Hello,
So there's no confusion, I get most of my stats and information from ESPN. Thanks to them for their excellent website that baseball fans like myself can find all the stats and info that we could possibly want.
The Dodgers defeated the Diamondbacks 6-1 in the first of their 3 game series. The story of the game was Zack Greinke's great pitching outing and the Dodgers having 17 hits. The Dodgers were able to close within a game of the Diamondbacks with their victory.
Before the game was played Matt Kemp was placed on the 15 day DL once again. He obviously isn't fully healthy and I'm glad LA isn't rushing him back. In my opinion he should be as close to full health as possible before he returns. This DL move is retroactive to Saturday and I believe this is a great move. LA plays 7 more games and then it's the All-Star break. Saturday was July 6th, which is when Kemp's 15 day DL started. The Dodgers first game after the All-Star break will be on Friday, July 19th, which will be 13 days.
Kemp can skip the first series of the season's second half against the Nationals. LA should allow Kemp to come off of the DL on Monday, July 22nd. Kemp should next play in the 3 game series that starts on July 22nd against the Blue Jays. I have a feeling he'll be battling this shoulder injury for the rest of the season. Perhaps if he gets injured again at that point just shut him down for the rest of the season. Let him have the rest of the season and the offseason to get back to being as healthy as possible. My hope is that the healthy 2014 Kemp would be the Kemp Dodgers fans know and love.
Scott Van Slyke was called up from Triple A Albuquerque to fill Kemp's roster spot.
Entering this game the Dodgers two hottest hitters were Yasiel Puig and Hanley Ramirez, following the game they're still the two hottest hitters. Puig was 2 for 5, he's hitting .409. Ramirez was 3 for 5 and is hitting .419. He also extended his hitting streak to 19 games and he had his 21st RBI of the season. On Monday night the Dodgers had 17 hits, other players getting 2 or more hits include Juan Uribe. Uribe was 2 for 5 and is hitting .273 this season. The Dodgers had so many hits even Andre Ethier had three hits, he was 3 for 5 and is hitting .269. Adrian Gonzalez continues his flirtation with .300, he was 2 for 4 and is hitting .298 this season.
The story of this game was the 17 hits that the Dodgers had. The Dodgers had so many hits that even Zack Greinke had 3 hits, he's hitting this .370 this season.
Yes, the Greinke that's the Dodgers pitcher, he was great from the mound on Monday as well. In 7 innings he only gave up 2 hits but no runs. After giving up 7 walks in his previous start, he only gave up 2 walks in this game. Greinke, who was extremely sharp most of the night, is now 7-2 and his ERA decreases to .391. He had a great game, but the only thing he's been consistent with all season is being inconsistent. I continue to question the $147,000,000 LA gave him this past off season. I also question them for signing him for 6 years.
Not only has he been inconsistent, I still question where his head was at when he fought the Padres Carlos Quentin. Injuries and bad games are going to happen, no complaints about that. However things that happen because of poor decisions is inexcusable, especially when a player is a veteran like Greinke How much of an impact would have Greinke had if he hadn't missed the about 5 weeks due to his injury from the fight?
Players like Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford have signed shorter contracts and have suffered injuries. Although the effort appears to be there for both of those players, LA is quite simply not getting equal value for how much money they are paying. Those players are getting the better end of the guaranteed contracts. Long after Crawford and Beckett are gone I will still be cheering for the Dodgers.
With the Dodgers 6-1 win, LA remains in second place in the NL West. The Dodgers improve to 43-45 and close to within 3.5 games of the Diamondbacks. LA has won 13 of their last 16 games, but will they be able to eventually make it to first place? To make the playoffs they'll need to win the division as only one team from the NL West will make the playoffs this season. The hot Dodgers have a 21.3% chance of making the playoffs. Colorado is in third place, they are 4.5 games back. Meanwhile both the Padres and Giants have gone straight to the NL West cellar. The Padres have lost 10 games in a row.
Upcoming: Tuesday night the Dodgers newest acquisition Ricky Nolasco is scheduled to make his debut. It will be interesting to see what he brings to the Dodgers. Arizona's scheduled pitcher Arizona is Ian Kennedy, one of the main participants in the LA-Arizona brawl a few weeks ago. That may be Kennedy's most notable achievement this season as he's only 3-4 with a 5.16 ERA.
It still hasn't been announced whether Puig will be an NL All-Star. But someone that should be an AL All-Star is the A's Grant Balfour. He broke Dennis Eckersley A's record of 40 consecutive games with his save last night. Balfour has had 41 straight saves and he hasn't blown a save in 2013. The A's continue to lead the AL West, leading the hot Rangers by .5 games.
Other sports news: The Cavs have made a 2 year, $24 million dollar offer to Andrew Bynum. Are they serious, did they forget that he didn't play a game at all last season? Did they forget that he injured himself bowling? Bowling? Did they forget how brittle his knees are and how he has no heart? Did they forget once the season was over, he was filmed dancing? Andrew Bynum is the answer to this trivia question. Which drama queen does themusicaddict want on his Jazz even less than whiny Dwight Howard?
Ron Jaworski has rated his Top 30 quarterbacks and he's counting them down. Yesterday he got to # 15, which is where he placed Tony Romo. As a long time Cowboys fan, I couldn't agree more. Romo's ardent deluded fans always talk about how many yards and 4th quarter comebacks he's responsible for. For me what I remember is his 1-6 record in win or go home games and all the other times he has spectacularly failed. As for that 1 win, how mediocre was that Eagles team that the Cowboys beat? Don't remind Romo fans how poorly he and the rest of the Cowboys performed in the playoff game after the win over the Eagles. Only Jerry "Idiot" Jones would sign this freak of hype to an expensive long-term contract.
Oh yeah and Jerry, cut Josh Brent already.
themusicaddict
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Monday, July 8, 2013
themusicaddict's Greatest CD's Of All-Time: Meat Loaf's "Bat Out Of Hell"
Hello,
This is another in my series of the greatest CDs of all-time, themusicaddict approved of course.
Coming out in 1977 was Meat Loaf's "Bat Out Of Hell". It doesn't seem the world was ready for the album or for Meat Loaf. I usually like to tie some personal memories about the effect these CD's had on my life. However I was only 10 when "Bat Out Of Hell" was released. Pretty much my only memories of this album from when it was originally released is I remember hearing a couple of songs off of it on 8 Track tapes. For those of you who don't know, 8 Track tapes are one of the lamest forms of technology ever.
Meat Loaf has released two other Bat Out of Hell CD's. The cleverly titled "Bat Out Of Hell 2" and "Bat Out of Hell 3". Meat Loaf's career had taken a bit of a hit before "Bat Out of Hell 2" was released in 1993. However like the first "Bat Out of Hell", the second "Bat Out Of Hell" was also a classic CD. (It was mostly CDs and cassette tapes in 1993 as albums were on the way out.) And yes I don't know when but I'll be featuring a blog about "Bat Out of Hell 2" sometime. In 2006 Meat Loaf went to the well one too many times when he released "Bat Out of Hell 3". It's a decent CD, but nowhere close to the classic music of the first two editions of "Bat Out of Hell".
On to Meat Loaf's "Bat Out of Hell", which sold 43 million copies and is on many lists of greatest CDs of all-time.
1) "Bat Out Of Hell":
2) "You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)". Although the sound on this video isn't great, this is the song in all it's sweaty glory. In the middle of the song he attaches a spoken word interlude that he used for "Bat Out Of Hell 2".
Here's a slightly more polished version:
3) "Heaven Can Wait", this is an extended version of this song. As Meat Loaf says in the video, this is the first song ever written for "Bat Out Of Hell".
4) "All Revved Up and Nowhere To Go":
5) "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad":
6) "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" The song's play by play is provided by New York Yankees announcer, Phil Rizzuto. I've read that Rizzuto had no idea what he was recording this for and he claimed to have been tricked. He was later chastised by his priest for the double innuendo he was unaware of as he was recording this. Rizzuto went on to receive a gold record for his work on Meat Loaf's classic song. (Thanks to Phil Rizzuto's Wikipedia page.)
7) "For Crying Out Loud":
Meat Loaf certainly became a big star, but I don't think he quite reached superstar status. Speaking of big, Meat Loaf is known as much for his girth as for his great music. Sadly I've never had the opportunity of seeing him in concert.
themusicaddict
This is another in my series of the greatest CDs of all-time, themusicaddict approved of course.
Coming out in 1977 was Meat Loaf's "Bat Out Of Hell". It doesn't seem the world was ready for the album or for Meat Loaf. I usually like to tie some personal memories about the effect these CD's had on my life. However I was only 10 when "Bat Out Of Hell" was released. Pretty much my only memories of this album from when it was originally released is I remember hearing a couple of songs off of it on 8 Track tapes. For those of you who don't know, 8 Track tapes are one of the lamest forms of technology ever.
Meat Loaf has released two other Bat Out of Hell CD's. The cleverly titled "Bat Out Of Hell 2" and "Bat Out of Hell 3". Meat Loaf's career had taken a bit of a hit before "Bat Out of Hell 2" was released in 1993. However like the first "Bat Out of Hell", the second "Bat Out Of Hell" was also a classic CD. (It was mostly CDs and cassette tapes in 1993 as albums were on the way out.) And yes I don't know when but I'll be featuring a blog about "Bat Out of Hell 2" sometime. In 2006 Meat Loaf went to the well one too many times when he released "Bat Out of Hell 3". It's a decent CD, but nowhere close to the classic music of the first two editions of "Bat Out of Hell".
On to Meat Loaf's "Bat Out of Hell", which sold 43 million copies and is on many lists of greatest CDs of all-time.
1) "Bat Out Of Hell":
2) "You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)". Although the sound on this video isn't great, this is the song in all it's sweaty glory. In the middle of the song he attaches a spoken word interlude that he used for "Bat Out Of Hell 2".
Here's a slightly more polished version:
3) "Heaven Can Wait", this is an extended version of this song. As Meat Loaf says in the video, this is the first song ever written for "Bat Out Of Hell".
4) "All Revved Up and Nowhere To Go":
5) "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad":
6) "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" The song's play by play is provided by New York Yankees announcer, Phil Rizzuto. I've read that Rizzuto had no idea what he was recording this for and he claimed to have been tricked. He was later chastised by his priest for the double innuendo he was unaware of as he was recording this. Rizzuto went on to receive a gold record for his work on Meat Loaf's classic song. (Thanks to Phil Rizzuto's Wikipedia page.)
7) "For Crying Out Loud":
Meat Loaf certainly became a big star, but I don't think he quite reached superstar status. Speaking of big, Meat Loaf is known as much for his girth as for his great music. Sadly I've never had the opportunity of seeing him in concert.
themusicaddict
Dodgers Daily, July 7th, 2013: Dodgers Are In Second Place, A.J. Ellis' Big Hit, Ramirez 18 Game Hitting Streak
Hello,
The Dodgers ended their three game series with the Giants by winning on Sunday 4-1. LA won 2 of 3 games and now have won 4 straight series. Thanks to the Dodgers recent run, they've surged to second place in the NL West. (Thanks to ESPN.com).
The big hit in Sunday's game was A.J. Ellis 2 run double in the top of the 9th inning. Going into the 9th inning the game was tied 1-1 and Giants closer Sergio Romo was pitching. (Of the Romos in sports, this Romo usually plays well under pressure.) Before Sunday's game Romo had 20 saves and only had 3 blown saves this season. His ERA wasn't amazing, but he's been a clutch pitcher.
Starting off the Dodgers rally, who else?, was Yasiel Puig. He had a single and seems to be the Dodger most responsible for when LA scores runs recently. Adrian Gonzalez then had an infield hit, Puig advanced to third base on an error. At this point Puig is on third and Gonzalez is on first and there's still no outs. Up next is Hanley Ramirez, the only Dodger hotter than Puig, but he grounded to the pitcher. Gonzalez was able to advance to second base on this play. Dodgers are on 2nd and 3rd base and there's one out.
For some reason Bruce Bochy decided to intentionally walk the cold Andre Ethier, a decision probably based on percentages or questionable logic. Now the bases are loaded with Juan Uribe coming to the plate. In two similar situations on Friday, Uribe delivered both times. However he was unable to deliver this time as Uribe struck out swinging. Bases are still loaded but now there are two outs. Still pitching is Sergio Romo, a player who helped the Giants win the World Series last season. If Romo gets the out here the game is still tied at 1 and the game goes into the bottom of the 9th. Hitting in the bottom of the 9th is World Series hero Marco Scutaro, Pablo Sandoval and the excellent Buster Posey. If one of those get on base Hunter Pence would bat 4th in the inning.
The Giants are playing shallow to have a better shot at getting a player going home. However A.J. Ellis was able to hit Romo's slider over everybody's head to deep left-center field and Puig, Gonzalez and Ethier scored. At that points the Dodgers lead 4-1, which was all the scoring LA would do in the game.
Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen came into the game to try and shut down the heart of the Giants lineup. He was able to quickly get Scutaro and Sandoval out, although Posey had a single. Jansen was able to strike out Pence and the Dodgers won 4-1. (Thanks to ESPN's play by play for this game for the specific details.)
The Dodgers had risen all the way to 25th in MLB for runs scored. However after only scoring 6 runs in their last two games, LA has slipped back to 27th in MLB for runs scored. LA's payroll is about 9 times more than Houston's yet the Astros have scored 4 more runs than LA.
Individual performances of note, Clayton Kershaw had another solid start. In 8 innings he only gave up 3 hits and 1 run. Kershaw improves to 8-5 as his ERA decreases to 1.89. Puig was 2 for 4 and is hitting .409. He no longer leads the Dodgers in batting average as Ramirez was also 2 for 4. Ramirez is hitting .410 and has an 18 game hitting streak. Ramirez also doubled and tripled. Adrian Gonzalez was 1 for 4, including that big 9th inning hit. Gonzalez continues his season long flirtation with hitting .300, he's at .296.
File under players that may be rushing back: Matt Kemp was held out of the game, it looks like he'll be playing Monday. Carl Crawford was 0 for 4 as his batting average continues to drop precipitously, he's hitting .284. These two players have both been injury prone the last couple of seasons and I hope they aren't voluntarily or forced by LA to come back early. Both of these players should only be playing once they are near full health. I realize in a long season that no player is probably ever fully healthy.
LA's recent surge has lifted them to 42-45 and they have a 15.9% chance of reaching the playoffs. The Dodgers are all alone in second place in the NL West, although they're still 4.5 games behind the Diamondbacks. LA will have a chance to make up some ground over the next 3 games as they travel to Arizona to take on those same Diamondbacks.
Tonight's scheduled pitching matchup is up and down Zack Greinke (6-2, 4.30) vs. Randall Delgado (1-2, 3.67 ERA). It's time for the $21,000,000 man to step up and hopefully he won't be instigating any more brawls. On Tuesday Ricky Nolasco (5-8, 3.85) will make his Dodgers debut. In the final game of this crucial 3 game series the scheduled Dodgers pitcher is Hyun-Jin Ryu (7-3, 2.82). If the Dodgers could win two of three, obviously that would be big.
themusicaddict
The Dodgers ended their three game series with the Giants by winning on Sunday 4-1. LA won 2 of 3 games and now have won 4 straight series. Thanks to the Dodgers recent run, they've surged to second place in the NL West. (Thanks to ESPN.com).
The big hit in Sunday's game was A.J. Ellis 2 run double in the top of the 9th inning. Going into the 9th inning the game was tied 1-1 and Giants closer Sergio Romo was pitching. (Of the Romos in sports, this Romo usually plays well under pressure.) Before Sunday's game Romo had 20 saves and only had 3 blown saves this season. His ERA wasn't amazing, but he's been a clutch pitcher.
Starting off the Dodgers rally, who else?, was Yasiel Puig. He had a single and seems to be the Dodger most responsible for when LA scores runs recently. Adrian Gonzalez then had an infield hit, Puig advanced to third base on an error. At this point Puig is on third and Gonzalez is on first and there's still no outs. Up next is Hanley Ramirez, the only Dodger hotter than Puig, but he grounded to the pitcher. Gonzalez was able to advance to second base on this play. Dodgers are on 2nd and 3rd base and there's one out.
For some reason Bruce Bochy decided to intentionally walk the cold Andre Ethier, a decision probably based on percentages or questionable logic. Now the bases are loaded with Juan Uribe coming to the plate. In two similar situations on Friday, Uribe delivered both times. However he was unable to deliver this time as Uribe struck out swinging. Bases are still loaded but now there are two outs. Still pitching is Sergio Romo, a player who helped the Giants win the World Series last season. If Romo gets the out here the game is still tied at 1 and the game goes into the bottom of the 9th. Hitting in the bottom of the 9th is World Series hero Marco Scutaro, Pablo Sandoval and the excellent Buster Posey. If one of those get on base Hunter Pence would bat 4th in the inning.
The Giants are playing shallow to have a better shot at getting a player going home. However A.J. Ellis was able to hit Romo's slider over everybody's head to deep left-center field and Puig, Gonzalez and Ethier scored. At that points the Dodgers lead 4-1, which was all the scoring LA would do in the game.
Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen came into the game to try and shut down the heart of the Giants lineup. He was able to quickly get Scutaro and Sandoval out, although Posey had a single. Jansen was able to strike out Pence and the Dodgers won 4-1. (Thanks to ESPN's play by play for this game for the specific details.)
The Dodgers had risen all the way to 25th in MLB for runs scored. However after only scoring 6 runs in their last two games, LA has slipped back to 27th in MLB for runs scored. LA's payroll is about 9 times more than Houston's yet the Astros have scored 4 more runs than LA.
Individual performances of note, Clayton Kershaw had another solid start. In 8 innings he only gave up 3 hits and 1 run. Kershaw improves to 8-5 as his ERA decreases to 1.89. Puig was 2 for 4 and is hitting .409. He no longer leads the Dodgers in batting average as Ramirez was also 2 for 4. Ramirez is hitting .410 and has an 18 game hitting streak. Ramirez also doubled and tripled. Adrian Gonzalez was 1 for 4, including that big 9th inning hit. Gonzalez continues his season long flirtation with hitting .300, he's at .296.
File under players that may be rushing back: Matt Kemp was held out of the game, it looks like he'll be playing Monday. Carl Crawford was 0 for 4 as his batting average continues to drop precipitously, he's hitting .284. These two players have both been injury prone the last couple of seasons and I hope they aren't voluntarily or forced by LA to come back early. Both of these players should only be playing once they are near full health. I realize in a long season that no player is probably ever fully healthy.
LA's recent surge has lifted them to 42-45 and they have a 15.9% chance of reaching the playoffs. The Dodgers are all alone in second place in the NL West, although they're still 4.5 games behind the Diamondbacks. LA will have a chance to make up some ground over the next 3 games as they travel to Arizona to take on those same Diamondbacks.
Tonight's scheduled pitching matchup is up and down Zack Greinke (6-2, 4.30) vs. Randall Delgado (1-2, 3.67 ERA). It's time for the $21,000,000 man to step up and hopefully he won't be instigating any more brawls. On Tuesday Ricky Nolasco (5-8, 3.85) will make his Dodgers debut. In the final game of this crucial 3 game series the scheduled Dodgers pitcher is Hyun-Jin Ryu (7-3, 2.82). If the Dodgers could win two of three, obviously that would be big.
themusicaddict
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Dodgers Daily, July 6th, 2013: Dodgers Lose But Get Nolasco
Hello,
On Saturday the Dodgers lost to the Giants 4-2, as both teams have won 1 game each in this series. The tie breaking game will be played Sunday afternoon. Previous to Sunday's game the Dodgers had won 4 straight games against the Giants. Following Sunday's game LA doesn't play San Francisco again until September 12th. 7 of the last 17 Dodgers games are against the Giants. By then I'm sure the Giants will have remembered how to score and probably added at least one more veteran bat. Both teams still will be fighting for what likely will be the only NL West team making the playoffs.
Saturday's game wasn't the finest game for the Dodgers, it reminded me of many of LA's games earlier in the season. LA only had 4 hits and were a Tim Federowicz two run home run from being shut out. That was a big hit by Fedex, but sadly he's hitting only .200 this season. Carl Crawford in his first full game back since returning from injury was 0 for 4. He's hitting .289 now after he had flirted with .300 for most of the season. LA should be glad for anything that the oft injured Crawford can give them.
Even Yasiel Puig, who had been carrying the Dodgers since he's been in LA, struggled. He was 0 for 4 and is hitting .407. He struck out in all of his 4 at bats. Will today be the day that Puig's batting average dips below .400? I hope not but most had to realize it was only a matter of time. Hanley Ramirez was 1 for 4 and is right on Puig's tail for the best batting average amongst all Dodgers. Ramirez is hitting .406.
LA slipped back to 26th in MLB in runs scored, the Astros scored 9 runs to bypass LA for 25th place. In the NL West standings the Dodgers and Rockies remained tied for second place, both teams are 4.5 games behind the first place Diamondbacks. Arizona seems to have rediscovered their winning momentum, they've won 4 in a row.
Also LA was finally able to add that desperately needed 4th starter. They traded with the Marlins for Ricky Nolasco, the experts say that the Dodgers didn't give up much for him. Nolasco is 5-8, has a 3.85 ERA and says he's been a lifelong Dodgers fan. Neither his win/loss record or ERA aren't great, but you need to remember that Nolasco was pitching for the lowest scoring team in all of MLB. Miami is at 281 runs, the only MLB team that hasn't scored 300 runs this season. Of course LA doesn't have many more runs, but their offense has picked up of late.
And I still don't understand the impact of international signing funds, but the Marlins sent $200,000 in that to the Dodgers. All the Dodgers gave up is paying most of the rest money owed to Nolasco this season, what's a few million dollars to the Guggenheim ownership group? The Dodgers also gave up 3 prospects, but none of them are top prospects. LA sent Steven Ames, Josh Wall and Angel Sanchez to the Marlins. Wall was the only player I had even heard of.
Matt Kemp could be back as soon as today or tomorrow. I hope the Dodgers aren't rushing him back. When he got off of the DL it didn't seem like he was fully healthy. I hope that he's the healthiest he's been all season.
themusicaddict
On Saturday the Dodgers lost to the Giants 4-2, as both teams have won 1 game each in this series. The tie breaking game will be played Sunday afternoon. Previous to Sunday's game the Dodgers had won 4 straight games against the Giants. Following Sunday's game LA doesn't play San Francisco again until September 12th. 7 of the last 17 Dodgers games are against the Giants. By then I'm sure the Giants will have remembered how to score and probably added at least one more veteran bat. Both teams still will be fighting for what likely will be the only NL West team making the playoffs.
Saturday's game wasn't the finest game for the Dodgers, it reminded me of many of LA's games earlier in the season. LA only had 4 hits and were a Tim Federowicz two run home run from being shut out. That was a big hit by Fedex, but sadly he's hitting only .200 this season. Carl Crawford in his first full game back since returning from injury was 0 for 4. He's hitting .289 now after he had flirted with .300 for most of the season. LA should be glad for anything that the oft injured Crawford can give them.
Even Yasiel Puig, who had been carrying the Dodgers since he's been in LA, struggled. He was 0 for 4 and is hitting .407. He struck out in all of his 4 at bats. Will today be the day that Puig's batting average dips below .400? I hope not but most had to realize it was only a matter of time. Hanley Ramirez was 1 for 4 and is right on Puig's tail for the best batting average amongst all Dodgers. Ramirez is hitting .406.
LA slipped back to 26th in MLB in runs scored, the Astros scored 9 runs to bypass LA for 25th place. In the NL West standings the Dodgers and Rockies remained tied for second place, both teams are 4.5 games behind the first place Diamondbacks. Arizona seems to have rediscovered their winning momentum, they've won 4 in a row.
Also LA was finally able to add that desperately needed 4th starter. They traded with the Marlins for Ricky Nolasco, the experts say that the Dodgers didn't give up much for him. Nolasco is 5-8, has a 3.85 ERA and says he's been a lifelong Dodgers fan. Neither his win/loss record or ERA aren't great, but you need to remember that Nolasco was pitching for the lowest scoring team in all of MLB. Miami is at 281 runs, the only MLB team that hasn't scored 300 runs this season. Of course LA doesn't have many more runs, but their offense has picked up of late.
And I still don't understand the impact of international signing funds, but the Marlins sent $200,000 in that to the Dodgers. All the Dodgers gave up is paying most of the rest money owed to Nolasco this season, what's a few million dollars to the Guggenheim ownership group? The Dodgers also gave up 3 prospects, but none of them are top prospects. LA sent Steven Ames, Josh Wall and Angel Sanchez to the Marlins. Wall was the only player I had even heard of.
Matt Kemp could be back as soon as today or tomorrow. I hope the Dodgers aren't rushing him back. When he got off of the DL it didn't seem like he was fully healthy. I hope that he's the healthiest he's been all season.
themusicaddict
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Jazz Go A Whole New Direction, Let The Youth Movement Flourish, Houston Loses The Howard Sweepstakes
Hello,
After being relatively quiet in free agency the Jazz had a big day Friday. They traded a player that I'd barely heard of, Kevin Murphy, to the Warriors for 3 rental players and 2 #1 picks. The Jazz also get some second round picks, but it's doubtful those players will find a home with any NBA team. Both #1 picks are unprotected, they come in the years 2014 and 2017. That means that the Warriors first round pick won't be very good next season. Golden State will be fun to watch this upcoming season, I'll be watching more Warriors games this season. Not only does Golden State still have their exciting core, but they also added Andre Iguodala. The signing of Iguodala seemed to signal they'd given up on the drama queen Dwight Howard. Good for them.
All the Jazz had to do in the trade with Golden State was take Andris Beidins, Richard Jefferson and Brandon Rush off the Warriors' hands. All three players have expiring contracts at the end of the 2013-2014 season. The Jazz will pay those three players this season, see if any can help the Jazz in the near future and dump them after this next season if they can't. Utah will be able to add the three players and still have a lot of salary cap room for 2014 NBA free agency. Many NBA players don't want to come to Utah, but that's okay. The Jazz will just have to find players that are both good and don't mind living in one of the most beautiful states in the USA. The Jazz have attracted great players in the past and they will do it again.
In order to swing the trade with the Warriors, the Jazz had to renounce their Bird rights to Paul Milsap. He was a great player for the Jazz and I'll certainly miss his hard working ways and soft touch around the basket. However I hope this signals that Utah has every intention of going fully to a youth movement. In my opinion the Jazz need to worry more their future than whether Tyrone Corbin is their coach or not. Don't let him trying to save his job stand in the way of slowing the progress of the Jazz's young and exciting core. Good luck to Milsap, who signed a 2 year, $19 million dollar contract with the Hawks. The Jazz also lose the hard working DeMarre Carroll, who'll join Milsap in Atlanta.
Now for the biggest headache in the NBA, the man who earned the deserved nickname Dwightmare. The buffoon has said he'll sign with the Houston Rockets, my condolences to the Rockets. Houston seems to think this will be a move that they benefit from. However I'm not sure what they think they are seeing with him. This is a player that used to be one of the best big men in the NBA, but now has turned into a slightly above ordinary player. He's also injury prone, I bet he'll miss at least 10 games this season and not show a lot of desire to get back quickly.
What comes with the player on the downside of his career, don't let Stephen A. Smith hoodwink you, is a lot of drama. Since players can't officially sign until July 10th, I expect to hear rumors about Howard changing his mind again about where he wants to play next year. Even if Howard signs with Houston, how long will it be before he starts complaining? How long until he alienates his teammates, how long until he questions Kevin McHale, how long until he uses up his goodwill that he's received from the city of Houston? I'd imagine that he's going to alienate quite a few people before his first year ends in Houston. And stop complaining about your reputation, you only have yourself to blame for that.
I hope Houston ties his overall performance to how much he gets paid in his contract. If I was the Rockets I'd tie most of his paycheck to his free throw shooting. When he starts missing them, they'll at least be able to save some money. The big fool just doesn't have heart. He claims he wants to win a championship, well if that's true why is he going to Houston? Why didn't he sign for less with a team that's right on the border of at least making the finals and that ain't Houston.
At least he Rockets should have in Howard's contract that he can no longer call himself Superman, what a disgrace to Superman. If Howard wants to be a super hero, a better character would be Robin. That's because he'll be James Harden's sidekick. While Harden will be Batman, Howard will be the forgotten about sidekick. Actually maybe Howard should become the Joker.
I don't have anything against the Rockets, I've always had the utmost respect for the Rockets. They have a good coach and a great core. They probably had my favorite big man of all-time, Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon. I loved watching The Dream play, except for when he was torching my Jazz. I loved watching him in college when he was a member of the dunkeriffic Phi Slamma Jamma. That's probably my favorite college basketball team to ever watch. I love that they had a little known player at the time, who now has become BYU's head basketball coach, Dave Rose.
As for the Mavs chasing after Andrew Bynum, really? He even has less heart than Dwight Howard. He's lazy, injury prone and like Howard I don't even think he likes basketball. He just plays it because he can make a lot of money. Thanks Jazz for not going after either of these head cases.
With Howard leaving the Lakers, don't feel bad for them. They dodged a bullet, I'm not convinced that LA is heartbroken that the Dwightmare is going to Houston. That's $118 million they don't have to pay the Joker. Howard had his feelings hurt that Mike D'antoni hardly talked to him when the Lakers made their pitch. That tells you how much D'antoni wanted the drama queen back and I don't blame him.
Then how dare Kobe tell Howard that that he'll teach him how to win a championship. Howard wants to win a championship, he just doesn't want to work for it. Kobe would have expected Howard to actually work on his game, no more of that coasting on his declining natural athleticism. I'm sure they would have come to blows sometime. I'm not a big Kobe fan, but you can't deny that he wants to win and works hard to reach that goal. That's much different than what you can say about Howard.
themusicaddict
After being relatively quiet in free agency the Jazz had a big day Friday. They traded a player that I'd barely heard of, Kevin Murphy, to the Warriors for 3 rental players and 2 #1 picks. The Jazz also get some second round picks, but it's doubtful those players will find a home with any NBA team. Both #1 picks are unprotected, they come in the years 2014 and 2017. That means that the Warriors first round pick won't be very good next season. Golden State will be fun to watch this upcoming season, I'll be watching more Warriors games this season. Not only does Golden State still have their exciting core, but they also added Andre Iguodala. The signing of Iguodala seemed to signal they'd given up on the drama queen Dwight Howard. Good for them.
All the Jazz had to do in the trade with Golden State was take Andris Beidins, Richard Jefferson and Brandon Rush off the Warriors' hands. All three players have expiring contracts at the end of the 2013-2014 season. The Jazz will pay those three players this season, see if any can help the Jazz in the near future and dump them after this next season if they can't. Utah will be able to add the three players and still have a lot of salary cap room for 2014 NBA free agency. Many NBA players don't want to come to Utah, but that's okay. The Jazz will just have to find players that are both good and don't mind living in one of the most beautiful states in the USA. The Jazz have attracted great players in the past and they will do it again.
In order to swing the trade with the Warriors, the Jazz had to renounce their Bird rights to Paul Milsap. He was a great player for the Jazz and I'll certainly miss his hard working ways and soft touch around the basket. However I hope this signals that Utah has every intention of going fully to a youth movement. In my opinion the Jazz need to worry more their future than whether Tyrone Corbin is their coach or not. Don't let him trying to save his job stand in the way of slowing the progress of the Jazz's young and exciting core. Good luck to Milsap, who signed a 2 year, $19 million dollar contract with the Hawks. The Jazz also lose the hard working DeMarre Carroll, who'll join Milsap in Atlanta.
Now for the biggest headache in the NBA, the man who earned the deserved nickname Dwightmare. The buffoon has said he'll sign with the Houston Rockets, my condolences to the Rockets. Houston seems to think this will be a move that they benefit from. However I'm not sure what they think they are seeing with him. This is a player that used to be one of the best big men in the NBA, but now has turned into a slightly above ordinary player. He's also injury prone, I bet he'll miss at least 10 games this season and not show a lot of desire to get back quickly.
What comes with the player on the downside of his career, don't let Stephen A. Smith hoodwink you, is a lot of drama. Since players can't officially sign until July 10th, I expect to hear rumors about Howard changing his mind again about where he wants to play next year. Even if Howard signs with Houston, how long will it be before he starts complaining? How long until he alienates his teammates, how long until he questions Kevin McHale, how long until he uses up his goodwill that he's received from the city of Houston? I'd imagine that he's going to alienate quite a few people before his first year ends in Houston. And stop complaining about your reputation, you only have yourself to blame for that.
I hope Houston ties his overall performance to how much he gets paid in his contract. If I was the Rockets I'd tie most of his paycheck to his free throw shooting. When he starts missing them, they'll at least be able to save some money. The big fool just doesn't have heart. He claims he wants to win a championship, well if that's true why is he going to Houston? Why didn't he sign for less with a team that's right on the border of at least making the finals and that ain't Houston.
At least he Rockets should have in Howard's contract that he can no longer call himself Superman, what a disgrace to Superman. If Howard wants to be a super hero, a better character would be Robin. That's because he'll be James Harden's sidekick. While Harden will be Batman, Howard will be the forgotten about sidekick. Actually maybe Howard should become the Joker.
I don't have anything against the Rockets, I've always had the utmost respect for the Rockets. They have a good coach and a great core. They probably had my favorite big man of all-time, Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon. I loved watching The Dream play, except for when he was torching my Jazz. I loved watching him in college when he was a member of the dunkeriffic Phi Slamma Jamma. That's probably my favorite college basketball team to ever watch. I love that they had a little known player at the time, who now has become BYU's head basketball coach, Dave Rose.
As for the Mavs chasing after Andrew Bynum, really? He even has less heart than Dwight Howard. He's lazy, injury prone and like Howard I don't even think he likes basketball. He just plays it because he can make a lot of money. Thanks Jazz for not going after either of these head cases.
With Howard leaving the Lakers, don't feel bad for them. They dodged a bullet, I'm not convinced that LA is heartbroken that the Dwightmare is going to Houston. That's $118 million they don't have to pay the Joker. Howard had his feelings hurt that Mike D'antoni hardly talked to him when the Lakers made their pitch. That tells you how much D'antoni wanted the drama queen back and I don't blame him.
Then how dare Kobe tell Howard that that he'll teach him how to win a championship. Howard wants to win a championship, he just doesn't want to work for it. Kobe would have expected Howard to actually work on his game, no more of that coasting on his declining natural athleticism. I'm sure they would have come to blows sometime. I'm not a big Kobe fan, but you can't deny that he wants to win and works hard to reach that goal. That's much different than what you can say about Howard.
themusicaddict
Friday, July 5, 2013
Dodgers Daily, July 5th, 2013: Uribe's Big Game, Kemp Injured Again.
Hello,
The Dodgers started a 3 game series against the Giants in San Francisco Friday night. The Dodgers continued their potent offensive onslaught, winning 10-2. This is the fifth straight game that LA has scored at least 5 runs.
Yasiel Puig had a hit and extended his hitting streak to 9 games. Hanley Ramirez continued his hitting streak, he's hit in 16 straight games. Ramirez continues his hot hitting overall as he was 2 for 3 and is hitting .413, right behind Puig's .420.
LA has finally learned how to score runs, they added 10 more runs on Friday. They continue to slowly but surely climb up the rankings for runs scored. As of Friday, LA has 327 runs and are 25th place, of 30 teams, for runs scored. In position #24 is Pittsburgh, the team with the best record in MLB, who has 337 home runs. Once LA catches up with the group ahead of them, assuming they do, they could move up quickly. They've only scored 20 less runs than #15 San Diego. Boston continues to lead MLB with their 451 runs.
Matt Kemp injured himself again, he's getting to be as injury prone as Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett. I was hoping they didn't rush Kemp back, at the plate he just didn't look right. Ironically it seems that Carl Crawford is back. In a weird twist Crawford replaced Kemp when Kemp was forced to leave the game. This is the first time Crawford has played since June 1st. LA should certainly let Crawford play as much as he can, but I wonder how long he'll remain healthy.
The Dodgers continued their amazing run, look how quickly things can turn around in MLB. On June 14th the Dodgers were 8.5 games out of first place. On that day they were shut out by the Pirates 3-0 and only had 6 hits in the game. At the end of day on June 14th, the Dodgers only had a 1.8% chance of making the playoffs. The Dodgers were very close to the bottom of all MLB for runs scored.
Only 3 weeks later, they've moved up out of the NL West Cellar. They are 3.5 only games behind the first place Diamondbacks. Once again LA is tied with the Rockies for second place in the NL West. LA came off of a shellacking of the Giants 10-2 and have a 17.6% chance of making the playoffs. While LA isn't in the top 20 in runs scored they continue climbing their way there.
I thought the Orioles were going to be able to beat the Evil Empire on Friday, sadly Jim Johnson had his 6th blown save of this season. He's in such ignominious company as Brandon League and Carlos Marmol. Johnson is tied for the lead in blown saves, he and the Cubs James Russell both have 6. I hope the Orioles have a plan in place to get a top line closer before the trading deadline. I don't even know if that's possible though.
The Yanks were able to come back and win 3-2. New York is only a 1/2 game behind the Orioles for second place in the AL East. Meanwhile the Red Sox seem to be determined to run away with the AL East. Boston has won 5 in a row and 9 of 10, they may have bypassed the Dodgers as the hottest team in the league.
themusicaddict
The Dodgers started a 3 game series against the Giants in San Francisco Friday night. The Dodgers continued their potent offensive onslaught, winning 10-2. This is the fifth straight game that LA has scored at least 5 runs.
Yasiel Puig had a hit and extended his hitting streak to 9 games. Hanley Ramirez continued his hitting streak, he's hit in 16 straight games. Ramirez continues his hot hitting overall as he was 2 for 3 and is hitting .413, right behind Puig's .420.
LA has finally learned how to score runs, they added 10 more runs on Friday. They continue to slowly but surely climb up the rankings for runs scored. As of Friday, LA has 327 runs and are 25th place, of 30 teams, for runs scored. In position #24 is Pittsburgh, the team with the best record in MLB, who has 337 home runs. Once LA catches up with the group ahead of them, assuming they do, they could move up quickly. They've only scored 20 less runs than #15 San Diego. Boston continues to lead MLB with their 451 runs.
Matt Kemp injured himself again, he's getting to be as injury prone as Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett. I was hoping they didn't rush Kemp back, at the plate he just didn't look right. Ironically it seems that Carl Crawford is back. In a weird twist Crawford replaced Kemp when Kemp was forced to leave the game. This is the first time Crawford has played since June 1st. LA should certainly let Crawford play as much as he can, but I wonder how long he'll remain healthy.
The Dodgers continued their amazing run, look how quickly things can turn around in MLB. On June 14th the Dodgers were 8.5 games out of first place. On that day they were shut out by the Pirates 3-0 and only had 6 hits in the game. At the end of day on June 14th, the Dodgers only had a 1.8% chance of making the playoffs. The Dodgers were very close to the bottom of all MLB for runs scored.
Only 3 weeks later, they've moved up out of the NL West Cellar. They are 3.5 only games behind the first place Diamondbacks. Once again LA is tied with the Rockies for second place in the NL West. LA came off of a shellacking of the Giants 10-2 and have a 17.6% chance of making the playoffs. While LA isn't in the top 20 in runs scored they continue climbing their way there.
I thought the Orioles were going to be able to beat the Evil Empire on Friday, sadly Jim Johnson had his 6th blown save of this season. He's in such ignominious company as Brandon League and Carlos Marmol. Johnson is tied for the lead in blown saves, he and the Cubs James Russell both have 6. I hope the Orioles have a plan in place to get a top line closer before the trading deadline. I don't even know if that's possible though.
The Yanks were able to come back and win 3-2. New York is only a 1/2 game behind the Orioles for second place in the AL East. Meanwhile the Red Sox seem to be determined to run away with the AL East. Boston has won 5 in a row and 9 of 10, they may have bypassed the Dodgers as the hottest team in the league.
themusicaddict
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Dodgers Daily, July 4th, 2013: Dodgers Great Run Comes To An End, Red Sox Streaking, Pirates Cooling Down?
Hello,
In the final game of the Dodgers-Rockies three game series Colorado avoided the sweep by winning the final game 9-5. That ended a run of LA winning 10 of their last 11 games. Now that it looks like this hot streak is over, how will the Dodgers respond? Will they revert to playing terribly like they have most of the season or will this recent hot streak be a sign of the future?
There were some encouraging signs in this game for the Dodgers, this was the first time all season the Dodgers scored at least 5 runs in 4 straight games. LA had a chance to move to second place all by themselves, but instead ended up in third all by themselves. That's a good sign because they'd been in last place most of the season.
I'm hopeful that while the Dodgers continue to wait for Carl Crawford to return, some of their other bats are rounding into shape. Adrian Gonzalez, Mr. Consistent, was 4 for 5 and is hitting .304 this season. He has 13 home runs and 53 RBIs. Gonzalez also hit a home run in each game of this series.
Yasiel Puig played in spite of his injury yesterday, well of course he played. He was 1 for 5 and he's hitting .430. Matt Kemp has hit home runs in back to back games, meaning he has 4 home runs this season. Hopefully those two home runs and him going 2 for 5 today means he's returning to being the dangerous hitter he was early last season. I'm trying not to get ahead of myself as he's still only hitting .254. Hanley Ramirez was 1 for 4, is hitting .404 and has a 15 game hitting streak.
Chris Capuano isn't ready to play in MLB, he may be someday though. He was brutal today in his 4.1 innings, giving up 7 hits, 5 earned runs. Capuano dropped to 2-6 on the season and also has a very high 5.19 ERA. Meanwhile another Dodger pitcher that continues to struggle is the Dodgers alleged closer for this season, Brandon League. Every time he pitches he looks like a worse and worse signing by Ned Colleti. But one good thing about Colleti is at least he wouldn't trade for Carlos Marmol. What? You mean he did? Oh my. Anyway League only lasted 1/3rd of an inning today, he gave up 2 hits, 2 earned runs and a walk. His ERA soars to 6.37 ERA.
I hope the Dodgers are furiously working behind the scenes to add either Matt Garza or Ricky Nolasco to their team soon. Both Nolasco and Garza had solid outings in their last games. In fact Garza has been on fire of late. Imagine if the Dodgers would have had Garza pitching tonight instead of Capuano.
Upcoming: LA now travels to play a 3 game series in San Francisco. The Giants have been terrible of late, terrible is the perfect word. The Giants have lost 3 games in a row and 9 of their last 10 games. I have a feeling the Giants were a bit relieved that their game was rained out today. The defending World Series champs have sunk to the bottom of the NL West. San Francisco has only scored 20 runs in their last 10 games. The scheduled pitching matchup for Friday's game is Hyun-Jin Ryu (6-3, 2.83 ERA) vs. Matt Cain (5-4, 4.29 ERA).
The Red Sox continued streaking, finishing off a 3 game sweep of the Padres, in the 8-2 win. Boston had 18 hits in this game as they continue to be MLB's most prolific offense. Red Sox players that had multiple hit games were Jacoby Ellsbury, Shane Victorino, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Mike Napoli, Ryan Lavarnay and Jose Iglesias. However only 3 Red Sox players struck out. I'd take a 6 to 1 hits to strike outs any day as a manager.
While the Red Sox have the best record in the AL, San Diego is tied for last place in the NL West with the Giants. I'm glad someone else is now looking up at the Dodgers. Meanwhile the Red Sox have the best record in the AL. Also they are 53-34, they've won 4 in a row and 8 of 10. Boston leads the second place Orioles by 4.5 games.
On Friday the Red Sox start a 10 game West Coast road trip, but the only good team they will play is the A's. I expect the Red Sox to win at least 6 of the 10 games. This road trip will take them to the All-Star break. First up they play a 3 game series against the Angels, 41-44, where surprisingly the over paid Josh Hamilton actually had a big hit last night. Next up is a 4 game series in Seattle, the Mariners are only 37-48. Boston closes the road trip against the very good A's, who are 50-36 and leading the AL West. That should be a fun series to go into the All-Star break.
The Pirates seem to be cooling down a little bit as they lost to the Phillies 6-4 on the 4th. However the Pirates have still won 8 of their last 10 games and have the best record in MLB. Pirates rookie Gerrit Cole suffered his first lost as a MLB starting pitcher. He's 4-1 and has a too high ERA of 3.94. Cole pitched 5.1 innings, giving up 8 hits and 3 earned runs.
themusicaddict
In the final game of the Dodgers-Rockies three game series Colorado avoided the sweep by winning the final game 9-5. That ended a run of LA winning 10 of their last 11 games. Now that it looks like this hot streak is over, how will the Dodgers respond? Will they revert to playing terribly like they have most of the season or will this recent hot streak be a sign of the future?
There were some encouraging signs in this game for the Dodgers, this was the first time all season the Dodgers scored at least 5 runs in 4 straight games. LA had a chance to move to second place all by themselves, but instead ended up in third all by themselves. That's a good sign because they'd been in last place most of the season.
I'm hopeful that while the Dodgers continue to wait for Carl Crawford to return, some of their other bats are rounding into shape. Adrian Gonzalez, Mr. Consistent, was 4 for 5 and is hitting .304 this season. He has 13 home runs and 53 RBIs. Gonzalez also hit a home run in each game of this series.
Yasiel Puig played in spite of his injury yesterday, well of course he played. He was 1 for 5 and he's hitting .430. Matt Kemp has hit home runs in back to back games, meaning he has 4 home runs this season. Hopefully those two home runs and him going 2 for 5 today means he's returning to being the dangerous hitter he was early last season. I'm trying not to get ahead of myself as he's still only hitting .254. Hanley Ramirez was 1 for 4, is hitting .404 and has a 15 game hitting streak.
Chris Capuano isn't ready to play in MLB, he may be someday though. He was brutal today in his 4.1 innings, giving up 7 hits, 5 earned runs. Capuano dropped to 2-6 on the season and also has a very high 5.19 ERA. Meanwhile another Dodger pitcher that continues to struggle is the Dodgers alleged closer for this season, Brandon League. Every time he pitches he looks like a worse and worse signing by Ned Colleti. But one good thing about Colleti is at least he wouldn't trade for Carlos Marmol. What? You mean he did? Oh my. Anyway League only lasted 1/3rd of an inning today, he gave up 2 hits, 2 earned runs and a walk. His ERA soars to 6.37 ERA.
I hope the Dodgers are furiously working behind the scenes to add either Matt Garza or Ricky Nolasco to their team soon. Both Nolasco and Garza had solid outings in their last games. In fact Garza has been on fire of late. Imagine if the Dodgers would have had Garza pitching tonight instead of Capuano.
Upcoming: LA now travels to play a 3 game series in San Francisco. The Giants have been terrible of late, terrible is the perfect word. The Giants have lost 3 games in a row and 9 of their last 10 games. I have a feeling the Giants were a bit relieved that their game was rained out today. The defending World Series champs have sunk to the bottom of the NL West. San Francisco has only scored 20 runs in their last 10 games. The scheduled pitching matchup for Friday's game is Hyun-Jin Ryu (6-3, 2.83 ERA) vs. Matt Cain (5-4, 4.29 ERA).
The Red Sox continued streaking, finishing off a 3 game sweep of the Padres, in the 8-2 win. Boston had 18 hits in this game as they continue to be MLB's most prolific offense. Red Sox players that had multiple hit games were Jacoby Ellsbury, Shane Victorino, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Mike Napoli, Ryan Lavarnay and Jose Iglesias. However only 3 Red Sox players struck out. I'd take a 6 to 1 hits to strike outs any day as a manager.
While the Red Sox have the best record in the AL, San Diego is tied for last place in the NL West with the Giants. I'm glad someone else is now looking up at the Dodgers. Meanwhile the Red Sox have the best record in the AL. Also they are 53-34, they've won 4 in a row and 8 of 10. Boston leads the second place Orioles by 4.5 games.
On Friday the Red Sox start a 10 game West Coast road trip, but the only good team they will play is the A's. I expect the Red Sox to win at least 6 of the 10 games. This road trip will take them to the All-Star break. First up they play a 3 game series against the Angels, 41-44, where surprisingly the over paid Josh Hamilton actually had a big hit last night. Next up is a 4 game series in Seattle, the Mariners are only 37-48. Boston closes the road trip against the very good A's, who are 50-36 and leading the AL West. That should be a fun series to go into the All-Star break.
The Pirates seem to be cooling down a little bit as they lost to the Phillies 6-4 on the 4th. However the Pirates have still won 8 of their last 10 games and have the best record in MLB. Pirates rookie Gerrit Cole suffered his first lost as a MLB starting pitcher. He's 4-1 and has a too high ERA of 3.94. Cole pitched 5.1 innings, giving up 8 hits and 3 earned runs.
themusicaddict
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