Wait 'Til Next Year

I had to do it. I had to turn on my Xbox 360 and beat the Giants on MLB 2K.

I now sit here writing my thoughts away while listening to Randy Newman's "I Love L.A."

It was a great season for the Dodgers. If you take a look back before the season started, experts were predicting a third, even fourth place finish for the Dodgers. I remember watching some jackass on the MLB Network saying they would finish in fifth place.

The Dodgers season ended tonight after suffering a 4-3 loss to the Giants and the Dodgers have nobody to blame but themselves. It's easy to point out Matt Kemp coming up short in two key-moments of the game or Mark Ellis' blunder on the bases when he tried to extend a double to a triple.

I for one am not saying if it wasn't for Ellis, the game would have been tied and it would be a whole different ballgame.

If Ellis were to be on second, how do we know Guillermo Mota would still throw that same exact pitch to Shane Victorino? Maybe having Ellis on second would have rattled Mota and possibly he throws that first pitch in the dirt? Maybe he throws an off speed pitch?

My point is, Ellis can't be the scapegoat and the blame cannot be placed on him. The team as a whole is the reason their season is over.

You can't expect to come on strong in the final week of the season and look to be in the playoffs. This loss was devasting for me, I'm a 24 year old sports nut whose dream is to hear Vin Scully's voice in the Fall Classic. I just want my team to win a World Series. Is that so much to ask for?

Now is the time I realize the Cubs have been waiting for their team for over a century. The Dodgers are on the verge of being a quarter-century removed from their last championship and slowly but surely "Wait 'til next year" is becoming my motto.

it's pathetic that a 24 year old man's emotions are affected over the outcome of a simple game. That pathetic 24 year old man I was tonight.

As the pop fly off of Ellis' bat was finding it's way into Angel Pagan's mitt in center field, I was finding my way into the deep depths of my couch cushions. I really thought this Dodgers team had the potential to go on a run similar to the Rockies of 2007, the Cardinals (I have a new-found hatred for those mofos, btw) of 2011. I foolishly thought this was season the Dodgers would win the whole enchilada.

It didn't happen, and after beating the shit of the Giants on my video game, I feel better. I remembered, I can now root for the Atlanta Braves and Larry "Chipper" Jones.

I thought I had the energy or motivation to blog tonight, but I find myself only 500 words into this and wanting to wrap it up. I can still picture Sergio Romo's reaction as the Pagan was tracking the ball Ellis hit down. his stupid shaking of his finger is going to linger in my mind until next season. I fucking hate the Giants with a passion, I guess this is what it felt like being a Giants fan when Steve Finley hit that walk-off grand slam in 2004 to eliminate SF from playoff contention.

Karma is a b-word, I hate that b-word.

-- Jose

A Small Biased Weekend Recap

First and foremost, I want to say may Corrie Sanders rest in peace. The former heavyweight champion was shot to death in South Africa during a robbery. Sander's finest hour in the Boxing ring came in 2003, when he upset and knocked out Wladimir Klitschko. Say "hello" to Bert Sugar and Joe Fraizer for us, Corrie.

Tragedy aside, what an eventful weekend of sports. The San Francisco Giants and the Cincinnati Reds clinched their respective divisions. The New Orleans Saints are now 0-3 in a season without head coach Sean Payton. Kansas City Chiefs' running back Jamaal Charles quieted the naysayers with a brilliant 233 rushing yards on 33 carries performance. The Baltimore Ravens rallied to beat the New England Patriots by a last minute field goal. I wonder if Billy Cundiff was watching the prime-time game?

Ravens' wide receiver Torrey Smith put on a performance of a lifetime on what was a painful night for him and his family. Early Sunday, morning Smith received a call letting him know his brother was killed in a motorcycle accident. Smith rushed to his family and let his team know he wanted to play tonight. It was a performance that brought back memories of the game Brett Favre played in after his father's death against the Oakland Raiders. Smith caught six passes for 127 yards and one touchdown. His 5-yard touchdown pulled the Ravens to within a score at 30-28 in the fourth quarter. After the game an emotional Smith was consoled by Ray Lewis on the field. A very heart warming image. 

Speaking of dramatic finishes, the Detroit Lions and the Tennessee Titans went into overtime. Titans' kicker Rob Bironas kicked a 26-yard field goal to give the Titans a 44-41 victory. Tennessee blew a 20-9 halftime lead and became the first NFL team to score five touchdowns of 60-yards or longer in a game. Shaun Hill filled in for Matt Stafford after Stafford left the game with a strained right leg muscle. Hill tied the game after a 46-yard "Hail-Mary" that was tipped from Titans' linebacker Akeem Ayers into the hands of Titus Young at the end of regulation. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Raiders game lacked the emotion of the prime-time game, but was a nail biter. Daaaaa Raaaaaidaz (you have to say that in a Chris Berman voice) upset the Troy Polomalu-less Steelers with a 34-31 victory. Oakland's WR Darrius Heyward-Bey was carted off the field after taking a hard shot to the head from Ryan Mundy. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported that doctors do not believe Heyward-Bey suffered a concussion, rather a neck injury that will require further testing Monday. Let's hope Heyward-Bey's playing days are not over.

I wont even get into my damn Philadelphia Eagles' shellacking. The Cardinals improved to 3-0 after a 27-6 clipping of the Eagles.

Over on the MLB side of things, The Los Angeles Dodgers salvaged the series in Cincinnati with a 5-3 victory. Dodgers' ace Clayton Kershaw returned to the mound and was effective if not shaky in five innings of work. The southpaw gave up five hits, five walks, five strikeouts, all in five innings. What an odd night of work. Adrian Gonzalez' bat finally showed signs of life with a two home run night. The Dodgers' offense displayed it's depth in the seventh inning when they scored four runs, started by a lead-off home run from Gonzalez. Shortstop Hanley Ramirez fouled a pitch off his left leg in the inning, after shaking off the hit, Ramirez singled to left only to hobble down to first base. Dee Gordon pinch ran and replaced Ramirez. Gordon made a costly error in the eighth inning sailing a throw into the first row of stands on a routine grounder. The error led to a massive-shot off the bat of Dennis Phipps, making his second career start. 

With the win, the Dodgers keep pace in the NL Wild Card race, trailing the St. Louis Cardinals by three games with nine games left on their schedule. The Dodgers head to San Diego on Tuesday for three games against the Padres, they head home for the final home stand against the Colorado Rockies and Giants. 

The Number 27
My Thoughts About It’s Impact On The 2012 MLB Season in SoCal

Entering the 2012 season I swore that there was no better player than Matt Kemp that his ability to swing past the fences and steal bases was going to get him the NL MVP and Triple Crown. He looked every bit of the five-tool speedy slugger he has been advertised to be. With a torrid start putting up arguably the greatest April in baseball history. Finishing with 417 AVG/.490OBP/.893 SLG, 25 RBIs, 12HRs, 24 Runs, and 2 stolen bases.

Kemp was on pace to be a legitimate threat at being the first triple crown winner since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. Unfortunately Kemp suffered a hamstring injury that landed him a few stints on the DL making his run at the 50/50 club impossible.

During Kemp’s visit to the DL just a few miles outside of Los Angeles county limits there was another #27 doing it big. A 20 year old Rookie was stealing bases and hitting homers. Not to mention stealing home runs in the outfield. As a rookie that missed nearly the entire month of April, Trout leads the Majors in steals, runs, and is currently the runner up for the batting title. His most ridiculous stat his WAR (Wins Above Replacement) of 10.1. Trout's WAR nearly double that of the current runner up.

The Rookie of the Year is a lock. The American League MVP - maybe? Trout has a chance to reach the 30/30 club this year and shows potential of making it to the 40/40 club in the years to come.

I’ve been following both players very closely. As much as I hate watching the Los Angeles Angels of Anahiem. I now spend my evenings flipping between Vin Scully telling me about which farm the current pitcher grew up on, answering the Aflac trivia question of the night, and watching Mike Trout's at-bats. At 20 years old I believe there is nothing he can’t accomplish. 

I love the fact that he has out shined the over-paid Albert Pujols and single handedly brought down the annoying “El Hombre” billboards that where supposed to get the hispanics in Los Angeles intrigued to watch an Angels game. Trout isn’t the best hitter, he is the best player. He gets my vote for AL MVP. Yes, over Miguel Cabrera and his near Triple Crown. Why? Because Trout leads baseball in the two most important statistical categories WAR( Wins Above Replacement) and Runs. 

Why are these the two most important statistical categories? Because WAR is a true statistic that measures a players actual value compared to his peers. Runs are important because that's what decides a ball game not BA, HR, or OBP - those are statistics to gauge a hitters ability at the plate. 

So give Miguel Cabrera the batting title the silver slugger award he’s definitely earned them. Give Trout the MVP he’s definitely proven that no one is more valuable than him. 

Ask any GM in Baseball if they can start all over today and select one player to have right now as the focal point of the team, the majority answer would likely be Trout.

Back to Kemp, he’s definitely had an off year plagued by the injuries and all the awful at-bats. He seems to have lost his confidence and will more than likely need a legitimate off-season to get back to his April ways. It could be worse, he could be dating a pop singer, full of distractions, and be missing routine fly balls in front of thousands of people. What a long road its been for Kemp since that awful 2010 season. I’m still not over 2010 and will hold it against him every time he goes hitless why because I’m a bitter Dodger fan, trying to walk off the Frank McCourt shafting. Will I still watch every game convinced that Matt Kemp is going to reach 50/50 next season? Absolutely! 

I would love nothing more than to watch the impossible possible. Isn’t that why we watch sports, because we love to see what no one has done before we love to see records shattered and curses broken? All the 50/50 nonsense, next year Kemp gets a clean slate to make a run at greatness. For now he needs to refocus on contributing enough to get his team into the postseason.

-Daniel