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!