It doesn't take long for a legend to be created in Hollywood.
The brightest star in the Hollywood galaxy these days is a 22-year-old Cuban ballplayer by the name of Yasiel Puig, who in the space of less than a week became a household name in Major League Baseball.
Puig, who tried to defect in 2011, was punished for his actions and kept out of baseball. In 2012, he successfully defected, taking up residence in Mexico and declaring himself a free agent. The Dodgers signed him for more than $40 million over seven years.
The Dodgers, who have among the highest payrolls in MLB and among the worst records, need all the help they can get and Puig was finally called up from the minors on June 2 when injuries decimated the Dodgers outfield.
And what a first week!
All the young slugger did was smash four home runs in his first five games, including a grand slam, becoming only the second player in the history of the game to get so many homers in his first five games. His 10 RBI through those five games tied a major-league rookie mark.
He wasn't just a home-run machine. Puig was perfect on defence in right field and built a .421 batting average through five games. He also picked up his first intentional walk, in a game against Atlanta, the surest sign of respect from an opponent.
"It's been storybook," manager Don Mattingly told MLB.com. "I'm talking on the bench and saying if a guy gets a hit he's going to hit it to Puig and he's going to throw him out at the plate . . . It's just crazy stuff every night. Nothing really surprises us anymore."
Braves pitcher Paul Maholm, touched for Puig's fourth homer that tied the game 1-1 and eventually won 2-1 by the Dodgers on a wild pitch in the 10th inning, isn't quite ready to have Puig pose for a Hall of Fame bust.
"He's hot and it happens. . . . obviously he's talented. The league is going to make adjustments to him and he's going to have to make adjustments. He's a free-swinger. So you've just got to make pitches."
So far, those pitches have been regularly finding the outfield seats.
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: "The NFL has announced that it is moving its draft to May and will be held on the same weekend as The Players Championship. Translation: Nobody is going to pay attention to one of golf's biggest tournaments. The TPC will be like the guy singing karaoke in the lobby of the Amway Center during the Paul McCartney concert."
Greg Cote of the Miami Herald, writing about the greatness of LeBron James and the Miami Heat and the pathetic Miami Marlins owned by Jeffrey Loria: "I must apologize for even mentioning Loria in the same sentence as LeBron. It's as if I'm spooning dog poo onto the plate beside the filet mignon."
Cote again: "Marlins wives lost to Rays wives in an annual fun game. On a brighter note, the Marlins wives then went out and defeated their husbands."
Comedy writer Jim Barach: "A Minnesota woman running in a half marathon developed back pain that led to her giving birth when she didn't even know she was pregnant. Which meant when filling out the baby's birth certificate, where it said "race" she put down "did not finish."
R.J. Currie of sportsdeke.com: "Maria Sharapova is on a 12-match losing skid against Serena Williams. One solution? Cover more baselines and fewer magazines."
Among the top 10 Alex Rodriguez excuses, from CBS's David Letterman:
- "It was a cry for help - like dating Madonna.
-"Asked myself, 'What would Lance Armstrong do?'?"
AP's Steven Wine, on all the grunting during the Maria Sharapova-Victoria Azarenka semifinal at the French Open: "They sounded as if they were pushing a stalled Peugeot across lanes of traffic in the Arc de Triomphe."
Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: "Think Sid the Kid has gotten the reputation as a whiner? Said a JetBlue pilot, en route to Boston, over the intercom when a baby began acting up: "Is that Sidney Crosby in the back crying?
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, about the $570 million Powerball lottery winner from Florida: "Can you imagine making hundreds of millions of dollars just for driving to the convenience store and buying a ticket? That's almost as impressive as Chris Bosh, who makes hundreds of millions of dollars just for standing around and watching LeBron do all the work."
Blogger Bill Littlejohn: "A skunk made an appearance in the stands at Dodger Stadium last night. Scouting reports said that he's a pretty good spray hitter."
Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com: "Wednesday's Blue Jays Giants game was a 100 mph pitchers' duel. R.A. Dickey and Barry Zito combined might throw 100 mph.
Another one from Currie: "LeBron James was fined $5,000 for flopping against the Pacers. There's one minute, seven seconds pay he'll never get back."
