What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on here …
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- The Irrelevant Week schedule is set. The annual local celebration of the last pick in the NFL draft, Mississippi quarterback Chad Kelly, taken No. 253 (and last, yep) overall by the Denver Broncos, begins with Kelly’s arrival at John Wayne Airport the evening of June 29 and really gets going June 30 with the Lowsman Banquet at the Balboa Bay Resort (Lakers play-by-play man and ESPN Radio host John Ireland again is the master of ceremonies). Also included in the fun is a beach party July 1.
- Irrelevant Week, started in 1967 by local legend Paul Salata and now led by daughter Melanie Fitch, is a major charity fundraising event. All of the pertinent information, like schedules of the multitude of Irrelevant Week activities and more, can be found at irrelevantweek.com.
- Kelly, 6-foot-2 and 224 pounds, is a nephew and godson of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly. A draft analysis of Kelly at NFL.com included, “Don’t be surprised if (he) makes the final cut as Denver’s No. 3 QB.”
- Colorado Rockies star third baseman Nolan Arenado provided the funds for the installation of a roof over the batting cage at his alma mater, El Toro High in Lake Forest. Arenado regularly stops by El Toro’s baseball facility to hit and hang out during the off-season or when there is a opportunity during the season.
This guy stopped by for some cage work and Congratulating @eltorobaseball on their Championship @Rockies @MLB #nolanbeingnolan 🏆#2008 🏆#2017 pic.twitter.com/m1EeWBkAJC
— chargers (@eltorobaseball) June 6, 2017
- The visual memory here of 17-season MLB veteran Jimmy Piersall, who died Saturday, is of Piersall as an Angel in 1966 shagging flies during batting practice at Anaheim Stadium and tossing balls he caught to kids in the stands. He was the first player I saw regularly throw baseballs to kids.
- The Major League Baseball Draft is June 12-14. Baseball America’s latest draft projections have the Minnesota Twins using their No. 1 overall pick on Vanderbilt right-handed pitcher Kyle Wright. Baseball America has shortstop Royce Lewis, of JSerra High in San Juan Capistrano, going to Tampa Bay as the No. 4 overall pick, and Huntington Beach High first baseman/outfielder Nick Pratto being drafted by the Mets at No. 20 overall.
- UCLA right-handed pitcher Griffin Canning, who went to Santa Margarita High in Rancho Santa Margarita, is projected by Baseball America to be selected by the Orioles as the No. 21 overall pick.
- Baseball America has the Angels, with the No. 10 pick, taking University of Virginia outfielder Adam Haseley. The Dodgers are projected to use their No. 23 pick to take Mobile, Ala. high school outfielder Bubba Thompson … and isn’t that the perfect name for a hot-shot athlete from Alabama?
- Ex-Angels pitcher Bartolo Colon, now with the Braves, is the MLB active leader in career wins, with 235. The big fella is struggling, though – 24 runs allowed over his last 11 innings.
- Before Albert Pujols slammed his 600th career home run Saturday, it had been six years since a player hit his 600th – Jim Thome, in 2011. That was the longest gap between players reaching 600 homers since the 31-year gap between Hank Aaron (1971) and Barry Bonds (2002).
- Pujols’ 445 homers with the Cardinals are second in that franchise’s history. Stan Musial hit 475 with the Cards.
- The Angels were 14-15 in May. The AL West-leading Houston Astros were 22-7 in May.
- The Dodgers went 19-9 in May.
- The Dodgers are 4-5 this season against the Colorado Rockies. The Dodgers next play the Rockies in a three-game series at Dodger Stadium, June 23-25.
- Then come four Angels-Dodgers games – June 26 and 27 at Dodger Stadium, and June 28-29 at Angel Stadium. All four are night games.
- According to your contract you can take a very long lunch break Wednesday, June 7, and go to the Dodgers’ afternoon home game against Washington. The scheduled starting pitchers are Clayton Kershaw (7-2, 2.28 ERA) and Stephen Strasburg (7-1, 2.91 ERA). They have never pitched against each other.
- ESPN’s MLB power rankings has the Astros at No. 1. Others: 2. Washington; 3. Dodgers; 5. Colorado; 6. Arizona; 19. Angels; and at No. 30, and last, Philadelphia.
- One of the all-time great baseball annual publications, “Who’s Who in Baseball,” was not published this year. It had a 101-year run. That handy book provided the statistics, both majors and minors, and transactions history of every player in the majors that particular season.
- Orange High alum Steve Johnson, a rising star in men’s tennis, is doing his best dealing with the sudden death of his father Steve Sr. last month. Johnson managed to advance to the third round of the French Open, where he lost to Australia’s Dominic Thiem. Johnson, 27, already is in Stuttgart, Germany, where he has some family visiting as he prepares to play there in the ATP Mercedes Cup that begins June 12.
- Santa Anita of course has all sorts of ticket packages on Saturday for its simulcast of the Belmont Stakes. And the beautiful track in Arcadia (ace trainer Bob Baffert said it’s the most beautiful track in the nation, and that’s good enough for me) has plenty of Father’s Day plans. Go to SantaAnita.com for the information.
- ABC should have the score displayed whenever it cuts to commercial. ABC shows a big FINALS logo but the score is never incorporated as the telecasts transition to commercials.
- LaVar Ball won’t be a problem in the NBA because NBA coaches and executives will look at him as just some nutty NJB dad.