The defending National Champions in the Major Baseball League manage to survive. For now. The mounting of a comeback has begun in Chicago. In a low scoring match between the Chicago Cubs and the LA Dodgers, the Cubs would top their adversaries 3-2 in Wrigley Field.

This particular addition to the series would face off Jake Arrieta and Alex Wood. Unlike other faceoffs between the Dodgers and Cubs, this matchup would only allow runs scored off home runs. In similar fashion to Game 3, the Cubs would strike first on a second inning home run from Wilson Contreras. A 491 foot bomb into left field.

Contrasting the previous outing, Chicago would not merely score once this inning. The 437 foot belt into left by Javier Baez would further the gap. This hit is very significant for the second baseman. The end of a 0 for 20 streak slayed the demons which haunted Baez for longer than any Cubs fan would enjoy.

Despite this, the Dodgers would respond the next inning. Another homer, this one from first baseman Cody Bellinger. The score would stay at a 2-1 standstill until the fifth inning following the 378 foot blast.

Off of another pitch by Wood, Baez would once again swing for the fences. And succeed. A 380 foot solo shot into left field put the Dodgers into a 3-1 hole. In spite of their best attempts, LA would stay in the hole. An eighth inning home run by Justin Turner tightens the gap to a single run once more. Nonetheless, this would be the last run scored by either side.

The bullpens for both Los Angeles and Chicago performed well in Game 4 with both sides totaling more than 10 strikeouts a piece. The Cubs would total 12 strikeouts and the Dodgers, 11. The Dodgers would end up pulling 6 members of the bullpen onto to mound in opposition to Chicago bringing only Arrieta, Brian Duensing, and Wade Davis to close.

In the top of the ninth, Game 4 ends in dramatic fashion with a Bellinger hit turning into a Chicago double play. The Cubs stave off elimination to earn another fight. Game 5 between the Cubs and Dodgers will occur Thursday night at Wrigley Field once again. Clayton Kershaw will be on the mound for the Dodgers facing Chicago’s Jose Quintana with the first pitch at 7:08 pm CST on TBS.

The post Cubbie Comeback Continues into Game 5 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Many stars from the MLB are committing to their respective countries or heritages, as this may be the most profiled World Baseball Classic to date. Some stars include Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles (Dominican Republic), Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros (Venezuela), Adrian Gonzalez of the Los Angeles Dodgers (Mexico), and Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies (USA).

While most are excited that baseball is back and would rather wait for the MLB season to start, hear me out. The World Baseball Classic is a great opportunity to see a lot of great things. The WBC provides us with the opportunity to enjoy talent from other countries who do not play in Major League Baseball. In the past we have seen current MLB stars like Masahiro Tanaka, Jose Abreu, Yoenis Cespedes, and Kenley Jansen play in the WBC before they were signed to big league contracts. Fun fact about Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen, who is arguably the best closer in baseball right now, played catcher for the Netherlands in the 2006 WBC. Here is a GIF of Jansen throwing out Ryan Braun from his knees.

Another opportunity that the WBC presents is competitive baseball in March. In the month of March, spring training games are just merely for the players prepping themselves for the season. Most of the game’s best players are out of the game by the fifth inning. With the WBC, the game’s premier players are in game action for nine innings. More star studded players as mentioned previously are going to play in the Classic.

Lastly, the WBC has an incredible fan atmosphere. Like the Soccer World Cup, the fans of international teams are loud, rowdy, excited, and prideful for their team. A sense of nationalistic pride comes together in one tournament, on one diamond, in between the foul lines, 60 feet 6 inches away with the winner-take-all in LA.

The first game for Team USA is on Friday, March 10 at 11 AM against Colombia, while the first official game of the WBC is between Israel and South Korea, which begins Monday, March 6 at 4 AM CT in Seoul, South Korea.

The post High Intensity Baseball Comes in March appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Notable Additions: Brandon Beachy SP, Brett Anderson SP, Jimmy Rollins SS, Yasmani Grandal C, Howie Kendrick 2B, Brandon McCarthy SP, Joel Peralta P

Notable Losses: Dan Haren SP, Hanley Ramirez SS, Dee Gordon 2B, Matt Kemp OF, Paul Maholm SP

I absolutely love what the Dodgers did this offseason. They’ll probably miss the power bat of Hanley Ramirez but they definitely won’t miss his defense. I almost didn’t put SS by Ramirez’s name up top because it’s just sad to consider him a shortstop. The loss of Kemp will hurt Joc Pederson doesn’t pan out. The Dodgers added veteran leadership that should help out in the clubhouse.

Nobody should be worried about the starting rotation led by Clayton Kershaw. If you’ve been living under a rock, Kershaw was awarded the NL Cy Young award and NL MVP in 2014. Zack Greinke is one of the best number two pitchers in the game. He has finished each of the last two seasons with 15+ wins and an ERA under 2.72. Greinke would be the ace on quite a few teams right now. Hyun-jin Ryu comfortably holds the third spot in the rotation. Ryu currently holds a 3.17 ERA through 344 innings of work in his time with the Dodgers. McCarthy and Anderson are solid four and five guys. My favorite move was the signing of Brandon Beachy. Beachy missed all of 2014 with an arm injury and has been injured throughout the past few seasons. This signing was a low risk, high reward. If Beachy is unable to return to form, the team won’t be hurt by the loss. If Beachy does return to form, it could be an absolute nightmare for opponents. Beachy has a 3.23 career ERA and averages 9.2 strikeouts per 9 innings.

The Dodgers found a new middle infield with the additions of Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick. Rollins is a major defense upgrade at short and brings veteran leadership that might help this team gel. Kendrick has a career batting average of .292 and brings consistency to the lineup. Dodger fans can count on Kendrick performing at a high level every day.

The loss of Matt Kemp means that prospect Joc Pederson will see action in 2015. Perderson has collected a .302 batting average and a .524 slugging percentage during his time in the minors. He has the ability steal bases and can hit for power. He should strikeout at a high rate but the Dodgers will hope to change that over time. It’s a good environment for any rookie to play in. The Dodgers have an unbelievable amount of talent to go along with veterans who will help Pederson adjust. Even if Joc struggles, the Dodgers have more than enough fire power to make up for it.

Breakout Player: Yasmani Grandal C

Joc Pederson is the obvious breakout player to watch in 2015 and the rest of this team is made of super stars. Yasmani Grandal will have the opportunity to hit in a new ballpark with talent to back him up in the lineup. He finished last season with 15 home runs but struggled to hit for average. He should have more opportunities to drive in runs and will be looking to take advantage of them. If healthy I expect:

.268 BA, 17 HR, 57 RBI’s .422 SLG

Game Changer: Kenley Jansen CP

If the Dodgers have a weak spot it’s the bullpen. They haven’t been awful but they have struggled to find consistency. Jansen’s stuff is just plain filthy. He finished with a 2.76 ERA and 44 saves in 2014. Everyone knows that the offense and starting pitching will be there. If Jansen can stay healthy and close out games, the Dodgers would almost be guaranteed a playoff spot.

The Dodgers own the NL West. They have overflowing talent and are poised to make another playoff run in 2015. Expect them to run away with the division.

Make sure to check back in on March 31st for my complete standing predictions along with a few other fun pieces of news. Until then, you will be able to find a new preview of an individual team from March 1st through the 30th here at KRUI.FM.

The post Los Angeles Dodgers 2015 Preview Edition #5 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Los Angeles, California is the home to both MVP award winners of the 2014 Major League Baseball season. Dodgers Clayton Kershaw was the first to win the award as a starting pitcher since Bob Gibson won the award in 1968. The Angels’ centerfielder Mike Trout won the award in unanimous fashion. Both Kershaw and Trout are without a doubt among the best players in baseball. That is not a question. But did they win this year’s awards by default?

Clayton Kershaw had perhaps his most exciting year as a starting pitcher.  Kershaw has enjoyed great success in his first 7 seasons. After posting an era of 1.83 just a year ago, many wondered if he could repeat such a dominant season. Despite the doubts, Kershaw posted an era of 1.77, a career best. He was the clear choice for the Cy Young award. Kershaw appeared in non-human form this year as he allowed only 9 home runs while striking out 239 batters and giving up only 31 walks, also a career best. He flirted with perfection against the Rockies while successfully pitching his first career no hitter. An error by the Dodgers’ shortstop, Hanley Ramirez, was the only stat that interfered with the perfect game. Kershaw was clearly the best pitcher in the game in 2014, but would he have been awarded the MVP if slugger Giancarlo Stanton had stayed healthy?

Stanton had an outstanding year. He finished with a league leading 37 home runs. He drew 94 walks and knocked in 105 runners. Stanton was injured late in the season after he was struck in the face by a ball. How did this impact MVP voting?

Many critics have an issue with the MVP award going to a pitcher who pitches every fifth day. Personally, I don’t have an issue with a pitcher winning the MVP. Kershaw himself missed over a month in the beginning of the season due to injury. Voters still awarded Kershaw with the award despite missing time. It may have been a different story, had Stanton stayed healthy.

The American League MVP race was different. Mike Trout received all 30 votes for the MVP award. I couldn’t help but question this. Would Trout have won if he were compared with hitters from the past few years? Was Victor Martinez robbed? Are we over valuing home runs?

The game is clearly changing. Pitching has been substantially better and home runs have come in a rare form. A hitter with 30 home runs is often considered elite.

Trout had strong numbers. There’s no question, but he also lacked in a few key areas. Trout finished with a .287 batting average. This is the first time that the AL MVP finished with a batting average under .290 since 1969 when Harmon Killebrew took the award. Trout finished with 36 home runs. A strong number but not mind blowing. He drove in 111 runs and scored 115 times. Trout led the league in one category that you don’t want to be on top of, strikeouts. Trout struck out 184 times in 602 at bats. He also only managed to steal 16 bases, which was a career low.

It’s shocking to me that a player can lead the league in strikeouts, yet still be considered the best. There is a case to be made for both Victor Martinez and Jose Altuve.

Jose Altuve finished as the American League batting champion. Altuve finished with a .341 batting average and a .377 on base percentage. Most ignored Altuve due to the lack of power. What people have to understand is that they’re completely different players. Altuve is the kind of player that will put up stingy at bats and find ways to get on base. He did exactly that. He also led the league in stolen bases with 56. Altuve consistently found ways to get on base and move himself into scoring position. The key to Altuve’s argument is that he only struck out 53 times in 707 at bats. Altuve has and never will be a power hitter. He’s a lead off hitter that does his job better than just about anyone. Altuve also had no protection behind him. Trout had players like Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton hitting behind him.

One argument that I’ve heard multiple times is that Altuve played for a team that was nowhere near playoffs, whereas Trout’s team finished with the most wins in the regular season. First off, does this really matter? Why should the team be taken into account for an individual award? Of course the Angels were going to win more games than the Astros. The Angels have deeper pockets. The Angels payroll exceeded 154 million dollars as opposed to the Astros just reaching 50 million. Secondly, what’s the goal here? Wins or Rings? As far as I’m concerned, both teams fell short of the World Series this year. Sure the Angels got to playoffs but they got swept in the first round. How are they really any different from the Astros? If you look at the big picture, both teams came up empty handed. The Angels got to play one more series where they were swept.

But lets just go with the argument that Altuve lacked power and a winning team. I present to you… Victor Martinez. Martinez finished with a .335 batting average, a league leading .409 on base percentage, struck out only 42 times in 561 at bats, 103 RBI’s, 32 home runs, and was on a playoff team. He beat Trout in batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and had 142 less strikeouts. Martinez had only 4 less home runs and 8 less RBI’s. How can you not give him the award? The answer is that he was primarily a designated hitter. Martinez only played 33 games in the field. This was the primary argument against him.

I understand the argument but I find it rather invalid. How can you penalize a guy for playing in YOUR league? The American League allows for a designated hitter. If you are going to penalize a guy for playing by your rule then perhaps the rule should be changed. If this isn’t a good enough argument, then lets bring Kershaw back into the conversation. Kershaw only goes out once every 5 days. In total he made an appearance in 27 games or 198.1 innings. Martinez might not have played the field but he still played in 151 games or 641 innings. Do you see my point here? Martinez still played almost every game.

It would be interesting to see the outcome if we analyzed the statistics without the player’s names.

It just seems that we are valuing power to an extreme. Trout had a great year. That has never been questioned. It just seems that he might have gotten this award by default due to the strong opinion against the designated hitter and the lack of power in the league. The game is changing.

As a baseball fan, we must remember that we are getting to see the game change in an exciting way. Players are beginning careers at a younger age and bring new excitement to the game. Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw are two premier players that will most likely be talked about for the next 15 years when discussing MVP awards. These are two of the best. They are the MVP’s of 2014.

These were simply interesting topics to think about over the course of what seems to be an endless offseason. I’ll leave you with this one. With Derek Jeter gone, have we found the new face of baseball?

The post MVP by Default? appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Final standings from the NL West in 2011:

1. Arizona Diamondbacks (94-68)
2. San Francisco Giants (86-76) 8 Games Back
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (82-79) 11.5 Games Back
4. Colorado Rockies (72-89) 21 Games Back
5. San Diego Padres (71-91) 23 Games Back

Team Break-Downs:

#5. San Diego Padres (71-91)
Losses: CL Heath Bell, SP Mat Latos, OF Ryan Ludwick
Additions: CL Huston Street, OF Carlos Quentin, SP Edinson Volquez, OF Mark Kotsay, P Andrew Cashner

The Padres struggled in 2011 to string together wins and really were forced to revamp their roster in the offseason. They still have Cameron Maybin, who is a center fielder with a ton of upside. The speedster played in his first full season for a Major League Ball club, batting 516 times in 137 games, with a .264 batting average, 82 runs scores, and 40 stolen bases in 2011. The Padres clearly were not happy with the production last season so they went out and snagged a couple of proven big-leaguers in OF Carlos Quentin, and former Colorado Rockies Closer, Huston Street, as well as OF Mark Kotsay. Street fills the void of Heath Bell who is now the closer for the Miami Marlins. Quentin is an under-the-radar acquisition for the Padres because although his numbers have started to decline the past few seasons from his MVP-caliber performances, Quentin is a winner, and has a great swing. He will bring power and high percentage at-bats to the line-up that struggled last season with those two categories.
San Diego will need to have a solid season at home if they want to be successful in this division. The pitching staff is sub-par because they are young, but with PetCo Park being a pitchers park, it could level the playing field if they are able to manufacture runs and get Maybin around the bases with Quentin and the young nucleus of Venable, Guzman, and Headley. The name of the game is confidence and experience. The Padres will probably have a long season unless they can get production immediately from Volquez, Stauffer and the rest of the pitching staff.

#4. Colorado Rockies (73-89)
Losses: 3B Ian Stewart, IF Ty Wigginton, U Alfredo Amezaga, P J.C Romero, SP Jason Hammel,
Additions: 3B Casey Blake, OF Michael Cuddyer, 2B/SS Marco Scutaro, C Ramon Hernandez, OF Tyler Colvin

The Colorado Rockies clearly threw the year last season at the break, dishing their best pitcher in Ubaldo Jimenez, but they did everything right this offseason, bringing in a good mix of veteran guys to surround their already quality lineup. The Rockies have 2 guys that could be MVP candidates in SS Troy Tulowitzki, and LF Carlos Gonzalez. Cargo and Tulo combined for 56 HR’s, 197 RBI’s, and each batted right around .300, Tulo hitting .302, and Cargo hitting .295. These will continue to play a huge role in offensive success for Colorado, but they need to get guys on base in front of them. Dexter Fowler is a speed demon, but struggled last year to steal quality bases and get across the plate, only scoring 84 runs in a line-up where he should be scoring 100+.
The additions will help compliment the young talent with Cuddyer Scutaro, and Blake each bring something to the table with solid averages, good defense, and the ability to be role players. The line-up will not be the problem for the Rockies.
The pitching staff will showcase Jhoulys Chacin and Jorge De Le Rosa as the top 2 starters and they will need good innings from each guy. Drew Pomerantz will need to blossom as a force to be reckoned with as well, because he is a quality young prospect, and is probably the number 1 guy that they acquired out of the Ubaldo deal.
The Rockies have a nice balance on their team of stars, and youngsters, but the lack of experience in the pitching rotation could prove to be their demise, or propel them to a division championship.

#3 Los Angeles Dodgers (82-79)
Losses: 3B Casey Blake, CL Jonathon Broxton
Additions: RP Todd Coffey, SP Chris Capuano, SP Aaron Harang, 2B Mark Ellis

The Dodgers had the best pitcher and hitter in the entire National League in 2011 in Cy Young winner, Clayton Kershaw, and MVP runner-up, Matt Kemp. Every season it seems that the Dodgers have the tools to win the division and things go awry early and often and they put themselves out of the division hunt. The only real consistent bat in the line-up is Kemp’s and although Andre Ethier has shown some incredible promise in the past, but inconsistency has plagued his career. James Loney has shown some promise, but his bat is known to take a vacation once in a while too. The Dodgers have the most drama surrounding them right now, with Frank McCourts lawsuit and bankruptcy, so it is extremely difficult to see this team impact the division race this season, with all of the other teams around them improving or remaining competitive in the free agent market, something that The Dodgers didn’t really do, by not addressing their need for hitting.

#2. San Francisco Giants (86-76)
Losses: IF Orlando Cabrera, UT Mark De Rosa, IF Miguel Tejada,
Additions: OF Melky Cabrera, OF Angel Pagan, 2B Ryan Theriot, RP Guillermo Mota

For the Giants, step one was simple. Avoid arbitration with Tim Lincecum. They succeeded in that sense, and actually in my opinion got a better deal than The Freak deserves, so that is good. The 2010 World Series Champs have a lot of rebuilding to do, but their offseason has been a good one. Avoiding arbitration with Lincecum is the biggest storyline, but acquiring strong role playing bats on offense in Melky Cabrera, Pagan, and Theriot will help them develop depth in the lineup. The Giants also get back phenom catcher Buster Posey, which should develop the dynamic of their offense and defense immensely. The rotation is still extremely strong, and remains one of the best in the league with Lincecum, Matt Cain (who will be playing in a contract year), Ryan Vogelsong (sparkled last season with a 2.71 ERA and a 13-7 record), Madison Bumgarner, and veteran Barry Zito.
Pitching is not the issue with Brian Wilson, one of the most elite relievers looming at the Closer spot, and probable set-up guy, Sergio Romo who posted a 1.5 ERA in 48 innings pitched last year.
The Giants success will live and die by their ability at the plate.

#1. Arizona Diamondbacks (94-68)
Losses: SP Jason Marquis, SP Micah Owings, OF/1B Xavier Nady
Additions: OF Jason Kubel, SP Trevor Cahill, RP Craig Breslow

The Diamondbacks came out of nowhere last year with a Cy Young performance from their Ace arm Ian Kennedy. They don’t particularly pop on paper, but they have great chemistry. Justin Upton is continuing to progress into the star they were hoping he would be, Miguel Montero is among the elite young catchers in the game, and they added some great players to help negate the additions by the other divisional teams. Trevor Cahill and Craig Breslow have both pitched at a high level for an extended period of time and Jason Kubel is a great veteran who has played in some big games when with the Twins. The Diamonbacks needed more youth and more experience and they go everything they wanted and more, without sacrificing anything significant.

Division Outlook:
The Diamondbacks will start the season as the favorite to take the division, and that comes as no surprise to anybody. They made some great moves in the offseason and the key players for them will be a year older, and hopefully a year smarter. They will need Ian Kennedy to continue to be elite, and that could prove to be the case, but we have to remember that Kennedy was a .500 pitcher in 2010, and then went 20-4 last year. Those numbers will probably drop off slightly. The D-Backs will need Cahill and Breslow to acclimate to Arizona quickly and have an impact right away. Justin Upton is capable of having an MVP caliber season and that should set them apart, but they are still a very young team with not a lot of experience, so that could play a role in the division this season.
The Giants improves a great deal and could make some great strides early. If they want to compete for a division crown, they will need to rely heavily on their pitching, but those same arms got them rings just a season ago.
The Rockies and Dodgers are very similar in the sense that they have incredible talent, but just need to get some consistency. The NL West has 4 MVP candidates in it in Upton, Tulowitzki, Cargo, and Kemp. Whichever of those players can get the guys around him to produce run support for the quality pitching staffs will have the upper hand.
Frankly, the Padres are probably out of it. They don’t possess a big bopper like 2 seasons ago when Adrian Gonzalez was their 1B. They have a long way to go and the fact that they dealt Latos and Bell shows the look of a rebuilding team.

My (Early) Prediction:
1. San Francisco Giants (92-70)
2. Colorado Rockies (89-73)
3. Arizona Diamondbacks (87-75)
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (74-88)
5. San Diego Padres (71-91)

Reasoning: This division should be one of the most fun division to watch in baseball because of the young talent that will dictate who wins. I pick the Giants based on the risk/reward factor for them. They added two solid players in Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan. The Giants also get Buster Posey back and he will look to have another great season behind the dish. Between Posey, Cabrera, and Pagan, with Theriot, their Wins Above Replacement (WAR) combined equals 10.5, meaning that by adding those players it will propel them above the wins mark of the Diamondbacks last season. The D-Backs did add some players as well, improving their percentages, but with the addition of Posey and Melky Cabrera (each with a 3+ WAR), combined with the Giants incredible pitching prowess, the have an incredible advantage that Bruce Bochy will need to take advantage of.
Now, you probably are asking yourself, well then what about the Rockies. The answer is simple. The Rockies appeared to be giving up last season by dealing Ubaldo to the Indians, but in reality they were improving and playing for this season and the future. Adding the veteran leadership with Scutaro and Cuddyer to help Dexter Fowler (Who I believe will break out this year), should set the table for Cargo and Tulowitzki. Todd Helton is 38 years old, but “The Toddfather” is still playing at a high level, hitting .302 last season with 69 RBI’s. The Rockies also have questions in the rotation because of the lack of experience, but they have an opportunity to be the most improved team in the bigs, much like the D-Backs did last year.
This division has a lot of underappreciated fire power and the winner of the division could make a splash in the postseason, much like San Francisco did in 2010.

The post MLB Preview: National League West appeared first on KRUI Radio.

1. Fowl expletives against Selig

• Recently, Major League Baseball took over ownership of The Los Angeles Dodgers due to financial troubles plaguing the owner Frank McCourt and The Dodgers organization.  Frank McCourt has expressed some displeasure for the take-over by MLB commissioner Bud Selig and how the league is handling the situation.  The Dodgers organization were potentially discussing a huge deal with the FOX network that McCourt argues would virtually eliminate the controversy surrounding McCourt’s financial troubles and his divorce. The deal would bring close to 3 billion dollars to the organization over the next 17 years.  McCourt went on MSNBC this week and was quoted as saying, “I want to talk to Bud, and I want to know why he is ducking me!”  referring to how Bud Selig and the MLB are not trying to work with McCourt to solve the financial problem.  This is not the first time that the MLB has had to take over a team, most recently The Texas Rangers last season and the 2001 Montreal Expos which ultimately moved the team to Washington D.C.  Mr. McCourt is allegedly going to sue Major League Baseball for taking over the team.  McCourt’s fowl (great pun right?) language against Selig brings the Los Angeles Dodgers situation into our Bottom 5 for the second straight week.

2. $2, 445,680.00, is cheap according to Granger

• After the Chicago Bulls squashed the Indiana Pacers hopes of moving on to the next round of the NBA playoffs Tuesday night, Pacers forward, Danny Granger, had some choice words about big man for the Bulls, Joakim Noah.  Granger was quoted as calling Noah “cheap” and “cowardly.”  Referring to Noah taking cheap shots during the game against Pacers players such as Josh McRoberts, which ultimately resulted in McRoberts getting ejected from the game due to a retaliation.  Noah has become known for his ability to instigate technical fouls from other players due to his tough play and his demeanor during the game.  Hopefully Granger makes enough money to go and buy some tissues because after the sob fest that was his statements towards Noah, he is going to need quite a few.  Good thing the Pacers will have the entire offseason to have team therapy to blame.

3. Tweet Tweet, Shut Up!

• Todd Tichenor, home plate umpire during the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees game on Wednesday ejected White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen for arguing balls and strikes.  No big deal right?  Ozzie gets ejected all the time because of that loud, fiery mouth of his, so it should come as no surprise, but thanks to the unlimited access to the internet and social media via Twitter, Ozzie was not done.  He tweeted during the game on Twitter, “This one going to cost me a lot money, this is patetic” and “Today a tough guy show up a Yankee Stadium.”  Yes, those quotes are verbatim from Twitter and are exactly what he wrote.  Ozzie, we know you do not like umpiring when it goes against you, but if you are going to bash umpires and are going to make a rouse out of getting ejected, please, for Pete’s sake, at least use the common courtesy to spell things correctly and not look like a total idiot.  Thanks.

4. All-time Lowe

• The lowest of the low this week is just that.  Derek Lowe, opening-day starting pitched for the Atlanta Braves was arrested late Thursday night after making an illegal lane change.  The police officer that pulled him over smelled what he believed to be alcohol on Lowe’s breath so he made him do a sobriety test after Lowe refused to blow in the BAC indicator.  Any time a professional athlete is arrested for a DUI it is low, but rumors have spread since the accident that Lowe was actually involved in street racing.  Derek Lowe is 37 years old and a seasoned veteran in Major League Baseball.  It is unclear what the repercussions will be for Lowe.  This is not the way that a veteran leader like Lowe is supposed to act and that is why he breaks into the Bottom 5.  Lowe man, real Lowe!

5. Homophobic Remarks Not Just In Basketball

• According to a fan that attended an Atlanta Braves game this week in San Francisco against the Giants, pitching coach Roger McDowell made homophobic gestures and comments to heckling fans.  The content of the comments has forced the Atlanta Braves to place McDowell on administrative leave starting Friday April 29, 2011.  According to a report on AOL.com McDowell asked a group of fans in the outfield bleachers, “Are you a homo couple, or a threesome?” and then made an obscene sexual gesture with a baseball bat.  Are you kidding me? This homophobic blast from McDowell comes just barely 2 weeks removed from the controversy surrounding Kobe Bryant and his homophobic slurs directed at officials in the NBA.  Come on people, this is the year 2011, get with the program and start being more accepting

The post Bottom Five: MLB/Atlanta Braves Edition appeared first on KRUI Radio.

5. Blasting Refs:

• 

  Head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Nate McMillan, was fined $35,000 for blasting the referees following their loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of their playoff series.  Coach McMillan refused to go into details about his thoughts on the huge discrepancy of free throws shot by both teams in the fourth quarter.  The Mavs had a commanding 19-2 edge.  McMillan blames the refs for this lopsided case and uses it to explain his team coming up short in the end.  Danny Crawford, the head official of that game, has come up in officiating Dallas’s playoff games before.  Previously, the Mavs were 2-16 in games that he officiated so bias was certainly not in order of the game.  McMillan must move on and help his team regain their composure or they will be early exits in the playoffs.  For the record, Dallas has not won a playoff series since their championship run in 2005-2006.

4. Thankless Job:

• NHL vice president Colin Campbell has recently declared his job thankless and unsatisfying.  Why you might ask?  Well, he takes criticism for making indecisions on punishments for “cheap hits” on players.  Suspensions differ for players despite the hits being very similar.  What hurts Campbell’s case is that he just does not like to explain himself to the media.  His job isn’t thankless; his job is to keep order among players and to make an example of some to those who play dirty.  Campbell is more media shy than Jay Cutler, but to call his job thankless?  Child please!

3. Speeding Ticket in NASCAR:

• Jimmie Johnson came out and apologized for comments on NASCAR’s credibility for issuing speeding penalties.  Now this is not your typical (or atypical) speeding ticket of going 10 miles over the limit.  Johnson was busted for going 5 miles over the speed limit in the pit zone.  While some people do not consider NASCAR a sport, it should be noted that a driver should be allowed to go as fast as he wants, provided the pit crew is off the track.  NASCAR has stated that there is no need to post the speeds of the driver’s cars for all to see and Johnson called out NASCAR in giving him a bogus penalty for taking points away from him.  Tough break but considering he might win his 6^th championship in a row, this is nothing.

2. Labor Strike Warning:

• In wake of the NFL’s labor strike, NBA commissioner David Stern is calling the situation a mess and prays that the situation does not happen to his NBA.  The NBA has plans to send a revised proposal for a new collective bargaining agreement to prevent a lockout from happening in the NBA.  The last lockout that took place in basketball was in 1998-1999 and there was only a temporary work stoppage, but with the economy the way it is, no chances should be taken.  Should Stern be concerned about another league’s handling of its policy?  Absolutely not.  He should focus his attention on his own league first.

1. Dodging Nothing:

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  Probably the most laughable thing I have ever seen in baseball is a franchise being bought out by the MLB.  Los Angeles Dodgers executive Steve Soboroff has called MLB’s actions unprofessional because they are taking advantage of the owners getting a divorce.  To add insult to injury, Bud Selig, the commissioner of MLB, has explained that he foresaw this and made plans to handle the situation.  This does not sit well with a storied franchise that had poise to make a run at the division.  While these distractions do not hurt the team’s field play, it does shed a bad light on the franchise.  Trash talk has arisen from Soboroff and Selig, but Selig has the upper hand here since he has the cash assets to bail the team out.  So to all owners out there, do not go through a divorce while still possessing majority ownership of a team!

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