much rather the Dodgers ownership group than the cheap Jeffrey Loria as my team's owner.) LA has the second highest payroll in MLB and the Marlins have the second lowest payroll. At this point of the season the Dodgers are paying $848,246.70 per run, meanwhile the Marlins are paying $174,545.81 per run. Just for fun the lowest paying team in MLB is the Houston Astros. They've scored the 19th most runs in all of MLB at 286 runs, they are paying $85,064.81 per run. (All numbers are approximate, salary info is provided by deadspin.com before the season started.)
On to the Pirates, Pittsburgh fortunately is playing one of those terrible LA teams. They beat the Angels 5-2 on Friday. Pirates rookie pitcher Gerrit Cole has had a promising start to his career. After the Pirates win yesterday, Cole moved to 3-0 on the season. He pitched 6.1 innings, gave up 4 hits and 2 earned runs. I do wish his 3.44 ERA was about .44 lower though. Pedro Alvarez was the the Pirates offensive hero for the second day in a row. On Friday he was 2 for 3 and hit his 17th home run of the season. He also has 49 RBIs although his batting average is only .229. However of late he does seem to be finding his swing.
The Pirates, 44-30, have moved into second place in the NL Central, they trail the very hot Cardinals by 3 games. The Pirates have won 2 in a row and 6 of their last 10 games. Pittsburgh now has a 58.9% chance of making the playoffs. If nothing else I hope this is the year Pittsburgh finally finishes above .500, which would be the first time in 20 years. With 88 games left in the season Pittsburgh is 14 games over .500. The Pirates have started out hot the last two seasons only to crash and burn in the second half of the season. Hopefully they've learned their lessons from the past couple of seasons.
Meanwhile the AL East continues to contract on itself as the Toronto Blue Jays have won 9 straight games. As I'm writing this blog it looks like the Blue Jays might win their 10th game in a row, they have a 4-2 lead over the Orioles in the top of the 9th inning. As of Friday night the Red Sox also won, keeping the difference between first place Boston and last place Toronto at 7 games. The Blue Jays are officially the hottest team in MLB right now as they've won 9 of their last 10 games. The AL East is going to be fun to follow the last 60% of the season.
themusicaddict
Friday, June 21, 2013
Dodgers Daily June 20th, 2013: Dodgers MLB's 29th Team For Runs Scored, Cubs Continue To Falter
Hello,
This is one in my continuing series of writing a blog about the Dodgers nearly every game day. This has become a very frustrating experience as they've been so bad this season. Their inability to score runs is probably the most frustrating part about being a Dodgers fan. Over the years I've also started cheering for the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Oakland A's, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Atlanta Braves.
San Diego welcomed the Dodgers to their home stadium and won the first game in the four game series 6-3. San Diego had been one of the hottest teams in MLB until a couple of days ago, then they lost two straight. It's nothing like welcoming the low scoring Dodgers to solve many of your woes. I predict the Padres will win 3 of 4 games of this series. Last night when the Padres scored 3 runs, I thought the game was over. The anemic Dodgers offense has been so pathetic all season, however the Dodgers were able to score at least 3 runs in Friday's game.
Even though the Dodgers have played 3 games in the last two days, they are still in 29th place in runs scored. That's 29 of 30 MLB teams. Who's fault is this that the Dodgers can't score runs? Part of the blame goes to injuries and part of that blame goes to the man who traded for injured players. Dodgers GM Ned Colleti traded for both Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett, even though both have injury filled pasts. (Yes, I realize this is incredibly simplistic. Dodgers owners probably had as much to do with this trade as Colleti, if not more.)
Not surprisingly both players have been on the DL this season. At least Crawford is effective when he's in the lineup. Even when Beckett was playing, he was terrible. Even when those two players come back, it's only a matter of time until they visit the DL again. Crawford and Beckett are being paid a total of $37,000,000 this season. Matt Kemp is also injured more than average, but overall that has been a good signing. I just hope that he recovers his form as a great player.
LA's 2012 trade with the Red Sox continues to look worse and worse for LA. Adrian Gonzalez has been a good player this season, although I wish he would show a bit more passion. He'll never be the same player he was a few years ago in San Diego, at the age of 31 his power numbers are expected to go down hill. Gonzalez averaged 31.33 home runs a season from 2006 to 2011. Last season he hit a total of 18 home runs. He might hit 15-18 home runs this season, right now he's at 8. He does remain incredibly consistent in his RBIs, about 100 a year. He's on pace to have another 100 RBI season. Nick Punto has been a nice surprise as part of that 2012 trade. This trade will look worse for the Dodgers if Rubby De La Rosa turns into an outstanding pitcher. If Boston wins a World Series this season, I think that Ned Colleti deserves a ring.
All I know is I'm tired of writing the same blog following nearly every Dodgers game.
I haven't written a Cubs update lately. To be frank that's because they're terrible. St. Louis continues to tear through the rest of MLB, today's victims were the Cubs 6-1. St. Louis moves to 47-26 and now has a .644 winning percentage. Not only do the Cardinals have MLB's best record, they are the only team that has a better than .600 winning percentage. St. Louis has a 98.2% chance of making the playoffs. They lead the second place Reds by 3.5 games. One of my teams, the Pirates, are in third place in the NL Central. Pittsburgh is 43-30 and has a 53.5% chance of making the playoffs, they trail the Cardinals by 4 games.
Meanwhile the Cubs are 29-42, a .408 winning percentage and last place in the NL Central. They trail St. Louis by 17 games. The Cubs have lost 2 in a row and only won 4 of their last 10 game. Chicago has a 2.3% chance of making the playoffs. I started cheering for the Cubs because I watched them on WGN back in the summer in the 80s. I wonder what would have happened if I had been able to see the local broadcasts of the Cardinals.
themusicaddict
This is one in my continuing series of writing a blog about the Dodgers nearly every game day. This has become a very frustrating experience as they've been so bad this season. Their inability to score runs is probably the most frustrating part about being a Dodgers fan. Over the years I've also started cheering for the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Oakland A's, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Atlanta Braves.
San Diego welcomed the Dodgers to their home stadium and won the first game in the four game series 6-3. San Diego had been one of the hottest teams in MLB until a couple of days ago, then they lost two straight. It's nothing like welcoming the low scoring Dodgers to solve many of your woes. I predict the Padres will win 3 of 4 games of this series. Last night when the Padres scored 3 runs, I thought the game was over. The anemic Dodgers offense has been so pathetic all season, however the Dodgers were able to score at least 3 runs in Friday's game.
Even though the Dodgers have played 3 games in the last two days, they are still in 29th place in runs scored. That's 29 of 30 MLB teams. Who's fault is this that the Dodgers can't score runs? Part of the blame goes to injuries and part of that blame goes to the man who traded for injured players. Dodgers GM Ned Colleti traded for both Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett, even though both have injury filled pasts. (Yes, I realize this is incredibly simplistic. Dodgers owners probably had as much to do with this trade as Colleti, if not more.)
Not surprisingly both players have been on the DL this season. At least Crawford is effective when he's in the lineup. Even when Beckett was playing, he was terrible. Even when those two players come back, it's only a matter of time until they visit the DL again. Crawford and Beckett are being paid a total of $37,000,000 this season. Matt Kemp is also injured more than average, but overall that has been a good signing. I just hope that he recovers his form as a great player.
LA's 2012 trade with the Red Sox continues to look worse and worse for LA. Adrian Gonzalez has been a good player this season, although I wish he would show a bit more passion. He'll never be the same player he was a few years ago in San Diego, at the age of 31 his power numbers are expected to go down hill. Gonzalez averaged 31.33 home runs a season from 2006 to 2011. Last season he hit a total of 18 home runs. He might hit 15-18 home runs this season, right now he's at 8. He does remain incredibly consistent in his RBIs, about 100 a year. He's on pace to have another 100 RBI season. Nick Punto has been a nice surprise as part of that 2012 trade. This trade will look worse for the Dodgers if Rubby De La Rosa turns into an outstanding pitcher. If Boston wins a World Series this season, I think that Ned Colleti deserves a ring.
All I know is I'm tired of writing the same blog following nearly every Dodgers game.
I haven't written a Cubs update lately. To be frank that's because they're terrible. St. Louis continues to tear through the rest of MLB, today's victims were the Cubs 6-1. St. Louis moves to 47-26 and now has a .644 winning percentage. Not only do the Cardinals have MLB's best record, they are the only team that has a better than .600 winning percentage. St. Louis has a 98.2% chance of making the playoffs. They lead the second place Reds by 3.5 games. One of my teams, the Pirates, are in third place in the NL Central. Pittsburgh is 43-30 and has a 53.5% chance of making the playoffs, they trail the Cardinals by 4 games.
Meanwhile the Cubs are 29-42, a .408 winning percentage and last place in the NL Central. They trail St. Louis by 17 games. The Cubs have lost 2 in a row and only won 4 of their last 10 game. Chicago has a 2.3% chance of making the playoffs. I started cheering for the Cubs because I watched them on WGN back in the summer in the 80s. I wonder what would have happened if I had been able to see the local broadcasts of the Cardinals.
themusicaddict
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Songs Rocking themusicaddict's iPod June, 2013
Hello,
I had a great workout this morning, part of the reason is the great music I have on my iPod. The music I put on my iPod is geared towards great music for exercise. Here's some of those songs that was rocking my workout this morning, other great songs on my iPod and a song I fell in love with on Spotify this morning.
This is the song on Spotify I fell in love with, Beth Hart's "The Ugliest House On The Block":
Great songs rocking my iPod:
I love Rush's "Spirit of Radio" so much, it seems to have foretold the poisonous rise of corporate America. Here's "Spirit of Radio" with a tag of "Paint It Black" live:
My all-time favorite RUN-D.M.C. song, "It's Tricky":
I remember this song from this morning and how it kicked my butt, the Black Eyed Peas "Rock That Body":
I'm sad that My Chemical Romance has broken up. Yet another group that I got into way too late. "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)":
Shakira's "Whenever, Wherever":
Boston's "Cool The Engines":
Creed's "My Own Prison" (Live at Woodstock '99):
Depeche Mode's "A Pain That I'm Used To":
The studio version of the same song:
Evanescence's "My Immortal":
Project Jenny, Project Jan (featuring Fujiya and Miyagi) "Pins and Needles":
Hinder's "Lips Of An Angel":
Mark Chesnutt's "I Just Wanted You To Know":
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam's "I Wonder If I Take You Home":
U2's "Elevation" (Live):
Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car":
The amazing ZZ Ward and "Put The Gun Down":
Van Halen, or some would say, Van Hagar's "Feels So Good":
Here's their "5150" CD:
Sarah Vaughn's "Fever" (Extended Adam Freeland Mix):
Rick James "Super Freak":
Okay the girl has gone kind of crazy, but I love Miley Cyrus' "Liberty Walk":
The fantastic Nelly Furtado's "Explode":
Pink's "Last To Know":
Reel Big Fish's "Sell Out":
Redlight King's "Bullet In My Hand":
themusicaddict
I had a great workout this morning, part of the reason is the great music I have on my iPod. The music I put on my iPod is geared towards great music for exercise. Here's some of those songs that was rocking my workout this morning, other great songs on my iPod and a song I fell in love with on Spotify this morning.
This is the song on Spotify I fell in love with, Beth Hart's "The Ugliest House On The Block":
Great songs rocking my iPod:
I love Rush's "Spirit of Radio" so much, it seems to have foretold the poisonous rise of corporate America. Here's "Spirit of Radio" with a tag of "Paint It Black" live:
My all-time favorite RUN-D.M.C. song, "It's Tricky":
I remember this song from this morning and how it kicked my butt, the Black Eyed Peas "Rock That Body":
I'm sad that My Chemical Romance has broken up. Yet another group that I got into way too late. "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)":
Shakira's "Whenever, Wherever":
Boston's "Cool The Engines":
Creed's "My Own Prison" (Live at Woodstock '99):
Depeche Mode's "A Pain That I'm Used To":
The studio version of the same song:
Evanescence's "My Immortal":
Project Jenny, Project Jan (featuring Fujiya and Miyagi) "Pins and Needles":
Hinder's "Lips Of An Angel":
Mark Chesnutt's "I Just Wanted You To Know":
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam's "I Wonder If I Take You Home":
U2's "Elevation" (Live):
Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car":
The amazing ZZ Ward and "Put The Gun Down":
Van Halen, or some would say, Van Hagar's "Feels So Good":
Here's their "5150" CD:
Sarah Vaughn's "Fever" (Extended Adam Freeland Mix):
Rick James "Super Freak":
Okay the girl has gone kind of crazy, but I love Miley Cyrus' "Liberty Walk":
The fantastic Nelly Furtado's "Explode":
Pink's "Last To Know":
Reel Big Fish's "Sell Out":
Redlight King's "Bullet In My Hand":
themusicaddict
Dodgers Daily, June 19th, 2013: Dodgers-Yankees Play 2, Orioles Continue Rolling, Pirates Update
Hello,
This will be my Dodgers Daily for the doubleheader between the Dodgers-Yankees that they played on June 19th, 2013. This is the first time the Dodgers played against the Yankees in New York since Game 6 of the 1981 World Series.
The Dodgers lost the first game 6-4, but they did score 4 runs. Scoring 4 runs in one game is a great day for the Dodgers offense. Again Yasiel Puig was one of the stars of the game for the Dodgers. Puig was 2 for 5 and is now hitting .472 through this game. It seems that Hanley Ramirez is returning to full health. In this game he was 4 for 4 and raised his batting average to .343. Due to injuries Ramirez has only played limited games this season. Although he hit a home run, it was only his second home run of the season. His batting average will probably come back to earth once he's played a lot more games. But all this Dodgers fan has to say is I'm so glad to have him back.
Hyun-Jin Ryu didn't have a particularly good game in his Yankees Stadium debut. In 6 innings he gave up 5 hits and 3 earned runs. Ryu is now 6-3 this season. Although not a great game by his standards, his ERA remains at a respectable 2.96. Since they are playing in an American League stadium, which means a DH plays for both teams, Ryu wasn't able to have his always entertaining at bats.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Dodgers bounced back with a 6-0 shutout. Of the two Dodgers pitchers that started Wednesday, you'd expect a better performance from Ryu than Chris Capuano. However Capuano was better on this day. He pitched 6 innings, gave up 3 hits and no runs. He's now 2-4 on the season, with a 4.62 ERA.
The offensive stars of this game were, well you can probably guess at least one. Once again Puig was one of the Dodgers stars. He was 2 for 4, hit his 5th home of the season and raised his batting average to .474. Hanley Ramirez had another great game for the Dodgers, he was 2 for 4. He's now hitting .359 on the season. Again with his at bats so few this season a couple of hits in a game can have a dramatic difference.
Ramirez was 6 for 8 in the doubleheader. Adrian Gonzalez also represented himself well, he was 4 for 9 over both games. Gonzalez is now hitting .309 this season. Andre Ethier, who sounds like he could be traded any day now, was 2 for 6. He raised his batting average to .251, he's really struggling, but at least he's out there everyday competing.
As for Puig he continues to hit historic milestones. Thanks to espn.com, as always, he's had 27 hits in 15 games. He's tied for third all-time in that category, he's tied with Joltin' Joe DiMaggio and Terry Pendleton. If he goes on to have a career like either of those players, I'd be very glad. I just hope he doesn't have a career like the two players who had more hits in 15 games. I haven't ever heard of either player.
The combustible Dodgers now go to San Diego for a 4 game series with the combustible Padres. The two teams have already had a brawl this season. Also both teams have had at least one other brawl with another team. The Padres had a brawl with the Giants last night, earlier in the year LA had a brawl with the Diamondbacks. In both of the Dodger brawls, Zack Greinke played a part. In case you're wondering, he's scheduled to pitch Saturday night's game. Conveniently it's scheduled to be one of the Fox Saturday night games. I get the feeling that teams in the NL West seem like they don't like each other.
The Dodgers are now 30-40 and last place in the NL West, they trail the first place Diamondbacks by 8 games. LA has won 1 game in a row but only 3 of their last 10 games. LA has a 2.8% chance of reaching the playoffs. Although with two wild card teams, the playoffs are a bit watered down.
The Dodgers scored 10 runs in the doubleheader on Wednesday. Does that mean their offense is finally waking up? Or am I just being a homer, thinking the Dodgers will bounce back no matter the evidence before my eyes?
It will definitely help the Dodgers when they get Carl Crawford and Matt Kemp back. (Although I do wonder when those two get back, who's turn will it be to be injured?) Crawford ($20,857,143) is still recovering from his hamstring injury, there doesn't seem to be a timetable when he'll be back. Kemp ($20,250,000) seems to be slowly recovering as well. Now he can play about 75% without pain. It sounds like he could be back soon, but there's no specific timetable. It would also be a help if Scott Van Slyke will be back soon. As for Ted Lilly and Josh Beckett you two can stay on DL for the rest of the year.
I've mocked the Dodgers ever since last season for their inability to score runs. As of now the Dodgers are tied for 27th place with the White Sox for runs scored. Although you'd have to give the edge there to the White Sox as they've played one less game. If the Dodgers explode today, they could move all the way to 26th place in runs scored, bypassing the White Sox and Mariners.
(I'm thinking of writing a blog about how MLB teams shouldn't sign players in their late 20s or early 30s to long term contracts. Rarely does that type of contract seem to work out for the team. LA has several examples of this type of player with Beckett, Lilly and possibly Carl Crawford. This season's Yankees team is also a cautionary tale about signing the age 30ish player to a long term contract. Mark Texeria or ARod anyone? Rodriguez's contract probably isn't the worst of all-time, but I can't think of a contract that's worse. The latest player to join this non-distinguished crew is Josh Hamilton, although I thought him being a bust was pretty easy to spot. If I'd been a GM, I wouldn't have signed him to a 5 year- $5 million contract. However the Angels signed him to a 5 year-$125 million contract, that's a lot of money to pay to a team's 7th hitter. He's been a terrible signing, I don't care how the Angels spin it.)
Sorry for the digression.
The Orioles continue to roll and the AL East teams continues to close in on each other. Baltimore slapped around the Tigers Wednesday afternoon 13-3. Chris Davis continues his assault on the Triple Crown. He hit his 25th and 26th home runs and had 5 RBIs on the day. Davis was also 3 for 5 and is now hitting .337 on the season. I'm loving the Chris Davis story so much, I just hope I never hear the words "P.E.D.'s" or "steroids" in relation to his name.
The Orioles are now 42-31 and in second place in the AL East, they are 1.5 games behind the Red Sox (44-30, 83.3%). Baltimore has won 7 of 10 and now have a 52.5% chance of making the playoffs. In third place are the Yankees, they are 3.5 games back. The Rays are in 4th place, trailing Boston by 6 games. In the battle of the hottest teams in MLB, the Blue Jays edged the Padres as Toronto has won 8 games in a row. The Blue Jays continue to surge up the AL East. Toronto is now 35-36, 7.5 games behind the Red Sox and have a 17.9% chance of making the playoffs. Also Jose Reyes should be back very soon for the Blue Jays. Objects in your mirror are closer than they appear.
The Orioles have Thursday off, before starting a crucial 3 games series with the Blue Jays in Toronto.
In the last game of the Orioles-Tigers series Miguel Cabrera didn't embarrass himself either. He's also trying to win the Triple Crown, it would be his second season in a row. Cabrera was 2 for 4, he's now hitting .361, with 19 home runs and an incredible 71 RBIs. Cabrera and Davis are either first or second in MLB for all of the Triple Crown stats.
Finally, the Pirates lost a heartbreaker on Wednesday. They lost in 13 innings to the Reds. Jason Grilli, Pirates closer extraordinaire, gave up a home run to the Reds Jay Bruce. Unfortunately it was a 1-0 game in the bottom of the 9th, Bruce's home run tied the game. It's also Bruce's first career hit off of Grilli. The Reds went on to win in 13 innings. Up to that point Grilli had converted all 25 of his save opportunities and hadn't given up any home runs.
The Pirates are now 42-30 and 3rd place in the NL Central. They have a 48.8% chance of making the playoffs. They trail St. Louis by 4 games, the Cardinals have the best record in all of MLB, and have a 97.5% of making the playoffs. The Reds are in second place in the NL Central, 2.5 games back of the Cardinals. As I write this the two teams are playing each other in Cincinnati. A victory on Thursday for Pittsburgh would be a real shot in the arm. It's 2-2 in the top of the 7th inning and the Pirates have the bases loaded. Pedro Alvarez had a double and drove in 3 runs. Pittsburgh leads 5-2, currently Alavarez is 3 for 4, one home run and 5 RBIs. Come on Pittsburgh, close the Reds out. The Pirates got a big 5-3 victory, that was a huge victory and a huge game by Alvarez.
After that the Pirates then have a three game series against the terrible Angels (32-40).
themusicaddict
This will be my Dodgers Daily for the doubleheader between the Dodgers-Yankees that they played on June 19th, 2013. This is the first time the Dodgers played against the Yankees in New York since Game 6 of the 1981 World Series.
The Dodgers lost the first game 6-4, but they did score 4 runs. Scoring 4 runs in one game is a great day for the Dodgers offense. Again Yasiel Puig was one of the stars of the game for the Dodgers. Puig was 2 for 5 and is now hitting .472 through this game. It seems that Hanley Ramirez is returning to full health. In this game he was 4 for 4 and raised his batting average to .343. Due to injuries Ramirez has only played limited games this season. Although he hit a home run, it was only his second home run of the season. His batting average will probably come back to earth once he's played a lot more games. But all this Dodgers fan has to say is I'm so glad to have him back.
Hyun-Jin Ryu didn't have a particularly good game in his Yankees Stadium debut. In 6 innings he gave up 5 hits and 3 earned runs. Ryu is now 6-3 this season. Although not a great game by his standards, his ERA remains at a respectable 2.96. Since they are playing in an American League stadium, which means a DH plays for both teams, Ryu wasn't able to have his always entertaining at bats.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Dodgers bounced back with a 6-0 shutout. Of the two Dodgers pitchers that started Wednesday, you'd expect a better performance from Ryu than Chris Capuano. However Capuano was better on this day. He pitched 6 innings, gave up 3 hits and no runs. He's now 2-4 on the season, with a 4.62 ERA.
The offensive stars of this game were, well you can probably guess at least one. Once again Puig was one of the Dodgers stars. He was 2 for 4, hit his 5th home of the season and raised his batting average to .474. Hanley Ramirez had another great game for the Dodgers, he was 2 for 4. He's now hitting .359 on the season. Again with his at bats so few this season a couple of hits in a game can have a dramatic difference.
Ramirez was 6 for 8 in the doubleheader. Adrian Gonzalez also represented himself well, he was 4 for 9 over both games. Gonzalez is now hitting .309 this season. Andre Ethier, who sounds like he could be traded any day now, was 2 for 6. He raised his batting average to .251, he's really struggling, but at least he's out there everyday competing.
As for Puig he continues to hit historic milestones. Thanks to espn.com, as always, he's had 27 hits in 15 games. He's tied for third all-time in that category, he's tied with Joltin' Joe DiMaggio and Terry Pendleton. If he goes on to have a career like either of those players, I'd be very glad. I just hope he doesn't have a career like the two players who had more hits in 15 games. I haven't ever heard of either player.
The combustible Dodgers now go to San Diego for a 4 game series with the combustible Padres. The two teams have already had a brawl this season. Also both teams have had at least one other brawl with another team. The Padres had a brawl with the Giants last night, earlier in the year LA had a brawl with the Diamondbacks. In both of the Dodger brawls, Zack Greinke played a part. In case you're wondering, he's scheduled to pitch Saturday night's game. Conveniently it's scheduled to be one of the Fox Saturday night games. I get the feeling that teams in the NL West seem like they don't like each other.
The Dodgers are now 30-40 and last place in the NL West, they trail the first place Diamondbacks by 8 games. LA has won 1 game in a row but only 3 of their last 10 games. LA has a 2.8% chance of reaching the playoffs. Although with two wild card teams, the playoffs are a bit watered down.
The Dodgers scored 10 runs in the doubleheader on Wednesday. Does that mean their offense is finally waking up? Or am I just being a homer, thinking the Dodgers will bounce back no matter the evidence before my eyes?
It will definitely help the Dodgers when they get Carl Crawford and Matt Kemp back. (Although I do wonder when those two get back, who's turn will it be to be injured?) Crawford ($20,857,143) is still recovering from his hamstring injury, there doesn't seem to be a timetable when he'll be back. Kemp ($20,250,000) seems to be slowly recovering as well. Now he can play about 75% without pain. It sounds like he could be back soon, but there's no specific timetable. It would also be a help if Scott Van Slyke will be back soon. As for Ted Lilly and Josh Beckett you two can stay on DL for the rest of the year.
I've mocked the Dodgers ever since last season for their inability to score runs. As of now the Dodgers are tied for 27th place with the White Sox for runs scored. Although you'd have to give the edge there to the White Sox as they've played one less game. If the Dodgers explode today, they could move all the way to 26th place in runs scored, bypassing the White Sox and Mariners.
(I'm thinking of writing a blog about how MLB teams shouldn't sign players in their late 20s or early 30s to long term contracts. Rarely does that type of contract seem to work out for the team. LA has several examples of this type of player with Beckett, Lilly and possibly Carl Crawford. This season's Yankees team is also a cautionary tale about signing the age 30ish player to a long term contract. Mark Texeria or ARod anyone? Rodriguez's contract probably isn't the worst of all-time, but I can't think of a contract that's worse. The latest player to join this non-distinguished crew is Josh Hamilton, although I thought him being a bust was pretty easy to spot. If I'd been a GM, I wouldn't have signed him to a 5 year- $5 million contract. However the Angels signed him to a 5 year-$125 million contract, that's a lot of money to pay to a team's 7th hitter. He's been a terrible signing, I don't care how the Angels spin it.)
Sorry for the digression.
The Orioles continue to roll and the AL East teams continues to close in on each other. Baltimore slapped around the Tigers Wednesday afternoon 13-3. Chris Davis continues his assault on the Triple Crown. He hit his 25th and 26th home runs and had 5 RBIs on the day. Davis was also 3 for 5 and is now hitting .337 on the season. I'm loving the Chris Davis story so much, I just hope I never hear the words "P.E.D.'s" or "steroids" in relation to his name.
The Orioles are now 42-31 and in second place in the AL East, they are 1.5 games behind the Red Sox (44-30, 83.3%). Baltimore has won 7 of 10 and now have a 52.5% chance of making the playoffs. In third place are the Yankees, they are 3.5 games back. The Rays are in 4th place, trailing Boston by 6 games. In the battle of the hottest teams in MLB, the Blue Jays edged the Padres as Toronto has won 8 games in a row. The Blue Jays continue to surge up the AL East. Toronto is now 35-36, 7.5 games behind the Red Sox and have a 17.9% chance of making the playoffs. Also Jose Reyes should be back very soon for the Blue Jays. Objects in your mirror are closer than they appear.
The Orioles have Thursday off, before starting a crucial 3 games series with the Blue Jays in Toronto.
In the last game of the Orioles-Tigers series Miguel Cabrera didn't embarrass himself either. He's also trying to win the Triple Crown, it would be his second season in a row. Cabrera was 2 for 4, he's now hitting .361, with 19 home runs and an incredible 71 RBIs. Cabrera and Davis are either first or second in MLB for all of the Triple Crown stats.
Finally, the Pirates lost a heartbreaker on Wednesday. They lost in 13 innings to the Reds. Jason Grilli, Pirates closer extraordinaire, gave up a home run to the Reds Jay Bruce. Unfortunately it was a 1-0 game in the bottom of the 9th, Bruce's home run tied the game. It's also Bruce's first career hit off of Grilli. The Reds went on to win in 13 innings. Up to that point Grilli had converted all 25 of his save opportunities and hadn't given up any home runs.
The Pirates are now 42-30 and 3rd place in the NL Central. They have a 48.8% chance of making the playoffs. They trail St. Louis by 4 games, the Cardinals have the best record in all of MLB, and have a 97.5% of making the playoffs. The Reds are in second place in the NL Central, 2.5 games back of the Cardinals. As I write this the two teams are playing each other in Cincinnati. A victory on Thursday for Pittsburgh would be a real shot in the arm. It's 2-2 in the top of the 7th inning and the Pirates have the bases loaded. Pedro Alvarez had a double and drove in 3 runs. Pittsburgh leads 5-2, currently Alavarez is 3 for 4, one home run and 5 RBIs. Come on Pittsburgh, close the Reds out. The Pirates got a big 5-3 victory, that was a huge victory and a huge game by Alvarez.
After that the Pirates then have a three game series against the terrible Angels (32-40).
themusicaddict
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Ray Allen, Yes!, Give LeBron James His Due!, Dodgers Double Header
Hello,
Wow, that was a big time clutch three pointer by Ray Allen with 5.2 seconds left in the game. It's for shots like that that he was brought to Miami. Even if he had done nothing else the rest of the season, he earned his paycheck with that one shot. That was also a big time offensive rebound by Chris Bosh.
It's time for people to give LeBron James his due. He had a triple double last night in a game where there was a chance for his team to be eliminated.
The Heat rallied to the victory in part due to their 19-7 run at the start of the 4th quarter. Not only is it time to give James his due, it's time to give the Heat their due. This is their third straight NBA Finals and as of tomorrow, their second straight title.
I'm also calling it now. The Heat will win Game 7 and I predict they are going to win big.
If you still want to harp on someone, harp on two players who are actually over rated. The first is Dwight Howard, who people want for some reason. Although he desperately needs to practice his foul shooting, I'm sure that's the last thing on his mind right now. The second is Carmelo Anthony, a man that puts self before team. Neither player will ever win a NBA title as a key player.
The Dodgers right now are playing a day/night doubleheader against long time rival Yankees. The games are being played in the Bronx. The first game pitching matchup is Hyun-Jin Ryu vs. Hiroki Kuroda. Kuroda is a former Dodger, a player I wish they wouldn't have let get away.
The Dodgers had Monday off and the suppose to be first game in this series yesterday was postponed due to rain. Due to that, and their anemic offense, the Dodgers have slid to 29th place in runs scored. They now trail the Nationals by 3 runs and the White Sox by 6 runs. With two games today, can the Dodgers move up the list. It's a good thing that the Astros have a Triple A roster, or it's quite likely that the Dodgers would be last place in runs scored right now.
I find the start of the first game today to be very instructive. Nick Punto is the leadoff hitter today, he grounded out in his first at bat. Yasiel Puig, now hitting .490, then had a hit in the 1st inning. He was thrown out at second base as he was trying to stretch the hit into a double. Adrian Gonzalez then was next up and he grounded to shortstop. Gonzalez's batting average continues to drop, he's now hitting a still very good .302 though. That inning serves as a great metaphor for the whole Dodgers season.
themusicaddict
Wow, that was a big time clutch three pointer by Ray Allen with 5.2 seconds left in the game. It's for shots like that that he was brought to Miami. Even if he had done nothing else the rest of the season, he earned his paycheck with that one shot. That was also a big time offensive rebound by Chris Bosh.
It's time for people to give LeBron James his due. He had a triple double last night in a game where there was a chance for his team to be eliminated.
The Heat rallied to the victory in part due to their 19-7 run at the start of the 4th quarter. Not only is it time to give James his due, it's time to give the Heat their due. This is their third straight NBA Finals and as of tomorrow, their second straight title.
I'm also calling it now. The Heat will win Game 7 and I predict they are going to win big.
If you still want to harp on someone, harp on two players who are actually over rated. The first is Dwight Howard, who people want for some reason. Although he desperately needs to practice his foul shooting, I'm sure that's the last thing on his mind right now. The second is Carmelo Anthony, a man that puts self before team. Neither player will ever win a NBA title as a key player.
The Dodgers right now are playing a day/night doubleheader against long time rival Yankees. The games are being played in the Bronx. The first game pitching matchup is Hyun-Jin Ryu vs. Hiroki Kuroda. Kuroda is a former Dodger, a player I wish they wouldn't have let get away.
The Dodgers had Monday off and the suppose to be first game in this series yesterday was postponed due to rain. Due to that, and their anemic offense, the Dodgers have slid to 29th place in runs scored. They now trail the Nationals by 3 runs and the White Sox by 6 runs. With two games today, can the Dodgers move up the list. It's a good thing that the Astros have a Triple A roster, or it's quite likely that the Dodgers would be last place in runs scored right now.
I find the start of the first game today to be very instructive. Nick Punto is the leadoff hitter today, he grounded out in his first at bat. Yasiel Puig, now hitting .490, then had a hit in the 1st inning. He was thrown out at second base as he was trying to stretch the hit into a double. Adrian Gonzalez then was next up and he grounded to shortstop. Gonzalez's batting average continues to drop, he's now hitting a still very good .302 though. That inning serves as a great metaphor for the whole Dodgers season.
themusicaddict
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
"Rectify" "The Killing" of "Mad Men", "Longmire" Investigates
Hello,
Yes, the title is a little bit of a play on words, it's nice how they all fit together.
I'm writing this after seeing the first 4 episodes of "Rectify", the first 4 episodes of Season 3 of "The Killing", the first 3 episodes of Season 2 of "Longmire" and after I stopped watching Season 6 of "Mad Men" a few weeks ago.
"Rectify" is a show on the Sundance Channel and it's some of the most solid storytelling going on in TV right now. The main character is Daniel Holden, who has been in jail for 19 years. Although he was released due to DNA evidence, that doesn't necessarily mean he's completely innocent. (The first 4 episodes are very close in quality to the amazing "Homeland", which is the best show on television. In their stillness Holden and "Homeland's" Nicholas Brody remind me a lot of each other. Does prolonged captivity lead to a life of stillness?)
Although "Rectify's" six episode first season has concluded, I just barely started watching it. "Rectify" is the story of a prisoner, Daniel Holden, who was released because of DNA evidence. Holden is magnificently played by Aden Young Although Holden has been released, he still may go to trial for the murder of his child hood girl friend. The first four episodes shows Holden's first tentative steps following his release from jail. He notices how the area he grew up has changed, sees the Big Gulp type of drinks available, is amazed by a hot dog cooking machine and gets his first cell phone.
Holden is at turn perplexed, amazed and confused about all the changes that have gone on in the world since he was incarcerated. I got a laugh when the very laconic Holden buys a bottle of Smart water and asks the clerk "does this really work?"
He also has to deal with annoying news crew, people that think he's still guilty and even well meaning
people who may be misguided. His family the most part is supportive, especially his sister Amantha. Each family member has a journey to go through in order to find the kind of relationship they'll have with Daniel.
One way you can tell this is a fictional family is because Holden has incredibly hot relatives. First is his sister Amantha, played by the gorgeous Abigail Spencer. He also has an incredibly hot sister-in-law, Tawney, played by Adelaide Clemons. Sadly Tawney ended up marrying a clueless jerk, who's name is Ted Jr. She's slowly edging him out of her life. Meanwhile Ted Jr. has no clue what's going on. Ted Jr. feels threatened by Daniel as he's afraid Daniel may be taking his job.
At the end of the 4th episode Tawney and Daniel exchange an awkward hug, the hug seems to waken feelings in both characters. Tawney had invited Daniel out to her church, where she's a volunteer. They have a conversation and seem to have made a connection. Tawney is a goody too shoes, but Daniel seems to have some kind of opposite affect on her. What does the hug mean to the two participants?
Daniel runs into an old friend, who offers her body to him. The pleasurable touch of a woman has been unavailable to him for 19 years, he seems to be remembering how much he has missed that. The female friend is just a fling. What will happen with him and Tawney?
Ted Jr. is probably the first of many who'll learn never to ask a question of Daniel again unless they really want to hear the answer, no matter how disgusting. For instance, I have a feeling that Ted Jr. will never ask anyone again about prison conjugal visits. Young's answer and his body language is a marvel in acting.
"Rectify" will be back for Season 2 and it's scheduled to have 10 episodes.
"The Killing": I ripped on the first two seasons of the show for all the things wrong that Veena Sud et. al did with what seems to be such a good idea. However in Season 3 "The Killing" is starting to live up to it's potential. This third season has been an utter revelation.
It seems the producers have learned from the first two seasons. Dumping the boring Larson family and the whole political angle was desperately needed. Eliminating those story lines eliminated some of the weakest links of "The Killing". No longer does the show go through long stretches where nothing happens. The third season almost seems to be burying the past and please don't let the past come back.
Sarah Linden's (Mireille Enos) obsession works a lot better now, now that she no longer has her son to look after. Holder (Joel Kinnaman) is becoming a better detective and still has the great lines. His use of sarcasm is deadly.
Ray Seward (Peter Sarsgaard) has been jailed for killing his wife. He seems to have a connection to the case that Linden and Holder are investigating. Although he's a creep, he's a very charismatic creep. He can convince almost everyone to trust him, including the priest who comes to visit. I like that Seward can out smart the authorities occasionally, but he doesn't to outwit the police for long stretches of time. (That was one of the things that made "The Following" unwatchable after a few episodes.) I like the realism of Seward.
Sadly "Mad Men" keeps on going down hill. I watched the first two or three episodes of Season 6 and that was enough for me. I even deleted them off my DVR because I'm just so turned off. Once Don Draper slept with a woman other than his wife again, that was enough for me. It was at that point that "Mad Men" jumped the shark. What did Matt Weiner hope to get out of showing Draper cheating yet again? Why does he think going with this story line for at least the 10th time still be interesting?
The whole Bob Benson thing, what little I know of it, is annoying. Let's see a character, in this case Benson, represents himself other than how he really is. How very Dick Whitmanish of him. Matthew Weiner continually going back to showing how Whitman/Draper grew up is also tired. Sure he had a rough up bringing, but that's no excuse for his moral compass to be off so much. Weiner seems to want us to believe that Draper is a victim. Even if he is, it's time for him to grow up.
Also why did Weiner stick with the fat Betty? If you have one of the most beautiful women in the world on your show, you don't make her ugly. Let January Jones light up as Betty Draper. This may have already happened, but I wouldn't know. We'll always have the first 5 seasons.
Finally another good show is "Longmire" which is on A&E. Although this is a very solid show, I'm sure that many people aren't watching it. Those people are missing out on one of the best summer shows. "Longmire" is a show that follows a Wyoming sheriff. He solves a case each week as well as it has a couple of long-term story lines.
The first story line deals with Longmire running for sheriff against his deputy, Branch Connelly. The other long term story line is happened to the man who killed his wife. Both of those story lines have over extended their welcomes now. At the end of Episode 4, "The Road To Hell", another long term story line seems to be developing.
Another one of his deputies is Vic Moretti, a firecracker from Philadelphia. She receives some roses with a card that says "Happy Anniversary". However her husband didn't send her the flowers and it's not her anniversary for a few months. She tells her husband, "They found me", which is where the 4th episode ends.
"Longmire" doesn't need these long-term story lines, the show gets along well enough with the case of the week and the casts great chemistry. If the producer wants to enhance the show, then "Longmire" should focus more on Henry Standing Bear. It's so great to have Lou Diamond Phillips back, he plays Standing Bear with a great deal of skill and humor. He never lets Walt get away with anything.
I would highly recommend reading the series of books that this show is based on. It's well written by Craig Johnson, the Longmire of the books is both funnier and much more personable. Both Longmire's are great characters, Robert Taylor is fantastic as Longmire on the show.
themusicaddict
Yes, the title is a little bit of a play on words, it's nice how they all fit together.
I'm writing this after seeing the first 4 episodes of "Rectify", the first 4 episodes of Season 3 of "The Killing", the first 3 episodes of Season 2 of "Longmire" and after I stopped watching Season 6 of "Mad Men" a few weeks ago.
"Rectify" is a show on the Sundance Channel and it's some of the most solid storytelling going on in TV right now. The main character is Daniel Holden, who has been in jail for 19 years. Although he was released due to DNA evidence, that doesn't necessarily mean he's completely innocent. (The first 4 episodes are very close in quality to the amazing "Homeland", which is the best show on television. In their stillness Holden and "Homeland's" Nicholas Brody remind me a lot of each other. Does prolonged captivity lead to a life of stillness?)
Although "Rectify's" six episode first season has concluded, I just barely started watching it. "Rectify" is the story of a prisoner, Daniel Holden, who was released because of DNA evidence. Holden is magnificently played by Aden Young Although Holden has been released, he still may go to trial for the murder of his child hood girl friend. The first four episodes shows Holden's first tentative steps following his release from jail. He notices how the area he grew up has changed, sees the Big Gulp type of drinks available, is amazed by a hot dog cooking machine and gets his first cell phone.
Holden is at turn perplexed, amazed and confused about all the changes that have gone on in the world since he was incarcerated. I got a laugh when the very laconic Holden buys a bottle of Smart water and asks the clerk "does this really work?"
He also has to deal with annoying news crew, people that think he's still guilty and even well meaning
people who may be misguided. His family the most part is supportive, especially his sister Amantha. Each family member has a journey to go through in order to find the kind of relationship they'll have with Daniel.
One way you can tell this is a fictional family is because Holden has incredibly hot relatives. First is his sister Amantha, played by the gorgeous Abigail Spencer. He also has an incredibly hot sister-in-law, Tawney, played by Adelaide Clemons. Sadly Tawney ended up marrying a clueless jerk, who's name is Ted Jr. She's slowly edging him out of her life. Meanwhile Ted Jr. has no clue what's going on. Ted Jr. feels threatened by Daniel as he's afraid Daniel may be taking his job.
At the end of the 4th episode Tawney and Daniel exchange an awkward hug, the hug seems to waken feelings in both characters. Tawney had invited Daniel out to her church, where she's a volunteer. They have a conversation and seem to have made a connection. Tawney is a goody too shoes, but Daniel seems to have some kind of opposite affect on her. What does the hug mean to the two participants?
Daniel runs into an old friend, who offers her body to him. The pleasurable touch of a woman has been unavailable to him for 19 years, he seems to be remembering how much he has missed that. The female friend is just a fling. What will happen with him and Tawney?
Ted Jr. is probably the first of many who'll learn never to ask a question of Daniel again unless they really want to hear the answer, no matter how disgusting. For instance, I have a feeling that Ted Jr. will never ask anyone again about prison conjugal visits. Young's answer and his body language is a marvel in acting.
"Rectify" will be back for Season 2 and it's scheduled to have 10 episodes.
"The Killing": I ripped on the first two seasons of the show for all the things wrong that Veena Sud et. al did with what seems to be such a good idea. However in Season 3 "The Killing" is starting to live up to it's potential. This third season has been an utter revelation.
It seems the producers have learned from the first two seasons. Dumping the boring Larson family and the whole political angle was desperately needed. Eliminating those story lines eliminated some of the weakest links of "The Killing". No longer does the show go through long stretches where nothing happens. The third season almost seems to be burying the past and please don't let the past come back.
Sarah Linden's (Mireille Enos) obsession works a lot better now, now that she no longer has her son to look after. Holder (Joel Kinnaman) is becoming a better detective and still has the great lines. His use of sarcasm is deadly.
Ray Seward (Peter Sarsgaard) has been jailed for killing his wife. He seems to have a connection to the case that Linden and Holder are investigating. Although he's a creep, he's a very charismatic creep. He can convince almost everyone to trust him, including the priest who comes to visit. I like that Seward can out smart the authorities occasionally, but he doesn't to outwit the police for long stretches of time. (That was one of the things that made "The Following" unwatchable after a few episodes.) I like the realism of Seward.
Sadly "Mad Men" keeps on going down hill. I watched the first two or three episodes of Season 6 and that was enough for me. I even deleted them off my DVR because I'm just so turned off. Once Don Draper slept with a woman other than his wife again, that was enough for me. It was at that point that "Mad Men" jumped the shark. What did Matt Weiner hope to get out of showing Draper cheating yet again? Why does he think going with this story line for at least the 10th time still be interesting?
The whole Bob Benson thing, what little I know of it, is annoying. Let's see a character, in this case Benson, represents himself other than how he really is. How very Dick Whitmanish of him. Matthew Weiner continually going back to showing how Whitman/Draper grew up is also tired. Sure he had a rough up bringing, but that's no excuse for his moral compass to be off so much. Weiner seems to want us to believe that Draper is a victim. Even if he is, it's time for him to grow up.
Also why did Weiner stick with the fat Betty? If you have one of the most beautiful women in the world on your show, you don't make her ugly. Let January Jones light up as Betty Draper. This may have already happened, but I wouldn't know. We'll always have the first 5 seasons.
Finally another good show is "Longmire" which is on A&E. Although this is a very solid show, I'm sure that many people aren't watching it. Those people are missing out on one of the best summer shows. "Longmire" is a show that follows a Wyoming sheriff. He solves a case each week as well as it has a couple of long-term story lines.
The first story line deals with Longmire running for sheriff against his deputy, Branch Connelly. The other long term story line is happened to the man who killed his wife. Both of those story lines have over extended their welcomes now. At the end of Episode 4, "The Road To Hell", another long term story line seems to be developing.
Another one of his deputies is Vic Moretti, a firecracker from Philadelphia. She receives some roses with a card that says "Happy Anniversary". However her husband didn't send her the flowers and it's not her anniversary for a few months. She tells her husband, "They found me", which is where the 4th episode ends.
"Longmire" doesn't need these long-term story lines, the show gets along well enough with the case of the week and the casts great chemistry. If the producer wants to enhance the show, then "Longmire" should focus more on Henry Standing Bear. It's so great to have Lou Diamond Phillips back, he plays Standing Bear with a great deal of skill and humor. He never lets Walt get away with anything.
I would highly recommend reading the series of books that this show is based on. It's well written by Craig Johnson, the Longmire of the books is both funnier and much more personable. Both Longmire's are great characters, Robert Taylor is fantastic as Longmire on the show.
themusicaddict
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