We're on the verge of the best time of the year in sports. The playoffs begin in baseball, the NFL is in midseason form, the NBA started training camp today, college basketball season is right around the corner, and apparently the versus channel plans on broadcasting a sport long forgotten by the rest of the people in this country.
First and foremost, the Dodgers are in the playoffs and they didn't need a Steve Finley grand slam this time. They just needed Manny to be Manny.
The Dodgers have been to the playoffs three times since 1988, not including this season: 1995, 1996, and 2006.
They got out of the first round 0 times in those three years.
Now the Dodgers face the best team in the National League. The Cubs don't have too many names that strike fear in opponents. There's no CC Sabathia or Ryan Braun. There's no Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, or Ryan Howard. There's no Johan Santana or Jose Reyes.
The Cubbies have done it with patience, Alfonso Soriano excluded.
They're first in the NL in runs scored, obp, slugging, ops. They have almost 100 more walks than the Dodgers.
On the mound, they're first in BAA, second in ERA, and second in whip.
Ryan Dempster, the game 1 starter overacheived with 17 wins. Ryan Theriot led the team with a .307 batting average. Rich Harden overcame injuries to rebuild his career. Derek Lee bounced back as well. Kosuke Fukodome led the team in walks and name chants.
Only one Cub had 100 RBIs, Aramis Ramirez, but 10 players had at least 38.
Plus the Cubs have "America" on their side. They are the Red Sox of 2004. The Dodgers are no doubt the underdog.
What the Dodgers have is a big question mark. The column L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke wrote at the end of the season had nothing to do with getting out of the divisional round.
Reportedly, he will be asking for a 4-year deal worth $100 million. At the absolute least he will command more than the $18 million a year Tubby Jones is making for the Dodgers. The four year deal will take Manny into his 40s and will stifle any effort to go after other marquee free agents such as C.C. Sabathia, who's shopping for houses in California.
In the meantime, let's hope Manny knows that he has to continue putting up big numbers in the playoffs for his contract demands to be legit. Because without him, the Dodgers go back to being mediocre.
Just for the hell of it, I'll make a homer prediction. This Cubs feel good story is too good to be true. They are still cursed, after all.
Here's what Guido Murga, formerly of the Dorm Room Sports Chat thinks will happen in the baseball playoffs:
American League
Dev…Opps that was close
Rays vs. AL Central Division Champion (White Sox/Minnesota)
Rays win series 3-1
The Rays are a major league best 57-24 (that’s a .703 winning percentage) at home this season; add that up with these two Central teams potentially playing the season into Tuesday and the Rays go up 2-0 and close it out in 4 on the road.
Let's just hope that the fact that there will be actual people (what I like to call the Florida Fakes, think ’97 and ’03 Marlin Fans) at the stadium in Tampa doesn’t startle the Rays too much. That’s right Florida get those retirement home shuttles ready and get those old folks to the ball park.
Tucson Los Angeles of Anaheim Angels vs. Boston Red Sox
Red Sox win series 3-2
I do not know how I am picking a team that its highest paid player is J.D. Drew... but I guess that Boras guy is just a genius.
The Defending Champs have announced that they will not be able to start their ace Josh Beckett in game 1 which unfortunately means that the Sox will have to go with 16 game winner Jon Lester for game 1 and Dice K who went 18-3 for game 2, slating their ace for a game 3 start.
Boston allowed 694 runs this season and the Angels were just as good only allowing 697.
The difference: Boston Scored 845 runs (that’s +151 for the season) to the Angeles 765 (a dismal +68 in comparison). Sox lose game 1 take the next two and close it out on the road in Game 5 in the series in which I believe features the eventual World Series Champion.
National League
Phillies vs. Brewers
Phillies 3-1
It seems like C.C. Sabathia has started 6 games in the last two weeks. The over use of their Ace will not allow the C.C. to go in Game 1 meaning a game 2 or 3 start is slated with a hope for a Game 5 start.
Sorry Brew Crew…you’ll have C.C. for one more start for the rest of his Brewer Career (Sabathia is the biggest prize in Free Agency).
C.C. dazzles in his one start and the Phils take the other 3 winning it in four.
Cubs vs. Dodgers
The Dodgers have won 1 play off game since their 1988 World Series Win. LIMA TIME! Yes Jose Lima pitched that one playoff win.
And we all know the Sob Story that is Cub baseball.
The Cubs took the season series 5-2, though Chicago did not face the boys in blue from Mannywood.
Which now features Casey Blake, a hot Derek Lowe (5-1 with the loss being a complete game, two-run contest he lost in Washington), and former World Series MVP Manny Ramirez in which changed the entire Dodgers Franchise since his arrival (music is now allowed in Joe Torres Club House!)
The Dodgers have a great mix of young and veteran players with a playoff proven Derek Lowe (Won every series clinching game in Boston’s magical 04’ run) leading the way and a loose atmosphere in the clubhouse along with Joe Torre a manager that is no stranger to the playoffs.
Dodgers keep the curse going and beat the Cubs at home twice.
Also from Guido:
gatosalvajech (8:57:10 PM):you should blog about how the Ducks just signed Selanne to a two year deal
gatosalvajech (8:57:22 PM):and will end his career with the Ducks ... as the greatest duck ever
Aside from Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill, the Wildcats have a very thin roster. Nic Wise showed signs of being capable last season and will most likely be the third option. But then what? Jamelle Horne and Fendi Onobun are your next two best players. Freshman center Jeff Withey is a complete unknown. Zane Johnson would be a 13th man on UCLA.
Had Budinger known Jennings was Euro-bound, you think he would have stayed? Probably not. "I would like to thank the University of Arizona for their interest and support through this process," Jennings said in a statement from his agent.
I'm sure the fine folks in the Arizona program were thinking of a few choice words for Jennings, starting in F and ending in you.
According to this True Hoop blog, Jennings may be overestimating how much he'll make playing overseas.
"He's not strong enough and he's not experienced enough to run an elite club. He has a world of talent, and he'll be unbelievable down the road, but experience trumps athleticism and talent every day European basketball," explained Jonathan Givony. "I'd be very surprised if a top team offered him more than $100,000, at most, but stranger things have happened.
NBA Draft.net's Aran Smith thinks going to Europe will actually hurt his stock as well. Smith dropped Jennings to No. 11 in the 2009 draft.
The loss of the No. 1 point guard in the country obviously hurts Arizona, and I figured this would be the year their tournament run ends. But then I looked deeper at the Pac-10 and reevaluated the original assessment.
Stanford, Oregon State, and potentially Cal, who lost Devon Hardin and Ryan Anderson, are on the downturn, and will battle for spots 8-10 in the Pac-10.
The Cardinal lost the Lopez twins who accounted for both its offensive and defensive strengths. It's now left with Lawrence Hill as its best player and a ton of bad guards led by Mitch Johnson. Oregon State has been horrible for the past decade and that won't change this year.
The next tier includes the rest of the Pac-10 except for UCLA, who's head and shoulders above everyone else.
USC lost Davon Jefferson and OJ Mayo, but gain Demar Derozan, who will team with Taj Gibson for well coached Tim Floyd squad. Oregon lost Maarty Leunen, Bryce Taylor, and Malik Hairston. Washington State lost Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver, and Robbie Cowgill. Washington has pretty much everyone back but it finished 7-11 last season.
As crazy as it sounds, I would vote for ASU to finish second in the Pac-10. The Sun Devils showed a lot of signs last year and finished tied for fifth with a 9-9 record. They return every key contributor including stud sophomore James Harden. It will be Herb Sendek's third season so the players are really starting to become comfortable with the system, and they come off a disappointment at the end of last season when they didn't make the NCAA tournament, which should serve as motivation.
With ASU as the favorite to finish second, at least by my calculations, it goes to show you that the Pac-10 isn't nearly as strong as it was last year. That means Arizona has a chance to finish anywhere from second to seventh.
Barring an injury to Hill or Budinger, this should be another first round exit team. But at least the tournament streak will be alive.
Hot Sauce to Canada Hassan Adams signed a two year deal with the Toronto Raptors. The article calls him a tenacious defender, a statement at which I seriously lol. The only thing tenacious about Adams, who played in Italy last season, is his dancing in the huddle.
Turiaf signs offer sheet with Warriors
According to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, Ronny Turiaf signed a four-year, $17 million deal with Golden State. The Lakers have seven days to match the offer for the restricted free agent. My Turiaf jersey and I, as well as those who love to watch his bench antics and appearance in Kobe commercials, are hoping they do.
The Lakers sweeping through the playoffs like they were the 2001 Lakers with Shaq and Kobe dominating meddling opponents. And OJ Mayo riding his bycicle around campus like he was a true student athlete. If it looks suspicious, often times there's a good reason.
The Lakers weren't going to shoot 52 percent from 3-point range all series. They weren't going to steamroll a Jazz team that lost just four times at home all season.
OJ Mayo wasn't going to leave his questionable decision making and surrounding posse just because he switched coasts.
All you had to do was go inside his dorm room find the plasma tv screen or check out his clothes and diamond studded earrings. His mom isn't a stockbroker, afterall.
It's been a fairy tale season for the Lakers, and it was one for OJ Mayo. Neither of the situations is surprising. It's not going to be an easy road for the Lakers with a stacked lineup of opponents waiting in line even if they get past the Jazz and you better believe Mayo won't soon get rid of this controversy that's only on the fringe of blowing up.
Jordan Farmar is struggling: The former Taft and UCLA star is starring in his own nightmare. He's shooting 1-16 and has four points in the first four games of the series. In the past three games, he has a +/- rating of -40, worst on the team.
What would Walton do? The man who leads the league in blocked layup attempts did it again. With no one near him, Walton took his sweet time, took a dribble and laid up a shot that was swatted out of the air by Ronnie Price. The only people in the league that would have missed that layup are Luke Walton and Luke Walton. Can you imagine if that was Trevor Ariza on that play instead of Walton.
Phil playing mind games:
"I was angry at his teammates for dropping the ball in his lap," Jackson said of Kobe Bryant's overtime strategy. "I felt guys just bailed out on him."
Kobe took seven shots and the rest of the Lakers took three in overtime. You think they bailed on him, or he just tried to take over, despite having a back injury that was obviously hampering his game? At the end of regulation, the Lakers got back into the game with Kobe dishing to his teammates. He had six assists in the fourth quarter. And then he went away from what was working. Usually he can just take over when he wants. But his back wouldn't allow that and he should have realized his teammates could get the job done. It was an uncharacteristic display of misjudgment on Kobe's part this year.
I think Phil is just trying to take the criticism off Kobe and that's a good thing. Kobe's teammates didn't necessarily agree with that assertion, however.
"I wasn't hesitant," said Pau Gasol. "I just tried to help out. The ball got stuck too much. We took too many jumpers."
"I don't know what to say to that," Sasha Vujacic said. "I know sometimes Kobe just likes to take the game in his hands. It's normal."
Ronny's ejection was bullshit: What were the referees reviewing when they watched the videotape? That Ronnie Price only started bleeding when his head hit the floor? That Ronny was going for the ball and Price was out of control? Where was the intent? It was a hard foul. It's the playoffs. This wasn't a Marvin Williams frustration foul or a Brendan Haywood sending a message foul. This was Ronnie Price, a 6-foot nothing backup guard against a 6-10 power forward.
Thankfull, the Lakers, after talking to the league, expect Ronny to not be suspended. If he is, that would be a travesty on top of a travesty.
Some thoughts from a non-Laker fan on the call:
Shane: oh my god such bullshit terrible, terrible, terrible call just terrible he's like the nicest guy on the lakers he never EVER is chaep he hit a guy that is a pussy when did he become lebron? i was pissed flagrant two for that?
What happened to the officiating? After attempting more free throws than the Jazz in the first three games, the Lakers shot 20 less free throws than the Jazz. All of a sudden, the Lakers are being less aggressive, or did the officials call the game differently?
Jazz fans haven't learned:
You would think after all the negative publicity Utah has received for booing Derek Fisher, they would have learned their lesson. Even Jazz owner Larry Miller said there was no ill will in Fisher's decision to leave the Jazz. He took less money. Come on. It's a disgrace to boo a guy with Fisher's character and the situation that he's had to endure.
Wholesale changes: Josh Pastner makes it official, leaving Arizona to become an assistant coach at Memphis. One of Arizona's new assistants Mike Dunlap, a former Denver Nuggest assistant went to Pierce Community College. So that can't be a good sign. An avid runner, he did once run a 100 mile race. So I'll give him props for that.
Arizona now has yet another assistant coach opening. After filling the first two with names that lack recognition as well as guys who aren't big man coaches, I'll continue to lobby for former NBA and Arizona center Sean Rooks. Last seen as a coach in the Long Beach Summer League, Rooks obviously wants to get into coaching and there's no better opportunity than coaching big men at Arizona. Maybe the Wildcats will be able to finally recruit a good big man. It would help when the guy coaching the bigs isn't 5-10.
OJ Mayo likely won't suffer any consequences after the mess he's gotten himself into, but USC, the NCAA, and some others will. Yahoo sports discusses Who's to blame for the OJ Mayo situation.
You know it's coming:
I can't wait for the announcers to call game 5 "pivotal." This coming on the heels of a pivotal game 4 and preceding a pivotal game 6.
The Celtics need a psychological advantage apparently:
Andruw Watch Last season, before the Dodgers signed him to that $36 million dollar deal, Andruw Jones hit .222 with 26 homers and 94 RBIs last season. Now, I wish he would put up those kind of numbers this year.
I went to the game on Saturday, the one in which the Dodgers mustered all of three hits and fell 5-0 to the Astros. I've never seen a Dodger crowd hate a player this much. And we were sitting in the good seats, not the pavilion or reserve section. Granted, we were a part of the yelling and berating Tubby Jones, but the crowd actually mockingly cheered every time he took a pitch. And there weren't a lot of those because in his first at bat, he swung and missed on three straight pitches. Jones said he's embarassed by his production thus far.
I spent 3 season as the Arizona hoops beat writer for the Arizona Daily Wildcat for three years, and one season covering Cal State Northridge basketball for the L.A. Daily News.
