West Coast Bias

Rod Van Hook Loses his Battle, Our Loss

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:01:22 GMT

It's been nearly a month since I posted, so was wondering what would shake me back into hitting the keyboard, and it's a heartache. You may not recognize the name Rod Van Hook, but you certainly remember the voice if you've gotten sports updates on L.A. radio anytime in the past 40-years. I had the privledge of working with Rod in my days at KSPN, a shameless UCLA alum, who was never immune or above ribbing, or being ribbed. He hosted the Bruins shows, but mostly was the most experienced and steady voice, adding instant credibility to any broadcast he was on, even for five minutes at a time. The last time I spent any significant time with Rod, was at the Rose Bowl when Vince Young spoiled USC's title hopes, in one of the greatest college games ever played. We drove back and forth from the station together, and spent the game in the press box with the rest of the on air staff from the radio station, trading stories about the broadcasting business, our careers, and of course, trying to predict and analyze every single thing that happened in that game. It's as much fun as I've ever had at an event, mostly because none of us was covering it, we were there to experience it as fans. Not long after, Rod was part of the first of the seemingly endless purges at the ESPN affiliate, which of course would later include yours truely. Also not long after, I heard how seriously ill Rod was. He was the kind that would never let on that anything was wrong. That's why I was so happy to hear he was hired by Sports USA Radio, because I was most concerned about how he was gonna cover the costs of his treatment. The broadcast and radio universe lost a great one this weekend, a smooth voiced professional, who knew his sports history impressively, but was equally up to date on everything current. He had a wry sense of humor that never failed to make me smile, if not laugh out loud. Thinking of that is helping me deal with the thought of his passing now.

What Happened to Babying Kershaw?

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:05:18 GMT

Dodgers decided to put the weight of their fate in Clayton Kershaw, and got a rather typical performance from the 21-year old wonderkind. Nearly un-hitable brilliance the first four innings, couldn't find the plate in the 5th. For a guy whose September included running into a wall, which took him out of the rotation and into spot relief, it was the 3rd straight time he'd made the most important start of his career, each one leading to the next. First came the clincher we were starting to think would never come, two weeks ago on Saturday against Colorado. He didn't get the decision, but the Dodgers finally won the west, and they hadn't lost since. Game two against the seemingly mighty Cardinals lineup, set him up for his first ever series opening start, in this LCS rematch. At this point, anyone of the Dodgers could go in a series opener, but Kershaw is the only one with the potential to dominate an opponent. And he did...for awhile. I've got to start tweeting so the time code will show I'm not 2nd-guessing after the fact, but in the Vin Scully Press Box, I was beside myself as he familiarly unraveled with walks, and a record-setting three wild pitches, and the only one up in the bullpen, was Scott Elbert, a surprise addition to the postseason roster, and the only guy besides Billingsley I wouldn't relieve even a clearly tiring Kershaw for. A look at the radar gun readings revealed that between the 4th and 5th innings, Kershaw had dwindled from a mid-90's fastball, to the upper 80's, a significant and tell-tale dropoff. The inning was so out of control, I started to wonder if we'll be seeing him in the Cardinals outfield in a few years, (see Rick Ankiel's epic 2000 playoff wildness.) Joe Torre constantly reminds us that for most of his bullpen, lefty/righty doesn't matter. Ramon Troncoso should have been ready for Ryan Howard, not after.

Charlie Manuel nearly gave it back to the Dodgers, when, after going up 8-4, and Chan Ho Park hitting upper 90's on the gun and getting him out of a Andre Ethier leadoff double jam, Manuel pinch hit for him with Ben Francisco! He somehow hit into a doubleplay to centerfield. Ryan Madsen, who nearly cost the Phillies the clincher in Colorado, came close to letting L.A. all the way back, but held enough for Brad Lidge to have a 2-run cushion to work with in the 9th.

It seems pretty dark when Kershaw comes up short thrust into the ace role, but who knows what Pedro Martinez will give them a few hours from now. As you'll see in the interview here on the website, even Ethier would be surprised if Vincente Padilla gives them what he did in the LDS clincher, but the Dodgers should once again have every opportunity to go to Philly with a split. By going to J.A. Haap out of the pen, Manuel's favorite pitcher after Cole Hamels, TBD...has now been locked into Pedro, Cliff Lee in game three, and Joe Blanton in game four. The Dodgers could easily be 2-2 against those next three starters going into Tuesday's off day, and then see what Kershaw comes up with for game 5. After babying Kershaw his entire brief career, Joe suddenly left him in way too long. It's up to those he jumped ahead of in the LCS pecking order to make sure he gets an opportunity to make ammends.

Dodgers Sleepwalking to Postseason

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 23:19:10 GMT

No need to get all worked up about the Dodgers’ ongoing futility against the League’s worst teams; they‘re not. To a man, not one either said or seemed the least bit vexed by a 4^th straight loss, the latest, a one hit shutout, which once again, kept them from realizing the first of their goals, win the division. How does it look now that they chose to shun celebrating making the postseason back on Saturday, saying they’d wait until their real aspiration, winning the West, was realized. Now, today, the Rockies are celebrating, while still having a shot at stealing the division title from L.A. To a man, and to a manager, they all tell me the fact that they’re in the postseason, and don’t HAVE to win on a given night, has had no affect on their lackadaisical, uninspired play, especially on the offensive end. Who knows what happens next week, but who would you rather be right now, a Rockies team on a roll, that needing to win EVERY night, did; or a lethargic lumbering Los Angeles squad, unable to put away teams at the opposite end of the league?! Remarkably, the Dodgers still have the best record, barely, and will host games 1 and 2 next Wednesday and Thursday against either St. Louis or Philadelphia. But now even that’s up in the air. Jon Garland, after throwing batting practice for the Padres last night, said home field and winning the division aren’t all that important, or even an issue, “you’ve got to win on the road to win a playoff anyhow, so we’re really not concerned about it.“ Well, that’s obvious,(that they’re not concerned about it), but home field can be extremely influential in the postseason, and it’s certainly a reward for your fans, and makes it easier to advance. I really can’t believe the nonchalance and blaze’ attitude and demeanor the club has towards this empty ending If I, or most of my teammates on an intramural team, or co-ed softball team, played this poorly, against the worst teams in the league, even if we knew we were the top seed in the upcoming tournament, there’d be lots of screaming, and/or throwing of equipment. I looked around the clubhouse, and save for Larry Bowa, there’s not only no other coach or player I see, reading the group the riot act heading into its legacy defining games, the only one I can even picture doing it would be Casey Blake, and who knows when he’ll be able to play again. Maybe Manny is the heart and soul of this team…a loss, another hitless game, more sloppy defense and base running, more being out hustled and over passioned by teams eliminated since the All-Star break….no problem. “That’s baseball.” As Orlando Hudson explained how the final off day of the regular season will be spent, with a chance to clinch if the Rockies lost…“I’ll be watching Lifetime, I‘m quite sure someone will text me sooner or later if they won or not.‘ It just seems upside down and wrong to me, that you or I are more interested in what Colorado did, and why the Dodgers have hit the skids, or can win the West…than they are.

New Role, if Vick chooses to Model It

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 04:05:28 GMT

I’m not sure Michael Vick is reformed, or how sincere he seems in his exclusive interview with James Brown on 60-Minutes. You can judge for yourself here on the website if you didn’t catch it Sunday night. Many of us tend to be skeptical about a felon’s ability to be truly redeemed, especially when you consider the heinousness of the activities Vick was involved in. He admits in the interview, he was programmed to be involved in the dog-fighting culture from age 8, and there’s a popular opinion amongst psychologists that our mental and emotional make-up, and the sense of right and wrong, is basically instilled by age 7. Many of America’s most violent criminals began with a pattern of viciously abusing animals. That’s a lot of programming to turn around, so Vick’s only chance is to stay surrounded by the people who want to steer him in a better direction, like former Colts coach Tony Dungy. Vick also concedes in the interview, and Dungy confirms it, that when he was a star in the NFL, he was lazy, didn’t work at his craft, and relied on his exceptional athletic ability. Once he thinks he’s got this solved, fixed, and all behind him, and can do it on his own, is when the grand experiment will fail. Those offering him the opportunity, like Eagles owner Jeff Lurie, and Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, need to stay strict in their pledges of accountability by Vick. In Dungy, and Eagles coach Andy Reid, he’s been given an extraordinary match in trying to turn his life around. Reid has dealt with the very public problems of his own sons’ imprisonment, and drug use, and Dungy, a devoutly spiritual man, lost a son to a drug overdose suicide. Their investment in Vick, who has also had drug related incidents, is personal. Michael Vick said one of his biggest regrets, and deepest pains was lying to Falcons owner Arthur Blank, and embarrassing and hurting a man who had done so much for him, and treated him like a son. He’s got a chance with Lurie, and Dungy, and Reid, and the others who are supporting him, to repay Blank, and in turn, the American public.

Sharin' Time With Sherrill

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 05:31:36 GMT

It'll probably take a couple of years to know for sure, but I don't like the George Sherrill trade. I had the thrill of seeing Josh Bell this winter at the Dodgers offseason camp and he's got one of those bats that makes a sound that grabs your attention on contact. I've been following him ever since, and the switch-hitting third baseman has continued to progress this year at AA Chattanooga, and is considered the best power hitting prospect in the organization. Or I should say WAS. Watch for him as an Oriole, much the way Adam Jones has blossomed into an All-Star for the Orioles this season as the centerpiece of the Eric Bedard deal with the Mariners. Ironically enough, George Sherrill was one of the five Mariners in that deal, and went on to become a two time All-Star himself, and had 51 saves the last season and a half as the Orioles closer. He signed a one year deal to stay in Baltimore this offseason, which is the main reason I wouldn't have made the deal, not that I wouldn't want Sherrill, but that I wouldn't give up Bell to get, or most likely, rent him for two months. I'd want something more substantial for that sizeable bargaining chip, especially when you throw in Bell's teammate from Chattanooga, 21-year old Steve Johnson, who is a potential future big league starting pitcher, with big strikeout numbers... That said, Sherrill's is an incredible, and extremely rare story. When I first sat down with him Monday, I asked if he kept a journal, and he said no, and I told him he should have, because his story isn't all that dissimilar from Jim Morris, the Texas school teacher who got to the Big Leagues as a 35-year old with Tampa. Dennis Quaid starred in his biopic,”The Rookie."

Sherrill went undrafted out of Austin Peay, and toiled for five years in independent leagues like the Frontier, and Northern Leagues, where teams have no affiliation with Major League clubs, and guys like Rickey Henderson go to play out the string when they just can't give it up. The Memphis native was an Evansville Otter, a Sioux Falls Canary, and a Lincoln Salt Dog amongst other things, before being traded to the Winnipeg Golden Eye. That's where he caught the eyes of both the Mariners and the Yankees, who he was on the eve of signing with. Imagine that background, and ending up a New York Yankee?! But Sherrill is shrewd, and his instincts and listening to trusted advisors in the game steered him to Seattle. The Yankees were going to send him to high 'A' Tampa, the Mariners to their 'AA' team. But what really made the decision for him was when he was reminded that July of 2003, that when the Yankees go looking for pitching help, they just buy it, they don't go poking around their minor leagues for help in a pennant chase. He had a better chance of making the majors as a Mariner, and by the next summer, he did. Despite his circuitous journey, Sherrill does not lack for confidence. I asked him if now he's pitching the best ball of his life, and he said not necessarily, he's still pretty much the same pitcher with the same approach he had in the Frontier League.

One more important example of his keen instincts. Sherrill is marrying his longtime girlfriend this fall, and even though he's never been in a pennant race past August, he knew he didn't want to schedule the wedding for October. His fiancé' wanted to tie the knot on November 7th, but knowing the 7th game of the World Series could go to that weekend this year, he said November 14th, just to be safe. The man's got a knack with his hunches. Let's hope he's right about this one, and then I'll have NO problems at all with this trade.

L.O., as in Lots OF Money...LOst

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:45:19 GMT

Just as I was ready to write another follow-up and say set a deadline for him, Lamar Odom finally came to his senses, and signed to stay with the Lakers. I can’t fault him for exploring other options, or that he wasn’t in the optimum position to maximize his income, but his inability to make a decision, and getting a pitiful performance from his agent have cost him. Jeff Schwartz not returning Lakers contacts while negotiating with other teams is simply bad business. In the end, Odom could have been signed a long time ago, not lost any luster in Lakers fan’s, or his owner’s eyes, and had $36-million dollars over four years, instead of the $33-million he ended up with. In the end, L.O. has lost, but he’s not a loser, and fortunately neither are the reigning champs, but this process took a lot of unnecessary and unfortunate turns. I’m glad he’s still a Laker; I think he will be too.

The Middle Two Letters in Blog, are L.O.

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:42:59 GMT

Glad the passion is running deep! BTW, if I'd used spell check with Derek, it would have given me Derrick, but thanks for noticing. It;s fixed. Commenters seem to be missing the analogy of a game of horse, bringing the aforementioned Fisher into the equation. Certainly the Lakers would lose out without Odom, but as stated, they've already gone WAY beyond any offer they needed to. If he'd rather be a Heat, that's his choice, but when your agent puts those figures out there, and the team you claimed during all of your first title celebrations was the one you wanted to retire with and come back to, meets those demands, and said agent doesn't even return a call to the most accomplished and generous owner in the NBA, that's a LOSER. Lamar is risking his reputation, and what's left of his career with some really bad advise and poor representation. The Lakers deserve better, and so does he, but if you read the summation of the column, enough is enough, and let's get an agreement and both end up WINNERS. Let's not forget Lamar started barely a 3rd of the Lakers games this season, and many of those were due to others' injuries. Or, that despite how valuable, and at this point practically indispensable I feel he is to this team, this was the first season he's exhibited consistency from the early season through the playoffs. He hasn't earned five years from the Lakers, especially about to hit 30 in the first month of the season.

The First Two Letters in Loser are L.O.

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:50:53 GMT

In the wake of fuzzy, bitter dissapointment that was the LeBron "dunked on" footage, we’ve got some pretty amazing video here on the sight to check out in its own right. Derek Fisher’s rooftop shot at L.A. Live Tuesday was pretty incredible, I mean, come on, how often do you see Ronald McDonald passing out high fives?! Of course no Laker can go anywhere these days without being asked about Lamar Odom, and so “D-Fish’s” response to that is on here too. He’s already called the man he hopes is not a former teammate, as has Kobe, childhood chum Ron Artest, and Odom even had a nearly unprecedented phone chat with Dr. Jerry Buss. Kobe texted him from Singapore. What more do you want?! He’s on record as saying he wants $10-million per season, and a 5-year contract. The Lakers have come closer to those numbers than any other club can even approximate, and have even offered them at 3-years. And they don’t have to do any of it. It’s reminding me of the Manny Ramirez negotiations this winter, when the Dodgers refused to bid against themselves, and ended up offering Manny what he asked for, but at a much shorter term. The biggest difference is, the Dodgers did have other options, like Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn. Neither is Manny, but for this season, Abreu’s production is hard to top. If Dr. Buss did what the professional poker player he is is inclined to, and pulled his chips, he’d have every right to. The Odom team, led by the bewildering, blundering, agent Jeff Schwartz, (or if it really Pauly Shore?!), has no cards. If either side wants to quit, they’d have to step away from the $35-40 million dollar table, and be asked to sit in with a much lower class of player. Would you rather sit in with Odom at your side, or how does Ike Diogu, Drew Gooden, or (gasp) Tim Thomas, grab you?! Those are some of the Lakers options. Odom’s option is getting his 5^th year to become a Miamian again, but at about $3-million less per season than the Lakers top offer. G-M Mitch Kupchak is on record as saying that at some point, you have to move on and make other arrangements, and that was around the 4^th of July, looking ahead to the coming week. Enough already. It’s like going up on that rooftop outside the Nokia Theatre and challenging Fisher to a game of H-O-R-S-E. Only this time, let’s call it L-O-S-E-R, and guess what Lamar, you’ve already got the L. and the O., and the other letters are coming fast. Let’s all come to our senses, call off the game, and reach a settlement, and all get back on the same team.

Wilhite's Amazing Night in Fullerton

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 05:34:24 GMT

The deadly crash that took the lives of three young people, and forever changed the lives of their families, is often referred to as “The Nick Adenhart crash that killed two others.” While Adenhart will forever have a special place in the hearts of all the Angels, and their fans, the other victims had much stronger southland ties. The parents and siblings of Courtney Stewart, and Henry Pearson were there tonight in Fullerton when the lone survivor of the tragedy was honored at Goodwin Field. Jon Wilhite played catcher for the Titans from 2004 to 2008, and was good friends with Stewart, a sophomore cheerleader, and Pearson, who was a high school teammate of Wilhite’s. He told me tonight, it’s very difficult for him to see the families of his friends who lost their lives, but you can tell from their hugs and the looks in their eyes, how much they mean to each other, and how much it means to them to see the inspiration of at least one person not only surviving that tragedy, but thriving in his recovery. I talked to the trio of first responders who were at the scene that night, when they tried to save the others, and found Jon’s head internally decapitated. Watching them watch Wilhite not only walk around the field, but throw out the first pitch, you could see the sense of satisfaction in their eyes from their efforts that so often, don’t produce a happy ending. All the police and firemen who were in action that night, were recognized on the field, and got some of the biggest applause, including many of the Flyers players seeking them out to shake their hands. The memorial t-shirts of the Wilhite family, Henry Pearson’s mother Arita wearing an Angels jersey with his name on it, Carrie Stewart with a t-shirt that had her daughter Courtney’s picture on it…those are all images I’ll long remember, as well as the depth and devotion of the Titans’ family. Flyers manager Phil Nevin, a former all-American at Fullerton, spearheaded the gathering, but he had a very willing and giving community to draw from, that was in its finest Orange colors on Monday night. I’ve linked our coverage of the event for you here.

LoDuca: "All 104 Names Should Come Out"

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:30:37 GMT

It was great to have Paul LoDuca as a guest on Think Blue T.V. last night, and especially to see him interact and catch-up with Eric his longtime teammate and friend. I'd interacted with Paul quite a bit during his playing days, especially as a Dodger, and he was always co-operative and engaging and open. It was no surprise to see him working his way into broadcasting. I had not talked to him since his name appeared in the Mitchell Report, and in fact was a name with some of the most detailed and damaging evidence gathered, and even included documentation that someone in the Dodgers organization was aware of his steroid use. We were a bit hesitant to go into the issue, but in 31-years of interviewing, and hosting "Up Close" for three years, it's difficult if not impossible to ignore the elephant in the living room. You may often get an evasive or unresponsive reaction, but you HAVE to ask the obvious question, even if it's only YOU who sees it as one of the most important things you want to hear from this person. Although the Mitchell Report came out in 2007, the topic was especially relevant again yesterday, especially in lieu of all the recent developments. There was Alex Rodriguez in February, there was Sammy Sosa added to the names on the list of 104 players that had tested positively for steroids in that sample testing, and of course, there was Manny Ramirez. Then, that very day, the most disturbing and irresponsible coverage yet of the steroid era. A website pretty much no one had ever heard of, got visited by one that dominates the blogosphere because they were desperate for some Roto information, and stumbled upon this web site's list of all 104 names. Amongst the grotesque irresponsible inaccuracies in the "list" was the open admittance by the author that the names included had NO source, none at all. And he put them out anyhow. What was it, a guess?! It was so sloppy and amateurish that only 103 names were on the list, and Jason Grimsley's was omitted, and he's been documented to have been on the actual one. Maybe the bigger crime was trendsetting, powerful blogs like "Deadspin", and "The Big Lead," took the website to task, but reprinted all the names! Now they're in uch wider distribution, which gives them merit and attention they don't deserve, and multiplys the wrongdoing astronomically. Paul LoDuca's name was on there too, but although he's all over the Mitchell Report, he told us he had not failed that test. As you'll see in this link to his reaction, he's still contrite, and has some interesting perspective on what not only Manny, but Juan Pierre will go through starting Friday. LoDuca also said it may have something to do with why he's not working in the industry, but he was close to playing for a couple of teams this spring, and based on his candor with us, and the fact he's already doing some Mets broadcasts, and working for the Thoroughbred Sports Network, I think we'll be seeing more of #16 in the near future.

http://www.cbs2.com/video/?id=107409@kcbs.dayport.com