It has been a tough season for Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, and he's only making it tougher.

Fans and media alike have already been calling for his firing during his team's eight-game losing streak, and again after the sweep in Atlanta. Now, he's bringing even more heat upon himself by saying he has little faith in his team's players and general manager.

In Wednesday's pre-game interview, Mattingly was questioned about why he did not have Andre Ethier in the lineup. Many presumed it was due to injury, but Mattingly made it clear that Scott Van Slyke got the start over Ethier because he wants his team to win.

"I'm putting out my lineup that I feel is going to be the most competitive and going to compete the hardest," he said.

Not only did Don Mattingly show a lack of faith in his right fielder, he also questioned Ethier's work ethic and competitiveness. Talk about a manager throwing a player under the bus.

That is not the way Don Mattingly has been managing this clubhouse, and it was shocking to hear.

Mattingly also brought up that the Dodgers have considered the idea of calling up outfielders Yasiel Puig and Joc Pederson from the minors.

This just adds on to the lack of faith he has in this team.

Mattingly later challenged the way that General Manager Ned Colletti and the front office are building this team:

"Part of it is the mixture of competitiveness," he said. "It's not just putting an All-Star team out there and the All-Star team wins. You try to find that balance of a team that's got a little grit and fight, and has enough talent to get there also. It's not all grit and not talent that gets there, and it's not all talent and no grit. It's a mixture of both."

So what do these comments boil down to?

Mattingly could be trying to motivate an under-performing squad by threatening their jobs with minor league replacements. Or he might be trying to prove that he is not at fault for the Dodgers sitting in last place with an 18-26 record.

Whatever the case, his comments are turning this Dodgers season into a circus of turmoil.

The team heads home to face St. Louis starting Friday. It remains to be seen how much longer the team will helmed by Mattingly.

The Miami Heat opened the Eastern Conference Finals with a dramatic overtime win, securing victory at the buzzer in overtime on a LeBron James layup.

With 2.2 seconds to go, James took an inbounds pass from Shane Battier and made a beeline for the rim to hit the final shot, making it a 103-102 win over the Indiana Pacers.

James notched his ninth career playoff triple double with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.

PHOTOS: Heat Top Pacers in Game 1

"Two teams fought hard," James said. "We were able to make one more play."

Dwyane Wade scored 19 points, Chrish Bosh had 17 points, and Chris "Birdman" Andersen scored 16 points off the bench.

Seconds after Ray Allen missed one of two free throws that could have iced the game, Paul George forced overtime when he hit a 3-pointer from 32 feet with under a second to go in the fourth quarter.

He also appeared to give the Pacers a win in overtime when he drew a questionable foul call on Dwayne Wade while throwing up a desperation 3-pointer. He hit all three free throws to give the Pacers a one-point lead, but the reigning MVP made sure it would not last.

George scored 27 points, David West scored 26, and Roy Hibbert had 19 with 9 rebounds for Indiana.

Complete Miami Heat Coverage

Quizzically, Pacers coach Frank Vogel benched Hibbert on defense in the final two Heat possessions, likely fearing he would not be able to defend an outside shot from Chris Bosh. In both possessions, James drove to the hoop for go-ahead buckets.

"I would say we would probably have him in next time," Vogel said.

Early on it looked like the Pacers had lulled Miami into the kind of defensive slugfest that would normally favor Indiana. They led 42-37 at the half, forcing 13 Heat turnovers limiting James' and Bosh's minutes due to foul trouble.

Miami picked it up in the second half with a healthy dose of Andersen. Playing in a big lineup alongside Chris Bosh for stretches, he got multiple easy baskets at the rim by sneaking up on Hibbert on the weak side.

"Welcome to the Eastern Conference finals," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Back and forth the whole way."

The Heat were out-rebounded by Indiana 43-38, but Miami had 16 offensive rebounds, including one in the final minute of overtime when Bosh made a putback (only his second rebound of the game) and got fouled, tying the game on the ensuing free throw.

"We're excited about the win," James said. "But we have to get better going into Game 2.

 The series continues with Game 2 on Friday night in Miami.

If Don Mattingly is on his way out of Los Angeles, his last game with the Dodgers will be a 9-2 victory. The series win over Milwaukee comes after his controversial pre-game interview criticizing Andre Ethier and the team’s front office.

A glance at the box score and highlights makes it look as though Mattingly’s pre-game remarks lit up the Dodgers offense. But, a closer look shows that the lineup took advantage of Wily Peralta, who has not been pitching well all season.

Peralta did not even make it out of the second inning, giving up singles to Nick Punto, Juan Uribe, and Ramon Hernandez to load the bases. With one out Carl Crawford singled to right field scoring two runs.

After allowing a Mark Ellis single and an error by Jean Segura put Adrian Gonzalez on base, Peralta lost all pitch control. With bases loaded, Scott Van Slyke and Nick Punto both walked, scoring the Dodgers fourth and fifth runs of the inning.

The Dodgers finished the game with 12 hits and nine runs. Every starting position player but Adrian Gonzalez got at least one hit.

Scott Van Slyke started and had a great game while Andre Ethier rode the bench. He had two doubles, two RBIs, and a walk.

As fun as it was to watch the bats go off in the win, the game was overshadowed by Mattingly’s pre-game comments, and his cloudy future with the team.

He got the results he hoped for from benching Ethier, but the way he publicly denounced the right fielder was inappropriate. Criticizing a team super star is not the way to keep your job, or keep the clubhouse happy.

On the mound, Hyun-Jin Ryu finally got proper run support, cruising through 7.1 innings for the win. Wednesday’s start lowered his ERA to 3.30 and added four strikeouts, giving him 60 on the season.

On Friday, the Dodgers begin a series against the NL Central leading, St. Louis Cardinals.

 If there has been one consistent feature of the first four games of the series between the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, it’s that neither team has played a game in which they have completely dominated all 60 minutes of regulation play.

When looking at series between two teams with similar records, that isn’t that surprising, but what is surprising is that each team has dominated for spurts of play in all four games.

For example, the Sharks dominated the third period of Game 1 of the series, outshooting the Kings 16-4 and giving themselves several opportunities to tie the contest, but Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick was able to shut them completely down. The first period of Game 2 continued that trend, with the Sharks outshooting their opponents 11-4.

The Kings responded with an 18 shot outburst in the third period of that game, where they came from behind in the closing seconds by scoring two power play goals in 22 seconds.

The Sharks had another great period in the second frame of Game 3, outshooting the Kings 14-7. That dominance carried over into Tuesday’s Game 4, where the Sharks blistered the Kings in shots 15-3 in the first period. The Kings came back at them in the third by holding San Jose to only two shots, but were unable to overcome the Sharks and, as a result, the series is tied at two games apiece heading into Thursday’s Game 5 in Los Angeles.

So what does this inability to keep a leash on the tempo of their games mean for the Kings?

Obviously, they are still tied in the series, thus fulfilling the “the series doesn’t begin until the home team loses” maxim, but the numbers don’t paint a pretty picture for the team’s chances against the high flying Sharks. The Kings are currently ranked dead last among playoff teams in shots per game, with only 25 per contest. That is nearly five shots fewer than the 13th place Detroit Red Wings, who have the next-lowest average among teams still alive in the postseason.

In addition to that, the Kings have been allowing 30.6 shots per game, which is actually the second best average among remaining teams (behind only the Chicago Blackhawks), but is still fairly high considering that they only allowed 25 shots per game during the regular season, good for third in the league.

This hasn’t been isolated to this series either. In the six games the Kings played against the St. Louis Blues in the first round, it often seemed that St. Louis was the team pushing the tempo more and forcing the Kings to play back on their heels. Yes, the Kings won the final four games of that series and advanced, but anyone who would argue that they were blatantly the better team would be exaggerating what really took place.

The playoffs are all about exploiting mistakes and getting solid goaltending, and that’s why the Kings are where they are. As true as that is, however, they are going to need to do a better job of preventing teams like the Sharks from completely dominating the play for 20 and 40 minute stretches if they are serious about repeating as Stanley Cup champions, because as good as Quick is, no one can be reasonably expected to hold down the fort consistently during the barrages that the Kings are allowing to be volleyed his way.

Brian Urlacher will not play for another team in the 2013 season.

The sure-bet hall of fame middle linebacker released a post on the social media site WhoSay.com letting fans know that he will be ending his career as a Bear.

"After spending a lot of time this spring thinking about my NFL future, I have made a desicion," he wrote.

Urlacher, 34, played 13 seasons for Chicago, earning numerous honors including Defensive Player of the Year in 2005 and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2000. Urlacher was selected to 8 Pro Bowls.

The defensive stalwart parted ways with the team shortly after the free agency period began. Bears General Manager Phil Emery offered Urlacher a deal that amounted to just over the veteran minimum to stay with the club, Urlacher declined the offer and moved on.

See the statement below.

The Dodgers have lost 26 times in 44 games this season, but it does not get much more painful to watch than this.

With just a few timely hits, they could have easily scored five or more runs on Tuesday, but instead tied a season-high with 14 men left on base in a 5-2 loss to the Brewers.

The second inning showed a glimmer of scoring hope, with a leadoff single from Matt Kemp. Andre Ethier followed with a walk, but both runners were stranded with the next three batters going down easily.

The third inning was just the worst, starting with back-to-back singles from Zach Greinke and Carl Crawford. Nick Punto sacrificed the runners to second and third, and Adrian Gonzalez was walked in order to load the bases with one out.

This was the time to test out Monday’s success of Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. It was just one at bat for the sluggers, but it says a lot when Kemp strikes out flailing at a pitch and Ethier goes down looking to end the inning.

At least in the fourth the team managed to score a couple of runs, but they still left the bases loaded. In fact it took starting pitcher, Zach Greinke, to bring home the first run of the game with a single that scored Skip Schumaker.

Nick Punto also brought in a run with a bases-loaded single to score Dee Gordon. But once again, three runners were stranded with their power hitters up as Adrian Gonazalez struck out, and Matt Kemp grounded to third base.

Inning after inning this team gave fans a glimmer of hope, before taking it away with an ugly strikeout or weak fly ball. Timely hits have been a glaring issue for the Dodgers this season, but squandering this many opportunities in a winnable game is maddening.

Unfortunately, Zach Greinke could not win the game with a two-run lead. In his second start back from collarbone surgery he was unable to last through five innings.

The trouble came in the fifth inning with a leadoff triple to Jean Segura, his league-leading fifth of the season. Greinke then allowed three straight singles, giving up a run and setting the table for Carlos Gomez’s bases-loaded ground-rule double. The double scored two runs, ending Greinke’s night.

The Dodgers never recovered, despite having runners in scoring position throughout the game and the bullpen pitching four innings of relief, allowing no earned runs.

On Wednesday, the Dodgers send Hyun-jin Ryu to the mound for the rubber match of this three-game series. In his last start, Ryu did not pitch six innings for the first time this season, but he should be able to out duel Milwaukee’s Mily Peralta, who has an ERA close to six and .301 opponent batting average.

Despite outshooting the San Jose Sharks by a 14-2 margin in the third period, the Los Angeles Kings still couldn’t overcome a two goal deficit, and they fell to the Sharks 2-1 in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Logan Couture and Brent Burns both scored for the Sharks, and Mike Richards scored the lone goal for the Kings as San Jose tied the series up at two games apiece.

The result may have been different had it not been for a quick whistle on a play in the second period. On that play, a Kings player fired a shot at San Jose goaltender Antti Niemi, who went into the butterfly to stop the attempt. He wasn’t able to fully control it, however, and the puck trickled between his legs and was lying in the blue paint behind him. Unfortunately for the Kings, the official standing behind the net blew the whistle very quickly, and thus negated what could have been a momentum shifting goal in that period.

In the early stages of the game, it definitely appeared that the Sharks were going to dominate the contest. In the first two periods of the game, in fact, the Sharks attempted a mind-boggling 46 shots, with 21 of them finding their way to Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick and the other 25 being blocked by Kings players or missing the net. The Kings, by contrast, attempted 26 shots, and 17 of them didn’t find their target.

The third period was a completely different animal, however. In that frame, the Kings started to really assert themselves, dictating the tempo and finally connecting on the passes that were not finding stick blades in the first two frames. They even started winning more faceoffs after doing a poor job of it in the first two periods of the game, but in the end, it was still the Sharks that were able to prevail.

The Sharks were also helped a great deal in the early stages of the game thanks to some very undisciplined penalties by the Kings. Center Colin Fraser was a big offender, taking two penalties that both resulted from lackluster defensive effort. On the first, he hooked San Jose winger Patrick Marleau, and on the second, he jumped into a check attempt on Andrew Desjardins, and even though the contact was minimal, the way in which he went about the hit did not sit well with the officials, who put him in the penalty box despite his protests.

Drew Doughty also had a bad penalty in the game, taking a huge slash across the forearms of a rushing Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The play did not result in a goal for the Sharks, but like the other two infractions it did allow the Sharks to continue to dictate the tempo in that period, in which they outshot the Kings 15-3.

For now, the series will head back to Los Angeles on Thursday night, where the Kings will try to stem the tide of momentum that the Sharks have built up.

Vinny Del Negro is out as the Clippers head coach Tuesday after one of the franchise's best seasons ended with a first-round playoff exit, according to a news release from the team.

Del Negro's contract with the team was set to expire this year. The team won a franchise-high 56 games last season on its way to the Pacific Division title, but the organization opted not to renew the third-year coach's contract.

The Clippers' season ended in Game 6 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs against Memphis.

"We would like to thank Vinny for everything he did during his three years with the organization," Clippers vice president of basketball operations Gary Sacks said. "Vinny helped this team win a Pacific Division title and we greatly appreciate all that he and his staff helped us accomplish. This was a difficult decision, but we feel this is the best decision for our franchise moving forward."

LA had the NBA's second-best record at the end of December after a franchise-best 17-game win streak. The Clippers took a 2-0 lead over Memphis to open the playoffs, but dropped four consecutive games to the Grizzlies, including Game 6 when Clippers All-Star guard Chris Paul was ejected and Blake Griffin was limited by a sprained right ankle.

LA lost in the conference semifinals during the 2011-2012 NBA season, marking only the third post-season appearance by the team since the 1993-1994 season.

The team was 128-102 in three seasons under Del Negro.

Del Negro's exit could be one of several key changes for the Clippers during the off-season. Paul is a coveted player on this summer's free-agent market.

Refresh this page for updates.
 

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NFL owners on Tuesday picked Santa Clara over Miami to host the 50th Super Bowl in 2016.

The news first came in a tweet from San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York.

Minutes later, at a news conference in Boston, where the decision was made, a beaming York repeated how "excited" he was about having the Big Game played "in the heart of Silicon Valley."

It was the first time in a decade that a Super Bowl was awarded on the first ballot.

Super Bowl committee chair Daniel Lurie, and CEO of Tipping Point Community,  thanked the mayors of San Francisco, Santa Clara and San Jose for working as a community and pulling together to make this dream a reality. The entire region will benefit from the boost of hosting the game.

"This is a huge moment," Lurie said. "We're excited to show what the Bay Area has to offer at Levi's Stadium."

MORE: Reaction on Twitter to Super Bowl Bid

Lurie said they'd party on Tuesday night and hunker down to work on Wednesday; there's only 33 months to go before the premier football event.

Thank you @nfl for awarding #SB50 to the Bay Area. Thx for all support @daniellurie @mayoredlee & Mayor Matthews... @sfsuperbowl baby!!!

— Jed York (@JedYork) May 21, 2013

Back in Santa Clara, where about 80 supporters were cheering at City Hall, a jubilant Mayor Jamie Matthews said, "Before we built  a stadium, we landed the 50th Super Bowl." When he heard the news, he said, "a shot of electricity ran through me."

He estimated that the region would reap between $300 million to $500 million, with happy game-goers dining at restaurants, staying in hotels and visiting the Bay Area's top tourist spots.

VIDEO: Super Bowl L Will Bring Millions to Bay Area

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has been publicly gracious about losing the San Francisco 49ers, who have played at the aging Candlestick Park and who will  now play in the high-tech, $1.2 billion stadium in Santa Clara, 45 miles away, starting in 2014.

Lee learned the learned the news during a peppy ceremony to  honor the Golden State Warriors and point guard Stephen Curry for their NBA  playoff run. He was handed a note about the winning bid. And his announcement drew cheers from the crowd at San Francisco City Hall.

Lee tweeted he was "proud to be the host of Super Bowl L."

The votes are in! #SF Bay Area is proud to be the host of Super Bowl L!! Excited to welcome the #SFSuperbowl & use opportunity to give back.

— Edwin Lee (@mayoredlee) May 21, 2013

MORE: Guide to Surviving Super Bowl L in the Bay Area

Later, Lee added: “Are we ready for some football, San Francisco Bay Area? Make no mistake, we put forward an incredible bid and that’s because the San Francisco Bay Area is quite simply the best place to host Super Bowl 50.

"It is an honor to get this great opportunity to host one of our nation’s most historic celebrations and we will host the best, most innovative and most philanthropic Super Bowl in the history of the game."

This will be the first time in 28 years that the Super Bowl will be hosted in the Bay Area. The last time was in 1985 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto.

Most expected Santa Clara to win the bid. It may not even be so much about what the small city of about 120,000 45 miles southeast of San Francisco has going for it - but what Florida didn't.

MORE: Bay Area Prepares to Make its Super Bowl Bid

The Sunshine State recently failed to pass a funding mechanism that would’ve provided needed improvement’s to the aging Sun Life stadium where the Dolphins play, considered a lynchpin of its bid. Multibillionaire Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said it would cost $350 million to upgrade the stadium, but he didn't want to pay for them himself.

The new, high-tech San Francisco 49ers stadium, which will top $1.2 billion when the construction is complete, is set to open in 2014. Levi Strauss, headquartered in San Francisco, recently announced a $220 million naming rights deal to brand the new arena. The stadium will be solar-powered and offer high-speed WiFi for 75,000 fans.

In addition, the Bay Area's Super Bowl committee has lined up $30 million dollars in funding pledges from Bay Area companies such as Apple, Google and Hewlett-Packard. A total of $8 million of that is earmarked for Bay Area charities.  

Also on Tuesday, the NFL also announced that Houston will host  Super Bowl LI in 2017.

The full list of who comprised the Super Bowd bid commitee:

• Nikesh Arora, CBO of Google
• Robert Mailer Anderson, Author
• Todd Bradley, EVP of Hewlett Packard
• Willie Brown, former Mayor of San Francisco
• Lloyd Dean, President & CEO of Dignity Health
• Joe D'Alessandro, President & CEO of SF Travel
• Pat Gallagher, Former President of Giants Enterprises
• John Goldman, Former President of San Francisco Symphony
• Carl Guardino, President & CEO of Silicon Valley Leadership Group
• Thomas Keller, Chef & Restaurateur
• Chris Kelly, Entrepreneur & Former Facebook Executive
• Daniel Lurie, Founder & CEO of Tipping Point Community
• Stephen Luczo, President & CEO of Seagate
• Michael O’Hara Lynch, former Head of Global Sponsorship of Visa
• Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!
• Mary Murphy, Partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
• Laurene Powell Jobs, Co-founder of Emerson Collective
• Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State
• Joseph Saunders, Chairman & CEO of Visa
• Charles Schwab, Founder & CEO of Charles Schwab Corporation
• George Seifert, former San Francisco 49ers Coach
• Charlotte Shultz, Chief of Protocol of San Francisco
• Jeff Ubben, Founder & CEO of ValueAct Capital
• Jim Wunderman, President & CEO of Bay Area Council
• Steve Young, former San Francisco 49ers Quarterback
• Gideon Yu, President & Co-owner of San Francisco 49ers

NBC Bay Area's Lori Preuitt, Adrian Holeyman, Marianne Favro, Joe Rosato Jr. and Bob Redell, and Bay City News contributed to this report.

The devastating tornado that killed at least 24 people, including nine children, hit close to home for the Dodgers' Matt Kemp.

Kemp is from the area south of Oklahoma City struck by Monday's powerful tornado. After witnessing the destruction, Kemp tweeted Monday night that he plans to donate $1,000 for every home run he hits until the mid-season All-Star break to relief efforts.

Kemp's tweet: "I'm giving $1000 for tonight's HR and every HR until the All-Star break for the victims of my hometown in OKC. #PrayforOklahoma."

That includes the home run he hit in Monday night's win over the Brewers in Milwaukee.

Kemp was born in Midwest City, Okla., about about 15 miles northeast of Moore, Okla., where Monday's tornado flattened buildings and killed at least 24 people. Moore is about 10 miles south of Oklahoma City.

Kemp told MLB.com the was a junior in high school during the 1999 tornado that damaged the same area.

"And this one hit a school," Kemp told MLB.com Monday. "I know where the schools are. My mom lived in a house in Moore and we gave it to my aunt and uncle. They weren't home today, but they said two blocks away there's nothing left. I've never been through an earthquake, but I've seen what a tornado can do and you just can't even believe it."

Kemp has been involved in several community outreach efforts since his Major League debut in 2006. He has raised more than $400,000 for at his Spring Training fundraiser for families affected by autism.

Earlier this season, Kemp gave his hat, jersey and cleats to a Dodgers fan after a game in San Francisco.

Kemp has two home runs this season. He finished the 2012 season with 23 and smacked a career-high 39 homeruns in 2011.

Tweets by @TheRealMattKemp

San Diego Chargers staff has decided to limit linebacker Manti Te'o’s access to the media until mid-June.

The football player’s personal life has been highlighted ever since he played at Notre Dame, where he was at the center of an elaborate hoax which involved a fake girlfriend. Since then, he has been drafted by the Chargers.

And Te’o still seems to be a ways off from warding questions about his past.

Maxim recently featured “Manti Te'o's Fake Girlfriend” on its annual list of the world’s 100 hottest women. The magazine said, “We think it might be nice to have an invisible girl of our own to love.”

Te’o then reportedly went to a Maxim promotional party in Los Angeles last week, where women featured on the list were in attendance.
 
On Monday, the media was not granted access to Te’o. During a Q-and-A session that afternoon, new coach Mike McCoy was asked by reporters why Te’o will not face the press until the mini-camp from June 11-13.

“Well we have a plan for him like everyone else,” said McCoy. “He’s here, he’s a young player and the organization has a schedule for him like we do every other player of putting him in front of the media, we’ll do it accordingly.”

The coach was then asked if he thought it was appropriate for Te’o to attend the Maxim party.

“Well he’s going to make certain decisions that he’s going to make and we’ll keep that in-house with what we think and what we do with that,” said McCoy.

McCoy added that he was unaware that Te’o attended the magazine event.

It is a good thing the Dodgers have Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier to pick up the slack with the rest of the roster in shambles. The superstars are really the only players holding this team together.

File that under, "Things I Wish I Could Be Writing," after the Dodgers 3-1 victory over Milwaukee on Monday. Instead we sit wondering if this is the breakout game that will set the $34.5 million outfield duo back on track. 

While Clayton Kershaw was throwing another gem, Kemp and Ethier produced all three of the Dodgers' runs for the night.

In the second inning, Kemp was walked by Yovani Gallardo and brought home on Ethier's triple. The hit could have been an out if played differently by Norichika Aoki, but it soared over his head and took an odd bounce off the wall, resulting in the RBI triple.

In the fourth inning, Ethier came to the plate and hit a huge, double-decker home run to right field. Kemp also hit a solo jack to left-center field in the sixth, giving the Dodgers a 3-1 lead.

The fact that Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier both hitting home runs feels exciting is, actually, quite frustrating. Isn't this the way it is supposed to be? When the rest of the roster falters, the team is supposed to rely on Kemp and Ethier to win games.

In 2013, Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez are the Dodgers most reliable players. Of the other $15 million-plus position players, Hanley Ramirez has spent most the season injured, while Kemp and Ethier have hardly been playing at replacement level with -0.4 and 0.1 WAR (Wins Above Replacement), respectively.

So while the buzz from Monday’s opener against Milwaukee is about Kemp and Ethier, the real story is the continued greatness of Clayton Kershaw. You've heard it before and it is not going to stop anytime soon, but do not miss a Kershaw start if you have the opportunity to watch it.

His complete game was complimented with five strikeouts, while giving up only one run, and three hits. Sounds like just another great outing, but his consistency is unreal.

In 10 starts this season he has allowed only 11 earned runs. Dating back to 2012, he has gone 23 straight starts allowing three earned runs or less.

Zach Greinke takes the mound on Tuesday in his first start in Milwaukee since being traded to Anaheim in 2012. If he lasts seven innings, it will be the first back-to-back seven-inning starts for the Dodgers since last August.
 

The Dodgers start a three game series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday and while all eyes typically fall on MVP outfielder Ryan Braun, one of the most important players of the series could be Japanese left fielder Norichika Aoki.

In 2011, Aoki was posted to the MLB by his Japanese team, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, and ended up getting signed by the Brewers. It did not take long for Aoki to adjust to the Majors and became a regular for Milwaukee in 2012 with 119 starts.

Aoki is an athletic player and brings a distinctive style of play with him from overseas. His batting stance and swing will catch your eye throughout the series.

During a pitcher’s wind-up, he kicks his leg up high, bringing it close to his body. As the ball approaches he shifts his weight forward landing softly onto his right foot. Aoki brings together a lot of momentum and uses a lot of arm strength in his swing.

When Aoki makes contact it feels like he is putting the ball exactly where he wants it to land, a skill that many say is not possible.

Footage of Aoki from 2012 shows he had a lot more movement at the plate. He would rock his body back and forth and pump his bat in the air. His calm approach seems to be paying off in 2013.

Aoki had a good rookie season in 2012, finishing fifth in voting for the Rookie of the Year award, but his sophomore season is showing improvement in almost every offensive category.

He is hitting for greater power, yet managing to strike out less, a feat that evades even the most accomplished hitters. He is walking more often, and as of Monday is sporting an on-base percentage over .400.

The only downgrade Aoki has shown in 2013 is on the base paths. Last season he stole 30 of 38 bases, but is only 6 for 11 this year, which has affected his scoring rate quite a bit.

Last season Aoki scored a run 54 percent of the time he got on base, in 2013 that number has fallen to 48 percent, a 12.5 percent decrease in scoring. Other factors impact this, but base running and getting caught stealing seems to be the main culprit.

All in all, Aoki makes for a dangerous leadoff batter. His .407 on-base percentage is important with hitters such as Jean Segura, who leads MLB in batting average, and the powerful Ryan Braun hitting behind him.

The Dodgers start the series against the Brewers on Monday, sending Clayton Kershaw to the mound. With an opposing hitter like Norichika Aoki leading off, things could get interesting in Milwaukee.

Los Angeles Kings captain Dustin Brown was named as one of the three finalists for the NHL’s Mark Messier Leadership Award on Monday. Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks and Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators were also nominated.

The nomination comes after a year in which the 28-year-old Brown had yet another solid campaign. In 46 games he had 18 goals and 11 assists, and scored eight power play goals for the Kings.

The award nomination is probably also due to the fact that he helped lead the Kings to the Stanley Cup championship last season. Like Sidney Crosby in 2010 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, voters for the Mark Messier Award tend to reward past performances as much as they do present ones, and Brown likely qualifies by that standard. In the playoffs last year, he had 20 points (8 goals, 12 assists) in 20 games, and scored three game winning goals as his team cruised to the first championship in franchise history.

This year’s playoffs haven’t been quite so kind to Brown, however. In nine games, he only has two goals and one assist, with both goals coming on the power play. He has also been very bad in the faceoff circle when the need arises to take draws, winning only 31.2 percent of them in the postseason.

What is working for him, however, is his physical game. He is currently third in the league in the playoffs with 43 hits, and he does have six takeaways. Those numbers are very much in line with what he produced last year, when he averaged over 4.5 hits per game and half a takeaway per contest.

The offensive slump that Brown finds himself in isn’t unique to him. The entire team is having a difficult time in terms of scoring goals in these playoffs, with rare breakouts like the third period of Game 2 against the San Jose Sharks standing in stark contrast to the more frequent bouts of inconsistent tempo and sloppy passing. Those failings have had a direct impact on Brown’s production, due to his status as a net crasher who thrives on rebound opportunities, and yet those haven’t been coming very much in the nine games the Kings have played.

So how does Brown go about reversing this trend and starting to produce offensively again? For starters, he is going to need to continue to do what he is doing in terms of taking shots. He has 22 shots so far in these playoffs, which means that he is doing his part to use his deceptive speed to try to create opportunities for his teammates, but he has been taking them from lower-percentage areas of the ice.

What that means is that Brown needs to start getting to the front of the net more, as opposed to bringing the puck into the zone himself and trying to create an opportunity from the area outside the circles in the offensive zone. Allowing a teammate to bring the puck in will give Brown an opportunity to muscle his way through the San Jose defense and towards the front of the net, where his quick hands and ability to screen goaltenders can lead to more scoring chances for the Kings.

If Brown can get back to doing the little things that he does so well, then he is going to start finding more success, and it can’t come soon enough for a Kings team that needs to get more offensive production from its key players.

Other Notes:

-The Kings haven’t gotten much positive news on the injury front. Kyle Clifford, who has missed the last four games for the team, did practice on Sunday, but there’s no update as to whether or not he will be able to play on Tuesday night.

In addition, Jarret Stoll is still suffering from his injuries suffered at the hands of Sharks forward Raffi Torres, who was suspended for his high hit on Stoll in Game 1 of the series. Stoll has not practiced since the injury, so his status for Game 4 has to be considered doubtful.

-On the Sharks side of things, they will be without Martin Havlat once again, who tried to come back in Game 3 of the series but left in pretty short order after suffering another lower body injury.

The Sharks will have Logan Couture in Game 4, however. He suffered an injury in the second period of Game 3, but came back later in the contest and ultimately potted the game winning goal for the Sharks in overtime.

The rain may have been coming down in Atlanta, but a storm is brewing in Los Angeles, as the Dodgers were swept by the Braves in embarrassing fashion.

Rookie starter Matt Magill provided most of the Dodgers highlights during Sunday’s 5-2 loss to Atlanta, and he did not even have a great outing.

Magill showed improved command and effectiveness than in previous starts, allowing three walks and striking out eight. He was in line for the win despite only lasting five innings on 96 pitches.

Magill’s outing was spoiled by the bullpen and a lack of hitting. He was left with a no decision but would have gotten the loss, if not for Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez.

Crawford reached base to lead off the first and the third inning, with Adrian Gonzalez bringing him in to score both times.

That was the extent of the Dodgers offense. The team had only three hits, with none coming past the third inning.

Nineteen Dodger batters were retired in order, capping off an embarrassing sweep courtesy of Atlanta. AJ Ellis’ walk with two outs in the ninth was the lone Dodger baserunner past the third inning.

The bullpen, meanwhile, was assigned to convert 12 outs in relief, with a one run lead. There was a feeling of impending doom as each new pitcher was brought in, finding themselves in a worse situation than the last.

J.P. Howell, Ronald Belisario, Paco Rodriguez, Kenley Jansen and Brandon League were all used, in that order.

The wheels started to come off in the eighth as Kenley Jansen gave up a single to Freddie Freeman and a walk to Brian McCann. Brandon League came in for Jansen, and let the flood gates open, allowing the game-tying run after just two pitches.

League gave up another four runs, making the score 5-2 and giving Jansen the loss. It was his second of the series.

The Dodgers send aces Clayton Kershaw and Zach Greinke to the mound for the next two games. If they both deliver strong, seven or eight inning starts it could give the bullpen some much needed rest.

The Dodger’s trip out to Milwaukee was delayed several hours due to rain. The 1:35pm EST start time was pushed back over an hour and a half, and another rain delay in the sixth lasted half an hour.

The team will arrive in Milwaukee late on Sunday and start a three game series with the Brewers on Monday. The Brewers currently sit in last place of the NL Central with the same 17-25 record as the Dodgers.
 

In less than a week Hyun-jin Ryu has gained another two million fans.

Not for his pitching that could net him the 2013 Rookie of the Year. Not for his South Korean nationality, which has earned him fans across the globe. And not even from the exposure of playing in Los Angeles.

No, Ryu gained the fans because of a YouTube video in which he plays catch with a young fan at Dodger Stadium.

Ryu's viral video follows the positive exposure Matt Kemp received for giving a disabled fan his jersey - an act caught on video that also went viral.

Uploaded on May 13th from a fan video account, it shows the Korean pitcher playing toss during batting practice with a young fan in the bleachers. The fan was wearing a number 2 Dodgers jersey with the embroidered name, "Deuce."

If you have not made it out to games the last few years, "Deuce" is practically a fan favorite of Dodger fans.

When the "Don’t Stop Believing" Guy started to wear out fans with his staged theatrics, the young "Deuce" charmed stadium-going Dodger fans by making it onto the video boards practically every night with his dancing, jumping, air guitar shredding, and overall childhood antics.

How Deuce started playing catch with Ryu is not shown in the video, but I can only assume that it happened on an impulse. He even imitates Ryu and his wind-up, making the video that much more charming.

Ryu is a quiet figure, usually associated with a cultural quirk or “Gangnam Style” reference amongst fans. That is why this video is even more special, it shows that he is still friendly even if he may not have adapted to the states yet.

He could have ignored “Deuce” and nobody would have ever noticed, but he played a simple game of catch and now everyone is talking about him.

Video commenters were touched.

“That’s a cool move, that kid won’t ever forget that moment,” one wrote. “Wow, Ryu is a class act” said another.

Those were typical of the 1,000-plus comments on the video.

For a team that deals with a barrage of negative sentiment every day, at least these viral acts of kindness show character among these high-dollar players and a reason for fans to continue to love this team.

When the opposing team has the same number of home runs as the Dodgers have hits, things will not turn out well.

The Dodgers offense was completely shut down in Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Atlanta and pitcher Kris Medlen. In seven innings he gave up only two hits, three walks, and one run while striking out five.

The lone run came in the fourth inning after an Adrian Gonzalez walk. Skip Schumaker doubled on a drive down the left field line, Justin Upton bobbled the ball as it caromed off the wall, allowing Gonzalez to score.

This was the quickest I have seen Gonzalez hoof it around the bases, and without the extra effort he may have been stopped at third leaving the Dodgers scoreless for the night.

Chris Capuano was the Dodger’s only star of the night with another quality outing to the tune of 7.1 innings pitched, five strikeouts, and five hits allowed.

He has excelled his last two starts, with a combined twelve strikeouts, one walk, two earned runs and 10 hits in 13.2 innings. He is projected to start against the Cardinals during the next home stand.

After Capuano gave up a single in the eighth, Kenley Jansen was brought in. Jansen has been the Dodgers most reliable man out of the pen this year, but even he is prone to a bad night.

Jansen allowed back-to-back home runs to Evan Gattis and Adrelton Simmons, giving the Braves a 3-1 lead. Before Saturday he had only given up five earned runs and two homers in his 21 appearances of 2013.

The Dodgers, who had not produced so much as a hit since the fourth inning, went down quietly with two strikeouts to end the game.

The Braves have scored seven of their 11 runs this series with the long ball, not entirely surprising as they rank second in the NL in home runs, but still impressive.

Atlanta could have had another one added to their total, but in the first inning Matt Kemp robbed Jason Heyward of a solo jack with a perfectly-timed play at the wall.

The Dodgers send rookie, Matt Magill, to the mound on Sunday as they look to salvage at least one win from this series with Atlanta.  

 The San Jose Sharks have been dominant on the power play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and they showed that again on Saturday night, scoring twice with the man-advantage and knocking off the Los Angeles Kings 2-1.

The second PP goal came mere seconds into overtime, as Logan Couture beat Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick from in close. Couture missed most of the second period when he collided with Kings center Jeff Carter and went awkwardly into the boards, but he showed no ill effects after his return, and his game-winning goal emphasized that. 

The ending was reminiscent of the conclusion of Game 2, when Dustin Brown and Trevor Lewis scored in a 22-second span to take advantage of two late penalties committed by the Sharks. 

The game featured early scores by both the Sharks and Kings, with Dan Boyle scoring 1:34 into the contest on the Sharks’ first power play and the Kings’ Tyler Toffoli scoring his first career playoff goal halfway through the first.

After that, the scoring dried up completely, as both Quick and San Jose goaltender Antti Niemi exchanged stellar saves during the remainder of regulation. Quick had an excellent sequence late in the second period, when he stoned a shot from below the circle by Sharks forward Patrick Marleau, and was then able to smother the puck despite two Sharks being inches from the blue paint of the crease.

Niemi also had some second period drama, coming well out of his net to stop a wrister from Kings defenseman Drew Doughty and then scrambling to cover up the puck when he let a rebound leak loose from his pads.

In the end, however, the story of the game was the Kings’ inability to stay out of the penalty box. Even though they only conceded five power plays to the Sharks, it was enough to tip the scale in San Jose’s favor, as the resulting shifts in momentum and tempo played into the home team’s hands.

The teams will renew hostilities on Monday night, with the Sharks looking to tie the series up and the Kings hoping to send the series back to the Staples Center with a chance to win it in five games.

The Los Angeles Kings will look to take a 3-0 series lead when they skate into HP Pavilion Saturday night to take on the San Jose Sharks. The Kings have won their last six games, and look increasingly like the team that was able to take home the Stanley Cup last season.

Kings fans need to make sure to temper their enthusiasm, however.

Not only are the Sharks an incredibly difficult team to beat on home ice, losing only twice in regulation in 26 games in San Jose this season, but they are also amped to be able to get the bitter taste of their catastrophic Game 2 loss out of their mouths.

So how can the Kings prevent the Sharks from chomping their way back into the series? There are three keys for Los Angeles’ continued success on Saturday:

1. Keep the Penalty Killing Bored, Effective

In their first round series, the San Jose Sharks scored seven power play goals and had a mind-boggling 24 man-advantage opportunities against the Vancouver Canucks.

In the first two games of this second round series, the Kings have surrendered seven power plays to the Sharks, but San Jose has been unable to take advantage of any of them.

While credit for this kind of success has to go to guys like Drew Doughty and others, the reality is that the Kings have to be especially leery of giving the Sharks more power play opportunities in the Shark Tank. The Sharks torched the Canucks for six power play tallies in two games, and used their team speed to full advantage in drawing a slew of undisciplined penalties by Vancouver.

Yes, the Kings have looked really good in both special teams areas in this series, but there’s no need for them to continue to press their luck against the Sharks.

2. Kings Must Assert Their Will on Game's Pace 

The Sharks are a fast team, and the Kings are going to lose if they try to get into a track meet with them. In that vein, the Kings cannot allow the kind of shot disparities that they did over 40 minute intervals in Games 1 and 2 of this series.

In the first game, the Kings were outshot 27-12 by the Sharks in the last 40 minutes of the game, and in the first 40 minutes of Game 2, the Sharks outshot the Kings 24-13.

In fairness, the Kings did come back and outshoot San Jose 18-7 in the third period of Game 2, but those wild swings in shots indicate that the Kings are losing control of the tempo of games.

Whereas the Kings like to play a bit more deliberately, the Sharks are a “press the gas” kind of team, and if Los Angeles continues to let them have their way with the puck over long stretches like they have in the first two games of this series, then they could be in for a rude shock in Game 3.

3. Continue Shutting Down Pavelski and Couture

Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture of the Sharks combined for 17 points in the team’s first round sweep of the Canucks, but have been held in check by the Kings this series. Couture’s assist in Game 2 is the only point that the duo have managed to score, and while that is in large part due to the success of the penalty killing unit of the Kings, the duo has been lackluster at even strength too.

With the Sharks getting the benefit of the last change in these two home games, the Kings are going to have to dig deep in order to continue shutting down the Sharks’ prolific scorers. They may not always be able to get guys like Doughty onto the ice to slow things down, so a more aggressive backchecking job by forwards like Anze Kopitar and Mike Richards is going to have to be part of the game plan as well.

History will have to wait at least one more year.

Orb, the Kentucky Derby champion who many hoped would become the first Triple Crown winner in 35 years, finished fourth in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, as 15-1 longshot Oxbow pulled off a surprise wire-to-wire win at Pimlico.

"It's so special," said Oxbow jockey Gary Stevens, who came out of retirement this year at age 50. "We were kind of flying under the radar after the Derby. Didn't get a lot of respect."

Oxbow trainer D. Wayne Lukas seemed to take pleasure from dashing Orb's Triple Crown hopes.

"I get paid to spoil dreams," Lukas said.

Orb's fate may have been sealed days before the race, when he drew the No. 1 post position along the rail -- only two horses have won the Preakness from that position over the last 63 years. Sure enough, Orb got boxed in against the rail by a pack of horses early in the race, and could never find room to break free.

Meanwhile, Oxbow pulled ahead of the pack and never relinquished the lead.

"When I hit the half-mile pole, I just said, 'Are you kidding me, is this happening?'" said Stevens, who worked for NBC as a racing analyst during his seven-year retirement.

Oxbow finished the 1 3/16th-mile race in 1:57.54. Itsmyluckyday finished second, Mylute finished third and Orb, the 3-5 favorite, finished fourth.

But nobody ever gave Oxbow a serious threat.

It's a landmark win for Lukas: Oxbow's Preakness victory marks the trainer's 14th Triple Crown win, the most ever. He's won the Preakness six times, and the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont four times each. He passed James Fitzsimmons, who has won 13 Triple Crown races.

Jockey Gary Stevens has now notched three wins apiece at the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont over his career.

Oxbow's win means the Triple Crown drought continues.

In the lead-up to the Preakness, Orb seemed like a prime candidate to end that drought, and bettors made him a heavy favorite. His breathtaking late push in the Kentucky Derby had people believing: He emerged from the back of the pack down the stretch, blew past a large group of horses and pulled away from the pack for a dominant win. Combined with a pedigree to make race fans drool -- his blood lines includes two Triple Crown winners, Seattle Slew (1977) and Secretariat (1973) -- many thought the three-year-old colt would take a place among the horse-racing elite.

Instead, he'll become another in a long line of almosts and what-ifs. Only 11 horses have won the Triple Crown, and none since Affirmed in 1978.

Orb wasn't the only one trying to make history on Saturday who came up short in Baltimore.

Rosie Napravnik, the jockey riding Mylute, hoped to become the first female jockey to win the race. Instead Mylute finished in third place.

Kevin Krigger, the jockey riding Goldencents, hoped to become the first African-American jockey to win the race since 1898. He too came up short as Goldencents finished in fifth place.

Justin Upton’s sixth-inning grand slam is burned into the minds of Dodgers fans.

An absolute, no-doubt jack that displays just how much power the league’s home-run leader is packing. It has been on replay in my mind since yesterday, when the Atlanta Braves beat the Dodgers 8-5.

It was amazing as much as it was horrific.

Things started off in the Dodgers’ favor on Friday. But with Hyun-jin Ryu’s command issues, Gonzalez and Kemp combining to go 0-9, and questionable defense the Dodgers could not get the win.

Just as I praised Hyun-jin Ryu for his pitch command during his last start, he comes into Atlanta and gives up five walks. He threw 100 pitches on Friday, with a whopping 44 of them missing the plate.

Ryu did manage to get out of some sticky situations, but he left the game in the fifth inning, leaving the Dodgers bullpen with four innings of relief.

The loss will mostly be pinned on the bullpen, but in the sixth inning some questionable fielding gave the Braves too many opportunities to score.

Matt Guerrier struck out B.J. Upton, before giving up a bloop, fly ball to shallow, left-center that fell in for a hit to Jordan Schafer. Kemp and Crawford both took a poor path to the ball, but it should have been caught.

Andrelton Simmons then hit a line drive straight at third baseman Luis Cruz. The ball hit Cruz in the glove but he could not hold on to it, leaving runners on first and second when both could have been outs.

Paco Rodriguez replaced Guerrier and he walked Jason Heyward to load the bases before giving up a monster grand slam to Justin Upton, his major-league-leading 14th homer this year.

The mind of a young pitcher can easily get messed with after a home run of this magnitude, but hopefully Paco Rodriguez has the resolve to brush it off and maintain the great relief pitching he has shown this year.

If it weren’t for Scott Van Slyke, the Dodgers would have been blown out on Friday.

His two solo home runs kept the Dodgers in the game and proved why he was a valuable call-up.

Van Slyke usually does not start, so it will be exciting to see him pinch-hit rather than Skip Schumaker or Luis Cruz for a while.

Matt Kemp went 0-5, breaking his 14-game hitting streak. The streak raised his batting average 22 points but he only had three extra base hits and struck out 16 times during it.

On Saturday, Chris Capuano takes the mound looking for his second win of the season.
 

Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade granted a South Florida teen's wish and showed up at her senior prom on Friday.

Nicole Muxo said that she was called up to the dance floor, where she was told that Wade was on the phone.

“So I talked to him on the phone, and as I was talking to him the doors opened and he walked out and I was completely shocked, I had no idea that he was going to even call," said Muxo, who attends Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School in West Kendall. "So I was super-excited, everyone else was super-excited in there.”

Photos show Wade taking pics with the teen and others before the prom at the La Jolla Ballroom in Coral Gables. He also was snapped at the dance.

Muxo said Wade brought her flowers and then they danced.

Wade tweeted about the prom and shared photos on Twitter.

"I had a blast at Prom w @nicole_muxo... Never be 2 scared to ask.. They might just say… " Wade Tweeted.

Muxo thanked the NBA player for coming by.

"It meant a lot to me. It made my dreams come true," she said.

Initially Wade had said he wasn't aware of the YouTube video, in which Muxo makes her pitch to the NBA superstar while wearing a No 3. Wade jersey. Kanye West's "The Glory" plays in the background.

WATCH the YouTube video here.

"My senior prom is coming up, and I have everything set for a perfect night except for one thing: a perfect date," she says.

In the video she called Wade her favorite basketball player and used signs and "Prom?" written on basketballs to ask Wade to the big event.

Muxo had told NBC 6 South Florida she asked out Wade because he's her favorite player and because he's a positive role model for a lot of people.

It wasn't the first time she asked him out.

"Back when I met him last year, I asked him to Homecoming, but the season was about to start, and he had practice, so he couldn’t make it, so I thought, why not take another shot and ask him to prom?” she said.

The Dodgers start a three-game series in Atlanta against the Braves on Friday for their third-straight series against an National League East opponent.

The Braves currently sit atop the East and are hoping that their talented core of young outfielders can extend their half game divisional lead.

The 2012 off-season was a busy one in Atlanta, as the Braves added the duo of sibling outfielders, BJ and Justin Upton. On their way through the minors, the Uptons were some of the most highly touted outfield prospects of their respective draft classes.

BJ was drafted in 2002 by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays with the second pick of the draft. He was a free agent for the first time in 2012; he declined an offer from Tampa Bay and signed a five-year, $75.25 million deal with Atlanta.

For BJ, 2012 was a considerable off year statistically, leading many to doubt if he was worth the contract offered by the Braves. He sacrificed his on-base percentage for power, reaching career highs in slugging and home runs, but walking 26 less times than in 2011.

So far, with the Braves, the older Upton has not impressed. In 36 games he has a .145 batting average, the lowest among Atlanta’s starters. On the plus side, at least his walk rate has returned to his career norm.

After coming to Atlanta, it only took two months until the Braves traded for BJ’s brother, Justin. It was one of the biggest trades of the off-season with Arizona and Atlanta swapping seven different players.

Justin was drafted first-overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005. He was part of Arizona’s young clubs that always seemed to make late surges and surprise the other clubs in the NL West with their raw talent.

In 2011, Justin had a career year as the Diamondbacks easily took the NL West by eight games.

He was an MVP candidate, finishing fourth in voting. But in 2012, Justin and manager Kirk Gibson seemed to be at odds, with Gibson questioning the outfielder’s grit and motivation. This has been cited by many as the reason Arizona was willing to part ways with their talented outfielder.

Justin Upton is leading the Braves in almost every offensive statistic in 2013 and is the core of the team’s young outfield.

This three-game series is important for the Dodgers in order to maintain their current momentum and get out of last place in the NL West. But if Atlanta’s talented, young outfield is on their game, it will be prove to be a very competitive series.
 

All eyes will be on Orb Saturday afternoon when the Kentucky Derby champion takes his post at the Preakness Stakes, aiming to win the second leg of the elusive Triple Crown.

The colt's resounding victory at the Derby, marked by a surge of power in the final stretch, has fueled hopes for the first Triple Crown triumph since 1978, when Affirmed won the Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

Orb, the even-money favorite at Pimlico, will either dash those hopes or move one step closer to the coveted crown.

For fans hoping to see the first Triple Crown in decades, there are plenty of reasons for optimism. In the Derby, on May 4, Orb handily beat five of the eight horses he will take on in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness Stakes. Since then, his performance in training has earned stellar reviews.

Hall of Fame trainer Claude R. "Shug" McGaughey called Orb's workout at Belmont earlier this week "breathtaking," "spectacular" and even better than his performance leading up to the Derby, according to the Associated Press. The colt ran four furlongs in 47.18 seconds and five furlongs in 59.54.

But the widespread optimism was dampened just days later when Orb drew the rail, or No. 1 post—a position that has launched only two Preakness victors since 1950. Running from that position, other horses could crowd Orb against the rail, making it difficult for Orb to find room to maneuver to the head of the pack.

"Obviously, if I was going to pick it out, I wouldn't have picked the 1," McGaughey told the AP when the positions were drawn. "But with only nine horse in there to run a mile and three-sixteenths, with a rider like Joel (Rosario), he's going to figure out what to do. He'll have him in the right spot."

The shorter race could also favor some of the horses that faded at the end of the mile-and-a-quarter Derby. Goldencents—partially owned by Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino— was one of the favorites heading into the Kentucky Derby, but finished 17th in a field of 19 horses. That performance hasn't deterred bettors from putting their money on the colt in the Preakness. Heading into the race he's among the four favorites, with 8-1 morning line odds.

Mylute, who has 5-1 odds after placing fifth in the Kentucky Derby, is another Preakness favorite. The horse will be ridden by rising star Rosie Napravnik, who will be the third female jockey ever to compete in the Preakness Stakes. She heads into the weekend with more wins than any other jockey posting for the race, besides Joel Rosario, who will be riding Orb.

Departing, who skipped the Derby, could also pose a threat to the even-money favorite. The horse arrives at Pimlico with four wins this year, including a big victory two weeks ago at the Illinois Derby, where he managed to pull ahead of the pack and finish by 3 1/4 lengths.

Govenor Charlie, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, and Titletown Five, co-owned by Packers Hall of Famers Paul Hornung and Willie Davis, will also make their Triple Crown debuts in the second leg of the contest.

Govenor Charlie, who descends from the 1998 Derby and Preakness winner Real Quiet, has 12-1 odds, while Titletown Five is a much longer shot. Despite his 30-1 odds, Titletown Five's trainer D. Wayne Lukas still has a decent chance to taste victory. The Hall of Fame trainer has two other horses in the race— Oxbow and Will Take Charge.

The $1 million race begins at 6:20 p.m. and will be streamed live on NBC Live Extra beginning at 4:30 p.m.

If Orb wins, he'll race for the Triple Crown at Belmont on June 8. Twenty-two horses have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, but only 11 have won all three. 

Eagles starting offensive lineman Evan Mathis has never strayed far from controversy even calling fans "idiots" for wanting former Eagles coach Andy Reid fired.

This time Mathis’ anger was geared towards the Internal Revenue Service.

Per Pro Football Talk:

Like most if not all Americans, Eagles offensive lineman Evan Mathis doesn’t like it.  Unlike most if not all Americans, Mathis has opted to make his views known, in an entertaining way.

“Audit This,” tweeted Mathis as he posted an Instagram photo making it look as if he's urinating on the sign for the IRS’ offices.

In the midst of a federal scandal involving the IRS’ treatment of Tea party and other right-wing non-profit groups Mathis’ photo created plenty of chatter online even getting its own Mashable writeup along with plenty of comments and retweets.

The most interesting aspect of the photo however could be the boot on Mathis’ left leg confirming an earlier CSNPhilly.com report that Mathis would miss the Eagles recent OTAs after ankle surgery.

 The Los Angeles Kings looked dead to rights on Thursday night, trailing 3-2 with less than three minutes to go. Then, in the blink of an eye, the San Jose Sharks committed two penalties, and the Kings were able to take advantage of the breaks, scoring twice in 22 seconds to steal a 4-3 victory away in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals. 

Dustin Brown and Trevor Lewis scored the tying and winning goals, respectively, and goaltender Jonathan Quick stopped 28 shots to help the Kings hold serve at home and send the series to San Jose with the Sharks in an 0-2 hole. 

Here are the Three Stars of the game for the Kings: 

Third Star: Trevor Lewis 

Lewis was a force on the defensive side of the puck throughout the game, dishing out five hits and helping the Kings to kill off all four power plays that they gave the Sharks, but it was his play on the final goal of the game that earned him this spot. 

On the play, the Kings were crashing the net hard, and when Tyler Toffoli fired a puck off of San Jose goaltender Antti Niemi's right pad, Lewis had his stick on the ice and was able to tap in an easy rebound goal to give his team the lead. 

Occasionally you'll see guys at various levels of hockey, including the NHL, skate in towards the net with the blade of their stick up in the air, but it's the smart players like Lewis who make sure that they are prepared to pound away if a goalie gives up a rebound, and he was ready when Niemi coughed up a juicy one. 

Second Star: Tyler Toffoli

The scoresheet indicates that Toffoli only had one assist in the game, but it was his play throughout the third period that was more noticeable. 

With the Kings reeling after giving up a 2-0 lead, Toffoli started the tide back in the right direction with his aggressive pushing of the tempo up the ice. He ended up with five shots on goal in the game, and it was his last one that deflected off of Niemi's pad and allowed Lewis to score the game winning goal. 

With only 12:03 of ice time in the game, it would be easy to dismiss Toffoli's contribution, but to those watching the game, it was clear that without his intensity and zest for upping the ante offensively, the Kings may not have gotten out of their funk and gotten out of the Staples Center with a victory. 

First Star: Drew Doughty

Doughty has gotten a ton of love during these playoffs for his defensive play, but it was his aptitude on offense on Thursday that was the ultimate difference for the Kings.

His power play goal in the second period gave the Kings a 2-0 lead, a cushion that in normal circumstances would have been good enough. Instead, Doughty had to restart his offensive game when the Sharks scored three unanswered goals, and he did just that on the Kings' third goal. He did not get credit for an assist on Brown's tally, but it was his pass to Mike Richards, rather than shooting the puck from the point, that allowed Brown and Jeff Carter to charge into the play and crash the net hard.

That little bit of extra time that Doughty bought by faking the shot allowed the play to develop, and the ensuing momentum was enough to take the Kings over the top in the game. 

The Dodgers entered the most recent home stand after getting swept courtesy of their bitter rivals, the San Francisco Giants. In the midst of a four-game losing streak fans were hoping the return to Los Angeles would help turn things around.
 
The Dodgers were then swept by Arizona, and lost the first game of their series against the Miami Marlins. As the team appeared downtrodden and lifeless, fans and the media were heaping heavy criticism on the Dodgers squad and their eight-game losing streak.
 
It was getting ugly, but pitcher Hyun-jin Ryu snapped the streak with a great performance on Sunday and the Dodgers bats finally woke up, providing him seven runs on the way to victory.
 
The Dodgers have now won four out of five, taken the last two series, and appear to be slowly turning things around. 
 
The bats have not taken off yet, but if they keep getting strong, efficient starts out of Hyun-jin Ryu, and Chris Capuano while Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke helm the top of the rotation, the Dodgers will stay competitive.
 
The pitching was not much of a concern coming into the season, but with an influx of injuries the rotation was wearing thin. The return of Zack Greinke at the top of the rotation, alongside Kershaw, makes for a huge difference. The dominant duo will provide the team with some added confidence.
 
Worries over Adrian Gonzalez's neck strain seem to have subsided. He played in most of the home stand, getting 11 hits and 5 RBIs, and maintaining his role as the Dodgers most consistent hitter on the team.
 
Meanwhile, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier are finally starting to wake up from their slow starts. Ethier had 10 hits and four RBI on the home stand, while Kemp extended his hitting streak to 14 games.
 
Kemp is still not hitting for power, and struck out eight times on the home stand, but it is encouraging to see him consistently make contact.
 
The NL West is well within reach for a ballclub of this caliber, and the Dodgers could find themselves out of last place this week if they can keep up the pace. 

Matchups versus NL West teams have been a weakness for the Dodgers. They are a paltry 5-16 against their divisional opponents, while 12-6 against the rest of the league.
 
This divisional split was displayed during the home stand. Los Angeles was swept by Western their rival, Arizona, but took 4 of 6 from Eastern opponents, Miami and Washington.
 
The Dodgers continue play against the NL East on Friday with a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves.

Thirty-four days ago Zack Greinke hit San Diego's Carlos Quetin with a pitch that incensed the Padre, who charged the mound and collided with Greinke in a brawl that broke the pitcher's collarbone. Greinke returned to the mound Wednesday with the Dodgers organization and fans in anticipation.
 
Fans were excited to see him pitching again, but were mostly worried and full of questions. If he rushes his return, will he be ineffective? What if the collarbone has not healed enough and is re-injured? Can you even hurt your collarbone through normal pitching?
 
The conversation among fans was full of concern, but not necessarily knowledgeable.
 
Greinke put the worries aside, pitching 5.1 innings of solid ball and earning the W in the Dodgers 3-1 victory. He gave up five hits and one run off a fourth-inning homer from Adam LaRoche.
 
His four strikeouts were great, but just watching him throw 83 pitches without any physical issues, or getting shelled was just what the Dodgers needed.
 
The lineup did not offer much run support, but the middle of the order delivered with two hits each from Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez and Andre Ethier. Greinke even brought in a run with a single in the second inning.
 
Matt Kemp's hitting streak is now at 14 games, and Wednesday's two hits make it his fifth multi-hit game of the streak.
 
The return of Greinke meant that a roster spot had to be cleared, and that came with Josh Beckett being sent to the DL. Beckett's assortment of injuries have become more apparent and his start on Monday was cut short due to a groin strain.
 
He claimed to be healthy enough to pitch, but I do not think he will be sorely missed for the next two weeks, or longer. While he is gone Ted Lilly could return as well, taking the last spot in the rotation, and leaving Beckett's role with the Dodgers indefinite for the time being.
 
Beckett will be the sixth Dodger starting pitcher to hit the DL this season.
 
Wednesday's victory takes the series from the Nationals, marking two straight series wins for Los Angeles.
 
Tweets from #Dodger Nation           
-The Dodgers twitter promotion of #ReturnOfTheGreinke got some eye rolls, “The Greinke? Really, couldn’t just say #ReturnOfGreinke?”

- Some relief from the fans -- “Soooooo nice to see Zack Greinke start tonight instead of Loser Magill”

- Fans are starting to ease up on Matt Kemp -- “Feels good to start hitting, eh Kemp?”