By MATTHEW WOODS
Staff Writer
—
1. Blake Griffin Charged with Misdemeanor
Los Angeles Clippers high-flying star Blake Griffin was charged with one count of misdemeanor battery for an incident that occurred at a Las Vegas night club about a month ago. According to the filing of the report, Griffin used force on Daniel Schuman after being aggravated by the amount of camera flashes. Griffin took Schuman’s phone and slapped him on the face.
Griffin’s teammates, Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan, were with Griffin at the time of the incident, but not involved in the altercation.
This is Griffin’s first real off-the-court issue. Griffin has had quite the clean image since being drafted first overall by the Clippers in 2009. Outside of LeBron James and Kevin Durant, Griffin is arguably the most marketable player in the game, as we’ve seen with the large amount of Kia commercials featuring Griffin.
It is questionable how much an incident like this might affect Griffin’s marketability, but will it affect the Clippers’ play as well? That we will have to wait and find out as the season continues.
Griffin is expected for arraignment in Las Vegas on December 8, and could face up to six months in jail, as well as a fine.
2. Taveras Drunk During Fatal Accident
The heartwrenching tragedy involving 22-year-old St. Louis Cardinals prospect Oscar Taveras took another turn this past week, when it was discovered that Taveras was drunk during the fatal accident that killed both him and his girlfriend in Santo Domingo on October 26. Reports state that Taveras’ blood alcohol level was five times the legal limit when he lost control of his car.
Taveras signed with the team at the age of 16, and was one of MLB’s most highly touted prospects, standing third in the preseason rankings on MLB.com. Taveras had a bright career ahead of him, which could be seen in his final major league at-bat in the National League Championship Series against the San Francisco Giants, in which he hit a homerun.
3. Patrick Willis Out for Season
The injuries just keep piling up in the NFL. This past week there were a number of high-profile injuries, but none bigger than the loss the San Francisco 49ers suffered. All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis experienced a toe injury for which he will need surgery, ending his season. Willis had been dealing with a toe injury for the past few years, but in the last few weeks he aggravated the injury to the point where the pain became too much.
Willis was clearly affected by this injury, as his numbers were down a bit this season. He had racked up 34 tackles and an interception in limited play.
This injury is a big blow to a team that is 5-4 and struggling to get in playoff contention. Sitting third in the tough NFC West, the 49ers really couldn’t afford an injury of this magnitude. Luckily for them, they will get back defensive-end Aldon Smith from suspension.
4. Trout and Kershaw Win MVP Honors
The MLB award season finally ended this past Thursday with each league’s MVP award. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder Mike Trout and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw won the American League and National League Most Valuable Player awards, respectively.
Trout was unanimously selected on the American League side, making him the youngest unanimous MVP in baseball history, and the fifth youngest MVP of all time, behind Johnny Bench, Vida Blue, Stan Musial, and Cal Ripken Jr.
Trout’s numbers this season were nothing short of outstanding. He had a .287 batting average with 36 homeruns, 111 RBI’s (led AL), and 115 runs scored (led AL). Trout also had 184 strikeouts this past season, which is the most by any player that won the MVP in that season. Trout was indeed the most valuable player in the league, as he led MLB in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) with 7.9, which is lower than his previous 2 seasons.
This is Trout’s first MVP, and most certainly not his last, as he is only 23 years old.
Kershaw became the eighteenth pitcher of all time to win the award, receiving all but eight first-place votes for NL MVP. Kershaw’s numbers were quite mind-blowing, to say the least. He is the eleventh pitcher in history to win both the Cy Young and MVP in the same season. Kershaw went 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA (led MLB), 239 strikeouts, and an opponent batting average of .196, while pitching only 27 games this season (fewest of any MVP).
Kershaw is the first Dodger to win the award since Kirk Gibson in 1988, and the first pitcher to win the NL MVP award since Bob Gibson in 1968. Kershaw is one of three pitchers in MLB history to win at least three Cy Young awards and an MVP. (The other two are Roger Clemens and Sandy Koufax.)
Both players are young, and perhaps have not reached their greatest potentials just yet. Who knows just how good both Trout and Kershaw can really be, but right now they are certainly MVP worthy and won’t be making the game fun for their opposition any time soon.
5. Bill Simmons Feud with Mike Golic
ESPN Grantland personality Bill Simmons is known for making snarky remarks and ridiculous statements. About a week ago, Simmons made a comment regarding Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, essentially saying that James had not looked the same with the Cavaliers. Mike Golic, of ESPN’s “Mike & Mike,” argued that it was way too early to judge something like that and that Simmons’ comment was stupid.
Simmons decided to take the usual 21st centry response to Golic’s comments, going to Twitter to voice his displeasure. Simmons sent a few tweets saying that he lost the respect for “Mike & Mike” that he never really had. Simmons also went on to criticize his employer, ESPN. Simmons had recently been in trouble with ESPN for comments he had made before, and who knows what these comments may do to the relationship between him and ESPN.
The feud has seemingly since been resolved. Both Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg called to apologize to Simmons. However, Simmons has yet to make a public statement about the matter.
