Dodgers Half Season Review

After Sunday's game in Milwaukee, the Dodgers have now played 88 games. Their record stands at 56-32, a Major League Baseball best, and the boys now get three days to unwind (minus Billingsley, Broxton and Hudson who will all be in St. Louis). With the time off, now is a great time to look back on the Dodgers first half of the season. We'll take a position-by-position look at the 2009 Los Angeles Dodgers:



Starting Lineup



C Russell Martin- The rock of the 2006-2008 Dodgers has had a concerning dip in production in 2009. Martin has seen a considerable drop in both batting average and slugging percentage. The BA drop doesn't concern me, as his on-base percentage is still strong (.373). What concerns me is his continued drop in power. Martin finished 2008 with a sub-.400 SLG and the trend has continued this season. Martin's isolated power is only .056, down from his career average of .133. Also concerning is Martin's inability to block pitches in the dirt. He has looked hesitant on certain pitches and the Dodgers' staff leads baseball in wild pitches. All this told, Martin is still one of the better catchers in the game. His strong OBP makes him a valuable player, especially at his position. And he has showed signs of coming out in recent outings. So hopefully the Dodgers will have a strong Russell J. Martin for the second half of 2009.



1B James Loney- I labeled 2009 as make-or-break for James Loney as a Dodger. That was probably a bit premature, but this hasn't been a great year for Loney. His power, or lack thereof, is unacceptable for a 1B, especially one that is not posting a particularly strong OBP. Loney's line so far in 2009: .281/.350/.402. Despite being in the bottom rung of the ladder for production from a first baseman, the Dodgers can live with it in 2009 because they are so strong at every other position. If Loney can finish the year with 15 homers I think the team would be happy. If he is not going to hit for power I would at least like to see him hit for average and improve his on-base skills. Loney does have 54 RBI, but it is a bit misleading because he really doesn't belong anywhere near the middle of the order for a good offensive team.



2B Orlando Hudson- The O-Dog has been great for the Dodgers so far this season. Despite struggling in June and the first half of July, his overall upgrade over Jeff Kent has been awesome. The O-Dog has posted a .283/.353/.426 line so far this season while playing very good defense. His nasty wrist injury to last season seems to be in the past and is on track to match his career numbers in every category. The O-Dog has been worth every dollar the Dodgers gave him when they signed him over the winter, and he definitely merited being an All-Star.

SS Rafael Furcal- The Dodgers have used kid gloves on Raffy for the entire first half as he recovered from back surgery last season. Furcal did not start a handful of day games in order to try and keep him healthy and productive. Fortunately he has stayed healthy. Unfortunately he has not been productive. Furcal has posted a .681 OPS on the season. However, he has shown signs recently of coming out of his funk, with a 1.018 OPS in 43 at-bats in July. If Furcal can keep up his recent play for the second half, the Dodgers lineup will be unstoppable. Raffy is a game changer at the top of the lineup and it would be great to see him play like we know he can.

3B Casey Blake. The Beard has been great this season for the Dodgers. He has solved the Dodgers third base quandry that has existed ever since Adrian Beltre left for Seattle after the 2004 season. While I still am not happy that the Dodgers traded Carlos Santana for Blake last July, I must admit I have been incredibly surprised by his strong play this season. Blake has outperformed his career averages in BA, OBP, and SLG. He has also been pretty good over at the hot corner. He probably shouldn't bat cleanup on the best team in baseball, but he has been great for the Dodgers and I can't deny that.

LF Manny Ramirez- Manny has done nothing but rake since joining the Dodgers. Unfortunately he was suspended for 50 games in early May for violating baseball's PED agreement. But he is back now and he is doing what Manny does: hit a baseball better than almost every other player. Manny is hitting .355 on the season with a .487 OBP and .669 SLG. The Dodgers lineup is so dynamic when he is batting third, and the team will continue to score as long as he stays healthy.

CF Matt Kemp- Kemp has been spectacular so far in his breakout season. He is hitting .320 with a .879 OPS. He is on pace for 20 HR's and 35 SB's. He has an improved batting eye, posting an iso-OBP of .064, up from his career average of .048. Oh and he has played incredible defense in center. Kemp leads all MLB CF's in UZR, and he has 10 outfield assists. He still has a ton of room before he hits his ceiling, and at this point anything less than superstardom for Kemp would be disappointing.

RF Andre Ethier- Dre has had a weird season for the Dodgers. His power is up big time, his 18 HR's at the break is only 2 shy of his career high for an entire season, but his BA is down big time. A lifetime .290 hitter, Ethier has hit only .250 so far this year, and as a result his OBP is only .338. I do expect him to get hot and finish around .275/.360/.500 for the year though because he is such a good hitter. Despite his lower BA and OBP, his power has been a welcome addition to the Dodgers lineup.

Bench

Juan Pierre- Juan did an admirable job filling in for Manny during his suspension, especially early on. Juan hit .369 in May before crashing back to Earth with a .264 average in June. He now returns to the bench in a role as the fourth outfielder. Juan has received a tremedous amount of credit for the Dodgers great play during the first half, and rightfully so. However, the talk of him deserving to be an All-Star or even starting for the Dodgers was a bit silly. Nonetheless, his good play should not go unnoticed, even by Pierre "haters" like me.

Mark Loretta- Loretta has been unspectacular in his role as pinch-hitter and spot starter. But he is a nice guy to have around because he is a decent hitter and the Dodgers really don't have many other options on the bench.

Brad Ausmus- Ausmus has a .730 OPS in 56 at-bats so far this season. The Dodgers will take that all season long. He has performed the role the Dodgers wanted him to, backing up Russell Martin while handling the staff well. Like Loretta, he is not a bad guy to have on the team.

Juan Castro- The Dodgers signed Castro to play good defense while backing up Furcal at short and Hudson at second. They didn't know he was going to hit like this. Small sample sizes can be so fun. Castro is a great example of why they can be so fun; the man with a lifetime OPS of .606 has posted an incredible (for him) OPS of .834 so far this season in 71 at-bats. It will not continue but he will continue to play good defense when he is needed.

Blake DeWitt- The Dodgers pleasant surprise of 2008 has been shuttled back and forth between AAA and the big leagues this season during 2009. DeWitt has had only 23 at-bats with the Dodgers, batting .174 with one HR.

Xavier Paul- Paul was called up to fill Manny's spot after the suspension. He showed some promise in his limited duty, but a staph infection has sidelined him for nearly two months.

Jamie Hoffman- Hoffman filled in as fourth outfielder after Manny's suspension and Xavier Paul's staph infection. He made a highlight reel catch and throw in Chicago and hit a three-run HR early on, but mostly struggled in his 22 at-bats before being demoted.

Mitch Jones- The real life Crash Davis was called up during interleague play to DH in American League parks. He posted a .785 OPS in 13 at-bats before being sent back down.

Doug Mientkiewicz- Doug looked like he was going to be a great option off the bench for the Dodgers, but a pointless head-first slide into second base separated his shoulder and has limited him to 5 at-bats all season.

A.J. Ellis- Ellis got his first major league at-bat this season after two stints up with the big team, but is 0 for 4 on the season. He is a likely call-up when rosters expand in September.

Overall, the Dodgers offense has been very good this season, despite suffering from nearly two months without Manny. The Dodgers are second in the league in runs scored, averaging 5.03 runs per game. The big component in the Dodgers success has been their ability to get on base, as they lead the league with a .354 OBP. The Dodgers are 11th in the league in home runs (76 total), but that number figures to rise with Manny's return. If the Dodgers can continue to get on base and hit for average power, their offense will be one of the best in the league.

Starting Pitching

Chad Billingsley- Bills has been very good for the Dodgers this year, with a 3.38 ERA. He has become the rock of the staff, leading the team in innings pitched with 125.1. His 119 strikeouts show how good his stuff is, but he struggled a bit with his control in the first half, as he finished second in the league with 55 walks issued. Bills was named to his first All-Star team, and he figures to finish the season with an ERA just over 3.00. The Dodgers pitching has exceeded expectations this season, and Chad is a big reason why.

Randy Wolf- Wolf has been terrific for the Dodgers, pitching 114.2 innings of 3.45 ERA. Wolf has struck out 85 batters, and after changing his number to 43, upped his record to 4-3. The only blemish on Wolf's record has been the longball, as he has given up 15 of them. But overall, the Dodgers are getting a great return on their one-year investment in Wolf.

Clayton Kershaw- Clayshaw has really come on for the Dodgers since May 1st. In his last 14 starts, Kershaw has a 7-3 record with a 2.06 ERA. On the year, he has 99 strikeouts in 99.2 innings, and his ERA is 3.16. The only issue with Kershaw is his walk total. He has given up a league-leading 59 BB's, but he has mostly been able to work around those walks. The 21 year-old is well on his way to superstardom, and I think it's safe to say he is untouchable, even in a trade for Roy Halladay.

Hiroki Kuroda- Kuroda started Opening Day, then missed two months before returning for nine starts. He has struggled since returning, and on the year he has a 4.67 ERA. If Kuroda can have a second half like he did last year, the Dodgers staff will be in great shape. They have been able to get away with his struggles so far, but the Dodgers need Kuroda going forward.

Eric Stults- Stults pitched well for the Dodgers early on, but a thumb injury derailed his season. In 9 starts, Stults has a 4.80 ERA, with 30 strikeouts to go along with 25 walks.

Eric Milton- Milton briefly resurrected his major league career before a back injury threatened the rest of his 2009. Milton is 2-1 in 5 starts with a 3.80 ERA.

Bullpen

Johnathon Broxton- The Bull has stepped into the closers role and performed brilliantly. He has 65 strikeouts in 40.2 innings, and has converted 20 of 22 saves. A toe injury is a concern going forward, but if he returns to full health the Dodgers have one of the best closers in baseball. He is a deserving 2009 All-Star.

Ramon Troncoso- Troncoso has had a funny season. He has an incredible 1.75 ERA 56.2 innings. However, his peripheral numbers are down from last season. Tron has struck out only 34 batters while allowing 21 walks. Yet, his ability to get the ground ball has been a huge asset for the Dodgers. So has his ability to pitch multiple innings.

Ronald Belisario- Beli is the most pleasant surprise for the 2009 Dodgers. Despite never pitching above AA, the Dodgers gave him a shot. He has not disappointed. Joe Torre has since run him into the ground, resulting in an inevitable DL stint. But if he can return the Dodgers bullpen will remain one of the best in baseball. In 48.1 innings, Belisario has 46 strikeouts, and his fastball is one of the most filthy pitches you will see.

Jeff Weaver- The Weave has been yet another pleasant surprise for the Dodgers. In 44 innings of duty, Weaver has a 3.48 ERA. He has bounced between starting and long relief, and has been a valuable player for Joe Torre.

Guillermo Mota- Mota has come on strong in the last two months. After his May 17 apperance, he had an ERA of 9. Since then, he has a 0.35 ERA in 26 innings. Wow. I don't expect him to continue to pitch well but there is no denying how great he has been lately. However, I still don't feel comfortable when he is in the game. I guess that's my problem though.

James McDonald- In 4 starts in April, McDonald struggled badly. After a temporary demotion to the bullpen and then AAA, however, he has been terrific. In 14.1 innings since moving to the pen, J-Mac has a 1.26 ERA. I still think his long-term future is as a starter, but in the meantime he can be useful out of the bullpen.

Cory Wade- Wade has not been able to duplicate his 2008 season. Wade was lucky on balls in play in '08, but that has not translated to this season, and it is a big reason why he has a struggled. An early season trip to the DL didn't help either. Wade has a 5.53 ERA in 27.2 innings, and is only back in the big leagues because of Belisario's injury.

Will Ohman- Ohman has been hilarious for the Dodgers, but that's about it. Before injuring his shoulder, the funny man had a 5.84 ERA in 12.1 innings while struggling to get lefties out.

Brent Leach- Leach has filled the situational lefty role vacated by Ohman's absence. Leach has pitched well for the Dodgers, with 17 K's in 19 innings while holding lefties to a .205 average.

Scott Elbert- Elbert is one of my favorite up-and-coming Dodgers. The young lefty has struck out 9 batters in his 9 innings. We figure to see much more of Elbert in the future.

Hong-Chih Kuo- Kuo's history of arm injuries has continued into 2009. After struggling to start the season, the news came out that Kuo's arm was tender... again. Kuo just began a rehab assignment, and his return would be huge for the pitching staff.

Travis Schlichting- The young righty made two appearances, working 2.2 innings and giving up one run.

Claudio Vargas- Vargas returned from the 60-day DL last week. He has worked 2 innings of mop-up duty, and has not surrendered a run so far.

The Dodgers pitching staff has been awesome this year. The team is second in the NL in ERA at 3.58. The Dodgers are also second in strikeouts. Two areas to improve on: The starters need to go deeper into games and the entire staff needs to cut back on the walks. Overall, the staff has been rock solid and is a main reason why the Dodgers have the best record in baseball.

The All-Star Game is Tuesday night and then the Dodgers resume play on Thursday night at home versus the Astros. Hopefully the boys will be rested and ready to go. The Dodgers have yet to lose three in a row, and as long as they avoid any extended losing streaks, the division is theirs. I can't wait for the second half to start.

Dodgers Take 2 out of 3 Against Free-Falling Mets

The Dodgers won 11-2 Thursday night to take the series from the New York Mets, and in the process ran their overall season record against the Mets to 5-1. While the Dodgers continue to get better, the Mets' season is beginning to look more and more like a lost cause. The team has been ravaged by injuries to three of its best position players (Reyes, Beltran, and Delgado), and its pitching staff (Maine, Putz, Wagner). So what normally would be an impressive season series win for the Dodgers is nullified by the fact that the Dodgers were playing a team that is a shell of its former self. Regardless, the Dodgers put a whooping on the Mets, outscoring them 25-7 in the process, and the Mets were really lucky to salvage even one game in the series. Some thoughts from the series:

• This was the Dodgers first trip to the new CitiField. I must say I really like the homage to the Brooklyn Dodgers. The outdoor facade that is strikingly similar to Ebbets Field was pretty cool. Well done Wilpons. On the flip side, the park plays way too big and already looks like an East Coast version of San Diego's Petco Park. And did the Mets really expect to have good luck playing in a stadium named after a bank that received millions of dollars in a government bailout? I don't think so. It is poetic justice in my eyes.
• Wolf switching from jersey number 21 to 43 in order to try and snap his eight game winless streak is hilarious. Baseball players have always been the worst in terms of superstition and this one fits right in. It worked though as Wolf pitched 6 1/3 innings while giving up 2 ER to pick up a win in Thursday's contest.
• The Dodgers run differential for the season is now +101, the best in baseball by nearly 30 runs. That is very impressive. People may want to sell the Dodgers short, but their performance this year has been for real. Their run differential proves just that.
• The Pre-Manny suspension Dodgers were back. The Dodgers drew a ridiculous amount of baserunners in the series (too lazy to look it up, but it was alot). They were patient at the plate and forced struggling pitchers to go deep into the count and in turn drew alot of walks and ran pitch counts up. On Thursday night alone, the Dodgers had 27 baserunners (17 hits, 9 walks and a HBP). That will get the job done. The only negative: The Dodgers gave away three outs on the basepaths on Thursday night. They have to be smarter going forward.
• It appears as if Raffy and Russell are starting to get it going. Furcal had a great series, and has now raised his batting line to .260/.334/.349. If Raffy gets on a streak like he has in the past, there is no reason he can't get to .280/.350/.400 in the next few weeks. Martin on the other hand, has his OBP up to .374 despite a batting average of only .257. He is still displaying a shocking loss of power, .303 SLG, including an isolated slugging percentage of .046. It's concerning for the future, but if he can put up high OBP's as a catcher at least he still has some offensive value left.
• Clayshaw continued his progression this season with a 6 shutout innings performance on Tuesday, celebrating a certain blogger's birthday in style. Amazingly, Kershaw has lowered his ERA from 5.60 on May 1 to 3.27 today. He is still walking too many batters, 54 in 93.2 innings, and they will probably catch up to him a bit at some point, but it's undeniable that he is developing rapidly. I can't even imagine how good he will be at his peak.
• And you thought I was going to forget... Ya right. Matt Kemp had a huge series. Kemp went 8 for 11 in the series, while drawing a walk in every game (actually 6 straight games with a walk for the Bison) and coming up with an amazing outfield assist to cut down Luis Castillo in game one on Tuesday. Kemp's 2009 OPS is now up to .875. He didn't win the final vote (Shane Victorino did), but he should definitely be on the team as an injury replacement. A superstar is emerging in front of our eyes. Now if he can add the power we know he is capable of, watch out.

It's good to see the Dodgers starting to hit again. Manny's return has had an immediate impact without a doubt. I would like to see Furcal continue to get it going, and hopefully Ethier and Hudson will begin to snap out of their recent funks (Thursday's game could be the beginning for both). The boys now head to Milwaukee to play three with the Brewers before the All-Star break. I would love to see them take 2 out of 3 and go into the break with a 56-32 record.

Before I go to bed...

... I have just one question. Why does Joe Torre continue to bat Matt Kemp eighth? Kemp was 3 for 3 with a triple and a walk, reaching base all four times to raise his batting line on the season to .314/.380/.485. I don't like to gripe about batting order too much because most of the time the actual added value of a particular lineup versus a different lineup is negligible. But this is getting ridiculous. Kemp has been the Dodgers best hitter this year (minus Manny who would win in a cake walk but he, you know, got suspended for 50 games). The Bison should bat no lower than sixth in the order and would be great as high as the two spot. It's a funny concept Joe, you usually want to put your best hitters and high OBP guys near the top of the lineup. But hey, if you want to keep batting him eighth, I guess that's your prerogative. I think it's embarrassing though that our favorite team's manager bats a possible All-Star three spots below Mark Loretta. Ok that's enough now. Good night.

Dodgers Win Wild One 7-6

Well that was way more interesting than it had to be. Some random thoughts I have from the game down in San Diego:

• What a day for Chad Billingsley (until the very end, but still). The 24 year-old righty was named to his first All-Star team, threw 8 brilliant innings, and channeled Manny's inner spirit by hitting a double and a home run while at the plate. He was as efficient with his pitches as we have ever really seen, and his zero walks were a step in the right direction.
• I had to listen to the radio for the last six innings or so. Let me tell you, Charley Steiner is frustrating. I have always been annoyed with Steiner as a broadcaster, but today took the cake. The crowning moment: When Everth Cabrera singled to tie the game in the ninth, and Eliezer Alfonzo was thrown out at third, he thought the game was over and the Dodgers had won. I was a bit confused, wondering how the tying run didn't score from second on a base hit to center, but I was pretty excited nonetheless. Then about five seconds later, Steiner said it was his mistake and the Padres had tied the game. Thanks for nothing Charley. Let me state that I loved Charley on Sportscenter (his SC bloopers reel and commercials are classic... Follow me to freedom!), but calling play-by-play is not his forte.
• Now to the game itself, I have two serious issues with Joe Torre's decision making. One is his decision to lift Bills in the ninth after he gave up a home run and a double to start the inning. Chad had made only 97 pitches at that point in time, and should have been given at least 15 more to finish the game. Granted I was listening on the radio, so I couldn't see if he was laboring or not, but I think it was still Bills' game at that point in time. If the score was 4 to 2 instead of 6 to 2, then maybe it's the right decision, but I think the pitching change was not necessary. At the end of the day, it's Broxton who will get all the blame, and deservedly so for his poor performance, but I think he shouldn't have necessarily been in the game as it was. My other issue with Torre's decision making is his intentional walk to Adrian Gonzalez in the 13th inning with one out and the bases empty. With the pitchers spot on deck, you knew the Pads would sacrifice bunt and get the runner over to second with two outs. Do you really want to put the tying run in scoring position? Against these pesky Pads? I don't think so. I understand the logic; Gonzalez is the only Padre who can really hurt you, so don't let him beat you. But the Dodgers had done a good job with him all day, so I would have liked to seen them be careful with him but at the same time try and get him out. Now if he would have hit a home run I would be on here blaming Torre for letting Gonzalez hurt them. Such is the life of a fan.
• The power display was nice to see, and it negated the fact that the Dodgers could not hit with runners in scoring position. The Dodgers had 18 hits, yet only one run came without the long ball. But that is why power is so important. Hitting with RISP is a statistic that fluctuates game to game, series to series, and teams will have extended periods of time where they can't seem to drive anyone in. Home runs can pick up a team up. In an extra inning game like todays it always seems that as the game gets longer, the more likely it is that a home run will win it. Rallies are hard to come by, so the power threat is nice.
• Thank you Jeff Weaver. The Simi High Alumni (I will throw that in there any chance I get) tossed three huge scoreless innings of relief and ended up getting the W. I have to say I didn't expect much from Weave this year, but he has been a pleasant surprise. Tip of the cap to you, Jeff Weaver.

It's funny how winning can alleviate all the frustration that comes during a game. Today's game was a rollercoaster, but at the end of the day it was the Dodgers adding a W to their win column and the Padres adding an L to their loss column. I wasn't happy as much as I was relieved when Loney hit the homer in the 13th. At the same time, I felt that this was a game we were going to find a way to blow at any cost. It always seems like the Dodgers suffer through one game a year in San Diego just like this one. But this year was different. The Dodgers got it together and pulled a tough one out. The 3000 mile flight to New York is now much easier for the boys. We can all collectively exhale.

Side note: Remember to vote for Matt Kemp in the Final Fan Vote for the 2009 ASG in St. Louis. You can vote as many times as you want (I did my part today). It's only right that we see Kemp there on July 14th.

3 Dodgers Named to N.L. All-Star Team

Congratulations to Jonathan Broxton, Chad Billingsley, and Orlando Hudson for being elected to represent the Dodgers in St. Louis on July 14th. It's awesome to see Brox and Bills, two homegrown pitchers, get some well deserved recognition. You hear so much about prospects nowadays before you ever even see them pitch, so to see these two fulfill their potential as Dodgers is a great feeling. Orlando Hudson is making his second ASG appearance, and despite his recent slump, he definitely earned it. The O-Dog has represented a 180 degree turnaround from what the Dodgers had received from Jeff Kent the last two years. His combination of offense, defense, hustle and leadership has been refreshing to see. It's hard to find any fault with these three representing the Dodgers.

In other ASG news, Matt Kemp was not named to the initial team, but I still think he has a decent shot. Carlos Beltran and Raul Ibanez are both uncertainties, and Kemp figures to be at least a strong consideration for N.L. Manager Charlie Manuel as a replacement. In my opinion, there are only three candidates: Kemp, Jayson Werth, and Aaron Rowand. If justice is served, we won't see Aaron Rowand make the team. Werth has had a very good year and has posted some good power numbers (on pace for 32 HR's), but I would love to see Kemp make it. Hopefully I'll get my wish.

UPDATE: Matt Kemp has been added to the N.L. Final Fan Vote. Get out and vote for Kemp so we can see the Bison in the All-Star Game. Click the link and then click on the "Cast Your Final Vote" link. Vote or Die people.

The Case for Matt Kemp

Happy Independence Day to all my fellow Americans. Today is a great day for baseball. Anyways, to pick up the theme at the end of my last post, I want to examine Matt Kemp's chances of being in St. Louis on July 14th for the 2009 All-Star Game. I have to admit, when I first heard about the possibility of Kemp as an All-Star, I was surprised. He has had a very good season, but I never really thought that the people within baseball noticed. The N.L. will probably carry seven outfielders. Let's take a look at the likely locks for the N.L. outfield:

1. Carlos Beltran- Beltran has had a terrific season, however he will probably miss the game due to the severe bone bruise in his knee.
2. Brad Hawpe- Hawpe is a Dodger Killer and a lock for this year's ASG.
3. Raul Ibanez- Ibanez has had a breakout season late in his career, although it's unclear if he will return in time from the D.L. to play.
4. Ryan Braun
5. Adam Dunn- 40 HR's and 100 BB's every season, one of the more underappreciated hitters in the game.

Now we look at the possibilities to round out the outfield for the N.L.:

1. Justin Upton- The 21 year-old has had a breakout season in obscurity. Upton has a .937 OPS with 14 HR's.
2. Hunter Pence- Pence has had a very good year, with a .870 OPS, 10 HR's and 8 SB's
3. Jayson Werth- The former Dodger has 16 HR's and 45 RBI's

And now the guy I'm endorsing: Matt Kemp

Kemp has an impressive .303/.365/.476 batting line. He has 10 HR's and 19 SB's while only getting caught stealing 3 times. His RBI total would probably be higher if not for batting in the bottom third of the order all season (side note: How ridiculous is it that a player of Kemp's caliber continues to bat in the 7 and 8 hole?). His .841 OPS ranks him 9th among N.L. OF's, but he isn't that far behind the last few players. But the real reason for Kemp's ASG chances? His outstanding defense in CF. Kemp has had his share of issues in the field in the past, but this season he has been spectacular. He leads all NL CF's in UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) as well as many other fielding metrics, and it really isn't all that close. His total package of good offense and tremendous defense puts him on the verge of being an All-Star. Carlos Beltran's injury should allow him to make the team. It wouldn't be a huge snub if Kemp doesn't make it, and it is safe to assume that Kemp will be in multiple All-Star Games down the road. But as one of the best players on the best team in baseball, Kemp deserves a legitimate look to play in the contest this year.

My N.L. ASG Outfield (excluding Beltran):

• Brad Hawpe
• Raul Ibanez (if healthy)
• Hunter Pence (if Ibanez can't play)
• Ryan Braun
• Adam Dunn
• Justin Upton
• Jayson Werth
• Matt Kemp

Considering Kemp is the only true CF in that group, if N.L. Manager Charlie Manuel decides to use a traditional OF, there is a shot that Kemp could start for the National League. Now that would be exciting.

What do you guys think? Does Matt Kemp deserve to be an All-Star this season?

Manny is Back

...and not a moment too soon. Manny makes his much anticipated return from his 50 game suspension tonight in San Diego. The Dodgers have struggled offensively in recent games, totaling a meager 8 runs in the last 5 contests. Hopefully his return will give the Dodgers offense a shot in the arm. Manny's replacement, Juan Pierre, has struggled since June 1st after playing so well initially. Pierre posted a .263/.317/.307 line over the last month. While he has received due credit for his initial play after the suspension, the media hype over him returning to the bench is overdone. Replacing Pierre with Manny is sure to boost the Dodgers offense all by itself. Hopefully the boys can snap out of their offensive funk starting tonight.

One other thing:

• Matt Kemp the All-Star? It's not as far fetched as it seems. Jon Weisman lays out Kemp's credentials on his site, DodgerThoughts. Just to echo Weisman's sentiment, I hope we can have a roaming Bison in St. Louis on July 14th.
  

Lakers Sign Ron Ron, Ariza to the Rockets

Before I get to the Lakers addition of Ron Artest, I want to talk about the failed negotiations between Ariza's camp and the Lakers. Here is my best guess, and some reporters guess too, as to what happened. When the Free Agency period began at midnight on July 1st, the Lakers contacted Ariza's agent David Lee. Instead of making an offer over the midlevel exception, the Lakers told Lee to see what was out there with other teams, and then come back with an offer for the Lakers to match. This infuriated Ariza and Lee, who wanted the Lakers to show appreciation for Trevor's contributions to the title run by offering him a contract over the midlevel exception of 5.6 million. The reason for the Lakers stance in my opinion: They knew they had a shot at Ron Artest, who himself was going through failed negotiations with the Houston Rockets. When Artest became available, the Lakers jumped at the chance to add one of the best two-way players in the NBA. I'm sure the Lakers would have loved to retain Ariza, but the addition of Artest was just too tempting. And I completely agree. Here's why...

• For starters, Bill Plaschke thinks the Lakers made a mistake. That's a great sign for Lakers fans as Plaschke is almost always wrong.
• It pretty much assures everyone that Phil Jackson is coming back next season. The Lakers wouldn't add a character like Artest without being sure of the Zen Master's presence on the bench (or in his throne).
• Many championship teams get complacent during the following offseason. GM's become nervous to break up any piece of the team due to the fear of fan reaction. But the truth is that retaining status quo after a championship run can be a bad decision. When everyone else in the league is getting better (see: Spurs, Celtics, Magic, and Cavs), it's important not to assume what you currently have is enough to win it again. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchap is taking a chance on Artest, but it is undeniable that Artest makes the Lakers significantly better than Ariza would.
• Artest is a lock-d0wn defender. He isn't nearly as quick as he was in his younger years (although he isn't exactly old, he'll be 30 in November), but he won't have to guard the quick 2-guards with Kobe by his side. If the Lakers make it to the Finals, and face either the Cavs or Celtics, they now have a defender that can match LeBron James and Paul Pierce physically. As much havoc as Ariza wreaks on defense, most of his great defense comes from the off-ball position. He isn't strong enough to lock down the stronger wings in the league (Carmelo lit the Lakers up in a few games in the Conference Finals). Artest is a great on-ball defender. So there is an immense upgrade.
• Toughness will no longer be an issue. If anyone messes with Kobe or Pau, they will have Artest to deal with. Artest is enormous (6'7" and 260 pounds) and is one of the more physical players in the league. I expect the Lakers to have a nasty side now that they added Ron-Ron. I like it. The Celtics won a title with this attitude and it's a big reason why they will compete again if KG comes back healthy. If the Lakers can match their attitude, Ron Artest will be a big reason why
• The Lakers have a five year title window. Kobe is 30. Pau is 28. Lamar is 29. Yes Bynum and Farmar are young, but the core of this team is in their prime. Maximizing the talent around them is essential during the next few years. The Lakers are adding a star in Ron Artest. Yes, Ariza is only 24. But youth doesn't completely matter in the Lakers case. They are trying to win multiple titles in the next five years, and after that they will pay their dues. Honestly, if the Lakers win a couple more titles in the next five to six years, will anyone care if they have a down period afterwards? I sure won't. That's why I love this signing.
• Ron Artest has been known to take some pretty bad shots. This fact is undeniable. Anyone who watched the Western Conference Semifinals was subject to seeing Artest hoisting some horrendous shots at the basket. I don' t think that will be a major issue in L.A. Artest will be, at best, the third option on the Lakers. In Houston, he was considered the number one perimeter guy once T-Mac went down. He was reponsible for initiating the offense, and as a result he constantly had to make plays and handle the ball. In L.A., I expect him to take better shots, and get a lot of easy looks playing alongside Kobe, Pau, and L.O. If he can space the floor and knock down open 3's, as well as make the hustle plays that Ariza did, he will fit in great. However, he can also initiate the offense if Kobe is on the bench. He is an underrated passer and I expect Laker fans to be pleasantly surprised by his offensive playmaking.

As you can probably infer, I am a big fan of this signing. From an emotional viewpoint, losing Ariza sucks. But the writing was on the wall after reports came out that he was upset. Trevor got his money with the Rockets (5 years, 33 million) and in exchange he will play with a mediocre team sans T-Mac and Yao. He made his own bed. The Lakers are moving on with a better player. Ariza had a memorable stint with the Lakers (it's crazy that it was only one full year), and he had become a fan favorite. It's sad that the he won't be able to fulfill his potential as a Laker. But this is the way the business of basketball works. And now the Lakers have improved their title chances over the next few years. That's nothing to get upset about. Instead, we should be celebrating.

I'm Back

I promise this time, I'm back for good people. So if you haven't given up on this site please don't do so as I am going to start posting regularly. I had some laptop issues but everything is gravy. Big news today, Ron Artest is now a Laker and Trevor Ariza is a Houston Rocket. Manny returns from suspension tomorrow as well. This is a big time for L.A. sports. I'm going to post on all these issues in the next day so stay tuned..

One other thing... my good friend Paul started his own blog. It's on Philly sports, but even if you don't care about Philly sports you should check it out because it will be interesting. Paul (and Philly fans in general) tend to vent in some pretty funny ways. Anyways the site is:

www.phillysportstown.blogspot.com

Check back soon..

Vinnie

Lakers Win 15th Championship, Season in Review

So it's been quite some time. Life caught up with me over the last two weeks and limited my blogging ability. A lot has happened since I have written a post. Derek Fisher secured his spot as a Lakers Legend with his two huge shots in Game 4 (and in the process he erased his horrible overall postseason from the minds of Lakers fans), and the Lakers won easily in Game 5 to win their 10th championship since moving to Los Angeles. I was in Massachusetts for my cousin's wedding, and I was able to spend Sunday night and Monday celebrating the championship in Celtics country. Needless to say, it was poetic justice for the way the Finals ended last year. Walking through Boston on Monday was amazing. Moving on, I think the timing is right for a season review. To help me look back on the Lakers amazing season, I enlisted the assistance of Matt Stong. We bring to you the 2008-2009 World Champion Los Angeles Lakers season in review:



Position by Position Breakdown:



PG- Derek Fisher

Regular Season Grade: B

Postseason Grade: C+



Fish was a solid fifth option all season long, until a horrible shooting slump began in April and continued until the NBA Finals. His ability to stretch the floor and make open jumpshots, as well as provide leadership was valuable. However, his (relatively) old age began to show in the postseason as he couldn't stay in front of any point guards. He also started forcing bad shots, and on top of that he couldn't knock down the open jumpers either. He became a liability. However, in the NBA Finals he came up huge in Game 2 with a steal in overtime that helped seal the deal. That paled in comparison to the huge 3's he knocked down in Game 4 that helped break Orlando's back.

Final Stat Line: 9.9 PPG, 3.2 APG, 39.7 3PT%



SG- Kobe Bryant

Regular Season Grade: A

Postseason Grade: A



At the risk of sounding too much like a Kobe homer, it's amazing how he kept up his incredible level of production night in and night out in this, his 13th season in the NBA. After a stellar showing in the Olympics, Kobe was able to lean on his teammates more than usual this season. Kobe was in cruise control most of the year, picking his spots to dominate games (61 points in Madison Square Garden the game after Andrew Bynum injured his knee). Kobe led the Lakers in scoring and assists (again) and just missed shooting a career best in FG%. In the postseason, he was stellar once again. Kobe averaged over 30 PPG, and had a six game streak with 8 or more assists per game. Kobe did have his faults though. He struggled to get good shots against Houston, and in Games 2 and 4 against the Magic, his tendency to take on the entire defense nearly cost the Lakers two pivotal games. Yet, he had the types of games where was able to get going enough to carry the Lakers to victory in vital road games. The Lakers didn't lose consecutive games in the postseason, and Kobe is the number one reason why. Kobe was 75 for 150 in FG attempts in the seven games following Lakers losses this postseason. Mighty impressive.

Final Stat Line: 26.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.9 APG



SF- Trevor Ariza

Regular Season Grade: A-

Postseason Grade: A



Ariza played well all season, but he really came on after moving into the starting lineup for the final 19 games. Initially his impact came mostly on the defensive end (tied for 6th in the NBA with 1.7 SPG), but as the season progressed, the former Bruin took on a bigger role on the offensive end. In the playoffs, he made nearly 50% of his three-point attempts, and overall he made 61 of his career 70 three-pointers this season alone. Ariza had two huge steals late in games against the Nuggets, and his offensive outbursts against the Magic in Games 4 and 5 were overshadowed but incredibly important.

Final Stat Line: 8.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.7 SPG



PF- Pau Gasol

Regular Season Grade: A

Postseason Grade: A



This one is pretty easy. Pau Gasol is awesome, yet I don't think people really understand his greatness. As a 7-footer who can play in the low post, high post, handle the ball, make great decisions, block shots, and rebound, he is about as versatile a player as the NBA will see. We all know he is not incredibly strong, but can we officially remove the label "soft"? Gasol is the perfect compliment to Kobe, and it seems as if he will be a perennial All-Star as a Laker. Pau was the most efficient Laker all season, shooting an amazing 57% from the field. He improved his rebound rate as the season progressed, and he played much better defense in the playoffs as well. Pau was a godsend for the Lakers, and Mitch Kupchap must thank Memphis GM Chris Wallace every day for setting the Lakers up for the next six years. While we're at it, thank you Chris!

Final Stat Line: 18.9 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 3.5 APG, 56.7 FG%



C- Andrew Bynum

Regular Season Grade: Inc.

Postseason Grade: C-



Andrew Bynum is the biggest question mark going forward, but he also is the biggest reason why the Lakers have the chance to sustain their success into the next decade. Bynum showed flashes of briliance (17.3 PPG in January, his 42 points and 15 rebounds against the Clippers), but also struggled mightily in the postseason. Bynum has had major knee injuries in two straight seasons, and in order for him to develop into a star, he must stay healthy for an entire season. A big issue for Andrew is his attitude. When he feels his is not involved, he tends to pout and slump his shoulders. For him to get better, he must show more passion and be able to overcome adversity. The talent and the skill set are there. I don't think he was close to 100% in the postseason, as he couldn't stay on the floor for extended minutes without getting into foul trouble. But he is 21. He barely played in high school, and he has missed significant time so far in his pro career. Everyone needs to stay patient. The sky is still the limit for Bynum, and I would still bank on him playing a huge role on future Lakers teams.

Final Stat Line: 14.3 PPG, 8 RPG, 1.8 BPG



Bench Mob:



PF- Lamar Odom

Regular Season Grade: B

Postseason Grade: B+



Lamar Odom is possibly the most polarizing figure on the Lakers, save the obvious Kobe Bryant. Analysts and fans label him as the "X" factor for the team's success. The amount of skill he has for someone 6'10'' is deadly. As Jeff Van Gundy illustrated several times during timeouts in the playoffs, Lamar Odom has the ability to block a shot, get the rebound, dribble the ball upcourt and either dish it off for an assist or finish strong. He even shot 51% from 3 in the postseason, making him the complete package. Yet, the "Candy Man" still has spurts where he is enigmatic and disappears. When he is ineffective and Bynum is in foul trouble, too much pressure is on Gasol to carry the load down low. However, when he shines (as we saw Game 6 against Denver and Game 2 against the Magic) he makes the Lakers virtually unguardable. Now that he has proven himself to be an asset for a championship team, lets hope the consistency will continue.

Final Stat Line: 11.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.26 BPG



PG- Jordan Farmar

Regular Season Grade: D+

Postseason Grade: C



Farmar took a step back in his development this season. It might have been his midseason knee injury, or it could have just been a down year. Either way, Farmar needs to play better. He shot below 40% from the field, and appeared to lose confidence in the latter part of the season. He played better in the postseason, but being part of a three point guard rotation made it difficult for everyone involved. The good news: Farmar is only 22 and showed in 2007-2008 that he can be a good NBA point guard. Now the question is whether or not he will play next year like he did two years ago or like he did last year. Let's hope for the former.

Final Stat Line: 6.4 PPG, 2.4 APG, 1.8 RPG



SF- Luke Walton

Regular Season Grade: C

Postseason Grade: B



Many forget that Luke Walton played sparingly for about half this season. The infamous Vladimir Radmonovic started the season at SF for the Lakers, only to have his inconsistent shooting and lackadaisical defense replaced by Luke in early December. Luke then took over the backup SF job when Ariza was moved the starting lineup and Vlad Rad was traded. Although Walton's defense is at best average (see: last year's Finals guarding Pierce), you can't deny his effort (battled and arguably did a decent job staying in front of Melo despite ticky tack foul calls). But Luke's greatest contributions are his intangibles. His passing is excellent, he understands his role, and he always plays hard. Granted he is vastly overpaid for a wing that isn't athletic at all and struggles to knock down shots, Walton played a big part in maintaining energy and effort off the bench.

Final Stat Line: 5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.7 APG



SG- Sasha Vujacic

Regular Season Grade: D

Postseason Grade: F



The Machine was not working this season. I like Sasha. He annoys the other team, he amuses me, and he legitimately loves being a Laker. But he was awful this year and there is no other way around it. Sasha shot 38.7% from the field, and it's beginning to look as if his breakout 2007-2008 season was an aberration. During the playoffs, Sasha was non-existent. To be fair, I think Ariza's emergence hurt Sasha more than anyone else on the team. During the 2007-08 season, Sasha played alongside Kobe a great deal. But in 08-09, Sasha was relegated to backing up Kobe exclusively. His minutes were cut and I don't think that helped him. But either way you slice it, he needs to be much better going forward.

Final Stat Line: 5.8 PPG, 1.4 APG, 36.3 3PT%



PF- Josh Powell

Regular Season Grade: B-

Postseason Grade: Pass



Powell played sparingly until Bynum's knee injury in January. He stepped up and played decently as the third big man in the rotation during Andrew's absence. He was able to fill the departed Ronny Turiaf's role all the while making about $3.5 million less. Not bad for a 4th big man. My only gripe: He had a Vujacic-like shot quota he had to fill each time he touched the court.

Final Stat Line: 4.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG



PG- Shannon Brown
Regular Season Grade: B
Postseason Grade: A-

Shannon Brown was a throw-in in the Adam Morrison/Vladimir Radmanovic trade. However, he stepped up down the stretch for the Lakers. He played great defense against Deron Williams, and was a part of the series turning run in the second half of Game 5 against Denver, including a sick slam dunk over Chris "Birdman" Andersen. Brown shot the ball well, played solid defense, and provided at least one highlight-reel play every time he got on the court. A very pleasant surprise and a fan favorite.
Final Stat Line (Lakers only): 3.2 PPG, 1.1 RPG

SF- Sun Yue, C- DJ Mbenga, SF- Adam Morrison

All three players played sparingly. Mbenga played a little bit as the 4th big man when Bynum went down. Morrison played in blowouts but never got into the rotation. And Sun Yue is years away from being an NBA player.

Lakers Awards
MVP: Pau Gasol
6th Man: Lamar Odom
Most Improved: Trevor Ariza

Looking Forward to Next Season

Key Free Agents: Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza, Shannon Brown

Ideally, the Lakers will be able to sign all three of these guys. It doesn't seem like any teams with cap room will offer Lamar a deal larger than the midlevel exception of about 6 million dollars. It seems as if he wants to stay with the Lakers too. He knew he was hurting his market value when he agreed to come off the bench, and he means more to the Lakers than he could to any other team.
Prediction: Odom signs for 4 years, 27 million

Ariza was incredible during the second half of the season. He increased his value exponentially. It seems as if Trevor is a perfect midlevel candidate for many different contenders. The Lakers will face intense competition in order to resign the local product. After much flirting, I see the Lakers resigning him.
Prediction: Ariza signs for 5 years, 28 million

Shannon Brown needs to parlay his nice run with the Lakers into a big contract elsewhere. I would love for him to resign, but I just don't see it making much financial sense. Shannon should sign a multi-million dollar deal elsewhere.
Prediction: Brown signs a 2 year, 4 million contract elsewhere

Viable Alternatives:
PG- Jason Kidd
PF- Antonio McDyess
PF- Rasheed Wallace
SF- Ron Artest
SF- Grant Hill

Draft Needs:
If Ariza or Odom leave, the Lakers will need to add an athletic swingman which is easier said than done picking so late in the draft. Also, PG is always an area of need with Fisher getting closer to the end of his career and Farmar struggling last season. Size is always a plus too, so the Lakers should look to add a big man.

The Lakers had a "magic"al season in 2008-2009. Although they were frustrating at times, they put it together when it mattered. The Lakers still have not lost more than two games in a row since aquiring Pau Gasol on February 1, 2008. If the Lakers are able to resign Ariza and Odom, then I think there is a good chance that they will be in this same position come next June.

Yay! Joe Torre Still Has Some Sense Left...

Dodgers manager Joe Torre indicated yesterday that Juan Pierre will be his fourth outfielder when Manny Ramirez returns from his "injury". Recently there have been rumblings to the contrary. Pierre is coming down to earth and Ethier is regaining his stroke so there is no other way. Even if Ethier contined to struggle the choice would be obvious because he is still a much better player than Pierre (what with Pierre's .722 career OPS and all). It's funny how some people don't understand the concept of regressing to the mean. Pierre was extremely hot. It was not going to last. And he is on his way to being Juan Pierre again. He is 32 years old, did people really think he was going to have a career year? Well sanity wins out in this case..

Courtney Lee AKA Santa Claus

Courtney Lee missed a layup that would have won Game 2 Sunday night at Staples Center. The Lakers ended up winning the game in OT and now have a commanding 2-0 lead over the Magic as the series shifts to Orlando. Oh and for those claiming that Pau Gasol goaltended on the Lee's layup.. Take a look at the picture up top.. That's a goaltend. Gasol touching the rim didn't effect the shot against Lee whatsoever so I don't want to hear it. That's all. Go Lakers. Now I must resume studying.

It's Dre's Day(s)

Maybe this will put a rest to all the nonsense I have heard lately about Juan Pierre starting over Andre Ethier once Manny returns. We all know that Andre Ethier has struggled since Manny went out. But he is still the vastly superior player. I have said here repeatedly that I don't believe in the concept of lineup protection. Ethier's struggles without Manny have been repeatedly tossed around in the media, and by some naive fans, as causation. That is, Ethier can't hit without Manny in the lineup. I think the truth is really correlation. Yes Ethier has struggled without Manny, but you cannot say Manny's absence is the cause of Andre's problems. Andre has showed signs of coming out of the slump for almost two weeks now. There were two big indicators that he was ready to bust out even if the results weren't there right away:

1. He was starting to have those great Andre Ethier at-bats where he gets deep into the count before putting the ball in play
2. He was squaring the ball up. For the first few weeks of his slump, Ethier looked awful. When he put the ball in play, it never seemed like he hit it hard. That started to change over the past two weeks. At first, he was hitting the ball hard but still making outs. However, in the past week he started seeing results. A big month from Andre would be awesome, what with Pierre coming back down to Earth and all.

There is an incorrect perception of Ethier among many Dodger fans. That perception is one of consistency. The truth is actually something completely different. Andre is streaky like almost every other player in baseball (well maybe besides Albert Pujols). Exhibit A, Andre's OPS by month over the last two seasons:

April 2008: .861

May 2008: .746

June 2008: .643

July 2008: .835

August 2008: .961

September 2008: 1.249

April 2009: .976

May 2009: .601

June 2009 (small sample but still): 1.330

I guess where I'm getting that is that Andre is streaky. So is almost every other hitter in baseball. Dodger-killer Chase Utley had two separate 0 for 25 streaks last year. It happens. Ethier is still a very good hitter who is on pace to have a highly impressive season. Pespective in necessary over a 162 game season, and all too often, we as fans lose sight of this.

Anyways, for the second time in less than 24 hours, Ethier delivered a walk-off hit to beat the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. On Friday night, Ethier ripped the first pitch he saw from Brad Lidge into the corner in right field for a game winning double. Today, with the game settling into one of those dreadful extra-inning games where no team gets anything going offensively, Ethier delivered the blow by taking the full-count offering from Chad Durbin and depositing it over the fence just to the right of center field. That makes three comeback wins for the Dodgers in five days. The offense has been struggling lately, but they are getting great pitching and finding ways to win (I deserve a fine from the cliche police). Hiroki Kuroda's return is a tremendous boost to the Dodgers staff which already leads the N.L. in team ERA. Hopefully, Rafael Furcal's game-tying homerun in the ninth off of Brad Lidge will be the start of a hot streak for him. It is amazing that the Dodgers continue to win despite some disappointing individual statistics from key guys such as Russell Martin and Rafael Furcal. Tomorrow the Boys go for a 5-2 homestand while trying to take 3 of 4 from the second best team in the N.L. Unfortunately I'll be busy, as the local basketball team out here kind of has an important game that will require my attention.

Lakers Win 100-75

The Lakers put together an impressive effort to win Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Kobe led the way with 40 points but a great all around game included contributions from Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and Luke Walton. The Lakers played great defense. Two things in particular stuck out: They were able to run the Magic shooters off of the three point line. That was huge as Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu and the rest of the Magic shooters were not able to get going. The second great thing the Lakers did was to foul Dwight Howard. Howard only had 6 official Field Goal attempts, resulting in only one make. By fouling Howard they forced him to make free throws, which he didn't do. Howard finished 10 for 16 at the line. The Magic will shoot the ball better in the rest of the series, but if the Lakers can do these two things well all series they will be fine. Only three more wins...

Half Way Through Manny's Suspension

The Dodgers are halfway through Manny Ramirez' 50 game suspension for PED's. The Boys in Blue have posted a rather remarkable 15-10 record in the 25 games. It's remarkable when you consider the fact that:

• The Dodgers best pitcher, Chad Billingsley, has all three of his losses after Manny's suspension.
• The Dodgers have played over half of their games against the Phillies, Mets, Angels and Cubs.
• Andre Ethier has gone into the tank since May 3rd. His line: .190/.263/.286. I still don't believe in lineup protection. Surely one month can easily be attributed to be a fluke. But it is starting to look sketchy.
• Rafael Furcal has a .621 OPS on the season
• Russell Martin has zero home runs and a sterling .318 Slugging percentage.
• First baseman James Loney has 2 home runs and a .370 Slugging percentage.
• Matt Kemp went a 19 game span with zero homers and a .704 OPS (May 8 to May 28)
• Leading power hitter Casey Blake (9 home runs and a .549 SLG) has sat out 20% of the games and has been reduced to pinch hitting in two other games
• Eric Milton (4.99 career ERA) has made three starts.
• Hiroki Kuroda has made only one start

I could probably continue to go on, but you get the point by now. The Dodgers have been hitting for barely any power yet they continue to win ballgames. I'm thoroughly impressed. The Dodgers have a 9 game lead in the West (pending Wednesday night's game which is currently in a scoreless tie in the sixth) and continue to hold the best record in Major League Baseball. You can call the Dodgers a lot of things. But one thing you cannot call them is a one-man team. They are so much more than that. It is beginning to feel like a special year at Dodger Stadium. Last night's 5 run comeback in the 8th inning is proof. Hopefully the team can keep it up and ride the wave until Manny's return.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Orlando Magic

The NBA Finals matchup is now set. After defeating the #1 overall Cleveland Cavaliers, the Orlando Magic will represent the Eastern Conference as they take on the Los Angeles Lakers. Even though this series doesn't have the appeal of Kobe v. LeBron, I think it will be a better series overall. My initial thoughts on the matchup from the Lakers viewpoint:

• The Lakers now have home court advantage. With the 2-3-2 format, it will be huge if the Lakers can hold court in the first two games in L.A. It is very difficult for the home team to win all three of those middle games (Games 3,4, and 5). I don't like the 2-3-2 and I think it is very outdated, but that's the way it is. Even if the Lakers were to split in L.A. and win only one game in Orlando, they would still be able to come home for Games 6 and 7 in L.A. So I think the Lakers have the advantage with the weird format.
• The Magic will cause some tough matchups for the Lakers on defense. To start off, the Magic shoot an incredible amount of 3-pointers and the Lakers do not defend the arc well at all. To start off the game, I would assume it will be Fisher on Alston, Kobe on Lee, Ariza on Lewis, Gasol on Turkoglu, and Bynum on Howard. However, I would not be surprised to see the Lakers run some sort of matchup zone defense to keep Bynum and Gasol from having to step out too far on defense. Now, when Lamar Odom is in the game, I think he will be responsible for Turkoglu, as Rashard Lewis is too fast for him. There are two keys for the Lakers defense in my opinion: 1. Neutralizing Howard on the offensive glass. Andrew Bynum will be key in this respect. If he can stop Howard from destroying the Lakers on the glass, it will go a ways in helping the Lakers win. 2. The Lakers MUST stop dribble penetration. This starts with Derek Fisher on Rafer Alston. The Magic thrive off of making the defense collapse before kicking it out to a wide open shooter. They run a 4-1 offensive set constantly with Howard in the middle and four perimeter players on the outside. It will be important for the Lakers to force the Magic into contested jumpshots and the easiest way to do that is to stop dribble penetration.
• On the other side of the ball, the Lakers have a few things in their favor. One is, obviously, Kobe Bryant. The rookie Courtney Lee will get the initial crack at Kobe, but it's likely that Mickael Pietrus will be the one guarding Kobe down the stretch. I respect Pietrus' defensive ability, but if the Magic choose to guard Kobe one-on-one, I think he will have a field day. On the inside, the Lakers will need to punish the Magic for going small (if two 6'10" forwards is small). When Bynum is in the game, either he or Pau will be guarded by either Lewis or Turkoglu, giving the Lakers an immense advantage on the inside. My guess is that the Magic would put Howard on the better inside scorer, Gasol, and force Bynum to beat them. If the Lakers are patient on offense (see: Game 6 in Denver), they should be able to shred the Magic inside. Another positive, if Howard does guard Gasol, the Lakers will be able to draw him away from the basket allowing slashers like Trevor Ariza and Kobe Bryant a chance to get to the rim undeterred.
• Lamar Odom, as always, will be the X-factor for the Lakers. If he plays like he did the last two games of the Denver series, the Lakers should be fine. If not, then they will be in trouble. The Lakers have to be hoping these five full off-days give Lamar a chance to heal up. His bruised back has been bothering him, and they need him as close to 100% as possible. Lamar will see a lot of minutes in this series, especially since it figures that Bynum will be using up his fouls on Dwight Howard. Lamar needs to be a threat offensively, and if he is guarded in the post by either Lewis or Turk, then he needs to go to work inside. He cannot settle for jump shots and he must use his size and strength on the block to his advantage. A productive Lamar will probably end up in a championship for the Lakers. Otherwise, they will have to depend on Bynum inside, and at this point in time, is anyone comfortable with that?

People seem to think the Magic are a soft team that likes to jack up a bunch of 3-pointers. The truth is, they are pretty darn good offensively and defensively. They were eighth in the league in offensive efficiency, and they led the league in defensive efficiency. To combat this, the Lakers will need to take their time on offense and find the mismatch. There will be a mismatch on every possession, and if the Lakers are patient, they could pick apart this Magic defense. The series will come down to which team is able to implement their style of play better. If the Magic get hot from behind the arc, the Lakers will be in big trouble. But if the Lakers use Gasol and Bryant appropriately, the Magic will have no answer. Hopefully, the Lakers are smart and make use of their advantage and we celebrate with a parade down Figueroa St. Only 4 more games...

Lakers Advance to the NBA Finals

For the second straight year, the Los Angeles Lakers will represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. However, we're all hoping it ends up differently this year. The Lakers defeated Denver in impressive fashion to end the series in six games. I'll have some thoughts from the Denver series as well as looking forward to the hypothetical matchups with either Cleveland or Orlando a little bit later today.. Just for the hell of it, my prediction for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals: Orlando 104 Cleveland 101.

The Dancing Nugget

J.R. Smith upset the Lakers with his showboating during Game 4. Smith finally has a good game and proceeds to throw a parade at the Pepsi Center. His "This is my house" act after one of his three pointers in the fourth quarter was repulsive. I am not a prude when it comes to emotion in sports. As much as I loved the calmness with which Barry Sanders tossed the ball to the ref after another long TD run, I do understand that the "act like you have been there before" model doesn't work for everyone. That being said, the entire Nuggets team is over the top. The worst two culprits? J.R. Smith and Chris "Birdman" Andersen. After every block or dunk, the Birdman flaps his wings. Smith, on the other hand, starts screaming and dancing after every big play he makes. But there is a line between celebration and showing up your opponents. Excitement shared after a big play between teammates is acceptable. So is a little bit of trash talking. That is all part of the game. But when celebration turns into showboating and showing up opponents, then you have an issue. What Smith did at the end of Game 4, when he hit a three and danced in front of the Lakers bench, was showboating. When he hit a three at the end of the third quarter in Game 3, that was taunting and showing up his opponent. All of this should be unacceptable in the Lakers' eyes.

So where am I going with this? Basically, if you think the Lakers haven't internalized all of this, you are crazy. I don't believe too much in bulletin board material, or extra motivation, but I do think that this series now has an edge to it. The Lakers should no longer only want to win, but also to take it to the Nuggets. I expect a HUGE game from Kobe tonight. The two cheap fouls on Dahntay Jones combined with the way the entire Nuggets team acts during the game should just fuel his fire. Over/under for Kobe tonight: 45 points. I say he goes under, but only slightly. Kobe may not need to win this game for the Lakers on his own, but if it gets to that point, I can't see him letting them lose tonight. There is too much on the line. Lakers 106, Nuggets 102..

Thank You

Thank you Kobe. That's all.

Must Win Game for the Lakers?

The term "must-win game" is one of the more overused cliches in all of professional sports. Rarely is a game actually must-win.. So with the Lakers and Nuggets tied at one game apiece headed into tonight's showdown in the Mile High City, the question is being bandied about: Is this a must-win game for the Lakers? The Nuggets now have homecourt advantage and have won 15 straight games at the Pepsi Center. Obviously, this game has huge implications on the series as the Lakers would need to win 3 out of the 4 remaining games tonight, including at least one win in Denver. However, I don't think this game is absolutely, 100% must-win. If the Lakers come out tonight and execute and play hard, but come up short, then I think that's okay. The big goal is for the Lakers to prove to themselves that they can win in Denver. If they have the confidence to steal a game at the Nuggets' home arena, then I think they have a shot in Game 4 even if they lose tonight. But if the Lakers get blown out for the third straight road game, then I think their confidence starts to unravel. I think the Lakers need to compete hard tonight to show everyone they won't roll over and die. But to call this a must-win is a tad bit premature. A few thoughts headed into tonight's game:

• The Lakers must pound the ball inside to Odom, Bynum, and most importantly, Gasol. When the Lakers were disciplined in the first two games and threw the ball to their big men, they scored rather easily. The onus is on both the guards to make a concerted effort to throw it inside and on the big men to prove they want to dominate. The Lakers best shot to win will come from the ability to get easy looks inside tonight.
• Speaking of Pau... 44 minutes is way too many for him to be playing. He needs a bigger break at some point in time. Bynum didn't play very much in the second half despite the fact that he was effective. Phil needs to find a way to sit Pau for about 10 minutes tonight and let Bynum play some more minutes as well.
• Kobe needs to be iso'd all night. There is not a single Nugget defender who can stop him. Unlike the series against the Rockets, the Nuggets don't play great team defense so Kobe can get to the rim at will. He needs to get to the hoop and draw fouls on the Nuggets' big men while racking up easy points at the charity stripe. Normally, I'm a big proponent of the Kobe and Pau pick-and-roll, and while I think it should still be used, I think Kobe isolations are the best bet in big spots tonight.
• Phil needs to stop being stubborn and cut D-Fish's minutes and I mean BIG TIME. Fish is a liability on both ends of the floor. He can't hit jumpers, he can't finish around the hoop, and he can't stay in front of Chauncey Billups. Farmar and Brown deserve the bulk of the minutes, and one of the most important subplots heading into Game 3 will be whether or not Phil breaks his traditional stubborn arrogance and sits the fading veteran Fisher.

I think the Lakers can win this game tonight. Am I as confident as I want to be? Absolutely not. But if they are disciplined on offense and pound it inside to Pau (who only had 17 FG attempts in the first two games) and Lamar, then I think they have a 50-50 shot. Which is all you can really ask for at this point.

Curse of "I Love LA"?

So with the baseball season at the quarter pole, it's time to look back at my predictions of the year. Unfortunately, they are not very pretty. In fact, I must say that I have cursed almost all the players and teams that I picked to do well. Let's take a look at the teams first:

So far, only two of the six teams I picked to win their divisions are actually in first place (Dodgers and Phillies). In fact, my first place Cleveland Indians are resting comfortably in dead last in the AL Central right now. Some other misguided picks: Arizona winning 87 games (currently have a .385 Winning Percentage), Oakland A's winning 81 games (currently with a .389 Winning Percentage), Texas Rangers winning only 72 games (currently in first with a .605 Winning Percentage), and Toronto winning 70 games (but everyone missed that one). My lone bright spot: The entire NL East is currently in the order that I picked it. So there you have it, I am a National League Eastern Divison Expert!

Now here's where it gets even uglier- My individual awards picks. Let's review.

NL MVP- Chase Utley
This isn't so bad. Utley has actually fared very well so far this season. The former UCLA star is putting up a .282/.429/.565 line so far this season with 10 HR's and 26 RBI. One problem: Albert Pujols is even better. So Philly will probably need to win their division and Pujols will need to cool off or have his team completely fall out of the race for Utley to have a shot.

AL MVP- Grady Sizemore
Grady has been pretty bad this season. His line: A paltry .212/.292/.388. Yikes. Sizemore does have 7 HR and 25 RBI, and it is conceivable that he could get hot and finish around his career averages. The biggest problem will be the fact that his team is terrible.

NL Cy Young- Brandon Webb
Uh oh... Webb made one start going four innings before hurting his shoulder. He has yet to return. I'll keep this short and sweet- A Cy Young from him ain't happening this year.

AL Cy Young- Jon Lester
At least Lester has been healthy. Unfortunatlely, he has been ineffective. A 6.52 ERA, .311 BAA, and 1.62 WHIP are proof positive. He has also allowed a jaw-dropping 10 HR's in his 8 starts. Add 60 hits in only 47 innings and I think it's pretty clear that he isn't winning anything. Oh, and all those wins I said he would pick up because of the Sox offense? Ya, I was wrong again. So far Lester has only 2 wins, or 2 more than Brandon Webb!

NL Rookie of the Year- James McDonald
And the ineptitude continues. J-Mac has been awful for the Dodgers and now finds himself back in AAA. J-Mac's pitching line: 6.75 ERA, 16 BB's in 18.2 innings, a 1.77 WHIP(!!!). To McDonald's credit, he pitched well out of the bullpen after his demotion from the rotation and he should get a few more shots this season to prove me right.

AL Rookie of the Year- Matt Wieters
Wieters has yet to get the call this year because the Orioles are awful and they don't want to start his service time clock yet. However, once June rolls around, meaning he will no longer qualifiy as a Super-Two arbitration guy, he will probably get called up. He should put up some pretty impressive numbers, but the question is will it be enough? I'm gonna say no..


Some say making predictions is a fool's errand. I have one thing to say to that: Apparently so.

Comeback Kings

The Lakers staged a great comeback last night to take Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. Kobe led the way with 40 points, including 18 in the fourth quarter. I didn't watch the game live, as I was at Dodger Stadium, but I did watch the second and fourth quarters (thanks to Tivo). I would like to thank the person in front of me for letting Stong, Kime and I look over his shoulder the entire fourth quarter. The guy had his phone with ESPN mobile giving realtime scoring updates. Needless to say we were pretty excited down the stretch. It was a huge win for the guys, and I am counting on Lamar and Pau to make bigger contributions in Game 2, which will hopefully lead to the Lakers holding their home-court advantage.

The Dodgers were also masters of the comeback yesterday. The boys came back from an early 3-1 deficit to take the lead for good on Casey Blake's three run bomb in the bottom of the sixth. The Bearded Bobblehead went deep (on the night before his bobblehead night) for his team leading 9th home run. It seems that since I have created this blog, anyone I criticize makes me eat crow. As long as they are players on my favorite teams, you can serve it to me all day. Chad Billingsley's outing was shaky, but he still made it into the seventh inning while giving up only three runs. Chad struck out seven and walked five. Included in his performance was a horrifying two inning stretch in the second and third innings where he couldn't find the plate. But this is what I love about Chad; even when he struggles he somehow makes it deep into the game and limits the damage. He had made 82 pitches or so through three innings, but he was able to settle down and save the pen. Huge win for the Dodgers and tonight they go for the sweep.

Overall, another great day for L.A. The Lakers are up a game in the Conference Finals, and the Dodgers lead in the West has been stretched to 7 1/2 games at the quarter pole of the season.

Where's Kelly Leak When we Need Him?

Coach Morris Buttermaker's New York Mets gave the Dodgers and their fans an entertaining 3-2 victory on Monday night to open a three-game set at Dodger Stadium. The Mets made five (count em... Five!) errors in the field, including a errant throw from Jeremy Reed to catcher Ramon Castro in the 11th inning that allowed Mark Loretta to score the winning run from third. Oh, and then there was that boneheaded baserunning error by Ryan Church where he missed third base completely on what would have been the go-ahead run on Angel Pagan's triple in the top of the 11th. Thank you very much Mark Loretta for spotting that, although it appeared that half the team was on top of it as well. Obviously it was not the most well played baseball game you will see, but the Dodgers will definitely take it regardless of how ugly it was. Randy Wolf pitched another good game, going 7 2/3 and allowing only 2 runs (one of which was a runner that was inherited by Cory Wade). Yet, Wolfie got another no-decision (that's five now in only nine starts). But the Dodgers win and that's all that matters. I would love to say more, but I have a paper to write for one of my classes. Exciting!

Will Ohman = Funniest Man Alive

Will Ohman is a very funny man. My friend Brian has told me stories of him messing with the fans during BP in San Francisco. I sat next to the Dodger bullpen a few weeks back with a large group of guys (Dodger BBQ VII I believe) and Ohman interacted with crowd. There was even a moment where a beach ball fell into the Dodger bullpen from the pavilion and Ohman hit it back into the crowd before security could grab it. Then there was the whole "Beware of Flying Objects" sign in Philly after Ohman gave up a bomb to Raul Ibanez. And now comes the kicker.. In response to Manny's suspension and subsequent apology to the team, Ohman said this:

"For a guy going into his second trimester, he looks great,'' Dodgers reliever Will Ohman said. "He's barely showing.''

I heard that quote and it turned my crappy Monday into a decent day. Thank you Will Ohman. You are worth you're salary just based off quotes like this..

What a Day

What a difference a week makes. Sunday was a great day for any sports fan in Los Angeles. Clayton Kershaw got the party started bright and early by flirting with a no-hitter and looking downright filthy against Florida. Then, a little bit later, the good Lakers showed up against the Rockets in Game 7 to avoid a monumental upset. The Lakers jumped on Houston right away and never let them in the game. Then, for those who are fans of vengence, the Celtics got blown out on their home court in Game 7 against the Orlando Magic. Not too shabby. All that was missing was a San Francisco Giants loss, but I can't complain. Random thoughts:

• Juan Pierre is scalding. I am the harshest critic of Pierre, so it kills me to say this, but the man is on fire. Will I ever be a fan? Not a chance in the place below the Earth. But I have to give the man his due. If he would have played like this the first two years of the contract then he wouldn't be in the predicament he is in this season. Now the question is: When does reality set in? Juan's OBP's from the past four seasons: .326, .330, .331, .327. His OBP this year is .461. Juan's SLG% the past four seasons: .354, .388, .353, .328. So why am I raining on this poor man's parade? Because I don't want to hear anyone saying that Pierre deserves to play when Manny comes back. I look at history, and his small 69 at-bat sample this year doesn't hold weight in the grand scheme of things. I hope Juan continues to stay red-hot, but let's all keep some perspective people.
• The Dodgers skeleteon crew can rake. On a day with no Martin, Blake, Ethier and Furcal, the backups outshined the regulars. Juan Castro, who is still Juan Castro, ripped a homerun to left and got on base four times. Mark Loretta had three hits and a walk. The X-Man, Xavier Paul walked twice and scored twice, and made an awkward yet impressive diving catch in right. Even the weak-hitting Brad Ausmus had a hit. I am not a fan of Torre's strategy of sitting four regulars at once, but I can't dispute the results so far this season. Still, I wish he would stagger the off-days.
• I loved seeing Kershaw locate his curveball. When he is getting that over, there is no touching him. He even mixed in an estimated 12 changeups, which I think is necessary to keep hitters off balance. Kershaw has two plus pitches in his fastball and his curve, so if he can throw even an average changeup, I think he will be unhittable. Today was Exhibit A. He pitched off his fastball, and despite a few bouts of wildness, he dominated the Florida Marlins. I might be the only person in LA who was happy that Cody Ross broke up the no-hitter in the eighth, but I didn't want Torre or Honey thinking it was okay to leave Kershaw in to throw 135 pitches. His future matters waaaaaaay more than a no-hitter. That's just my opinion but I think I am right.
• Steve Lyons is annoying (to put it nicely). Self-evident right? Well he continues to take it to a new level. When arguing against pitch counts during the broadcast, Lyons proclaimed that it's just as easy to get hurt on the 35th pitch of a game as it is on the 120th (I'm paraphrasing, the exact numbers escape me). Yes, Steve, that is true. But it's the long-term effects of high pitch counts that have caused the new era of pitch count monitoring in baseball. Ever wonder why the great pitchers of old were never effective past the age of 35 or so? It's because they pitched an ungodly amount of innings and made way too many pitches. There is a whole library of evidence that proves that anytime a pitcher makes more than 120 pitches in a start, he is putting his arm at severe risk. With millions of dollars invested in these players, it's no wonder teams want to keep them effective for as long as possible. And also, Juan Pierre can't steal every base at any time Steve. I know you think he can, but it's just not possible so stop talking about it..
• Guillermo Mota continues to suck. Awesome. D.F.A. Remember those three letters when Kuroda gets back, Ned.
• I went into the roadtrip hoping for 3-3. They went 4-2. I must say I am pleased. Now comes a good challenge in the visiting New York Mets. I'm excited to see how it goes.

Quick notes from the Lakers:

• Pau stepped up and played nasty. 21 points, 18 boards, and 3 blocks. How's that taste Scola?
• Speaking of Scola, we decided during the broadcast today that he looks like a Russian mobster. Mean-looking dude. I am glad the Lakers are done with him.
• Ron Artest finally had a reality check. After shooting out of his mind for the first two games, he came crashing to reality the rest of the series. Good job Ron-Ron. Keep shooting those off-balance three pointers with two defenders on you.
• Bynum showed up again. I really hope this is the beginning of a trend but I can't say I am counting on it. What impressed me the most was his presence on defense.
• Sasha got the jumper working today. I am hoping he can parlay that into the series against Denver. His shooting ability is always a huge plus for the Lakers. His energy will be needed against the Nuggets, as he will probably have to chase around J.R. Smith all series.

Needless to say (again), today was a great day. I am exhausted but thrilled. It's days like today that I am happy I invest so much time and energy into my favorite teams. We'll see how I feel Tuesday, but I am hoping for another perfect day... I love LA!

All-Time NBA Starting Lineup

Just like my Favorite Five Athletes of all-time post, a Facebook inquiry has led me to list my All-Time NBA Starting Lineup. Here it is, by position:

Point Guard: Oscar Robertson
I have to go with Oscar Robertson at the point. He is one of the few athletes of his time who would be an all-star in today's NBA and that is saying alot. As a 6'5" PG blessed with great size and strength, Oscar was too much to handle. He is the last NBA player to average a triple double throughout a full season. I don't think anyone will come close to that again (sorry LeBron). His athleticism, size, and overall ability give him the nod at the point position.
Honorable Mention: Magic Johnson

Shooting Guard: Michael Jordan
This one is simple. Michael Jordan takes the cake. Michael was incredible in every aspect of the game. He was able to reinvent himself as he got older by becoming the most deadly fall-away jump shooter the league has seen. Add the six titles and the commerical success to his resume and it's easy to see why he is considered by most to be the best player in league history. Jordan finished with 30.1 PPG on 49.7% shooting in his career while playing in an era where the defensive players were actually allowed to, you know, play defense. I love Kobe but it's not even close. Jordan's 5 MVP's say it all.
Honorable Mention: Kobe Bryant

Small Forward: Larry Bird
Magic and Larry's rivalry, from college to the NBA, was responsible for the explosion of interest in the NBA. It's remarkable to think that at the beginning of both their careers, NBA Finals games were being shown on tape delay. Bird, appropriately nicknamed Larry Legend (or Basketball Jesus), was a monster. Despite not being blessed with great athleticism, Larry was able to win 3 consecutive MVP's while dominating for more than a decade. Unfortunately, a chronic back problem ended his career early even though he was still a very good player at the time. Bird finished with an average of 24.3 PPG, 10 RPG, and 6.3 APG while showing people that white dudes can play too. Here's to Larry Bird, the Great White Hope.
Honorable Mention: Elgin Baylor

Power Forward: Tim Duncan
Duncan is really, really good at basketball. Boring, yes. But great nonetheless. Duncan's per-game averages won't wow you, but it's his efficiency that makes him remarkable. Duncan has never averaged more than 25.5 PPG in a season, but his defense and all around-play make him a relatively easy choice. Duncan is one of the best low-post defenders the league has seen. His 4 championships, 2 MVP's and numerous accolades are impressive. Overall, Timmy has averaged 21.4 PPG, 11.7 RPG, and 3.2 APG while also adding 2.35 blocks per game. The Big Fundamental might be bad for TV ratings, but he is great if you want a team that will constantly challenge for a championship. He is a model of consistency the likes of which is rarely seen.
Honorable Mention: Karl Malone

Center: Wilt Chamberlain
This one was the toughest to choose. There were 4 very deserving candidates: Chamberlain, Shaquille O'Neal, Bill Russell, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Russell was the ultimate winner, but he just wasn't good enough offensively for me to consider. Shaq was dominant, but his overall lack of effort is a huge negative. Kareem's longevity is remarkable, but I just couldn't pick him. So I went with Wilt the Stilt. In addition to his impressive off-court endeavors (can anyone even count to 10,000?), Chamberlain was able to bring athleticism to the center position that had never been seen before. Wilt was a track-and-field star at Kansas University. He ran the court unlike any other big. His biggest problem was playing in an era with the dominant Celtics. Chamberlain was able to finally get his ring with the 1972-1973 Lakers. Chamberlain's career averages: 30.1 PPG, 22.9 RPG, 4.4 APG, a whole bunch of blocks, and a remarkable amount of women. You can't knock those numbers.
Honorable Mention: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

So there you have it. Let me know what you think and post your own picks.

This Pretty Much Sums it up

So I was going to write a post about the Lakers today. Instead, I ran into this article on ESPN.com by John Hollinger. I think this pretty much sums up all of our frustration at this point. It's nice to see that someone else agrees that the Lakers' strategy has been awful and the truth is that it starts with Phil Jackson. Check it out and let me know what you think. Is Hollinger on the money or is he wrong?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2009/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-090515

Those Lovable Lakers

Oh Lakers: Why do you play with my heart so much? Game 7's take years off my life, and now we all have to suffer due to the Lakers inability to put away the shorthanded Houston Rockets. Thursday's game was a tape (or Tivo considering it is the 21st century) replay of Sunday's atrocity. The Lakers put themselves in a hole that they just could not climb out of. What should we expect Sunday? I honestly can't say. That's what makes this one of the more frustrating teams to root for in recent memory. The talent is there, but mental toughness and focus just seems to escape them during some critical times. If I had to guess I would say that I expect the Lakers to win easily. But who really knows with this team? I, for one, have absolutely no clue what to expect. Sigh.

Dodgers Finally Win in Philly

The Dodgers got back on track Wednesday in Philadelphia with a 9-2 victory. Randy Wolf had another good start going 6 innings to pick up his second win. Wolf now has a 2.77 ERA on the year and has been a pleasant surprise. But this is where I inject a little bit of reality into the whole situation. He will not keep pitching like this. Case in point: Hitters BABIP (Batting Average on Balls in Play) against Wolf going into the game was .239 and it went down more on Wednesday. Pitchers tend to fall within the range of .280-.290 (Wolf's career BABIP against is .294). What this tells us is that Randy has been unusually lucky on batted balls this season. Chances are that this will regress to the mean throughout the season and Wolf will end up close to his career average. His ERA will rise substantially as a result and it's likely he ends up with an ERA over 4.00. So while we should appreciate Wolfie's great start, we shouldn't read too much into and expectations should stay the same as they were at the beginning of the season.

As for the game itself: It was great to see James Loney hit one out even if it took a pop-up at hitter's haven Citizens Bank Park. Loney had three hits and 4 RBI on the night and hopefully this is the beginning of a hot streak. Russell Martin, Orlando Hudson, and Matt Kemp all reached base three times, and Juan Pierre, Casey Blake, Rafael Furcal and Kemp had two hits apiece. In fact, the only Dodger regular without a hit was Andre Ethier. I have never thought that Andre was only a good hitter because of Manny, but so far he has struggled without him in the lineup. I do think that he is pressing and I also think he will bust out of it sooner than later, but it's going to be interesting to see how he reacts to the criticism and talk that he needs Manny to be successful.

Overall, it was great to see the boys break out and have a good offensive game, even if it came against the ageless wonder (Copyright: Durfee) that is Jamie Moyer. The game tomorrow should be billed as a pitchers' duel as Dodger nemesis Cole Hamels takes on Chad Billingsley in a 10 AM (PST) getaway game.

The Inconsistent Clayshaw

Clayton Kershaw has pitched exactly as expected so far this year; he has been brilliant at times and painful to watch during others. Twice he has gone seven innings, but those two starts were against the weak-hitting Giants and Padres. He got rocked against Houston and Colorado, giving up a combined 15 runs in 9 innings. The other two starts he went 5 innings while giving up a run each time, and he was unable to go deeper in the games because of an elevated pitch count. So what should we expect from Clayton the rest of the year? I don't think we will see many starts like the ones he had in both Houston and Colorado. But I do think there will be a handful of starts where he can't go past five innings due to his inability to put away hitters. It's funny, Kershaw doesn't give up very many hits (27 hits in 33 innings) and he averages more than a strikeout an inning, yet hitters constantly go deep into counts and foul off pitches which results in an elevated pitch total. It reminds me of when Chad Billingsley first came up as a 21-year-old in 2006. Bills had electric stuff, but couldn't go deep into games. He had inconsistent command at times, but was never really wild. Same goes for Kershaw. His control is fine, his command is okay, but hitters tend to foul off so many pitches. So what is my point in this post? I would say the point is to stay patient. There will be frustrating times during the learning curve. He will have great moments too. But the kid is barely old enough to buy a beer. Remember that when evaluating him and keep in mind that his future is as bright as any other pitcher in baseball. Time will tell if he develops into his potential, but if I was a betting man my money would be on Clayshaw becoming great.

New Poll

Check out the new poll on the right. What do you guys think? How many games will the Dodgers win while Manny Ramirez is out? Some people think the team will wilt like a dying petunia. Others think the Dodgers will be just fine. My personal prediction... I say the Dodgers go 26-24 in Manny's absence.

And why am I a Sports Fan Again?

Today was brutal. I can't think of a better word to describe it. The Lakers looked like they would have rather been anywhere in the world than on the basketball court and the Dodgers lost in thirteen innings. All in all, I spent about 5 1/2 hours of my time in exchange for a whole lot of frustration. It's days like these that I question my sanity: Why would any rational person be a sports fan? I wish I was a fan of musical theatre or something. Anyways, here are some notes from both the Dodgers and Lakers games:

First the Dodgers:

• I really have a tough time with Joe Torre's managing of the bullpen. It seems as if he has no plan at all. First off, the man lets Jeff Weaver bat for himself in the 5th inning, but after he allows one baserunner in the top of the 6th, he yanks him even though Weave had made only 76 pitches at the time. Then to top that off, he brings in Troncoso (which is good, I like Tron Tron), and he proceeds to get a strike out and then allows a 17 hopper through the hole for a single. So what does Torre do? He brings the hook and replaces Troncoso with Will Ohman... He brought the Dodgers lefty specialist into the game in the 6th inning!! And to face who you might ask? The vaunted Travis Ishikawa who is hitting a robust .188 on the year. So basically he wasted a guy who can go multiple innings (Troncoso) to bring in a lefty to face a horrible hitter. And what does Bruce Bochy do? Of course he pinch hits for Ishikawa. Bochy brought in the righty Rich Aurilia. While Ohman got out of the inning, the frustrating part is that Troncoso was wasted for only six pitches. I hated this move at the time and after watching the game play out I hate it even more. Since Torre removed Troncoso so early, he was forced to use Belisario and Wade to handle the 8th and 9th innings. Now fast forward to the top of the 11th. Torre has a choice between James McDonald, Guillermo "God Forbid" Mota, and Brent Leach. With the pitcher due up second in the next inning, Torre has two real options. Use either Mota or Leach and pinch hit for them in the bottom of the inning, or throw McDonald and let him hit for himself and give your team a few innings. So what does Torre do? Naturally, he chooses McDonald AND, after making only 20 pitches, decides to pinch hit for the young righty in the bottom of the inning. This leaves the Dodgers with only two pitchers left, both of which are not very good options. Joe decides to bring in Mota. Of course, Mota gives up a run in the 12th, only to be saved by Casey Blake's home run, and then gives up two more in the next inning for good measure. Just overall terrible bullpen management by a guy known to be quite a dunce in this area. How a manager with an 8 pitcher bullpen could manage to screw the situation up is beyond me. Inexcusable.
• My other thought during the game, besides "Why does our first baseman have less power than Juan Pierre?", was setting the over/under on Guillermo Mota's DFA. I said July 1st, and one of my friends (Brian) said that it must come before July. I know Mota is guaranteed something like 2 million for the remainder of the year, but let's be honest, is he going to help the team at all? When he was brought into the game today there was no doubt what the result was going to be. It is basically a concession when he pitches. Mota now has a 7.43 ERA in 13.1 innings, and has allowed well over 2 baserunners an inning. As mad as I get at him, I blame Ned Colletti waaaaaaaay more for signing him in the first place. Mota has not been good for quite some time, yet Ned gave him a guaranteed major league contract. Luckily, he probably won't pitch too many high-leverage innings the rest of the year.
• The Dodgers now go on the road for six games against the Phillies and the Marlins. I am hoping the team does well, but I think 3-3 is a very reasonable expectation. The Dodgers need Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, and Orlando Hudson to carry the load. Rafael Furcal and James Loney have had absolutely zero value this season (according to FanGraphs), and they must play better for the Dodgers to be successful. Maybe a trip to the band box that is Citizens Bank Park will do the trick..

The Lakers are even more disappointing than the Dodgers. Today's game annoyed me more than Adam Lambert singing "Whole Lotta Love" on American Idol. Up 2-1 in the series with the Rockets best player now out for the season, the Lakers had a shot to choke the Rockets out. Yet, they didn't even show up in this one, as they were outhustled and outplayed from the opening possession. It was really a pathetic display of basketball and it makes me think the Lakers will not win the championship. The Cleveland Cavaliers are destroying their opponents night in and night out, yet the Lakers believe they can flip the switch whenever they want. It's just pathetic. You would think the Lakers would learn from their mistakes, but they never do. Now moving on, I think there are a few things the Lakers must do to control the series...

1. Kobe MUST be used in the pinch post area about fifteen feet from the basket. By doing so, you take advantage of Kobe's passing ability as Houston is more than likely to double him in that spot. I believe Kobe is best in this spot on the floor and it also spares him from having to shoot 20 footers with Shane Battier in his face all night long. It is an easy way to help conserve energy for Kobe.
2. When Kobe isn't in the post, the Lakers need to run more pick-and-rolls with him and Pau Gasol. Even with Yao out for the series, the pick-and-roll can help Kobe create space and give him an advantage going to the basket. Kobe is a great passer when he wants to be and this will help him get into a spot where they can take advantage of his decision making.
3. Derek Fisher needs to play about 18-20 minutes only. Aaron Brooks just lights him up. D-Fish can't keep up with anyone anymore. Personally I would divide the minutes like this: Fisher 18 minutes; Brown 15 minutes; Farmar 15 minutes. This creates a good mix of speed, athleticism, shot-making, and leadership at the point. But if Fisher plays more than this amount, I think he hurts the Lakers way more than he helps.
4. Finally, the Lakers just need to show some heart. They showed it in games 2 and 3, but then today they looked like they were happy to split the games in Houston. This attitude has to change for the Lakers to win a championship. I have tried to give the team the benefit of the doubt all season, but the bottom line is they must show a killer instinct. I hope we see it in Game 5, but these are the Lakers and you just never know. To me this attitude comes from the top on down. Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher must set the tone. If they do, I think the Lakers cruise in the next two games. If not, this series could continue to get interesting.

Overall, I think the Lakers are fine. However, I saw some signs today that made me question their ability to win a championship. It hurts me to say that but it's the truth at this point in time. Hopefully they can correct it, because if they can't they will get run off the court by the Cavs in the Finals...