Bay Area Buzz 5/28 : No More Doubting Donaldson, Sharks Have Loose Locker Room
By Eric He
May 27, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) throws the ball to first base against the San Francisco Giants during the fourth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
"Josh Donaldson plays like he’s still working with house money, but soon he may find that he’s been at it long enough to know how to play with his own.As Oakland’s everyday third baseman, Donaldson has had the kind of year that would be noticed far more if he didn’t share the position and the league with Miguel Cabrera, Evan Longoria, Manny Machado and Adrian Beltre. Monday, he made a diving stop to foil a Buster Posey base hit, and in the bottom of that inning hit a two-run homer to power Los Elefantes to a 4-1 win over the Giants.– Ray Ratto, CSN Bay Area"
San Jose Sharks’ Loose Locker-Room Vibe Might Be an Asset in Game 7
"In the 2010 baseball playoffs, the Giants famously put together a roster of what manager Bruce Bochy called “misfits” and rode their underdog role to a World Series title. Todd McLellan, the Sharks’ coach, has a similar phrase he uses for the men on his team who’ve brought unique glue to the group. McLellan calls them the “unusual suspects.”McLellan does not know how or when he came up with the phrase. But it fits. There is Burish, the prankster. There is Burns and his Sasquatch facial hair. There is Scott Gomez, the chatterbox veteran. There is TJ Galiardi, who took a stupid interference penalty in Game 5 against Kings goalie Jonathan Quick that helped lead to the Sharks’ defeat — but then came back Sunday to score the eventual winning goal in Game 6.“There’s a different feeling,” said Logan Couture, standing across the room. “Guys are having fun with this.”– Mark Purdy, San Jose Mercury News"
Dwight Howard, Golden State Rumors Shouldn’t Be Worried About
"The Lakers and the Warriors have only made two trades in the last 23 years. Terry Teagle for Shawn Vandiver in 1990 and Pig Miller for Dwayne Whitfield in 1994. It is extremely rare for teams within the same division to make a trade and even more rare when a player the caliber of Dwight Howard is at the center of it. I know the Suns traded Steve Nash to the Lakers last year but that was more a case of the Suns accommodating Nash for years of loyalty so that he could play for a contender and still be close to his kids.There’s a reason why teams don’t like making trades within their division. Who wants to be haunted by the player they gave away for years and years? Teams don’t prefer to make trades within their own conference, let alone their own division. Do people really think the Lakers would sign-and-trade 27-year-old Dwight to the Warriors and help create a divisional dynasty with Dwight, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Harrison Barnes?– Andrew Ungvari, Lakers Nation"