- B. Shoals names Hedo Turkoglu as one of five NBA players he expects will "will lose ground or tread ugly, stagnant water in the coming months" after having a great season last year:
Given the abnormal nature of Hedo's rise, it's hard to not think it wasn't also something of a fluke -- another marker of the MLB career year. What's more, now teams are approaching him, not [Rashard] Lewis, as the Magic's number two. So while he's obviously found a good situation in the Magic, there's no way the high continues unabated.
With opposing teams shifting their defensive focus from Rashard Lewis to Turkoglu, I agree with Shoals insofar as I doubt Hedo will duplicate last season's success in the coming season. However, it's possible that Lewis will pick up that slack, at least from a scoring standpoint. Last season, Turk averaged 19.5 points to Lewis' 18.2. Would anyone be surprised if Lewis' and Turk's scoring averages flip-flopped as a result of the focus on Hedo? I know I wouldn't be. In any case, an increase in 'Shard's offense could mitigate a decrease in Turk's offense, and the Magic wouldn't be any worse off.
- Dwight Howard threw the first pitch in the Tampa Bay Rays' convincing 10-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox last night. Ball Don't Lie has a photo, and 3QC reader David pointed me to the video from Bugs and Cranks. Thanks, David.
- Be sure to check out DRaysBay, SB Nation's Rays blog, as Tampa Bay looks to make the postseason for the first time in franchise history. We're rooting for them at 3QC, especially since our beloved Yankees are done-for.
That's a wrap for the night. Have a good one. Drop news in the FanShots and commentary in the FanPosts, if the mood strikes you.