Wake-up Call: Drew Doughty, Derek Lowe, Jim Rice, Baseball Hall of Fame
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First things first: The Kings’ star rookie defenseman Drew Doughty (6-feet-1, 203 pounds) suffered what was being called a bruised thigh after a hard hit last night by Tampa Bay’s Evgeny Artyukhin (6-feet-5, 254 pounds). The Kings can only hope it doesn’t serve as a metaphor for the rest of the season. The Kings have lost two in a row now and three of their last five, and toughness is always a key in the second half of the season. Next up? The Red Wings on Thursday. Of course, the Red Wings seem to bring out the best in the Kings.
Baseball in January: First comes the news from The Times’ Dylan Hernandez that Takashi Saito could earn as much as $15 million with the Boston Red Sox. Then comes the news that ex-Dodger Derek Lowe is close to signing a $60-million, four-year deal with the Atlanta Braves. And the Dodgers do (relatively) nothing. Now you know why this Wake-up Call is late. News like this can leave you reeling.
Got a favorite? Isn’t it special how baseball horns in on the most exciting weeks of the pro football season? And once again so much talk about the Hall of Fame -- who made it, who didn’t and why. But really, how silly is it for members of the media (mostly baseball writers) to do this when it’s members of the media (mostly baseball writers) who have the votes? Hearing SI’s Tom Verducci repeatedly pick Robbie Alomar over just about anyone as worthy of the Hall made for a rough morning. Robbie Alomar was not a game-changer, was he? And isn’t that really what it’s all about? Rickey Henderson was. Was Jim Rice? A joyous Rice gave a wonderful interview with Dan Patrick this morning. Here is Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy’s take. And here is Rice’s humble (out of character, isn’t it?) thank you on Monday. The clip runs about five minutes but it’s interesting to see a grateful Rice.
-- Debbie Goffa