POSSIBLY THE SADDEST DAY IN CLIPPER NATION HISTORY AS THE MAN WHO HELPED TURN THAT FRANCHISE AROUND IS NOW A HOUSTON ROCKET
I reckon everyone has heard about Chris Paul becoming a former Los Angeles Clipper as ESPN and various other sources are reporting that he has been traded to the Houston Rockets.
I’m not going to offer any thoughts or analysis about it – I’ll leave that to the folks at ESPN, Fox Sports, and all the other sports media places.
What I’m going to do instead is post some videos, courtesy of YouTube, highlighting CP3’s six years as a Clipper as along with Blake Griffin – who may also be an ex-Clipper soon – DeAndre Jordan, JJ Redick, Jamal Crawford, and others, helped that basketball club cease to be regarded as “The Worst Franchise in Professional Sports”.
Let’s not waste anymore time…
A clip of some of the many Chris Paul exploits…
More CP3 highlights…
Some Chris Paul slam dunks that I’m sure will be enjoyed…
One of the final games in CP3’s Clipper career: Game One in the 2017 Western Conference Quarterfinals…
Chris Paul becoming the Clippers’ all-time assist leader vs. Memphis in November, 2016…
I see this as the best way to say so long to someone who meant so much to that Clipper franchise, almost literally raising it from the dead.
So I suppose there’s nothing more to say except for goodbye to this star point guard, as it’s now become quite apparent that these Clippers are now rebuilding.
A nice shot of CP3 doing his thing in a Clippers uniform that, to be honest, I like better than what they’re wearing now…
A group of Dodgers and Angels, including Yasiel Puig, (2nd from left), Mike Trout (3rd from left), and Albert Pujols (2nd from right), exchanging pleasantries before a game. Photo courtesy of latimes.com
ANNUAL FREEWAY SERIES: LOS ANGELES DODGERS vs LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
Dates: June 26-27 at Dodger Stadium, June 28-29 at Angel Stadium
Times (all games): 7:00 p.m.
TV: Fox Sports West, Spectrum Sports Net LA
Cameron Maybin, a significant reason why the Angels haven’t tanked as he’s the American League’s stolen base leader. Photo courtesy of zimbio.com
TALE OF THE TAPE
LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Record: 40-39, 3rd place in the American League West (by one percentage point), 13 games behind the Houston Astros
What The Angels Have Done Lately: Won two out of three games from both the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, AL elites who are 1-2 in the East division, on their just concluded road trip
Most Recent Game: Beat the Red Sox, 4-2, at Fenway Park on June 25th
Key Players:
Mike Trout, CF (on DL) – .337 average, 16 HR, 36 RBI
Albert Pujols, DH/1B – .239 average, 11 HR, 51 RBI
Andrelton Simmons, SS – .280 average, 7 HR, 33 RBI
Highlights of the Angels’ latest triumph: a 4-2 decision over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Courtesy of YouTube.
A Few Comments:
Even though I still strongly feel that they need to change their uniforms to what they wore in the 1980s & early 90s, or when they first began their existence in the 1960s,
Which is the main factor to why I’m not as big a fan of them as I could be,
Those Angels have earned the utmost respect from me due to their not folding after Mike Trout tore his thumb, which has kept him out for the past month though he’s optimistic that he can return before the All-Star break in a couple of weeks.
Two words describe these Halos in 2017:
Gutty
Scrappy
Their pitching is lacking, key guys on that staff like Garrett Richards, Matt Shoemaker and Tyler Skaggs can’t seem to pitch without suffering significant injuries,
To illustrate the Angels’ futility on the mound, Ricky Nolasco, a mainstay in their starting rotation, is 2-9 with an ERA over five.
But they are over .500 as of this writing because of their Rocky Balboa-like mentality, Cameron Maybin and Eric Young Jr. – who was called up when Trout went down – providing some much needed spark,
And just plain guts.
As a result, they are in the hunt for a Wild Card!
I have the feeling that these Angels are not a team that you would want to face when the stretch run comes…
Cody Bellinger, the National League’s home run leader and sure-fire Rookie of the Year, quite possibly by unanimous vote. Photo courtesy of belacherreport.com
LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Record: 51-26, 1st place in the National League West, two and a half games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks
What The Dodgers Have Done Lately: Winners of their last ten games, sweeping the New York Mets and the Colorado Rockies in the process.
Most Recent Game: Beat the Rockies, 12-6, at Dodger Stadium on June 25th after spotting them a 5-0 lead
Highlights of a very exciting 12-6 comeback win by the Dodgers in their last outing. Courtesy of YouTube.
A Few Comments:
Simply put…
These Dodgers are on absolute fire!!
With a ten-game winning streak – not to mention being one of only two teams in major league baseball with at least 50 wins (the Astros are the other) – I double dog dare anyone to dispute that!
I honestly cannot remember the last time this team has been on such a roll.
You know things are going well when your relief ace, who has walked but one person all season to date, makes noise at the plate as well as sixty feet, six inches from it as he hit a double yesterday against the Rockies, which drove in a run to boot!
And you know things are going well when your MVP of the season so far is a rookie who didn’t even start the season as a Dodger as Cody Bellinger was called up a few weeks in.
As sure as I’m writing this, Bellinger will be named the National League’s Rookie of the Year around the first or second week of November.
In fact, I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t win it by a unanimous vote.
I only hope he stays consistent as July and August approach, because you know the rest of the league’s pitchers will adjust to him.
Another big factor in L.A’s success, outside of Kershaw, Jansen, Bellinger, etc…
Two Words: Alex Wood.
This lefty has become the perfect number two starter behind Kershaw as with his undefeated record and sub-2.00 earned run average, he’s a big illustration of the Dodgers’ rise to the top of the standings.
The Angels’ Kole Calhoun (#56) scoring as he slides past the Dodgers’ catcher. Photo courtesy of newsday.com
OK, Here’s My Prediction Of How The Freeway Series Will Go:
I’m expecting a hard-fought four games, particularly in Anaheim as the Angels’ gutty, scrappy, nothing-to-lose play will give their Dodger rivals a battle.
But let’s face it; those Dodgers are just too hot right now.
And Dave Roberts’ guys have the edge almost everywhere, especially on the mound.
Which is why I’m going to say that the team wearing blue will win three of four.
You heard it here first…
A Dodger with a hard-nosed slide into second base with an Angel applying the tag. Photo courtesy of gentlemensguideoc.com
A scene from last season’s UCLA vs USC Crosstown Rivalry clash…
75 days and 11 Saturdays until it all kicks off.
At least that’s what the Facebook pages of USC and UCLA has stated.
It’s quite curious, this hold that football, at the high school, college, pro, and even the youth levels, has over this country.
I mean, the baseball season’s not even half over, there’s three weeks until the All-Star Game, and the Dodgers, Angels, and the rest of Major League Baseball have roughly 100 games to play,
Heck, it’s not even the Fourth of July!
And here I am online, seeing fans posting seemingly endless things on social media and elsewhere regarding how they are so excited and how they absolutely cannot wait until their gladiators in true blue and gold, or cardinal and gold,
Or whatever combination of colors they pledge eternal allegiance to,
Kick that pigskin ball off and begin a season that they are undoubtedly sure will end in hoisting a championship trophy just after New Year’s.
The (in many people’s eyes) infamous O.J. Simpson during the 1967 Bruin-Trojan showdown at the Coliseum, approaching the 50th anniversary of that epic 21-20 USC win – and the first one played in my lifetime as I was five months old…
As For Me…
I certainly can wait, as even though I have bought the Athlon’s Pac-12 Football Preview – as I have done every year for I don’t know how long – I have never gotten excited over football until about the last week of August, when I do my previews of the Bruins and Trojans as well as the Rams, and (now) the Chargers just after Labor Day.
And I’m certainly not getting excited over football season right now, and perhaps not when it starts, for reasons I will go into at another time.
For now, I’m going to enjoy baseball.
Which considering the advantages it has over football in player salary, career longevity, labor security, and long-term health issues, not only should be considered the true American pastime…
As people see the dangers that football brings to its players (concussions, CTE, etc.), I think it’s making strides to reclaiming that distinction.
As such, I officially pledge that this will be the last football post on this site until the second half of August at the earliest…
The Rose Bowl during the 2008 Crosstown Rivalry Game; I must admit I’ve always liked the contrast between the blue-clad and cardinal-clad fans in the stands…
One venue, located just north of downtown Los Angeles, that will be quite busy for the next few months.
Let’s see…
Summer – and the longest day of the year – will officially be upon us seven days from this writing; a heat wave is approaching in Southern California as evidence of that.
As I (personally speaking) approach my 50th birthday this Sunday; which is understandably hard to believe…
The seasons of our two Major League Baseball clubs are rolling along, the blue clad team currently in a dogfight for first place in its division while the red clad team, despite losing its best player – and the best player in baseball – for the next few weeks with a torn thumb, continues to perform better than expected.
With the exception of our entry in the WNBA – that’s the Sparks for those who don’t know – the basketball and hockey seasons are over and finished with as champions were crowned this past week – congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins for winning their second straight Stanley Cup (first time since 1997-98 that a team has repeated) and the Golden State Warriors for winning their second NBA title in three years, by the way.
I hear that one of our hoops squads may be having second thoughts regarding the drafting of UCLA’s star Lonzo Ball, as I read that they felt that he was out of shape.
Memo To Lakers – Two words: DRAFT HIM.
Baseball may be in full swing, but I was recently thinking that NFL training camps open in about a month, with preseason games starting in seven weeks with L.A., after 23 years without an NFL team, having not one but two teams as the Rams and the Chargers will be playing one of those preseason affairs against each other at the Coliseum on August 26th.
I don’t know about anyone else, but it will feel a little weird to have two NFL teams in town after going so long without one.
I’m certainly looking forward to doing a lot of this…
As for my personal plans…
Despite preferring the Dodger Stadium from the 1980s, 90s, and even the early 2000s, when there weren’t so many ads cluttering the place and the atmosphere was more baseball-like rather than circus-like, I plan on attending a game sometime this summer.
I just hope it’s not too hot, like the last Dodger game I attended when the temperature was 93 degrees and I was virtually melting in my seat.
I’m looking forward to partaking in those frozen lemonades and maybe those chocolate ice cream cups that Dodger Stadium features; unfortunately for health reasons, my days of imbibing of the iconic Dodger Dogs are over as the garlic fries are pretty much all that I can eat there now.
The Angels? I still strongly feel that they need to change their uniforms and caps – go back to their 70s, 80s, or even their early 90s look!
My main sports intent this summer, besides playing in my weekend pick-up softball games, is to once and for all check out a Sparks game – and write about that experience on this site.
I especially want to do this because I have never been to the Sparks’ (and the Lakers, Clippers, and Kings) home, Staples Center, before; besides the annual season previews and predictions of UCLA and USC football, which I will write in late August, writing about my impressions of Staples will be SoCalSportsAnnals’ summer highlight.
Though I’m not looking forward to the ninety and 100 degree temperatures, I am looking forward to summer.
I’m not only looking forward to what the fates have in store for the Dodgers, Angels, Sparks and MLS soccer’s Galaxy these next twelve weeks,
I’m also looking forward to just enjoying the relaxing, mellow pace that summer brings.
At least I hope it’s mellow and relaxing.
Have a great summer, SoCal…
Another SoCal venue, located not too far from Disneyland, that will be seeing much action this summer.
Cal State Fullerton’s Titans immediately after getting the last out in their 2-1 win over Long Beach State yesterday. Photo courtesy of santacruzsentinel.com
First and foremost…
Much congratulations to Cal State Fullerton’s baseball program as for the 18th time in their history, they have clinched a berth in the College World Series in beating their rivals, Long Beach State, 2-1 in Game 3 of their Super Regionals at Blair Field on Sunday.
That the Titans punched their ticket to Omaha at the Dirtbags’ expense – on their field, no less – made it all the more sweeter, I’m sure; just like when UCLA beats USC on the Trojans’ turf (or vice versa) in any sport.
Colton Eastman, the Cal State Fullerton pitcher who, like John Gavin the day before when he threw a shutout in the Titans’ 12-0 Game 2 rout, shut down Long Beach State in Game 3, no-hitting the Dirtbags for five innings plus, summed up CSUF’s feelings best when he stated:
“(Long Beach State) can have the Big West, but I’ll take Omaha…”
I know it’s a cliché, but Long Beach State, while appropriately devastated, really doesn’t have anything to be ashamed of as not only did they play their guts out,
This Super Regional in general more than lived up to the hype; I thought that it would be an absolute dogfight of a war, and that’s exactly what it turned out to be.
And from what I heard, the tension in the stands between the Titans and Dirtbags’ fans was much like Bruin and Trojan fans at their football games and other Crosstown Rivalry clashes; I’m a little surprised that there weren’t any reported fights.
At least not to my knowledge.
What no college athlete EVER wants to go through: watching your hated rival celebrate on your field as these Long Beach State Dirtbags are doing. Photo courtesy of D1baseball.com
The biggest key to Cal State Fullerton’s win in my opinion…
Quite simply, the key to any big baseball win at any level:
PITCHING.
More specifically, the Titans’ pitchers completely shutting down Long Beach State’s hitters as after those Dirtbags scored three runs in the first inning of Game 1, they scored just one more run in the following 26 innings – and that was on a passed ball.
It wasn’t so much the ineptitude of Long Beach’s batters as it was the lights out pitching of Fullerton’s hurlers that decided this ultimate rivalry showdown.
Like the saying goes, “Good pitching beats good hitting”, and always will.
Those Titans certainly proved that this weekend.
And will be in Omaha as a result, as they will face top-ranked (with a ridiculous record of 54-4) Oregon State in their first game of the College World Series this Saturday.
Cal State Fullerton’s post game press conference after their 2-1 win over Long Beach State in Game 3 of their Super Regionals. Courtesy of YouTube.
Most of all, this Super Regional showed two things:
1. The Big West Conference is VERY strong in baseball, providing a very high level of play and further showing the strength of college baseball on the West Coast.
Not to mention that there’s great baseball in SoCal outside of Westwood and south of downtown Los Angeles.
2. The Big West Conference, probably because it’s a mid-major league consisting of commuter schools with no football, is the most underrated group of college sports programs in the nation.
The level of play compares quite favorably to the bigger, richer, and much more publicized Pac-12 Conference, and it’s a very good place for athletes who may have been overlooked by the SCs and UCLAs to play and get an education.
This Super Regional proved that point once and for all.
Personally, I’ve always respected the Big West and the schools making up that conference – I did graduate work at Cal State Northridge, another rival of Fullerton and Long Beach.
Hopefully after what those Titans and Dirtbags showed at Blair Field, the rest of the college sports world will respect them more.
A national title by Cal State Fullerton, which would be their fifth, would more than solidify that.
As such, it goes without saying that I wish those Titans all the best of luck in Omaha as I’m very much looking forward to seeing them take on Oregon State and other big bad teams such as LSU, TCU, Texas A&M, Louisville, and Florida State.
It’s going to be fun.
What every college athlete dreams of: celebrating a big post season series win on the hated rival’s home field as what these Titans are doing. Photo courtesy of journalgazette.net
Fans will be seeing a lot of this in Long Beach this weekend. Photo courtesy of Cayer’s Photography
This is huge!
Two SoCal colleges,
Who are from the same conference (and from the same state university system!),
And are longtime bitter rivals who have met over 220 times,
Will be meeting in the NCAA Super Regionals, a best of three playoff to determine who will be going to the Promised Land of college baseball, the College World Series.
The kicker to all of this?
Neither school is named UCLA or USC!
It’s perfect!
To say it’s going to be an intense affair is a pronounced understatement; although I hope it doesn’t happen, I wouldn’t be surprised if the benches don’t clear once or twice, there’s SO much at stake.
This is certainly the most exciting thing that’s happened not only between the two baseball teams, but at these two institutions, located 17 miles apart, as being commuter schools without football programs, not that much attention is paid to them and not as many students are as rah-rah about sports as they are at UCLA and USC.
It’s also a publicity boost for the Cal State University system, which Long Beach and Fullerton are a part of, which is always needed and welcomed.
I’m definitely looking forward to these games being instant classics!
Here’s a little history and tale of the tape of the baseball programs at Cal State Fullerton, who won the Stanford Regional, and Long Beach State, who won their regional last night, as they will clash this weekend…
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FULLERTON TITANS BASEBALL
Founded: 1965. Became a Division 1 program in 1975; has never had a losing season in D1.
Conference Championships: 28. 16 Big West Conference Titles, latest in 2016
College World Series Appearances: 17, last one in 2015
National Championships: Four (1979, 1984, 1995, 2004)
Notable Alumni in the Major Leagues: Tim Wallach, Mark Kotsay, Phil Nevin, Justin Turner *
2017 Record: 37-21
* Went 3-0 in Stanford Regional
A taste of what to expect: Long Beach State & Cal State Fullerton clashing on May 28, 2016, Fullerton winning 2-1. Video Courtesy of YouTube.
LONG BEACH STATE UNIVERSITY 49ers/DIRTBAGS BASEBALL
Founded: 1954. Became a Division 1 program in 1970.
Conference Championships: 12. Nine Big West Conference titles, including this year.
College World Series Appearances: Four, last one in 1998
National Championships: None.
Notable Alumni in the Major Leagues: Jason Giambi, Jered Weaver *, Evan Longoria *, Troy Tulowitski *,
(* = denotes current MLB player)
THE CAL STATE FULLERTON/LONG BEACH STATE RIVALRY BY THE NUMBERS:
Number of meetings: 217
All-Time Series: Cal State Fullerton leads 142-75
2017 Season: Long Beach State won five of six games
INFO ON THE NCAA SUPER REGIONALS BETWEEN THE TITANS AND THE DIRTBAGS:
Place: Blair Field, Long Beach, CA
Days/Dates: Friday, June 9th – Sunday, June 11th (if a Game 3 is necessary)
Times: 3:00 p.m. on Friday, 12 noon on Saturday and Sunday
TV: ESPN2 on Friday, ESPNU on Saturday, TBD on Sunday
A Fullerton runner trying to beat a Long Beach pick-off attempt. Photo courtesy of Cayer’s Photography.