In This Corner

The Man. For one of the best teams in the league. With talent around him, but talent that defers to him. That allows him to pace himself a bit before "winnin' time" ...

That must be what Kobe Bryant had in mind when the Lakers traded Shaquille O'Neal in the summer of 2004. How he saw his future. Like, his immediate future.

No more deferring to The BIg Aristotle, no more "sidekick" zingers aimed at him.

Well, the "who's in charge" thing went away, the moment Shaq left.

But the other half of Kobe's plans didn't happen. He didn't have enough talent around him, for three years. Which is about how long it took him to figure out that, no, he could NOT be a contending team all by himself. Prompting last summer's monthlong rants directed at management and teammates.

It took three years, but slowly the pieces fell into place. And they clicked together within months of Kobe trashing the organization -- which just shows that not even players can see these things coming.

The drafting of Sasha Vujacic (2004), Andrew Bynum (2005), Ronny Turiaf (2005, second-rounder) and Jordan Farmar (2006). The maturation of Luke Walton. The signing of Vlad Radmanovic (2006) and Derek Fisher (2007).

And the trade for Pau Gasol, a 20-and-10 guy.

Four seasons into the Kobe Era, the Lakers are 43-18. Bryant seems to be having more fun than ever, and appears to be totally invested in "his" team. Witness the spurt of manic energy in the second half of the fourth quarter at Sacramento last night. He scored 17 points in the final six minutes, and the Lakers won a game that looked lost.

And it struck me, as Kobe pounded his chest and tugged at his jersey, that THIS is what he signed up for, back in the summer of 2004. This is what he thought it would be like. And because it was deferred for three years ... it now seems even more special and precious to him.

The Lakers may not win a championship this June ... but not from lack of effort from Kobe Bryant.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The women's half of the CCAA postseason basketball tournament was formful.

Aside from No. 7 seed Cal Poly Pomona upsetting No. 2 seed Cal State San Bernardino, that is.

Vanessa Wilt had foul trouble for the Coyotes, and if you've seen them play, you know they've got issues, without Wilt.

Here are the CCAA-generated game capsules. Semis and final of the women's tourney are Friday and Saturday at Cal State San Bernardino. Which, no, won't be playing on the men's OR women's side. Oops.

No. 7 Cal Poly Pomona 57
No. 2 Cal State San Bernardino 52

SAN BERNARDINO -- A layup by Vanessa Dominguez and a three-pointer by Ashley Moody with 1:11 left in the game Tuesday enabled Cal Poly Pomona to defeat Cal State San Bernardino 57-52 in the quarterfinals of the 2008 CCAA Women's Tournament.

The Broncos, the No. 7 seed advance to the semifinals at either 12:30 or 3 p.m. on Friday.

CSUSB, the No. 2 seed, is done for the tournament but awaits the seeding for the NCAA West Regional tournament on Sunday night. The Coyotes (21-7) are ranked No. 3 in the West.

Dominguez led with teams with 17 points and 12 rebounds while Reyana Colson had 13 points and Andrea Ohlssen 10 as the Broncos improved to 12-15 on the season. Three Coyotes each scored 10 points -- Vanessa Wilt, Shanae Blake and Leslie Pickron. Wilt also had a game high 14 rebounds for her 25th double-double of the season.

However, Wilt picked up her fourth foul early in the second half and was not a factor until her layup put the Coyotes on top 47-46 with 5:19 left. She fouled out with 3:33 left as Dominguez converted both free throws for a 49-47 lead.

The Coyotes shot a frigid 26 percent (16 of 61) and were even worse at the three-point line, making just three of 24 (12.5 percent) in one of their worst shooting efforts of the season. The team made only 17 of 30 free throws (57 percent).

Pomona shot only 30 percent (18 of 60) and made only five of 21 three-pointers (24 percent) and were 16 of 26 at the foul line (62 percent). Each team grabbed 50 rebounds in the game.

No. 1 Chico State 62
No. 8 Cal State Dominguez Hills 45

CHICO – The crowd stood as one and cheered as the final minute ran off the clock. They were cheering for Audriana Spencer, playing in her final home game in front of the Acker Gym faithful. They were cheering for the Wildcats, who completed an unblemished season at home with a 62-45 shellacking of Cal State Dominguez Hills in the opening round of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament. They were cheering for Chico State's 25th win of the season, the second most in the program's history. They were cheering for a dominating Wildcats defense that forced 29 turnovers on the night.

Yep, there was plenty to cheer about Tuesday night.

The Wildcats, ranked No. 18 in the nation and No. 2 in the West Region, improved to 25-5 on the season. Only the 2005-06 Final Four team that finished 28-4 has won more. They also finished their home slate 13-0 and have won 17 straight and 45 of their last 46 at Acker Gym. It was their second home victory in five days against Cal State Dominguez Hills, which finished what was once a promising season 13-15. The Toros were the coaches' preseason pick to win the CCAA title that the Wildcats eventually claimed for the third time in four years.

Top-seeded Chico State will now prepare to face the seventh-seeded Cal Poly Pomona in the conference tournament semifinals Friday at 3 p.m. The Broncos knocked host Cal State San Bernardino out of the tournament with a 57-52 upset Thursday. In other tournament action Thursday, No. 3 UC San Diego held off a hard-charging San Francisco State team 59-55, and No. 4 Sonoma State beat No. 5 Humboldt State 65-55. UC San Diego and Sonoma State will square off at 12:30 Thursday in the other semifinal game. The winners will meet Saturday at 5 p.m. with an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship Tournament on the line.

Spencer scored nine points in the first 7:23 of the game as the Wildcats build a 14-8 lead they would never relinquish. The senior finished with a game-high 15 points to move past Michelle Vanden Bosch (1,312 career points from 1993-97) into sixth place on Chico State's career scoring list. She has now scored 1,319 career points. Samantha Copenhaver, in fifth, scored 1,397 in her career. Spencer left Acker Gym for the final time in a Chico State women's basketball uniform Tuesday night as the University's career leader in 3-pointers made (196), 3-point field goal percentage (.399), wins (101), and games played (121). She also ranks fourth with 315 career assists and sixth with 181 career steals.

The crowd was given the opportunity to stand and cheer for Spencer and the Wildcats because of their dominating performance on the defensive side of the ball. They held the visiting Toros to their lowest scoring output of the season with a suffocating defense that forced 29 turnovers. Christine Vest came off the bench to nab a career-high six steals, while fellow sub Taylor Lydon set her career mark with three. The Wildcats held Cal State Dominguez Hills to 37-percent shooting and its leading scorer, Jessica Liang, to five points on 1-of-8 shooting.

Meanwhile, Spencer handed off the offensive catalyst baton to Jade Smith-Williams for the second half. The sophomore point guard scored all 13 of her points after intermission, including the team's first 11 points of the half. Her lone 3-pointer of the night sparked a 9-0 run that stretched Chico State's lead to 51-32 with 7:50 remaining. Cal State Dominguez Hills cut it back to 13, but Spencer scored on a drive and then made two free throws to put the game away for good.

True freshman Natasha Smith finished with nine points and a season-high eight rebounds for the Wildcats. BVest scored eight points, and Melissa Richardson had seven.

Michelle Kribell, Ashley Johnson, and Alana Bailey scored eight points apiece to lead the Toros.

No. 3 UC San Diego 59
No. 6 San Francisco State 56

LA JOLLA – The UC San Diego women’s basketball team slugged out a 59-56 win over San Francisco State in the California Collegiate Athletic Association Quarterfinal on Tuesday night in RIMAC Arena.

With the scored tied at 56-56 and :08 remaining, Michelle Osier grabbed her 13th offensive rebound and 18th of the game, drew a foul and sank two free-throws to put the Tritons up by two. As SFSU brought the ball up, Alexis Mezzetta came through with a huge steal with :03 left, icing the game for the Tritons. With the win, UCSD improves to 23-8, while the Gators drop to 14-14.

Osier finished the game with 26 points on 11-for-22 shooting, to go along with her 18 total rebounds. “God bless Osier,” said Head Coach Charity Elliott. “How many more opportunities did we get because of her play under the basket. Thirteen offensive boards, that really makes a difference.”

Meaghan Noud added 17 points and four rebounds. Noud connected on three three-pointers, extending her single-season school record total to 74.

While Mezzetta did not score in the contest, she grabbed six rebounds and two steals, the last steal with three seconds left clinched the win.

In the first half, the score was tied six times, the final tie in the half coming at 20-20 with 6:23 to play. The Tritons went on a 7-0 run, including four Noud free-throws to lead 27-20 with 3:59 remaining. UCSD would keep the seven point lead at 31-24 at the half.

In the second half, the Tritons extended their lead to 11 points at 40-29 with 16:00 remaining. UCSD still held a 52-43 lead with 6:40 remaining after an Osier lay-up. SFSU would go on an 11-2 run, tying the game up at 54-54 after two Brio Rode free-throws with 2:08 remaining.

After Noud hit two free-throws with 1:37 remaining, SFSU’s Dominique Hunter scored on a lay-up to retie the game at 56-56 with 1:06 left. The Tritons would miss a shot with :41 left, but an offensive rebound by Alexis Gaskin gave the Tritons another possession.

The miss set the stage for Osier who missed a shot with :11 left, but grabbed her own rebound, went back up and was fouled with :08 left.

After Mezzetta stole the ball, Gaskin was fouled and made 1-of-2 free-throws. SFSU got a shot off from just inside half-court, but the shot was wide and the Tritons had the 59-56 win.

Gaskin finished the night with 12 points and nine rebounds.
SFSU was led by Jessica Hout-Freeman with 23 points and five rebounds.

No. 4 Sonoma State 65
No. 5 Humboldt State 55

ROHNERT PARK -- Behind 21 points from Danae Wellander and 20 from Genny Anderson, Sonoma State advanced to the CCAA Basketball Tournament Semifinals with a 65-55 win over Humboldt State on Tuesday night at Seawolf Gym. The Seawolves also reach the 20-win plateau for the first time since 2001-02 as they go to 20-8 on the season. The 'Jacks will see their season end at 16-12.

Sonoma State will head to San Bernardino for a Friday afternoon matchup against UC San Diego. The Tritons were a 59-56 winner of San Francisco State on Tuesday. Chico State and Cal Poly Pomona will meet in the other semifinal.

The Seawolves needed some late magic to avoid the upset on Tuesday night. Trailing by five with 5:31 to go, Laure Redfield hit a three to put the Seawolves within two. A pair of Chelsey Armacost free throws tied it a minute later and the Seawolves went up for good on a Genny Anderson jumper with 3:40 left.

Sonoma State held the Lumberjacks scoreless for nearly six minutes, from the 6:21 mark until a layup by Paige Peterson with :45 seconds remaining. SSU made it a ten-point bulge by making ten of their last eleven free throw attempts.

The Seawolves got points from just four players in the game. Following Wellander and Anderson were Chelsey Armacost with 15 and Lauren Redfield with nine. Redfield led the team with ten rebounds and Wellander had seven assists.

Genny Anderson's 20 points move her to within four of 1,000 for her career. She will have a chance to become just the fourth SSU women's basketball player to reach that milestone on Friday.

The Lumberjacks got 12 points and 15 rebounds from Sonoma County product Katie Franci. Paige Peterson was HSU's leading scorer with 14 points.

2008 CCAA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE & RESULTS

March 4 (Tue) – At Campus Sites
Women
No. 1 Chico State 62, No. 8 Cal State Dominguez Hills 45
No. 7 Cal Poly Pomona 57, Cal State San Bernardino 52
No. 3 UC San Diego 59, San Francisco State 56
No. 4 Sonoma State 65, No. 5 Humboldt State 55

March 7 (Fri)
Women's Semifinal Game 1: No. 2 UC San Diego vs. No. 3 Sonoma State – 12:30 P.M.
Women's Semifinal Game 2: No. 1 Chico State vs. No. No. 4 Cal Poly Pomona – 3:00 P.M.

March 8 (Sat)
Women's Championship - 5:00 PM

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 12:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I did a piece on Brett Favre's retirement for the Wednesday newspapers.

And I came across the quirky bit of information:

Brett Favre's career ended, it now turns out, when New York Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes nailed a 47-yard field goal in overtime.

Turns out, the maiden name of Favre's wife?

Deanna ... Tynes.

Yep. Just like the Giants kicker.

No relation, as far as we can tell.

But two people named "Tynes" looming large in your life. What are the odds? I mean, do you know anyone else on the planet with the surname "Tynes"?

I don't.

Anyway, kinda weird.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 11:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wow. The California Collegiate Athletic Association went through a season where almost everybody could beat almost everyone else ... but NOT all on the same night. And NOT all on the road.

But that's what happened in the CCAA first round tonight.

EVERY lower-seeded team won. In the other team's gym. Four out of four. Including No. 8 seed Cal Poly Pomona at top-seeded Humboldt State; the Broncos won 73-70 in the toughest venue in the conference.

At the same time, No. 2 seed Cal State San Bernardino, the co-champ with Humboldt, lost at home to No. 7 seed UC San Diego -- which.won 63-59.

And there's more: No. 6 San Francisco State defeated No. 3 Cal State L.A. 60-57, and No. 5 Cal State Dominguez Hills topped No. 4 Cal State Monterey Bay 56-53.

What does this mean for the losers? They're not going to get an automatic berth into the NCAA Division II regional. But San Bernardino and Humboldt should still get in on the strength of their overall records.

It also means the four losers, none of which were likely to make the NCAAs, are now two victories (Friday and Saturday at Cal State S.B.) from getting into the NCAA tournament.

Here are game capsules provided by the CCAA:

No. 8 Cal Poly Pomona 73
No. 1 Humboldt State 70

ARCATA, Calif. — Perhaps setting the tone for the postseason, Cal Poly Pomona outlasted Humboldt State, 73-70 in a tight battle to the wire in Tuesday's first round game of the California Collegiate Athletic Association Men's Basketball Championships.

The physical contest took several twists and turns and featured three technical fouls — two on CPP and one on HSU — in front of a packed house in the last game to be played in Humboldt State's East Gym. The Lumberjacks will move into their new facility across Union Street for the 2008-09 season.

WIth the victory, Cal Poly Pomona improved to 12-14 overall and advances into the CCAA semifinals Friday at San Bernardino. Humboldt State dropped to 20-8 and will wait until Sunday's NCAA Division II seedings come out to see if they'll move on to the West Region Tournament next week.

Angelo Tsagarakis scored 17 points to lead Cal Poly Pomona, with Kevin Neveu and Larry Gordon each adding 13 points. Kaelen Daniels was the fourth Bronco in double figures with 12 points.

Grayson Moyerl had 17 points and seven assists for HSU, and Devin Peal added 15. Cy Vandermeer had 12 points with nine rebounds and Nick Green came off the bench to score 11 for the Lumberjacks.

Cal Poly held a lead from midway through the first period, gradually pulling out to an 11-point advantage when Tsagarakis hit a three-pointer with 5 minutes, 28 seconds left in the half. Humboldt rallied within two points on Nick Green's dunk, but Neveu drained a three-pointer as time expired on the half to put the Broncos ahead, 37-32.

The Jacks rallied back again in the second half, taking a brief lead at the halfway point on Moyer's layup. The Broncos held the Jacks off down the stretch, however, two free throws by Tsagarakis providing the three-point advantage before the Jacks' failed to manage a good shot in their attempt to force overtime.

No. 7 UC San Diego 63
No. 2 Cal State San Bernardino 59 (OT)

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- UC San Diego won its first game ever in Coussoulis Arena Tuesday night, handing CCAA regular season co-champion a 63-59 overtime loss in the quarterfinals of the CCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

Four players scored in double figures for the Tritons with Jordan Lawley leading the way with 13 points, four assists and five rebounds. Darryl Lawlor had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Andrew Hatch and Andrew Browning came off the bench to score 10 apiece.

UCSD is now 16-11 as it returns to San Bernardino for the men's tournament semifinals. The tournament, revived after 13 years, will be missing the top four seeds which all lost Tuesday night, including co-champion Humboldt State.

The Coyotes are 22-7 as they await the seeding for the NCAA West Regional which will be announced on Sunday night. It was their third loss at home this season, something that hasn't happened since 1998-99.

Senior Lance Ortiz s cored 16 points, dished off eight assists and made two steals in a vintage performance. Reserve guard Renardo Bass came off the bench to score 12 points.

The Tritons survived despite shooting just 38 percent but they did connect on eight of 17 threes (47 percent) to offset a horrible night at the foul line where they made just 19 of 36 (53 percent).

CSUSB was even worse, shooting just 35 percent (17 of 48) and hit just six of 24 shots from beyond the arc (25 percent).

A sparce crowd of 422 fans witnessed a pathetic display on offense by the Coyotes in the first half, scoring just 16 points -- the worst offensive performance by a Coyotes team since the program begin in 1984-85. The old record was 18 set first against Biola University in December of 1985 and equaled against Oregon Tech on Dec. 30, 1987.

CSUSB rallied to tie the game at 35-all with 14 minutes left in the second half but UCSD pulled away to lead 54-47 with 2:20 left. However, the Coyotes scored the final seven points of regulation to tie the game at 54-all on a three-point play by Ortiz after he stole the ball from Clint Allard with just 41 seconds left.

In the overtime, Lawley hit a three to make it 59-56 and the Coyotes got within two [points on two different occasions and had a couple shots at the basket as time wound down but UCSD iced the game on a pair of free throws by Lawlor after he was fouled rebounding a missed shot by Ortiz.

No. 6 San Francisco State 60
No. 3 Cal State L.A. 57

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Cal State L.A.’s men’s basketball team saw its promising 2007-08 season come to a disappointing end Tuesday night in the Eagles Nest.

The No. 3 seed Golden Eagles came up just short in a 60-57 defeat to No. 6 San Francisco State in a first-round game of the California College Athletic Association Basketball Championship Tournament. Cal State L.A. (17-11) and San Francisco State (17-11) were both part of the five-way tie for third place in the regular season of the CCAA and Tuesday’s affair was a nip-and-tuck battle throughout.

San Francisco State advances to the tournament semi-finals, which will be held at Cal State San Bernardino on Friday.

Junior Rodriguez had 17 points for Cal State L.A., while Christopher Mark had 15 points and 17 rebounds. Christofer Hart had 14 points and three assists.

Martin Flores had 15 points for the Gators, while Alex Thomas had 14 points.

The Gators shot just 34.4 percent (21-61), but they owned a 42-34 rebounding edge and committed only nine turnovers to 14 for the Golden Eagles. Cal State L.A. shot only 41.3 percent for the game (19-46) and also made only 15 of 24 free-throw attempts.

An offensive rebound and basket by Mark tied the game at 57-57 with 1:56 to go and after Mark blocked a shot and grabbed the rebound, Cal State L.A. had a chance to take the lead. A bad pass, though, led to a steal by San Francisco State’s Chris Rodriguez and he was fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound with 19 seconds to go. He made both to give the Gators a 59-57 edge.

Cal State L.A.’s Vincent Camper then appeared to tie the game with eight seconds to go, but his short shot rattled in and then out and San Francisco State’s Derek Fletcher grabbed the rebound and was fouled with six seconds to go. He made one free throw to make it 60-57 and Hart’s rushed 3-pointer just before the buzzer missed and the Gators advanced in the tournament.

San Francisco State jumped out to an early lead and took its biggest advantage of the contest, 21-11, with six minutes to go in the half. The Gators still led by 10, 24-14, when Cal State L.A. closed the half with a 12-1 run to take a 26-25 halftime lead. A layup by Camper with seven seconds remaining gave the Golden Eagles the one-point halftime lead.

Rodriguez hit a 3-pointer to open the second half for the Golden Eagles and stake Cal State L.A. to a 29-25 lead, but San Francisco State went on a 12-4 run to retake the lead. San Francisco State got a tip-in from Fletcher to take a nine-point advantage, 50-41, with 11:01 to go.

The Golden Eagles then fought back and sliced the lead to two points, 55-53, with 3:34 remaining after a jumper by Hart. Darryl Robinson hit a free throw and Chris Rodriguez made a free throw to stretch the Gator lead to 57-53 with 2:44 remaining.

Camper made a pair of free throws to slice the deficit to two points, 57-55, and the offensive rebound and basket by Mark tied it with less than two minutes left, setting the stage for the final stretch.

Cal State L.A. finished the season with 17 wins, which is the most for the program since the 1999-2000 season. The Golden Eagles finished in a tie for third in the CCAA, which is their highest finish in the conference since that same season.

No. 5 Cal State Dominguez Hills 56
No. 4 Cal State Monterey Bay 53

SEASIDE, Calif. -- Four days after falling to the last place team in the regular season finale, Cal State Dominguez Hills came up with an inspiring 56-53 victory at Cal State Monterey Bay in the first round of the CCAA Conference Tournament, punching a ticket to Friday's semifinal game at Cal State San Bernardino where they will face either San Francisco State or Cal Poly Pomona in first men's match-up.

With the win, CSUDH improves to 17-10 overall, while CSUMB's season ends at 12-15.

The Toros came out inspired, taking their first lead at the 11:06 mark on a lay-up by Rodney Yearby to give them an 11-10 advantage. After a trey by Nonso Nibo increased the lead to four, a Nibo jam gave CSUDH a 16-10 lead with just under nine minutes to go in the first half.

The Otters, however, matched CSUDH's energy and outscored the Toros 19-13 over the final minutes to head into the break tied at 29-29.

After the intermission, the Toros regained their momentum with an 11-5 run, the last points coming on a old-fashioned three-point play by Yearby. CSUMB again answered and whittled the lead to two after a Steve Monreal lay-up and Jose Sanchez 3-pointer, eventually forging another tie at 48-48 with 6:59 left in regulation.

After an ensuing Danny Tavares jumper on CSUDH's next possession gave the Toros a two-point lead, both teams went cold over the next four minutes, until an Augie Johnston trey gave the hosts a 51-50 lead with 2:52 left in the game.

Unfazed, Jonathan Toliver answered with a three of his own from the top of the key and, after Justin Willis tied the game at 53-53 on a pair of free throws, drilled a long two as the shot clock expired to keep momentum donned in Cardinal and Gold with 61 ticks left on the clock.

CSUMB was forced to foul after a missed attempt and James Cawthorne gave the Toros a little breathing room by sinking the front end of his 1-and-1. Following another Otter miss, CSUDH gave the hosts one more chance by missing its next 1-and-1 attempt, but D'Shon Cannon's 3-point attempt with :03 left hit the back of the rim, sending the Toros to San Bernardino.

Yearby and Nibo finished with 13 points apiece, while the CSUDH defense held CSUMB to just 36.7% shooting for the game. Of Smith's 10 boards, 6 came on the offensive end, while Yearby chipped in with 5 in the win.

"It was a tough game, but the guys came out inspired after the embarrassing loss to Chico," begins CSUDH head coach Damaine Powell. "We just wanted to come up here and play as hard as we could, and give ourselves a chance to play one more game. The key to the win was our defense. We played with tremendous passion and effort and didn't want the season to end.

"The passion showed up tonight."

2008 CCAA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

March 4 (Tue) – At Campus Sites
Men
No. 8 Cal Poly Pomona 73, No. 1 Humboldt State 70
No. 7 UC San Diego 63, No. 2 Cal State San Bernardino 59
No. 6 San Francisco State 60, Cal State L.A. 57
No. 5 Cal State Dominguez Hills 56, No. 4 Cal State Monterey Bay 53

March 7 (Fri)
Men’s Semifinal Game 1: No. 2 San Francisco State vs. No. 3 UC San Diego – 5:30 P.M.
Men’s Semifinal Game 2: No. 1 Cal State Dominguez vs. No. 4 Cal Poly Pomona – 8:00 P.M.

March 8 (Sat)
Men's Championship – 7:30 PM

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 11:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Galaxy forward Landon Donovan, the Redlands native, isn't in China with the team. He's back home, rehabbing a balky right knee. His injury has been diagnosed as "patella tendinitis."

The Galaxy is on an extended preseason trip ... two games in Hawaii followed by a game in Korea, and then one in Shanghai and another in Hong Kong.

The Galaxy split two games in Honolulu, lost in Korea ... and play the other two matches this week.

Landon, however, sat out the Hawaii matches, which were played on artificial turf, and then flew back to California rather than continue on across the Pacific.

"I went to Hawaii but didn't play and then I came home to get proper treatment on my knee," Donovan said via e-mail. "It's bearable to play on but hopefully we can get it figured out once and for all."

He hopes to be ready for the Galaxy's MLS opener, March 29. This is one of the first times he has been sidelined by injury. His health has been remarkably good, the first decade of his career.

I also asked him if he had heard anything about the Olympics.

The under-23 team (which includes Maurice Edu out of Fontana and Etiwanda High School) qualifies for the Olympics ... but three overage players can be added to the roster for the Olympics.

Donovan played in the 2000 Olympics, when he was 18, but the Americans didn't qualify in 2004, and Landon took it hard because he is big on the Olympics.

"I don't know a thing about the Olympics but i would love to go if asked," he said. "Doesn't matter if they don't qualify so I'll be watching closely!"

Donovan might not be allowed to go, by the Galaxy. He would miss at least three MLS matches, and that's if he doesn't join the Olympic team until the week before the Beijing Games, Aug. 8-24.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kobe Bryant had it all goin' on Sunday.

He scored an NBA season-high 52 points as the Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks 108-104 in overtime before the (again) reliably noisy Staples Center capacity crowd.

Bryant had 22 in the fourth quarter and 30 in the second half, also NBA season highs. And he passed Walt Bellamy for 25th on the all-time scoring list (with 20,941 points).

When it was over, he still had energy enough for a couple of witticisms.

Asked about teammate Sasha "The Machine" Vujacic and Slovenian Sniper's 1-for-10 shooting performance, Kobe said, "The Machine need some new batteries. I’ll pick up some tomorrow. We’ll be fine."

Quizzed on his own early free-throw woes, when he missed seven of his first 10, he said, "If it’s golf, I tell you, my clubs would have been in the water."

He made his final 17 consecutive, and finished 20-of-27. And his clubs were still in the bag.

Kobe was in a good mood, because it was a victory over a quality opponent.

"Every game is pretty much a statement game for us, especially when you match up against Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio, teams like that," he said. "We want to send a message that we're for real and we’re going to compete and hopefully we’ll have to be dealt with."

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 5:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm watching Erick Dampier play for the Dallas Mavericks ... and it strikes me that he may be one of the more extreme examples of a weird body type in the NBA:

Players whose biceps are bigger than their calves.

Far bigger. Some guys seem to have biceps bigger than their thighs. I think Dampier fits that mold.

It's not just NBA guys have big upper bodies ... they often have stunningly small (as in thin, maybe even frail) legs.

Other sports physical oddities:

Football. Lots of pros have necks wider than their heads. See how many of those you see just walking around.

Baseball: Forearms bigger than biceps. Ballplayers use their forearms so much while swinging the bat that they get that "Popeye" thing going on. All they need is a couple of anchors on those massive forearms, and they could be Sailor Men.

Tennis players: The men, anyway, often have a "crab" thing going on with their arms. The arm they swing the racket with inevitably is larger than their other arm. Sometimes freakishly so. It's noticeable on almost every pro.

The body adapts to handle whatever stress is placed on it. It can make guys look weird, though.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 2:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Pac-10 women's coach who shall remain nameless ... because of arcane NCAA rules forbidding coaches from publicly assessing recruits before they sign ... was lavish in her praise of Cajon junior guard Layshia Clarendon, who scored 25 points in Cajon's victory over Ayala in the CIF-SS Division II-A finals.

Said the coach: "She's the real deal. She can get her own shots, she plays very good defense, has great court awareness and already handles the physical part of the game. She knows she's going to get hit and isn't bothered by it.

"A big thing for most high school girls, when they get to college, is how much more physical the game is, and they have trouble adjusting to it. It usually takes a couple of years. (Clarendon) already is there."

The coach was there to look at one more player -- Los Osos' 6-4 center Cierra Warren.

Warren was THE focal point for Los Osos. Rarely has one player so overshadowed everyone else on her team. And not just beause she is 6-4.

Warren averaged 22.5 points and 13.1 rebounds per game for a team that had no other player scoring more than 5.7 points per game, nor anyone averaging more than 4.7 rebounds per game.

Hard to win by yourself, and Los Osos was in major trouble when Warren got into foul trouble, and eventually fouled out in their Division II-AA final vs. A.B. Miller.

The Pac-10 coach said "You just about have to have a big, physical player to compete at this level. If you're trying to play with a 6-2 player in the middle, she better be tough as hell."

I asked the coach what the women's equivalent of a 7-footer is. "About 6-5," the coach said. "Figure 6-4 is about 6-10 in the men's game."

Anyway, Warren also is a junior, and clearly this particular coach would love love love to recruit Clarendon and Warren.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 1:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lakers coach Phil Jackson was asked, before today's game with Dallas, if the Lakers' surge has changed the way the team is treated, here in town.

"Yes," he said. "It's tough to get gas."

A few juvenile reporters (and that's not 100 percent redundant) snickered, so Jackson obliging added, "I have gas, but it's tough to get gas."

Then turning serious, he agreed the Lakers' profile is even higher, now that they have the best record in the Western Conference and recently ran off a 10-game winning streak.

"It reaches every realm of your life when you come back," he said, "but with that, I think the pros understand it and they know that the opponents we had for a lot of that streak weren't major opponents, in that run. We still have a lot to prove before we can be too happy with ourselves."

And the "trouble getting gas" thing?

"I was just rejoicing because I hadn't had to get gas for a month," Jackson said, referring to the team's nine-game road trip that ate up most of February. "And then I went to the gas station and ended up signing four autographs."

And what do you drive, Phil?

"I drive a hybred," he said. "I'm a politically correct person."

Well, of course.

If his knees and hips were in better shape "Green Phil" Jackson probably would ride a bicycle.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'd never done it. Take the Blue Line to the Pico Station, just a block east of Staples Center.

For a couple of good reasons -- you have to start in Long Beach to ride the Blue Line, and you have to be sure the trains run late enough to get you back out. (Which tends to rule out night games.)

But since I started the day in Long Beach, and it's a 12:30 p.m. Lakers game ... I figured what the heck.

It's alternately a banal and eye-opening experience.

If you're reading or staring at your shoes, it's like any other commuter train ride. Lots of stops, a few minutes of decent speed, repeated warnings that the doors are about to close.

But if you're looking out the window ...

Most of the ride is through some of the most desperately poor terrirtory in the Southland. Through north Long Beach, Compton, Lynwood, Watts and into the gritty underbelly of downtown L.A., there by Trade Tech.

Normally, these are "drive-by" neighborhoods. Both in the police-blotter sense but also in the way that we don't see these neighborhoods from the freeways. And if we don't see them, do they really exist?

Ancient (by L.A. standards) housing, much of it sadly run-down. Housing that was cheap when it was new. Some plain ol' "project" housing, with all the intellectual baggage that generally carries.

The Blue Line pretty much parallels the Alameda Corridor, the gritty economic artery from the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles north to the downtown L.A. railyards, between the 710 and 110 freeways.

It's an area nobody lives in by choice, I would imagine. Economic hardship has to be the prime mover in getting you to buy into the square-mile-after-square-mile of neighborhoods with bars on the windows, big dogs in the yards, cars on the front lawn and Christmas lights hanging up 366 days a year. With run-down liquor stores (one was named Ace-Hi Mini Mart & Liquor) on the corner.

Two ethnic sports sights: Near Compton, a dozen Latinos were playing soccer in a small park. The playing surface used to be grass but overuse (presumably) had left it an oval patch of dirt. One team wore Chivas-style red-and-white striped jerseys. Nothing odd there.

The vaguely surprising scene was a few miles north, where 10 guys were playing full-court basketball on asphalt. One player was a black guy ... but everyone else on the court appeared to be Latin. And this was a few steps from a park area big enough to accommodate a pickup soccer game.

So, you start to wonder. Were the basketball players second- or third-generation Latinos who have embraced hoops and walked away from futbol? Or could they be recent immigrants inspired by the Lakers or UCLA or the game itself? If so, does that say something about a preference for basketball over soccer when people are exposed to it?

The train was clean and spartan. By the time we reached L.A., it was crowded enough that passengers were standing.

The fare is $1.25 each way, so that's far cheaper than driving a car and parking. But the tradeoff is 10-15 minutes of time (driving will be faster anytime other than rush hour) and, far bigger, giving up that prized solitary existence in our cars, listening to our music or news, eating, if we like ($250 fine to eat on the Blue Line), driving at the pace we prefer.

And who was it who said, "Hell is other people"? (OK, I looked it up, and it was Jean-Paul Sartre, the French existentialist.) If you subscribe to that, Metrolink might test your patience. I've seen punks and obvious gang-bangers on trains before. Not on this one. But still, if you don't have patience for the inevitable stinky homeless guy, wailing toddlers, etc., Spanish as a first language ... the train might not be for you.

Where I sat, one hyper kid never stopped talking; his father never started, which struck me as an odd dynamic. Maybe the kid was trying to draw him out? I distinctly heard the kid, maybe 8, asking his dad, "Would you drink a pint of your own blood for 80 million dollars?"

Dad nodded yes. The kid vamped into more "would you?" questions that were increasingly scatalogical.

Then there were the grandparents taking two grade-school boys downtown. The oldsters kept chattering at the kids, who didn't seem to need the entertaining the grandparents were pushing on them. Especially the older brother, maybe 9, wearing a Texas Rangers cap, who seemed a bit withdrawn and even fearful. Little brother, the one with the Angels cap and teacup ears, had a grand time, though, looking out the window and then paging through a book on sea life that grandmother had pressed on him.

Toward the end of the line, we saw evidence of the L.A. Marathon. At the Grand Station, some spectators in Marathon T-shirts got on board. When I got off, at the Pico Station, more marathon-istas climbed aboard even as a bunch of people got off the train.

Walking over to Staples, we came to a halt at Figueroa, which was roped off as runners jogged past, heading north. I don't know how deep into the race they were, but I'd guess at least 10 miles because very few of them seemed to be having any fun. Whenever there was a small break between runners, pedestrians were allowed by security people to rush across the street.

The Blue Line doesn't quite work for Dodger Stadium. It stops in the lower half of downtown, and if there is a link to Chavez Ravine, I don't yet know about it.

I'll do this again, someday. Some other day game.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Cajon High School girls basketball fans were unhappy even before tonight's CIF-SS Division II-A championship game began.

During pre-game lineup introductions, the PA announcer at the Pyramid kept referring to Cajon players as being from "Canyon."

The first Cajon girl out ... it was as if the several hundred Cajon fans couldn't believe what they'd heard.

By the second girl, more than a few were shouting, "CAJON! IT'S CAJON!"

But the PA dude kept announcing "Canyon".

Right on through the third and fourth starter ... and by then Cajon fans were seriously annoyed. And their "CAJON" shouts had finally registered.

As Cajon's fifth starter was announced, the PA guy said, "From Cajon ..."

The Cajon fans applauded. Sarcastically applauded, if that's possible.

Thing is, people in the L.A. and Orange County areas just don't know much about the IE. They don't know the schools, the freeways, the cities. It's opaque to them. The areas they drive through on the way to Las Vegas.

But you'd think an announcer could at least be sure of the name of whatever-school-it-is-he's-never-heard-of. Jiminy.

Cajon is playing Ayala. They met earlier in the season, with Ayala winning 47-46.

That score would suggest this game is going to be close, and so far it is.

Cajon just went ahead for the first time. It's 21-20 Cajon, with four minutes left in the second quarter.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As Citizens Business Bank Arena goes up in Ontario, we like to keep track of the NBA D-League ... because it would seem as if the D-League is the arena's best bet for a second semi-major tenant.

The D-League today announced it will have an expansion team in Reno next season.

Steve Eckerson, head honcho for the arena, said last month the arena is in conversations with the Lakers about having the D-Fenders -- who are a Lakers affiliate -- play in Ontario next season.

Hence, somebody else getting an expansion team doesn't hurt Ontario's chances of getting a D-League team ... because Eckerson and AEG are talking with the Lakers about their existing team. If would be a move to Ontario, not a new team.

Anyway, the league seems to be doing fairly well. A steady trickle ("flow" would be too strong a word) of guys from the end of NBA benches down to the D-League -- and sometimes back -- seems to have been established.

The Lakers' Coby Karl has spent time with the D-Fenders twice this season. Jordan Farmar was with the D-Fenders for two stints last season. So these guys can play. Not at NBA levels, generally, but not far off.

The D (short for "developmental) League seems to be a solid concept, with NBA backing, and I'm thinking it could be a tenant with an ability to draw some people, in Ontario.

Here's the D-League publicity release about the expansion team:

D-League Expands to Reno, NV
Team to begin play next season

Reno, NV – Feb. 29, 2008 – Reno, Nevada has been awarded an NBA
Development League franchise and will begin play during the 2008-09
season, it was announced today at a press conference at the Boys and
Girls Club of Truckee Meadows.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing an NBA Development League team to Reno,
one of the truly remarkable economic success stories in America the last
several years,” said the team’s owner David Kahn, who also operates
Southwest Basketball LLC. “With the increase in population and the
diversification of the economy, we believe the market is primed to
support high-quality family entertainment at affordable prices.Ӭ

The announcement featured 300 local children, Kahn, Fat Lever, a
two-time NBA All-Star and current Director of Player Development for the
Sacramento Kings, and Dan Reed, the president of the D-League.

“There’s no doubt our league is thriving,” said Reed. “Attendance is up
over 20%, our team sponsorship numbers and team season ticket sales
numbers are up as well, and we continue to provide NBA teams with
high-quality players. I expect Reno will be very happy with the brand of
basketball we feature, and also the positive impact our players make in
the communities that we serve.”

Although the NBA teams Reno will be associated with will not be
determined until this summer, the team will be the affiliate of two or
three NBA teams that can assign their first and second year players to
Reno a maximum of three times per season. This season there have been 30
players assigned to the D-League by NBA teams in order for the player to
gain valuable playing time and enhance skills.

Tickets for Reno D-League games are currently on sale and can be
purchased on their website www.nbareno.com or by calling 775-284-2NBA
(2622).

About the D-League:
The NBA Development League is the NBA's official minor league, and the
first-ever basketball league with direct affiliations to NBA teams. Now
in its seventh season the D-League’s goals are to provide affordable,
NBA-caliber entertainment to fans of its 14 teams, as well as continue
to develop players, coaches, referees and front-office personnel for the
NBA. As the single source for in-season player "call-ups" to the NBA,
fans of the D-League enjoy the highest caliber of basketball played
outside the NBA. In fact, former D-League players represented 10
percent of NBA players on 2007-08 opening day rosters, numbering 44 in
total. In addition, the D-League has produced 25 percent of current NBA
referees and 17 current NBA coaches, including head coach Sam Vincent
with the Charlotte Bobcats. The D-League is an innovative and rapidly
growing sports property that also serves as an experimental testing
ground for new initiatives like the live web-streaming of all games
available free to fans at d-league.com. The League also provides
continuing education and professional development resources for its
players, and is committed to serving its local communities through
D-LEAGUE CARES and grassroots efforts.

# # # #

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Colony led throughout. Chaffey got within a point in the middle of the final quarter, but a rash of turnovers led to Colony layups and a margin in the final minutes more comfortable than the final score would indicate.

This is the first of three all-San Bernardino County matchups in CIF girls basketball finals today/tonight at Long Beach State's Pyramid.

Haley White and Amani Butler each scored 16 points for Colony.

Chaffey was led by Joyce Koloa, who had 16 points.

Colony is 26-2. Chaffey is 25-3 -- with all three defeats vs. Mt. Baldy League (and Chaffey District/City of Ontario) rival Colony. Both school advance into the state tournament next week.

Twelve of White's points came from the three-point line. She was 4-for-11 from beyond the arc. No one else in the game made even two three-pointers.

Jazmyne White added 12 points for Colony. Camille Buckley scored nine on 2-for-10 shooting but took a game-high 17 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end.

Teonna Campbell had 14 points for Chaffey, Lani Mataele added 10 and 10 rebounds, and Monet Smith took 13 rebounds, for the Tigers.

Colony becomes one of the few area schools to have a CIF basketball title in both boys and girls competition.

Actually, off the top of my head ... I can't think of another. Fontana won a boys title and got to the finals in girls competition ... Miller has a girls title and got to the final in boys ...

Oh, got one: San Bernardino won a girls title 25-plus years ago. Dolores Dudek was the coach. San Bernardino also won a boys title in 1989, I'm pretty sure it was.

This calls for more investigation.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)