Farewell Joe Torre

   As the Dodgers 2010 dismal season comes to an end, I would personally like to say thanks to Joe Torre for giving us Dodger fans hope again.


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   Sure the Dodgers did not make the playoff’s this year. But they did make it every other year you managed them. And they went passed the first round of the playoff’s, something they hadn’t done since they won the World Series in 1988. They came in first place in the N.L. West, 2 of the three years Joe Torre managed them. Those are the tangibles Joe brought to the team. But the intangibles will be really what he left behind.

   Joe Torre brought a sense of class and a caring spirit that will, hopefully, stay with these young players for far much longer. And it was all on display today on the Dodgers last game of the season. Joe let Brad Ausmas catch the final game of his career before his retirement, he let Rafael Furcal get an at bat then pulled him from the game so he could stay above .300 for the season, he allowed first baseman John Lindsey (he had previously spent 16 years in the minors until earlier this year) to walk out for a pinch hit (allowing the crowd to cheer for him and letting him get his name in more box score) even though he has a broken hand and cast on (Joe wasn’t going to let him actually bat and Trent Oeltjen batted for John), and Joe brought in Kuo so he could get the lowest single season ERA (minimum 50 innings) and letting him get his 12th save of the season. Great stuff, right?

   So thank you Joe, and good luck wherever you end up.

 

The Dodgers Are No Better Off Then They Were 4 Days Ago

The Dodgers came into this weeks 4 game series with the Padres needing to win at least 3 out of 4. They did not accomplish this. The Dodgers split the series 2-2 and are in fact worse off then they were 4 days ago because 4 games were taken off the schedule and in the process they lost Russell Martin, for what appears to be the rest of the season, with a hip injury.



Not a good sign if you are a Dodger fan. Of which I am...

Shaq in Boston Celtic Green

I loved Shaq as a Laker. The Lakers would not have won those 3 championships without him. He brought joy and happiness to the city of Los Angeles.

Then came the fallout. Shaq left on not so great terms. He won a championship with Miami and continued to rant and rave on Kobe. But through all this I never hated him. I was no longer a fan but still appreciated what he had done while in a Laker uniform.

Then came the news today. Shaq is reportedly going to be a Boston Celtic. The hated Boston Celtics. The one thing no ex-Laker should ever do is put on a green jersey. Never.

So I should be pissed off. Surprisingly I'm not. The only reason being, I don't want Miami to win anything.

RIP George Steinbrenner

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner passed away this morning of a massive heart attack at the age of 80.

Baseball lost a legendary owner today.

However you feel about the Yankees, they have fielded winning teams that have had a chance of winning the World Series almost every year. That's all any fan could ever ask of their teams owner.

On the eve of the All-Star game it should be interesting to see how they pay tribute.

Derek Fisher Appears Headed Back to the Lakers

Derek Fisher will be wearing purple and gold next season. At least according to a couple of reports (See here and here)that is.

Speaking as a life long Lakers fan, can I just say 'phew' (wipes sweat from brow).

Derek has become an icon in this city. Just as beloved as current and past Laker greats. Not to mention he was an indispensable part of the Lakers 5 most recent championship seasons. He is the heart of this team and I don't know if the team could have survived with the heart ripped out.

It almost seemed inconceivable at the end of this season that Derek would sign with another team (especially the Miami Heat) but as time wore on it didn't seem so far fetched. Could Derek really leave?

But it looks like Lakers fans can breath a sigh of relief, the little point guard that could is coming back.

And hopefully he is bringing another world championship with him.

Edit: July 13th- Derek has officially said he will be coming back to the Lakers

Sick and Tired of LeBron and this nonsense

Is anyone else just done with this whole "where is LeBron going" crap? I know I am and will not be watching his self serving hour long announcement on ESPN. He is way too full of himself.

Dodgers lose to the Marlins

The Dodgers faced Major League leading ERA pitcher Josh Johnson (1.70)and paid the price losing 4-0. Kuroda went 7 innings giving up 4 runs on six hits.

The Dodgers also ended up putting Ronald Belisario on the Reserved list because of what is being called "anxiety". No further details have been released.

In happier Dodger news, Russell Martin had a special visitor today. It was 3-year-old Janelle Briseno whom Martin accidentally struck in the head during batting practice on June 7th.

The Sun's run out of daylight. The Lakers will face the hated Celtics in the finals

So Kobe, or the dagger, or I mean Black Mamba, or the assassin (that's what coach Alvin Gentry called him) hit two shots late in the 4th (scoring 9 points in the final 2 minutes) willing the Lakers to a finals rematch vs the Boston Celtics.

The story early in the game was Ron Artest and his 17 points in the first quarter. He ended the game with 25 points on 4-7 shooting from behind the arc.

The Lakers built up a 18 point lead only to see it nearly disappear in the 4th. The Suns cut the lead to 3 points with under 3 minutes remaining in the game. But then came Kobe. And there went the Suns.

There is only one King in the NBA people. And he wears purple and gold.

We wanted Boston. They wanted us. Let's get in on.

Notes: Kobe has now played more playoff games than any other Laker... This win snapped the Suns' six-game home playoff winning streak... This is the Lakers third straight NBA Finals... The Celtics lead the Lakers in head to head NBA Championships 9-2... "Those aren't shooters shots, they're scorers shots," Phoenix's Steve Nash said. "Those are best-player-in-the-game type shots."

Lakers Win Game 5 in True Hollywood Fashion

New basketball movie, "The RonShot Redemption", being shopped around Hollywood. Here's the pitch:

A professional basketball team is looking to repeat as champions. In the off season they lose an important part of their playoff run the year before. They pick up a volatile player with many questions and no championship pedigree. Flash forward to the Western Conference Championships. The new player takes to ill-advised shots near the end of the game that lead to the game being tied by the opposing team. The star of the movie, who in many similar roles, is expected to make the game winning shot. The star gets the ball with 3 seconds left, turns, shoots, and air balls the shot. But wait, the game is not over, the ball is caught underneath the basket and is put in! Who makes the shot but the new player who had only made one shot the entire game. He goes from goat to hero in less than a minute, the crowd goes wild, he gets mobbed by his teammates, and the game ends. End of scene.

To be continued...

L.A. Galaxy on a roll

Much like a black hole in outer space that gobbles up everything in its path, the Los Angeles Galaxy have done the same to the competition in MLS. Bruce Arena's side is undefeated (6-0-1) to open the 2010 MLS season.

Check out these stats: The Galaxy have the best record in the league, Donovan Ricketts and the defense have only allowed 2 goals this season, the Galaxy have never trailed in a game, thay have scored 11 goals in 7 games (Edson Buddle has 9 goals), and all of this is being done without the front man of the league David Beckham.

So if you're a casual fan or have never been to a Galaxy game before, here's your chance to jump on the band wagon. And to all you Galaxy fans out there, the next game you go to a game (as jguesman and llovelylleslie7 first stated on Twitter) take someone new.

Lakers win game 1 vs Thunder

Kevin Durant and the problems the Thunder were going to create for the Lakers never materialized as the Lakers win game 1 in the first round of the Western Conference Playoff's

The Lakers showed, especially in the first half, last years championship form. Building a 17 point lead on a viscious dunk by Andrew Bynum, the Lakers never were in jeopardy of losing the game. The closest the Thunder got was 6 points in the second half but the game always felt like the Lakers were in control

I like what I saw. Artest was a monster on D. He held Durant, the NBA's leading scorer, to 24 points on 24 shots. Bynum had a great first game back although Bryant seemed a bit off. I more liked the feeling I got from the Lakers. They meant business, were focused, and knew what is at stake: defending their NBA championship.

Why Are There Celtic Fans In L.A.?

I would also like to add: Yankee fans, Cowboy fans, Spurs fans, Raiders fans, Red Sox fans, Steelers fans etc. etc. etc.?

There are a couple of legitimate reason that I’ll accept: Your a transplant from another city/state (1st and even 2nd generation) and you still root for your original home team. Or in the case of the NFL, there is no L.A. team and you gotta root for some team right? But I still say you Raider and Rams fans have gotta go. Other than that, I will not accept any other excuses.

Growing up in L.A. I was brought up to be a Dodger, Lakers, Rams (when they were here), Raiders (when they were here), Clippers, Angels (I grew up with them as the California Angels), Galaxy and Kings fan. I root for the Ducks but wouldn’t consider myself a die hard fan. How in the world someone could of have been born here and not be a fan of a local team just drives me crazy. Not only that, some people here actually hate L.A. teams. I don’t get it. In fact, I want you to leave. Now.

I run into these people all the time. I see jerseys being worn of non-L.A. teams everywhere. None of this happens when I go to New York (Unless worn by an obvious tourist). In fact when you go into a sports appearall store in New York it’s damn hard to find rival teams stuff there. Not to mention that when I do wear a Lakers or Dodgers item someone somewhere always will have to have something to say. For the most part if you are a New Yorker your a New York fan. There is no other way. Why don’t L.A. fans feel the same way?

Maybe we are too laid back. Maybe we should care more. Now I’m not saying we need to go off the deep end and just lose it (ahem, Dodger Pavillion fans) . No, not at all. What I am saying is that more passion is needed. More pride is needed. I don’t want to see jerseys or a whole store dedicated to the Raiders. A team that left L.A.. Let me repeat that, a team that left L.A. You wont believe the number of Raiders fans here. It’s out of control. I can gaurantee that there were no Ravens fans in Cleveland when Art Modell moved the Browns in 1996 to Baltimore. In fact I bet to this day that the name ‘Art Modell’ is not spoken of in that city.

Just a note before I sign off. I have noticed a growing number of Celtics fans. This is very disturbing to me. When I was growing up there wasn’t one Celtics fan amongs’t my friends and I. You would have hada fist to the face if you were a Celtics fan. Not that I condone that type of behavior but you had it coming.

So if you root for another team and your not a transplant get the hell out of L.A. It just means more sunshine for the rest of us.

Lakers Stop Three Game Slide, But Not Problems

Last night the Lakers ended their longest losing streak since acquiring Pau Gasol on Feb.1 2008. They defeated the Toronto Raptors 109 - 107 when Kobe Bryant bailed them out for the 7th time this season, hitting a game winning shot with seconds left in the game. I'm one Laker fan that hopes no more game winning shots are needed for the rest of the season, or at least not until the playoffs start.

Here's my two cents on the Lakers problems: No one tight now can hit a mid-range jump shot, they wait for the third quarter to save them, Pau is playing with his back to the basket too much, they rarely run their triangle offense correctly, and they don't seem to have that swagger or killer instinct to bury a team when they get a chance.

I'm glad this is happening now instead of when the playoffs start. I just hope they right the ship when the time counts.

Like now.

Laker Fans: Bring Chick Hearn Back to Staples Center!

Growing up a lifelong Laker fan I remember watching Magic make a behind the back pass, Kareem make a sky hook over the arm of an outstretched defender, Cooper block a shot, Byron Scott make a jumpshot, and James Worthy make a spin move and leave his defender in the dust was amazing. The only thing that made that better was hearing Chick Hearn make the call.

It’s time to bring back Chick. It’s time to honor him everytime the Lakers win. It’s time to hear one of the many great Chick-isms he was famous for. Please take a minute and sign this petition to bring Chick back to Laker glory. Imagine going to a Laker game and hearing Chick Hearns voice come over the loudspeaker saying “This game is in the refrigerator” and then hearing crowd go nuts. The Red Sox have “Sweet Caroline” and the Dodgers “Don’t Stop Believing”, let’s give the Lakers Chicky baby!

Chick Hearn was one of the greatest announcers ever and we were lucky enough here in L.A. to hear him call the Laker games. We miss him and if you’re a Laker fan your signature should be on this petition.

Bring Chick Back