Monday, June 30, 2014

Monday, Monday.  So good to me.

Here’s the blog.

We begin with Major League Baseball.

TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  Jose Abreu, Edwin Encarnacion, and Nelson Cruz are currently tied for the major league lead in home runs this season with 25.  Who has the record for most home runs before the all-star game?  The answer comes later, alligator.

A very LOOONNNGGG weekend for the Marlins, who were swept by the Oakland A’s.  The A’s beat the Marlins on Friday and Saturday in their final at-bats, and won a one-run game on Sunday, 4-3.  The Marlins blew leads in all three games, and desperately need a day off on Monday, after playing 17 games in 17 days, in which they went 5-12, falling to 4 games under .500, 5 full games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves, who have a ½ game lead over the Washington Nats.  Not a disgrace to lose three games to the A’s, who have the best record in baseball and play the game the way it should be played.  I guess there really is something to that “Moneyball” theory.  

The Fish will welcome the Phillies to Marlins Park for a three-game set starting on Tuesday.  They need to snap out of this funk against the Phillies, as things will not get any easier when the Fish hit the road for a series in St. Louis, against the Cardinals this coming weekend.  After St. Louis, the Fish head to Arizona for three games against the D-Backs, and to the Big Apple, to square off against the Mets the following weekend, heading into the All Star game.  The Marlins will return home to face the Giants for a weekend series July 18-20.

Here are the probable pitchers for the series with the Phillies this week:

Tuesday AJ Burnett vs Henderson Alvarez 7:10 pm
Wednesday Cole Hamels vs Tom Koehler 7:10 pm
Thursday     Tommy Milone vs Anthony DeSclafani     6:10 pm

Click below for yesterday’s recaps and results in the major leagues:



Here are the standings in MLB:


Today’s complete schedule in the major leagues:


Here are the individual leaders in the majors:


Some other things I’m keeping my eye on around the diamonds:

TO ALL MARLINS FANS:  Please go on-line and vote for Giancarlo Stanton to start the all-star game.  My ballot for NL outfielders include Stanton, Yasiel Puig, and Andrew McCutchen.  You can vote up to 35 times when you go on-line to MLB.com.  Do it immediately, if not sooner.

What is wrong with the Tampa Bay Rays?  They have the worst record in the American League at 35-49.  It doesn't help that they are 28th in runs scored.  Remember, this team wins more than 90 games every year. 

I still believe that the Rays are going to trade David Price, and I still think that the St. Louis Cardinals will make a big push to get him.  They're going to need help if they want to catch the Brewers in the NL Central.  The Brewers are sitting a 50 wins already, after only winning 74 in 2013.

In the market for Price, look at the Atlanta Braves to also try and get their hands on the former Cy Young award winner, or negotiate with the Cubs for Jeff Samardzija or Hammel. I don’t see the Cubs being very eager to help the Cardinals (their division rivals) with Samardzija or Hammel.  I’m still looking for the Cubs to at least deal Hammel in the next seven to ten days. 

The Yankees also need some help, and CC Sabathia pitched in a rehab game on Saturday for the Tampa Yankees.  CC, who said he felt “really good”, went 2 ⅓ innings, throwing 36 pitches, 24 of them for strikes.  The other two starters on the DL, Michael Pineda and Ivan Nova will not be back this season.  Incredibly enough, the Yanks are right in the thick of things, both in the AL East and in the AL wild card race.  They are 2 games out of first place in the AL East and 2 games back in the wild card race.  Regardless of where they stand today, the Yankees need some help in both pitching and hitting.  

How do you define “OLD TEAM”?  It is the Yankees, as their everyday starting lineup includes two 40-year-old players (Derek Jeter and Ichiro Suzuki) a 38-year-old (Alfonso Soriano), a 37-year-old (Carlos Beltran), and a 36-year-old in Brian Roberts.  Three other starters are all 30 years old - (Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Brett Gardner).  When Jeter gets a breather, he is replaced by 32-year-old Brendan Ryan.  Third baseman Yangervis Solarte is the only baby of the group, at 26 years of age.  When Kelly Johnson starts in his place, Johnson is also 32.  How long will they be able to stay in the race? 

The Braves and the Nats are in quite a race in the NL East.  If we take into consideration how good the Nats’ rotation is, and how the Braves lost 3 out of their 5 starters to season-ending injuries and have more than struggled offensively, it has truly been a remarkable job by Fredi Gonzalez and his staff to be where they are.  The Braves swept a four-game series from the Phillies this weekend, but are hoping for some positive news on C Evan Gattis, who hurt his back on a swing on Friday.  They recalled minor-league catcher prospect Christian Bethancourt to replace Gattis, at least temporarily, while they wait for an MRI to see if Gattis needs to go on the DL.  

Speaking of the Braves, their class A minor league team, the Lynchburg Hillcats, threw consecutive no-hitters against the Wilmington Blue Rocks.  Here’s the full story:


On the other hand, the Nationals got some good news, as Bryce Harper is expected back from the DL on Monday.  Harper hit three home runs in his last rehab game in the minors on Saturday.

Speaking of dysfunctional offenses, the Boston Red Sox led the majors in runs scored last year.  So far this season, they are 26th.  Were Jacoby Ellsbury and Jarrod Saltalamacchia that important to the Sox?  The Red Sox brought up their best prospect, OF Mookie Betts, joining their other prized prospects, Brock Holt and Xander Bogaerts.  They did, however, beat my Yankees 2 out of 3 this past weekend.

The Angels and Pirates traded struggling relief pitchers Ernesto Frieri and Jason Grilli.  Both teams are hoping that new surroundings will help.

Looking at the west coast, it should come as no surprise that the SF Giants have come back to earth, and the Dodgers are now tied with the Giants in first place in the NL west.  The Dodgers’ combination of offense and pitching is way too good to not win this division.  

More from MLB:



Let's go to the NBA and the Miami Heat:

What’s the latest with the Heat and the NBA?

It’s official now:  LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Udonis Haslem have all opted out of their contracts.  At this point, all that means is that they can now get together and work out the numbers in order for the Heat to be able to re-tool the team and add some talent.  The Heat now have more room under the salary cap than any other team EVER. The Big Three got together this past weekend and discussed financial terms of new contracts among each other.  They cannot meet with the Heat until July 1st.  The fact that they are talking among themselves is a sign that they all plan to re-sign with the Heat.  Sources are saying that those discussions have included the possibility that James would draw the highest salary among the three.  Incredible as it may sound, Lebron has NEVER been the highest paid player on his team during his NBA career.  

How the big three put together their deals will have a huge impact on how aggressive the Heat will be in pursuing free agents.  One possible scenario is that the Heat will be able to go after free agent point guard Kyle Lowry.  Lowry’s stats last year were very impressive:  17.9 points; 7.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.54 steals per game.  I’ll go out on a limb here and say that Lowry would be a HUGE upgrade over Mario Chalmers.  Other possibilities along the free agent route include Trevor Ariza, Pau Gasol, Marcin Gortart, and Luol Deng.  It is not probable that any of these guys would to to Miami for the mid-level exemption.  The names that could fit into that exception, would include Darren Collison, Paul Pierce, and Kirk Hinrich, among others.

I also have no doubt that Udonis Haslem will be back with the team.

Here is a very good breakdown by Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel:


In case you missed it, in the draft, the Heat traded up two picks and got their man: point guard Shabazz Napier.  Just who is this guy?

A two-time NCAA champion with the University of Connecticut, Napier appeared in a school-record 143 career games (98 starts) for the Huskies and averaged 13.7 points, 4.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.76 steals and 32.3 minutes while shooting 41.1 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from three-point range and 81.3 percent from the foul line. He totaled 1,959 points while dishing out 646 assists, becoming the only player in school history to total at least 1,500 points and 500 assists.

During his senior season, Napier helped lead U-Conn to the 2014 NCAA Championship after appearing in 40 games (all starts) and averaging 18.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.83 steals and 35.1 minutes while shooting 42.9 percent from the field, 40.5 percent from three-point range and 87 percent from the foul line. 

Napier was named the 2014 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and earned the 2014 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award. Additionally, he was a unanimous All-Conference First Team selection and named to the AP All-American First Team. He led his team in points (720), rebounds (196), assists (195), steals (73), field goals made (213), three-point field goals made (87) and free throws made (207) while capping his senior season averaging 21.2 points during the NCAA tournament, earning the Final Four and East Regional Most Outstanding Player honors.

Former Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun, who coached Napier his first two seasons, in April called him one of the “greatest players in college basketball in the last 10 to 12 years” and told The New York Times that “his swagger, his positive arrogance about how good we are translates to every single guy.  He’s just a very special player.”
What does Pat Riley have to say?  

“Shabazz Napier is a winner, he’s a two-time NCAA champion and he’s one of the elite players in college basketball.”“We feel very fortunate we were able to acquire him and we feel like he fits in extremely well. He has a high motor, high basketball IQ, is a great shooter and has great character.”

How does LeBron James feel about Napier?

During the NCAA tournament, LeBron tweeted that there is “No way you take another point guard in the lottery before Napier.”
After the Heat got Napier in Thursday’s draft, LeBron tweeted that Napier is “my favorite player in the draft”.
My take:
It is usually hard to think that a #24 pick in the draft is going to make a huge impact.  However, the selection of a point guard with this pedigree is a positive move for the Heat, especially after Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole under-performed during the NBA finals.  Having watched Napier play with U-Conn the last four years, he is one of those players who make his teammates better.  A good shooter, rebounder, and distributor, this guy can just flat-out play.  He is definitely Pat Riley’s type of player, one who played four years in college, and the fact that LeBron James loves the guy can’t hurt.  
Let us move on to the Miami Dolphins and the NFL.

The Dolphins have two injuries to report - Center Mike Pouncey, and RB Knowshon Moreno.  The injury to Pouncey, which will have him out for about four months, is the one the team is really worried about, and the Fins are talking to veteran centers Steve Vallos, former Dolphin Samson Satele, and Daryn Colledge.  They also have Sam Brenner and Nate Garner on their roster as possibilities.


Miami Dolphins blog from Armando Salguero:


Chris Perkins and Omar Kelly bring us their Dolphin blog:


The countdown is on until the Dolphins take the field.  Their first preseason game is just over two months away.  Here are both the Preseason and Regular Season schedules:

2014 MIAMI DOLPHINS Preseason schedule: 

Aug. 8         at Atlanta Falcons             (Fri)    7:00 pm
Aug. 16       at Tampa Bay Bucs           (Sat)     7:00 pm
Aug. 23       Dallas Cowboys                (Sat)     7:00 pm
Aug. 28       St. Louis Rams                 (Thu)    7:00 pm

2014 MIAMI DOLPHINS Regular Season schedule:

Sep. 7         New England Patriots                    1:00 pm
Sep. 14       at Buffalo Bills                              1:00 pm
Sep. 21       Kansas City Chiefs                         4:25 pm
Sep. 28       at Oakland Raiders  (London)         6:00 pm
Oct. 5         BYE
Oct. 12       Green Bay Packers                         1:00 pm
Oct. 19       at Chicago Bears                            1:00 pm
Oct. 26       at Jacksonville Jaguars                  1:00 pm
Nov. 2        San Diego Chargers                         1:00 pm
Nov. 9        at Detroit Lions                              1:00 pm
Nov. 13      Buffalo Bills              (Thu)              8:25 pm
Nov. 23      at Denver Broncos                           4:25 pm
Dec. 1        at New York Jets      (Mon)              8:30 pm
Dec. 7        Baltimore Ravens                           1:00 pm
Dec. 14      at New England Patriots                  1:00 pm
Dec. 21      Minnesota Vikings                           1:00 pm
Dec. 28      New York Jets                                 1:00 pm

For more from around the NFL, here is NFL NATION:


Of course, we can all continue to sleep at night, knowing full well that Aaron Hernandez remains in jail, where he belongs. 

From around the universities,

Manny Navarro and Susan Miller Degnan have news from the University of Miami.


From FIU, David J. Neal of the Herald has the latest in his blog:


Here’s the latest from Tallahassee and the Seminoles:


From Gainesville and the University of Florida:


The Central Florida Knights are in the house:


In other sports,

That soccer thing continues over in the jungles of Brazil.  The knockout round began this past weekend, Brazil sent Chile packing; Columbia came out a winner against Uruguay; Mexico went home a loser, 2-1 against Belgium, after leading 1-0 with five minutes left in the contest; and Costa Rica eliminated Greece in a shootout.  By the way, very impressive performance by Costa Rica, who advanced to the quarterfinals after playing most of the second half a man short.  Next up for the Americans is a match against Belgium on Tuesday.  Here is the latest from Brazil, where the girl from Ipanema is waiting for me:



In ice hockey, the Florida Panthers used the number one pick in the NHL draft on Friday to select defenseman Aaron Ekblad.  Here is ESPN with their two-cents worth on the first round:


The Herald’s George Richards talks about the rest of the draft for the Panthers:


In boxing, Terence Crawford defeated Yuriorkis Gamboa, knocking him out in the ninth round.  Bad corner work in Gamboa’s corner, and a lesson to be learned here is that you cannot fight for a championship after only fighting two times in the previous two years. 

Here is Santos Perez’ weekly boxing column in the Miami Herald:


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THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  Jose Abreu, Edwin Encarnacion, and Nelson Cruz are tied for the major league lead in home runs this season with 25.  Who has the record for most home runs before the all-star game?    

In 2001, Barry Bonds blasted 39 homers before the all-star game.  Second place all time goes to Reggie Jackson (1969) and Mark McGwire (1998), both with 37. 


Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.

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Friday, June 27, 2014

TGIF!  The Friday blog is here.

We begin with Major League Baseball, and, of course, the trivia question of the day.

TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  In the modern era, only two players have had three hits in one inning.  Gene Stephens did it for the Boston Red Sox in 1953.  Who was the other player?  HINT:  It was another Red Sox player.  The answer comes later, alligator.

The Marlins lost a heartbreaker last night, falling to the Philadelphia Phillies in 14 innings 6-4.  Chase Utley ended the game with a two-run dinger against reliever Chris Hatcher.  BTW, how much longer do I have to put up with watching Hatcher?  This guy has given up 21 hits, including three home runs, in 18 ⅓ innings of work this season.  His career number?  52 innings, 65 hits, 16 walks, and 9 homers, with a lifetime ERA of 6.06.  He doesn’t qualify to even be called a journeyman pitcher.  Yeech.

There is a silver lining to this black cloud.  They are still only 2 ½ games behind first place, in third place, behind the Washington Nats and the Atlanta Braves.

The Marlins are back in Miami for a six-game homestand.  First, it will be three games against the best team in the AL, the Oakland A’s, who come in with a 48-30 record.  Then, the Phillies will invade Marlins Park on Tuesday, July 1, for another three-game series, before the Fish leave town for nine games, three each with the Cardinals, the Diamondbacks, and the Metropolitans.  After the All Star break, the Fish will be back at home for a three-game weekend series against the San Francisco Giants on July 18th.
  
Here are the probable pitchers for the A’s series this week:

Friday Jesse Chavez vs Anthony DeSclafani  7:10 pm
Saturday Sonny Gray vs Nathan Eovaldi 4:10 pm
Sunday            Tommy Milone vs Andrew Heaney           1:10 pm

Click below for yesterday’s recaps and results in the major leagues:



Here are the standings in MLB:


Today’s complete schedule in the major leagues:


Here are the individual leaders in the majors:


Some other things I’m keeping my eye on around the diamonds:

Another no hitter in the books, this time it was the Freak, Tim Lincecum, with his second no-no in the past calendar year, both against the woeful offensive team better known as the San Diego Padres.  

The Yankees’ starters are 21st in the major leagues in staff ERA, yet the team is staying close in the AL East (three games back) and the AL wild card race (one game back).  This weekend, all eyes will be on the series between the Yankees and the Red Sox in the Bronx.  The Yankees will send Vidal Nuño, Masahiro Tanaka, and Chase Whitley to the mound this weekend against the Sox.

A pair of great comeback stories this season are former Marlins  Josh Beckett, now with the Dodgers, and Logan Morrison, now playing in Seattle.  

Beckett is 5-4, but with a glowing 2.11 ERA, including a no-hitter this season.  He has pitched at least 7 innings in his last three starts, and hasn’t given up any runs in his last two.  Not bad for a guy who had an operation last year to remove a rib.

Up in the Pacific Northwest, after a very slow start recovering from all sorts of injuries, Morrison is on a tear over the last seven games, with 8 hits in his last 22 at bats, including a 4-4 night on Monday, which included two homers and four RBI.  I really hope that LoMo keeps it up.  
  
After getting released by the Houston Astros this spring, JD (Julio Daniel) Martinez has found a home with the Detroit Tigers.    The South Florida product (Flanagan High School and Nova Southeastern University) is hitting .310 this season with Detroit, with 9 home runs and 32 RBI in just 126 AB (39 games) so far this season.  He was named the AL player of the week last week, after batting .444 (12-27) with three doubles, four homers, 11 RBI, and six runs scored.  I was rooting for the Marlins to pick him up this spring, but they obviously didn’t listen to me.  By the way, JD, who grew up a big Marlins fan, blasted the first home run at Marlins Park in 2012, while with the Astros.

The Milwaukee Brewers are 49-32 at the halfway point (81 games) of the regular season.  I didn’t see the Brewers winning 98 games this season, did you?

I still believe that the Tampa Bay Rays are going to trade David Price, and I still think that the St. Louis Cardinals will make a big push to get him.  They're going to need help if they want to catch the Brewers in the NL Central.

In the market for Price, look at the Atlanta Braves to also try and get their hands on the former Cy Young award winner, or negotiate with the Cubs for Jeff Samardzija or Hammel. I don’t see the Cubs being very eager to help the Cardinals (their division rivals) with Samardzija or Hammel.  I’m still looking for the Cubs to at least deal Hammel in the next seven to ten days. 

Some hitters that will probably be traded before the July 31st deadline include Seth Smith, Carlos Quentin, and Chase Headley of the Padres.

The LA Dodgers may be forced to trade one of their outfielders not named Yasiel Puig, in order to acquire a shortstop.  Hanley Ramirez’ shoulder injury continues to linger.

The Vanderbilt Commodores won the College World Series.


More from MLB:



Let's go to the NBA and the Miami Heat:

What’s the latest with the Heat and the NBA?

The Miami Heat traded up two picks and got their man: point guard Shabazz Napier.  Just who is this guy?

A two-time NCAA champion with the University of Connecticut, Napier appeared in a school-record 143 career games (98 starts) for the Huskies and averaged 13.7 points, 4.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.76 steals and 32.3 minutes while shooting 41.1 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from three-point range and 81.3 percent from the foul line. He totaled 1,959 points while dishing out 646 assists, becoming the only player in school history to total at least 1,500 points and 500 assists.

During his senior season, Napier helped lead U-Conn to the 2014 NCAA Championship after appearing in 40 games (all starts) and averaging 18.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.83 steals and 35.1 minutes while shooting 42.9 percent from the field, 40.5 percent from three-point range and 87 percent from the foul line. 

Napier was named the 2014 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and earned the 2014 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award. Additionally, he was a unanimous All-Conference First Team selection and named to the AP All-American First Team. He led his team in points (720), rebounds (196), assists (195), steals (73), field goals made (213), three-point field goals made (87) and free throws made (207) while capping his senior season averaging 21.2 points during the NCAA tournament, earning the Final Four and East Regional Most Outstanding Player honors.

Former Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun, who coached Napier his first two seasons, in April called him one of the “greatest players in college basketball in the last 10 to 12 years” and told The New York Times that “his swagger, his positive arrogance about how good we are translates to every single guy.  He’s just a very special player.”

 What does Pat Riley have to say?  

 “Shabazz Napier is a winner, he’s a two-time NCAA champion and he’s one of the elite players in college basketball.”“We feel very fortunate we were able to acquire him and we feel like he fits in extremely well. He has a high motor, high basketball IQ, is a great shooter and has great character.”

 How does LeBron James feel about Napier?

 During the NCAA tournament, LeBron tweeted that there is “No way you take another point guard in the lottery before Napier.”
After the Heat got Napier in Thursday’s draft, LeBron tweeted that Napier is “my favorite player in the draft”.
My take:
It is usually hard to think that a #24 pick in the draft is going to make a huge impact.  However, the selection of a point guard with this pedigree is a positive move for the Heat, especially after Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole under-performed during the NBA finals.  Having watched Napier play with U-Conn the last four years, he is one of those players who make his teammates better.  A good shooter, rebounder, and distributor, this guy can just flat-out play.  He is definitely Pat Riley’s type of player, one who played four years in college, and the fact that LeBron James loves the guy can’t hurt.  

 Chad Ford of ESPN brings us all the picks and his analysis:


Let us move on to the Miami Dolphins and the NFL.

Miami Dolphins blog from Armando Salguero:


Chris Perkins and Omar Kelly bring us their Dolphin blog:


The countdown is on until the Dolphins take the field.  Their first preseason game is just over two months away.  Here are both the Preseason and Regular Season schedules:

2014 MIAMI DOLPHINS Preseason schedule: 

Aug. 8         at Atlanta Falcons             (Fri)    7:00 pm
Aug. 16       at Tampa Bay Bucs           (Sat)     7:00 pm
Aug. 23       Dallas Cowboys                (Sat)     7:00 pm
Aug. 28       St. Louis Rams                 (Thu)    7:00 pm

2014 MIAMI DOLPHINS Regular Season schedule:

Sep. 7         New England Patriots                    1:00 pm
Sep. 14       at Buffalo Bills                              1:00 pm
Sep. 21       Kansas City Chiefs                         4:25 pm
Sep. 28       at Oakland Raiders  (London)         6:00 pm
Oct. 5         BYE
Oct. 12       Green Bay Packers                         1:00 pm
Oct. 19       at Chicago Bears                            1:00 pm
Oct. 26       at Jacksonville Jaguars                  1:00 pm
Nov. 2        San Diego Chargers                         1:00 pm
Nov. 9        at Detroit Lions                              1:00 pm
Nov. 13      Buffalo Bills              (Thu)              8:25 pm
Nov. 23      at Denver Broncos                           4:25 pm
Dec. 1        at New York Jets      (Mon)              8:30 pm
Dec. 7        Baltimore Ravens                           1:00 pm
Dec. 14      at New England Patriots                  1:00 pm
Dec. 21      Minnesota Vikings                           1:00 pm
Dec. 28      New York Jets                                 1:00 pm

For more from around the NFL, here is NFL NATION:


Of course, we can all continue to sleep at night, knowing full well that Aaron Hernandez remains in jail, where he belongs. 

From around the universities,


Manny Navarro and Susan Miller Degnan have more from the University of Miami.


From FIU, David J. Neal of the Herald has the latest in his blog:


Here’s the latest from Tallahassee and the Seminoles:


From Gainesville and the University of Florida:


The Central Florida Knights are in the house:


In other sports,

There is some sort of soccer thing going on in the jungles of Brazil.  The US team lost to Germany, 1-0, on Thursday, but still managed to advance to the Final 16 knockout stage, thanks to Portugal’s 2-1 win over Ghana.  Next up for the Americans is a match against Belgium on Tuesday.  Here is the latest from Brazil:



Just a reminder:  South Florida does have a team in the NHL, and the Florida Panthers will have the number one pick in the NHL draft on Friday.  George Richards of the Herald previews the options for the Cats:


In boxing, Cuban boxer Yuriorkis Gamboa is fighting for the lightweight championship against Terence Crawford on Saturday, in Omaha, against Terence Crawford.  You can catch the fight on HBO’s “Boxing after Dark” starting at 10:00 pm.  Not an easy task for Gamboa, who fought only once in 2012, and once in 2013.  

Another Cuban fighter will be on the main stage, when Erislandy Lara faces Canelo Alvarez on July 12th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in a non-title bout.

Here is Santos Perez’ weekly boxing column in the Miami Herald:


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THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  In the modern era, only two players have had three hits in one inning.  Gene Stephens did it for the Boston Red Sox in 1953.  Who was the other player?  

It was a Red Sox player, it was in 2003, and it happened against the Marlins, eleven years ago today.  Johnny Damon had three hits in the first inning of a game against the Fish, a game in which the Red Sox scored 14 runs in the opening frame, on their way to a 25-8 win.  In that game, Carl Pavano gave up six hits and six runs, facing only six batters.  Michael Tejera followed Pavano by giving up four hits, a walk and five runs, facing only those five hitters.  Hard to believe that Marlins team won the World Series that season.


Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.  HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!
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Monday, June 23, 2014

It is Monday, so let’s go to the Blog.

We begin with Major League Baseball.

TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  What pitcher holds the major league record for wins despite all of his pitching appearances coming in relief?  The answer comes later, alligator.

The Marlins ended a disappointing home stand with another loss against the Metropolitans.  The Fish ended their longest home stand of the season with a 3-7 record, and fell below .500 for the first time since April 30th.  They have now lost 12 of their last 18 games at home, after going a major-league best 19-6 during their first 25 home games this season.

There is a silver lining to this black cloud.  They are still only 2 ½ games behind first place, in third place, behind the Washington Nats and the Atlanta Braves.

The Marlins are in Philadelphia to take on the Phillies in a four-game series starting Monday, before returning home to take on the best team in the AL, the Oakland A’s.  The Phillies will then invade Marlins Park on Tuesday, July 1, for a three-game series.    
Here are the probable pitchers for the Phillies series this week:

Monday         Nathan Eovaldi vs Roberto Hernandez    7:10 pm
Tuesday     Andrew Heaney vs David Buchanan          4:10 pm
Wednesday Henderson Alvarez vs AJ Burnett             7:10 pm
Thursday     Tom Koehler vs Cole Hamels                  7:10 pm

In other Marlins news,

Rafael Furcal, who is redefining the term “fragile” by adding it as part of his name, was placed on the DL with yet another leg injury.  Derek Dietrich is back with the team after a stint in the minors.  This might be Dietrich’s last chance to shine on the major league roster.


Click below for yesterday’s recaps and results in the major leagues:



Here are the standings in MLB:


Today’s complete schedule in the major leagues:


Here are the individual leaders in the majors:


Some other things I’m keeping my eye on around the diamonds:

The powers that be at MLB need to address the issue of catcher’s obstruction.  It would help if they could just define what it is and what it isn’t.  That recent call against Pirates catcher Russell Martin was ridiculous, at best.  It was a force play, for Pete’s sake.
  
After injuries to Michael Wacha and Jaime Garcia, keep your eyes on the St. Louis Cardinals to make an effort to try and make a deal with Tampa Bay for David Price.  

In the market for Price, look at the Atlanta Braves to also try and get their hands on the former Cy Young award winner, or negotiate with the Cubs for Jeff Samardzija or Hammel. 

I don’t see the Cubs being very eager to help the Cardinals (their division rivals) with Samardzija or Hammel.  The Cubs are  still trying to work out a long-term contract with Samardzija, but it is pretty apparent that Hammel will be traded within the next week to ten days.  

Speaking of the trade market, watch what the Dodgers do.  Wouldn’t shock me to see them trade an outfielder. (one not named Yasiel Puig)

The San Diego Padres are one of the most disappointing teams this year, and that cost GM Josh Byrnes his job.  Yasmani Grandal is hitting .191; Yonder Alonso is hitting .210; Everth Cabrera comes in at a crisp .222; Chase Headley is pounding the baseball with a .200 batting average.  In the outfield, our old friend Cameron Maybin is always injured, as is Carlos Quentin and Will Venable has a .204 batting average.  Their payroll is over $90 million this year, up from $68 million last year, and $55 million in 2012.  To sum it up, that is how a GM loses his job.  Once the Padres decide on a new GM, they will be sellers.  

The AL Central is very competitive this year.  The Tigers have rebounded and are back in first place after winning their last four, while the Royals have lost four in a row after their recent ten-game winning streak.  Cleveland and Minnesota are just 5 games back, and just 2 games under .500, with the White Sox in the basement, but only 7 games behind Detroit.    

I love the College World Series, but it just isn’t the same when the Canes aren’t there.


More from MLB:



Let's go to the NBA and the Miami Heat:

What’s the latest with the Heat and the NBA?

I know that LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade have opt-out options.  I don’t know what’s going to happen, however, with the Big Three Era here in Miami.  I do know that Carmelo Anthony will explore his options as a free agent.  I’m also pretty sure that he will not be coming here.




Let us move on to the Miami Dolphins and the NFL.

Dolphin News from the Herald and Sun Sentinel:





Here’s more on the Miami Dolphins from Armando Salguero:


Chris Perkins and Omar Kelly bring us their Dolphin blog:


The countdown is on until the Dolphins take the field.  Their first preseason game is just over two months away.  Here are both the Preseason and Regular Season schedules:

2014 MIAMI DOLPHINS Preseason schedule: 

Aug. 8         at Atlanta Falcons             (Fri)    7:00 pm
Aug. 16       at Tampa Bay Bucs           (Sat)     7:00 pm
Aug. 23       Dallas Cowboys                (Sat)     7:00 pm
Aug. 28       St. Louis Rams                 (Thu)    7:00 pm

2014 MIAMI DOLPHINS Regular Season schedule:

Sep. 7         New England Patriots                    1:00 pm
Sep. 14       at Buffalo Bills                              1:00 pm
Sep. 21       Kansas City Chiefs                         4:25 pm
Sep. 28       at Oakland Raiders  (London)         6:00 pm
Oct. 5         BYE
Oct. 12       Green Bay Packers                         1:00 pm
Oct. 19       at Chicago Bears                            1:00 pm
Oct. 26       at Jacksonville Jaguars                  1:00 pm
Nov. 2        San Diego Chargers                         1:00 pm
Nov. 9        at Detroit Lions                              1:00 pm
Nov. 13      Buffalo Bills              (Thu)              8:25 pm
Nov. 23      at Denver Broncos                           4:25 pm
Dec. 1        at New York Jets      (Mon)              8:30 pm
Dec. 7        Baltimore Ravens                           1:00 pm
Dec. 14      at New England Patriots                  1:00 pm
Dec. 21      Minnesota Vikings                           1:00 pm
Dec. 28      New York Jets                                 1:00 pm

For more from around the NFL, here is NFL NATION:


Of course, we can all continue to sleep at night, knowing full well that Aaron Hernandez remains in jail, where he belongs. 

From around the universities,

Manny Navarro and Susan Miller Degnan have more from the University of Miami.


From FIU, David J. Neal of the Herald has the latest in his blog:


Here’s the latest from Tallahassee and the Seminoles:


From Gainesville and the University of Florida:


The Central Florida Knights are in the house:


In other sports,

There is some sort of soccer thing going on in the jungles of Brazil.  I hear the people yelling “USA, USA!” all the time, and although they were tied by Portugal in the last second of their game on Sunday, things look pretty good for them to advance out of their group into the next round.  Here is the latest from Brazil:


Here is Santos Perez’ weekly boxing column in the Miami Herald:


Once again, I want to congratulate Santos Perez on his induction into the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame this past weekend.  Also inducted were long-time friends Walter Alvarez and Tutico Zabala.  Here is the complete story from the Herald:


In case you missed reading this in the last blog . . . . . 

PAY ATTENTION HERE . . . THIS IS IMPORTANT

The recent decision by the US Patent and Trademark Office to cancel the registration of the Washington Redskins football team due to the “disparaging nature” of the name brings up the question of what’s next?

Somebody in Washington, DC has very little to do if they are really concerned about the Redskins name being offensive.  Personally, I find it more offensive that for decades, the baseball team in Washington was named the “Senators”.  Talk about derogatory, naming a team after a corrupt group of politicians . . . . 

Here is more history for you history buffs:

The nickname “Redskins” came long before the team started playing in Washington.  They began playing football in 1932, in Boston, where they were known as the “Braves”.  They changed the name to the Redskins in 1933, before moving the team to Washington, DC in 1937.  

During the early years of the NFL, most teams were struggling to draw fans to the game, and they tried to “piggyback” on the names of baseball teams to help.  For example, in Chicago, the Cubs’ success led to George Halas naming his NFL team the Bears; in Detroit, the Lions followed the Tigers, in Boston, it was the Boston Braves; in New York, the NFL team was known as the Yankees for a while, and later the Giants.

"Redskin" was used throughout the English-speaking world throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as a common term of reference for indigenous Americans. However, the more commonly used term from early colonization through the twentieth century was "Indian", perpetuating Columbus' belief that he had found the Indies.  

Although most people assume that the word “redskin” refers to the natural skin color of the North American Indians, there is more than ample documentation and historical proof that it was conferred on the native inhabitants of the colonies by the British colonists, because of the red paint they wore in battle.  The first use of red-skin or red Indian may have been limited to specific groups that used red pigments to decorate their bodies, such as the Beothuk people of Newfoundland who painted their bodies with red pigment.  Redskin referred not to the natural skin color of the people, but to their use of vermilion face paint and body paint.  The indigenous peoples of the continent had no common identity, and referred to themselves using individual tribal names, which is also preferred to the present day.  Group identity for Native Americans only emerged during the late 18th and early 19th century, in the context of negotiations between many tribes signing a single treaty with the United States, where Native American Chiefs referred to themselves and the tribes they represented, with words translated into English as "red skins”. 

Is it offensive or not?  A poll commissioned by Sports Illustrated in 2002 found that 75% of American Indians polled did not object to the Redskins name.  In 2004, a poll conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania found that 91% of the American Indians surveyed in the 48 states of the US Mainland found the name acceptable.I cannot join the number of people that opine on this subject, but I can cite an example of a high school in Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, where the students are 98% Native Americans.  Their mascot name of choice?  The Redskins.

Here is a very interesting story on the history of Chief Wahoo, the logo of the Cleveland Indians:


WHAT’S NEXT IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S AGENDA: 

THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA

Obviously, they need to start by changing the name of the state of Oklahoma.  The word Oklahoma is derived from Choctaw Indian words which translate as red people (“okla" meaning "people" and “humma” meaning “red”).

CHANGE THESE NATIVE AMERICAN NAMES AS WELL:

Florida State Seminoles
San Diego State Aztecs
Illinois Fighting Illini
Cleveland Indians
Atlanta Braves
Kansas City Chiefs
Chicago Blackhawks
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Central Michigan Chippewas
Dallas Cowboys

OTHER GROUPS MAY BE OFFENDED BY:

New York Yankees - (The term “Yankee” was a derogatory term used by the British Army to make fun of the American army during the Revolutionary War.)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 
Ohio Wesleyan University Fighting Bishops
Coachella Valley Arabs
Minnesota Vikings
Milwaukee Brewers
New York Mets - (ACRONYM - My Entire Team Sucks)
Pittsburgh Pirates 
East Carolina Pirates
Sweet Briar College Vixens 
Yuma Criminals
Orofino Maniacs
Watersmeet Nimrods
Williamsport Millionaires
Centrallia Orphans (boys) Annies (girls) 
Hoopestown Cornjerkers
Nashville Predators
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

SEXUAL INNUENDO:

Alabama Crimson Tide (usually followed by menstruation jokes)
Colorado Rocky Mountain Oysters (bull testicles)
Oregon State Beavers (female anatomy)
Ohio State Buckeyes (a tree that produces a small, hairless nut)
Toronto Blue Jays (commonly referred to as the BJ’s)
Virginia Tech Hokies (castrated turkeys)

VILE ANIMALS:

Arizona Diamondbacks - a venomous snake
South Carolina Gamecocks - glamorizing cockfighting?
Delaware Blue Hens - chickens used in cockfighting for soldiers’ entertainment during Revolutionary War
Florida Gators - talk about a vile creature
UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs - Yeech
Trinity Christian College Trolls

RELIGIOUS OVERTONES:

New Jersey Devils
New Orleans Saints
Wake Forest Deamon Deacons
Northwestern State University Demons
Kaukauna Galloping Ghosts

DISASTERS (natural or otherwise) THAT CAUSE INJURIES, PROPERTY DAMAGE, AND EVEN DEATH

University of Miami Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricane
University of Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
University of New England Nor’easters
Iowa State Cyclones
Booker T. Washington Tornadoes
Oklahoma City Thunder
Tampa Bay Lightning
San Jose Earthquakes
Colorado Avalanche
Miami Heat
Calgary Flames  - (originally the Atlanta Flames). - named after General William T. Sherman’s burning of Atlanta during the Civil War

DUMB NAMES OR NAMES THAT ARE NO LONGER RELEVANT:

LA Dodgers - Dodgers name was for the Brooklyn folks who used to “dodge” trolley trains in Brooklyn

LA Lakers - Originally in Minnesota, land of 1,000 lakes

Utah Jazz - Good while the team was in New Orleans

Orlando Magic - since the Magic Kingdom is near Orlando

Washington Wizards - ???

Golden State Warriors - originally the Philadelphia Warriors.  Hell, their logo is a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - really?

Georgetown Hoyas - Although their mascot is the picture of a bulldog, the word “hoya” is Greek for “what”.

HERE ARE SOME GREAT NICKNAMES, (usually from minor league baseball, or colleges and universities):

Savannah Sand Gnats
Richmond Fighting Squirrels
Batavia Muck Dogs
Portland Sea Dogs
Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs
Montgomery Biscuits
Asheville Tourists
St. Louis College of Pharmacy Eutectics
University of Akron Zips
Wichita State Shockers
Scottsdale Community College Artichokes

Bottom line, there is no consensus as to whether or not Native Americans are or are not offended by these mascot names.  Is it appropriate to name teams after natural disasters?  The burning of a city?  The Anti-Christ?  Vile animals?  

Methinks the federal government should stay out of stuff like this.  Maybe they should concern themselves with stuff that truly is relevant to the well-being of the entire United States. It seems to me that any one could take offense to any nickname.

From his Twitter account, here’s what Robert Griffin III, quarterback of the Washington Redskins, has to say:

“In a land of freedom we are held hostage by the tyranny of political correctness.  Tyranny - a condition imposed by some outside agency or force <living under the tyranny of the clock or political correctness….”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  What pitcher holds the major league record for wins despite all of his pitching appearances coming in relief?

Sparky Lyle, who won 99 games during his career.


Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.
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