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Shohei Ohtani has sweeping Dodgers dreaming of a different October

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Shohei Ohtani has sweeping Dodgers dreaming of a different October

This wasn’t October. This can’t be confused with October. This has nothing to do with October.

Yet make no mistake, the Dodgers’ weekend sweep of the Atlanta Braves at a rollicking Dodger Stadium was a fair predictor of an entirely different sort of October.

An October with Shohei Ohtani.

Goodness, the imagination soars, like a 464-foot blast into the lunging grasps of the pavilion partiers.

My, the possibilities seem endless, like a 412-foot rocket that disappears over the center-field fence.

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Ohtani authored both moments during Sunday’s 5-1 sweeping victory, once again leaving witnesses searching for adjectives.

“He just keeps doing things that we haven’t seen before,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

Leading this team to its first full-season title in 36 years would qualify as something else few have seen before, wouldn’t it?

Heavens, the potential is enormous.

Ohtani, who was elsewhere while the Dodgers were failing in 10 of their previous 11 postseasons, filled his first playoff atmosphere here with ohhs and ahhs and oh yeahs.

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Ohh, he wrecked the pitching staff of the team with baseball’s best record for eight hits in 12 at-bats with three home runs and six RBIs in the three games.

Ahh, he had a game-tying single in extra innings on Friday, a tone-setting homer on Saturday, and two homers among his four hits on Sunday.

Oh yeah, he signed with the Dodgers this winter because he wanted to experience the sort of playoff setting that eluded him during six years in Anaheim, so it only figures he would soak it all in.

I asked him after Sunday’s game if he could feel the big-game atmosphere.

“Yeah, very much so,” he said through interpreter Will Ireton.

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Shohei Ohtani greets Dodgers teammate Teoscar Hernández after hitting a home run in the eighth inning Sunday.

(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)

He was asked what it feels like to hit a ball 464 feet, the longest Dodgers homer this season, a leadoff shot in the eighth inning that landed deep in the left-center field seats.

“Slug is part of my game,” Ohtani said. “So being able to express that in a game situation like that … is important as well.”

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That first part belongs on a T-shirt, no?

Slug Is Part Of My Game.

“That’s deep, people don’t hit the ball out there,” said Roberts when asked about those traveling 464 feet.

Equally as deep is a Dodgers roster dotted with key new players who do not bear the dark stain of postseasons past.

This Dodger team has a new pitcher, James Paxson, who is now 4-0 with a 3.06 ERA after throwing five strong innings Sunday.

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Paxson has a 3.46 postseason ERA in three starts for the New York Yankees, so he understands the importance of this weekend’s furor.

“We played really well,” he said. “We showed how well we can play against a really good team.”

This Dodgers team also has a new outfielder, Teoscar Hernández , who hit his eighth homer Sunday and has equaled Ohtani’s 25 RBIs.

Hernández has two homers in four postseason games, so he also seems suited for the big stage.

“With our offense, every game is winnable,” Roberts said.

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With Ohtani in the middle of it all, every game this weekend felt like a victory from the first pitch to Randy Newman. The Dodgers outscored the Braves 20-6 and trailed for only brief spells in what amounted to a three-day fiesta capped by Sunday’s Cinco de Mayo roars.

“I saw signs of postseason … it was good to see our guys play to the level and energy that the fans had this series,” Roberts said.

Ohtani said the feeling was contagious.

“I just feel like we’re overall playing really well, so that’s really helping me have quality at-bats and just feeling good overall,” he said.

The scary part for opponents is that both of his Sunday home runs were essentially opposite-field hits, which means his bat has discovered its mojo.

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“When I feel confident that I can hit in that direction, then I know I can cover other pitches really well,” Ohtani said.

Paxson explained that in human terms.

“He’s awesome,” the pitcher said with a gasp. “So much power.”

The Dodgers could have used that power last October when they were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in a series in which they never led.

Shohei Ohtani runs past Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel after hitting a home run in the first inning Sunday.

Shohei Ohtani runs past Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel after hitting a home run in the first inning Sunday.

(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)

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The Dodgers could have used that slug two postseasons ago when they couldn’t score in a four-game loss to the San Diego Padres.

And, yes, certainly, they will need every bit of Ohtani this fall if they once again meet the Braves. They are 3-1 against Atlanta during their postseason run, but it is the Braves who delivered the most recent blow with a four-games-to-two triumph in the 2021 National League Championship Series.

It’s far too early to be forecasting a rematch. It’s way too reckless to be celebrating a May sweep.

Yet as this weekend proved, it’s not too early to start believing.

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For the last 11 years, the Dodgers didn’t have anyone like Shohei Ohtani.

Now they do, and anything is possible.

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Grayson Murray's parents confirm he 'took his own life'

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Grayson Murray's parents confirm he 'took his own life'

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The sports world was shaken up on Saturday when PGA Tour golfer Grayson Murray died at the age of 30.

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The two-time PGA Tour winner had withdrawn from the Charles Schwab Challenge on Friday, two holes shy of completing his second round, citing an illness – he had been five-over on the day and three-straight bogeys, and +3 in the tournament.

Murray’s parents, in breaking their silence on Sunday, confirmed that Murray died of suicide.

Grayson Murray hits a tee shot on the 14th hole during the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club on May 9, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

“We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone. It’s surreal that we not only have to admit it to ourselves, but that we also have to acknowledge it to the world. It’s a nightmare,” they said in a statement.

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“We have so many questions that have no answers. But one,” they continued. “Was Grayson loved? Yes. By us, his brother Cameron, his sister Erica, all of his extended family, by his friends, by his fellow players and – it seems – by many of you who are reading this. He was loved and he will be missed.” 

“We would like to thank the PGA Tour and the entire world of golf for the outpouring of support. Life wasn’t always easy for Grayson, and although he took his own life, we know he rests peacefully now.”

Grayson Murray driving

Grayson Murray plays a shot during the first round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club on May 16, 2024, in Louisville, Kentucky. (David Cannon/Getty Images)

TRIBUTES FOR GRAYSON MURRAY POUR IN FROM GOLF STARS: ‘LOSS FOR WORDS’

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said he spoke to Murray’s parents earlier Saturday offering his condolences, and they both agreed that tournament play should continue.

“They were adamant that Grayson would want us to do so. As difficult as it will be, we want to respect their wishes,” Monahan wrote in a statement.

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He had two wins in his career on tour, including this year’s Sony Open in Hawaii in a playoff against Keegan Bradley and An Byeong-hun. His first came at the 2017 Barbasol Championship.

Murray had battled depression and anxiety earlier in his life, and also sought treatment for alcohol abuse – in January, he said he had been sober for several months.

Grayson Murray waves to fans

Grayson Murray reacts during the trophy presentation after winning the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation at The Grove on Sept. 17, 2023, in College Grove, Tennessee. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

He made the cut in both major championships this year, finishing last week’s PGA Championship T43. 

He also finished T10 at the Wells Fargo Championship earlier this month.

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Shaikin: Angels get a reminder about the perils of relying too much on core prospects

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Shaikin: Angels get a reminder about the perils of relying too much on core prospects

What are the Angels selling at Angel Stadium this season?

The waffles are pretty good — and, dare we say it, a bargain for ballpark food. For $12, you get a warm waffle, topped with strawberries and cream or S’Mores.

On the field, the last-place Angels are selling hope and faith, the currency of another bummer summer. Let the kids play, and hope the likes of Jo Adell, Logan O’Hoppe, Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel and José Soriano blossom into the core of the Angels’ next great team.

With the Cleveland Guardians in Anaheim this weekend, the Angels need only peer into the visiting dugout for a reminder of the perils of counting on a core of prospects.

Joe Torres, the Guardians’ assistant pitching coach, was the Angels’ top draft pick in 2000. He was part of a touted core of Angels prospect two decades ago, along with infielders Casey Kotchman, Dallas McPherson and Brandon Wood and catchers Jeff Mathis and Mike Napoli.

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“As an organization, you just want to stack as many prospects as you can,” Torres said. “That’s all we are. It’s just a label, until you get to the big leagues and play.

“It’s a different animal up here. The game adapts to you. You have to find a way to adapt back, and quickly. It’s a tough game. It’s not easy. I don’t care who you are.”

In terms of prospect rankings, the Torres group ranked higher than the current group. Kotchman, Mathis, McPherson and Wood each ranked among the game’s top 25 prospects during his minor league career.

“It was a pretty talented group,” Torres said.

McPherson’s major league career was derailed by injury. Wood’s career was derailed by anxiety.

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Kotchman played for seven teams in a 10-year career. Mathis played for six teams over 17 years, a career .194 hitter cherished for his defensive wizardry.

Napoli enjoyed the best career of them all, most of it after the Angels traded him for outfielder Vernon Wells in an ill-advised and ownership-driven move. Napoli was the only one to make an All-Star team.

The 2000 draft class, to which Torres belonged, was not stellar. Of the 40 players selected in the first round, 17 never made the majors, and another 17 put up a career Wins Above Replacement below 2.0.

Torres was one of those who never made the majors. He also was one of those who was never as good after his Tommy John surgery, a reminder that no procedure has a 100% success rate.

When the Angels drafted him, Torres said, he threw as hard as 97 mph.

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After the surgery?

“I don’t even know if I saw 93 again,” he said.

The Angels released him in 2006. Over the next seven years, he played for minor league teams in eight states, and winter ball in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

He loves coaching, a second career that might never have happened if he had developed into a star.

“I think what I went through as a player,” he said, “the failures, the injuries, having been a top prospect and all, and then being on the other end of it, the grinder minor leaguer trying to find your way through it all, it felt like I had a lot of experiences and things that I could share and be able to work with players.”

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He has stories to share. Napoli set him up with his wife. He and McPherson coached a high school team together one spring in Georgia.

If he ever tires of coaching, he has an aptitude for scouting. In 2009, he was playing in the California League, for a team that wanted to make a pitcher out of one of its catchers.

“I was his first catch partner,” Torres said. “I’m older by that time, been around a little bit. I look at him and go, ‘Hey, man, I don’t think you realize how good you are. You might be in the big leagues next year. You’re that good.’ ”

Sure enough, Kenley Jansen was in the big leagues the next year.

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NFL vet Billy Price, 29, announces abrupt retirement following emergency surgery

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NFL vet Billy Price, 29, announces abrupt retirement following emergency surgery

Billy Price, a veteran NFL center and first round draft pick in 2018, announced his retirement on social media this weekend after revealing that he underwent emergency surgery last month to remove a blood clot. 

The 29-year-old pro posted the announcement on his Instagram. He said he suffered “an unprovoked pulmonary embolism,” and decided to retire because of the risk of internal bleeding. 

Billy Price #53 of the Arizona Cardinals gets set against the New England Patriots at State Farm Stadium on December 12, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona.  (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

“In the blink of an eye, everything can be taken away,” Price said in the caption of his post. 

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“On April 24th I had emergency pulmonary embolism surgery to remove a saddle clot that was entering both of my lungs. As a healthy 29-year-old, an unprovoked pulmonary embolism with no further medical explanation is terrifying. I am truly thankful to be alive today. Unfortunately, I will be retiring from the NFL as the risk of an internal bleed while on blood thinners creates tremendous risk.”

Price was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 21st pick in the 2018 draft. He played there for three seasons before being traded to the New York Giants in 2021. He played in 69 career games, including 45 starts. 

Billy Price defends

Billy Price #53 of the Cincinnati Bengals in action against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Miami, Florida.  (Mark Brown/Getty Images)

ALL-PRO RUNNING BACK DAVID JOHNSON ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM NFL AFTER 8 SEASONS

He last played in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. 

“I am truly thankful for the opportunity to have played in some of the greatest atmospheres around the world. I am thankful to have trained and played alongside men who will continue to make Pro Bowls, All Pro Rosters and Hall of Fame recognitions,” he said Friday. 

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Billy Price looks on before an NFL game

Billy Price #53 of the Arizona Cardinals prepares for a game against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium on November 06, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. (Norm Hall/Getty Images)

“To my wife: this career would not have been possible without your continued love and support. The sacrifices you have made over the course of my career do not go unnoticed. I cannot wait to navigate the next chapter in life with you as we continue to grow our family.”

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