November 2011 Archives
Key college football TV games in L.A. for Week 14:
Thursday:
== West Virginia at South Florida, 5 p.m., ESPN, with Rece Davis, Craig James, Jesse Palmer and Jenn Brown
Friday:
== Pac-12 title game: UCLA at Oregon, 5 p.m., Channel 11, with Gus Johnson, Charles Davis and Tim Brewster.
== MAC title game: Ohio vs. Northern Illinois in Detroit, 4 p.m., ESPN2, with Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore and Jeannine Edwards.
Saturday:
== SEC title game: Georgia vs. LSU in Atlanta, 1 p.m., Channel 2, with Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson and Tracy Wolfson. ESPN "College GameDay" will also be here at 6 a.m.
== Big Ten title game: Wisconsin vs. Michigan State in Indianapolis, 5:15 p.m., Channel 11, with Gus Johnson, Charles Davis and Tim Brewster.
== ACC title game: Virginia Tech vs. Clemson in Charlotte, N.C., 5 p.m., ESPN, with Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit and Heather Cox
== Conference USA title game: Southern Miss at Houston, 9 a.m., Channel 7, with Mike Patrick, Craig James and Lisa Salters
== Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, 5 p.m., Channel 7, with Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe
== Texas at Baylor, Channel 7, 12:30 p.m., with Sean McDonough, Matt Millen and Samantha Steele
== Syracuse at Pittsburgh, 9 a.m., ESPN2, with Dave Lamont and Mike Bellotti
== Iowa State at Kansas State, 12:30 p.m., Prime with Craig Bolerjack, Joel Klatt and Petros Papadakis
== UNLV at TCU, 11:30 a.m., Versus with Paul Burmeister, Shaun King and Anthony Herron
== New Mexico at Boise State, 3 p.m., MNT with Ari Wolfe and Blaine Fowler
== BYU at Hawaii, 4:30 p.m., ESPN2, with Carter Blackburn and Brock Huard
== Fresno State at San Diego State, 5 p.m., CBS Sports Network, with James Bates; Analyst: Aaron Taylor and Brooke Collins
The NFL TV games in L.A. for Week 13:
Thursday:
== Philadelphia at Seattle, 5:20 p.m., NFL Network with Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock
Sunday:
== Oakland at Miami, 10 a.m., Channel 2, with Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf (instead of Cincinnati-Pittsburgh, N.Y. Jets-Washington, Indianapolis-New England, Kansas City-Chicago or Tennessee-Buffalo).
== Denver at Minnesota, Channel 11, 10 a.m., with Thom Brennaman and Brian Bilick (instead of Atlanta-Houston or Carolina-Tampa Bay).
== Green Bay at N.Y. Giants, Channel 11, 1 p.m., with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman (instead of St. Louis-San Francisco and Dallas-Arizona. CBS also has Baltimore-Cleveland in this window)
== Detroit at New Orleans, 5:20 p.m., Channel 4, with Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
Monday:
== San Diego at Jacksonville, 5:30 p.m., ESPN, with Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden
The Galaxy's MLS Cup victory over ... Houston, we believe it was ... was a couple of Sunday's ago. Right?
The White House's Office of the Press Secretary issued this release moments ago:
"Earlier today, President Obama called Bruce Arena, general manager and head coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy, to congratulate him and the team on winning the MLS Cup.
"The President said, as a soccer fan, he wanted to let Coach Arena know that the team inspired a lot of young soccer players, including his kids.
"The President congratulated Coach Arena on all that the team has done for the game of soccer and asked him to pass along his congratulations to Landon Donovan, David Beckham and the rest of the team.
"President Obama invited the Galaxy to the White House to celebrate their championship and wished the coach and the team continued success."
Perhaps if the Galaxy had defeated DC United, the word would have reached Washington much sooner.
Newport Beach photographer Michael Voorhees is making available more copies of his 2010 book "Lionheart," his collection of pictures of the late IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon, through his website V3MotorsportsImagery.com.
Clock on the "books" link to get you to the Blurb.com website link. All profits from the $59.99 book go to the Wheldon family trust.
Wheldon was killed on Oct. 16 in Las Vegas in the IRL's final event of the 2011 season.
Seth Meyers: "RIP Patrice O'Neal. A day spent watching clips of him on-line is a day well spent."
Sarah Silverman: "RIP Patrice O'Neal. You made us laugh til we cried."
It's a page from the 1944 Fordham Prep school yearbook, which someone has up for sale on eBay.com (linked here).
If only because a certain senior class student would go onto Fordham University and achieve some bigger and better things in the baseball world.
The eBay post says there were probably only about 125 graduates in that Class of '44. There are also pictures in there of the kid who worked on the yearbook and school paper and was voted "Most Popular" and "Wittiest" playing some varsity baseball as a center fielder.
Happy 84th birthday today to Dodgers Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully. Someday, he may figure out what he wants to do when he grows up.
(AP Photo/Jae Hong)
Rick Neuheisel walks the sidelines in the first half of Saturday's game at the Coliseum against USC.
There's no real nice way to say this.
Thanks a bunch Rick Neuheisel.
You were a bang-up recruiter, a stand-up person and wore your alumni power blue well.
But . . .
It's just that being a nice guy heading a football program that really didn't close any gaps, didn't move any needles and doesn't deserve to be in the Pacific 12's first conference championship game is no slide of Westwood heaven
When UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero pulled the trigger this morning and fired Neuheisel - but let him stay on long enough to coach Friday's conference title game in Oregon, but not a possible bowl game after that - he put a football program still fumbling around with the Pistol offensive formation out of its misery.
It was Old Yeller style, as Bruins fans were still yelling about last Saturday's outcome at the Coliseum against USC.
"There's pain and heartache involved," Guerrero said today. "Rick is a great Bruin. His energy and enthusiasm was second to none. He gave it his very best shot in his four years. ... There's no one who wanted him to be more successful than me ... "
OK ... wait for it . . .
"But we had some losses of epic proportions in the last half of the year. The inconsistencies hurt us. I had to tell him to today because I didn't want to be disingenuous in the process."
So please accept this $250,000 buyout, a 21-28 record in four seasons, a win once upon a time over Temple (really?) in something called the Eagle Bank Bowl, and, as UCLA chancellor Gene Block said in a press release, "We wish Rick all the best in his future endeavors."
Nicely done.
Add to that this tweet from BruinsNation: "Thank you Coach Rick Neuheisel for trying. We know you tried. It just wasn't enough. Good luck (to) you (the) rest of the way. #GoBruins."
For all inconsistencies and purposes, Neuheisel was a dead man walking about six minutes into that 50-0 loss to the Trojans. He looked whiter than the surrendering all-white uniforms that Adidas talked him into wearing for the rivalry contest.
"I didn't ask," Neuheisel said this morning when questioned if Guerrero told him that the outcome of the USC game was the last straw. "I don't need reasons and all that kind of stuff.
"This has always been a place I wanted to have a chance to bring it to where everybody would be proud. Obviously, we've fallen short of that. But there are lots of things that happened that I'm proud of in my time here, and they don't always make it to the front pages of the newspaper.
"It won't be a bitter memory at all."
Maybe that was Neuheusel's problem. He wasn't bitter enough to get better.
Call it a percentage move. As in, Neuheisel had the lowest winning percentage of any UCLA coach in history with 20 or more games - 42.9 percent.
Most get fired quicker with that kind of track record, which includes an 0-for-4 effort against USC.
But . . .
The majority rules. They liked him too much to give him the Karl Dorrell treatment a year or two too early.
Eventually, those who write the donation checks aren't showing up to games and are tired of being embarrassed year after year working next to Trojan alums who make them the butt of their jokes.
No question, the 50-year-old once dubbed "Slick Rick" had learned from his experiences at the University of Washington and the University of Colorado.
There was nothing done to tarnish the UCLA brand -- no gambling on NCAA basketball office pools that we know of, no forfeiting games because of ineligible players, no recruiting violations, no real discipline problems, no secret interviews for open NFL jobs.
And no negative karma. He was the poster boy for Dale Carnegie's power of positive thinking.
"You have to be relentlessly positive," he said at a recent press conference, "and you'll get back to where you need to. Hope is not a strategy."
Many hoped the program was headed in the right direction.
But . . .
It was starting to smell a lot like Steve Lavin all over again.
Lavin coached UCLA's basketball team from 1996 to 2003, piling up a record of 145-78. The Bruins went to the Elite Eight in his first season. They made the Sweet 16 six times, following six seasons in a row with 20 wins. He had the top-rated recruiting class a couple of times. Seven players he coached at UCLA are still in the NBA.
But . . .
There was still criticism from fans who thought the teams underachieved. A 10-19 finish in his last season certainly didn't reflect the talent he had stockpiled on the roster.
Guerrero, who had become good friends with Lavin, had to fire him.
If you count the number of UCLA football players in the next couple of years that go in the NFL draft, maybe it'll be more apparent just what kind of roster Neuheisel had put together, but failed to get the results.
If Neuheisel had the reticent smile and reassuring handshake for the parents of the recruits to get them into UCLA, it was time for Guerrero to give him the golden handshake. He couldn't shake the critics.
In 2007, the one-time walk-on who led the Bruins to the 1984 Rose Bowl as their quarterback triumphantly returned to the Westwood campus with a five-year deal paying him $1.25 million a season. Incentives could have added another half million each year.
But . . .
That all looks like Monopoly money now.
The football monopoly on hand-wringing over Neuheisel's tenure in Los Angeles really is officially over.
Only Neuheisel has to pass through Oregon before he goes directly to unemployment.
"Sad, sad," Chip Kelly, the Oregon coach who faces Neuheisel in Friday's Pac-12 title game, said this morning. "I like him a lot. Rick's a good person. Rick's a good football coach."
But that's just how the game of life works in college football.
Nice gig if you can get it.
It's product ID 23-07454 on the Baseball Hall of Fame website store: A Rawlings baseball with a Dodger logo on it for $8.99 (linked here).
And here's the sales pitch:
"This Los Angeles Dodgers logo baseball is a tried-and-true classic. Regulation-size white baseball with red stitching allow the Los Angeles Dodgers logos to take center stage. Each baseball features the Rawlings logo on the back and commissioner signature on the top. Packaged in a clamshell with a home plate display stand. A must have for the Arizona Diamondbacks fan!"
Highlights of the week ahead in sports, both here and afar:
THIS WEEK'S BEST BET
Golf: Chevron World Challenge, Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Thursday through Sunday, Golf Channel and Channel 4:
The TV spots for this year's Tiger Woods charity event claim that "Hollywood isn't the only place for characters." Not to be accused of character assassination, but by calling Woods a "game changer," we assume it's not so much based on the fact he changes his game every couple of years. He is grateful that he didn't fall out of the Top 50 in the official world ranking before he was able to qualify for his own event. Sure, he could have got some kind of sponsor exemption, but then the tournament wouldn't satisify the rules for giving out world-ranking points, thus softening the lure for the field of 18 who got invites.
The ads call Bill Haas "the champion" (he just won the FedEx Cup). Dustin Johnson is a "powerhouse," Rickie Fowler a "rising star," Bubba Watson the "bomber," K.J. Choi is the "tank," Paul Casey is the "Union Jack," and Jason Day is the "young gun." Graeme McDowell? No. 14 on the World Golf Rankings is a no show. He decided to head over to Japan and China the last two weeks to play in some more lucrative Euro events. As the U.S. Open champ a year ago, McDowell knocked down two clutch puts that gave him the greatest comeback win ever against Woods -- the host squandered a four-shot lead as McDowell holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole to force a playoff, and then hit another from almost the same spot on 18 to deny Woods a victory. What a character. Golf Channel has the first two rounds Thursday and Friday starting at 1 p.m.; NBC takes the last two (Saturday and Sunday, noon to 3 p.m.)
MONDAY
College basketball: UCLA vs. Pepperdine, Sports Arena, 8 p.m., Prime:
So here these Bruins sit at 1-4, ranked 226th in the nation in field goal percentage, 288th in rebounds per game and 212th in points per game. Pepperdine, meanwhile, is 306th in field goal percentage (38.5). This one could get really ugly fast. Meanwhile, ESPN's Jay Bilas says on his blog that the Bruins' Reeves Nelson has just about worn out his welcome and it's time for coach Ben Howland to cut his losses. "It is easy for me to opine from afar," wrote Bilas, who covered the Bruins' games during the Maui Classic last week. "The talented junior has become a major distraction, and is holding his teammates hostage with his attitude and behavior. The bigger issue for me is Nelson's body language on the court, and he seems to have little connection with his teammates. At one point, when he was taken out of the game, no one on the bench even acknowledged Nelson, and his only real emotion came from when he did something, not when a teammate did. I hope Nelson figures it out, but I think his time is running out. Howland doesn't deserve this, and neither do UCLA's other players."
NHL: Kings vs. San Jose, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW:
The Sharks are a plus-14 in goal differential so far, and it doesn't matter which goalie they have in the nets -- Thomas Griess (4-3, 1.99 GAA) is even more stingy than Antti Niemi (9-3, 2.37), who recorded a 4-2 win over the Kings back on Nov. 7.
NFL: N.Y. Giants at New Orleans, 5:30 p.m., ESPN:
The Giants' giant task: Facing the Saints is followed by games against Green Bay, NFC East-leading Dallas twice, Washington and the rival N.Y. Jets. They have fallen to 31st in the league in rushing (83.2 yard a game) going without the injured Ahmad Bradshaw for the last three contests.
TUESDAY
College basketball: Loyola Marymount vs. Saint Louis, Gersten Pavilion, 7 p.m.:
Rick Majerus' 6-0 Billikens, who just won the 76 Classic in Anaheim by squashing Oklahoma over Thanksgiving weekend, make a stop in Westchester before heading back.
College basketball: Duke at Ohio State, 6:30 p.m., ESPN:
It ain't the Victoria Secret Fashion Show (Channel 2, 10 p.m.), but close enough for Dick Vitale.
NHL: Pittsburgh at N.Y. Rangers, 4:30 p.m., Versus:
The Penguins are 3-0-1 since Sidney Crosby's return.
WEDNESDAY
College basketball: USC at UC Riverside, 7 p.m.:
The Trojans (3-4) have been getting nearly 14 points and more than six rebounds a game from 6-6 forward Aaron Fuller, numbers slightly better than what he did in his first two years at the University of Iowa before transferring. Before outlasting Pac-12 team Washington State in the last game of the 76 Classic in Anaheim, UCR (2-5) had only scored its previous victory against Cal Lutheran. Stan Morrison, the UC Riverside athletic director until he retired after 12 years in August, coached the Trojans' basketball team from 1979-'86.
THURSDAY
NHL: Kings vs. Florida, 7:30 p.m., FSW:
The Panthers entered the week leading the Southeastern Division with 35-year-old veteran Jose Theodore in the nets most nights.
NFL: Philadelphia at Seattle, 5:20 p.m., NFL Network:
The Eagles make a quick turnaround from playing last Sunday night and then flying across the country.
FRIDAY
College football: Pac-12 title game: UCLA at Oregon, 5 p.m., Channel 11:
The last two teams that USC polished off on their non-bowl schedule meets for the right to move into the Jan. 2 Rose Bowl. With reports that Rick Neuheisel's future in Westwood isn't all that rosy, maybe the Bruins have one more trick up their silky white Adidas sleeves: Can they pull out another new alternate jersey that will leave Nike's Ducks so daffy that they just roll over? Oregon has already been made a 30-point-plus favorite in some Vegas books, which has nothing to do with the fact that the Ducks downed the Bruins 60-13 last season at Autzen Stadium, as Darron Thomas threw for 308 yards.
College football: MAC title game: Ohio vs. Northern Illinois in Detroit, 4 p.m., ESPN2:
The Bobcats (9-3) are the superior team in Ohio this season.
Tennis: Davis Cup final: Argentina at Spain:
Spain's Rafael Nadal comes into this after an early exit in last week's ATP World Tour Finals in London, but he's back on a red clay surface with a roof over Olympic Stadium in Seville to join David Ferrer against Argentina's David Nalbandian and Juan Martin Del Potro. Nadal and Ferrer are a combined 25-0 in Davis play when on clay, and Spain has won four Davis Cup crowns this century: 2000 (Australia), 2004 (U.S.), 2008 (Argentina) and 2009 (Czech Republic).
SATURDAY
College football: SEC title game: Georgia at LSU, 1 p.m., Channel 2; Big Ten title game: Wisconsin vs. Michigan State in Indianapolis, 5:15 p.m., Channel 11; ACC title game: Virginia Tech vs. Clemson in Charlotte, N.C., 5 p.m., ESPN; Conference USA title game: Southern Miss at Houston, 9 a.m., Channel 7:
What happens when Georgia knocks off No. 1 LSU to win the SEC, but the Tigers still make it to the BCS title game against conference rival Alabama because that's what the pollsters and computers say is the best matchup? The Wisconsin-Michigan State game is a rematch of the one that ended with the Spartans pulling off a Hail Mary on the final play to win 37-31 on Oct. 22. And Houston could be the only undefeated team left when the day's play ends.
College football: Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, 5 p.m., Channel 7; Texas at Baylor, Channel 7, 12:30 p.m.:
No title game in the Big 12 this year, which only has the 10 teams remaining. You'll have to be satisfied with watching Robert Griffin III having another top-notch Heisman Trophy look against the Longhorns.
College football: Syracuse at Pittsburgh, 9 a.m., ESPN2; Iowa State at Kansas State, 12:30 p.m., Prime; UNLV at TCU, 11:30 a.m., Versus; New Mexico at Boise State, 3 p.m., MNT; BYU at Hawaii, 4:30 p.m., ESPN2; Fresno State at San Diego State, 5 p.m., CBS Sports Network:
The rest of the schedule, with ranked teams still playing, and one of them, trying to finish an undefeated regular season.
College basketball: UCLA vs. Texas, Sports Arena, 1:30 p.m., Prime:
Longhorns junior guard J'Covan Brown has put up 35 (against Rhode Island), 28 (against Boston University) and 25 (against Oregon State) while leading the team in assists (6.4 a game).
College basketball: USC at Minnesota, 11:15 a.m., Big Ten Network:
Gophers coach Tubby Smith is still waiting for 6-foot-11 senior center Ralph Sampson III to start living up to his name.
College basketball: North Carolina at Kentucky, 9 a.m., Channel 2:
CBS starts its college hoops season sending Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg to Rupp Arena, where the Wildcats happen to be ranked No. 1, playing the Tar Heels, who were No. 1 very recently.
NHL: Kings vs. Montreal, Staples Center, 12:30 p.m., FSW:
The Canadiens, who stop over in Anaheim on Wednesday before this one, are in the top three in the league in penalty killing at better than 90 percent.
Boxing: Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito, New York, 6 p.m., pay per view:
Three years ago, Cotto suffered his first loss as Margarito wore him out via a TKO in the 11th round. But then, did Margarito, who captured the WBA welterweight belt, accomplish it with plaster wraps inside his gloves? The New York State Athletic Commission only recently approved a license to Margarito, coming back from surgery on his right eye to remove a cataract that developed after Manny Pacquiao broke Margarito's orbital bone during their fight a year ago. Promoter Bob Arum might have been forced to move this world super welterweight title fight out of Madison Square Garden if the license wasn't granted. They're asking $54.95 for this one. Can you wrap your wallet around that, or is buying "Larry Crowne" with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts on an all-day pass for much less a better value?
Boxing: Abner Mares vs. Joseph Agbeko, Anaheim's Honda Center, 6 p.m., Showtime (delayed at 9 p.m.):
Mares (22-0-1) of Hawaiian Gardens defends his IFB and WBC silver bantamweight titles against the two-time IBF bantamweight world champ in a card in Anaheim that includes Anselmo Moreno defending his WBA bantamweight title against Vic Darchinyan.
SUNDAY
NFL: Detroit at New Orleans, 5:20 p.m., Channel 4:
The original schedule had Indianapolis at New England in this slot, but NBC flexed out of it. Wise move.
Not to question your knowledge of the USC-UCLA football rivalry that began in 1929, but we will anyway:
== 1. Which Trojans head coach has lost a game to the Bruins: a) Lane Kiffin, b) Howard Jones, c) Paul Hackett, d) Sam Barry?
== 2. Which Bruins head coach has beaten the Trojans: a) Rick Neuheisel, b) William Spaulding, c) Pepper Rodgers, d) Karl Dorrell?
== 3. Thirty years ago, he broke through on the final play and blocked a 46-yard field-goal try by UCLA's Norm Johnson to preserve USC's 22-21 win and knock the Bruins out of the Rose Bowl: a) Joey Browner, b) George Achica, c) Dennis Edwards.
== 4. Twenty five years ago, UCLA quarterback Matt Stevens faked a knee, then completed a 61-yard Hail Mary pass that put the Bruins up 31-0 at halftime (in a 45-24 win). Who caught the pass: a) Flipper Anderson, b) Paco Craig, c) Karl Dorrell?
== 5. Fifteen y
ears ago, the only overtime game in the series ended with his 25-yard TD run in the second OT, giving the Bruins a 48-41 victory, after USC squandered a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter: a) Karim Abdul-Jabbar, b) Skip Hicks, c) DeShawn Foster.
== 6. Which Bruin intercepted Rob Johnson's 3-yard pass in the end zone with 56 seconds left to preserve UCLA's 27-21 win in 1993, knocking the Trojans out of the Rose Bowl: a) Marvin Goodwin, b) Donnie Edwards, c) Nkosi Littleton?
== 7. His 38-yard field goal with two seconds left gave USC a 29-27 win in the 1977 game, knocking UCLA out of the Rose Bowl: a) Chris Limahelu, b) Steve Jordan, c) Frank Jordan.
== 8. USC's Todd Marinovich hit Johnnie Morton with a 23-yard TD pass with 16 seconds left to cap a 45-42 win in 1990, but which UCLA player scored on a 1-yard TD run with 1:19 left to put the Bruins up 42-38: a) Kevin Smith, b) Tommy Maddox, c) Ricky Davis?
== 9. The 1944 game ended in a 13-13 tie when UCLA's Johnny Roesch scored twice in the last two minutes, capped by an 80-yard punt return with no time left. Who kicked the extra point that hit the crossbar and rolled over to tie it: a) Bob Waterfield, b) Tom Fears, c) Bob Wilkinson?
== 10. The starting quarterback for UCLA during its last win against USC (13-9 at the Rose Bowl in '06) was: a) Ben Olson, b) Kevin Craft, c) Patrick Cowan?
== Tie breaker: This is the third year in a row the game has been played at night. In 2009, it was at 7 p.m.; last year, it was 7:30 p.m. What's the latest kickoff ever: a) 7:45 p.m., b) 8 p.m., c) 8:30 p.m.?
Answers:
1. c) Hackett (he was 2-1 from 1998-2000; 2. d) Dorrell, in 2006; 3. b) Achica; 4. c) Dorrell; 5. b) Hicks; 6. a) Goodwin; 7. c) Frank Jordan; 8. a) Smith; 9. a) Waterfield; 10. c) Cowan. Tie breaker: c) 8:30 p.m., in the 1945 game, on a Friday night at the Coliseum.
A photo I once snapped of Royce Hummer as he was in a line during a food distribution in Santa Monica, probably six or seven years ago.
We're trying to focus on the things that we are truly thankful for, and I'm thinking about Royce Hummer.
The last time I saw Royce walking around on the streets of Santa Monica, it had to be more than five years ago. Shame on me.
I've tried to track him down now and then but I haven't seen him since. No one who I ask around the vicinity of the Ocean Park Community Center has seen him in a long while, either.
He might have been in his 50s or 60s, but having been homeless for years, yet sporting a nicely cut gray beard, it's hard to tell how much all of that can really age a human being.
He was always buried under a pile of brown jackets, with a brown stocking cap on his head, and deep brown passionate eyes. He walked slowly, but his mind worked fast.
And he enjoyed talking about sports. Especially anything related to Cincinnati, for some reason. I can only assume he lived there at some time. The Reds and Bengals were stuff we could meet on one level and discuss news that either one of us may have heard.
I asked Royce once where he lived.
"Over in those bushes," he said, pointing to an area near the Santa Monica City Hall front lawn.
I didn't press it any further. I couldn't. He was there just to get a lunch that our group was handing out, and maybe find some clothes from what we brought that he could swap out with what he already had.
It turned out that Royce was also a poet.
Somehow, he got hold of a manual typewriter and pounded out poetry. The black, gritty keys of this typewriter as they hit the paper, in various degrees of misprints and shifted black ribbon strikes, made his poems even more stark and real.
He would sell his poems on the street corner for a dollar apiece. That was how he made money to feed himself for the day.
He entrusted me one day to take a batch of his poems so I could run over to the nearby Kinkos and run off a few hundred copies so he didn't have to worry about finding a way to print them up for awhile.
Of course, I kept a stack of them for myself to read.
The collection of poems that Royce had put together, he titled it "Truth," and dedicated it to his daughter, Rebecca - another topic of conversation we'd have. He missed her. She didn't know where he was. And he knew it was better that she didn't.
I found Royce's book of poems this week, and had a good cry while reading them again.
He's not just a poet. He's one of those street philosophers who knows far more than he's willing to let on.
"i wanna tell you the truth,"
That's how one poem begins.
"but you would just call me insane
"maybe laugh in my face
"but who are you to tell me that I am wrong
"don,t you understand that in the end we may all end up in the same place
"maybe you think you are finer than the flowers
"maybe you think you have a box seat in this life
"i,m here to tell you how wrong you really are"
His poem called "I Know" begins:
"i know what its like to have a tormented mind
"i know the feeling of a knife in the heart
"i know the lost of a soul
"i tell you i know"
I wish I could tell Royce today that I know how he feels, but I can't. And I don't.
I wanted to see if he had heard about Carson Palmer leaving the Bengals and going to the Raiders.
Or if he even knew that Joey Votto had been doing so well with the Reds. He loved talking about all the battles the Reds and Dodgers once had back in the '70s. He reminded me about how Sandy Koufax was a much better basketball player at the University of Cincinnati than he was a baseball player, and wouldn't that have been something if he pitched for the Reds instead.
Instead, I find another poem by Royce, maybe the one that gets to me the most this weekend, called "I Wanna See," that includes the lines:
"i wanna see a get down and get dirty football game
"i wanna watch a good old baseball game
"i wanna see what makes you tick
"i wanna see you once more"
Truth is, I want to see Royce, at least once more, and I'm not sure if time has run out.
Key college football TV games in L.A. for Week 13:
Thursday:
== Texas at Texas A&M, 5 p.m., ESPN: With Rece Davis, Craig James, Jesse Palmer and Jenn Brown
Friday:
== Houston at Tulsa, 9 a.m., FSW: With Ron Thulin, JC Pearson and Jeremy Bloom
== Iowa at Nebraska, 9 a.m., Channel 7: With Bob Wischusen, Bob Davie and Jeannine Edwards
== Arkansas at LSU, 11:30 a.m., Channel 2: With Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson and Tracy Wolfson
== Colorado at Utah, 12:30 p.m., FSW: With Craig Bolerjack, Joel Klatt and Petros Papadakis
== Boston College at Miami, 12:30 p.m., Channel 7: With Rob Stone and Danny Kanell
== Pittsburgh at West Virginia, 4 p.m., ESPN: With Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore
== Cal at Arizona State, 7:15 p.m, ESPN: With Mike Patrick, Craig James and Samantha Steele
Saturday:
== UCLA at USC, 7 p.m., FSW: With Craig Bolerjack, Joel Klatt and Petros Papadakis
== Ohio State at Michigan, 9 a.m., Channel 7: With Dave Pasch, Chris Spielman and Quint Kessenich
== Georgia at Georgia Tech, 9 a.m., ESPN: With Mark Jones and Ed Cunningham
== Rutgers at Connecticut, 9 a.m., ESPN2: With Beth Mowins and Mike Bellotti
== Iowa State at Oklahoma, 9 a.m., FX: With Gus Johnson, Charles Davis and Tim Brewster
== Michigan State at Northwestern, 9 a.m., Big Ten Network: With Eric Collins and Chris Martin
== Oregon State at Oregon, 12:30 p.m., Channel 7: With Carter Blackburn, Brock Huard and Shelley Smith
== Virginia Tech at Virginia, 12:30 p.m., ESPN2: With Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore and Lisa Salters
== Penn State at Wisconsin, 12:30 p.m., ESPN: With Sean McDonough, Matt Millen and Tom Rinaldi
== Alabama at Auburn, 12:30 p.m., Channel 2: With Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson and Tracy Wolfson (and ESPN's "College GameDay" crew in attendance at 6 a.m.)
== Texas Tech at Baylor, 4 p.m., FSW: With Bill Land, Gary Reasons and Emily Jones
== Florida State at Florida, 4 p.m., ESPN2: With Bob Wischusen, Bob Davie and Jeannine Edwards
== Mississippi at Mississippi State, 4 p.m., ESPNU: With Clay Matvick, Brian Griese and Allison Williams
== Washington State vs. Washington in Seattle, 4:30 p.m., Versus: With Ted Robinson, Glenn Parker and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila
== Clemson at South Carolina, 4:45 p.m., ESPN: With Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe
== Notre Dame at Stanford, 5 p.m., Channel 7: With Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit and Heather Cox
The NFL TV games in L.A. for Week 12:
Thursday:
== Green Bay at Detroit, 9:30 a.m., Channel 11: With Joe Buck and Troy Aikman
== Miami at Dallas, 1:15 p.m., Channel 2: With Jim Nantz and Phil Simms.
== San Francisco at Baltimore, 5:20 p.m., NFL Network: With Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock
Sunday:
== Buffalo at N.Y. Jets, 10 a.m., Channel 2: With Marv Albert and Rich Gannon (instead of Houston-Jacksonville or Cleveland-Cincinnati. Fox also has Minnesota-Atlanta, Tampa Bay-Tennessee, Carolina-Indianapolis and Arizona-St. Louis in this window)
== Denver at San Diego, 1 p.m., Channel 2: With Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts (instead of New England-Philadelphia)
== Chicago at Oakland, 1 p.m., Channel 11: With Kenny Albert, Darryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa (instead of Washington-Seattle)
== Pittsburgh at Kansas City, 5:20 p.m., Channel 4: With Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
Monday:
== N.Y. Giants at New Orleans, 5:30 p.m., ESPN: With Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski
At the point just west and down the hill from Dodger Stadium, where Elysian Park Drive empties into Sunset Blvd., the Dodgers a posted a billboard congratulating Clayton Kershaw for winning the National League Cy Young Award last week.
To the left of it is another billboard showing Matt Kemp in action.
There are no words on it.
Yet.
Let's fill in the blank.
If Kemp is not named the NL's Most Valuable Player when today's Baseball Writers Association of America voting is released, it wouldn't be any act of vandalism against him or the team.
And if he somehow shares the award with his friend, Milwaukee's Ryan Braun, there'd be no crime in that, either. With Braun hailing from Granada Hills High, there'd be a celebration in L.A. either way.
But in the Dodgers' long-term planning department, there's a reason why their 27-year-old center fielder was valuable enough to sign to an eight-year contract extension last week. He's come to be worth the price of admission, if Dodger fans are actually coming to games.
But did his 2011 season hold enough value for the team's marketing department to stand by with a billboard glue gun this morning?
Yes, because:
Continue reading The NL MVP case for Kemp: Too close to call? .
Highlights of the week ahead in sports, both here and afar:
THIS WEEK'S BEST BET
College football: UCLA at USC, Coliseum, 7 p.m., FSW:
Matt Barkley or Rick Neuheisel: Who leaves the field after the game pretty much knowing he's never coming back to this rivalry game?
Barkley is 2-0 in the series as the USC quarterback; Neuheisel is 0-3 as a UCLA coach. Yet, at a moment where the Bruins could win and get to the first Pac-12 title game, and the Trojans can win and still have nothing to celebrate past a 10-win season, here's another episode of "Saturday Night Live" at the Coliseum -- three times playing this annual rivalry game after dark after almost always being an afternoon affair for the city title. Last time at the Coliseum, there was almost a mid-field brawl because of how Pete Carroll's team insisted on laughing it up in celebrating a 48-yard TD pass from Barkley to Damian Williams instead of just running out the clock with less than a minute to go. Maybe that had something to do with setting off that ugly parking lot incident before last year's game at the Rose Bowl, when dozens of tailgaters who had all afternoon to drink it up ended up sluggling it out, resulting in two stabbings, three arrests and two police officers injured. Seems like there's been a certain repetitiveness to the game, aside from the fact that USC has scored 28 points in the last three meetings and won them all. And if you're looking for the usual sibling storylines: USC junior defensive back T.J. McDonald is the older brother of UCLA redshirt freshman defensive back Tevin McDonald, and USC senior defensive back Marshall Jones might end up putting a tackle on younger brother and UCLA sophomore running back Malcolm Jones, both out of Oaks Christian. Other than all that, this one means nothing much.
MONDAY
College basketball: UCLA vs. Chaminade, Maui Invitational, 6:30 p.m., ESPN:
Try to get your head around this, Reeves Nelson: Even if the Bruins lost this one to the NCAA Division II Silverswords, it wouldn't be as a ranked team, and definitely not nearly the earth-shaking event as when the Ralph Sampson-led, top-ranked Virginia team came to the islands nearly 30 years ago and somehow were slayed in one of the biggest college basketball regular-season upsets ever. UCLA's 0-2 mark pales to the 3-0 mark owned by tournament host Chaminade -- no matter that their wins are over Tahiti, Western Oregon and St. Martins. They're still wins. We're not sure if UCLA could even register one of those in an intrasquad game at this moment. One way or another, UCLA faces Kansas or Georgetown on Tuesday, and at least one more on Wednesday (take your pick from Memphis, Michigan, Tennessee or Duke).
NFL: Kansas City at New England, 5:30 p.m., ESPN:
Check it out: The last time the Chiefs faced the Patriots was the 2008 opener. Tom Brady tore up his knee, Matt Cassel came off the bench and started the rest of the way, earning himself the QB job and, eventually, some big free agency money in Kansas City after Brady returned. Now, Cassel, the former Chatsworth High standout from USC, has hurt his hand and it out for the season as the Chiefs' QB, so the unproven Tyler Palko will make his first career NFL start.
NHL: N.Y. Islanders at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m., Versus:
Sidney Crosby's comeback starts here, playing for the first time in nearly 11 months.
TUESDAY
NHL: Kings at St. Louis, 4:30 p.m., Versus:
The Blues have gone 4-0-2 under new coach Ken Hitchcock and lowered their goals-against average to less than one a game.
College basketball: USC vs. Morgan State, Galen Center, 7 p.m.:
The Trojans really lost to Cal Poly the other night? Hmmmm. This second-round of the Las Vegas Invitational still isn't in Vegas. But eventually, the Trojans play host UNLV (Friday, 4:30 p.m., ESPN3.com) and then go up against either North Carolina or the other USC known as South Carolina (Saturday, 4:30 p.m., ESPN3.com, or 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2, if it's against the Tar Heels). It's a gamble either way.
WEDNESDAY
NHL: Kings at Dallas, 5:30 p.m., FSW:
Dallas started the season 11-3 but has lost five in a row and racked up 53 penalty minutes in their last defeat against San Jose. "We're in a hole, and you can't just jump out of a hole this deep, you have to kind of dig your way up and dig your way out and I thought we were moving in that direction," Stars rookie coach Glen Gulutzan said. Dallas will have a new owner by the time this one is played after the league officially approved the franchise sale to Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi.
THURSDAY
NFL: Green Bay at Detroit, 9:30 a.m., Channel 11; Miami at Dallas, 1:15 p.m., Channel 2; San Francisco at Baltimore, 5:20 p.m., NFL Network:
The 10-0 Packers trying to drum the Lions are no match for Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh family feud in the late-afternoon finale while eating pumpkin pie.
College football: Texas at Texas A&M, 5 p.m., ESPN:
The Lone Star Showdown is always good for putting some kind of mess in Texas.
FRIDAY
College football: Arkansas at LSU, 11:30 a.m., Channel 2; Iowa at Nebraska, 9 a.m., Channel 7; Boston College at Miami, 12:30 p.m., Channel 7; Pittsburgh at West Virginia, 4 p.m., ESPN; Cal at Arizona State, 7:15 p.m,, ESPN; Colorado at Utah, 12:30 p.m., FSW:
Tyler Wilson's Razorbacks (10-1), up to No. 3 in the BCS, benefit most from the losses last weekend suffered by Oklahoma State, Oregon and Oklahoma, moving up to this battle against the No. 1 Tigers for the latest game-of-the-year matchup (three SEC teams in the top three spots now?) See how Arkansas players react while mourning the death of freshman tight end Garrett Uekman.
SATURDAY
College football: Ohio State at Michigan, 9 a.m., Channel 7; Oregon State at Oregon, 12:30 p.m., Channel 7; Penn State at Wisconsin, 12:30 p.m., ESPN; Notre Dame at Stanford, 5 p.m., Channel 7; Alabama at Auburn, 12:30 p.m., Channel 2; Washington State vs. Washington in Seattle, 4:30 p.m., Versus; Georgia at Georgia Tech, 9 a.m., ESPN; Florida State at Florida, 4 p.m., ESPN2; Clemson at South Carolina, 4:45 p.m., ESPN:
Urban Meyer might not be the best person in the ESPN/ABC booth for the Buckeyes-Wolverines, considering, well, you know, he could be the next Ohio State coach. And if there's a way to check out the new ESPN documentary, "Roll Tide/War Eagle," do so before tracking down the Alabama-Auburn rivalry renewal game.
NHL: Kings vs. Chicago, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW:
The Blackhawks were the first team to 12 wins after 20 games in the Western Conference, second in the league with an average of 3.4 goals per contest, sparked by Marian Hossa. And suffering a 9-2 loss against Edmonton last Saturday.
SUNDAY
NFL: Pittsburgh at Kansas City, 5:20 p.m., Channel 4; Denver at San Diego, 1 p.m., Channel 2; Chicago at Oakland, 1 p.m., Channel 11; Buffalo at N.Y. Jets, 10 a.m., Channel 2:
The Tebow traveling circus comes to San Diego for an important AFC West matchup. The Bears stay in the AFC West as well. By the way, New England is also at Philadelphia today. Think anyone cares about that one anymore?
Tennis: ATP Barclays World Tour, final match, 9:30 a.m., ESPN2:
Mardy Fish must feel like a fish out of water in the season-ending men's pro tennis event, having to go up against Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. But being Top 8 in the world means he's qualified to be at the 02 Arena in London. Djokovic enters with the daunting record of 69-4 this year and 10 titles, more than $10 million in winnings, and having secured a place in this thing way back in May. The world top-ranked doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan are also set to be here (their final is at 7:30 a.m. on Tennis Channel).
College basketball: 76 Classic final, from Anaheim, 6 p.m., ESPN2:
Boston College, Santa Clara, Villanova, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Washington State are among the schools that came over on Thanksgiving break. The semifinals are Friday. The third-place game is today at 3:30 p.m. on ESPNU. Then we all go to Disneyland. Sooners coach Lon Kruger won this tourney a year ago -- as coach at UNLV. And the Lobos' Drew Gordon played in this event before -- while at UCLA.
The Louisville Slugger that Lou Gehrig used in a 1939 exhibition game against the Dodgers to hit his last home run in a Yankees uniform yielded $403,664 as the SCP Auctions' November sale closed on Saturday, the Orange County-based company reported.
There were 16 bids made on the bat that originated from the estate of actor Bing Russell, which had been in possession his daughter, Jill Franco. She is the mother of former MLB player Matt Franco (Westlake High) and the brother of actor Kurt Russell.
A story featuring the story behind the bat was in last Sunday's L.A. Daily News (linked here).
The record high for a baseball bat at auction was $1.265 million in 2005 for the one Babe Ruth used to hit the first home run at old Yankee Stadium on opening day in 1923.
A bat once owned by Shoeless Joe Jackson ($577,610) and the one Kirk Gibson used to hit his 1988 World Series Game 1 homer ($576,000) also broke the half-million mark.
SCP managing director Dan Imler had estimated that the Gehrig bat had "all the characteristics of a record-setting piece."
Two other items from the Russell family were sold: A 1941 Joe DiMaggio game-used bat that was signed by the New York Yankees team ($21,780) and a 1938 Babe Dalghren game-used Louisville Slugger ($3,691).
The largest piece of sports memorabilia at the auction was $460,741 spent on a 1974 ABA New York Nets championship ring that belonged to Hall of Famer Julius Erving.
The 144-item Erving collection brought in more than $3.5 million, which included the sale of his 1983 76ers NBA championship ring ($244,240), as well as his NBA All-Star rings from 1978 ($238,853), 1983 ($218.977) and 1984 ($218,977). Erving's 1976 Nets ABA championship ring ($195,396), his 1980-81 NBA Most Valuable Player trophy ($177,632) and his 1975-76 ABA MVP trophy ($173,102) also went in the sale.
The winning bidders request to remain anonymous, SCP Auctions reported.
Tracy Tucker-Georges poses during a hike in February earlier this year.
She's already is an ironman.
Or, to be more gender specific, an ironwoman.
It's just that a lot of the starch has been taken out of Tracy Tucker-Georges lately.
Sunday was supposed to be her second consecutive Arizona Ironman competition - a 2.4 mile swim in Tempe Town Lake, a 112-mile bike ride in the Sonora Desert, and then a 26.2 mile marathon around Tempe. The hope was to improve on her time of the 15 hours, seven minutes and 37 seconds that she logged a year ago.
Recent knee surgery - again - has prevented the nurse who works at an orthopedic sports medicine practice in Van Nuys from taking part. She instead made the trek as volunteer, to root on her friends. Just as she did in 2008 - and then, on a dare, signed up to run in in '09.
By going back this time, she fears the worse - that she'll get sucked into registering for the 2012 race when applications are available starting Monday.
"It's a slippery slope, you know," said the 47-year-old mother living in Northridge with two teenaged daughters and a husband, Chris, who works in commercial real estate.
Her story has already been told, to some degree. Tucker-Georges is featured in the new book called "You Are An Ironman: How Six Weekend Warriors Chased Their Dream of Finishing the World's Toughest Triathlon." (The Viking Press, $27.95, 290 pages, linked here)
Author Jacques Steinberg, a New York Times journalist, set out to examine why seemingly average people without a lot of athletic background submit themselves to the insanity of this particular event, especially when the financial costs would seem to be as high as the toll it often takes on the participant as well as the family.
For the most part, Steinberg wrote, taking part is "essential to keeping them physically and mentally healthy, if not alive."
Tucker-Georges fits the template. But in this book, she takes readers on something of an unexpected detour.
Spoiler alert: She's the only one of the six who doesn't actually make it to the '09 race that Steinberg builds up to, having injured her knee in a training race at Camp Pendleton.
Tucker-Georges is almost tuckered out, constantly full of determination butting heads with anxiety, using self-effacing humor and colorful language to keep her head up. But she's definitely wired to keep trying.
To date, Tucker-Georges has had five knee surgeries, including tearing both ACLs twice. It's caused her once to lament on her blog (http://penelopespitstops.blogspot.com): "I feel like I really picked a bad sport to fall in love with."
She explained: "I'm a mess. My body, I feel, keeps failing me. I'm one step away from knee replacement. This has been a constant fight with my body, and I'm really trying to find ways around it, because I want to continue this. Even if I have to come to grips with the fact I may never run again - if I have to walk the marathon, then I will. I won't quit."
Tucker-Georges' internal tug-o-war resonates with those who've even briefly contemplated an attempt at such a body-battering gauntlet, one that's far more simple survival than trying to finish first in the field.
Why would she keep beating herself up over this?
In another blog entry, included in the book, she writes:
"I get worried that I am just a 44 year old, plain suburban mother, married with two teenaged girls, who averages 15 miles per hour on her bike. Seriously, are there not hundreds of thousands of people like me trying to get by in life and train for an Ironman, too? This is where the insecurity lies: that I am a nobody! Average Jane! Who would be inspired by me and my training for an Ironman?
Then, she answers her own question:
"Perhaps other Average Janes or Joes. Perhaps some of the people I work with who think it's 'insane,' but who have a certain respect for me knowing what I am doing. Or maybe my dauther's friends who think I am 'awesome.' Maybe I just need to accept it: I am signed up, gonna do the training and do my best to kick some Ironman ass! And by 'kick ass,' I mean, get to the finish line with some semblance of a huge smile on my face and try to do the 'running man' down the finish-line chute! My daughters get really embrassed by my dancing when I do it ... so I thought it would be appropriate."
The grind of the journey is as important as the euphoric destination.
She believes very much that she's a product of her zodiac sign: A strong-willed Scorpio who is extremely passionate, not afraid to try something if it helps her learn more about herself.
"It's crazy, it's insane, I know," she said. "I know my doctor would say it's not what I'm supposed to be doing. But that's what I want to do."
The more she's traveled in the last few months, some of it on tour for the book, another trip last month to Kona, Hawaii to witness firsthand the Ironman World Championship, the more she realizes that her story makes an impression.
"I don't take complements well," admitted Tucker-Georges, who did the 2006 L.A. Marathon and frequently trains with triathlons. "But it is neat to hear people say they're inspired. One of my co-workers did her first 10K after it, and she told me that I was her inspiration.
"It doesn't have to be an Ironman. Just get out there and do it. It's awesome."
What's in today's media column (linked here): How Ian Darke has made it over to L.A. from his home in London in one piece in time to call Sunday's MLS Cup from Home Depot Center in Carson. It won't be easy.
What it doesn't include: More from Darke (his age? reported to be in his mid 50s) on other aspects of soccer, thinking globally and acting locally in this case:
Q: Is it true that before the Galaxy games you've recently done in the last couple of weeks, the only other MLS game you'd called was last season's final in Toronto?
A: Yes. I do follow it, but tend to watch on a week-by-week basis and know I'll have to get involved in the playoff stage. My main beat is the Premiere League, and it's a bit different. But it's my priority. You can only keep on top of it so far doing it that way. You really need to watch it to soak in all the kind of infomation you want. I think you can't be everywhere and do everything.
The MLS that I see isn't live, but I catch up with it on the website. The playoff games are shown here on ESPN UK, so it's got a lot more publicity in England, with Robbie Keene and the David Beckham angle. I'd not be surprised to see two or three football writers go to this (MLS Cup) game. And if we're honest, it's because of Beckham and what his future is, the fact he's such a big name. You put his name in the paper and it sells and sells, but that's the hook. This game is far more interesting to them than say Colorado and Dallas last year. One problem was that it was in Toronto, thousands of miles from the fans of either team, and very cold. There's no denying it had a slightly subdued feeling. This, however, should be a great atmostphere.
Q: What encourages you about how American audiences have started to pick up finally on soccer as a TV sport?
Continue reading Weekly media column version 11.18.11.
Clayton Kershaw's winning the National League Cy Young Award today -- he had 27 first, three second and two third place votes among the 32 total -- has its benefits.
Within minutes of the official announcement this morning, two other press releases were issued:
== Regal Books, a Christian-based publisher in Ventura, announced the release of "Arise: Live Out Your Faith and Dreams on Whatever Field You Field Yourself," which Kershaw co-authored with his wife, Ellen, set to be released in January, 2012 after the two return from a trip to Zambia to break new ground on a children's home. This is related to the Kershaw's Challenge (www.kershawschallenge.org) where he gives $100 for ever batter he struck out in 2011 to build the new home in Zambia, working with the charity Arise Africa (www.ariseafrica.org). Amazon.com is already taking pre-orders at $17.99 (linked here).
== Legends Memorabilia Collection signed Kershaw to an "exclusive memorabilia arrangement." LMC is the memorabilia division of Major League Alumni Marketing (MLAM), the for-profit subsidiary of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA).
The Associated Press
DOVER, Del. -- Attorneys for Fox Sports are asking a Delaware bankruptcy judge to delay consideration of the Dodgers' plan to sell media rights to future games.
Fox's request to delay a Nov. 30 hearing on the media rights motion is the latest salvo in its battle with the Dodgers.
Fox says the planned media rights sale violates an existing contract giving Fox television rights through 2013 and priority in negotiating a contract for games starting in 2014.
The Dodgers are refusing to postpone the Nov. 30 hearing, accusing Fox of trying to interfere with efforts to sell the team and its assets so that it can emerge from bankruptcy.
Fox attorneys, meanwhile, say they will file a motion by the end of the month to have the bankruptcy case dismissed.
Two crazy kids -- 28 and 30 years old actually -- with flat-rimmed baseball caps, cargo shorts and scraped elbows are going to bring 2012 in with a bang.
Especially if they crash.
The Santa Monica-based Red Bull power drink/lighter fluid company announced today that both Levi LaVelle and Robbie Maddison will be leaping across water in San Diego, attempting to break distance records on a snowmobile and motorcycle. They will do it simultaneously.
ESPN covers it on Dec. 31 at about 8 p.m., so they do it in time for the East Coast new year to arrive.
They couldn't find an aircraft carrier that could be part of it all?
LaVallee, a 28-year-old from Longville, Minn., crashed while training to do this a year ago, but they've said he's fully recovered. He has the record leap on a snowmobile at 361 feet.
Maddison, a 30-year-old Australian native living in Temecula now, jumped his motorcycle 322 feet in Las Vegas in 2007, and then jumped off the 96-foot tall Arc De Triomphe at the Paris hotel in Las Vegas in 2008. Maddison will shoot for about 400 feet, to break the current mark of 391 feet.
Both gentlemen will start their engines going from the north end to the south end of Embarcadero Marina Park near downtown San Diego.
"I am so pumped to be able to come back," said LaVallee. "Last year obviously didn't go the way I was hoping, and I am excited to have another chance at this amazing opportunity."
"Jumping long distances is a passion of mine, and I'm excited to come back for New Years Eve and sail over San Diego Harbor," said Maddison. "400 feet is my goal. It's not all about getting the world record to me, it's more about understanding this feat and the commitment ahead to achieving what most would consider an impossible jump."
Previous Red Bull New Year's Eve stunts included a Rhys Millen backflip in an off-road truck and just missed sticking the landing in Santa Monica. In 2009, Travis Pastrana jumped his rally car 269 feet over water, landing on a barge in Long Beach's Rainbow Harbor.
Frank McCourt filed a lawsuit today against Fox, the cable company that once offered him a 17-year, $3 billion TV rights extension, asking for a injunction or temporary restraining order to prevent it from blocking the bankruptcy court sale of the Dodgers.
Fox has tried to prevent McCourt from opening the bidding on the team's media rights since it has contractual guarantees that take it through the 2013 season, with new negotiations available after November of 2012. A federal judge is scheduled to hold a Nov. 30 hearing on the motions.
A statement released by Fox today said: "This is just the latest chapter in the current owner's ongoing scheme to avoid honoring his contractual obligations. The full truth of this unfortunate situation will soon become apparent to all."
McCourt reached a settlement agreement on Nov 2 with Major League Baseball that allows him to control the sale of the team and get it out of bankruptcy, as long as the MLB approves the new owners.
Fox sued the Dodgers in late September after McCourt asked the bankruptcy judge to authorize an auction for the media rights as part of the team's reorganization.
Heidi Watney has been turning heads and sparking rumors for awhile in Boston.
Soon, she'll be showing off for Laker showtime.
Part of NESN's coverage of the Boston Red Sox coverage since '08, Watney will join the Time Warner Cable's Lakers coverage starting in the 2012-13 season, according several Boston-based bloggers who are crying in their clam chowder (linked here).
We're told she's a San Diego native and former runner-up for Miss California (linked here and linked here). And she can be so hypnotic, even ESPN's Erin Andrews has been captured checking her out:
Key college football TV games in L.A. for Week 12 (all games Saturday unless deoted by an asterisk):
== USC at Oregon: 5 p.m., Channel 7, with Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit and Erin Andrews
== UCLA vs. Colorado: Rose Bowl, 4:30 p.m., Versus, with Ted Robinson, Glenn Parker and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila
== Cal at Stanford: 7:15 p.m, ESPN, with Carter Blackburn and Brock Huard
== Arizona at Arizona State: 7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona with Tim Leander, Adam Archuleta and John Fina
== Washington at Oregon State: 13:30 p.m., FCS Pacific with Tom Glasgow, Steve Preece and Jason Stiles
== Utah at Washington State: 2 p.m., FCS Atlantic with Steve Brown, Mike Norseth and David Locke
== *North Carolina at Virginia Tech: Thursday, 5 p.m., ESPN, with Rece Davis, Craig James, Jesse Palmer and Jenn Brown
== *Oklahoma State at Iowa State: Friday, 5 p.m., ESPN with Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore
== Penn State at Ohio State: 12:30 p.m., Channel 7, with Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe
== Nebraska at Michigan: 9 a.m., ESPN, with Dave Pasch, Chris Spielman, Urban Meyer and Quint Kessenich
== Wisconsin at Illinois: 9 a.m., ESPN2 with Beth Mowins and Mike Bellotti
== Indiana at Michigan State: 9 a.m., Big Ten Network, with Eric Collins and Chris Martin
== Iowa at Purdue: 9 a.m., Big Ten Network with Tom Hart and Derek Rackley
== Minnesota at Northwestern: 9 a.m., Big Ten Network, with Wayne Larrivee and Glen Mason
== Mississippi State at Arkansas: 12:30 p.m., Channel 2 with Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson
== LSU at Mississippi: 4 p.m., ESPN with Bob Wischusen and Bob Davie
== SMU at Houston: 12:30 p.m., Prime Ticket with Bill Land, Gary Reasons and Emily Jones (ESPN "College GameDay" will be there at 6 a.m. on ESPNU, 7 a.m. on ESPN).
== Kansas State at Texas: 5 p.m., FX with Gus Johnson, Charles Davis and Tim Brewster
== Harvard at Yale: 9 a.m., Versus with Randy Moss, Ross Tucker and Carolyn Manno
== Boston College at Notre Dame: 1 p.m., Channel 4 with Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock and Alex Flanagan
== Boise State at San Diego State: 5 p.m. CBS Sports Network with James Bates, Aaron Taylor and Brooke Collins
The NFL TV games in L.A. for Week 11 (all games Sunday unless deoted by an asterisk):
== *5:30 p.m., Thursday, NFL Network: N.Y. Jets at Denver, with Brad Nessler and Mike Maylock
== 10 a.m., Channel 2: Oakland at Minnesota, with Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots, instead of Cincinnati-Baltimore, Buffalo-Miami and Jacksonville-Cleveland.
== 10 a.m., Channel 11: Tampa Bay at Green Bay with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman (instead of Dallas-Washington and Carolina-Detroit)
== 1:15 p.m., Channel 2: San Diego at Chicago, with Jim Nantz and Phil Simms (instead of Tennessee-Atlanta. Fox also has Arizona-San Francisco and Seattle-St. Louis in this window not airing)
== 5:15 p.m., Channel 4: Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants, with Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
Time Warner has locked up a substantial local TV rights deal with the Galaxy that will run 10 years at $5.5 million per season, making the MLS team the second franchise in L.A. to go with the upstart cable company's business plan to compete with Fox Sports for area teams broadcasting deals.
TWC is planning to funnel Galaxy games on its English/Spanish cable channel that it will kick start with the Lakers later in 2012.
Fox declined to match the TWC offer only because of the enormous prices that TWC decided to pay -- about $289,000 per game. That's almost as much as Fox Sports was paying per season for the Galaxy, carrying 19 games.
One industry insider said it would be impossible for TWC to recoup these rights fees with only advertiser dollars, which means it more than likely will pass on the costs to those cable viewers who eventually have the TWC channels on their systems. No carriage deals have been announced.
The new TWC-Galaxy deal is even more expensive than the deal NBC has a three-year, $30 million package coming up that will have the current Versus channel take most of the action.
The official announcement of the TWC-Galaxy deal should come later this week, prior to the Galaxy's appearance in Sunday's MLS Cup game at Home Depot Center against Houston. ESPN is covering that game.
Next on TWC's radar -- the Dodgers, whose current deal with Fox's Prime Ticket runs through 2013.
The last issue of Playboy we actually purchased? Can't recall.
It could have been Leeann Tweeden on the cover back in '96.
The issue of her on the cover of the Dec., 2011 issue was tucked under L.A. Magazine, and on top of a USA Today when we took it to the counter at Barnes & Noble and had the elderly (mature) woman clerk ring it up for us.
We've tried to keep abreast of her career since her time as a sports person in the "Best Damn Sports Show Period" mode of Fox Sports Net some years ago. We met up with her once in Las Vegas to do a story about the new Poker Dome that was built just for televised poker. We didn't realize she'd been hosting NBC's "Poker After Dark" show, because we hadn't watched it.
She's no stranger to men's magazine covers (linked here). According to her Facebook page, she's got her own lingerie store -- with her modeling the merchandise (linked here).
She at one time dated Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett, about eight years younger than him, and bragged about their sex life in an issue of FHM magazine. That pretty much ended it. She also dated Dale Earnhardt Jr.
According to WikiAnswers, she married an Air Force C130 pilot on the Fourth of July in 2010.
What we learned about her in the new Playboy?
1) Sand seems to stick to her chest.
2) Back in '96 when she was on the Playboy cover for an Olympic-themed issue, she didn't do a nude pictorial because she was "prudish." Now she's ready to "shake things up." Except not allowing the camera to shoot much from below the belt.
3) The feature on Herschel Walker as an MMA fighter is a good read.
4) Playboy costs $6.99 now? Jeez.
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Kobe Bryant made it to a news conference after a meeting of the players' union in New York this morning, after the NBA players rejected the league's latest offer and have begun the process to disband the union.
==Does Monday's players vote guarantee there'll be no NBA games this season?
Not exactly. While David Stern won't be confused with Alex Trebek in saying the season is "in jeopardy," he specifically means that the window for a Dec. 15 start with a 72-game slate is gone. Back when the 1998-99 labor issue labored past Christmas and lasted 191 days, they were able to get a 50-game season played in early February, one month after the decision was reached. How long of a season would you accept?
== Did the NBA players even vote on this latest proposal?
Nope, just the player reps of each of the 30 teams voted to reject the owners' latest proposal. Had all 450 players voted, the deal could have been ratified, some predicted.
== When do players start losing paychecks?
Tuesday is the first scheduled payment of the season.
== What's the sticking point in all this again?
How to divide $4 billion in revenue. The owners want a 50-50 split. The players, who used to get 57 percent, are demanding at least 52 percent this time, claiming the owners' proposal takes $280 million a year away from them. The owners have threatened to reduce their offer from 50 to 47 in the next session.
== Is this playing out like the recent NFL lockout?
The NBA's lockout hit day 137 on Monday; the NFL's went 136 days. However, this is more like the 2004-05 NHL labor clash - which led to the entire season being cancelled. They waited until February, '05 before pulling the plus, and the players ultimately agreed to a deal far less in their favor when it was all done that July.
== What happens next?
The two sides may still talk, but the ball appears to be in the judges' courts rather than on the hardwood courts. The league filed unfair labor practices charges and started litigation in federal court, claiming the players aren't bargaining in "good faith." The players say they're going to file a class action suit against the league as well as an anti-trust suit, claiming their monopoly is preventing them from being employed as they're locked out. Meanwhile, check local listings for college games in your area.
The Pac-12 sent out a release today laying out its tie-breaking proceedures -- and making it known that, in fact, UCLA will "control its own destiny."
But really, does anyone really have that power?
The Pac-12 north is pretty straight forward: Either Oregon or Stanford will host the conference title game. Oregon just has to win one of its last two, either against USC this Saturday or Oregon State later. Stanford can only win this division if it beats Cal on Saturday and Oregon loses its last two.
In the South, if UCLA wins its last two games against Colorado and USC, it makes it in. Incredibly.
If the Bruins win one and lose one, they could still be there -- if ASU and Utah lose one more game in its last two.
Ridiculously, UCLA could also lose its last two and be the representative if ASU and Utah also lose their last two. UCLA owns the tie-breaker with ASU.
ASU wins the South if it wins its last two and UCLA loses one of its last two. If ASU wins one of its last two, it advances if UCLA loses both its two games. ASU has a tie breaker against Utah.
Utah could just as easily advance by winning its last two -- against Washington State and Colorado -- while ASU and UCLA finish the season with a loss during their final two games. Utah holds a tie breaker over UCLA.
UPDATED TUESDAY 11.15.11:
Highlights of the week ahead in sports, both here and afar:
THIS WEEK'S BEST BET
Soccer: MLS Cup: Galaxy vs. Houston, Home Depot Center, Sunday at 6 p.m., ESPN:
Where in the world is the Phillip F. Anschutz MLS Cup Trophy? Not yet the Galaxy's possession. Before the week's over, it'll have been dragged by former Galaxy stars Alexi Lalas and Mauricio Cienfuegos for display at the Santa Monica pier, over to a couple of tire stores in Long Beach and Norwalk, at a sporting goods store in El Segundo, and then dodging soccer moms at shopping malls in Woodland Hills, Century City, Arcadia and Santa Ana. It eventually parks itself in Carson, handed over to the team deemed to be the American Champions of Professional Kickball. For the fourth time in the last nine seasons, the award named after reclusive man from Denver will be handed out at the stadium he owns to one of the teams he owns. How's that for an episode of "Modern Family?"
But even more of a DNA consequence: Will David Beckham's family tell him this is his last game in L.A.? He's been said to be interested in playing for the French club Paris St. Germain. Or some other English teams. Where are his loyalties? "Right now I don't know what I am going to do at the end of the season because physically I need to see how I am," he said. "Obviously there is a few things to look at. Is my family happy? Which they are. In the five years we have had great experiences as a family. Everyone has treated us so unbelievably well, but physically I still need to see where I am at the end of the season. Then I will decide." He made more than $6 million a year here, so it couldn't have been that painful. He also appeared in an MLS career-best 26 of the Galaxy's 34 regular season games, scoring twice and adding 15 assists (seven of the game-winners). If anything, he'll share the spotlight for this one with Landon Donovan, MLS defender of the year Omar Gonzalez and MLS Best IX pick Todd Dunivant as the Galaxy take on the Dynamos' team led by midfielder Brad Davis. The Galaxy hasn't lost a game all year at Home Depot Center, which includes a 1-0 win over Houston on May 25 (a penalty kick goal by Donovan; Beckham wasn't there). Houston clinched second place in the East with a 3-1 win over the reserve-filled Galaxy in their season finale on Oct. 23, as Galaxy coach Bruce Arenas was resting players for the upcoming postseason.
MONDAY
College basketball: USC vs. Nebraska, Galen Center, 7:30 p.m., Prime:
Maurice Jones proved to be the go-to guy for USC in their opener against Cal State Northridge, scoring eight of the team's final 12 points in a seven-point home win. USC lost to Nebraska last year by a basket having once led by 20 points.
NFL: Minnesota at Green Bay, 5:30 p.m., ESPN:
The 8-0 Packers toppled the Vikings, 33-27, just two weeks ago in Minneapolis, which is right around their NFL-high 34.4 points per game average this season They've won 14 in a row going back to the postseason (and including the Super Bowl title) and 10 in a row at home. The Vikings (2-6) are actually coming off a victory over Carolina.
TUESDAY
College basketball: UCLA vs. Middle Tennessee State, L.A. Sports Arena, 8 p.m., Prime:
Bring on the hula girls and the beach umbrellas: This is the opening game of the Maui Invitational before the Bruins actually fly off to the islands. Maybe they'll ware down the Blue Raiders with the Ware twins better than what happened in their opening loss to Loyola Marymount -- which lost to MTS on Sunday.
College basketball: Duke vs. Michigan State, 4 p.m., and Kansas vs. Kentucky, 6 p.m., ESPN:
The State Farm Champions Classic in New York brings in four marquee names, without forcing them to play on the deck of an aircraft carrier. This is actually part of the ESPN annual 24 hours of hoops live coverage, where 19 men's and two women's games are carried on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3. It starts at 9 p.m. Monday (Washington State at Gonzaga, ESPN) and ends with a NIT Season Tip-Off game from Stanford (tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPNU). Also included in this mess: Cal State Northridge at Hawaii, 1 a.m., ESPN; San Diego State at Baylor, 11 a.m., ESPN; and Long Beach State at Pitt, 4 p.m., ESPN3.
WEDNESDAY
NHL: Kings vs. Ducks, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW:
Fast facts about the first Freeway Face-off of the season: The Ducks have won the last three in a row, four of the six and hold a 46-45-11 edge since '93-94. After this, they go to Anaheim on Thursday (7 p.m., FSW, Prime). Another fact of life: Current King and former Duck Dustin Penner will miss this with an injury.
Golf: President's Cup, first day, 6 p.m., Golf Channel:
If Fred Couples did the right thing and invited Tiger Woods to be part of the U.S. team for this once-every-two-year event, we should find out early. Meaning, while it's Thursday in Australia at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club, it'll still be Wednesday night here when the first day's events take place.
Golf Channel's Brandel Chamblee said the controversy around Woods' selection is only a slice of what makes this feel like a heavyweight championship fight. "When you step back and look at this Presidents Cup -- the controversy surrounding Tiger's pick; (international captain Greg) Norman's comments about that pick; Freddie's rebuttal to Norman's comments; the fact that Tiger Woods has stolen Dustin Johnson's caddie and fired his or he defected to Adam Scott and then the terrible racist comments of Stevie Williams and the potential pairing and the site of the only U.S. loss .... it's almost like Don King has been hired to promote this thing." The U.S. Team retained the Cup during the last go-around in San Francisco in '09, winning 19-1/2 to 14-1/2. The Americas hold a 6-1-1 dominance in the event -- but the International Team's lone victory came in 1998 when it was back at Royal Melbourne. Golf Channel goes live Thursday (4:30-to-11 p.m.), Friday (noon to 11 p.m.) and Saturday (3:30-to-9:30 p.m.), while NBC comes back with delayed coverage on the weekend (8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday; noon to 6 p.m., Sunday) as an alternative to football. aturday (3:30 to 9:30 p.m.). NBC jumps in with delayed coverage on the weekend
THURSDAY
NFL: N.Y. Jets at Denver, 5:20 p.m., NFL Network:
An extremely short week for the Jets, coming off their Sunday nighter against New England and then having to head West on the Tebow Express. So expect the excuses to come early and frequent.
College basketball: USC at San Diego State, 7 p.m., Mountain West Sports Network:
These Aztecs probably have better post-season potential than these Trojans.
FRIDAY
High school football: CIF Southern Section first-round game: Lakewood at San Clemente, 7:30 p.m., FSW:
The prep post-season starts. The FoxSportsWest.com website also will stream Huntington Beach vs. Loyola, St. John Bosco vs. Alemany, Yucaipa vs. J.W. North and Palmdale vs. Canyon at 7:30 p.m.
College football: Oklahoma State at Iowa State, 5 p.m., ESPN:
You roll up 66 points and win by 60 against Texas Tech, and the computers will give the advantage to the BCS No. 2 Cowboys.
SATURDAY
College football: USC at Oregon, 5 p.m., Channel 7:
Who made the rule that USC can't play in the Pac-12 title game? You mean if Oregon wins out in the Pac-12 North, and USC squeezes out the best record in the Pac-12 South, instead of a rematch of this game, it's possible that a Utah team that finished .500 in conference will be the only one eligible to face the Ducks?
College football: UCLA vs. Colorado, Rose Bowl, 4:30 p.m., Versus:
No snow predicted for Pasadena in the extended weather forecast. It would probably favor the Buffaloes anyway, who finally won a conference game last week against Arizona. A team that the Bruins, of course, was once embarrassed against.
College football: Cal at Stanford, 5 p.m., Channel 7; 7:30 p.m., ESPN; Arizona at Arizona State, 7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona; Harvard at Yale, 9 a.m., Versus; Boston College at Notre Dame, 1 p.m., Channel 4; Boise State at San Diego State, 5 p.m., CBS Sports Network:
A weekend of games that rivals nothing else in the game.
NHL: Kings vs. Detroit, Staples Center, 1 p.m., FSW:
The Red Wings, fourth in the league in goals against average at 2.2 a game, won four in a row coming into this week, but they're 2-3 on the road so far.
College basketball: USC vs. Cal Poly, Galen Center, 1 p.m.:
The opening game of the Las Vegas Invitational is here (as is the next one against Mongan State next week) until they actually go to Vegas to play Vegas.
SUNDAY
NASCAR: Ford 400 Sprint Cup, Chase for the Cup: noon, ESPN
The finale at Homestead, Fla., outside Miami, officially marks the end of Jimmie Johnson's five-year reign as the Sprint Cup champion. By the way, does Kyle Busch have a shot at the title? He should.
NFL: Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants, 5:20 p.m., Channel 4; San Diego at Chicago, 1:15 p.m., Channel 2:
The Chargers can't afford a repeat performance from their game last week against Oakland. Nor can the 3-6 Eagles. "Just because they have a bunch of Pro Bowlers doesn't guarantee success," NFL on Fox analyst Jimmy Johnson said before Sunday's 21-17 loss to St. Louis. "You've got to have good players that don't make mistakes. Philadelphia will probably win big today and they'll probably win about eight games. However, Philadelphia for the playoffs, I'm sticking a fork in them! They're not going to make the playoffs." Heck, they didn't even make Johnson's prediction right.
Between the second and third period of the Kings' last telecast on Saturday night against Minnesota, congressman Brad Sherman from the Sherman Oaks presented Kings analyst Jim Fox with a surprise to celebrate his recent achievement of obtaining U.S. citizenship:
It must have been a scene somehow cut from "Pride of the Yankees."
Lou Gehrig, in what would be his last spring training with the New York Yankees, is playing in a game against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Norfolk, Va.
His muscles are weakening. He can't keep his balance. But somehow, he hits two home runs in the game, the second of which just clears the short right-field fence.
As Gehrig arrives at home plate, the Yankees batboy named Timmy hands him the Louisville Slugger that he just used.
Gehrig carries into the dugout, looks around, and without much ceremony, gives it to 12-year-old Bing Russell.
Gehrig retired eight games into the regular season at age 36, and died two years later.
That bat was something Russell cherished forever. It became a family heirloom amidst a generational clan that would include his son, actor Kurt Russell, and his grandson, big-league player Matt Franco.
And now it's up for auction.
Estimates by SCP Auction, which is handling the sale that ends Nov. 19, put the value north of a half million dollars.
It should be priceless.
The story behind it sure is.
Bing Russell grew up hanging around the New York Yankees' spring training camp in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., in the 1930s and '40s because his dad ran a float plane service nearby.
He told the tale of how he and some other kids were fighting over a foul ball once, and Yankees pitcher Lefty Gomez admired Bing's spunk. He picked Bing up out of the scuffle, grabbed him by the collar and said, "Kid, you'll never have to fight for a ball for the rest of your life."
Bing somehow became a Yankees' mascot for the next eight years. Gomez and Joe DiMaggio befriended him the most, maybe because Bing's primary job was to smuggle peanuts and hot dogs to the Yankees players in defiance of manager Joe McCarthy's rules against having food in the dugout.
Flash forward a decade or two.
After Bing's attempt at a baseball career ended with an injury, he turned to acting. He moved his young family to Thousand Oaks, and landed roles in dozens of TV and movies in a 40-year career, projects such as "Rio Bravo" and "The Magnificent Seven," as well as "Gunsmoke" and "Bonanza."
Baseball never left him. His son, Kurt, while launching his own acting career with a Disney contract, played for the Thousand Oaks Little League, which Bing helped start.
Bing even bought the independent Single-A Portland Mavericks, while Kurt's minor-league career ended in Double-A.
From Kurt's older sister, Jill Franco, came Matt, who starred at Westlake High and would play for the Cubs, Mets and Braves as a utility specialist - eight years in the bigs ('95 to '03), plus three more years in Japan.
But prior to that, during Matt's minor-league tour, Bing was always nearby.
"He'd bring my grandma and they'd get an apartment where ever I was playing, follow the buses, drive hundreds of thousands of miles, and didn't miss a game from my second year all the way through Triple A," Franco remembered the other day. "If I played 1,500 games in the minors, they probably saw 1,400.
"Finally when I got to the big leagues, they said they could see the games better on TV."
That Gehrig bat sat in Bing's closet, then in an umbrella stand. Franco would visit "Pops" and pick up the Gehrig stick, marveling at its size. His mom ended up with the prized possession after Bing decided one day to divvy up some of his belongings. He died in 2003.
The stories that Bing used to tell his family about his days with the Yankees haven't died. They're being retold now that the bat's out there.
"He had hundreds of stories, and we could have heard them a thousand times," said Franco, living these days in Simi Valley with his wife and two small kids. "He could hold court. Baseball was his pride and joy."
Now it's time, Jill Franco decided, with the blessing of Kurt and Matt, to put the Gehrig bat in a safer place.
"Once we realized what it was worth, and finding out that the collectors who buy these kinds of things know how to display them and protect them, we felt comfortable to go ahead and auction it," Franco said.
And with it, tell the story all over again about Bing Russell.
"It's really cool, isn't it?" Franco said of the story. "Unbelievable."
He said it.
More:
== The SCP Auction site with the Gehrig bat sale update: Lot 620 (linked here)
== Two more Bing Russell bats are part of this auction as well: One that belonged to Joe DiMaggio and is signed by the 1941 Yankees: Lot 621 (linked here), and another owned by Babe Dalghren, who replaced Gehrig at first base with the Yankees in 1939: Lot 622 (linked here).
== Bing Russell's Internet Movie Data Base entry (linked here)
== Kurt Russell's Internet Movie Data Base entry (linked here)
== Matt Franco's big-league career (linked here)
We've been waiting for this moment since the beginning of dawn.
Maybe even longer. Before Stonehedge was even built.
At least, since the early '80s.
Any loyal follower of the painfully loud heavy metal group Spinal Tap will tell you this was designated Nigel Tufnel Day long before it was of any value to the rest of society. Read this piece in today's Guardian (linked here) for more background on all you need to get you though this important day in our existence.
We needed that "extra push over the cliff" today in cranking out the weekly media offering (linked here), which focuses on Larry Kahn's 10th season of NFL games on his own Sports USA radio network -- next year, he gets it to 11 -- plus media coverage of the Joe Paterno caper, and more on the Fox-UFC deal with the devil being carried out Saturday.
What's not included in today's media column: A Wall Street Journal blog post that somehow finds a way to link Paterno, Vin Scully and Hugh Hefner in the same chart (linked here). Connect the liver spots.
And Daniel Tosh take on "Tebowing" from his "Tosh.O" show this week (please don't watch it with anyone from work, or younger than 16 in the vicinity):
Tosh.0
Get More: Tosh.0 Videos,Daniel Tosh,Web Redemption
Larry Kahn, center, and son Brandon, left, are in the booth with analyst Dan Fouts prior to a Sports USA radio NFL broadcast in Seattle.
There's something to be said about the Sports USA syndicated radio network carrying its 300th NFL game this Sunday.
We'll let the company's founder and lead play-by-play man, Larry Kahn, say it himself.
"It's pretty amazing, considering where we started . . . really, pretty amazing," Kahn allowed himself to admit from his Simi Valley office and studios this week.
"Honestly, I never was looking past my next game when I first started, let alone two years or five years or 10 years down the road. That's crazy to look that far. We got into this at the right time. I always felt I could compete with anyone. The key is just keeping it quality first and foremost."
Here's a case where David has not only caught Goliath from behind, but he's been standing toe-to-toe, calling him for the last few years.
In its 10th season of NFL games, Sports USA has become the largest independent syndicator of live sports play-by-play in the country, the main competitor of syndicated radio broadcasts to the giant Westwood One (now Dial Global). Twice, Sports USA was nearly granted the league's prime-time, post-season and Super Bowl package.
The volatile business of corporate ownership and constant downsizing doesn't often see these kind of entrepreneurial success stories stay on the radar.
When the 56-year-old Kahn decided to start his own Pacific West Radio Sports network out of his Simi Valley home in 1998, the primary focus was college football games. Kahn was just a couple of years removed from his first real business venture - buying the rights to carry USC football, basketball and baseball games in the mid '90s, and then broadcasting the events himself.
That alone was quite a leap for the L.A. native from Fairfax High who grew up on the broadcast side of the business, spending much of his earlier sports radio days in L.A. covering the Dodgers and Angels for the old KMPC-AM (710) and as an anchor at KNX-AM (1070).
"I think we've all been in that position in our jobs - If I was in charge, I'd do it this way," Kahn said. "I had to find out if I could do it, through the trials and tribulations, taking a deep breath, not over reacting, taking it a step at a time."
His dream job since he was 3, he says, was to do play-by-play.
But now he been calling his shots as a businessman, taking the financial risk upon himself, figuring out how to set up a network, create a sales department and take meetings.
The renamed Sports USA network in 2002 ventured into carrying nine NFL games in the second half of the season on a trial bases for about 25 affiliates. It must have worked. Today, there are more than 300 stations carrying his games, including WFAN in New York, WEEI in Boston and KNBR in San Francisco.
Kahn has maintained a weekly Saturday college games to go with two NFL Sunday games, all with a staff of six full-time employees and about 50 part time that include game broadcasters such as former USC coach John Robinson, Dan Fouts and Gary Barnett and studio anchors Brian Golden and Ted Sobel.
"Look at how many businesses seem to fail in California these days, and the state's economy is falling off the cliff, but here's a friend of mine for more than 30 years who I can't be more proud for all the success he's had with this," said Golden, a longtime sports columnist at the Antelope Valley Press in Palmdale. "I feel as much joy for him as a friend as I do looking at him as a boss."
Two months ago, Kahn ventured off onto a new idea, creating a new syndicated show for Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, many of which are available on the website (www.sportsusaradio.com). He's also aligned with Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com for pregame information.
But Kahn, who will call Sunday's Baltimore-Seattle contest with Robinson and Troy West for the network, heard locally on KABC-AM (790), is in no rush to grow beyond his means and create a debt situation that he can't afford to maintain.
"It's always been a family thing here," said Kahn, whose wife Nanci is the company's payroll and travel coordinator and son Brandon gets to make a few road trips on the weekends. "We do things you can't do in corporate America. We're in the business of having fun.
"But being here this long, to me - there's no business model, it's just a lot of common sense. Companies that over-expand lose their focus. And I know we're really good at what we do right now. We do it better than anyone else.
"Did I ever expect all of this? No, but it's worked. As a broadcaster and a businessman, I'm always trying to maintain our credibility first. I won't take a fast buck to compromise the broadcast. Quality comes first, and the business end will take care of itself."
Every once and a while, a TV network's sports division will make a deal with the devil.
The deliverance of over-the-top ratings are far too tempting to ignore when pitched by some snake-oil retailers.
Take NBC's leap into bed with Vince McMahon and his grand scheme for the XFL a decade ago. Dick Ebersol, who pulled his network out of NFL negotiations because he thought it was overvalued, thought he had captured the anti-NFL sentiment in a rebellious move. With the talent sub-par, and everything else so over-the-top, no one bought in. It barely lasted a year.
The latest apple offered up for networks to bite into is mixed martial arts.
An activity that recently has been fostered through off-the-beaten-path cable channels, feeding into a pay-per-view audience, continues to surge among younger viewers who have no connection to boxing's history and shorter attention spans.
CBS thought it had an in with a Triple-A MMA organization three years ago, bringing octagonal combat fighting to a Saturday night audience whose graying demographic was more inclined to having a slice of peach cobbler with their "48 Hours Mystery" than a heaping helping of Kimbo Slice trying to make others bleed.
A new tipping point in measuring the public's appetite was reached recently by Fox with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a seven-year, $700 million deal that officially starts in January but will launch loudly with a welcome-mat card from Anaheim's Honda Center on Saturday night.
With it comes some the typical warning signs of a decision that some on the over-the-air TV side may regret down the road. But that's to be ignored at this moment.
The legitimacy and track record of UFC appears to give Fox a fighting chance for a lucrative partnership. That matters most today to the same Fox execs who not so long ago displayed public disgust for the entire barbaric art form.
The fact Fox can promote the heck out of it during mainstream sporting events - there were promos all week during the Kings' NHL telecasts on Fox Sports West, for example, and prior to that, saturating Fox's World Series and NFL coverage - appears to give it more legitimacy. But it also exposes Fox, which plans to have four of these things a year (plus six more annually on FX), if all this breaks badly somewhere down the road.
UFC boss Dana White watched CBS' first attempt at MMA coverage, a live event with shaky production values that went an hour over its allotted window and provided little action, and called it "a (bleeping) joke. . . . Did it set us back? I don't know. (But) what happened last night should not be on (bleeping) television, especially network television."
The inference was that the public should have demanded something more than an inferior product. Better punching. More arm-twisting. Stronger kicks to the groin.
White promises only top-notch action during Saturday's first card, rigidly set to spotlight a heavyweight bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos from 6-to-7 p.m. (and a replay from 9-to-10 p.m.). Fox's FuelTV and its Spanish-language channel with weight-ins and red-carpet specials leading up to and wrapping up the bout, and Fox Radio will also carry it live (on 570-AM).
Fox's Curt Menefee and MMA enthusiast Jay Glazer will be part of the ancillary programming to help soften the blow. Mike Goldberg (of Lingerie Football League fame) and Joe Roggin (of "Fear Factor" fame) will call the UFC bout.
They say it'll end well before a pay-per-view boxing match between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manual Marquez takes place in Las Vegas, for those crossover viewers.
"We are ready for prime time, and we're going to show everybody on Saturday night," White said earlier this week. "Either you like combat sports or you don't. If you like it, watch. If you don't, don't."
Fox Sports chairman David Hill, one of those who publically stated disdain for MMA not to long ago, doesn't expect any chorus of discontent.
"I'm not expecting any backlash whatsoever," he said. "If you look at the popularity of the sport, it's moved from niche to mainstream, which is why we're so pleased we could put this together."
Will viewer discretion be advised?
"Definitely," said Hill. "We'll be advising America not to try this at home."
That's a very nice devil-may-care way of looking at it.
In the recently released book, "Pride of the Lions: The Biography of Joe Paterno" ($24.95, Triumph Books, linked here), author Frank Fitzpatrick goes into depth and detail about the life and times of the Penn State football coach, obviously not knowing he would be fired from the position Wednesday night.
In flipping through the 256-page bio, there are a few things, when looked at in a new context, that could raise some red flags about the way Paterno ran the program, protected his players, and commanded respect for his position of authority.
There is little, if any, insight about his relationship with or the contributions of former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, the focal point of the child abuse allegations that has led to the events over the last couple of days.
But there is the interesting side note, however, about a time when Paterno nearly moved from State College, Pa., to work at USC.
He was working on the staff of head coach Rip Engle, who guided the Nittany Lions football teams from 1950 to 1965. Engle had turned down offers to go to various NFL teams, and Paterno had also decided to stay loyal to Engle at Penn State rather than take other assistant jobs, particularily with the Baltimore, where Weeb Ewbank, Engle's onetime assistant, was the head coach.
On page 88 in "Pride Of the Lions," Fitzpatrick notes:
"In the late 1950s, Paterno had been disappointed when Engle rejected an offer from Southern California.
"Paterno had wanted to go along to Los Angeles. When the head coach polled his eight assistants on how they felt about a possible move there, Paterno was the only one in favor of relocating. Not only was USC a more glamorous name in college sports, but a move to the West Coast would have allowed him to experience a new challenge, a new atmosphere. And from spotlit L.A., he knew, landing a head-coaching job would be a cinch.
"When Engle decided to stay put, (former Penn State assistant J.T.) White recalled, 'Joe was furious.'"
Engle left after a 5-5 season in 1965, at age 60. Paterno replaced him, taking a $20,000 salary, at age 39.
Key college football TV games in L.A. for Week 11 (all games Saturday unless deoted by an asterisk):
== USC vs. Washington: Coliseum, 12:45 p.m., FX, with Gus Johnson, Charles Davis and Tim Brewster
== UCLA at Utah: 3:30 p.m., Prime Ticket, with Bill Macdonald, J.J. Stokes and Chris McGee
== Oregon at Stanford: 5 p.m., Channel 7, with Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Erin Andrews (and ESPN "College GameDay" on the Stanford campus for the first time, 6 a.m.). Note: The kickoff for next Saturday's Oregon-USC game in Eugene, Ore., moves to 7:15 p.m. and is on ESPN if Stanford wins this game; if Oregon wins, the kickoff stays at 5 p.m. and is on Channel 7. If there's a tie, well, they gotta keep playing until someone fumbles.
== Arizona State at Washingtion State: 7:30 p.m., Versus, with Ted Robinson, Glenn Parker and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila
== Oklahoma State at Texas Tech: 9 a.m., Channel 7, with Bob Wischusen and Bob Davie
== *Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech: Thursday at 5 p.m., with Rece Davis, Craig James, Jesse Palmer and Jenn Brown
== TCU at Boise State: 12:30 p.m., Versus, with Paul Burmeister, Shaun King and Anthony Herron
== Rutgers vs. Army at Yankee Stadium: 12:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network, with Gary Thorne and Randy Cross. Former Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand, paralyzed from the neck down during a game more than a year ago, will join the broadcast team as an analyst in the third quarter.
== Notre Dame vs. Maryland at Landover, Md.: 4:30 p.m., Channel 4, with Tom Hammond and Mike Maylock
== Nebraska at Penn State: 9 a.m., ESPN, with Dave Pasch, Chris Spielman, Urban Meyer and Tom Rinaldi (with Meyer being mentioned as an odds-on favorite to be the next Penn State coach)
== Michigan State at Iowa: 9 a.m., ESPN2, with Beth Mowins and Mike Bellotti
== Michigan at Illinois: 12:30 p.m., Channel 7, with Mike Patrick and Craig James
== Florida at South Carolina: 9 a.m., Channel 2, with Tim Brando and Spencer Tillman.
== Auburn at Georgia: 12:30 p.m., Channel 2, with Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson
== Tennessee at Arkansas: 3 p.m., ESPN2, with Mark Jones, Ed Cunningham and Jeannine Edwards
== Alabama at Mississippi State: 4:45 p.m., ESPN, with Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe
== *Houston at Tulane: Thursday, 5 p.m., CBS Sports Network, with Dave Ryan and Doug Chapman
The NFL TV games in L.A. for Week 10 (all games Sunday unless deoted by an asterisk):
== *5:30 p.m., Thursday, NFL Network: Oakland at San Diego, with Brad Nessler and Mike Maylock
== 10 a.m., Channel 2: Buffalo at Dallas, with Jim Nantz and Phil Simms (instead of Pittsburgh-Cincinnati, Houston-Tampa Bay, Tennessee-Carolina, Denver-Kansas City and Jacksonville-Indianapolis)
== 10 a.m., Channel 11: New Orleans at Atlanta, with Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa (instead of Arizona-Philadelphia, Washington-Miami or St. Louis-Cleveland)
== 1 p.m., Channel 11: N.Y. Giants at San Francisco with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman (instead of Detroit-Chicago. CBS also has Baltimore-Seattle in this window)
== 5:15 p.m., Channel 4: New England at N.Y. Jets with Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
Highlights of the week ahead in sports, both here and afar:
THIS WEEK'S BEST BET
Boxing: Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez, Saturday at 6 p.m., pay-per-view ($64.95 HD/$54.95):
It's all over the YouTube: Manny Pacquiao and Jimmy Kimmel singing a duet on "How Deep Is Your Love" for Kimmel's late-night show audience and the TV world last week. This is how pound-for-pound Pacquiao prepares for a big-production fight, by pounding out a Bee Gees tune for those who have trouble sleeping? Yes, because of the karma. That was Pacquaio's fifth appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" prior to a world championship bout, going back to his first U.S. network TV debut two years ago before he KO'd Miguel Cotto to claim the welterweight title. He's won every time he's had the Kimmel mojo.
All in all, since his last bout in May against Shane Mosley (a 12-round unanimous decision), it's been a crazy summer for Pacquiao. Not only did he release another another single -- a cover of Dan Hill's syrupy 1977 ballad, "Sometimes When We Touch," with Hill on it, which reached the Top 10 -- but he also signed endorsement deal to put his face on every bag of broccoli sold by one of the world's largest vegetable distributors (as Kimmel also talked about last week on the show, left). It's a wonder why the lone representative of the Sarangani province in the Philippines even bothers stepping foot into Hollywood's Wild Card Gym with trainer Freddie Roach to defend his WBO welterweight title and put his 53-3-2 record up against Márquez for a third time. "This is our last fight," says Pacquiao, admitting he's insulted by Marquez's insistence that he won their first two fights -- a draw in 2004 and a split decision for Pacquiao in 2008. Marquez even traveled to the Philippines to plead his case to the public, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with: "We Were Robbed." Which was different from the other T-shirts he'd been wearing, proclaiming victory in the two previous meetings.
Pacquiao knocked Marquez down three times in the first round of the first fight, and he floored Marquez once in the rematch, but Marquez rallied both times. "I don't see Manny even touching gloves (with Marquez)," said Alex Ariza, Pacquiao's conditioning guru. "He has a disdain for the guy, and I've never known him to dislike anyone. ... Manny is still a nice guy and everything, but there's something very Third World about him when he wants to be. He can be merciless. I've seen it, and it's been a long time since I've seen that. Usually he lets guys off the hook. He isn't letting anybody off the hook." Ariza said on one of the HBO "24/7" episodes that he doesn't see Marquez making it past the third round. Roach said he doesn't think the fight will go six rounds. Still want to put up the cash? How deep is your love for Manny?
MONDAY
NHL: Kings at San Jose, 7:30 p.m., FSW:
Maybe we go back to Sweden and start over again. A four-game losing skid is on the line in Sharkland. After a 5-1-1 start, the Kings are 1-3-2 in their last six games.
NFL: Chicago at Philadelphia, 5:30 p.m., ESPN:
Eagles tailback LeSean McCoy, who came into Week 9 second in the NFL with 754 yards on 135 carries, leads the league's No. 1 rushing offense (179.9) into this one. But then, the Bears have Matt Forte, who has put up 1,091 yards from scrimmage to lead the league (419 receiving, 672 rushing).
College basketball: 2K Sports Classic: William & Mary at St. John's, 4 p.m., ESPNU; Valparaiso at Arizona, 6 p.m., ESPNU:
The early-season basketball tournament to benefit the Coaches vs. Cancer takes on some extra meaning with St. John's coach Steve Lavin trying to come back from prostate cancer surgery he had on Oct. 6. He'll be watching this game from his home in Manhattan as he continues to recover. In Lavin's absence, the show has been run by top assistant Mike Dunlap, the former Loyola Marymount standout who also played at Pierce College, coached at Cal Lutheran and was a USC and LMU assistant. Rico Hines, who Lavin coached at UCLA, is another key assistant. This tournament continues Wednesday when Lehigh faces St. John's and Duquesne is at Arizona, and then ends with Arizona facing St. John's in New York on Nov. 17.
TUESDAY
NHL: Kings vs. Nashville, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW:
Another sellout? Probably. Last Saturday's 18,118 was the 23rd in a row, going back to last season. The last time the Kings sold out 23 straight regular season games was from Dec. 11, 1993 to March 30, 1994.
World Series of Poker, final table, 6 p.m., ESPN:
It's almost live from Vegas: A 15-minute delay is in place so someone watching doesn't send signals to the final three left at the table. Someday, it'll be completely live. "We'd love to get to that point," said Doug White, ESPN's senior director of programming and acquisitions. "That's a goal we'd love to achieve. Hopefully, one day, we'll get there." Added main playcaller Lon McEachern. "The one problem we'd have is that Norman (Chad, the co-host) who swears like a sailor."
WEDNESDAY
Golf: Emirates Australian Open, first round, 5 p.m., Golf Channel:
A 72-hole event in Sydney is, for some of the field, a tuneup to next week's President's Cup. Will Tiger Woods and Aussie native Adam Scott be in the same pairing? Stevie Williams may not hope so. Other Presidents Cup participants are Dustin Johnson, Nick Watney, Bubba Watson, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Geoff Ogilvy, Bill Haas, David Toms, Jason Day, Robert Allenby, Aaron Baddeley and captains Fred Couples and Greg Norman. Golf Channel has live coverage each day (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) at 5 p.m. until 10 p.m., with a replay the next morning.
College football: Miami (Ohio) at Temple, 5 p.m., ESPN:
Something has to replace NBA coverage.
THURSDAY
NFL: Oakland at San Diego, 5:20 p.m., NFL Network:
The league-supported network launches its first Thursday night game of the season, pitting the AFC West rivals together and affording Carson Palmer's O.C. peeps to come see him in person.
NHL: Kings vs. Vancouver, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW:
The Canucks' hangover from losing last season's Stanley Cup final seems to be lingering longer than they'd figured.
College football: Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech, 5 p.m., ESPN:
Technically, Georgia Tech should have an edge. The Yellow Jackets (7-2, 4-2 ACC) have played an ESPN Thursday night game for 19 consecutive seasons now. They're coming off that 31-17 win over Clemson and are 5-0 at home this season. However, the Hokies (8-1, 4-1) have won 11 in a row on the road.
FRIDAY
College basketball: UCLA vs. Loyola Marymount, L.A. Sports Arena, 7:30 p.m.; USC vs. Cal State Northridge, Galen Center, 8 p.m., USCTrojans.com:
So much for no Lakers or Clippers. The Bruins get a chance to get use to playing home games at the musty dump that the Trojans used to call their home. LMU and CSUN, meanwhile, are happy just to be playing before than a couple hundred.
College basketball: Michigan State vs. North Carolina in San Diego, 4 p.m., ESPN:
On Veteran's Day, here's something you probably never thought you'd see: A basketball game on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego harbor. The No. 1 Tar Heels take on the Spartans in what's called the Carrier Classic, a brainchild of Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis, with former Lakers greats James Worthy and Magic Johnson as the honorary captains for their alma maters. Some 7,000 seats will be arranged on this aircraft carrier, most recently used to ship the body of Osama bin Laden for his burial at sea in North Arabia. Save a seat for President Obama -- he'll be there, along with many servicement. And both teams will wear camoflague uniforms, while North Carolina plans to have the letters "U.S.A." where the player names would normally be above the numbers on the back. Just don't chase that loose ball into the crowd too far. Life preservers optional.
SATURDAY
College football: USC vs. Washington, Coliseum, 12:45 p.m., FX:
We know where running back Chris Polk and quarterback Keith Price are on the field. Scan the bench for Erik Folk? Still eligible? The former Notre Dame High of Sherman Oaks kicker and younger brother of New York Jets kicker Nick Folk has reached his senior season with three years of varsity experience -- and two years experience of crushing the Trojans' spirits. A year ago at the Coliseum, Folk's 32-yard field goal with no time left pushed Washington past USC, 32-31. "I love that stuff, man," Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian, the former top Trojans assistant, said of the drama. In 2009, Folk's 22-yarder with 3 seconds left gave the Huskies the 16-13 win over the No. 3 Trojans and Pete Carroll, who had to use Aaron Corp over the injured freshman Matt Barkley for that one.
College football: UCLA at Utah, 3:30 p.m., Prime Ticket:
Utes offensive coordinator Norm Chow could still be on the UCLA payroll. The man who UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel once allowed to call his offensive plays can't take much glee in the in the fact that 5-4 Utah sports just a 2-4 conference mark, but the two wins have come in the last two weeks. UCLA, also 5-4, is on its first two-game win stumble of the season, and somehow has co-leadership in the Pac-12 South, with a crazy shot at getting to the conference championship game against either Oregon or Stanford, depending on ...
College football: Oregon at Stanford, 5 p.m., Channel 7:
Strength of Pac-12 schedule doesn't get much stronger in the BCS rankings system after this one's decided between the Ducks (7-1, 5-0) and Cardinal (9-0, 7-0). USC can't help but watch since the Trojans travel to Eugene, Ore., to face the Ducks next week.
UFC: Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos, Honda Center in Anaheim, 6 p.m.:
And why would anyone schedule a UFC bout up against a Manny Pacquaio fight? To prove there's two different fight fans these days -- one who believes in boxing and will pay for it, and another who'll take a freebie. In the first of Fox's over-the-air UFC telecasts, a heavyweight championship bout with Velasquez defending his title is the best they could do. The two were reportedly slated for the UFC 139 card next week, so maybe it was moved up to help the free TV ratings. One of only three undefeated fighters in the UFC's heavyweight vision, Velasquez is also the first-ever Mexican fighter to win a world heavyweight championship in a combat sport. He's the son of an illegal immigrant who supported his family by picking lettuce, crediting his parents for instilling in him extraordinary work ethic, stamina and will to win at a young age.
SUNDAY
Drag racing: NHRA Auto Club of Southern California finals, Pomona, 4 p.m., ESPN2:
The 2011 season is back to where it started in February to finish off the NHRA's year-long 60th anniversary celebration. May John Force be with you. The qualifying is Saturday (7:30 p.m., ESPN2, delayed).
NASCAR: Kolbalt 500, Avondale, Ariz., noon, ESPN:
One more in the Chase after this one. Finally.
NFL: Detroit at Chicago, 1 p.m., Channel 11:
If the Lions, 4-0 on the road so far and coming off a bye, are really legit, now's the time to prove it.
NFL: New England at N.Y. Jets, 5:20 p.m., Channel 4:
The Patriots already won the first meeting, 30-21, on Oct. 9 in Foxboro, Mass., on the strength of BenJarvis Green-Ellis' career-best 136 yards rushing and two TDs.
All Sports Los Angeles Film Festival organizer Pat Battistini, left, with Pete Rose before the screening of "4192" at the 2010 event in Manhattan Beach.
What's included in this week's offering on the sports media (linked here):
A look at how sports documentaries continue to be a popular choice among film makers when getting a "real" story across to the masses -- particularily, with the third annual All Sports Los Angeles Film Festival coming up Nov. 11-13 in North Hollywood. We also covered with the return of the documentary "Elevate" to a West Hollywood theatre today (showtimes, linked here).
What's not included: The Tuscaloosa News reports that ESPN's "GameDay" is in a day earlier -- Wednesday, instead of Thursday -- to set up all their gear before Saturday's LSU-Alabama game. Which ESPN isn't even covering (it's on CBS, 5 p.m.). "GameDay" producer Lee Fitting says: "This game has taken on a life of its own. It's rare where we come in on a Thursday and do coverage a day, day and a half early. It probably happens one or two times a year, but this was an easy one." "GameDay" co-host Chris Fowler also said the game is "so big we're all in here doing College Football Live and giving it the Super Bowl treatment ... These analysts are so pumped up about this game, we could do a four-hour special." On just the signs alone that'll be over Erin Andrews' shoulder that somehow get through ESPN security, like the one at last week's USC-Stanford carnival that had a penis drawn (not to be confused with the clever lad who spelled "penis" four times using the letters in ESPN).
Alison Riddle, the former USC women's water polo player and L.A. County Lifeguard who racked up a few more titles at the recent national championships, reminds us that her fourth annual Breathe Deep L.A. 3-mile walk kicks off from the Manhattan Beach pier on Saturday at 10 a.m., raising funds for lung cancer reseach.
Proceeds benefit the LUNGevity Foundation, the nation's leading private supporter of lung cancer research. Last year, more than 300 people participated in the walk.
Since losing her then 20-year old sister Adriane eight years ago to lung cancer -- she, too, played water polo, and never smoked -- Riddle has volunteered to raise awareness of the need for lung cancer research. During the day, she works as a pharmaceutical sales rep for the company that manufactured the drug her sister used during her battle with lung cancer.
"Anything I do is obviously inspired by my sister," says Riddle. "My sister's chances of survival would have been greatly increased had we known about it much earlier.
"There's such a negative stigma attached to lung cancer. People assume it always has to do with smoking and it turns into a kind of blaming the victim. I wanted to let people know that the demographics of lung cancer are much different that what they assume."
Check-in/registration will begin at 8:00 a.m. To register or donate, visit www.lungevity.org/losangeles
Sometimes it starts or ends at a San Fernando Valley-centric location. Like, at the Amgen offices in Thousand Oaks, after a jaunt through Agoura Hills.
Or at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Or somewhere in Santa Clarita.
They like to mix things up, those race organizers. Keep it fresh.
This morning, we're told that the host cities for the 2012 Amgen Tour of California will be taking a 750-mile path less traveled from May 13 to 20.
The committee says it reviewed more than 100 city submissions hoping to be named the start, or finish, spot, so if you didn't make the final 13 cut, don't be too bummed out.
"Our goal for the Amgen Tour of California has always been to create a route that not only provides a challenging race for the world's top cyclists, but one that highlights the beauty and diverse terrain that make up the great state of California as well," said Kristin Bachochin, executive director of the Amgen Tour of California.
"Every year we challenge ourselves to raise the bar once again and create a route more challenging than the last, but that's the great thing about planning a race in California, there is so much from which we can choose. From epic climbs to fast and flat stages to rolling hills and thrilling finishes by the sea, California has it all."
That said, Stage 1 will be in Santa Rosa -- hometown of three-time Amgen Tour of California champion Levi Leipheimer.
Stage 2: San Francisco, with the Golden Gate bridge in the background. Nice photo op.
Stage 3: San Jose, which has been part of this thing all six years, to Livermore -- a whole new section of the state we haven't cycled through before.
Stage 4: Sonora, another newbie, with a sprint to Clovis.
Stage 5: A time trial in Bakersfield. They'll be looking at their watches likely wondering when they get to leave Bakersfield.
Stage 6: From Palmdale to Big Bear Lake, with a new climb thrown in there.
Stage 7: Ontario, another new site, all the way to the top of Mt. Baldy. It's 10 miles longer than last year's leg.
Stage 8: The closer will be back at L.A. Live. Party time.
"This race is special because it takes place in one of the most beautiful places in the world - California," said Chris Horner, 2011 Amgen Tour of California champion. "The Host Cities are always so welcoming and the crowds are always great, not to mention, they provide some of the toughest racing terrain around! I'm looking forward to racing in California again and defending my title in 2012."
More info on the AEG-sponsored race: www.amgentourofcalifornia.com
Stanley Stalford Jr., sent out an email this afternoon to anyone who signed up as a member of his OwnTheDodgers.com website.
"Today is a GREAT day to be a Dodger fan, and hopefully, a future owner!" he wrote. "NOW THE FUN BEGINS."
If he can get 2 million shares sold at $500 a pop within the next few weeks, the 47-year-old owner of a boutique real estate development company in Beverly Hills has no doubt he can provide MLB Commissioner Bud Selig with an all-cash, debt-free payment to purchase the Dodgers and move ownership into the brave, new world of citizens dominion.
"Sitting and waiting has been the most frustrating part, but now we're ready, willing and able to get an offer," Stalford said after hearing the news Tuesday night that Frank McCourt had agreed to put the Dodgers up for sale.
Stalford's OwnTheDodgers.com push, along with a Facebook and Twitter presence, emerged six months ago when talk of a public ownership of the team was bounced around in the media.
Stalford recruited some friends and business partners to form the first organizing committee, with him as the chairman. Attorney Robert Burke and CPA Barry Goldstein are among the key members about to facilitate the next step in getting the business model in working order followed by the information on how fans can purchase stock in the company.
Stalford's plan is to have a local bank provide a revolving line of credit and keep it as much L.A.-centric as possible.
He's also got a gameplan on what he'd like to see changed.
"We insure that the great players we already have, we keep for the long term," Stalford said. "We're also going to heavily invest in the farm system. And we're going to embark on a five-year capital improvement of the stadium."
He's also planning a team-owned TV channel where it keeps 100 percent of the ad revenue.
"We need to return to an era of quality over quantity, of customer service and treating everyone to what is the class of Major League Baseball," said Stalford, who shares field-level season seats with some of his friends right behind home plate.
Those currently signed up on OwnTheDodgers.com will be kept apprised on what the next steps are in buying stocks - most likely, Stalford said, involving another website formed with FCC financial disclosure forms.
"I think the only impediment is that people don't think it can happen," Stalford said. "They'll say, 'That's a great idea, it won't happen, but if it does, put me down for five shares.'
"We think that the on the Monday when we put out a full-page ad in all the major newspapers about what we're offering, we'll have the $1 billion by Friday of that week. And if we have to sweeten the pot a little, we can do that, too."
Stalford, who lives with his wife and son in Hancock Park, notes that MLB rules do not specifically have a rule against citizen ownership, only the NFL does, but the share-holder owned Green Bay Packers were grandfathered into it. He also thinks that Selig will understand this ownership bid when compared to others -- the Milwaukee businessman used to sit on the Packers board of directors.
"All I'm asking is give us a shot at the bidding process," said Stalford, who is committed to leaving his job for a year or longer to make this happen. "I'd like to be in the room with Ron Burkle and Dennis Gilbert and say, 'We have no debt,' and let them argue why we aren't the best option."
By Friday, Stalford expects to have a timeline in place, waiting for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to finalize a schedule on how the Dodgers' sale will take place.
"We're ready to rock 'n' roll," said Stalford.
What are the Dodgers worth these days?
For the package deal of the team, stadium and parking lot, Forbes has it valued at about $800 million - almost twice as much as what Frank and Jamie McCourt paid for that bundle in 2004. Others put the price tag at north of $1 billion. If it's true that McCourt got an unsolicited $1.2 billion cash offer from a group financed by the government of China, connected to L.A. Marathon founder Bill Burke, then the actual value depends on who's paying for it.
How long will this process take?
There's been no timetable established, but rule of thumb is at least a couple of months for any Major League Baseball ownership change. But considering that Commissioner Bud Selig would want this on the fast track, if it's all straightened out by Opening Day 2012, that would make everyone happy. However, Selig best take as much time as possible for due diligence, based on how he rubber-stamped McCourt ownership some seven years ago based on a recommendation by News Corp. If that makes the proceedings go longer than normal, it's in everyone's best interests.
How does this affect the media rights deal?
The new owner only has to assume the current Fox deal that's in place through 2013 - Prime Ticket carrying some 100-plus games a season, plus KCAL-Channel 9's over-the-air package. But then again, anything past that depends on who buys the team. If Time Warner or Fox bought in, either would be in position to start their own Dodger channel, something McCourt only dreamed about. If it's someone else, the 13-year, $3 billion deal that Fox had on the table with McCourt could still be in play. Selig rejected it only base on the circumstances of how McCourt already seemed to have the money spent on his personal bail-out program.
How does this decision affect free agency?
The window for most of the bigger names out there will only last a few months, so without an owner setting a budget, it depends on who gives direction to GM Ned Colletti. He's been much more creative in building a team around home-grown talent, stung in the past with over-priced free agent busts. For example, his plan is to re-sign Juan Riviera as his left fielder. If he goes after Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols to play first, he can't move James Loney to the outfield. McCourt gave Colletti a budget for 2012 that was supposedly larger than 2011, but that's not saying much. Colletti's philosophy might be to first lock in players like Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Clayton Kershaw before he looks for a new value-friendly third baseman or more starting pitching, then do more reconstruction work at the July 31, 2012 deadline, something like he did with obtaining Manny Ramirez a couple of years ago.
How could this affect ticket prices?
The team just announced lower prices on 96 percent of all the seats in Dodger Stadium. Jack up the other four percent (behind the backstop and in the luxury suites bought by corporations) and who's really going to notice? The key is getting attractive packages together to lure back the season-seat holders who abandoned the team over the last two years. If they start using their seats again to generate parking and concession sales, the new cheaper prices should hold up well.
How does this all affect the Bryan Stow case?
It's not going away yet. The family of the San Francisco Giants fan attacked in the Dodger Stadium parking lot on March 31 has said in a lawsuit against McCourt and the Dodgers that they expect his medical bills to exceed $50 million. The Dodgers have also sued the two suspects in custody by the LAPD. This is a lawsuit that follows McCourt where ever he goes. McCourt was likely advised by the MLB that proceeds from the sale of the team could help him quickly reach an out-of-court settlement before any trial starts.
What happens now to Frank McCourt?
He's a 58-year-old bachelor who still owns the Los Angeles Marathon. He won't just disappear depending on how fast someone can give up their airline miles and arrange to have him shipped one way back to Boston. Perhaps he can trademark his name and find a future in writing novels?
Source: Dodgers.com (linked here):
== Jan. 29, 2004: Frank McCourt purchases a controlling interest of the Dodgers from Fox Entertainment Group and Robert Daly.
== March 19, 1998: Fox Entertainment Group, owned by News Corp., purchases the Dodgers from Peter O'Malley and Terry Seidler. Bob Graziano is named president of the ballclub. Robert Daly acquired a minority stake in the Dodgers from Fox Entertainment Group and is named managing partner, chairman and CEO, on Oct. 28, 1999.
== Aug. 9, 1979: Peter O'Malley and his sister, Terry Seidler, assume ownership of the team after Walter O'Malley dies, 28 days after the death of his wife, Kay.
== Oct. 26, 1950: Walter O'Malley purchases 25 percent of the Dodgers from Branch Rickey to have controlling interest in the team and becomes president. Eight years later, O'Malley buys the shares from Mrs. John Lawrence Smith and James and Dearie Mulvey to gain a 66 2/3 percent ownership. James and Dearie Mulvey increase their ownership to 33 1/3 percent, and the franchise moves from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. In 1970, O'Malley becomes the team's chairman of the board and his son, Peter, succeeds him as president. In 1975, Walter O'Malley acquires the remaining 33 1/3 percent of the Dodgers and owns 100 percent of the franchise.
== Nov. 1, 1944: Branch Rickey (left), Walter O'Malley (far left) and Andrew Schmitz, who was acting as a proxy for Pfizer Pharmaceutical president John Lawrence Smith, purchase 25 percent of the Dodgers from the Ebbets Estate. Mrs. Dearie Mulvey and her husband, James, retain their stake in the ballclub. A year later, after obtaining another 50 percent of the Dodgers, Rickey, O'Malley and Smith each control 25 percent of the Dodgers. Mulvey and her husband own the remaining 25 percent. In 1950, John Lawrence Smith dies, leaving his shares to his wife.
== March 7, 1938: Mrs. Dearie Mulvey and her husband, James, who was president of Sameul Goldwyn Productions, assume an ownership stake from Stephen McKeever, who is Mulvey's father, after he dies.
== April 18, 1925: Stephen McKeever and the executors of the Ebbets Estate, which include the Brooklyn Trust Company, Joseph A. Gilleaudeau and Grace Slade Ebbets, take control of the team after Charles Ebbets' death. Acting president Edward McKeever catches a cold at Ebbets' funeral and dies 11 days after Ebbets.
== 1912: The Brooklyn Baseball Club, Inc., is formed with ownership divided 50/50 between Charles Ebbets (right) and Stephen and Edward McKeever, the contractors who create Ebbets Field. Ebbets and the McKeevers buy out Henry Medicus, a Brooklyn furniture manufacturer. Ebbets Field is built in 1913.
== 1905: Medicus joins with Ebbets to buy Harry Von der Horst's shares. Two years later, Ebbets and Medicus buy out Ferdinand Abell and Ned Hanlon.
== 1899: The Brooklyn Bridegrooms and Baltimore Orioles merge, with Baltimore owner Von der Horst and Hanlon taking a 49.6 percent stake in the team and many Orioles star players coming to Brooklyn.
== 1897: Ebbets buys 10 percent of the team and Charles Byrne, a real estate agent and former sports writer, joines Ferdinand Abell, a northeast businessman, buy out George Chauncey, a real estate mogel, and own the ballclub. Byrne dies soon after and a year later, Ebbets is elected president as he and Abell buy the stock formely owned by Byrne.
== 1890: The Dodgers are owned by Abell and Byrne and enter the National League. A year later, Chauncey joins as a part owner.
God only know what sports teams He's actually pulling for.
Finally, He lets the rest of us know. Sorta.
It's all in a new book called "The Last Testament: A Memoir By God," ($22.95, Simon and Schuster, 383 pages, linked here) with David Javerbaum, the former head writer of "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart."
So, yes, it's shelved in the "humor" section of your local book store. It has to be.
Consider that among the chapters where God explains natural disasters, unsolved mysteries and his favorite recipes, there's a the book of "Games" where He discusses sports.
We quoteth from Games 1: 1-7:
"Every so often I like to call in to sports radio shows.
"I tell the screener I am 'Mike from Massapequa' or 'Sam from Santa Clara,' and he talks to me a minute to make sure I am worthy enough, not only to discuss the foibles of the area's athletic teams, but to freight that conversation with enough entertainment value to warrant its being broadcast to 35,000 other people in the greater, say, St. Louis area.
"Then I am put on hold; then I hear, 'You're on the air!', and then I launch into a passionate monologue - in the pitch-perfect accent of the local ethic lower-middle-class - about the value of switch-hitting outfielders and dogfighting; the eternal beauty of the pick-and-roll, and steroids; the day the Red Sox won the World Series, and the day O.J. Simpson murdered two people.
"All things sports.
"For a few pleasant minutes the hosts and I talk and complain and commiserate and argue with each other; than I am thanked for calling and the host moves on, never realizing that the unseen voice with which they just talked pucks was not in fact Mike from Massapequa, but God from the Great Beyond.
"But I do not mind, for I do not call to be recognized; I call because I love talking sports.
"Sport is mythic; sport is epic; sports is a condensation of all human activity; it is often said sport is a metaphor for life; it would be more accurate to say life is a metaphor for sport."
So let it be written, so let it be believed to be true.
God goes on to write about how He "only, on extremely rare occasions, influenced the outcome of a sporting event to affect the spread."
That must explain how last Saturday's USC-Stanford game ended. The only only way in Heaven that would have allowed the Cardinal to cover as 7½-point favorites was to have the game go into a third overtime, allow them to score a touchdown, convert the two-pointer, and then stop the Trojans on their last drive. That's once-in-a-bookies'-lifetime kind of stuff there.
More from the book of Games 2: 3-4:
"And many times I have heard reasonable-minded commentators denounce those athletes and fans for believing I would care about something as frivolous as the Raiders-Broncos game.
"Lo, as a matter of fact, I do care about something as frivolous as the Raiders-Broncos game, Bob Friggin' Costas."
From Games 2: 17-19:
"To repeat: I do not intervene in sporting events; not because they are beneath me (for what isn't?), but rather because - and if I sound old-fashioned here, then shoot me, Bill Simmons - I care so deeply about the integrity of the game.
"Athletes come and go, but the sports themselves remain; and I will never let my feelings toward the former corrupt my oversight of the later.
"I am the LORD thy Ref; I cannot be worked."
Although He probably shouldn't, God admits to being a fan of the New York Giants (since "the glory days of Phil Simms") and of the Oakland Raiders ("I have always liked their attitude, for they play football the way the ancient Israelites attacked Canaanites.")
He's also a fan of Auburn football ("I hate Nick Saban; his name is one letter away from 'Satan' for a reason"), he's up on the Minnesota Twins ("and whoever is playing the Cubs") and in the NHL, he's all about the Columbus Blue Jackets ("inasmuch as I would never in a billion years have thought to put a hockey team in Columbus, Ohio, and call it the Blue Jackets.")
God concludes by acknowledging that his children are loyal to the same teams he is to, except that "Jesus roots for the Cubs ... Poor child.
"His faith is so deep, and his hope is so pure, that on occasion I have heard him say, 'The day the Cubs win the World Series is the day I return to earth!' But in the end I dissuade him from this; for humanity cannot wait a billion years for the Second Coming."
Sunday's NFL games:
== 10 a.m., Channel 11: San Francisco at Washington, with Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa (instead of Tampa Bay-New Orleans, Atlanta-Indianapolis and Seattle-Dallas).
== 10 a.m., Channel 2: N.Y. Jets at Buffalo, with Jim Nantz and Phil Simms (instead of Cleveland-Houston and Miami-Kansas City in this window, or Denver-Oakland and Cincinnati-Tennessee in the 1 p.m. window)
== 1 p.m., Channel 11: N.Y. Giants at New England, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman (instead of Green Bay-San Diego and St. Louis-Arizona).
== 5:20 p.m., Channel 4: Baltimore at Pittsburgh, with Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
Saturday's college football games (*unless otherwise denoted):
== *USC at Colorado: 6 p.m. Friday, ESPN, with Dave Lamont and Rod Gilmore
== UCLA vs. Arizona State: 4:30 p.m., Versus, with Ted Robinson, Glenn Parker and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila
== Stanford at Oregon State: 12:30 p.m., Channel 7, with Carter Blackburn and Brock Huard
== Oregon at Washington: 7:30 p.m., Prime Ticket with Craig Bollerjack, Joel Klatt and Petros Papadakis
== Washington State vs. Cal in San Franciscol: 3:30 p.m., Comcast SportsNet California
== LSU at Alabama: 5 p.m., Channel 2, with Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson and Tracy Wolfson (and the site for ESPN "College GameDay" at 6 a.m., ESPNU)
== South Carolina at Arkansas: 4:15 p.m., ESPN, with Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe
== Kansas State at Oklahoma State: 5 p.m., Channel 7, with Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit and Lisa Salters
== Notre Dame at Wake Forest: 5 p.m., ESPN2, with Mark Jones and Ed Cunningham
== Boise State at UNLV: 7:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network, with James Bates, Aaron Taylor and Brooke Collins
== Michigan at Iowa: 9 a.m., ESPN, with Dave Pasch, Chris Spielman, Urban Meyer and Quint Kessenich
== Texas Tech at Texas: 9 a.m., FX, with Gus Johnson, Charles Davis and Tim Brewster
== Army at Air Force: 12:30 p.m., Channel 2, with Spero Dedes, Steve Beuerlein and Lewis Johnson
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