Monday, July 22, 2013

Woo Hoo! Dodgers are Officially Alone in 1st Place!


Please forgive me as I revel in pure joy!

At the beginning of the day the Dodgers found themselves 1/2 a game behind the Diamondbacks.  Well, after watching the Blue Crew wallop the Blue Jays, I waited patiently to find out how Arizona fared in their game against the Cubs. 

I am happy to report that the Cubs defeated the Diamondbacks 4 to 2, and now we can all smile as the Dodgers are in lone possession of 1st place in the National League West.

Woo Hoo!

Of course, we are still a long way before the end of the season, so there's really no reason to be over-exhuberant.  Still, considering we were 9.5 games behind the Diamondbacks exactly 1 month ago today, I can't help but be excited.

It sure feels good to be at the front of the pack.

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* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Ryan "Roider" Braun Suspended... Can Kemp Get his MVP Now?


Can Matt Kemp Get His MVP Award Now?

I say the above partly in jest.  After all, in 2011 it was down to two men for the NL MVP Award, and this fan still believes (regardless of today's PED suspension) that the wrong man walked away with the prize.  Heck, even Left Field Pavilion thought so based up this great graphic he put up in late August of that year (and posted up above).  Unfortunately, what's done is done, so there really is no use to complaining about it nearly two years later.  Still, its got to sting a bit for the Bison.

Anyway, on to this afternoon's jarring news.  Via Mike Axisa at CBS Sports, Ryan has accepted a plea deal with MLB.
Brewers slugger Ryan Braun has been suspended -- effective immediately -- for the rest of the 2013 season without pay, MLB has announced. He admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs and violating the Joint Drug Agreement, though he did not give any specifics.
“As I have acknowledged in the past, I am not perfect," said Braun in a statement. "I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions. This situation has taken a toll on me and my entire family, and it is has been a distraction to my teammates and the Brewers organization. I am very grateful for the support I have received from players, ownership and the fans in Milwaukee and around the country. Finally, I wish to apologize to anyone I may have disappointed – all of the baseball fans especially those in Milwaukee, the great Brewers organization, and my teammates. I am glad to have this matter behind me once and for all, and I cannot wait to get back to the game I love.”

“We commend Ryan Braun for taking responsibility for his past actions,” said Rob Manfred, Executive Vice President, Economics & League Affairs for Major League Baseball. “We all agree that it is in the best interests of the game to resolve this matter. When Ryan returns, we look forward to him making positive contributions to Major League Baseball, both on and off the field.”
This is the first of what is expected to be many suspensions arising from the Biogenesis investigations.  Other names expected to have the hammer of MLB law smacking them include Alex Rodriguez, Nelson Cruz, Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon, Jhonny Peralta, and Everth Cabrera.

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Blog Kiosk: 7/22/2013 - Dodgers Links -


Check out this great photo of the very first plane owned by a MLB club.  It is a Convair 440 bought by the Dodgers in 1957.  Photo via Michael Beschloss on twitter.
 "It's a little sore, a little swollen but I don't think it's that bad."
Kemp admitted the injury was a result of not running hard. He assumed the play was going to be at first base (and Carl Crawford would beat it out for a hit) and had to speed up and lunge for the plate at the last second.
"It's my fault," Kemp said. "I wasn't running hard. That's an easy hit for CC. ... CC has every right to be mad at me. He would have had another hit if I was running hard.
"The result of my not running hard is he doesn't get that fourth hit and I rolled my ankle. That's all my fault. ... I shouldn't have been in that situation."
Kemp did not have X-rays taken of his ankle and doesn't anticipate needing any.
"The biggest thing will be how it feels waking up tomorrow."
"When I call around teams, there's not a lot of names of position players being discussed," Colletti said. "I'm not sure if there's a market out there on the sell side."



  • Joe Student at Busted Coverage has a copy of the room assignment list for the Cleveland Indians and it includes some hilarious pseudonyms. 
  • The Giants season really is going to the birds.  Via Fox Sports, seagulls have started to invade AT&T Park.


* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *
* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *