December 2011 Archives

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

THIS WEEK'S BEST BET

NBA regular-season openers, Sunday: Lakers vs. Chicago, Staples Center, 2 p.m., Channel 7; Clippers at Golden State, 7:30 p.m., ESPN:

Do not open the NBA season until Christmas. That's the result of the extended lockout, a rush-job to get everyone in training camp and a bizarre set of circumstances that has resulted in Chris Paul wearing a Clippers uniform instead of one for the Lakers on the belated Opening Day. Signals are also mixed as to whether the Lakers should even be dreaming of a Dwight Howard Christmas delivery, but no roster seems safe from chaos at this point. With that, it's a Route 66 roadmap -- 66 games in 120-something days, with all kinds of injuries bound to happen. If only someone was smart enough to schedule a Lakers-Clippers doubleheader at Staples Center to celebrate the holiday. Nonetheless, the two L.A. franchises will work their way up to this anticipated moment with exhibition meetings at Staples Center on Monday (7:30 p.m., FSW and Prime) and Wednesday (7:30 p.m., Channel 9 and Prime). The rest of the Christmas Day docket has a 2011 Finals rematch featuring LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Dirk Nowitzki and Lamar Odom (for real?) when Miami goes to Dallas (11:30 a.m., Channel 7). That'll be preceded by more starpower with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett against Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire (Boston at New York, 9 a.m., TNT) and followed up by Howard against Kevin Durant (Orlando at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m., ESPN). Shaquille O'Neal also makes his debut -- as a TNT studio host. Prepare to be critiqued, Kobe.

MONDAY

NHL: Kings at Toronto, 4 p.m., FSW:

Having lost two of three on the current road trip, six of seven overall, still last in the league in goals scored per game and smarting from surrendering eight goals to Detroit on Saturday, the Kings are supposed to give interim head coach John Stevens one last game in charge before he's back to an assistant for new head coach Darryl Sutter.

College basketball: USC vs. Texas Christian, Galen Center, 7:30 p.m., USCTrojans.com:

In the eight-team Mountain West Conference, everyone has a record above .500, including the 7-3 Horned Frogs. In the Pac-12, USC (4-7) is one of three who would love to be at least break-even at this point.

NFL: Pittsburgh at San Francisco, 5:30 p.m., ESPN:

The network has been pointing out on its scroll that this is the fourth time that two teams are playing on Monday Night Football with 10-plus wins and at least a .750 winning percentage (and the first time since 1997 -- when San Francisco improved to 13-2 and Denver went to 11-4 after the 49ers' 34-17 win). Actually, the last three times this happened, the game was in San Francisco, and the 49ers won each of them. This year, San Fran (10-3) has already won the NFC West, and Pittsburgh (10-3) is tied for the AFC North lead.

TUESDAY

College basketball: UCLA vs. UC Irvine, Sports Arena, 7:30 p.m., Prime:

Since Ben Howland tossed Reeves Nelson off the squad, the Bruins basketball team has won three in a row, the women's volleyball team won a national title, and the football team found a new head coach. Although, even with Nelson, that recent 48-point route over UC Davis would have been just as easy.

College football: Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburgh Bowl: Florida International vs. Marshall, 5 p.m., ESPN:

Somehow, Thundering Herd coach Doc Holliday should have his 6-6 team in the Holiday Bowl.

WEDNESDAY

College football: Poinsettia Bowl: TCU vs. Louisiana Tech, 5 p.m., ESPN:

Gary Patterson's 10-2 squad justifiably qualified for the Fiesta and Rose Bowl games the last two seasons, but it missed out on a third straight BCS appearance because its final overall ranking was 18th -- it needed to be at least 16th. Before leaving the Mountain West for the Big 12, they'll hop over to San Diego. At least they could have played this on an aircraft carrier.

THURSDAY

NHL: Kings vs. Ducks, Staples Center, 7 p.m., FSW:

If not for the Ducks, the Kings would have sunk to the bottom of the Pacific Division. One thing's certain: The two guys who started as head coaches for these two teams when the season began aren't there any longer. The Kings' 3-2 loss to the Ducks on Dec. 6 came on that ugly shot that Bobby Ryan put past Jonathan Quick with 48.8 seconds left, giving Bruce Boudreau his first win as Anaheim's coach. The Ducks have won only one other time in the eight games since Boudreau took over on Dec. 1.

College football: Las Vegas Bowl: Arizona State vs. Boise State, 5 p.m., ESPN:

On ESPN.com's AccuScore forecasting software, the predicted outcome was a 47-28 Boise State win, with Kellen Moore throwing for 367 yards and three TDs. So that's that.

College basketball: USC vs. Kansas, Galen Center, 8 p.m., FSW:

Ranked No. 12 with a 7-2 mark coming into the week, the visiting Jayhawks are getting a team-high 17.8 points and 11.4 rebounds from 6-foot-9 junior forward Thomas Robinson. Kansas' only two losses so far are to Kentucky (No. 2 at the time) and Duke (No. 6 then), but they're hot off a win over No. 2 Ohio State on Dec. 10.

NFL: Houston at Indianapolis, 5:20 p.m., NFL Network:

The 2012 Super Bowl will still be here in the Lucas Oil Stadium inflatable tent, no matter how perfectly horrible the Colts could have finished. Now, with one win, they're just uninteresting.

FRIDAY

NHL: Kings at San Jose, 7:30 p.m., FSW:

The Sharks' coach with the most games behind the bench in franchise history? Darryl Sutter (434, plus 42 more in the playoffs). Wonder if they'll recognize him.

College basketball: UCLA vs. Richmond, Sports Arena, 7:30 p.m., Prime:

Last call before the Pac-12 schedule begins. Anyone suffering from arachnophobia?

SATURDAY

NFL: N.Y. Giants at N.Y. Jets, 10 a.m., Channel 11:

They haven't meet officially in the regular season since Week 5 of 2007, when the Giants took a 35-24 decision. That was so pre-Sanchez it's not even funny. The Giants have won the last four meetings when it counts. This is one of 13 NFL games played on a Saturday because, you know, they can't do it on Sunday morning..

College football: Hawaii Bowl: Nevada vs. Southern Mississippi, 5 p.m., ESPN:

If a player from either school complains about having to fly to Honolulu and play on Christmas Eve, take away their goodie bags.

SUNDAY

NFL: Chicago at Green Bay, 5:20 p.m., Channel 4:

The Bears lost the first meeting back in Week 3 by just 10 points, despite rushing for a total of 13 yards on 12 attempts. Reports are that there's an "outside" chance that Jay Cutler could come back to play here on Christmas Day. The Packers (13-1) could have made this a perfect day if they'd just woke up in Kansas City.

The Associated Press

Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Jimmy Allen (above right, with coach Chuck Noll), pending College Football Hall of Fame member Hal Bedsole and longtime baseball coach Joe Kelly are among the 11 candidates that will be part of the 2012 class of the Pierce College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Major League Baseball players Coco Crisp and Steve Reed, women's volleyball players Roxanne DeMik and Mary Perry, men's volleyball player Dave Rubio, women's soccer player Elia Petrosian, women's swimmer Xan Rogers and the 1984 football team will also be inducted.

The ceremony for the second class of Hall of Famers for the Woodland Hills junior college will take place January 16 at the Woodland Hills Country Club.

Allen, an Olympic hopeful swimmer out of Los Angeles High School, played at Pierce in 1970 and '71 where he was a Juco All-American at tight end and defensive back. He played two years at UCLA (1972-'73) and was named All-Pac 8 before the Steelers drafted him in the fourth round -- after Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert and John Stallworth, and before Mike Webster. Allen, known as "Spiderman," played in two Super Bowls between 1974-'77 and then played with the Detroit Lions from 1978-'81.

Bedsole, a former Reseda High star, gained his fame as a two-time All-American tight end at USC from 1961-'63 before going to the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings ('64-'66), but the 6-foot-5 and 230-pounder he was a Juco All-American quarterback at Pierce in 1960. Inducted into the USC Hall of Fame in 2001, he's up for nomination in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Kelly was Pierce's baseball coach from 1966 to 1982, and the baseball field at Pierce is named Joe Kelly Field.

Crisp, a member of the 2007 Boston Red Sox's championship team, played at Pierc ein 1999. He was in the big leagues by 2002 with Cleveland and has also played in Kansas City and Oakland.

Reed, who played baseball at Pierce in 1984, pitched for 14 years in the big leagues for seven teams, appearing in 834 games.

DeMik played volleyball from 1967-'69, as well as softball, basketball and track, where she was a Juco high-jump record holder. A six-time member of the U.S. national women's volleyball team, she coached the Pierce women's team to two state championships and is a five-time Community College Coach of the Year recipient.

Perry played volleyball at Pierce from 1961-'62, as well as track, before becoming an All-American volleyball player at Cal State Northridge (inducted into the Matadors' Hall of Fame in 1986). A member of the 1964 and '68 USA Olympic volleyball team, she was awarded the prestigious USVBA Flo Hyman All-Time Great Player Award. In 2010, she was inducted into the LAUSD Sports Hall of Fame for her career at Birmingham High.

Rubio, above, also played two years at CSUN after two years at Pierce (1978-'79). He started a coaching career at Cal State Bakersfield but has been coaching the women's team at the University of Arizona for the last 20 years, taking the 2001 National Coach of the Year honors.

Petrosian, out of Montclair Prep, played soccer at Pierce in 2005-'06 and was the first player in Western State Conference history to be named back-to-back Player of the Year. She holds the school record for most career goals (54) and points.

Rogers broke four Pierce swimming records in 2006 and was named All-American in two events. She went to San Diego State and posted top 10 fastest times in 100 yard and 200 yard backstrokes. She currently does modeling (www.xanrogers.com)

And the '84 Pierce football team finished the season 10- with quarterback Eric Kramer.

Kramer was one of 12 inducted into the first Pierce College Hall of Fame last year. Others included Denny Crum (basketball), Doug DeCinces (baseball), Marv Dumphy (volleyball), Barry Zito (baseball) and Mark Harmon (football).

For those DirecTV customers who've already tried to watch or DVR the CIF state football championship games from Home Depot Center in Carson, you've already gone through the frustating of finding out it's not meant to be.

The DirecTV menu on Comcast SportsNet California's channel 698 may have the games listed, but you find out later the message says they are blacked out in this area. For no apparent reason.

While the three games tonight -- including the Open Division title contest between Westlake and Concord de la Salle at 8 p.m. -- are videostreamed on www.socal101tv.com/prepsports, it's not the same as watching it on the high-def big screen.

One Westlake varsity coach who found out he couldn't see the games on his DirecTV system on Friday passed along this email:

"I decided that I was going to take every step possible to get this game. I contacted DirectTV, to see if I needed to add the expanded sports tier. DirectTV advised me that there is no expanded sports tier" they are offering, and that this game would not be available to me, unless it is offered by my local channels.

"The statement from your article that a "TWC spokesperson said that about 90 percent of all cable customers will have access to the two bowl games tonight and the three on Saturday", is absolutely false."

By David Crary
The Associated Press

On the wall of Ralph Nader's office hangs a color portrait of baseball legend Lou Gehrig, an old-fashioned hero who seems to rebuke so much of today's sports world -- the sex-abuse and drug scandals, labor strife, rampant commercialization.

Gehrig, who set a standard for durability while playing 2,130 consecutive games over 15 seasons, is the only sports idol acknowledged by Nader, himself a kind of "Iron Horse" in his chosen playing field, America's consumer movement.

Since 1965, when he lit into the U.S. auto industry for marketing cars "unsafe at any speed," Nader has taken on issues ranging from deceptive advertising to water pollution to nursing home fraud. Now, at 77, he's channeling an increasing share of his attention and anger to problems across the gamut of U.S. sports -- the major pro leagues, the NCAA, even youth sports.

"It's spinning out of control," says Nader. "It's profit at all costs, win at all costs, and often it's damaging the health of the athletes."

Throughout his career, which has been punctuated by four presidential campaigns, Nader has helped form scores of public interest groups, including one called the League of Fans (linked here) that advocates for sweeping changes in the sports world.

Items on its agenda include ridding youth sports of tyrannical coaches, discouraging taxpayer funding of stadiums, promoting broader participation in sports at schools and colleges, and outlawing fighting in pro hockey. Many of its concerns are being addressed in a 12-part manifesto that's on the verge of completion.

In a sense, League of Fans is a misnomer. Nader envisions it as a think tank, watchdog and advocacy group, rather than a membership-based organization.

Second District Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas , the former L.A. City Councilman who graduated from Manual Arts High happened to earn a Ph.D. in Social Ethics and Policy Analysis from USC in 1989, has a pretty good understanding of the Exposition Park landscape. Aside from the fact his district covers the area.

He has written this edict on why the Coliseum Comission no longer can keep control of the place that USC has called its home football field for more than 80 years (linked here):

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum's future now hangs in a kind of sudden-death overtime. The nine-member Coliseum Commission is in breach of its contract with the University of Southern California. Despite struggling mightily to do so, the commission can't find a way to pay for more than $60 million of facility repairs and upgrades it owes to USC.

That puts USC in the driver's seat, with two options: the university can terminate its lease with the Coliseum Commission or finance the millions in stadium improvements at a 6-percent interest rate.

The Coliseum Commission can't afford either outcome.

If USC terminates its lease, the Coliseum would lose most of its revenue and attendance in a single stroke. Even if USC were to loan the Commission money for the improvements, the stadium does not bring in enough to make such large payments.

The Commission has missed three deadlines since 2010 to come up with a plan to honor the USC contract, and USC has generously given the Coliseum Commission another grace period.

The commission has used all of its time-outs.

With no better option on the table, the majority of Coliseum Commission members appear ready to turn over day-to-day management of the facility to USC.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on where he stands with the Dodgers' sale, from this morning's Dan Patrick show (linked here):

"The (financial) book will be out soon and we signed up for it. I'll look at it like I look at any other deal. My concern on the Dodgers is that someone is just going to come in and overpay. I've got a lot of money, but I don't have unlimited money. To me you have to pay the right price because you don't want all your money going to Frank McCourt. You want to be able to rebuild the organization and you want to be able to invest in players.
"Particularily for me walking into the L.A. market is, (if) you've got to be on a budget, I don't want to spend on star players, that wouldn't work. That would create more problems than it solves. So the question I've got to decide is, how much is too much and how much leaves me enough capital to go out and get the superstar players to them over the top."

Is the team worth a billion?

"Here's the evaluation process that people are going to go through -- They're going to guess how big the TV revenue can be and then they're going to ask themselves whether or not they want to use all that money to take on more debt in order to be able to pay for the franchise. That's not atypical when you're buying a business. But the problem is, that's exactly what Frank McCourt did.

"It actually leaves you in no different position, where the money's going to pay the bank and not into the organization and players. My fear is someone is going to come in and say, yeah, you know what, as long as I get the right TV deal I can bid almost anything for the team and that'll be the decision process."

What's included in this week's media column (linked here): Charles Barkley has his first weigh-in on the NBA's decision to start Christmas Day and the Clippers-vs.-Lakers new rivalry wrinkles, plus Time Warner Cable's proposed coverage of the CIF state football championships and some interesting college football TV ratings.

What's not included is the assessments by TNT's Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal about whether the Clippers have overtaken the Lakers in NBA superiority with the addition of Chris Paul.

Smith's take: "They'll be all about cross-over dribbling and lob dunks. Talent-wise, I'd buy a ticket to see them play. But when I walk into that (Staples Center) building, the purple and gold is about winning. The Clippers have had exciting players in the past but never won. Can they win with this excitement?"

Added O'Neal: "It's the yin and yang effect. For the Clippers, no one else is talking about Caron Butler, Chauncey Billups . . . The Clippers aren't the little brother anymore. They're all grown up now."

Former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien's daughter definitely has the looks to be a professional cheerleader. It's something her mom, Annette, once did with the Washington Redskins.

Instead, Angela Rypien is a Lingerie Football League quarterback.

So maybe she took the best of her parents' genes and put them to practical use.

The 21-year-old started the first two games for the LFL's Seattle Mist, but she's likely to be starting on the bench for Friday night's contest against the Los Angeles Temptation at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario.

In the season opener, she threw three touchdown passes in a 42-8 win over the Green Bay Chill in late September. In the next game, she had three interceptions in the first half of a 28-24 loss to the Las Vegas Sin and was replaced.

So two games in, she's experienced the highs and lows of a professional QB. But that's not completely accurate, either.

The Lingerie Football League players aren't paid. They're asked to wear the Victoria's Secret-looking tight shorts, padded bras and hockey helmets and play 7-on-7 on a 50-yard indoor field purely for the enjoyment of the paying spectators.

How does it all work?

Angela, the single mom of a 2-year-old living in Seattle, and Mark, the MVP of Super Bowl XXVI with the Redskins and former Washington State star who ended his 11-year NFL career in 2002, explain:

Fox, CBS and NBC did multi-billion, multi-media contract rollovers with the NFL today, extending their partnerships nine more seasons through 2022 and securing the league with plenty of more comfort and financial joy now that their collective-bargaining agreement has been settled.

Multiple reports are that the three networks will pay a total of $3.1 billion each year, split nearly evenly. That's up from a combined $1.9 billion the three are currently paying.

Add to that the $1.8 billion annually from ESPN, who earlier this year did an eight-year extension on the "Monday Night Football" through 2021, and another $1 billion a year from DirecTV for exclusive "NFL Sunday Ticket" rights.

That makes a combined $7 billion a year that NFL will get in media rights starting after 2013.

The new wrinkle in this contract: NBC will add a primetime game on Thanksgiving night beginning in 2012. It will also swap out a wild card game for a divisional playoff game, and there is "enhanced" flex scheduling that affects its "Sunday Night Football" package.

The NFL says the expanded flex scheduling starting in 2014 will also give CBS, home of the AFC, and Fox, home to the NFC, the ability to switch conference regional games to wider audiences. Further details will be "developed with the networks," the NFL said.

The deals also allow the NFL Network to expand the number of Thursday night games -- it does eight now in the second half of the season. A new number yet to be determined.

The NFL's current TV agreements were to expire after the 2013 season.

With the championship game rotation in tact, NBC will do the Super Bowl XLIX (2015), LII (2018) and LV (2021). CBS will do Super Bowl L (2016), LIII (2019) and LVI (2022), in addition to Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans in 2013. Fox will get Super Bowls LI (2017), LIV (2020) and LVII (2023).

And everyone quoted in a written press release couldn't sound happier.

Who's calling this week's games, pros and bowls:

NFL WEEK 15:

== Thursday: 5:30 p.m., NFL Network: Jacksonville at Atlanta, with Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock and Alex Flanagan

== Saturday: 5:30 p.m., NFL Network: Dallas at Tampa Bay, with Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock and Alex Flanagan

== Sunday: 10 a.m., Channel 2: Cincinnati at St. Louis, with Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf, instead of Tennessee-Indianapolis and Miami-Buffalo.

= Sunday: 10 a.m., Channel 11: Washington at N.Y. Giants, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, instead of Green Bay-Kansas City, New Orleans-Minnesota, Seattle-Chicago or Carolina-Houston.

= Sunday: 1 p.m., Channel 2: New England at Denver, with Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, instead of N.Y. Jets-Philadelphia and Cleveland-Arizona. Fox also has Detroit-Oakland in this window that won't be shown in L.A.

= Sunday: 5:20 p.m., Channel 4: Baltimore at San Diego, with Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth.

== Monday: 5:30 p.m., ESPN: Pittsburgh at San Francisco, with Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski

COLLEGE:

Saturday:

= New Mexico Bowl: Temple vs. Wyoming, 11 a.m., ESPN, with Clay Matvick, Brian Griese and Jessica Mendoza

= Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Utah State vs. Ohio, 2:30 p.m., ESPN, with Dave Flemming, Mike Bellotti and Heather Cox

= New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana-Lafayette vs. San Diego State, 6 p.m., ESPN, with Carter Blackburn, Brock Huard and Shelley Smith

From an appearance on the CBS Sports Network college football studio show Tuesday:'

(AP Photo/LM Otero)
New Dallas Mavericks players Lamar Odom, right, and Vince Carter, left, share a starting lineup pose with Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd during the team's media day in Dallas today.

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Kings head coach Terry Murray, left, looks at assistant coach Jamie Kompon during the second period of last Thursday's game against Minnesota at Staples Center.

As the Kings start a four-game road trip in Boston with a four-game losing streak and the offense with the lowest goals-per-game average, team general manager Dean Lombardi announced this afternoon that head coach Terry Murray has been relieved of his duties.

Kings assistant coach John Stevens will assume interim head coach duties.

Murray, 61, began as the Kings head coach in 2008-09 and had a 139-106-30 regular season record. He ranks (list linked here) first in winning percentage (.560), third in wins (139) and fourth in games coached (275) in franchise history. The team went to the playoffs the last two seasons but lost in the first round.

Stevens, 45, is in his second season with the Kings organization, named an assistant coach prior to the 2010-11 season. He will be the 23rd head coach (including interim head coaches) in Kings history. Stevens was as the head coach for the Philadelphia Flyers from 2006-09 and had a 120-109-34 record, leading the Flyers to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2008.

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

San Francisco Chronicle

THIS WEEK'S BEST BET

CIF state high school football championships, Home Depot Center in Carson: Open Division title game -- Westlake vs. Concord De La Salle, 8 p.m., Saturday, Time Warner Cable; Division IV title game -- Sierra Canyon vs. Le Grand, 4 p.m., Friday, Time Warner Cable:

Congrats to 14-0 Westlake for finally making it to the big statewide dance. Welcome to Carson. Concord's De La Salle will be your chaperone. The Spartans (12-1), who just polished off their 20th straight section title, are 3-2 in these kind of major events, having defeated Servite last year 48-8. In the long line of famous running backs from the school - including Maurice Jones-Drew - junior Tiapepe Vitale (above) is now the star ball carrier, running for 168 yards and six touchdowns in the De La Salle's Northern California Division I final win. The Spartans have won 10 in a row by a combined 458-57 since a loss to St. Thomas Aquinas of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., early in the season. Meanwhile, Harry Welsh's Santa Margarita squad plays for the Division I title game against San Jose Bellarmine (Friday, 8 p.m.), and Troy Starr's San Diego Helix team meets Loomis Del Oro in the Division II title game (Saturday 4 p.m.)

MONDAY

NFL: St. Louis at Seattle, 5:30 p.m., ESPN:

A match up of the 2-10 Rams and 5-7 Seahawks is one they only dream about in planning the "Monday Night Football" schedule months in advance. The Rams, another team rumored to be possibly heading (back) to L.A., have scored just one offensive touchdown since the first quarter of their 24-7 loss to the Seahawks on Nov. 20. And if quarterbacks Sam Bradford and A.J. Feely aren't feeling up to playing, that'll leave practice squad guy Tom Brandstater as St. Louis' starter. The former Fresno State starter is with his fifth NFL team since the 2009 draft.

TUESDAY

NHL: Kings at Boston, 4 p.m., FSW:

Nice timing to get out of town for awhile. Four losses in a row, and eight straight games with two goals or less, could give Kings' fans a concussion from hitting their foreheads with their open palm. But that's the situation as the team starts a four-game road trip against the defending Stanley Cup champions. Averaging a league-worst 2.2 goals a game, the Kings are also 3-for-34 on the power play over the last 10 games.

WEDNESDAY

College basketball: UCLA vs. Eastern Washington, Sports Arena, 7:30 p.m., FSW:

The Pauley Pavilion renovations aren't the only thing in the UCLA basketball program currently under construction. The rebuilding Bruins (3-5) didn't necessarily show they were all that mightier than Penn in a four-point win last Saturday in Anaheim. Now, it's back to the L.A. facility to host the Big Sky's Eastern Washington, averaging 75 points a game, a mark the Bruins have topped only twice this year.

THURSDAY

Volleyball: NCAA women's national semifinals: UCLA vs. Florida State, 4 p.m. ESPN2; USC vs. Illinois, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2:

Jumpin' Jupiter, how's about another UCLA-USC finale for a national title? It happened a few weeks ago in men's water polo (USC won) and it could take place here in San Antonio. The 28-6 Bruins got here after toppling four-time defending champion Penn State in the regional semifinals. Then it's the 29-4 and top-ranked Women of Troy, led by senior All-American outside hitter Alex Jupiter (right), having knocked out Pepperdine in the regional finals. The title match (Saturday, 5:30 p.m., ESPN2) could be the third time USC and UCLA face each other this season. They split their two regular season meetings this season, the Trojans winning most recently 3-1 at the Wooden Center on Nov. 25.

NHL: Kings at Columbus, 4 p.m., FSW:

If not for the Ducks, the Blue Jackets would be the worst team in the Western Division. They've given up nearly 30 goals more than they've scored. The team recently hired Craig Patrick, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and a two-time Stanley Cup champion, as their new senior advisor of hockey operations.

NFL: Jacksonville at Atlanta, 5:30 p.m., NFL Network:

How much more national exposure do the Jags really need?

SATURDAY

NHL: Kings at Detroit, 4 p.m., FSW:

The Red Wings crushed the Kings, 4-1, about a month ago at Staples Center in a game that included Anze Kopitar missing a penalty shot. The Kings had won three of four games from Detroit last season.

College football: New Mexico Bowl: Temple vs. Wyoming, 11 a.m., ESPN; Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Utah State vs. Ohio, 2:30 p.m., ESPN; New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana-Lafayette vs. San Diego State, 6 p.m., ESPN:

The official start of the bowl season has these three gems -- at least five of the six teams have eight or more wins. The Mid-American and Mountain West are well represented, but the MAC and WAC are present as well. That says it all.

College basketball: UCLA vs. UC Davis, Honda Center, noon, Prime:

Back for another road trip to Anaheim. Is this old yet?

College basketball: USC vs. Georgia, Galen Center, 7 p.m., Prime:

The Trojans (4-6) are 334th in the country out of 345 teams in points per game at 55.1. The Bulldogs (4-5) are ranked 310th at 59.4.

NFL: Dallas at Tampa Bay, 5:20 p.m., NFL Network:

The NFL bleeds into Saturday. Get used to it for a few weeks.

SUNDAY

NFL: New England at Denver, 1:15 p.m., Channel 2:

This Tebow-Brady match up is one that NBC tried to wrangle away from CBS and put in prime-time, but the league wouldn't let it happen. Something about Patriots owner Bob Kraft putting his foot down because it would cut into the team's prep time for their next game on Christmas Eve. But then, Baltimore and San Diego, the two teams stuck in that 5:20 p.m. window, have to play on Christmas Eve, too. Like 26 other teams.

NFL: Green Bay at Kansas City; 10 a.m.; Detroit at Oakland, 1 p.m.:

The Packers stay in the AFC West, picking off victories. The Raiders won't mind that in this case. The Chiefs, however, will go at it with a new coach.

UPDATED: FRIDAY, 11:30 AM:

Todd Marinovich looks at his self-portrait called "Defeat III," and finds it interesting that many who first see it don't recognize him as the person in the dark shadow sitting on his helmet off to the right of the canvas.

This is his new window of opportunity. Or, simply "Window," as in the work entitled below.

The Associated Press

WILMINGTON, Del. -- A judge said Thursday that he would overrule an objection by Fox Sports and approve a process for the Dodgers to sell the media rights to future games as part of the team's plan to exit bankruptcy.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Gross said at the end of a two-day hearing that he would approve the Dodgers' plan to sell media rights to games starting in 2014, a key component of a settlement with Major League Baseball that also calls for Dodgers owner Frank McCourt to sell the team.

"I just think it's in the debtors' best interests," said Gross, who told attorneys he would issue a formal written ruling in a few days.

Fox Sports attorney Greg Werkheiser asked Gross to stay his ruling for 14 days so Fox can file an appeal in U.S. District Court.

From this morning's baseball winter meetings in Dallas:

DALLAS (AP) Press pass? Got it. Laptop? Yep.

Muscle shirts, short skirts and flip-flops? Stop right there.

For reporters covering Major League Baseball next season, beachwear and club outfits
are no longer in fashion.

Baseball became the first major pro league in North America to issue dress guidelines for media members, putting them in writing this week at the winter meetings. The no-wear list also includes visible undergarments, tank tops or anything with a team logo.

"This is not in response to any single incident," MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said today.

Tim McCarver, a network analyst at Fox, CBS, NBC and ABC for three decades while being part of a local broadcast on four teams, was announced today as the 2012 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, given each year for excellence in baseball broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

McCarver will be honored during Hall of Fame weekend on July 20-23 in Cooperstown.

"Tim McCarver has been the face and voice of baseball's biggest moments on national television," said Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson. "His wit and intuition, combined with his passion for the game and his down-home style, delivers a trusted insight for viewers. Tim's journey in reaching baseball broadcasting's highest honor has connected generations of New York Mets fans as well as audiences across the country for more than 30 years."

Say what you will about McCarver, but he's Hall of Fame broadcast material and continues to stay contemporary at a time when other younger analysts on network broadcasts may be gunning for his spot. His longevity, concern about current issues in the sport and easy-going demeanor have always been on his side for this eventual honor.

"You know I found early on this side of my life when I retired as player that the most important part of my job was to get things right when talking about the game. And it seems like I'm still trying to get things right," McCarver said in a conference call this morning.

"One of the harder things about the business of television is staying contemporary. And staying contemporary and yet to continue to try to make things as simple as you can for the viewer to understand. And that's one of the tricks of our business I guess, if not trick, one of the things that makes our business more difficult I think, with the passing years."

UPDATED: TUESDAY 10:15 p.m.:

The San Diego Chargers announced today that, not surprisingly, approximately 5,500 tickets need to be sold by 1:15 p.m. Thursday lift the local television blackout of Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills at Qualcomm Stadium.

Further, the team says that if the blackout is lifted, the game will be seen in San Diego on KFMB-TV, Channel 8 and in Los Angeles and Orange County on KCBS-TV, Channel 2.

Hold on there. CBS' national game of interest in that 1:15 p.m. window is Oakland at undefeated Green Bay. Would KCBS really defer to the Chargers' wishes/demands and air their game instead when it's not mandatory (since it's not a Chargers' road game)?

The answer: No. A KCBS spokesman tonight said the station will stick with covering Oakland-Green Bay. Gotta go with the bigger ratings, right?

KCBS has the doubleheader window on Sunday, carrying the Kansas City-N.Y. Jets game at 10 a.m. KTTV-Channel 11 is set to carry the Chicago-Denver game at 1:15 p.m.

The last time a KCBS Channel 2 Chargers' road game with a 1 p.m. kickoff ran into issues with a Raiders telecast at 10 a.m., the local CBS affiliate got the approval from the NFL to do the reasonable thing: It stayed with the Raiders game until its conclusion, since it was in doubt, then joined the Chargers in progress. This, despite the NFL TV mandate that L.A. is a secondary market to San Diego and must show the Chargers games here when they begin.

You know how all that came about because of KCBS did the "Heidi"-esque switching from an unfinished Raiders-Bills game to get to the opening kickoff of the Chargers-Patroits game back on Sept. 18 (linked here).

This NFL-less town isn't the only one with two-team issues and league rules adjusting our viewing habits.

From today's Sports Business Daily, these are things being dealt with:

== Texans vs. Cowboys: Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com was forced to ask Fox why affiliates in Austin and San Antonio were taken away from the final seconds of the Texans' victory over the Falcons in favor of the start of the Cowboys' game against the Cardinals last Sunday. Smith wrote that the decision was made by Fox "at the network level," and network spokesman Lou D'Ermillio explained that it was done because more people watch the Cowboys than the Texans in those two markets: "Based on general interest in the Texans and Cowboys in both markets we stand by this decision. The Texans rating in Austin was a 12.1, while the Cowboy rating was a 21.7. In San Antonio, the Texans posted a 14.8, while the Cowboys did a 27.9."

== 49ers vs. Raiders: San Francisco Chronicle reporter Steve Kroner wrote today (linked here) that a Bay Area NFL Sunday usually has the 49ers or Raiders with a 10 a.m. kickoff and the other team starting at 1:05 or 1:15 p.m. But not this Sunday. The NFL moved the CBS' Raiders-Packers game from 10 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., which makes sense from a national perspective. But now it goes up against Fox's telecast of the 49ers-Cardinals game from Arizona. The NFL "tries to keep the Raiders and 49ers in separate time slots -- and there is a rule preventing a game from airing concurrently on another network if either team is playing at home." in this case, they're both on the road.

You'd think he'd look much more believable if he lipsynched a Barry White song instead:

Shaq has been part of a new NBA TV series called "Open Court" -- launched, basically, because the channel had nothing new to offer during the lockout except old game reruns. The episode called "Curious Tales" debuts Tuesday at 6 p.m., as Ernie Johnson shoots it with Shaq, Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, Kenny Smith, Steve Smith and Chris Webber. A new show debuts each Tuesday.

View a clip at this link.

UPDATED MONDAY, 3:30 p.m.

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

THIS WEEK'S BEST BET

College football: Heisman Trophy presentation, 5 p.m., ESPN:

Before the 2011 season started, you could have gotten 7-to-2 odds by Bodog.com on Stanford's Andrew Luck to win the Heisman Trophy. Late last week, the odds closed to 5-to-4. So maybe the official announcement on this night won't be all that surprising. Still it's interesting to see how the rest of the group that's expected to be the final five candidates came pretty far from the pre-season prognostications.

Like USC's Matt Barkley -- 45-to-1 by Bodog.com last summer, but 15-to-1 today. Head to head, Barkley's numbers may even impress Heisman voters enough to take him over Luck -- he completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 3,528 yards, 39 touchdowns with seven interceptions, while Luck has completed 70 percent for 3,170 yards, 35 TDs with nine picks. Against common opponents (that's six Pac-12 teams and Notre Dame), Barkley (2,125 yards, 26 TDs and three picks) bested Luck (1,837 yards, 19 TDs, five picks). Yet, as it turns out Monday, Barkley wasn't even one of the five invited -- Luck is going, with Alabama running back Trent Richardson, Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu (who wasn't even on the radar two weeks ago) and Wisconsin running back Montee Ball. Do the Heisman voters still have some kind of anti-USC, anti-Reggie Bush backlash going on here?

MONDAY

NFL: San Diego at Jacksonville, 5:30 p.m., ESPN:

The storyline surrounding Jack Del Rio's firing last week and the team being sold plays well for the Jags in calling attention to their franchise in a season where no one really has been paying attention. How about winner gets the inside track on moving to L.A.? And loser wonders why they even keep trying. San Diego is amidst its longest skid in a decade -- seven losses in a row -- and coach Norv Turner's time might be running out, too. Maurice Jones-Drew has run for 1,040 yards to top the 1,000-yard mark for a third consecutive season. His 3,755 rushing yards since the beginning of the 2009 season are the second-most in the NFL. Jones-Drew was held to 31 yards in a 38-13 loss at San Diego last season.

College basketball: St. John's at Detroit Mercy, 4 p.m., ESPN2:

Oh Mercy: They're going to rename their home court after former head coach Dick Vitale. The hope was that by now, Steve Lavin wouldl be there as well to coach St. John's, but he's still resting up.

TUESDAY

NHL: Kings at Ducks, Honda Center, 7 p.m., FSW:

New Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau might keep his AAA card nearby: He gets a crash course in the Freeway Face-Off, with the Kings having already done a hit-and-run with wins in the first two meetings a few weeks ago. The problem for the Kings this time is Mike Richards is too groggy to participate, missing his first game last Saturday in the loss to Montreal after playing in the first 25 and racking up a team-high 11 goals with 20 points. Richards has three goals already against Anaheim. Jonathan Quick beat the Ducks both times, once against Jonas Hiller and the other against Dan Ellis. And Kings coach Terry Murray is still trying to become the 17th NHL coach with 500 regular-season wins.

WEDNESDAY

College basketball: Pepperdine at Northern Arizona, 5:30 p.m., Prime:

The Waves (4-3) have a tuneup before meeting Cal State Northridge on Satuday at 7 p.m.

THURSDAY

NHL: Kings vs. Minnesota, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW:

Back on Nov. 12, the Kings got one point from 12 players in their 5-2 win over the Wild, who started the week tied with Chicago for the best record in the Western Conference and winners of three in a row.

NFL: Cleveland at Pittsburgh, 5:20 p.m., NFL Network:

Road teams have been 1-4 in NFL Thursday night games this season. The only team that won is one that didn't have to travel to a different time zone during the week after a Sunday game -- Oakland, winning 24-17 at San Diego in Week 10. The Browns are in the same time zone as the Steelers -- but will still get clobbered.

FRIDAY

High school football: CIF Southern Section Northern Division final: Westlake at Oaks Christian, 7:30 p.m.:

The two schools that are about a mile apart play each other the fourth time in two years, and second time in a row in the Northern Division final. Bill Ridell (right) and Oaks Christian may have pulled off the upset this time last year, but doing it again would even be a bigger deal. Jim Benkert (left) and Westlake (13-0, ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 4 nationally) could be headed for the Open Division state championship as it comes off the 62-0 win over Thousand Oaks in the semifinals. Oaks Christian (11-2) got a 25-of-29 passing day by sophomore quarterback Brandon Dawkins in a three-point win over St. Bonaventure in their semifinal encounter. At 8 p.m., on Prime Ticket, it's the Inland Division final between Centennial Corona and Vista Murietta.

SATURDAY

College basketball: UCLA vs. Penn, Honda Center, 4 p.m., FSW:

What are the odds the Reeves Nelson is booted off the Bruins' roster, and Josh Smith is so depressed about it he's caught smuggling mac-n-cheese into a team meeting? It's not the Wooden Classic game that you think it might be this time of year. Instead, that's been moved to Jan. 5 of next year against Arizona. This one will have to be content with acting as just another non-conference game.

College basketball: USC vs. New Mexico, Galen Center, 4 p.m., Prime:

Here's the first of four in a row at home that includes games against Georgia, TCU and Kansas.

College football: Army vs. Navy, Landover, Md., Channel 2, 11:30 a.m.:

What's the rush? Army (3-8), leading the nation in rushing at 350 yards a game, was locked into playing a Pac-12 school (UCLA?) in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco on Dec. 31. Navy (4-7), fourth in the country in rushing at 313 yards a game, is headed to the Military Bowl in Washington, D.C., against an ACC team on Dec. 28. But this is really their annual bowl meeting between the two academies. It has its own website, for cryin' out loud (www.armynavygame.com), which makes no mention of the fact that Air Force finished 7-5 and defeated both teams in the regular season.

Documentary: "The Marinovich Project," 6 p.m., ESPN; 8 p.m., ESPN2:

ESPN wants to tell what it calls is the "unvarnished story" of Todd Marinovich, the former USC and L.A. Raiders quarterback whose pro career imploded on him after two years, leading to drug addiction and bizarre arrests, with much of the blame laid on Marinovich's father, Marv, who tried to raise the perfectly defined quarterback from the time Todd was a toddler. What went wrong? Maybe we'll never know. This documentary will try to at least dig up something that happened 20 years ago.

NHL: Kings vs. Dallas, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW:

The Kings gave away a 3-2 overtime game to the Stars on Nov. 23 after having a two-goal lead in the third period. Dallas somehow leads the Pacific Division while giving up more goals than it has scored.

High school football: CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division final: Santa Margarita vs. San Clemente, Angel Stadium, 7:30 p.m., Prime:

The Division I bowl bid likely goes to the Pac-5 winner, unless Upland wins the Inland Division and goes undefeated. Also tonight: Sierra Canyon faces Paraclete in the East Valley Division title game at Antelope Valley College.

SUNDAY

College soccer: NCAA men's championship at Hoover, Ala., 1 p.m., ESPNU:

No. 13-seed UCLA (18-4-1), which has won this thing three times since 1990, has clawed its way into the Final Four of the College Cup with eight straight shutouts, but now have to face top-seed North Carolina in one of Friday's semifinals (3 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. on ESPNU; Charlotte faces Creighton in the other semifinal.)

NFL: N.Y. Giants at Dallas, 5:20 p.m., Channel 4:

These two meet twice in the last four weeks of the season, including the Jan. 1 regular-season finale. That seems like a fair way to determine the NFC East playoff picture.

NFL: Oakland at Green Bay, 1:15 p.m., Channel 2:

The Packers' community ownership just announced it was selling stock for $250 a pop to raise money so it can fix up Lambeau Field. Best to hold off repair estimations until after traveling Raiders fans return home to their caves.

NFL: Chicago at Denver, 1 p.m., Channel 11:

Tebow TV is gold.

If the scale ranges from Walt Frazier on one side to Walt Whitman on the other, then the first published collection of poetry authored by former Lakers forward Tommy Hawkins dribble drives from one end of the court to the other.

The eclectic book, "Life's Reflections: Poetry for the People," which includes inspiring artwork by people such as LeRoy Neiman and Ernie Barnes, makes it public debut on Thursday during a reception at the L.A. Museum of Tolerance.

In a multi-media presentation that includes jazz artist Kenny Burrell, Hawkins will read his works that cover sports (including the NBA, Jackie Robinson and Sugar Ray Robinson), travel, music, relationships, the 1960s, jazz, love and psychiatry.

The former Notre Dame All-American, Dodgers executive and sports-talk radio host who turns 75 later this month explained how it all came together:

Q: You've noted in the introduction that it's not easy to get people to embrace poetry. So what gives you the incentive to try?

A: Well, this is actually the first of three books I want to write, and I wanted to cover my poetry first because I wanted the shock waves to go through the populist so that they know I'm serious about my writing and they know I can do it. (The follow up will be about his 10-year career in the NBA and his third will be about experiences he's had with famous people along the way). There may not be a lot of people interested in poetry, but they are interested in narratives, so that's really more of what I'm trying to do, something that cuts through with everything else that's going on in society. I have a lot of artistic friends and I wanted to use their images to match the narratives. I'm appealing to the reader's sense of rhyme and rhythm and their sense of visualization. And their adherence to a message that makes them think and they can find themselves in.

Magic Johnson can right to the front of the line and buy up all the Starbucks, Fatburger, TGIFridays, 24 Hour Fitness and movie theatre franchises that city limits will allow.

Just don't go be going all grande latte on the Dodgers' franchise.

Take your best shot at hosting a late-night TV talk show.

Just don't get cozy escorting guest celebrities into those box seats next to the home team dugout and leading everyone in "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" up on Diamondvision screen.

Throw your cap into the ring someday and run for mayor of Los Angeles.

Just don't let us see you put on a blue L.A. cap and go running around Chavez Ravine pretending you know more about running a major league baseball team than Frank McCourt.

Johnson's proclamation Friday that he's about to loft a baby hook shot at MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, seeking his approval to be part of a Dodgers ownership group, makes as much sense as Sandy Koufax deciding he needs to take over the Lakers.

At least Koufax played college basketball.

There's hundreds of thousands of billions of reasons why there's a statue of Magic Johnson outside Staples Center, a place he never played, and not one of him outside Dodger Stadium, a place he's visited but surely never stood at the concession stand for a Dodger Dog.

The fact that Magic says he's sifted through the applications of six potential ownership groups and decided to align himself with a bunch of global financiers known as the Guggenheim Partners, who boast to having more than $125 billion in assets, only shows only that he's been doing some wise political networking.

From Thursday night's Kings-Panthers FSW telecast in the first period:

The postscript: Analyst Jim Fox went almost a minute without saying anything as the action continued because he was still laughing so hard, doubled-over, with his mike turned off. Bob Miller went back to calling the play by play, but had to stop several times and turn off his mike after he saw Fox laughing.

Fox, out of breath, finally came back saying, "We need another whistle right about now," and then went back to laughing. Finally the play stopped, they had a commercial break and all seemed composed upon returning.

Until Fox later went back to that play and wondered of the officials "wanted to make sure that no one skated over the pea on the ice" if it had fallen out of the whistle.

A few years ago on a Kings telecast, Miller described then-Kings player Esa Pirnas this way, "Cammalleri passes the puck to Penis," and that sent Fox out of the booth and into the hallway laughing.

The Lakers open as projected at home against Chicago and the Clippers go to Golden State as part of the five-game NBA package on Christmas Day that will officially start the abbreviated season, with all of them airing on national TV.

ABC (Channel 7) has the Lakers' game against the Bulls at Staples Center tipping off at 2 p.m., coming on after an NBA Finals rematch of Miami at Dallas at 11:30 a.m..

ESPN has the Clippers' game at the Warriors at 7:30 p.m., after it covers Orlando playing at Oklahoma City at 5 p.m.

TNT startes the day with Boston at New York at 9 a.m., with Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, preceeded by an hour-long edition of "NBA Tip-Off" with Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson.

The NBA is expected to announce the entire 66-game regular season on NBATV Tuesday at 4 p.m.

What's in today's sports media column (linked here): Fox's pitch as to why anyone would be interested in watching tonight's Pac-12 college football title game between 6-6 UCLA and 10-2 Oregon, plus the angst that Kevin Frazier has been feeling over the firing of Rick Neuheisel.

What's not in today's column: An explanation as to why Fox is carrying the Broncos-Vikings game on Sunday from Minnesota. Aren't the Broncos an AFC team, and Fox the NFC network?

Yes, but when NBC flexed out of Indianapolis-New England for Sunday night and gave it back to CBS, it instead snatched Fox's Detroit-New Orleans matchup. But that left Fox with only two games in its early window for its regional doubleheader weekend. The NFL decided to give Fox the Broncos-Vikings inter-conference game to make up for having the Lions-Saints game taken away.

It kind of reminds us of the old "Concentration" game, when a contestant would win prizes off the big board, but the other contestant could steal a prize and watch someone from behind their head slip the white paper out of their category and slip it onto the list of the other person's winnings.

CBS, you give up Tim Tebow this week, but you get back Indy-New England, which no one really wanted in the first place with no Peyton Manning. Fair?

Also, we tend to be a fan of the Davis Cup this time of year -- when the title's on the line -- but we'll hit the DVR buttons when it comes to Spain-Argentina from Seville this weekend, starting with Tennis Channel's exclusive coverage (no ESPN) which started this morning at 5 a.m. with the two singles matches (the second starts at 8 a.m., with replays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.. Doubles are Saturday at 7 a.m. (replayed at 10 a.m.) and the reverse singles Sunday start at 4 a.m. and 7 a.m.

Maybe ESPNw.com's Sarah Spain will cover it and include it as part of her on-going column called "That's What She Said." (linked here)

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Want to own a piece of the Green Bay Packers? The Super Bowl champions are about to give you a chance.

The Packers, the NFL's only publicly owned team, announced details today about their first stock sale in 14 years and fifth in team history. The money will help pay for $130 million in renovations at historic Lambeau Field in Green Bay.

Own just one share and technically you're a team owner.

However, be aware that Packers stock isn't like regular stock. The value doesn't go up, there are no dividends and it has virtually no resale value.

Stockholders do get voting rights, along with invitations to attend annual meetings where they can meet Packers executives, tour the Packers Hall of Fame and stick around for the kickoff of training camp.

There are currently 112,205 shareholders who own a total of 4.75 million shares. Another 250,000 shares will go on sale Tuesday, available by mail or at packers.com. In either case, the shares cost $250 plus a handling charge.

The sale runs through Feb. 29, subject to extension. Stock can only be purchased by individuals, not businesses, and there's a 200-share cap, a figure that includes any stock purchased during the last sale in 1997.

Newly purchased shares can be given as gifts. However, once ownership is established, a share can only be transferred within the immediate family.

KLAC-AM (570), which begins a three-year deal as the Dodgers' radio flagship station in 2012, has yet to officially announce that former big-league manager Kevin Kennedy will be installed as the new post-game "DodgerTalk" host, but management has told Josh Suchon and Joe Block that they won't return as part of the package.

Suchon has been the "DodgerTalk" co-host the last four years on KABC-AM (790), with Block last season and with Ken Levine for the previous three.

"It was four of the best years of my life," Suchon said today. "I'll always have special fondness for Ken Levine, Joe Block and all the Dodgers fans who kept us company after every game. But the show needs a new voice to keep it fresh, and I don't blame 570 for wanting to take the show in a different direction. It's time for me to embark on a new adventure and find a new challenge."

Suchon, a former minor league baseball play-by-play man who came up in the sports business on the newspaper side, called two USC men's basketball games on ESPN3 last weekend from the Las Vegas Invitational.

Arlo White will serve as the play-by-play voice for the NBC Sports Network's coverage of Major League Soccer starting in March, 2012, the network announced this week.

Yes, White is a Brit.

The England native spent the last two years as the play-by-play voice for the Seattle Sounders FC of MLS on television and radio, so he knows the league as well (as opposed to ESPN's Ian Darke, who has only done a handful of MLS games).

White spent nine years with BBC Radio Sport in England where he was part of the BBC Radio 5-Live announcing team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. White also served as a host on BBC Radio 5 Live and hosted the station's flagship Premier League Football show, Saturday 5 Live Sport.

Meanwhile, ESPN has replaced MLS game analyst John Harkes with Taylor Twellman.

Harkes, a former U.S. national team captain, worked his final game when he did the Galaxy's MLS Cup win over Houston.

Twellman had six goals in 30 appearances for the U.S. from 2002-08 but never was picked for a World Cup roster. He retired as a player last year following a concussion.

AP Photo/Danny Moloshok

Before he went on the air with Golf Channel to cover today's opening round of the Chevron World Challenge, Terry Gannon said there's been no drop off in the buzz surrounding tournament host Tiger Woods as he tries to regain some of the statue he once had on the PGA Tour.

"The galleries still follow him through everything, and he's got a boatload of people surrounding him," said Gannon, who made the drive to Sherwood Country Club from his wind-blown home in Hancock Park this morning.

"They still love to follow him on the course. And I think he also had fun at the President's Cup (in Australia two weeks ago) and people are dialed into that.

"He's got a buzz going. In his mind he feels he's just about there. He's more confident with his swing than he's been in a long time. But still, he has to win, so we'll see how that goes."

Gannon said the difference in covering this tournament more than any other PGA Tour event is the fact that all 18 participants feel that they've got a realistic shot of winning it.

"On any given week, there are 156 players in the field, and maybe a small percentage of them think they have a legitimate shot, and another certain percentage feel they can win if everything falls right. Some just are trying to make the cut. Here's 18 players, all having had good years, who think when they can win.

"Tiger will always be the No. 1 story whenever he tees it up, but based on the President's Cup, here's a real sense that he's closer with his swing. Now he just has to make some putts. I think he's one of the guys who wouldn't mind if the wind was blowing stronger today."