LeBron James was named the Most Valuable Player in the NBA yesterday. That wasn’t the news...it was that some uneducated, and obviously, unqualified voter did not vote for LeBron, the only first place vote he didn’t get. 120 of the 121 voters got it right. By the way, the other first-place vote was for Carmelo Anthony. LeBron won the MVP award for the fourth time in five years, and, at only 28 years of age, LBJ is the youngest player to win a four MVP trophies. The funniest moment during the ceremony was when Heat teammate Mike Miller said that the two of them now had four MVP’s between them and to keep it going.
TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: Congrats to LeBron James on winning his 4th MVP award in the last five years. Only three players have won more MVP awards in the NBA. Who are they? Tell you later, alligator.
The cretin voter in question was the Boston Celtics‘ beat writer from the Boston Globe, Gary Washburn. His “reasoning” behind voting for Anthony was what he meant to the Knicks and how they improved. Lame, lame, very lame, and wrong. Here is why this clown is dead wrong:
The Knicks had a winning percentage this past season of .659 (54-28) and won the Atlantic Division. Last season, they finished second in the Atlantic with a 36-30 record in an abbreviated season, a winning percentage of .545. The Heat were the best team in the league this past season with a record of 66-16 (.805) and the year before, they were 46-20, with a winning percentage of .697. Both teams improved by similar winning percentage numbers from the year before. If this so-called writer was going to use team’s record as a factor, then let me introduce him to the Nets and the Warriors. The Nets went from 22-44 (.333) to 49-33 (.598), while Golden State went from 23-43 (.348) to 47-35 (.573). Brooklyn took the Bulls the full seven games in their first round series this season, while the Warriors beat the Denver Nuggets and are still in the playoffs. Using his reasoning, his MVP vote should have gone to either Brook Lopez or Joe Johnson of the Nets, or Stephen Curry of the Warriors.
Washburn’s vote is meaningless because he decided to make it so. His vote didn’t cost LeBron, as he still won the MVP as he richly deserved to, but this ass-wipe should not even be mentioned in the same breath as former Celtic beat writers from the Boston Globe, such as Dan Shaughnessy, Bob Ryan, and Jackie MacMullen. Those folks respect, understand and know the game. Washburn got his 15 minutes of fame. Now, he should turn in his media credential and go find a job that he is better qualified for . . . . something that includes, “You want fries with that?”. Bottom line, 120 of the 121 NBA writers got it right. Where does that leave Washburn?
The Heat and the Chicago Bulls open their second round series tonight at the AAA. The Bulls had one hell of a time getting past the stubborn Brooklyn Nets, who eventually succumbed to Chicago in seven games. These two teams met four times during the regular season, splitting the four games. That was then, and this is now. I just don’t see anyone being able to beat Miami in a seven-game series. Sorry. Miami in five. In yesterday’s second round opening games,
Oklahoma City 93 Memphis 91
Kevin Durant capped a big second half with 12 fourth quarter points, including the game winner with 11 seconds left in the game. The Thunder managed to erase a 12-point deficit in the second half. Durant finished with 35 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists. BTW, I still like Memphis in this series.
Indiana 102 New York 95
David West had 20 points, Roy Hibbert added 14 points, eight rebounds, and five blocked shots in what was an extremely physical game. Paul George added 19 and DJ Augustin scored 16 points in just 13 minutes of action. Indiana is too strong for the Knicks. I like the Pacers in this series.
The other series tips off tonight in San Antonio, where the Spurs host the Warriors. I'm going with San Antonio in this series.
TONIGHT:
Chicago @ Miami 7:00 pm TNT
Game 1
Golden State @ San Antonio 9:30 pm TNT
Game 1
TUESDAY
Indiana @ New York 7:00 pm TNT
Game 2 Pacers leads series, 1-0
Memphis @ Oklahoma City 9:30 pm TNT
Game 2 Thunder lead series, 1-0
The Miami Dolphins addressed their need at offensive tackle yesterday, agreeing to a contract with former Pro Bowl tackle Tyson Clabo. Clabo is 6’6” and tips the scales at 329 pounds. He graded out among the top right tackles in the NFL in 2011 and 2012, and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2010. Clabo has started every game for the Atlanta Falcons at right tackle the last five seasons, and his signing allows the Fins to move second-year tackle Jonathan Martin to left tackle. Are the Fins comfortable with that, or are they going to make another move?
James Walker of ESPN.com has some questions:
Armando Salguero does his usual fine job in reporting for the Herald, here are his takes on the newest Dolphin, and Dolphin minicamp:
Off the field, the Dolphins were not as successful, as the Florida Legislature shot down the Fins in their efforts to get some subsidies for renovations to the Seven Names Stadium. Here are two articles from the Herald:
First, David Neal:
Second, Patricia Mazzei:
My opinion: I was supporting the effort of the Dolphins because there was only what amounted to a 30% investment of public monies, with all that money coming from tourist dollars, and only if the voters in Miami Dade County approved. The plan had some merit, and was a step in avoiding the need for a new facility in the near future. Only seven NFL stadiums are older than the Seven Names Stadium or haven’t been renovated.
I have also personally seen, and was involved on two prior occasions, when the Florida legislature snubbed South Florida and didn't allow legislation to even be voted on in the House or in the Senate. I saw first-hand the contempt and arrogance of the senators and representatives from north Florida towards us down here. It should have never gotten to that for the Dolphins this time. They should have known better. Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford learned from his father-in-law, former House Speaker Allan Bense, who back in 2006, did the same thing to the Marlins, ignoring Marco Rubio’s plea to let their bill come to a vote.
The Dolphins did a piss-poor job, both in Tallahassee, and with the people of Miami. They need to work out a deal that involves both Broward and Miami-Dade. Whether it is by moving boundaries so that both counties share in the land that the stadium sits on, or by taxing tourists of both counties, maybe with only a half-cent, and for a specific and predetermined time frame only. If Miami-Dade and Broward, the two most interested and affected counties, can’t come to a meeting of the minds, how could anyone expect the mindless folks in Tallahassee to care about anything in South Florida, an area that provides the state most of their revenue, but historically gets the shaft from their neighbors up north. It is now up to the Miami-Dade County mayor and commission to figure it out. The solution has to come from down here, and, again, they need to get Broward involved somehow. Maybe it’ll take another group, someone like the Miami Dade Sports Commission, to take the bull by the horns and start the healing process and get involved with their Broward counterparts.
I do not feel sorry for Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, but I do understand one thing . . . the Heat, the Panthers, and the Marlins all received public funding for their homes. I do feel that it is not in the Dolphins' ownership's best interests to alienate the South Florida community even further by threatening to sell or possibly move the team. BAD IDEA.
I really don’t see the Dolphins leaving South Florida, but you just never know, especially as long as Los Angeles and Southern California don’t have a football team. Both the Dolphins and the NFL feel that they were slapped in the face by the powers that be in this latest fiasco, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has been known to hold a grudge. I am sure of one thing - we can kiss goodbye to any possibilities for future Super Bowls in South Florida, and quite possibly, any college championship games.
In baseball, the Marlins lost their first two games of the series against the Phillies, and faced the unenviable task of facing Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay in the final two games of the series on Saturday and Sunday. Goes to show you, in baseball, you just never know. Saturday belonged to Marlins' rookie Jose Fernandez, as the 20-year-old threw eight shutout innings of one-hit baseball. He got all the support he needed from Marcell Ozuna and Chris Valaika, who both blasted solo homers. For the second time this season, Fernandez totally dominated the Phillies. Three weeks ago, the kid threw six shutout innings and only allowed two hits. All told, that’s 14 innings so far against the Phillies, 0 runs, three hits. Not bad. Yesterday, Roy Halladay had absolutely nothing and gave up nine runs in 2 1/3 innings. Adeiny Hechavarria hit a grand slam and a bases loaded triple, driving in a total of seven runs. Marcell Ozuna went 4-5 with two doubles and three RBI, and Justin Ruggiano connected long distance twice. Starting pitcher Kevin Slowey was the beneficiary of all that run support to notch his first win. In Slowey’s first six games this year, the Fish had only managed to score 4 total runs. They scored five in the first inning yesterday. The road trip continues tonight in San Diego as the Padres host the Marlins for three games. The Marlins will have a day off on Thursday, and will be in Los Angeles to take on the Dodgers in a three-game weekend series before returning home to take on the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, May 14th. Here are the pitching match-ups for the series in San Diego:
Tonight Wade LeBlanc vs Andrew Cashner 10:10 pm
Tuesday Alex Sanabia vs Eric Stults 10:10 pm
Wednesday Ricky Nolasco vs Jason Marquis 3:40 pm
The Fish are still bringing up the rear in MLB in runs scored, but after the 14-run explosion yesterday, it is getting interesting. They’re still last in runs scored with 98 in their 32 games, uthey are catching up to the pack. I will be posting the “bottom five” rankings in runs scored until the Marlins aren’t on the list.
TEAM W-L Runs
Marlins 10-22 98
White Sox 12-17 102
Dodgers 13-17 104
Twins 13-14 111
Nationals 17-15 113
Phillies 14-18 113
Cubs 11-20 113
Marcell Ozuna, the 22-year-old rookie who was brought up to hold down right field until Giancarlo Stanton recovers from his hamstring injury, is not looking like a guy that is going to give up his position very easily. In his first six games in the major leagues, young Mr. Ozuna is 11-23, a .478 average, with four doubles, one home run and four RBI. Stanton better hurry up, get well, and regain his form very quickly.
In the rest of MLB yesterday, first in the National League,
Braves 9 Mets 4
Freddie Freeman went 3-5 with a homer and 3 RBI. Tim Hudson struck out seven and gave up three runs and 5 hits in 7 1/3 innings. The Braves ended a three-game losing skid.
Nationals 6 Pirates 2
Danny Espinosa drove in three runs, Tyler Moore hit a three-run homer. Gio Gonzalez got the win to take his record to 3-2.
Cardinals 10 Brewers 1
Allen Craig doubled and tripled and drove in four runs. The Cardinals swept the Brewers in a four-game series for the first time in franchise history.
Reds 7 Cubs 4
Todd Frazier drove in a pair of runs and Joey Votto went 3-5 with a run-scoring double.
Padres 5 D-Backs 1
Jedd Gyorko connected long distance with a runner on base. Will Venable also went deep for the Padres, who have won three of four.
Rays 8 Rockies 3
Ryan Roberts, Kelly Johnson, and Jose Lobaton drove in two runs each.
Giants 4 Dodgers 3
Hunter Pence drove in all four runs and Matt Cain finally got his first win of the season, giving up only one run in 7 1/3 innings. The Giants completed a three-game sweep of the Dodgers.
Over in the American League:
A’s 5 Yankees 4
Josh Donaldson’s tie breaking home run in the top of the eighth was the game winner. Yoenis Cespedes and Luke Montz also connected long distance for the A’s. The Yankees concluded a 10-game home stand in which they went 7-3.
Blue Jays 10 Mariners 2
Mark DeRosa hit a three-run homer and Melky Carera had three hits and two RBI, including his first homer of the season.
Royals 6 White Sox 5 (10 innings)
Alex Gordon sent everyone home happy with the game-winning single in the bottom of the tenth inning.
Rangers 4 Red Sox 3
Adrian Beltre also sent everyone home happy with the game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth.
Twins 4 Indians 2
Trevor Plouffe hit a two run homer and Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer provided the other RBI in the win.
Orioles 8 Angels 4
Manny Machado and JJ Hardy each belted two-run homers in the win.
Tigers 9 Astros 0
Justin Verlander struck out nine in seven shutout innings. Prince Fielder, Brayan Peña, Andy Dirks, and Omar Infante all connected long distance.
Today’s games, first in the National League:
Braves @ Reds 7:10 pm
Paul Maholm vs Bronson Arroyo
Rangers @ Cubs 8:05 pm
Nick Tepesch vs Scott Feldman
D-Backs @ Dodgers 10:10 pm
Trevor Cahill vs Chris Capuano
Phillies @ Giants 10:15 pm
Cliff Lee vs Madison Bumgarner
Over in the American League:
White Sox @ Royals 2:10 pm
Chris Sale vs James Shields
A’s @ Indians 7:05 pm
Jarrod Parker vs Ubaldo Jimenez
Twins @ Red Sox 7:10 pm
Vance Worley vs Clay Buchholz
Blue Jays @ Rays 7:10 pm
Mark Buehrle vs Jeremy Hellickson
Along the lines of “Dumb and Dumber”, we have Jose Canseco and Shaquille O’Neal calling each other names on Twitter. I smell a setup for a possible “fight”:
In other real baseball news, the Braves are getting their all-star catcher back and Jeyson Heyward is closer to returning. Here are the complete stories from David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Here are the up-to-the-minute standings in MLB:
Here are the individual league leaders in MLB:
In college baseball this weekend, FIU got swept by Troy in a three-game series. The Panthers host Jacksonville tomorrow and Wednesday, before heading out to Little-Rock to take on UALR this coming weekend. The University of Miami swept St. Johns this weekend. The Canes travel to Wake Forest for a three-game set starting on Friday.
Here is the web site for all the latest in High School Baseball -
Speaking of websites, check out my new and improved site:
Don’t miss my two “Descarga Deportiva” radio segments (for the Spanish-challenged, “Sports Jam Session”) every day, Monday through Friday, at 9:25 am and 12:15 pm on Radio Esperanza, 1550 AM or on the internet on www.miradioesperanza.com.
THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: Congrats to LeBron James on winning his 4th MVP award in the last five years. Only three players have won more MVP awards in the NBA. Who are they?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980
Michael Jordan 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998
Bill Russell 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965
IF YOU OR ANYONE YOU KNOW WANT TO ADVERTISE YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE ON MY RADIO SEGMENTS, PLEASE E-MAIL ME FOR ALL THE DETAILS - jerry@descargadeportiva.com
Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.
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