Jones hitting it big in Las Vegas?

While I was losing all of my money at a friend’s bachelor party in Sin City this past weekend, I was reminded by friend at the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andruw Jones is playing for the local minor league club.
“Good to hear I’m not the only one striking out in Vegas this weekend,” I quipped.
A.J., a one-time star who played in at least 150 games each of the past 11 years before coming to L.A., is rehabbing a knee injury and playing first base for the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s.
But it turns out Jones is actually playing pretty well for the 51s, which is more than can be said for his numbers with the Dodgers this season (.161 with three homers and 74 strikeouts in 74 games).
Entering this week’s action, Jones was hitting .385 with two home runs and two strikeouts in 13 at-bats with the 51s. He’s also trying his hand at first base for the first time. Reports suggest that Jones reaggravated his knee injury, prompting the move to the infield.
But unless he continues homering in every 6.5 at-bats, there probably won’t be any more room for him in the Dodgers' outfield now that Manny is being Manny in left.
So for now, Jones must find ways to remain preoccupied in Las Vegas – which might be difficult for a broke writer like me, but shouldn’t be too difficult for a guy who is making $35 million.

Return of the L.A. Examiner

In case you missed the big news out of L.A. yesterday, the Examiner is back in La-La land. Well, sort of.
In a move that will be cheered and jeered by the two or three readers of this site, The Editor has signed on with Examiner.com to write about L.A. sports. Examiner.com is actually the offspring of William Randolph Hearst's Examiner newspaper chain my grandfather wrote for (covering sports for the Los Angeles edition, oddly enough) more than 45 years ago, so it's an exciting move for me personally.
So on top of keeping up with the updates on WCBias.com, be sure to bookmark the National Examiner page or RSS feed over at Examiner.com for additional takes on L.A. sports -- although you can bet the Dodgers takes won't even be on the same field as BG's.
I’m still posting on WCBias.com, but the individual posts might not be as frequent. The good news is I’m recruiting some additional WCBias.com contributors as we speak, and we'll always get classic takes from Ryantific, GSlim and BG –raw and unedited now that they don’t have an overbearing editor breathing down their neck.

Clippers Aren't Getting Any Better Younger

The Clippers have added another aging player to their lineup.
Welcome “White Chocolate,” otherwise known as Jason Williams, to La-La Land.
Since their woeful season mercifully came to a close, that other team in L.A. has added 10 new players to its 14-player roster.
Problem is those players aren’t exactly “new.”
Gone are Elton Brand and Corey Maggette, i.e. players in their prime.
In are 30-somethings Williams, 32, Marcus Camby, 34, Jason Hart, 30, Cuttino Mobley, 33, Brian Skinner, 32, Tim Thomas, 31 and Dan Dickau, 30 next month, i.e. players no longer in their prime. Then there’s Baron Davis and Ricky Davis, who turn 30 next year.
Not that 30’s old. I’m a man, I’m 30 (well, 31 to be exact), but who’s counting?
Maybe Ryantific, 31, and I should try out for the Graybeards Clippers. We'd be more than happy to split the league minimum.

• • •

Speaking of La-La Land and comings and goings, how about Kobe admitting he’d bail for Italy for $50 million. Where has all the commitment gone? Atta boy Brian Giles. Just say no to those Sox.

Why Favre picked N.Y. over Tampa Bay

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, here are a thousand reasons why Brett Favre went to the New York Jets.
Everyone at ESPN was “stunned” last night when Favre signed off on a trade to the Jets over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Why was this a surprise, just because everyone at the network had gone on record saying Tampa Bay was the favorite? As if ESPN has never been wrong on a trade report (see Manny Not Being a Dodger and instead heading to Florida).
So Bill Williamson was wrong when he wrote Tampa Bay was a 6 to 1 favorite, and Pat Yasinskas a little off when he said Favre was perfect for Tampa Bay.)
For some reason, few caught on to Brett’s New York state of mind. But it’s simple really.
If he went to Tampa Bay, there’s a good chance he’d be holding a clipboard in the season opener. Let’s not forget, Jeff Garcia has been a pretty solid quarterback of late (and not just because he’s a Gilroy native and San Jose State guy), a Pro Bowler in fact, and takes a lot less chances than the gunslinger Favre.
Garcia started 13 games and completed 209 of 327 passes for 2,440 yards with 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
Favre, while he threw a lot more than Garcia, was 356 of 535 passes with 28 touchdowns but was also picked off 15 times.
Garcia, however, is more versatile and can beat you with his legs (3.3 yards a carry), which Favre can’t (0.4 yards a carry), and he knows the offense and has been in camp.
But barring an injury or something unforeseen (like Kellen Clemens turning into a good quarterback), Favre will be the clear-cut No. 1 in New York and keep his personal legacy (the team will still stink) and consecutive-games streak intact.

What Harassed Happens in Vegas ...

This isn’t the least bit newsworthy, but I had to mention it because:
a. Cops suck.
b. Vegas rocks.
c. Pierce gets props.
According to the hard-hitting news journalists at TMZ.com, Celtics star and NBA Finals MVP Paul Pierce was handcuffed by Las Vegas police over the weekend after becoming “agitated” during a traffic stop near the Tropicana (hey, if it’s good enough for Paul Pierce, it’s good enough for me).
The nerve of Pierce, getting agitated by a traffic stop.
The Inglewood product must have become really agitated when he was asked to take a pair of sobriety tests and a Breathalyzer – passing all three like Lakers defenders in the Finals.
Pierce was reportedly cuffed for 15 minutes before order was restored and the Celtics sharpshooter was released.
After the incident, the Vegas PD released this statement: “You can’t contain Paul Pierce, you can only hope to stop him.”

* * *

The story sounds like a sequel to Celtic Pride, only this time a Celtic was on the other end of the cuffs. I guess the Vegas PD has been corrupted by Laker lovers.
The kicker of the whole story came afterward, when Pierce flung his keys to valet parking and took a cab back to his hotel.
Dude was too sober to drive and too “agitated” to get harassed by the cops again.

* * *

Oh yeah, and the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s gossip columnist, i.e. a guy with an eye patch, dug even deeper into this “story,” noting one of Pierce’s friends threw a shrimp at him over dinner.
Again, how is this newsworthy?
I think Slam reader Justin Adler said it best when he commented:
“This might be the lamest story ever. Sobriety. Shrimp tossing. No coke, hookers, or guns. Come on Paul.”
No, atta boy Paul. For once, someone affiliated with the NBA made a correct call - in Vegas of all places.

* * *

WCBias.com will be investigating this story further when Ryantific and I head to Vegas for a Cherokee Parks fan's bachelor party ... to be held at ... get this ... The Tropicana in two weeks. Paul Pierce gots nothing on WCB.

Back for Another Reign?

There’s been a Shawn Kemp sighting, courtesy SLAM magazine, which used to feature the Reign Man on a regular basis (stop filling out those TPS reports at work and watch his top 10 dunks now).
Kemp, the former All-Star forward from the former Seattle SuperSonics, is talking comebacks again and is considering taking his game to Italy.
I guess playing overseas is all the rage. LeBron James might consider it (yeah right ESPN, and I’m slated to run the point for the Cavs in '09). Little Earl Boykins is playing in Italy, too, and Carlos Arroyo, Josh Childress and Brandon Jennings look like they’re headed overseas as well.
Apparently Kemp, 38, has cleaned up his act and is “slimmed down and in good shape. His hard partying days seem to be over.”
His son, Shawn Kemp Jr., is an incoming freshman at Washington, so if you can’t see Senior hoop it up in Italy, at least you can watch one of his dozen kids ball.

* * *

Trivia time: So how many kids does Kemp really have? According to Wikipedia, it’s only seven. … and on top of running the point for the Cavs, I’m also starting up a new franchise in Seattle if you believe that one.
At least Kemp is taking care of them all, however many there are…
“You’ll never hear any stories about me not taking care of my kids,” he said.

* * *

Speaking of Kemp, I’m wondering what to do with my old and new school Kemp jerseys, now that both the Reign Man and Sonics are history. Post your suggestions below. Craziest idea wins you a free trip to Oklahoma City.

Snoop, poll have no love for West Coast

The college football season is less than a month away, and the first worthwhile poll of the season was released over the weekend with little West Coast representation.
USC was ranked second behind top-ranked Georgia in the USA Today college football coaches preseason poll. Both teams went 11-2 last season with the Bulldogs finishing ranked third and Trojans ranked second.
Last year’s No. 1, LSU, dropped to sixth in the coaches poll despite a big plug from big Snoop.
The only other teams in the poll out West were No. 16 Arizona State, No. 17 BYU, No. 20 Oregon and No. 25 Fresno State. (Don’t tell me I’m going to have to cheer on the Wonderdogs this fall, too.)
Cal was down at 32 and UCLA was at 47 or something, receiving a whopping “3” in the “others receiving votes” category.
The AP poll will be released on Aug. 16.
USC, a heavy favorite to win the Pac-10 (shocker), opens the season at Virginia on Aug. 30 before hosting Ohio State after its bye week on Sept. 13.

• • •

Speaking of USC, what’s up with Snoop? I thought he was a Trojans fan who was ready to bust a cap on Les Miles, now they’re homies.
I guess Snoop's smoking again.

Mr. Smith Goes to the Doghouse

Not only was I wrong when I said hell would freeze over and turn Dodger Blue before Manny Ramirez was traded to L.A. (OK, that's not what I said, but mine as well have been), but forget what I wrote recently about Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith, too.
That’s why predictions are a risky move in a bookmarkable blogalaxy that can come back to haunt you (see Jayson Stark and Buster Olney’s preseason AL West predictions).
You remember those top 20 fantasy football picks, when I ranked Smith 15th overall and noted not to “sleep on Smith, who won’t implode like Moss or T.O. always could?”
Well, that “boom” you heard Saturday was an implosion in Charlotte, where Smith was suspended two regular-season games for a training camp fight with cornerback Ken Lucas.
The move probably drops Smith out of my top 20 completely, but we’ll revisit that later once all the preseason fights, injuries, trades and holdouts have wrapped up, and it’s a proper time to start making projections.
Until then, I retire.

Manny Meets the Press

The Great One has touched down in Los Angeles.
During his meet and greet with the L.A. media prior to today’s game against Arizona, Manny Ramirez announced he’d be wearing No. 99 — the same number Wayne Gretzky wore when he played for the L.A. Kings, although Manny admitted he didn’t know much about hockey being from the Dominican.
Ramirez also joked about becoming a slap hitter and that he would start stealing bases. No mention of going for a gold glove, however. But he did say he’d be willing to cut his dreads if Joe Torre wanted him to, which might have been the first unselfish thing he’s said in three years.
He also avoided ripping the Red Sox during the press conference, but I guess he did plenty of that in Boston.
“I don’t wish nobody no harm,” he said. “I just wish them the best.”
Here are a few other Ramirez comments worth sharing, although he forgot to add three key words throughout the press conference — FOR TWO MONTHS. Maybe they were lost in translation (half the press conference was in Spanish) or on the flight back from Boston.

“It’s a new chapter in my life. ... I’m just happy to be here [for two months], that’s all I can say.”

“I’m like a little kid. I’m nervous. It’s a new team, a new city. I’m just going to be Manny and play the game. ... I’m going to play hard and do all I can to help the team win [for two months].”

“They have rules here and I don’t want them to treat me any different than the other guys. If they want me to cut my hair, I’ll do it. I don’t care [for two months]. It’ll grow back."

Manny Mania goes Hollywood

For the third straight week, “Quotes of the Week” revolve around Manny Ramirez. (When doesn’t the world revolve around Man-Ram?) But this time, Manny is the object of our affection for good reason – he’s going, going, back, back to Cali. ... Manny will officially be welcomed at a 4 p.m. press conference today. We’ll have more on that shortly ... if Andruw Jones can get the limo there on time.
Here’s what sportswriters around the country are saying about the trade to L.A.:

Dodgers get Manny Ramirez from the Red Sox and Casey Blake from the Indians. Give them credit for taking their best shot at a winnable division. But if Andruw Jones had done what he was supposed to, they wouldn’t have had to take a chance on a loose cannon like Ramirez.
— Paul Hagen
Philadelphia Daily News

“It’s crazy,” said Dodgers manager Joe Torre.
There are some who would argue that’s also an accurate description of Manny Ramirez. OK, he can be a bit of a nut.
He’s also one of baseball’s most feared hitters. Is superb in the clutch.
— Steve Dilbeck
Los Angeles Daily News

He will arrive at Dodger Stadium Friday lugging 510 career home runs inside 510 pounds of baggage.
He will take his place in the middle of the Dodger batting order tonight as one of baseball’s biggest hitters and most baffling headaches.
In the biggest late-season acquisition in club history, the Dodgers acquired left fielder Manny Ramirez on Thursday from the Boston Red Sox and Mars.
— Bill Plaschke
Los Angeles Times

Theo Epstein again has proved how smart he is. This time he cured Boston of cancer.
... Minutes before the trade deadline Thursday, the Red Sox sent Ramirez to the only place in the world where a jackass can become “Jackass: The Movie.” They sent him to Hollywood.
— Jeff Jacobs
The Hartford Courant

The Angels added a silver stick and gold glove; the Dodgers added a bodacious bat and non-stop newsmaker, a 24/7 minefield who can produce headlines as wacky as his hairdo.
— Jeff Miller
The Orange County Register

The Dodgers now have too many outfielders. But I imagine they will be sending a limo to pick up Ramirez at the airport, his safety in getting to the stadium critical, so why not have Andruw Jones driving -- knowing there's no chance of him hitting anything along the way.
— T.J. Simers
Los Angeles Times

Wham, Bam, Thank You Man-Ram

You’ve gotta be freaking kidding me.
That’s the initial reaction to today’s news that the Dodgers have traded for Manny Ramirez after ESPN reported all day that he was either going to the Marlins or going nowhere.
Which got me thinking:

• Am I wrong, or didn’t Joe Torre used to manage the Yankees and despise ManRam?
• Didn’t Manny walk straight to the dugout after a pair of fly balls against the Angels last night and also walked down a pair of shots to him in left field?
• Didn’t Manny stop, drop and roll on a shallow fly ball to left field against the Angels the last time around, making the error of all fielding errors?
• Wasn’t Torre supposed to be a baseball “genius” who cared about the finer parts of the game?

Instead he’s building a circus an American League-type, mash-first-ask-how-to-field-a-fly-ball mentality to Los Angeles.
Next they’re going to build a Blue Monster in left, so Manny doesn’t actually have to play defense and avoids embarrassing himself three times a night in the field (not that 66 errors for a left fielder is bad).
MEMO TO JOE: You're not in the AL any more.
“You wish you had the DH,” Torre admitted Thursday after the deal was announced.
Next thing you know, Torre’s going to start playing Andruw Jones every night despite the fact he’s hitting .167 with two homers and 13 RBIs. Oh, wait, that’s already happening.
All rants aside, while it might be a horrible move for their outfield, it’s a much-needed move for the Dodger lineup. You have to take the good with the bad, and Manny should push L.A. over the hump in the NL Worst. If not, the move is a complete and total joke.
So I have no doubt the trade will work out for L.A. The Dodger lineup was as desperate to add a big bat as the Red Sox were to unload a cancer in its clubhouse.
It’s reminiscent of Oakland trading Randy Moss to the Patriots for a fourth-round pick. Moss went through the motions in Oakland to all but force a trade, then became a perfect saint and the opposition’s worst nightmare in New England. Same thing should happen in L.A., but there’s always a chance history repeats itself – only next time it’ll come with a much heftier price tag.

Money Ball 2.0: All Trades Considered

Is it just me, or has there been an insane amount of trades in the last year?
The blockbuster trading winds first started blowing exactly a year ago today, when word circulated that Kevin Garnett was getting traded to the Boston Celtics, making the Cs an instant favorite to win the Eastern Conference.

Out West, the Lakers got in on the fun when they traded next to nothing for Pao Gasol, a move that landed them in the NBA Finals.
The Gasol trade sparked the Suns to trade for Shaq, the Mavs to deal for Jason Kidd, and then there’s all of the free-agent action that’s taken place in the offseason: Elton Brand heading east, Baron Davis flying south, Josh Childress heading overseas to play in Greece of all places. Then there was the Ron Artest deal this week, although it doesn't appear Yao approves of the Rockets’ new “ghetto” star.

In the NFL, Miami dealt dancing phenom and disgruntled defensive end Jason Taylor to the Washinton Redskins for a couple of draft picks … Jeremy Shockey was shipped to New Orleans ... and who knows what’s going on during Day No. 83 of the Brett Favre saga.

Today’s the trade deadline in Major League Baseball, and one of the finest players of our generation has just been dealt to Chicago. That’s right, Ken Griffey Jr. has been traded to the White Sox.
This comes on the heels of deals that sent Ivan Rodriguez to the Yankees, Mark Teixeira to the Angels and Casey Blake to the Dodgers – and we haven’t even mentioned the A’s trading away their entire pitching staff.
The Dodgers have also been rumored to be going after Manny Ramirez, and after reporting those rumors were dead in the water, ESPN is now reporting Manny is heading to L.A. after all. Joe Torre and ManRam, together in L.A.? Crazier things have happened.

Look at all of those above names, some of the biggest names of their respective sports.
Which makes me wonder, am I just getting old and all of these studs I collected cards of growing up are too? Or are we witnessing a new era in professional sports, where the young guns are cheaper and better for the long run, and if teams aren’t going to win right now they’d rather throw up the white flag and rebuild right away.

It’s probably a combination of the two. Call it Money Ball 2.0 – out with the old, in with the new, cheaper labor in hopes of turning a better profit. Sounds like the corporate world, more specifically the newspaper business these days. Cut, cut, cut. Trim, trim, trim. Cheaper is better for the bottom line, even if readers, or in this case fans, aren’t getting what they paid for.

It’s great for the fans of teams in contention, but for every Laker or Angels fan out West, there’s a season ticket holder in Oakland gouging his eyes out with his free Billy Beane bobblehead doll as the A’s slide into oblivion in the AL West.

The Best Team You've Never Seen

When ESPN was showing Yankees-Red Sox games and highlights ad nauseum last week, a friend of mine asked a great question:

How many times have the Angels been on TV this season?

Luckily for SoCal baseball fans, the Halos are on FSN on a regular basis – but as for the rest of the country, the best team in baseball is an unknown.
Yes, the Angels were on ESPN on Monday night (thanks to the fact they were playing in Boston), but the boys from Anaheim are getting nowhere near the national exposure the Yankees or Red Sox are getting.
While Boston deserves a majority of the nationally televised games as the defending champions, the Yankees don't exactly merit "Game of the Week" as a third-place team in the AL East that would be eight games back of Anaheim if they played in the West.
But, according to MLB’s national broadcast schedule, the Yankees have at least 20 nationally televised games this season. The Red Sox have 22, and the Angels have 13 nationally televised contests – well, make that eight if you discount the games against Boston (3) and New York (2).
In fact, the Angels aren’t scheduled to play on ESPN again during the regular season. Maybe ESPN will change its plans, maybe not. But as it stands right now, you better beef up that cable package, get MLB.tv, or tune into FOX Aug. 2 and 9 when the Halos play the Bronx Bombers, because you might not see these guys play again until the postseason – when you might just watch them play well into October.

* * *

Oh yeah, and the Halos are flirting with no-hitters with John Lackey and adding punch to their lineup with first baseman Mark Teixeira from the Atlanta Braves. Teixeira, once everyone learns how to spell his name right (i before e except after t and x, what the heck?), could be a huge piece of the puzzle as the Angels gear up for this stretch run. I think the best stat I’ve seen about Teixeira in all the trade stories is this – over the past 162 regular-season games, only Philly’s Ryan Howard has more RBIs.
Said Teixeira in a teleconference call after the trade:

"The Angels have always been one of the best teams in the American League. … I just want to hopefully get them over the top. I'm not going to make any predictions."

Houston we have a contender

When news broke that Ron Artest had been traded to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night, our resident NBA blogger and Laker lover Ryantific had this reaction:

“(Expletive), did you see Artest is going to the Rockets? Makes them tough.”

The Sacramento Kings sent 6-7 Artest to Houston for a familiar face in Bobby Jackson, draft rights to Donte Greene and a No. 1 pick in 2009.
The trade finally gives Houston a legitimate Big Three in Artest, Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, and, more importantly, gives the Rockets a much needed defensive presence and a killer mentality.
Skip to My Lou helped give the Rockets a new swagger last season, but the Rockets have been known as an otherwise “soft” team in recent years because of Ming’s demeanor and McGrady’s one-dimensional ways.
Now they’re considered an instant contender in the wild, wild West, with a defender who can actually slow down Kobe Bryant (like only the Celtics were able to do in the playoffs).
For those who don’t know, Artest and Kobe have plenty of history as you can see by Artest’s unconventional one-on-one interview with “one of my idols” on the Best Damn Sports Show.
Artest said it best during his interview with Bryant: “I gotta get ready for Kobe.”

Line Set on Donaghy Sentancing

Today is the day the judge’s hammer comes down on Tim Donaghy.
The disgraced NBA referee faces up to 33 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring with gamblers and betting on games.

Since Las Vegas isn’t posting a line, we’ll set the over/under at 15 months.
Donaghy is betting, err hoping, for the under – a good bet since he was right close to 80 percent of the time when it came to NBA games.

12:30 p.m. update:
Well, the 200th post in WCBias.com's short history was right on. Donaghy got 15 months today, hitting our over/under "right between the eyes" as Marv Albert would say. I guess that means the house wins. Go ahead and PayPal those betting losses to editor@wcbias.com.

Gossage, Williams and the 1984 Padres

As expected, much was made about Rich “Goose” Gossage and Dick Williams’ New York ties this past weekend during their induction into the Hall of Fame.
Gossage entered the hall wearing a Yankees hat, as he should have, although it’s worth mentioning he also played for both Chicago teams, Pittsburgh, San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland and Seattle.
And like Gossage, Williams, a Yankees scout for 10 years, made sure to give longtime Yanks owner George Steinbrenner a nice plug for the Hall -- which stole plenty of headlines in The Big Apple.
But what got lost in most of the mainstream media coverage of Sunday’s ceremony was the San Diego connection between Gossage and Williams.
Gossage actually played for Williams in San Diego during the mid-1980s and was a key acquisition who helped San Diego win its first pennant and reach the World Series in 1984.
Most of the blogosphere won’t remember it, but Gossage was the one who gave up that back-breaking home run to Tigers slugger Kirk Gibson (yes, he did more than hit big postseason bombs for the Dodgers) in the eighth inning of Game 5 to help Detroit wrap up the World Series.
During the induction ceremony, Gossage apologized to Williams for giving up the longball to Gibson. Turns out Williams wanted “Goose” to walk Gibson, but Gossage talked him out of it because of prior success against Gibson.
“I should have listened,” Gossage said.
Even with the loss to the Tigers, the 1984 season is still remembered as the finest in San Diego Padres history.
They set a then-franchise record for wins (92) thanks to the play of Gossage (10-6 with 25 saves), Steve Garvey, Graig Nettles, Kevin McReynolds and, of course, Tony Gwynn, who won his first batting title with a .351 average that season.
Gwynn was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year. I was lucky enough to sit down with “Mr. Padre” and talk about that 1984 season among other topics shortly before his induction. You can read a portion of that Q&A here.

Manny Being Many Things ... But He's Not Being a Dodger Yet

Another weekend's over and another Manny Ramirez classic is up for quote of the week honors. This time the Boston slugger admits he's “tired” of the Red Sox in an interview with ESPN Deportes. He even said Boston could send him to L.A. if it wanted (as if Joe Torre wants ManRam rolling around left field at the Ravine). For the record, GM Ned Colletti has denied a report the Dodgers inquired about Ramirez.

“I could choose a team that offers me the best conditions or one in the chase for the postseason,” Ramirez said.
“I don’t care where I play, I can even play in Iraq if need be. My job is to play baseball.”

Some other notable quotes from the week in sports:

“I feel good, other than the fact that my face is blown up.”

— Reds pitcher Josh Fogg, after he was hit in the face by a ball during warm-ups. He chipped a tooth and needed 30 stitches. No wonder he struggled in Sunday's outing.

“You can talk to Brett yourself. If we have permission, I’m sure you do, too.”

— Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden, when asked by reporters if the Bucs are interested in Brett Favre. Are you tired of Favre yet? In case you haven't heard, he didn't show up to camp Sunday. OK, no more Red Sox, Yankees or Brett Favre tidbits for another month.

How the West Wasn't Won by Seattle

How ridiculous have the Angels have been this year?
Almost as ridiculous as ESPN "experts" Jayson Stark and Buster Olney’s preseason predictions for the AL West (not that the Mariners won’t overcome their 25-game deficit to steal the pennant).

• The Angels not only have a 25-game cushion on preseason favorite Seattle, they have 10.5 games on second-place Texas.
• At 63-39 overall, they have the best winning percentage in baseball (.618).
• They’re 31-21 at home (did I mention the AL has home-field in the Series?) and even better on the road at 32-18.
• Closer Francisco Rodriguez has 43 saves and is on pace to shatter Bobby Thigpen’s 18-year-old saves record by 10.
• Starters Ervin Santana (11-4, 3.37) and Joe Saunders (13-5, 3.10) are winning 73 percent of their decisions.
• And the Angels offense is hitting again, scoring 45 runs in its first seven games after the All-Star Game.
• In fact, the injury bug might be the Angels' only nemesis this season. According to the Times, John Lackey is battling a “dead arm,” Mike Napoli is on the DL with a sore shoulder, and my boy Jered Weaver has a knot in his throwing shoulder.

Top 20 Fantasy Football Picks in 2008

We opened a can of worms with yesterday's poll question, so here goes. My top 20 Fantasy Football picks this season, barring injuries of course.
1. LaDainian Tomlinson, SD, RB
You still have to go with the West Coast at No. 1, don’t you?
2. Adrian Peterson, Min, RB
Durability is the only question mark with AP.
3. Brian Westbrook, Phi, RB
Westbrook was the focus of the offense last season and should be again in ’08.
4. Tom Brady, NE, QB
If you can’t get one of the top three RBs, why not go with the top QB?
5. Steven Jackson, StL, RB
Jackson is his team’s MVP, but he’s also not on a very good team.
6. Joseph Addai, Ind, RB
If Manning starts slow, it could mean more love for Addai.
7. Frank Gore, SF, RB
A Niner way up here? Yeah, now that Martz is the coordinator.
8. Marshawn Lynch, Buf, RB
If he gets more touches in the passing game, watch out.
9. Randy Moss, NE, WR
If you can’t get Brady, negate the opposition with his favorite target.
10. Larry Johnson, KC, RB
How the mighty have fallen. LJ could be a steal late.
11. Terrell Owens, Dal, WR
Everyone’s in love with Brady-Moss, but T.O. & Romo has a nice ring to it, too.
12. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jac, RB
If he gets more work, Jones-Drew could be a fantasy power.
13. Peyton Manning, Ind, QB
Even with the knee, you gotta go with Manning before Romo.
14. Ryan Grant, GB, RB
No Favre would mean a conservative passing game and more touches for Grant.
15. Steve Smith, Car, WR
Don’t sleep on Smith, who won’t implode like Moss or T.O. always could.
16. Tony Romo, Dal, QB
Keep T.O. happy and Simpson away, and he’ll OK.
17. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cin,WR
Better than Ocho Cinco last year, better than Ocho Cinco this year.
18. Reggie Wayne, Ind, WR
Peyton’s new right-hand man.
19. Ronnie Brown, Mia, RB
This is kind of a gamble because of the ACL, but so are Lewis and McGahee.
20. Lewis or McGahee
Or start thinking about a good QB-WR combo.

Who's No. 1 in Fantasy Football

I promised myself I wouldn’t write about the NFL on this fledgling blog until training camps opened across the West Coast.
Well, as of today, all of the California squads are underway – so I guess it’s cool to start talking football.
Or is it? With the baseball races starting to heat up, I feel guilty even bringing up the pigskin, especially with the Angels and Dodgers playing for pennants.
So instead of getting knee deep into football, I’ll keep it light and ask just this one question in preparation for upcoming football fantasy drafts (don't like any of the selections below, post your pick in the comments section).

Olympic Hype Could be Fool's Gold

If you’ve read anything about Team USA’s training camp in Las Vegas this week, you’d think it’s a forgone conclusion the Americans will win gold at the Beijing Olympics (see screenshot from today’s ESPN.com).
But as I mentioned earlier, there are plenty of holes in this year’s U.S. squad – particularly its lack of size (Dwight Howard is the lone center) and health (not only is Dwyane Wade coming off injury, but LeBron James went down in Tuesday's practice).
While this is a pretty darn good team (thanks to the addition of Kobe Bryant and depth at point – not that Kirk Hinrich isn’t a gold-medal PG), we’ve said this before about American squads that ended up flopping on the national stage (see 2004 and 2006).
We’ll find out just how good this team can be starting Friday when it hosts Canada at UNLV. But don’t expect it to be much of a contest since Steve Nash and Samuel Dalembert won’t be involved.
The Americans will then compete in the USA Basketball International Challenge in Shanghai, China, Aug. 3-5, but “the experts” believe the real test won’t come until later in the tournament when they face Greece on Aug. 10 and then Argentina after the preliminary round wraps up.
Greece doesn’t have any NBAers but beat the U.S. two years ago and just breezed through its qualifying tournament behind European hotshot Theo Papaloukas.
Argentina, for those who stopped watching after the Americans flamed out four years ago, took home the last Olympic gold and is expected to suit up four NBA players this summer in Manu Ginobili, Andres Nocioni, Fabricio Oberto and Luis Scola.
But Aug. 16 is the date you’re going to want to circle on your West Coast Bias calendar.
That's when the Americans face what could be their biggest challenge of the tournament in Pau Gasol and Spain.
The winners of the 2006 FIBA World Championship have four NBA players on their roster, including Gasol’s brother, Marc, who is better than most think, Jose Calderon and Rudy Fernandez.
Wouldn’t it be ironic if the player who nearly put Kobe’s Lakers over the top this season knocks Team USA out of gold medal contention?
Other teams to look out for in the tournament include Yao and Yi’s boys from China, who open against the U.S. on Aug. 10, along with Bogut’s Bunch from Australia and Dirk and Caveman Kaman’s Crew from Germany.
Let the Games begin.

Handy Manny: Good Quote, Bad Fielder

This is going to pain our many West Coast followers, but we have three candidates for quote of the week — all out of Boston (as if having the best teams in baseball, basketball and football isn't enough).

"I’m shocked! ... Next thing you’re going to tell me is Brett Favre is coming back."

Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan, talking on ESPN’s "Sports Reporters,” following another Tour de France doping scandal.

“Wow, another win in L.A.”

Celtics guard Ray Allen’s opening to the acceptance speech for his team’s “Best Team” award at the ESPY awards ceremony in Los Angeles. He followed up that quip with a “what a difference a year makes ... last year I was parking the limos” for ESPY’s guests.
Pretty funny, but not as funny as Derek Fisher’s expression when they panned his way after the opening comment. ... Well, at least L.A. has someone on the Olympic team — which opens training camp Monday in Vegas by the way. (Wonder if Tim Donaghy will officiate any of their scrimmages? I hear he likes to hang at the MGM sportsbook when he's not pretending to be Joe Crawford.)

“I want to win a Gold Glove. That’s my goal this year.”

Boston Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez during the All-Star Game festivities. A couple days later, he made one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see on a lazy fly by Angels shortstop Maicer Izturis. You have to watch the YouTube if you missed it. Hilarious. Don’t think Manny will be sporting a Gold Glove in our lifetime. ... How about those Halos? Three-game sweep of the Red Sox. And the AL has home-field advantage in the World Series.

OK, just so people don't start mistaking us for the Boston Globe around here, the honorable mention bite comes from Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., making light of not making the All-Star Game:

"If you can’t hit left-handers, you bunt. If you can’t hit righ-thanders, you bunt. If you can’t make the All-Star team, you go to the Bahamas."

I can’t do any of the above, including bunt, so where the heck does that leave me? On the sunny West Coast, where the Dodgers are tied for first place with a losing record. Eat your heart out Beantown.

Pop goes the ESPY Awards

Teenie Boppers rejoice! Boy Band Badass (if that’s not an oxymoron, I don’t know what is) Justin Timberlake is hosting the ESPYs on Sunday!
OMG! JT ON ESPN!
I guess ESPN has given up on its current demographic, young, affluent, male sports nuts between the ages of 18 and 34, and is trying to boost its ratings in the 8- to 12-year-old Barbie Doll demographic.
MUST B F8!
Not that dudes aren’t going to want to watch Alpha Dog Does Sports.
JT A QT!
Nobody’s name resonates with sports fans like Justin Timberlake.
IDUNNO?
Where are the Jonas Brothers, Zac Efron and Corbin Bleu when you need ’em? Maybe they’ll be in Timberlake’s red carpet posse.
RUOK WCB?
Why not go with someone (I’d say actor, but have you seen Alpha Dog?) who’s actually been in a sports flick? A Jamie Foxx, Billy Crystal, Will Ferrell, heck even Whoopi Goldberg has been in a sports movie.
Not that Shrek 3 wasn’t a hoot.
ZZZZZ
But when Mr. N*Stynk starts making wisecracks about T.O. or Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson, is anyone really going to laugh or take Britney’s old Boy Toy serious? Or will Pacman Jones just bust a cap on Alpha Doggy Dog and leave him crying again like he’s on an episode of Punk’d.
LOL :-)
Having Timberlake do the ESPYs is what the kids these days call WOMBAT -- a waste of money, brains and time.
Plus everyone who won has already been announced. The ESPYs actually took place on Wednesday and are being tape delayed until this weekend. Thanks for saving me the trouble of watching ESPN*Sync.
2GD2BTRU!

Moneyball: The Art of a Fire Sale

For the second time in a week the Oakland A’s dealt a key starting pitcher from the rotation.
This time it was right-hander Joe Blanton, shipped to Philadelphia for a trio of minor leaguers on Thursday.
Last week it was Rich Harden, dealt to the Chicago Cubs.
All of this when the A’s are only six games out in the American League West with half the season to go.
Oakland assistant GM David Forst said the moves are to “build a foundation,” but it sounds more like they're building a summer fire sale to me.

Bud Boots it Again: This Shouldn't Count

That gust of wind that startled you awake last night at 10:37 p.m. (1:37 a.m. for you poor East Coasters)? That was a giant sigh of relief from American League All-Star manager Terry Francona and MLB commissioner Bud Selig.
Francona and Selig had a real predicament on their hands during Tuesday's All-Star Game with an empty bullpen and a 3-3 tie in the 15th inning.
Luckily for both parties, Michael Young’s sacrifice fly in the 15th won it 4-3 for the American League, which improved to 6-0 since the game started deciding who gets homefield advantage in the World Series.
Had the AL Stars failed to score, both Francona and Selig would have had a tough decision on their hands. Boston’s skipper was down to his last pitcher, Rays starter Scott Kazmir, who had just thrown 100-plus pitches on Sunday.
And Selig was having flashbacks of the 2002 game, which ended in a 7-7 tie when the two teams ran out of arms.
In 2003, Selig started the “This time it counts" campaign, and the American League’s next five victories led to homefield advantage in five straight World Series.
While homefield advantage hasn’t be a huge deal in the Series the past five years (there hasn’t been a Game 7 since 2002 when the Angels beat the Giants), it’s only a matter of time before it is a decisive factor – and to have that advantage determined by a July exhibition between dozens of players who won’t even make the playoffs is ludicrous.
That’s why I was secretly rooting for a tie on Tuesday, so that Selig would have to come up with another crazy way to settle the score. (How about playing over the line? A game of pickle? Anyone up for some pepper? WiffleBall?)
Or he could let the players determine it during the season and have the team with the best record take homefield advantage in the playoff meetings – just like every other major sport out there.
But it doesn’t sound like Bud is going to budge on this any time soon.
"I didn't do it for the TV ratings," Selig told Newsday recently. "I did it to restore the intensity of the game. Before we did this, I had guys like Ron Santo and Hank Aaron coming up to me and saying, 'The All-Star Game meant so much to us.' They wanted me to do something."
Well, I wanted to go to sleep tonight at a decent hour without having to watch Dan Uggly boot three groundballs, strike out three times, and then write a blog about how lame the “this time it counts” rule is.
But I guess we can’t always get what we want, can we Bud?

TRIVIA TIME: Who was the last player to boot multiple balls in an All-Star Game?

You guessed it Dodgers fans, Nomar Garciaparra accomplished the feat in 2000.
And get this L.A. fans ... in that same game, Andruw Jones went 1 for 2 with an RBI – that’s only nine less RBIs than he has in 53 games for the Blue Crew in 2008. Well, it’s good to see Nomar is still the same player he was eight years ago.

How the National League West will be won ... by the biggest loser

John Kruk made a bold statement on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Sunday:

“No team in the NL West will finish with a .500 record.”

OK, maybe that’s not such a daring prediction since every team in the NL Worst is below .500 at the All-Star break.
Arizona is flirting with .500 at 47-48, but everyone else in the division is straight up struggling with half the season in the books.
The second-place Dodgers are one-game above .500 at home but are three-games under overall, and the third-place Giants are (gulp) 15-games under on the season.
So when was the last time a team won its division with a losing record?
A long look through the record books shows it has never happened.
The San Diego Padres tried their best to make a run at the dubious record in 2005 but finished the regular season 82-80 to win the NL West pennant.
In 1994, the Texas Rangers were on track to finish well below .500 with a 52-62 record before the strike mercifully saved Major League Baseball from a major embarrassment (wait a minute).
Since the leagues split into multiple divisions in 1969, only one other “biggest loser” has made a run at a pennant. The New York Mets came close in 1973 but finished 82-79 to win the NL East, eventually taking the A’s to seven games before falling in the World Series.
So there is hope, even for sub-.500 teams at the All-Star break.
In fact, since MLB went to a six-division format and expanded the playoffs to allow wild-card entrants, 27 of the 104 teams that made postseason had losing records in June or later – including half the playoff participants the past two seasons.
That's great news for the "Biggest Loser" candidates in the NL Worst.

Seven Wonders of the (Sports) World

It’s official: eight new natural wonders have been added to the World Heritage List.
The U.S. got shut out this year, but the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico and Joggins Fossil Cliffs in Canada finally made the cut.
What does this have to do with sports, you ask?
Well, all this talk about wonders of the world got me thinking, what are the Seven Wonders of the Sporting World?
Here are a few suggestions courtesy the WCBias Heritage List:

• Wrigley Field, Steve Bartman and the Billy Goat. Take your pick, one of those Chicago curses has kept the Cubs from winning the World Series for 100 years now.
• The “Smurf Turf” at Boise State’s Bronco Stadium. That stuff is hideous on TV, but boy does it turn in some memorable performances – like that classic win over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, possibly the greatest college football game of our bloggeration.
• The Diesel himself, Shaquille O’Neal, and his hundred nicknames: The Big Aristotle and Hobo Master, Diesel, Shaq Fu, Superman, Big Daddy, Wilt Chamberneazy, Shaq Albert, etc. New nicknames Shaq might have to consider: The Big Divorcee and Sir Hates Kobe A-lot.