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The Daily Digest for Tuesday, May 29, 2007 |
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May 28, 2007 |
≡ Heading for Home ≡
 Buss: going the wrong way . . . |
= L.A. Stories =
>> Laker Lines: Lakers owner Jerry Buss was arrested very early Tuesday morning on suspicion of drunk driving, according to the North County Times.
The report said that Buss, 74, was arrested by California Highway Patrol officers while driving on the wrong side on Mountain View Drive in North San Diego County near Carlsbad. Buss maintains a home in the area.
Buss was placed in the county jail facility in Vista, but was released fairly quickly. The newspaper report said that a 23-year-old woman who was seated in his car was not arrested.
>> Laker Lines II: The always-opinionated Peter Vecsey reviewed the Kobe Bryant situation from 3,000 miles away in today’s New York Post. The highlights:
Vecsey noted that Bryant spoke with the Bulls and Clippers in addition to the Lakers when deciding who to sign with in 2004. And he added, “It’s my understanding Kobe recently informed Lakers ownership he’d sanction a trade to one specific team and no other. My source is oblivious to its identity. Logic dictates that team is the Bulls, because there’s no way the Lakers would deal him to [the Clippers].”
Alternatively, Vecsey thinks that – despite Pat Riley’s flat denials – the Heat could be interested in trading Shaquille O’Neal. “[T]hink about how many people would pay to see the Kobe and Shaq sequel. How great would Part 2 be? The West Coast version of Amy and Joey: the Spoiled Kid and the Far Guy.”
With hindsight 20/20, Vecsey mauls the Lakers for not making a deal for Jason Kidd at the trade deadline . . . which would have cost them Andrew Bynum, but not Lamar Odom. Both will have to be dealt now to bring in some high-level talent to help Bryant.
= Panorama =
>> NBA Fantasm: The Utah Jazz not only lost to San Antonio at home on Monday, but the raucous crowd at the Energy Solutions Arena also lost a bit of its dignity if you believe Salt Lake Tribune columnist Gordon Monson:
The Jazz’s home building has long stirred a reputation as a tough place to play, an intimidating setting for opposing teams, and maybe for officials, too. But the crowd loses credibility when it reacts the way it reacted Monday night. When it conjures the “refs-you-suck” chants – and ES Arena isn’t the only where such chants erupt – I figure that probably doesn’t go a long way to favorably redirecting the manner in which a game is being called.
Neither does hurling obscenities at the refs.
Chucking debris onto the court isn’t a great move, either.
One fan, seated near the floor, repeatedly flopped around in his chair like a flounder on a hot griddle. The vile words spewing from his mouth might have sheered the protective lacquer off the hardwood.
Comment: Monson may be right, but can you imagine such a column being written by an L.A. sportswriters about the crowds at Staples Center, Honda Center or even Pauley Pavilion of the new Galen Center at USC?
>> College Gridiron: The Southeastern Conference will distribute funds of about $10.2 million per school at its upcoming meets in Florida, a record for the conference. Each of the 12 teams got about $9.7 million last year and high on the agenda will be how to increase the sise of the pie in the future.
How? Let Florida President Bernard Machen tell you . . . about a college football playoff, after the current BCS agreement expires after the 2009 season!
(By comparison, we were told that distributions to Pac-10 schools averaged about $8 million, not far behind for a conference with vastly inferior football bowl placements.)
>> Going Bowling: For decades, the Cotton Bowl was one of the four major January 1 bowl games, with the Rose, Sugar and Orange Bowls. It got displaced by the Fiesta Bowl when the BCS system was instituted, but may be on its way back.
That’s because the game has been moved from the Cotton Bowl stadium on the Texas State Fairgrounds facility in Dallas to the new stadium being built for the Cowboys in Arlington – complete with a retractable roof – starting on January 2, 2010.
That puts the Cotton Bowl in position to be the fifth BCS game on or about New Year’s Day in a “plus-one” scenario that matches the two highest-ranked teams remaining after the traditional bowl games in a separate BCS National Championship Game the following week.
Interestingly, one of the first conferences to be briefed about the new facility was the Pac-10, even though the conference has no tie-in to the game. However, since Cotton Bowl Classic President Rick Baker and Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen are old friends, space was made for a presentation during the May meetings.
A Pac-10 team played in the Cotton Bowl in 1989, 1995, 1996 and 1998, with the conference posting a 3-1 record. The current tie-in is between teams from the Big 12 and the SEC. Question: if Baker and Hansen are such good friends, how come the Pac-10 can’t get a badly-needed spot in the game for its runner-up team?
>> Hooping it Up: It was somewhat of a surprise when Kansas junior guard Brandon Rush withdrew his name from the NBA Draft roster and decided to return to school.
No mystery now: Rush has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will have surgery to correct the condition soon. He could be out for six months, but Kansas coach Bill Self is optimistic that “[i]f things go well, he may not miss any games at all.”
≡ At the Half ≡
 Thomas: next stop Coney Island! |
= Tonight’s Menu =
>> The 29-21 Dodgers are in Washington, D.C. to play the 21-30 Nationals, with Brad Penny (6-1, 2.26 ERA) on the hill against Jason Simontacchi (2-2, 4.37). The home team is suddenly on a 5-1 hot streak after losing 29 of their first 45, while the Dodgers are 4-1 in their last five. On the money line, Penny makes the Dodgers the favorite, at even money, while $100 on the Nationals could return $150.
>> The 31-21 Angels continue their series against the 25-22 Mariners after getting bombed, 12-5, last night. Seattle’s top pitching prospect, 21-year-old Ryan Feieraband will make his major league debut tonight against Ervin Santana (3-6, 6.00), who’s much better at home than on the road. L.A. has won seven of its last ten, but the Mariners are on a 6-1 streak, having scored 50 runs on 74 hits in their last five games. You have to wager $160 on the Angels to try and win $100, but only $110 to try to win the same $100 on Seattle.
>> In the Stanley Cup finals, the Ducks are a slight favorite to take a 2-0 series lead on Wednesday. On the money line, you have to put up $135 to try and win $100 on the Ducks, but $130 to try for the same $100 on the Senators.
>> In the NBA Playoffs, Detroit is a one-point favorite at Cleveland to take a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference finals series. With the over-under at 171, the Pistons are supposed to clip Cleveland by an 86-85 final.
On Wednesday, San Antonio is a seven-point favorite at home to close out Utah. The Spurs have won 18 straight against the Jazz at home and with an over-under of 189, oddsmakers see the final score as San Antonio 98, Utah 91.
= L.A. Stories =
>> Pucked up: Hockey writers should stop maligning the Los Angeles for a lack of interest in the Stanley Cup finals. According to one reporter who checked the Honda Center press box for game one on Monday evening, only four U.S. cities that sent writers to cover the event.
Buffalo? No. Detroit? No. Boston? No. The only U.S. cities (other than from the L.A.-Anaheim area, of course) with writers present were reportedly Denver, Minneapolis, New York and Philadelphia. Just for the record, 24 of the NHL’s 30 teams are located in the continental United States!
>> Around the Galaxy: The New York Daily News is ready for the arrival of David Beckham, but more so for his wife Victoria. They’re already trying to help her:
Poor old Victoria Beckham seems to be going a little stir crazy in Los Angeles.
In her native Britain, she’s as famous as Princess Diana, but in L.A., she’s not even the most interesting celebrity on the block.
So she staged a bizarre publicity visit Monday to the Pleasure Chest sex shop in West Hollywood, accompanied by a blowup doll dressed like her as a ‘decoy.’ How cheeky! The paparazzi were tipped off and waiting.
This is the New York Daily News folks, not us, reporting. OK.
= Panorama =
>> The National Pastime: Bruce the Moose points out that when Roger Clemens signed with the Yankees 22 days ago, New York trailed Boston in the American League’s Eastern Division by 5 1/2 games. Three weeks later, the deficit in 13 1/2!
This from a club which has the leading home-run hitter in the major leagues (Alex Rodriguez, 19), the batting average leader (Jorge Posada, .363) and the no. 4 hitter in major league baseball (Derek Jeter, .355). Mama-mia!
>> College Gridiron: According to the late Texas Sports Information Director Jones Ramsey, the college season consisted of two parts: “football and spring football.”
During this spring, Olin Buchanan of Rivals.com found some interesting things going on down south:
Texas Tech coach Mike Leach needed a punter during the spring, so he advertised for one in the school newspaper! He got plenty of responses, but is not likely to carry any over to the fall.
Tim and Hannah Witt of Hartselle, Alabama showed their devotion to Crimson Tide football by naming their second son Saban in honor of the new Alabama coach, Nick Saban. Comment: That’s a good choice, since if they named him Nick in honor of the coach, the new boy’s name would be “Nick Witt.” Say that name fast a couple of times and even Johnny Cash would have objected!
Remember when USC claimed a “long-lost” national championship in football after finding a poll which named it the top team in 1939? Now the University of Washington has done the same, claiming a national title in 1960. The Los Angeles-based Helms Foundation named Washington the nation’s top team that season, even though Minnesota was named best in the Associated Press and United Press International polls. As Buchanan points out, however, Washington beat Minnesota, 17-7, in the Rose Bowl game.
>> NFL Ticker: What’s the most watched sporting event every year in Canada?
The Stanley Cup finals? The Grey Cup?
Nah, the Super Bowl! The Canadian Television network (CTV) just won the right to televise the Super Bowl and a large regular-season package, taking over from Global Television. The Super Bowl drew 3.36 million viewers in Canada on February 4. In a country of 33.4 million people, that’s right at 10% of the entire population.
>> ChowDown: Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas punched her ticket for the July 4 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog contest at Coney Island by winning the qualifying event in Philadelphia over the weekend.
Thomas, who can only be described as petite, gobbled up 36 hot dogs and buns, one short of her Philadelphia-area record of 37 set last year. “Humble” Bob Shoudt finished second at 33, braving difficult 85-degree conditions. Brian Subich, who does not yet have a nickname, was placed third after eating 27 dogs and buns.
≡ Morning Post ≡
 Scully: still the best |
= L.A. Stories =
>> Thinking Blue: Another example of why Vin Scully is the best announcer in baseball.
On Sunday with the Dodgers trailing the Cubs in the eighth inning, 1-0, Scully noted that “the middle of the line-up has been like a missing tooth.
“Pierre, Martin, Kent and Saenz are . . . 0-12.” A missing tooth! Perfect! So was that quartet, which finished the game 0-15.
>> Hold the Happiness: Much was made over the weekend of the Angels’ sweep of the New York Yankees and all the success Los Angeles has had with the Yanks in the last 10 years.
However, as good as the Angels have been against New York, they’ve been almost as bad against the Boston Red Sox. Memories are still fresh of the 2004 American League Division Series sweep by the Sox; last season, the Red Sox won six of 10 from the Angels. And earlier this season, Boston outscored Los Angeles 25-3 in winning three games of a four-game series at Fenway Park, with one game rained out.
The clubs meet in home-and-home series in August and play seven games in 14 days during a murderous month for the Angels: seven against Boston, seven against Toronto, four each against Oakland and Seattle and three against the Yankees. All told: 29 games in 31 days including a stretch of 17 games in 16 days without a day off with a cross-country trip thrown in between a Sunday afternoon game at Fenway and a Monday evening game at Angel Stadium against the Yankees.
>> Quack Attack: In the “Morning Briefing” feature in Sunday’s Los Angeles Times sports section, Chris Foster noted an Ottawa Sun report that Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty would be making a wager with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on the outcome of the Ducks-Senators Stanley Cup final . . . and that McGuinty could put up some Cuban cigars since Schwarzenegger fancies them and doesn’t have (legal) access here.
Note to Foster, McGuinty and Schwarzenegger: maple syrup would be a better bet, as even the receipt of Cuban-made products – such as cigars – as a gift is considered a violation of the Trading With the Enemy Act under regulations of the Office of Foreign Asset Control. That’s the U.S. Treasury Department office responsible for enforcement of the trade embargo with Cuba. And, as Michael Moore is finding out, they are not to be toyed with.
>> More Quack: Canadian hockey fans are hoping the Senators can become the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens . . . who defeated the first-ever Southern California team to reach the Stanley Cup finals, the Wayne Gretzky-led Los Angeles Kings.
>> Around the Galaxy: If Galaxy chief Alexi Lalas wears a worried look, it’s no wonder.
The news that David Beckham will play for England’s national team once again can’t be good news for the Galaxy and their partners who have invested so heavily in the British star. How many times will be he asked to play for England? For how long? And what kind of shape will be in after trans-Atlantic flights that are quite a bit longer than he endured as a member of Real Madrid?
Even more worrisome for Lalas has to be the Galaxy’s 1-3-2 start. With only five points, already 11 back in the Western Division, Beckham will draw plenty of attention but the Galaxy has to get better to be a contender and make its investment pay off.
= Panorama =
>> Counting the House: Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Johns Hopkins’ national lacrosse championship win over Duke wasn’t the Blue Jays’ 12-11 win, but the crowd at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
Best known as the home of the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL, the NCAA Lacrosse Championship game drew a stunning 48,443 in the 70,107-capacity stadium on Monday. For lacrosse!
It helped, of course, that Johns Hopkins is located in Baltimore and that the Blue Jays are a perennial lacrosse power. But 48,443? Wow!
>> Rings & Things: This month’s meetings of the Vancouver organizing committee for the 2010 Olympic Winter games were held under tight security as the so-called “Anti-Poverty Committee” threatened to disrupt the board meetings. Last week, the committee leader, David Cunningham, was arrested after making threats against the board members.
Now, the Around the Rings.com Web site reports that three other members of the committee face charges after posing as members of a delivery crew and then ransacking a provincial cabinet office, turning over desks and breaking up office equipment. According to Around the Rings.com:
“The radical, anti-Olympics group said it was targeting Vancouver 2010 director Ken Dobell for ‘eviction,’ following through on a threat made May 16. Neither Dobell nor Premier Gordon Campbell was in the office at the time.
“APC is on a campaign to protest what it calls are Olympic-related conversions of tenements in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside ghetto into housing for Olympic venue construction workers now and Games’ visitors in 2010.
“Campbell called APC ‘phonies’ and said he would never meet with them to discuss their concerns.”
We note that no such incidents have been recorded in or around Beijing dealing with the organization of the 2008 Olympic Games in China.
~ Rich Perelman
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