photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Thursday, March 03, 2011
MLB Takes Out Duke Snider Memorial Newspaper Ad
From today's LA Times sports section:
(Click to enlarge.) The text says:
Hall of Famer Duke Snider's accomplishments are legendary. An eight-time All-Star, he hit more home runs in the 1950s than any other player. He led the Dodgers to two World Series championships, one each in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. And to this day, he is still regarded as one of the best center fielders of all time. Duke was a key member of the legendary "Boys of Summer," and he will be greatly missed. On behalf of Major League Baseball, we extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and fans of the Duke of Flatbush.
The ad has Bud Selig's signature and MLB logos on the bottom. A classy gesture, to be sure, but is this S.O.P. for MLB? Who makes the cut?
Clayton Kershaw Hits The Big Time
And not just because Dodgers wunderkind Clayton Kershaw just signed a new contract, with a small raise, for 2011. Clayton Kershaw hit the big time this weekend, when his story, "In Africa, Lessons on Passion and Perspective for Kershaw", was the centerpiece of the front sports page in the Sunday New York Times:
Kershaw’s trip to Africa last month was well outside his strike zone, which is why he is eager to go back.
“It changes you,” he said after a recent workout at the Dodgers’ Arizona complex, “and that’s good.”
The faces of the Zambian orphans Kershaw met during his visit have stayed with him, a rosin bag of images to help him maintain his grip on what really matters.
“The people, as long as their basic needs are met — they’re not starving and they have shelter — are such a joyful culture,” Kershaw said.
“You come home and you see people striving to get more money, more cars, bigger houses and more possessions, thinking that will make them happier. You go to Zambia, it helps put things in perspective. You realize where happiness comes from, and it’s not from material goods.” [...]
His dedication to baseball is matched by the commitment his wife, Ellen, has made to helping children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic. She embraced the cause after her first visit to Zambia as a college student.
“I’ve gotten to live out his passion with him,” Ellen Kershaw said in a telephone interview. “He knew how important it was to go to Zambia with me. Clayton had heard me talk about it so much that it was to the point he kind of couldn’t go any longer without seeing what lights a fire under me.”
She and Kershaw, childhood sweethearts in Dallas, married in December. Within days, they were on a plane bound for Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, on a mission with Arise Africa. PHOENIX — The Los Angeles left-hander Clayton Kershaw held the audience in his sway from the first pitch. A world removed from the grandeur of Dodger Stadium, the barefoot children stood in awe as they watched Kershaw’s curveball spin and dip.
It's a wonderful article highlighting commendable facets of Kershaw: his work ethic, his baseball accomplishments, his bond with his new wife, his support of worthy social causes. Kershaw really sounds like a fine young man on multiple dimensions, and if he is fit to support the weight and expectations of the entire franchise, we as Dodger fans would be honored to rally behind him.
Meanwhile, the other large front-page article, involving hometown player Derek Jeter, was also notable in its juxtaposition with Kershaw's piece. The Jeter article detailed Jeter's 30,875 sq ft castle in Hillsborough Bay, complete with "seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a pool, two boat lifts, a drive-through portico and a pair of three-car garages flanking the north and south ends of the property". It also had a picture of how people are driving by the property just to take pictures of its excess.
The Los Angeles Dodgers: men of the people. The New York Yankees: men of the gated communities and castles.
Kershaw photo courtesy Arise Africa; Palace of Jeter photo courtesy Michael Egger / Tampa Tribune
Tyler Trapani and Divine Intervention
Someone stole my Sunday papers from my front porch this past weekend.
This was a reasonably disruptive act to my weekend schedule. That morning, we were hosting a brunch with other families, and in between kids running all over the house and trying to serve food and conduct adult conversations, I was also multitasking repeated rounds of phone calls to automated services, navigating their arcane menu-driven hierarchies to request replacement papers, and getting reassurances that "a new paper will be delivered within (inhuman robot tone) forty-five minutes. Thank you for your call."
Forty-five minutes came and went. I called again. And another forty-five minutes came and went.
And I'm sure I wasn't a very good host, being preoccupied with one ear listening for a fateful knock at the front door. Finally, one paper came: the LA Times. At least I got my coupons, I suppose. Hours later, the second paper (the NY Times) came--by the same delivery guy, no less, who at this point was pretty pissed off that he had to make a return visit and interrupt his Sunday lunch. But finally, I was whole.
By this time, however, the last day of the weekend was already in full swing; I had finished cleaning dishes and was now preparing the family for our next social engagement. No time to read the papers, at this point. So I read them last night.
I realize the LAT's Bill Plaschke has already written about this. ESPN.com already picked up the AP story on this. It's been written: Tyler Trapani, great grandson of UCLA legend John Wooden, scored the last basket at Pauley Pavilion, the arena where Wooden won his 10 championships, before they raze the building and build a new, modern Pauley Pavilion.
Trapani is a junior walk-on who had not scored in three years, until this game. Unbelievable.
The clip below has UCLA coach Ben Howland on the post-game interview, talking about how this moment gave him chills and brought tears to his eyes:
If you watch the clip and the play itself (they cut to the action at around 0:44), you can't help but see Trapani down at the bottom of the screen and think, "what the hell is he doing?" Trapani is an undersized guard, yet he moves to sneak under the basket to a low-percentage position on a three-point attempt by Jack Haley.
Haley, a freshman who also doesn't get a lot of playing time, airballed. Trapani, standing right underneath the hoop, stood unguarded. He caught the ball and put it right back in, for a two-point basket. And that closed the books on Pauley.
Watch the clip. I can't recall ever seeing a chain of unlikely events happen in that sort of sequence, to ultimately provide an emotional outcome like that. Immaculate Receptions happen, I know. But Immaculate Receptions to walk-ons with historic significance to set a symbolic punctuation mark in history? It has to be divine intervention.
Reading about it in the LAT came four days late, but hey, I'll take it. The LAT served as a nice complement to a play that I was lucky enough to see on television--another Son happened to be at the game, but it wasn't Sax--and the late receipt allowed me a second chance to fully reflect on the play's true awesomeness later.
As an aside, I also read the New York Times' Sunday Sports section (more on this later). Nice to see that they were paying attention, too (read the entry beside then-#10 Arizona):
Sheesh.
Wooden/Trapani photo by Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press; NYT on patio table photo by SoSG Sax
Not-So-Lonely Loney Fan's Broheim Prize!
As master of strategic friend-making, Loney Fan has won the following:
It's a Dodgers Broheim Bracelet! And in fact we're sending him two bracelets - one for himself, and one for the highest-rated Broheim he has in real life.
Congratulations once again Loney Fan - send us your mailing address and we'll send you your gifts in no-time, Broheim!*
*actually it may take a little time as sometimes we're a little slow on these things, but you will get it eventually.
Thursday Linkfest
- Our fave McCourt divorce writer Molly Knight updates us on the kids' latest shenanigans. Jamie McCourt wants more information (ESPN The Magazine)
- It'll never happen, but the thought is nice. Enjoy sports -- life -- go offline (Steve Rushin, SI.com)
- Who knew Mike Scioscia was such a cheeky (rally) monkey? Angels’ Scioscia is a purposeful prankster (Steve Henson, Yahoo! Sports)
- "Promising young players simply turn baseball people gooey." Sound familiar? Frenchy And Hope (Joe Posnanski, Joe Blogs)
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
It Could Be Worse: We Could Be Cubs Fans
The story today about yet another scuffle in the Cubs' dugout helped take my mind off Scott Elbert's disastrous outing today against the woeful Royals (five batters seen, four batters walked). And the story also reminded me of a conversation my friend had with his five-year-old son, who is being raised as a Cubs fan and is just learning the intricacies and wonders of the game of baseball:
DAD: Well, son, there's actually a really good reason for that...
KID: Is it because the Cubs suck?KID: Dad, how come there hasn't been a lot of baseball on TV lately?
Ouch.
POSTSCRIPT 4:21p: Also on ESPN, apparently the Cubs are riveted by the Charlie Sheen drama. This is NEWS? This merits mention on a baseball site? Oh, wait a second.
All Kemp, All The Time
In our third Matt Kemp post of the day, let us call your attention to Mark Simon's ESPN.com article, Matt Kemp's Defense Cause For Concern:
Kemp's defensive numbers slipped as much as his offensive ones did in 2010. Baseball Info Solutions (BIS), which charts every batted ball in the major leagues based on how frequently it was turned into an out, rated Kemp 35th in its +/- among the 35 center fielders who played the most innings last season.
Kemp finished at -12. That means he made 12 fewer plays on batted balls than the average center fielder (leading to 23 total bases for opposing hitters).
That’s just part of a two-year decline for Kemp, who ranked 17th in that stat in 2008 and 28th in 2009. [...]
Kemp finished last season with 27 Good Fielding Plays and 33 Defensive Misplays and Errors. His -6 "net rating" tied for eighth-worst out of 106 players who appeared in center field last season. Kemp’s biggest issues were dealing with outfield fences (he had six "wall misplays," tied for second-most in the majors) and failing to hang on to the ball once he got a glove on it (which happened five times in 2010). Matt Kemp isn’t just in need of an offensive improvement in 2011. As Jerry Crasnick alluded to in his piece on Tuesday, Kemp is in need of an upgrade on the defensive side as well.
The article also has a sidebar table which shows "Baserunners vs. Matt Kemp" in 2009 and 2010. Based partially on extra bases taken and runners thrown out advancing, the numbers are chilling; Kemp had a "Runs Saved" quotient of 9 in 2009--good enough for 2nd in the majors--but a decline to -2 Runs Saved in 2010, which was 27th in MLB.
We opined earlier this year that Kemp would go back to playing the field in 2011, so to speak. But in all seriousness, let's hope any our new cleanup hitter is as focused in centerfield (or left field, if that's where Kemp ends up) as he can be at the plate.
Frank McCourt And The Eye Of The Tiger
Jon Weisman over at ESPN Los Angeles poses an interesting juxtaposition between Charlie Sheen, about whom he writes for his day job, and Frank McCourt, about whom he occasionally writes for his day job. Both tragic figures have a key element in common, says Weisman:
One of Sheen's most memorable lines came when he was railing against Alcoholics Anonymous, saying that it is for "people that are not special, people who do not have tiger blood and Adonis DNA." Charlie Sheen believes he has tiger blood. And though he would never say it like this, I suspect that in his own way, Frank McCourt believes he has tiger blood too.
Over the past 15 months, McCourt has seemed unshakable in his belief that what he's doing is right. That what he's doing is best for his children. That anything one might call a mistake or selfishness is, at worst, a means to an end. That the people who question him simply don't understand. That he will be vindicated. That because he's been a winner in the past, he'll be a winner in the future. Even when he's ridden on the edge of the cliff.
I imagine that tiger blood is a trait shared by a number of people who become successful, but there comes a point when it goes beyond empowering and becomes a pollutant. I have no expectations that this tiger is going to change his stripes. I don't believe he's going to give up the Dodgers without clawing or scratching through the last fight. But tiger blood makes people selfish to the extreme, and even allowing for the eccentricities and entitlements of ownership, circumstances have long since stopped any reasonable defense of his fight.
Yes, McCourt has rights. But he also has duties.
For all his romping and stomping, Sheen realizes that there is life after "Two and a Half Men." It's time that the McCourts embark upon life after the Dodgers. It's time they find a new passion. Quit this pretense that you're the best thing for this franchise, quit this pretense that your children deserve to inherit leadership of the team, and let go.I'm not going to try to stretch out too many parallels between Charlie Sheen and Frank McCourt, but I can't help thinking there's at least one. Sheen has made it clear that he is living by his own rules. He believes those rules are fair and righteous, and the fact that society, fans of his show, the people he (at least previously) answered to or even blood relatives might not share that view does not matter. Setbacks are hurdles to be bulldozed. "Defeat is not an option," Sheen says over and over again.
I've met Frank McCourt, but by no means am I qualified to psychoanalyze him...that said, it has been interesting to watch his tenure as Dodgers owner deathspiral due to a series of blunders and miscalculations. For an owner who presided over three playoff appearances in a short four-year span, including two postseason series victories which were the franchise's first in almost two decades--one would think that he would be canonized, rather than vilified.
And yet, watching Frank McCourt continually misstep is like watching Sideshow Bob in a lawn full of rakes (shout out to Karina with that there link!). McCourt revamps the parking lot system, but traffic flow nightmares make him run straight into a bollard. He heralds a band-aid public transportation alternative, a shuttle from Union Station, and then gets pummeled when he refuses to renew the deal (amidst an economic recession that made his $15 parking fees look even more garish). He wows fans with a new field level overhaul but loses appetite for further investment, reinforcing criticism that the Stadium segregates by class. He supports worthy charitable causes, but pays the head of the foundation an astronomically imbalanced salary. He tries to solicit other investors for cash flow, and his multiple rebuffs leak all over the press.
And worse than all of that, his presence in front of the media is simply a disaster, which culminated in the spectacle and circus of a very public divorce case that he ended up losing. Big time. I used to think McCourt just needed better handlers, like any celebrity or public figure; but as I was reminded by someone with the Dodgers, Frank McCourt has had his own publicist--and that hasn't worked, either. It's almost as if he can't save himself from himself.
Now, I'm one of those people who prefers to see the good in people. I know this probably comes as a shock given my overly sarcastic bent. But deep down in my heart, I'm sincerely hoping that Matt Kemp will rebound, that James Loney will finally find his power swing, that Casey Blake and Rafael Furcal's bodies won't betray them, that Jonathan Broxton will regain his swagger, that Chad Billingsley will gain unshakable confidence, that Hong Chih-Kuo's elbow won't snap in two, that Dioner Navarro and Juan Uribe won't eat the Dodgers out of house and home.
And I'd like to give Frank McCourt the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he's just misunderstood somehow, right? Maybe he means well for the Dodgers? It's unlikely, but maybe?
Weisman, as he wrote in his last paragraph above, is done with Frank McCourt. Roll credits. I'm guessing most other Dodger fans are with Weisman, and the jury of public opinion has reached its verdict. Heck, maybe I need to be there, too.
Perhaps, in hoping for better with Frank McCourt, I'm actually the one who is Sideshow Bob.
Uhhhhhhhhhh (said with floppy lips and clenched teeth).
Also, what is it with all these tiger references of late? First tiger moms, now tiger's blood--enough already. I'm tigered out.
Dodgers' Organizational Ranking, In Haiku Format
Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus wrote a haiku about each organization's system. Here are the Dodgers, at #18:
First-round pick is mocked
18. Los Angeles Dodgers
Yet signs, as divorce lies low
Eat something, Gordon
The Padres are 11th, Rockies 14th, D'backs 20th and Giants 22nd. The Royals were at the top.
(More insight on the Dodgers system's top prospects, also via Goldstein, is here (full excerpt requires BP subscription)).
Wally Yonamine, Pioneer
Wally Yonamine died on Monday at the age of 85. Yonamine was the first American to play baseball in Japan after WWII, in 1951. Oh, and before that, he was the first Asian American to play in the NFL, for the 49ers in 1947. Wow.
The obituaries are referring to Yonamine as "the Nisei Jackie Robinson," but "the Nisei Bo Jackson" works as well. Hats off to this real trailblazer.
- Wally Yonamine, Nisei baseball and football pioneer, dead at 85 (Rafu Shimpo)
- Wally Yonamine (Baseball Reference)
- 61. Wally Yonamine: Japan's Jackie Robinson (The Infinite Baseball Card Set)
- Wally Yonamine (official site)
(Thanks to @ChadMoriyama for the news.)
photo by Mikey Hirano Culross/Rafu Shimpo
Now That Is a Bargain for Me
From "Dodgers, Kershaw agree on one-year deal" by Ken Gurnick at Dodgers.com:
Opening Day starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers agreed to a one-year 2011 contract for $500,000.Kershaw earned $440,000 last year and will not be eligible for salary arbitration until after this season, when his contract figures to multiply. However, with his current service time of two years and 105 days, he had no leverage in negotiations. He received $404,000 in 2009.
Kershaw, 22 this month, went 13-10 with a 2.91 ERA last year with 212 strikeouts in 204 1/3 innings.
Have a good season, Clayton! Next year, you're gonna get paid.
STGT: March 2 vs. Royals, 12n
- Lilly scratched from spring debut Wednesday (Dodgers.com)
photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Wed. Notes, Charlie Sheen Is Still a Giants Fan Edition
- Chad Billingsley is a changed man. 'Change' of pace working wonders for Billingsley (Dodgers.com)
- The sound of Ned Colletti's ears perking up. Source: Exasperated Giants may buy out Zito (FanNation/SI.com)
- "Indeed, in baseball's lengthy history of riding people, Horwitz is Secretariat." Three Mets Decades, Only Two Days Off (Jeff Pearlman, Wall Street Journal)
Kemp Cleans Up
Speaking of Matt Kemp...
From "Dodgers' Matt Kemp gets the word from Don Mattingly: He's batting cleanup" by Dylan Hernandez at the LA Times:
Matt Kemp has never been certain of his place in the Dodgers' lineup, batting everywhere from second to seventh as recently as last season.Now he knows.
Manager Don Mattingly has already made clear that Kemp will bat cleanup.
The other certainties: Rafael Furcal will lead off and Andre Ethier will hit third.
"It's definitely nice to be in one spot, not moving around," Kemp said. "I know what I have to do in the four hole. I know what my job is. I can stick with my plan. I just have to drive in runs and make things happen. My job is to get runs in."
Mattingly said he likes players to know what their jobs are, which is why he has already set his rotation and is close to settling on a lineup.
If everyone stays healthy, the rotation will be lined up the way it is for the exhibition season — in order, Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda and Jon Garland.
"I think guys get comfortable," Mattingly said.
At this time, Mattingly's plan for the lineup calls for Casey Blake to bat second.
Mattingly said he likes Blake's patience and that his ability to hit the ball to the opposite field will lead to more hit-and-run opportunities. He also noted that the aging third baseman could benefit from seeing more fastballs batting in front of Ethier.
Juan Uribe could bat second on days Blake is off, but Mattingly said he prefers to bat him with men on base.
Uribe and James Loney will likely alternate in the No. 5 and 6 spots, with Uribe batting fifth against left-handers and Loney doing so against right-handers.
Mattingly said he is leaning toward hitting the left fielder in the No. 7 spot and catcher Rod Barajas in front of the pitcher.
Not sure about Blake (2010 OBP: .320) in the two hole, but am definitely liking Mattingly assigning roles this early. Maybe all this stuff about knowing how to deal with younger players is true.
Crasnick Psychoanalyzes Matt Kemp
Matt Kemp is arguably the Dodgers' greatest enigma: all that potential does not seem like it should juxtapose with seemingly indifferent behavior. Interventions (like from former Dodgers third base coach Larry Bowa) have been attempted; Hollywood's glamour (from former romantic flame Rihanna) have been blamed. But no one really knows why Kemp is sometimes the star we knew he'd be, while other times he's the distracted player we hoped he'd avoid.
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN does a wonderful job profiling Kemp and his positives and negatives, and though I found the article decently insightful (excerpted here, but you should really read the whole thing), but honestly after reading this, I can't predict which Kemp is going to show up in 2011:
If you think it's exasperating to manage him or watch him from the box seats, try pinning him down for an interview.
The common refrain out of Dodgers camp is that Kemp is anxious to "turn the page" on a 2010 season that was, by all accounts, an ordeal. Kemp hit 28 homers and was one of only two major leaguers (along with Ichiro Suzuki) to appear in all 162 games. But his defense regressed, his batting average and on-base percentage plummeted and he succeeded on only 19 of 34 stolen-base attempts. When TMZ and other celebrity outlets weren't providing breathless updates of Kemp's relationship with the recording star Rihanna, general manager Ned Colletti and two Dodgers coaches were calling him out for questionable effort on the field. With each new flare-up, Kemp's reputation within the game took another hit.
So it's time for some positive outreach in the name of changing perceptions. Or is it?
On the day that position players are scheduled to report to Dodgers camp, Kemp consents to an interview the next morning. He is friendly and engaging and appears receptive to the request.
Then the designated time arrives the next day, and Kemp begs off because he needs to do some early hitting. He says he will be available when his session in the cage is complete. But he doesn't return to the clubhouse until 8:55 a.m., just moments before the doors will close for a team meeting.
Another attempt is made when the clubhouse reopens, and the mood quickly turns contentious. Kemp, in the process of grabbing his bats and heading onto the field, makes it clear he is disturbed by the intrusion and delivers a lecture on the importance of giving him the proper space.
"When I'm at my locker and I have a free moment, I'll give you some time," he says, his voice rising in agitation. "You're going to write what you want, anyway." [...]
"I think deep down in, Matt is a good young man," [former Dodgers manager Joe] Torre said. "But he's also a very intense young man. He's wound pretty tight. You have people telling him a lot of different things that he gets annoyed by. It's not a matter of him being disrespectful. But if he does something wrong and you try to tell him, he might just [wave you off and say], 'I know.'"
Perhaps no one in the Dodgers organization knows Kemp better than Logan White, the team's assistant general manager for scouting. As a high schooler in Oklahoma City, Kemp was a talented, physical basketball guard with enough skill to generate interest from Oral Roberts and Wichita State. But the Dodgers signed him as a sixth-round pick, and Kemp made it to L.A. after barely 300 minor league games. White was there from the start, working Kemp out in the cage, getting to know the family and telling people that Kemp had superstar potential once he gained the requisite experience.
White, fiercely loyal to his draft picks, acknowledges Kemp's personality quirks. But he believes that the public perception glosses over Kemp's positive attributes. Last year, when White's son's Little League held a charity event, Kemp and several other Dodgers showed up and helped raise $6,000. Kemp signed autographs, mingled with the kids and dug into his own pocket to make sure he raised more money than any other player.
"When Matty gets uncomfortable around people, he can be brash and loud," White said. "But to me, he's lovable Matt. My family loves him. I know he's big and strong and he can look tough and unapproachable sometimes. But he has a heart of gold. He really and truly does."GLENDALE, Ariz. -- At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, with a basketball pedigree and a locker full of tools, Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp has heard his share of "the next Dave Winfield" comparisons. Time will tell whether Kemp can maximize his skills and summon the Winny within, but the current version has a lot of people wondering. At age 26, Kemp is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside a .760 OPS.
Two respected baseball guys, rushing to Kemp's defense. And now it's Davey Lopes' issue (at least on the basepaths). I'm still hoping for the best.
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Tuesday Linkables
- JoePo on Willie, Mickey and especially the Duke. The Duke (Joe Posnanski, SI.com)
- Signs of spring training: Russell Martin is in the best shape of his life, Matt Kemp is misunderstood. Matt Kemp ready to turn the page (Jerry Crasnick, ESPN.com)
- Hey Frank, can you spare some change? Report: Mets need another loan (ESPNNewYork.com)
- GA = Gone Away. Last call for GAARP jokes! Angels icon Anderson to retire after 17 years (MLB.com)
UPDATE: Forgot this nice Rod Barajas profile by Dylan Hernandez. Dodgers catcher Rod Barajas is living his dream (LA Times)
STGT: March 1 @ Indians, 12n
photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
