Wake-up call: Kings, Shane Victorino, Manny Ramirez, Big Brown
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First things first: I’ll get to baseball in a minute. First I’m talking hockey. I just published Dan Arritt’s interesting riff on O.C. teams, in which he compares the Ducks’ poor start to the Kings. But he couldn’t see how the Kings played last night, given that I had assigned him to cover the Ducks. There was one very bright spot for the Kings: their penalty kill. They finally have one. And one other worthy note: Matt Greene (pictured above). He has six blocked shots in those two games, if TV analyst Jim Fox is right. The Ducks, on the other hand, had eight penalties assessed against them in the second period alone. Hard to score when you are in the penalty box. In fact, the Kings are tied for the lead in penalty kill with a 100% success rate. They were shorthanded nine times, according to NHL stats, and did not allow a goal.
Stopping the puck: According to Hockey Player Magazine, the keys to blocking shots includes these:
1. Getting as close to the shooter as possible without taking yourself out of the play.
2. Positioning your shins
3. Collecting rebounds with the arms and body.
4. The closer you are to the shooter, the safer it is to block the puck.
Stopping a puck that is going 40 or 60 mph isn’t easy. Just ask Chris Pronger, who in 1998 while with the St. Louis Blues lay prone on the ice after stopping a puck with his chest. Injuries are frequent: knee, foot, leg. Stopping a puck, despite the padding, also can be deadly. One Minnesota high school hockey player survived blocking a puck with his chest, though he had to be hospitalized, while an amateur player from the University of New Haven was killed in 2007 after blocking a puck with his chest.
Stop the crybaby thing: Shane Victorino complaining about that throw past his head was shameful. It was precisely the same throw at Manny Ramirez’s head back in Philly. Manny said nothing while at the plate. Nothing. He is a great hitter. He will get thrown at sometimes. It’s part of the game, as Tim McCarver said last night on the telecast. It would have been better, of course, if the Phillies’ Brett Myers in Game 2 had not let the ball ‘slip’ like that. But Tim, that is why the fans booed Victorino on his next at-bat. He is a crybaby, and L.A. fans saw that. And to think Victorino was drafted by the Dodgers in 1999, albeit in the sixth round. Be more like a Manny, Shane.
Go Chargers: I’m not what you would call a Chargers fan but I am happy they finally won, and against the Patriots. Linebacker Shaun Phillips writes for this blog once a week, and it’s so much better when he can write about a win, and not have to try to explain another loss.
Go Romo: Well, in a month maybe. Tony Romo, quarterback for the 4-2 Dallas Cowboys broke the pinkie finger on his right hand in Sunday’s game. He will be out at least four weeks. And his replacement: Brad Johnson, age 40, who hasn’t started an NFL game since 2006.
An even bigger injury: Big Brown will miss the Oct. 25 Breeders Cup after injuring his right foot. This is an even bigger disappointment. He will be retired now to stud. The Breeders Cup was to be his last race, and he was poised to take on Curlin, horse racing all-time leading money winner. As much as I don’t care for horse racing, seeing Big Brown effortlessly sweep to a win is, I’ll admit, breathtaking. But racing is so hard on the horses, and would the industry exist without gamblers? Godspeed, Big Brown, to your new Kentucky home.
-- Debbie Goffa