Sporting an opinion

The Ducks have extended a contest to name their rivalry with the Kings.

USC-UCLA is "The Cross-town Rivalry."
Dodgers-Angels is "The Freeway Series."
Kings-Ducks is ???

It's worthy of a nickname, says Fox Sports, which is giving away tickets to all 6 Ducks-Kings games this season if you can come up with an appropriate nickname. This contest has been going on for a while, but they just extended it. Chances are if you're reading this blog, you know more about the rivalry than I do. So go here: http://ducks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=18266 and name the rivalry. It makes it easier for us media-types to refer to in print.

My suggestions (I'm ineligible to win, so steal away):
• The SoCal skate
• The Ruckus for the Puckus
• Thin Ice
• The Frozen Pool Party

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 6:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

That's what Randy Carlyle said after the Ducks' 6-3 win over the Red Wings, when I asked him if he felt the Ducks' offensive problems were relieved at all by the 6-goal outburst.

It's just one game, sure, but it's their eighth game of the season and the game they've been waiting for since Day 1. Bryzgalov had 32 saves, 2 or 3 of which were the best I've seen by any Ducks goalie this year, on 35 Detroit shots. He's got to be making it harder for Brian Burke to decide whether to trade or keep him. He's probably making it harder for Randy Carlyle to decide who to start, too. Should be interesting to see who goes Wednesday night against Nashville.

Then there was the offense. Four guys got their first goal of the season. McDonald's and Pahlsson's (who, to be fair, didn't play the first five games of the season) were overdue. Huskins' and O'Donnell's were bonuses.

O'Donnell's goal was sweeeet. I wish I had more room to describe it in the paper, but basically he was backhanding the puck away from Bryzgalov in the Ducks' crease toward the opposite end of the rink. The puck manages to miss the sticks of all 6 Red Wings on the ice, sail straight down the middle of the rink and into the Wings' empty net! (Note: I've never used an exclamation point to describe a hockey goal, but there it was.) The only question was whether or not it would beat the game clock, which was ticking down under 10 seconds. It crossed the goal line and got the red light flashing with 4.3 seconds left.

Great goal. Great game.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Teemu Selanne's body language said more than words could. As the sold-out Honda Center crowd chanted "one more year" to him and Scott Niedermayer before the game, the temporarily ex-Duck pushed his hands downward – the "quiet, leave me alone with my Stanley Cup" motion.

During the first period, he made a visit up to the press box and reitirated the non-answer that has been on loop for five months now: "I just try to listen to myself, if I want to come back. It has to come from inside if you really want to play."

See, Ducks fans? He was trying to listen to himself while you were chanting "One More Year!"

Chant louder next time, maybe he won't hear himself call it quits.

When Scott Niedermayer was asked when he'll decide whether or not to retire, he said: "I have a little bit of an idea in my mind, but I probably won’t share that." And that was the closest thing he gave to a clue.

And so we wait. One fan I talked to hypothesized that if the Ducks continue to suck, both players will feel the pressure to come back. The opposite could be true, of course, that they will only return if they think another Cup is at stake. But it seems as if both are going to make their decisions individually, and put as much weight on their personal lives as the team's fortunes.

Here's hoping the Ducks' offense gets better in the meantime. They still have only one line that's been scoring consistently through six games. We'll see soon enough if the fatigue from the big road trip is a legit reason for their struggles, or if the team really is in trouble without Selanne and Niedermayer.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Turns out you can't believe everything you read in print.

Handwritten on the whiteboard in the Ducks' locker room was Monday's big announcement: "Jake Teemu McDonald, born Monday, 12:50 p.m., 7 pounds, 5 ounces."

I asked his dad, Ducks center Andy McDonald, if he was serious or kidding. I mean, really, "Teemu"?

"I don't think my wife would be too happy about that. ... It's Gene, named after my wife's father."

Still, the point was made: That's how much they miss Teemu in this clubhouse.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 10:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Talk about incongruence. The Nationwide Tour is full of Aussies, Welshmen, Mexicans, Canadians, Brits, all of whom came to this country to make a living as professional athletes, and what are the Americans in the grandstand watching?

Playoff baseball, plastered over a flat-panel TV, at every turn.

To be fair, most of the fans were attending to the golf beneath them whenever club met ball, and it's not their fault the baseball games were on TV in the first place. Still, it sends the wrong message. I mean, you came to watch golf, right? Didn't you? These guys came from their respective continents to make a living playing golf; the least you can do is watch. Or, for whoever's got the remote control, make it easier for fans to concentrate on golf.

One last thought: It was nice seeing the winner decided in a playoff, and the 18th hole isn't the easiest birdie on the course, so Richard Johnson might have won regardless. But it gave the appearance of backing into victory when Jeremy Anderson and Matt Jones hit into the water.

By the way, Empire Lakes, give that lake a name. The one between 9 and 18. Makes it easier to write about.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 12:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There won't be room for this in tomorrow's paper, but I was nonetheless impressed with Brad Elder's scorecard Friday: 0 bogeys, 0 birdies, 18 pars. Elder, you might remember, won this tournament at Moreno Valley in 1999.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 6:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Looks like Chris Anderson, the surprise first-day leader and West Covina native, is going to finish tied for 9th place. He shot a 2-over today in weather that made me question if I was even in California anymore. I asked Chris Baryla, who could finish tied for first place at 9-under with another Canadian, Jon Mills, if it's any coincidence that a pair of Canucks knocked off a SoCal dude in such miserable weather: "Probably not."

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 5:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Golf is a weird, fickle game. I write a preview for a Lakers game, I know to interview Kobe. I preview a Dodgers game, talk to ... uh ... the starting pitcher. The Chargers: Philip Rivers or LT. On Tuesday I made the curious mistake of interviewing the top two Nationwide Tour money leaders for the Mark Christopher preview, and both will finish hopelessly over par. Jason Day is on the course at 8-over through 11. Roland Churchill Thatcher IV is out at 4-over for the tournament and 9-over for the day. And the weather still bites.

Strange thing, this game called golf.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hear me out on this one ...

Brenden Pappas' 60-foot putt on No. 9 rolls inches short of the cup. He putts in for par. One person out of at least 100 in the grandstand claps. Pappas doffs his cap and points at said fan, as if to say, "that was my best shot of the day and you, sir, are the only one who knows golf enough to recognize that."

About half an hour earlier, Kenny G finishes his day in the water on the same hole. He wedges out, settles for bogey after missing a 3-foot putt. Gets significantly more applause, autograph requests, dispoable-camera photo requests. Somebody even hands him a CD with the preface "I play keyboard ... not on your level, of course."

Kenny G finishes the day at 11-over for an 18-over total — worst in the field.

No love for Brenden. He's at 7-under through 10, two strokes off the lead.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 2:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Not to dampen your spirits, but this could get boring quick. Your leader Jon Mills turned in his scorecard a few minutes ago with a two-round total of 9-under. Mills is the hottest golfer on the Nationwide Tour – he won last week's event – and turned in one of the lowest rounds so far today. Don't take my word for it. Said Mills: "Some people say (these are) boring rounds, but I love 'em."

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 1:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It is WINDY out here. Cloudy, too. So much for yesterday's afternoon group having the advantage in the morning calm. Online, it says the wind is blowing 12 mph to the southwest, but that must be an average. When it picks up, it's probably been over 20 mph. Anyway, the top scores aren't getting considerably lower. Your predictable leader, Jon Mills, is 2-under through 15 (8-under total). Roland Thatcher is 4-over through 7 holes (!), leaving the Nationwide Tour money leader with virtually no chance of making the cut. And Kenny G ... is 4-over for the day, 11-over total, but had a nice birdie on the par-5 18th.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The jazz saxophonist, who according to guitarist Pat Matheny is "not anywhere near a great player," is even through four holes at the Mark Christopher Charity Classic in Rancho Cucamonga.

We have confirmation that he hasn't shaved his ponytail for the Nationwide Tour event.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 2:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Actually, there's a lot of it. But if you complain about the cars this weekend at Talladega, it just means you don't belong in Nextel Cup.

Say you drive your car to and from work every day, the usual 9 to 5. It's the same car, the same route each time. You get used to this routine – the sound of the road underneath your car, the traffic light that never stays green long enough, the radio stations and CDs to distract you from all this – to the point of insanity. Not hard to envision, right?

Then imagine that one day someone takes away the spoiler off your car, slaps on something called a "restrictor plate" to slow it down, totally messes up the rear wing, then adds 75-80 horsepower to your transmission just for good measure. Your experience behind the wheel would feel dramatically different, no?

That's essentially what they're doing this weekend at the Nextel Cup race at Talladega. It's the type of adjustment that separates the men from the boys: The men will drive, and drive well. The boys will not, and they will inevitably complain. (Hey Dale Jr., it's time to step it up dude.) So keep your eyes out. In a sport that decreasingly rewards a driver's pure talent, this weekend will reverse that trend. Should be interesting to see who comes out on top.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 1:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It does if you're Spencer Levin, and a reporter is watching.

Levin, who finished an eye-opening 13th as an amateur at the 2004 U.S. Open, was trying to qualify for the Mark Christopher Charity Classic on Monday in Yucaipa. I remember him from UCLA. He was the stud golfer who got suspended from the team for the vaguest of reasons, "violating team policy." I figured he maybe uttered a profanity at a teammate. Perhaps he didn't wear a tie to a team dinner. Something stupid. Something golf. Imagine how blown away I was when I found out he broke a club over his knee in the middle of a tournament.

Levin turned out to be a repeat offender over the years: throwing stuff, smoking up and down the course, uttering verbal profanities during the holy polo-shirt-and-slacks game of golf. But he was also damn good. Not many people can finish tied for 13th at the U.S. Open. Even Tiger Woods would miss the cut two years later. And yet, like a NASCAR fan secretly hoping to see a spectacular, life-threatening crash, I was half hoping Levin would do something unholy on Monday.

So I parked myself on the 18th hole. Levin knew he needed to reach the hole in three strokes. I didn't realize this until his second shot landed about 20 feet from the cup. His playing partner, Stephen Perez, eyed the approach shot on the green and yelled back to Levin, "about 20 feet." In a strange way, Levin revealed his intelligence when he slammed his club to the ground emphatically, then kicked it several feet to his left. He realized that his 20-foot putt wouldn't land without a miracle, a 68 wouldn't make the cut at a Nationwide Tour qualifier, especially at Yucaipa, a relatively easy course. Where some golfers would lower their head and shake it, Levin made it perfectly clear to everyone his day was over. Turns out he was right. He missed the cut by 2 strokes.

Levin has been a regular this year on the Canadian Tour, earning two wins. He entered the British Open and missed the cut by four strokes. And, perhaps surprisingly, he is a very cordial interview. We need more athletes like him (see my entry on Tony Stewart). Fewer role models, but more athletes. I missed him leaving UCLA, and I'll miss him this weekend at Empire Lakes, for all the right reasons and some of the wrong ones.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Season 3 of "The New NHL" began over the weekend. If only they had treated it like the season premiere of a TV show.

Did anyone rise and shine early Saturday to watch the Kings play the Ducks in London at 9 a.m.?

Did anyone know the Kings were playing the Ducks in London at 9 a.m. Saturday?

Did anyone care?

More pertinently, who on Earth decides it's a good idea to begin the NHL season: 1) Opposite college football on a Saturday morning; 2) Opposite the final weekend of the baseball season; 3) On the continent opposite the Atlantic Ocean from North America?

If the NHL season must begin this weekend, for logistical purposes, so be it. Just know that you, Gary Bettman, are competing against a three-headed juggernaut known as pennant-race baseball, college football and the NFL. 'Twould make sense to give your product as much exposure as possible. Say, with a Saturday night game, perhaps?

Or was the 2-game series in London, while obviously an attempt to engage the Brits' interest in hockey, a less obvious sign the NHL is content being a niche sport stateside –- at least for one more season? Perhaps the logic goes that Canadians will tune in for the NHL season opener if it were televised live from Tibet, while Americans, on this weekend, wouldn't tune in unless Gretzky himself were coming out of retirement to suit up with the Kings for a weekend.

That's just sad. At least NASCAR moves its race to Saturday during Week 1 of the NFL, which schedules its January playoff schedule around the major college bowl games, which symbiotically avoids losing ratings to the NFL. This 2-game Kings-Ducks series across the pond -- across the pond across the country from our two local teams, mind you -- symbolized the NHL's white flag of surrender to the Average American Sports Fan. The Brits, according to some reports, half-heartedly tripped through "The Star-Spangled Banner" on Saturday before belting "God Save the Queen" as if there were no tomorrow.

Not that anyone noticed over here. While NHL hockey may never return to England, there was a tomorrow in America, of course. The NFL and the final day of the baseball season awaited.

Saturday: Kings 4, Ducks 1
Sunday: Ducks 4, Kings 1

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 2:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)