By Bill Plunkett | [email protected] | Orange County RegisterPUBLISHED: July 22, 2019 at 4:50 pm | UPDATED: July 22, 2019 at 4:52 pm LOS ANGELES — A year ago at this time, Manny Machado was already in the Dodgers’ lineup. With this year’s midseason trade deadline just more than a week away, though, the trade market has become a crowd of ‘mall walkers,’ milling about and waiting for the stores to open – without knowing which ones might not open at all. “This is the strangest market that I can remember,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman says. “Just with the number of teams seemingly in it, within five games of a playoff spot. I’ve had way more conversations with teams that are more on the fence and haven’t decided if they’re going to be on the buy side or the sell side.” Indeed, going into Monday’s games, 20 teams were within 5½ games of a playoff spot. That group includes … [Read more...] about As MLB trade deadline approaches, Dodgers find a muddled market
Mlb playoffs how many games
Christian Yelich continues his ascent among MLB’s best
Yelich explained that he’s not a launch-angled hitter seeking fly balls. He has stayed true to a hard-contact, line-drive approach. His fly ball rate is up this season, which led to him leading the majors with 31 home runs at the break. But he’s not selling out for power as so many hitters do. His strikeout rate has actually dropped and his walk rate has climbed. In essence, Yelich has become a perfect hitter in that he makes consistent contact and hits for power. The Japanese reporter then asked Yelich if he was trying to hit the ball in a certain spot to create backspin, something former Marlins teammate Ichiro Suzuki said he did. Yelich laughed. “I think I’m pretty good, but I’m not that good,” he said. That’s up for debate. Yelich has hit .327 with a 1.049 OPS in two seasons for Milwaukee. He also has 41 stolen bases in 47 attempts. Only Trout and Yelich have an OPS over 1.000 the last two seasons. Yelich was named the National … [Read more...] about Christian Yelich continues his ascent among MLB’s best
NBA, MLB have evolved into horrible, unwatchable sports
Sez Me …During my salad days (whatever that means), when we watched fuzzy rabbit-eared TV and test patterns, I couldn’t get enough NBA and Major League Baseball.Now that I can get too much of it, I sometimes find it difficult to watch.At times I almost feel as though it’s forced upon me — especially the NBA, which is a joke and in no way resembles basketball the way it was meant to be played. I’m concerned about the futures of these professional games. I am for big-time horse racing, too, but that wound has been festerting for many years now — even though the great thoroughbreads remain our most majestic athletes.The NFL, despite myriad problems with injuries and unsavory characters and amazing ability by the game’s enforcers to not enforce, isn’t in trouble or going away. Gambling keeps it flush, and gambling is eternal.Officiating and rules changes or just plain refusal to do the right thing, certainly have something to do with it. In … [Read more...] about NBA, MLB have evolved into horrible, unwatchable sports
Morning sports update: Tom Brady is going back to the Kentucky Derby with several past and present Patriots
The Celtics made a statement of intent in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series against the Bucks on Sunday, winning in Milwaukee 112-90. The Red Sox weren’t as capable, falling at home 5-2 at home to the Rays. Chris Sale surrendered four runs (two earned) over seven innings. Despite his improvement, he fell to 0-5 in the season so far. Both the Celtics and Bruins resume their playoff schedules on Tuesday, with the Red Sox set to face the Athletics at home tonight at 7:10 p.m. The Kentucky Derby will feature many Patriots quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, and other Patriots players (past and present) have made a habit out of going to watch the Kentucky Derby over the years. Though Brady missed it in 2018, it appears the tradition is back on. Brady, Edelman, Danny Amendola, and Jimmy Garoppolo are all listed to attend the Barnstable Brown Kentucky Derby Eve Gala: Along with other NFL stars like Aaron Rodgers and Von Miller, a few NFL coaches (some with Patriots ties) … [Read more...] about Morning sports update: Tom Brady is going back to the Kentucky Derby with several past and present Patriots
Modern baseball: How to fix the game, and how MLB’s already spoiled it
By Carl Steward | [email protected] | Bay Area News GroupPUBLISHED: March 25, 2019 at 5:00 am | UPDATED: March 25, 2019 at 6:56 am Major League Baseball has rightfully approached this season in a panic over its product – and that was before Kyler Murray’s I’m-Off-For-The-NFL scud dropped. That was a beaning Commissioner Rob Manfred and Co. didn’t need as they were frantically rifling through ideas about pitch clocks, mound heights, the shift epidemic, to DH or not to DH, and teams suddenly using a chorus line of pitchers every game, including starters for no more than an inning or two. The Grand Old Game is in trouble, despite what purists say, to the point that MLB’s powers-that-be are considering taking a wild whack at any quick-fix notion that’s thrown down the middle at them. Three-batter minimums for pitchers? Good lord. Maybe they should be bringing back Charlie Finley’s old orange baseball idea, too. And the mechanical … [Read more...] about Modern baseball: How to fix the game, and how MLB’s already spoiled it