Answer: Not good. The Blues lost both games against the Kings at home. Ouch. And speaking of ouch, the game last night was a mega ouch. Blues lost 5-2. The Blues seemed rattled ever since key defensemen Alex Pietrangelo got hit badly in Game 1. The Kings were penalized for the hit but it was shortly after that hit that the Kings scored their 2nd goal in Game 1 and they were never able to get catch up.
I don't claim to be an expert in hockey, I'm not. I enjoy attending and watching games but I don't follow hockey as closely as baseball and football. So I can't really begin to explain what's going on with the Blues but I can tell you this, it's not pretty going down 0-2 and having to play the next game away from home. But it's not impossible. They have until Thursday to regroup and who knows, maybe they will come to LA and win 2 in a row.
Phoenix has also taken a 2-0 lead against Nashville, while the other 2 matchups between NY-WSH and NJ-PHI are tied up at 1-1. There's a lot of games left to be played still. Because, after all. It's the NHL playoffs. It's takes a whole month just to finish a round.
Speaking of "the blues," it seems that a former King of Baseball is certainly singing them. I am speaking of course of Albert Pujols.
Going to go on a bit of a tangent here but it's relevant, I promise. I've lived in LA for over 2 years now and have gotten a good feel for sports loyalties and the local fans.
If there is one key thing that I've learned it's this: LA fans love the Dodgers and the Lakers. Very passionately too. I've met quite a few Dodger fans that are definitely true fans. They love them regardless of whether they are good or bad.
The Angels and the Clippers appear to be less popular than the Dodgers and the Lakers. The Angels have larger popularity in the OC and surrounding areas, but if you're in LA proper, it's Dodger blue all the way.
The Clippers are more popular now because they have a good team that's in the playoffs. But they do not appear to be as popular as the Lakers.
Plus, there is an inner-city rivalry with these teams. If you're a Dodgers fan, you can't like the Angels, and vice versa. Same seems to apply for the Lakers-Clippers.
It's like a lot of cities that have two teams in different leagues. If you're a Yankees fan, do you root also for the Mets? Nope. If you're a Cubs fan (and if you are, I'm sorry) do you also root for the White Sox? Typically no.
That said, there is a King of Baseball in this town, and his initials are not AP. This city simply cannot get enough of Matt Kemp.
Matt Kemp is certainly doing his best to prove why he is MVP quality. He leads the league in HR's and his average was over .400 for all of April. On top of that the Dodgers are sitting at the top of the NL right now with 17 wins. (Although my Cardinals are right at their heels in 2nd with 15. Just sayin').
Albert Pujols is struggling. He still has yet to hit a single home run and his average currently sits at .217, the worst start of his career I think, but can't quote that for sure. His last 10 games? .105 average. Oi.
I've heard all of the national sports talk peeps talking about Albert and what's the deal and can he turn it around. I know that he can turn it around because he's had seasons before with the Cardinals where it took awhile for him to get hot.
But...this is why the Cardinals organization was unwilling to pay big dollars and sign him to a 10 year contract. They just weren't willing to take that gamble and drain the available dollars to sign good players to create a better all around team.
I do think Albert will hit his stride and have a few good seasons with the Angels. But he isn't going to be the savior of the team, and if any Angel fan thought so, well, you shouldn't have.
Baseball is not a sport where one person can bury the load and lead the team to greatness. You can have that in the NBA. 1 or 2 great players can make a HUGE difference. But in baseball, you can have great hitting but if your pitching staff is subpar, you're not going to win a championship. In baseball, you need that balance of good solid pitching AND good solid hitting.
I heard SO many people say "oh, the Cardinals are toast without Albert." It's only April, but the Cardinals are at the top of their division and 2nd in the NL overall. Doesn't sound like they are crumbling after Albert's departure.
One player does not = winning formula.
I hope for Albert's sake he turns it around and has a good season. He's a talented player and I'd hate to see him continue on this declining path. It's too early for that.
The NBA playoffs have begun and despite Metta World's Mishap, which lead to a 7 game suspension for Mr. World Peace, the Lakers are doing all right and have jumped to a 2-0 lead on the Nuggets. San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Miami are also sitting at 2-0 leads. There's been a lot of love for LeBron lately in the national media. Can't say I can argue with them. LeBron and Kobe are 2 of the best, if not THE best players in the league, hands down.
The rest of the NBA matchups sit at 1-1, with the Clippers at a 1-0 start as they don't play game 2 until tomorrow. The NBA playoffs are similar to the NHL playoffs as they last forever and never seem to end. We're only in round 1 of the NBA playoffs. We won't have a champion until June.
That's all I have for today. More posts soon!
