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The Daily Digest: Monday, March 24, 2008 |
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March 24, 2008 |
≡ The Daily Digest ≡
 Canter's coming to Dodger Stadium? Yippee! |
= To Our Readers =
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= Tonight’s Menu =
>> Oakland, Ca.: In what is now a crucial game for the 48-22 Lakers, Kobe Bryant & Co. are in Oakland tonight for a re-match with the 43-26 Warriors. Even with last night’s 115-111 loss at Staples Center, the Lakers are 8-2 in their last 10 against Golden State and could play the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. Golden State is 2-1 against the Lakers this season and is trying to win the season series for the first time since the 1994-95 season. The sharpies have Los Angeles a just a two-point choice with an over-under of 232, so the final is supposed to be Lakers 117, Golden State 115.
= L.A. Stories =
>> What’s Bruin:
See our daily blog on UCLA sports at LATimes.com!
>> Thinking Blue:
First the all-you-can-eat right-field pavilion and now this!
A fat story in the Los Angeles Business Journal indicated that the famed Canter’s Delicatessen will open a stand on the third-base side of the field level seating area at Dodger Stadium for the season opener on March 31. It’s part of a promised renovation of the stadium that will take several years and improve one level per year with wider concourses and fan amenities.
Dodger owner Frank McCourt re-worked the traffic flow in the stadium last season to considerable criticism at the start, but once attendees knew where to go, the flow of vehicles improved. Responding to strong criticisms of the food service – especially the speed of service – in the stadium, at least the field-level patrons will be better off this season.
The field-level concourse has been widened and the number of points of sale and the number of restrooms has been doubled, according to the Dodgers. In addition, two Baseline Box Clubs for field-level box-seat holders has been installed on the first- and third-base sides with a buffet, full bar and, most importantly, private restrooms!
Another food service improvement: Dodger Dogs will be sold at all food stands; 1,574,660 were sold last year. And the all-you-can-eat pavilion isn’t going anywhere: the Dodgers made an additional $2.2 million on that section last season, an average of about $26,800 per game!
>> Thinking Blue II:
With Jeff Kent out for a while and the Colorado Rockies apparently settling on Jayson Nix at second base, the Denver Post reports that Marcus Giles could be heading for Chavez Ravine.
“Technically, the Giles matter remains unresolved, but the Rockies are attempting to trade him to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Giles told teammates goodbye after the Rockies’ 8-2 victory over the Dodgers at Hi Corbett Field.” Giles is 29, hit just .229 for San Diego last season, but is a career .277 hitter off his six previous seasons with the Braves.
>> Laker Lines:
If Lakers coach Phil Jackson is to be believed, forward/center Pau Gasol should be able to return to action this week, either at Charlotte on Wednesday or at Memphis on Friday. That would give the team at least 10 and perhaps 11 games with the club going into the playoffs. Andrew Bynum? Who knows; the regular season ends on Tuesday, April 15 and the playoffs will start the following weekend.
= Panorama =
The National Pastime:
>> Tokyo, Japan: The 2009 World Baseball Classic first-round sites were announced, with Tokyo, Mexico City, Toronto and San Juan, Puerto Rico hosting the 16 teams that will play for the second time after the inaugural event in 2006.
Assignments include China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan in Tokyo from March 5-9, just as in 2006; Australia, Cuba, Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City (March 8-12), a new line-up that should advance the Cubans and Mexicans to the second round; Canada, Italy, the U.S. and Venezuela in Toronto (March 8-12; the U.S. and Venezuela should advance) and the Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Panama and Puerto Rico in San Juan (March 7-11; good for the Dominicans and Puerto Ricans).
The second-round sites haven’t been announced, but will be in major-league ballparks in the U.S. and it has been widely reported that the semifinals and final will be at Dodger Stadium.
The dates are just a couple of days later on the calendar than in 2006, so the final could be as late as Sunday, March 23 or Monday, March 24, ending just a week before spring training closes. The U.S. team, especially, was at a disadvantage with the Classic being played so early in the spring training cycle and players complained that they were certainly in no need of much additional work in spring training after competing in the event.
College Hoopla:
>> East Lansing, Mi.: Memphis sailed along all season with just a tight loss to Tennessee to mar its record, but the Tigers knew things would get tougher in the NCAA Tournament. Now they’re in the toughest regional in the country.
First comes 27-8 Michigan State, which disposed of Big East Tournament champ Pittsburgh on Saturday, made 23-25 foul shots and had guard Drew Neitzel scoring 21 points on 5-8 shooting from three-point range. If Memphis can get by the Spartans, they would get the winner of the brawl between Texas and Stanford, both of which will give Memphis fits: Texas with its sensational guards, D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams and Stanford with the towering Lopez twins. No one said it was going to be easy and of all the no. 1 seeds, Memphis has by far the hardest road to San Antonio. Waiting for whoever makes it out of the South will probably be UCLA, which defeated Michigan State once and Stanford three times during the regular season and Pac-10 Tournament and lost to Texas, 63-61, in Pauley Pavilion.
NBA Hoopla:
>> Dallas, Tx.: Cedric Golden, writing in the Austin American-Statesman, says Dallas coach Avery Johnson could be in trouble with Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban.
The Mavs lost a third straight home game on Sunday to San Antonio, the first time that’s happened since Johnson took over. And, Dallas is now 0-8 against teams with winning records since Jason Kidd came over from New Jersey . . . and that was with Dirk Nowitzki in the line-up! He’s now in a walking boot and despite a 44-26 record, the Mavs could sink below eighth place in the Western Conference and find themselves out of the playoffs; they’re only two games ahead of ninth-place Denver.
Kicker:
>> Lisburn, Northern Ireland: The BBC reported a lot of problems during Saturday’s match between Ballymena United and Lisburn Distillery, in which referee Mark Courtney had to be escorted off the field by police.
The two team managers were ready to fight after the game was tied by Lisburn, 1-1, in the ninth minute of added time after Ballymena was down to nine men. The Ballymena fans threw a chair, a bottle and a leg of lamb (no mint jelly, however) at the referee in protest.
Question: assuming it wasn’t sold at the concession stands, how did someone bring a leg of lamb into the stadium?
Rings & Things:
>> Olympia, Greece: “Awarding the Games to China has put China in the limelight and opened the issues up to the world. Tibet, rightfully so, is on the front page. But it would not be on the front page if the Games were not being organized in China.”
That’s the reasoning of Dr. Jacques Rogge, the International Olympic Committee president, speaking with Stephen Wilson of the Associated Press on the fringe of the lighting ceremony for the Olympic Torch in Greece.
“The IOC is engaged in what I call a ‘silent diplomacy’ with Chinese authorities since day one of the preparations of the Games,” Rogge said. “We are [in discussions] on a daily basis with Chinese authorities, including discussing these issues, while strictly respecting the sovereignty of China in its affairs.”
In the meantime, protesters made their presence known at the torch-lighting ceremony. Despite tight security, three members of a French-based group called “Reporters Without Borders” were detained after running onto the field while Liu Qi, the head of the Beijing organizing committee, was speaking. Also, according to the AP:
At the ceremony, a Tibetan woman covered in red paint – symbolizing blood – lay in the road in front of a runner carrying the Olympic torch, while other protesters unfurled flags and chanted “Free Tibet” and “Shame on China.” Two Tibetans were detailed in that incident, while another Tibetan campaigner and a Greek photographer with him were held at another site, Tibetan activists said.
Despite Rogge’s concern about violence on the torch route, it’s a clever response by protesters to the increased security measures all over China related to the Olympic Games. It’s very difficult to completely secure the torch route, which will travel more than 85,000 miles over 130 days and five continents prior to the Opening Ceremony on August 8. It will be a long, hot summer.
~ Rich Perelman
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