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RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. - About an hour before first pitch, Clayton Kershaw sits in the middle of left field, not stretching. Two months since his last start, hes alone, with his hat on and his knees bent, lost in thought. The crowd of reverent fans, many clad in Dodger blue with No. 22 on their backs, form a mass on the left-field wall and raise their phones above their heads and to the right, as if drawn to a magnet.This isnt Dodger Stadium but LoanMart Field -- home to the Quakes, the Dodgers Class A advanced affiliate. And for the past hour, starting at around 5 p.m., fans have been lining up and piling in, ready to see the best pitcher on the planet pitch against the Modesto Nuts.News came the day before that Kershaw would start here as part of a rehab assignment, his first live-game action since June 26 in Pittsburgh. Saturday nights are already the most popular, because its fireworks night, said Mike Lindskog, the voice of the Quakes on FoxSports 1350. But when the word came that Kershaw was pitching, it took 30 minutes to sell out.Fans quickly noticed the difference. It only gets anywhere close to this on bobblehead nights, one fan said.At 7:05 p.m. Kershaw took the mound, wearing home white and No. 40, every eye in the ballpark fixated on the mound. Few of the 4,700 in attendance milled about at concessions or the team store. Everyone wanted to see the star throw.Kershaw started with two easy strikeouts and retired the third batter with a grounder to short. Another strikeout started the second. On the next batter, Kershaw threw one of those curveballs that floats over the top, then drops in for a strike, eliciting rousing oohs and aahs from the crowd. He got his fifth strikeout to open the third, then allowed his only hit when Modestos Robbie Perkins dribbled a ball just past home plate and catcher Will Smith?was off target on the throw to first. A 6-4-3 double play ensured Kershaw left the game with no balls making it out of the infield.And just like that, after some 20 minutes on the mound Kershaw was done. He threw 34 pitches on the night, 23 of which were strikes, with his fastball hitting 94 mph. After leaving the game, Kershaw threw about 15 more pitches in the bullpen to reach his pitch count. The crowd congregated again along the left-field wall, phones in hand, peering over each other at Kershaw working.Hes obviously the best pitcher Ive ever caught, said Smith, a Dodgers first-round selection out of Louisville in 2015. I got to learn a bit from him.The biggest differences, Smith said, were in Kershaws command and sequence of pitches. His slider was nasty, and his fastball was pretty good. That curveball, which wasnt really on tonight, but when hes got that on, you can see why hes NL MVP.It was when talking about the curveball, which Kershaw himself said wasnt up to par, that Smith had the widest eyes.After Kershaw left the bullpen, the mass of fans drifted to the nondescript green door marking the home teams clubhouse exit. A metal gate and a law enforcement officer stood between the fans and the door, and the crowd ballooned up the stairway for more than half an hour, waiting for Kershaw to come out. Where is Clayton Kershaw? one girl asked loudly of her mother.Finally, Kershaw emerged, taller than the fans and employees. Wearing a dark blue shirt and blue equipment bag over his right shoulder, he walked slowly down the outdoor corridor with fans following in a trail outside the gate. He didnt smile and didnt speak, looking calm but tired. He stopped near the front of the gate and signed some balls amid clamoring cheers. He walked past more crowd, signed more balls and exited toward a black Suburban.After the start, Kershaw said he thought hed pitch in the majors in four or five days, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has since confirmed hell be back on the mound in Miami on Friday. But for one night in Rancho Cucamonga, with just three innings pitched, Kershaw was the main event.With the black Suburban gone, the crowd dispersed back into the corridors and the walkways to catch the rest of the game. But one member of the Quakes staff stood for a moment, looking back at the now deserted gate, and said, That was awesome.Cheap Air Max 97 All White China . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. Cheap Air Max 97 Pink China . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. http://www.cheapairmax97fromchina.com/cheap-air-max-97-purple-china/ . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Cheap Air Max 97 Red China . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. Air Max 97 Cheap Womens . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011.Then there were two races to go in the NASCAR Sprint Cup season. I hope its been profitable, fun and spiritually fulfilling. Im going to assume that it was.Before we move on, lets take a look back at Texas. Hey, look who was all over the top of the DraftKings points chart! Three of the top four and four of the top seven points earners drove a Gibbs -- or a Gibbs-affiliated -- machine.Carl Edwards won the race, being out front when the race was shortened due to rain, after it had been delayed several hours due to rain. But he just finished third in fantasy points, behind Joey Logano, who dominated with 178 laps led, and Martin Truex Jr., with another top-notch race on a 1.5-mile track.Hopefully you got on board with my top midvalue pick in Kasey Kahne, who started 31st and finished eighth. He didnt lead a lap or register a fastest lap, but that day was good for 59 points, fifth-best in the field.This week, we make a visit to Phoenix, a flat one-mile track that we have already visited this season, but way back in March.Unlike other short tracks, the laps here are somewhat limited, the race is scheduled for 312 laps, as opposed to a mile-long track like Dover, where theyll run 400. So you wouldnt expect to see big numbers for laps led here, and thats true to a point, but more on that in a minute.The other point to focus on is that passing is tough at the track, and the rear of the field will be nearly a lap down when the race begins. Therefore, youll want to grab some of the starters in the front of the field for your own benefit.Four of the top five average scoring starting positions at Phoenix are one, two, three and four. Earlier this season, Gibbs cars started 1-2-3, and they finished 2-3-4.Who was one, you might ask?Im starting my team with...This is the easiest move Ill make all year, but Kevin Harvick is as good at Phoenix as any driver is at any track right now. During the past three seasons, there have been five races at Phoenix. Harvick has beeen the highest-scoring fantasy driver in all of them.ddddddddddddNo driver besides Harvick has broken the 100-point barrier in a single race. Harvick has AVERAGED 147.2 points per race. The next highest mark is 51.5 points per race. There have been 1,468 laps run at Phoenix in those five races. Harvick has led 994 of them.I think Ive made my point that will earn you points.Keep an eye on these four...Kyle Busch: Busch led 75 laps at Phoenix earlier this season and has finished fourth in the past two Phoenix races. Hes shown he can also put big numbers for laps led up at Phoenix, putting up 113 in the 2010 spring race and 237 in the 2012 Chase race. Hes also the leading points earner on flatter, shorter tracks this season.Carl Edwards: Edwards already has his spot in the Championship Round all locked up, so it remains to see how aggressive hell be at Phoenix. But if it takes the pressure off, it could lead to another strong Phoenix race. He finished second at Phoenix earlier this year, leading 65 laps with 39 fastest laps. Hes a two-time winner at the track, as well.Ryan Blaney: Blaney has only run one Cup race at Phoenix, finishing 10th earlier this season. He continues to run around the mid-$7,000s in cost, but he has the upside of a top-10 finish. Hes finished in the top 20 in three of the past four races on shorter flat tracks. And hes on a run of four straight top-20 finishes overall, regardless of track type.Landon Cassill: Cassill has been a solid low-cost fantasy play this season, more than just rounding out your roster. He finished 25th at Phoenix earlier this season, his first race there with Front Row Motorsports. If he didnt start 27th -- he often starts lower in the field -- hed earn more than 27 points.Thats all I have for you this week. We dont get out to the Southwest often, so enjoy some TexMex this week. ' ' '