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“War of Words-Right-vs-Wrong”

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They are both wrong, and this is pretty ugly.

This being the weekend eruption-eject of Padres slugger Manny Machado from a game in Colorado, for his face to face confrontation with umpire Bill Welke.

This, also being what happened on Tuesday, the Umpires Association criticism of the 1-game suspension to Machado by the Commissioner’s office.

This whole thing is inappropriate, as MLB exec Joe Torre said in the aftermath of the Ump Union tweet criticizing the minimal suspension after the volatile incident in Colorado.

They’re all wrong.

Machado deserved more than a 1-game suspensions for the obscenity laced tantrum, the slight bump of the umpire in the beginning of the argument; the helmet throwing rage, and then hurling his bat into the wall behind home plate.

The umpire deserves criticism for his quick trigger finger ejection of the Padres star just as Machado was turning around to protest the off the corner pitch, that was called strike three.

Macado was caught using the “F” word as least 3-times in his tirade. Welk said something in response right at the beginning, though no one will say what was said.

Manager Andy Green got tossed later in the game, and did have an extended conversation about the Machado ejection.

But neither the player, nor the manager, wanted to talk to the media about specifics, Machado’s language, Welke’s response, or Green’s conversation.

You can give Welke the benefit of the doubt for blowing a call, but you cannot forgive him tor the heated instant ejection.

You probably need to critique his whole body of work in the game, where his strike calls were all over the zone, inside-outside, high and low. He was not consistent that day.

And to complicate it, the Umpires Union went after Torre for handing out just 1-game suspension…and Torre responded with his own criticism of the Union using its twitter account to mock the decision.

The Union took it a further step, by insinuating there was ‘workplace violence’ that was tolerated by Torre because of the bat throw…absurd.

Later in the evening, the Union continued its own tirade, adding more on Facebook, calling the 1-game ban a ‘disgrace to umpires’ and ‘disgrace to the game’. They said players should never have the right to touch someone in authority.

Padres pitcher Craig Stammen says both sides need to respect each other. Eric Hosmer said there was no accountability for the umpires actions. Ian Kindler says some umpires target players.

Umpiring has been hot and cold all year long. Everyone admits it’s a tough job, a subjective job, a job made harder by by the electric stuff, and the ball movement these pitchers now bring to their repertoire.

Each sport is different in its discipline over criticism of the officials..

The NFL will take a players game check for abuse of officials., if they hand out a suspension, though that is rare.

The NBA routinely hands out 25-to-50,000 fines for public criticism and abuse of officials, from players and coaches.

The NHL rarely disciplines players with fines, and sometimes will dock coaches some money. .

Oddly, baseball might hand out a base fine to Machado for the 1-game suspension, but they won’t dock him 1/162nd of his salary for the suspension.

Players who get ejected for arguing, and even managers, don’t get fined for the ejection.
Contact with an umpire is a different case. Excessive abuse can lead to a minimal fine, but what is 5,000 for a player making 30M a year like Manny Machado?

But now in this wild world of social media, new dimensions have taken over.

MLB baseball should hand out a fine to its own Umpires Association for breaching etiquette with the public rebuke via twitter.

Hard to believe going forward, this Welke-Machado issue will go away. Welk ejected Machado and Green earlier in the season, when Machado dropped his bat at the feet of a catcher, going for a foul pop.

Within the Padres clubhouse, veteran players said they needed to ‘respect’ the job the umps do, but also said, they want umps to respect the players right to talk about controversial calls.

Machado didn’t respect Welke with the way he acted. He deserves 3-games with the abuse. he spewed out. Welk deserves to be chastised for what he did, the instant ejection and to be reviewed for his overall poor job calling balls and strikes..

And the Union should be fined for violating protocol. That complaint should be delivered in private to the MLB league office, not globally via twitter.

There will be an appeal shortly. It will be via Skype, not in person. Then there will be a decision Machado should get docked, Welke should get critiqued, and the Union should pay a penalty.

They were all wrong.

Ugly, ugly, and surely not over

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“Gulls Coach Goes to the NHL”

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Dallas Eakins is leaving the San Diego Gulls after four successful years, to take over as head coach of the troubled Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

Ducks GM-Bob Murray ended a methodical 3-month search for a head coach. Eakins showed exceptional patience waiting and wondering if he would get the offer. It worked out for both.

Both had lots to say at Monday’s NHL press conference.

Bob Murray-GM

..The experience I had working with Dallas over 4-years was the key.
..I saw Dallas as a player with the Chicago Wolves at the end of his career. He was teaching young players then
..He developed players while he was head coach of the Toronto Marlies.
..16 players he had with the Gulls have played a lot for us in Anaheim.
..His players always competed.
..He does not accept losing
..He likes to win

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Dallas Eakins

..I am humbled to get this position.
..We had a commitment to excellence in San Diego
..I say thank you to the fans
..San Diego fans set the bar high for the rest of the AHL
..210-players came thru out dressing room in 4-years in San Diego
..The Ducks have had incredible success on the ice and in the community in Anaheim.
..I am strong and I am fierce.
..This is different than when I was in Edmonton, where we started from scratch. I know these players here. We’re not starting over.
..We will work hard…hardness gets things done.
..Being in the playoffs with these young players makes them better
..I have a familiarness with lots of this roster
..The Ducks are headed to transition with talent-we will win
..I want a leadership group that will develop an identity
..I honor player’s work ethic. I want them to enjoy competing.
..I want them to ‘get to the rink’ to enjoy, not just ‘go to the rink’
..We want to play hard first. Be hard to play against too.
..I want relentless, skill, speed.
..We will play fast with the puck and play fast to get the puck back
..I want a group that will be inspired by competition
..We will be organized with the puck, when we get it back, when we attack.
..Edmonton-looking back..a challenging time..but I learned to put my head down and get better every day.
..I inherit a roster and that should speed up the process…these players know my expectations..my workouts..my values…how I want them to live their life.
..This is not my team….it’s our team..our organization.

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“Lakers-Dollars Overcome Dysfunction”

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Don’t you just love some aspects of the NBA.

It’s all about winning, even if you are incompetent, dishonest, disloyal. And dollars allow you to do anything you want, to anybody.

So today the Lakers feel good about themselves now, proving dollars can buy you most anything, even if your credibility is shot.

Six years of missing the playoffs…terrible missteps in family ownership, chaos in the front office, a distracted lockeroom, all has seemingly been washed away by the blockbuster NBA trade that brought them superstar Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Lakers pull off a 6-for-1 trade to get Davis. A tremendous price to pay to get the 6’11 star from the Pelicans. It cost them 3-first round draft picks, and another wave of young players they developed over the last two years, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart.

Oddly those 3, plus this years 4th pick in the first round, will join ex-Laker Julius Randle already in New Orleans. The Pelicans will draft 1st and 4th, meaning they get Zion Williamson, another hot pick at the top of the board, and the 3-Lakers kids. That’s quite a team on the floor.

They give up a selfish star and rid themselves of troubling power broker agent Rich Paul, who engineered, and executed the end of Davis’ career with the Pelicans.

The deal gives the Lakers 3-quality players, the aging LeBron James, also repped by the same agent as Davis, plus young forward Kyle Kuzma.

The Lakers will still have 33M in cap space and could conceivably wind up with another near max-free agent. Or maybe they spread that money around and get 3-younger quality support players.

Jimmy Butler of the 76ers, Kemba Walker of Charlotte, DeAngelo Russell of Brooklyn, or Kyrie Irving of Boston could all be the last name acquisition. Then there’s Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton, or veterans like Patrick Beverly or Ricky Rubio, or Bojan Bogdanovich, all who might be more affordable and provide ‘strength in numbers’.

Of course the Lakers have 10-roster spots to fill and hopefully they will do a better job this year than the group of misfits they brought ion last year. Maybe Rajon Rondo and Javale McGee will want to stay for minimum vets salaries to see if they can ride the coat-tails to the NBA finals with King James and AD.

So odd. For months upon months, my friends at the LA Times, lead columnists and voices of criticism, railed on Jeannie Buss and Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson, for the dysfunction they dragged the franchise into. Now Bill Plashke-Arash Markazi and Dylan Hernandez are standing at the front of the line with pom-poms in hand as they bang the keyboard, cheering on the new look Lakers.

That’s all okay, though there still are issues, Jason Kidd and Lionel Hollins looking over the shoulder of the new coach. And whether the defensive demands of new head coach Frank Vogel, fall on the empty ears of the highest priced players in the world. And how long before Magic Johnson wants back in after screwing it all up. And whether Pelinka is as abrasive as people say he is and how that plays in the lockeroom.

I am not sure the dysfunction is in the distant past.

Up next surely will be my guy ‘Ice Cube’ with a new video promo to this next Lakers area.

It’s like the pennants atop Wrigley Field at home games in Chicago with the Cubs…blow one way-one day..the other way the next.

It’s quite a price for LA to pay to try and take a run to the top with an aging LeBron, and a Davis, carrying with him a history of injuries in his New Orleans baggage. There will be a short window for LA to make this happen before King James takes his talents to his post life career.

The Lakers are rid of young players I liked, but also rid of the whining parent LaVar Ball, whose taken his mouth to New Orleans. Think anyone will listen to his rhetoric on Bourbon Street? .So much for all things in the Ball Family. They are rid too of lead cheerleader Magic Johnson, great player, but a great failure in other things basketball.

So we now wait to see what transpires next in Lakerland.

I don’t know if the AD-trade can be equated to the acquisition of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar back in the day, that came at quite a price too, in David Myers, Brian Winters and Junior Bridgdeman. Or equal to what the Lakers draft pick trade that netted them the right to draft Magic Johnson. It won’t be the steal they got when they traded for Wilt Chamberlain of the then Philadelphia Warriors why back in 1968.

The downside for LA is the age factor, the injury factor, and maybe the reality that the real GM in Los Angeles is Rich Paul, not Rob Pelinka, and the question, should an agent carry that kind of clout in any locker-room?

For 1-day the Lakers knocked the Toronto Raptors-NBA championship off the front page of the NBA headlines.

Now we see what the longterm impact of this deal is, not just for the Lakers, but also the Clippers, who have two max free agent slots to use, and Golden State, who could lost 2-quality free agents, or bring the whole band back together.

The Lakers fired the first shot in free agency. We shall see what the next 3-weeks bring as other deals take place.

The NBA, proves one thing. Dollars buy your way out of dysfunction.

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“NBA Champs-True North”

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It was a war of attrition.

When it was over the NBA Championship Trophy will have to cross the border to find its new home, Toronto.

The Raptors won the title, finding a way to stave off comeback after comeback from the battered Golden State Warriors.

It took a 48-point night effort from the Raptors two point guards, Kyle Lowry and Fred Van Vleet to fuel the Toronto win.

Van Vleet, undrafted and unwanted out of Wichita State, hit 3-straight 3-point shots and then drilled 3-free throws in a row to drive Toronto to the win.

There were big performances lots of other places. Serge Ibaka came off the bench to get 15-points. Pascal Siakam stepped up with a big game, 26-points worth of effort.

Kawhi Leonard wound up 22 and the final 3-free throws sealed the deal.

For Golden State, it was another night, another devastating injury. Klay Thompson had 30-points but went out with a hyper-extended knee landing awkwardly after making a jump shot. He was helped off, much like Kevin Durant was, the game before.

The Warriors could not survive the loss of 65-points in that lineup, without Durant and Thompson.

Steph Curry was choked off, going without a basket the final 6-minutes, miss the only 3-shots he took.

Golden State showed such heart in the face of all that adversity. What a night for the Warriors warrior, Draymond Green who wound up with 11P…19-rebounds…13-assists in a yeoman performance.

The Warriors were great champions over a 5-year run. But for the last two weeks, Toronto found the resolve to win. How impressive for them to win 3-games on Golden State’s floor.

And the true champions earned this one. That’s why the trophy is going to the True North.

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“Thursday Topics-Lots of Them”

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PADRES…..Do not be alarmed about the decision of the Padres to send hot young rookie pitcher Chris Paddack to Lake Elsinore. This is to give him a 10-day rest from the rotation. He’ll throw between starts, and likely make a short start for the Storm. This is about managing his innings this year, and also to give him extended time between starts. Yes he has velocity, but he has been missing the zone, and his ball movement has not been what it was in his first five starts. The ERA is (7.20) the last six outings. It is a fatigue situation.

PADRES…Lucky for the Friars the farm system is so plentiful, they can afford to make a Paddack move like this. Decent starts from Calvin Quantrill and Nick Margavicius and the odd bullpen day, led by Robbie Erlin, make this possible. Next to be called up might be Logan Allen.

DODGERS…Another blow to the team, the loss of SS-Corey Seager with a severe hamstring injury. Likely putting him on the shelf for 8-weeks. Justin Turner has yet to get hot, after missing the early season with nagging injuries.

DODGERS…Joe Kelly is the huge disappointment in LA. The ex-Red Sox setup guy, getting 5M a year, has a (7.59-ERA). His line, (21inn-20R-38-baserunners-20HRs).

ANGELS….If you don’t have pitching, you cannot win, even if Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani are in the middle of your lineup. Why the Halos would ever give Trevor Cahill (5M) is a shocker. He’s now on the DL after a horrific seige of starts Try these numbers on for size, (39inn-39R) and a 7.18-ERA.

ANGELS…Woe is the other veteran starter, Matt Harvey, the ex-Met, plagued by back problems, and now in shutdown mode on a rehab assignment. Last start (2.2inn-7R-82 pitches). The Halos just got Andrew Heaney back from elbow issues. Aside from 1st round pick Gabe Canning, the rest of the rotation resembles the Salt Lake City Bees of the PCL.

CHARGERS…Ominous is the word used to describe head coach Anthony Lynn, when asked about an injury to LT-Russell Okung. He gave no details, but the Pro Bowler has not been on the field in late OTA’s or this weeks veteran minicamp. He had a history of injuries before he got to the Bolts,but has had 2-healthy seasons. Maybe shelf-life expiring. They cannot afford to lose him.

RAMS….Everyone is talking about it, everyone but the Rams head coach Sean McVay and his star running back Todd Gurley. Talking about the arthritic condition in his knee, the one he so badly hurt at Georgia. It virtually ceased his production late last season in the playoff run into the Super Bowl. Now he’s not on the field for any team work in the OTAs or this weeks minicamp. McVay issues general answers about ‘managing his workload’, Gurley says its a ‘minor issue’. Until he has 100-yard games again, no one will buy what the Rams are selling.

LAKERS LINE….They are talking again to the New Orleans Pelicans about a deal for upset soon-to-be free agent Anthony Davis. Two trade offers are being discussed. The Lakers would ship the 4th pick in the draft,plus Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram for Davis. Or New Orleans is asking for Kyle Kuzma-Ball-Ingram in a 3-for-1 swap, and letting the Lakers keep the 4th pick. Stay tuned, if it is to happen, it will happen within the next two weeks leading into the draft.

KINGS-DUCKS FAREWELLS….Rumors everywhere that the Kings are going to eat the 12M-owed veteran defenseman Dion Phaneuf. They are also shopping the 8M-contract of RW-Dustin Brown. The Ducks are attempting to trade the 17M left on Corey Perry’s contract, or may do the amnesty buyout of his deal to get cap relief. Both teams want to get younger, both teams need salary cap space. Changes are coming.

KINGS-DUCKS TRADES…The NHL draft is just around the corner. The Kings are interested in a deal for Patrick Marleau, the Leafs veteran power forward. The Ducks like 20-goal scorer Kasperi Kaapen, whom Toronto needs to move in a salary cap deal. Both could happen leading into the draft.

GULLS…He’s waiting for the phone to ring. Caller ID should say “949” and Dallas Eakins should be offered the Ducks head coaching job. Why not? He put in 4-really solid years once the Gulls put the AHL franchise into San Diego, and he’s probably coached 8-to-10 of the Ducks young draft picks, who have been up and down the last couple of years. He deserves it. So deserving of credit too, is Gulls GM-Bob Ferguson who led the charge to hire Eakins to come to San Diego, after he had been dumped by the Edmonton Oilers after just a year and a half on the Oilers bench.

WORLD CUP SOCCER….a big 13-0 opening win for Team USA in the Women’s World Cup in France, and a big win for Fox-TV in the opening game rating. A 2.2-share, the highest in the US since the 2018 FIFA-Cup finals. Kansas City had the highest market rating (4.5)….San Diego, which does not have a team was second best (4.1). Yes, alot of criticism of the over celebration by the USA women, and words like ‘piling on’…’overkill’….’disrespectful’ for all the exuberance they showed in overwhelming the Thai team. Things will get more challenging in the next two weeks, and so will a rise in ratings too.

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