Over the last few years in baseball, it almost seemed like a trend or better yet a given that the game's marquee free-agents would either land in New York, Philadelphia, or Boston during the off-season. But since last season, no place has been a better big name attraction than Los Angeles. Better known for its warm weather and sandy beaches, L.A. has quickly formed into a baseball haven.
As if the Los Angeles Dodgers weren't already the team to watch in the National League next season preparing to begin their 2013 campaign with the super team they tried forming during mid-season last year, they've surely solidified their case this off-season. Continuing what began in late July last season when the Dodgers traded for former NL Batting Champion Hanley Ramirez and All-Star reliever Brandon League before later adding Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Nick Punto in an August blockbuster deal with the Boston Red Sox, the Blue Crew have yet to put down their checkbooks and take a break from their free-spending. Earlier this week Dodgers GM Ned Colletti confirmed the signings of Korean All-Star hurler Hyun-Jin Ryu and 2009 Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke.
Refusing to play second fiddle in the city of angels to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim who had the most expensive off-season ever last year when signing Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson to a combined $317.5 Million, the Dodgers have quickly evolved into the NL's version of the New York Yankees and have been this year's most active ball club. Shortly after committing close to $62 Million on Ryu which included the $25.7 Million posting fee to negotiate with the Korean Baseball League veteran, the Dodgers made Greinke the highest paid right-handed pitcher in MLB history, inking him to a six-year, $146 Million pact. Hoping to improve in the pitching department, seeing as their nemesis in northern California -- the San Francisco Giants just won their second World Series title in three years backed by a dominant pitching staff, the Dodgers plan to make some noise of their own by adding a second Cy Young Award winner into the rotation.
The combination of Clayton Kershaw who took home NL Cy Young honors in 2011 and Greinke who won the hardware in the AL while with the Kansas City Royals in 2009 could be a lethal duo in an already pitching dominant division and should challenge the Giants for the NL West title. Splitting the season with the Milwaukee Brewers before being traded to the Angels in late July, Greinke posted a record of 15-5 with an ERA of 3.48 in 2012, eclipsing the 200 mark in both strikeouts and innings pitched. A season after the franchise filed for bankruptcy before falling into the hands of Guggenheim Baseball Management which includes former NBA great Magic Johnson for $2 Billion, the Dodgers who's current payroll sits at $225 Million, will more than likely begin the 2013 season with the highest payroll in baseball history, surpassing the previous mark set in 2005 by the New York Yankees ($209 Million).
And while the 2013 payroll of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim doesn't quite compete with that of their southern California relatives, sitting at $160 Million, that doesn't mean they don't have a team that's even better on paper. Though the Dodgers own a better pitching staff than their cross-town rivals, the Angels' lineup is much more superior thanks in large part to owner Arte Moreno's spending which enabled GM Jerry Dipoto to land the most coveted player in free-agency for the second consecutive year. A year after signing Albert Pujols to a mega deal and prying former Rangers ace C.J. Wilson from the hands of their division rivals, the Angels have once again made it clear that they're going for it all in 2013, this time by adding former AL MVP Josh Hamilton to a five-year, $125 Million contract. Finishing his 2012 season with a .285 batting average, 128 RBIs, a .930 OPS and a career-high 43 home runs, Hamilton finished fifth in the AL MVP voting and was named Silver Slugger for the third time in his career.
While many are quick to say the Angels have taken a roll of the dice with the blockbuster signing of Hamilton, a 5-time All-Star who brings baggage along with him which includes a history of injuries as well as alcohol and drug problems, Moreno sees it as a way to improve the ball club and enhance their chances of bringing the organization its second World Series Championship and its first under Moreno who bought the team in '03. Though one relapse can spell doom for the 31-year old Hamilton, he'll have a supportive cast to keep him clean along his journey. Alongside his family, Hamilton will have Pujols, Wilson who lives a straightedge lifestyle and his accountability partner, Shayne Kelley to help keep him out of trouble and away from his former demons that derailed his career in earlier years. Along with stealing their best player, the acquisition of Hamilton should also be enough to steal the AL West in 2013, leaving the Texas Rangers and Oakland A's on the outside looking in.
Hoping to improve their starting rotation following the departures of Greinke and Dan Haren, the Halos have acquired Tommy Hanson, Joe Blanton and Jason Vargas this off-season and have added Ryan Madson and Sean Burnett to their relief corps. But even with an average pitching staff led by ace Jared Weaver, the Angels will be doing most of their winning with their offense. With Mike Trout leading off, Hamilton will more than likely protect Pujols as Anaheim's cleanup hitter which gives them three potential MVP candidates. Not to be forgotten is the power-hitting hometown kid -- Mark Trumbo. Combined they form a nice little rendition of the 1927 New York Yankees better known as "Murderers' Row." But along with the excitement revolving this new breeding ground for baseball superstars comes the expectations of winning championships. Something the Dodgers haven't done since 1988 and the Angels haven't accomplished since 2002. With a Battle of the Bay as well as a Subway Series World Series already in the books, could this be the year we're finally treated to a Freeway Series in the Fall Classic?
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If there was any one game football fans had circled on their calendar in week 15, it was the Sunday Night showdown between the 9-3-1 San Francisco 49ers and the 10-3 New England Patriots. In what many predicted to be a Super Bowl preview coming into the season, the meeting between these two teams would be nothing short of a classic. Expected to be a dog fight from play one in the cool, rainy climate of New England's Foxborough Stadium, all eyes were on the 49ers and how well they would adjust to the conditions. Having won 21 straight games at home in the month of December, the Patriots would witness one of the greatest streaks in NFL history finally come to an end.
Making his return to New England where he called home for 3 1/2 seasons and set numerous receiving records alongside Tom Brady, Randy Moss would make this a homecoming to remember as he capped off the 49ers opening-drive on offense by hauling in a 24-yard touchdown reception to put San Francisco up early, 7-0. After a Steven Gostkowski field goal, Colin Kaepernick connected with his tight-end Delanie Walker from 34-yards out for his second touchdown pass in as many quarters. In what would be a slippery turnover fest highlighted by five fumbles and an interception, the 49ers took a 17-3 lead into the locker room at the half following a David Akers field goal, but could have easily been up by more.
Facing the team he grew up rooting for, Tom Brady would soon find himself needing to channel his inner boyhood idol in Joe Montana as the Patriots found themselves trailing, 31-3 in the third quarter after the 49ers capitalized on a Steven Ridley fumble and a Brady interception. San Francisco turned the two costly mistakes into 14-points in a matter of only 18 seconds, giving New England their largest deficit at home since November of 1998 vs the Atlanta Falcons. While the game appeared to be out of reach right then and there as San Francisco had their boot on the neck of their opponent, Brady rallied the troops and eventually tied the game as the Patriots scored 28 unanswered-points to tie the game at 31-all. Though blowing a 28-point lead would be demoralizing for the average quarterback making only his fifth career start, the debacle only fueled Colin Kaepernick who stole the momentum right back by finding Michael Crabtree for a 38-yard touchdown set up by a brilliant 62-yard kick return from rookie LaMichael James.
In need of some help from the Niners defense which would later allow the most points ever under coach Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco got back-to-back stops including a turnover on downs that gave New England a season-high four turnovers and set David Akers up for his second field goal on the day. Brady would follow up by marching his team down field for a field goal of their own to bring them within a touchdown, but his late game heroics wouldn't be enough as New England failed to recover the ensuing on-side kick, giving the 49ers the 41-34 win, snapping the Patriots seven game winning-streak and handing them their first home loss in the month of December since 2002. For the 49ers, the win against the Patriots was their first since 1995 and the first on the road in New England since '92. With the victory, San Francisco improved to 10-3-1 on the year and clinched a playoff berth for the second consecutive season.
Noteworthy: 49ers defensive-end Aldon Smith failed to tally a sack to add to his league-leading sacks total and chase of Michael Strahan's single-season sacks record, but did manage to record his first career interception. Tom Brady threw for 443 yards on 65 attempts, while throwing for a touchdown and rushing for another. Colin Kaepernick threw for a career-high 4 touchdowns against only 1 interception and added 221 passing yards. Frank Gore led all rushers with 83 yards on 21 carries. Michael Crabtree hauled in 7 receptions for 107 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead SF. Former 49er Brandon Lloyd finished with 10 receptions for 190 yards. San Francisco won the turnover battle, 4-2.
Week 16 Preview: In case Week 15's visit to New England wasn't enough, the 49ers will get set to pay Seattle a visit where they'll take on the red-hot Seattle Seahawks and the 12th Man in the most hostile environment known to a visiting football team. With the NFC West still undecided, the 49ers can clinch the division with a win against the Seahawks, but it won't be an easy task as Seattle appears to be a different team since their Week 7 meeting in which the 49ers won at home, having scored 50-points or more in back-to-back games. But after watching the 49ers defining all odds to leave New England with a win, I'm putting my money on San Francisco winning this one, 24-17, in what should be a game highlighted by defense and some power running from both Frank Gore and Marshawn Lynch.
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Coming off a disappointing loss on the road to the St. Louis Rams who the 49ers fell to in overtime in Week 13, Colin Kaepernick and company returned home in hopes of avenging the young quarterback's first career loss as a starter by getting back in the win column and inching closer to a second consecutive NFC Western Division title. Facing a Miami Dolphins team led by rookie quarterback Ryan Tannenhill, all signs pointed towards the 49ers having a relatively easy day. But with neither team off to a hot start, the game remained close and would be up for grabs until the final minutes.
With the Dolphins winning the coin-toss and electing to differ, it was up to the 49ers to set the tone on offense. Wasting no time to challenge Miami's defense, Kaepernick, the second-year QB out of Nevada, connected with his tight-end Delanie Walker for a 20-yard pickup on the first play from scrimmage. But a fumble just several plays later on the same drive would derail any plans the 49ers had of getting on the board early. Luckily offensive tackle Anthony Davis was nearby to recover the ball after the sack and prevent an early disaster. With both teams exchanging punts, the game would remain scoreless heading into the second quarter. But not for long as the combination of Tannenhill and running back Reggie Bush stringed together a nice drive on Miami's second possession, ending in a Dan Carpenter field goal to put the Dolphins on top, 3-0.
Answering with a field goal of their own and with the game tied, 3-3, the 49ers began marching down the field with ease and seemed destined for the end zone. But with no timeouts left and the clock being a factor, San Francisco's most successful drive yet would be cut short, forcing coach Harbaugh to bring in David Akers for his second field goal of the day to give the 49ers a 6-3 lead at the half. With three-and-outs from both teams to begin the second half, the Dolphins special teams would shoot themselves in the foot with a costly turnover as Marcus Thigpen's muffed punt return set the 49ers up inside the 10-yard line and once again within striking distance. Two plays later, Frank Gore would capitalize on the miscue by plowing into the end zone from 1-yard out for the easy score. And while Gore would later eclipse the 1,000 yard mark for the sixth time in his career during the game, the touchdown tied him with Joe Perry and Roger Craig for the most rushing touchdowns in 49ers franchise history with 50.
Trailing 13-3, Miami would make it a 7-point game after Carpenter's 53-yard field goal. But another rushing touchdown this time from Anthony Dixon, would increase San Francisco's lead to 20-6 in the 4th quarter. In need of a touchdown to stand any chance of making a comeback, the Dolphins found themselves in a fourth and goal inside the 5 yard line. Throwing into the left corner of the end zone, Tannenhill connected with his tight-end Anthony Fasano who made a spectacular one-handed grab to make it a 20-13 game and pull his team within a touchdown. After turning the ball over on downs with a chance to tie it following another San Francisco three and out, Colin Kaepernick would put the finishing touches on the ballgame by trotting into the end zone untouched from 50 yards out for the dagger, sealing the 27-13 victory.
Noteworthy: Rookie running back LaMichael James who was a standout at the University of Oregon and set numerous rushing records at the collegiate level, made his NFL debut, logging 30 yards on 8 rushes. Frank Gore and Reggie Bush each ran for 60+ yards. Michael Crabtree led all receivers with 93 yards on 9 receptions. Colin Kaepernick threw for 185 and Ryan Tannenhill tallied 150 yards passing.
Week 15 Preview: Improving to 9-3-1 on the year after their rout of the Dolphins, the 49ers get set to hit the road for a 2-game road trip against two of the most difficult teams to face in their respective venues. And though the 49ers do own a pair of solid road wins under their belt this year at the disposal of the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 and the New Orleans Saints in Week 12, their Week 15 match-up is a whole different animal. Having won 21 consecutive games at home in the month of December, the 10-3 New England Patriots will look to add to that mark in front of a nationally televised audience as both teams get set to square off on NBC's Sunday Night Football in a clash between the league's most stingiest defense and the NFL's highest-scoring offense. Winners of their last seven games including a blowout win on Monday night over the visiting Houston Texans which boasts one of the top defenses in the AFC, the Patriots have already won the AFC East and hope to ride their hot streak into the playoffs. And just like the 49ers defense which will have their hands full with MVP candidate Tom Brady, New England's offensive-line will also have plenty on their plate as they hope to contain 49ers defensive-end Aldon Smith who enters Sunday's meeting three sacks behind Michael Strahan's single-season sacks record (22.5).
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If you love the San Francisco Giants as much as I do, you're probably still celebrating the fact that for the second time in three years they're World Series champions. And while the fans and players are still busy soaking it all in, the Giants front-office has been equally as busy this off-season, making moves in preparation of doing it all over again next year. With key contributions during the team's improbable playoff run coming from Jeremy Affeldt in the bullpen and both Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro at the plate, general manager Brian Sabean made it his off-season priority to bring back all three players. And on the opening day of Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings, Sabean who also had his contract extended on Tuesday, managed to have all three players crossed off of the Giants wishlist.
Though reliever Jeremy Affeldt who's become a mainstay in the Giants bullpen since 2009 signed his new three-year, $18 Million deal several weeks ago in mid-November, the Giants filled not one, but two vacancies in their batting order on Tuesday by signing Pagan to a four-year, $40 Million contract and Scutaro to a three-year, $20 Million pact after the two were said to have spoke to other teams. While the Philadelphia Phillies reportedly offered Pagan a four-year deal, the St. Louis Cardinals who Marco Scutaro took home NLCS MVP honors against with a .500 batting average, offered the 37 year old second baseman a multi-year deal. But at the end of the day, it was San Francisco where both players found themselves signing. And after winning it all for the first time in their career, why not take another shot at it with a chance to defend your title with virtually the same exact group of guys you won it with?
While Scutaro showcased just what he could do in front of a nationally televised audience during the postseason after being traded from the Rockies mid-season where he'd hit .362 in 268 regular season plate appearances with the Giants, Pagan shook off a cold start to his 2012 campaign by setting career bests in doubles and runs as well as set a single-season franchise-record for triples with 13 which also led the National League. And though a four-year deal wasn't ideally what Sabean wanted to award the 31 year old Pagan with, he did what he had to in order to lure in the spark plug of the Giants offense. The re-signing of Pagan also means Bruce Bochy will have a speedy lead-off man who's a threat on the base paths to depend on in the outfield for at least a few more years. Bochy who's been the skipper of the Giants since 2007, will also be around a little longer as he too had his 2014 option picked up by team president and chief executive officer Larry Baer.
With the Giants lineup for the 2013 season just about in place with the likes of Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Pablo Sandoval, Hunter Pence, Gregor Blanco and Pagan and Scutaro, Sabean and company hasn't shot down the possibility just yet of adding another piece to the puzzle, one that would most likely be an outfielder, meaning Blanco would have to surrender his duties in left. Such names as Ichiro Suzuki and Nick Swisher who according to reports has San Francisco atop his list of desired destinations have both been thrown around, but might be asking for more greenbacks than what the Giants brain trust has in mind.
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Having played some of their best football over the past two weeks with a dominant win at home over the Chicago Bears and a stellar outing on the road against the Saints, the 49ers payed a visit to St. Louis where they'd take on the division rival Rams. Despite the mismatch of records as San Francisco entered Sunday's game at 8-2-1 compared to St. Louis' 4-6-1, with the way the game played out you'd think this was a battle for first place in the division. And with their first meeting this season ending in a 24-24 tie three weeks ago at San Francisco's Candlestick Park, the 49ers knew not to underestimate the Rams. And just like in their first meeting in week 10, four quarters wouldn't be enough to determine a winner.
With little to cheer for from either side in the first half, the only scoring in the first two quarters would come on a 1-yard touchdown run from Frank Gore, putting the 49ers up 7-0 where the score would remain going into the half as Rams rookie kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a field goal from 58-yards out, failing to put St. Louis on the board. With Colin Kaepernick doing a lot of running with little to show for in the first three quarters, the Rams defense would force the young quarterback into a safety to make it a 7-2 ballgame. After a David Akers field goal made it 10-2 in favor of San Francisco, the St. Louis defense forced Kaepernick to make yet another costly mistake, this time in the form of a fumble as he threw an errant pitch over the head of Ted Ginn Jr. which Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins scooped up and returned into the end zone from 2 yards out for St. Louis' only touchdown on the day. Following a successful two-point conversion, the Rams found themselves in a tie game thanks to their defense.
With sub-par performances from both quarterback's, both team's would depend on the leg of their kickers who would also see better days. Though David Akers would hit his first two field goal attempts including one that gave the 49ers a 13-10 lead in the fourth quarter before St. Louis answered with a field goal of their own, he would miss the third try with the game on the line. As the game went into overtime, both teams failed to score on their first two possessions. With a chance to win the game, Akers missed wide right from 51 yards out. Hoping to capitalize on the 49ers blown opportunity and in good field position, the Rams offense would only need to move the chains once to get into Greg Zuerlein territory where he would be given a chance to make up for his missed field goal earlier in the game. And with just 30 seconds remaining, the rookie out of Missouri Western would do just that, splitting the uprights from 54 yards out to lead his team to a 16-13 victory, avoiding becoming the first pair of teams to tie twice in the same season since the 1963 Eagles & Steelers and handing the 49ers only their third loss of the season.
Having now given the 49ers a tough outing in both of their meetings this season which resulted in a loss and a tie, I think it's safe to say Jeff Fisher has Jim Harbaugh's number and should not only help St. Louis improve moving forward but also breath life back into this long lived 49ers-Rams rivalry. For San Francisco, the loss to a weaker opponent will only add more fuel to an already hot fire as the quarterback controversy will continue to spark for another week.
Week 14 Preview: With their two-game road trip in which they finished 1-1 finally coming to an end, the 49ers hope to get back on winning track at home where they'll take on the 5-7 Miami Dolphins. With a rookie quarterback in Ryan Tannenhill on tap for Miami, the 49ers should be in store for a dominant game on defense, but will in no way be able to sleep on running back Reggie Bush who had one of the best games of his career against the 49ers back in 2006 while with the Saints. In that '06 meeting Bush compiled 168-all purpose yards and went on to tie a single-game franchise record by scoring four touchdowns in a win over San Francisco. Though a similar performance is highly unlikely against this stout 49ers run defense which has allowed an average of only 90.6 yards on the ground, you know the star back out of USC is going to try to duplicate that performance. Unfortunately for him, I have him failing to put up similar numbers and see the 49ers winning 27-13.
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