Not a good way to start for the Lakers and Dodger talk

First up is the news that Grady Little has resigned and it looks like Joe Torre will become the next manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. I'm definitely excited to hear about this as Torre is a proven manager who has won multiple championships and should be able to help this young ballclub. It probably won't hurt that he'll want to prove to Steinbrenner and the Yankees that he's still got it as a great manager. And who knows maybe this means Arod is coming to the Dodgers?

I was in attendance at Staples Center last night as the Lakers opened the season against the Houston Rockets. From my side of the arena I didn't think Kobe was being booed but I had friends sitting at the other side who said he definitely was. But those boos turned to cheers near the end as the Lakers almost came back from a double digit deficit in the last minute and a half. I was very pleased with the way the team played defense at times, but then there was the big lapse in the third quarter, combined with Kobe forcing his shot too much and it spelled doom for the Lakers.

As I've mentioned plenty of times, and all Lakers fans know, Kobe will get frustrated when he doesn't get calls then tries too hard to get them by forcing the action and essentially playing 1 on 5 so it's tough for the guys around him to get involved in the game. Granted Lamar Odom and Javaris Crittendon did not play but still they should have won the game if they had hit their free throws. The team shot 60% with Kobe only shooting 67%, I have never seen Kobe miss so many free throws, I guess his wrist is hurting him. On the other positive, it was great to see Derek Fisher back in purple and gold. He knows how to play with Kobe and it showed as he was the only other Laker in double digits on a very efficient 6 of 9 shooting night.

That said, I’ve stopped discussing all the Kobe rumors as they’ve just gotten out of hand and I didn’t want to deal with every little rumor that spread as we know 99% of that stuff is not true. Honestly, I can’t imagine that the Lakers would’ve green lighted the trade that ESPN is reporting today that fell through which would’ve brought Ben Wallace and Ron Artest to the Lakers. It would make no sense and it would've been a terrible move. Also making things more difficult is Kobe's insistence on Luol Deng staying a Bull if he gets moved. Someone has to budge and we'll just have to wait and see who does, Kobe or the Lakers, or for myself and all other Lakers fans sakes either the front office makes another push for Jermaine O'Neal, as long as they don't have to give up Odom AND Bynum, one or the other is fine, or this team gets it together somehow once Lamar gets back and starts winning because as they say winning cures all and it may be the only thing that can save this situation. Below are pics I took from last night.

This is truly the dead season

The NBA Finals are over and I didn't even watch it, College Football is a few months away so I don't have much to look forward to hence the lack of updates on the site. At least the Dodgers are hanging around first place and I guess I'll have to check out a Galaxy game or two once David Beckham arrives. But before we get to that point there is still some college baseball to be played this weekend with the College World Series beginning today. Although Michigan was knocked out by Oregon State I will continue to watch as two local teams are still fighting it out. One being the powerhouse Cal State Fullerton Titans as I've spent the majority of my life living in Fullerton I have always followed them and the second being my next school this upcoming fall when I begin my graduate work at UC Irvine. The Titans took care of business as expected beating UCLA at home but the surprise came from the Anteaters who were the only road team in the Super Regionals to advance as they defeated the Witchita State Shockers, probably one of the funniest matchups that could happen in college sports. Go Anteaters and Titans!

Also there is the Freeway Series this weekend as the Angels come up to face the Dodgers. For some reason the Angels seem to dominate the Dodgers and it needs to stop. I don't know why but it seems like the Dodgers can never beat them as the Angels swept the Dodgers a few weeks back when they played in Anaheim. After going through rough patch, 1-5, the Dodgers got it back together by sweeping the Mets, which hopefully gives them the momentum they need headed into this series. It's great to see the bench and guys just called up from AAA contributing as Wilson Betemit has hit HR's in the last two games and Matt Kemp is contributing as well. That brings up the question that many Dodger fans ask is when will they start playing the young guns on a consistent basis? Such as Kemp, Tony Abreu and James Loney. I really like what I heard on the radio about a quote from Jeff Kent who told the young guys at Spring Training to come and get his job. It breeds a healthy level of competition within the team and lets the guys know that just because they are the hot young prospect they aren't going to be given immediate PT. Which makes it even better to see them coming up to the Big Leagues and making plays. I really love what Dodgers Management has done setting this team up with a good mix of veterans and youth to give this team not only a great chance at winning now but down the line as well.

Back to Dodger Stadium

On Saturday, for the first time this season I went back to Chavez Ravine for my first trip to Dodger Stadium of the 2007 campaign. The Dodgers took on the Reds so it was an opportunity to see one of my favorite players growing up Ken Griffey Jr. In addition, Brad Penny was pitching for the Dodgers so I knew we would have a great chance of winning. That's exactly what happened as Penny pitched a great game, retiring 17 consecutive batters as the Dodgers won 7-3. The seats I sat in were by far the best I've ever had at a Dodgers game so I took advantage of it by taking some pictures.

Pre Game 40's? Check

The Dodgers get ready for Griffey

Penny Delivers

Rafael Furcal up with the bases loaded

Russell Martin at the plate

Joe Beimel delivers to Griffey

The trademark Griffey swing, but this time only to the warning track

Andre Ethier catching the last out

DODGERS WIN!

Thursday Roundup

Dodgers Lose Again and Bonds is a cheater - The Dodgers lost their 3rd game in a row, 2nd to the Giants 6-4 last night as Barry Bonds hit HR 741. The Doyers as they are called by the locals, jumped out to a strong start but have struggled as of late, as is expected at some point during the long baseball season so I am not worried. I will take this moment to discuss my thoughts on Barry Bonds as he closes in on breaking Hank Aaron's home run record. Sure you may take this as a hater rant since I am a Dodgers fan but anyone out there that thinks that Barry Bonds did not take steroids is out of their fucking mind. Look at Barry Bonds before and after, you cannot tell me he grew that much at his age completely naturally. There is no way. Granted I am not saying that he isn't a great player, he was a great player and still is, but he has been aided by steroids in getting the home run record.

Many people have said steroids can't help you with your hand-eye coordination to hit the ball, which is true, Bonds does have great eyes and can see pitches very well, the difference is that before steroids these shots he would hit that would be singles or doubles are now home runs because of his steroid use. There is also some debate over whether Hank Aaron should be in attendence, but he has said he won't and I believe he is right. Anyone with common sense knows that Barry Bonds has used some sort of steroids and Aaron does not want to be at the game when he breaks the record because that can be taken as a sign of approval that it was ok for him to cheat to break the record. I was hoping coming into this season that Bonds would suffer some sort of set back that would prevent him from reaching the record but it doesn't look like that will be the case.

Mundy to West Virginia - Former Michigan Safety Ryan Mundy is now at West Virginia waiting for an NCAA ruling for an appeal he made to be able to play for the Mountaineers this season. Mundy arrived at Michigan with a lot of expectations coming from the same high school as Steve Breaston, being highly ranked and at a position of need. Because of that he was never able to live up to expectations, also add in the nerve injury that caused him to miss the 03 season and he was a disappointment in the eyes of many Wolverine fans. So much so that Brian at MGoBlog came up with a new stat YAM, Yards After Mundy. But I have nothing bad to say about him, good luck to Ryan and hopefully he gets wins his appeal.

De La Hoya / Mayweather - The big fight is coming up next weekend as Floyd Mayweather Jr. takes on Oscar De La Hoya in what is the biggest boxing match I can remember in a long time. I know a lot of people have given up on boxing and moved to the MMA stuff but for some reason I'm still not into MMA as much as I am boxing. Not sure why but Boxing seems more skillful to me as you only use your hands and have numerous tactics while in MMA you just try to beat the shit out of each other with no strategy, that's just my take on it though.

I've never liked De La Hoya, I don't know what it is but I've never been a fan, something about the Golden Boy image I didn't like. For many Floyd is the bad boy of boxing, he runs his mouth, talks a lot of shit, and is cocky as hell which most of the public dislikes. For some reason I was always drawn to that add to the fact that he is originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan and I've been a Floyd fan. Sort of like Kobe how many people consider him arrogant while I consider him confident. People hate the over the top confidence that Kobe and Floyd exude, nothing exemplifies this more than a fight I saw with Floyd where he came to the ring on a throne that was carried by 4 people so he didn't have to walk to the ring. I thought that was awesome, his haters thought it was ridiculous.

ESPN has a great article on Floyd which gives some more insight to who he is and may help others get a better understanding of him. After reading the article and watching the 2nd episode of De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7 I drew a lot of comparisons from Floyd to Tupac as well. Floyd's doctor who checks him before all his fights said he would get upset when he read bad things written about Floyd because that's not who he is in real life. His boxing persona, Pretty Boy Floyd is different than Floyd Mayweather Jr the person. I'd say the same is true of Tupac and how his media image was much different than how the person he was in real life. I can't wait for this fight and I'm going to enjoy it as it looks like it will be the biggest fight for a long time as rarely do fights of this magnitude get done in boxing.

Jackie Robinson Day

Yesterday was the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball. It was a great tribute for a great man before the Dodgers game against the Padres last night and the entire Dodger team wore #42 to honor him. Many other individuals, and in some cases teams wore 42 as well to pay tribute to the man that did so much not only for the game of baseball but for race relations in America. Props must go out to Ken Griffey Jr. who came up with the idea and approached the MLB to wear 42. Unlike the NBA, who denied Jerry Stackhouse's request to put Robinson on his jersey, he already wears #42, the MLB allowed the entire league the option to wear 42 and many took advantage of it. Bruins Nation has a great post entitled Honoring Jackie which also has links to a bunch of other articles about paying tribute to Jackie.

The Dodgers were able to get the victory last night 9-3 over the Padres, and pitcher Chris Young who wrote a dissertation on Robinson for his thesis at Princeton. As a Dodgers fan it means even more to see these tributes to a great man. A few years ago when I was going to purchase a Dodgers jersey I knew which one I wanted, a Jackie Robinson. They were difficult to find at the time but fortunately a Cooperstown collection came out with 42 and I jumped on it immediately. To hear and read about the things he had to endure to make it with the Dodgers I feel honored to be able to pay tribute to him by wearing his jersey.

Friday Roundup

Plenty of stuff going on in the sports world the past couple days. I'll start with the horrible road trip by the Lakers. I was going to give this its own post but decided against it because there's not much to say. The Lakers played terrible and just flat out got beat. They were in the games at halftime and just got blown out in the 3rd quarter. That is unacceptable. It's one thing when we were winning championships to get up for the good teams and play down to bad teams but right now every game matters for playoff seeding and we cannot afford to throw games away. Let's hope we can take care of business for this two game stretch at home against Orlando and Miami before the game at San Antonio next Wednesday.

There's a lot of talk about changes in the Michigan coaching staff as well as in our secondary. Rumors are all around about movement from DB and LB coaches to OC and OL as well. It will be interesting to see how everything shakes out. There is also talk of some members of the secondary that will not be returning next year as well. Which means come on down RoJo we've got immediate PT for you.

The big news of yesterday was David Beckham signing to play for the LA Galaxy. I love watching soccer when the World Cup is on or the Champions League but have never watched MLS. I think this will have some impact but not as big as the MLS would like to believe it will. It does generate more interest for soccer in the U.S. but unless the rest of MLS becomes better it won't do much. Sure I may go check out a game at Home Depot Center now because of this but I don't think it will take the place of baseball during the summer for me. Granted I still think that NASCAR is stupid and don't see how watching cars drive 500 laps around an oval is any fun to watch so I may be wrong.

The Dodgers announced new seating in the Right Field Pavillion that will be all you can eat. Unfortunately it won't include beer, only hot dogs, nachos, peanuts and soft drinks. It sounds like a good idea at first but when you think about it, it isn't. It will cost $35 pre sale or $40 on the day of the game to sit there. These are the second cheapest tickets in the ballpark usually that ran $8 a piece last season if I remember correctly. So take out $8 and you're charging $27 or $32 for all you can eat ballpark food. For some it may be worth it but for most it won't. Say you get a hot dog, nacho and a soft drink that still doesn't add up to $27. Some people will probably fall for it but most I think won't. The seats aren't that great, you could take the same money buy a better seat and still eat a good amount at Dodger Stadium. This is a mistake by Dodger management, I think the better way to go about this would have been to use some premium seats to entice fans with good seats and all you can eat food. The food is not enough to offset the bad seats. I'll probably end up going to one game with this promotion and then come back home so sick of hot dogs and nachos that I'll never want to eat them again.

Jersey list updated again, now up to 67 with the additions of a Kobe Bryant Road 24 Authentic and a Vince Young Alternate Authentic

Kobe is a machine

Was planning to post yesterday about the recent ESPN.com article about Fantasy Football but didn't get around to it, that'll probably be up tomorrow. Will also post more about the Rose Bowl as our focus will now turn towards USC and not the BCS.

But first it has been confirmed Michigan will be the home team and wearing Blue at this years Rose Bowl. I love the way our blue uni's look but am somewhat concerned since the last two Rose Bowl's we wore Blue and lost, hopefully third time's a charm. I hope Nike continues to make the Bowl Game jerseys with patches as well. Also Michigan will be participating in the Beef Bowl on 12/27. All the talk about Lawry's has got me ready to go there as well. My SC friends wanted to get a trip together there before the game and I'm definitely gonna go. It is somewhat expensive but well worth it, we'll probably end up having our own Beef Bowl, me and my brother against the USC fans that I'm going with.

Brian at MGoBlog also has a great post up which I completely agree with.

Just as I was about to write about the Lakers on a roll, they go out and lay an egg against New Orleans/Oklahoma City and lose at home. This is the same type of thing that has always happened to the Lakers in the past. They will get up for the big games but play down to the level of their opponents in games they should win, see Milwaukee last week and the Hornets last night. Even with Kobe playing, when he wasn't supposed to they lost. This team cannot afford to blow games like this like the previous Lakers squads used to because every game will matter for playoff seeding.

Speaking of Kobe for those that didn't watch Monday, Kobe rolled his ankle and he admitted later it was pretty bad. But to prevent it from stiffening up on him, he didn't sleep. That's right, he said he didn't sleep:

Bryant said he had shunned sleep since spraining his ankle, instead standing and drawing the letters of the alphabet in the air with his right foot to "keep the motion going" in his ankle.

That is just amazing, at the start of the regular season for him to do something like that. Sure I could see it during the playoffs but during the regular season before they Lakers play the Hornets and Hawks Kobe is not sleeping? That is why he is my favorite player and just shows the dedication to the game that he has. He won't allow anything to stop him, it's only a matter of time before he brings that trophy back to LA.


Ned Coletti is doing a hell of a job as the Dodger GM. He is not afraid to make moves and I know I'm not the only Dodger fan that likes it. After signing Juan Pierre earlier in the offseason he made some big moves in the past couple days, starting with the signing of Jason Schmidt for 3 years and $47 million. Sure I think it's a bit high but it's only a 3 year deal so we're not locked in and screwed if something happens like with Kevin Brown and Darren Dreifort. He adds another great arm to this rotation and makes an extra pitcher or two expendable if Coletti wants to deal for a big bat.

To aid in the offensive portion of the team the Dodgers signed Luis Gonzalez to a one year deal. Sure he's not the big name that people wanted but I'm willing to take a one year flier on him, especially since it will give the young studs like Matt Kemp some extra time to develop in AAA.
I'd definitely have to say I am happy with the way this offseason is turning out. If Coletti can move Penny and some prospects for a bat it'll definitely be a great offseason. With what he's shown us so far I think he'll get it done.