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
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
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
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
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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