Kershaw and Dodgers

Just a month after writing a very similar piece about how another blue-clad team with legendary players finally climbed the mountaintop to win, I'm doing it again. Just like the Lightning, the Dodgers have been pre-ordained for years as a World Series Winner to be. The problem was they were never shedding that 'to be' aspect. Until now, and I couldn't be happier for a team, and most certainly their star pitcher in Clayton Kershaw.

I've long said that I do truly wish every all-time great type player wins at least one ring. I don't ask for any more than that. I'll finish my sports fan life being content that Alex Ovechkin won his one ring. That Aaron Rodgers has his one ring (even if he did it in reverse, doing it right at the start). Even the fact that A-Rod got his ring finally. All of that is good. The 'you never won a ring' argument is the single most detrimental argument infecting the sports world today. It's been a bane to our existence from day one. And yes, I am slightly biased having to wade through years of these stupidly treacherous waters being a Peyton Manning fan/.

But truly, outside of Manning, no one exemplified the weight of this curse quite like Kershaw. The images, year after year, of a depressed Kershaw staring at the sky or down at the ground, distressed, mystified, losing. Year after year. Early on in his brilliant, legendary career, it was shocking losses to the Cardinals - the first few evidences before it became an all out postseason legend. Then it was 2017, when the Astros ate him alive, in a game we now know will have the spectre of cheating over it.

**I do need to pause on this for a second. I've so rarely written about the Astros issue because I don't know what to say. I will though state that it pains me a lot that the Astros are the cause of so much pain and hurt for Kershaw - and a lot of that Dodgers team. Kershaw in Game 1 of 2017 was one of the most magical performacnes I've seen. Him in Game 5 was one of the most distressing. I don't like the fact that my teams misdeeds tarnished the legacy of Kershaw for a while.**

The worst was last year. The 2019 Dodgers were a brilliant team - 106-56 with an even better pythag record. Did they got bit, with Kershaw giving up the game tying runs after entering in the 7th with a 3-1 lead. Yes, it was Joe Kelly, trusted for some stupid reason, who gave up the Grand Slam that ended it, but Kershaw blew it. It was the lowest-of-lows - again much like Tampa who had their own record setting season last year felled in the first round.

If that was the Dodgers low, it didn't effect them at all. This whole postseason has been a coronation for a truly great team - one that is better around its precocious pitcher than it ever was before. In 2017 they needed Kershaw to be the undisputed ace. By 2020, they need him to just be good - which he plainly still is with a dominant playoffs. 

It's astounding how similar this Dodgers team is to the one that lost to Houston in 2017. Aside from Mookie (which is a whole other issue), the Dodgers lineup and staff reads so similar to that team. Kershaw, Bellinger, Seager, Pederson, Turner, Taylor; all of those guys playing a big part on both teams. Hell, even the guys we don't think of, like Kike Hernandez and Austin Barnes were around that time. That's another similarity to Tampa - they never panicked, never traded the core, never broke it up. They waited it out and it finally coalesced perfectly.

Back to Kershaw, he is the best pitcher of his generation. Sure there was a time when Scherzer seem poised to challenge him, but his arm issues have to be distressing at this point. Then there's guys like Verlander, but his mid-career malaise is something Kershaw never came close to approaching. Kershaw has been so good for so long, his last four years, a time when he's been often noted as declining and past his prime and 'not an ace' read-out like this on a per-162 pace:

19-6, with a 2.64 ERA and a 226-41 K-BB

In his worst, Kershaw is one of the best. Yes, he's never been as great in the playoffs, but there's two large factors to that: a surprisingly high HR% (probably a fluke) and a shockingly high number of runners left on that the bullpen allowed (somewhat his fault, but random). He also has a bunch of gems and great starts. He is the all-time leader in postseason strikeouts. Yes, that is a record more about how good the Dodgers have been, but its a record nonetheless.

Clayton Kershaw has his ring - and there's rarely been a person, Kershaw being a noted uber-charitable guy in his private life, who deserved it more. But the team deserves it all as well. They are an inherently likable bunch, with the most 'unappealing' aspect probably being that weird spaced-out routine Bellinger has. Their an eminently likable team, just as they were in 2017 when they lost to Houston or 2018 when they lost to Boston. Just glad it was finally their time.

It's weird that after all the talk of asterisks, the three sports that have handed out trophies, all in neutral sites (if not outright bubbles), were all one by dominant teams. The Lightning and Dodgers are so similar in their year-in-year-out excellence finally being rewarded with a win. For the Lakers, it was a team that was gerat all year long. Instead of the circumstances making these great teams more susceptible to losing, it made them stronger. They combined to only go to one Game 7 (the Dodgers comeback from 1-3 down). They were all great teams so deserving of their wins.

The 2020 Dodgers are one of the all time teams. Because of the circumstances they probably won't get that credit, but they played the season on a 116-win pace. They romped through the playoffs. They may end up with a good five or so Hall of Famers (Kershaw is the only lock, but Betts is easily on the track, and Bellinger, Seager, Buehler all may end up that way many years from now). But nothing in the end will remain with me than Kershaw. That slow walk he went on after the final strikeout, lazily going out to the mound to celebrate, soaking in every moment of the win - the baseball version of Dirk's dash in tears down the hallway in 2011. The joy in his face lifting that trophy, lifting his kids. All of it was so pure, a beautiful blue ray of light in this darkest of years. Kershaw has his ring. 2020 has been awful for many reasons but for one day all was right in the (sports) world.

NFL 2020: Week 8 Power Rankings & The Rest

Tier I - The "New York, New York" Duo

32.) New York Jets  =  0-7  (85-203)

31.) New York Giants  =  1-6  (122-174)

Tier II - The "Let's Just Talk About What Comes Next" Trio

30.) Dallas Cowboys  =  2-5  (176-243)

29.) Jacksonville Jaguars  =  1-6  (154-220)

28.) Minnesota Vikings  =  1-5  (155-192)

The "Maybe a Little Spoiler-y" Trio

27.) Denver Broncos  =  2-4  (116-153)

26.) Cincinnati Bengals  =  1-5-1  (163-194)
25.) Atlanta Falcons  =  1-6  (184-207)

The "Definitely a Little Spoiler-y" Trio

24.) Washington Football Team  =  2-5  (133-165)

23.) Houston Texans  =  1-6  (166-217)
22.) Los Angeles Chargers  =  2-4  (149-154)

The "Super Bowl LII was in Another Lifetime" Duo

21.) New England Patriots  =  2-4  (115-143)
20.) Philadelphia Eagles  =  2-4-1  (163-196)

The "Mid-Tier NFC Fighters" Duo

19.) Carolina Panthers  =  3-4  (162-168)

18.) Detroit Lions  =  3-3  (156-165)

The "Soft Underbelly of the NFL"

17.) Cleveland Browns  =  5-2  (200-221)

16.) Las Vegas Raiders  =  3-3  (171-197)
15.) Miami Dolphins  =  3-3  (160-113)
14.) New Orleans Saints  =  4-2  (180-174)
13.) Arizona Cardinals  =  5-2  (203-146)

The "Maybe we all Wrote them Off Too Soon" Uno

12.) San Francisco 49ers  =  4-3  (181-136)

The "Maybe there's Something Here!" Trio

11.) Buffalo Bills  =  5-2  (174-178)
10.) XXXXXX

9.) Tennessee Titans  =  5-1  (188-153)

The "Different Side of the Same Coin" Duo

8.) Indianapolis Colts  =  4-2  (157-115)

7.) Seattle Seahawks  =  5-1  (203-172)

The "Top of the NFC" Trio

6.) XXXXXXXXX

5.) Green Bay Packers  =  5-1  (197-159)

4.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers  =  5-2  (222-142)

The "Holy Damn the AFC" Trio

3.) Pittsburgh Steelers  =  6-0  (183-118)

2.) Baltimore Ravens  =  5-1  (179-104)

1.) Kansas City Chiefs  =  6-1  (218-143)

Looking Ahead to Next Week's Games:

Byes: Arizona Cardinals (5-2), Washington Football Team (2-5), Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6), Houston Texans (1-6)

14.) Atlanta Falcons (1-6)  @  Carolina Panthers (3-4)  (TNF - FOX)

13.) Tennessee Titans (5-1)  @  Cincinnati Bengals (1-6)  (1:00 CBS)

12.) New York Jets (0-7)  @  Kansas City Chiefs (6-1)  (1:00 - CBS)

11.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2)  @  New York Giants (1-6)  (MNF - ESPN)

I call it "Man, there's a lot of bad teams" Weekend, 

10.) Minnesota Vikings (1-5)  @  Green Bay Packers (6-1)  (1:00 - FOX)

9.) Dallas Cowboys (2-5)  @  Philadelphia Eagles (3-4-1)  (SNF - NBC)

8.) Los Angeles Chargers (2-4)  @  Denver Broncos (2-4)  (4:05 - CBS)

I call it "Mid Divisional Games isn't too Bad this Week" Sunday, 

7.) New England Patriots (2-4)  @  Buffalo Bills (5-2)  (1:00 - CBS)

I call it "Belichick's Last Stand" Sunday, 

6.) Indianapolis Colts (4-2)  @  Detroit Lions (3-3)  (1:00 - CBS)

5.) Las Vegas Raiders (3-3)  @  Cleveland Browns (5-2)  (1:00 - FOX)

I call it "Sue Me, these look OK" Sunday,  

4/) Los Angeles Rams (X-X)  @  Miami Dolphins (3-3)  (1:00 - FOX)
3.) New Orleans Saints (4-2)  @  Chicago Bears (X-X)  (4:25 - FOX)

I call it "Sue Me, these look Really Good!" Sunday, 

2.) San Francisco 49ers (4-3)  @  Seattle Seahawks (5-1)  (4:25 - FOX)

I call it "The best NFC Divisional Rivalry of the 2010s lives!" Sunday, 

1.) Pittsburgh Steelers (6-0)  @  Baltimore Ravens (6-1)  (1:00 - CBS)

I call it "The best Rivalry Really Lives" Sunday, 

Rafa

I've written more glowing paeans to Rafael Nadal than I can count over the years. My first year writing this blog was in the fall of 2009, right after Nadal returned, in slightly hollow form, from his first significant knee injury - the one that kept him out of defending his 2009 Wimbledon crown. At the time, Nadal was the #2 (barely) player in the world, and 23 years of age, but with hurt knees, something many predicted would hamper him and ultimatley end his career early. In the first major since this blog started, the 2010 Australian Open, he was again just not the same, bowing out meekly to Andy Murray in the quarterfinals. Roger Federer won the event, his 16th - extending his lead to 10 over Nadal.

Ten years later, they are tied at 20. Nadal's knees did hamper him, at various times. First it was the second half of 2012, then it was the same in 2016. Nadal went through a rough period in 2015-2016. Somehow he came out of it, turning 30 in the interim, to win six more majors in his 30s, matching Federer at what would have seen an absurd number, and doing it by pummeling his now arguably largest rival, winning a French Open without dropping a set for a 4th time.

The lives and legacies of the Big-3 is such an incomparable story, one that is still very much being written, but let's pause for a second to laser focus on Nadal. On the same day the NBA crowned LeBron again, amplifying his GOAT claims even louder, another prodigy who exceeded everyone's highest expectations made his claim for GOAT as well. It truly is hard to believe that Rafael Nadal won a 20th major, won a 13th French Open, extended his career record to 100-2 at Roland Garros, and did it all in such a dominant way.

When Nadal got to 9 French Opens in 2014 (14 slams overall), I wrote a piece called "Rafael Nadal - Reaching the Highest of Expectations." I never would have imagined that he would win four more of those, including two more without dropping a set. Nadal on clay has so warped our perception of athletic dominance. His record at the French Open is so hilarious, it is hard to put into words. There's so many ways to say it. Last year I mentioned his run, which included just two dropped sets, was only his seventh best French Open run - well, now that's his eighth best. He has two separate four-year win streaks that started twelve years apart - oh and of course had a five-year win streak in the middle of it as well. When his career started, Pete Sampras was the record holder in slams at 14. Forget now that three people have all easily passed that, but Nadal is closing to matching the hold record JUST AT THE FRENCH OPEN.

It's hard to explain truly why Nadal is so indescribably good on clay, especially since he's a radically different player in 2020 - or even in this latest four-year run from 2017-2020 compared to his first four-year run in 2005-2008. Early Nadal was incredibly quick, could hit ridiculous defensive shots, passed with brilliant ease. He was the perfect clay court player - and it showed with what I still think was his most dominant run in 2008 (capped it off beating Federer 6-1  6-3  6-0 in the final). 2020 Nadal isn't as quick, is far more offensive than he used to be, has changed his game so much - yet he's as good on clay. It doesn't make sense, but nothing Nadal has done in his career on clay is the stuff of human comprehension.

In the larger sense, Nadal catching Federer could only happen at the French Open. He first flew on the scene in 2014, when he was 17 years old and beat Federer in Miami soon after Federer was crowned World #1 for the first time. That was on a hard court, mind you. His ridiculous clay court performances was the only thing keeping the sport from being so ultimately ended by Federer's dominance in 2005-2008. Little by little he improved and expanded his game to conquer grass and then hard court - culminating in his 2010 run winning the French (without dropping a set), Wimbledon and US Open (his first, completing a career grand slam) becoming the first, and so far only, player to win majors on three surfaces in one year.

He did all of that - Nadal's career even if he never set foot on clay makes him one of the 10-15 best players of all time (7 majors, 8 more times as a finalist, oodles of Masters wins). Add to that his clay career and you get basically the co-GOAT. Nadal's early career was defined as Federer's foil - hard-charging, muscular lefty vs a lithe, god-like righty. This crescendo'd in their 2008 Wimbledon - still called by many the Greatest Match ever. In that moment, who could have guessed twelve years later Federer would have won eight more majors, and somehow not be seen as the clear greatest ever.

Nadal reaching 20 is not the end of the story, but for one day, all seemed right in the sports world. In this craziest of crazy sports years, ultimately the closest thing to a lock - Nadal on Clay - held firm. It was never in doubt. Rafa has combined a perfectly enthralling, suspenseful career on non-clay with a mesmerizingly perfect one on clay, and left us all with 20 majors, scores of memories and highlights, and still with potentially more to come.

Long Live Eddie

I don't know why I'm so upset that Eddie Van Halen died. Obviously, part of it is the normal sad feeling when anyone you care about dies. I've never met him, never would have, but loved his music and what he represents. Also, I'm sad because I know his loss hurts a lot of people in a very meaningful way. But then again, Eddie was likely done making music - seemingly happy these last five years, even when he was healthy, do live his life away from the spotlight rather than tour again. Eddie has made a lasting impact that will never be forgotten. But in that lies the reason - I wanted to make sure that impact never gets forgotten. Judging by the outpouring of love, emotion, tributes and honor towards his way, it is clear it never will.

Van Halen was not the most popular band ever. They haven't had the staying power either in the tangible (touring, recording songs) or the intangible (lasting impact on the music world). Largely this was their own doing, a complete resistance to stability in their make-up and multiple periods of darkness - generally driven by Eddie's alternating substance issues or medical concerns.

That said, they will always matter in the legacy of music because Eddie matters in that legacy. I was wondering how much that would bubble up to the surface in the event of his death. We got to see it first hand, and while it is recognizing a truly sad moment, the loss of someone so gifted, so legendary, the outpouring was instant and impressive.

It came from other rockstars, be it his contemporaries, his imitators, or even the people that came before him, acknowledging this brash youngster was every bit their equal or greater (see the tributes from Pete Townsend or Jimmy Page even). There were tributes from pop stars, country music stars, R&B stars. Everyone always noting not just the music and their singular popularity throughout the 1980s, but his singular impact and meaning on the music landscape.

You can count on one hand the number of guitarists that have so profoundly changed the game. The throughline probably goes some pre-hsitoric (in music terms) people that invented the instrument, through to a Chuck Berry type, through to Jimi Hendrix, with Eddie next. That's not to say there weren't better players in teh interim. I'm not nearly knowledgeable enough nor care enough to engage in that debate. But I don't think anyone since Hendrix had Eddie's level of impact.

It's not just the tapping - which Eddie himself will admit he didn't 'invent' but took to just a different level. It's also the brown sound - a perfect guitar sound that was built off of a decade of tinkering and mechanics that was nuanced enough for Popular Mechanics to do a long profile about it (one of the many old EVH interviews that were brought out to light yesterday). It's was his peerless ability to blend technical brilliance with an old-school ability to craft bluesy riffs. It was his musical writing ability. Eddie was a muscial genius as much as a great guitarist - and that is why the word 'Genius' kept coming up.

I'm sure there is a technical definition of what makes a genius, but the best way for me to explain was once watching Eddie to a 55-min sitdown interview at the Smithsonian. At multiple points the interviewer asked him a question that led him to a technical point (the tapping, his 'Frankenstrat' guitar build), and Eddie at a loss for words just picked up the guitar and showed us. He communicates, speaks, and thinks music through that instruent. He was truly the 'mozart of guitar.'

To talk about my connection to Van Halen for a second - obviously I was much too young to know their glory at the time. That said, they were the first rock band I ever loved. Not sure what the entry point was, but much like kids in the late 70s, I too was slack-jawed the first time I heard Eruption, not understanding how (a) that was a guitar and (b) that was only one guitar. Just like most people, I loved Van Halen because I loved listening to Eddie Van Halen play guitar.

Their music toes the line so perfectly between radio/arena rock - namely better versions of the imitators they spawned (hair metal) and the blues and musically brilliant base of a Led Zep or Sabbath. They were perfect. Those first six, and more acutely first four, albums in the DLR era are about as perfect a run a rock band can have. The musicianship, spearheaded by Eddie but let's throw Alex a bone on drums, was so exquisite but tightly packed into these shorter songs. The longest Van Halen song in the DLR era was 'Fools', a 5:56 track that also sounds as close as they would get to a Led Zep type vibe, but they packed enough theatrics, riffs and beauty into the short songs anyway.

Still I think Van Halen would be the one band I would pick if you told me I could only listen to one group for the rest of my life. The Beatles, and only because of sheer volume, would close, but what they were able to do is still incredible, and Eddie was the large driving force. 

He was also the equalizer, the reason Van Halen commanded and ensured respect. For people who turned their nose at 'arena' or 'glam' rock - well, they still had Eddie. For the punk lovers, well VH still had Eddie (notably we got glowing tributes from people like Tom Morello and the remaining members of Alice in Chains). For the true metal-heads, well they have Eddie - see Metallica's tribute, or even them covering "Running With the Devil" at one of their recent shows. For damn Michael Jackson fans, well they have the guy who played the perfect solo on Beat It. Eddie was everything.

I'm still somewhat emotional more out of shock, and that there is a finality to this. There will be no more tours. No more last fling album. No tour with both Dave and Sammy. Most of that was probably never in the cards anyway - especially the last one - but man was hope nice.

That said, somehow I got to see them twice. The first time was in 2007, when they toured with David Lee Roth for the first time since 1984. Maybe even a year prior to that, it seemed like that would never come. In the end there were three tours with Roth, and an album that gets better with age. The final tour in 2015 I went to. They played at an outdoor venue in New Jersey that I'd been to dozens of times and never found it so packed, with an audience more enthralled, than we were that day.

Eddie was a luminary, a genius, a person so dedicated to the craft (even to his detriment). He was a star, he was a musician at heart, someone who loved making, innovating, practicing and toying around in a way that will never leave us. He was my music hero, someone who literally made me thing "How?" so many times when listening to his music. His memory will never fade. Eddie's legacy is more alive today than it was before, and hopefully that lasts a long, long tine.