January 2010 Archives

Imagine Annika Sorenstam winning the Masters.

That might be the best analogy, to bowling fans, in explaining how Kelly Kulick broke a glass ceiling with am Ebonite last Sunday in Las Vegas.

After starting the PBA's Tournament of Champions with a humbling 152 game, she took a deep breath and, by the end of the week, the TV cameras were capturing her mopping up the defending player of the year by 70 pins and becoming the first woman to win on the men's tour.

She really has no choice. There's no more women's pro tour, not since 2003. The PBA sponsors seven women's events, and because she won the PBA Women's World Series last September in Detroit, she had an exemption into last week's event, entering a field with 63 other former tour-stop champions.

So it's not just like Sorenstam going into a PGA event in Texas and somehow winning. Kulick won a major.

She's the focus of our Sunday Q-and-A. And just to let everyone know: This Jersey girl is 32, single, and unattached. But she's not looking for a man who likes to bowl. It's too competitive for a relationship.

When it comes to incorporating the new iPad thing into my daily life, I'm thinking that I'll be just fine hanging onto my Etch-A-Sketch for a couple more years.

But sports leagues are already bursting out with excitement about this thing.

MLB was bursting at its seems during the announcement by Apple's Steve Jobs in San Francisco, when it was shown how cool it would be to watch a game on MLB.com with its mobile app. More than just those those stick figures moving around the bases. MLB is going to offer up its MLB.TV subscription ($119.59 for top-level, $99.95 for basic) that will be iPhone and iPad ready.

So we can actually take the gadget to a real baseball game and follow along? Amazing.

This could be another of what they call a game-changer.

"We've seen what's happened with the iPhone and a 3-inch screen," said Tom Richardson, president of digital media consulting company Convergence Sports & Media, told the Sports Business Daily. "Can you imagine the possibilities with the larger real estate?"

Does it also mean the iPad can take giant-sized pictures?

More stuff we've been trying to get our peanut-heads around in the media world this week:

== TMZ Sports: Coming in March as "a separate site, but not as tabloid-y as expected" (linked here)

== A man threatened his wife with a knife when she canceled ESPN before the Super Bowl ... does this story really sound real? He knows the game's on CBS, right? And how to you just cancel ESPN? Isn't that part of every package now? And what is "The Hour"? This is getting more play, and less doubt, than any story like it should. (linked here).

== CBS' Super Bowl pregame plans (linked here) include Katie Couric, Dick Enberg and follows up with a new reality series about how your boss could be spying on you. No special "CSI" episode?

== Want to know how to beat a journalist's deadline? Type fast (linked here).

== What Sirius XM will have for the Super Bowl -- a channel in English, Spanish, Russian, French, Japanese, German, Italian, Hungarian, Dutch ... and the Colts and Saints' home team broadcast. We'll take the BBC. It sounds more interesting. (linked here)

== What ESPN and ABC plans to do with the FIFA World Cup (linked here)

== Without Tiger Woods will anyone watch the PGA this year? Sounds like a great story idea from an editor. (linked here).

== Bloomberg's Business News has its Power 100 for athletes (linked here) Top 5: Tiger, LeBron, Lefty, Pujols, Peyton ... Kobe is No. 12, Manny is No. 90 (not No. 99), and Candy Parker is No. 92. More to the media angle, there's also a sidebar predicting a Dallas-Philly NFL game as the one what will traditionally draw the most TV attention (linked here). If only the league can arrange that for a Super Bowl someday.

== There's a theory as to why sports does well on TV (linked here). The secret: Economic downturn. Wow. nuver thunk of that ...

== We're wondering why this screen grab isn't more prevelant on the Internet -- a college basketball student section showing their disapproval by means of hand signals (linked here).

== Media penis envy, Mr. Oden (linked here)

== It matters to someone that Charissa Thompson has opinions about the State of the Union Address ... none very politically astute, just comparing the First Lady to a "tellitubbie" (sic) (linked here).

AND FINALLY:

== LeBron James has enough problems attacking water bottles. According to the Onion sports, he's also steamed about this dunk contest app (linked here)

No matter where UCLA football analyst Matt Stevens, the subject of today's media column (linked here), falls into our Top 10/Bottom 5 list, he already knows that it's like to be loved, and hated, in L.A.

In doing some background on him, we found a clip from the Palm Beach Post on Oct. 12, 1986 (linked here), a game where Stevens was booed off the field during the second quarter of a UCLA game against Arizona and replaced by Brendan McCracken. The Bruins were losing 18-0.

By the time the contest ended, UCLA had won 32-25, with a 25-point fourth quarter, and Stevens threw for a career-best 22 of 37 for 284 yards.

"Playing QB in L.A. is great," Stevens said in the story. "That's the way it always is. You want to talk about someone getting booed? How about Rick Neuheisel? Was he getting booed when we were 0-3-1? ... And look what a great quarterback he turned out to be."

Stevens was referring to the guy he used to back up in the UCLA offense, but was now a volunteer assistant under head coach Terry Donahue.

Now, look at 'em: Stevens is calling games and second-guessing Neuheisel as he calls plays for the UCLA offense from the head-coaching position.

Keep your friends close.

Some other things we should try not to forget:

== ESPN2 has the Dick Weber Open Pro Bowling Association event from Fountain Valley (Sunday, 10 a.m.) For some reason, Bill Simmons, aka "The Sports Guy," will join the broadcast team of Rob Stone and Randy Pedersen. What a treat. "I have not done bowling before, but Rob and I have been friends for years and he's been wanting me to do a show, but our schedules never worked out before this," Simmons said. Thank goodness it has now. Simmons, who said he has watched highlights of Kelly Kulick's historic victory in the PBA Tournament of Champions last week, has never attended a PBA event in person. Might as well as be the first time you're going to be a PBA analyst.

== ABC will push Magic Johnson , former star of "The Magic Hour," do a sit-down with Lakers coach Phil Jackson that airs at halftime of Sunday's Lakers-Celtics game (12:30 p.m., Channel 7). Last time the two talked for the record on TV, Jackson said he planned to coach only until the end of his contract -- which ends this year.

== ESPN's coverage of Sunday's Pro Bowl from Miami has all the usual suspects: Chris Berman, Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter on the extended pregame starting at 2:30 p.m., with Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Ron Jaworski, Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya handling the game at 4:20 p.m. Berman is supposed to have a Peyton Manning and Drew Brees halftime interview.

== What's all the fuss about where an 18-year-old will go college next year. You tell us. And this kid, who really blew it. ESPNU's college football signing day begins at 7 a.m. Wednesday and runs until 4 p.m., while CBS College Sports Network and MaxPreps.com go five hours live from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., then noon to 4 p.m. Two of the nation's top-ranked prep recruits, offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson (Cretin-Derham Hall/St. Paul, Minn.) and defensive end J.R. Ferguson (Hargrave Military Academy/Frederick, MD.) are supposed to announce their college selections live in the afternoon segment. Henderson, who is Tom Lemming's No. 1-ranked overall recruit and Parade Magazine's National Player of the Year, is deciding between USC, Ohio State, Florida, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Minnesota and Miami. Aaron Taylor reports from L.A. where he will visit with USC and UCLA during the day.

== The NFL Network has the Senior Bowl from Mobile, Ala., (Saturday, 1 p.m.) with USC's Stafon Johnson playing for the first time since his neck injury. He's with Tim Tebow on the South team, along with USC's Jeff Byers, Charles Brown, Anthony McCoy and Taylor Mays, trying to impress the Seattle Seahawks to draft them. Bob Papa, Mike Mayock and Charles Davis call it from the booth with Paul Burmeister and Corey Chavous on the sidelines.

== AND FINALLY:

== The Associated Press reports that British network Sky Sports says it will broadcast the world's first live sports event in 3-D when Arsenal hosts Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.

Soccer fans will wear special glasses at nine pubs across Britain and Ireland, providing the public's first taste of live 3-D soccer ahead of Sky's dedicated channel launching in April.

Previous 3-D trials have been limited to closed-circuit broadcasts in Britain and the United States - including one on the giant screens at the Dallas Cowboys'
new stadium during a game - but the BSkyB channel will be transmitting Sunday's match via regular satellite decoder boxes to selected pubs in Britain and Ireland.

Sky is claiming the 3-D milestone a week before England's meeting with Wales in the Six Nations rugby tournament was due to be the first.

The United States won't witness live sports in 3-D until June, when ESPN broadcasts the World Cup.

BSkyB is controlled by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which holds a 39 percent stake.

Calling this the "world's first live sports event in 3-D" does take some liberties, considering it's only being shown to nine pubs across the British Isles. How is that different than ESPN showing the USC-Ohio State football game last September to selected venues, or the NFL Network trying out 3D with the Chargers-Raiders game a couple of years ago.

And if this is 3D in England, don't you think the glasses should look more like something Harry Potter would wear?

Photo by UCLA
Matt Stevens, left, has been with Chris Roberts and Wayne Cook on the UCLA radio broadcast team for the last nine seasons.

Coming from the world of commercial real estate banker and investing his time as a UCLA radio analyst, Matt Stevens says he's found a very nice balance in his life today.

"I feel like I'm the luckiest guy in the world," the 45-year-old Stevens said from his offices in San Diego.

A nice career as a UCLA quarterback -- leading the team to the 1986 Rose Bowl over favored Iowa -- followed by some time in the NFL, Arena League and even overseas, Stevens triumphed as a cancer survivor before embarking on broadcasting nearly 15 years ago.

After finishing his 9th season as the Bruins' color man, and a good friend of current head coach Rick Neuheisel, Stevens gave us some insight into his career goals and why the last few years on the job have probably been his most enjoyable as our 18th annual best and worst of the L.A. media polls move forward to lay out our Top 10 and Bottom 5 of the TV and radio game analysts.

Eighty-three years of playing home basketball games in one facility can get a little old.

Especially if you're on the opposing teams.

The University of Oregon's McArthur Court -- aka, Mac Court, best known as "The Pit" -- goes away as the Ducks' advantageous home pond after this season. The games that UCLA plays on its maple floor tonight and USC coming in Saturday are probably the last that either Southern California team will ever have to endure at the facility again.

Gratefully, no doubt. There'll be no more cringing at the thoughts of coming to Eugene. Especially knowing there'll be no more cemetary lurking across the street from the entrance.

Consider that the facility that today looks from the outside like a grand movie theatre or opera house was built in 1926 -- three years before The Great Depression. Oregon played its first game on it Jan. 14, 1927 -- a 38-10 victory over Willamette University.

Mac Court, which started with 6,000 seats and currently can accomodate about 9,000 -- some with obscruted views -- is the third-oldest Division I on-campus arena in the country, behind Matthews Arena at Northeastern University in Boston (opened in 1910) and the Rose Hill Gym at Fordham University (1925). It's still not older than Hayward Field, the legendary track and field site on campus that opened in 1919.

But it's so ancient, so rickety, it creaks. And leaks. A patron walking in the main corridor can get splashed by some soda dripping through the lower deck.

You just can't replicate that at most other places in the country.

Sadly, by the time the next Pac-10 season comes, the Ducks plan to move across campus to the new $200 million Matthew Knight Arena. That's Knight, as in Nike chief Phil Knight, naming the place after his late son.

It's a 12,541-seat multi-purpose facility on the corner of Franklin Boulevard and Villard Street, more visible from traffic coming in off Interstate 5.

And the new place comes with plenty of backlash.

One, it'll be the most expensive campus basketball arena in the country. The lack of parking will be an issue. Students are worried about how close it to some on-campus dorms. Many academics who live on the part of the campus are also concerned about noise and security.

Plus, the building itself just looks out of place in the residental area.

Oh, and abandoning Mac Court is just wrong. But that's what's called progress in today's world.

UCLA and USC would call it that. Especially if it makes the Oregon students not feel so entitled to be abusive to visiting teams. The so-called "Pit Crew" -- about 1,000 students who take it upon themselves to make it as inhospititable as possible -- have been part of the charm for Mac Court.

Because of the Mac Court set up, the fans spread out over three decks are on top of the action, much like the old Boston Garden. It's loud. It's crazy. It's hellish.

It's advantage, Ducks.

"We would line up outside at least four to five hours before they would open the doors, which is then still one hour before tip off," explained Patrick Brauer, a Southern California native who spent his four collegiate years at Oregon, graduating in 1999.

Brauer remembers when then-coach Jerry Green once bought all the waiting students pizzas before a big game against Arizona.

"It was a student's dream to see the pizza delivery guy pull up and unload 30 pizzas, free of charge," he said.

What may contribute to the fans' rowdiness is that they were also the official greeters for the visiting team -- mostly because the bus bringing them in had to unload right at the front doors, because the back parking lot is too narrow for the bus to get into.

"Having to parade through the waiting students, the visitors are subject to harsh, profane-laced taunts," said Brauer.

"Then an hour before tip off, they would allow the students to enter -- a mad dash to get the floor section, which is limited. People would get smashed against the doors; I'm surprised no one really got hurt. The floor seats were the prime locations because that is where the die-hard fans sat and it was so close to the playing floor. Probably about five feet from the out-of-bounds line was the first row in the student floor section. The other student sections were behind one basket, and the entire third deck."

Hundreds of students jumping up and down while the opponents shot free throws would make the backboards sway. A public address announcement to cease would only make it worse.

USC coach Charlie Parker said after a 95-83 loss at Oregon in Jan., 1995: "The crowd is always a factor. I think it intimidated our guys ... We're not really used to a crowd like that in our place. This was probably the most vocal crowd we've experienced all year and some of our younger guys didn't handle it."

Henry Bibby saw it from both as a former UCLA player and as a USC coach. He wasn't impressed either way.

After a 73-69 Trojans' loss at Oregon in 2002, Bibby called the Oregon fans "a disgrace to basketball. The things they say are a total disgrace to the University of Oregon. It should not be condoned by the Pac-10 or University of Oregon."

Oregon coach Ernie Kent defended the atmosphere of Mac Court, but sent a letter of apology to Bibby afterward days after the game.

"I don't mind people getting on people the right way," said Kent in the Eugene Register-Guard. "But they need to keep the personal stuff out."

That didn't happen in 2008, when Kevin Love, the UCLA freshman, came to play in Eugene for the first time since he decided not to attend the school and stay in his home state.

After scoring 26 points with a freshman school-record 18 rebounds, Love had to endure what coach Ben Howland called "vile," "disgusting" and "inappropriate." Oregon athletic director Pat Kilkenny apologized to UCLA and Kevin Love's family.

Bill Walton may wonder if Love got off easy.

In 1974, Walton made the cover of Sports Illustrated with the famous "Lost Weekend" headline. After losing by four points a couple days earlier at Oregon State, the No. 1-ranked Bruins were upset again, 56-51 at Oregon. The story in SI reported: "The scoreboard, suspended from cables above the floor, actually rocked with the stamping."

It was the first time since 1966 that a John Wooden team had lost back-to-back contests.

That was the last game at Mac Court for Walton, who played for the Portland Trail Blazers the next season and may have attended a few Grateful Dead concerts at the facility.

Funny, but the year prior to that one, when Walton was a junior, a spectator ran onto Mac Court and kicked him during a 72-61 UCLA win.

Walton will be the UCLA honorary captain honored before tonight's game.

In 1995, the year UCLA finished 31-2 and won the national championship, their only road loss was at Mac Court, in the opener of the Pac-10 schedule. In what would be an 82-72 defeat, Bruins head coach Jim Harrick was ejected with two technicals and Tyus Edney's mother got into a verbal exchange with the Oregon fans.

(Note: The record books note that UCLA has a 32-1 record that season. A home loss to Cal was later forfeited by the Bears. So the only blemish in UCLA's record that season -- at Oregon).

In 2007, Oregon upset another No. 1 UCLA team at Mac Court. The Bruins were 16-0 coming in, en route to another Final Four appearance with Howland.

Steve Lavin had long been gone by then. But a few of his most painful coaching defeats came at Mac Court.

A 97-81 loss to Oregon in 1998 happend when the Bruins were ranked No. 6. It was their fourth loss at Mac Court in the last five seasons.

Lavin's last loss there: March, 2003, by a 79-48 score, which dropped the Bruins to 7-18.

"If I'm not mistaken, that was my last regular-season road game and the students were chanting, 'Good Bye, Lavin,' so with a minute to go, I gave 'em a salute and they had fun with it," Lavin said Wednesday, between rushing around to cover games for ESPN. "It was inevitable that I was getting fired, and they were relentless."

Lavin's recollections of Mac Court were that it "reeked of tradition, like a Wrigley Field or Fenway Park of basketball venues. It was a charming, venerable home court for them. The students were on top of you, the staircase to the bowels of the place were narrow, and once you got into the locker room, it was almost like a funhouse. The ceilings were so low, and the energy was palpable as the game got closer. It was like going into the gladiator pit. I also remember the showers were built for the Munchkins from the 'Wizard of Oz.' We couldn't use them. Maybe Tyus Edney could fit into them, but no one else."

The fresh smell of popcorn once you entered the building was another immediate memory for Lavin. But that was after the bus would let the visiting team off and, with the Oregon students waiting outside, "it almost felt like an ambush, with Robin Hood and his boys ready."

"I also remember back before it got a facelift, there was all that ivy on the building, which made it look like a haunted house and added a mystique to the place," said Lavin. "I wish they'd have kept that."

Other Pac-10 teams that have ventured into Mac Court have mixed emotions about it going away.

"We're going down 50 stairs into the basement. It's like 200 degrees down there, that disgusting green," Arizona State junior guard Jamelle McMillian told the Arizona Republic recently before the Sun Devils played their last game at the place.

ASU coach Herb Sendek disagreed: "I love the old buildings. Those places have so much tradition and history and you know, they smell like gyms. I'm always partial to those kind of venues."

Former Arizona coach Lute Olson told the Tucson Citizen while Oregon may not have had the same kind of players as Duke, playing at Mac Court was more difficult than a contest at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

"The locker rooms are below the floor so you can hear the students come in and yell, and stomp their feet,'' Olson said. "Back when they had shag carpeting in there it was (awful). When they removed it I don't think they ever found out what kind of bugs where in it. It wasn't one of our favorite places to be.''

In 2001, The Sporting News named Mac Court as the "best gym in America." In 1995, Sports Illustrated listed it as one of the 12 toughest places to play in all of college basketball.

Like any building, it's had to be patched up and repaired over the years. Over the last decade, it's taken more than $5 million to fix things.

Oregon officials have decided not to tear the building down completely. They are likely to have the School of Architecture move into it.

In a 2009 report to the school's president entitled "The Future Of McArthur Court," it was written: "(The facility) is revered on and off campus by many, yet there are pressing academic space needs that reasonably compete for this area of campus. Mac Court's 82-year historic presence on campus and its importance as a campus cultural icon are challenged by the needs of the 21st century campus, often in ways that we cannot yet predict. MacCourt, in its current state, is outdated. Like many historic structures, it was built for a different era, with ideas, technologies and needs of the time."

Craig Robinson, who has only been Oregon State's coach the last two seasons, told the Eugene Register-Guard about Mac Court: "I won't miss it. That's a hard place to play. It remains to be seen if they can re-create that at the new place."

Students, and alums like Brauer, wonder as well.

"I was sad to learn about the closing of Mac," he said. "There was something about walking through campus on game day with excitement in the air and pride of being able to see a great game like basketball in a historic building.

"The new place I don't think it will be the same. Gone are the levels stacked on top of each other, the narrow hallways jammed with vendors. You probably won't be able to smell the popcorn wafting in the air.

"I understand they want a new building to help recruiting and enlarge seating capacity, and in turning Oregon into Nike U, it will outfitted with high-technology lounges and concourses. That is what appeals to today's sports fan. But I'll still remember the simpler building of Mac Court."

The cover story for the Jan. 29 issue of Entertainment Weekly merits some scanning for old sports news.

It tries to list "TV's 50 Biggest Bombs Ever!" -- a complete list of "flops, blunders & really bad decisions." OK, we get it.

But will NBC ever get it.

Jay Leno's 10 p.m. show has superceded everything on this list, coming in at No. 1 -- maybe because it's the most recent act of stupidity.

Actually, as NBC Sports boss Dick Ebersol explained earlier this week on The Dan Patrick Show (KLAC-AM 570 and DirecTV 101), it wasn't so much putting Leno in that time slot but making a decision five years ago that it would terminate Leno's deal and put Conan O'Brien in as "The Tonight Show" host. It tried to fix its blunder by hiring Leno back, trying to get best of both TV worlds. Ratings haven't recorded it to be very successful, and affiliates were rumbling ... but they couldn't have stuck it out a little longer?

Back to the list.....

According to EW (as it likes to call itself), among the decisions by NBC to cancel "Baywatch" in 1990, the decision by NBC to air "Pink Lady and Jeff" in 1980, the decision to NBC to air a remake of "Bionic Woman" in 2007, and the decision by NBC to air "My Mother The Car" in 1965 AND 1966, here's some other sports-related things you may remember that were blunderfully terrific in TV history (with the magazine's ranking::

10. The XFL (NBC, 2001):

NBC and the World Wrestling Federation teammed up for something that was going to compete with the NFL as far as .... we're not sure. It wasn't quality football. From the league that gave us "He Hate Me" and hot-tubs on the sideline of the L.A. Xtreme games at the Coliseum, the lesson learned here: "Tough-sounding team names don't matter if the teams are just plain tough to watch." They're being too kind here. Only Tommy Maddux seemed to make anything of this. The former UCLA quarterback, who was the MVP of the league with the Xtreme, got a job with the Pittsburgh Steelers after this.

11. Terrible late-night talk shows: The Magic Hour vs. The Chevy Chase Show.

Magic Johnson's show came and went in 1998. EW: "Magic's low point came when he allowed Howard Stern's crew to come spend an entire hour farting into microphones and telling him how horrible his show was." Look back on all this from our experience: We were at Farmer's Market in L.A. and someone was giving out tickets to see the Magic Hour being taped nearby at CBS Television City. Again, the tickets were free. Most people checking out the produce looked at the distributors were Hari Krisnas. From our recollection, Magic lasted just a month on the job. The syndicated show on Fox disappeared. Poof. Like Magic.

45. Dennis Miller on Monday Night Football: (ABC, 2000-2002)

EW: "If there's one thing football fans love, it's for some know-it-all to club them over the head with obscure referencs that require an encylopedia to decipher." Really, was that the problem? Or was the audience too dense to get jokes? Nope, it was that Miller, the "Saturday Night Live" star who also tried his own late-night shows, afternoon shows, cable shows and carnival shows, thought he was supposed to be a game analyst and add snarkiness when appropriate. Dan Fouts didn't butt in enough and Al Michaels wasn't sure who to turn to. Tony Kornheiser tried to be Dennis Miller Lite for a few seasons, and that wasn't so bad. It's just that it wasn't so good.

The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden is apologizing for nude photos that have surfaced on the internet.

Oden says the pictures, taken with his cell phone and sent to a former girlfriend, were taken about 1½ years ago. A friend told the 21-year-old Tuesday morning that the pictures were making the rounds on the internet.

"I would like to apologize to everybody: Portland, the fans, the organization," Oden told reporters at the Blazers practice facility. "It was very embarrassing."

Oden is out for this season after fracturing his left kneecap during a game against the Houston Rockets on Dec. 5. He averaged 11.1 points and 8.5 rebounds in 21 starts.

The 7-foot-center was the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA draft out of Ohio State. He missed his rookie season after have microfracture surgery on his right knee.

Oden later told a local radio station: "Those pictures were taken and sent over a year and a half ago. I've definitely grown since then." (linked here)
Nice way to sum it up.
Any reporter who has been in a locker room isn't fazed by this, but apparently, the rest of the world is when it's delivered on the Internet machine. Smell it Feel it See it for yourself if you must (linked here)

AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

Because we have somehow passed clearance and are linked into the White House's Office of the Press Secretary email list, we've got the transcript of today's ceremony where President Barak Obama had a few things to say -- and a couple of digs to deliver -- in the process of honoring the team that won last summer's NBA title.

As it goes (in full transcript, complete with references to applause and laughter):

THE PRESIDENT:

Hello, hello! How are you? Thank you, everybody. Thank you very much. (Applause.) Thank you so much, everybody. Please have a seat. Welcome to the White House. And congratulations, a little belatedly, to the Los Angeles Lakers for winning your 15th -- 15th -- NBA title, and fourth in the past 10 years.

Before I say a few things about the Lakers, I just want to acknowledge some wonderful members of Congress and big Lakers fans who are here: Congresswoman Jane Harman, Congresswoman Laura Richardson, Congressman Adam Schiff, Congressman Brad Sherman, and Lucille Roybal-Allard. Please, everybody, give them a big round of applause. (Applause.)

Now, as folks here will tell you, the only thing that is better than playing basketball -- the only thing that's better than watching basketball is playing basketball -- but I'm 48, and soon to be 49, and it's a little harder these days to move around on the court, especially when you're playing against kids who are half your age. But I still get enormous, enormous pleasure from watching great athletes on the court. And nobody exemplifies excellence in basketball better than the Los Angeles Lakers last year. (Applause.)

I want to congratulate everybody who helped make this team what it is -- from the assistants to the front office staff, to the trainers and the ticket-takers, all the fans back in L.A. who bleed purple and gold. You all should be very proud. That's you. (Laughter.)

I want to congratulate Jeanie Buss and the rest of the Buss family for guiding this team so well for the last 30 years. (Applause.)

I'm especially excited to meet Coach Phil Jackson, the Zen Master. (Laughter.)

I've been a fan of Coach Jackson's ever since his days running the triangle offense in Chicago. I want to congratulate him on his tenth NBA championship -- the most in history. I do want to point out that six of them came with the Bulls. (Laughter.) I just want to point that out.

You remember that, Magic?

MAGIC JOHNSON:

Yes, sir. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT:

'90-'91? Remember when -- (applause.) You know, they won the first game and they were feeling cocky. (Laughter.) And Paxson was hitting all those shots. Anyway, we're not -- that's not why we're here. (Laughter.)

I was hoping that, Coach, you were going to bring some books for Republicans and Democrats in Congress maybe to get them to start playing like a team together. (Laughter.) Coach is famous for passing out books and helping people get the job done.

We are obviously honored to have one of the all-time greats in NBA history, Magic Johnson. (Applause.) Magic did pretty well during his time with the Lakers. He wasn't bad. (Laughter.) And now a new generation is continuing his legacy. But obviously part of what makes Magic special wasn't just how he played on the court, but also just the infectious enthusiasm about life and what he's now doing with businesses and minority communities. He's just been an outstanding leader in our country for a long time.

Of course, I've got to recognize Kobe Bryant -- one of the most competitive players I've ever seen -- (applause) -- for being named Finals MVP last year, obviously already MVPs under his belt, the youngest player ever to reach 25,000 points in his career. And he's playing with a broken finger. Now, if I was -- if I had a broken finger, I would have trouble getting out of bed. (Laughter.) And he's still leading the team day in and day out.

This is a team that never lost its focus last season -- from the first tip-off to the final buzzer. I know that the Lakers have a tradition of ending each team gathering -- whether it's a practice, or a game, or a team meeting -- by with the chant, "1,2,3, Rings."

As Lamar Odom said, "We kind of always saw that light." Everyone was willing to do what it took to get a little stronger, to play a little harder, and to bring home that title.

But I think it's important to note that this team also knows that being a champ is about more than trophies and rings. It's about being a winner off the court as well as on it -- and giving back to those who are less fortunate. The Lakers and the NBA have always been about serving others -- at home and around the world. And that tradition continued last week, when the NBA and the Players Association, led by Derek Fisher, pledged to donate $1 million to support relief efforts in Haiti. (Applause.)

Jordan Farmar and Pau Gasol are also donating their money to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund. Pau pledged $1,000 for every point he scored against the Knicks -- and I'm glad he dropped 20 -- (laughter) -- helping the Lakers to beat New York and changing the lives of Haitians thousands of miles away.

And earlier today, the team joined with our United We Serve initiative to hold a fitness clinic for kids from Stanton Elementary School right here in Washington, D.C. -- teaching them about a few moves, but also how to live healthy and active lives.

So I just want to again thank the entire Lakers organization for your service, for the great joy that you have given the city of Los Angeles, but also the incredible competition you're your organization has graced the basketball court with for decades now.

If this season is anything like the last one -- I know that you guys have your sights on the NBA finals -- so we might see you here before long. But we are very grateful for your presence here today.

Give them a big round of applause. (Applause.)

Now, one last thing. I was also told that Mr. (Shannon) Brown here intends to win the dunk contest -- (laughter) -- so we'll see how that goes.

++++++++++

Left: President Obama greets Khole Kardashain, the wife of Lamar Odom, at Monday's Lakers ceremony.

== More somewhat blurry photos from Jeanie Buss' Twitter account, first with this one of Khole giggling under a President Clinton portrait .... man, if a pix is worth a thousand words (linked here)

And these others:
http://img113.yfrog.com/i/du3x.jpg/
http://img131.yfrog.com/i/qtqn.jpg/
http://img129.yfrog.com/i/quxx.jpg/
http://img49.yfrog.com/i/t29s.jpg/
http://img124.yfrog.com/i/6q8j.jpg/

John Ireland made the trip:
http://img154.yfrog.com/i/dwcp.jpg/

AP Photo/Erik van Leeuwen

For her two gold medals at the IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Berlin and making history as the first woman to win three consecutive world 200 meter titles, Allyson Felix was named 2009 Sportswoman of the Year by the L.A. Sports Council.

The former L.A. Baptist High of North Hills star and USC graduate, who also ran a leg of the U.S. 4x400 meter relay gold, won the same award in 2007.

She will be honored at the L.A. Sports Awards ceremony on Feb. 19 at the new JW Marriott Hotel in LA Live.

The five-time California high school state champion who broke Marion Jones of Thousand Oaks' high school 200 meter time won gold at the 2008 Olympics in the 4x400 relay and took silver in the 200 meters in the '04 and '08 Games.

Previous winners are beach volleyball stars Misty May and Kerri Walsh (2005), Sparks center Lisa Lelie (2006) and Sparks forward Candace Parker (2008).

The L.A. Sports Council last week named the Lakers' Pau Gasol as the Male Athlete of the Year for 2009.

The L.A. Sports Awards honor the greatest moments of the year in sports in the Los
Angeles/Orange County area. There is online voting at www.lasports.org where fans can pick the top moments in 15 categories through Jan. 31.

== Felix's offical website: http://allysonfelix.com/
== Felix's Wikipedia entry (linked here)

Eric Seals/Detroit Free Press

In a column for Sunday's Detroit Free Press, Hall of Fame Detroit Tigers play-by-play man Ernie Harwell wrote on the day before his 92nd birthday that he remembers the day he began a journalism career.

"In 1936, my senior year, I decided to write for the Atlanta Boys High Tatler," Harwell wrote (linked here). "For no reason at all, the editor assigned the newcomer to write a column, 'Turning on the Heat.'

"In the upset of the year, that first column won me a Royal typewriter in the annual Quill and Scroll competition among 3,000 entries from all over the U.S. It was the first time any contestant from the South had won the literary award.

"For me, it has been downhill ever since."

Harwell says he's been doing a column for the Free Press the last 20 years, and writing for a major publication since 1934.

Harwell, who revealed last summer he had terminal cancer, was born in Washington, Ga., on Jan. 25, 1918.

He wrote a Christmas Day column for the Free Press' A1 page (linked here) explaining: "This year, I'm not sending cards. Last July, doctors gave me only six months (more or less) to live. That was five months ago. I am still hanging around. But, while getting ready for my new adventure, I'm not dying to send out cards."

== A story I did on Harwell 10 years ago -- did you know he could have stayed as the Brooklyn Dodgers' broadcaster and moved with the team to L.A. but instead, in 1949, took a job with the New York Giants, which opened the door for the hiring of Scully? (linked here). The Dodgers found Harwell working for the Atlanta Crackers in the middle of the '48 season because Red Barber had a bleeding ulcer and had to be hospitalized. Harwell, by the way, came to the Dodgers in a trade - the Crackers wanted backup catcher Cliff Dapper, who could succeed Kiki Cuyler as their manager. The Dodgers, who had Roy Campanella, agreed.

== A story I did on Harwell in 2002 after he'd been fired by new Tigers team president Bo Schembechler (linked here)

== His Wikipedia bio (linked here)

== His Radio Hall of Fame bio (linked here)

Highlights of the week ahead in sports, both here and afar:

MONDAY

NBA: Clippers at Boston, 4:30 p.m., Prime Ticket:
L.A. at Boston, 1.0: A bunch of Celtics fans scalping tickets might have thought something was wicked goofy when they got their courtside duckets for tonight's game at $12 a pop.

TUESDAY

NBA: Lakers at Washington, 4 p.m., Channel 9:
The Lakers may have an ego-hangover on account of the fact they just visited the president at the White House. On account of the fact they won the NBA title a year ago. On account of the fact they aren't White House party crashers. Ever see the movie "Dave," where the president is replaced by a look-alike. What if the Lakers left Jordan Farmar in DC and picked up Barry Obama to come off the bench for the rest of the season?

NHL: Kings at Toronto, 4 p.m. (no TV):
What's new - the Maple Leafs are a mess again.

WEDNESDAY

NBA: Lakers at Indiana, 4 p.m., Channel 9:
Ever wonder what happened to Tyler Hansbrough? The rookie out of North Carolina has missed nearly 10 games for the Pacers this season because of problems with an inner-ear infection. Say what? We've seen more of him helping find a lost dog in a cellphone commercial.

NBA: Clippers at New Jersey, 4:30 p.m., Prime Ticket:
Last meeting: A lopsided Clipper win on MLK Day at Staples Center. Expect more.

THURSDAY

College basketball: UCLA at Oregon, 7:30 p.m., Prime Ticket; USC at Oregon State, 5:30 p.m., FSW:
Named after Clifton N. (Pat) McArthur, a student-athlete and the first student body president, Mac Court on the University of Oregon campus is like what the old Boston Garden was in the NBA. And like that place, it'll be gone. The third-oldest Division I arena in the country and built in 1926 - three years before The Great Depression - "The Pit" will be abandoned for a new, 12,500-seat facility on the other side of the campus starting next season. The building will be home to the School of Architecture. Tonight, Bill Walton will serve as the honorary UCLA captain when the Bruins face the Ducks. Walton probably knows that the Grateful Dead played at Mac Court on May 31, 1969 -- his senior year at Helix High.

Golf: PGA's San Diego Open at Torrey Pines, first round, noon-to-3 p.m., Golf Channel:
Farmers Insurance signed on late as this event's title sponsor. Ironically, there's nothing it can do to insure the tournament from being rained out before the tour heads up to L.A. -- where we can pretty much guarantee more rain.

Winter X Games from Aspen, Colo., 9 a.m., ESPN:
There will be some snowfall, altitude sickness and kids having a tough time keeping down their Mountain Dew. Some will even go from here to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Others will just chill out at the Aspen Emergency Center.

NHL: Kings at Columbus, 4 p.m., FSW:
The B-Jackets have a great shot of missing the playoffs and coach Ken Hitchcock could lose his job. Otherwise, things are cozy in Columbus.

FRIDAY

NBA: Lakers at Philadelphia, 4 p.m., Channel 9:
When Kobe Bryant grew up in Philly, there's a good chance he watched "Sesame Street." Or not. He made an appearance on the show recently, to explain to kids the word "miniature." Like, once there was Lil' Penny, now there's Miniature Kobe. Which bears a remarkable resemblance to his Nike commercial doll.

SATURDAY

Tennis: Australian Open, women's final, 12:30 a.m., ESPN:
There's been some photographic evidence that Venus Williams was playing in some matches earlier this tournament without any undergarment covering her behind. Was the moon of Venus just an illusion in the Southern Hemisphere?

College football: Senior Bowl from Mobile, Ala., 10 a.m., NFL Network:
Stafon Johnson, Taylor Mays, Charles Brown, Jeff Byers and Anthony McCoy are the former USC players participating in this game. With Tim Tebow as their quarterback on the South squad.

NHL: Kings at Boston, 4 p.m., FSW:
L.A. at Boston, 2.0: Last meeting: A Kings' shootout victory at Staples Center two weeks ago, twice beating Team USA goalie Tim Thomas on tweeners.

College basketball: USC at Oregon, 3 p.m., no TV; UCLA at Oregon State, 4:30 p.m., Prime Ticket:
On the flip side, both USC and UCLA could be battling for the top spot in the Pac-10 by the time this game is played.

SUNDAY

Tennis: Australian Open, men's final, 12:30 a.m., ESPN:
Defending men's doubles champs Mike and Bob Bryan of Camarillo are trying to add their eighth Grand Slam to their collection. But right about now, the crowds may be more interested to see Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer as the last two men standing.

NBA: Lakers at Boston, 12:30 p.m., Channel 7:
L.A. at Boston, 3.0: Everything's not so fine with the Celtics, who've been struggling to play under .500 this month. The NBA fined forward Rasheed Wallace $35,000 for publicly criticizing game officials following a loss last week against Dallas. A couple days later, the league fined forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis $25,000 for shouting an obscenity to a heckling fan in Detroit. Maybe the re-emergence of Kevin Garnett, who's been plagued again by a knee injury that isn't supposed to be related to what kept him out of the playoffs last year, will calm down the chowderheads.

NBA: Clippers at Cleveland, 3 p.m., Prime Ticket:
The Cavs toyed with the Clips a week ago at Staples Center before pulling out a one-point victory. Without Clipper Darrell screaming from the rafters, it'll be a much tougher task.

NHL: Kings at New Jersey, 2 p.m., no TV:
Devils goalie Martin Brodeur has three shutouts this month, seven for the season, and the Team Canada star also has went past 30 victories so far.

Pro bowling: Dick Weber Open, at Fountain Bowl in Fountain Valley, 10 a.m., ESPN2:
The list of entrants toward today's stepladder final includes Northridge's Howard Goldstein, Chatsworth's Dave Wodka, Canyon Country's Scott Critchfield, Agoura Hills' Michael Reichstein, Moorpark's Jason Thomas and Valley Village's J.T. "Action" Jackson. Plus this Pete Weber guy of St. Ann, Mo., who'd like to keep the title in the family.

NFL: Pro Bowl, 4 p.m., ESPN:
Here's a group of Pro Bowlers who'd rather not be competing. This NFL exhibition could be held in Santa Monica in May with The Eagles as the halftime show, and still, no one should have to pay to see this.

What didn't fit into today's "It's Out of the Question" column (linked here) -- because it evolved into a one-topic conversation -- became stuff we've decided to post here.

Why?

You question us?

Because everything's not a black-and-white question, fool ...

== Over-under on the number of months USC AD Mike Garrett can go without a meaningful Q-and-A to explain the past problems and future solutions with his athletic programs?

== Remember when the USC women's basketball program would win national championships to get the same spark of attention that new coach Michael Cooper received after a win over rival UCLA last week?

== If the Knoxvillian villagers want to raise their torches and rename a local sewage treatment plant in honor of departed Vols coach Lane Kiffin, why knock it? Wouldn't a waste management center be more politically correct, since the program just recycled another coach - Vince Dooley's kid - to take Fast Lane's place?

== How could the Dodgers have used Joel Pineiro? Seriously?

== If this new Minnesota Vikings fight song that Prince wrote and recorded called "Purple and Gold" actually catches on, would the Lakers be open to having Jeffrey Osborne cut a version of it? Or better yet, after actually hearing it played, do Vikings' fans now know that this is what it sounds like when the droves cry?

== How do you not push for a Favre-Manning Super Bowl?

We should get what we pay for. And we should pay for what has value.

And we do value knowledge. Especially immediate information.

The New York Times will see what happens when it allows those who go to their website a limited amount of free stories to read. But then, if the customer desires more, they'll have to pay a flat fee for unlimited use. If you already subscribe -- even if just to the Sunday edition -- you'll get on as part of the fee.

It'll take affect -- in a year. (story linked here)

Gulp.

By that time, even more of us may have gone anyway.

So pay to read -- isn't that the whole concept of a unmanned newsrack?

Other stuff we learned this week in medialand:

== ESPN ombudsman Don Ohlmeyer isn't sure the network covered the Alamo Bowl with any amount of fairness -- considering the dustup between Craig James and Mike Leach (linked here). "Was the telecast balanced? ESPN thinks it was -- and for me, that is the most troubling aspect of this whole affair."

== What if you could watch ESPN on you Xbox360? (linked here)

== Car co-owner Jack Roush is grousing about how TV doesn't always support NASCAR (linked here)

== ESPN's next flood of "30 in 30" for this spring is out (linked here)

== If you can figure out how the Phoenix Suns have a chance to win a game while appearing on TNT, let 'em know before Jan. 28 (linked here).

== Pittsburgh is getting an FM all-sports station ... jealous? (linked here)

== NBC Sports chief Dick Ebersol says the net will lose a bucketful at the Vancouver Games, after preaching the profit of having the rights to the Olympics over the years. ... how do we believe him? (linked here)

== Meanwhile, Ebersol, making an appearance on "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central on Wednesday, told host Stephen Colbert about the network's upcoming coverage of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver: "One of the things that would really help things along is if you agreed to come to the Olympics not only as the member of the speedskating team, but as part of our team." Ebersol then gave Colbert with a sweater vest with the NBC Sports Olympic logo.
"Do you have a title in mind," asked Colbert, "because I kind of like host of 'The Tonight Show.'"

== Is Erin Andrews engaged to "some little baseball player"? (linked here) Funny how one Purdue dude put that out there in case anyone was paying attention to rumors. It's all atwitter with those who don't want to believe it (linked here).

AND (NOT QUITE) FINALLY:

== If you paid for HBO, you got to hear this final rant by "Real Sports" host Bryant Gumbel:

"Finally tonight, an open letter to baseball's usual suspects.

"There may be no crying in baseball, but there is forgiveness, maybe even enough to get you to Cooperstown. In closing guys, please feel free to share this letter with Bagwell, Nomar, Pudge and all those others who went from hitting homers to power outages overnight. Tell them fans are ready to accept what happened, tell them we're ready to move on. Tell them that most of us get it, even if they, like you, still don't."

AND (ALMOST) FINALLY:

== From this week's Onion Sports (linked here), a headline:

CBS Producers Ask Shannon Sharpe To Use At Least 3 Real Words Per Sentence

AND (REALLY) FINALLY:

== From a recent edition of The Onion (linked here), the "entertainment" section instead of "sports" ... and it makes sense, since The Who is schedule to actually perform:

'CSI' Set To Perform At Super Bowl Halftime Show

MIAMI--Just three weeks before its highly anticipated on-field performance at the Super Bowl XLIV halftime show, the popular CBS crime drama CSI is gearing up for what network executives are promising will be a "thrilling, high-tech whodunit on fourth and inches."

"We're pulling out all the stops," CBS president and CEO Les Moonves said. "Tons of impenetrable forensic jargon; a graphic, four-minute conversation about a victim's rectal cavity; plus a special guest appearance from a certain former Nash Bridges star."

Photo by Mel Blackmon

The Best and Worst of the L.A. Sports Media shines a light on the TV guys -- the anchors, reporters, sideliners, studio analysts ....

Dain Blanton, the subject of today's story (linked here), fared well, as well he should.

Lou Riggs (linked here), the Santa Monica College instructor and sports casting training expert around town, had this to say about Blanton's work:

"After he played in the 2004 Olympics, he still had a lot of volleyball left in him. But he also started thinking ahead. He started doing lot of color commentary for WCSN (now NBC Universal), and then started coming over to me on a regular basis after Tom Feuer hired him to do high-school football. He came over almost every week during football season for two years.

"He also started to expand his horizon, doing some play-by-play at NBC Universal, then adding sideline for Pac-10 football and then pro basketball. I told him at the start that he had everything it takes to be a good broadcaster, especially TV -- He's a good looking guy, well spoken, intelligent, listens extremely well, understands the importance of strong preparation and controlling an interview situation. I also told him he needed to be more assertive -- without being a jerk. He's getting a lot of opportunities because he works hard, is reliable and will always put in a top effort. He has many more horizons than even where he is today. A lot of talent with much potential."

With the release of today's Top 10/Bottom 5, where we can expect to please at least 10 people in the city and upset another five, we move on to cover the other stuff that didn't make it into print:

== The rest of the U.S. Olympic figure skating team will be decided this weekend in Spokane, Wash., as NBC has the ladies free skate (delayed, 9 p.m., Channel 4 on Saturday, even though it's live in the East). It comes after the ladies short program and free dance (3 p.m., delayed). The official announcement of the U.S. Olympic team comes Sunday (9 p.m.) with the champions exhibition airing Sunday (4 p.m.).
Bob Costas and Dick Button host, with Tom Hammond, Scott Hamilton, Sandra Bezic and Andrea Joyce.

== CBS, which will do the Super Bowl on Feb. 7, have Jim Nantz and Phil Simms at the AFC championship game Sunday (Jets at Colts, Channel 2, noon). Pregame starts at 11 a.m. with a special intro by Joe Namath.

== Fox goes with four people -- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver and Chris Myers -- covering the NFC championship game Sunday (Vikings at Saints, Channel 11, 3:30 p.m.), with the pregame at 3 p.m.

== HBO launches another "24/7" reality show focused on NASCAR's Jimmy Johnson starting Tuesday at 10 p.m., a four-week series leading to the Daytona 500.

== AND FINALLY:

We can't help but run this press release verbatim for the way it captures both the essence of pro bowling and the necessity of overhyping the next TV event -- Sunday, 10 a.m., ESPN:

When the PBA Tournament of Champions was introduced in the early 1960s by PBA founder Eddie Elias, it provided the PBA Tour with an elite platform to showcase an exclusive field of champions.

The 45th Tournament of Champions ... at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas will feature 63 players who have earned their right to compete in the season's second major of the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour by virtue of winning a PBA title.

With an event that has a rich tradition and a stellar field of players there are many storylines. But there are a few especially noteworthy stories to pay attention to are:

= Kelly Kulick will once again make PBA Tour history by becoming the first woman to compete in a Tournament of Champions. She earned her berth by winning the first PBA Women's World Championship. Kulick first made history by becoming the first woman to qualify for the Tour's Exempt Tour back in 2006.

= Tom Smallwood, of Saginaw, Mich., who earned a Tour exemption after being laid off from his job at General Motors last spring, will try to win his second major after winning the PBA World Championship in December in storybook fashion against reigning Player of the Year Wes Malott.

= Australian two-handed specialist Jason Belmonte will compete in his first Tournament of Champions after winning his first Tour title in 2008-09.

The Tournament of Champions is open exclusively to Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour exempt-player champions; the winners of the most recent PBA Regional Players Championship and Regional Players Invitational; the United States Bowling Congress Masters winner; the USBC Senior Masters, PBA Senior U.S. Open and PBA World Championship winners; all Tournament of Champions past winners, PBA Hall of Famers, and for the first time, the PBA Women's World Championship titlist.

It's gutter time, people.

Dain Blanton, the two-time U.S. Olympic beach volleyball player who won gold in 2000, knows he doesn't have a path paved in gold as he segues into a sportscasting career that currently finds him as a sideline reporter for the Clippers' home and road games on Prime Ticket.

Maybe that's what keeps him pushing forward.

"I've loved being around sports my whole life, and with volleyball everything changed," the former Pepperdine volleyball star told us the other day. "You'd train during the week and be gone on weekends. Every day was different. Covering a team (like the Clippers) is similar in having a consistency in a non-traditional way -- some days travel, some days practice, some days off.

"I've never wanted to be front of the camera. The draw was more for me to be around sports. Sports has always had a positive impact on my life. And the bottom line, it's entertainment. I'm trying to convey a message and do it in a comfortable way to bring someone closer to the game. I want to be able to tell you what happened in the huddle or what LeBron James told Blake Griffin as he whispered in his ear."

Just prior to tipoff at the Clippers-Cavs game on Prime Ticket last Saturday, James called Griffin over for a brief conversation. Griffin had just found out he was going to have season-ending knee surgery, and was in street clothes next to the Clippers' bench.

After their meeting, Blanton went up to Griffin and asked him what happened, then reported on it during the game.

"He told him to hang in there, get back healthy and be the player he could be," Blanton told the TV audience. "For a guy like Blake, that must have been a pretty cool experience. That has to be encouraging."

As week 2 of the 18th annual Best and Worst of the L.A. Media polls come out -- our yearly power rankings, if you will -- Blanton is in the spotlight again.

More ....

== Blanton's website (www.dainblanton.com)
== Blaton's Beach Volleyball Database bio (linked here)
== Blanton's 2008 induction into the Pepperdine Athletic Hall of Fame (linked here)
== A 1998 Jet magazine story on how Blanton is attracting more African Americans to beach volleyball (linked here)

ESPN's already most fulfilling project in its 30-year existence -- "30 in 30" sports documentaries, which have covered such subjects as the rise and fall of the USFL, the University of Miami football program, Wayne Gretzky's arrival in L.A. and the live and times of Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder -- has a few more slotted for the coming months.

The latest release indicates that the next swam will include:

== "Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks"

The 1995 Eastern Conference Finals, Miller scores eight points in 8.9 seconds to push Indiana past New York, and mixes it up with Spike Lee. Director Dan Klores shows how the former UCLA star became New York's Public Enemy No. 1. Airs March 14.

== "No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson"

On Valentine's Day 1993, 17-year-old Bethel High School basketball star Allen Iverson was bowling in Hampton, Va., with five high school friends. A quarrel erupted into a brawl. Iverson ended up in jail in a city divided along racial lines. Director Steve James, who did "Hoop Dreams," returns to his hometown of Hampton to see how this impacted the community. Airs April 13.

== "Silly Little Game"

How did fantasy sports start? It can be traced to a group of writers and academics who met at La Rotisserie Francaise in New York to form a baseball league -- The Rotisserie League. Adam Kurland and Lucas Jansen explain how it evolved into a $4 billion industry with 30 million participants. Airs April 20.

== "Run Ricky Run"

In 2004, while most in the media thought Ricky Williams was ruining his life by leaving football, he thought he was saving it, living in a $7 a night tent in Australia. Director Sean Pamphilon looks at the life of the Miami Dolphins running back and how he came back. Airs April 27.

== "Straight Outta L.A."

The Raiders, according to rapper-turned-filmmaker Ice Cube, who moved from Oakland to L.A. in 1982 and captivated black and Hispanic fans during a time of gang warfare, immigration and real estate expansion. As a member of the controversial rap group N.W.A, Ice Cube helped make the silver and black culturally significant. He looks at how the Raiders changed the city before moving away in 1994. Airs May 4.

== "The Two Escobars"

Born in the same city in Colombia with the same last name, Andres Escobar and Pablo Escobar shared a childhood love for soccer. Andres grew up to become one of Colombia's most beloved players; Pablo rose through the ranks of the criminal underground to become not only the most notorious drug baron of all time, but also arguably the secret weapon responsible for Colombian soccer's unprecedented rise to glory. After Columbia's early elimination from the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Andres Escobar was mysteriously murdered. There's a connection to Pablo, as director Jeff Zimbalist explores. Airs May 11.

== "June 17, 1994"

Arnold Palmer played his last U.S. Open round at Oakmont, the FIFA World Cup kicked off in Chicago, the New York Rangers celebrated their first Stanley Cup in 54 years ... and O.J. Simpson led police on a slow-speed chase down the 405. Director Brett Morgen weaves it all together. Airs June 16.

== "The 16th Man"

If you've seen "Invictus," you'll know this story of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, when South African president Nelson Mandela tried to unify his country with the Springboks. Morgan Freeman, who plays Mandella in "Invictus," joins producer Lori McCreary and director Cliff Bestall to tell the story again. Airs June 22.

== Other previously announced "30 for 30" projects that have yet to air include Academy Award winner Bill Couturié doing "Guru of Go," on the 1991 Loyola Marymount basketball team coached by Paul Westhead and John SIngledon doing "Marion Jones: Press Pause."

GizaraArts.com

After delays that go back to November related to acquiring the right vessel, having new equipment tested and shifts in global weather patterns, the around-the-world voyage of Abby Sunderland is tentatively set for Saturday at about 11:30 a.m. from the Del Rey Yacht Club in Marina del Rey.

The 16-year-old from Thousand Oaks can become the youngest in history to circumnavigate the globe without assistance and without touching land.

Abby, who with brother Zac was named the 2009 Daily News Sportspersons of the Year, is trying to be the youngest to get around the world solo as another 16-year-old, Jessica Watson of Australia, is also in route, having left in Oct. 2009. Watson is five months older than Abby.

"I've been ready to go now for many weeks," said Abby. "A technical issue followed by some weather delays has pushed back my departure, but I'm feeling strong and sound and ready to soberly embrace this challenge."

More on the trip: http://abbysunderland.com/

We had stopped keeping track of how many times the Phoenix Suns lost when they played games on the TNT cable network, until it came up again Monday night during the Lakers-Orlando telecast, and Marv Albert made note of it. The MLK Day tripleheader on TNT began with the Suns losing in Memphis, 125-118.

For the 18th time in a row on the net.

"Did you get any messages from your old (broadcast) partner Steve Kerr?" asked Albert's current partner, Doug Collins. Kerr is the Suns' GM.

"No, but I might be hearing from him soon," said Albert.

What, asking for his job back?

The Suns haven't won a game on TNT since March 13, 2008, which was a playoff contest against San Antonio. That stretch of 18 includes two playoff losses and two exhibition losses, both in outdoor games at the Indian Wells Tennis Center.

Monday's loss shouldn't be all that shocking. The Suns finished an 0-4 roadie and have lost 10 of their last 11 away from Phoenix. They're 10-15 in their last 25.

So what does anyone make of this implausable run of bad luck between a team and a network?

Last December, when the streak hit 17 following a 105-102 loss in Portland, something called "Larry Brown Sports" wrote:

"To make the loss look even worse, the Suns were up by 11 entering the fourth quarter ... How can this bizarre losing streak possibly be explained? Let's ask Suns GM Steve Kerr:

"Part of the losing streak is attributed to playing weak competition; Phoenix wouldn't be losing 17 in a row if they were playing the likes of Memphis and Oklahoma City on TNT."

Except, they lost No. 18 against Memphis.

The players know all about it.

Before Monday's game, Suns guard Jared Dudley posted on Twitter:

TNT game tonight.. Have to break the curse.. Were to good of a team to have any losing streak.. Have to get back on track tonight.. Let's Go

Allen Moll on TheHoopDoctors.com (linked here) notes that during all games Phoenix plays on other networks during this streak, its record is above the .650 winning clip.

The Suns' TNT losses have come by an average of 11.2 points. The only games they almost won were a Jan. 15, 2009 game at Denver, when Grant Hill was tripped on a potential game-winner with no call, and an Indian Wells exhibition when rookie Earl Clark missed a late 3-pointer to tie.

The Lakers have beaten the Suns by margins of 19, 26 and 13 along the way.

"One, it has to do with the competition. Two, after a while, it's mental," said Suns forward Jared Dudley. "People do think about it early on. It's a different team than last year. I guarantee we're going to win one game on TNT this year. I don't know what game but we will win one."

The Suns' next TNT appearance: Thursday, Jan. 28 against Dallas. They could make it 20 in a row on Thursday, March 4 against Utah. After that, it may be wait'll next year.

The 2009 L.A. Sports Awards won't be given out until Feb. 19, at the just opened JW Marriott at L.A. Live, but you can have a say in it.

Voting is taking place at the L.A. Sports Council's official site (linked here) and ends on Jan. 31.

Each Southern California pro team, university and association nominated its top three moments for 2009. The moment -- it's defined as "anything from a specific instant in time -- such as a winning goal, hit or shot -- to a special event, individual or team record, or career achievement." It must have taken place in the local area or by a local athlete or team.

If you want our opinion, the best moments we picked:

The "People" have spoken. Maybe.

Missing from the first 11 elections for the Shrine of the Eternals -- aka, the People's Hall of Fame for baseball imortality, Pete Rose has made it onto the 2010 ballot for exclusive entry into the Pasadena-based Baseball Reliquary's honored class.

Rose, who has been ineligibie for Cooperstown's Baseball Hall of Fame induction since commissioner Bart Giamatti banned him for gambling 20 years ago, is one of nine first-timers to be listed on the Shrine ballot, announced executive director Terry Cannon.

In explaining Rose's credentials, Cannon wrote:

"The inimitable "Charlie Hustle" began his assault on the record books in 1963 as the first piece of what would become the Big Red Machine; his prowess at hitting a baseball would be matched only by his penchant for generating controversy, and, in the eyes of many, his eventual placement on baseball's ineligible list and banishment from the Hall of Fame made what he had achieved between the white lines seem irrelevant."

If Rose is one of the top three vote-getters, he'll make it into the Shrine of Eternals ceremony set for this July in Pasadena -- and considering he's still living in Sherman Oaks and makes many public appearances, even he would post pretty good odds of him showing up for this.

"This past year we had several Reliquary members express an interest in Rose being included on the Shrine ballot, so I guess there has been sufficient passage of time for people to mull over Rose's transgressions, contemplate the price he's paid for them, and realistically consider his worthiness for enshrinement," said Cannon.

"As far as his chances for election, I really have no idea how his candidacy will be received by the Reliquary membership at large. It will certainly be interesting to see what his voting percentage is like."

The Baseball Reliquary (linked here), dedicated to "fostering an appreciation of American art and culture through the context of baseball history," has already inducted 33 into the Shrine:

Jim Abbott, Dick Allen, Emmett Ashford, Moe Berg, Yogi Berra, Ila Borders, Jim Bouton, Jim Brosnan, Bill Buckner, Roberto Clemente, Steve Dalkowski, Rod Dedeaux, Jim Eisenreich, Dock Ellis, Mark Fidrych, Curt Flood, Josh Gibson, William "Dummy" Hoy, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Bill James, Bill "Spaceman" Lee, Roger Maris, Marvin Miller, Minnie Minoso, Buck O'Neil, Satchel Paige, Jimmy Piersall, Pam Postema, Jackie Robinson, Lester Rodney, Fernando Valenzuela, Bill Veeck, Jr., and Kenichi Zenimura.

Cannon said only three others have been inducted after their first appearance on the ballot, other than the first year: Borders ('03), Brosnan ('07) and O'Neill ('08).

The Shrine's philosophical difference from the Baseball Hall of Fame is that, according to its mission statement, "statistical accomplishment is not a criterion for election. Rather, the Shrine's annual ballot is comprised of individuals - from the obscure to the well-known - who have altered the baseball world in ways that supersede statistics."

Membership in The Baseball Reliquary is all that's required to vote (with a $25 annual fee), making it a far-more transparent and public exercise. Ballots will be mailed to members on April 1.

The nine others on the ballot for the first time:

== Maury Willis: The Dodgers shortstop singlehandedly restored the stolen base as a potent offensive weapon in the 1960s, paving the way for the even greater stardom of Hall-of-Famers Lou Brock and Rickey Henderson. Wills electrified the baseball world by stealing 104 bases in his 1962 MVP season, but his popularity and public acclaim came with a steep price, as he would eventually battle cocaine and alcohol addiction.

== Steve Blass: One of the National League's top pitchers in the late '60s and early '70s who inexplicably lost his control after winning a career-high 19 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1972. He was out of baseball by 1975, and to this day pitchers who have had success and then mysteriously could not find the strike zone are referred to as having "Steve Blass disease."

== Jay Buhner: The right-handed power hitter for the Seattle Mariners from 1988-2001 was known as much for his shaved scalp, goatee, free-spirited ways and occasional fielding miscues (hence his nickname "Bonehead," or "Bone" for short) as for his dramatic home runs.

== Jefferson Burdick (1900-1963): He is often referred to as "the father of card collecting," ammazzing 300,000-plus trading cards, with 30,000 of them baseball cards. He developed a system of cataloging that remains in use today. He donated his collection to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and remains a stellar example of the baseball card collector as researcher and scholar rather than speculator and celebrity hunter.

== Hector Espino (1939-1997): Known as "the Babe Ruth of Mexico," Espino hit more than 450 home runs between 1962 and 1984 in the Mexican League, while steadfastly refusing to play in the United States because of the racism he encountered while playing in Florida during the Civil Rights era. Like Jackie Robinson's No. 42, his No. 21 was retired by all Mexican professional teams.

== Eddie Grant (1883-1918): The first major league ballplayer killed in action during World War I, the Harvard-educated Grant was a light-hitting infielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Giants from 1907 to 1915. His unusual academic pedigree stood out in an era when many fellow players were barely literate, and his bravery was honored by a legendary granite monument that stood for decades in New York City's Polo Grounds.

== Conorado Marrero: The elder statesman of Cuban baseball, the diminutive 5-foot-7 Marrero was a great amateur pitcher in his homeland before joining the Washington Senators from 1950 to 1954. After returning to Cuba, where he is reportedly the last surviving major leaguer living on the island, he taught baseball to children and became a beloved goodwill ambassador for the amateur game.

== Frank O'Rourke (1916-1989): One of the greatest, albeit largely unknown, baseball fiction writers of the post-World War II era. He authored gritty, highly realistic short stories and novels that were influenced by his ballplaying experiences (he even worked out with the Philadelphia Phillies in spring training in the late 1940s) and his intimacy with the major leaguers he used for his fictional characters.

One other candidate is back on the ballot after an 11-year absence (he previously appeared on the 1999 ballot):

== Roger Angel: The self-described baseball "reporter" whose elegant and masterful prose, and remarkable power of observation, has been on display for years through his books and essays in The New Yorker magazine. He established a new standard for baseball journalism.

The other eligiblie candidates, in alphabetical order (with number of years on the ballot in parenthesis):

= Hank Aguirre (6); Eliot Asinof (7); Billy Bean (8); Chet Brewer (11); Charlie Brown 93); Helen Callaghan (7); Charles M. Conlon (9); Dizzy Dean (10); Ed Delahanty (7); Bucky Dent (2); Eddie Feigner (10); Lisa Fernandez (10); Rube Foster (12), Ted Giannoulas (8); Jim "Mudcat" Grant (6); Pete Gray (12); Ernie Harwell (7); Dr. Frank Jobe (8); Charles "Pop" Kelchner (3); Mike "King" Kelly (3); Effa Manley (12); Dr. Mike Marshall (5); Jocko Maxwell (2); Tug McGraw (7); "Nuf Ced" McGreevey (4); Fred Merkle (4); Manny Mota (3); Phil Pote (8); Vic Power (2); Dan Quisenberry (4); J.R. Richard (11); Rusty Staub (5); Casey Stengel (12); Chuck Stevens (2); Luis Tiant (8); Fay Vincent (9); Rube Waddell (12); John Montgomery Ward (4); Wally Yonamine (3) and Don Zimmer (6)

More info on the Shrine of the Eternals: contact Terry Cannon, Executive Director of the Baseball Reliquary, at P.O. Box 1850, Monrovia, CA 91017; by phone at (626) 791-7647; or by e-mail at terymar@earthlink.net.

Highlights of the week ahead in sports, both here and afar:

MONDAY
NBA: Clippers vs. New Jersey, Staples Center, 12:30 p.m., Prime Ticket; Lakers vs. Orlando, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., TNT:
The NBA's annual L.A. MLK Day doubleheader nets an appearance by the Nets (1-19 on the road this season, 0-15 against Western Conference teams) in the early afternoon and a magical NBA Finals rematch in the early evening. Given the choice, the national network takes the later, third in line after its done with Phoenix-Memphis and Dallas-Boston.

TUESDAY
NHL: Kings vs. San Jose, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSN West:
The weekly Sharks shooting proves this: After a 6-2 win at San Jose on Jan. 4, and a 2-1 loss in L.A. on Jan. 11, San Jose remains No. 1 in the Western Conference; the Kings are back to languishing near the No. 8 spot. Problem is, after this, no more meetings. The Kings' 3-1-1 series lead, though, is still impressive.

WEDNESDAY

Golf: PGA Tour: Bob Hope Classic, first round, Golf Channel, noon to 3 p.m. (Golf Channel has all five rounds, including the final round on Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.):
Pat Perez won this last year at 33 under. But if anyone in the gallery recognizes him, it'll be because he's playing with Kurt Russell, Alice Cooper, Michael Bolton, Robby Krieger, Anthony Anderson, Dennis Quaid, Chirs O'Donnell, Jerry Ferrara or Kevin Nealon. Then again, there's current and former athletes like Evan Longoria, Greg Maddux, Bo Jackson, Sterling Sharpe, Jason Taylor and Jeremy Roenick in the field as well. All the celebs that one tournament can hold before Pebble Beach, thanks to the legacy of the tournament's namesake (but no more Chrysler sponsorship because, well, you know, the car company can't afford to pay the bill). So whatever happened to George Lopez? Yeah, he's not invited any more for some reason. But Yogi Berra is the honorary something or other. Yoo-hoo!

NBA: Clippers vs. Chicago, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., Prime Ticket:
Blake Griffin is scheduled to undergo more season-ending surgery on his knee today. He must change his Facebook status to: Needs a hug from Donald Sterling. And please, someone check to make sure his heath care benefits have been paid up.

THURSDAY

NBA: Lakers at Cleveland, 5 p.m., TNT:
Play it with puppets. Seriously. Then no one gets hurt. Instead, we have best in the West and the tops in the East required to play one more time against each other in the regular season, and this time, it's in Cleveland because a) the Grammy Awards need some set-up time, and the Lakers have been booted for eight in a row on the road and b) they already met in L.A. on Christmas Day and, well, you remember how that went. Perhaps Kobe can entice Cavs fans to throw their foam fingers onto the court after LeBron and Shaq get whistled for fouling too hard.

NBA: Clippers at Denver, 7:30 p.m., TNT:
The Clippers, too, must get out of town for eight roadies in a row. With their luck, they'll get hit up with roaming charges.

NHL: Kings vs. Buffalo, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSN West:
The Kings get to stay at home. For one more night.

College basketball: UCLA vs. Washington, Pauley Pavilion, 7:30 p.m., Prime Ticket; USC vs. Washington State, Galen Center, 7:30 p.m.:
Lorenzo Romar's Huskies, the pre-season pick to win the Pac-10, haven't been all that dominant behind Quincy Pondexter and Isiah Thomas. Junior forward Justin Holiday (Campbell Hall) has been averaging about 14 minutes a game off the bench.

FRIDAY

NBA: Lakers at New York, 5 p.m., Channel 9:
It was the Lakers' last visit to face the Knicks -- Feb. 2, 2009 -- when Kobe Bryant lit up Madison Square Garden with a record 61-point night, then went for a night on the town with Spike Lee. For the Knicks, this is like making an appointment to get beat up again.

SATURDAY

College basketball: UCLA vs. Washington State, Pauley Pavilion, 1 p.m., Prime Ticket; USC vs. Washington, Galen Center, 7:30 p.m., FSN West:
Cougars forward Klay Thompson leads the Pac-10 in scoring, but his dad, Mychal, the Lakers' radio analyst, won't get to see him play in L.A. since he's on the road -- like everyone else.

NHL: Kings at Detroit, 4 p.m., FSN West:
The Kings have their first of five away games in a row. Thanks, again, to the Grammy Awards needing Staples Center to practice their smooth moves.

SUNDAY

NFL: AFC championship: N.Y. Jets at Indianapolis, Channel 2, noon; NFC championship: Minnesota at New Orleans, Channel 11, 3:30 p.m.
Mark Sanchez -- not Carson Palmer, Tony Romo, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlesburger, Phillip Rivers, Eli Manning, Donovan McNabb, Kurt Warner or Aaron Rodgers -- is still playing. Just make note of that, Pete Carroll.

NBA: Lakers at Toronto, 3 p.m., Channel 9:
Remember when Raptors rookie point guard DeMar DeRozan played at USC? We hardly do either.

NBA: Clippers at Washington, 10 a.m., Prime Ticket:
Gilbert Arenas will not be in attendance. Most likely. Because it's too early in the day.

During the promotion tour for his movie "Tooth Fairy," someone asked Dwyane Johnson if he has plans of returning to the wrestling ring.

"Absolutely," the 37-year-old told the Ottawa Sun (linked here). "The goal is to go back and do something special. I talked to (WWE chief) Vince (McMahon) a couple of months ago and we're trying to come up with something. After I wrap (filming his next movie) 'Faster,' maybe in the summer I can go back."

"Faster," a movie with Billy Bob Thornton and Salma Hayek where Johnson plays an ex-con out to avenge his brother's death after they were double-crossed during a heist, is actually slated to come out after a film that's in post production called "The Other Guys," where Johnson teams with Samuel L. Jackson as New York cops trying to teach the ropes to Will Ferrell and Mark Walhberg.

It's tough enough for us to handle the tooth of "Tooth Fairy," and thinking how someone his size (6-foot-4, 260-pound) would be able to keep his balance on the ice without much prep work. After all, he grew up in Hawaii without much ice around him.

After finding out about his use of stunt doubles and hidden wires -- and his love interest in the movie, Ashley Judd -- we continue a Q-and-A that we started in today's newspaper column (linked here):

Q: Did you ever injure yourself in the middle of a wrestling match but had to keep going?
A: "I tore my PCL once when I wrestling Mick Foley. Anytime you're with a guy like that who does crazy stuff, I just had to keep going. I guess it wasn't too bad."

Q: After growing up in Pennsylvania and playing in that football hot-bed during high school, what was the college football experience like for you?
A: "There were a lot of different reasons why Miami attracted me. It was a program that was very brash, I came in with that attitude. When I got there in 1990, we took a lot of pride in talking trash, playing brash, dancing, doing all that stuff. Playing in the Orange Bowl was also very unique, very special. It was old and it creaked, but it was a special place.
"I was fortunate to play in almost all the bowls, starting with the Cotton Bowl, Orange Sugar and Fiesta. In the '93 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, we lost to Alabama for the national championship (34-13 loss, ending a 29-game winnning streak). I got in a couple plays when they let the young dogs out. I'll never forget that play when George Teague took the ball from one of our receivers, Lamar Thomas, and ran it back for a touchdown.
"The injuries I had in my senior year, two ruptured discs, made me very unproductive. I didn't get drafted. That was the year Warren Sapp took my place and really took off. Dennis Erickson was my coach then, and I had Randy Shannon and Tommy Tubberville as my defensive coaches. It was a great time, with Gino Toretta, Gene Costa and Ryan Collins as our quarterbacks."

Q: What sports are you most into watching when you get a chance:
A: "I love mixed martial arts and if I could go to a football game, I'd do it, but generally I try to avoid crowds. I'm usually watching at home or buying a big pay-per-view event."

Q: Do you still get comments about your performance in 'Gridiron Gang' (linked here) and what that movie meant to the kids playing high school football at Camp Kilpatrick?
A: "That was a great movie and I enjoyed that. Again, there's so much about the story of Sean Porter and the Stanleys, some unsung heroes. There are Sean Porters working in all areas and places like that. It was an honor to make it. It was great to shoot that movie there and talk to the kids every day. You want a movie like that to be a commercial success, but we knew it wasn't going to light the world on fire in terms of box office. It was small. But I still get a lot of people, mostly parents, who thank me for making it. They are kids in trouble -- I was one of them, getting arrested when I was that age. It was important to tell that story."

Q: You have an executive producer credit for a documentary called 'Racing Dreams' (IMDB.com link here) about the culture of go-kart racing ... what's the status of that?
A: "It never got distributed nationally, but it did make it to Tribeca. It's a wonderful movie where we followed three families around with kids about 13, 14 years old. I've had a couple of buddies involved in NASCAR, but I was not exposed to that culture of racing -- especially that subculture of how important it is within the families to do well. They had already shot it and were looking for more funding, so I got on board with my partner -- my ex-wife -- and it turned out to be a pretty cool documentary. I think it resonates with young people who have this desire to do something great. I'm sure you'll see it around somewhere."

Q: Would you like to get involved in any future sports movies, or do you reach an age where you can't do that anymore?
A: "When do a couple and have some success, then more offers start coming. There aren't any on the horizon, but if there's a sports story that's moving and inspiring, I'd be happy to do it. The great thing about sports is that it's always inspiring."

Q: After doing this movie, do you plan on playing any hockey?
A: "I can appreciate the game from a different perspectve, completely different. And I understand their passion. But in terms of getting on the ice, I highly doubt I'll be I in any celebrity games. I won't fool 'em."

==LINKS:
== To the official "Tooth Fairy" movie site (linked here)
== To his appareance at Saturday's Kings-Bruins game at Staples Center, to help his The Rock Foundation (linked here)
== A recent interview with Parade magazine (linked here)

Dwayne Johnson (above) drops the ceremonial opening puck at Saturday's Kings-Bruins game at Staples Center, with the Kings' Dustin Brown, left, and Boston's Chara Zdeno. They are joined by Kings mascot Bailey and Kings Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille. Left, Johnson poses with Bailey off the ice.
Photos by Noah Graham/L.A. Kings

Dwayne Johnson played a quarterback in "The Game Plan," and a football coach at Camp Kilpatrick in "Gridiron Gang."

The former University of Miami defensive end wasn't so much prepared to ice skate for his new role in "Tooth Fairy," which comes out Friday.

"We had a two week time period where we were going to learn how to skate," Johnson explained the other day. "You talk to an athlete, and there's a thread of arrogance when there's some physicality. 'Oh, sure I can do it.' That was my thought. 'No problem. You need me to skate two weeks? I got it. I'll be skating like I've been doing it my whole life.'"

And how'd that go for you?

"It was very sobering," he admitted.

Johnson, aka "The Rock," admits more in a Q-and-A that appears in Sunday's Daily News.

Somehow, the cast of MTV's "Jersey Shore" found FSN West reporter Patrick O'Neal -- or vice versa -- during Thursday's Kings-Ducks coverage (above). We didn't learn much from that encounter.

That said, we did seem to learn more about life whenever we flipped on ABC and found "Room 222" during our wonder years ('69-'74) (show bio linked here). Oh, Miss Johnson (Karen Valentine) . ....

And did you know: Guidance counselor Mrs. McIntyre (Denise Nicholas) used to be married to L.A. sportscaster Jim Hill ...

We go back to class to try to learn something new every week about the sports media from scanning other blogs, reading other publications, and listening to what the TV told us.

Stuff like:

== ESPN's Rick Reilly (linked here) tries to write the last word on the passing of Christine Daniels/Mike Penner, but I'm not sure it even comes close to hitting the mark.

== How Mark McGwire orchested his steroid admission in the media with the help of a former presidental press secretary (linked here).

== We like the headline -- "Five Offensively Stupid Reactions to Mark McGwire's Steroid Use" -- as well as the five chosen pundints, one of which was NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams leading off his telecast with a commentary (linked here).

== If there's an integrity-of-the-game issue in the NHL, this producer paid for it (linked here). And turns out the guy is the son of a former Penguins player (linked here).

== Gary McCord and David Feherty (plus Natalie Gulbis, Duffy Waldorf and Rocco Media) play themselves on an episode of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" coming up next week (linked here).

== Somehow, we missed the memo about Junior Seau castrating a thoroughbred at Fairplex in Pomona on the next episode of "Sports Jobs":

== We'd be more interested in the shift of NASCAR coverage from over-the-air to cable if more viewers actually could tell the two apart (linked here).

== Art Rust, Jr. (1927-2010) (linked here)

== Need to know more about ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter? (linked here)

== Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert brings the Second Amendment right to bare arms in his commentary about Gilbert Arenas, and tells Mark McGwire: "You might want to inject some steroids into those tear ducts to clear up that case of pussy eye":

== Yes, Elisabeth and Tim Hasselbeck will change jobs for a day, meaning he can now be satired on "Saturday Night Live" as a member of "The View" who believes everything he reads on the Internet (linked here).

== Surprisingly not all were entertained by Joe Theismann back in the live NFL game booth (linked here).

== AND FINALLY:

== Why we like ESPN polls with colored maps (linked here):

From our column today on the launch of the sports-talk leg of the best and worst of the L.A. sports media for 2010 (linked here), "Mason and Ireland Show" co-host John Ireland wrote to us:

"Mason and I work a lot -- more than any guys I know -- but the truth is that there is no show without Dave. Without him, I'm convinced that the show would be one long advertisement for Purina One and Roger Dunn Golf Shops. Besides booking all the big-name guests, he's an invaluble resource who steers the ship.

"Will we ever hear the end of this? As Dave says in the South Coast Med Spa endorsement that he stole from me, "never!"

We have more:

== NBC has 13 hours of live coverage from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane, Wash., starting with Saturday (1:30 to 3 p.m., live pairs free skate) and Sunday (1:30 to 3 p.m., live men's free skate). The live ladies and dance competition is next weekend. Tom Hammond, Scott Hamilton, Sandra Bezic and Andrea Joyce are behind the mike. Bob Costas and Dick Button join them next weekend. Spreading the event over two weekends doesn't sit well with some competitors. Skater Johnny Weir told the Boston Globe: "I think it's so stupid. I know we need the support of NBC, but it's just a hassle."

== ESPN2 goes with 113 hours of live coveage from the Australian Open, starting Sunday at 4 p.m. and up through the men's and women's finals on Saturday, Jan. 30. Cliff Drysdale and Dick Enberg call most of the matches, with host Chris Fowler also doing some. Chris McKendry hosts with analysts Darren Cahill, Mary Carillo, Mary Joe Fernandez, Brad Gilbert, Pam Shriver and Patrick McEnroe. DirecTV also has its channel mix, allowing viewers to check out different courts, etc., and Tennis Channel's additional coverage.

== L.A.-based TVG will cover the 39th annual Eclipse Awards live Monday from the Beverly Wilshire. It starts with "red carpet" coverage at 4 p.m. followed by the awards presentation at 5 p.m. hosted by Kenny Rice.

== NBC has added eight-time PGA Tour winner Brad Faxon to its golf coveage, putting him in an outer tower on several events this season. Faxon will have the option to play as well as commentate at a number of events this season, including NBC's coverage of the Northern Trust Open from Riviera Country Club on the first week of February. "I'm hoping that for at least one tournament I can walk off the course and right into the booth to provide a first-hand account on the players and the course," Faxon said. "It should add an extra dimension to the broadcast."

== CBS' "60 Minutes" has a piece for Sunday's episode (Channel 2, 8 p.m.) with Scott Pelley looking into how tiny American Samoa sends so many players to the NFL -- the most famous of which is probably Pittsburgh linebacker (and former USC star) Troy Polamalu, born in the U.S. to Samoan parents. CBS says there are more than 30 Samoans in the NFL and another 200-plus playing Division 1 college football -- amazing considering there are 65,000 people living on the islands. "What if there were 120 million Samoans," wonders Polamalu. "How many Samoans would there then be in the NFL?"

== Highlights of the next edition of HBO's "Real Sports" (Tuesday, 10 p.m.) is a Bernie Goldberg update on football-related concussions, Frank Deford updating on what caused the Dallas Cowboys' indoor practice facility in Irving, Tex., to collapse last May and leave special teams coach Joe DeCamillis and scouting assistant Rich Behm with severe spinal cord injuries and Bryant Gumbel talks with golf pro Ken Green, who survived an RV accident that took the lives of his girlfriend, brother and dog in June. Green had his lower right leg amputated because of injuries.

AND FINALLY:

== Of all those who could have replaced the late Rory Markas on the last 15 games of USC basketball, Pete Arbogast was and is the best candidate. After doing the USC-Cal game last Friday, he'll be back with Jim Hefner on the radio broadcast of the Trojans-Bruins contest on Saturday (4:30 p.m., KSPN-AM 710).

Two things come to mind, though.

One, on the WeAreSC.com blog, Arbogast did a nice attempt at remembering Markas as someone who "I go way back" with. How ironic that Markas once replaced Arbogast on the Clippers' radio gig. And then Arbogast says he was the one who recommended that Markas get the Angels' gig when it opened after 2001.

"I'd have loved to be doing SC basketball all these years," Arbogast wrote, "but as our boss said once to me: 'Hey, he's doing just fine, why would we need or want to make a switch.' I found no response that could counter that logic, and just plain gave up. That was in 2002, and that is the last time I brought it up to anyone."

The post reads: "Remembering Rory Markus." But not remembering how he really spells his last name.

And then, during the USC-Cal broadcast on Saturday, Arbogast also did a promo telling listeners if they wanted more coverage to turn to the Daily News. He added: "Our producer Ann Beebe back in the studio probably just fell out of her chair."

And we almost ran our car off the road laughing.

Hans Gutknecht/Daily News Staff Photographer (website linked here)

The 18th edition of the Daily News best and worst of the L.A. sports media traditionally starts with a feature story about a sports-talk host. But we're kind of beyond that. And, there's not as many to pick from as in the past.

Both good and bad.

Maybe there are three so-called all-sports radio stations in Southern California -- four, if you count the one in San Diego that has one of our favorite guys still hanging on for dear life -- but the amount of local coverage continues to dwindle -- except at KSPN-AM (710).

Is there not enough going on in L.A. to make something happen? The economy, my friend, has a big say in that. Radio is hanging on as a viable medium as much as newspapers and Western Union Telegraph.

We took Wednesday to examine how a show like "Mason and Ireland" gets glued together, hanging around executive producer Dave Singer (above, in the control room, and here with Steve Mason discussing the rundown before the show) to watch all the hurdles that get in the way of trying to get the news and discussion out there to the listeners.

Luckily, we happened to pick a horribly busy day as well --since KSPN-AM (710) is the home of the Lakers and USC, both had entitlement to the headlines, even after the Clippers announced that Blake Griffin would be on the shelf for the rest of the year. The upcoming Lane Kiffin press conference kept getting pushed further and further into the station's pregame show for the Lakers-Mavs broadcast at 5:30 p.m. Eventually, the Kiffin arrival had to be put on the station's podcast.

We'll have the usual Top 10/Bottom 5 list as well, plus our favorite syndicated radio shows and local sports anchors. Feel free to submit your own opinions. Mine are only worth what the blog will hold.

From this AM's Dan Patrick Show, UCLA's Rick Neuheisel dances around the Lane Kiffin hiring at USC:

"It'll be interesting." ....

And:

"I think Norm's gonna stay right here. ... He told me five minutes ago."

The net spelled it all out in a press release this morning, touting how NBC will combine with USA, MSNBC, CNBC, Universal HD and NBCOlympics.com to carry the first all-high-def Winter Olympics with more than 835 hours of all 15 sports from Vancouver.

Get some sleep now. Or wait until the Games begin.

The 17 days in Vancouver, starting Feb. 12, average about 50 hours a day of coverage. The 1976 Innsbruck Winter Games that ABC did had a total of 43 1/2 hours. We find that to be remarkable, since most Americans even then thought that was pretty much overkill.

NBC will have an afternoon, prime time and late night segment that take up about 193 hours. Even though Vancouver is in the Pacific Time Zone -- hey, so is L.A. -- the men's and women's figure skating, alpine skiing, speed skating and snowboarding will be delayed in prime time.

USA Network has 41 hours of all the curling, as usual, plus U.S. men's and women's ice hockey. MSNBC takes 100 hours of al the other hockey, plus speed skating and some figure skating. CNBC has 100 hours of what's called "long-form" sports, including curling, hockey and biathlon.

NBCOlympics.com has 400 hours of live stuff, with 1,000 more hours on demand to replays.

And after it's all over in late February, Jay Leno will return to his usual 11:35 p.m. spot. On NBC. That's what they're saying.

"We received word from Jose Canseco, the former baseball star, saying, 'I am having a breakdown. I can't emotionally do it. I am emotionally drained. I am tired of defending myself,'" Larry King was forced to tell his CNN viewing audience when Tuesday's show did not come off as scheduled.

A shame.

This, after CNN promoted the fact that Canseco would come on to bash former Bash Brother Mark McGwire.

According to USA Today (linked here), Canseco's blasting away at McGwire on other sources -- including WMVP-AM 1000 in Chicago, and with ESPN -- took its toll on him.

"I've got no problems with a few of the things he's saying, but again, it's ironic and strange that Mark McGwire denies that I injected him with steroids," Canseco told the radio show. "He's calling me a liar again. I've defended Mark, I've said a lot of good things about him, but I can't believe he just called me a liar ... I want to challenge him on national TV to a polygraph examination. I want to see him call me a liar under a polygraph examination."

We want a polygraph as well to see if Canseco was lying about why he bailed on King's show.

That headline may be longer than this blog post:

CNN's L.A.-based "Larry King Live Tonight" (6 p.m., replayed ad nauseum) has an "exclusive" with Jose Canseco "regarding Mark McGwire's steroid use and Canseco's claim that he introduced McGwire to the banned substance. Canseco will take viewer calls and emails."

He will also take donations. Especially at his website (linked here).

If you can't wait, Canseco already talked to AOL.com's Fanhouse (linked here) on why McGwire had to come out: "He pretty much had to. There's was going to be a time where he's going to have confront these issues. The media wasn't going to stop until it got a final answer."

Highlights of the week ahead in sports, both here and afar:

MONDAY

NHL: Kings vs. San Jose, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSN West, 1150-AM:
Yup, Kings and Sharks. Again. Just like last Monday. Just like a new episode of "Ice Men of A Certain Age."

TUESDAY

NBA: Lakers at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m., KCAL-Ch. 9, 710-AM:
So sad to see the former champion Spurs in this situation: Aging ungracefully, players breaking down, just spinning their wheelchairs toward ... a few games out of the Southwest lead behind Dallas, 15-6 at home, 12-4 since a 9-9 start. Are they zombies?

WEDNESDAY

NBA: Lakers at Dallas, 5:30 p.m., KCAL-Ch. 9, 710-AM:
Don't make the Lakers put a beating on the Mavs the same way they did a coupla Sundays ago. It'll just make Mark Cuban mad. Really mad. Guess it all depends on whether Lamar Odom shows up or not.

THURSDAY

NHL: Kings vs. Ducks, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSN West, 1150-AM, 830-AM:
A recent New York Times story (linked here) wonders if the Kings, despite finally being in playoff contention, are capturing any attention in L.A., since TV ratings are down a bit and attendance is only slightly up from last season. There's even a quote from new left-winger Ryan Smyth: "It's not a hockey market, for sure." But we love this one from team head businessman Luc Robitaille: "People says it's a basketball town, but if it was, more people would go see the Clippers. It's about winning." BINGO! And winning games like this against your crosstown rivals, who've had several big playoff runs (Cup champs, '07, lost in the finals, '03) in the time since the last Kings' playoff appearance ('02) goes a long way.

Golf: PGA Tour: Sony Open in Honolulu, at Waiale, first round, Golf Channel, 4 p.m. (final round is Sunday, Golf Channel, 4 p.m.):
They gave John Daly a sponsors' exempt for this one. JD probably thinks it means he can have all the free Sony goods he can carry to the back of his pickup. Sure enough. But then see how far you get trying to driving it off the island.

FRIDAY

NBA: Lakers vs. Clippers, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSN West, Prime Ticket, 710-AM, 980-AM:
Last meeting, last Wednesday: A shocking 11-point Clipper triumph, thanks to Baron Davis showing up, and Pau Gasol not showing up and Kobe Bryant shooting 10-for-30 to get to 30 miserable points. This time, it's on the Lakers home floor. That oughta change any misconceptions that this was just a blip on the radar.

SATURDAY

College basketball: UCLA vs. USC, Pauley Pavilion, 4:30 p.m., Prime Ticket, 710-AM, 570-AM:
Remember a couple years ago when it was all about O.J. Mayo meeting Kevin Love for the first time? Yeah, good times. Take stock in where these two programs lie now. The Trojans are under a self-imposed ban of post-season play, all because of Mayo. The Bruins haven't been getting much love, even after a surprising victory over Arizona State in their last Pac-10 tilt. It's a whole new day in the tank-top rivalry. And why do they stage this at such an awkward time?

NBA: Clippers at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m., Prime Ticket, 980-AM:
LeBron James shot a commercial for McDonald with Larry Bird and Dwight Howard that'll air sometime during the Super Bowl. Sorry, Shaq, you didn't answer the casting call for "Superman-like NBA center." No Shaq Big Maq on the horizon.

NHL: Kings vs. Boston, Staples Center, 1 p.m., FSN West, 1150-AM.:
The Bruins might want to take this one outside, to the rink across the street at LA Live. It ain't Fenway Park, but we do what we can in SoCal.

NFL playoffs: Arizona at New Orleans, 1:30 p.m., Channel 11; Baltimore at Indianapolis, 5:15 p.m., Channel 2:
They worry that the Saints haven't won a game in five weeks. They also point out that the Colts haven't won a game in four weeks. There hasn't been a team in L.A. that's won an NFL game before Christmas Eve, 1994. How long we forget.

SUNDAY

NFL playoffs: Dallas at Minnesota, 10 a.m., Channel 11; New York Jets at San Diego, 1:40 p.m., Channel 2:
"The stars are aligned perfectly for the Chargers," says NFL Network analyst and former NFL coach Steve Mariucci. "You have a team that has balance in all three phases of the game. They have a bye, so they'll be fresh and healthy. They have 11 wins in a row. I don't think any of these AFC teams want to be the seed that has to travel through San Diego."

Tennis: Australian Open, first round: 4 p.m., ESPN2
According to the laws of physics and the properties of the Southern Hemisphere, we should be surfing off the coast of Brisbane in a counter-clockwise motion rather than getting ready for the first Grand Slam event of the year.

I have no clue what to do with my 401(k). Which, at last pained glance, was about a 101(z).

But I sure as heck know I'm not going to let Jimmy Johnson tell me how to piss it away.

When he was "calling the shots" with the Dallas Cowboys, Johnson's better trades were probably ... none. Owner Jerry Jones pulled the strings.

When he's making picks on the NFL on Fox set, Johnson's better exchanges were probably ... can't think of any. Usually, Michael Strahan, Howie Long, Terry Bradshaw or even Curt Menefee make more sense.

When he's advising anyone on how to spend their money in the stock market, Jimmy Johnson better be serious.

Not that one equates to another -- but yes, we are implying that -- we still are confused: Why is a former football coach selling infomercial viewers as someone who you can trust with your money? It comes up again because the company in question, Better Trades, is pushing hard again in 2010, having more dazzling seminars in the Carlsbad/San Diego/Escondito area -- near you, kinda -- and wants you to know more about 'em (linked here).

How 'bout them seminars?!?!

In the same way you probably wouldn't buy a Deion Sanders Rolling Hot Dog Cooker just because you had some success with the George Foreman Grill, what makes you think getting stock advice from a former NFL and current TV analyst like Jimmy Johnson will change your financial future?

(Lenny Dykstra, are you listening?)

Again, we have no Better Business Bureau connections. And we can't always trust information that's out there on the Internet (right or wrong). Especially from a guy who has gone from the NFL sideline to someone looking like Oral Roberts.

We have a good nose, and we smell something about as fishy as something JJ would pull up on the side of his boat off the Florida Keys. This is more financially flamable than a can of 99-Cent Store hairspray.

Let's hear more from unsatisfied customers?

There's a website that exist called BetterTradeScam.com (linked here) It's a typo. Kinda. It really is BetterTradesCam -- the Cam doesn't have an "s" in front of it to spell "Scam."

That's just poor planning right there.

Think about how much better trading advice you get from that E*Trade baby in the high-chair before you read further, shankasaurus ...

Someone asks Wiki.Answers.com: Is Better Trades a scam? (linked here).
Answer posted: "If they really figured out a way to consistently beat the market, they would be a hedge fund - not trying to sell a get rich quick scheme to anyone watching their informercial. Every trade has a 50/50 chance of going up or down. I'm guessing people that can't get this system to work are told they need more coaching and training (ie they need to spend more money). I hated Jimmy Johnson as the Cowboys coach, and I hate him even more now."

More than a year ago, a blogger named NotASportsBlog.com (linked here) had a warning posted about this company. Some of those who responded:

"This fast talking has-been coach has one thing in common with the Mr. Madoff, they are cool dudes with no consience. Johnson is selling you a scheme of buying puts and calls in the most riskiest of all investments, "Option Trading". You might as well go to your local casino. How the SEC does not shut this clown down is amazing. Attend one of his statewide "seminars" a/k/a get you there and then he'll get you fired up as if it were a 2 minute drill at the super bowl and you have a 9 point lead. His handlers will be there taking your money. # 1 Scam of 2009. Stay Away and report this dude to the SEC."

Another:

"I cannot believe the experience I had North of Boston at a Jimmy Johnson seminar called Better Trades". This guy and his staff are scamming people who have no idea how risky his advice could be. My advice to anyone thinking about or considering paying this guy money to enter the biggest casino in the world and playimg "Roulette" is "DON'T DO IT". This entity should be reported to the SEC before another Bernie Madoff tragedy emerges."

Thank you, may I have another:

"It's a shame that Jimmy Johnson decided to sell out his fellow countrymen in these bad economic times. The "advice" that is being promoted in this infomercial is dangerous. There have been many studies done that prove it is impossible to time the market. This is incredibly irresponsible advice. He should be ashamed of himself. Is he that hard up for cash that it's worth trashing his reputation and maybe causing people to lose their life savings? It's really sad."

More searches for "Better Trades Scam" produce this one (linked here):

"The part they fail to tell you is that upon attending that free seminar, you will be pressured to part with your hard earned money in order to attend their "real" 2-day seminar. How much, you might ask? How does $3,000 sound?? You read right, $3,000! These people are experienced salesmen that really lay it on thick and won't take no for an answer. So you end up giving them your $3,000 in hopes that you will make much more than that once you learn their system. But wait, there's more. After you reluctantly give up your $3,000, they hit you with another bombshell. In order to really make the information that you learned in the seminar work, you need the trading software. You know, the one they show on the infomercial that lets you know when to trade? Well apparently that software is sold separately for a whopping $6,000! Well, what good will it do you to have wasted the $3,000 on the seminar, if you don't have the software you need to make money. Are you starting to see the patterns in the Better Trades scam? It's the infamous bait and switch tactic applied over and over."

Why would Jimmy Johnson want to lend his name, face and reputation to this kind of business?

We'll leave that one floating out there and see if we can come up with some answers....

Meanwhile, back to your ballgame.... But first, another commercial message:

By Michael Marot
The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS -- When Jim Caldwell tunes into this weekend's NFL games, he'll be looking for more than his next opponent.

The Indianapolis Colts coach may find himself rewinding plays for another peek, getting an early jump on next week's scouting report.

Thanks to high-definition TVs and DVR recording, Caldwell can go from casual weekend watcher to scouting report director in the blink of an eye and in the comfort of his own home.

Yes, technology has changed things in the football world and Caldwell intends to take full advantage of the first-round bye the Colts earned by winning their first 14 games.

"HDTV certainly gives you a pretty good vantage point. You can pick up a lot of little things and take note of the severity of injuries," Caldwell said. "You can see how the entire thing kind of transpired, and with the advent of DVR or TiVo, you can run it back and look at it. Nowadays, it's pretty phenomenal."

To die-hard football fans, this is no revelation. They have been relying on the same tools since these devices came out.

But coaches? And players? They're onboard, too. It seems to be a trend at the Colts complex.

In passing, just a sad week overall at the Media Learning Center.

We press forward.

== Some more nice words in the broadcasting community about the passing of Rory Markas includes one from former KCBS Channel 2 collegue Keith Olbermann (linked here) on his MLB.com blog: "People like him have not only a great gift, but are themselves a gift to the rest of us."

==Another by Dodger Talk co-host Ken Levine (linked here): "May he always be the voice of the Angels - Los Angeles or otherwise."

==Another from a couple of Orange County filmmakers who used Markas' baseball calls in a movie that'll come out later this month called "The Yankles" (linked here).

==And Pete Arbogast had a nice little piece on WeAreSC.com (linked here). If only he spelled "Markus" correctly. Rory Markas and I go way back. "I've always wanted to do this job again....just not this way. I will do my best to honor his memory and do the best job I can do."

== More on the memorial service last Saturday in the Pacific Palisades for former KFWB-AM sportsanchor Rod Van Hook (linked here).

== The Thoroughbred Times (linked here) reports that TV writer David Milch and director Michael Mann are working on a horse racing drama series called "Luck" that focuses on the culture of thoroughbreds. Shooting is scheduled to start in April probably at Santa Anita. Milch is also the owner of thoroughbred racehorses, including two Breeders' Cup champions. The site also reports (linked here) that NBC and ESPN Radio were given Eclipse Awards.

== If Craig James leaves ESPN as a college football game analyst -- and after his participation in the Texas Tech scandal, his credibility is in question -- he's always got some political aspirations that could come back and bite Mike Leach on the rear end (linked here).

== Beware: Joe Theisman is on your early NBC NFL playoff telecast Saturday (linked here)

== And if you think this blog entry is too long, newspapers stories are worse (linked here).

== AND FINALLY:

More cowbell, to get us through the weekend:

That's what a "source" has told either ESPN's Chris Mortensen or John Clayton about the Seattle Seahawks' pursuit of USC's Pete Carroll as its new head coach, after an early-morning firing of Jim Mora just one year after an 5-11 season.

Carroll did not return messages to ESPN, but a "league source" told 'em that Carroll "is interested in the job and is trying to persuade USC offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates to join him in Seattle -- as opposed to Bates pursuing the same position with the Chicago Bears."

The Seahawks, who also need a new GM, did not confirm Carroll as a leading candidate but also did not deny it.

Keep reading more into this at the ESPN site (linked here).

At LARadio.com -- now free to read, but we subscribe anyway -- there were more comments from those in the broadcast business about the passing this week of Rory Markas (which we had more about in today's column, linked here).

Paul Sakrison, the operations director at the Angels-owned KLAA-AM (730), set up a tribute site (linked here) and said: "In a market with such incredible talent, Rory was in the upper tiers."

830-AM Angels talk host Jeff Biggs: "Not only was Rory undervalued as a broadcaster, he had some of the best wit of anyone I've ever known. Just a great guy, I'm really going to miss him. God gave Rory an extra year, and he really made the most of it. ... Rory did so many things, and so many things well that I think he got lost in the shuffle a little bit, especially in the shadows of the Hall of Famers we've had here in So-Cal. But as a baseball broadcaster, I would put him third all-time here locally behind Vin Scully and Dick Enberg."

And from 710-AM's Steve Mason: "I think that the highest compliment that can be paid to any broadcaster is that they are a pro. Rory was a pro, plain and simple. Always smiling. Incredibly accessible both as a broadcaster and a person. You could throw any situation at him, and he would handle it well. I'll miss hearing his voice on summer nights, and the first Halo victory of the new season will have a certain sadness because it will happen without Rory's trademark line."

Trying to move on:

== The NFL Network has the five-part documentary, "Full Color Football: The History of the American Football League," starting today at 5 p.m. The series, shown earlier this year on Showtime, has a new intro by John Madden. After tonight's episode 1, the others air on three consecutive Thursdays, starting Jan. 14. Episodes 4 and 5 are on Jan. 28 at 6 and 7 p.m.

== The MLB Network will air "Holy Land Hardball," a documentary about the formation of the Israel Baseball League in 2007, on Sunday at 7 p.m. It follows founder Larry Baras, former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette and the IBL staff from the league's first tryouts in Massachusetts to the first pitch on June 24, 2007 in Petach Tikva, Israel. The IBL had one 45-game season among six teams in the summer 2007. It was directed and produced by Brett Rapkin and Erik Kesten of 24/6 Studio Productions.

== Shaun White, Kelly Clark and Hannah Teter will be in the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix from Mammoth Lakes (Channel 4, 10:30 a.m.) trying to secure a spot in the U.S. Olympic halfpipe team. Pat Parnell, Tina Dixon and Todd Richards call it.

== AND FINALLY:

== ESPN's Jon Miller is among the 10 finalists for the Ford Frick Award, awarded for excellence in baseball broadcasting and included in an induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame this July.
The winner will be announced Feb. 1 (linked here)
Miller would have our vote. And not just for his standard wardrobe.
In 32 seasons with the Rangers, Red Sox, Orioles and Giants (where he's been since 1997), Miller has been ESPN's polished lead voice the last 20 years.

The other finalists:
Skip Caray: He did Braves games on TBS for 33 years (1976-2008) became part of the first three-generation call of a game in 1991 with his father (and 1989 Frick Award winner) Harry Caray and his son Chip Caray.
Billy Berrora: The Mets' Spanish radio and TV play-by-play man the last 17 years.
Tom Cheek: The last 28 of his 32 seasons calling baseball were with the Toronto Blue Jays. He died in 2005.
Jacques Doucet: Spent 34 years doing the French network call on the Montreal Expos.
Lanny Frattare: Spent 33 years with the Pirates, from 1976-2008.
Graham McNamee: Called games for 13 seasons for Westinghouse and NBC and covered 12 World Series.
Joe Nuxhall: The former pitcher spent 38 years with the Reds (1967-2004). He died in 2007.
Herb Score: The former pitcher did Indians games for 34 years (1964-97)
Dave Van Horne: Has been with the Marlins the last nine seasons after doing 33 seasons as the English voice for the Montreal Expos.
Maybe someday down the road, Rory Markas will be in the discussion.

The Associated Press

Clippers TV analyst Michael Smith pleaded not guilty today to stealing $735,000 from a golfing buddy in a failed development deal.

Orange County district attorney's spokeswoman Farrah Emami says Smith posted $25,000 bond in the Santa Ana court. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Feb. 5.

Smith and business partner Bruce Furst are charged with grand theft. They are accused of persuading a friend into using his home for collateral on a $735,000 loan to finance a Dana Point development deal. The market collapsed, the deal went sour and the victim is expected to lose his home.

Smith and Furst face up to five years in prison if convicted. Furst posted bail Monday.

By Rachel Cohen
The Associated Press

SECAUCUS, N.J. -- Willie Mays visited the MLB Network studios earlier this week, sitting down for a long interview to air at a yet to be determined date.

Network president Tony Petitti figures there's no way they could have landed Mays if not for the presence of the person interviewing him, Bob Costas.

Costas and MLB Network's newest big-name hire, Peter Gammons, certainly aren't in charge of coming up with programming ideas to fill out the schedule. But Petitti views their roles as generating content as much as providing credibility to viewers.

"Because it's Bob, guys come to the table," Petitti said after Gammons made his MLB Network debut Wednesday, sharing a desk with Costas during the Hall of Fame announcement show. "They're more on their game; they're more engaged. I don't think I can overstate it. We needed that. ... Peter will be in the same category."

As the network heads into its second year, Petitti still describes it as a "secondary tool" for fans, who might flip over after watching their favorite team on a local channel. That modest-sounding goal may seem contradictory to what he calls the critical development of the network's first year.

"We invested a lot of resources into our on-air talent," Petitti said. "At the end, what the audience really relates to is who's giving you the information. That's the key thing -- who they hear from, what the ability is."

Within the first few minutes of Wednesday's broadcast, Gammons and Costas were each comfortably playing their parts as they shared the desk with Harold Reynolds and Matt Vasgersian. Gammons told a story about the camaraderie among Hall of Famers, how so many of them called Robin Roberts after his wife died; Costas emphatically opined on whether the institution had become the "Hall of the very, very good" and not its original intention.

Gammons announced Dec. 8 he was leaving ESPN after two decades to join MLB Network. He expects to put together long-form pieces about topics such as the practice routines of certain players.

"I call it attention span television," he said. "That's no criticism of anybody -- I understand the whole world of clickers. People who are watching Major League Baseball Network are not sitting there with a clicker in their hands. It's a very different mindset."

It's a mindset he believes works particularly well with baseball, a sport that he likes to say is "very appealing to people who are mathematics majors at MIT."

Asked what he brings to the network, Gammons said, "I guess just some perspective."

"I've done it for a long time. ... Just adding to the love of the game," he said. "People being passionate about things, it's really important."

He'll be talking to an audience tuned in specifically to hear about baseball, day after day, game after game.

"As popular as football is, 90 percent of football programming is speculation," Costas said. "Should Brad Childress have yanked Brett Favre? Why is Brett Favre angry? What's the effect in the locker room? What do you think will happen on Sunday? But it's only Tuesday, and we already asked this question Monday, but we'll ask it again on Wednesday."

During a few hits on ESPN's "SportsCenter" on Wednesday, guest analyst Pete Carroll joined the "GameDay" crew on the set inside the Rose Bowl -- complete with an earpiece and a drive-through microphone. The USC football coach had this to say about this, that and the other things concerning tonight's BCS championship game between Alabama and Texas, without going Corso and putting a pair of Longhorns on his head as he opined:

== On what the coaches can do to keep their teams relaxed:
"The most important thing is you want your team to be confident and trust in the preparation and be prepared ... so you want to convey that in your actions and your body language ... you want them to be comfortable and be ready to go."

== On how these are coaches with experience in title games, and how it helps them:
"Probably Mack's message all along has been, 'we've been here before, we know what it takes, we know what it's like' ... and try to convey that everyone can be comfortable. It's not something too big for them. I'm sure Nick is doing the same thing."

== With veteran players, should that be a factor?
"Still, (confidence) can get shattered if you make a mistake - coach gets out of wack, or the players kinda lose it. It can knock them off that normal mindset that you want them in."

==On what will be the deciding factor:
"These teams are so close and they're so together it's going to come down to the team that avoids the big error, and I think it'll come in the form of turning the football over. I've always bent that way. If they can get through clean without giving that football up, scoring and field position, that team is going to have the best chance to win."

After host Chris Fowler points out that USC is 53-0 under Carroll when his team wins the turnover battle (he's 97-19 overall, so that must also imply that the Trojans aren't bad when they don't win the turnover margin, either), Carroll also said:

"They are great football teams, evenly matched, I'll always think it'll come down to who takes care of the ball best. And we're talking about turnovers. You've got an Alabama team that just doesn't give it up. So Texas is really going to have to be on it to do a good job and at least match up. We've got tremendous success in the year's past in winning games with the plus-turnover ratio. So which ever team does that is going to win the game."

For the record: In the 2006 Rose Bowl, Texas had the turnover margin over USC, 2-1, in winning 41-38. In the 2005 Orange Bowl, USC won the turnover margin against Oklahoma, 5-0, in a 55-19 win. In the 2004 Rose Bowl, when USC defeated Michigan 28-14, each had one turnover.

==On the defensive mindset preparation:
"They're different defenses now. Alabama plays much differently than Texas does. Texas is more of a base defense ... Alabama's gonna take a lot more shots at things and come after then in a number of different ways, mix their coverages and make it more difficult and rely on scheme maybe moreso than on the athletes."

== On the familiarity of Alabama head coach Nick Saban and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart on Alabama with Will Muschamp, the Texas defensive coordinator who worked with both of them back at LSU ... Can it help Alabama prepare? Do you see anything there? Is it similar to when you go up against Nick Holt at Washington?
"No, you're going have conversations that go a little deeper than normal, because you know how a guy thinks and why he does what he does, and you have to guess more at times with an opponent you don't know as well, so there'll be some inside stuff, but that stuff, in my opinion, kinda gets washed out. You think it's going to make a difference, it does give you some confidence in your preparation, but it's not necessarily going to be the deciding factor."

After Corso chimes in with: "There's so much paralysis through analysis. You spend all this time talking about it... just let 'em play," Carroll added:
"That's probably why they stay in the 'spring football' mode as long as they can, you don't get too much gameplan going until it's time, to keep it fresh and sharp."

Expect more Carroll comments on ESPN's 3 p.m. "SportsCenter," leading into "College GameDay" from 4-to-5 p.m. ABC Channel 7 has a BCS preview show from 5 to 5:30 p.m. leading into kickoff at about 5:38 p.m. on Channel 7.

The Associated Press

Clippers TV analyst and former NBA player Michael Smith is charged with stealing $735,000 from a golfing buddy in a development deal gone bad.

Orange County District Attorney spokeswoman Farrah Emami says the 44-year-old Smith and business partner Bruce Furst are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on charges of felony grand theft.

Smith was on the Clippers-Lakers broadcast tonight from Staples Center.

Authorities say Smith persuaded his friend to put up his home as collateral for a
$735,000 loan so Smith and Furst could develop land in Dana Point.

Smith's attorney Dyke Huish says the deal went sour after the housing market collapsed and they couldn't immediately repay the loan. He says Smith has been working to pay
back the money.

Emami says the lender now faces losing his home.

The headline in today's L.A. Times on the sports cover: "Angels are in difficult position."

Why, because Vlad Guerrero wants to come back?

No. Rory Markas just died, and now they have to find a new play by play man to fill his role. They've got two months to do so. It'll likely be the guy they just let go.

You're kidding me?

How about this headline: Markas' family is in a difficult position....

Rory hasn't been gone more than 24 hours -- we don't even know what caused the 54-year-old to tragically pass away -- and someone is worried about the politics involved in asking someone to come back and fill his seat.

Eight paragraphs into the story, writer Diane Pucin seems to have figured it out: "It's horribly sad to ask so soon and yet it's being asked. Who succeeds Markas?"

It's simply horrible. And who's asking at this point? You sure?

When she finally got around to asking Steve Physioc about all this, he said: "I'll do what anybody wants me to do. I'm just kind of numb right now. Rory was a dear, dear friend. That's No. 1."

I can't even believe I'm typing this.

She ends the story about wondering if the Angels could bring Physioc back even after they "kicked him to the curb."

"That's not how things work in sports or television or politics. It's about trying to find the next new thing. Not rediscovering what you already had."

Hold on. In this case, I can tell you: Rory would have wanted Physioc to have his spot if he couldn't do it. He felt very badly that someone had to be on the outs after he was given the lead TV play-by-play job back in November. He didn't want to climb anyone's back to get to where he finally arrived, unlike many in this business.

Rory earned the shot. The fact he passed away knowing he finally had his dream job may be some consolation.

Meanwhile, USC has had to find a replacement for Rory within hours of his passing -- that's awhole different sad story. As of Tuesday afternoon, USC radio game producer Ann Beebe was not just trying to mourn the loss of her friend Markas, but also scramble to find someone to do play-by-play for tonight's USC-Stanford basketball game in Palo Alto.

Physioc, ironically, was taken up on his offer to the school and flew up to do the game tonight (830-AM and 1260-AM, instead of 710-AM because it conflicts with the Lakers broadcast). Beebe said there will be a tribute to Rory at halftime of tonight's broadcast.

Then, starting with Saturday's USC-Cal game in Berkeley, Pete Arbogast, who has been USC's football play-by-play man, will do the last 15 games of the season.

After the season, USC will decide on a permanent replacement for Markas.

Other than that, any other speculation about anything at this point is so inappropriate, I can't even finish this senten ...

A promo for the next episode of "Sports Jobs with Junior Seau" (Versus, Wedneday, 10 p.m.) -- the former USC linebacker works as a "journalist" in covering the Oct., '09 college football game between Florida and Georgia.

Peter Gammons makes his first appearance on the MLB Network as part of the 2010 Baseball Hall of Fame Election announcement show -- Wednesday, 10 a.m.

If there is anything to announce.

Bob Costas, Harold Reynolds, Matt Vasgersian, Tom Verducci, Jon Heyman and Ken Rosenthal and Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson will also be part of the 90-minute announcement show.

Also note: After the "Hot Stove" show, MLB Net will debut "Baseball Seasons: 1959," at 5 p.m., a doc-style series produced by MLB Productions that covers different seasons. The '59 season, of course, was highlighted by the Dodgers defeating the Chicago White Sox for the World Series played at the Coliseum.

One of the more recent highlights in Rory Markas' career didn't happen at a baseball stadium or a basketball arena.

In February, 2007, Markas did the presentation speech for Vin Scully at Radio TV News Association's annual Golden Mike Awards. The group was giving Scully a lifetime achievement award.

"It's so terribly sad (to hear the news)," Scully said today from his home in Hidden Hills, talking about the passing today of Markas, the Angels and USC basketball play-by-play man, at age 54.

Scully remembered a year ago when Markas was sideined with a blood clot in his brain that required emergency surgery, and "I called him to try to encourage him, and really, he was the kind of fellow who didn't need encouraging. He was so full of life and a real sweetheart of a guy. Once he got through that, I was thrilled for him.

"He'd been doing such a great job with the Angels. I'm sure he'll be terribly missed."

As for the Golden Mike ceremony two years ago, Scully said he remembered that Markas was "more than generous and I was very touched. It was so typical of him to be so warm and giving. That's the way I'll always think of him."

Rory Markas, who was given his dream job as full-time Angels TV play-by-play just two months ago, died at his Palmdale home late Monday. The radio play-by-play voice of USC basketball was 54.

Markas brother, Gary, confirmed the news at Rory's home this morning and said there was no official cause of death.

Rory Markas suffered an blood clot in his brain that resulted in emergency surgery back in Nov., 2008, He returned to broadcasting two months later.

Markas, a Chatsworth High and Cal State Northridge grad who also attended L.A. Valley College, has been with the Angels for the last eight seasons, both on TV and radio -- starting when the team won the 2002 World Series.

His run with USC started in 1997.

From 1994-97, he was also the voice of the Clippers' radio broadcasts. The former KCBS-Channel 2 and KNX-AM (1070) sportscaster was also a regular on the Fox "Good Day L.A." morning program on KTTV-Channel 11.

A baseball broadcasting career was the one he persued most over the last two decades.

He did the Milwaukee Brewers' TV games (1992-94) and worked on the Brewers' radio games from '84-94. Before that, he spent six seasons doing the Salt Lake City Gulls of the Pacific Coast League, and three years with the Vancouver Canadians.

With the Angels, Markas catch-phrase, "Just another Halo victory!" puncutated the dramatic victories the team had during a surprise run to the World Series as a wild-card team. The franchised used it eventually on T-shirts sold at the Angel Stadium store.

Markas' call of the final out of the 2002 World Series is also memorable:

"ERSTAD SAYS HE'S GOT IT. ERSTAD MAKES THE CATCH. THE ANAHEIM ANGELS ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF BASEBALL.''

"I get choked up,'' Markas said a season later when recalling that play. "It meant a lot to me to be entrusted to bring those moments to the fans."

For the last couple of years, the Angels experimented with different broadcast teams, putting Markas with former pitcher Mark Gubicza as a team on half the TV games. Markas would do radio for the other half with Terry Smith.

Over Thanksgiving week, the Angels decided to go fulltime with the Markas-Gubicza team, which resulted in the unfortunate firing of Steve Physioc and Rex Hudler. Smith and Jose Mota is the new full-time radio team.

Markas won three Golden Mike Awards for radio reporting, and two Associated Press Sportscasting Awards. He also received the 2008 Radio Play-by-Play Award from the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association.

The San Fernando Valley native is survived by his mother, Billie and brothers, Gary and Troy.

Here is a link to a feature we did on Rory in Feb., 2008, when we included him high in the Top 10 of our annual Sports Play-by-Play rankings (linked here). Last February, we did a feature on Gubicza, where Markas talked about how well they worked together in the booth (linked here).

ESPN officially bellowed this AM that it willl launch the industry's first 3D television network in time for the 2010 World Cup on June 11.

The channel -- ESPN 3D -- will debut with a South Africa-Mexico contest. Other events that will be shot, produced and televised in 3D fro the channel are the L.A.-based Summer X Games, college basketball and college football, including the BCS National Championship game in Glendale, Ariz., on January 10, 2011.

ESPN has been testing 3D telecasts for the last year years, and last September did the USC-Ohio State regular-season game from Columbus, Ohio -- where 6,000 were able to watch it at USC's Galen Center.

The boss says:

"ESPN's commitment to 3D is a win for fans and our business partners," said George Bodenheimer. "ESPN 3D marries great content with new technology to enhance the fan's viewing experience and puts ESPN at the forefront of the next big advance for TV viewing."

Next big project: How to get 3D glasses (likely in the shape of Mickey Mouse) into the homes of millions of sports fans.

Also Tuesday, Discovery Communications, which owns Discovery, TLC and other channels, said it will have a 3D channel.

Major electronics makers such as Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp. are planning to market 3D-capable TVs this year.

Jeff Miller, a 26-year-old real estate business owner from Chicago, apparently won ESPN Zone's eight annual Ultimate Couch Potato today.

For the third year in a row.

He also set an unofficial Guinness World Record by watching 72 hours of non-stop sports, outlasting three other contestants. The last: Juan Hernandez, a 32-year-old Chicago warehouse supervisor, who finally fell asleep at 4:21 a.m. Central Time - almost three full days after the competition began on New Year's Day.

The previous Guinness World Record was set by Suresh Joachim in 2005 with a time of 69 hours, 48 minutes.

The rules for those who care: Participants have to remain in one of the ESPN Zone's recliners watching a wall of HDTVs airing non-stop sports programming. They could order unlimited food and beverages (excluding alcohol), but weren't allowed to sleep or leave their chair. Restroom breaks were permitted every eight hours.

As the winner, Miller took away a customized recliner, a $1,000 toward the ultimate home sports theater, a year of free cable and a trophy with a real live spud on top.

Going into this competition, Miller, owner of MyChicagoSportsStuff.com who won last year in 39 hours, 2 minutes and in '08 in 40 hours, 30 minutes, told TimeOutChicago.com that the toughest part about winning is simply withstanding the boredom.

"You watch all the games all day and then at night, SportsCenter comes on so you have to watch the highlights of the games you saw all day," says Miller. "5, 6, 7 am, that's the hardest time to stay awake."

Avoid a lot of liquids, fried foods and have a good exit strategy, and you're golden, he says.

"The winner from New York told me that if you have to go to the bathroom and you know you're going to go out, pretend to be asleep. It's more graceful to go out on a sleeping violation than to be sprinting for the bathroom."

The competition was held simultaneously in Chicago, New York and Baltimore. Not Los Angeles. Yet.

More on the event, go to this link.

TONIGHT:

== Fiesta Bowl, Tempe, Ariz: No. 6 Boise State vs. No. 4 TCU, 5 p.m., Channel 11, with Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan (but no Sam Ryan)

TUESDAY:

== Orange Bowl, Miami: No. 10 Iowa vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech, 5 p.m., Channel 11, with Dick Stockton and Charles Davis

WEDNESDAY:

== GMAC Bowl, Mobile, Ala.: Central Michigan vs. Troy, 4 p.m., ESPN, with Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore and Quint Kessenich

THURSDAY:

== BCS Championship, Rose Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 2 Texas, 5 p.m., Channel 7, with Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Lisa Salters and Tom Rinaldi; ESPN Radio with Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Todd Blackledge and Wendi Nix

MONDAY

Shark alert: Three times in the next 15 days, the Kings tangle with Pacific Division-leading San Jose, currently boasting the fewest losses in the entire league and riding a seven-game win streak. The Kings' recent erratic slide pushed them from the top of the division to the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference -- far better than recent seasons, but now on the edge of slipping too far down with the rest of the pack. The Kings have already defeated the Sharks twice this season -- 6-4 in early October and 5-4 in OT about three weeks ago in San Jose on Dustin Brown's game-winner (not pictured above, but still a cool shot to see).
NHL: Kings at San Jose, 7:30 p.m., FSN West, 1150-AM

The Clippers' New Year's resolution: Be environmentally responsible. Recycle excuses -- starting with explaining how they lost to the Blazers, 103-99, a couple of days ago in Portland, and how it's happened again.
NBA: Clippers vs. Portland, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., Prime Ticket, 980-AM.

The winner gets to claim: At least we didn't have to play in the Bell Helicopter Bowl again.
College football: Fiesta Bowl: TCU vs. Boise State in Glendale, Ariz., 5 p.m. Channel 11.

TUESDAY

We spotted Yao Ming with Jackie Chan on a Rose Parade float, trying to drum up support for the Shanghai 2010 World Expo. If only the Rockets had those two, plus Tracy McGrady, in their lineup this season, they might not be as good as their current .600 winning clip, but they'd have a lineup for a fairly interesting plot for a good cop-bad cop-tall cop flick.
NBA: Lakers vs. Houston, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSN West, 570-AM

No way they could have bumped the Outback Bowl to cram this one instead back on New Year's Day? And actually play this in the original Orange Bowl instead of Land Shark Stadium?
College football: Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Iowa in Miami, 5 p.m., Channel 11.

WEDNESDAY

On the TNT New Year's Eve telecast, after his Clippers ran past the Sixers, center Chris Kaman said the franchise goal at this point (with a 14-18 record, 13th out of 15 teams in the Western Conference) is to make the playoffs. "It's a goal," added TNT analyst Reggie Miller, "but I don't know if they're good enough." Stop it. ... You're killing us. Now go out there and fold up the cheap tent against the Lakers like usual. It's your home game.
NBA: Lakers vs. Clippers, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., KCAL-Channel 9, ESPN, 710-AM, 980-AM.

What will the fallout be from Sunday's decision by USC to punish itself with no post-season for this current basketball team? Here's the first test. The Bruins, meanwhile, face a Bears team that hasn't won the Pac-10 title in 50 years ... but this could be the year.
College basketball: USC at Stanford, 7 p.m., 830-AM and 1260-AM; UCLA at Cal, 7:30 p.m., FSN West, 570-AM.

Manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey have already been named to the 2010 Baseball Hall of Fame class, but other than them, there's no overwhelming candidates from the field of play on this year's ballot. Not even Mark McGwire? Bert Blyleven and Andre Dawson are the other biggest holdovers, with Roberto Alomar, Barry Larkin and Edgar Martinez (and Eric Karros) the most prominent first-timers. This could be a big no-show.
MLB: Hall of Fame announcements, MLB Network, 10:30 a.m.

THURSDAY

Behold, the Heisman Trophy winner. Now, if we could just remember his name . . . Ingram, right? Mighty Mark, just like his dad, the former NFL wide receiver by the same name who sadly can only watch this BCS title game from a prison ward TV set. Last time we recall a Heisman tailback playing in the national championship game at the Rose Bowl against the University of Texas ... not such a special occasion.
College football: BCS Championship: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 2 Texas at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, 5 p.m., Channel 7.

Here's the first of seven home games in a row for the Kings, lasting two weeks. Don't get too comfortable. By the way, these Red Wings wouldn't even make the NHL playoffs if they started today, despite having 20 more wins than losses so far (41-21-13). Crazy.
NHL: Kings vs. Detroit, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSN West.

The PGA Tour returns, in its usual spot on the Hawaiian islands. Aloha, Tiger?
Golf: SBS Championship in Kapalua, Hawaii, Golf Channel, 12:30-to-5 p.m. (rounds two, three and four also on Golf Channel).

FRIDAY

Will Ron Artest be up full speed by this game? This could be his first real test -- trying to bump-n-run against LaMarcus Aldridge and Juwan Howard, plus knock Brandon Roy down a few times in the lane.
NBA: Lakers at Portland, 7 p.m., KCAL-Channel 9, 570-AM.

SATURDAY

Saturday, the St. Louis Blues did what the Kings did four years ago: Canned coach Andy Murray. The Blues started the season with a league-worst 6-13-3 mark. It didn't get much better.
NHL: Kings vs. St. Louis, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSN West, 1150-AM.

"I think you've got to go back to when he was at Northern Arizona to find a Ben Howland team that was this bad on the defensive end," chirped CBS college basketball studio analyst Seth Davis after watching UCLA eventually lose by 14 against Arizona on Saturday at Pauley Pavilion.
College basketball: UCLA at Stanford, 3 p.m., Prime Ticket, 570-AM; USC at Cal, 7:30 p.m., 710-AM.

Wait, didn't we just do this?
NFL playoffs: New York Jets (8-7) at Cincinnati (10-5), Channel 4, 1:30 p.m.; Philadelphia (11-5) at Dallas (11-5), Channel 4, 5 p.m.

SUNDAY

Clippers season-seat holders caught lingering around Staples Center after the early game, camped out in the 300-level restrooms in hopes of slipping into the Lakers' contest without a ticket -- Clipper Darrell, you're cool. This time.
NBA: Clippers vs. Miami, Staples Center, 12:30 p.m., Prime Ticket, 980-AM.; Lakers vs. Milwaukee, Staples Center, 6:30 p.m., FSN West, 570-AM.

Did you catch this soliloquy that Bob Costas delivered on Sunday's NBC NFL pregame show: "With the playoff picture nearly complete, a new set of questions arises. And some of the most intriguing surround the New England Patriots. They return to the postseason two years after the Super Bowl in which perfection was snatched away from them less than a minute from 19-and-0. But what kind of Patriot team is this? Last year, with Matt Cassel subbing for the fallen Tom Brady, the Pats battled to an 11-5 mark but somehow didn't make the playoffs. This year, with Brady back, they were 10-6. 8-and-0 at home, a dubious 2-6 on the road, and one of those two wins was against Tampa Bay in London. While the Pats had their moments, including outplaying before somehow losing to the Colts, they never really got on a sustained run. Then today, they lost Wes Welker, for the entire playoffs. Welker led the league with 123 receptions and he might be the game's best clutch receiver. Plus Brady is also banged up. Bad news for New England. Extremely bad news. So just two years ago, the Pats, already three-time Super Bowl champs seemed like the surest thing heading into the playoffs. This year, they are among the biggest question marks. Still, ask yourself this question. In a single-elimination game, what team really looks forward to facing Brady and Belichick?" I was really thinking more about Rogers vs. Warner in the NFC wildcard game, but, sure, can Brady snuff out the Ravens?
NFL playoffs: Baltimore (9-7) at New England (10-6), 10 a.m., Channel 11; Green Bay (11-5) at Arizona (10-6), 1:30 p.m., Channel 2.

The Media Learning Center never goes on holiday. Maybe a vacation or two. Depending on how that adds up on the time card.

But on a day when we're parked in front of the TV remembering the good ol' days of non-stop college football, now emersed in a hockey game played during a snowstorm at Fenway Park, followed by a Brian Boitano Skating Spectacular and eventually WWE Friday Night Smackdown, we reflect on some of the stuff -- really over the last two weeks -- that we don't want to soon forget before this 2010 dance card starts to fill up.

Such as:

== We can't thank Lester Rodney (1911-2009) enough for the things he wrote about during his career as a sportswriter (linked here). And to think, he ended his career as a religion editor at the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Read his bio if you get a chance (linked here).

== We respect what George Michael (1939-2009) did as a sportscaster with his corny "Machine" cranking out weekly highlights on Sunday night after Fred Roggin tried to do the same on KNBC-Channel 4 (linked here).

== Sports Illustrated wants due credit for the news it broke in '09 but didn't actually fix (linked here).

== Is there such a thing as an "influencial Tweeter"? (linked here)

== The last 10 years of sports blogging, according to a blogger (linked here)

== Deposed TNT baseball guy Chip Caray may be back as the Braves' play-by-play man (linked here), but we hear Steve Physioc, recently dumped by the Angels, was also in the running.

== We're good with Golf Digest taking Tiger Woods' columns away from him while he sorts out his career future (linked here). But there's a plea for you to read Golf Digest's assessment of how Woods will return to the game (linked here).

== Fang's Bites has its top dozen sports media stories of 2009, with No. 1 held down by scandals involving ESPN's Steve Phillips, ESPN's Erin Andrews, former ESPNer Sean Salisbury ... (linked here)

== And speaking of Andrews, and how she says she's bounced back (linked here).

== AND FINALLY:

== The death of another newspaper sports section (linked here). Oh, happy day.

Sober up.

For real. Your rep is at stake.

Tabloid coverage is hardly a new concept in the U.S. or Great Britain, but with the TMZ.com decision to soon launch a sports site (as we wrote about in today's column, linked here), we caution those athletes with world-wide appeal to be extra cautious places they'd not normally equate with a freedom of the press.

A Public Radio International story this week (linked here) told about how a muckraking Russian newspaper publisher named Aram Gabrelyanov has started his own journalism-training program aimed at producing a "new breed of reporters." His tabloid, called "Life," is modeled after the British "The Sun." with screaming headlines, sensationalized stories and naked Page 3 women.

Vladimir Ladinsky, a student of the Gabrelyanov school of unattributed sources, was quoted in the story, speaking through a translator: "In Soviet times . . . I only used to read the last page of the newspaper because that was the sports news and that was the only thing worth reading because we didn't have any press freedom. (Now) we have plenty of freedom in our press and our lives. So we're moving forward, step by step."

In the name of Russian global progress, let's not be in such a rush to misjudgment to get more sports stuff into other sections of the newspaper.

Instead, let's rush to read through these extra sports media notes and get back to our warm copy of the New York Post-It-Note:

== Spero Dedes and Greg Anthony call Saturday's UCLA-Arizona game from Pauley Pavilion (with a ridiculous 10 a.m. tipoff, Channel 2), to start a CBS college basketball doubleheader that includes Louisville-Kentucky at a more reasonable 12:30 p.m. (or 3:30 p.m. local time, with Verne Lundquist-Clark Kellogg).

== Versus has a daily 30-minute highlight show from the Dakar Rally extreme bike-car-truck race -- more than 5,500 miles across 14 stages starting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, going through Chile and hitting the Andes Mountains and Atacama Desert -- starting Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (with replays at 3:30 p.m.) through Jan. 18.

== The Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association, which will have its annual awards lunch on Feb. 1 at Lakeside Country Club, is sponsoring a panel discussion at UCLA's Ackerman Hall on Sunday, Jan. 10 starting at 11:30 a.m. that will include Kings play-by-play man Bob Miller as the moderator. Other panelists include UCLA basketball and football play-by-play man Chris Roberts, Dodgers play-by-play man Charley Steiner, FSN West/Versus/NFL Network reporter Lindsay Soto and former head of Disney Television Sports Roger Blaemire.
Miller says of the program: "The purpose is to provide a wide-ranging look at the employment requirements and opportunities in sports broadcasting. The primary goal for many students may be on-air sportscasting, but there are also a variety of very rewarding and challenging careers behind the cameras that are expanding."
Broadcasting departments of local colleges interested in attending may contact SCSB's event coordinators Jeff Rose (323.650.1151) or Gene Walsh (818.843.4550, golfbguy@aol.com).

AND FINALLY:

== A humble, deeply grateful thanks to editors Glenn Stout and Leigh Montville, not for just compiling and producing the latest in the "Best of American Sports Writing" series for 2009 (linked here), but for including us in the "notable" section in the back for the piece on Isabella Masenga attending her first Kings hockey game back in Jan., 2008 (linked here).
Check out Glenn's Amazon.com page (linked here) for other books he's done.