Sports fans, it's that time of week again. Time to submit the objects of your ire in the sports world to the lovely young lady standing beside this week's bus. She will call out each name, then they will be thrown under the Bus. I have submitted my names to her and she will call them out.
NASCAR
NASCAR Sanctioning Body: how the living HELL could they conduct a race like that? It was basically a glorified test session. The 2008 Brickyard 400 was the WORST F-ING race I have ever seen! I've seen turtle races that had more entertainment!! And they were FASTER! For conducting such a God-awful race, the NASCAR Sanctioning Body gets thrown under the Bus.
Goodyear Tires: why didn't you come to the Brickyard with a HARDER tire, one that won't wear out as fast? You wouldn't have had nearly as many issues as you did today. Go with a harder tire and stick with it. Let the crews and engineers come up with a plan to make the car drive as best it can. THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE PAID TO DO. The people responsible for these tires get thrown under the Bus.
Kurt Busch: this is for racing Kevin Harvick VERY early in the race and knocking him out of contention. Harvick was marching through the field and he was on the verge of the top 10 when he was an innocent victim of Busch's ineptitude behind the wheel. Harvick was passing you; you should have let him go and tuck in behind him. But NOOOOOO, you had to race him and got loose and collected him. You also knocked him out of the Chase in the process. You will be thrown under said Bus until he makes the Chase, and if he doesn't, you'll be thrown under every week for the rest of the season. (Sorry Kristen, I just had to vent at your driver--nothing personal against you.)
MLB
San Francisco Giants: for their fold-up job against the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend. This was a huge series; they could have got into contention with a series win. Instead, they'll be facing a double-digit deficit in the next couple of days. Maybe they wanted to get back at the Dodgers a different way. Either way, they get thrown under the Bus.
Manny Ramirez: he all but challenged the Red Sox to trade him.(Rumors are the Dodgers and Mets are interested.) Boston's feeling the pressure of the Yankees and having to defend their world title. A Yankees win tonight and they're tied with Boston, 2 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays. (And who'd have thunk both Boston and New York would be chasing the Rays this late in the season?) For his "Manny being Manny" outburst and causing dissension among the ranks, ManRam gets thrown Under The Bus.
NFL
Donte Nicholson, S, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: the reserve safety was Tasered twice and was arrested during a weekend scuffle at a St. Petersburg nightclub. How many times do athletes need to be reminded that NOTHING good happens after 2 AM (unless you’re getting lucky)? This came on the heels of his roommate getting arrested as he was trying to reenter the club when it was closing. You can think about what you did as you’re getting thrown under the Bus.
Brett Favre: he didn't report to Packers' training camp today. This ongoing saga is getting pretty tiresome. You shouldn't have retired in the first place. You should have done what you did last April: told the Packers that you're coming back. Ted Thompson deserves some of the blame for this for allegedly rushing your decision. But only you can make that decision to retire or not, Brett. For creating a media circus, you get thrown under the Bus.
AUTO RACING
Danica Patrick: she was unapologetic for her cat fight with Milka Duno. Of course she was. She thinks she's right about EVERYTHING. Then I’ll be unapologetic for a repeat of last week in getting her punk #### thrown under the Bus.
GOLF
Michelle Wie: ENOUGH of playing against the men already!! You’re nothing more than a freak show now. YOU’RE A JOKE! No sooner than her disqualification took place she announced she’ll be playing against the men again. It’s old and tired, just like you are. The Diva of the LPGA Tour gets thrown under the Bus again.
Andrew Giuliani: this little punk sued Duke University for being kicked off the golf team. You had a CAREER winning percentage of LESS than 20%. Numbers don’t lie, kid. If I were the coach, I’d have kicked you off the team, too. Your impact on college golf was miniscule, like your winning percentage. And I don’t give a rat’s #### if you’re the son of America’s Mayor. While I won’t throw you under the bus for attempting to make Duke’s golf team as a walk-on, I will throw you under the Bus for clogging up the court system with your frivolous lawsuit and for acting like a whiny little baby.
Thank you, Miss. You're doing a great job this week. Now on to the other fans that are itching for their opportunity.
I will be doing a team by team breakdown by division. Tonight I start with the National League West.
Arizona Diamondbacks: they are currently in first place in the division. While Dan Haren has made the adjustment from Oakland to Arizona, and Brandon Webb has been stellar, the rest of the team has struggled, particularly away from home. Haren was named NL Pitcher of the Month for June. So far, the D-backs have played a home-friendly schedule. After the All-Star break, it gets tougher, particularly in September with visits to St. Louis, L.A., Colorado, and San Francisco. The series at St. Louis is a four game series in the final week of the season.
What they must do: be more consistent on the road, particularly against NL Central teams. Another arm besides Haren and Webb needs to step up. They also need a consistent run producer. In my opinion, they sorely miss their former closer Jose Valverde, who was lights out last season.
Prognosis: they will be in contention, but will fall short. A second-place finish is likely.
Current record (as of July 3): 43-43, 1st place.
Los Angeles Dodgers: they have been decimated with injuries since the start of spring training. Jason Schmidt. Rafael Furcal. Nomar Garciaparra. Hiroki Kuroda. Juan Pierre. Andruw Jones. Scott Proctor. Gary Bennett. Tony Abreu. Brad Penny. These are some of the players that have spent time on the DL this season. You play the hand you're dealt with, and frankly, the Dodgers have been dealt a crappy hand. Joe Torre has done a great job with this crappy hand, guiding the youngsters as they get more playing time. Takashi Saito has been stellar again this season, aside from a couple of outings. The bullpen, when healthy, is among the best in baseball. The starting pitching is in flux. The youngsters need as much playing time as possible. Blake DeWitt has been a revelation at 3B, winning Rookie of the Month honors twice this season. It's going to be very hard to take playing time away from him once the veterans return. One possibility is playing Garciaparra at SS, a position he hasn't played full-time since 2005.
What they must do: get healthy, and quick. The All-Star break couldn't have come at a better time. Fortunately, Arizona has fallen back to the pack after their hot start. The starting rotation must stabilize. They may not need to make a blockbuster deal. They could use someone with pop, like an Adam Dunn.
Prognosis: the Dodgers stand pat, perhaps making a minor deal. They get healthy and go on a tear at some point in the year. That will be enough to win the division.
Current record (as of July 3): 41-44, 1 1/2 games back.
San Francisco Giants: Bruce Bochy is doing perhaps his best managing job of his career. This team was expected to lose around 100 games. There's no Barry Bonds to provide offensive firepower. Tim Lincecum has become a bonafide Cy Young contender, leading the majors in ERA at 2.38 with a 9-1 record. Bengie Molina is hitting above .300 and is a legit All-Star candidate. Brian Wilson has come out of nowhere to lead the NL in saves with 23.
What they must do: Zito needs to step his game up and be at least a .500 pitcher in the second half, and they need another power bat in the lineup. Could Adam Dunn help? Sure he can. What would they give up to get him? Do they have the prospects to give to the Reds? If they want Dunn bad enough, they'll find the prospects.
Prognosis: while this team is better than I thought at the start of the season, it's still a below .500 team. A 72-90 record is realistic as they continue to struggle in the second half.
Current record (as of July 3): 38-48, 5 GB.
Colorado Rockies: this team is one year removed from an amazing run to the World Series. What could go so wrong in that span? For one, they overachieved. They went on a once in a lifetime winning streak. They came back down to earth big time. Todd Helton is mired in the midst of a horrific slump. While Matt Holliday is having a superb year, it's not like it was last year. Now there is talk of the Rocks trading both Holliday and Garrett Atkins. Jeff Francis, a 17-game winner last year, went on the DL.
What they must do: find the magic that propelled them to winning 21 of 22 leading into the World Series. Fortunately, this division is weak, and if they get on that type of run where they win games in bunches, they could very easily get back into contention. Helton must break out of his slump and drive in runs consistently. The front office must NOT panic and trade Holliday and Atkins in a knee-jerk move.
Prognosis: I expect Helton to break out of his slump and start driving in runs consistently. That in turn will help Holliday and Atkins. However, the pitching must come around. While I think the Rockies will be a better team in the second half, I think it will be too little, too late. They will leapfrog the Giants and finish third.
Current record (as of July 3): 35-51, 8 GB.
San Diego Padres: how far the Pads have fallen! It wasn't that long ago they were a consistent playoff contender. Now they have become one of the worst teams in baseball. The starting rotation is in shambles, apart from Jake Peavy. Trevor Hoffman clearly isn't the closer he used to be. He's lost zip on his fastball. There is absolutely NO pop in the lineup, apart from Adrian Gonzalez.
What they must do: become sellers in a big way. Apart from Gonzalez and Peavy, everyone else is tradeable. It's better to bite the bullet now and ensure long-term success by acquiring prospects this season. Trade Greg Maddux to the Cubs.
Prognosis: very poor, at least for this year. It depends on what moves the front office makes for the next couple of seasons. Do they let go of Bud Black? I say give him one more season. While they may not lose 100 games this season, they'll come close. A 64-98 record is realistic.
With all the news on steroids and HGH in Major League Baseball, a lot of people aren't buying what players like Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, and Barry Bonds are selling. Neither are people buying what Brian McNamee is selling. There still is a question that NEEDS to be answered: what IS HGH?
If you look in Wikipedia under "HGH" it redirects to "Growth Hormone." Growth hormone is a hormone that stimulates growth and cell reproduction in humans and other animals. It is part o####roup of homologous hormones with growth promoting and lactogenic activity. The picture above is a gene of Growth hormone.
Stimulators of GH secretion include:
Sleep
Exercise
Low levels of blood sugar
Dietary protein
Inhibitors of GH secretion include:
somatostatin from the periventricular nucleus
circulating concentrations of GH and IGF-1 (Negative feedback)
dietary carbohydrate
glucocorticoids
Functions of GH include:
Increases calcium retention, and strengthens and increases the mineralization of bone
Increases muscle mass through the sarcomere hyperplasia
Increases protein synthesis
Reduces liver uptake of glucose
Stimulates the immune system
Therapeutic Use
Treatments unrelated to deficiency. GH can be used for treatment of conditions which produce short stature but are not related to deficiencies in GH, though results are not as dramatic when compared to short stature solely due to deficiency of GH. Examples of other causes of shortness often treated with GH include Turner syndrome, chronic renal failure, Prader-Willi Syndrome, intrauterine growth retardation, and severe idiopathic short stature. Higher ("pharmacologic") doses are required to produce significant acceleration of growth in these conditions, producing blood levels well above physiologic. Despite the higher doses, side effects during treatment are rare, and vary little according to the condition being treated.
Anti-aging agent. Claims date back to 1990, when the New England Journal of Medicine published a study where GH was used to treat 12 men over 60. At the conclusion of the study all the men showed statistically significant increases in lean body mass and bone mineral, while the control group did not. The authors of the study noted that these were the kind of changes that would occur naturally over a 10 to 20 year aging period. Despite the fact the authors at no time claimed that GH had reversed the aging process itself, their results were mis-interpreted as indicating GH was an effective anti-aging agent.
Side effects.Some of the reported side effects seen in previously healthy mature patients after taking HGH include:
Edema (retention of fluids) in extremities
Arthralgia (joint pain)
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Hypertension
Diabetes and other glucose metabolism imbalances
Gynecomastia (enlargement of male mammary glands) or man-boobs.
I have laid out the facts regarding HGH as best I can. Andy Pettitte will be an interesting case study this year. If he gets injured, will it be due to the side effects of taking HGH? Or will it be because he's getting older and is more prone to injury?
If you think this is a horse racing post, think again. It's a capsule preview of this weekend's series that affect the pennant chase.
AL EAST
New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox
This is a golden opportunity for the Yankees to tighten the AL East race. As of this post, the Red Sox are winning 7-2. Tonight's starting pitchers are Andy Pettitte for the Yankees and Daisuke Matsuzaka for the Red Sox. UPDATE: Yankees win, 8-7. Bruney gets the win, Papelbon gets the loss, Rivera notches his 27th save of the season. The probable matchups for the weekend:
Saturday: Josh Beckett vs. Chien-Ming WangWinner has the inside track for the Cy Young.
Sunday: Curt Schilling vs. Roger Clemens. Two old warriors who are going to leave it all out on the field. It's going to be interesting to see who comes out on top.
NL EAST
Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets
The Phillies drew first blood in the series, winning tonight's game 3-2 in 10 innings. Tom "Flash" Gordon got the win, while Aaron Heilman took the loss. The Phils are now 4 1/2 games behind the Mets and for now are 1 game behind San Diego in the NL wild card. Probable pitchers for the weekend:
Saturday: Pedro Martinez vs. Kyle Lohse. Martinez has been out most of the season. A healthy Martinez will be HUGE for the Mets, as he can still deal. Recently he notched his 3,000th strikeout, joining the elite pantheon of hurlers that have 3,000 strikeouts. Lohse has been up and down.
Sunday: Oliver Perez vs. Adam Eaton. Perez has pitched reasonably well and appears to be a late bloomer. I'm waiting for Eaton's potential to show up. Sometimes it does. For the Phillies' sake, Eaton needs to step up with a stellar outing.
NL CENTRAL
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals
The Cubs rose up for a HUGE win in St. Louis, further dimming the Cardinals' chances. Carlos Zambrano matched his career high in wins, winning his 16th. The final score: Cubs 5, Cardinals 3. The Cards are now six games behind the Cubs and fading fast. They can ill-afford to get swept. A Cubs' sweep will mean the Cardinals should start making tee times soon. A Cardinals win in the series and they are still alive for defending their championship. Probable starters:
Saturday: Braden Looper vs. Ted Lilly. Lilly has pitched very well in his first season in the National League. Looper is a converted reliever and for his first season as a starter has been serviceable.
Sunday: Mark Mulder vs. Jason Marquis. Mulder has spent most of the season on the disabled list, so this season is a wash. He's giving it his best shot. Marquis has pitched reasonably well this season. You think he wants to stick a fork in his old team that sent him to the scrap heap after the division playoffs?
NL WEST
Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers
This is one of the most pivotal series of the season for both teams. The Dodgers have to win this series in order to keep at least their wild card hopes alive. Brad Penny is on the bump tonight against Dodger-killer Doug Davis. Davis is #### against the rest of the league but always seems to get up for the Dodgers. As of tonight the Dodgers are 5 1/2 games behind the D-backs and for now a half game behind the Phillies. The probable starters for the weekend:
Saturday: Derek Lowe vs. Livan Hernandez. A key matchup of pressure pitchers that both own World Series rings, Lowe with the Red Sox and Hernandez with the Florida Marlins. Lowe is coming off an injured hand he sustained earlier in the week, causing him to miss a start.
Sunday: Esteban Loaiza vs. Edgar Gonzalez. Gonzalez is coming off a superb start against the Giants in which he was dealing. Not bad for his first start since late June. Loaiza had a bad outing after his first two outings went well. Loaiza has been on the DL most of the season and it's too soon to tell how effective he'll be. Let's hope the Loaiza of old emerges.
San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres
The Giants are officially eliminated from the divisional title race and are playing for pride (and a job next season). The Padres are leading in the wild card race by a game (for now) over the Phillies and a game and a half over the Dodgers. Let's hope the Giants don't mail it in and give a concerted effort to win (that's the Dodger cynic coming out of me). Tonight's starters are Barry Zito for the Giants and Chris Young for the Padres. The probable starters for the weekend:
Saturday: Brett Tomko (I'm snickering now) vs. Matt Cain. If the Padres are intent on going to the postseason, why did they pick up Tomko? Actually, I'm GLAD they picked him up!! He can burn down Petco Park like he did Dodger Stadium!! Cain is an up and coming stud that will be a mainstay of the Giants' rotation for the next few years at least.
Sunday (I'm still laughing at the Padres' acquisition of Tomko): Jake Peavy vs. Tim Lincecum. Peavy has the inside track for the NL Cy Young Award. Another stellar performance like his last start could go a long way towards wrapping up the Award. Lincecum is a future Cy Young Award winner. He'll be the ace of the Giants' rotation perhaps as soon as next season.
I can feel the pressure of the pennant chase from here. Five series that directly impact postseason hopes, including two in the Wild, Wild West. GO DODGERS!!!!!
Now that interleague play is over for now, and the NL West teams are playing each other, I want to make a few observations:
The Dodgers have suddenly seem to have got well. They have taken the first two games from Arizona. Brad Penny won his 10th last night in a dominating performance. Tonight the two teams went 10 innings, the Dodgers winning 6-5 on a Tony Abreu home run in the top of the 10th. Takashi Saito nailed down the save.
The Padres and Giants have split the first two games of their series in San Francisco. Giants won yesterday 4-3 and the Padres won tonight's game 3-2 in 10 innings.
The Cubs have feasted on Rockies pitching in their series. If the Rockies are for real, their pitching has to hold up. Something tells me they're still a year or two away, since they have some studs in AA and AAA.
After the D'backs, the Dodgers get some home cooking against the Padres. The Dodgers will face Jake Peavy probably on Friday night. I'd LOVE to see a Penny-Peavy matchup, but they'll more than likely miss each other by a day or so. The Dodgers did have some success against Peavy earlier in the year.
Is it me, or does every NL West series not involving the Giants have a postseason atmosphere? I can sense the postseason intensity in the Dodgers-Snakes series. The Dodgers-Padres series will be FILLED with intensity.
The top 3 NL West teams will beat up on each other between now and the end of the season. The winner of that division will most likely be favored to represent the National League in the World Series (GO Dodgers!)
If you're weak of heart or stones, the NL West race is NOT for you. If you're a fan of exciting, competitive division races, this is the division for you. At this point in time the Padres are percentage points ahead of the Dodgers with the Snakes a half game back. It's quite conceivable there could be a THREE WAY TIE for the division title at the end of the regular season.
The team that goes on a hot streak while playing within the division will run and hide from the rest of the division. Second place in the division will get the NL Wild Card.
He did it. Trevor Hoffman nailed down his 500th career save, his 499th as a Padre. (His first save came as a Florida Marlin early in the 1993 season, then he was traded to the Padres shortly thereafter) And he did it against my Dodgers no less. Amazing. Trevor, see you in Cooperstown.
N.L. West update
What hurts worse is that the Dodgers lost their second straight to a division rival. And both Arizona and San Diego are going very well right now. Randy Johnson is pitching like the Big Unit of 10 years ago. If he keeps pitching that way the rest of the year, Arizona will run and hide from the rest of the division. However, the NL West has its ebbs and flows, so Arizona could fall back to the pack before it's over. The Padres caught a HUGE break in not having to face both Derek Lowe and Brad Penny. The Dodgers caught a break in not having to face Jake Peavy, a notorious Dodger killer from Day One in the bigs.
I've said before and I'll say it again: the NL West will come down to the last day of the season, if not a one-game playoff. It won't be unlike 1982 when it was a three team race down to the last day of the season between Atlanta, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Dodgers squeak it out with the runner-up getting the wild card.
I am from Central California. I am passionate about sports, particularly the NFL and NASCAR. My favorite teams are: Panthers (NFL), Lakers (NBA), Flyers (NHL), and Dodgers (MLB). I am also a Kevin Harvick fan in NASCAR. I am a Fresno State honk. (I'll admit it!) And I am also a fan of MMA. Jackie Robinson to this day represents what is right about baseball. I also enjoy discussing the relevant (and sometimes irrelevant) issues of the day pertaining to sports. I will never understand why televised poker is so popular. Who wants to see a bunch of people sitting around a table, muttering to themselves? I do my best to keep politics out of my sports discussions. That is why I recently created a nonsports blog, cencalscribe. blogspot.com. That is where I post my nonsports topics.
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Arizona Diamondbacks: they are currently in first place in the division. While Dan Haren has made the adjustment from Oakland to Arizona, and Brandon Webb has been stellar, the rest of the team has struggled, particularly away from home. Haren was named NL Pitcher of the Month for June. So far, the D-backs have played a home-friendly schedule. After the All-Star break, it gets tougher, particularly in September with visits to St. Louis, L.A., Colorado, and San Francisco. The series at St. Louis is a four game series in the final week of the season. 
Winner has the inside track for the Cy Young. 
