An Unusual Beginning

The start of the Lakers 2009-2010 season isn't exactly following the blueprint that many fans drew up. A blueprint that had the Lakers steamrolling any team in its way and showing everyone why they are the defending champions.

Well sometimes things just don't work out that way. An injury situation and sloppy play have led the Lakers to a 2-1 record in the first three games. Yes it's only three games out of 82, so it's not time to hit the panic button like some fans have decided to do. But one has to admit, the start of the Lakers title reign is as interesting as Ron Artest's haircut.

Up to this point, the worried attitude has more to do with Pau Gasol's hamstring and inability to play a single minute this season. It was though at first that the injury was minor and it was a precautionary move to sit him out, but with a new report that it could potentially be a slightly torn hamstring, fans are beginning to worry about what this does to the Lakers to start the season.

When fans hear the reports of Gasol possibly being out six weeks with the injury, many do not see the fine print. So here it is: Gasol has not played in a game since October 9th. It has been approximately four weeks since that game meaning that Gasol, if his timetable is correct, would return in a couple of weeks.

In Gasol's absence, the Lakers were able to take out the Clippers, but then were shockingly torn apart by the Mavericks in one of the weirdest games I have watched this team play in a few years. They played uncharacteristically and just did not want to the things necessary to win the game. It surely was a game to be forgotten. Then two nights ago, they were able to bounce back and beat the Hawks, thanks to 41 points by Kobe Bryant, 21 by Andrew Bynum, and a stellar defensive performance by Ron Artest.

Until Gasol is back healthy, I expect the Lakers to have a couple more games that are frustrating. The reason being that the team isn't at full strength and Ron Artest is still finding his way, but if he does what he did against Joe Johnson and the Hawks, the Lakers will be just fine until Gasol returns.

Tonight the Lakers face off against the young, but dangerous Oklahoma City Thunder. It will be the Lakers first road game of the season, so it be will be crucial to start their road record off with a win. To win championships, teams need to show a mental toughness on the road in order to overcome tough situations. The Lakers have a lot of work to do to become a team everyone fears, one way to do that is to play hard-nosed defense. Let's hope they can do what they did in the 3rd quarter versus the Hawks, but this time for an entire 48 minutes.

Lakers / Mavericks Game Preview

Tonight's game figures to be an early preview of two teams that will be in the playoffs, although the Lakers are still not at full strength as they will not have Pau Gasol still nursing a hamstring injury.

The Mavs will be a team to watch this season, as they added Shawn Marion, which helps their team in a run and gun aspect especially with Jason Kidd still running the show. In the team's opening game, the Mavs lost to the Washington Wizards 102-91 as Nowitzki and Marion led the way in scoring, but got no help from the role players.

Even without Gasol, the Lakers still have a very strong starting five. Bynum, coming off a huge game with 26 points and 13 rebounds, should be a key factor in the game as he will go up against Erick Dampier. With many people expecting big things out of the young center this season, it was definitely a great first game for the kid.

The key to the game will be the bench. Can the Lakers bench be productive unlike the the first game where they had an astounding nine points. With the Mavs, their bench scored 27 points, 12 from Terry, 13 from Barea, and 2 from Gooden. Oh they only had four players on the bench, the other being Humphries.

The Lakers should play a lot better than they did versus the Clippers. It's still early in the season and teams will be trying to get on the right track for about the first month. I think they put together a solid performance tonight and start the season 2-0.

Time to Reign

For some reason, a defending champion off-season seems a lot shorter than that of a off-season where one does not win the ultimate prize.

In a Summer that was pretty quiet outside the Ron Artest signing and a Odom/Kardashian wedding, the Lakers look poised for a repeat. Tonight, they kick-off their title defense against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center.

One big change is at the small forward position. Ron Artest takes the spot of Trevor Ariza, who signed with Houston this Summer. Artest does come with baggage, but he also comes with a lot of skill. Especially on the ball defense and toughness. Now it won't be necessary for Kobe Bryant to guard the other teams best player, but let's face it, Kobe will ask for that challenge and will most likely be given the challenge when Phil Jackson feels its neccessary. Statistically, players such as Lebron James, Camelo Anthony, and Paul Pierce, had their numbers go down when guarded by Artest, so thats only good news for the Lakers and bad news for everyone else.

What else has changed for the Lakers? Nothing, except if talk about how Jordan Farmar changed his jersey from #5 to #1. The Lakers have returned everybody from the team that won the Finals. Kobe, Pau, Lamar, and Fish have all returned. Also a healthy Andrew Bynum is ready to prove that he can be a force in the league.

Tonight's game will be the debut of Ron Artest, but most importantly, the Lakers will hang another banner and will recieve their rings. The game itself will be an average game. The Lakers will most likely be without Pau Gasol, who is still recovering from a hamstring injury, and the Clippers will be without #1 draft pick Blake Griffin, who suffered a stress fracture in his left knee. So the Lakers will need to wait a couple more days to get their starting lineup on the floor and the Clippers will need to wait for the future of their franchise to help them.

It's great that Lakers basketball is back. Tune into TNT at 7pm for the hanging of the banner and ring ceremony. The quest for a repeat starts tonight.

Dodgers Off-Season Thoughts - Outfielders

For the Dodgers, the 2009 season saw two stars born in the Dodgers outfield and that's good news going forward.

Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp both had breakout seasons and lived up to the potential that many fans felt was there, and the scary thing is that these two still have long careers in front of them.

Ethier, 27, broke out with career bests in home runs (31) and rbi's (106). Although his average could have been better then the .279 he hit, Ethier was key in many big games. He led the team in walk-off hits with six, with four of those being walk-off home runs. He became the guy everyone wanted at the plate with the game on the line, and in the next few years, its safe to say that Ethier will have plenty more highlights with the bat as well as the glove in the outfield.

Kemp, 25, also had a break out season and has the tools to become a superstar and have a hall of fame career. He batted .297 with 26 home runs, 101 rbi's, and also stole 34 bases. He showed a better approach at the plate this season, with more discipline when hitting breaking balls and hitting the ball where it was pitched. He did have 139 strikeouts, but it was 14 less then the previous season. I for one cannot wait to see Kemp in the next two seasons, as he matures and becomes a smarter player, the skies the limit for him. There's also a chance he could win his first gold glove this season. Although Shane Victorino will have something to say about that, Kemp did play in 9 more games and had similar fielding statistics.

Onto Manny Ramirez. He had a great start to the season batting .348, with 6 home runs, and 20 rbi's. Then he was suspended 50 games for PED's which shocked the baseball world. The Dodger faithful did welcome him back with open arms, but Manny was not being Manny when he returned. He struggled mightily, striking out often, hitting weak ground balls, and flying out. He looked as if he was just trying to hard, and he never broke that habit heading into the playoffs. Although it was a disappointing season for him, Manny will most likely be back and accept his player option for the 2010 season. It will be interesting to see if he can return to being close to what he was last season. But at age 37, can he do it? Barry Bonds did it at age 43, hitting 26 home runs and 66 rbi's, so if that's any indication, Manny still has a three to four productive seasons left.

With an outfield of Ramirez/Kemp/Ethier, there is not much more that can be done to get better. If any loss happens, it will be Pierre, I am sure of that. Pierre wants to be a starter and he deserves it. But i'd rather trade him to the American League and not have it come back to bite the Dodgers. I have a great respect for Pierre, as should all Dodger fans should. He can be a starter on many teams, but took the back up role, and heard no whining from him. Very professional job by Pierre.

But its always good to have back up outfielders because of injuries and depth. There are plenty of available outfielders that can be added but a few free agents that come to mind are:

• Randy Winn - Good hitter, great veteran presence in the dugout
• Scott Podsednik - Average hitter, great speed off the bench, 70 SB in '07
  
• Gabe Kapler - Good hitter, hits for extra bases frequently

If I had to give a grade to the outfield this season it would be a A-/B+. Kemp and Ethier did give the Dodgers reason to be excited for the future, but Manny's season did hurt the Dodgers, and could have done more to make the Dodgers successful. For that reason, the grade did go down, but it was still and outstanding season for the outfield.

Check back tomorrow for the review on the Dodger infielders.

Dodgers Off-Season Thoughts Preview

The Dodgers had a great season, but they can improve greatly and hopefully get to the World Series next season.

Over the next few days, I will be giving my thoughts on the Dodgers this past season and a look towards next season. There will be different sections that include: Outfielders, Infielders, Starting Pitching, and the Bullpen. I will also be giving my opinion on what moves should be made with the ball club.


The first article will be on the outfielders and should be released by tonight.

NLCS Game 5 Thoughts

That's all she wrote.

For the second consecutive season, the Dodgers season was ended by the Phillies in game five of the NLCS.

The game looked as if it would be a back and forth game in the first four to five innings, but the Phillies made it very clear that they were hell-bent on getting back to the World Series to defend their title.

As disappointing as the loss is, Dodger fans have no reason to be ashamed. The Dodgers were simply beat by the better team, and with the way they played, did not deserve to represent the National League in the World Series.

There are many positives to take out from this season. One is that Clayton Kershaw showed that he has all the tools to be an ace in the league. While another, and this is the biggest one, the Dodgers behind Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier showed that the Dodgers don't need to rely on Manny Ramirez.

This team will be a force to be reckoned with next season and in future seasons. The off-season will sure be interesting, but I will give my thoughts on that in the near future.

Congratulations to the Philadelphia Phillies. They played like champions. I wish them the best of luck in the World Series.