Daily Distractions: Ned Colletti discusses Yasiel Puig’s impact.

Ned Colletti

Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti compared Clayton Kershaw favorably to Greg Maddux on ESPN Radio this morning. (Getty Images)

Ned Colletti talked with Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio this morning.

That’s noteworthy in itself – ESPN’s national programs often don’t bother to analyze teams, coaches and athletes west of the Mississippi – but it’s not the story. The story is that the Dodgers are 19-3 since the All-Star break, and the interview with ESPN Radio is a byproduct of the Dodgers’ dominance.

Yasiel Puig was among the topics of discussion. Cowherd offered this only-on-ESPN nugget about Puig getting called up from Double-A in June: “I’m not saying it had a Lebron or Tom Brady impact, but it did seem to rub off on other guys.” (That really puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?)

Colletti agreed. He recalled Puig’s outfield assist from the right-field warning track to double up Chris Denorfia for the final out of his debut game back on June 3. More specifically, he recalled Andre Ethier‘s reaction: “The look on his face, when the TV caught it … was like, ‘wow.’ To see a Major League Baseball player have that look on his face, that tells you he saw something unique and special in it.”

Colletti went on to say that there have been many heroes during the Dodgers’ special run. He credited team chemistry, saying “everybody gets along with everybody,” which echoed Zack Greinke‘s Jackie Moon-esque declaration that “everybody loves everybody” from a couple weeks ago.

Some bullet points for an International Youth Day:

• One important factoid that didn’t make last night’s game story: The Dodgers are in the midst of the best 45-game stretch in MLB since the Kansas City Royals’ 37-8 run from Aug. 17-Sept. 30, 1977, and the best stretch for an NL club since the 1953 Dodgers went 37-8. That streak started with the second game of a doubleheader on July 19 and ended Sept. 1.

• In case you missed our latest Dodgers notebook, Hanley Ramirez isn’t sure when he’ll be back.

According to MLB, last night’s telecast drew a 5.5 rating in Los Angeles, making it the highest-rated MLB game on ESPN in Los Angeles since at least 1999.

• Greinke had a rather, um, interesting exchange with A.J. Ellis in June.

MLB.com has an interesting historical footnote about the 1914 Miracle (Boston) Braves and how it relates to the Dodgers.

John Baker, the catcher at Triple-A Albuquerque whom the Dodgers designated for assignment last week, has a fantastic Twitter handle (@manbearwolf). It’s a shame he hasn’t updated his feed in almost two years.

Jose Abreu is in Haiti. Who’s Jose Abreu, you ask? Only the best hitter in Cuba. Grantland.com has a primer. One must believe the Dodgers have seen him multiple times, given their multiple looks at Yasiel Puig before he signed a year ago.

Curt Schilling had a heart attack.

• The Giants are reviewing surveillance footage after Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones tweeted Sunday night that a fan threw banana at him.

• I fell down a musical rabbit hole this morning. Found Ramsey Lewis’ version of “Something You Got”:

Then I listened to the original by Chris Kenner:

Then I caught the sample of “Something You Got” in “Work” by RJD2:

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.