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The Daily Digest for Thursday, July 19, 2007 |
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July 19, 2007 |
≡ Afternoon Bell ≡
 Beckham: Excedrin headache no. ??? |
= L.A. Stories =
>> Around the Galaxy: The hooting at David Beckham for joining the Galaxy from British newspapers has already started and he hasn’t even played in a game yet!
The Sun reported today under a headline that read “Take me Beck to Real Madrid,” that “Sombre David Beckham looked like he might already be regretting his multi-million pound move to LA Galaxy as he watched a dire home defeat for his new US team.
“Just a few weeks ago the England superstar was winning Spain’s prized Primera Liga title with Real Madrid in front of legions of adoring fans at the Bernabeu stadium.
“But barely 2,000 saw the Galaxy crumble at their Home Depot Center stadium on Tuesday.” And then the piling on began!
“Little did he realize that, on the evidence of the Galaxy’s 3-0 home defeat against the Mexican side Tigres, lifting them to a level of rock bottom will be a major achievement.
“Frankly Becks’ new team resembles a Sunday morning pub side.”
“He studied sheets of paper giving a detailed breakdown of every single player on the team. But he didn’t need a load of facts and figures to realise one word about each would have done. Rubbish.”
At least he’ll have more people cheering for him on Sunday in the exhibition against Chelsea at the 27,000-seat Home Depot Center soccer stadium. It’s sold out.
>> Thinking Blue: Consider this, Dodger fans: Barry Bonds may still be gunning for Hank Aaron’s home run record when the Giants come to Dodger Stadium on July 31-August 1-2.
Bonds homered for the first time in 16 days today, hitting two against the Cubs for nos. 752 and 753 in his career. He’s already agreed with manager Bruce Bochy not to play in day games which follow night games. That means in the Giants next ten games – those remaining prior to the Dodger series – Bonds will play in a maximum of eight games at Milwaukee and then against Atlanta and Florida in San Francisco before showing up in Dodger Stadium.
= Panorama =
>> Pan-Am-O-Rama: Our spy in Rio de Janeiro tells us that the “Welcome to the Congo” message written on a U.S. Olympic Committee whiteboard that showed up in a picture with USOC Media Services Manager Kevin Neuendorf seated in front of it was not written by Neuendorf, who was sent home over the incident.
Instead, it was actually written by a so-far unidentified member of the USOC’s information technology staff and Neuendorf was unlucky enough to be sitting in front of it when the photo was taken.
In the meantime, the U.S. juggernaut has now reached 99 medals in the Games, 51 ahead of second-place Brazil.
>> More Rama: Seven-foot center Roy Hibbert of Georgetown is shaping up as the best player on the 12-member U.S. men’s basketball team going to compete at the Pan Am Games from July 25-29 in Rio.
FoxSports.com had a review of the team after the selection trials, made up of collegiate players. Hibbert was cited for his consistent intensity, VCU guard Eric Maynor for his ability to run a team and create his own shot and Michigan State’s Drew Neitzel for his toughness and confidence.
There are three Pac-10 players on the team: Oregon wing Maarty Leunen and Washington State’s Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver.
>> NBA Hoopla: Nike announced a seven-year, $60 million endorsement deal with Kevin Durant yesterday, which will include the introduction of a signature shoe after his rookie season is completed.
Breathing a sigh of relief is Durant’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, if stories about a commission only being available for deal in excess of $40 million were true. At $60 million, he’ll get paid.
>> Keeping Track: One of the best names in track and field in the upcoming years may be a hurdler named Queen, as in Queen Harrison of Virginia Tech.
Winner of the U.S. and Pan American Junior titles in the 400-meter hurdles, she comes from an athletic family which has some of the wildest names in all of sports, such as her brother King Master Harrison and her three sisters, named Princess, Moon Queen and Zuegual. Yes, Zuegral.
≡ Morning Recess ≡
 Teixeira: done in Dallas? |
= Tonight’s Menu =
>> The 55-38 Angels are in Tampa Bay trying to avoid a sweep at the hands of the 37-56 Devil Rays. Kelvim Escobar (10-3, 3.04 ERA) is pitching for Los Angeles against Andy Sonnanstine (1-4, 5.57) and the Halos are a big favorite, but it doesn’t matter since the game started at 9 a.m. Pacific time!
>> The 54-41 Dodgers will host the slumping 52-42 Mets at Dodger Stadium with Derek Lowe (8-8, 3.05) against Tom Glavine (8-6, 4.15). The Dodgers swept New York at Dodger Stadium in their previous series, but have scored only nine runs in Lowe’s eight losses! In their last seven games, however, the Blue Crew has averaged 7.0 runs and 13.5 hits. So the Dodgers are favored: it takes $130 to try to win $100 while it takes $110 to try to win $100 on the Mets.
= L.A. Stories =
>> What’s Bruin: See our daily blog on UCLA sports at LATimes.com!
>> Thinking Blue: From our in-stadium spy in Dodger Stadium yesterday:
“On the pitch before he hit the game-winning home run [in the sixth inning], Luis Gonzalez fouled a pitch almost straight back into the loge section. The ball caromed, bounced, and rolled a little in the aisle between sections 111 and 113 and was picked up by Ramon Garciaparra (father of Nomar). His daughter-in-law, sitting one row behind him, made no attempt (with hands, feet, or head) to go after the ball though it rolled (relatively) slowly right by her before Ramon picked it up. I guess this means that Mia Hamm really is retired!”
>> The National Pastime: Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News can’t understand why there isn’t more interest in Rangers’ 27-year-old star first baseman Mark Teixeira. He especially can’t understand why the Dodgers and Angels aren’t more aggressive:
My point: GMs that hold on to top prospects in lieu of making a trade for an elite, difference-making talent are abusing their positions.
And so, I’m wondering who these clubs aren’t hounding [Rangers GM Jon] Daniels:
Los Angeles Dodgers: The last time the Dodgers won a playoff series was 1988. They are locked into an annual fight-to-the-finish with San Diego. They have a young, very talented first baseman in James Loney, who will very possibly be Teixeira’s equal some day. Maybe even in the next two years, but, good as Loney is, he won’t make a difference in the pennant race this year. Teixeira will. Yes, the Rangers will demand a high price for Teixeira: Loney and Highland Park-ex [pitcher] Clayton Kershaw. If you are Dodgers GM Ned Colletti, you have to ask yourself: Is one World Series ring worth that? What about two?
Los Angeles Angels: The Angels have done a fine job of hoarding their young talent. It has not gotten them back to the World Series since their amazing 2002 run. They have all kinds of talent and continue to contend for years on end, but may be just a hair shy of being world championship caliber. They can go into the thick of the pennant race with Casey Kotchman, batting .127 for the last 30 days, at first base. Or they can add Teixeira, keep him away from the crosstown Dodgers and negotiate with Angels-season ticket holder Scott Boras on a long-term extension. They would have to give up Kotchman or Reggie Willits (or both) and a pitcher. High price? You bet. Do they want to see Bartolo Colon, Vladimir Guerrero, Garret Anderson and company come and go without another World Series appearance? Hmmm, you decide Bill Stoneman.
Grant also names Atlanta and Seattle as teams which should be running after Teixeira. He thinks Atlanta would have to part with catcher Jarod Saltalamacchia and a pitcher while Seattle would have to offer Adam Jones and a pitcher.
Comment: Grant notes, but does not emphasize two points: (1) Teixeira will be a free agent after the 2008 season and (2) his agent is Scott Boras. Both Colletti and Stoneman know this only too well.
>> Talk of Troy: O.J. Simpson was in the new yesterday in the New York Post, which reported that he “has been hitting the bottle since he was tricked into semi-confessing to double-murder last year with his ‘If I Did It’ book project. Simpson was at The Ivy in Aventura, Fla., the other night ‘falling all over himself and couldn’t stand up, even though he tried several times,’ said our disgusted spy.”
= Panorama =
>> Football Frenzy: The All-American Football League, scheduled to start play in the spring of 2008, has some sort of agreement – in principle or in writing – with stadiums on the campuses of Iowa, Purdue, North Carolina State, Florida State, Florida and Tennessee. League financier Marcus Katz from San Diego told the Lincoln Journal Star that interest has been received from Alabama, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas and Ohio State, among others.
Sounds good. Although not in line for a team, what about playing the championship game at the Rose Bowl? After all, the AAFL board of directors include former UCLA Chancellor Charles Young and ex-Athletic Director Pete Dalis!
>> Hooping It Up: North Carolina’s Roy Williams is a little happier these days. Despite losing forward Brandan Wright to the NBA, Williams got a commitment from 6-8 Ed Davis of Benedictine (Va.) High School, ranked the second-best player in the country by Scout.com. Davis will join Larry Drew, Jr. from Taft HS in Woodland Hills at Carolina in 2008, who selected the Tar Heels from a final three that also included UCLA and Arizona.
>> Rings & Things: In case you missed it – and you probably did – the U.S. is now up to a staggering 93 medals (and 39 gold!) after six days (out of 16) of competition in the Pan American Games. Second is Brazil with 44 (11 gold), followed by Canada with 43 (12 gold) and Cuba with 30 (15 gold). Cuban media is already crowing about having most medals “per capita.”
~ Rich Perelman
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