Mike Trout is the slugging centerfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Mark D. Sperber is the two-plus year outfielder for the Franklin and Marshall College Diplomats, who became a lawyer, then a blogger. Both Jersey guys. Both with right calf strains.
In this case, Trout is the copycat and he out did me with his Grade 2 calf strain. He felt a pop as he jogged to third base on Monday night. Trout thought he had been hit by a thrown baseball. He hobbled off the field, visibly upset over his misfortune. He is out for at least 6-8 weeks, thus gravely imperiling any slim chance the Angels, cellar dwellers in the AL West, might have had to make the playoffs.
My injury was chronicled in last weeks’s blog. Suffice it to say that we need not repeat my stupidity with rain in sight.
Meanwhile, I have been through PT sessions, where my injury has been treated and we are working on strengthening the muscle. I am permitted to walk around Garden Oval once, at a slower than normal clip—that’s .50 miles to be exact. I can get on the recumbent bicycle for 15 minutes at Level 2, no higher than 90 r.p.m.
Like Mike Trout, my timetables for a full recovery is uncertain. And I ruined a chance to head to Long Beach Island for our annual 4 mile May walk near Barnegat Lighthouse, which had been postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic.
I wonder if I contacted the Angels, Mike and I could compare notes. Maybe each one of us could pick up some key information which might speed up our recoveries. Unless Mr. Trout is still in a nasty mood.
Wednesday was a sports geek’s day for this geek. A heck of a TV night for me.
The opener was the NBA Play-In game between San Antonio and Memphis. Not normally a game I would watch. But I am always intrigued by Greg Popovich and his teams, so I tuned in. In the final two quarters, it was a back and forth contest, with the Spurs actually taking the lead.
However, the Grizzlies were at home and they came in as the better team. For one night, Memphis looked more like a playoff team than San Antonio.
Whenever I see the Spurs, even in highlights on ESPN or NBA-TV, I always look for Becky Hammon. I keep wondering—is she the heir apparent to Popovich when he decides to end his brilliant coaching career which is destined to land him in the Hall of Fame? Repeatedly it has been said that she possesses what is necessary to make a fine coach. Her seat in the front row nearby Pop tells me how much her values her input. I think it will be fantastic when she breaks this particular glass ceiling.
The next act was a normal, mid-May game between the Yankees and Texas Rangers from Globe Life Field in Arlington. Except that this game proved to be anything but normal.
New York’s starting pitcher was Corey Kluber. Last season Kluber pitched one game for the Texas Rangers before succumbing to injury. So taking the mound in Arlington that night was completing a circle.
In fact, it was Corey Kluber Bobblehead Night—the Rangers had kept all of the stash and was distributing the freebies to those in attendance. What timing it proved to be. Handing out a bobblehead of an opposing player in his former uniform on the night he pitches a no hitter. Think how valuable those collectibles became!!
Maybe that was an omen. For what happened that night was extraordinary. Kluber was as dominant a pitcher as I have seen in one game in years.
En route to no hitting the Rangers, Kluber only allowed on baserunner, which came in the third inning via a walk on four pitches. He had four types of pitches working in a synchronized dance, hypnotizing and mesmerizing (to borrow stock phrases from Knicks legendary announcer and Hall of Fame player, Walt (Clyde) Frazier) on 101 pitches, 71 thrown for strikes.
Kluber started out so efficient that he threw 20 pitches through the first two innings. That had some teammates thinking the unthinkable—that he had the stuff to throw a perfect game. So they remained seated where they were for the entire night. Baseball players are very superstitious.
While he did not get that perfect game, Kluber showed why he was a former two-time Cy Young Award winner and three-time All Star who had struck out 18 St. Louis Cardinals in a game and previously pitched a one hitter. The $11 million one year investment GM Brian Cashman made in Kluber looked awfully good.
The superlatives came in droves. Manager Aaron Boone was emotional about how well his pitcher performed. It was the first no hitter he had been involved with. He said he had “fun”and it was a “privilege” to be a part of this historic night. Boone indicated that his father, Bob, had caught a perfect game in Arlington in 1984.
Catcher Kyle Higashioka, the personal catcher for ace Gerrit Cole, who had uncharacteristically lost to the Rangers on Monday night, was having mini stress attacks in the dugout, worrying about messing up Kluber with his pitch choices. He was euphoric when now-healthy Gleyber Torres scooped up a grounder and threw to Luke Voit at first base to record the final putout.
True to form, Higgy didn’t have to worry—his calls were that good because Kluber’s pitches were that sharp, continually grazing the edge of the strike zone, keeping the Rangers batters off balance. While Kluber admitted to a touch of nerves before starting to pitch in the bottom of the ninth, he surely didn’t show any. Remarkable.
This was the sixth no hitter of the season. It was the second one within 24 hours, as Detroit’s Spencer Turnbull shut down the Mariners in Seattle. It was also the second time this season that the Rangers had been no hit. Joe Musgrove of San Diego victimized Texas in April.
It was the 12th no hitter in franchise history and the first Yankees no hitter since David Cone’s perfect game in 1999. And it came in a game which had been scoreless headed into the 6th inning.
Tyler Wade, playing right field after Ryan La Marre left due to injury, was the hitting and fielding star. His RBI triple drove in the first run in the 2-0 victory, and his running catch in the 9th inning helped to preserve the pitching gem.
The Yankees have become watchable. Still mired in fourth place in the highly competitive AL East where only Baltimore is below .500, they are right in the thick of things, merely 1.5 games behind division-leading Boston. New York has won six straight series, which included a 7-3 road trip with the Bombers taking 3 of 4 from the Rangers.
The hitting has marginally improved. There are still a number of hitters at or near the .200 mark. Giancarlo Stanton is on the IL due to his quad injury. Yet the timely hits from Wade, and yesterday from Gio Urshela and Aaron Judge as pinch hitters, has propelled the Yankees, along with sterling starting pitching from Cole, Kluber, Domingo German and the most dominant closer in the game, Aroldis Chapman.
There is a long way to go in the season. Tony La Russa brings his red hot Chicago White Sox club to Yankee Stadium for a three game weekend set. This will be a nice test, with the Yankees facing Carlos Rondon tonight, who sports a 5-1 record with a 1.47 E.R.A., and has one of those six no hitters. A little end of May excitement at the Stadium.
Speaking of the White Sox, there was an interesting event in their game with the Twins on Monday night. DH Yermin Merceds whacked a 3-0 75 m.p.h toss from a position pitcher over the left-center wall in a 15-4 game. This is violative of the “unwritten” baseball rule—that you don’t swing at a 3-0 pitch in a rout.
La Russa chided Mercedes publicly, and when Twins manager Rocco Baldelli and pitcher Tyler Duffey were tossed and ultimately suspended for throwing behind Mercedes in the next game. When questioned, La Russa had “no problems” with how the Twins reacted.
Which has sparked a revolt inside of the Sox clubhouse. A number of players have spoken up or provided support on social media for Mercedes. Pitcher Lance Lynn’s vocal response was denounced by La Russa, who disagreed and said that Lynn has a locker in the clubhouse and he has an office.
La Russa, always believing he is the most brilliant baseball mind, is headed to Cooperstown for his achievements as a manager in Oakland and St. Louis. However, he apparently does not understand the younger players and it is evident. After all, he is 76 years old and from a different era.
The White Sox are laying winning ball in spite of La Russa. A fractured clubhouse is not what a talented team needs in May, or for that matter, any time. Keep an eye on this situation. It has the potential to explode.
A bit more on baseball. I saw that Phillies manager Joe Girardi had a dugout confrontation with second baseman Jean Segura after Segura made a mistake which Girardi brought to Segura’s attention. Segura had to be restrained by coaches, but since then both have made nice. Peace in the City of Brotherly Love.
My thoughts and best wishes go to Mets player Kevin Pillar, who was struck in the face with a pitch. So bad. The Mets also placed slugger Pete Alonso and pitchers Tijuan Walker and Tommy Hunter on the IL. That makes 14 Mets unavailable. Wow.
Wednesday’s final act was the Play-In game between Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers of Lebron James and Anthony Davis. The winner would be the #7 seed in the Western Conference. The loser faces Memphis at home on Friday night for the #8 seed. A lot at stake. In what some observers have dubbed an instant classic.
The Warriors were the better team in the first half. Golden State went on spurts to maintain its lead. Even when there was some pressure from the Lakers, which wasn’t often in the first 20 minutes, the Warriors had an answer. The score at the half was 55-42 GSW, thanks to some 3 point bombs from—you guessed it—Steph Curry. It didn’t hurt that the Lakers were shooting abysmally and that James, Davis and the supporting cast looked dreadful.
Whatever happened in the locker room at halftime certainly changed the Lakers. Outscoring GSW 35-24, LAL trailed 79-77 heading into the final stanza. The game had featured plenty of turnovers and defense. The two teams combined for 15 shots blocked, which, to me, is a high number.
The stifling Lakers defense created 20 GSW turnovers while LAL turned the ball over only 11 times. Rebounding was nearly even, but Golden State put the Lakers into the bonus, and LAL converted 19 of 25 free throws. Golden State managed to shoot 11 for 15 from the charity stripe.
The two Lakers stars, James and Davis, ended up with 22 and 25 points, respectively. This was despite LAL shooting a dreadful 37 for 91 from the field and 10 for 31 on their three point attempts. Conversely, Curry went for 37 points on 12 for 23 shooting, which included 6 for 9 beyond the arc. Andrew Wiggins contributed 21 points on 10 for 18 shooting. GSW also hit 37 shots, but on 83 attempts and went 15 for 34 on three’s.
What won the game for LAL were two things. Lebron James hit a wild 30 foot desperation shot as the 24 second clock expired to put the Lakers ahead for good. The second element was the stifling defense the Lakers played in the final minutes, especially that of guard Alex Caruso, who hung tight with Curry as he kept seeking shooting room.
Look, the Lakers are defending champions and they have a deeper roster than the Warriors. It was a tough way to lose for Golden State. James had been fouled by Draymond Green with just over two minutes remaining, with Green inadvertently poking James in the eye.
James said he aimed for the middle of the three baskets he saw when he hoisted his prayer shot. It went in because he is Lebron James, one of the greatest players to play the game. And this is one of the more defining shots he has made in a fabulous career.
Los Angeles draws #2 seed Phoenix. Tonight we will see if Memphis is on a high after their win and if there is a hangover from such a brutal loss for the Warriors. The winner gets a date with #1 seed Utah. The loser is relegated to the lottery.
The NBA listed Luka Doncic of Denver, Joel Embiid of Philadelphia and Curry as the top three vote getters for the 2020-21 M.V.P. Award. The belief is that Doncic had a superior season and he will win the trophy. Embiid led the Sixers to the first seed in the Eastern Conference and was a dominant player.
The fact that Curry emerged in the top three is a tribute to how he willed this undermanned Golden State team to the threshold of a playoff spot and led the league in scoring. I watch the Warriors and wear Warriors T-shirts and a cap because of him.
For him to win a third M.V.P. crown would put him in rarified company along with Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Moses Malone. Bill Russell and Michael Jordan are five time winners, while Wilt Chamberlain and Lebron James are four time winners. Those are Hall of Fame names.
I did watch some hockey on Thursday night. Pittsburgh visited the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and downed the Islanders 5-4. They are very even teams, although I believe that the Penguins are the better team.
I also watched Montreal—Toronto Game 1. In time to see an acrobatic goal from Josh Anderson to open the scoring for the Canadiens. I saw the hard hit on Maple Leafs star John Tavares by Corey Perry. Perry’s knee hit Tavares in the head. The Leafs captain was carried off the ice on a stretcher. Nick Foligno, a former Columbus Blue Jackets captain, then challenged Perry to a fight. Foligno said he saw his captain on the ice and the fight needed to happen. No one took issue. Montreal won, 2-1.
Finally, Rombauer sprinted past Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit to win The Preakness Stakes. Poetic justice? Many may have had the same thought.
In the meantime, I have a fat lip from the first leg of root canal on a cracked molar and a dying nerve. To go along with my calf strain and my enduring L ankle issues.
So, while my editor readies to frolic in Yellowstone National Park, I am just like with Mike Trout, with who I share an injury, and those who cheer for Steph Curry, the Yankees and anybody but Bob Baffert. I have good company.
Mike Trout is the slugging centerfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Mark D. Sperber is the two-plus year outfielder for the Franklin and Marshall College Diplomats, who became a lawyer, then a blogger. Both Jersey guys. Both with right calf strains.
In this case, Trout is the copycat and he out did me with his Grade 2 calf strain. He felt a pop as he jogged to third base on Monday night. Trout thought he had been hit by a thrown baseball. He hobbled off the field, visibly upset over his misfortune. He is out for at least 6-8 weeks, thus gravely imperiling any slim chance the Angels, cellar dwellers in the AL West, might have had to make the playoffs.
My injury was chronicled in last weeks’s blog. Suffice it to say that we need not repeat my stupidity with rain in sight.
Meanwhile, I have been through PT sessions, where my injury has been treated and we are working on strengthening the muscle. I am permitted to walk around Garden Oval once, at a slower than normal clip—that’s .50 miles to be exact. I can get on the recumbent bicycle for 15 minutes at Level 2, no higher than 90 r.p.m.
Like Mike Trout, my timetables for a full recovery is uncertain. And I ruined a chance to head to Long Beach Island for our annual 4 mile May walk near Barnegat Lighthouse, which had been postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic.
I wonder if I contacted the Angels, Mike and I could compare notes. Maybe each one of us could pick up some key information which might speed up our recoveries. Unless Mr. Trout is still in a nasty mood.
Wednesday was a sports geek’s day for this geek. A heck of a TV night for me.
The opener was the NBA Play-In game between San Antonio and Memphis. Not normally a game I would watch. But I am always intrigued by Greg Popovich and his teams, so I tuned in. In the final two quarters, it was a back and forth contest, with the Spurs actually taking the lead.
However, the Grizzlies were at home and they came in as the better team. For one night, Memphis looked more like a playoff team than San Antonio.
Whenever I see the Spurs, even in highlights on ESPN or NBA-TV, I always look for Becky Hammon. I keep wondering—is she the heir apparent to Popovich when he decides to end his brilliant coaching career which is destined to land him in the Hall of Fame? Repeatedly it has been said that she possesses what is necessary to make a fine coach. Her seat in the front row nearby Pop tells me how much her values her input. I think it will be fantastic when she breaks this particular glass ceiling.
The next act was a normal, mid-May game between the Yankees and Texas Rangers from Globe Life Field in Arlington. Except that this game proved to be anything but normal.
New York’s starting pitcher was Corey Kluber. Last season Kluber pitched one game for the Texas Rangers before succumbing to injury. So taking the mound in Arlington that night was completing a circle.
In fact, it was Corey Kluber Bobblehead Night—the Rangers had kept all of the stash and was distributing the freebies to those in attendance. What timing it proved to be. Handing out a bobblehead of an opposing player in his former uniform on the night he pitches a no hitter. Think how valuable those collectibles became!!
Maybe that was an omen. For what happened that night was extraordinary. Kluber was as dominant a pitcher as I have seen in one game in years.
En route to no hitting the Rangers, Kluber only allowed on baserunner, which came in the third inning via a walk on four pitches. He had four types of pitches working in a synchronized dance, hypnotizing and mesmerizing (to borrow stock phrases from Knicks legendary announcer and Hall of Fame player, Walt (Clyde) Frazier) on 101 pitches, 71 thrown for strikes.
Kluber started out so efficient that he threw 20 pitches through the first two innings. That had some teammates thinking the unthinkable—that he had the stuff to throw a perfect game. So they remained seated where they were for the entire night. Baseball players are very superstitious.
While he did not get that perfect game, Kluber showed why he was a former two-time Cy Young Award winner and three-time All Star who had struck out 18 St. Louis Cardinals in a game and previously pitched a one hitter. The $11 million one year investment GM Brian Cashman made in Kluber looked awfully good.
The superlatives came in droves. Manager Aaron Boone was emotional about how well his pitcher performed. It was the first no hitter he had been involved with. He said he had “fun”and it was a “privilege” to be a part of this historic night. Boone indicated that his father, Bob, had caught a perfect game in Arlington in 1984.
Catcher Kyle Higashioka, the personal catcher for ace Gerrit Cole, who had uncharacteristically lost to the Rangers on Monday night, was having mini stress attacks in the dugout, worrying about messing up Kluber with his pitch choices. He was euphoric when now-healthy Gleyber Torres scooped up a grounder and threw to Luke Voit at first base to record the final putout.
True to form, Higgy didn’t have to worry—his calls were that good because Kluber’s pitches were that sharp, continually grazing the edge of the strike zone, keeping the Rangers batters off balance. While Kluber admitted to a touch of nerves before starting to pitch in the bottom of the ninth, he surely didn’t show any. Remarkable.
This was the sixth no hitter of the season. It was the second one within 24 hours, as Detroit’s Spencer Turnbull shut down the Mariners in Seattle. It was also the second time this season that the Rangers had been no hit. Joe Musgrove of San Diego victimized Texas in April.
It was the 12th no hitter in franchise history and the first Yankees no hitter since David Cone’s perfect game in 1999. And it came in a game which had been scoreless headed into the 6th inning.
Tyler Wade, playing right field after Ryan La Marre left due to injury, was the hitting and fielding star. His RBI triple drove in the first run in the 2-0 victory, and his running catch in the 9th inning helped to preserve the pitching gem.
The Yankees have become watchable. Still mired in fourth place in the highly competitive AL East where only Baltimore is below .500, they are right in the thick of things, merely 1.5 games behind division-leading Boston. New York has won six straight series, which included a 7-3 road trip with the Bombers taking 3 of 4 from the Rangers.
The hitting has marginally improved. There are still a number of hitters at or near the .200 mark. Giancarlo Stanton is on the IL due to his quad injury. Yet the timely hits from Wade, and yesterday from Gio Urshela and Aaron Judge as pinch hitters, has propelled the Yankees, along with sterling starting pitching from Cole, Kluber, Domingo German and the most dominant closer in the game, Aroldis Chapman.
There is a long way to go in the season. Tony La Russa brings his red hot Chicago White Sox club to Yankee Stadium for a three game weekend set. This will be a nice test, with the Yankees facing Carlos Rondon tonight, who sports a 5-1 record with a 1.47 E.R.A., and has one of those six no hitters. A little end of May excitement at the Stadium.
Speaking of the White Sox, there was an interesting event in their game with the Twins on Monday night. DH Yermin Merceds whacked a 3-0 75 m.p.h toss from a position pitcher over the left-center wall in a 15-4 game. This is violative of the “unwritten” baseball rule—that you don’t swing at a 3-0 pitch in a rout.
La Russa chided Mercedes publicly, and when Twins manager Rocco Baldelli and pitcher Tyler Duffey were tossed and ultimately suspended for throwing behind Mercedes in the next game. When questioned, La Russa had “no problems” with how the Twins reacted.
Which has sparked a revolt inside of the Sox clubhouse. A number of players have spoken up or provided support on social media for Mercedes. Pitcher Lance Lynn’s vocal response was denounced by La Russa, who disagreed and said that Lynn has a locker in the clubhouse and he has an office.
La Russa, always believing he is the most brilliant baseball mind, is headed to Cooperstown for his achievements as a manager in Oakland and St. Louis. However, he apparently does not understand the younger players and it is evident. After all, he is 76 years old and from a different era.
The White Sox are laying winning ball in spite of La Russa. A fractured clubhouse is not what a talented team needs in May, or for that matter, any time. Keep an eye on this situation. It has the potential to explode.
A bit more on baseball. I saw that Phillies manager Joe Girardi had a dugout confrontation with second baseman Jean Segura after Segura made a mistake which Girardi brought to Segura’s attention. Segura had to be restrained by coaches, but since then both have made nice. Peace in the City of Brotherly Love.
My thoughts and best wishes go to Mets player Kevin Pillar, who was struck in the face with a pitch. So bad. The Mets also placed slugger Pete Alonso and pitchers Tijuan Walker and Tommy Hunter on the IL. That makes 14 Mets unavailable. Wow.
Wednesday’s final act was the Play-In game between Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers of Lebron James and Anthony Davis. The winner would be the #7 seed in the Western Conference. The loser faces Memphis at home on Friday night for the #8 seed. A lot at stake. In what some observers have dubbed an instant classic.
The Warriors were the better team in the first half. Golden State went on spurts to maintain its lead. Even when there was some pressure from the Lakers, which wasn’t often in the first 20 minutes, the Warriors had an answer. The score at the half was 55-42 GSW, thanks to some 3 point bombs from—you guessed it—Steph Curry. It didn’t hurt that the Lakers were shooting abysmally and that James, Davis and the supporting cast looked dreadful.
Whatever happened in the locker room at halftime certainly changed the Lakers. Outscoring GSW 35-24, LAL trailed 79-77 heading into the final stanza. The game had featured plenty of turnovers and defense. The two teams combined for 15 shots blocked, which, to me, is a high number.
The stifling Lakers defense created 20 GSW turnovers while LAL turned the ball over only 11 times. Rebounding was nearly even, but Golden State put the Lakers into the bonus, and LAL converted 19 of 25 free throws. Golden State managed to shoot 11 for 15 from the charity stripe.
The two Lakers stars, James and Davis, ended up with 22 and 25 points, respectively. This was despite LAL shooting a dreadful 37 for 91 from the field and 10 for 31 on their three point attempts. Conversely, Curry went for 37 points on 12 for 23 shooting, which included 6 for 9 beyond the arc. Andrew Wiggins contributed 21 points on 10 for 18 shooting. GSW also hit 37 shots, but on 83 attempts and went 15 for 34 on three’s.
What won the game for LAL were two things. Lebron James hit a wild 30 foot desperation shot as the 24 second clock expired to put the Lakers ahead for good. The second element was the stifling defense the Lakers played in the final minutes, especially that of guard Alex Caruso, who hung tight with Curry as he kept seeking shooting room.
Look, the Lakers are defending champions and they have a deeper roster than the Warriors. It was a tough way to lose for Golden State. James had been fouled by Draymond Green with just over two minutes remaining, with Green inadvertently poking James in the eye.
James said he aimed for the middle of the three baskets he saw when he hoisted his prayer shot. It went in because he is Lebron James, one of the greatest players to play the game. And this is one of the more defining shots he has made in a fabulous career.
Los Angeles draws #2 seed Phoenix. Tonight we will see if Memphis is on a high after their win and if there is a hangover from such a brutal loss for the Warriors. The winner gets a date with #1 seed Utah. The loser is relegated to the lottery.
The NBA listed Luka Doncic of Denver, Joel Embiid of Philadelphia and Curry as the top three vote getters for the 2020-21 M.V.P. Award. The belief is that Doncic had a superior season and he will win the trophy. Embiid led the Sixers to the first seed in the Eastern Conference and was a dominant player.
The fact that Curry emerged in the top three is a tribute to how he willed this undermanned Golden State team to the threshold of a playoff spot and led the league in scoring. I watch the Warriors and wear Warriors T-shirts and a cap because of him.
For him to win a third M.V.P. crown would put him in rarified company along with Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Moses Malone. Bill Russell and Michael Jordan are five time winners, while Wilt Chamberlain and Lebron James are four time winners. Those are Hall of Fame names.
I did watch some hockey on Thursday night. Pittsburgh visited the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and downed the Islanders 5-4. They are very even teams, although I believe that the Penguins are the better team.
I also watched Montreal—Toronto Game 1. In time to see an acrobatic goal from Josh Anderson to open the scoring for the Canadiens. I saw the hard hit on Maple Leafs star John Tavares by Corey Perry. Perry’s knee hit Tavares in the head. The Leafs captain was carried off the ice on a stretcher. Nick Foligno, a former Columbus Blue Jackets captain, then challenged Perry to a fight. Foligno said he saw his captain on the ice and the fight needed to happen. No one took issue. Montreal won, 2-1.
Finally, Rombauer sprinted past Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit to win The Preakness Stakes. Poetic justice? Many may have had the same thought.
In the meantime, I have a fat lip from the first leg of root canal on a cracked molar and a dying nerve. To go along with my calf strain and my enduring L ankle issues.
So, while my editor readies to frolic in Yellowstone National Park, I am just like with Mike Trout, with who I share an injury, and those who cheer for Steph Curry, the Yankees and anybody but Bob Baffert. I have good company.
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