Dodgers Baseball

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You may hate the team… the owner… their payroll… but you should appreciate the pitcher.
 
The Padres got a dose of Special K last nite at Dodgers Stadium.  Clayton Kershaw was masterful, mercurial, special, in striking out 11, throwing a 3-hitter, and running his record to (11-2), in beating the Padres..
 
It’s now a common place occurrence.  When he pitches, they fill the stadium, 50,000 last nite on a Thursday nite.  When he pitches, they usually win, his career record is now (88-48).  When he pitches, he strikes out tons of batters.
 
You may dislike the big money Dodgers.  You may despise all things that live in LA.  You may not like Magic Johnson-part owner.  Or the 239-million payroll.
 
But you should appreciate excellence and the gifts that guy, Kershaw, brings to the mound at age 26. 
 
His shutout streak was snapped by a Chase Headley home run, at 41-plus innings.  He won’t chase down Orel Hirshiser nor Don Drysdale’s shutout records.  But he keeps winning, keeps dominating;.
 
Kershaw has all these accolades, wins, ERA titles, Cy Young trophies.  
 
He also has a big heart.  He and his wife pour money, lots of it, into 3rd world countries to build orphanages.  He travels to African nations in the off season to meet the leadership groups he has put in place in these foundations.  He does charity work in the states.
 
He is utterly brilliant on the mound and benevolent off the field. 
 
You can scream all you want, beat-LA, but you should scream and shout and clap for Clayton Kershaw, who he is, what he does, and the person he represents.
 
Something beautiful about that guy wearing Dodgers Blue.

Dodgers Lawsuit

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The decision has been rendered. Can you imagine how hard it would be to vote on it.
 
As ugly a moment in the short lived history of the Frank McCourt ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers. 
 
The McCourt’s, bankruptcy, divorce, greed, MLB foreclosure, and the beating of a fan at their stadium on opening night.  Some era.
 
Can you imagine being on the jury, or being the jury foreman, and having to make a decision in the Brian Stow lawsuit against the Dodgers and it’s former owner.
 
Brain damaged for life, savagely stomped by 2-Latinos with criminal records, Brian Stow will forever be in a wheelchair, will never work, and will never have all the brain faculties he had when he went to see the Dodgers-Giants opening night game in 2011.
 
He was jumped, pummeled, kicked in the face, had his head slammed into the parking lot pavement.  The two who did the assault are serving 24-years in prison.
 
Stow will forever live in the prison of his injuries.  He was awarded not the 37M he asked for, but 18M.  The jury however will order the Dodgers to pay just 4.5M of it.  McCourt will pay nothing.  The hoodlums will be held accountable for the rest, but they are penniless in prison.. 
 
Somewhere in between the accusation that the owner skimped on parking lot security and the explosive fans taunting exchange that led to the fite, there is blame enough for everyone.
 
The baseball team testified they had  a record number of security, uniformed police, and non uniformed there that opening night.  They admit as the sellout crowd streamed out into the lot, it was impossible to have police everywhere.  They did admit, unruly fans had tended to take over the pavilion at Chavez Ravine in recent years.
 
But somewhere in all this is the blame to be passed on Stow too.  Caught on video taunting fans, while wearing his Giants jersey.  Caught on video spewing shouts at Dodgers fans in the parking lot.  Caught with a blood alcohol count of .187, over double the legal limit, before the first punch-kick reigned on him.
 
Imagine being on the jury having to determine blame, future earning powers lost, and value of a crippled father with kids.
 
Part of me says the thugs got what they deserved.  Some part of me says the Dodgers insurance money will be spent now to help the Giants fan.  Part of me says Stow himself invited all this too by how he acted and how much he drank.
 
In a world of macho men, fueled by beer, impassioned by rooting for their team, this should be a lesson.  Sporting events are not meant to wind up like this.  Somewhere deep in the recesses of his damaged brain, Brian Stow’s thought process has to be held as accountable as the two toughs, locked away till 2026.
 
It’s a sad commentary on what a chunk of society, sporting society,  has become.

Soccer stomping…

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Pull out any word from the dictionary to describe it and yes there were lots of ways to describe, awful.
 
When the best play the best, you usually get record performances.  And such was the case yesetrday in the World Cup.  Good news for Germany.  Horrid ending for Brazil.
 
Pick any adverb you want to describe the German 7-1 in over Brazil, knocking the home country favorite out of the tourney.
 
Astounding, embarrrasing, appalling, shocking.
 
Brazil had not lost a home international match in 57-outings.  That came to a crushing end early.  And when it was over, the German blitzkrieg win was the worst World Cup beating the boys from Brazil had suffered in 84-years.
 
It was the firebrand Thomas Muller scoring early; it was the record setting veteran Miroslav Klose following up, and then it was an onslaught of goals.
 
Germany scored 3-in 3-minutes.  Scored 5-goals in the first 29-minutes of a match, many thought would be a classic.  It was, for all the wrong reasons.
 
The highlite of the day was when they brought the jersey of injured superstar Neymar out of the tunnel, saluting him,  with them.  From then on, it was downhill.
 
The guys wearing yellow didn’t have their sniper, but it was more than just the loss of the goal scorer.  The Brazilian defense collapsed.  They were in shambles, as the guys wearing black and red roared thru open seams, uncontested.
 
The announcers were urging Brazil to kick someone, take a foul, stop the momentum.  It went on and on seemingly forever. 
 
Brazil lost its legs, its composure, its intensity and then its heart.  They look like they quit.
 
The fans cried, then they booed.  Coach Luis Solari could only say at the end, “excuse us for our negative mistake”.
 
The nation that was in hysteria at the start, because of this global matchup, was hysterical at the end with this horrid loss.
 
Pick any words you want.  Choke job, at home, when you soiled yourself on your own soccer soil.  
 
Brazil will never forget hosting the tourney, and surely will have a hard time forgetting what happened to their team too.

Padres – Reset

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Now you have to think more seriously about all these trade ideas don’t you?.

In a 2-week span the Padres have pulled themselves out of the gutter.  From last place to third place, as other teams have collapsed, they have started to win .

So now the braintrust needs to re-think about any potential trades involving pitchers.  The team has won 6-of-8….11-of-18…most of it coming on the arms of its starting rotation and its bullpen.

In the last 17-games, the Padres starters have an ERA of (2.02)…and the bullpen has an earned run average of 1.15.  Think about those numbers, the best in baseball.

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Decision Day-NBA

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The phrase you heard in the movie stands out. What they said on the TV commercial, caught your attention. Today those words stand out.

You’ve heard the phrases and they fit the situation perfectly.

All the big NBA players have met with the big clubs over the July 4th holiday, and it’s now time for those guys to get max contracts and make their decisions.

King James..Melo…Bosh and the wildcard guy in all this Pal Pao.

LeBron James has been wooed by all. He can stay in Miami with the Heat, which has won 2-rings during his run, or he can go to the Lakers or go home to Cleveland. Miami’s offer is worth 129million..anywhere else he gets a 90million package

Carmelo Anthony has visited everyone. For Melo, he can get the big payday to stay with the Knicks but he has to trust Phil Jackson can put better players around him with no budget and no draft picks.

Chris Bosh will have to take a paycut to stay with the Heat, but he is rumored ready to head to Houston with Dwight Howard.

The guy who could cause all the dominoes to fall a different direction is the Lakers Pao Gasol. He could be the icing on the cake. If he stays in LA and takes a cut it gives them cap space. He could be the key addition to lure the Big 3-back to Pat Riley’s team in Miami. He might be the Zen Master’s first building block if he goes to the Knicks.

The next 48-hours will be something. Who commits first. LeBron, Melo, or maybe Gasol.

You remember the phrases from the movie Jerry McGuire? You remember the words in the Beer commercial. NBA players are uttering them now. King James-Melo-Bosh… “Show me the money”. For Gasol , he becomes the most interesting man in the world, for what he does might impact everyone else.