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I’m Here to Play: The Ballad of Manny Ramirez

He brought hope one year, despair the next.  He was the shining beacon of baseball in LA, and then he shut off the light.  Long before the McCourts decided to hate each other, Manny Ramirez made the Dodgers the focal point of baseball for both good and bad. On July 31, 2008, ... 29Aug2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

All In: Dodgers Need to Press Forward

The Dodgers gambled at the trade deadline.  They dealt a host of young talent, including two players from the big league roster, to convince themselves and fans that a playoff spot would still be salvageable.  But August hit, and it hit hard.  A sweep at the hands of the hated Giants to start the month.  Crushing losses to Philadelphia and ... 26Aug2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Dear T.J. Simers: You’re Awful, I Hate You

The latest "article" to come from the mouth of T.J. Simers is a confusing batch of hackneyed expressions, ever-changing concepts, and very poor grammar.  And this has nothing to do with what he actually wrote about.  In journalism, especially in opinion pieces, how you convey your message is just as important as the message itself.  By the looks of ... 15Aug2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 1 comment | Continued

UCLA Football 2010: Preview and Predictions

Looking at the various college football publications for this upcoming season, it is clear that the UCLA Bruins are not getting any love or respect. Athlon's has the Bruins finishing eighth in the Pacific-10 Conference. So does Lindy's. And the media pundits covering the recent Pac-10 Media Day at the Rose Bowl, as well as Sports Illustrated. Paul Myerberg of PreSnapRead.com has UCLA in ... 10Aug2010 | Derek Hart | 1 comment | Continued

Big Mistake: Dodgers Pull Dumbest Deal at the Deadline

I like Ted Lilly.  But he is nowhere close to being worth the price tag the Dodgers just put down on him.  Ned Colletti pulled the trigger on the deal for Lilly, inadvertently shooting himself in the foot in the process by sending Blake DeWitt, Brett Wallach, and Kyle Smit to Chicago.  The Dodgers also receive the under-performing Ryan Theriot, ... 31Jul2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 1 comment | Continued

At the Deadline: What Should the Dodgers Do?

The Dodgers' pitching woes are becoming more and more obvious everyday.  The bullpen is stretched thin, relying on the likes of Jack Traschner and Travis Schlichting to make end's meet.  The much-maligned rotation is improving now that Vicente Padilla has hit his stride, and could improve if Chad Billingsley's last start is any indication of his future performance.  But still, ... 25Jul2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

UCLA Football: OT Stan Hasiak Ruled Ineligible For The Upcoming Season

It was reported in the Los Angeles Times this morning: Sophomore-to-be offensive lineman Stan Hasiak has been ruled academically ineligible by UCLA officials for this upcoming season. According to the article, Hasiak is going to be redshirted by coach Rick Neuheisel and will have three years of eligibility remaining. I'm sorry, but in my humble opinion it has been one thing after ... 23Jul2010 | Derek Hart | 0 comments | Continued

USC Recruiting: Why Kent Turene’s Verbal Is so Huge For The Trojans

For the past ten days, I have been on UCLA's campus, fulfilling a contractual obligation to be a faculty advisor for some very talented high school scholars preparing to enter medical school. And like some kind of bizarro world revenge for having a committed Trojan spending time in enemy territory, I silently and painfully watched a slow exodus of players streaming ... 14Jul2010 | Rick McMahan | 0 comments | Continued

Neighbor Invaders: Dodgers Play Big Role in NL’s Win

Anaheim hosted the Major League Baseball All Star Game this year, but Los Angeles stole the show.  The Dodgers had a heavy presence in Orange County, sending four men to represent the team: Andre Ethier, Rafael Furcal, Hong-Chih Kuo, and Jonathan Broxton.  Ethier started the game in center, the first time he roamed that part of the field since his ... 13Jul2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Classic Dilemma: Complexities of the All Star Game

By now you've heard the debate raging in the baseball world concerning the All Star fate of one Stephen Strasburg.  Should he play? Does he deserve to play? What will that mean for Matt Capps, who's 22 saves have people backing his campaign for a trip to Anaheim?  While Strasburg did not garner enough support for an All Star bid, ... 4Jul2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

USC Recruiting: Trojans Find a Much Needed Kicker in Andre Heidari

With the Trojans needing to find a long-term kicking replacement for whoever they give the job to this year, special teams coach John Baxter has made place kicking a priority in terms of recruiting for next year's incoming class. Now coach Baxter's efforts have paid off. Andre Heidari, from Stockdale high school in Bakersfield, Ca., gave his verbal pledge to the Trojans ... 2Jul2010 | Rick McMahan | 2 comments | Continued

Stretched Thin: Bullpen Woes Starting to Seap Through

Everyone talked about the rotation.  No ace, no dependable starter to get a win every fifth day.  Somebody to look at the lineup of the Phillies and not quiver with fear.  But everybody forgot about the bullpen.  The Dodgers' supposed saving grace last season, with two All Star closers in Jonathan Broxton and George Sherrill to anchor Hong-Chih Kuo, Ronald ... 28Jun2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Have the NCAA’s Sanctions Already Affected USC’s Recruiting Plans?

With the unwelcome news of the NCAA's sanctions against the USC Trojans, including the loss of 30 scholarships over three years, it appears that only a few days later, the Trojans recruiting strategy has been deeply affected. Of course, this is to be expected from a program that now has only 15 scholarships to offer for the 2011 season, instead of ... 19Jun2010 | Rick McMahan | 0 comments | Continued

USC Running Back Dillon Baxter Claims Illegal Contact By Schools

Well, that certainly didn't take long. Only a day after the NCAA lowered the boom on USC, the vultures are attempting to circle the carcass. ESPN's Joe Schad is reporting that USC mega-recruit, running back Dillon Baxter, has notified the Trojans' compliance office that five schools have illegally contacted him, apparently attempting to woo him to their programs. Alabama, Florida, Fresno State, Oregon, ... 13Jun2010 | Rick McMahan | 1 comment | Continued

What Divorce? Dodgers Draft LSU Football Commit with First-Round Pick

The Dodgers have had success recently with their first-round draft picks.  James Loney, Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw.  They know what they're doing.  Which is why there is no doubt that the Dodgers intend to bypass this year's draft by selecting Zach Lee, a RHP from McKinney, Texas.  Why, do you ask, is selecting Lee an automatic forfeiture of a pick? ... 7Jun2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

USC Trojans Recruting: Laying the Foundation (Kessler and Much More)

A couple of articles ago, I profiled Bakersfield (Centennial high school) quarterback Cody Kessler, who received a scholarship offer from the Trojans. In the piece, I listed all of the qualities that young Mr. Kessler possessed, including a rocket for an arm and a tough running style that produced a dozen touchdowns last year. Make no mistake about it, Cody Kessler is ... 7Jun2010 | Rick McMahan | 2 comments | Continued
missed the tag

The Call Heard ‘Round the World: Gallaraga, Joyce, and the Future of Baseball

It was a bad call.

A really bad call. One of those no-doubt-about-it, safe-by-a-mile, how-could-you-possibly-miss-it calls.

It's a call that will change the very course of baseball itself.  Remember where you were on June 2, 2010, when a seemingly innocuous decision sent the sports world into a ... 3Jun2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 3 comments | Continued

Between a Rock: Monasterios Stuck in Limbo

What do you do when you're Carlos Monasterios?  The Dodgers saw enough in the young gun to pay the Mets the Rule 5 pick, having been originally plucked from the Phillies' system.  He pitched well in Spring Training, and the club decided to take a chance on the kid, using a bullpen slot just to try their best and keep ... 30May2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Laying the Foundation: USC Football Recruiting (Why The Delay Lane?)

Before going any further, it should be noted with abundant emphasis that Lane Kiffin, Ed Orgeron and the entire USC recruiting staff have done a marvelous job of swaying excellent prep talent to verbally commit to the Trojans. USC already has six pledges from highly regarded prep players including the star of the six, cornerback/running back DeAnthony Thomas. With this kind of ... 29May2010 | Rick McMahan | 0 comments | Continued

Laying the Foundation: USC Football Recruiting, 2011 (Tre Madden and More)

The dominoes are beginning to fall for the Trojans in the 2010 prep recruiting season. Just three days after five-star (as rated by Scout.com) cornerback/running back DeAnthony Thomas gave USC his verbal pledge, Tre Madden, a 6’1,” 217 pound linebacker from prep power Mission Viejo high school has done the same. Madden, rated a three-star by Scout, will wind up with a ... 24May2010 | Rick McMahan | 0 comments | Continued

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