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LOS ANGELES -- The all-star break certainly was a welcomed respite for Don Mattingly and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The beleaguered rookie manager and his equally frustrated team have struggled on the field and dealt daily with off-the-field turmoil -- a string of unwanted headlines that have tarnished the once-proud franchise. Los Angeles starts the second half at Arizona on Friday night, stuck at 41-51 and in fourth place in the NL West, 11 games behind San Francisco. "The biggest disappointment is being in this position with a team thats capable of being in the playoffs and competing with anybody in the National League," all-star centre fielder Matt Kemp said. From Day One, its been a difficult year at Dodger Stadium. On opening day, Giants fan Bryan Stow was savagely beaten in the parking lot following the game. The 42-year-old Stow is in a San Francisco area hospital, recovering from brain injuries. The bitter divorce proceedings between Frank McCourt and his estranged wife, Jamie, and the legal tug-of-war over which one of them owned the team has hovered over the club all season. Major League Baseball assumed control of the clubs day-to-day operations in mid-April and Frank McCourt recently filed for bankruptcy protection. McCourt took that Chapter 11 action after Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig rejected a proposed a broadcast rights deal with Fox Sports that McCourt said would have alleviated worries about covering payroll expenses every two weeks. Selig was concerned that the Dodgers embattled owner would instead use that Fox Sports money to take care of his own personal debts. Even famed announcer Vin Scully was dragged into the fray when court documents revealed the Hall of Fame broadcaster -- in his 62nd season behind the microphone -- was still owed more than US$150,000 as part of his contract. In some instances, cheques made out to some employees and stadium workers bounced and were later reissued. Talk about a bad hop. "Obviously, its kind of weird, thinking: Hey, the paycheques might not be in the mail, but theyve assured us that we dont have anything to worry about on that front," second baseman Aaron Miles said. "It makes for a little bit of a distraction from the baseball end of it -- maybe a good distraction, sometimes -- but the players in this clubhouse have not focused on that. Weve stayed focused on the field, even though weve had some tough cards dealt our way this year. It seems like Donnies been thrown a curveball every other day because of all the injuries." To top it off, McCourt last week fired Steve Garvey, one of the teams most popular players in Los Angeles, from the marketing and community relations department. That came after Garvey went public with his hopes of buying the club and recruited 1988 World Series MVP Orel Hershiser to join his investment group. If that isnt enough drama for one fan base, there was that smoky interlude on May 28 at Dodger Stadium, when the upper deck seats behind first base had to be evacuated after a small fire broke out in a storage area. The entire scene at Chavez Ravine over the past 3 1/2 months has provided a wealth of material for all the joke-meisters on late-night television. "People are going to say what they say, but I dont care what other people say. Im not worried about it," all-star pitcher Clayton Kershaw said. "People ask us about it, and we just tell the truth -- that it doesnt affect whats on the field. As a team, all we worry about in this clubhouse is playing baseball because thats our job and thats all were here to do." The attendance at Dodger Stadium has been in dramatic decline. A franchise that drew in excess of three million in each of the previous 15 seasons following the strike-shortened 1994 and 1995 campaigns is averaging 36,610 through their first 50 home dates. Thats 2,392 fewer per game than the Los Angeles Angels have averaged in their 48 home dates down the freeway at the Big A. The Halos never outdrew the Dodgers in any of their 50 previous seasons as Southern Californias other team, including the four years they shared Dodger Stadium from 1962 through 1965 before relocating to Anaheim. "Theres a lot of people who are on the bandwagon when things are going good. And when its not going good, people jump off," Kershaw said. "Thats just the way it is, and you have to accept it." Kemp has done his part. The six-year veteran who won a Silver Slugger award and Gold Glove in 2009 has returned to form after a sub-par 2010 campaign. He is among the top three in the NL in home runs (22), RBIs (67), slugging percentage (.584) and stolen bases (27), but is uncomfortable with the notion that he has carried the team. "We win together and we lose together," Kemp said. "This isnt a one-man or a two-man show. This is 25 guys pulling together. We havent played the way we needed to play, so weve got to do better things in the second half." Just two seasons ago, the Dodgers reached the NL championship series for the second straight year under Joe Torre. To some of the veterans, it seems like ages ago. "A lot of us still have that taste in our mouths from that," right fielder Andre Ethier said. "Thats what makes this year so frustrating -- because we know how good this team was and how great this organization can be, and how much fun it can be when youre winning." Ethier also is in his sixth season with the club, so he has more of an emotional stake in this situation than many teammates. The all-star provided one of the few highlights so far with a 30-game hitting streak. "When you come to the Dodgers, its instilled in you what it means to be a Dodger and how to play like one, and you take so much pride in that," he said. "Now, when you hear the stuff people say about the organization and see the way things have been handled in the organization, its makes you upset and a little embarrassed." The non-waiver trade deadline is July 31, and it is yet to be determined whether the team will become buyers or sellers by then. "What will it take for us to be sellers? Well measure it as we get closer," general manager Ned Colletti told The Associated Press two days before acquiring left fielder Juan Rivera from Toronto on the day of the all-star game. "Weve got a lot of games in our division, so we have to be a little bit careful of jumping the gun on something like that. And its not something Im accustomed to or something that I like doing," he said. Mattinglys first season as a big league manager has been extremely challenging because of all the injuries, particularly to the bullpen and the left side of his infield. Shortstop Rafael Furcal has been on the disabled list three times. Fourteen different players have been on the DL, including closer Jonathan Broxton, who is out for the season. "The toughest thing to handle has been the losing, as much as anything," said Mattingly, who has started eight different players in left field -- not counting Rivera. "Weve had our chances to win games, and we havent been able to put enough of them together at this point. It would be easy for me to say, Well, if wed have had this, that and the other, it would be different. It would be a nice excuse, but we cant make excuses." Cheap Jerseys NFL . NHL hockey is returning to the Manitoba capital. The True North Sports and Entertainment group announced on Tuesday that they have completed a deal to purchase the Atlanta Thrashers and move them to Winnipeg in time for the 2011-12 season. NFL Jerseys China . -- A year ago, Flavia Pennetta was close to retiring from tennis. http://www.wholesalejerseysnflchinacheap.com/ . Take a look at TSN. Wholesale Jerseys . 1 and No. 2 in womens golf at the World Ladies Championship. Park closed with a 6-under 67 for a five-shot victory over Suzann Pettersen in a Ladies European Tour event. wholesalejerseysnflchinacheap . He missed a three-game series against New York this week after suffering the injury last Sunday while trying to leg out a base hit during a game in Cincinnati.KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Roger Federer made a victorious return Friday to the Sony Open after skipping last years tournament, and then was treated to a tribute on the stadium video screen. "It looks like a farewell video," Federer told the crowd with a laugh. "I miss one year, and you make me feel guilty." Federers back, as he showed by beating big-serving Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 7-6 (4). The Swiss star lost just three points on his serve to his 6-foot-11 (2.11-meter) opponent, and in a match with few rallies, he committed only three unforced errors. Three-time champion Novak Djokovic followed Federer onto the stadium court and into the third round, defeating Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 6-3. Defending champion Andy Murray, playing for the first time since he parted with coach Ivan Lendl, rallied to beat Matthew Ebden 3-6, 6-0, 6-1. Another three-time champ, Venus Williams, defeated Anna Schmiedlova 6-3, 6-3. Williams, the oldest player remaining in the womens draw at 33, is competing at Key Biscayne for the 15th time. "Its good to be here still as an oldster," Williams said. At 32, Federer has looked rejuvenated recently, and was the runner-up to Djokovic last week at Indian Wells. The 17-time Grand Slam champion says his new racket gives him more power, and hes moving as he did in the old days. After falling out of the top five last year for the first time since 2002, Federer returned to No. 5 this week. He led from the start against Karlovic, making the surprising choice to receive after winning the toss and earning the lone break of the match in the opening game. "I just felt like, you know, let him go first and see how it goes," Federer said. "It worked well today because I got the early break right away. That relaxed me for the rest of the first set clearly, but still he hung around." While Federer had trouble with serves from Karlovic that peaked at 138 mph (222 kph), the Croat had no cchance when returning.dddddddddddd Federer won 49 of his 52 service points. Federer improved to 11-1 in their head-to-head -- or, in this case, head-to-shoulder. He said playing Karlovic presents unique challenges that he enjoys. "Physically its super easy. There are no long rallies," Federer said. "Its just more like a penalty shootout in soccer." The longest point was the last one, and when Karlovic pushed a backhand into the net on the 10th stroke, Federer hopped happily in celebration and threw a fist. The show of exuberance might be a hint hes keen to do well in a tournament he hasnt won since 2006. "Im very relieved and happy to be through," he said. Djokovic converted all three of his break-point chances against Chardy, who was hobbled after hurting his right ankle in the penultimate game. "When I was supposed to play my best and come up with some good serves and good shots, thats what I did in both sets," Djokovic said. On the womens side, No. 2-seeded Li Na reached the third round when Alisa Kleybanova withdrew because of a viral illness. Kleybanova, who won in doubles Thursday, is a former top 20-player mounting a career comeback from Hodgkins lymphoma. No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska, the tournament champion in 2012, defeated Romina Oprandi 6-0, 6-4. The Pole was hampered by a knee injury in her loss to Flavia Pennetta in the final at Indian Wells on Sunday, but showed no ill effects in her match Friday. "I feel much better now, obviously," she said. "Its not perfect yet, but I think those few days I had of rest in between Indian Wells and Miami really helped me." No. 6 Simona Halep, who lost to Radwanska in the semifinals at Indian Wells, withdrew because of a right toe injury. Former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki advanced with a 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 win over Monica Puig, but No. 7-seeded Jelena Jankovic was upset by American Varvara Lepchenko. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' '
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| Beitrag vom 14.02.2015 - 04:32 |
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