March 2009 Archives

A year ago, we knocked out 30 recently-published baseball books in 30 days during the month of April as a way to get in shape for the major league baseball season (the whole list, linked here).

A lot of them are still available if you're looking for a good read. And a lot of the books coming out this year may look like spin-offs of what's been successful.

For example, our favorite book from a year ago, "101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out" (linked here) has a rival for best baseball book of '09 -- a series called "100 Things (fill in the name of the team) Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die." The one based on the Dodgers, by Jon Weisman, comes out later in April (go to this link for more information and ordering).

It's far from just rehashing things that have already been written about people, places and things. Weisman, who started the blog DodgerThoughts.com and was a former sports writer at the L.A. Daily News, includes fresh interviews, thoughtful essays, plenty of exploration of events and teams and plays and stadiums that you probably hadn't even known about. We'll circle back to this and get more into it later in the month after we've had more time to digest it.

Starting tomorrow, with reviews popping up about noontime, we'll attack the month with a stack of books we've already started and hopefully can fill out as April eases on.

If you've come across some baseball books that have come out in recently -- we're looking at 2009 publication dates -- gives us a heads up and we'll cover it. Until then, relax and smell the fresh-cut printed pages of baseball.

And the new "Guitar Hero" appears to be ....

Bob Knight.

With his backup group: Coach K, Roy Williams and Rick Pitino.

Even funnier, The General havin' some fun behind the scenes!

John Calpari apparently didn't get to Kentucky quick enough.

Somewhere, Tom Cruise is saying: You're so glib.

Once upon a time, our pop culture references were a little more organic, not thrust upon us for a quick laugh and "Hey, did you see that!"

Now, it's an ESPN mini-series. At least Coach K understand where the parody came from ...

We're more impressed with some of the comments about this already posted on Deadspin.com, which say what we're thinking better than we can at this moment:

Detective Bunk: A little heads up next time, Rick. Some of us are eating our dinner here.

Cowbell204: A green screen? You mean these four didn't make this commercial together in the middle of the season?

Sculptor? I just met her!: whew. all i gotta say is, thank god for adblock

And sunblock.

Maybe that's why we haven't really seen it yet, except for these clips online.

If we're the marketing campaign for Guitar Hero, we've just realized something: We have an outrageous bucket of money to throw out there. Kids must really be buying this. Why do we need to keep pushing it, then? Why don't we just pocket this money and quit thinking we're making some kind of cultural iconic statement with these commercials? It's not like we're selling Alka Seltzer and having some big fat guy say, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!"

OK, we'll look one more time at the one with Kobe, A-Rod, Tony Hawk and Michael Phelps -- oh, right, seems that's a little outdated now, isn't it? A-Rod spent too much time posing in the mirror, and Phelps was off to the side hitting the bong. Leave it to Kobe to be the mature one of that group.

OK, we'll look one more time at the one with Heidi Klum -- the director's cut (quickly sans red striped shirt):

OK, now who's the hero around here?

We get it. The video game is popular, and the more it can be a pop culture ad, the more street cred it gathers.

When President Obama agrees to do this, with his family playing themselves in the background, then it will have officially, you know, jumped that shark thing...

Now, we need a boost of that G drink to get us going so we can get up to speed on "Celebrity Apprentice" and see how The Donald fired Dennis Rodman on the last episode. Oh, sorry to give away the ending.

Drool a comment all you want here or at thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com.

According to the French magazine "France Football," and hashed out on the SI.com website, David Beckham topped the list of the highest-earning soccer players in 2008 with $42.7 million.

It has nothing to do with whatever some may pay him in sire fees.

To break that down, Becks earns $6.5 million on the field per year, according to his Major League Soccer contract. But much of that figure this year will be paid by AC Milan, where the England international will be until the end of the Serie A season in May. He also gets a nice chunk of change from endorsement deals (adidas, Gillette, Pepsi) and a slide of the ticket and jersey sales by the Galaxy.

A look at the list:

1. David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy/AC Milan): $42.7 million
2. Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona): $37.7 million
3. Ronaldinho (AC Milan): $25.8 million
4. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United): $24.1 million
5. Thierry Henry (FC Barcelona): $22.4 million
6. Kaká (AC Milan): $19.9 million
7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan): $19.9 million
8. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United): $17.8 million
9. Frank Lampard (Chelsea): $17.1 million
10. John Terry (Chelsea): $15.4 million

Somehow, I forgot to even check on Tiger Woods on Sunday afternoon.

Stupid me. That's what happens when even the greatest golfer in the world somehow gets a little out of sight, out of mind.

Sure, I knew going into the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando that Woods was five shots off the lead, behind ... did it really matter? Maybe he'd make it interesting. He did enough just to hump back into it after an average first round and above average second performance.

Now, it's about 4 o'clock, just after North Carolina finished off Oklahoma to finish off the Final Four. KCBS started its post-game chatfest. The guy with the hairplugs starts ranting about ... that's the cue to head somewhere else.

Over at ESPN, Digger Phelps was digging into his analysis when the scroll across the bottom of the screen had a "program alert" ... Woods was actually leading the PGA event with two holes to go.

Impossible.

From then, Channel 4 was the place to sit and watch with amazement.

Just as Woods hit his tee shot at 17 into the mouth of a trap and appeared there was no way out for him to survive.

He, of course, did.

At the par 4, 18th, Woods, who's now fallen back into a tie with Sean O'Hair, belts it down the middle. His second shot, as caddie Steve Williams called a "bleeder" thanks to the open mike that allowed to hear it, plopped it over the water and the rocks into a slice of green that seemed as if you couldn't put it in a better spot if you were to hand deliver it.

Then, from 15-feet, 11-inches, "just a little slider to the right," as Johnny Miller described it, Woods sank the put as the sun was sinking into darkness. At just before 8 p.m. on the East Coast, Tiger Woods was back in prime time, greeted by Palmer just off to the side.

"Are you kidding me!" a voice kept repeating off camera, audible to the home viewers. "Are you kidding me?!"

The flashbulbs, which flashed much brighter, lit up the scene like a summer ago when Rafael Nadal outlasted Roger Federer in the Wimbledon men's final. The irises of the NBC cameras were already open wide, to let as much sunlight in as possible, making it seem as if there was plenty of time to go if there needed to be a playoff.

Tiger didn't need one. He shut out the lights with a a 67. O'Hair finished his par put for a 73.

And Woods had his 66th career victory. And a statement that, in a couple of weeks, he'll be ready for the Masters.

"He is the greatest pressure putter that's ever played the game," Miller said of Woods.

"It's just sheer magic," said Dan Hicks, noting that Woods' last comeback from five strokes on the final round was in 2000.

A day earlier, in full sunlight, Woods couldn't even find his ball before hitting his third shot at the 18th hole. Sunday, not many in the gallery could see it well, even though it was on the green.

The story today on Bill Stetson, the former USC volleyball All-American who has become Dr. William Stetson, arthropedic surgeon, goes far beyond what we tried to condense into a column (linked here). His latest visit to Cuba set for this coming week will include stops in three cities, starting in Havana, with the blessings of the U.S. government.

"We've had no problems, but they sure make us fill out a lot of paperwork with the Treasury Department," said Stetson. "We have on our affidavit that we're there for our medical work. That's the only way we're able to go. There's nothing about a tourist visa. It's very hard to get down there."

== Stetson's practice in Burbank (official site linked here) somehow got the official domain SportsMedicineDr.com, which shows you how bright he has to be in the first place to get someone to know him.

== From there, his non-profit organization "Operation Arthroscopy" (linked here) accepts donations all the time -- mostly medical equipment that has not become so much outdated, but has been replaced by newer technology.

"Everyone here (in the U.S.) wants the latest and greatest equipment, so a lot of the stuff that works just fine and is first or second generation sits in garages or closets," said Stetson. "Once I started asking around for it to be donated, I filled an entire garage with medical equipment."

Some of it is easy enough to carry in a suitcase. Most is in the 20-to-30 pound range and needs to be shipped ahead.

== Here's a story done on him back in 1998 when he first started going to Haiti: (linked here)

== Here's the story on him in 2006 when he was honored with the NCAA Silver Anniversary award (linked here).

And if you happen to see Dr. Stetson before he leaves down, he's the one hobbling around in the boot around his foot. He recently tore the calf above his Achilles.

Nothing athletic to boast about, though.

"I was coming out of a restaurant and there was a small curb I didn't see," he said. "I didn't just tweek it, I turned (the ankle) over and ..."

At least he didn't do the surgery himself on it. But he knew a good place to go to get it done.

Long Beach has such a forward-thinking recycling program going on. But it never seems to work.

Like the time when Dennis Rodman thought he could make another comeback, in 2003, and there was an ABA team that thought it would help him out. It was based in Long Beach (linked here). Called the Jam. It was right at the time he was taping that TV reality show, "The Mole."

We've already remembered too much of that.

Now, it's one-time Los Angeles singing sensation/Dodgers pitcher Jose Lima who has found a team that will take him. And, again, it's Long Beach putting a tent on the circus.

The Long Beach Armada of the independent Golden Baseball League announced Friday that the 36-year-old signed a player contract for the upcoming season. He will do more than sing for his supper. He'll have to impress Garry Templeton that he's less crazy than him.

"I'm excited to have Jose Lima pitching for us this year," said Templeton, the Long Beach Armada manager. "His experience, skill, and leadership will be a great benefit to us. I'm glad that we have the opportunity to showcase his skills and give him the chance to rejoin a major league club."

Lima's career in the big leagues, as you may recall, started in Detroit in 1994 and included a 21-win season with Houston, a stop with the Dodgers in 2004, throwing for the Mets in 2006, then the Mexican League in 2007 and the Korean pro leagues in 2008.

Somehow, he didn't make it into the Korean WBC rotation.

"It will be a lot of fun for our fans to experience the passion and joy that Jose brings to the game," said Long Beach Armada GM Tony Soares. "We will definitely have special promotions and fan activities on the nights he pitches and give the Armada faithful lots of "Lima Time!"

The Armada (official site linked here) actually have an open tryout Saturday in Irvine (it costs $75, so don't do it on a whim) leading into the May 21 season opener.

Somehow, the Orange County Flyers, and manager Gary Carter, took a pass on this. Oh, wait. The Flyers took a pass on Carter as well. Their skipper this season: Phil Nevin (team site here).

When we attended this Religious Education Conference in Anaheim last month, inspired to write about the "Amazing Grace" of sports based on information we assmiliated from a Catholic thelogian's point of view about sports and spirituality (story linked here, with a blog post linked here), we also ran into a priest from USC who wanted the session's lecturer, Dr. Richard Gaillardetz, to contact him.

"I'd like to pass this onto Pete Carroll," the priest said.

He also mentioned an upcoming "Sports and Spiritualty" night that the USC Catholic Center was going to sponsor.

That's happening Wednesday, from the information we've found on the USC Catholic Trojan website (linked here).

Olympian John Naber, two-time Olympic silver medalist and USC alum who also works for ABC Sports, will moderate a panel that includes fellow Olympians Dwight Stones, Brian Goodell and Mark Crear to share their stories about "being in the zone"; virtues of sports; discipline - "forcing your body"; and praying and meditating before competition.

Sounds very uplifting.

Skating through some more media stuff we've learned along the way, mostly through Google searches, and without Dick Button's analysis:

== "Gosh, we're gonna say a prayer there ..." and that would be USC volleyball director of operations Nikki Allen spiking herself in this TV interview (from Awfulannouncing.com):

== A new DirecTV deal with the NFL, who appease the cable companies by throwing them the Red Zone channel ... plus the network games to start the '09 season (linked here).

== Keith Olbermann , baseball nerd, now blogs for MLB Network (linked here). At least it's a subject he knows about. He offered up this one recently after a trip to Glendale, Ariz.:

"It's not like the Dodgers managed to turn the wind off as (Randy) Wolf shut down a Texas lineup that included Josh Hamilton on two hits over six (six strikeouts). The positioning of the otherwise splendid new park the Blue share with the White Sox appears to have been done in the dark. The sun will not let up on the batters; the batters' eye in centerfield is about half standard size, and the Dodgers' bullpen is uncovered and does not see shade until nearly sunset. The players have less of a chance of being grilled than do Dodger Dogs."

== Bill Raftery ain't such a weird guy (linked here and linked here).

== Write what you will about drinkin' 'n' smokin' 'n' partyin' John Daly ... as long as it's true (linked here)

== How the "Dancing With The Stars" reality show almost got too real for one athlete (not Lawrence Taylor) (linked here)

== No wonder we haven't seen any more blogs from Gilbert Arenas ... he's moved to a new arena, or at least out of one he considers could get him killed (linked here)

== The MLB Network has Thursday night games, to go with ESPN's Monday and Wednesday games, and Fox's Saturday games, and ESPN's and TBS' Sunday games, and then all the local games you'd see from the Dodgers and Angels on FSN West and Prime. (linked here) At least Tuesday's are horsehide free. Maybe.

== If the Houston Chronicle didn't cover sports in 1968, would anyone have known that the University of Houston beat UCLA at the Astrodome in that big game? (linked here)

== Find your favorite sports pub on your iPhone, fratboy (linked here)

== A boner by former KCOP Channel 13 (when they had a sportscast) sportscaster Michelle Bonner, calling A-Rod ... well, see for yourself:

== Even you can spot the flaw in this ESPN "SportsCenter" graphic on Curt Schilling's retirement quote (from Deadspin):

A comment from someone named WhoWantsaWanstacheRide: "As an explanation, I'll bet the next sportscenter commercial features the A's mascot running the graphics department."

== AND FINALLY:

== A bad audio connection, and pointing Tommy Lasorda into the setting sun at Dodger Stadium, makes for an awkward interview that sounds more like when you're trying to talk to your grandfather on his birthday and he's having trouble figuring out who's on the phone:

A new program on the MLB Network, "This Is Beyond Baseball", which are a 30-minute set of vignettes that feature current and former players tol discuss the role of baseball beyond the field, starts Sunday at 5 p.m. ... win Vin Scully narrating.

The documentary-style program created by MLB Productions is about ... heck, we'll let Vin explain it:

"Baseball reaches us all in places far beyond the playing field," said Scully in the MLB press release. "I am honored to lend my support to this endeavor and help celebrate the game I have loved for my entire life."

Ken Griffey Jr., Derek Jeter, Cal Ripken Jr., Curtis Granderson, Derek Lee and Terry Francona, as well as a special profile of the Upton family - father Manny and sons B.J. and Justin - are included.

The man on the newest cover of ESPN The Magazine looks happy. And healthy (it shows no hamstring wear and tear).

His smile is infectious. And that's good for you.

We've come across this item on the Wall Street Journal (linked here) that both disturbs us, yet distinguises Southern California sports fan as not so laid back when it comes to how our local sports team affect our laid-back nature.

Here's the theory:

L.A. has obsessed sports fans, apparently, who don't know how to handle their rooting interest. We've become the guinea pigs for a study that's cited here, going back to when this fine city had NFL teams in its perpherial vision.

The story says, in relation to how those can die from rooting too hard:

The latest evidence comes from a report showing that deaths, including heart-related deaths, increased in Los Angeles County during the two weeks following the 1980 Super Bowl. The underdog Los Angeles Rams lost that battle to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game in which the lead changed seven times. By contrast, four years later, when the L.A. Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins by a lopsided score, deaths in L.A. fell.

Getting really emotionally involved in your team "can result in emotional stressors," says Robert A. Kloner, director of research at Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles, and an expert in heart-attack triggers. "That isn't always good for the heart." Dr. Kloner is presenting the research this weekend at an American College of Cardiology meeting in Orlando, Fla.

Doc, you got our attention.

But now, how do we draw any conclusions from this? We're not sure.

First ... The NFL was actually in L.A.? My kids kid me about that.

Maybe it's good that it hasn't been around here for the last 15 years. We don't have that unhealthy barometer around to keep us on the edge of our seats, or on the ledge of our office buildings.

This may apply closer to the rise and fall of the Dodgers and/or Lakers. The Dodgers' fans -- or any fan of baseball -- seems to be more laid back, wouldn't you say? A World Series celebration hasn't been seen around here since 1981, so there's no way to gauge evidence they cause harm to our bodies.

Last year's trip to the NL Championship Series could have been a good test case. Did the city really fall into a depression after that loss to the Phillies? Maybe not, because it wasn't a one-or-nothing proposition.

Same for the Lakers. In a series to the Celtics, there are times to inflate or deflate your blood pressure and accept victory or defeat at different levels.

A Super Bowl scenario makes a lot more sense on how to judge someone's obsessive allegiance. You can't really gauge it on a college football championship game, especially one involving USC in the last five years, because there are probably too many indifferent fans watching. Those who consider themselves "die-hards" are more likely to take a defeat in the NCAA title game to Texas personally, just as they celebrated victories over Michigan or Oklahoma as a euphoric tonics to keep life looking rosy.

It's more food for thought, but that's another issue. Don't most people you know living in L.A. eat better than fans in other parts of the country? Obesity is a nation-wide problem, but we seem to be far more health conscious and that could contribute to whether we collapse into a La-Z-Boy with a heart attack or not, even after an episode of "American Idol."

Meanwhile, we look forward to the days ahead when we can cram a Dodger Dog down our throat, chase it down with a high-calorie Coke and watch Man-Ham-Ram circle the bases without killing himself.

Let us know what you think here or at thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com.

Above, that's the dude from "Napoleon Dynamite" performing in the movie "Blades of Glory. Left, that's U.S. famed skater Evan Lysacek during the men's short program Wednesday at the World Figure Skating Championships at Staples Center. As art immitates sport immitaing life immitating Napoleon on skates intimating that the guy can really skate a program, we also wonder: Scott Hamilton was in "Blades of Glory," right? As himself. Legitimizing the movie, as he's legitimizing the World Figure Skating Championships that have been taking place this week on Oxygen (c'mon, it's right there between Hallmark and HSN).

Maybe after all these kids in crazy chiffon outfits are finished skating around at Staples Center this week, some will stick around and try out for the Kings' skate chicks crew that shovel ice around the nets during time outs and try to do fancy tricks when no one's watching.

Or maybe not. Probably not. Man, we hope not.

We've tried to explain how people watch figure skating on TV these days, because you know you'll probably have to sit through some of it Saturday night between 9 and 11 p.m. if you're home and rescind remote control duties. Enlighten yourself by reading today's media column (linked here) and then some of the other stuff we've come across this week that wasn't print-worthy:

== Another observation by David Michaels, the NBC Sports producer of the skating coverage this weekend that feeds into the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, which NBC will also cover: "While the world championships have an insight into what may happen (at the Olympics), history says the whole period between now and then, all kinds of things change. This is the best time to check out the other competitors and see what they'll need to do to win (the Olympics). I'd pay less attention to the results and more to the lessons learned."

== Hamilton's opinion about the U.S. women's chances: "It's a very important World Championships because their placements determine how many entries they'll have at the Olympics next year. Alyssa Czisny's done everything she can to break down her technique to be more consistent and that showed with a win at the National Championship. I hope she can go to L.A. and throw down two great performances."

==ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights" has Brian Kenny live from the studio while Teddy Atlas and Joe Tessitore call tonight's Eddie Chambers-Samuel Peter bout from the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live (7 p.m.).

== Prime Ticket's coverage of the MLS Chivas USA season -- 18 games on the local cable channel -- starts Sunday with the team's game in Dallas. Christian Miles does play-by-play, with Bernard Osuna as the analyst and Amanda Fletcher on the sidelines when games are at home.

== GolTV has live coverage of nine European 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches from Saturday through April 1 - 2. The field includes Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Italy and Russia.

== Because you really can't enjoy an auto race better than hearing it on the radio, Sirius XM has announced it will do all Formula One races this season on all services starting with Sunday's opener in Australia (10 p.m. Saturday PDT).

== ESPN has the McDonald's High School All-American basketball game from Miami (Wednesday, April 1, with the girl's game followed by the boy's game). Coverage includes the three-point skills competition and dunk contest on Monday at 5 p.m. Dave Pasch is doing play-by-play for both girls and boys games. Brenda VanLengen analyzes the girls while Len Elmore is with the boys.

== This ESPN.com piece by Greg Garber running in the Krispy Kreme Challenge reminds us when we were at the L.A. Marathon years ago and offered donuts and cigars to participants instead of water and towels as they ran past us:

== AND THE CLOSING ARGUMENT:

From Onion Sports (linked here):

Marc Stein Treated For OCD After Latest NBA Power Rankings List Teams From Dirtiest To Cleanest

BRISTOL, CT -- Sportswriter Marc Stein was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and prescribed a low dose of Risperdal Tuesday after using his weekly ESPN.com power rankings to rate the "filthiness" of each NBA team.

"Basketball under their fingernails; I wouldn't go near these guys in a million years, okay?" read Stein's entry for the 11th-ranked Pacers, a typical blurb in a list that described the No. 1 Suns as "pretty clean or less diseased than normal" and the No. 30 Mavericks as "DIRTY DIRTY DIRTY DIRTY."

An agitated Stein told reporters that he believes teams need to be ranked in many different ways.

"Scoring them from best to worst, or by their 'power,' is one way, but what about organizing them by how dirty they are, their franchise age, or the way they sound or taste? People deserve to know that, although the Lakers are the best team in the league, they are only 23rd in terms of how well-liked they are among their own families. The Detroit Pistons are ranked eighth alphabetically. That's important."

Stein was prescribed an additional dose of D-cycloserin after explaining his plans to wash the entire Northwest Division.

When emailed about this story -- for real -- Stein, the former Daily News NBA writer replied: "The irony here is that I am an absolute neat freak . . . maybe they're spying on me."

Moments after clinching the World Baseball Classic title on Monday night at Dodger Stadium, Team Japan had this wild celebration in the home-team clubhouse, including animated Ichiro that you probably haven't witnessed before:

The San Diego Padres wouldn't have done it. Neither would have the St. Louis Cardinals.

Red Sox Nation, with all them practicing Catholics, would have seen this coming years ago and made some noise about it already.

The Detroit Tigers, apparently, just figured out that its home opener on April 11 at 1 p.m. -- on Good Friday -- wasn't such great planning for the Catholic community.

Jesus.

Forget the fact that there's so much hot dogs and peanut eating at the ballyard on that special Friday before Easter. No fish?

The separation between church and state-of-the-art ballparks came to light when the Catholics of Detroit started to show some outward concern that, as much as they are baseball fans, they're bigger fans of the big picture, and would rather be in church from noon to 3 p.m. on that day, as they are committed to each year.

Or maybe it's not that big a deal. Most Tiger fans would consider it a good Friday if the team just won the game.

Wonder how Ty Cobb would have handled this "controvery."

The Catholics that I know seem to be a forgiving bunch. It's kind of part of the membership rules.

But from we know about Tigers is that former owner Tom Monaghan (the Dominos Pizza guy) is a devout Catholic. He had some kind of religious awakening and built a community in Florida where condoms and birth control pills are not allowed to be sold in drug stores. He must think his former team has gone to hell.

I'm reading a Detroit Tigers webbloger named Bill Ferris (linked here) who was quoted in the Detroit Free-Press story that originally came out with situation (linked here).

"I don't view this as a controversy. I didn't call foul or complain in any way. I was interviewed as a Catholic and a Tigers fan and what my plans were for the day. I didn't view this is a controversy or something controversial. I'm not pushing the Tigers to change the time of the game, nor did I ever even think to suggest it as a possibility. I'm not even upset about the fact that the game was scheduled when it was.

"I'm posting about it here because, well, I can. This turned out to be much more controversial than I ever imagined."

Yeah, talk to Shawn Green about that one. It was commendable when he was with the Dodgers and choose to observe Yom Kipper, even though every year it fell in the middle of a September pennant race. Alan Schwarz, on NPR's "All Things Considered," did a piece back on '04 on it (linked here) that explains it better.

You can expect these kinds of things to get a little overblown by those who seize the opportunity to do such.

Headlines that say "Catholics criticize Tigers' Good Friday opener" miss the point that every team plays that day -- a night game -- except the Tigers and Rangers.

Oh, well.

That's more bad business than worth screaming about an injustice.

The Associated Press rewrite of the story says that the Tigers have "upset some" Catholics who are "unhappy" with the start time.

A story on FoxSports.com includes an instant poll: Should the Tigers change the start of the game. It's a 50/50 split from more than 3,800 voters. There's no similiar poll on FoxNews.com, but we'd be more interested to see how that one fell.

At the Vatican's official website (linked here), put "Detroit Tigers" in the search engine and there'll be no documents found. There aren't any for the "New Jersey Devils" either, but ...

Pope Benedict XVI may have a comment sometime down the road if someone deems it necessary. But that would be like Barack Obama taking time out of his busy schedule to do an NCAA Tournament bracket. I don't see that happening.

Comment here or at thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com.

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- The Boston Red Sox have signed right-hander Rocky Cherry to a minor league contract.

The 29-year-old Cherry was 0-3 with a save and a 6.35 ERA in 18 relief appearances for the Baltimore Orioles last year. He spent most of the season at Triple-A Norfolk, where he was 0-1 with a 2.89 ERA in 28 relief appearances.

The Associated Press

A restraining order has been issued against a man authorities say tried to break onto the set of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" to meet Olympic gold-medal gymnast Shawn Johnson.

Court records show an order was issued against Robert O'Ryan, who was arrested by Los Angeles police on Tuesday. According to documents that accompanied the restraining order application, O'Ryan was stopped by security at CBS Studios, the lot where "Dancing With the Stars" is staged, after he jumped on a fence on Monday afternoon.

Police later searched his car and found a shotgun and handgun -- both loaded -- as well as duct tape and love letters.

A sworn statement by Johnson's mother, Teri, states that she was told by police that he believed he was meant to have a child with her daughter.

Johnson, 17, is one of the celebrity contestants on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars."

She is "in fear of her life," her parents' attorney wrote in a restraining order application.

The application had sought protection for Johnson's partner, Mark Ballas, but he was not included in the restraining order issued Wednesday.

Her parents requested and were granted the restraining order on Wednesday. A hearing on whether to grant a lengthy restraining order will be held April 14.

O'Ryan, 34, is being held on $35,000 bail on suspicion of carrying a loaded firearm in public (a felony). Court records do not indicate whether he has a lawyer.

The records state that he told security guards and police that he packed up all his belongings and traveled to California from Florida in the hopes of being with Johnson.

A report by security guards at CBS Studios states that O'Ryan was carrying an expired concealed weapons permit.

Sheryl Shade, Johnson's agent, said the matter was being reviewed by the district attorney's office "and we are confident that it will be handled appropriately by all involved."

The Associated Press

Gilbert Arenas apparently is ready to return to the court. He swears he is done, however, with his computer.

One of the best-known and most-quoted examples of a star professional athlete conveying his thoughts to the world via his blog is hanging up his keyboard. The Washington Wizards point guard from Grant High in North Hollywood said so himself Wednesday when asked whether he plans to resume writing now that he's ready to get back to balling.

"I retired," Arenas said in the home locker room before Washington's game against
Charlotte. "No more blogging for me."

Really? Why not?

"It's just like the double-(edged) sword thing: Eventually your words is going to kill you," Arenas said with a smile.

Asked to explain his thoughts further, Arenas smiled.

"I started looking at it as, before, it was fun, and everybody has fun reading it. And then
it's like everything I said, everybody started using it as firepower, instead of saying
it's just entertainment. You know, people started using it, trying to take bits and pieces
instead of enjoying the blog," the three-time All-Star said. "So once I started seeing
that, I just started visualizing, eventually, this is going to be the double-(edged) sword
thing. It made me and it's going to kill me, so I might as well stop."

He hasn't updated his blog since November, and has threatened in the past to stop blogging - only to pick it up again.

He has missed all of this season so far after having his third knee operation in 18 months. But Arenas started practicing with his teammates last month and has targeted Saturday's game against the visiting Detroit Pistons for his return.

These new channels keep popping up on the DirecTV lineup -- not that there's anything wrong with that.

One day, you think the Comedy Food Channel's here, and instead, it's been moved because there's a new channel with a reality show with RuPaul all about guys in drag having a contest -- not that there's anything wrong with that.

Former Dodger Dave Stewart gives it one thumb up.

Today, the new MLB Network announced some of its Thursday night game lineup, and the Dodgers are on once, but no Angels -- not that there's anything wrong with that.

But included in the first 16 games is the first contest from the new Yankee Stadium, with Bob Costas doing play-by-play.

There's something wrong with that.

Shouldn't that game be on a, er, major network that most everyone gets. Like, say, ESPN. Or even TBS. Or Fox. Instead of the league-owned channel that ... oh, now it makes sense. Finders' keepers.

And right about now, RuPaul needs a hug. Harold Reynolds around?

(Yes, that's a photo of RuPaul, impersonating the First Couple ... who else could pull that off?)

Here's how the MLB Net Thursday night schedule looks so far (all times PDT, of course):

April 9, 4 p.m.: Milwaukee at San Francisco (Matt Vasgersian and Joe Magrane)
April 16 1 p.m.: Cleveland at N.Y. Yankees home opener (Bob Costas, Harold Reynolds and Jim Kaat)
April 16, 5 p.m.: Toronto at Minnesota (Victor Rojas and Dan Plesac)
April 23, 5 p.m.: Dodgers at Houston (Matt Vasgersian and Joe Magrane) Although, in the Southern California market, we will get an "alternate" game -- same rules that apply when ESPN is carrying a Dodgers or Angels game on a Monday or Wednesday. At least there's no black screen.
April 30, 4 p.m.: Boston at Tampa Bay (Victor Rojas and Joe Magrane)
May 7, 4 p.m.: Philadelphia at N.Y. Mets (Bob Costas and Al Leiter)
May 14, 5 p.m.: Baltimore at Kansas City (broadcasters TBD)
May 21, 5 p.m.: Chicago Cubs at St. Louis (broadcasters TBD)

It's hardly on the radar, but catching up with a few announcements made from the league meetings at the St. Regis Monarch in Dana Point:

== The league kicks off Thursday, Sept. 10 at 5:30 p.m. on NBC -- Pittsburgh hosting Tennessee
== The first Sunday night game, Sept. 13, on NBC (5:30 p.m.) -- Green Bay hosting Chicago.
== The first Monday night games, Sept. 14, on ESPN -- New England hosting Buffalo at 4 p.m.; Oakland hosting San Diego at 7:15 p.m.
== The Thanksgiving Day games on Nov. 26: Detroit hosting Green Bay, 9:30 a.m., Channel 11/Fox; Dallas hosting Oakland, 1:15 p.m., Channel 2/KCBS; Denver hosting the New York Giants, 5:20 p.m., NFL Network

The rest of the 2009 regular-season schedule will be completed and announced in April.

==DirecTV's "Sunday Ticket" package will extend with the league through 2014. That could only enflame cable operators' relationship with the NFL Network carriage. The NFL and DirecTV have a $700-million-a-year deal that was to expire in 2010. The league will, however, create a couple of packages for those who don't have DirecTV, because either of poor satellite dish placement or they live in apartment. That broadband service will start no later than 2012. The DirecTV "Red Zone Channel" that has live cut-ins from all Sunday afternoon games will be available to cable and satellite providers, as well as cellphone and internet users.

And something that happened a couple of weeks ago:

== Westwood One and the NFL announced a two-year extension to continue as the syndicated radio partner for the league.

For the Sweet 16, March Madness on Demand -- the online version -- or DirecTV's Mega March Madness are still available during the NCAA tournament. The first is free; the later is ... not sure how much or if there's a reduced rate from the $69 starting point.

But the point is, here is what KCBS-Channel 2 will deliver to the L.A. market on Thursday and Friday:

== THURSDAY:
- 4 p.m.: Purdue vs. UConn with Dick Enberg and Jay Bilas (instead of Pitt vs. Xavier with Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery)
- 6:45 p.m.: Villanova vs. Duke with Lundquist/Raftery (instead of Memphis vs. Missouri with Enberg/Bilas)

== FRIDAY:
- 4 p.m.: Arizona vs. Louisville with Gus Johnson and Len Elmore (instead of Oklahoma vs. Syracuse with Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg)
- 6:45 p.m.: Gonzaga vs. North Carolina with Nantz/Kellogg (instead of Michigan State vs. Kansas with Johnson/Elmore)

You're concerned this morning that 12-seeded Arizona could mess up your NCAA tournament bracket.

We're puzzled why someone playing spring training baseball in Arizona couldn't have been recruited by Team USA to take a one-hour flight to Dodger Stadium and play in the World Baseball Classic semifinal contest Sunday night to help mess up Japan's chances to eventually win the whole thing on Monday night.

In theory.

Mark DeRosa, playing first base? For real? James Loney wasn't free to come over from Glendale, Ariz., and reclaim his little corner of Dodger Stadium to scoop up at least one wild Derek Jeter throw and save the U.S. team some runs? At least he understands the footwork needed to play the position.

Who were those relief pitchers that the U.S. trotted out? The Double-A guys playing for the U.S. Olympic team back in Beijing had more name recognition.

What else did we seem to learn, or yearn for, after watching Japan win a 10-inning finale against Korea (or, is it South Korea as the broadcasters kept saying?) that spilled into the late-night "SportsCenter" on the East Coast?

== If the Dodgers ever fielded a team of all Japanese or Korean players, they might sell out every game. You see now the importance of having an Hideo Nomo, Kaz Ishii, Takashi Saito or Hiroki Kuroda on the staff? It's not just for sushi sales. That's a demographic that needs to still be cultivated in the U.S. financial markets by businesses trying to stay ahead of the red ink.

== Whatever happened to Saito? After 81 saves in 180 games during his three-year Dodger career, the 39-year-old isn't good enough for the Japanese pitching staff? On Monday, Saito was pitching a scoreless inning of relief for the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers, Fla., wrapping up a 7-6 win over Edwin Jackson and Detroit in which Brad Penny started and pitched three hitless innings for the Red Sox. Oh, and Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youklis, who had to leave the U.S. team because of "injury," played four innings in the field and was 0-for-1 with a walk. What's wrong with all that?

== Whatever happened to Hee-seop Choi (link here)? He was with the Korean team in the '06 Classic hit a three-run pinch-hit home run against Team USA. When last seen on the baseball radar, he was in the Korean minor leagues trying to get his groove back.

== You, Yu Darvish, are one bad-ass. And what an interesting story. The 22-year-old is 6-foot-5, which he must get from his Iranian father, Farzad Darvishsefad. His dad met his mother, Ikuyo, who is Japanese, when they went to Eckard College in St. Petersburg, Fla. Japanese law requires a person holding dual citizenship choose a single nationality before reaching the age of 22, so instead of Iranian, he picked Japanese so he could play for the country in the '08 Beijing Olympics. He claims he has no desire to play U.S. baseball. Check to see if he got on the plane with the rest of his Japanese teammates when they left L.A. this morning. His wicked speedball moves more than Nomar Garciaparra's pre-pitch ritual. But as you can see, he can be his own worst enemy, trying to strike everyone out to a point where he ends up walking too many in tight situations. It came back to haunt him in the ninth inning. Somehow, he allowed a batter to fly out in between strikeouts to end the game in the 10th.
What we also like about him: In 2007, he started the Yu Darvish Water Fund, to help build wells and rain water storage systems in developing countries. He donates 100,000 Japanese Yen for every win to the project. "When I thought what I could do to help the society and the world through baseball, I just thought of starting something small," he said. "I wish this fund and hope of mine will eventually lead to help and encourage many people."

== Does Korean strategy include going brain dead at critical parts of the game. You gotta walk Ichiro with a base open in the 10th inning. Otherwise, he tires the pitcher out -- even fouling away a pitch that bounced before it reached the plate -- before he gets something to volley up the middle and bring in the go-ahead runs. You couldn't see that coming? Even Joe Morgan knew that was the right move.

== You notice that even the Netherlands didn't want Andruw Jones playing for its team?

== You also notice how many non-U.S. teams wore advertising logos on their helmets and uniform sleves? Will that be the next place MLB allows sponsorship to spread? Regretably, it makes sense. In a time when all leagues are looking for more revenue -- even the NFL is considering whether to allow hard liquor and state lotterys to advertise on their games and in their stadiums -- those vices are what keep this country running strong and help is prosper. Next, legalize prostitution and watch the backstop rolling advertisement billboard start posting excursions to Las Vegas' more famous brothels.

== By the way, if you tuned into ESPN at the dinner hour just before the first pitch of the Japan-Korea final, you may have seen this commercial:

It starts with a shot of a bald eagle and the American flag in the background:

"To help America cope with these tough economic times we put forth our own stimulus package. ..."

There's a box of Trojan condom "pleasure pack" of 32 premium lubricated latex condoms.

"The Trojan Pleasure Pack ... Because we believe we should ride out these hard times together."

Now, scan the Daily News sports section and see if you can find the adult entertainment ad that says: "We put the 'wood' in Hollywood."

Comment here or at thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com.

Photo by James Quick

Los Angeles Lightning players Fred Vinson, Lamond Murray and Toby Bailey enjoy themselves on the bench during a game last season in Thousand Oaks.

Last year, the Los Angeles Lightning (team official link here) of the International Basketball League (league official site here) made its debut at the Cal Lutheran facility in Thousand Oaks.

Former UCLA standout Toby Bailey may have been the most recognizable name out there for the team that also included former Clippers Lamond Murray and Keith Closs, and 3-point specialist Fred Vinson. Then there was point guard Kamran Sufi who led the league in assists (11.6) and guard Phil Givens , who scored a franchise-record 57 points in a 140-124 win over Arizonza in the season finale.

Get a chance to make it out to any games?

Wanna join the team?

Open tryouts are scheduled for this Saturday and Sunday, as well as April 4-5, at Gilbert Sports Arena on the CLU campus. Saturday tryouts run 6-to-9 p.m.; Sundays are 6-to-8 p.m. with coach Ron Quaterman watching over them.

"We're expecting everyone back and It's going to be a lot of fun," said Lightning owner Mark Harwell. "We got our feet wet last year and now, we want to get more involved with the community in a grass-roots way. We want to give back."

The 18-game season is scheduled to start Saturday, May 2 at home against the Edmonton Energy.

Fourteen of the Lightning's games are at home, for that matter.

Kinda makes you wonder why the Lakers don't try to negotiate their schedule with the NBA pencil pushers that way.

Here's the 2009 Lightning schedule (all games at Cal Lutheran unless othewise noted):

Saturday, May 2: Edmonton Energy, 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 3: Edmonton Energy, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 7: at Nevada Pride in Las Vegas, 7 p.m.
Friday, May 8: at Nevada Pride in Las Vegas, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 9: at Nevada Pride in Las Vegas, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 16: Kankakee (Ill.) Soldiers, 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 17: Kankakee (Ill.) Soldiers , 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 23: Seattle Mountaineers, 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 24: Seattle Mountaineers, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 30: Phoenix Red Rock Raptors, 7 p.m.
Sunday,May 31: Phoenix Red Rock Raptors, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 13: Grand Rapids (Mich.) Flight, 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 14: Grand Rapids (Mich.) Flight, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 20: Phoenix Red Rock Raptors, 7 p.m.
Sunday, June 21: Phoenix Red Rock Raptors, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 27: Nevada Pride, 7 p.m.
Sunday, June 28: Nevada Pride, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 30: Tacoma Tide at Tacoma, Wash., 7 p.m.

Herald-Examiner archives/Los Angeles Public Library
Exterior shot of Wrigley Field on Dec., 1960, after it is suggested the new Los Angeles Angels of the American League use it as their home for their first season in 1961. It had a capacity of 22,500. "It's in good condition," said officials.

A longer version of the column about what's happened to the property in South L.A. that once housed Wrigley Field in today's newspaper (linked here) appeared earlier this week (linked here). Somewhat unexpected, but then, considering the big hearts from many readers it should not be, many have asked about where to send donations to help the Wrigley Little League make it through this season in tough economic times.

Wrigley Little League president Mike Garcia will accept donations to the league that are sent to his State Farm insurance office in care of him: 4421 Riverside Drive, Suite 100, Burbank CA 91505.

Meanwhile, a search of the Internet and other resources have turned up some more memories of the old Wrigley Field, which 40 years ago was finally demolished to make way for Gilbert Lindsay Park and, what now sits in the former left field of the L.A. ballpark, the Wrigley Little League:

== Starting with a collection of photos from the former Herald-Examiner that are part of the Los Angeles Public Library collection:

- An aerial view of the neighborhood near 42nd Street and Avalon Boulevard as it appeared before Wrigley Field was constructed in 1925. Photograph dated October 1924:

-- And, from Opening Day, 1925 (a photo later handcolored for post cards, as displayed in a previous blog posting linked here calling it the "newest and finest in the United States":

A local voice? Naw.

Someone from Chicago.

Eric Collins, who called baseball during NBC's Olympics and has worked at ESPN doing college football and basketball, was picked by the Dodgers to do play-by-play on the 40-some TV games this season in place of Vin Scully when the team is playing East of the Rockies.

The 39-year-old Collins has also called College World Series telecasts and USA women's softball games. Last season, he filled in on Chicago White Sox games.

Collins came to ESPN from ABC where he also worked as a college football play-by-play commentator (2002-03). Prior to ABC, Collins worked for Fox Sports, calling NFL Europe games (2002) and DePaul and Horizon League basketball games (2000-04), while also serving as an anchor and reporter (1996-02). Collins was also the radio voice of the Schaumburg Flyers (Ill.) of the Northern League Baseball (1999-2001).

Collins will work with Steve Lyons and replaces Charley Steiner, who'll work exclusively on the KABC-AM (790) broadcasts with Rick Monday.

Candidates for the job who were invited to spring training to team up with Lyons on games to see how they fared included both Josh Suchon and Ken Levine, who do the DodgerTalk show for KABC, as well as Ben Wagner, Tom Hart and Joe Block.

Collins' resume is enough to make him a fine candidate for the position. But, if you're the Dodgers, would you not have tried to make it someone more familiar to the L.A. audience? Suchon or Levine would have made perfect sense, aside from what we already campaigned for -- trying Jeanne Zelasko out for the spot. It's only 40 games. There are plenty of talented people working in L.A. who know the team, its nuances, don't have to flip through a media guide to cram for the games, and could add some context to situations that will come up that, frankly, someone consumed in another city with other teams just won't have.

It'll come up during the season again. We're sure Collins again is a fine hire. If you're ESPN looking for a West Coast guy to call some MLB games. Not so much if you're the Dodgers trying to connect with a fan base.

So what if Barry Obama -- or any Special Olympian, for that mater -- had picked UCLA to win its first-round tournament game ... would that have changed the Bruins' grid and determination against Virginia Commonwealth, thinking they had some kind of presidental pardon all lined up in case they couldn't stop Eric Maynor on that final prayerful drive to the hoop?

== As long as we're talking about warped strategy, may we ask why Maynor didn't take it all the way to the basket to try to draw a foul, put himself at the free throw line and at least get an overtime out of it instead of trying to take the "hero" shot at the end?

== Did you notice the University of Oregon logo on the floor at the Rose Garden in Portland during the NCAA Tournament games played there? And the irony in that the Ducks are the only Pac-10 team that isn't in any of the four post season tournaments -- the NCAA (6 of 'em qualified), the NIT (1), the College Basketball Invitational (2) and the CollegeInsider.com Invitational (0)?

== Does the fact the Pac-10 has a 5-1 record, instead of the 1-5 that Obama predicted, mean anything in the grand scheme? Or is just another bullet for Rush Limbaugh to fire from his popgun o' fun?

== If we get any more of these lopsided No. 1 vs. No. 16 matchups -- like what UConn and North Carolina registered over shouldn't-be-invited Chattanooga and Radford -- would you support a new tournament field that expands the field to 72, forces all those smaller conferences to compete in a play-in game on Tuesday and still give the four No. 1 seeds a bye in the first round?

== Does Jim Calhoun still draw a hefty paycheck even if he's not coaching UConn during the tournament?

== Is there any way to get the score graphics a little bigger on the screen? Or does CBS assume everyone at home has a 54-inch wide screen?

== You've by now seen Manny Ramirez dressed up in cricket gear, helping to promote a pay-per-view channel dedicated to the sport while attempting to show how he can bat against a wicked googly? Could you not tell that he was dogging it?

== Is it OK for Trevor Ariza to foul now?

== Cleveland Freakin' State? Again?

== Norm Nixon, you taking this call from Charles Barkley?

SportsFanLive, a sports social networking company based in L.A., has launched a new iPhone "Fan Finder -- Sports Bar Locator" to help fans of certain teams find a sports bar where games of their interest are being shown on TV.

A story in the SportsBusiness Journal explains that the free application as a GPS-type function that has a database of sports bars and teams they've affiliated with. It's similar to the Fan Finder on the SportsFanLive website (linked here).

SportsFanLive received approval from Apple for the application this week and it was listed among the "new and noteworthy" apps in the iTunes App Store by Thursday.

"This really adds a new dimension to what we're doing," said SportsFanLive Founder David Katz told the SBJ. "In a lot of ways, it's cooler and more useful than what's online. This is something that leverages the power of the iPhone, and we think is unique in terms of a having a significant sponsorship tied to it. And to be featured on the App Store like we have, that's literally real estate you cannot buy."

Why all the fuss about how President Obama's NCAA Tournament chart rises and falls this first week (linked here)?

Does his guessing who'll win the whole deal reflect his ability to run the country? Or does the teams he have going to the Final Four really reveal how much he knows -- and should be spending less time messing with since there are bigger AIG fish to fry these days?

On Day 1, Obama had 11 of the 16 games right, but his Sweet 16 was still in tact. Barely. Cal State Northridge almost messed that one up. Then he really would have known where the San Fernando Valley was on the map.

Is he really snubbing all the California teams because he knows he'll win the state in the next election anyway, and no one will remember?

While we're still laughing at the fact that Jay Bilas screamed "HEY NOW!" after VCU's Larry Sanders had a key block down the stretch in Thursday's game against UCLA, we're also interested to see what we failed to absorb at the Media Learning Center (not sponsored by the male enlargement drink that the Poorman peddles on his LuvCh@t webcast that Pete Arbogast couldn't resist guesting on this week):

== What will Arbo's career tombstone read? The Poorman has handed him a shovel, and USC's play-by-play guy on radio for football games began to bury himself again (linked here). And that's not even taking into consideration the fact he rushed the Staples Center floor after USC defeated Arizona State on Sunday and tried to cut down the nets.

== When Andy Katz isn't wasting Obama's time, the ESPN lawn ornament is still trying to chase down Bobby Braswell, who's in the wrong court (linked here).

== We're sad to see ESPN's ombudswoman end her run -- she made far too much sense (linked here).

== What if Fox sold off the rights to the 2009 Bowl Championship Series to ESPN a year earlier, since the Rose Bowl is hosting the next championship game -- which is already in Disney territory? Check out Mr. College Football's self-created rumor take on it (linked here).

== More on FSN's "Sports Science," which has a bunch more cool things to blow out starting Sunday (linked here).

== C'mon, Plaschke (linked here)

== More info on Spike Lee's documentary about Kobe Bryant, and when you can not only see it, but buy it (linked here)

== AND NOT LAST OR NOT LEAST:

== From the Onion, about the best way to make money these days (linked here)

Getting Randomly Picked To Make Half-Court Shots Now Best Way To Earn Living

WASHINGTON--A new study released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Tuesday confirmed that the most dependable source of income for American workers in the current economic climate is to win a novelty contest in which one must successfully shoot a basketball from half-court.
"After factoring in the odds of your ticket number being called while attending a game, the median dollar value awarded, and the athletic ability of the average American citizen, and cross-referencing these data with employment forecasts and current job-security indices, we have determined that half-court shooting contests are currently the most effective way to support a family of four," the report read in part.
"While this may seem like dire news, keep in mind that the consolation prize for missing the shot usually includes a food item from the concession stand."
The report cited several other possible methods of securing a livelihood, including 50-50 raffles, lotto scratch-offs, and inventing YouTube.

== AND FINALLY:

== From The Onion, about an idiot dog from the Iditarod (linked here):

Stumbling, Bumbling Sled Dog: 'Sorry, This Is My First Iditarod'

PUNTILLA LAKE, AK--After running directly into the grandstands during the Iditarod's ceremonial start and veering 55 miles off course late Tuesday to chase a marmot, Siberian husky and rookie sled dog Melvin apologized to his musher and fellow canines Wednesday for making a complete fool of himself in the early stages of the annual 1,150-mile race.
"First Iditarod jitters, I guess," the visibly contrite Melvin told reporters Wednesday at the Rainy Pass checkpoint. "I feel like such a moron. Here I am in the last great race on earth and I'm blowing it. I mean, 100 times out of 100, when my musher yells, 'Gee,' I turn right. But yesterday I go left down an icy slope into a bunch of evergreens and nearly break everyone's neck."
"I have to pull it together," added the dog, making a point of directly addressing his musher, two-time Iditarod champion Lance Mackey. "I'm sorry, Lance. I'm acting like an idiot out there."

Although ...

We may be more partial to this story from The Onion Sports: (linked here)

We mentioned it already in today's media column, but it's worth repeating: "Eastbound & Down" reaches the end of its six-episode run on HBO (Sunday, 10:30 p.m.), and hopefully they'll replay all six episodes at some point and not just let it die a "John From Cincinnati" early death.

The episode guide (linked here) can catch you up.

On the show's official website (linked here), a set of Kenny Powers baseball cards may best explain his short and sweet MLB career, which seems to have finished by giving up a grand slam against the Dodgers while trying to make a comeback with the Seattle Mariners:

More cards:

There's a square block of South Central L.A., across the Harbor Freeway and about a mile southeast of the Coliseum, that you've got to drive over and see sometime.

Really. Don't be scared.

Bordered by San Pedro and Avalon streets, and running along the stretch of homes on 41st Place and 42nd Place, the activity is an interesting microcosm of the urban renewal that often takes shape in sprawling major cities that try to keep up with the times.

You'd need to be slightly beyond the age of 50 to see those street names and immediately equate them with where Wrigley Field used to be. The same one you can see in its full glory on old photographs or on postcards, like the one above after it opened in 1925 and was called the "newest and finest in the United States," with the California-style adobe roof, the tall clock tower (once dedicated to World War I veterans), and the spacious reach that seemed to hug the neighborhood.

Upscale, historic, it was the baseball palace of yesterday's Los Angeles, for the minor leagues and, one special season, the big leagues. The Los Angeles Angels, in their first year of existence, played there in 1961 and, with the help of a couple of Roger Maris visits, set the major league record for most home runs allowed in a season. Until Coors Field came around in the lighter altitudes of Denver.

Named Wrigley Field a year before the more famous one was in Chicago, constructed by the same chewing gum giant, Phillip Wrigley, who owned the Cubs and would bring them to Catalina Island for spring training.

Home to hundreds of Los Angeles' most famous sporting events. Prize fighting, with Sugar Ray Robinson and Joe Louis. Football games, where Red Grange and the Green Bay Packers came barnstroming to play a game there in 1933. It was the home of a start-up West Coast Negro League team in the mid '40s that only lasted a season. Babe Ruth came through with a barnstorming team in October, 1931, and wowed the crowd with a home-run exhbition of his own.

Walter O'Malley owned it in a swap of possessions before he moved the Dodgers west from Brooklyn in 1957, and thought about it as a place to play. Some artists renditions were made of the place to become the new Dodger Stadium. That never happened. The nearby Coliseum somehow was a better fit.

In 1963, a crowd of more than 35,000 jammed Wrigley Field for a freedom rally on May 26, at which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. told the audience, "We want to be free whether we're in Birmingham or in Los Angeles." This was about 25 years before Santa Barbara Avenue, just two blocks north, was changed to Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Hollywood made its mark. Aside from the Hollywood Stars using it as a home (before moving to Gilmore Field near Fairfax and 3rd), movies, such as "Damn Yankees," were filmed there. The TV show, "Home Run Derby," brought the place to the small screen for its one and only season of existence, and made us wonder how the people who lived on the other side of that left-field wall must have enjoyed having baseballs rain down on their lawn, from the bat of Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, who were flown to Los Angeles during the winter months for this competition.

After the Angels came and went, and the Dodgers never invested more into it, a few City baseball titles were played there in the mid '60s.

Then it came finally down, in gray, decayed ruins, in 1969.

In fact, it happened 40 years ago this week. The final wrecking ball demolished the whole lot. That's a photo from the old Herald Examiner, now available in the archives of the Los Angeles Public Library, taken by Michael Haering, showing the final days of the stadium that had, for all intents and purposes, been just an abandoned facility, left to vandals of the changing neighborhood. More photos of the glory days of the place are on the library website (linked here).

And what's become of it?

On the very corner where home plate used to be, there's a fellow with an old baseball cap, trying to find some shade of a tree, crushing aluminum cans with his boot and stuffing them into a garbage bag.

Behind him is a soccer field -- made of fake grass -- part of the renovation of Gilbert Lindsay Park. That's what the sign says, at least.

Today, someone decided to paste over it a notice about a yard sale nearby.

Down along 42nd Place, construction continues on a nice looking rec center. It's not far from a decent looking skateboard park, which on this day sits empty.

Beyond that, going farther east where there used to be the place they parked cars for 15 cents, there a towering psychiatric hospital, right next to a senior center.

And, there, where left field used to be, across the street from the white steeple of the Harmony Mission Baptist Church, there's the Wrigley Field.

Wrigley Little League field, more specificially.

Wrigley Field hasn't been forgotten. It's just reblossomed.

It's easy, too, to spot some signs of trouble on this block. The people hanging out in the nearby park, sitting on the picnic tables, don't look like the types who'd be very cordial if you approached them looking for a bottle opener or spare change. The person pushing the shopping cart full of trash is mumbling to himself.

It's South Central. A few miles away from the Watts Towers. Where you can see the outline of downtown L.A. if you squint through the smog.

Katy Aquino has lived in this neighborhood all her 31 years. She grew up on Central Blvd., near Adams. She lives a block away from the Wrigley Little League diamond, on 40th place and Avalon.

"I never knew the story behind Wrigley Field until last year when I got more involved," said the Wrigley Little League's secretary. "After that, I even looked it up on-line and saw how great it looked."

Online, the old Wrigley Field may look to so as if it's still in existence. There are enough websites dedicated to old ballparks that have come and gone (linked here and another look back here at the L.A. Times' Daily Mirror blog).

"I wonder why this isn't an historcial site," who works as the Synergy Charter Academy (linked here) on 34th Street and Central Ave. "As you probably notice, this place is lacking things like beauty, safety and land."

Sure, but you need to look past that.

"As a parent I can definitely tell you that the park has done great things for my family," said Aquino. "The first time we were involved with Wrigley was in 2004, when my daughter Heaven was 7 and my son Joshua was 5. They both played T-ball and my husband (Ricardo Olmos) and cousin (Relles Aquino) coached it.

"Now, Heaven is 11 years old and she signed up for baseball last spring season. We started a girls' softball league then, and at first she didn't want to do that, but after the first season she really enjoyed herself.

"This has given us more family time. She has made new friends. We have been able to travel to different places.

"The park at this time is going through some transformation and I believe it's for the best. I still wonder though, if our community would be so deteriorated if the original Wrigley Field would still be there."

The Wrigley Little League website (linked here) could use some updating as well. The photograph at the top of the page makes it look as if its linked to the ballpark in Chicago instead of the one that used to be right on the same property. It's also advertising registration for the 2008 season.

Among the sponsors of the league is a bail bondsman.

Wrigley Little League president Mike Garcia has that on his growing list of things to do.

Right now, he says he has a $4,000 credit-card bill that he used to buy the uniforms for the 75 kids who've signed up this season. He only has about $1,000 from registration fees. He's about 100 players short from a season ago.

Most of it, he admits, is due to the economy, where many single-home parents are working several jobs and don't have the spare time or energy -- or finances -- for the $65 registration fee that barely covers expenses such as equipment and insurance.

Garcia, who with his wife and three kids (aged 14, 10 and 9) live in the nearby Slauson/Crenshaw area, realize that his committment to keeping the league alive has long-term affects to keep the community alive.

"Volunteering at my church as I grew up here, I believe the more you give the more blessings you'll receive later," said Garcia, who works as a State Farm Insurance agent in Burbank and has been the Wrigley Little League president the last two years.

He know the neighborhood well, having grown up in the Vermont Square Park area of 48th and Budlong, going to Manual Arts High, "ending up on the wrong side of the street, and now trying to make sure other kids aren't doing the same thing," he said.

"In this community we live in, we can be behind closed doors," he said. "We have to see the positive side and see there are alternatives."

The more culture awareness probably comes from the opposite end. As a member of the Little League District 25 -- which includes leagues from Beverly Hills, Malibu, West L.A. Santa Monica and North Venice -- the Wrigley league accepts plenty of donations of equipment and shoes from their All-Star division rivals.

Interestingly enough, a large fast-food sandwhich chain is sponsoring a kickoff event of Little League's 70th season with a game in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, featuring the District 25 champions from Culver City against Beverly Hills. Dave Winfield and Fred Lynn will be there to throw out the ceremonial first pitch and coach the game.

A couple miles away, Garcia will be trying to figure out if he's got enough players to field a team against another local league with some borrowed equipment.

"We're the welfare kids of Little League, but that's OK," said Garcia, who two years ago was able to coax the Dodgers into paying for a trip to the White House for a group from the Little League during the T-ball game that President Bush liked to hold each year.

"I often feel myself pushing and pushing and not getting much in return. It takes a lot of hard work to keep this moving. I can't even find enough volunteer umpires any more. I have to go out and pay them or else we can't have games. But where do I have the money to pay them?"

Without enough kids to fill their own division teams -- there is only one T-ball team, two in the minors, one in the majors, two softball and one junior team, from the kids 5 through 14 who were able to pay and signup -- Wrigley Little League has to link with nearby leagues, such as Ladera or MLK, and share fields to get games to play.

A 1 p.m. game scheduled for Saturday at the Wrigley diamon has their major-league team facing the Red Sox from Toberman Park (in the Union/Washington area). But since Garcia doesn't have his unforms yet -- the season started late last month -- his Dodgers are wearing Cubs hand-me-down jerseys that Garcia scrambled to find.

"Maybe it's not my nature to be such an aggressive person," said Garcia, in his mid-30s. "I'm quiet, happy, do this stuff for the kids.

"I admit, I didn't know alot about the history of this neighborhood. When I have free time, I Google it and it surprises me everytime I read something new about the old Wrigley Field. The more I read the more amazed I am that there's no landmark in place.

"I feel like I'm still helping to build history here. There are so many good people helping me do that, too. That's what keeps me going."

Along the stretch of 42nd Place, the old Wrigley Field looked like this, on the left, versus how it stands today, on the right:

Right about where home plate used to sit, there's this soccer field corner-kick spot, above.

If you hang around the neighborhood long enough, look for signs and listen to the construction that still goes on, the history won't necessarily come out and reveal itself. It tries. You have to coax it a bit.

There are signs posted in and around the park, from politicians who want the people of the neighborhood to know they're not forgotten, that public funds have been used here to improve the quality of life.The Dodgers, knowing the site well, made the field one of its Dream Foundation revitalization charity projects, and planted a sign above the backstop screen to mark the occasion in 2005, with the help of the city's parks and recreation department. The field is also marked by a sign from the Amateur Athletic Foundation, helping to keep it living and breathing.

But it's those who really live in the somewhat harsh environment, a little rough around the edges maybe, who make it happen.

For a place you'd not normally venture unless you were at a USC football game and maybe made a wrong turn heading toward the Harbor Freeway, make it a point next time to visit an historical spot in Los Angeles sports history.

Considering its proximity to Exhibition Park, Wrigley Field was just as much a gem of the city as all the other sporting facilities in the nearby area. And, like many stadiums, even the best of them in New York, they suddenly disappear.

But history isn't finished here.

Boys and girls playing Little League on the old site of Wrigley Field have enough dreams of their own to make sure of that.

Cal Montney / Los Angeles Times
Stanley Evans, left, and Kenneth Thompson visit Wrigley Field as it is being demolished, in a photo published March 21, 1969

Dreams it seems these kids were just 40 years too early to enjoy. On the same spot they sit amidst the Wrigley Field rebar and cement rubble back then, they'd be just about in a third-base dugout at the Wrigley Little League field today.

Comment here or email to thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com.

Put down the iPhone long enough to read today's media column (linked here) -- as long as you're not involved with tweeting and/or facebooking, and expand your mind with more stuff that you won't find at 411:

== ESPN says more than 5 million entries were submitted to its online NCAA bracket-picking contest when it closed Thursday, up 37 percent from the 3.65 million last year. Louisville, Memphis, Pittsburgh and North Carolina are the most popular Final Four picks.

== The MLB Network's "30 Teams in 30 Days" look at the Dodgers airs for the first time today at 9 p.m. with Hazel Mae (pictured here, the reporter, not the blend of special tea at Starbucks) at the team's Glendale, Ariz., site and Greg Amsinger, Mitch Williams and John Hart in the studio.

== Paul Sunderland calls both the boys and girls state basketball championship games from Sacramento for Prime Ticket tonight and Saturday. Sunderland works with Sean Farnham on the Eisenhower vs. Rocklin CIF State Div. II boys championship at 8 p.m., after Sunderland and Caren Horstmeyer do the CIF State Div. II girls title game between Brea Olinda and Carondelet at 6 p.m. On Saturday, the girls Div. I championship between Long Beach Poly and Monte Vista (6 p.m.) is followed by the boys Div. I championship between Westchester and McClymonds. John Jackson does sideline reporting.

== Fox Sports West's Galaxy coverage begins Sunday at 11:30 a.m. with a pregame leading into the team's opener against D.C. United from Home Depot Center. Jim Watson and Mark Rogondino call it again with Jackie Pickering on the sidelines for home games. FSWest and Prime Ticket will do 18 Galaxy games this MLS season.

== ESPN moved its Saturday live broadcast of the WBC heavyweight title fight between Vitali Klitschko and Juan Carlos Gomez to ESPN Classic to air from 3 to 4 p.m. A tape-delayed version will air on ESPN2 from 4 to 5 p.m.

== AND FINALLY:

== XX Sports Radio (1090-AM) afternoon host Jordan Smith was fired this week after a rant that was more than critical about San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson last week. The San Diego Union Tribune reported that Smith was canned for making "some very unfortunate and hurtful comments utilizing unacceptable language," said Hal Brown, vice president of programming at BCA Radio, which operates the all-sports station.
In his media column last week for the newspaper, Jay Posner reported that Smith and equally brutal partner Irwin Earl Milan were critical of the Chargers' decision to pay Tomlinson nearly $7 million for the 2009 season, but took it further in a five-minute rant that included a reference to the Thanksgiving turkey giveaway Tomlinson hosts every year for needy families in San Diego County:
"I'm listening to Mama LT this morning with Scott (Kaplan) and BR (Billy Ray Smith), and God bless them, too, bringing up the turkeys again - do me a favor, stick the turkeys up your (bleep). I don't care about the turkeys. I don't care about your charity."
Smith also said he wished Chargers bosses Dean Spanos and A.J. Smith "had the testicles like" Padres bosses John Moores and Sandy Alderson "to get rid of the aging superstar," a reference to the baseball club's decision not to bring back relief pitcher Trevor Hoffman this season.
As a result, some other putz named Ted Mendenhall is working with Milan for the time being.

Wrote Posner:

"Look, it's one thing if you want to go on the radio and completely dismiss the career of one of the greatest running backs in NFL history. If you want to sound like an uninformed blockhead, that's your prerogative. But when you start criticizing people for doing community service, spending their time and money to help others, that's crossing the line. (Which, really, shouldn't surprise anyone who remembers Jordan and Earl laughing about Chargers owner Alex Spanos'dementia.)
And what about the profane nature of the rant? It was just after 3 p.m., prime time for a kid to be in the car with a parent. Did they need to hear about turkeys being shoved where they don't belong or Jordan saying he wished Chargers bosses A.J. Smith and Dean Spanos "had the testicles" like Padres execs did to "get rid of the aging superstar?"
"The most popular question, however, has been a version of this: What can we do to get these guys off the air? They've done it themselves."

The Associated Press

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- It's wall-to-wall "Veritas" at the Coop, the Harvard Square landmark with an entire floor devoted to T-shirts and sweatshirts, hats and scarves, jackets and boxer shorts with the school's name and insignia.

They sell clothes for the law school, the business school, even down-river rival MIT. Most of Harvard's athletic teams are represented -- in crimson, of course, but also gray and white and blue.

Yet nothing there is made by Russell Athletic.

Joining a growing number of U.S. schools, Harvard severed ties with Russell after two watchdog groups said the Atlanta-based clothing-maker harassed pro-union Honduran employees. According to the Workers Rights Consortium, a group that monitors labor conditions abroad for colleges, Russell spent two years trying to intimidate workers who attempted to unionize before closing the factory when they did.

"They're well on their way to being the first company in history to be kicked out of collegiate sports because of their labor practices," said Scott Nova, the executive director of the WRC. "I can't imagine their affiliates will be too happy about that, which includes the NBA and the NFL and others."

Russell says it announced the closure of the factory last October due to falling demand for the fleece sewn there. The company said it picked the union plant in Choloma because it had a month-to-month lease and cost $2 million less to close than the non-union alternative.

The company said that earlier anti-union actions, including the firing of 145 workers detailed in reports by the WRC and the industry-sponsored Fair Labor Association, were taken by local management. Russell is taking steps to fix such problems, company officials said.

"We acknowledge that management mistakes were made," said Matt Murphy, a senior vice president in charge of licensing. "We will ultimately prove that Russell Athletic is sincere in its approach ... and that these schools will see that and want to become partners with us again. We will need to give them a reason to do that."

Forget, for a second, how Fox Sports West has yet to explain why, less than 16 hours after he was released from jail for an alleged Driving Under the Influence charge in Marina del Rey, Norm Nixon was allowed to appear in his studio analyst role on the pre- and post-game studio show around Tuesday's Lakers-76ers telecast.

Tonight, Nixon was back on again for the Lakers' pregame show, without mention of his DUI arrest.

"Let's talk about the other night," co-host Bill Macdonald said at the start of the broadcast, looking at Nixon.

No, not about the fact that you were driving your Ferrari bad enough to attract the CHP (hey, gotta have a front license plate, dude) and have them detect enough alcohol on your breath to do a field sobriety test. Or how you were released from jail at 3:30 a.m. after posting a $5,000 bond -- enough time to get a nap, wash up and get to Staples Center for the Lakers' pregame.

No one at FSN will answer any questions about allowing Nixon to go on the air, other than referring questions to Nixon's legal people.

In light of how TNT handled Charles Barkley after his recent DUI led to a three-day prison stay, FSN is hardly getting ahead of this story and is simply sending a head-in-the-sand mixed message.

And that's only in the first couple minutes of his appearance on Jim "The Poorman" Trenton's LuvCh@t online show at this link:

http://luvchat.com

Believe it or not, taking Pete Arbogast's entire body of work into account, this is probably the most degrading, embarassing thing he's ever done.

This is a guy who takes pride in coaching youth sports? Something just doesn't feel quite right here.

"Ladies, does performance matter more than size, can I have a show of hands?" Arbo asks on the show sponsored by a male enhancement drink and a company that sells sex toys.

No response yet from those who employ him as the play-by-play voice of USC football on radio. Perhaps they're still trying to figure out how to deftly handle this. Or ignoring it as much as usual.

By the way, Arbogast is no longer doing his online talk show for the USC website, so maybe that's why he has this free time available.

There's even video later of Arbogast's wife coming on to talk about their love life and his favorite sexual position, with her teenaged son making an appearance during the sex talk.

"Let's just say it's a number," Arbo interjects when the wife is asked about his favorite sex act.

Later, there's a "tripod" reference he makes about the penis-enlargement drink that sponsors the show.

Yes, it gets creepier and creepier as the show moves forward.

If Petros Papadakis, who has hosted and appeared on KROQ's "Loveline," does this stuff, it's kinda entertaining. He'll actually make some interesting relationship observations, which makes his "Lance Romance" spots work on his KLAC show.

But with Arbo trying to look cool here... egads. Does no one give him career advice? Does he think it's just a small webshow that no one will see -- because there's no way to find it and email around to others who'll be equally disturbed by hearing about his preverted attitudes about sex.

"If you don't clean yourself (down there), you're gonna smell bad, duh," he later says in something much more tame.

Yeah, that's the kind of stuff you'd hear Vin Scully talking about with his free time.

There's too much more to even transcribe it. Listen and watch for your own strange entertainment. You'll never get that hour back of your life.

In a perfect world, the same phone you usedto call in sick to your superior being back at the office this morning was the same piece of high-tech equipment you use later in the day to watch live video of the NCAA Tournament action as you sat in the airport bar waiting for your weekend flight to Las Vegas.

Ironic, too, that you'll make sure to check the caller ID on the same device Monday morning while passed out in your hotel. It may be from human resources informing you that your services are no longer needed.

Play it smart, phone boy.

In today's dicey economic climate, stealing company time to watch tournament games for free on your office computer screen is enough of a risky business proposition. Even that cheesy "Boss Page" fake spreadsheet is a tough sell for anyone to believe as real, especially now that it has a sponsor.

Phone it in instead.

AT&T customers are the ahead-of-the-test-market curve this year for a new iPhone application (along with the iTouch) providing all access to CBS' live NCAA game video, powered by MobiTV, for a $4.99 fee. The only hitch is having WiFi access (the 3G service will only get you audio from the TV call, which isn't all that exciting).

So, depending on how resourceful you can be with that gizmo, you could make it look as if you're checking email from a client named Duke Binghamton right there in the board room without looking bored.

As they did last year, Verizon Wireless customers with the right phones and plans also can watch video, and AT&T's LG Vu, LG Invision, Samsung Access and Samsung Eternity also can get a one-game video stream. But as anyone with an iPhone call attest, there's a world of difference gadgetwise.

The universe of potential users for this first granted access may be miniscule - some estimates are that less than five percent of all cell phone subscribers even access video, let alone the live stuff. But it's another test case for the power of the NCAA Tournament's reach for the insta-user.

If the March Madness on Demand that was introduced a year ago on CBSSports.com and NCAA.com is the greatest innovation for the NCAA Tournament consumption, the iPhone application may be a close second for those who've harnessed the specialness of the multi-purpose device. Short of buying DirecTV's stay-at-home "Mega March Madness" package for $69, this is another step in ending the reliance on the over-the-air CBS telecast of network-knee-jerk cuts from one game to another, a system that tries to please everyone but more often frustrates anyone.

Recession logic may lead to the conclusion that all tech gadgetry is now a luxury item. Yet, there is stronger evidence to show that as more people are go without home-based land-line phones, cell users are learning more about how iPhone applications may be worth the price of admission.

There have been 17 million iPhones sold in the U.S. through 2008, and some analysts predict about 45 million more will be bought up this year. Last year, smart-phone sales alone grew 68 percent over 2007. No wonder Apple stock has gained $16.55 a share in just over two weeks.

For those who can't afford not to have it, there seem to be enough "connect to the madness" stimulus packages offered by major electronics stores these days. Cellphone sales for this event are being pushed as hard as a flat-screen TV would be during Super Bowl week. Special extended plans are also offered, as well as coordinating college-logo cases for the phones where a customer rep is more than happy to demonstrate how to access scores, stats, schedules and brackets with a warm touch of the finger.

The announcement this week that new iPhone 3.0 software will soon be available to allow users such things as "pushing" news and sports scores make the device all that more work-friendly.

So, too, is the NCAA figuring out its college demographic is the perfect guinea pig for this means of tournament consumption.

And don't forget, all games from the Final Four will also be for sale -- $1.99 each -- on Apple's iTunes Store the day after they are completed. If you haven't burned out on everything by then.

Meanwhile ...

The Onion Sports headline of the day:

Local Office Betting On Who Will Win NCAA Tournament Pool At Other Office

ROCHESTER, NY--In what has become a yearly tradition, employees at the office of Institutional Investors filled out brackets Wednesday and placed bets on who will win the NCAA "March Madness" pool being held in the S.G. Schilling Inc. offices across the street.
"All the people involved are equally uninformed, so it's anyone's bet," said assistant media planner Evan Glazer, adding that the pool helps build camaraderie in the office. "I like to do a little research. Mike; Doug Smith or Smitts; Mr. Shernoff; that project analyst guy, they're always the top seeds. I'm predicting that Caroline, the cute and feisty office manager, is going to pull an upset this year, but that's a risky pick. Also, I used to work with [HR coordinator] Will [Krepack] at another company, so I have to favor him."
The majority of employees claimed that actually winning the pool would certainly be exciting, but the biggest thrill comes from betting on what other people are betting on.

Comment here or at thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com. Just don't Twitter me.

We weren't all that crazy when we saw him eat ... whatever it was ... Chinese hot dogs? ... in Beijing during the Summer Olympics (linked here).

Now, he's become the L.A. Time's face of March Madness.

This isn't why readers today are becoming more turned off by newspaper reading. But it's something they could sure use as ammunition:

You'd think he'd have shown a little more love to Illinois.

The guy doesn't play politics when it comes to trying to please everyone. Especially when he's in California these next few days and predicting a quick elimination of all California teams right from the start.

We'll take his final four. Except make a Big East team win. No matter how it plays out, this is the Big East's year.

They scrubbed up nicely to do float-by-float call on the network's Tournament of Roses Parade, despite our reservations, on Jan. 1.

This time, Hannah Storm and Josh Elliott, the morning anchor team on ESPN's "SportsCenter" do more synergetic Disney crossdressing by appearing on the episode tonight of "Scrubs" (Channel 7, 8 p.m.), appearing as themselves.

The sight gag involves Turk (Donald Faison) getting an idea from watching "SportsCenter" to perform a risky procedure that may restore a paralyzed teenager's ability to walk.

Or, it may cause you to just walk away from the TV set.

Jeffrey M. Boan/Associated Press

David Wright is congratulated by Kevin Youkilis (21), Derek Jeter, second from right, and Shane Victorino after a 6-5 win in the bottom of the ninth over Puerto Rico at the World Classic Baseball game in Miami on Tuesday. Wright's base hit drove in Brian Roberts and Jimmy Rollins.

Less than 24 hours before Tuesday's U.S.-Puerto Rico elimination game in the World Baseball Classic, Tim Dalhberg wrote a column for the Associated Press wire services that began this way:

The World Baseball Classic comes to a merciful end next week at Dodger Stadium, though the odds are it will end earlier for a U.S. team that apparently didn't take Tommy Lasorda to heart when he said it was their patriotic duty to win one for the home team.

The Cubans certainly care. They better, because Fidel Castro is keeping a close watch on things, even suggesting some strategy to go up against Japan's pitching.

The Venezuelans care, too, and so does their president. Hugo Chavez (right) wasn't in Miami to watch his countrymen eliminate the Netherlands over the weekend, but even from afar he couldn't stand the thought of Magglio Ordonez being booed by Venezuelan fans simply because he was good friends with the leftist leader.

All those patriots are having a nice tournament so far, which isn't all that surprising since most of them are on major league rosters. The same goes for Puerto Rico and, to a lesser extent, Japan, which got six shutout innings out of Daisuke Matsuzaka [stats] to hand Cuba its first loss. ...

To them, the WBC means something, even with goofy rules that make it seem more like Little League than the big leagues. Putting on a uniform with their country's name on the front gets them as passionate as Lasorda was earlier this month when he tried to get the American players to buy into winning for their country's sake.

"It's our game. Baseball is America's game. It doesn't belong to the Italians or the Cubans or the Koreans or the Japanese," Lasorda said. "It's our game, and we're not going to let them beat us."

Those were interesting words, if only because they were coming from the man Bud Selig appointed to be global ambassador for the WBC. Apparently, Lasorda's idea of global begins at Dodger Stadium and doesn't extend past New York City.

And he certainly wouldn't have begged off Saturday's game with Puerto Rico because he had a wedding to go to...

== Getty "mercy ruled" in an 11-1 loss to Puerto Rico.

== Injuries to Dustin Pedroia, Chipper Jones and Ryan Braun took them out of action, and resulted in catcher Brian McGann playing the outfield for the first time. Manager Johnson also said that if he had to, he'd have forfeited a game because of a lack of players.

== Johnson, the former Dodgers skipper, slipping out to attend a step-son's wedding.

== A dust-up with the Dutch team over Bryan Engelehardt posing too long after a meaningless home run, to which which U.S. reliever Matt Lindstrom decided to throw behind the next hitter, the dangerous Vince Rooi. Johnson said Lindstrom told him his shoulder was sore, and that's what caused it.

Seems logical enough, with all that's been going on with the U.S. team.

Until Tuesday.

From a U.S. baseball fan's perspective, the blase attitude generally expressed by many in the media is easily and eagerly regurgitated by those who either are so out of tune with this tournament that they feel better trashing it, or are so indifferent about it that its easier to speak ill of it because they're trying to justify their lack of interest in it.

It's probably just a residual effect as well from the players who have opted out of the competition for fear of ... whatever they fear having millions of dollars resting on their arms and shoulders and rib cages, when a "meaningless exhibition" could endanger their livelihood.

Kind of like the struggle Manny Ramirez seems to be facing with a sore hamstring from trying to play the outfield just one day in spring training.

Just when everyone seemed ready to toss this whole baby with the bathwater, the U.S. pulls off a bottom-of-the-ninth victory, knocking out that same team that mercy ruled 'em a couple of days ago.

And, perhaps, the buzz may be back for those who have tried to dismiss it (story linked here), especially since the U.S. has now qualifed for the semifinals to be played this weekend at Dodger Stadium. Or, at least a double-take. A U-turn. Pretending now to be on board.

Now, does it matter? Probably, since the U.S. team somehow made it this far, when in the inaugural event, they didn't get past the final eight and seemed to be not that frustrated so much by it. Willing their way into the Final Four seems to be a major step in the process.

For those not closely following, the U.S. can lose tonight's game against Venezuela ... it's only for seeding purposes and could determine whether the Americans face Japan or Cuba in the next round of win-or-go home. So don't read too much into the results

We caught up with Steve Phillips, the former Mets GM and current ESPN analyst doing the Pool B games in San Diego, including tonight's elimination contest, and he agrees with much that's been written, like Dalhberg's column. But he also agrees with the recent assessment of the WBC by MLB commissioner Bud Selig when he called it "remarkable."

"Among most baseball people, maybe I'm in the minority, but I love it," said Phillips. "The whole concept is phenomenal. There have been some unbelieveable stories, in the way Puerto Rico has performed, the Netherland's story is fantastic, and a guy like Pudge Rodriguez, without the WBC, may not have had a place to showcase himself and found a job."

Phillips doesn't want to be the spokesman for defending the event, but he will if it means that negative attitudes are trying to sink it.

For those who choose to point out all the shortcomings so far in this event, Phillips has an answer for that as well.

"We shouldn't think, 'What's the problem with the World Baseball Classic,' it's 'what's the problem with the U.S.?'" Phillips said. "Maybe we are focused on trying to fix the wrong thing."

Dalberg's column, while assuming the U.S. was on its way out the door and was attempting to problem solve, is still useful. And Phillips agrees -- to fix the American's problem of nagging injuries and lack of players who want to commit because they feel it could compromise their spring training routine, players who are all-in from the start must be recruited. Phillips likens it to the recent changes in the structure of the U.S. Olympic basketball team.

"You can't commit half-heartedly to this, especially when you compare the U.S. to the Cubans, Korea, Japan and the other Carribean countries," said Phillips. "Many of them have the benefit of playing winter ball, and they're in good shape when this begins. Cuba is already in mid-season in their leagues.

"What the U.S. needs is a more structured preparation process, not just making spring training two weeks longer. I think they need to have a combine, a three-week minicamp prior to spring training, play intersquad games. Some people may say that makes the season too long, but when you look at the 'Dream Team' in basketball, they've given a two-year committment to play in qualifying events and practices. And they still get the best players.

"I know the 'Dream Team' is preparing for the Olympics, and that has a certain sort of credibility that the WBC hasn't got in that stature yet, but if you can get the best players to commit now, it could work out better in the end.

"There are other tweaks you can make about having too many days off between games, or rules about replacing injured players. But you see what guys like Roy Oswald did to prepare for this. He was starting to throw back in mid-December instead of January. He had five bullpen sessions instead of one during that time. That extra work has paid off, while maybe others haven't done enough. The training has to be more structured, not leaving it to the devices of the players to let them do it.

"If I'm a general manager, I'm not looking to eliminate the World Baseball Classic, but looking for more structure so we can say we did everything we could to eliminate any kind of issues with injuries. It's easy to see a player get hurt during the WBC and say, 'Ah, ha, I told you it wouldn't work.' Players get hurt in spring training just as easily."

The WBC has had a couple of exposure moments where it's a sitting duck, another reflection of Selig's lack of forsight, when it comes to those who want to dismiss it.

But, with games like Tuesday night, there are more "Ah, ha!" moments of real entertainment. And enlightenment. And ... success?

The process of this tournament is far more important than the outcome. If the U.S. doesn't win, it's not a failure. But it sure is a lot better for the future of the WBC, as long as it's played in the U.S., for an American team to at least make it to the Final Four.

"And this is the right time to have it," Phillips adds. "Everyone else may think it's best during the All-Star break or after the season, but this really is the least disruptive time in the major-league season."

Maybe because, considering everything else, it's the time of year when a guy like Lasorda may be more energized to be the head cheerleader. The fact he has a team worth cheering for Friday night at Dodger Stadium says a lot about progress overcoming unnecessary hurdles that the U.S. team seems to want to put in its own way.

Add your comments here or with thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com

Strange as it may seem, this was pointed out to us tonight: Norm Nixon managed to make it to his FSWest committment on the Lakers' post-game show after the game against Philly just 18 hours after he was out of jail from on a DUI charge.

Celebrating St. Patty's day a bit early?:

From TMZ (linked here)

Norm Nixon Busted for DUI
Posted Mar 17th 2009 12:44PM by TMZ Staff

Former NBA legend Norm Nixon was arrested last night on suspicion of DUI.

Nixon was pulled over by California Highway Patrol just before midnight for having no front license plate on his black Ferrari. We're told officers smelled alcohol, so they gave him a series of field sobriety tests -- which he performed "poorly."

Nixon -- best known for his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 70s and 80s -- was booked and posted $5,000 bail.

Keeping in mind the network will show the home market squads -- UCLA, USC and Cal State Northridge -- from start to probable finish -- here's what CBS has locked in for Thursday and Friday of the first-round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament (for KCBS Channel 2):

Thursday:
9:25 a.m.: Cal State Northridge vs. Memphis
11:25 a.m.: Cal vs. Maryland
4:25 p.m.: Gonzaga vs. Akron
6:30 p.m.: UCLA vs Virginia Commonwealth

Friday:
9:30 a.m.: Utah St vs. Marquette
11:30 a.m.: Arizona State vs. Temple
4:20 p.m.: USC vs. Boston College
6:45 p.m.: Florida State vs. Wisconsin

Otherwise:
== Buy DirecTV's Mega March Madness package for $69 (linked here)
== Go free online at CBSSports.com or NCAA.com "March Madness On Demand" and watch the games (on a slight delay), but register early now. (linked here)
== Check out the new iPhone and iPod applications available for the first time for AT&T subscribers (linked here).

Brandon Jennings (linked here) is the 6-foot-1 point guard out of Dominguez High (who then transferred to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia), who then made everyone think he was going to USC with a verbal commitment. Then he signed a letter of intent with Arizona. He then was named 2008 Naismith High School Basketball Player.

Then he went to play pro ball in Europe for $1.65 mil, plus a $2 mil sponsorship from Under Armour. Plus a new friend in that sleezeball Sonny Vaccaro.

He's profiled on the newest HBO "Real Sports" (tonight, 10 p.m.) with Bryant Gumbel.

Playing for Virtus Roma in the demanding European league hasn't been so easy for the 19-year-old. But he does see a silver lining as he develops his game while being a spot starter in Italy:

"Could be worse. I could be in college. I could be in class right now."

That's the spirit of education talking.

Also on the show:
As the first brother and sister to coach in an NCAA tournament in the same season, University of Pittsburgh men's coach Jamie Dixon (North Hollywood, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks High) and West Point women's coach Maggie Dixon both faced bright futures. But in April 2006, Maggie died of heart failure at age 28. Though devastated by the tragedy, Jamie Dixon has continued to succeed at Pittsburgh, and now has the team primed for a big run in the NCAA Tournament after a bruising Big East regular season. Jon Frankel visits with the Panthers' leader.

It's the biggest game that the United States of America's baseball program has played.

Ever.

So far.

The MLB Network will carry today's World Baseball Classic matchup between the Dutch-killing Team USA, without the injured Pedroia, Braun and C. Jones, and Puerto Rico today at 4 p.m. from Miami.

Win, and the U.S. travels all the way to Dodger Stadium for the semifinals this weekend.

Lose, and go home. Uh, back to their MLB teams.

Matt Vasgersian, Harold Reynolds and Al Leiter will call the game live.

MLB Network also has the Japan-Korea contest tonight at 8 p.m.

On Wednesday, MLB Network has the next game (4 p.m.) that the U.S. would play if it wins tonight, against Venezuela, that would only determine seeding in the semifinals, since both would guarantee to advance. ESPN2 (8 p.m.) then has Cuba, which eliminated Mexico late Monday, against tonight's Japan/Korea loser in San Diego (with Dan Shulman, Orel Hershiser and Steve Phillips)

Then on Thursday, ESPN (6 p.m.) has the Japan/Korea winner against Cuba or the Japan/Korea loser in San Diego (with Shulman, Hershiser and Phillips). It'll make more sense once we get there. Either way, this game will probably be just for seeding purposes only as well.

The semifinals are Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. on ESPN. The title game is Monday at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

More info at the official WBC site (linked here)

And this quote from MLB commish Bud Selig on how it's gone so far (linked here):

"I think it's been remarkable. The TV ratings have been spectacular, and the crowds are running pretty good. Everybody in baseball has said, 'We need to do more internationally.' Well, this is our foray into that, and I think it's been remarkable. ... Our games have set all-time highs in Korea and Japan, where we do a lot of business. It's doing precisely what we wanted it to do, which is grow the game on the international level. At some point, you've got to do things that are in the long-term best interest of the sport. I don't think people understand how much this is going to help the game long term. We've been criticized as being slow with our international growth. But no more."

Discovered at this link (linked here)

"Playing with the Lakers was an overrated experience. ... Phil Jackson was great ... the problem was never with Phil Jackson ... it was '24' ... also known as KB, Kobe Bryant ... the problems with that team starts with him and ends with him. ... It was a great opportunity and I thank the Lakers for bringing me in ... The reason I say overrated is because a lot of people think playing with Kobe Bryant is ... the best thing since sliced bread and it's not."

How's that for a nice exit interview?

"Kobe Doin' Work" is the title that Spike Lee will go with on the documentary he's finished for ESPN Films on a total-access approach to capturing the Lakers' Kobe Bryant. and it was announced today that it will debut at The Tribeca Film Festival in New York on April 25.

The festival runs April 22-May 3 in lower Manhattan.

ESPN will then air it on Saturday, May 16 at 4:30 p.m. Then, according to a posting on Amazon.com, the DVD will be released on May 19 for $19.95 (linked here). Netflix already is allowing people to save it for their home delivery viewing as well (linked here).

Thus, Kobe's media rehabilitation tour will be well on its way to making him that much more fan friendly. Hey, we're just going by what image-conscious Kobe said in that cover story in Complex magazine (linked here). And we're not the one who felt the need to appear on "Deal Or No Deal." (linked here).

During the Lakers-Spurs playoff series last year -- in April, '08 -- Lee and cinematographer Matthew Libatique, spent the day with Bryant during a Sunday game at Staples Center, with unlimited access before, during and after the contest, using 17 cameras (blog item about that linked here).

Last May, ESPN's "E:60" showed some of that filming:

When Bryant was with the Lakers in New York last month (linked here) -- the same night he scored 61 points against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden -- he and Lee got together afterward and did some post-production on the documentary.

Lee did a Q-and-A with TheLakersNation blog to explain what went into the making of it (linked here).

And finally: Have a look at a 1:14 minute clip of it here: (http://www.espnmediazone.com:80/mediacenter/mediacenter.html)

You know how to make it seem like you know what you're talking about when fixin' to fill out an NCAA Tournament bracket? Scream out a bunch of numbers with some sound effects like there's no Jim Cramer. Right, Cosmo?

With or without Rick Neuheisel's help, here are a few more do's and do-it-at-your-own-risk statistics that come into play when joining the 40 million backets that will be filled out this week:

== If you've decided that USC will beat the beans out of Boston College in Round One, you may as well take the Trojans in Round Two against Michigan State (or, by some act of Billy Packer, Robert Morris).

Based on tournament history, any No. 10 or No. 12 seed that somehow wins its first-round game has a 50/50 shot of having enough confidence and momentum to win again in the next round and go Sweet 16. So, USC, a No. 10 seed in the Midwest facing No. 7 BC on Friday, could then KO No. 2 seeded Michigan State, asked to entertain No. 15 Robert Morris in the first round.

Here's the evidence: In the past 24 tournaments that they've seeded teams in the 64-team tournament, a No. 10 team has only won 36 of the 96 times and a No. 12 has won only 31 of the 96 times in Round One. But if they do win the opener, No. 10 has an 18-18 record and No. 12 has a 16-16 record in the next round. Those aren't bad odds.

== If No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth crushes No. 6 UCLA (as many suggest, right Seth Davis?) and then gets enough juice to roll past (probably) Villanova and (more than likely) Duke to reach the East Regional final by some nutty circumstances, there's actually a 50/50 shot of it reaching the Final Four based on history. A No. 11 in the regional final has a 2-2 record, but then is 0-2 in the Final Four.
As for the other No. 11 seeds -- Utah State, Temple or Dayton ... don't even worry about this.

== In UCLA's favor, even with it having to travel across the country and then perhaps face a Villanova team on its home court in the second round: A No. 6 seed has won 69 percent of its first round games. Had the Bruins been a No. 5 seed, it wouldn't have made that much of a difference (68 percent). The No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the second round has each won 53 percent of the time to advance to the Sweet 16.

== Do those No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchups make you nuts? A No. 9 seed has historically done better than 50/50 in that first round brain buster -- 52-44 over the last 24 years. But in the second round, that same No. 9 team has lost 49 of the 52 games.

On our bracket, we'd definitely take No. 9 Texas A&M over No. 8 BYU and probably favor No. 9 Tenneseee over No. 8 Oklahoma State. The other two No. 9s -- Butler and Siena -- will likely be snuffed out sufficiently by their SEC and Big Ten opponents, respectively.

== ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews has an educated guess who'll win, but she's not revealing. That's just not her style.

== No team lower than a No. 12 seed has gone to the Sweet 16. But taking that further, only six teams lower than a No. 12 seed (368 teams total) have ever won in the second round. If you're a little crazy, take No. 12 Arizona, which definitely has a chip on its shoulder, against No. 5 Utah in round one and then probalby No. 4 Wake Forest in round two. But don't hold it against us if it doesn't pan out.

== Only one team ever seeded below No. 6 has won the championship -- that was No. 8 Villanova in 1985 (No. 8 UCLA made it to the final in 1980). Only two teams ever seeded below No. 4 have ever won a championship.

== A No. 1 seed always wins its first round game -- its a 96-0 proposition. Eleven times, a No. 16 has come within 10 points of beating a No. 1 seed. Five times, a No. 16 team has come within five points of beating a No. 1 seed. Twice, a No. 16 seed has come within one point of beating a No. 1 seed. Once, a No. 16 seed (Murray State) took a No. 1 seed (Michigan State) into overtime before losing (1990).

== A No. 2 seed will win its first-round game 95 percent of the time (only four losses in 96 tries). The last time it happened was in 2001, when No. 15 Hampton beat No. 2 Iowa State, 58-57.

Perhaps that's why oddsmaker Danny Sheridan has posted these numbers for these seeded teams to win the championship:
= No. 16 seed Chattanooga (18-16), facing UConn in round one: 1 googolplex-to-1
= No. 16 seed Radford (21-11), facing North Carolina in round one: 1 googol-to-1
= No. 16 seed E. Tennessee St. (23-10), facing Pitt in round one: 1 septillion-to-1
= No. 16 seed Alabama State (22-9) or Morehead State (19-15), in a play-in game to face Louisville in round one: 1 trillion-to-1.
= No. 15 seed Cal State Northridge (17-13), facing Memphis in round one: 500 billion-to-1
= No. 15 seed Binghamton (23-8), facing Duke in round one: 10 billion to 1
= No. 15 seed Morgan State (23-11), facing Oklahoma in round one: 1 billion to 1
= No. 15 seed Robert Morris (24-10), facing Michigan State in round one: 500 million to 1

The other odds of interest:
= No. 12 seed Arizona (19-13) -- 175 to 1
= No. 10 seed USC (21-12) -- 200 to 1
= No. 7 seed Cal (22-10) -- 150 to 1
= No. 6 seed Arizona State (24-9) -- 55 to 1
= No. 6 seed UCLA (25-8) -- 45 to 1
= No. 4 seed Washington (25-8) -- 50 to 1

== At least one No. 1 seed has made it to the Final Four every year -- except in 1980 (when No. 2 Louisville eventually beat No. 8 UCLA, and No. 5 Iowa and No. 6 Purdue also made it) and in 2006 (when No. 3 beat No. 4 LSU for the title, in a Final Four that also included No. 2 UCLA and No. 11 George Mason).

== A championship game with two No. 1 seeds has happened three times in the last four seasons.

== The only team to beat three No. 1 seeds in a single tournament Arizona, seeded No. 4, when it won the title in 1997.

== The best place for a No. 1 seed to get tripped up is in the regional finals. No. 1 seeds who have reached the fourth round have gone 42-27 when a trip to the Final Four on the line. No. 2 seeds have only gone 21-23 in regional finals with a Final Four spot waiting for the winner.

== Mike DeCourcy, who does a nice job covering college hoops for the Sporting News (linked here), gives UCLA the 14th-best shot at winning it all, with Arizona State not far behind (16th-best shot). For some crazy reason, he also has given a reasonable shot to 12th-seeded Arizona (20th), ahead of Pac-10 regular-season champion Washington (24th). Then there's USC (25th), and, with lesser chances, Cal (36th) and ... Cal State Northridge (60th).

== The University of South Carolina is seeded third in the NIT, opening up against visiting Davidson tonight (4 p.m., ESPN2). Go cocks.

== Kentucky is seeded fourth in the NIT, opening up against visiting UNLV tonight (6:30 p.m., ESPN). Go Ashley Judd. Or don't, because this is really below you.

== Stanford and Oregon State are playing in the College Basketball Invitational's 16-team field, having been rejected by both the NCAA and NIT selection teams. They each open play on Wednesday at home. Not against each other. That would be embarassing enough for the Pac-10.

== There is also the new CollegeInsider.com Tournament, with 16 more teams involved (linked here). So adding up the NCAA (65), NIT (32), CBI (16) and CIT (16), that 129 out of 330 schools playing in the post-season. Oregon is the only Pac-10 school without a place to go.

== Yes, there are also odds posted for these events. According to Keith Glantz and Russell Culver, Florida is the 3-1 favorite and San Diego State is 5-1 to win the NIT; Jacksonville is the 500-1 shot. But would that mean Jacksonville, and not Stanford (at 3-1), should have been the favorite to win the CBI? Wisconsin-Green Bay is the second choice at 5-1, and Boise State is the longest shot at 35-1. But ... would that mean Boise State, and not Oakland (at 5-1), would be the favorite in the CIT? Bradley and Pacific are also 6-1 runner-up favorites to win that one, with The Citadel as the 25-1 longshot.
So what would The Citadel's chances be of winning the NCAA Tournament? Does Sheridan have a NASA-based number for that one?

== In nine years as ESPN's "Bracketologist," this Joe Lunardi dude has missed only 10 teams in his final projections, including a perfect record in 2008. Sunday he was 16-0 in picking the South bracket, 16-0 in picking the West (accurately predicting Maryland in from the bubble of six teams vying for two spots), 15-1 in picking the Midwest (he had Creighton in, not Arizona) and 16-0 in picking the East.
Mrs. Lundardi must be very proud.

== The guys over at EA Sports, using their own "NCAA Basketball 09: March Madness Edition Tournament" video game for Xbox 360, have Louisville, Memphis, Pittsburgh and North Carolina reaching the Final Four based on their simulation.
Oh, and Louisville winning it all, 76-70, over Pitt.
The company's PR people point out that prior to last year's tournament, EA Sports "correctly predicted 23 of the 32 first round tournament games (72 percent).
Wonder what happened last year.
In the other games simulated by the '09 edition (linked here), UCLA loses to VCU, 74-68 in the first round, Cal State Northridge loses to Memphis 89-67 in the first round, but USC knocks out Boston College 91-89 in round one before losing to Michigan State 83-71 in the second round.

== There are no schools in the tournament that begin with the letters H, J, Q, Y and Z. In the order of the alphabet, those numbers represent 8, 10, 17, 25 and 26. We suggest using those five numbers in the next California Lottery.

Got your own numbers to bounce off us, comment here or email to thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com.

ESPN.com's Andy Katz decided on Monday that he'd try to interview all 65 coaches involved in the NCAA men's basketball tournament during the five-hour ESPNU "Coaches Spotlight: College Basketball Special" that aired from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (the first two hours were on ESPN2).

He knew going in that he'd get 49 commitments, even before last Friday.

He got 63.

Actually, 64 if you include California assistant Jay John instead of Mike Montgomery.

The only one who missed: Cal State Northridge's Bobby Braswell who, according to the press release issued by ESPN, "had a conflict."

The truth: He was at San Fernando court, from 8:30 a.m. to about 4:30 p.m., trying to figure out how his son, Jeffrey, would fare on charges of theft and burglary charges. He then ran off to campus to start 5:30 p.m. practice, so his team would have something to focus on before it headed out to Kansas City, Mo., to face Memphis in the very first game of the tournament on Thursday morning.

ESPN wants you to know otherwise about the Katz Project:

== He and the show producers made approximately 175 calls and reached 47 voicemails in their effort.

== He interviewed four coaches in eight minutes (Syracuse, American, Tennessee and Illinois).

== Fifteen of the 64 interviews happened in the final hour of the show.

== With time of the essence, calls to the Syracuse biology department were not on the agenda, but that is what happened -- and multiple times -- during attempts to interview Coach Jim Boeheim. They eventually found him; and only two minutes behind schedule.

== North Dakota State coach Saul Phillips explained why the school had so many people in the school's Fargo, N.D., campus arena during Selection Sunday:
Katz: "It looked like the entire town was in the arena. Take me through it, what happened there?"
Phillips: "We're all just trying to stay warm. It's cold up here. Get a bunch of people in a room; we're in great shape. We had 1,700 people here for it."
Phillips also talked about his favorite scene from the movie Fargo: "The scene where the police officer standing there talking to a guy and they talk about the weather for five minutes. That is my life verbatim every day up here. You can not have a conversation with someone in Fargo without the weather - what it's doing, what it's been doing without that coming up."

Drew Caray, who in July, 2007 admitted on an episode of "Late Show With David Letterman" that he was "gay for" David Beckham (linked here) after watching his Major League Soccer debut with the Galaxy a year ago, has new ideas about what he can do to promote the league as owner of the expansion Seattle Sounders.

That is, if the price is right.

By RACHEL COHEN
AP Sports Writer

Visiting the museum at FC Barcelona's stadium a couple years ago, comedian Drew Carey heard the tour guide say something about the fans voting for a new team president.

Once he learned how regular people can join the club and have a say in how it's run, Carey's reaction was one only a wealthy celebrity could have.

"Right away, I thought, 'I would love to own a team back in the States just to bring this idea to the United States,'" the host of "The Price Is Right" recalled Monday. "As soon as I got done with that, I started looking into how much is it to buy a soccer team. They told me, and I thought, 'Oh, I could afford that.'

"Then they said, 'Well, you also need a stadium deal.' And I didn't have a spare $100 million in my pocket."

Carey did share a lawyer with Hollywood producer Joe Roth, who was leading an ownership group for a new Major League Soccer franchise in Seattle. The lawyer set up a lunch meeting between the two, and Carey bought a minority stake in the team.

Carey also got his wish: Sounders FC fans will be able to vote to fire the club's general manager.

"I don't know why anybody would not want this for their team. I think it's the greatest idea," said Carey, who still sounds more like a typical frustrated sports fan than a part-owner of a professional team.

"You vote for a president; you vote for mayor. I don't know why you shouldn't be able to vote for the general manager of your local sports team."

Le Anne Schreiber's final ombudsman column for ESPN.com (linked here) after two years of trying to act as the viewer's representative on the inside of the Bristol, Conn., offices tries "to find the taproot of discontent from which the whole blooming variety of complaints emerge" from the 30,000 pieces of email she has received over the last 24 months.

She broke it down this way:

== Arrogance

"Accusations of arrogance were implicit in the many complaints I received about specific anchors who imposed their personalities on the news, announcers who elevated their own chatter over the game at hand, commentators who leapt to the absolute in a single shout, columnists who heaped scorn on minor sports or minor markets, and the relentless corporate "me, me, me" of multiplatform cross-promotion.
"If arrogance were indeed the taproot, the message to ESPN from fans would be simple: 'Get over yourselves, it's not all about you.' And the solution would be as simple as ESPN asking the loudest and most self-smitten of its many personalities to tone it down."

You know who you are, Berman. Van Pelt. Berman ...

== Overload

"The root of all the 'too much' mail I received -- as in too much Manny, T.O. and A-Rod; too much Yankees, Red Sox, Cowboys and Patriots; too much Joba, Kobe and Brady (both Tom and Quinn); too much Hansbrough, Tebow and Duke; and way too much Favre.
"Much of the 'too much' mail I received came from fans who wanted to see their own favorite teams and players get a fairer share of coverage. More telling was the mail I received from fans of ESPN's favored few. 'Favre was one of my favorite players in the NFL,' wrote a fan from Kansas City. 'Now I'm just sick of hearing about him.' "
"When a sports media empire repeatedly turns fans off some of sports' most talented players, both established and emerging, something is wrong. And yet the message from fans that I have found hardest to impress upon ESPN's executives and talent is this: The predictable day-after-day dominance on ESPN of certain marquee teams and players is making a lot of fans both heartsick and cynical.
"Why does ESPN resist the message? Because they see strong counterevidence in what matters most: event telecast ratings."

== Implosion is near

"In a previous column, I wrote: 'The endlessly swirling synergy of events programming continuously reinforced by pre- and post-event shows, by preseason and postseason shows, by news shows that cover those events and by opinion shows that derive their topics from those events is a business model both extremely effective and extremely transparent.'
I would like to revise that statement by deleting 'extremely effective.'
We now know that any business model based on the assumption the rich can get endlessly richer is bound to implode."

== In summation: Wise up

"So what's the one last message I want to leave ESPN? I guess it would have to be: Don't be so predictable. Subtext: Stop trying to make the publicity-rich ever richer. Spread the wealth around before fans turn on ESPN the way investors have turned on bankers. ...
As someone who ran a newspaper sports section in the pre-ESPN era, I can tell you that the average fan is incomparably more informed about every aspect of what makes a sport tick than was once imaginable.
It is too late for ESPN to dial it back or dumb it down, too late to satisfy the savvy core audience it created with the thin gruel of sound bites, shouting heads and the celebrations of the obvious. If it wants to sustain its success, ESPN has no choice but to keep getting smarter. Its audience demands it."

A site called Hollywood.com has a fashion maven, Lien Ta, who decided to create a Top 10 Best Dressed March Madness Mascots:

1. Radford Highlanders: Naughty schoolgirl skirts will never, ever go out of style.

2. East Tennessee State Buccaneers: A shirt that alludes to biceps and pecs! Um, genius.

3. West Virginia Mountaineers: Real men wear fringe, carry purses filled with water for m'lady.

4. Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Abe Lincoln meets Kanye West. Hotttt.

5. Xavier Blue Blob: Betcha can eat ANYTHING in that outfit! A-maaaazing!

6. California Golden Bears: Bear wearing sunshine-colored cardigan = California dreamy.

7. Oklahoma State Cowboys: Tight chaps ... Clint Eastwood, is that you?

8. Dayton Flyers: Jumpsuit, belt, big glasses -- who is this trendsetter, Posh Beckham?

9. Butler Bulldogs: Girls, get yer "B" necklace! "B" for Butler Bulldog Boyfriend.

10. Syracuse Orange: He asks, "Orange you glad I'm not wearing pants?" (Yes!)

Hey, hey, hey, no love for a cheesy Matador?

Florida and San Diego State, you got hosed. St. Mary's, your prayer wasn't answered. Sorry.

Arizona ... you better win the whole thing to justify your existence. The Pac-10 is proud of how you went one-and-out in its tournament, but the reward of getting the last at-large bid was pretty special all the way around.

Villanova got a home game in round one? And UCLA fans have started driving this morning to Philly to meet up with 'em for round two on Saturday morning? Oh, wait, according to Seth Davis on CBS' selection show, there won't be a second round for the Bruins.

And you left Kentucky out, making Ashley Judd very, very sad. And Manny Ramirez' hamstring very, very sore, apparently.

Knee-jerk reactions continue to knock over hot cups of coffee this morning, from all facets of the communications world -- including an enjoyable Billy Packer opening "Survive And Advance" episode last night at midnight, proving that while CBS may own the NCAA basketball tournament, Packer still drives the conversation.

Because Dick Vitale sure doesn't. Not if you've seen the clips of him arguing with Jay Bilas on yesterday's ESPN bracket breakdown extravaganza:

Why create controversy when, in the long run, if you were good enough to qualify, you were good enough to qualify. Maybe some of the pairings are iffy in some eyes, but why keep splitting hairs.

Louisville had some problems early, but now they're the top seed overall? Those "bracketologists" need to worry more about what kind of bracket is keeping their TV monitor steady up on their wall. Save the quibbling for when your boss asks you later this week why you haven't delivered your reports on time because you haven't figured out how to switch your monitor from spreadsheet to video monitor.

More on all that stuff later, first the TV talk because you have to lay the groundwork for getting sick on Thursday and Friday today, even if human resources threatens firing:

The pairings as CBS will deliver them to the L.A. market on opening day:
=Cal State Northridge vs. Memphis: 9:25 a.m.
=Cal vs. Maryland, 11:25 a.m.
=Gonzaga vs. Akron, 4:25 p.m.
=UCLA vs Virginia Commonwealth, 6:50 p.m.

Now, for the DirecTV Mega March Madness package, or CBSSports.com's March Madness on Demand, that allows you to scroll around to whatever game you need to see:

THURSDAY:
9:20 a.m. in Greensboro, N.C.: LSU vs. Butler (Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg)
9:25 a.m. in Kansas City: Memphis vs. Cal State Northridge (Tim Brando and Mike Gminski)
9:30 a.m. in Philadelphia: BYU vs. Texas A&M (Carter Blackburn and Jay Bilas)
11:30 a.m. in Portland: Purdue vs. Northern Iowa (Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner)
11:50 a.m. in Greensboro: North Carolina vs. Radford (Nantz and Kellogg)
11:55 a.m. in Kansas City: Cal vs. Maryland (Brando and Gminski)
Noon in Philadelphia: UConn vs. Chattanooga (Blackburn and Bilas)
2 p.m. in Portland: Washington vs. Mississippi St. (Harlan and Bonner)

4:10 p.m. in Greensboro: Texas vs. Minnesota (Nantz and Kellogg)
4:10 p.m. in Kansas City: Clemson vs. Michigan (Brando and Gminski)
4:20 p.m. in Philadelphia: Villanova vs. American (Dick Enberg and Bilas)
4:25 p.m. in Portland: Gonzaga vs. Akron (Harlan and Bonner)
6:40 p.m. in Greensboro: Duke vs. Binghamton (Nantz and Kellogg)
6:40 p.m. in Kansas City: Oklahoma vs. Morgan State (Brando and Gminski)
6:50 p.m. in Philadelphia: UCLA vs. Virginia Commonwealth (Enberg and Bilas)
6:55 p.m. in Portland: Illinois vs. Western Kentucky (Harlan and Bonner)

FRIDAY:
9:15 a.m. in Miami: Syracuse vs. Stephen F. Austin (Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel)
9:25 a.m. in Dayton: Oklahoma St. vs. Tennessee (Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery)
9:30 a.m. in Minnesota: Kansas vs. North Dakota State (Gus Johnson and Len Elmore)
9:30 a.m. in Boise: Marquette vs. Utah State (Craig Bolerjack and Bob Wenzel)
11:45 a.m. in Miami: Arizona State vs. Temple (Eagle and Spanarkel)
11:55 a.m. in Dayton: Pittsburgh vs. E. Tennessee St. (Lundquist and Raftery)
Noon in Minneapolis: West Virginia vs. Dayton (Johnson and Elmore)
Noon in Boise: Missouri vs. Cornell (Bolerjack and Wenzel)

4:10 p.m. in Miami: Utah vs. Arizona (Eagle and Spanarkel)
4:10 p.m. in Dayton: Louisville vs. Alabama St. or Morehead St. (Lundquist and Raftery)
4:20 p.m. in Minneapolis: Boston College vs. USC (Johnson and Elmore)
4:25 p.m. in Boise: Xavier vs. Portland State (Bolerjack and Wenzel)
6:40 p.m. in Miami: Wake Forest vs. Cleveland State (Eagle and Spanarkel)
6:40 p.m. in Dayton: Ohio State vs. Siena (Lundquist and Raftery)
6:50 p.m. in Minneapolis: Michigan State vs. Robert Morris (Johnson and Elmore)
6:55 p.m. in Boise: Florida State vs. Wisconsin (Bolerjack and Wenzel)

SATURDAY:
10:05 a.m. in Philadelphia: Villanova/American vs. UCLA/VCU
12:20 p.m. in Kansas City: Memphis/Cal St. Northridge vs. California/Maryland
12:35 p.m. in Philadelphia: Connecticut/Chattanooga vs. BYU/Texas A&M
2:40 p.m. in Portland: Purdue/N. Iowa vs. Washington/Mississippi State
2:45 p.m. in Greensboro: North Carolina/Radford vs. LSU/Butler
2:50 p.m. in Kansas City: Oklahoma/Morgan State vs. Clemson/Michigan
5 p.m. in Portland: Gonzaga/Akron vs. Illinois/Western Kentucky
5:05 p.m. in Greensboro: Duke/Binghamton vs. Texas/Minnesota

SUNDAY:
9:10 a.m. in Miami: Syracuse/Stephen F. Austin vs. Arizona State/Temple
11:20 a.m. in Boise: Florida State/Wisconsin vs. Xavier/Portland State
11:30 a.m. in Minneapolis: Kansas/N. Dakota State vs. West Virginia/Dayton
11:40 a.m. in Miami: Wake Forest/Cleveland State vs. Utah/Arizona
11:50 a.m. in Dayton: Oklahoma State/Tennessee vs. Pittsburgh/E. Tennessee State
1:50 p.m. in Boise: Missouri/Cornell vs. Marquette/Utah State
2 p.m. in Minneapolis: Michigan State/Robert Morris vs. Boston College/USC
2:10 p.m. in Dayton: Ohio State/Siena vs. Louisville/Alabama State or Morehead State

Couldn't Manny Ramirez respond best to Esquire correspondent Jonathan Papelbon's "cancer" comment by making a hefty donation to the Dodgers' City of Hope and Children's Hospital ThinkCure charity, to help wipe out a disease that too often becomes a trivial reference to someone who somehow ruffles the feathers of teammates in a locker room setting simply because of a unique outlook on life?

== Remember when the Dodgers brought 41-year-old Orel Hershiser back for the 2000 season - six starts, 1-5 record, 13.14 ERA, and a long walk back to the dugout during his final hook? Or Don Sutton, age 43, returning in '88 for a 3-6 record in 16 starts, then call it quits, then end up front-and-center in all the pictures when the team visited the White House after they somehow won the World Series?

So, spinning back to reality, what could a 37-year-old future Hall o' Famer like Pedro Martinez offer to a '09 Dodgers' starting rotation at this point in his banged-up career, other than as one final puncture wound to Fred Claire's reputation (and Tommy Lasorda's recommendation) after he's yanked off the mound by Joe Torre (too bad Grady Little isn't still around) during a six-run Rockies' first inning, one out into his third start in April, disappearing from the clubhouse with a midget under his arm, never to be seen again?

== Hasn't Ned Colletti pretty much set the stage for this year's Fab Five by picking Randy Wolf (again) over Randy Johnson and Jeff Weaver and Jason Schmidt over Jon Garland or Ben Sheets?

== Is Candace Parker, on the cover of a sports magazine with what looks like a basketball under her dress, a lovely way of sayin' how much she loves us? Anyone gauge Demi Moore or Britney Spears - or anyone else who has a pregnant woman fetish - for their approval?

== Why is a Euro bank like BNP Paribas bailing out U.S. sporting event purses instead of, say, planting a flag in the north pole and claiming it for France's next expansion project?

==Now does it look like the Lakers' offense misses Vlad Radmanovic off the bench?

== Whatever happened to Jack Lazorko?

== How would Michael Vick's former dog squad have fared in this year's Iditarod?

== What to you make of the latest Sporting News NFL mock draft (linked here), which, according to its "vibe," makes Mark Sanchez the No. 1 overall pick for the Detroit Lions, and Matthew Stafford going No. 10 to San Francisco? At some point, does it look like these things are put together by a bunch of guys throwing names into a helmet, taking a tequila shot, and then pulling slips of paper out and spitting all over 'em?

== How many more times must Michael Phelps apologize for being a 23-year-old knucklehead? And all those boxes of Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes with his picture on it, getting donated to food banks because Kellogg's wants no part of milking the career of this cereal killer any more? Do those in need of a simple breakfast who now chow down on this stuff have to thank Phelps now for his adept ability to use a bong?

thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com

We're too busy cramming for our field of 65 to care much about anything else going on in media world, but we must inform (or re-inform) you that:

== The NCAA can opt out of its 11-year, $6 billion CBS contract on the NCAA tournament after this year if it wants (linked here).

== We like what Texas coach Rick Barnes has to say about the way CBS "owns" the event (linked here): ""It amazes me when everybody keeps talking about expanding the NCAA Tournament. They have their theories. But the theory they never talk about is that it's owned by CBS and CBS isn't going to change it. They like it the way it is. When they paid 6 billion dollars, believe me, whether the NCAA wants to admit it, it's all about CBS. They like the three-week format. They like the Cinderella teams coming in early. They just want 'em gone by the Round of 16."

== Former CBS college basketball analyst BIlly Packer shows he hasn't completely cracked, not when it comes to finding a good psychic (linked here). Meanwhile, the Packer-Bob Knight "Survive or Die And Advance" site has finally gone up (linked here).

== Oh, and why you can't trust Clark Kellogg to be as grouchy about life as Packer (linked here).

== The "One Shining Moment" guy at CBS -- gone (linked here).

== Ric(k) Bucher still has a superiority complex (linked here).

== The full transcript of Matt Lauer's grilling of Michael Phelps on this morning's "Today" show, more of which will be repurposed on Sunday's "Dateline," and, unfortunately, MP forgot to accuse ML of being "glib." (linked here).

== Max Kellerman is still an idiot (linked here)

== David Beckham knows how to work the U.S. television cameras (linked here).

== And finally:

The next 10 major newspapers that will either fold or go digital, according to Yahoo! (and the Los Angeles Daily News missed the cut ... linked here).

Julie Jacobson/Associated Press
Connecticut's Kemba Walker lays on the floor after missing a shot at the end of the fifth overtime period against Syracuse on Thursday.

Thursday, we dreaded the thought of another Pac-10 basketball money-making basketball tournament, wondering what really gets resolved by these four-day boondoggles which really is a celebration of what the conference did or didn't do during the year, and giving some school the hope that it can mess up the general structure of the NCAA tournament next week by surviving and advancing (where'd we come up with that stupid phrase?).

And then Syracuse-UConn happens Thursday night (box score linked here).

On a night when the real overtime battle played out earlier -- Comedy Central's Jon Stewart dismantling CNBC blowhard Jim Cramer, which "The Daily Show" couldn't even contain in its half-hour window and had to put the entire 25-minute "weeklong feud of the century" on its website (story linked here ... or watch the full episode here) -- those who stayed up past their kid's bedtime probably never see a more intense six OT game in their sports TV viewing lives.

It would have been only better if it were a water polo match. That way, if they stopped competing, they'd actually die.

And just when you thought it ended, it didn't. And it didn't again. And again. It wasn't continuing because of ineptness, but because of grit and determination not to lose.

Here's the sixth OT, before ESPN takes it off YouTube for copyright infringement:

Again, ESPN pushes the discussion by driving home these ridiculous numbers on a subsequent "SportsCenter":

== The chances of an NCAA Division I game going to six overtimes are about 1 in 122,000.

== With about 5,000 Division I games played annually, a six-OT game would be expected once every 24.4 years.

So, it was about 28 years ago, when Cincinnati beat Bradley in seven overtimes, 75-73, on Dec. 21, 1981.

More stats from the Wall Street Journal (linked here):

== There have been 136,439 Division I college-hoops games since the 1980-1981 season through Thursday, according to Robbie Allen of StatSheet. And only those two games extended into six extra periods

And that's not even a slice of the best part of the game. This is Big East, elbows flying, refs swallowing their whistles ... surviving this in regulation is crazy enough.

But what's now the residual effect for the Orangemen who must be blue in the face this morning and realize they have to play West Virginia in the semifinals tonight, back at Madison Square Garden, just for the right to get to the Big East final on Saturday against either Louisville or Villanova?

Does Jim Boeheim rest some of his players, like 67-minute man Jonny Flynn, who can't even afford an extra "h" in his first name, so they don't run out of gas when the real tournament begins? Coach management is key to this now.

It's not the time to drive everyone to the ground just to win a mini-circus event for the TV cameras.

"I just wanted to get the game over with," Flynn said afterward. "I was thinking, 'Lord, just get this game over with. Whoever wins the game, let's just get it over with.'"

Because neither team actually benefitted from winning, and neither really suffered much from losing. Which isn't what a tournament should be about. And because so many players fouled out, the guys left on the court for the fifth and sixth OTs could have been excused for not even knowing how to run the offense. Maybe that's why it ended up as a 10-point difference. Syracuse had a better than average deeper bench; UConn just kept missing free throws.

Remember that when it's time to pick the Huskies in your pool next week. And Jim Calhoun doesn't get paid extra for overtime.

Now, maybe this is over, we can go back to the real Syracuse-UConn controversy from January -- the women's teams (story linked here). That's really what what needs to be resolved.

Heads up: ESPN Classic will show the game today, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, then again on ESPNU from noon to 4 p.m. Yes, that's how long it took.

Heavens to murgatroyd (see link here)

Following up on the story today on what it's like to be a stage manager on a live TV sports event (linked here), we close the curtain on more media notes:

== The new KSPN-AM (710) lineup starts Monday, with the biggest move of Steve Mason and John Ireland airing from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. instead of 1 to 4 p.m.

== The Clippers have a national broadcast ... that is, if you have NBA TV. Their game Saturday at Denver (6 p.m.) uses the Nuggets' home feed of Chris Marlowe and Scott Hastings.

== Mike Breen, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy have the ABC call on the Lakers' game against Dallas at Staples Center (Sunday, Channel 7, 12:30 p.m.)
Sunday, March 15th

== The Lakers' Pau Gasol and Jordan Farmar make an appearance on CBS' "Numb3rs" tonight (Channel 2, 10 p.m.)

== The NCAA has couched a new feature on their website as letting people understand how the selection of the men's basketball tournament when it allows you to "become a one-person Division I Men's Basketball Selection Committee" at ncaa.com/games/selectionchallenge.

The game lets people create their own 65-team bracket, from the pool of 330 teams, or join groups so they can play against their friends, and then see how it matches the official bracket when it's released Sunday afternoon by CBS (3 p.m., Channel 2; ESPN also makes the picks available during their 3-to-4 p.m. "SportsCenter," then had a two-hour College GameNight breakdown from 4 to 6 p.m.). The game lets you use RPI, schedules, recent results and more elements to make your choices.

Participants get points based on correctly selecting teams that make the tournament, seeding the teams, and placing them in the correct region.

== Latest collection of stories for the next HBO "Real Sports" (Tuesday, 10 p.m.):

+ Pitt basketball coach Jamie Dixon, the North Hollywood native and Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks player, has his team back near the No. 1 spot in the rankings, but it's still bittersweet, two years after his sister, Maggie, died of heart failure at age 28 while coaching basketball at West Point. John Frankel has this story.

+ Brandon Jennings, the big-time scorer from Oak Hill Academy and '08 Naismith High School Basketball Player of the Year, turned down USC and Arizona and then went to play pro ball in Italy. He's now not so thrilled by that move. Bryant Gumbel does the interview.

+ Rayna DuBose was a freshman center on the Virginia Tech women's basketball team in 2002 when she contracted meningococcal meningitis, which nearly claimed her life. She ended up having both her hands and feet amputated, but returned to Tech to get her degree in 2007 and has a career as a motivational speaker. Frank Deford does this piece.

+ And Bode Miller discusses why he probably won't compete in the 2010 Winter Games. As if you care. Frankel again reports.

== Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Dhani Jones begins hosting a show on the Travel Channel called "Dhani Tackles The Globe," which premieres Monday. The last two offseasons, he went country to country to try to compete in exotic sports -- to England for rugby, Thailand for martial arts Muay Thai, Ireland for hurling, Sinapore for dragon boat racing, Switzerland for Schwingen (a form of wrestling), Spain for pelota, New Zealand for sailing and Australia for the lifeguard surf competition.
"I want everybody to travel," he said in an interview with the Associated Press. "To travel and not be afraid."

== AND THE CLOSING ARGUMENT:

A couple more shots from staff photographer Michael Owen Baker of Donna Moskal on the stage manager job, keeping Bob Miller and Jim Fox as professional as possible in the Kings' broadcast booth:

Adidas can make that happen.

Since KG is the big client, and so it the university, it has formed a marketing campaign around the brotherhood of March Madness, that brings Adidas' contract players who never went to college into a college locker room:

In other spots, Dwight Howard sneaks into the Kansas locker, Tracy McGrady dreams about playing at Louisville and Josh Smith looks into playing at Pitt.

If only Kobe Bryant was also an Adidas guy, he could have tried on that Duke uniform that he always laments about never getting to wear.

More at The Sporting News' First Cuts blog (linked here).

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

That's not how really we'd label Donna Moskal, the long-time stage manager on the Fox Sports West broadcast of the Kings' telecasts. She's a mom. She sets the stage for Bob Miller and Jim Fox. It was an easy connection. But one that's kind of relevant to describe what this gig entails, the latest of our series in the coolest jobs in sports media.

It's a pretty important position in the sports TV world, but you may not know about it. That's why we decided to write about it for Friday's media column. Here's a shot of Donna at work during last Saturday's Kings-Minnesota game at Staples Center, when she wasn't wrapped up in a blanket to stay warm while the cold air conditioner blew down on the broadcast booth up above the luxury suites. It's probably more chilly up there than down near the ice. Why? Not sure. Just stating the facts.

So what does the job entail? Why is it important for the broadcasters' well being?

"A good stage manager is the announcer's connection with the producer in that she is up to date on what's coming up, handing the announcer copy to read at the right time, and before we go on camera she is aware of how we look, such as a tie straight, any lint on our suits, all that," said Miller. "We have communication with the producer through our headset but if that goes out then we really have to rely on the stage manager for hand signals and time cues.

"Donna is a pleasure to work with because she has had so much experience in that end of our telecast, and neer gets rattled."

We also talked to Jill Shepherd, a longtime stage manager for the Clippers and Angels games lately, but plenty of experience on the Kings and Ducks.

More in depth on Friday.

Danny Moloshok/Associated Press
Oregon's Nicholas Fearn, left, and John Elorriaga walk off the court after Oregon's 62-40 loss to Washington State at the Pac-10 men's tournament at Staples Center on Wednesday.

Your investement in this weekend's Pacific Life (sorry I really thought that was part of the official name) Pac-10 men's basketball tournament at Staples Center is:

A) Intense
B) Intrigue
C) Interested
D) Indifferent
E) Indignant

Who's in? Who's outdated? Who does Oregon think they're going to beat scoring 40 points?

That's all the introspection we could muster after Day 1 of this four-day sprint to the finish, rendering the regular season of Pac-10 play all for a seeding number that really makes no difference when the real NCAA Tournament begins next week, and the brackets are announced on Sunday.

If the NCAA event is still "The Big Dance," then these conference tournaments are like the cheerleader's cupcake fundraisers, hoping to get everyone's spirits up before the big event takes place and they get the bill for their tuxedo rental. So they can afford to buy the streamers and balloons to hang above the punch bowl to class it up on Selection Sunday as they wait to hear how Billy Packer Clark Kellogg will tear down their programs after the field of 65 is announced.

At Staples Center this weekend, the real winners of this can only be USC, Washington State, Cal or Arizona, if they win and make it in. Maybe. The real losers can be UCLA, Arizona State and, again, Cal. If they lose and become irrelevant in the seeding process.

Stanford, Oregon State and Oregon have no business even making the trip to L.A. for the weekend, if only to see if they can strenghten their bid for that other tournament -- not the NIT -- when it picks its field of whatever early next week.

Watching to see if Arizona can knock off rival ASU in today's round, or if UCLA meets up with USC in the semifinals, adds some intensity. Perhaps.

Seeing if Washington or UCLA can grab a seed higher than No. 3 in the upcoming dance is the real intrigue. Probably.

If Oregon State had won yesterday, that would have been interesting. Possibly.

If USC does make it all the way to Saturday's final, and then loses, would just add to our indifference. Pfffff.

Those who have to pay face value for the tickets should be indignant. Poor bastards.

And, for those who need today's meaningless schedule:
==ASU vs. Arizona, noon
==Washington vs. Stanford, 2:30 p.m.
==USC vs. Cal, 6 p.m.
==UCLA vs. Washington St., 8:30 p.m.

It's on TV, you know. If you're not invested in how "The Office" story arch developes this week.

Now, as long as we're talking about selling our souls to the college basketball money makers, if you don't mind, I'm going to read a Marc Isenberg story about the biggest whore Jerry Tarkanian ever met (that's the headline, here at this link).

Interested in logging a comment here? Or do it thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com.

Danny Moloshok/The Associated Press
Oregon's Frantz Dorsainvil, left, and Kamyron Brown, right, try to reach a loose ball along with Washington State's Aron Baynes, center, during Wednesday's game.

The first, is a Casey Blake bobblehead giveaway at Dodger Stadium, when the Dodgers play the New York Mets. (Someone already has tickets to this game up on Ebay.com, linked here)

The second, a Manny Ramirez bobblehead giveaway at Dodger Stadium, when the Dodgers play Cincinnati. (Someone has tickets to this game up on eBay as well, linked here).

The third, a player to be named later bobblehead giveaway at Dodger Stadium, when the Dodgers play St. Louis. Why not make that third one a Vin Scully bobblehead night? (And, yes, eBay buyers can find this game at this link).

The full 2009 Dodgers promotional schedule will be released in the near future.

It wasn't more than a half hour after Jim Rome's show played the song "One Shining Moment" (see this link) to end the streak of guests named Rex at 20 than CBS sent this announcement:

CBS SPORTS FAMILY MOURNS LOSS OF CREATIVE DIRECTOR DOUG TOWEY
Longtime Network Television Executive Responsible for "One Shining Moment" Becoming Iconic Anthem of College Basketball

Longtime network television executive for CBS Sports, Doug Towey, passed away this morning after a long illness. He was 61.

The Long Island native joined CBS Sports in 1981 as Director, On-Air Promotion, and had served as the Creative Director for CBS Sports, responsible for its promotional campaigns, and on-air "look"; graphics, animation, music and scenic design.

Among the many highlights of Towey's Emmy Award-winning career in television was his direct role in making the song "One Shining Moment" the iconic hallmark anthem of college basketball and CBS Sports' coverage of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship each March.

Folk singer David Barrett penned the song in 1986 and gave it to his high school friend CBS News Chief Investigative Correspondent, and then Sports Illustrated staff writer, Armen Keteyian. He passed it along to Towey who planned to use it to accompany the network's closing highlights of Super Bowl XXI in January 1987. But due to long-running interviews the song never made it to air.

A couple of months later, Towey was looking for a way to bring CBS Sports' NCAA Tournament coverage to a close and decided to use it. "One Shining Moment" made its Final Four debut on March 30, 1987, following Keith Smart's baseline jumper in the final seconds that gave Indiana a 74-73 victory over Syracuse.

Throughout his over 34-year network television career Towey played a role in the broadcast of virtually every major sporting event in the world including several Olympic Games, Super Bowls, World Series, NBA Finals, NCAA Championships and Final Fours, the Masters®, PGA Championships, U.S. Open Tennis Championships, as well as many other events.

Prior to joining CBS Sports, Towey worked as an Associate Director for ABC Sports from 1975 to 1978. He began working for ABC Sports as part of the first network sports on-air promotion unit in 1978. Towey won an Emmy Award for ABC's coverage of the 1980 Winter Olympics, as well as multiple Emmy Awards at CBS Sports for promotion, music and graphics. He also won numerous Mobius, Promax and Monitor and Broadcast Design Association awards.

One month after the streak of having a guy named Rex appear on his syndicated radio show for an interview, Jim Rome officially declared it over after Rex No. 20, astronaut Rex Walheim, made an appearance on Wednesday's episode.

"I don't know how it gets any better," Rome said after talking to Walheim. "He's one of the best interviews we ever had. If I keep the streak going, will I be like Willie Mays stumbling around in center field? I don't want to stay too long and water it down.

"I'm pulling the plug. It's over. It can only get worse."

So, with the walk-off Rex, Rome had the song "One Shining Moment" play as he ran down the list of 20 Rexs who appeared with him in the chair, going back to Feb. 11.

"The streak is over. It's done at 20. Good night now," Rome signed off Wednesday.

Our links to past reference to the Rex streak:

== Tuesday, March 10: Rex No. 20 is booked after Nos. 18 and 19 appear (linked here)

== Friday, March 6: A recap of Rex's 13-17 (linked here).

== Thursday, Feb. 26: A recap of Rex's 8-12 (linked here)

== Friday, Feb. 20: A recap of Rex's 1-7 (linked here)

== The official Rome Website list (linked here)

Wel played, Rexes... You'll all go down in history for what you've accomplished.

David Beckham was pinned down by Hannah Storm on this morning's array of ESPN "SportrsCenter" shows and reclaimed his recommittment to return to the Re-Galaxy in July through the end of the re-MLS season.

It was the first of an array of planned interviews he did with the media since deciding to stay on loan with AC Milan through May 31.

Here's a link to the 10-minute chat (linked here) or just read the ESPN-supplied excerpts here:

On partially funding his loan agreement between AC Milan and the Galaxy: "There was a commitment I had to make and it's something I didn't think twice about because at the end of the day, my career's never been about the financial side or the money side. I've always been solely interested in the football. People may turn around and say it's easy for me to say because the money's always been there, but I think all through my career all I've cared about is football and where I play my football."

On (former Galaxy manager) Alexi Lalas' predicting he'll be booed upon his return to the U.S.: "I'm sure I'll have criticism and I understand that, but I want my fans to realize I'm still committed to the Galaxy. I am still committed to the MLS and being an ambassador, but like I said there will be criticism. It's a shame certain people come out, but at the end of the day I'm bigger than that. I can only make my turnaround by the way I perform and my commitment to the team and I'll show that when I get back. We'll have to wait and see on the first time I play back at The Home Depot (Center) and see how that goes"

On the chance he may opt out of the last two years of his MLS contract: "I think leading up to the World Cup, I need to play in Europe to give myself a chance of being involved in that World Cup and after then we'll see, but I plan on going back to America. My family is happy there. My wife is happy there. My children are settled in at school, and it's one of the sacrifices we've had to make as family. My wife's been very supportive of my career and until it ends, but as family, husband and wife, father and mother to three boys, we need to do what's best for our children and our children are settled there."

On owning an MLS team and what he'd do as owner to prevent similar franchise player-loan options in the future: "I think at the end of the day, you know, I have got the chance to own a franchise at the end of my career and I fully hope that I will be doing that at the end of my career. So that's something that I'm excited in. This situation happens all over the world in football. Situations like this happen at Manchester United, it happens at the biggest clubs in the world and you sort of move on and you make it work. I think at the end of the day I've already said that I will be going back to the Galaxy and I am committed to the Galaxy and my teammates there, but at the moment I need to be playing my football here."

On whether his time in Los Angeles is a success or failure: "On the pitch it has not been very successful because we haven't made the playoffs in the last two years. That's been disappointing, but on every other level it's been an incredible experience and one that I've really enjoyed so far."

Jolly good.

This was after he appeared on NBC's "Today" show:

And said: "I want to play for my country, I want to play in the World Cup in 2010, and to do that I have to be playing here in Europe and I have to be playing at the highest level. ... It doesn't mean that I'm still not committed to my role as an ambassador in the MLS and also committed to the Galaxy. (I'm) ...still committed to my contract with the Galaxy. I've got a lot of respect for Tim Leiweke and everybody that brought me there"

A two parter:

I: World Baseball Classic turns double Dutch rudder upside down, making it must-watch viewing in the greater Solvang area.

We won't compare Willy Aybar with Bill Buckner, but we think we just did.

The first baseman for the Dominican Republic team couldn't handle a ground ball. The winning run scored for the Netherlands in the bottom of the 11th, after an improbable lead-off, pinch-hit double off one of the toughest relievers on the planet, plus a bloop single to drive him in, then a wild pickoff throw to put that guy at third base.

This, after the scoreless game went into extra innings, and the Dominicans took what looked like a game-sealing 1-0 lead in the top of the 11th after a misplayed line drive to right field.

Little roller up along first, behind the back, it gets past Aybar, here comes Dutch guy and the Netherlands win!

DR, out. Guys with extra J's and D's in their name, move on.

If you happened to get caught up in the MLB Network coverage of this thing last night, consider yourself lucky. You won't find many baseball David vs. Goliath matchups in the MLB like this one. Maybe during the Olympics. But they never end up this classic.

"This is just incredible," said game analyst Jim Kaat, and considering all the games he's seen in his life, you believe him.

The Dutch team, which was the equalivant of a Double-A squad with its experience (Randall Simon was the cleanup hitter, OK?) could have had pitching coach Bert Blyleven warming up in the pen had it gone to many more innings. The Dominicans were probably as strong as an American League All-Star squad, and that's without A-Rod playing third base. David Ortiz, Miguel Tejada, Pedro Martinez, Jose Reyes, Robinson Cano and losing pitcher Carlos Marmol on a staff that hadn't given up an earned run in more than 27 innings.

That was the only earned run given up, in the 11th, to the Dutch team that we believe is part of the European continent, showers itself with tulips after a victory and gathers holds its team pizza parties at the Amsterdam Van De Kamp bakery.

Actually, Netherlands is really like the New Orleans of Europe, but with more windmills. Wild prostitution. A sea-level place with all kinds of dikes preventing water from burying it alive. And lots of Hans Christian Andersen statues. Oh, sorry. That's Denmark.

Today, the Netherlands aim to paint the town whatever color it wants after it beats the Puerto Rican team at 2 p.m. on ESPN2 to get out of Pool D.

II: The United Football League has a launch date. And Los Angeles is a targeted site.

Duck 'n' cover.

We only know this because the Versus network announced it would televise this thing starting in October. A game of the week deal. It beats a public-access cable channel. Although, in some homes, Versus isn't that much different.

But let's look at this league for a second.

It has a website (linked here although there seems to be more infomation at the Wikipedia entry here), so it must be legit. I haven't checked if they Twitter info to their fans, but that's gotta be on the agenda for the next meeting.

It says it'll start Oct. 8, on a Thursday. It'll end with a title game on Thanksgiving weekend in Vegas. It promises.

Today, they're supposed to announce the four coaches of the four teams in the league -- rumored to be Ted Cottrell, Jim Haslett, Denny Green and Jim Fassel -- for the teams they have pigeonholed for Las Vegas, New York/Hartford, Orlando and San Francisco/Sacramento. They also plan to have a Vegas franchise game in ... drum roll ... L.A. Most likely at the Carson Home Depot Center, to make it look like a bigger crowd.

The other strong rumor connected to this: Michael Vick will be pursued as its marquee player. Maurice Clarett and Lawrence Phillips can't be far behind for an all "Longest Yard" backfield.

Fassel, pictured here, is the coach linked to that LV/LA squad.

The Versus angle is interesting. It's owned by Comcast, a cable company that has had its problems with the NFL Network and will probably drop the channel with its carriage contract ends next month, according to the Sports Business Journal.

This won't be as crazy as NBC in cahoots to air the XFL with the Vince McMahon. It just looks that way now.

You can discuss the league's merits at several UFL threads (linked here), but we think the league was definitely legitimized -- and this could be added to its Wikipedia entry -- when Sports Illustrated's Peter King referred to it on the last of his six-page "Monday Morning Quarterback" column on Dec. 7, 2008 (linked here). There, he mentioned that field goals longer than 50 yards would count as four points, and there'd be female referees.

Bring on the sideline hot tub.

"He Hate Me" is probably too old to play in this league that advertises itself as "Where Future Stars Come to Play." Maybe Petros Papadakis can revive his playing career. If only for something to get on his radio show.

How fan-friendly is this league? They'll allow you to help pick the nicknames (linked here).

Someone nominate Xtreme (linked here). C'mon. We dare you.

Comment here or at thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com.

From the Los Angeles Downtown News (story linked here), Sports Museum of Los Angeles curator Gary Cypres said that, even with $17.95 adult tickets to his personal collection of sports memorabilia, he wasn't getting the attendance necessary to keep it open six days a week and had to close it to the public last month, as we've reported.

"I subsidize the whole thing; it's not like the city helps or we have a bunch of trustees who contribute to it, and unfortunately given the current economics and attendance levels, it didn't seem like now was the time to keep it open to the public," Cypres said.

Opening the place to just personal tours and groups of 15 or more is the model that Cypres operated before trying his latest approach.

Says Ninth District Councilwoman Jan Perry: "To hear that anybody is performing under projections at this point is certainly not a surprise. He has just got to retool, and that makes sense, because everybody's got to retool and rethink how they market themselves."

Pay attention to this from Onion Sports.com:

== Our new favorite team: The Xenon Int'l School of Hair Design Fightin' Barbers (from the Midwest Cosmetology Conference).

== Our new underdog: The Oxnard California Advanced Truck Driving School, which easily could have made it into the "Fantastic 512" if it only turned in its application on time.

== Our new favorite feature: "The Steam Room," a perfect parody of ESPN's "Hot Seat" complete with gratituous tension music and blowhard opinions from old guys trying to sound authoratitive and current.

NCAA Expands March Madness To Include 4,096 Teams

A freakin' astronaut will keep the streak alive, moondoggie.

Jim Rome's string of guys named Rex appearing on his syndicated radio show will hit No. 20 on Wednesday -- if astronaut Rex Walheim (linked here, pictured above) makes the connection, as has been arranged through NASA representatives.

It's one giant leap for Rexkind. As the SpaceShuttle Discovery is scheduled to lift tomorrow.

"It doesn't get any better than that," said Rome.

The others who have showed up this week so far:

==Monday, March 9, No. 18: Rex Norris, (left) defensive line coach for the Toronto Argonauts (linked here)

==Tuesday, March 10, No. 19: Rex Kendle, (right) Michigan State senior wrestler in the 165-pound category (linked here)

The official list (linked here) and Kyle Brandt has a beard to show how long the streak has been going (linked here)

You can get fired from your job for something you pounded on your keyboard for Facebook.com?

Why not.

This story about the Philadelphia Eagles' employee (we'll go with the latest AwfulAnnouncing.com post linked here) has too many sinister, creepy and just mush-mouthed aspects to ignore any longer. We tried.

We didn't include it in the final version of the column we did today (linked here) on the non-value of sports leagues, teams and players who think they need all this incidental internet conversation to further their profiles. It was too far of a detour from the mainstream thought process that we didn't want to consider on that road to doom.

Now we have the time and mindset.

The Philadelphia Inquirer's John Gonzalez had the story (linked here) about Dan Leone, who for the last six years was one of the Eagles' game-day statium workers, and a fan of the team for his whole life. He also has a neurological disorder called transverse myelitis.

He was canned last week when someone in the Eagles' organization saw what he posted on his Facebook account, a simple, direct comment that he was upset the team let Brian Dawkins go to the Denver Broncos, just like everyone in the city probably was:

"Dan is [expletive] devastated about Dawkins signing with Denver. . .Dam Eagles R Retarted!!"

"I shouldn't have put it up there," Leone told the newspaper. "I was ticked off, and I let my emotions go."

Then he deleted it. Too late.

Without a warning, probation, suspension or anything that would seem more reasonable, Leone was canned. Over the phone.

"I apologized 20 million times," he said. "I never bad-mouthed the organization before. I made one mistake and they terminate me?"

It's a great underdog story for media outlets to pick up on and run into the ground. ESPN's networks (linked here) did a good job of it all day Monday.

"Pardon The Interruption" co-host Michael Wilbon: "(Whoever fired Leone) should be thrown "out of the door and into a snowbank. So this guy sort of gave them the finger for this trade, which every season ticketholder in Philly - or half of them - hated also, and they're going to fire this guy in this economy? Do you know what he does? Does he set policy? He guards one of the gates at (Lincoln Financial Field) and they want to fire him."

"Pardon The Interruption" other co-host Tony Kornheiser : "You are an employee of an organization that made some sort of decision and you publicly criticize them."

Maybe his real crime is that he owned up to the post, and didn't do it anonymously like most of the cowards out there in pop-off land.

Or, maybe there's more to the firing, a past history. This could have been the last straw (HuggingHaroldReynolds blog post linked here).

Does his Leone's physical condition really matter in this case? (another argument linked here). And can you cut someone slack for using the word "retarded" when, in some circles, it's about as offensive as a college football player from Texas using the "N-word" to describe the new president on his Facebook page, leading to his expulsion from the team last November (remember that story linked here?)

We're guessing this will backfire on the Eagles, but are they just like any other business that needs more realistic expectations from how their employees use these new means of communications (reaction story linked here)? There are already ethical issues about companies that check a person's profile online before the decide whether or not to hire them. Now, we're talking about the back end.

This story thread won't end anytime soon, and this will be another test case when someone actually takes a company to court for wrongful termination. So discuss among yourselves: How do you use these Internet social sites, and do you fear they'll come back to haunt you one way or another? Should they?

Comment here or email to thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com

In their first World Baseball Classic contest of the 16-country tournament on Sunday, Cuba hit a tournament record six homers in an 8-1 win over South Africa. The game was in Mexico City, a forgiving altititude when it comes to the long ball, but nevertheless, it was a statement for the Cuban team, once the most powerful of the amateur baseball countries that gets more attention these days when players defect rather than what they do on the field for their home countries.

Imagine how much more powerful that Cuban team would be if Alexei Ramirez had decided to play for it.

Instead, the Chicago White Sox shortstop (linked here), from Pinar del Rio, Cuba, who was a member of his country's 2004 Olympic team and 2006 World Baseball Classic squad, is in Glendale Arizona, with his current employers. Last season, the whippet of a 6-foot-2, 170-pounder hit 21 home runs and drove in 77 more with a .290 average in 136 games of his rookie big-league season. He also set a rookie record with four grand slams.

In '07, he played his seventh season with Pinar del Rio of the Cuban League, hitting .335 with 20 homers and 68 RBI in 89 games, leading the league in homers and RBI.

And he came to play in the big leagues, without a stop in the minors, willingly. No fancy story about escaping the Castro Regime on a lifeboat.

''There are a lot of misperceptions,'' he explained through an interpreter in a story that's in today's Chicago Sun Times (linked here). ''There is no pressure to play [in Cuba]; there are no guns pointed at you. There is just pure love of wanting to play the game by Cuban baseball players.

''The difference between Cuban ballplayers and players from the United States [is] players here play because that's their job. Cuban ballplayers play because of the encouragement from the province they're from, the town they're from, the region they're from. There is a sincere pride and passion for playing for your province. But no pressure.''

You think about the pressure that the Dodgers felt in trying to get Manny Ramirez signed last week, right before the single-game tickets went on sale Saturday.

Or the pressure Ramirez must now put on himself to perform so that, at the end of this $25 million season, he can put himself on the free market -- again -- to see how many "serious offers" are out there.

The pressure comes from all sides. On the Sirius XM radio show "60/20 Sports," hosted by political commentators James Carville and Luke Russert, Man-Ram's contract was the topic of discussion, as it was on most any other sports-talk shows.

Said Carville: "Some people say that's getting paid ... Look, if you're paying from the neck down, he'd get $60 million, but you gotta deduct from the neck up."

Pressure is all how you look at it. And how the rest of the world preceives it too. One Ramirez in Glendale, Ariz., may interepret it differently than the other. And it's not even a matter of having it be lost in translation.

Comment here or at thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com.

By Steve Karowski
The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS -- During his glory days as a pro wrestler, Verne Gagne shared the spotlight with other burly men in trunks, guys with names like Killer Kowalski, Mad Dog Vachon, The Crusher and Baron Von Raschke.

But all of that seemed well in the past until just weeks ago, when authorities say Gagne, 82 and suffering from Alzheimer's disease, apparently body-slammed a 97-year-old fellow patient at the suburban nursing home where they both lived, causing the man's death.

Bloomington police are investigating, but not even the victim's widow wants to see the dementia-stricken Gagne prosecuted.

''It's been so hard on both families,'' said Greg Gagne, Gagne's son and a former wrestler himself.

Helmut Gutmann, a former cancer researcher who suffered from dementia himself, died Feb. 14, about three weeks after breaking his hip in the confrontation. Authorities ruled his death a homicide.

It's pretty much automatic.

Bob and Mike Bryan win a doubles match against (fill in the blank). Saturday, it was a couple of guys from Switzerland, helping the U.S. Davis Cup team take a 2-1 lead in Birmingham, Ala.

U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe said the Camarillo twins belong in the conversation among the best Davis Cup doubles teams he has seen.

"They're certainly right there at the top," McEnroe said. "If not at the top, certainly pretty darn close."

Maybe in McEnroe's conversation, they can't truely be at the top since his brother, John, has something to say about it.

When the Bryans beat Stanislas Wawrinka and Yves Allegro 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (2), they became the became the winningest U.S. Davis Cup doubles team of all time at 15-2, passing John McEnroe/Peter Fleming and Wilmer Allison/John Van Ryn. The Bryans are also 16-1 overall this year.

"We're just plugging away," Bob Bryan said. "I truly didn't know that we were playing for the record, at all. It's great to look at when you retire. When you're in the heat of the moment, still in the battle, you just want to keep trying to get better and look for ways to improve."

The Bryan twins' victory was a good sign for the U.S., which has a 180-22 Davis Cup
record after winning the doubles point and is well below .500 when it loses.

The match had turned tight until the tiebreaker, when the U.S. tandem won the first four
points and were fueled by the crowd of 15,867.

"It really feels like a home-court advantage," Mike Bryan said. "It lifts us. I think that's what kept our energy high in that breaker. They kind of pushed us through the finish line."

(AP Photo/Frank Passic via Battle Creek Enquirer)
Jerry Sacharski, left, gives instructions to 5-year-old Craig LeClair in 1958. The Michigan man known for helping to popularize T-ball as an organized youth sport has died. The J. Kevin Tidd Funeral Home in Albion says Sacharski, 93, died Friday, Feb. 27, 2009, at his home in Albion. The game's exact origin is unclear but behind Sacharski, Albion in 1956 became one of the nation's first communities in which T-ball was played as an organized sport.

By James Prichard
The Associated Press

ALBION, Mich. -- Jerry Sacharski crafted his first batting tee from metal piping, some pieces of rubber and part of a garden hose.

Half a century later he still was coaching T-ball, a game that introduced baseball to millions of kids from backyards to the White House lawn.

Many in this college town of 9,100 give Sacharski the nod for being the architect of T-ball, though that kind of recognition made the longtime teacher uncomfortable. He figured that somebody, somewhere, had previously put a baseball on a tee.

What Sacharski is widely credited with doing is developing a set of rules for the game that allowed young children to play before they'd mastered two fundamental but difficult skills: throwing a pitch and hitting one.

The benefits served them well, from Little League onto the majors.

"I loved it. I have some great memories," said Texas star Michael Young, a career .300 hitter.

In 1954, Sacharski took a part-time job as director of the city of Albion's Recreation Department. To get more youngsters interested in baseball, he figured that having them hit from his jury-rigged tees placed atop home plate would make things easier. Not only could the batter hit, other players could learn to field and throw.

Five teams of about a dozen players each took part in the first season of Albion's "Pee Wee Baseball League," as Sacharski called it. The game debuted June 25, 1956, at Victory Park, and T-ball is still played there.

Within a year or two, organized T-ball leagues were popping up everywhere, says his son, who was among those playing that first season.

So, what are you hearing about them madcap Maloof Brothers pulling their circus act out of Sacramento and dragging it down to Anaheim?

The Lakers and Clippers are on board with allowing them to be the Kings of Southern California? Especially if it means a payment of territorial rights fees and special access to the Palm Hotel in Vegas for special team pizza parties?

And no more visits to the Land of Cowbells ever ever again?

== Gov. Muscleman would rubber stamp it as well, wouldn't he? Wouldn't it mean that state legislators didn't have to sidestep all those tent city tenants to get into Arco Arena without feeling guilty?

== When Charles Barkley starts his DUI jailtime today in Scottsdale -- it's down to three days instead of 10, for some reason -- are Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith allowed conjual visits?

== If you see Lance Armstrong cruisin' around on his bike today with about 700 of his closest buds -- he's raising funds for his foundation on a 2.2-mile loop from Children's Hospital on Sunset to the Montalban Theatre on Vine -- can you make sure he locks the thing up with a real sturdy chain link wrapped around the nearest abandoned shopping cart before he partakes in any other activities inside?

== Still no Orlando Hudson injury report to report from Dodgerville, Ariz.?

== What prevented the Dodgers from keeping Nomar Garciaparra around, to help babysit Weird Cousin Manny?

== What could be more disconcerting than seeing Brian Bosworth on a Harley cruising around Hollywood? Him doing it drunk at 3 a.m.? And no one around really taking notice of it?

== What do you think was the first thing Kobe said to Marta when they met, other than, "I'm open ... pass it"?

== Mike Piazza couldn't at least be a DH for Team Italy in the WBC? Or is there a strict drug test he'd have to pass first?

== A-Rod went to Colorado to get some surgery ... and wasn't chased to the airport by a bunch of state troopers?

== Is there something getting lost in the translation between reports that go out as breaking news on ESPN Deportes and then become denied on ESPN The Regular Network?

== The U.S. Davis Cup team couldn't have played Switzerland this weekend on a neutral site?

== About this mess that Michael Strahan apparently got into with his girlfriend (and ex-Eddie Murphy wife) at a Thousand Oaks Range Rover dealership, hooking up her car with a GPS system so he could prove that she was cheating on him ... is that the first sign of a stable Hollywood-type relationship?

== What if Shaq just didn't say floppin' anything else about Stan Van Gundy for one day?

== Can we see another staged shot of Sandler planting one on Jack for the Staples Center "Kiss Cam" without wondering if it's just a gimmick to promote "Anger Management II"?

The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Friday that Ohioans shouldn't be overly concerned about worsening economic conditions.

The governor made the remark during his annual appearance at the Arnold Sports Festival (linked here) in Columbus.

The state's unemployment rate spiked to 8.8 percent in January, the highest level in more than two decades years. In Schwarzenegger's home state of California, the unemployment rate jumped to 10.1 percent in January, the state's first double-digit jobless reading in 25 years.

"Never worry. Never worry about anything," he said in response to a reporter's question as he left a fundraiser for his national after-school program.

The event at a downtown hotel was attended by about 150 people, including Schwarzenegger's brother-in-law Anthony Shriver, actress Lindsay Price of NBC's "Lipstick Jungle" and mixed martial arts fighter Randy Couture.

Schwarzenegger, a former champion bodybuilder, attended the fundraiser for the local After-School All-Stars program (linked here) at the hotel across from the Ohio Statehouse. He planned to appear at a bodybuilding competition elsewhere in the city later in the night.

Schwarzenegger founded the national after-school program in 1992 as a way to provide tutoring services and sports to at-risk middle school students. It serves about 70,000 children in 13 cities.

The governor was expected to tour the exhibition portion of the sports festival Saturday. The annual fitness event began as a much smaller bodybuilding competition that Schwarzenegger won in 1970.

The Associated Press

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Gang violence is tarnishing the international reputation of Vancouver as it prepares to host the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, the city's mayor said Friday.

"Vancouver has never been known for this, so in terms of our international reputation it
is a problem, and we need to bear down and deal with it," Mayor Gregor Robertson said during a news conference.

Police have blamed a hike in violence in part on a drug turf war spawned by a Mexican crackdown on drug cartels -- local gangs battling over a dwindling supply of smuggled drugs reaching Canada from Mexico.

"As police, we've always been told by media experts to never say or admit that there is a gang war," Vancouver police chief Jim Chu said Friday. "Well, let's get serious. There is a gang war and it's brutal."

There have been 29 shootings in the Vancouver region since late January, 12 of them deadly, according to police.

"They appear all to be gang-related. Some of them still have question marks attached to them," said Royal Canadian Mounted Police Supt. Pat Fogarty, head of the region's gang task force.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said the increasing violence should not worry people planning to attend the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Officials say a total of 15,000 police officers, private security and military personnel will be providing security for the games.

Local authorities say they stepped up actions to curb the gangs and their violence.

At a news conference Friday, police announced the latest in a series of gang arrests -- two reputed leaders and three soldiers. They displayed an array of handguns, a bullet-proof vest and an assault rifle -- all seized during the arrests. Five other gang arrests were announced earlier this week.

Chu said police strategy is to detain gang members on as many charges as possible.

"As long as it gets them off the street and into a jail cell, where innocent members of the public can't be hurt, we'll continue to pursue them this way," Chu said.

More, more, more.
How do you like it?
Grab a high-powered shovel:

== Someone's got my back (linked here) about why CBS should finally realize that Andy Rooney is the birthday party guest who won't leave because he can't find his car keys (linked her to our original piece this week).

== A very nice piece by Wright Thompson on Pat Conroy, the author who used his time as a basketball player at The Citadel for book material in "My Losing Season," as well as "The Great Santini," as well as reveal the relationship he had with his abusive father, now on ESPN.com (linked here)

== What's the future of the Pac-10 as far as a TV entity? The Sporting News' Dave Curtis and Matt Hayes hash it out, wondering if the eventual new commissioner (apparently not Condi Rice) needs to think more about fewer regional games and consider hooking up with NBC (linked here).

== Although the Versus network broadcasters repeated that the recent Tour of California was the largest sporting event in the state, with 2 million spectators, can you believe them? "It's not even close to being true," says the LA84 Foundation newsletter (linked here).

== Why we need an oral history of ESPN, coming up on its 30th birthday, by those who lived to tell about it after leaving the place (linked here).

== More on Hank Haney's golf fixing experiment with Charles Barkley for Golf Channel (linked here).

== What does AOL Sports figure to do about bulking up its stable of writers? (linked here)

== Matt Vergersian is working for the MLB Network, not HBO (this clip via AwfulAnnouncing.com):

== More sports newspaper consolidation moves (linked here).

== Do you believe this Craigslist ad? No, the part about there being a major sports-talk show in L.A. (linked here) (via the Big Lead)

== Headline and a story from The Onion Sports (linked here):

'Play Every Day To The Best Of Your Ability' Clause Stalled Ramirez, Dodgers Talks

LOS ANGELES--A clause stipulating that free agent Manny Ramirez show up to games on time and play baseball to the greatest extent of his ability became a major sticking point in contract negotiations between the left fielder and the Dodgers, Ramirez's agent Scott Boras told reporters after Ramirez finally agreed to terms Wednesday.

Ramirez was too entranced by the guy at Venice Beach who rides a unicycle while holding two king cobra snakes to comment.

== And one more Onion story related to Kobe Bryant (linked here)

AND THE FINAL ARGUMENT:

== What, ESPN's Digger Phelps didn't stick a buck in each of their waistbands when he was finished here:

The blog posting we had a couple of days ago (linked here) on the passing of Notre Dame hockey radio play-by-play man and Southern California native Mike Lockert at 43 was reworked in today's newspaper issue.

More of those who knew him emailed:

==Lou Riggs, well-known broadcast instructor:

"Mike was one of favorite people. He was in a sports broadcasting group that was probably the best group I ever had in a single class (although we continued on in many other projects over the years) at Santa Monica College. We kept frequent contact via email or phone calls, so his death was a major shock to anyone who knew him. He was in a group that continued to be quite successful including Danny Potash (Fox Sports Pittsburgh anchor/Penguins reporter), Eric Burak (director of marketing for FSN/Prime), Louise Cornetta (executive level with ESPN radio and free lance writer for ESPN The Magazine), Arnie Spanier, and many others. Mike was truly a man with a goal in life and he lived out his dream to the fullest. I know that anyone who knew Mike thought the absolute world about him. We're really going to miss his wonderful personality and talent."

==Doug Mann, top sports statistician:

"I happened to know him and what is comforting to me, is reading the various stories on how much he was loved at ND. By those he worked with AND by those who listened to his broadcasts.
"It was a long struggle for him to get a real 'break' in this business, and it is heart-breaking not only that he died too soon, but, that he did not get a chance to move up to the NHL. But, I know he was happy--he was doing what he had started out wanting to do.
"I was there at the Kings game in December, which Bob Miller referenced. Mike came into our booth, his usual gregarious self; full of excitement, glad to see old friends, and looking forward to going to the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field.
"It is so re-assuring to know that he did in fact 'make it', judging by the reaction that his death has been generating. A tribute on the back of players helmets, glowing words from the ND coach and Bob Miller, as well as the average ND fan; Mike Lockert DID achieve success after so many years of chasing that dream."

The king of all sports Rexes -- ex-Chicago Bears QB Rex Grossman -- finally joined the consecutive show list of "guys named Rex" who've been interviewed by Jim Rome on his syndicated radio show (heard here on AM-570).

Rome's website (linked here) now has a list of those who've appeared along with links to the interviews.

For our own bookkeeping:

== Monday, March 2, No. 13: Rex Morgan, not the M.D. comic strip, but the former Boston Celtics player out of Jacksonville University (linked here), now the the head basketball coach of the nationally-ranked Arlington County Day in Jacksonville.

== Tuesday, March 3, No. 14: Rex Grossman (linked here).

== Wednesday, March 4, No. 15: Rex Hughes, former Pepperdine basketball standout, a USC assistant under Bob Boyd and head man at Kent State ('74-'78) who also had a short run heading the Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs (linked here).

== Thursday, March 5, No. 16: Rex Kern, more famous as the quarterback for Ohio State's football team from 1968-70, and Rose Bowl player of the game in '69 in a win over USC (then losing the '71 Rose Bowl game to Stanford) (linked here)

== Friday, March 6, No. 17: Rex Brown, aka "Rexx Rocker," former bass player for the band Pantera, now with Down, and a big Dallas Cowboys fan who had to be bleeped at one point. (linked here and RexBrown.net).

One quarter of the year nearly down. OK, not nearly, but we're in the area code. April 1, you fool, would be the one-quarter mark.

Today's newspaper column on Seth Davis' new book on the 1979 NCAA title game (linked here) still doesn't cost you anything if you read it online. It's part of the 50 cent package on the newstand.

You know this, yet you continue to read it for free. Why not? It's free. Not even one quarter's worth of pleasure.

Here's more stuff you can get without clipping a coupon, polished up for your coin collection:

== More on Seth, from last Saturday, after he and Greg Gumbel agreed to disagree on the Jim Calhoun tantrum:

== Paul Sunderland, Sean Farnham and John Jackson are on the Prime Ticket call of the Mater Dei-Martin Luther King Jr. CIF-SS boys Div. I-AA championship basketball game from the Honda Center in Anaheim (Saturday, 6:30 p.m.).

== As part of a series called "Her Story," ESPN's attempt to celebrate women's athletics with a series of vignettes on all its networks, a piece on Sparks star Candace Parker, with her relationship with Nera White, starts it off Sunday. On Wednesday, Jamie Dixon, men's basketball coach at PItt, remembers his late sister, Army women's basketball coach Maggie Dixon. Both are North Hollywood natives and Notre Dame High of Sherman Oaks basketball players. More background (linked here).

== ESPN announced it will have its first live title fight broadcast -- Saturday, March 21, 2 p.m., when WBC champ Vitali Klitschko attempts to defend his WBC title against Juan Carlos Gomez from Stuttgart, Germany. It's Klitschko's first title defense since coming out of retirement last October. Brian Kenny and analyst Teddy Atlas will call it.

== Terry Gannon and Steve Lavin call the ABC coverage of UCLA's home game against Oregon (Saturday, 12:30 p.m., Channel 7). Gannon and Lavin then do the West Coast Conference tournament semifinals (Sunday, 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., ESPN2) which, by some fluke, could include Pepperdine and/or Loyola Marymount.

That UCLA-Oregon game follows CBS' coverage of No. 1 UConn facing No. 3 Pitt (Saturday, 9 a.m., Channel 2) with Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery. A far more interesting Pac-10 matchup, California at No. 21 Arizona State, goes to CBS at 11 a.m. Saturday (with Craig Bolerjack and Jim Spanarkel) followed by Texas at Kansas (1 p.m., Channel 2, with Tim Brando and Mike Gminski). Sunday, CBS has Purdue at Michigan State (9 a.m., with Gus Johnson and Raftery), the Missouri Valley Conference title game (11 a.m., with Dick Enberg and Bob Wenzel) and No. 7 Duke at No. 2 North Carolina (1 p.m., with Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg).

== Ted Robinson and Justin Gimelstob call the U.S.-Switzerland Davis Cup event from Birmingham, Ala., this weekend for Tennis Channel, starting today with the first singles match at 11 a.m. (and the second at 2 p.m., with replays at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.). Camarillo's Bryan brothers play in the doubles competition on Saturday (11 a.m., repeated at 6 and 9 p.m.). Sunday's reverse singles schedule is the same 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. (replayed at 6 and 9 p.m.). They're also available on demand at www.TennisChannel.com.

== Some preview material to the next season of FSN's "Sports Science," which starts at 9 p.m. on March 22:

Some of the participants include the Dodgers' Matt Kemp and James Loney, former UCLA star Kevin Love, the Lakers' Luke Walton, the NBA's Stephon Marbury, Amare Stoudemire and Greg Oden, the NFL's Ray Lewis, Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Vernon Davis, Tank Johnson and TJ Houshmanzadeh, plus golf's Padraig Harrington and race car drivers Kyle Busch and Marco Andretti.

== And from Onion Sports:

Trey Wingo: Is He The Tim Meadows of 'SportsCenter'?

In light of the recent struggles that the Sports Museum of L.A. has felt, announcing that it would not open its doors to the public on a daily basis until this summer but only accept groups of 15 and fund-raising events, this story in today's Washington Times (linked here) acknowledges the bigger problem nationwide with the sports museums suffering in all parts.

Writer Tim Lemke also references our story on the Sports Museum of L.A. on his blog (linked here).

The well-received documentary, "Harvard Beats Yale 29-29," opens Friday at the Nuart Theatre in West L.A. (linked here): 11272 Santa Monica Boulevard, just west of the 405 Freeway, (310) 281-8223. Showtimes are noon, 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Kevin Rafferty's piece runs through Thursday, March 12.

Rafferty will speak Friday at the 7:30 p.m. show, joined by four players from the documentary all based in L.A. -- Dale Neal, Mick Kleber, Jerry Marino and George Lalich. Rafferty will also speak Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. showings.

The storyline: It's the 1968 game between the two Ivy League rivals, both undefeated, with members of both the paramilitary ROTC and the anti-war SDS on each team. Future actor Tommy Lee Jones was on the Harvard squad. Yale's QB Brian Dowlling was the inspiration for "B.D." the jock character in Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury comic strip.

"When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball" is Seth Davis' new book on the 1979 NCAA championship game pitting Magic Johnson against Larry Bird. Michigan State also played an undefeated Indiana State squad, but that was second billing.

The game itself ... not that ESPN Classic worthy, except for now its participants' place in history.

Dick Enberg had a few "Oh, my!" exclaimations scattered through the NBC broadcast he did with Billy Packer and Al McGuire, the later of which probably knew more about Magic and Bird from watching hours of tape. Hardly any of their team's games were shown on national TV during the regular season (this was six months before ESPN was even created).

But Davis, the CBS college basketball studio analyst and Sports Illustrated writer (and Duke graduate), recaptures the backstories of that game, allowing us to spin it forward to how something like that would have played on today's TV screens.

"You can imagine how that game resonated for me, now working with the brother of my studio partner being involved in this," said Davis, referring to the fact that NBC used Bryant Gumbel as its pre-game host -- the brother of Greg Gumbel, the host of the CBS studio show today. "There were no information reporters sanding next to (Bryant). There were no pregame trappings, just a small Pro Keds sign. It's amazing to me how far it's come. And it's a large reason why the game had such an impact. You can see the ripple effect of it."

The game played in Salt Lake City had an L.A. impact on two fronts.

It is the last game Magic played before he was drafted and signed with the Lakers. That season, the Lakers made it to the NBA Finals against Philadelphia. That historic Game 6, when Magic played center, wasn't shown on CBS until a delayed broadcast. Shows you how far the league has come from there.

"Most argue that the '79 title game has a greater impact on the NBA, and a lot of that had to do with timing," said Davis. "(NBA commissioner) David Stern said that was the first time any rookie, much less two rookies, made it on the cover of the league's media guide. The whole TV package from there was built on the Lakers facing the Celtics. It made the NBA a viable TV product."

It also was probably the biggest college basketball title game since John Wooden's UCLA squad won the whole thing in 1975 to end his era. NBC had built its college basketball coverage around UCLA, doing its first live title game in 1969 when Lew Alcindor was the star center. In 1975, it began carrying regular-season games, Saturday doubleheaders to go up against CBS' NBA games, and having a UCLA or Notre Dame broadcast carry it.

The 1979 NCAA title game "provided to be a pivotal point from the line of thinking" that UCLA had to be on TV for any to have interest in the college game, Davis said.

"People don't watch to see what they're already familar with, they want to see something new happen," Davis reasons. "Before last year's tournament, I knew about (Davidson's) Stephen Curry, but suddenly the country fell in love with him. They're still fascinated by him. I'm not comparing him to Larry Bird, but Curry is a direct descendant from him."

Eddie Einhorn, who founded the trailblazing TVS television network that carried many college basketball games, feared that without UCLA's dominance, the game would suffer.

"I consider Eddie a genius," Packer says in the book, "(but) this game (in '79) showed me that wasn't the case because it blew away anything UCLA did. This may be what the game did for the sport more than anything."

Davis, a Connecticut resident today who at one time lived in the Miracle Mile area of L.A. near the Beverly Center when he was working exclusively at SI, said he expects CBS to plan some kind of retrospective on that '79 game during its Final Four coverage, when it's closer to the exact 30-year anniversary.

Davis will also be interviewed by Bob Costas on Costas' weekly syndicated radio show, heard on KLAC-AM (570) on Sunday from 9 to 11 a.m.

A 25th anniversary DVD of that '79 game remains on sale at CBS' website store (go to this link).

An NBC announcement within the last half hour that Al Michaels would play a major role in the 2010 coverage of the Winter Olympics from Vancouver -- he'll be the host of live weekend and weekday daytime coverage, not to step on Bob Costas, which is always a concern -- brought up of course the fact that, if you've got what many feel is the best overall sportscaster on the planet, why relegate him to a chair in a studio?

Michaels, of course, could do hockey again, but Doc Emerick, who just went into the Hockey Hall of Fame, is pretty well locked in. The other glamor events of the Winter Games -- figure skating, Alpine skiing, dressage, speed skating, camel racing, and snowboarding -- have their own broadcast voices well connected to the audience already.

But there's a large void in the curling event.

The voice of that sport, Don Chevrier, passed away in 2007 (story linked here) at age 69. He was considered the Jim McKay of Canadian sports in many ways.

NBC Olympic chief Dick Ebersol admitted that he really hasn't found a replacement for him on the broadcaster roster. Fred Roggin has been the curling host for the last couple of Winter Games, but calling the broom-and-stone action ...

"I do have a broom downstairs," Michaels said from his Brentwood home. "Listen, I'm open to everything. You put curling in an Olympic environment and you start watching it and you can't stop. One of the great things about the Olympics is the human interest, and this is a lot of fun."

For curling, all you really need is a good sense of humor, an authorative voice and knowledge of the Disney film "Bedknobs and Broomsticks." Any takers?

These will be Michaels' first Olympic broadcasting assignments in 22 years. In this job, Michaels will host more than 50 hours over three weekends.

Michaels has done five previous Olympics:

-- 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, calling hockey for ABC.
-- 1984 Summer Games in L.A., doing the track and field and road cycling for ABC.
-- 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo, doing figure skating and hockey for ABC.
-- 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, calling the hockey for ABC, among other things.
-- 1972 Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan, calling the hockey gold-medal match between USSR and Czechoslovakia for NBC. He also did biathlon, speed skating, ski jumping and cross-country skiing. NBC only had nine announcer/reporters covering those Games.

Was the world really watching at 1:30 a.m. this morning (PDT) when China and Japan launched the 16-country World Baseball Classic (Wikipedia info here) from the Tokyo Dome?

The game will be replayed today on ESPN2 at 11 a.m. in case you somehow missed it. It's almost right after Prime Ticket carries the live Manny Ramirez Is Back! press conference from Arizona at 9:30 a.m.

More people, at least on this continent, will probably be more aware that the event has started when they see Derek Jeter, David Wright, Ryan Braun, Jimmy Rollins, Chipper Jones, Curtis Granderson, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Roy Oswalt and Adam Dunn show up tonight (11:35 p.m.) on "Late Show with David Letterman," presenting the list of the Top 10 Reasons to Watch the World Baseball Classic.

No A-Rod? Not that it matters. Seems he's got this surgery now and a family member -- not his cousin -- says he'll probably be out of action until May (story linked here).

We do find that a list of reasons to pay attention to the WBC has some value. We'll attempt to come up with 10 excuses of our own to make sure we're on board with this thing after we weren't so sure about it three years ago:

10. There'll probably be an Alyssa Milano sighting (see previous blog entry), wearing a Dominican Republic jersey tied up around her midsection in some kind of provocative fashion. Pedro Martinez will notice it.

9. Valentino Pascucci (linked here)? He's No. 71, a 6-foot-6, 260-pound outfielder/first baseman, in camp with the Dodgers this spring. Probably wearing Frank Howard's old jersey. Last played in the bigs for some team called Montreal back in '04. According to the stats, he's hitting .700 so far this month. And he's supposed to be playing for Team Italy. He's probably Tommy Lasorda's favorite guy now. Keep him around at least for the team pizza parties after the Saturday afternoon victories.

8. This scenario: Jonathan Broxton, trying to save a game for Team USA, going inside on Canada's Russell Martin in a key 9th inning at-bat. Team USA faces Canada in Toronto on Saturday (11 a.m., ESPN). And team Canada didn't ask Eric Gagne to join 'em? Wait, is that Ferguson Jenkins warming up in the Maple Leaf pen?

7. Ichiro has hinted loudly that he wants to pitch in a game for defending champion Team Japan. That'll go over well in Seattle. Or, it could launch a second career for him when he retires from American baseball and goes back to Japan as the new Babe Ruth.

6. After Team Cuba lost to South Korea in the recent Olympics in Beijing, Fidel Castro proclaimed that big changes would happen in all of his country's sports teams. "We will review every discipline, every human and material resource that we dedicate to sport ... We will be profound in our analysis, apply new ideas, concepts and knowledge." He's still living, right? Why wouldn't that edict elicit a call to arms from Jose Canseco?

And what recourse does Kim Jong-Il have if South Korea fails to make a good showing? Strip down to his Chan Ho Park and really expose himself?

5. Terry Collins, the former Angels' skipper, is managing Team China. Davey Johnson, the former Dodgers' skipper, is managing Team USA. Bert Blyleven isn't managing Team Netherlands?

4. Because the ads that ESPN has been using to promote it are pretty cool (especially the guy with the Aussie accent):

3. You gotta see Yu Darvish. He's the 22-year-old Next Great Japanese Pitcher, who went 16-4 with a 1.88 ERA last season for the Nippon Ham Fighters. He started this morning's game against China.

2. If baseball is ever going to be return to the Olympic movement, movement on the MLB's part to participate in this thing becomes more important. Next step is allowing its top U.S. players to take a two week break from the season to fly to (somewhere around the world) and compete ... unless the 2016 games were in Chicago, then ...
Says Joe Magrane, the former big-league pitcher working for the MLB Network on the tournament: "After doing the last three Olympics and having seen a lot of these players, some of the complaints about Olympic baseball were that players were not representative of best players. This time there is a more perfect set up. Derek Jeter, once he got in engaged embraced how special this is for the best players in the game. Look for this to continue to grow and be a model event. It puts baseball back in Olympic play."

1. The finals (and semifinals) are at Dodger Stadium at the end of the month. See these games in person to appreciate their value (read this New York Newsday blog linked here). And people need the jobs. Remember that job fair that the team had last weekend, to fill about 500 spots as ushers, concession stands, etc. Almost 7,000 applied (linked here).

Now, go catch the replay of the game you slept through. We promise we won't tell you who won:

Famed MLB stalker Alyssa Milano , whose last TV project got shelved because it probably wasn't any good for creative reasons, has signed on to star in a comedy pilot for ABC, playing a single mom.

Who's the daddy? Start guessing. The Hollywood Reporter says she's playing a girlfriend of someone (Eric Christian Olsen) who's torn between her and his needy best friend.

Go with the guy. It's safer.

We say this as excerpts from her upcoming (March 24) book, "Safe At Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic " have come out at Deadspin.com (linked here)

She writes:

"Carl Pavano -- Yes.

OK, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let me preface this by saying, I am friends with almost all my exes that I have had substantial relationships with. Except for one guy who wasn't a ballplayer but was a player nevertheless and just an overall jackass (you know who you are). Carl, Barry and Brad are amazing guys, and I have nothing but respect for them. I really look back on that time of my life with great fondness. I don't have much of a social life, but I do have season tickets for the Dodgers. ...

Yeah, I dated three baseball players. Not only that, they were all pitchers, imagine that. (But the one in the middle was a lefty so I don't know if he really counts). All three were very different men but nevertheless clearly heroes in the eyes of a girl who idolizes baseball players. I am not a total dolt. I saw that I was repeating a pattern that had to be broken. Each lasted seven months too: further proof of a definite pattern."

That, and you can save $22.99. Or, spend it so she can afford some new Manny dreadlocks.

If you grew up as a USC football fan and found a job working on a Notre Dame athletic broadcast, that already puts you in a precarious position.

If you're an African-American man, from Los Angeles, working as a play-by-play man, in South Bend, Ind., you must really be dedicated to the craft.

Mike Lockert was.

Those who may remember his work in these parts of the sports broadcasting world are sadden to hear that Lockert passed away in his sleep last Friday of an apparent heart attack. He was 43.

The Cal State L.A. broadcasting grad who went to Muir High had been the voice of the nationally top-ranked Irish hockey team for the last seven seasons on the local ESPN affiliate, 99.9-FM, as well as on the Irish website. He wrote of his experience (linked here) for the Central Collegiate Hockey Association website about a year ago -- talking about growing up and going to Kings' games at the Forum in Inglewood.

"Following the Los Angeles Kings was fun when I was younger. Not because I understood the game immediately or even laced up a pair of skates. The reason the game was fun, was because the announcer made every rush up the ice sound exciting. He made every goal sound like a playoff goal and every tight game seemed to be the seventh game of the Stanley Cup. Despite the poor performance of the Kings, the game was a rush and I was taken in by the words and the pictures. It was around that time in my life I realized that what Kings' announcer Bob Miller was doing was exactly what I wanted to do."

Said Miller: "His passing was a complete shock since I had just visited with him at a Kings game around Christmas and he seemed to be his usual upbeat self. He was a avid hockey fan and Kings fan and I know he did a great job and was extremely well liked at Notre Dame. He was always a pleasure to be around and talk with, his attitude was always positive.
"I appreciate the kind words he credited to our Kings broadcast but it was his perseverance and dedication to his craft that enabled him to be a success in broadcasting. I am extremely saddened by his passing and send condolences to his family."

Lockert subbed as a host and did reports on several sports-talk shows in L.A. some 15 years ago, doing UCLA pre- and post-game shows, as well as Clippers halftime reports at several L.A. stations -- the old 1150-AM, 1260-AM and the Sports Entertainment Network out of Las Vegas in the early '90s. He left L.A. nearly 10 years ago, pursuing a dream as a play-by-play guy. It lead to jobs in some minor league towns -- the Southern Illinois (Marion, Ill.) Miners and the South Bend (Ind.) Silver Hawks, as well as some work in the East Coast Hockey League.

Former collegue Mike Johnson (KKGO/KGIL/KKJZ), who used to get sound bites for Lockert when he was doing Clipper halftime and postgame for 1260-AM, offered these thoughts:

"I remember marveling at Mike ... He was a complete pro and always had a smile on his face. I believe that was the year the Clippers went 17-65, so there wasn't a lot to smile about. As I got to know him, we would talk about his dreams of doing hockey play by play. He talked about going anywhere to follow that dream. Time passed and I would think about Mike sometimes, wondering where his career had taken him. I had no idea that he had been doing Fighting Irish hockey for the last seven seasons. He was a class act. I will never forget him.
"You did good Mike. You did real good."

Here's a link (here) to the local South Bend TV station's coverage of the final Notre Dame home regular-season game, which included a tribute to Lockert with players wearning the initials "ML" on their helmets before a 5-0 win over Michigan State.

And a nice tribute by the Notre Dame Observer (linked) school paper. And another tribute at the USCOH site (linked here).

This is the last line from his self-composed story from 2008:

"The journey for me has seen its ups and downs, but it is a journey that I would not want to detour in any way, shape or form. The people I have come in touch with, from coaches, players, sports information directors and colleagues has made this part of my journey well worth the trip and I look forward to traveling this road a little while longer."

According to the Notre Dame sports information department, Mike Lockert's father, William, escorted his son back to L.A. today. A noon-to-5 p.m. visitation is scheduled for Friday at Boyd Funeral Home (11109 S Vermont Ave., L.A., 323-756-8391) and his funeral is set for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Normandie Church of Christ (1655 West Manchester Blvd., L.A.)

Condolenses can be sent to Mike's parents, William and Barbara, at 3601 N. Lincoln Avenue, Altadena, CA 91001

The MLB Network has live coverage of Ken Griffey Jr.'s first exhibition game since returning to the Mariners when Seattle faces Team Australia in a World Baseball Classic exhibition game tonight at 6 p.m. from Peoria, Ariz. The MLB feed will use the Fox Sports Northwest feed and announcers.

Before that, on the 4 p.m. "MLB Tonight" show, expect a bigger splash of news with the Manny Ramirez signing. Would confetti and balloons be going over the top?

Today's Dodger game against San Francisco is the first of 11 that the team will do live videostreaming on Dodgers.com.

It's free.

Ben Wagner, one of the six candidates to call the Dodgers' 40-game TV package, is on the call today with Steve Lyons as his colorman.

The Dodgers also have daily webisodes for fans, called "Inside Dodgertown" -- four-minute videos with highlights and footage from the team.

The complete live streaming video schedule:
Today vs. San Francisco
March 5: vs. Chicago White Sox
March 7: vs. Seattle
March 10: vs. Arizona
March 12: vs. WBC Asian Qualifier
March 13: vs. Texas
March 17: vs. Chicago Cubs
March 19: vs. Colorado Rockies
March 27: vs. Kansas City
March 29: vs. San Diego
March 30: vs. Oakland

In the beginning, God threw out the first pitch. It was the start of the big inning.

Not to get proportinally biblical on you here, but there are some deep spiritual roots that replenish our enjoyment, and participation, in sports. In this case, it took an open-minded theologian with some free time and a passion for golf and watching his own kids play to shine a ray of light on the subject and make believers of anyone who choose to go along with the premise.

Dr. Richard Gaillardetz, a professor of Catholic studies at the University of Toledo, had his powerful PowerPoint pointed to a screen at a hotel ballroom near the Anaheim Convention Center last weekend, participating in a massive religious education conference that was attended by more people than could have fit into nearby Angels Stadium.

In an hour-and-a-half lecture called "For The Love of the Game: Toward A Spirituality of Sports," the doctor of systematic theology from Notre Dame and author of 80 articles and seven books -- and, in far more practical terms, the married father of four teenaged boys -- was compelled to connect some dots and create a visual map that showed, if you think about this sports stuff long enough, there's a higher power involved.

For starters, Dr. Gaillardetz explained that to be a true theologian in today's world, one must have a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other, to realize the interplay between faith and culture.

The fact he was promoting newspaper reading had me clearly focused. If only now he could change the rough waters of the business into some kind of sweet wine.

"Sports has a huge role in North American culture, but theologians seem to turn their nose up at it," Dr. Gaillardetz said as he tried to sniff this thing out. "There is nothing superficial about sports."

Carrying a family tradition founded in 1949, Chick's Sporting Goods, Inc. remains Southern California's premier retail sporting goods chain. The key to Chick's Sporting Goods continued success is our commitment to excellent customer service that drives our team to offer an elite line of products, knowledgeable and friendly sales associates, community and sports involvement, competitive pricing, and the support staff needed to make it all happen.

That's the company motto on the official website (linked here).

But there aren't many of them left. The list (linked here) includes stores in Woodland Hills, Moorpark, Pasadena and West Covina.

One, in El Segundo, has already been converted to Dick's (linked here).

Somehow, that is a perfect analogy of how L.A. operates.

So, as you hear the commercials on the radio celebrating the fact that you can get some good closeout sales as this corporate takeover continues to play out, why not buy up all the going-out-of-bidness Chick's apparel, because, soon, it'll be Dick's apparel.

And if your a chick, why would you want to wear stuff ....

And why isn't Dennis Rodman being used as the pitchman in these ads?

From Fox Sports, which seems an appropriate followup on today's Daily Dread (linked here):

NASCAR ON FOX JOINS TWITTER NATION -- Twitter is one of the fastest growing communication methods in the world, and beginning this week, Twitter users are able to follow the latest news and notes from NASCAR on FOX through frequent "tweets."
Twitter is a free micro-blogging service that enables users to share short messages as often as they like. It is estimated that in just two years, Twitter has grown to have between four and five million registered users. Celebrities are tweeting. Sports figures are tweeting. Politicians are tweeting. So, all race fans should treat themselves to the latest from NASCAR on FOX by becoming a follower at www.twitter.com/NASCAR_ON_FOX.

How tweet the sound to save a wretch like me.

If Antonio Villaraigosa can somehow pull off the miracle -- outlasting Walter Moore, David Hernandez, David "Zuma Dogg" Saltsburg, Craig X Rubin, Carlos Alvarez, Gordon Turner, Phil Jennerjahn, James Harris and Bruce Darian in today's election for mayor of Los Angeles -- perhaps he can refocus on what troubles the city most in these days of economic crisis and all its ugly residual effects.

Like, the signing of Manny Ramirez.

Taking his soap box to the ever-influencial JT The Brick syndicated radio show (on AM-570 here) Monday night, Villaraigosa addressed the Mannywood Situation and why those who pay his salary would be upset that there is no new deal in place yet:

"Well, I can certainly understand they way people would feel that way, when they're struggling to make the house payment or just to get food on the table. But the fact of the matter is athletes do get paid a lot of money and I hope they sign Manny, and I know they're making every effort to do so. And I do know Frank and Jamie (McCourt), and I know they really want him because he's got a winning attitude to the team. Not just a great bat, but a different kind of attitude a real winning attitude to that team. And we want to see a championship here in Los Angeles and I think he's the key, and I hope they get it done as soon as possible."

We now wait for Telemundo Channel 52 Political Reporter Mirthala Salinas to report the news as it happens.

The other solution: Mayor AVerage can grab his glove and head to Glendale, Ariz., to participate in the team's latest open tryout. It'll take place Friday at 8 a.m. on the minor league field at Camelback Ranch, open to anyone 18 and older who aren't in high school or college, or affiliated with any other baseball organization (like an independent league team). Maybe Jose Canseco can ride shotgun on the six-hour drive.
More information at the Dodgers Scouting Hotline at 323-224-1512.

I received an email this morning, a reminder that on Feb. 5, a (well recognized person in the sports media) sent me an invitation to become part of his professional network at ... you know the company. It's free. It's easy. It's a great way to keep in touch.

But, because I have yet to respond nearly a month later, this warning was attached:

"Your invitation will expire soon!"

Some friend. My relationship to him is like a container of cottage cheese. Who'd want a new pal who makes a connection conditional on whether it goes well with canned fruit in a couple of weeks past a date stamped on the side?

So if I don't go to that link that is there in underlined blue, he'll just go away? Then we can't negotiate it again?

The Dodgers talking to Scott Boras sounds more humane.

I'm not against this relationship starting up and possibly blossoming into a few beers, sourdough pretzels and a Sunday afternoon in the park with a fine bottle of wine and a few of the neighbor kids hanging around to make sure if something goes crazy wrong I'll give them the signal and they can swarm the scene on their BMX bikes like a pack of hoodlums and break everything up before it got way too creepy.

I'm just not sure how to respond to ask for more time to decide.

I could Twitter him, but then I'd have to sign up for that. Ain't gonna happen.

Sending him a message on Facebook could work, but I'm not signed up for that either. Never gonna happen.

I do text. But I don't have his digits. And my thumbs are on the DL.

He must have my email address. But I don't have his. Nor really have a need for it after all this time.

Do I care enough to pick up the phone? That's heavy.

Here's a wild idea: I write him a letter, put a stamp on it and allow the postal service to deliver the news in person.

So, yes, there's a problem in deciding what is the protocol for a middle-aged male to respond to another middle-aged male when you're trying to look and act cool but really don't have the desire, energy or time to patience to follow through.

Ignoring this is rude, according to all personal codes of conduct. Responding to it just seems too complicated, but it must be attempted to make sure we know how to do it in the future.

We could learn all this during our next mandiated work furlough week off, but that would interrupt us blasting out our resume to Monster.com so it can pigeonholed into a black hole that'll never get seen by the manager of the Dairy Queen we've had our eye on since it went up in the mall a couple of months ago with a help-wanted sign.

Instinctually, the plan would be to take out an ad in the classified section of the newspaper. Put it in one of those yellow highlighted things so it stands out.

ANNOUNCEMENTS, SECTION 500: Dude, sorry. No time to be your technobud. Hit me back with a phone call ASAP and we can discuss. Don't have your phone or email address. Ball's in your court. I gotta go take a nap now.

That way, he pays the 50 cents for the paper to find it, and I save 42 cents on a stamp. But the cost of placing the ad.... is that still a profitable means of income for the newspaper world? Or this where Craigslist is supposed to save the day, right?

I don't fear that anytime soon I'll become a real version of the cranky old man shaking a fist at the world, like the one who Jon Stewart portrayed last night on "The Daily Show." Listen to his logic as "tech correspondent" Samantha Bee explains how the legislators and media elite have embraced this "awesome" technology, "according to reports about young people by middle aged people."

I want to stay current without having this all spark a fire with the exposed wiring of my already delicate brain that already doesn't know how to power down at night, deciding instead to keep sending those snappy snyapse reflexes that eventually make the muscles in my legs twitch and jolt so much that my wife sometimes considers sleeping in one of the two bathtubs (the one less cold) just to get away from the bed that reacts as if I keep dumping quarters into the "magic fingers" coin slot.

The objective in life, especially in consumer-crazed obsessiveness, has to be simplification. Or, simply put, to embrace what is essential and don't buy into what's just another false promise of making your day more interesting and fulfilling. Shut the ADD mode off and add free space for quiet, prayer and awareness of what's in that moment instead of worring about the need to plug in the iPhone before it runs out of battery time. Stop mucking up things with more clutter that puts what's important in peril of shutting down from an overload of incidental information.

Dang it, Samatha says at the end of that report. My "Stalker" just "Grunted" on my "Twitter."

You'll be stalked, grunted and tweeted soon enough to understand what that means. Resist.

We'd link you to the site LinkedIn, but we doubt you'd respond, so we won't waste that effort. We insist.

And to my soon-to-be-non-friend, hopefully someone will link this blog and blast it out to everyone on his buddylist. Our plan is to try to keep Western Union in business another week and wire a response. How has it become that even Fex Ex isn't quick enough any more. When it absolutely, positively has to get to your house overnight, or in 3-to-5 business weeks, that's not fulfilling enough.

Oh, for the days of non-instant ungratification.

And there is something to be said for a relationship that takes its sweet time to plant a seed, sprout, bear fruit and spring forth with glorious foilage before it festers into a mound of undistinguisable compost when the other person just gets too needy.

Comment here, if you understand the process put forth by these web masters of their domain, or send an email that probably won't elicit a reply to thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com.

Playing catchup:

== A huge mea culpa: The name of the Lancaster JetHawks' play-by-play man who I featured in Friday's paper, Jeff Lasky, was misspelled. I've fixed it in the version that's on the website. I can't fix the version that went to press. That's a cardinal sin of newspaper journalism.

== A minor mea culpa: The reference to Nick Nickson in his Top 10 reference mentioned an anecdote about his wife, Jennifer. That was actually his sister. His wife's name is Carolyn. I should know that. Thanks to those who pointed it out. Again, I've fixed that in the web site story version. I've met her on several occasions. I took that story from LARadio.com and it didn't register in my head of the mistake.

== An appended mea culpa to the item above (check the comment box). The original spelling of "anecdote" was butchered. Gotta check the perscription on my Tic Tacs to make sure I'm running on all cylinders these days.

== An even more minor mea cupla:

I made the mistake of listening to 2 minutes and 20 seconds of Andy Rooney's weekly rambling essay on CBS' "60 Minutes." The topic is reported to be his take on the different months of the year.
There were some sports reference in there, so I don't feel it's out of context for mentioning in here (a link to it here).

The Super Bowl and the Oscars get big ratings every year, so television loves both of them. They ought to move one of those to August though because there's not much on television in August.

OK, I get it. A whimsical joke. I only get that because the camera went from a farther away shot to a closeup. To make sure you knew there was a change in tone. I actually heard this first on the radio -- it is simulcast on KNX-AM (1070) between 7 and 8 p.m. on Sunday nights. I was in the car, so I didn't get that visual effect. Now I see it. I'm even more puzzled, but ...

There are a few things that begin in September of course and I like those. The beginning of the television season, the beginning of the football season for example but like everything else, they're moving up the football season. Football used to start in October. Now it starts before the baseball World Series are over.

Is this news to him? Who is the "they" that's been moving things up? Would it be the TV networks, like the one he's working for? And the reason the baseball World Series ends so late isn't because of football starting earlier, you realize? It's because ... never mind.
Actually, college football now seems to start in August. Maybe because there's nothing on TV in August. But that's another essay for another day ...

Should that be World Series IS over or World Series ARE over?

Is, you nitwit.

I live in New York and I prefer living where the weather changes like it does here. We have hot weather in the summer but we have ice and snow in the winter. That's the way it ought to be.
Los Angeles has in-between weather all year long if that appeals to you. Movies made in the big studios are a lot like the weather in Hollywood - the same.
Something I've always wondered is whether or not they sell more clothes in New York stores because of the cold weather than they do in Los Angeles where it's more apt to be warm all year long. I doubt it. The thing you have to remember is, most people don't wear clothes to keep warm. For instance, "warm" is not the issue when women get dressed. I wear the same suit all year long.

And the same script, it appears.

That awkward segue above should have been sponsored by any medication with cholinesterase inhibitors. It's what doctors attempt to give patients with Alzheimer's, since there's no real way to stop or slow its progression, according to the medical field.
This is in no way to misconstrued as a way to belittle anyone suffering from this maddening disease, or anyone who is dealing with a person close to them who is.
But there is a TV expiration date on Andy Rooney that someone at the network ought to check. It's now past.

Comment here or to thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com.

The Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Jan van Breda Kolff has coached at the summit of basketball and his family name is synonymous with the sport.

Now, after an 18-year coaching odyssey that included stops in the NBA and the Southeastern Conference, he is practicing his trade with the unheralded Nashville Broncs
of the American Basketball Association.

Far from the glamour of the NBA and the hoopla that is major college basketball, van Breda Kolff's minor league squad plays before crowds of 1,200 to 1,500 against teams like the Georgia Grizzlies, the Mississippi Blues and the West Virginia Outlaws.

The 57-year-old toils in hopes of getting another big-time opportunity.

"I enjoy developing players," said van Breda Kolff, whose college jobs included stops at Cornell, Vanderbilt and Pepperdine. "They come in sort of naive and then they leave as mature young men."

And he points out, "I've won every place I've been."

Van Breda Kolff, son of longtime NBA (including the Lakers) and college coach Butch van Breda Kolff, has a 204-155 career record with two NCAA tourney appearances and five NIT berths. He also spent one season as an assistant coach for the New Orleans Hornets.

But there is also one major blemish.