ANAHEIM – There’s a new line-up for the 2010 State Farm Home Run Derby and familiar names like sluggers Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard and Josh Hamilton, who have a combined 80 home runs this season, won’t be in it. But don’t fret, there are plenty of other guys on the roster who can rip the cover off the ball and knock them over the fence.

The show begins Monday night at 8pm on ESPN and first time participants in the contest include Milwaukee Brewers Corey Hart, Arizona Diamondbacks Chris Young, N.Y. Yankees Nick Swisher, Florida Marlins Hanley Ramirez and the Blue Jays Vernon Wells. Rounding out the roster are Matt Holliday, Red Sox slugger David Ortiz and Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

Cabrera who returns to the event for the second time and enters the competition second in MLB with 22 round trippers, is many people’s favorite to win, including his teammate, rookie sensation Brennan Boesch who let his pick be known to his local newspaper The Detroit Free Press.

“If Scott Pickens, the batting practice guy, throws strikes, he’ll win. Miggy’s got the most power in baseball, I think. So if he throws strikes, Miguel is going to put on a show, and it will be fun to watch.”

“In the Home Run Derby, you have to be aggressive, because it’s a lot of pressure,” Cabrera said. “It’s different, because you don’t have the batting cage. You have more people see you. But if you get relaxed and put your best swing on the ball, it’s going to be OK.”

Swisher is also feeling some nerves well before the event.

 “It’s going to be a lot of fun and I’m nervous already, but I’m going to go out and have an absolute blast. I’m going to soak up that moment.”

Not in the competition is the MLB leading home run hitter, Blue Jays Jose Bautista who has hit 24 over the fence. Not seeing him in this line-up reminds us that the obvious choices do not always make it to the annual All-Star games.

Adding to the fun of the event, two banners were hung in the outfields and if any player hits those during the competition, Master Card will donate $1 million to charity.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

It’s an extremely hot and muggy night at Jackie Robinson Park in Daytona Beach as the Daytona Cubs warm up for an evening game. Surviving the sweltering heat, a man sits along the 3rd baseline in a front row box seat with a personal name tag attached to the back of it that reads, “Joe Rowe”.

A decade and a half ago on June 26, 1995, this baseball fanatic who is known more as “Front Row Joe” started an attendance streak for the Chicago Cubs Class ‘A’ affiliate that is reaching impressive numbers. Every game since that date , like clockwork, the scoreboard at Jack Park changes, reflecting that streak that stood at 1,038 on July 9, 2010.

We sat down for a Q & A session with the most familiar face at Jackie Robinson Park.

BTW, during the 2007 season FRJ’s streak was threatened when he collapsed on the field and had to be transported by ambulance, but Joe bounced back and made it to the park the following game to continue his fan “Iron Man” streak. Apparently, Joe had passed out due to low potassium levels.

FRJ last attended a MLB Chicago Cubs game during the 2008 season in the Windy City when he took in a weekend series then returned home to Daytona Beach to continue his streak.

Q:  I see you have a Daytona Cubs tattoo on your arm, tell us the story behind that.

A:  Many years ago the general manager Buck Rogers came up with a promotion that anyone who would get the tattoo would receive free general admission for life; so myself and 17 others took him up on it. The tattoo cost me $100.00 dollars and I do pay for the upgrade to have the reserved box seat, it costs me about $300 bucks for the year.

Q: Your streak of 1,038 games is amazing and shows a lot of commitment, have you ever caught a ball during a game?

A:  Yes I have caught 5 or 6 balls, now the bat boy Chris hands ‘em to me.

Q:  Do you collect memorabilia?

A:  I sure do and my pride and joy has got to be my autographed Derek Jeter photo from the Danbury Mint it is one of just 1,500, and I’m also very proud of my Daytona Cubs Florida State League Championship ring from the 2004 season that was presented to me by the Daytona Cubs owner Andy Rayburn.

Q: Cal Ripken has the player’s Iron Man streak of 2,632 games played, is that number in your sights?

A:  Yes it sure is, it will take some time but I have a goal to exceed that number. And when I do who knows where it will end.

Q: Tell me about your first Major League Baseball game that you attended as a youngster?

A:  I don’t remember the year but it was at the old Yankee Stadium and it was the mayor’s trophy game between the Yankees and the Mets.

Q:  Do you have any rituals or superstitions that you go through before during or after the game?

A:  I do have a stuffed bear cub with a Cubs jersey and batting helmet that I hang on the fence right in front of me before every game.

Q: Do you have a favorite Daytona Cub’s player?

A: Yes, that would be Jake Fox who played here during the 2005-06 season and got called up to the bigs in ‘07, I do still follow him.

Front Row Joe said he was currently unemployed but when he was working he would actually take time off from work to attend day games to keep the streak intact. A laid back guy with a true passion for baseball, his attendance streak of 1,038 games makes him worthy of the title of FSL’s “Fan of the Decade.”

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

In the aftermath of the news that Joe Torre will be making up his mind about his Dodgers future by the end of the season, an interesting rumor is now circulating about his potential successor.  And no, it does not have to do with current hitting coach Don Mattingly, who is assumed to be Torre’s heir apparent.

According to a Tweet by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, now that Bobby Valentine is no longer in the running for the Marlins managerial job, he could be a leading candidate to be the Dodgers next manager if Torre does indeed depart.  This was also first mentioned earlier this week on the blog Rowland’s Office.  While the author does not claim to have any inside information, there is logic behind this.

First off, Valentine is a former Dodger, having played with the team in the early 1970s.  In addition, he is good friends with former Dodger manager and current Special Advisor to the Chairman Tommy Lasorda, who was Valentine’s first minor league manager in the Dodgers farm system.  Don’t think they’re close?  One of Valentine’s dogs is named after Lasorda.

Working under owner Frank McCourt (and the tumult surrounding his divorce) likely wouldn’t be an issue for Valentine.  If anything, McCourt would probably like his fiery style as a change to Torre’s calm demeanor.  But there are no clues as to how Valentine feels about “psychics.”

Keep in mind that his boss in Texas when he managed the Rangers was none other than future president George W. Bush.  And he is used to dealing with the media circus from his days spent managing the New York Mets.

Finally, why else would Valentine suddenly be out of the running with the Marlins?  After all, these rumors have come and gone over the years, and it’s no secret that this would be Valentine’s dream job.

For now, Mattingly is still considered the front-runner for the job.  He passed on potential managerial jobs with the Indians and Nationals last fall in order to stay with the Dodgers.  And if it helps, he received a nice endorsement from former Yankee teammate and current Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti – high praise from a rival team.

Either way, it should make for an even more interesting summer in L.A.

Re-printed with permission of the author.

Chris Lardieri covers the Los Angeles Dodgers for Examiner.com and has written about Major League Baseball for Inside Edge, a scouting company that provides content to ESPN Insider and Yahoo Sports. He previously wrote for 1766, the Rutgers Alumni Magazine, and popular blog, ‘The Outer Loop’.  Be sure to follow Chris on Twitter for more MLB and sports observations.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

The Zambrano road show continues. Yesterday it was reported that Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano has been ordered to undergo anger management treatment. Tomorrow he will be evaluated by MLB approved doctors and a program will be set up for him.

According to various sources, Zambrano must follow the treatment to the letter. What does that mean? Does it mean if he doesn’t follow everything he is told to do the Cubs could void his contract? This is the million dollar question.

After announcing that Z was being placed on the restricted list and will undergo anger management therapy, Hendry was asked if Z had apologized for his tirade. Hendry’s response was that this wasn’t the time for apologies, Apologies can come later.

There is a lot of speculating going on here. Last night on MLB Tonight, analyst and short-time Cubs player Kevin Millar gave his thoughts about the Zambrano situation, stating he had spoken to Z a week before the outburst and Z was looking for someone to fire up the team. He claimed Z wasted Carlos Silva to fire up the team since he was doing well. He said Z was not directing his temper toward any one player, but to everyone.

“That was basically his view, that he shouldn’t have done it, he wasn’t the right guy to do it, he wanted Carlos Silva to do it last week. It wasn’t one play; it wasn’t the Derrick Lee play that caused this whole scene. He ran in the dugout and was yelling at the whole group,” Millar said.

Whether this is true or not. Z has a history of temper problems and it finally came out full force.

Yes, much of it is probably frustration. Frustration with the team, with the manager and with himself. Z’s not doing as well as he had, and it’s probably a safe assumption to say that’s he’s very frustrated with himself. Is he a fierce competitor? Yes. Does he need help with his anger issues? Absolutely yes.

According to a commentary by Mark Potash in today’s Sun-Times, Hendry may have missed a few warning signs in the past. The three things Potash points to are prior ejections as a direct result of his temper, injuries over the years and Z’s declining productivity. He says Z was coddled by Hendry and former manager Dusty Baker. Hey, he was Z, he was the Ace of the bullpen.

Well, people get older and their performance starts to lag. It’s a fact of life. You can’t be the Ace forever and at some point you have to grow up and face the music. Perhaps there’s just too much wrong with this Cubs team for Z to handle. Maybe it’s time for Z to move on, but who would take the rest of his contract?

Re-printed with permission of the author.

In addition to contributing to Sports Climax, Miriam Romain maintains a Chicago Cubs column for Examiner.com. The Chicago native has also been published in several Cubs annuals by Maple Street Press and is writing a book with the working title “Summers at Wrigley with my Dad.”

Copyright © 2010 Sports Climax, LLC

Sitting in a bar with a frosty pint at 7:30 a.m., you tend to learn a thing or two. The heightened awareness that comes along with rising with the stark morning sun combined with ordering several foreign beers amidst a crowd chanting “U-S-A!, U-S-A!” opens you up to new experiences.

For me, it was the beauty that lies within America’s torrid love affair with soccer. (I’m not sure when we voted on this, but apparently we all decided that we were going to become soccer fans – if only for a month.)

The low-scoring nature of soccer has caused its fans to evolve, to move the goal line, so to speak. Sitting at a sticky counter, elbow to elbow with this guy, I learned that the joy in watching soccer isn’t in the goals, but in the chances your team has to score these evasive goals.

To make life easier, I’ve adopted this philosophy with the San Francisco Giants.

The shortcomings of the Giants offense has been well documented – honestly I’ve seen more scoring take place in line for a Star Wars movie. And the agony the lack of runs cause, seemingly on a night-in-night-out basis (see Dodgers 4, Giants 2), has spoiled too many opportunities to celebrate.

To amend this dire ineptitude of scoring, try this the next time you’re at the yard – third base is the new home.

A base runner that safely advances to third is the baseball equivalent to a “scoring chance” – and the Giants have a lot of these. So the next time you see Giant on third, stand up, cheer, raise your arms in victory, hug the nearest stranger next to you, and blow your Vuvuzelas. Honor the beauty, the physical poetry that is a near-run, and then imagine the bliss of an actual run.

Once we learn to re-frame the archaic goals we have had in place as baseball fans and look to the progressivism of soccer, the pesky runner stranded at third won’t seem like a missed opportunity, but instead it will stand as a time to cheer — at least until the next double play.

My World Cup is half empty – Schuepp’s Scoop

Fixed game in 1982 World Cup creates schedule change – Sports Climax

French World Cup team continues their circus act – Sports Climax

Re-printed with permission of the author.

Theo is a staff reporter and feature writer for the Marin Independent Journal where he covers local prep and college sports. As an Associate Production Manager for ESPN, he helped produce Sunday Night Baseball among other national ESPN and ABC Sports telecasts. In addition to his contributions to Sports Climax, he is a columnist for Examiner.com and is the play-by-play voice for Sonoma State University baseball and softball.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

Lost in the aftermath of last night’s crushing 8-6 loss in 10 innings to the Yankees last night were comments that manager Joe Torre made before the game on Sunday.  Torre told the media that he has yet to make up his mind about his future as Dodgers manager, but that he will make a decision by the end of the 2010 season, possibly by September.

Torre, who is in the last year of a 3-year, $13 million contract, had broken off contract extension talks with GM Ned Colletti during spring training in March.  He also added that the key factor in his decision is his health.  Torre survived prostate cancer after being diagnosed during the 1999 season, when he managed the Yankees.

This news comes at a time when Torre has come under fire for the Dodgers’ recent slump, and on the heels of the season-long saga over the pending divorce of team owner Frank McCourt and his estranged wife, Jamie. 

One aspect of Torre’s statement should bear noting – the McCourts’ divorce trial is scheduled to begin in August, which should lead to a resolution as to who owns the team by the end of this season.

A report earlier this season also indicated that Torre might not want to return for the 2011 season, given the team’s uncertain ownership future and divorce-related payroll constraints.  Torre later denied this rumor, but the doubt still lingers.

Should Torre leave, the likely successor is another former Yankee (and current Dodgers hitting coach), Don Mattingly.  For what it’s worth, legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully gives Mattingly his seal of approval.

So the questions still linger.  But at least Torre doesn’t have to deal with Alex Rodriguez ignoring him anymore.

Chris Lardieri covers the Los Angeles Dodgers for Examiner.com and has written about Major League Baseball for Inside Edge, a scouting company that provides content to ESPN Insider and Yahoo Sports. He previously wrote for 1766, the Rutgers Alumni Magazine, and popular blog, ‘The Outer Loop’.  Be sure to follow Chris on Twitter for more MLB and sports observations.

Boesch vs. Hanson (Photo: Cindy Ferda / SC)

The 2^nd place Detroit Tigers appear to be built for the present and future as their rookie tandem of Brennan Boesch and Austin Jackson continue to tear up the bases like in yesterday’s 10-4 win against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field.

Most expected the Tigers (40-34) to depend on sluggers Miguel Cabrera (.332, 20HR, 64 RBI), Magglio Ordonez (.319, 10HR, 49RBI) and newly-acquired Johnny Damon to carry the load this season but Boesch and Jackson have contributed an enormous amount at the plate.

During yesterday’s 17-hit attack on starter Tommy Hanson and the Braves pitching staff, Boesch and Jackson’s combined stats included 5 hits, including a two-run, 400-ft. dinger by Boesch, 5 RBI and 4 runs.

After yesterday’s performance in Atlanta, Boesch improved his season’s average to a team-leading .338 while Jackson’s leaped to .307.

Both hitters have enough at bats to qualify for the AL Rookie-of-the-Year voting and are getting their share of attention regarding the award. The tandem sits well above the rookie pack in the American League at No. 1 and No. 2 in batting average with the nearest trailer Tampa Rays Reid Brignac batting .272.

Jackson came to Detroit as the main acquisition in the unpopular trade with the bitter rival New York Yankees that sent fan-favorite Curtis Granderson off to the Big Apple.

If Jackson stays on this kind of pace, it won’t take long for Tigers fans to “forgive” Tigers’ GM Dave Dombrowski for making the move.

BTW, here’s another stat for all the Dombrowski haters. While Jackson continues to tear it up for Motown’s Tigers, Granderson is hitting a career-low .237 in New York.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

On this anniversary of the 20,000th game in Cubs franchise history, the team is left with a 24-man roster after Carlos Zambrano was suspended indefinitely yesterday after his outburst in the dugout at U.S. Cellular Field and a second confrontation directed towards camera crews outside the park as he was leaving the game.

There are some today who are defending Zambrano’s outbursts saying this is how you get the team fired up. However, you do not fire up a team by starting fights with your own teammates, especially the team’s leader Derrek Lee.

How many times have we seen Z lose his cool, apologize and then lose his cool again? How long should this go on before he decides to enroll in anger management sessions?

Following is a short timeline of Zambrano meltdowns, some of which were reported in today’s Chicago Tribune. It is by no means a complete list, but representative of the problem with the man and why at this point he is unfit to pitch for the Cubs.

June 4, 20021 – Z is suspended for five games and fined an undisclosed amount of money for his actions in a bench clearing brawl in a Triple-A game in Utah.

July 19, 2004 – Z hits Jim Edmonds twice during a game against the Cardinals, starts yelling at Edmonds and then at the umpire and receives a five-game suspension. After the game, Z says he was just doing his job and didn’t mean to hit Edmonds that he got caught up in the heat of the moment and should not have reacted the way he did. He received a five-game suspension.

June 1, 2007 – Z and catcher Michael Barrett have an all-out fight in the Cubs clubhouse after an altercation in the dugout, apparently initiated by Z. Barrett not only ended up in the hospital with a bloody lip, but was traded two weeks later.

September 3, 2007 – Fans boo Z for not being a team player and having a lousy outing. In the fifth inning, as he walks back to the dugout, he starts taking off his jersey and points to his head.

May 27, 2009 – Z’s temper gets the best of him as he disagrees with a call at the plate, bumps the umpire, gets ejected from the game, hurls a baseball that was destine for the bleachers and attacks the Gatorade container in the dugout. Z gets six-game suspension.

June 25, 2010 – Z verbally attacks both Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez in the dugout. He is told to go home, and on the way out of the Cell, verbally attacks some cameramen from local Chicago stations.

See a pattern here?

Many times we have heard Z apologize for his actions and promise to keep his calm. At one point he even said he had to face his daughters and promise them he would keep his cool.

Last night, Z had dinner with White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. Whether the two talked about this latest suspension or not is unknown, but it really doesn’t matter. Z has sealed his own fate. It may be wise for him to find some anger management classes before he starts to play with any other team.

Re-printed with permission of the author.

In addition to contributing to Sports Climax, Miriam Romain maintains a Chicago Cubs column for Examiner.com. and is Assistant Editor of SB Nation Chicago. The Chicago native has also been published in several Cubs annuals by Maple Street Press and is writing a book with the working title “Summers at Wrigley with my Dad.”

Copyright © 2010 Sports Climax, LLC

Joe Torre has been getting killed on Los Angeles sports-talk radio and now has to rally his Dodgers against the evil empire that used to employ him: the New York Yankees.

The Dodgers finally broke a six-game losing streak with a big 10-6 win against the LA Angels of Anaheim on Thursday night.

The Angels have taken all but one of the six inter-league games played so far this season and that only made things worse for the Dodgers skipper.

When base running and fielding mistakes made his stars look lackadaisical, Torre suffered more than the usual criticism.That’s because Angels manager, Mike Scioscia is renowned for drilling his players from the lowest level of the minor leagues on baseball fundamentals.

Matt Kemp criticized by GM for fielding errors

Torre and the Dodgers have had an up and down season. Early on they slipped to eight games below .500 only to see themselves rally and take the top spot in their division.

But coming off the lackluster play of the previous week and a half and knowing the World Champs are at the door for the weekend can’t be pleasant.

Oh, you’ll read all the sweet stories about how Torre’s mainstay players in pinstripes adore him and can’t wait to see him again, but unfortunately none of them play for his team.

Despite that, Torre and fans are entitled to better than they were getting from the players who wear Dodger blue. Every little mistake can take its toll when the pitching situation continues to be fluid.

With two rookies seeing a lot of time in the rotation due to vets being on the DL (Padilla and now Billingsley) reliance on timely hitting and execution of plays is even more important.

Torre’s style is one of an adult talking with other adults in a calm, measured manner. But the losing streak provoked a rare closed-door meeting with his club on Wednesday night. It’s unclear if the law of averages took over or Torre’s little chat with his players had an effect.

And here come the Yankees with their World Series championship rings barely tucked away in their vaults. Sporting the best record in the majors this year and two games ahead of Tampa Bay in the AL East, the team has had its share of pitching issues with A.J. Burnett mired in a slump and Javier Vazquez yet to distinguish himself as a fifth starter.

But Torre would kill for the Yanks pitching woes just as he would love to have the calming presence of Rivera, Jeter, Posada and Pettite in the clubhouse. But they aren’t walking through the door anytime soon.

Torre must somehow inspire his team to show the Steinbrenner brats that they care about him enough to make a good showing in the three-game set.

I’m sure at this point he’d settle for no base running mistakes and no balls getting past Matt Kemp in centerfield.

Chris Lardieri, LA Dodgers Examiner has more on the team and their owners, here.

Box score of Dodgers victory over Angels, here

Re-printed with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles. 

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

The Dodgers were swept in three games by the Red Sox, with the final nail in the proverbial coffin being a 2-0 loss last night in Fenway.  They now sit in third place in the NL West, behind the Padres and Giants As if that wasn’t bad enough, the schedule only gets more difficult: a Freeway Series rematch with the Angels (who swept them just over a week ago) in Anaheim. 

After that, the Dodgers welcome the World Champion Yankees to Chavez Ravine for the first time since 2004.  It will also be the first time that manager Joe Torre will face his former team since departing New York after the 2007 season.

And to top it all off, the Dodgers will then face their rivals, the now second-place Giants. a team whose pitchers have allowed opponents to hit a league-best .230 against them.

So what’s happened to the once-hot Dodgers?

First, their pitching, which was hot in May (with a 20-8 record) has cooled off (just 9-9 so far in June).  Rookie John Ely, who was a nice shot in the arm in May, has now cooled off.  He is 0-2 with a 6.23 ERA in June, and has allowed 6 home runs and 10 walks this month.  This is up significantly from the no home runs and 6 walks he had allowed through May.

A second problem has been injuries.  Chad Billingsley and Carlos Monasterios, two starters who helped the team during their hot stretch in May, are now both on the 15-day disabled list – the former with a groin strain and the latter with a blister on his finger.  This has not helped an already-thin starting rotation.

Finally, the Dodgers bats have suddenly gone quiet.  They have scored just eleven runs in their last four games, and batted just .194 (19-for-98) in the three games in Boston.  RF Andre Ethier has also cooled off – since coming off the DL, he has hit only one home run.  He is only batting .208 in June, lowering his overall batting average to .318 (down from .380 through May).

If the Dodgers can manage to stay above water for the rest of the month, things could get better.  They face the last-place Diamondbacks the first weekend in July, and also meet up with the Giants and Padres later in the month.  They are 18-5 against the NL West this season, which could help turn things around.

Re-printed with permission of the author.

Chris Lardieri covers the Los Angeles Dodgers for Examiner.com and has written about Major League Baseball for Inside Edge, a scouting company that provides content to ESPN Insider and Yahoo Sports. He previously wrote for 1766, the Rutgers Alumni Magazine, and popular blog, ‘The Outer Loop’.  Be sure to follow Chris on Twitter for more MLB and sports observations.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC