Thanks to a pitching staff in absolute shambles, the Dodgers are currently in last place in the pedestrian National League West and owner of MLB’s second-worst record (8-13). 21 games into the season, three of the Dodgers five-man starting pitching rotation have an ERA over 5.00 and two of those hurlers, Vincente Padilla and Charlie Haeger, have earned run averages over 7.

(Colletti gave Kemp a piece of his mind)

With the team five games under .500, highlighting the Dodger pitching woes is an offense that is third in MLB in hits and batting average.

Despite those facts, General Manager Ned Colletti chose to lash out at Matt Kemp on Wednesday for his poor play on a L.A. radio show. (Kemp is currently hitting .292 and second in the major leagues with seven home runs.)

Not surprisingly, Kemp and his agent Dave Stewart were distinctly displeased with Colletti’s seemingly misplaced priorities. Stewart went so far to hint that Colletti’s comments might come into play once Kemp is contractually free to leave the team.

So what was it that had Kemp and Stewart so upset? Read more…

Here’s some photos from a recent GQ Magazine photo feature with Rihanna’s “ummm…boyfriend” Matt Kemp.

(Key never heard of Trichophytonrubrum?)

Kemp to GQ on the Tabloid magnet:

“That’s a good friend of mine,” Kemp says cryptically but politely. “We hang out and have fun.”

Read more…

In the latest newsstand issue of STAR MAGAZINE, the tabloid reports offline that when Matt Kemp returns from Los Angeles Dodgers Spring Training in Arizona in a week, he’ll move in to the L.A. home of his girlfriend, Rihanna:

Rihanna is getting a new roomate! The singer, 22, invited her L.A. Dodgers star beau, Matt Kemp, to move into her Los Angeles home, an insider reveals. “He had boxes of his things brought over in mid-March. He’s training in Arizona now, but when he’s back he’ll be at her place.”

Still., the slugger, 25, is playing it safe. “He’s keeping his house, to see how things go,”adds the insider. “But they are so in love.”

Just in time for opening day, which’ll allow Rihanna to extract the most publicity possible from the relationship. Complete coincidence I’m sure.

So who is the happiest guy in town over this development? It isn’t Kemp. Read more…

Matt Kemp guested on Fox Sports Radio on Thursday, chatting with co-hosts Chris Myers and Steve Hartman. Both hosts wasted little time in noting Kemp’s relationship with Rihanna while pressing for details.

(Awww, hopeless romantics those two!)

Hartman first pointed out Rihanna’s recent birthday before asking Kemp, “Did you buy her a diamond necklace?”

Kemp to Hartman: “C’mon guys… (laughs) … y’all are killing me, man.“

Myers: “Are you guys dating, can you clarify that?”

Kemp: “That’s just a good friend of mine. A very good friend of mine we enjoying hanging out with each other and just having fun.”

Hartman then asked Kemp what common interests the two have. Read more…

Photo from the Phoenix-area residence where Los Angeles Dodger Matt Kemp threw a birthday party for Rihanna yesterday:

Nice to see Kemp finally learned something from Lasorda.

Rihanna guested on KBIG-FM in Los Angeles this morning and was asked by host Sean Valentine if she was going to the Grammy Awards Show with Matt Kemp.

(Still hangin’ on?)

“I’m going to the Grammy’s alone, as I always have, even when I was in a relationship. I’m still single if that’s what you really want to ask.”

On her vacation to Cabo with Kemp: “Yeah, it was a blast.”

Sadly, Valentine did not press her beyond those comments, but she said enough for people to figure out what’s up.

Read more…

On January 25, 2002, Mike Strain of the THE OKLAHOMAN reported the following from a story titled, “Midwest City stars named in rape complaint.”

(Kemp with Rihanna, who was previously a victim of domestic abuse)

Midwest City basketball stars Shelden Williams and De’Angelo Alexander, along with another teammate, have been named in a rape complaint in Columbus, Ohio, according to a police report obtained by The Oklahoman. Named as suspects on the report are Williams, 18; Alexander, 17; and Matthew R. Kemp, 17.

The alleged incident took place on Jan. 20, 2002, at a Columbus, Ohio, hotel.

Read more…

Thursday I wrote how the decision to hook up with tabloid magnet Rihanna had come back to haunt Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp. Because of the undue publicity wrought by Kemp’s conquest, a 2008 restraining order against him by Felisha Terrell was brought to light.

(Kemp’s ex-girlfriend Felisha Terrell seen with Terrell Owens)

One of Kemp’s handlers, Lonnie Murray, sent out this statement to the media about the restraining order on Friday: “Matt Kemp dated Felisha Terrell about two years ago for a short period when they moved in with each other. Approximately one month later he decided to end their relationship. She chose to file a complaint and shortly thereafter, on her own accord, decided to drop it based on the fact that the statements made within were false.”

Enter David D. Diamond, the attorney for Terrell, who now says his client was indeed the victim of “betrayal” and “abuse” by Kemp.

Read more…

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp recently hooked up with Tabloid magnet Rihanna and now he’s paying the price.

(And then there’s this)

Soon after the rendezvous and not coincidentally, the LONDON DAILY MIRROR tabloid (of all outlets!) found a former girlfriend of Kemp’s, Felisha Terrell, who said she took a restraining order out against the Dodger in 2008 because of a “violent and abusive” behavior that led to Kemp to getting “kicked out of a club for fighting with a woman.”

The urban gossip blogs have since gone wild with the story, killing Kemp’s reputation to millions of internet users. Meanwhile though, the Brit tabloid has completely wiped the story from its site. But what Mirror editors couldn’t erase is the Yahoo News aggregator that has since picked up the story.

Read more…

Here’s some photos of Los Angeles Dodger Matt Kemp and Rihanna during a recent trip to Cabo:

The two are at a hotel pool.

Not to be crude, but that’s one of the reasons I never take baths in hotel rooms and always burn that disgusting foam rubber bedspread appointment hoteliers privilege us with.

But enough about mattress mites, is Kemp’s coupling with Rihanna something Dodger fans should be concerned about? Perhaps not right this moment, but if the relationship continues, Kemp is going to be looking at infinitely more media scrutiny than he’s used to.

Read more…