Minecraft Disskusion » Thats why tragedies end in death

LOS ANGELES -- Matt Kemp is making a case for himself, regardless of where hes playing the rest of the season. Custom Anaheim Ducks Jerseys . With his name being bandied about ahead of Thursdays trade deadline, Kemp hit a pair of two-run homers to power the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Atlanta Braves 8-4 Tuesday night. His four RBIs were a season high as he surpassed 600 career RBIs with 603. Kemp is hitting .400 in 10 games since the All-Star break. "Im not worried about any rumours," he said. "Im just worried about helping my team win." Kemp is playing right field, where he began his career, having been moved from centre field in the Dodgers crowded outfield. "Id play anywhere right now," he said. "Im just happy to be in the lineup." Yasiel Puig had four hits with two runs scored for the first-place Dodgers, who won their season-high fourth straight. Adrian Gonzalez is also hitting .400 since the break. He had two doubles, two runs scored and two RBIs. "Thats what we envision offensively," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "We got contributions from all over." The Dodgers trailed twice in their first meeting with the Braves since eliminating them in a National League division series last season. Puig came up a home run short of hitting for the cycle, lifting his team-leading average to .317. He struck out in his final at-bat after tying his career high in hits. Los Angeles rallied from a two-run deficit to tie it 4-all on an RBI double by Gonzalez and an RBI single by Carl Crawford in the fifth. That set the stage for outfielders Crawford and Kemp to put the Dodgers ahead in the seventh. Crawford had an RBI groundout to second base and Kemp followed with his second two-run shot over the centre field fence for a 7-4 lead. Gonzalez doubled in another run in the eighth. Brandon League (2-2) got the victory in one inning of relief, allowing one hit and one walk. Kenley Jansen got four outs for his 31st save. Kemps first two-run shot in the second briefly gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. "Matt did a good job hitting that curveball," Braves starter and former Dodger Aaron Harang said. "Thats the Matt Kemp I remember from the first half of 2012." Freddie Freeman, who went 2 for 4, put Atlanta back in front 3-2 in the third with his own two-run homer. Tommy La Stella tied a career-best with three hits and scored a run as the Braves three-game winning streak ended. Anthony Varvaro (3-3) took the loss, giving up three runs and four hits in one relief inning. Dodgers starter Josh Beckett struggled through another outing. The right-hander gave up four runs and nine hits in 4 1-3 innings, struck out two and walked one in dropping to 0-5 in his last six home starts. Harang faced his old team for the first time since being traded in 2012. The right-hander yielded four runs and nine hits in six innings, struck out three and walked one after going 4-0 in his previous six outings. TRAINERS ROOM Braves: Right fielder Jason Heyward was out of the lineup with lingering soreness in his lower back after straining himself while chasing a foul ball last Thursday. Rookie reliever Shae Simmons was placed on the 15-day DL with a sore shoulder. The team recalled reliever Juan Jaime from Triple-A Gwinnett to take the roster spot of Simmons, who accompanied the team for the start of an eight-game, three-city road trip. Dodgers: Left-hander Scott Elbert was reinstated from the 60-day DL and designated him for assignment. He made 15 rehab appearances, including two starts for Rookie-advanced Ogden, Class-A Rancho Cucamonga and Triple-A Albuquerque as he worked his way back from Tommy John surgery last year. Elbert was 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA for those minor league affiliates. He last pitched in the majors in August 2012. ON DECK Braves: Left-hander Alex Wood (7-8) starts for the Braves in the middle game of the series. He has pitched 2 2-3 scoreless innings in two career games against the Dodgers, allowing one hit and striking out three. Dodgers: Zack Greinke (12-5) starts for the Dodgers. The right-hander is 6-1 at home with a 2.73 ERA and holds opposing batters to a .222 batting average. He is 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA in three career starts against the Braves. WHERES BARNEY? Newly acquired second baseman Darwin Barney could join the Dodgers by Wednesday. He was acquired in a trade with the Cubs on Monday for a player to be named. Barney will give the team depth off the bench. He won a Gold Glove in 2012, but was let go by Chicago after hitting .230 with 16 RBIs in 72 games this season. A PLEASANT GOOD EVENING Dodgers fans will continue hearing that opening line from 86-year-old Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully, who will return to the booth for his record 66th season in 2015. The announcement was made by a trio of players on the stadium video board during the game. HEAD FIRST Braves right fielder Jordan Schafer hit Puig, sliding headfirst, in the head with a throw in the seventh inning with the scored tied 4-all. The throw knocked Puigs helmet off before he barely got his hand safely on the base. QUOTE OF THE DAY "I made some bad pitches over the middle of the plate that he could hit," Harang said of Puig. "He has the power to drive the ball with authority and his speed helps him to get those extra bases." Todd Ewen Jersey . Harrison Barnes had 15 points and Reggie Bullock scored 11 for the Tar Heels (17-3, 4-1 ACC), who took the court for the first time without starter Dexter Strickland. The junior guard tore his right ACL last Thursday at Virginia Tech and will miss the rest of the season. Paul Kariya Jersey . - Kentucky freshmen Stanley Boom Williams, Dorian Baker, Drew Barker and Tymere Dubose have been charged with disorderly conduct for their involvement with air pistol shots being fired near a residence hall on the South campus Sunday night. https://www.cheapducks.com/797c-john-gibson-jersey-ducks.html . Lisicki beat South African Chanelle Scheepers by a 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) margin. Next up for the Wimbledon runner-up will be Slovenian Polona Hercog, who outlasted Czech Petra Cetkovska 6-4, 5-7, 6-1.This story was tired during round 2, but the media keeps hammering it like it has the narrative of a Philip Roth novel. The passing of St. Louis mother was tragic, as is any unexpected death. Or death in general. Death is tragic. Thats why tragedies end in death. This is a narrative trope older than the playoff beard. But did it "galvanize" the Rangers efforts? Perhaps. But when reporters answer their own questions by asking players, "Did the passing of Martys mum bring this team closer together?" the story is being written and not reported. Its one of the tragic flaws of sports journalism. Additionally, part of the story being left out is how St. Louis sulked like a petulant child when not named to Canadas Olympic team, played poorly when added to the squad justifying managements decision to leave him off in the first place as he did not fit into their system, and then forced his trade to New York. Good player and teammate? Maybe. Virtuous hero of a tragic narrative? Hardly.Celebrities(Source: FameFlynet Pictures)Welcome to TMZs NHL final. With the Stanley Cup being played in New York and Los Angeles, the opportunity presents itself for endless celeb spotting. Coverage will no doubt be tirelessly freckled with shots of Robert De Niro, Michael J. Fox, and Wayne Gretzkys daughter. "Oh hey, look! Its venerable character actor ?eljko Ivanek! He watches hockey just like a normal person!" I fully expect at least one, if not two, Scott Oake "Inside Hockey" features on Matthew Perrys beer league for displaced Canadians in L.A. If somehow Jay-Zed and Beyoncé make it rinkside, NHL media types might actually spontaneously combust, leaving a trail of iPhones and unwritten columns about who will play Marty St. Louis in the movie version of the postseason smoldering in the press box.Major Markets(Source: cgodley - Hollywood Reporter)Yes, L.A. and New York are the two largest media markets in the league, so ratings for this final should get a bump from years past, at least stateside. But in actuality, a Stanley Cup final on NBCSN 7 or whoever it is who televises hockey poorly in the United States these days still rates lower than a Reba marathon on CMT. Add in the fact that the NBA finals feature a rematch of last years epic Heat-Spurs series, a compelling Lebron as Jordan narrative, and the dichotomy of the Heats talents in South Beach and the Spurs team first philosophy, some Americans might not even find time to watch Reba. Certainnly a major market clash is good for the NHL, and good for hockey. Sam Steel Jersey. But it wont be the epic sea change in the sports national visibility and popularity that the media will portray it as.Canadians (Source: nhl.com/kings)In the absence of Canadian teams in the final, the nationalist hockey media will do its best to attach Canada to the series narrative as best they can. Theyll count the amount of Canadians on each team. Theyll do a feature on the Sutters, how theyre cheering on Darryl from Viking, but cant make it to the games because the spring crop needs a plantin. There will be mention of how many Canadian Olympians are on each team. Stephen Harper will somehow make an appearance. Therell be something about a loonie at centre ice. And, of course, the annual Bettman-MacLean smug-off where Ron will ask about Quebec City and Gary will wish he were still with the NBA. If it goes 7 games, the contrived Canadiana will get thicker than a beer commercial. The Unmentioned(Source: Dirk Shadd - Times)The final will be notable not just for the tired recycled stories of rounds past, but also the issues facing hockey that will not be mentioned. Sure, a wedding isnt the place to discuss your partners flaws, but during its second biggest moment of the year (to the inexplicably popular outdoor games) certainly some of the sports challenges could be included in the pre-game and intermission discourse. It would be interesting, and beneficial, to have the pundits debate why fighting barely exists in the playoffs yet is apparently crucial to the game, if Zenon Konopkas PED use is an isolated case or hockeys dirty little secret, or have an open dialogue about concussion protocol, or the lack thereof, especially in the postseason. And Dominic Moores story is a truly heartbreaking tale, but some moment should be found to mention how it has been ten years since Todd Bertuzzi ended his brothers career, how Dominic was at times ostracized from NHL circles because of it, and how the case has yet to go to trial. But, you know, Don Cherry trying to pronounce Anze Kopitar is interesting in its own way.The Stanley Cup final matchup promises an entertaining series. Both the Rangers and Kings are built around speed, hard forechecking, and timely goaltending. There will be plenty of stories that will grow organically. This is the beauty of sport; the story writes itself, and that story will be best told if its storytellers eschew the contrived and indulge in its evolution. ' ' '