March 2008 Archives

Maybe it's just bad karma thrown my way, after avoiding the mess of Saturday night and Dodger Stadium shuttle fiasco.

But the bottom line: I didn't make it into the stadium for today's Opening Day. I tried. Parking was the hurdle.

I didn't arrive as early as usual, but pulling off the Harbor Freeway, onto Sunset and turning up onto Elysian Park at about 11 a.m., it seemed reasonable time to get parked and into the park to see the opening ceremonies.

Once past the security gate, the media has a dark blue line painted on the pavement to follow up to Lot P, behind home plate at the very top of the park. Today, a gate blocked the usual path of the blue line, so cars were diverted left, instead of right, through the center strip of traffic flow. That meant traveling the entire route around the stadium instead of the shortest path, getting mixed into the other preferred parking pass people and GA parking people.

Going around the loop in stop-and-go flow, I finally arriving to Lot P, where two security parking guys were turning cars away. I noticed the lot had plenty of spaces available, even some where fans parked and were collecting their things to head into the stadium.
When I got to the front of the line, the attendant looked at my media pass.
"You're not on the list," he said, checking his sheet of paper.
"There's a list?" I asked.
"Yes, just today. We have no room for you today. The rest of the season, OK. Just today."
"And there's no room?" I asked. "So where do I park to go to work today?"
"You have to down to Lot 10," he said pointing down in some general direction.
OK, whatever. Guess I was supposed to tell someone that I'd be coming out.

Back into the mess of traffic, everything was flowing down and away from the stadium. I couldn't spot any entrance to a Lot 10. I saw a Lot 12, where limos and busses were lined up. Where was Lot 10?
As I tried to veer left, it became apparent that's not where traffic was supposed to go, because of orange cones and parking attendants waving me to the right.
Funneled back into the flow, I was now pointed toward the exit.
And out of the stadium.
The one small lane going out, while six other lanes were coming back in.
This makes a lot of sense.
I guess I could circle back on Sunset and get back in line. So that's what I decided I was supposed to do. At least for 20 minutes while the traffic just stopped.

On KABC-AM 790, the team's new flagship station, at least one could pass the time listening to a Dodger pregame show.
Not.
Instead, it was some host talking to guests about group sex acts. Great stuff for the family in the car to hear waiting to arrive. By noon, the Sean Hannity show was starting. Even better to hear someone spewing venomous politics.

The frustration came to a head, and I decided it wasn't going to happen. I turned around, went home and pulled up a chair to watch on TV.

I apologize to the city for adding pollutants to the air in my car for a wasted trip, on top of all that idling in line in the parking lot. Maybe someday I'll be on the list, and I'll be able to report more here about things other than parking problems.
Not to complain about what happened. I have entitlement to being there. It was ultimately my fault. I didn't arrive early enough to avoid the mess. The other 50,000 seemed to get in, as far as I could tell from the TV set. And maybe they found Lot 10 OK.
Or did they?

As for the Dodger Stadium shuttle service Saturday night ... you really want to go there?

Not that I could say I saw it coming, but any time you're promosing something for free, and there's a time limit on how it can be successfully used, and there's no magic carpet ride from Point A to Point B -- meaning, you've got to use public freeways, instead of the Space Shuttle -- it's just been my experience that disaster could ensue. Maybe I was crazy for getting to the Coliseum on Saturday at 10:30 a.m., finding a place in a parking structure near the Harbor Freeway two blocks from the stadium, and paying the $25. I had some peace of mind. And I could get home before 10:30 p.m.

Others, of course, shouldn't have to make that kind of committment in a personal time schedule for one baseball game that starts at 7 p.m.

With that preamble, here's what one fan did: Sent a letter to Frank McCourt. He copied us:

March 30, 2008

Mr. Frank McCourt
Los Angeles Dodgers
1000 Elysian Park Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Dear Mr. McCourt

The game last night at the Coliseum was the worst entertainment experience in my sixty-two years. Your public relations staff was successful in deluding myself and 35,000 others into believing that we needed to park at Dodger Stadium to avoid immanent personal danger and cause a major catastrophe to the City of Los Angeles.

The reservation process was meaningless. We stood in line for over two hours, both going and returning to the Coliseum for a 6.1 mile ride that took almost half an hour. Having allowed two hours for the trip, we arrived an hour and twenty minutes after the first pitch. There were no restrooms available at Dodger Stadium, and totally inadequate or completely full port-a-potties at the Coliseum.

We observed no security or police personnel at Dodger Stadium and only a handful of parking lot attendants at either end. Obviously there were no where near enough busses, or any reasonable alternative transportation.

In retrospect I seem to recall that USC manages to fill the same Coliseum six times a year without using odd-site parking. Those events don’t cause the city to freeze in permanent automobile gridlock or go the way of the lost city of Atlantis.

Your people can cut costs by taking my name off your mailing list. We will not be buying any more Dodger Tickets or merchandise. The homeless can have our Dodger apparel. If you would like my business in the future, win three or four World Series trophies and then give me a call. In the meantime I will be spending my entertainment energy and money elsewhere.

Sincerely

Michael Schwieger
Oak Park

So was I. And I didn't need to spent the $20 for a shirt to prove that I survived.
In fact, that may have been the better T-shirt: I survived the Dodgers' Coliseum game.
I'm going to read about the parking hassles with the shuttle from the stadium to the Coliseum (I wanted no part of it, paid $25, arrived early, found an easy-access spot from knowledge of USC tailgating). There'll probably be more police reports filed for Monday's stories.
So let's just enjoy the moment for what it was -- pasty Red Sox fans, trying to establish some World Series entitlement, up against some unruly Los Angeles fans, with the home-field advantage and their own Screen Monster, and we'll let Miller Lite officiate the proceedings.
Seriously, it was one surreal experience, and maybe some of the photos here relay that:

(Associated Press file photo)

Loyola coach George Ireland, right, talks to his team as it was trailing Cincinnati in the final game of the National Collegiate basketball championship at Louisville in this March 23, 1963 file photo. Players, from left to right, are John Egan, Vic Rouse, Jerry Harkness and Ron Miller. Egan, the only white starter on his team, said he didn't understand the implications when Harkness and Mississippi State's Red Stroud shook hands at the center jump in the 1963 Mideast semifinal game Harkness called "the beginning of the end of segregation" as hundreds of flashbulbs popped all around them.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Jerry Harkness called the game “the beginning of the end of segregation” and insisted both teams won that 1963 Mideast Region semifinal.

Loyola defeated Mississippi State 61-51, though the full impact of that matchup played at the Michigan State campus may never be known.

Third-ranked Loyola went on to upset two-time defending national champion Cincinnati the next week and win the NCAA men’s title. But it was Mississippi State and coach Babe McCarthy that earned respect that transcended the basketball court.

“Game of Change,” a new documentary film by Harkness’s son, Gerald, will be screened tonight in Detroit and will center on Mississippi State’s decision to defy authority and sneak out of the state to play a predominantly black team.

“They were more of a winner than we were,” Harkness, a two-time All-American, said Friday. “It took a long time for me to realize all that they went through. Today, I think that game was bigger than winning the national championship.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Friday it had no input on the decision to have Nationals manager Manny Acta catch the ceremonial first pitch from President Bush on Sunday night. Acta was picked instead of starting catcher Paul Lo Duca, whose name appeared prominently in the Mitchell Report on drug use in baseball.

“It was a decision that was made by the Nationals,” White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said.

Asked if the president would have any objection to throwing to Lo Duca, Stanzel said: “The president was happy to throw out the first pitch to whoever the Nationals selected.”

Nationals president Stan Kasten said Lo Duca was never considered to catch the pitch. He said the team owners chose between Acta and third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, both of whom will accompany the president to the mound.

“Myself and the Lerner family thought it would be appropriate to represent our team and the youth of our team,” Kasten said. “Ryan Zimmerman would be a good person to accompany the president, and our leader, our manager, Manny Acta. Those choices seemed obvious to us. Those have always been our choices. Anyone else who had different thoughts was just misinformed.”

Lo Duca, publicly at least, took the news in stride.

“That’s OK,” the former Dodgers catcher said. “Hopefully, I’ll still meet the president.”

Wonder if any other presidents went through this kind of scrutiny when making a ceremonial first pitch in the past.

Expanding today's media column, here's the photo (supplied by the Dodgers) to get an idea of what the old baseball Coliseum baseball press box looked like wedged into the tunnel at the west end.

In contrast, here's a look at both press boxes that existed during the four seasons of bizarre configurations that, with today's multi-purpose architectural ingeniuty, could have been addressed better.

Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett were broadcasting games for radio and TV perched inside the tunnel on the far right, while the football press box on the top ridge of the stadium sat there for spill over media members -- especially those covering the '59 World Series.

Scully will be in the football press box calling Saturday's Dodgers-Red Sox exhibition game, which he says will put him "a million miles away, having to rely on the cameraman" and watching the TV feed to see what's really going on during the game.

Dodgers VP of communications Josh Rawitch said of the decision to use the football facility instead of rebuilding the old baseball press box: "We did a walk through two months ago and realized that the TV booth would actually be pretty close to home plate. We were worried (the football press box) would be too far down the line, but seeing that the sightline was actually quite good made us decide it would be easier to do it there, with all the comforts that they’re used to, than recreating a box above the tunnel that could only hold a few of the people."

Scully, who did NFL games for CBS from 1975 to '82, seems to think the last time he visited the Coliseum was to do a Los Angeles Rams game for the network "many years ago."

Meanwhile, this is the final year of the most recent contract extension he signed a couple years back. Does he have plans on coming back for 2009 and beyond?

"I believe so, but we'll have to talk to the McCourts and see what their plans are, and talk to my wife to see how she feels," said Scully, who turned 80 last November. "Here we are concentrating on Opening Day '08, and God willing, there's always that old Irish expression: Talk about next year and make the devil laugh. So we'll put that in escrow for awhile longer."

More from the media this week:

Note: This is among the stories that the Sklar Brothers were talking about when sitting in on the Jim Rome Show this morning on AM-570 ... When do these guys get their own radio show?

By MARCUS KABEL
Associated Press Writer

CARTHAGE, Mo. -- Ultimate fighting was once the sole domain of burly men who beat each other bloody in anything-goes brawls on pay-per-view TV. But the sport often derided as “human cockfighting” is branching
out.

The bare-knuckle fights are now attracting competitors as young as 6 whose parents treat the sport as casually as wrestling, Little League or soccer.

The changes were evident on a recent evening in southwest Missouri, where a team of several young boys and one girl grappled on gym mats in a converted garage. Two members of the group called the “Garage Boys Fight Crew” touched their thin martial-arts gloves in a flash of sportsmanship before beginning a relentless exchange of sucker punches, body blows and swift kicks.

No blood was shed. And both competitors wore protective gear. But the bout reflected the decidedly younger face of ultimate fighting. The trend alarms medical experts and sports officials who worry that young bodies can’t withstand the pounding.

Tommy Bloomer, father of two of the “Garage Boys,” doesn’t understand the fuss.

“We’re not training them for dog fighting,” said Bloomer, a 34-year-old construction contractor. “As a parent, I’d much rather have my kids here learning how to defend themselves and getting positive reinforcement than out on the streets.”

The continuing shift of Angels owner Arte Moreno’s radio station, KLAA-AM (830) from political talk and infomercials goes to ramping up into sports-talk mode starting Monday with a tweaked lineup as the 2008 season launches.

Dave Smith and Roger Lodge have been hired to do a 6-to-9 a.m. morning drive show, leading into a new syndicated version of the Tony Bruno show, airing from 9 a.m. to noon. An announcement about an afternoon drive host leading into Angels games coverage will be made later today.

The station, which Moreno purchased in 2004 and changed formats to accommodate the Spanish-language broadcast of his team’s games, eventually changed the call letters from KMXE to KLAA – an abbreviation of his Los Angeles Angels. Since it will be the new home for the Angels’ English-language broadcasts after five years with KSPN-AM (710), the Anaheim-based station has been slowly moving away from the conservative political talk format (with syndicated shows hosted by Glenn Beck, Michael Reagan and Michael Savage). The Angels’ recent spring training games were eventually carried live in the middle of March, replacing infomercials that the station had normally aired in the afternoons.

KLAA is also the home station for the Anaheim Ducks, which could pose some scheduling conflicts once the NHL playoffs begin in two weeks.

Steve Physioc, who with Rex Hudler will move over from TV duties to call 75 games on the radio station this season, will handle pre- and post-game Angels talk as well.
The potential issue the team faces could be with its signal coming out of Orange County, which goes from 50,000 watts during the day down to 20,000 watts at night. An Angels spokesman said the team continues to look for affiliates, particularly in the San Fernando Valley and beyond.

The team recently finished building a state-of-the-art broadcasting facility inside Angels Stadium for all of its original sports-talk programming. The station also operates without a traditional general manager or program director. Angels team president Dennis Kuhl has been in charge of hiring and forming sports-talk related programming. John Carpino, the Angels’ senior VP of sales and marketing, is also the general sales manager at 830-AM.

“Imagine the shock waves going through this industry if a station can succeed without a GM or PD,” said Smith, who spent the last five years employed by The Sporting News Radio Network, going back to when it was heard locally on 1540-AM The Ticket.

The launch of the new format must be a soft one. There's no mention of it on either the team or the 830-AM website.

First, City News Service reports that Justin Timberlake has spent $50,000 to buy his girlfriend, Jessica Biel, a necklace because he feels guilty for spending so much time lately with Madonna producing her new album.
Then, other news agencies are reporting that Timberlake made two separate donations of $100,000 to his hometown's Memphis Rock 'N' Soul Museum and the Memphis Music Foundation.
Then, ESPN announced that Timberlake, the self-proclaimed golf nut and host of his own PGA Tour stop in Las Vegas this October, would be hosting the next ESPY Awards show, scheduled for July 20 at the new Nokia Theatre.
"I'll do my best to deliver a great show, as I do not want to be roughed up backstage by these athletes who are bigger, faster and stronger than me," he said in a really crackin' quote offered up by a press release.

The Dodgers.com shop blasted out an email today announcing a bunch of items going for up to 60 percent off, as they're clearing way for all new junk they anticipate you'll purchase.

And this isn't just Mark Hendrickson travel mugs we got here.

You remember all that line of clothing that sweetheart baseball fan stalker Alyssa Milano cranked out of the last couple of years -- real tarty stuff that made her look like a 35-year-old trying to stay 23, but really didn't happen?

You can get it yourself and save a bunch of cash, too! It's like going to Costo looking for wrapping paper and coming out with a salmon smoker -- who'd have thunk all the savings you'd get?
And this stuff ain't going away, either. According to her bitchin' website, she's made deals this year with the NBA, NFL, NHL and Collegiate Licensing to peddle her crap all over sportsville, geared toward "women 10 to 40." Or women 40 trying to look 10.
When was the last time you saw a 10-year-old woman? Yo, Samantha.

Not to get off topic, but these are among the 97 items listed on sale at Dodgers.com that they're trying to move ASAP:

==Item No: 2528363: Los Angeles Dodgers Women's Rhinestone Foil V-neck Top- "touch"™ by Alyssa Milano.

Was $49.95 ... Now $32.97

From Milano's new "touch™" line that apparently isn't so new anymore. You cram youself into this 95% cotton/5% spandex v-neck with the Dodger logo in rhinestones across the chest.
Perfect for when you're talking to someone and you can say: "Uh, my eyes are up HERE, not there ... but please, gaze at the Dodger logo all you want because Alyssa put it there for a reason."

==Item No: 2826973: Los Angeles Dodgers Womens Modal V-Neck Top "touch"™ by Alyssa Milano
Was $49.95 ... Now $32.97

Same deal as above, but this one actually looks better on Alyssa as she models it (that's her in the darling dark blue thing at the top of the posting) ... Even without the logo across the chest, we are mysteriously drawn to check the V-neck out. Interesting. Note: Does not come with the hooker hoop earrings.

==Item No: 2528364: Los Angeles Dodgers Women's French Terry Hood- "touch"™ by Alyssa Milano
Was $49.95 ... Now $29.97
Three bucks cheaper than the other marked down Milano overseas produced by child labor rags. And far less flattering of her to model it, also.

==Item No: 2756292: Great American Los Angeles Dodgers Medium Crystal.
Was $49.95 ... Now $39.97
What is it?
"A unique way to display your team spirit!" says the descripton. What we see it a giant crystal paperweight that we're not even sure what it weighs. Shipping could be ridiculous. And it's made in China, so it's probably got a lot of lead poisoning added for your convenience.

==Item No: 1956576: Mitchell & Ness Brooklyn Dodgers 1956 Emmett Kelly Clown Mascot Pennant

Was $29.95 ... Now $23.97
You know how pictures of clowns freak out the kids. This old-school wool (and rayon) pennant will put them over the edge. Can't believe these didn't sell out the minute they were offered.

==Item No: 2220151: Forever Collectibles Los Angeles Dodgers Eric Gagne Dog Tag
Was $9.99 ... Now $4.97
Are these for people, or for dogs? The package says for "Ages 6+" ... Again, is that in dog years?
"Fashionable, Trendy, and the hottest item around! Wear your team with pride!" That's the description of the product included. Remember when Gagne was fashionable and trendy? Before or after LoDuca supplied him with that unmarked package.
Our guess is you couldn't put these out on the counter in a box that says "Take One!" and be rid of them by the end of a 15-game homestand. Not even Danny Goodman could have figured a way to unload these.

==Item No: 2823044: Los Angeles Dodgers Unisex Adult Beach by Crocs
Was $34.95 ... Now $24.97
You know how we feel about these whole Crocs things. A dog chew toy is less expensive. And there's far less toxic petroleum used.

==Item No: 2361638: ProMark Los Angeles Dodgers Splash Guard Pair

Was $24.99 ... Now $19.97.
Doesn't seem like much of a bargain for a pair of mudflaps. But it does remind us of the lyric from the Spinal Tap classic "Big Bottom" that includes a reference to a female rear end, comparing it to mudflaps.
Milano, by the way ... no need to worry about this reference. Yet.
So, all things considered, how can we leave this deal behind?

One of the beauties of the new "Vault" feature on Sports Illustrated's website, and their SIWiki biographical encyclopedia on all athletes, is finding covers of magazines that are worth looking at and thinking: What the heck happened there?

Today's focus is Opening Day, considering it happened today in Japan, of all places, with a Red Sox team that still has to come back to the states and play three exhibition games against the Dodgers starting Friday.
Yeah, makes lot of sense.

It was 40 years ago when SI came out with its cover story on the top five major-league rookies of 1968.
How many of the five can you identify.

A) Start with the guy wearing the catcher's outfit in the middle.
OK, we'll give you Johnny Bench.
The NL Rookie of the Year hit .275 with 15 homers and 82 RBI that season. Two years later, he was league MVP (.293, 45 HR, 148 RBI). Also the MVP in '72. In 17 seasons, he was a 14-time All-Star and the Hall of Fame was a given. And he was on six more covers of SI.

B) Now, move to the Dodger on the right ...
Alan Foster.
He was 1-1 in three games for the Dodgers in '68 as a 21-year old. Two more years with the Dodgers (3-9 in '69, 10-13 in '70) and he was traded to Cleveland, the Angels, St. Louis and San Diego. In a 10-year career, he finished 48-63.

C) The Chicago White Sox below?
Cisco Carlos.
And we're not even sure we got that name in the right order.
Born in Monrovia, he lasted four big-league seasons. Was 4-14 as a rookie in '68 and traded to the Washington Senators in the middle of the next season.

D) The St. Louis Cardinal in the lower left?
Mike Torrez.
Lasted 18 seasons. Only 2-1 in five games that '68 season, though. Was a "real" rookie in '69, when he went 10-4. Eventually went from St. Louis to Montreal, Baltimore, Oakland, both New York teams and Boston and had a 185-160 career mark. And as his "other" Wikipedia bio notes, Torrez gave up Bucky Dent's 1978 playoff homer, and he nailed Houston's Dickie Thon with a pitch in 1984 that ruined his career and eventually ended Torrez's.

E) Finally, who's that Detroit Tiger next to Bench?
Don Pepper.
As you can read on his BaseballReference.com bio, he never played a major-league game in 1968. Nor in '67. He only had three at-bats in his big-league career in 1966. The first baseman wen to the expansion Montreal Expos in 1969. And never resurfaced.

From Bench to Pepper, that about covers 1968.

Back in the day -- maybe 10 years ago? -- Coors came out with them nifty bottles that were in the shape of baseball bats. Very eye pleasing. Problem, of course, is that when you purchased them, there was also Coors beer inside of it. How to get rid of it? Drinking it was hardly an option. Maybe we used it to water the plants in the backyard. Regardless, we made the impulse buy, which is what the company was aiming for the entire way, and then the novelty wore off. They're now available in bulk all over eBay, sometimes listed as "rare limited edition" items.
Beer companies gotta package the swill in any which way, apparently, because when you stack the actual product up against those imports that have much better .... flavor ... it's hardly a fair fight. Our distilled alcohol-enhanced water product gets KOd in the first sip by anything from Guiness to Saint Paulie Girl to Mickey's Big Mouth to whatever else you want to put on the table.
With that context, we tried getting on the Lakers' website the other day before we were accosted by a full-screen ad for a beer promotion that caught us off guard. Off center. And off forward.
The official beer sponsor of "Your 60th Anniversary Lakers," Miller Lite has four 24-ounce cans celebrating the careers of George Mikan, Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain and ... James Worthy? The same four (plus one with the 60th anniversary logo) are available on bottles that are served at "your favorite gameday bar."
Also, there's a specially marked (and marketed) 18-pack of 12-ounce cans $17.99 a pop) with the Laker logo on it, a promotion for $20 off two Laker tickets and a free poster inside. For this season?
Does Miller Lite taste great or is it less filling? We haven't debated the merits of the contents since Ken Brett had to manage the Utica minor-league team for making fun of them during a Miller Lite ad back in the day when they were popular.

So, is this promotion in good taste, or filling your head with alcohol consumption for the sake of saving an empty beer can up on one of the bookshelves in your house before you throw it away after a few months?

Is this a true collectable -- like seeing Steve Garvey on the side of an RC Cola can ... and paying bigger bucks for it some 30 years later -- or another simple thing that'll clutter your life?
Give us your sudsy spin.

PS: We've inquired with the Miller marketing department about why these four players were "honored" -- maybe because two of them have left the planet and can't protest, and Magic Johnson said no?

PSS: Not to single out M-Light, but several others have tried to slap team logos, etc., on their beer cans for the sake of an impulse buy at the local 7-Eleven. We got two 24-ounce cans of Budweiser chilling in the refridgerator since last summer with the Dodgers and Angels logo. (Better check that born-on date again). And there's a Mickey's 24-oz. can at the store feature a different UFC fighter. There's a great combo.

Only two out of 3.65 million entries submitted to ESPN.com's men's "Tournament Challenge" had all 16 guessed selected correctly, according to updated statistics supplied by ESPN today. And 72 more had 15 of the 16 teams correct.
Missed it by that much.
More numbers for those curious enough to read on:

=4,621 picked Davidson, Villanova, and Western Kentucky to advance to the Sweet 16
=294,060 picked Davidson to defeat Georgetown in the second round
=640,180 had picked Xavier to defeat Duke in the Sweet 16
=1,950,119 incorrectly picked Connecticut to advance to the Sweet 16
=189,492 have picked Xavier to defeat West Virginia in the Sweet 16
=25,331 have picked Villanova to defeat Kansas in the Sweet 16
=64,813 have picked Washington State to defeat North Carolina in the Sweet 16
=159,423 have picked Michigan State to defeat Memphis in the Sweet 16
=420,746 have picked Texas to advance to the Championship
=4,703 have picked Davidson to advance to the Championship
=1,548 picked Western Kentucky to advance to the Championship
=50 picked Davidson to defeat Western Kentucky in the Championship
=3,159 have picked Villanova to advance to the Championship
=233 have picked Davidson to defeat UCLA in the Championship
=16 have picked Western Kentucky to defeat Villanova in the Championship
=1 entry correctly predicted zero of the 32 games played after Friday

More info on the ESPN.com National Bracket at this link.

If you're trying to look ahead to UCLA's opponent in the Elite Eight, you'd more likely be interested in how the Xavier-West Virginia game plays out Thursday evening, leading into the UCLA-Western Kentucky contest.
CBS says no.
The network is giving KCAL Channel 2 the North Carolina-Washington State contest from the East Regional in Charlotte, N.C. at 4:27 to open Thursday's coverage, followed by the Bruins' game at about 6:40 p.m.
That also means you can't see the Tennessee-Louisville contest that's on opposite the UCLA game.

From The Associated Press
BEIJING -- China might bar live television broadcasts from Tiananmen Square during the Beijing Olympics, apparently unnerved by the recent outburst of unrest among Tibetans and fearful of protests in the heart of the Chinese capital.
A ban on live broadcasts would disrupt the plans of NBC and other major international networks, who have paid hundreds of millions of dollars to broadcast the Aug. 8-24 games and are counting on eye-pleasing live shots from the iconic square.
The rethinking of Beijing’s earlier promise to broadcasters comes as the government has poured troops into Tibetan areas wracked by anti-government protests this month and stepped up security in cities, airports and entertainment venues far from the unrest.
In another sign of the government’s unease, 400 American Boy Scouts who had been promised they could onto the field following a March 15 exhibition game between the Dodgers and San Diego Padres were prevented from doing so by police.

Ever want to be a pro basketball coach in Los Angeles? The Sparks are interested.

Really, they are. Can you start yesterday?

The WNBA team said in a press release issued Friday that it is searching for an additional assistant coach. The release says: “Candidates ... should have extensive college experience and some professional level experience is preferred.” Inquiries and resumes should be sent by mail to Angela Bryant in the Sparks’ office at 888 S. Figueroa St., Suite 2010, L.A. 90017.

“We are looking to add one more assistant to give coach (Michael) Cooper the depth necessary to help achieve the results we all desire,” said Sparks general manager Penny Toler.

Apply sooner than later. The Sparks start their season May 17 at Phoenix; their home opener is June 6, also against Phoenix.

Updated stats from CBSSports.com, which is running this little March Madness On Demand deal:

=There were 1,751,956 unique visitors to the website's video player, for those demanding NCAA Tournament games on Thursday. That's a 122 percent increase over 2007 (789,045).
=Some 571,297 have a VIP registration (up from 458,720 a year ago).
=More than 1.2 million people clicked on the "Boss Button" feature.

Or is it a bracketiartist?
Where do we turn for a ruling on this?

Whatever you call it, those tracking the "Gus Factor" in the NCAA Tournament -- which we tried to chronicle in last week's media column, and somehow USA Today got the same idea to do something about in today's edition, as did the Chicago Tribune -- must be wondering where the magic has gone.
Be patient.
CBS play-by-play man Gus Johnson, who in his previous 12 tournaments has been fortunate to call many of the first- and second-round upsets, was paired with Len Elmore in Denver on Thursday (and Saturday) and ended up with this slate of games on opening day:

No. 5 seed Michigan State beat No. 5 seed Temple by 11 (South Regional)
No. 4 seed Pittsburgh beat No. 13 seed Oral Roberts by 19 (South Regional)
No. 4 seed Washington State beat No. 13 seed Winthrop by 31(East Regional)
and No. 5 seed Notre Dame beat No. 12 seed George Mason by 18 (East Regional)
Saturday, Johnson will do Washington State vs. Notre Dame and Pittsburgh vs. Michigan State.
Ho.
Hum.
So much potential. So few results.
Gotta wait until the Sweet 16 rolls around...

=One more quick Onion Sports headline of the weak:

==Among the other stuff we have to offer, NCAA Tournament or otherwise, after what we supplied in today's media column:

By GENARO C. ARMAS
AP Sports Writer

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Joe Paterno’s sometimes prickly interactions with the media are about to fall under the microscope of academia.

Penn State, the university that Paterno has called home for decades, will start a class this fall examining the famed football coach’s relationship with the media, as well as his role in general as a communicator.

Paterno’s distinctive nasally voice tinged with an accent from his native Brooklyn often stand out when he’s in a room. Yet, there’s much more to Paterno’s message, said Mike Poorman, a senior journalism lecturer at the university and the course creator.

“There’s a reason that Joe, more than any other college coach, does what he does,” said Poorman, who has also written about Paterno and the team since 1979. “Whether talking to the media, delivering a corporate address or interacting with his staff ... it’s meticulous. There’s a reason why he does everything.”

Poorman said he hasn’t talked to Paterno directly about the class, though he has received word through the coach’s family that JoePa is OK with the endeavor.

“He understands the media’s obligations, and for something like this, if he thinks it will make journalism and the media better, he’s all for it,” Poorman said.

Kyle Hyman, the sports director and play-by-play man for the student-run, Internet-only UCLARadio.com, reported Thursday that he received a credential that will allow him to cover the Bruins' NCAA Tournament in Anaheim, a move that (perhaps) in part was due to today's media column on his situation.

"It's not perfect -- we aren't getting to broadcast the games at all, but at least we get the passes and can cover the tourney," Hyman said in an email. "We will record our calls of the game (mainly for resume purposes) and cut up the highlights. Then we will record the post game press conferences and interview players in the locker room. We will compile all of those together along with commentary of game and put together a post game show."

The minor problem for Hyman: He can't attend tonight's game because he has a 3 p.m. final to take in one of his classes, and it's too late to reschedule. The 22-year-old senior said he'll be there Saturday for the second round.

Jeramy Michiaels, the NCAA assistant director of broadcasting, said Wednesday that any student-run Internet radio station could attend and report on the event, as long as it wasn't streaming live or involved in a Podcast. All live radio and Internet rights belong to Westwood One syndicator. Students could only do interviews and report on the event.

UCLA sports information director Marc Dellins said Thursday that each school is given three credentials to distribute among its university student media services, and those went to the Daily Bruin newspaper. Hyman's credential, along with analyst Sameer Mahmood, were given as a special request.

We've ponder this every which way, and still are not sure what is meant by this quote:

“Selection and seeding squelch speculation. It’s game time now to make or stake a reputation.”

It's what CBS studio tool analyst Clark Kellogg said, trying to look astute and read it as if it wasn't written for him -- but you know he had to come up with it and think it was clever -- as the network mini-preview show for the day's opening round started this morning.

It's got to be about the dumbest thing ever uttered with some authority since ... never?

Co-studio numbchuck person Seth Davis, proported to be a writer for Sports Illustrated and a former stand-up comic, had some lame retort to the effect that he couldn't top that, so he won't try.

Try, Seth. Next time, try.

Maybe not actual propositions you can bet on at BetUS.com, but ones they've posted for the NCAA Tournament:

==10/1: Odds that you win your office pool
==2/1: Odds that you watch a game during work hours
==10/1: Odds that your boss catches you watching the games on your computer
==500/1: Odds that you get every game correct in your bracket

Odds on a buzzer beating victory:
==4/1: In first round
==50/1: In Sweet 16
==100/1: In Elite Eight
==250/1: In Final Four
==500/1: National title game

The bracket isn't filled out, is it?

Here's a simple highly-sophisticated way of scientologizing things for you before the Thursday AM deadline.

A company called TeamRankings.com has launched a "BracketBrains 2008" link that lets users "apply sophisticated mathematical analysis" to their picks, says its press release.
Why it's easy: "BracketBrains offers a simple and highly configurable user interface that allows users to analyze game scenarios from a variety of different angles. Users can compare the expected outcomes of different bracket strategies and compute precise odds to win for any given team."
Then they can pick the other team because it has a better mascot.
TeamRankings.com CEO and co-founder Tom Federico says in the release that 22 percent of BracketBrain customers win in their office pools because they had better info.
The product, by the way, is powered by predictive algorithms designed by a team of Stanford University ngineering and math graduates. So be careful when it tells you the Cardinal will go all the way to the NCAA final.

One other way to decide your bracket: Think green. Beyond Notre Dame.

Lee Bodner, the co-organizer of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, points out that 23 of the 65 teams selected are schools that have committed to eliminate global warming. UCLA is one of 'em. USC and Cal State Fullerton apparently are not.
Check out this approach at http://www.greenbrackets.com. The Green Team, Mount St. Mary's, already won its play-in game, so that strategy may be helpful.

Beyond the NCAA tournament, and the NIT-picked leftovers, it's tough to find any updates on the 16-team College Basketball Invitational that started Tuesday night.
Here's what we got:

Tuesday's results:
Virginia 66, Richmond 64
Old Dominion 66, Rider 63
Ohio 80, Brown 74
Houston 80, Nevada 79

Tonight's games:
Cincinnati at Bradley
Miami (Ohio) at Tulsa
Valparaiso at Washington
Utah at UTEP

Monday, March 24
Old Dominion at Virginia
3 other quarterfinals to be rigged determined

Wednesday, March 26
Two semifinals

Monday, March 31
Championship Series Game 1

Wednesday, April 2
Championship Series Game 2

Friday, April 4
Championship Series Game 3
(if necessary)

The winner, of course, then gets to hang a banner and proclaim itself the 98th best team in the country.

With six Pac-10 teams in the NCAA Tournament, and two more in the NIT (Arizona State, which beat Alabama State in its opener Tuesday, and Cal, which opens tonight against New Mexico, 8 p.m., ESPN2), the conference has nine of its 10 members playing in the postseason. What's wrong with Oregon State?

And why didn't Cal State Northridge (20-10) get invited to any of these bracket-buster-post-season events? If 13-18 Cincinnati made the CBI ...

But local affiliate KCBS Channel 2 isn't giving us one?

But has crammed in a 10-minute local newscast between 9 a.m. and 9:10 a.m. instead, following two hours of the CBS "Early Show"?

It's enough to make Rob Durkee steamed.

T-minus 24 hours before the tournament begins. Or 24 hours and 10 minutes here.

Rob sent off an email to us, as well as KCBS, confounded by the local channel's cash-grab to duck in what accounts for a news show instead of that 10 minute adrenalin rush laying out the day's opening action. And they'll do it again Friday morning as well.

Here's the letter Rob wrote to the station -- which we concur -- and also put on his blog :

Dear Chanel 2/Los Angeles,
The NCAA men's basketball tournament ranks among the most popular and most-watched sporting events. It is probably second only to the Super Bowl. And I wouldn't be surprised to discover that more people
watched last Sunday's show announcing the brackets....than the NBA finals.
With all that in mind, please please PLEASE air the CBS network's pregame shows that start at 9 a.m. sharp! Please please PLEASE do not continue to show local news at 9 a.m., when the CBS network's NCAA tournament show is going on. The NCAA tournament's numerous fans DESERVE to see the CBS Network's NCAA tournament coverage Thursday and Friday at 9 a.m. and NOT LOCAL NEWS.
Thank you,
Rob Durkee, North Hollywood

UPDATE: A KCBS Channel 2 spokesman said Wednesday afternoon that even though the station has its live local newscast in that 9 a.m. to 9:10 a.m. window, it picks up coverage 10 minutes before the first game begins at 9:20 a.m. and 15 minutes before the first game (Kansas vs. Portland State) airs on Channel 2.

The Dodgers' exhibition game at the Coliseum on March 29 against Boston, set up as a fund-raiser for the Think Cure fund, will already generate thousands from the sale of what seems to be more than 100,000 tickets to the game.
And they've found a way to raise even more money.
At an auction link set up on the Dodgers' website , fans can bid on packages that will include four tickets to the game in addition to a child:
-- Serving as honoraby bat kid
-- Throwing out the first pitch
-- Annoucing "Play Ball"
-- Taking the field with the players at the start of the game
-- Introducing the first Dodger batter over the PA system
Bidding on each package starts at $600, and the auction runs through 2 p.m. on Monday.

Even thought Sports Illustrated's issue this week will proclaim that UCLA has the goods to knock out Kansas in the final to win the NCAA basketball tournament, it has covered its bases with six regional covers that will hit newsstands this week.
In a story headlined "Big Bang Theory," writer Grant Wahl will pose the question: Does size matter? It does for UCLA, says coach Ben Howland: “Size absolutely matters. Having (Kevin Love) in there not only scoringwise but also reboundingwise was a huge factor in our success in the regular season.”

What KCBS Channel 2 will deliver in its truncated version (as opposed to getting a choice of everything on DirecTV's Mega March Madness or CBSSports.com's March Maddness on Demand:

As we previous told you about Thursday's lineup:

9:25 p.m.: Portland State vs. Kansas in Omaha (Kevin Harlan-Dan Bonner)
11:30 a.m.: Kentucky vs. Marquette in Anaheim (Dick Enberg/Carter Blackburn and Jay Bilas)
4:10 p.m.: USC vs. Kansas State in Omaha (Harlan-Bonner)
6:50 p.m.: UCLA vs. Mississippi Valley State in Anaheim (Enberg/Blackburn and Bilas)

Add:
6:40 p.m.: Cal State Fullerton vs. Wisconsin, KDOC (Harlan-Bonner)

Friday:
9:25 a.m.: Davidson vs. Gonzaga in Raleigh, N.C. (Jim Nantz and Billy Packer)
Approx. Noon: Connecticut vs. San Diego in Tampa, Fla. (Tim Brando and Mike Gminski)
4:25 p.m.: Oregon vs. Mississippi St. vs. Oregon in Little Rock, Ark. (Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel
Approx. 6:40 p.m.: Indiana vs. Arkansas in Raleigh, N.C. (Nantz/Packer)

An astute reader wondered why, if I took the time to handicap the entire men's NCAA Tournament bracket in Monday's paper, I failed to do the same for the women's field of 64 in today's edition.
Because ....
There's no logical explanation, so don't read between the bracket lines.
For those who need it, here we go, with a little less science and a lot more guesswork:

The first round:
Top-seed UConn clobbers Cornell, Minnesota tramples Texas, Old Dominion takes liberties with Liberty, UC Santa Barbara sails past Virginia, George Washington chops down Auburn, Cal subdues San Diego, Georgia Tech makes a wreck of Iowa State, Rutgers riddles Robert Morris.

Top-seed Maryland is upset on its home floor by No. 16 Coppin State, Nebraska nukes Xavier, West Virginia nudges out New Mexico, Vanderbilt vaults past Montana, Wyoming corrals Pittsburgh, Baylor bullies Fresno State, UTEP steps on Western Kentucky and Stanford clowns Cleveland State.

Top-seed North Carolina bucks Buckness, Iowa grinds up Georgia, Kansas State derails Chattanooga, Louisville loosens up Miami (Ohio), Ohio State fries Florida State, Oklahoma Sate has no patience for East Tennessee State, DePaul pushes away Marist and LSU louses up Jackson State's day.

Top-seed Tennessee shuts up Oral Roberts, Utah unhitches Purdue, Notre Dame knocks off Southern Methodist, Oklahoma is OK with pushing out Illinois State, Arizona State tramples Temple, Duke denies Murray State, Syracuse cashes in on Hartford and Texas A&M exercises its right of way against Texas-Arlington.

Virtually, you've got a group of friends out there who want to hang out, talk sports and compare cartoon features. It's part of the real world of a place called SportsBLOX, a virtual city of sports bars that launched today by a Pasadena company called Numedeon, made up of CalTech scientists who specalize in trying to socalize the Internet users.
“The purpose of SportsBLOX is simple: to give everyday sports fans an opportunity to have their voices heard,” said Jay Katsuyama, general manager of SportsBLOX. “Now, when sports fans want to share their point of view, or mix it up with another fan, they don’t have to wait on hold to their local sports talk radio show or post their thoughts on an obscure online message board. In SportsBLOX, everything is live. They can settle the score in real time.”
The concept starts with creating a person who looks kinda like you shuffle around to about 20 locations on the virtual city street and hang out to talk to others with similar favorite sports. Lansdowne would be where Boston Red Sox fans hang out, or they might stumble into Wrigleyville to see how those loser Cubs fans are surviving. The Steel Curtain would be for Pittsburgh football fans. Left Turn is for NASCAR fans.
Brackets is the "newest" establishment for those wanting to talk about the NCAA basketball tournament. The site also offers a bracket contest ($1,000 to the winner).
After registering, you create you own avatar (simple for those Wii people) that will be your representative in the city. You end up posing yourself as you get into each place -- normal, angry, cheering, praying, hitting yourself in the head (doh!) -- and start in on a discussion about whatever you want to discuss.
The rules are simple, as in most chatroom-like settings: Avoid profanity, no gambling, no one under 13 can register.

UPDATE Monday AM:
These are the four games CBS will tentatively focus on carrying as much in their entirety as possible for the L.A. market on Thursday:

9:25 p.m.: Portland State vs. Kansas
11:30 a.m.: Kentucky vs. Marquette
4:10 p.m.: USC vs. Kansas State
6:50 p.m.: UCLA vs. Mississippi Valley State

Note to Cal State Fullerton fans, whose game against Wisconsin tips off about 15 minutes before UCLA's game against MVS: A CBS spokesperson said the network is working on an alternative plan for the L.A. market to offer that game. Most likely it will be shown on the CBS College Sports Network (formerly CSTV), which isn't available on all cable systems but is on most dish system packages and will be easy enough to access in restaurant and bars.
This is one reason why the online service or DirecTV's package is the only way to guarantee viewing it. Same with those interested in watching Notre Dame, or Pac-10 schools such as Stanford, Washington State and Arizona play.

According to the CBS schedule released late Sunday, this is what you have access to via online (CBSSports.com) or with DirecTV's "Mega March Madness":

Thursday:
9:20 a.m.: Xavier vs. Gonzaga in Washington D.C., (Craig Bolerjack and Bob Wenzel)
9:25 a.m.: Kansas vs. Portland State in Omaha (Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner)
9:30 a.m.: Michigan State vs. Temple in Denver (Gus Johnson and Len Elmore)
11:30 a.m.: Marquette vs. Kentucky in Anaheim (Dick Enberg, Carter Blackburn and Jay Bilas)

Approx. Noon: Purdue vs. Baylor in Washington D.C. (Bolerjack/Wenzel)
Approx. Noon: UNLV vs. Kent State in Omaha (Harlan/Bonner)
Approx. 12:10 p.m.: Pittsburgh vs. Oral Roberts (Johnson/Elmore)
Approx. 2 p.m.: Stanford vs. Cornell in Anaheim (Enberg/Blackburn/Bilas)

4:10 p.m.: Duke vs. Belmont in Washington D.C. (Bolerjack/Wenzel)
4:10 p.m.: USC vs. Kansas St. in Omaha (Harlan/Bonner)
4:20 p.m.: Washington St. vs. Winthrop in Denver (Johnson/Elmore)
4:25 p.m.: BYU vs. Texas A&M in Anaheim (Enberg/Blackburn/Bilas)

Approx. 6:35 p.m.: Arizona vs. West Virginia in Washington D.C. (Bolerjack/Wenzel)
Approx. 6:35 p.m.: Cal State Fullerton vs. Wisconsin in Omaha (Harlan/Bonner)
Approx. 6:45 p.m.: Notre Dame vs. George Mason in Denver (Johnson/Elmore)
Approx. 6:50 p.m.: UCLA vs. Mississippi Valley in Anaheim (Enberg/Blackburn/Bilas)*
*(game will be heard on 1150-AM, since Lakers game is on 570-AM)

Friday:
9:15 a.m.: Tennessee vs. American in Birmingham (Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery)
9:25 a.m.: Gonzaga vs. Davidson in Raleigh, N.C. (Jim Nantz and Billy Packer)
9:30 a.m.: Drake vs. Western Kentucky in Tampa, Fla. (Tim Brando and Mike Gminski)
9:30 a.m.: Miami vs. St. Mary's in Little Rock, Ark. (Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel)

Approx. 11:45 a.m.: Butler vs. South Alabama in Birmingham (Lundquist/Raftery)
Approx. 11:55 a.m.: Georgetown vs. UMBC in Raleigh, N.C. (Nantz/Packer)
Approx. Noon: Connecticut vs. San Diego in Tampa, Fla. (Brando/Gminski)
Approx. Noon: Texas vs. Austin Peay in Little Rock, Ark. (Eagle/Spanarkel)

4:10 p.m.: Oklahoma vs. St. Joseph's in Birmingham (Lundquist/Raftery)
4:10 p.m.: North Carolina vs. Coppin State or Mt. St. Mary's in Raleigh, N.C. (Nantz/Packer)
4:20 p.m.: Vanderbilt vs. Siena in Tampa, Fla. (Brando/Gminski)
4:25 p.m.: Mississippi St. vs. Oregon in Little Rock, Ark. (Eagle/Spanarkel)

Approx. 6:40 p.m.: Louisville vs. Boise State in Birmingham (Lundquist/Raftery)
Approx. 6:40 p.m.: Indiana vs. Arkansas in Raleigh, N.C. (Nantz/Packer)
Approx. 6:50 p.m.: Clemson vs. Villanova in Tampa, Fla. (Brando/Gminski)
Approx. 6:55 p.m.: Memphis vs. Texas-Arlington in Little Rock, Ark. (Eagle/Spanarkel)

Saturday:
11:10 a.m.: West Virginia/Arizona winner vs. Duke/Belmont winner in Washington, D.C.
1:20 p.m.: USC/Kansas St. winner vs. Wisconsin/Fullerton winner in Omaha
Approx. 1:40 p.m.: Xavier/Georgia winner vs. Purdue/Baylor winner in Washington D.C.
3:40 p.m.: Washington St./Winthrop winner vs. Notre Dame/George Mason winner in Denver
3:45 p.m.: Stanford/Cornell winner vs. Marquette/Kentucky winner in Anaheim
Approx. 3:50 p.m.: Kansas/Portland State winner vs. UNLV/Kent State winner in Omaha
Approx. 6:10 p.m.: Pittsburgh/Oral Roberts winner vs. Michigan State/Temple winner in Denver
Approx. 6:15 p.m.: UCLA/Miss. Valley St. winner vs. BYU/Texas A&M winner in Anaheim

Sunday:
9:10 a.m.: Vanderbilt/Siena vs. Clemson/Villanova winner in Tampa, Fla.
11:15 a.m.: Miami/St. Mary's winner vs. Texas/Austin Peay winner in Little Rock, Ark.
11:30 a.m.: Tennessee/American winner vs. Butler/So. Alabama winner in Birmingham
11:40 a.m.: Gonzaga/Davidson winner vs. Georgetown/UMBC winner in Raleigh, N.C.
Approx. 11:40 a.m.: Drake/W. Kentucky winner vs. UConn/San Diego winner in Tampa, Fla.
Approx. 11:45 a.m.: Memphis/Tex.-Arlington winner vs. Mississippi/Oregon winner in Little Rock
Approx. Noon: Oklahoma/St. Joseph's winner vs. Louisville/Boise St. winner in Birmingham
Approx. 12:10 p.m.: North Carolina/play-in winner vs. Indiana/Arkansas winner in Raleigh, N.C.

By STEPHEN WADE
AP Sports Writer

BEIJING -- Selling baseball in China won’t be easy or cheap. Of course, the rewards in a country with 1.3 billion people could be enormous.

Enter Major League Baseball, which worked for years to put together this weekend’s two exhibition games in Beijing between the Dodgers and Padres, the first MLB games (abeit exhibitions) in China.

There’s a lot riding on it. It’s the first test of the Olympic baseball venue, and MLB’s boldest attempt to attract Chinese fans, most of whom follow only basketball or soccer and know little of the game of “bangqiu.”

And it underscores MLB’s search for mainland Chinese talent, hoping to come up with the kind of stars who have moved to the U.S. from Asian neighbors Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. One big name like basketball’s Yao Ming could bring local TV coverage, merchandising and billions in revenue — the kind of money the NBA already earns in the country.

“Baseball is really going to take off right after the Olympics,” said Jim Lefebvre, the former Dodgers second baseman who has coached China’s national team for five years. “Someday in the future, we will say these games jump-started baseball in China.

“This is a big moment. How long have we tried to get this?”

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) -- Randy Wolf’s brother called all the balls and strikes, but it didn’t help the San Diego Padres’ new left-hander earn a win Friday night.

Wolf, the former El Camino Real High and Pepperdine star who left the Dodgers and signed a $4.75
million contract during the offseason, allowed three runs — two earned — in four innings of work during the Padres’ 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Jim Wolf umpired behind the plate -- a situation that is disallowed during the regular season. Randy Wolf said it was the first time that has ever happened.

“They were too busy swinging the bat for me to really have to worry about getting any called strikes,” he said. “I’d say it might be the only time, but it could happen again. He just throws (the ball) back harder than most umpires. I’ve always heard that from guys. He did a very good job.”

(Shane Michael Kidder/Daily News Staff)

You can spit on their stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with pretty much the same loogie.
That's possible now that the World Wrestling Entertainment knucklehead got one handed to him (or more likely bought it himself) in a Friday ceremony attended by Hulk Hogan and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, the later two who have done more for Hollywood than the honoree.
"I already know I’m a star,” Vince McMahon said during his speech, drawing cheers from the crowd. “I’m the biggest star of all time.”
McMahon, no relation to Ed McMahon, who is still recovering from a broken neck somewhere, is honored in the television category. He has claim to the 2,357th star on the walk, at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in front of Hollywood & Highland -- right where Gray's landmark is located.
Johnny Grant was not present for the ceremony Friday.
Hollywood hasn't been this excited about a Star on the Walk since last year when the "Wizard of Oz" munchkins were honored (can you spot Jim Gray somewhere in the crowd)?

By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer

CBS golf analyst David Feherty broke three ribs and punctured his lung when he was hit by a truck while riding his bicycle near his home in Dallas. He expects to be fully recovered in time for the Masters.

Feherty said Friday he was returning from his morning bicycle ride a day earlier when a truck hauling irrigation equipment pinched him into the curb and he was struck by the side mirror.

“He didn’t want to hit the car on the left, so he ran over the cyclist on the right,” Feherty said. “I don’t remember a whole lot about it. There was a lady on the scene quickly, keeping me conscious. The next thing I know, I’m at Baylor Medical Center, the only hospital in the United States that doesn’t have The Golf Channel.”

He then asked who was leading the Arnold Palmer Invitational, being played this weekend in Orlando, Fla. NBC televises the event Saturday and Sunday; the Golf Channel covered it Thursday and Friday.

Feherty is regarded as golf’s most comical TV analyst, a former European tour winner and Ryder Cup player from Northern Ireland who has been working for CBS Sports since 1997.

He has taken up cycling recently, and said last year after riding along 17 Mile Drive at Pebble Beach, “It’s actually 28 miles.” He has been injured a few dozen times riding his bike, but he described those accidents as “pilot error.”

“That’s when you hit the ground and slow down. This was flying through the air and speeding up,” he said. “It was entirely different, and not near as much fun. I was lucky I didn’t go underneath the trailer.”

Feherty said he would be hospitalized for at least a few more days, and that he had a tube sticking out of his chest.

“But it’s not as bad as it sounds,” he said.

CBS Sports covered the PGA Tour during much of the West Coast swing and does not have
another telecast until the Masters.

Welcome to the rest of the stuff that won't fit between the lines of the Friday media column space in the Daily News, Daily Breeze, Press Telegram and outposts beyond:

==CBS' lineup of broadcasting teams for the NCAA Tournament goes as such:
Jim Nantz/Billy Packer (18 years together, 23rd Final Four for Nantz, 34th Final Four and title game for Packer); Dick Enberg or Carter Blackburn/Jay Bilas; Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery; Gus Johnson/Len Elmore; Kevin Harlan/Dan Bonner; Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel; Craig Bolerjack/Bob Wenzel andTim Brando/Mike Gminski.

A year ago, GJohnson was teammed with Bonner (although they'll be together at Saturday's Pac-10 tournament final from Staples Center, 3 p.m.). Blackburn is the rising star (28 years old) from the former CSTV that CBS wants to groom as play-by-play man ... he'll replace Enberg on some games. And Nantz, eventually ... since Blackburn doesn't wear the granny glasses yet.

Read on... pretty please ...

Gus Johnson happened to be standing off in a corner of Pauley Pavilion the other night prior to the UCLA-Stanford contest – the first time he’d ever set foot in the fabled arena – and gazed up at the scoreboard video monitor as it rattled off some of the great moments in Bruins' basketball history.

It finally came up to a clip of the UCLA-Gonzaga contest in 2006 as the Bruins completed a comeback from a 17-point deficit to win a game that left Adam Morrison in tears. Johnson’s call went with the clip:

"Unbelieveable! .... Are you kidding me!? After being down by 17 ... heartbreak city! ... 2.6 seconds to go ... And UCLA has climbed the mountain!”

The last line, which, as has become customary, was repeated loudly by everyone in the Bruins’ student section.

“To stand there and hear that, for my first time in that building . . . wow, pretty cool,” Johnson admitted the other day.

As we expand on some of the madness from today's media column as it relates to this annual madhouse of college basketball interest, here are some the stuff you can find on YouTube.com that's related to Gus Johnson and his history in the NCAA tournament:

=A 4 1/2 minute clip of his 2007 work on the tournament -- albeit appreviated -- called "Gus Johnson Rise & Fire: Best of '07" (can't be embedded because of CBS restrictions)

=A 6 minute clip from the last 40.8 seconds of the 2006 UCLA-Gonzaga contest:

=Or, a 20-second version of the same game, replaying the final missed Gonzaga shot, with a quip from Greg Gumbel in the studio:

=A 9-plus minute recap of Princeton's 43-41 victory over defending champion UCLA in the 1996 tournament:

=Or a 3 minute clip produced by CBS of that game, with Johnson describing how it went down:

=And from Johnson's own website, a link to his $1.99 phone message downloads called "Gustones," where he's managed to call a winning moment in every college or pro team's history -- recreated, of course, and completely made up -- but something you may be willing to add on as an accessory, just for the heck of it... He also has one calling for the election of Barack Obama for president (just 99 cents) ... co-produced by Big Fish Media out in Valley Village.

A few more Qs and As with Johnson:

Just determined officially this morning: The Dodgers-Padres two exhibition games in China this weekend will be shown live on local TV, with KCAL Channel 9 doing Friday's broadcast at 10 p.m. and FSN Prime doing Saturday's game at 10 p.m. (Beijing is 12 hours ahead). The broadcast is using MLB's broadcast, and there's no word passed down on who the broadcasters are.
Until Wednesday, the only other coverage we've found is via video clips, photos and blogging at the MLB.com site dedicated to the tour.
An MLB.com spokesman also said today that the website will produce and exclusively air the Dodgers' final game at Vero Beach on Monday (10 a.m. PDT), an exhibition that otherwise isn't televised. MLB.com will use its own remote production satellite truck used exclusively for Internet coverage. John Marzano, the former major-league catcher, and Vinny Micucci have been hired to do the call (although you could sub that with the KABC-790 feed somehow), and guest including Tommy Lasorda (who is managing the team in Vero Beach while Joe Torre is in China) are supposed to be interviewed.

(Associated Press)

The partial boxscore from today's Yankees-Pirates spring training game:
Yankees' lead off hitter: Crystal, Billy, DH: 0-for-1, strikeout.
And that'll be it for the soon-to-be 60-year-old (tomorrow) Yankee fan, who took this fantasy camp thing about as far as one can go, signing a one-day contract with the team and fulfilling his duties in about five quick minutes.
From the AP report about how it went down for the former regular shortstop at the Dodgers' Hollywood Stars Night:
Crystal worked it to a 3-and-1 count, having fouled a ball off from Pittsburgh's Paul Maholm, whose only fear was that he not smack the comedian in the side of the helmet. The dribbler went down the first-base line and was fielded by Pirates first-baseman Adam LaRoche.
The city slicker then swung and missed at a pair of 88 mph fastballs by Maholm.
The crowd at Legends Field in Tampa, Fla., gave Crystal a standing ovation. Johnny Damon replaced him as DH.
And life in Florida as we know it returned to normal.

A 24-year-old guy from Boulder, Colo., named Jameson Sutton says he's got the 762nd, and perhaps last, home run ball hit by Barry Bonds.

You can have it. Mission Viejo-based SCP Auctions said Thursday it'll go up for bidding starting March 31.

Figures a guy named Sutton would be involved in a home-run news-making story.

What'll this latest find fetch? Some say $1 million. But what if Bonds reappears in a Tamp Bay Devil Rays uni in a couple of months and jacks a few more?
Sutton, who retrieved the ball hit on Sept. 5 at Coors Field in left field off Ulbaldo Jimenez, has what represents "arguably, the most prominent individual record in all of sports," said Dan Imler, managing director of SCP Auctions.
SCP said it authenticated Sutton's ball by studying game films and interviewing fans, including Robert Harmon, who was scrambling with Sutton for the ball.
SCP said Harmon signed an affidavit saying he doesn't have the ball, and that Sutton submitted to a polygraph test.
In the past, SCP has sold:
-A T206 Honus Wagner tobacco cards: $2,800,000
-Babe Ruth's signed bat used to slam the first home run in Yankee Stadium: $1,265,000
-The contract selling Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees: $996,000
-Bonds' 756th home run ball (to break Hank Aaron's record): $752,467
-Bonds' 755th home run ball: $186,750

Our opening bid for this piece of history: $0.
Not interested in the least. Except to see what knucklehead actually finds value in it.

An excerpt from an interview that The Golf Channel did late Wednesday with John Daly, in the wake of him missing a pro-am tee time and being DQ'd from this weekend's PGA Arnold Palmer-hosted event, as well as being fired by his swing coach, Butch Harmon, for his actions at last weekend's PODS event:

According to the latest Fox Sports release:
Due to high demand, "Digger," the popular cartoon gopher of Gopher Cam fame, is now featured on T-shirts. Fox Sports, in conjunction with Chase Authentics, has designed a T-shirt for Digger's growing legion of fans. The Digger T-shirt will be widely available for sale at trackside merchandise rigs all season long beginning this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, and from a variety of web sites, including www.FoxSports.com on MSN; www.goracin.com; www.speedtv.com; and www.dwstore.com. The high grade shirts, which come in both youth and adult sizes, are priced from $15 to $21.50. Additional apparel and novelty items, including baseball caps and plush toys, are expected to join the Digger line in the near future.

A T-shirt dedicated to a cartoon that represents a camera position. Gotta be a first.
You mean there were no websites with the domain ".edu" that were offering them?

Statman cruncher Bill James writes in his latest book: "Those of us in the stat analysis community tend not to be bullish on Juan Pierre or anybody who even looks like Juan Pierre." But after further review, the Dodgers' newly converted left fielder isn't a bad player -- if he's leading off an inning. The problem, of course, is when he's not leading off an inning.

That an other mind-numbing information is what you get when you're taking the incredibly softbound "Bill James Gold Mine 2008" ($21.95, ACTA Sports, 317 pages) into the restroom to read while you're doing your business. The info will get you through some difficult moments, but it could have a warning: May cause internal bleeding.

Too many numbers, sorted into too many categories, revealing far too many things about baseball players -- still -- that too many people will pay too much money for.
So we'll save you a few bucks and excerpted a couple of things from this year's annual manual written by James, who is supposed to be featured on an upcoming episode of CBS' "60 Minutes," to keep your brain from exploding.

Did you know ....

Looking over the 2008 AVP (that's Association of Volleyball Professionals, not Alien Vs. Predator) pro beach volleyball schedule that was released today, a few quick comments:
=The annual excursion to Las Vegas for the "King of the Beach" event has been uprooted and moved to that beach-crazy town of Glendale, Ariz.
=The "Wimbledon of Beach Volleyball," the Manhattan Beach Open, has been shoved back from its usual August slot to late September -- likely a result of the Summer Olympics taking place in Bejing. A story recently in the Daily Breeze reports that the city of Manhattan Beach was disappointed by the date change. "The AVP has always been an icon for Manhattan Beach and it's always been in the summertime," said mayor Jim Aldinger. "To do it after the kids go back to school and after everything's done and all the crowds have died down, it doesn't seem like the right time." As for giving Long Beach a prime July priority date over Manhattan Beach in forming the overall schedule, Aldinger added: "it's just about money for the AVP. It's too bad that money had to drive this decision."

The 18-stop event starts April 11-13 in Miami, and includes Southern California stops in Huntington Beach (May 2-4), Hermosa Beach (June 6-8), Long Beach (July 25-27), San Diego (Aug. 1-3), Santa Barbara (Sept. 6-7) and Manhattan Beach (Sept. 19-21), as well as San Francisco (Sept. 12-14).

The side note to this year's AVP tour is the retirement tour of Holly McPeak, the wife of AVP commissioner Leonard Armato, who says she's not going to try to make it Bejing and stop competing at the age of 38, after 18 years on the beach.

Misty-May Treanor and Kerri Walsh, coming back after shoulder surgery, should have plenty of hug time (above) along the way.

The Oregon Duck mascot once got suspended for doing bad things to another mascot at a football game. The Stanford Tree mascot has been banned from sporting events for a variety of reasons. And we're not even sure we want to know what happens with the two UCLA Bruins mascots, Joe and Josephine, when all the kids leave Pauley Pavilion after a basketball game.

But that's the Pac-10's problem. The Big West has bigger issues.

Thursday at the ESPN Zone in Anaheim's Downtown Disney, leading into the annual Big West Conference tournament at the Anaheim Convention Center, it'll be Cal State Northridge's mascot, the Matador, attempting to defend his title in the seventh annual Mascot Meyhem contest.

More specifically, every Big West mascot, in full costume, has to compete in contests such as basketball free-throw shooting, tug-o-war, arm wrestling and hula-hooping to determine which one is ... best?

If we had to seed the mascot according how each school did in the regular season, the UC Santa Barbara "Fantom of the Dome" mascot would be the early slight favorite over the Matador and Tuffy The Titan of Cal State Fullerton.

Scotty the Bear (UC Riverside), Peter the Anteater (UC Irvine), Musty the Mustang (Cal Poly), Prospectin' Pete (Long Beach State), the PowerCat (University of the Pacific) and Gunrock (UC Davis) are supposedly all on equal oversized footing in this competition, which is free to whomever in the area straggles into the ESPN Zone at about 4 p.m. Thursday. No requirement to dine in and order the Chris Berman Tongue Sandwich.

L.A. Kings Madness, that's what they're calling this online tournament intended to allow fans of the local NHL team to decide who's the bestest of all time.
Over on the Kings' website, starting Saturday, the team has a March Madness tournament going on that pits 64 current and former players in a bracket-style competition.
The seedings are based on total games played with the team and the players have to meet this criteria:
-- Played in at least 450 games as a King (skater) or 300 games (goalie)
-- Led the team in scoring for an entire season at least once
-- Scored a playoff series-clinching goal
-- Was a Kings captain
-- Made the All Star team as a King
-- Earned the club’s “Most Popular Player” award
And then there are wildcard entries selected by a "special committee."
The top four seeds: Marcel Dionne, Dave Taylor, Luc Robitaille and ... not Wayne Gretzky.
Give you a few more seconds to think about it ...
Yeah, Rob Blake.

No. 2 seeds are Butch Goring, Mark Hardy, Mike Murphy and ... not Gretzky.
Matty Nordstrom.

Gretzky is actually a No. 4 seed, going up against Tiger Williams in the first round. Man that could get ugly. Unfortunately for the Great One, Marty McSorley is on the other side of the bracket.

Current Kings TV analyst Jim Fox is a No. 3 seed in one of the brackets, but he's likely to face No. 6 seed Rogie Vachon in the second round. Current Kings radio analyst Darryl Evans, who scored the "Miracle on Manchester" goal, is a No. 16 seed, facing Blake in the first round.

And now for the call, here's Bob Miller ...

We've got it TiVo'd and plan to finally get around to watch the latest episode of HBO's "Real Sports," which came out Monday and has the usual numerous replays for the next couple of weeks.

The story on Mike Marshall, the former Dodgers pitcher, intrigued us most.

The other story on Lenny Dykstra, the former Phillies dusty-ol' center fielder currently living in the house Wayne Gretzky and family once owned off the Sherwood Country Club track in Thousand Oaks, has already amused us.

Here's the liner notes from the HBO PR guys:

BERNARD GOLDBERG: “Is it true you once said you don’t read books because they might hurt your batting eye?”

DYKSTRA: “Yeah. You got to rest your eyes man, plus it makes you think too much.”

GOLDBERG: “Reading?”

DYKSTRA: “Too confusing.”

GOLDBERG: “Reading?”

DYKSTRA: “Yeah, I still don’t like to read.”

GOLDBERG: “And I’m supposed to follow your investing advice?”

DYKSTRA: “Only if you like money.”

Cut to CNBC’s JIM CRAMER: “I think people don’t think of Lenny as sophisticated. But I am telling you, Bernie, that not only is he sophisticated, but he’s one of the great ones in this business. He’s one of the great ones.”

GOLDBERG: “Lenny Dykstra.”

CRAMER: “Lenny Dykstra. Lenny Dykstra.”

GOLDBERG: “The one …”

CRAMER: “…Lenny Dykstra, I know. It’s like, ‘Lenny Dykstra? Now come on Jim, Lenny Dykstra?’ Yeah. Yeah.”

GOLDBERG “Jim Cramer is the host of Mad Money on CNBC and like Lenny, he’s also a little nuts …Except, unlike Lenny … Cramer went to Harvard … he worked at Goldman Sachs on Wall Street … and he started his own Hedge Fund … and made a fortune. And one day, out of the blue, he got an e-mail from someone who said he was Lenny Dykstra.

CRAMER: I" emailed him back, I said, ‘Okay listen Lenny,’ you know, quote ‘Lenny.’ And he goes, ‘No it’s me. Lenny Dykstra.’ And I go back and I said, ‘OK, what years did you play for the Phillies?’ I’m thinking it can’t be him. And the next thing I know he says, 'Let me show you my ideas.' And he sends me ideas, and I went to the editor of the TheStreet.com and said, ‘Look, I got to tell you, a guy who is applying the same skills to money that he applied to sports. It’s brilliant.’”

GOLDBERG: “You know, he doesn’t sound like those guys at Goldman Sachs.”

CRAMER: “If I didn’t know any better I would tell you that everything you hear from Lenny is an act. Because there’s no way that he would ever, that you would ever feel like he’s as smart as he really is – if you listen to him. Now there are probably four or five people in the world who if they sent me an email, told me to learn a stock, I would actually take them seriously.”

GOLDBERG: “And he’s one of them?”

CRAMER: “He’s one of them. He’s one of them.”

Now let's all head over to Lenny's Car Wash in Simi Valley and get cleaned up.

UPDATE: A pretty good chance Lenny D. won't read the current issue of Sports Illustrated as well, where new backpage columnist Chris Ballard does a story on him, writing: "Here are Seven Reasons to Entrust Your Life Savings to a Man Called Nails."

That's actually a doormat, in the shape of a soccer field, you can order online from some German website. It's a reminder of how many cable TV companies treat their customers as doormats when it comes to a) providing content, b) providing service, c) providing human dignitiy.
Time Warner Cable system ... not among our favorite corporate endities in existence these days.
But if you have a heart for the soccer thing, TWC and ESPN struck a deal that adds ESPN Deportes, the 24-hour Spanish language network, to its service (Channel 274) on the "variety tier," which, they tell us, reaches 1 million digital customers in Southern California.
This has to be especially good news to those folk who can't even afford to put food on their table, let alone the luxury of cable TV.
The agreement just so happens to take place so that those who have the TWC system -- as well as the rest of us who are plenty content with our dish -- can watch the 2008 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying event, some of which takes place at the Home Depot Center in Carson.
Starting today at 2:30 p.m., ESPN Deportes has exclusive coverage of the event, starting the Panama-Honduras/ US-Cuba doubleheader in Tampa.
ESPN Deportes has all 16 matches through the final on March 23. They're also available on ESPN360.com with an on-demand replay for 48 hours after they've finished.
Haiti faces Guatemala and Canada tackles Mexico on Wednesday from Home Depot Center.
Here's the schedule ... in English:

Today: Panama-Honduras (Tampa, Fla.), 2:30 p.m.
Today: USA-Cuba (Tampa, Fla.), 5 p.m.
Wednesday: Haiti-Guatamala (Carson), 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday: Canada-Mexico (Carson) 5 p.m.
Thursday: Honduras-Cuba (Tampa), 2:30 p.m.
Thursday: USA-Panama (Tampa), 5 p.m.
Friday: Canada-Haiti (Carson), 2:30 p.m.
Friday: Mexico-Guatemala (Carson), 5 p.m.
Saturday: Cuba-Panama (Tampa), 1:30 p.m.
Saturday: USA-Honduras (Tampa), 4 p.m.
Sunday: Guatemala-Canada (Carson), 12:30 p.m.
Sunday: Mexico-Haiti (Carson), 3 p.m.
March 20: Semifinals in Nashville, Tenn., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
March 23: Third place game in Nashville, Tenn., 10 a.m.; title game at 1 p.m.

Too late. The stack of books won.

Los Angeles magazine, taking a page out of the NCAA basketball tournament, has listed the bitchin-est things about itself 64 greatest things about L.A. in its March issue. Included is just about all the stuff you'd imagine: Pink's Hot Dog Stand, the Hollywood Sign, Pacific Coast Highway, the Watts Towers, Palm Trees, Trader Joe's, Disney Hall, Farmer's Market ... Vin Scully ... USC football ...

Online, the magazine then created a bracket and a head-to-head competition that people could vote on. Before we realized this had been taking place, Scully lost in the voting against the Central Library. Also, USC football lost to "The Weather."

The bracket is down to the final 32 -- and we just voted the nuke the Central Library in its battle now against Langer's Deli, and decided that it would be worth having 364 days of rain in USC's honor.

Sorry we didn't alert you to this earlier. We coulda saved Vinny. And Pete Carroll.

Here's what the magazine had to say about Scully:
"With a voice redolent of liniment and peanut shells as it traces the trajectory of the Texas Leaguer the pinch hitter just popped up, he's a throwback to -- you name it -- baseball free of human growth hormone, Sandy Koufax, Brooklyn itself. Scully calls the whole game on TV, he summons literary references to get us through the rain delay and who else have you got for the voice of Los Angeles? "It's a beautiful day here at Dodger Stadium..." Indeed."

A bit over the top? That's what happens when a magazine writer tries to out-do Scully.

UPDATE ON 3/14: When informed of this blog entry, Scully replied: "For someone who has relied on words and not numbers, it is a distinct pleasure to lose to a library."

We asked Dan Doyle, co-author of "The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting" ($39.95, Hall of Fame Press, 476 pages) what we thought was an appropriate question, while interviewing him for today's Daily News column about why a book, or series of books, are needed as a guideline for today's youth sports.

How many kids do you have?

He and his wife Katherine have six of 'em. Danny, Matt, Andy, Meg, Carrie and Julie.

From that alone, one could consider him an expert in sports parenting. Especially when it came to discouraging his children from participating in athletics.

Danny, the oldest, has autism. And as for Andy ...

"All my kids were good athletes, even my oldest, who loves to walk," said Doyle. "Three others were varsity athletes, three played in college. But then there Andrew, who just got his MBA at Stanford and is just finishing a novel. When he was a sophomore in high school, I could see he had Division I talent -- that's me as a coach seeing that. But he was also a very sensative boy who loved to write. There was no way I was going to push (sports). I could have helped him be a Division I player, obviously, but as a parent you have to know what to do for your kids and what not to do. Pushing him into sports would have been counterproductive, at a point of excess. I tried to follow that principle of training mind and character development."

You'd hope the parents that need this encyclopedia, and the two follow-up volumes that Doyle is preparing for next year, will be the ones who get it into their hands. But the truth is, pretty much any parent who's sending their kid into the world of sports needs it, no matter what their reference point or experience.

What do you tell your kid when a referee makes a "bad call" against him? How do you deal with a coach you don't agree with? How do you deal with injuries to your kid, and have him or her "walk it off" or get serious consultation?

"I don’t know if those who are buying it are the ones who may think they don't need it, but at least from the feedback, it's been enlightening to really reflect on a philsopiohy and values and the notion of an 'anchor approach'," said Doyle. "If one addresses it, it precludes one from pushing a kid too hard.

"I think if a person follows this, they’ll stay away from the pushing. Before I did this, I read many books out there that in one form or another address sports parenting. Most of them had a general theme -- we have a problem -- and then it was all anecdotal. Such, as, 'I went to a game and saw a parent punch someone.' There was very little perscriptive advice on how to deal with that. I really enjoyed the process of writing this as an intellectual challenge to kick around ideas."

==Also:
==The Institute for International Sport, which Doyle founded.
==The Center for Sports Parenting social network, which Doyle also launched.
==Other Dan Doyle books:

By JANIE McCAULEY
The Associated Press

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Tim Lincecum finishes up a fine pitching performance in front of some 40,000 people, then tenses up when he has to talk about it afterward in front of a camera.
He took public speaking in high school and college, but that training has hardly eased his fear of going on television or appearing before a big group.
“I panic. I freeze up. I get the shakes,” Lincecum said after a recent spring training start for
San Francisco. “It’s one place I just feel out of my element.”
Enter Joan Ryan, the longtime and award-winning Bay Area journalist and author now working as a consultant in conjunction with the Giants’ communications department to help with cases just like Lincecum’s. What better place than the relaxed atmosphere of spring training to improve players’ interview skills right along with their on-field skills?
A sampling of other major league clubs shows a number of teams are making similar efforts to give athletes a better understanding of the media’s role and the differing needs of the many faces covering them on a regular basis.

Today, ESPN360.com has plans to stream 42 live sport events -- that's the most it has ever had on its plate in one sitting.
Who says Americans are getting too fat?
Among them are 35 men's and women's college basketball games -- 17 of those are conference tournament contests.
Then there's NASCAR, Itlian soccer, rodeo, rugby and college lacrosse.
No hot-dog eating.
For those behind the curve, ESPN360.com is the network's broadband network that carries more than 2,500 live events around the world each year, no extra charge if they have a high-speed internet connection from "an affiliated provider." That would include AT&T, Verizon, Charter ... about 20 providers are on board. Those on college campuses and military bases in the U.S. that have .edu or .mil in their domains also get it.
No dispensation if you have the above keyboard. It just looks like something Petros Papadakis should have on his home computer.

By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer

PALM HARBOR, Fla. — For all the tough losses he has endured on the golf course the last few years, Ernie Els found perspective at home in the blue eyes of 5-year-old Ben.

His son was diagnosed with autism, which Els and his wife coped with privately until he showed up on the PGA Tour this week with an “Autism Speaks” logo on his golf bag and a message he wanted to get out.

“I feel comfortable talking about it now,” Els told The Associated Press after he missed the cut Friday in the PODS Championship. “I’ve got a bit of a profile where it will grab attention. That’s what this problem needs. And with that, hopefully, more people will get involved and we can start getting to what causes it and what can be done to help it.”

His son turned 5 in October, the youngest of two children, a big boy with blond hair and blue eyes.

“Ben is quite affected by it,” Els said. “But he’s a lovely boy.”

Els, who won the Honda Classic last week to end an 0-for-47 drought on the PGA Tour that spanned 3½ years, said he and wife Leizl (pictured with him here) have known about it for “quite a few years,” and they have spoken to specialists around the world.

It was something they dealt with privately at home in London and in South Africa.

ESPN's "SportsCenter" feature that'll play on Sunday's 8 p.m. show involves ... here's how the PR department describes it:

"(It) will show how the Florida Everglades’ ritual of rabbit chasing has helped produce some of the country’s best football players. Belle Glade and the surrounding area are known as “Muck City” because of the large quantity of mud in which sugarcane grows.

"Each March, when the fields are set ablaze to burn leaves off the stalks before the cane is harvested, football players wait for rabbits to emerge. Then they chase and catch them. Fred Taylor of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Santonio Holmes of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Anquan Boldin of the Arizona Cardinals are a few who have benefited from the annual ritual that helps athletes become faster football players."

Says Florida State coach Bobby Bowden in the piece: “Well, I would say that a guy that lives on the beach can swim better than a guy that lives in the Everglades. Now, I’d say a guy that chases rabbits has a chance to be better than a guy that doesn’t chase rabbits.”

Meaning, USC and UCLA could kick the Seminoles' rear ends in ... catching a wave?

More on ESPN and the movie making business, as an extension of today's Daily News media column:

Flash back to 2002 when EOE’s first made-for-itself movie, “Season on the Brink,” had Brian Dennehy cram into a red sweater and pretend to be Indiana basketball coach Bob Knight. It aired the film on both ESPN and ESPN2 – one with the bleeped-out language, and one for the older viewers airing later in the evening.

Next week, the newly-retired Knight joins the set of ESPN’s college basketball analysts, with Dick Vitale and Digger Phelps, adding to the din of commentary about March Madness leading into the April 7 finale in San Antonio.

Has ESPN come full circle? When does Vitale lean into Knight an ask him on the air, "So, what did you think about that ESPN movie about you?"

Chew on that as Ron Semiao, ESPN's senior VP of original entertainment, explains more the new ESPN Films division of the WWLeader:

"You see sports movies all over the place, and look at the log coming up -- 'Leatherheads' in April, biopics on Lombardi, Namath, Joe Louis ... movies don't do gangbusters at the box office, but a lot of them are successful with very modest budgets. You don't have to do a huge box office to have success. A quality sports flim enhances the ESPN brand on an overall basis. And the ESPN stamp gives you a certain resonance of expectations. You expect it to be an authentic sports film and hopefully ESPN takes that to a further degree and allows you to watch it and know it's believeable. A lot of movies out there are labled 'Inspired by a true story.' What does that mean? We're not doing fiction. The audience will know if it's legit or if it's being 'Hollywood-ed' up."

As for how ESPN Films works:
"At ESPN, we use our money to support our core business: Rights fees and production of events, sports news and information. Now we put money into a studio. With Disney as the parent company, hypothetically, we could find a script that we both like and want to move forward on. It could be produced by ESPN with Disney as the studio funding and distributing it. Disney has had plenty of sports movies on its radar. Disney films in the past like 'Remembe the Titans' or 'Invincible' or 'Miracle' could have been under the ESPN Films label if it existed. But if for some reason, Disney decides, for budgetary reasons or other commitments, it isn't the studio that finances it, because it's doing more animation or big franchise movies, then we go to CAA and they'd help raise the capital and identify a distributor.
"Our relationship with CAA is really a collaborative effort. They represent our theatricial efforts with projects that may be there with their talent. There's nothing that prohibits us from using an actor, writer or producer from another agency. CAA has already an incredible roster of talent. They approached us about doing sports-themed movies in the past, so this has been a comfortable relationship for years."

Producer Mike Tollin, involved in overseeing the "30/30" project we mentioned in the story, expands on what this means for ESPN in its movie-making goals.
"It's really a bold initiave for ESPN to break the mold and go away from formatted series and not fall into the conventions of the sports documentary. It goes back to the 1972 Olympics, when the Olympic committe gave David Wolper the rights for the official film, and he did "Visions of Eight," where he gave eight filmmakers free reign to do film essays about those Games.
"The idea for '30/30' is to get a new vision and mix them into a big mosiac. You get 50 to 100 topics that filmmakers want to do. You want it to be subjective over the last 30 years of sports. It'll be more impressionistic and abstract. I'm thrilled to be part of it."

For another take on the ESPN Films concept, Randy Williams, whose book "Sports Cinema - 100 Movies: The Best of Hollywood's Athletic Heroes, Losers, Myths, and Misfits" covers all the bases, says there's no question that with Semiao's love for sports movies, "their passion will be reflected in the product."

Williams adds:
"One thing I found interesting but not surprised by, was that in interviewing a wide range of sports fans for my book, most sports TV viewers are also avid moviegoers, so ESPN has tapped into that with this announcement. It is a way to further engage them plus draw in more women who typcially control movie-going decisions."

Williams, in the process of writing two films with a sports backdrop himself, is also developing a TV series based on his book.

Also of note:
Once a month, ESPN Classic offers a sports movie on a Sunday night that airs without commercial interruption. It's even repeated at 7 p.m., after it airs the first time at 5 p.m.
The upcoming schedule:
This Sunday: "Hoosiers"
April 27: "Major League"
May 25: "Days of Thunder"
June 29: "The Longest Yard"
July 27: "Caddyshack"
Aug. 17: "Victory"

On to more media stuff:

We've been remiss in not noting that Jason Smith, who does "All Night" on ESPN Radio and was the focus of our sports-talk show guys last month, has his show moved an hour earlier and now goes on from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday. Officially, the move took place Feb. 18.

"I'm really excited to be on an hour earlier in L.A.," said Smith. "It's my home city and now I start my show pretty much right after the Lakers games end. It'll be even better after L.A. Live is finished, and I'll be broadcasting from just across from Staples as the crowds are pouring out. Of course, this really lets the people who disagree with my opinions know exactly where I am, but I think the glass in the studio will be pretty thick and quintuple-re-inforced. I'll also be popping in on occasion to hang with Brian Long and Pete Fox for a few minutes before my show starts, too.

"I'm also able to get to bed an hour earlier. It's funny, driving home I already see there's so many more cars on the road at 2 a.m. When I would get done at 3, sometimes I would be the only car on the road in my entire drive home. I kind of felt like Will Smith in 'I Am Legend', except without the dog. And the zombies. And now I sleep until around 11 a.m. instead of noon, so I feel like a more productive member of society. Nothing made me feel worse than going outside for the newspaper at 12:30 p.m. in my robe, and seeing my 78-year old neighbor from across the street coming back from his daily bike ride. And it's a full Lance Armstrong serious-biker-yellow outfit too. At least that gets me to go to the gym."

ESPN Radio is running a show called "Sportscenter AM" in the 2-to-3 a.m. slot before "Mike & Mike" begins, with Jay Reynolds anchoring a show that focuses on the bigger news stories of the previous and upcoming day.

When people tell you Vin Scully is the best play-by-play man in Southern California, you can tell them Pete Arbogast is No. 1, too -- so how do you do! Stick it right there!
If the readers' vote in the best and worst play-by-play man proved anything, it's that a) Scully rules and b) Arbogast ... does too.
He pulled off the most votes in the "worst" list -- 51 of 148 total, for 34 percent, with the Lakers' Joel Meyers a respectable second (28 votes, 19 percent) through Thursday morning.
Arbogast finished third on the "best" list, it can be noted. Scully was first with more than half of the 242 votes (127, 52 percent), and the Kings' Bob Miller was second (26 votes, 11 percent), just squeezing past Arbogast (24 votes, 10 percent).
Since my list came out last week, we've dealt with several pro- and con-Arbo emailings.
Such as this pro-Arbogast reader comment:

Since a whole host of USC alumni consider Pete Arbogast's commentary on college football to be virtually unimpeachable, your castigation on Friday's "Sounding Off" seemed to have the flavor of personal rancor. But since I find your Saturday flood of humorless cryptic epithets consistently confounding, perhaps our point of disagreement is simply a language problem.

We won't reveal the name of the writer because Arbogast will probably want to keep using the psudenym in future emailings.
As for calling someone unimpeachable ... maybe it's a language problem, but wasn't Richard Nixon at one time unimpeachable?
Then there's this not-so-pro Arbogast reader comment:

I was intrigued by your classification of Pete Arrogant (sp?). I came to know him through membership in a local chorus. His initial participation was warmly welcomed due to his nice singing voice, and the fact that he sang on key! Shortly thereafter, he left to become The Voice Of The Bengals (?) and there was a big sigh of relief! You can fill in the blanks; it didn't take long. I offer this background merely to reinforce your representation of him.

So how do YOU do?!?

Again, if you have the chance, read his self-written Wikipedia entry. It's more laughs than a Family Circus cartoon.

To remind us about the 25th anniversary of the launch of the USFL -- the spring pro football league that was supposed to show the NFL that the game could be played in a different season with the same quality of talent -- ESPN Classic has a seven-hour marathon of shows Thursday that we'd advise those with a sense of history and humor make sure is on the radar.
"Here Comes the USFL," a one-hour show that highlights the first season -- 1983 -- kicks it off at 9 a.m..

From there:
The March 7, 1983 Birmingham Stallions vs. Michigan Panthers game (10 a.m. to noon). This is the first USFL game televised by ESPN.
The July 15, 1984 USFL title game between the Philadelphia Stars and Arizona Wranglers (noon to 2 p.m.)
The July 14, 1985 USFL title game between the Baltimore Stars (having moved there from Philly) and Oakland Invaders (rhymes with Raiders) (2 to 4 p.m.), which was the last game of the final season of the league's existence.
If we're not mistaken, ESPN used Jim Simpson as the voice of the league and the analyst .. .you'll have to tune in to remember...
Somewhere, we hope there's mention of the Los Angeles Express, a team that included for a time Steve Young at quarterback (and once, as a fullback), John Hadl as the coach and William Oldenberg as the excentric, pre-Bruce McNall-type owner who disappeared almost as soon as he came and delivered the now famous $40 million contract that Young signed out of BYU to give the league another star player.

The Dodgers don't do all their spring training games on the new flagship home, KABC-AM (790). The station has an abbreviated schedule. The team says if anyone wants to hear the games, they gotta buy a package on MLB.com.
The Angels ... they don't do it that way.
The team announced today that, starting Monday, all weekday spring training games will be live on KLAA-AM (830). Weekend games will continue to be replayed late afternoons or early evenings on the station. On top of that, all games will remain free on the Internet, at the team's www.Angelsbaseball.com website (click on "Listen to Spring Training" yellow tag on the right side of the home page).
In addition to radio, the Angels will also televise March 21 vs. Texas (KCOP Channel 13), March 23 vs. Seattle (FSN West), March 24 vs. San Diego (FSN West), March 26 vs. the Cubs (FSN West), March 27 vs. the Dodgers (FSN West), March 28 vs. San Diego (KCOP Channel 13) and March 29 vs. San Diego (FSN West) with a combination of Rory Markas-Mark Gubizca and Steve Physioc-Rex Hudler.

Sorry for any misunderstanding about the fact -- or apparent fact -- that KABC-AM (790) was doing every Dodgers' spring training game live.
As some found out last Friday, or even today ... not true.
Here's the list of remaining games that go live (in fact, every game on KABC is live, so if it's not on this schedule, go to the Dodgers' website for more info about how to receive them on audio stream .. because we're not finding the info on the home page ourselves and have asked that it be clarified):

Saturday, March 8 vs. St Louis Cardinals 10:00 AM
Sunday, March 9 vs Boston Red Sox 10:00 AM (also on KCAL Channel 9)
Friday, March 14 vs San Diego Padres in China, 10:00 PM
Saturday, March 15 vs San Diego Padres in China, 10:00 PM
Saturday, March 22 vs Angels in Phoenix, 1 PM
Sunday, March 23 vs. Colorado in Tucson, 1 PM
Monday, March 24 vs. Kansas City in Surprise, Ariz., 6 PM
Tuesday, March 25 vs. Milwaukee at Phoenix, 1 PM
Thursday, March 27 vs. Angels in Anaheim, 6:30 PM
Friday, March 28 vs. Boston at Dodger Stadium, 7 PM
Saturday, March 29 vs. Boston at Coliseum, 6:30 PM
Sunday, March 30 vs. Boston at Dodger Stadium, 12:30 PM

Still plenty of time to cast your vote for best/worst play-by-play dude in Southern California for '08.
Sorry, Arbogast, but you can only vote once:

Who's the best play-by-play announcer?
	Pete Arbogast
	Spero Dedes
	Ralph Lawler
	Bill Macdonald
	Rory Markas
	Joel Meyers
	Bob Miller
	Rick Monday
	Nick Nickson
	Vin Scully
	Brian Siemen
	Terry Smith
	Paul Sunderland
	Jim Watson
	Kelly/Caldwell/Rosenbloom/McGee
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Who's the worst play-by-play announcer?
	Pete Arbogast
	Spero Dedes
	Ralph Lawler
	Bill Macdonald
	Rory Markas
	Joel Meyers
	Bob Miller
	Rick Monday
	Nick Nickson
	Vin Scully
	Brian Siemen
	Terry Smith
	Paul Sunderland
	Jim Watson
	Kelly/Caldwell/Rosenbloom/McGee
Free polls from Pollhost.com

From a TV production, the four-hour coverage of Sunday's City of Los Angeles Marathon (7:30 to 11:30 a.m.) won't look too much different from last year's show. Fred Roggin returns as the host (and his production company is in charge of all you see), Toni Reavis (who has done all 23 previous races) is the analyst, and Nancy Ditz, a two-time winner, will be on the desk as well. Bob Molinatti has the wheelchair race, Ed Eyestone and Juli Henner focus on the men and women races, and surely, Fritz Coleman will be telling us all about the weather.
"But on a multi-platform basis, we've multiplied that," Roggin says.
Both KNBC.com and Telemundo52.com will have isolated camera feeds, some focused solely on the men and women leaders (while the TV coverage cuts away to other stories). A stationary camera will stay at the finish line until sundown so people can see friends and family finish.
KNBC has more coverage on its digital channel, Channel 4.4. And there's a half-hour highlight package at 6:30 p.m. on Channel 4.
The digital angle continues with the Channel 4.4 (Time Warner Cable channel 226), where host Mekahlo Medina surfs through live marathon feeds, scans blogs and shares viewer reaction from message boards and emails during a service called "NewsRaw." That coveage continues an hour after the TV coverage ends with a stationary finish-line camera.
"On top of all that, the field this year is pretty good, the weather is projected to be in the 70s, and I can pronounce all the names of the elite runners," said Roggin.
One feature that Roggin is trying to pull off: One runner has a daughter that's serving in the Army in the Middle East, and she'll be running the race at the exact same time (at night). If Roggin can get a satellite feed working, you may be able to see that story as well.
On KVEA Channel 52's coverage, Mauricio Cardenas and New York Marathon winner German Silva will host, with six reporters on the course.
Phil Olsman returns as the executive producer of the stations’ TV coverage.
Like last year, the course is a point-to-point race rather than a finish line that's a block away from the start line. KNBC uses more than 140 crew members, plus six helicopters, 26 camera positions, side-car motorcycles, spotters and the GPS system that covers the race to the finish -- either male or female -- for the $100,000 bonus.
Among the storylines: Some 220 runners from the AIDS Project Los Angeles have trained over the last six months and raised nearly a half million for the fight against HIV/AIDS in L.A. More info: www.aidsmarathon.com.