Jon Rapoport

Hunter & Carew represent the Angels, Twins & baseball extremely well

This week’s All-Star Game festivities in Anaheim featured a decidedly Los Angeles Angels and Minnesota Twins flavor. The reason for this was the very prominent roles of Angels centerfielder Torii Hunter and Hall of Famer Rod Carew.   Both men represented the hometown Angels as official spokesmen for the several days of events.  Coincidently, both individuals also began their careers in Minnesota, before relocating to the heart of Orange County.

Can someone give Charlie Manuel a ride to the ballpark?

Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has had an incredibly impressive three-year run. Manuel led the Phils to their first World Series title since 1980, while capturing two consecutive National League Championships along the way. Tuesday night, he conquered yet another milestone by managing the NL to victory in the 2010 All-Star Game.  The 3-1 triumph was the Senior Circuit’s first midsummer win since 1996.  

As a result of these accomplishments, the 66-year-old has finally earned the collective respect of peers and fans alike.  

Jeter & AROD operating at a different level than Swisher & fellow All-Stars

The New York Yankees are sitting comfortably atop the baseball world with a record of 56-32.  The defending World Series Champions have been operating on all cylinders during the first half of the 2010 season.  

Because of their stellar play, the Yanks are very well represented at Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Anaheim, California.  

Despite sharing positions on the same American League roster, not every Yankee players’ All-Star experience is the same. This point was quite evident on Monday afternoon at the Anaheim Marriott Hotel.

King James has demoted himself to Prince James

Thursday, at 9:27 PM ET, NBA superstar LeBron James announced that he will be leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to sign a free agent contract with the Miami Heat. The declaration was made at a Boys & Girls Club in Greenwich, Connecticut, as part of an ESPN special program.  The Akron, Ohio native will be joining current Heat superstar guard Dwyane Wade and newly acquired big man Chris Bosh. The off and on the court ramifications of James’ decision are wide ranging and full of more questions than answers.

DeMarcus Cousins Unwittingly Angers The Champs

On June 24, the Sacramento Kings drafted DeMarcus Cousins with the fifth pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.  The 6-10, 290 pound forward/center averaged 15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks during his lone season at the University of Kentucky.  In the days since, it has come to light that Cousins preemptively and unknowingly may have created a potential grudge between his Kings and the two-time defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Denard Span answering the tough questions amid a crazy few months of activity

Minnesota Twins centerfielder Denard Span has experienced a very eventful last few months. 

Span’s first bit of significant news took place in November, when the Twins traded fellow outfielder Carlos Gomez to the Milwaukee Brewers for shortstop J.J. Hardy. This transaction cleared the way for Span to assume the role of the Twins’ everyday centerfielder.  

The current of good news continued for Span during spring training, when he inked a 5-year/$16.5 million extension with the Twins.  At this point, it became abundantly clear that Span would be the heir apparent to Kirby Puckett and Torii Hunter in the line of great Minnesota Twins outfield generals.

User login

Connect

Forgot password? Get password