I love Matt Kemp, but I have to point this out …
Scott Van Slyke: 12 at-bats in 2013, three home runs
Matt Kemp: 154 at-bats in 2013, one home run
Letter to Bryce Harper
Dear Bryce:
Thank you for being a big hot dog Monday night at Dodger Stadium.
Your reckless showboating caused you to crash into the outfield wall, chasing a meaningless line drive in a game your Washington Nationals led by six runs.
Your hot-dogging style of play gave you a bloody chin, a sore body and an early trip to the showers.
Your all-out hustle in a situation when you should have been taking it easy caused you to miss the final two games of the series — close games won by the Dodgers, games in which your team could have used your potent bat.
So thank you, Bryce Harper. Dodger fans everywhere thank you. Because of your stupidity, we had a much easier time winning two of three against a team that could have swept us.
Someday you might learn that acting like Charlie Hustle is overrated and usually does more harm than good. Baseball is a LOOOONG season, and you best pace yourself unless it’s Game 7 of the World Series. But for now, thanks again!
Can’t stop this kid
Clayton Kershaw was masterful Tuesday night against the Nationals. The Dodgers ace struck out 11, walked one and allowed five hits in 8 2/3 innings as the Bums beat Washington 2-0.
I hate to see the kid throw 132 pitches unless it’s Game 7 of the World Series, but gosh it felt good to beat one of baseball’s top teams. We’ll just have to cross our fingers that Kershaw’s young arm is resilient enough to take that kind of abuse.
Kershaw’s ERA is now 1.40, and opponents are batting .175 against him. He is quite possibly the finest pitcher in all of baseball these days. (An added bonus is how charitable he and his wife are. The Kershaws devote all kinds of money and time to building schools and other important projects in Africa. Last year Clayton earned the Roberto Clemente award, baseball’s most prestigious off-the-field honor given to the game’s most service-minded and charitable player.)
Tonight Zack Greinke takes the hill for the Dodgers, one month and four days after sustaining a broken collarbone in a brawl with the Padres. Wish I could heal that fast. It takes me a month and four days to get over a cough.
Get your butt outside
The weather has been fantastic the last two days, and we have taken full advantage.
I think Maisa rode her bike around the block about 28 times yesterday. And we ate our lunch on the back patio yesterday and today.
Maisa sure enjoyed seeing her cousin play baseball last night. Perfect night to pull up a yard chair and watch the youngsters throw, hit, catch and run.
So thankful to be outside after months and months of crappy weather. Next week at this time, it’ll be too hot to go outside. 
Iowa: Land of five ideal weather days per year.
A hug-your-spouse kind of proud
Maisa’s first “Blast Ball” game was this morning. It’s essentially tee ball, with slightly less structure. The kids take a swing and run the bases.
Well, as you know, Maisa and I spend a fair amount of time playing pitch-and-hit in the backyard. She’s a good little hitter, and she showed her skills during her first at-bat today.
I’m kicking myself for not having the video rolling, because she CRUSHED the ball WAY over the other team’s players. Most of the other kids were hitting the ball about 10 feet, and Maisa’s hit literally traveled about 50 feet in the air. (Her coach called her “Power Hitter” the rest of the day).
It was a proud moment for me. I instinctively gave Jill a big hug and screamed “Whoa!” I’m sure everyone thought I was a big dork.
Anyway, here is some video of Maisa’s second at-bat. She had a nice hit here, too, but the first at-bat was definitely the highlight of the day.
8 straight losses
Watching Dodger games these days would be a sad activity if not for Vin Scully.
We have lost 8 straight games, including Friday’s loss to the pathetic Marlins. Good grief.
+++++++++
Lots of talk about umps lately. Waste of breath. Major league umpires are UNBELIEVABLY good. Like my bro Stephen says: “They are one in a million.”
They hardly ever miss a call. So no reason to complain. Let’s move on.
On the hot seat
The Dodgers better win at least two out of three against Florida this weekend, for manager Don Mattingly’s sake.
Columnist Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times wrote an interesting piece yesterday, saying Mattingly is officially on the hot seat after the Dodgers’ awful start to the season.
Florida is the worst team in the National League. They traded away almost all of their good players in the offseason. If the Dodgers lose two of three or (gasp) get swept by the Marlins, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mattingly out the door.
He’s a good guy and the players love and respect him, as Plaschke noted. But it’s all about results in the major leagues.
