Dodgers’ Buehler embraces next stage of pitching evolution
Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler is starting to move closer to his prior form when he always seemed to know where he was going, writes The Sporting Tribune's Doug Padilla.
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1. Dodgers’ Buehler embraces next stage of pitching evolution
Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler is starting to move closer to his prior form when he always seemed to know where he was going, writes The Sporting Tribune's Doug Padilla.
There was a confidence mixed with stubbornness that had come to define Walker Buehler performances of the past.
The Dodgers right-hander, who is starting to move closer to his prior form, always seemed to know where he was going when he was at his best and what it took to get there.
It wasn’t that Buehler refused to credit the opponent as a young pitcher performing at his peak abilities. He was more than aware of what he was up against.
But Buehler also knew what he had to work with. He knew his tool belt included a blazing fastball, pinpoint control and secondary pitches to envy. Buehler not only knew he could be successful on any given day, he exuded it.
Yet, on days when he was at the top of his game, he lauded his race car, not necessarily his ability as the driver. On days that did not go to plan, he blamed the inability to use the race car to its potential.
Opponents could hardly take offense that it was Buehler who dictated the terms. Even they knew that peak Buehler would make for a long day.
For two years, Buehler has longed for those days to return and there is now definitive proof they could be back on a regular basis.
2. Players union chief on WNBA charter-flight rollout: ‘League is scrambling’
WNBPA's Terri Jackson has been lobbying for a WNBA charter flight program since 2020, but she said the league is "scrambling" to put program in place, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Jackson Thompson.
WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson said Thursday the WNBA has struggled to make good on its promise of charter flights for all teams so far this season as other issues with the flights have arisen.
“I recognize that the league was kind of scrambling to get this in place for the start of the season,” Jackson said to The Sporting Tribune. “Their decision-making came together kind of lake as the process as I understand.
However, the rollout of the charter flights hasn’t been a smooth trip early this season. Several players have spoken out about the limited availability and quality of the planes.
“(The league) is working as hard as they can to roll it out for everybody, so there’s some bumps and there’s some hiccups,” Jackson said.
The WNBA promised to make charter flights available to all 12 teams for player travel this season by Tuesday. The initiative marked one of the biggest wins for players in the league’s 28-year history and a professional victory for Jackson, who said she had been lobbying the league to make charter flights available to all teams since 2020.
3. ‘I’m a Team USA athlete! Don’t amputate it!’ The inspiring story of Goose Helton
Since 2006, Jonathan "Goose" Helton has consistently played for the best club and professional teams, writes The Sporting Tribue’s Josh Frojelin.
Team USA and San Diego Growlers ultimate frisbee player Jonathan ‘Goose’ Helton is as fit as any former national team athlete. He stands tall, with large shoulders and veins popping from his arms. But when he walks, it’s clear why he’s now glued to the sideline.
The 40-year-old’s right leg is uncharacteristically slender and seemingly held together by a complex brace with two large back rods and a carbon fiber heel. His strength, quickness, and athleticism couldn’t prepare him for a car suddenly pulling out of a driveway alongside a two-lane highway.
Traveling at 55 miles per hour, Goose tried to evade the car before it crushed his right leg between the body of his motorcycle and the bumper. Almost three months in the hospital, 38 surgeries, and several infections later, Goose returned to the field as an assistant coach for the Growlers on May 3, almost a year-and-a-half since the accident.
It was Thursday, Jan. 12, 2022. Kaela Helton was at work when she got a call from her husband Goose. She knew Goose left work early on beautiful, calm afternoons like that one to ride his motorcycle into the mountains.
“He has a speaker in his helmet,” she said. “He called me from the ground seconds after the accident… I answered. He just said, ‘I was in an accident. It’s bad. Come find me.”
4. Dodgers embark on six-game road trip after short slide
The Dodgers look to get back on track during a week-long road trip after a disappointing series against the Arizona Diamondbacks., writes The Sporting Tribune’s Grant Mona.
Coming off of a great series win against the Cincinnati Reds, the Dodgers looked to finish their homestand on a hot streak. Then they hit a brick wall.
They lost two out of three games to the Arizona Diamondbacks and looked like a team that suddenly lost their way.
Gavin Stone came into Tuesday’s matchup with a 1.38 ERA in the four starts prior, but got roughed up, allowing four runs and eight hits over six innings.
Tyler Glasnow, who had been up and down all season, has a 3.09 ERA after five innings and three earned runs Wednesday. Everything was going well for Glasnow in the pitcher’s duel, but he crumbled in the fifth inning, allowing three runs and ending his night.
5. Kings begin another offseason after loss to Oilers
The Kings were eliminated by the Oilers yet again, and will look to fix their glaring issues while also navigating the salary cap, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Andrew Giesler.
The Los Angeles Kings made the playoffs for the third year in a row — and were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers for the third year in a row. Likely the greatest Oilers squad that has been seen since the Gretzky era, the Kings were doomed for failure in the 5 game series.
Since then, the Oilers knocked off their Canadian rival Vancouver Canucks during a 7 game series, and now look to fight the talented Dallas Stars.
Although it was a rather quick series, Los Angeles did show some signs of life. Going into the series the game plan was rather obvious: slow down the speed of Edmonton.
Game 1 was a very poor example of this, as the Oilers overpowered the Kings in every aspect of the game. Connor McDavid had 5 assists, Zach Hyman had a hat trick, and Evan Bouchard had 4 assists. The 7-4 loss made everyone question if the Oilers were that good or if the Kings were that bad.
6. Eternal Fire wins Counter-Strike Champion Of Champions Tour
Eternal Fire ran through the group stage of the Counter-Strike tournament, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Patrick O’Leary.
After over a year and a half, the inaugural season of the Counter-Strike 2 Champion of Champions Tour (CCT) concluded with a bang. 16 titans of the Esports world clashed in the Global Finals for over a week.
Squads from around the world poured everything they had into the tournament to be crowned the champion of champions. By the end, one team stood above the rest and emerged victorious: Turkey’s Eternal Fire.
Eternal Fire ran through the group stage of the Counter-Strike tournament. They won a total of four matches between two sets beating Parivision and Saw on their way to a playoff birth. Denmark’s Astralis shared in this early dominance as they too went perfect in the group stage, sweeping both Big and BetBoom (BB) to advance to the next stage.
Liquid Alienware was not too far behind, dispatching each squad they played easily en route to the next stage. Gamer Legion sweat out both their sets with Fnatic and Gamin Gladiators but ended up victorious in both and advancing. Despite each losing a set, Amkal, Aurora, ENCE and BetBoom, bounced back and finish second in their respective groups. This allowed the teams to punch their ticket to the tournament’s playoff stage as they competed for the CCT title.
7. Video of the Day
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8. Ticket Time
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today:
6:30 p.m. – Guardians at Angels – $10
7:00 p.m. – Fever at Sparks – $72
9. On the Air
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today:
4:00 p.m. – Dodgers at Reds – SportsNet LA
6:30 p.m. – Guardians at Angels – Bally Sports West
7:00 p.m. – Fever at Sparks – Ion
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