ScotSports.com Blog

Wow - LA lost again tonight, which makes Clayton Kershaw's start tomorrow night the next chance the slumping Dodgers have to right the ship and clinch the NL West pennant.

I've got credentials for tomorrow, and will be headed to Chavez Ravine to watch the game. I'm expecting to have a blast - the Dodgers can clinch, and it's our hometown boy on the mound to help them do it. First pitch is set for 9:10 p.m. Dallas time - too bad the game's not on national cable anywhere.

I hope Kershaw does well enough to want to talk about it after the game. Kershaw last only four innings in his last start, and the Dodgers will be monitoring his pitch count closely as the second-year pro auditions for a spot in LA's postseason starting rotation.

Any coach will tell you, sometimes the ball bounces your way for no reason.

I'm out in LA this weekend at an internet conference, and as luck handed it to me, the only free night I have is Saturday. Guess who's pitching for the Dodgers at home on Saturday - Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw's been injured lately, if you've been reading the blog, and this will be his only home start before the playoffs.

And, oh yeah, the Dodgers just happen to be in the final week of a pennant chase. So Kershaw could be pitching for the pennant on Saturday, making for a crazy atmosphere.

One of the first stories we published at ScotSports.com was Kershaw's return to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington back in June. It will be fun to catch up with him after what is probably the most important start of his career.

Clayton Kershaw was held to 77 pitches Sunday, but showed enough stuff to strike out four batters while throwing a four-hitter in LA's 6-5 loss in Pittsburgh. The Dodgers' bullpen lost a three-run lead in the bottom of the ninth inning to prevent the team from clinching the National League West Division. LA has already clinched a playoff berth.

Kershaw was on a pitch count in his first start in three weeks since separating his right (non-throwing) shoulder running into the fence at Dodger Stadium. He pitched two innings of relief last week in Washington to test the shoulder before Sunday's start.

"He was fine," LA manager Joe Torre told MLB.com. "It was good to get him out there and get competition under his belt. His stuff was good. He probably could be more consistent with his location."

Kershaw said his right arm felt "good" and his left arm felt "great" in the same published story. He said he struggled with command of his slider and wanted to go deeper into the game, but figured he would in his last start next weekend.

Kershaw's next start will be Saturday in Los Angeles against Colorado. He is currently slated to pitch one of the first three playoff games for the Dodgers. 

HP enters the 2009-10 boys basketball season with a schedule that looks a lot like last year's, but with a few feature home games coming to Highlander Fieldhouse.

The season opener is at home Tue., Nov. 17 against TCA-Addison, followed by the annual Scot Classic from Nov. 19-21. HP fans can watch the Scot at home against Richardson (Dec. 1) and Cedar Hill (Dec. 4), but will then have to wait more than a month to see HP play in Highlander again. Road trips to Flower Mound Marucs, the three-day Burkburnett Tournament, Richardson Pearce for the district opener and Everman highlight the December schedule.

HP will also play in the Dallas ISD/Coca-Cola Tournament for a third consecutive season. District play follows.

Clayton Kerhsaw returned to the mound Tuesday, pitching two innings in a relief role for the Dodgers at Washington. Kershaw struck out four of the seven batters he faced and walked one, but most importantly didn't show any problem signs on his right (non-throwing) shoulder during the brief appearance in LA's 14-2 win.

Kershaw has been out three weeks recovering from a shoulder injury suffered when he ran into a scoreboard in the Dodger Stadium outfield during batting practice.

The ex-HP fireballer is slated to start LA's game Sunday in Pittsburgh.

HP's crew team has been hard at work since Aug. 10 preparing for the 2009-10 season that is coming up rapidly on the calendar.

There are 54 members on the team, making HP Crew one of the largest participation sports at HPHS. There are three regattas planned for the fall season:

Oct. 3-4 -- Boot of the Oklahoma, Oklahoma City
Oct. 31 - Head of the Colorado, Austin
Nov. 7-8 - Head of the Hooch, Chattanooga, Tenn.

I wrote a story on the crew program during its infancy three years ago. It's a great sport for the every-student, and I remember being impressed with the cross-section of student-athletes on its roster. A third of the team - 18 rowers - are novice rowers, meaning its popularity among sports options is still high with newcomers still trying it out.

Perhaps the heavy rains Dallas has been under the last week or so came as a signal that it's swim season at Highland Park.

The Blue Wave get underway with their 2009-10 season at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Frisco Sprint Meet at the Frisco ISD Natatorium. It's an invitational meet where the top Class 4A teams in the regional are expected to attend. It's also a benchmark to see where the swimmers are in their training compared to the start of the season last year and the times the produced in the postseason.

The HP girls are the nine-time defending state champions. The Blue Wave boys were sixth in the state last year.

The Scots (7-0, 3-0), ranked No. 1 in the state 4A poll, face Plano West, No. 2 in the state 5A poll, this afternoon at Gleneagles Country Club in Plano. It's a good precursor for how the postseason might shape up for HP, in that it's the best team they'll face until the playoffs now that HP has dispatched Richardson Pearce 17-2 in district play.

Since 2003, HP is 13-0 against Plano West, one of the state contenders in Class 5A. HP beat Plano West 10-6 in the final of last month's HP-Plano West Invitational. Match time Monday is 4 p.m. at GCC.

Clayton Kershaw should be able to return to the Dodgers' pitching lineup this week after three weeks of rehab on his right (non-throwing) shoulder. LA manager Joe Torre said in an MLB.com story that he wants Kershaw, one of the National League's top pitchers statistically, to start twice in the Dodgers' final 12 games.

Torre said the plan was for Kershaw to pitch relief Wednesday, and then start in the rotation this weekend during a series in Pittsburgh. Kershaw threw a bullpen session during the eighth inning on Sunday, and has said he's ready to go.

 Torre wants to go more conservatively as he plans for what should be a four-man Dodgers rotation for the playoffs. Despite Kershaw's success, he is not a shoe-in for a starting role in the postseason.

Kershaw injured the shoulder three weeks ago running into an outfield scoreboard at Dodger Stadium while shagging fly balls. It was soreness and range-of-motion issues, not surgery, that made him miss three starts.

HP is cruising along again in its team tennis schedule heading into its busiest stretch of the season. The Scots play at the Coppell Doubles Tournament all day Saturday, where it should see some of the top competition from around the state. It is a doubles-only tournament that HP has fared well at in the past.

The Scots (7-0, 3-0) are coming off a dominating 17-2 win over Richardson Pearce on Tuesday. HP is ranked No. 1 in the state, Pearce is No. 2.

On Monday, HP and Plano West renew their annual tradition of playing a match at Gleneagles Country Club in Plano. Since 2003, HP is 13-0 against Plano West, one of the state contenders in Class 5A. HP beat Plano West 10-6 in the final of last month's HP-Plano West Invitational. Match time Monday is 4 p.m. at GCC.

HP will be playing its top lineup against Plano West, which allows it to use many of its second-level players for Tuesday's 4 p.m. district match against Carrollton Turner at the HP Tennis Center.