Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Clippers' season a success despite falling short


In what's been a memorable year for the Los Angeles Clippers who went from being a sub .500 ball club (32-50) just a year ago to a 5th seed and advancing to the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs this season, the franchise was struck with an early exit. After a back and forth battle which featured a decisive game 7 victory on the road against the 4th seeded Memphis Grizzlies, the Clippers were given the daunting task of having to go up against the no. 1 seeded San Antonio Spurs. Fresh off their sweep of the Utah Jazz in the first round, San Antonio's veteran experience proved to be too much for a banged up Clippers squad who saw their 2012 campaign end much sooner than many would've hoped. After tying the Chicago Bulls for a league-best record of 50-16 during the regular season, the Gregg Popovich-led Spurs continued doing what they've done all season long -- winning, by moving to a perfect record of 8-0 this post-season and pulling off the sweep of the Clippers, serving as a blockade to L.A.'s magical run.

Despite being eliminated, the Clippers' season ended with their heads held high. Having been in the shadow of their Los Angeles counterparts -- the Lakers who the Clippers share a venue with, L.A.'s "other team" was given a different wrap in 2012 thanks in large part to a newly constructed roster which featured newcomers Kenyon Martin, Chauncey Billups, Mo Williams, Caron Butler, Nick Young, and All-Star Chris Paul. Coupled with returning players DeAndre Jordan and the high-flying Blake Griffin, the Clippers would showcase one of the West's better teams. Unfortunately, a season-ending injury sustained to Chauncey Billups would put a dent in the Clippers' season and spell doom for their chances of winning the franchise's first NBA title. Had Billups been healthy, there's no telling how the seeding would've shaped up and where the Clippers would be right now. My guess is they'd still be alive and well. Instead the organization and their fans will have to sit back and wait alongside the 26 other teams who's season has also ended. 

Although they might not have reached the ultimate goal this season, 2012 was still a success for the Clippers who not only gave their fans something to cheer about other than a Blake Griffin highlight-dunk, but also made only their eighth trip to the post-season in franchise history and fifth time since moving to Los Angeles in 1984. And with the nucleus of talent they have now, a season of experience having played with one another can't hurt and should only help the team in 2013. The biggest question mark regarding the team, however, is whether or not head coach Vinny Del Negro who's been at the helm in L.A. since 2010 will be the one on the sidelines drawing up plays for a fourth season. While the head coaching position begs a question, one thing that is certain is that the Clippers won't be taken lightly by other teams heading into the season like they have been in years passed. 


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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Bryce Harper's wild first two weeks in the Majors

Though it's only been two weeks since the Washington Nationals decided to call up their 2010 number one overall draft pick and phenom Bryce Harper, there's not much the 19-year old hasn't done already at the big league level in what looks to be the beginning of a promising career. Making his much anticipated Major League debut on the road against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Harper wasted little time to record his first big league hit as he did so in his third at-bat of the ballgame with a double to left-center field over the head of Matt Kemp before later adding a sacrifice-fly. With one out in the bottom of the seventh inning and runners on first and second, the Las Vegas native and LVHS alum would also showcase his cannon of an arm after fielding an A.J. Ellis single and throwing a strike to catcher Wilson Ramos in time to snag the runner at home, but Ramos failed to hang on to the ball, allowing the run to score. Unfortunately Harper's debut would then be overshadowed by the red-hot Matt Kemp who stole the show with a walk-off home run in the 10th inning as the Nationals fell to the Dodgers, 4-3. 

After receiving a warm welcome from the Nationals fan base during Harper's first home stand in Washington, Cole Hamels of the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies gave Harper a welcome of his own in front of a nationally televised audience with a bean ball to the lower back on the first pitch he saw. Later in the inning after advancing to third on a single by Jayson Werth, Harper would get a bit of revenge by stealing home plate on an attempted pick-off throw to first. Among those to congratulate Harper on his rare steal was teammate Mark DeRosa who's been nursing a sore left oblique muscle since late-April. DeRosa aggravated that same injury when the two exchanged high-fives, extending his time on the shelf. But similar to his first big league hit, his first steal would come in a losing effort as the Nats went on to lose the ballgame, 9-3. The biggest news however, would come after the game when Hamels admitted to intentionally throwing at Harper. "I was trying to hit him," Hamels said. "I'm not going to deny it." Little did Hamels know his comments would land him a 5-game suspension issued out by the Commissioners office as well as some backlash dished out by a variety of managers throughout the league who were opposed to Hamels purposely throwing at Harper for no apparent reason. 

And though Hamels' beanball was received without leaving a cool battle wound to brag about and show his friends, the mark left by Harper's bat tells a different tale. On a night he went 0-for-5 against the Reds, Harper vented some frustration by swinging a bat against the dugout wall which ended up bouncing back and catching the 2010 Golden Spikes Award winner right above the eye. With blood running down the side of his cheek, the cut which would require ten stitches looked like something out of a Gladiator scene with Harper's face-paint and eye black the only thing missing. If anything, that shot to the head was just what Harper needed to wake up the sleeping giant from his slump. Two games later, Harper would connect for his first Major League home run with a solo shot to center field off of Padres pitcher Tim Stauffer in the third inning, worthy of a curtain call. And after rounding the bases and receiving high-fives in the dugout from his teammates without hurting anybody this time, Harper ran up the stairs and acknowledged the fans still standing and applauding the 19-year old on what should be his first of many round-trippers. 

So just to recap the first few weeks of Bryce Harper's Major League endeavors, the kid has already stolen home, has a pair of home runs under his belt, was intentionally thrown at, injured a teammate, stirred up a bit of controversy and received his first medical bill (ten stitches). Pretty event-filled if you asked me. And with a young crop of talented hitters in Harper, Wilson Ramos and Ryan Zimmerman as well as veterans Jayson Werth and Michael Morse and pitchers Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmerman in the rotation, the Nationals' rebuilding phase appears to have finally payed off with the ball club currently sitting atop the NL East at 22-13 and beginning to play a winning brand of baseball the city of Washington has waited so desperately to see since the organization relocated from Montreal and changed their name from the Expos in 2005. With almost all of their top prospects panning out at the Major League level and other organizations within the division only getting older and beginning to deteriorate, it wouldn't surprise me if the Nationals end up taking off in a similar way that the Tampa Bay Rays did a few years ago in '08. 


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Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Humber, Weaver hurling History



27 Up, 27 Down - Though we're still in the early stages of the 2012 MLB season only a month in, there's been no shortage of excitement as we've seen not one, but two of the game's more remarkable achievements already. Unless you're a fan of the New York Mets who selected him out of Rice University with the third overall pick in the 2004 Draft or one of the teams he bounced around with before eventually landing in the south side of Chicago where he's fit nicely as the no. 5 starter, it's unlikely you've heard the name Philip Humber more than once or twice if at all. At least that was the case until Saturday April 21 when Humber pitched his way into the history books by throwing the 21st perfect game in MLB history. Needing only 96 pitches, Humber struck out 9 batters while tossing the third perfect game in White Sox franchise history (19th no-hitter) by blanking the Seattle Mariners in their own home of Safeco Field by a final score of 4-0.

After a successful college career, Humber was thought to be one of the bright up and coming talents in the game. But some early struggles at the Minor League level coupled with Tommy John surgery would keep him on the shelf for awhile, forcing him to claw and fight his way back onto a big league roster. It wasn't until January of 2011 when Humber was given another chance after being claimed off waivers by Chicago where he found pitching coach Don Cooper. The two gelled immediately and worked on a few adjustments in Humber's pitching mechanics which proved to be vital in the right-hander's turnaround, helping the 29 year old Humber log a 9-9 win-loss record and a 3.75 ERA in 26 starts last season, his first full year in the majors.

Having gone the first eight frames without allowing a single three-ball count, it seemed almost inevitable that Humber would complete the feat without the fear of walking a single batter. However, Humber's bid for a perfecto was threatened not once, but twice in the ninth inning when Mariners outfielder Michael Saunders drew threw consecutive balls before eventually striking out to lead off the inning. It was then that you almost knew the Baseball Gods wouldn't let anything tarnish Humber's gem. And after the pinch-hitting John Jaso flew out to right field, it was all up to Mariners shortstop Brendan Ryan who stepped up to the plate and worked the count full. The final pitch would also be the most controversial as Humber challenged Ryan with a slider that bounced into the dirt. Ryan attempted to check his swing, but swung just enough to convince home plate umpire Brian Runge that he went around. Instead of running to first, Ryan argued the call, allowing White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski to throw the ball to first for the final out.

After getting the 27th out, Humber's teammates poured from out of the dugout and raced in from the outfield to mob him on top of the mound where they celebrated his remarkable accomplishment before later receiving a congratulatory phone call from longtime fan of the White Sox, President Barack Obama.


Leave it to Weaver - Since the Angels' busy off-season which not only brought All-Star's Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson aboard, but also a ton of hype along with them, Halo fans have had little to cheer about after getting off to a poor 7-15 start prior to their series with the lowly Minnesota Twins. But a series sweep and a no-hitter could be the shot in the arm Angels manager Mike Socia and company have been looking for in hopes of getting the team back on track. And with Halos ace Jered Weaver on the mound, the team was able to accomplish both. Less than two weeks after 2012 saw its first no-hitter thrown by Chicago's Phil Humber which came in the form of a perfect game, Weaver got in on the fun by twirling a gem of his own.

With 27,288 fans in attendance and on their feet cheering on the Northridge, California native, many of which were friends and family of Weaver's, the 29-year old right-hander made history after getting Twins shorstop Alexi Castilla to fly-out to deep right field for the final out of the ballgame, sealing the no-hitter and romping Minnesota in the process, 9-0. Weaver's line included 9 K's and 1 BB on 121 pitches with his only blemishes coming in the form of a strikeout-passed ball by catcher Chris Iannetta and a 2-out walk in the 7th when Josh Willingham reached base safely. Obviously not as impressive, but dominant nonetheless was the Angels offense who's bats awoken to tie a season-high in runs with 9 and set a season-high in hits with 15. Both contributed to help complete the sweep of the Twins and get the Angels their first three-game winning-streak of the season.

Angels fans are no stranger to the no-no as they've seen 10 Halos accomplish the feat in the ball club's 51-year existence, one of those coming last year from Ervin Santana who tossed a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians. Weaver almost joined that club several years ago when he and Angels reliever Jose Arredondo combined to no-hit the cross-town rival Los Angeles Dodgers on the road through 8 innings, but still lost the game, 1-0, preventing him from etching his name into the record books much earlier. With both the hitting and pitching doing their part and finally coming alive it seems, could this be a springboard to get the Angels out of their last place funk and back into the division race? The way the Angels clubhouse celebrated Weaver's no-no, you would've thought they just won game 7 of the World Series, something many analysts and fans of baseball predicted they'd do this season.


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