Tom Hoffarth: February 2012 Archives

"It is with great sadness that I must report to all those in NBA NATION that I have been told by Clipper management they no longer want me to be Clipper Darrell, a name that was given to me by the media because of my unwavering support and team spirit. I am devastated!!!!" wrote Darrell Bailey on his blog today (linked here).

For more than a decade, a season-ticket holder and a self-professed fan of a team that otherwise had few, Bailey says he felt "vindicated for all the years we as Clipper fans have gone through trials and tribulations and NOW we have a team that can win it all." But now he says he is "stripped of my identity."

He says the team has fired him. Told him to stop showing up.

The Clippers say otherwise, that he's been trying to unlawfully monetize his perceived association with them.

Either that, or they feel he's too much a goofball to be linked to now that they're kinda good now.

In a statement by the team, Clippers management calls Bailey's claims "absurd and unfounded," and since he was never a team employee, he can't be terminated.

"The Clippers have never engaged Mr. Bailey's services," they said. "When he has been in need, the organization has regularly provided him a seat for games. No good deed goes unpunished.

NBA commish David Stern, NHL commish Gary Bettman and WBC welterweight champ Floyd Mayweather will go down as the first guests for Bob Costas' new "Costas Tonight" hour-long interview show that airs on the NBC Sports Network starting at 5 p.m. tonight.

Costas paired up with an interview show is not new territory. It goes back to his sit-downs with all kinds of celebrities on "Costas Now" for HBO a few years ago, "Later With Bob Costas" on NBC back in the late '80s and early '90s and even "Costas Coast to Coast" syndicated radio show. The MLB Network has been using him to do sit-downs with former baseball greats from the past. Costas also recently contributed to the new NBC series, "Rock Center with Brian Williams," getting Jerry Sandusky to make a fool of himself.

What you'll get tonight, based on the interview transcripts (the show was taped Tuesday), is Bettman talking about how concussions are "a serious issue," and Stern calling the Jeremy Lin phenomenon a "frenzy on a global scale."

We're most interested in Mayweather's fair-weathered remarks about a potential fight with Manny Pacquiao while he squirms in his seat in Studio 8G at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (see video above).

Costas will also get a small parting shot at HBO by throwing out a question related to Bryant Gumbel's commentary about the NBA lockout a few months back, where he called Stern "some kind of modern plantation overseer, treating the NBA men as if they were his boys."

Bettman: "Let me answer first, because I worked with David for over 12 years. That is probably the most ignorant, stupid statement I've ever heard. Anybody who knows David knows that nothing could be further from the truth."

Stern: "Thank you, friend Gary. I actually, you know, sort of enjoyed it to a degree because the flood of phone calls that I got from a very diverse community said 'What is this guy's problem?' And I said, 'His ratings are going down, it's a slow news day, he wants some headlines.' And I wouldn't say anything publicly, it was taken care of by Charles Barkley and Jesse Jackson."

By Steven Wine
Associated Press

JUPITER, Fla. -- His mom calls him Cruz.

Teammates call him Bigfoot.

Most baseball fans know him as Mike Stanton, precocious slugger for the Miami Marlins, but his first name is actually Giancarlo.

"The man of a million names," said the former Notre Dame High of Sherman Oaks standout.

He likes them all, but with spring training cranking up and Stanton touted as a future home-run champion, he said today he prefers Giancarlo.

For the first time, that's the way he's identified on the Marlins' roster. That's also the name on his paycheck and above his locker. That's what team owner Jeffrey Loria calls him.

But Stanton's dad calls him Mike, and many of his relatives call him Mikey.

"I respond to many names," he said. "It's all good."

The Marlins expect to see his surname in a lot of headlines this year. He has 56 career home runs, and in the past 40 years only Ken Griffey Jr. (60) and Alex Rodriguez (56) have hit at least that many before their 22nd birthday. Stanton turned 22 in November.

"This kid has potential that's unbelievable," new manager Ozzie Guillen said.

The NFL doesn't have its 2012 schedule out yet, but it already has made clear today that the annual season-opening game featuring the defending champion New York Giants will be on Wednesday, Sept. 5, at 8:30 p.m., (EDT) on NBC -- moved up a day as to not conflict with President Barack Obama's Thursday night speech at the Democratic National Convention.

You'll been in Vegas a few extra weekend anyway, suffering from March Madness hangover, with no real reason to stay any longer. Why not stop extend the stay and head over at the MGM Grand and catch Mike Tyson's new one-man show during a break in the NBA schedule?

Because, you've remember the final scene from "Hangover 2," and you know better. Or you caught the YouTube clip of him singing "The Girl from Ipanema" on a Brazilian television show, and, again, you know better.

And you saw how the movie "Raging Bull" ended with Jake LaMotta trying to become a lounge act, and you still know better.

It's surreally unbecomming for everyone involved. Kind of like the upcoming Beach Boys' reunion tour.

SPI Entertainment announced today the "world premiere" of what they're calling "Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth - Live on Stage," where the former heavyweight champ of the world does an "electric" and "no-holds-barred" rendition of his life. The show runs from April 13-18, with performances nightly at 8 p.m. at the hotel's Hollywood Theatre.

The press release says Tyson "will thrill audiences with untold stories, peeling back layers of tragedy and public turmoil while unfolding his tale of triumph and survival. In an up-close-and-personal setting featuring images, music and video, Tyson, in an intimate and theatrical setting, will share the stories of his life and experiences as a professional athlete and controversies in and out of the ring."

Tickets start at $99.99 plus tax and service fees. Special VIP packages are $499.99 and include a meet-and-greet and photo with Tyson. They go on sale Friday at noon.

For more info: www.MGMGrand.com.

Or, just rent the 2008 James Torback documentary, "Tyson" (linked here) on Netflix. It's far less expensive, and you can shower off easier afterwards.

UPDATED: MONDAY, 10 a.m.:

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

THIS WEEK'S BEST BET

NBA: Lakers vs. Miami, Staples Center, Sunday at 12:30 p.m., Channel 7:

Have you been studying Lakers' game film during the All-Star break? We're not sure what genre it belongs in. And now, as things seem to be heating up at Staples Center, the Heat arrives for a nationally televised game. So on that note, we pose this question: Might The Artist Formerly Known as Ron Artest find it's to his benefit, and ours, that he goes silent movie on everyone the rest of the way? No more publicly second-guessing about coach Mike Brown's strategy on how to get the Lakers on track as the second half of this abbreviated season begins. Look at your stats: career-low numbers in points, rebounds, steals, shooting percentage, three-point percentage and all that while averaging 23 points a game. With World Peace as a starter, the team may be above .500, but he's averaging 4.0 points and 35.7 percent at the free-throw line. And as Brown can tell anyone, the stats don't back World Peace up as any remarkable defender right now, either.
Some have speculated that he could have some trade value right now as GM Mitch Kupchak tries to figure out how to fix things. But the 31-year-old World Peace is stuck in a five-year deal that brings him more than $14 million through 2013-14. Not even the Dallas Mavericks find that attractive. The last time the Lakers faced Miami, World Peace played 22 minutes off the bench, had seven points, one board and three assists. No wonder the Heat won 98-87 back on Jan. 19. LeBron James supposedly shook off flu-like symptoms with a cough and chest congestion to score 31 points with eight rebounds and eight assists. Shane Battier also did his usual job shutting down Kobe Bryant, who had 10 points through three quarters and finished with 24.

MONDAY

NASCAR: Daytona 500, 4 p.m., Channel 11:

Drive, Part II: If it rains again, we're not sure when the Sprint Car season opener will get done. When today's already delayed restart was rained out again, NASCAR pushed it back to under the lights and in primetime for the first time in its history. "We hope to have 'Lady and gentlemen, start your engines,' at 7:02 and then warm up and go to green flag," NASCAR president Mike Helton said. "We believe this is a reasonable expectation." More info at this link.

NHL: Kings at Nashville, 5 p.m., FSW:

The Help? You be the Kings need it. The league's trade deadline lands today. Does GM Dean Lombardi have any more last-minute housecleaning? Shipping off Dustin Brown can't be a good sign. No, the team that practices on Nash Street in El Segundo didn't get Rick Nash, but now they're in Nashville trying to make do with his former Blue Jackets teammate Jeff Carter, who is back with Michael Richards. If the rumors for why Carter and Richards were shipped out of Philly were true, perhaps there is a clear winner in the trade: all the bars around Staples Center. Seriously, John Carter (left) is the person the Kings should be hunting down. Immediately. Except he's not out in the theatres until March 9. Until then, a Dustin Brown hat trick every now and then keeps it interesting.

TUESDAY

NBA: Clippers vs. Minnesota, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., Prime:

Wanderlust: Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul were just teammates a couple of days ago in Orlando. Ricky Rubio should have been there, too. Remember, it was Rubio's 3-pointer, followed by Love's 3-pointer, that tied and beat the Clippers last time at Staples, 101-98, on Jan. 20.

NHL: Kings at Minnesota, 4:30 p.m., NBC Sports Channel:

Something Wild: Minnesota 21-year-old goalie Matt Hackett throttled the Kings during his first NHL start back on Dec. 8 in a 4-2 win. He's only been in two games since then, and lost both, including 4-1 at Dallas on Feb. 24.

WEDNESDAY

NBA: Lakers vs. Minnesota, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW:

The Descendants: The Beach Boys are back in the studio around Hollywood tuning up for a 50th anniversary tour. Too bad Kevin Love can't help Uncle Mike make one of the greatest rebounds in music history. By this time, maybe Kobe's bloody nose will also stop.

THURSDAY

College basketball: USC vs. Washington, Galen Center, 7:30 p.m.; UCLA vs. Washington State, Sports Arena, 7 p.m.:

The Vow: If the Bruins and Trojans can promise their followers that they're game-ready for the Pac-12 Tournament next week, here's a chance to prove it. Neither of these games are on TV -- instead, Fox Sports West has a much more attractive Colorado at Oregon matchup.

NBA: Clippers at Sacramento, 7 p.m., Prime:

Moneyball: How can these Kings afford to keep a home in the state capital? This is the start of a six-game, nine-day road trip for the Clippers that will eventually take them down to Houston, up to Minnesota, over to New Jersey and back down to San Antonio.

Golf: PGA Honda Classic, first round, noon, Golf Channel:

Trees of Life: In Palm Beach Gardena, Fla., the tour leaves the West and goes East in preparation for The Masters in a month. Rory Sabatini won it last year. This year's field includes Tiger Woods, who'll be playing at the PGA National for the first time as a pro, as well as Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood. NBC has the last two rounds Saturday and Sunday.

FRIDAY

NBA: Lakers vs. Sacramento, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW:

Safe House: The Lakers' home record continues to keep them in the race for the Pacific Division title. Especially when Denzel Washington is in his courtside seat.

NBA: Clippers at Phoenix, 7:30 p.m., Prime, ESPN:

Big Miracle: The Suns make the playoffs this year.

SATURDAY

College basketball: UCLA vs. Washington, Sports Arena, 11 a.m., Channel 2; USC vs. Washington State, Galen Center, 3 p.m.:

Underworld Awakening: Seriously, an 11 a.m. tipoff? Just so CBS can cram it into a triple-header of college hoops today.

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

Gone: By the time this game comes around, the Kings and Ducks could have changed positions in the Western Conference standings. Which sounded impossible just a couple of months ago. The Mighty Ducks' coaching change -- one that didn't include Gordon Bombay -- has finally worked its way out. The Kings have won three of four meetings this season, but two of them were by shootout, including the last game on Dec. 22 when coach Darryl Sutter made his debut behind the Kings' bench. They've only got one more head-to-head battle, on March 16.

SUNDAY

NBA: Clippers at Houston, 4 p.m., Prime:

Red Tails: The Rockets won three in a row heading into the All-Star break, but can't get a break in the Southwest DIvision since San Antonio and Dallas are in their way.

MLB exhibition: Philadelphia vs. N.Y. Yankees, 10 a.m., MLB Network; Houston vs. Washington, 1 p.m., MLB Network:

Throw in Minnesota vs. Boston at 5 p.m. on tape, and the MLB Network comes through on the first day of exhibition baseball from Florida.

NASCAR: Sprint Cup Subway Fresh Fit 500, Phoenix International Speedway, Channel 11, 11:30 a.m.:

Iron Lady: Danica Patrick's first real week on the NASCAR circuit wasn't so bad. So far, at least. She won the pole for the Nationwide event at Daytona before finishing 38th on Saturday because of a crash knocked her into a wall on the 49th lap (below). Maybe it's time for her to get a dragon tattoo. Fontana used to be the second stop on the circuit after Daytona, but now, it's nearby suburban Phoenix, sponsored by a sub shop where you might see Michael Strahan doing his own tire drills and Apolo Ohno skating over cars at the finish line. Fontana eventually lands on March 25. If it keeps raining in Daytona, Fontana may be the first stop.

The Kings are finding every which way to lose these days -- if it's not being on the wrong end of a 1-0 shutout, then it's blowing a 3-0 lead to rival Phoenix.

As their playoff chances appear to be melting away by the day, why not bring in a Canadian-based solar energy company that can naturally speed up the process?

Canadian Solar Inc. is "a perfect fit ... to become a first-time sponsor of the Los Angeles Kings," said the company's chairman and CEO, Dr. Shawn Qu, in a press release. "The Los Angeles Kings have already made exemplary efforts in sustainability. This latest partnership highlights our commonality and provides a meaningful platform for a strong brand and renewable energy message."

Renewable goal scoring might seem to be a more pressing need as the Kings seek sustainability in the Western Conference playoff race.

Apparently, a solar-powered light bulb went off in the heads of the Kings' parent company, AEG, to make this partnership happen.

"At AEG, we pride ourselves on being a sustainable organization. Partnering with a preeminent sustainable company like Canadian Solar is a no-brainer," said Bill Pedigo, Senior Vice President, Corporate Partnerships for the Kings.

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

THIS WEEK'S BEST BET

NBA All-Star Game in Orlando, Fla., Sunday at 4:30 p.m., TNT:

What in the name of Max von Sydow is the NBA thinking of putting its star power head-to-head as a TV event against the 84th Academy Awards (Channel 7, 5 p.m.)? A different viewer demographic helps, most likely those who prefer things extremely loud and incredibly close. Except that when you consider the host, Billy Crystal, is the most notable Clippers fan, and if Jack Nicholson is anywhere near the Kodak Theatre he'll be trying to get updates on how Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum are getting along with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
The delayed start of the lockout season pushed back this annual exhibition to a night that's been reserved for Hollywood royalty, but maybe the real question should be: In a condensed 66-game schedule, why even have this event? Because, the NBA has always been about showing off its own version of "Moneyball." And by staging this in Orlando, the topic of conversation will likely turn to the plight of Magic's Dwight Howard, starting at center for the East. Will he stick around or pursue his own money dreams somewhere else in a couple of weeks? It may not have the ramifications of LeBron James' "Decision," but it's going to tilt the balance of the league no matter what happens. Heck, he could be the starting center for the West next season. The other story creating buzz -- anything related to New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin -- has him included now in the "Rising Stars Challenge" on Friday (TNT, 6 p.m.), where "coach" Shaquille O'Neal added him to his team, along with second-year player Griffin, going against Charles Barkley's hand-picked squad led by Kyrie Irving. Lin will also be somehow involved in the "Shooting Stars" competition on Saturday (TNT, 5:30 p.m.) and he could be included as some kind of Baron Davis-like prop for Knicks teammate Iman Shumpert during the dunk competition. It isn't too late for someone at the Academy Awards to fly him out for Sunday's ceremony to have him present the best animated feature Oscar.

MONDAY

NBA: Lakers vs. Portland, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., TNT, FSW; Clippers at Golden State, 7:30 p.m. Prime:

L.A.'s version of the President's Day doubleheader is a head-to-head, remote control challenged event. Kobe Bryant scored 30 against the Blazers in their only previous meeting back on Jan. 5, but Gerald Wallace had 31 in Portland's 11-point home win. The Clippers face a Warriors team that's lost three in a row, and this is Golden State's only game in "the City" over a stretch of eight out of nine on the road between Feb. 17 and March 5. TNT has added the Boston-Dallas game (5 p.m.) to its doubleheader telecast.

TUESDAY

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Kings goalie Jonathan Quick eyes the puck before stopping a shot on goal during the first period of Saturday's game against Calgary -- a 1-0 loss.

NHL: Kings at Phoenix, 6 p.m., FSW:

How many 1-0 losses in a row can the Kings absorb at this point in the season and still make the playoffs? Let's not test that theory any longer, since they're now 9th in the Western Conference in an offensive spiral, flying on a prayer and the lack of a wing who can score. "It's been the same thing for this team all year -- finding ways to score goals," Kings captain Dustin Brown said after their loss to Calgary on Saturday. "It's definitely frustrating, and it's been frustrating all year. I don't want to say we didn't work hard -- we did." Coyotes goalie Mike Smith handed the Kings their previous 1-0 loss last week, allowing Phoenix to slide past them into the No. 7 spot in the West. This is the last Kings-Coyotes matchup in the regular season.

Series: "Real Sports," HBO, 10 p.m.:

Whatever happened to Leigh Steinberg? One of most powerful sports agent in the world, he's now 62, living with a roommate in an apartment in Southern California, fighting an addiction that he says cost him everything. See Armen Keteyian's report on the former superagent's fall from glory.

WEDNESDAY

NBA: Lakers at Dallas, 6:30 p.m., Channel 9, ESPN:

Lamar Odom doesn't need his wife, Khloe Kardashian, going on Jimmy Kimmel's show to defend his honor. But she felt compelled to do so anyway the other night, saying he simply "wears his heart on his sleeve" as she promoted the new season of "Khloe and Lamar" on the E! Channel. This "Dallas"-style drama that former Laker is involved in how has him averaging just 21 minutes a game (eighth on the roster), enough to score 8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists a game for the still-defending champs.

NBA: Clippers vs. Denver, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., Prime:

Blake Griffin surely will remember how he got Mozgov'd on a dunk attempt when these two met last time at Staples Center -- Timofey Mozgov's hard foul changed Griffin's demeanor in the Clippers' 21-point loss on Feb. 2. Sure, it was payback. But Griffin couldn't see that one coming?

NHL: Kings at Colorado, 6 p.m., NBC Sports Channel:

The network takes this one for national exposure, and J.S. Giguere, the Avs goalie who led the Ducks to a Stanley Cup title in 2007 and was the playoff MVP in 2003, could be ready to show up at full strength after having been day-to-day with a groin injury. Giguere was the goalie of record against the Kings in a 3-1 win back on Jan. 21 and his GGA (2.13) is getting into the neighborhood of Jonathan Quick's 1.87.

Golf: WGC Accenture Match Play, opening round, 9 a.m.:

From the Ritz Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana, Arizona, Luke Donald returns to defend his title after he defeated Martin Kaymer 3-and-2 in last year's final that was interrupted a bit by some rare snow and sleet. Donald never played the 18th hole all week, wrapping up all his wins early. "I've always thrived at match play," said Donald, who posted a nasty 78 in his last round at Riviera on Sunday and fell far in the final leaderboard. "It's a bit of a different strategy to it that makes for very interesting TV. I enjoy the challenge of one-on-one. It's a tough challenge. It's a tough format, because you can have days that you play well and go home. ... Every match you feel like it's do or die." Late last week, Rory McIlroy announced he will make his PGA Tour debut at this event. Golf Channel has Day Two on Thursday (11 a.m.) and Day Three on Friday (11 a.m.) before it goes to NBC and Channel 4 for Saturday (11 a.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m.).

THURSDAY

College basketball: UCLA at Arizona State, 5:30 p.m., FSArizona.net; USC at Arizona, 6 p.m., FSArizona:

There's a scenario of seedings for the upcoming Pac-12 tournament that could pit the Bruins against the Sun Devils in a 7-10 matchup and 12th-seeded Trojans against the Wildcats in Thursday's first-round action. The Sun Devils' 7-foot Russian, Ruslan Pateev (right), and 7-foot-2 Jordan Bachynski gave the Bruins' front line some problems in their last meeting, until Pateev fouled out and UCLA came back for a 17-point win in early January.

NBA: Lakers at Oklahoma City, 6:30 p.m., TNT:

No surprise the Western Conference front-running Thunder is 12-1 at home this season. There's a lot of energy in the arena called the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Don't worry: If Durant goes off for 51, Westbrook adds 40 and someone named Ibaka goes off for a triple-double in this game, it's already been done before.

FRIDAY

WWE Raw Tour, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m.:

It's not the Grammys, but an incredibly similiar scripted simulation. The promoters insist that R Truth will battle The Miz, John Cena will face off against Kane, Dolph Ziggler will challenge CM Punk, and there'll be a "special appearance" by Chris Jericho. Whatever that entails.

SATURDAY

College basketball: Santa Clara at Loyola Marymount, 8 p.m., FSW; Cal State Northridge at UC Irvine, 7:30 p.m., Prime:

St. Mary's and Gonzaga have stayed ranked in the Top 25. BYU is next in the WCC standings. Does that mean LMU, which stunned the Gaels and knocked off Valpariso in a "bracket buster" last week, has enough to navigate its way to an NCAA Tournament bid? The Lions already have 10 conference wins, the most since the 1989-90 Bo Kimble-led team made it to the regional finals of the NCAA tournament. This is the final game of the regular season before the conference tournament in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the Matators wind down their Big West schedule (with one more next week). CSUN ranks in the bottom 15 of the 334 Division I teams in field goal percentage (38.8 percent).

College basketball: UCLA at Arizona, 11 a.m., Channel 2; USC at Arizona State, 5 p.m., Prime:

Travis Wear scored a career-high 20 points and twin brother David Wear added 14 points when the Bruins won their first Pac-12 game, 65-58, against the Wildcats at the Honda Center back on Jan. 5.

NHL: Kings vs. Chicago, Staples Center, 5 p.m., FSW:

The Blackhawks have pulled out of a nasty skid, winning three in a row coming into the week after a nine-game losing streak. It got to ugly that Jeremy Roenick, the former Kings and Chicago star, suggested that team could trade All-Star Patrick Kane to get a reliable goalie before the Feb. 27 deadline. Anyone up for Kane to L.A. for Jonathan Bernier? At least this isn't an afternoon game.

SUNDAY

(AP Photo/John Moore)
Paul Menard (27), David Ragan (34) and Michael Waltrip (55) wreck coming out of Turn 1 during the NASCAR Budweiser Shootout at Daytona last Saturday.

NASCAR: Daytona 500, Channel 11, 9 a.m.:

New Fox race analyst Michael Waltrip (right) was asked what driver he expected big things from as the 2012 Sprint Cup season opens. "The most popular answer will be Kasey Kahne," he said. "Kasey won late in the season at Phoenix and now he is joining Hendrick, the team that has won five out of the last six championships. People will have their money on him. Another guy you better watch out for is Denny Hamlin. Denny raced for a championship in 2010 but struggled in 2011. However, he has a new crew chief this season in Darian Grubb who is coming off a championship season with Tony Stewart. I think Denny and Darian will be a potent combination." Why wouldn't Waltrip mention himself? The two-time winner of "The Great American Race'' will drive the No. 40 Toyota for newly-formed Hillman Racing. If he makes the field, it'll be his 27th start in the 500 and 75th start at Daytona International Speedway between the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Truck Series. No other driver has more starts. And we can't remember the last driver who started the day in the broadcast booth and ended it as a driver in the Daytona 500, as Waltrip hopes to do after he finished last in Saturday's Budweiser Shootout, completing just eight laps before he was taken out in a crash (above). Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle put Roush Fenway Racing on the front row during pole qualifying, with the rest of the field to be determined with the two 150-mile races on Thursday.

Staff photos by Hans Gutknecht
Among the USC students in attendance at Thursday's Olympics broadcasters panel discussion: Second-team All-Pac-12 center Khaled Holmes (far right, in red with glasses), who received his bachelor's degree in communication at USC in the spring of 2011 and is working on a master's degree in communication management. Entering his redshirt senior season, Holmes was named to the conference all-academic team.
Below: USC professor Jeff Fellenzer, left, along with Jim Lampley, Jim Nantz and Al Michaels turn to watch a video of the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics where Michaels is calling the final seconds of the U.S. victory over the Soviets in the men's semifinal hockey tournament, still considered the greatest U.S. sports moment in history.

What's include in today's weekly media column (linked here): A panel discussion at USC's Annenberg School of Communications & Journalism provides a lesson for Al Michaels, plus more on the Kansas City Royals' hiring of Rex Hudler and Steve Physioc, the new tweeks to "March Madness On Demand Live" and the "Jaws"-dropping decision by ESPN regarding "Monday Night Football."

What isn't included:
== Highlights of IOC president Jacques Rogge visit to USC on Wednesday as part of the three-day examination of the Olympics, as covered by Neon Tommy, the Annenberg Digital News service (linked here) and the Daily Trojans newspaper (linked here)
== How the Annenberg TV Network (ATVN) covered the start of the conference (linked here)
== The MLB Network's "Baseball IQ" gameshow is down to the final eight contestants -- and one is the Angels' Shane Demmitt, the assistant equipment manager from Northridge, who will go up against Hall of Fame director of communications Craig Mulder on Tuesday (6 p.m.). The two semifinal shows air on Thursday, Feb. 22 (6 and 6:30 p.m.), followed by the championship (7 p.m.)
== ABC has the first broadcast network coverage of the New York Knicks since the Jeremy Lin explosion (Sunday, 10 a.m., New York vs. Dallas). ESPN did the Knicks' game against the Lakers last Friday night. Interesting, as many New Yorkers can't follow the Knicks on local TV since the MSG channel has been blacked out in a dispute with Time Warner Cable.

Sean Combs saw the documentary "Undefeated" and became unhinged.

"I was crying like a baby," the rapper more famously known as P. Diddy admitted Thursday morning.

So moved by the film that is one of five nominated for an Academy Award in the documentary feature category, the multi-media entrepreneur Combs signed on as the executive producer after The Weinstein Company acquired the rights to distribute and possibly remake it somewhere down the road.

"Undefeated," which opens in L.A. and New York on Friday and nationwide on March 2, is an inspiration story of life lessons told by Los Angeles-based filmmakers Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin that are centered on the 2009 football team at Manassas High in the innercity of North Memphis, Tenn., which has its best season after years of underachieving.

Volunteer head coach Bill Courtney is the "White Shadow" who changes the culture, with one of the storylines about an undersized offensive lineman named Montrail "Money" Brown suffering a severe injury but works hard to come back for the playoffs.

That's the player Combs identified with most - he broke his leg in the last day of camp going into his senior year at Mount Saint Michael Academy in the Bronx, New York and never got to play.

"I went from the guy whose name was called every two seconds to one where anyone barely spoke to me again, said Combs, whose son, Justin, just received a scholarship to play football at UCLA as a cornerback. "You might as well not be on the team anymore.

"When 'Money' got hurt, he was lucky to have a different kind of coach help him (Courtney). I never got that chance. That was my first heartbreak - it wasn't a girl. And that stayed with me. You pray to have people in your life like Coach Bill believing in you. That's how I related to it."

Courtney says the movie hasn't changed him much from his role as a father of four, a husband and the owner of his own lumber yard.

"It can't change me," he said Thursday. "If you let something like this define you, then you're ignoring too many important other things. Other than getting to meet a lot of really neat people, I've got my eyes oepn to the fact that a person like Sean who is a celebrity really is a generous human being as well.

One of the lines Courtney uses in the movie is that football doesn't create someone's character, but it reveals it. The movie reveals a lot of Courtney's character to the world.

"I don't care who you are, there's going to be days when things hit you in the mouth and you lose faith in people, but one of the things this movie has done for me is restore my faith in successful people who are doing amazing things and aren't just motivated by the almighty dollar."

Combs said any kind of remake of "Undefeated" has not been determined. It could be more of a dramatic script that takes on the life of Courtney's football coaching.

"The focus now is to just get it out into theatres, and the other parts will come in time," he said. "That's all part two. It's still his (Courtney's) life."

"Undefeated," which appeared briefly in L.A. to receive Oscar consideration last year, will play at the Rave 18 (in the Howard Hughes Center off the 405 Freeway near Culver City) and the Landmark (in the Westside Pavilion near UCLA).

From today's Sports Business Daily (and note the irony in how it also cites all these others who tweeted out their response to the news):

The Boston Globe's Bob Ryan said he is "saying goodbye" to his full-time columnist position following the London Games.

Ryan, appearing on ESPN's "The B.S. Report," said, "There will be a part-time need. There will be an afterlife, but it won't be a full-time afterlife."

Ryan: "I really and truly believe that my time has come and gone, that the dynamics of the business -- of what it means to be involved in the sports business with all of the tweeting and the blogging, an audience with a different taste -- it's not me anymore." He added, "I can very happily say I have had a great run. I think it's time for someone else to have their run."

Ryan appears on several ESPN shows, including serving as a regular panelist on "Around The Horn" and a frequent guest host of "PTI."

He said, "If they want me on TV, that's great. We haven't even explored that." Ryan noted the Olympics this summer is a "perfect way for me to go out"

Northeastern Univ. journalism professor Dan Kennedy wrote on his Twitter account, "Bob Ryan's retirement will be a huge loss for the @BostonGlobe. He's earned his legendary status."

WEEI.com's Ryan Hadfield wrote, "He leaves, still, the best columnist in the market...by far."

WBZ-CBS' Dan Roche wrote, "No one...I repeat...no one has or will bring as much passion to his craft/life as Bob Ryan."

The Orange County Register's Mark Whicker wrote, "Hope Globe readers savor the last few months of Bob Ryan, a friend and role model (though he'll still be on 15 TV shows). True enthusiast." .

As an aspiring actor living in the Hollywood area of L.A. the last four years, Eddie Mata figured out pretty quickly that it really does matter who you know.

As he campaigns now to be one of the finalists who could win a trip to New York and live this summer in the MLB Fan Cave -- a veritable baseball fish bowl on East 4th and Broadway in Manhattan where last year two lucky fans lived and watched watch all 2,430 games played during the season -- Mata also knows it wouldn't hurt right now to have a few more cyber friends.

Not that Twitter endorsements already from Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon, actors Lou Diamond Phillips, Andrew Dice Clay and Tom Arnold, former players Kevin Brown and Chuck Knoblauch, movie critic Ben Lyons, Laura Posada (Jorge's wife), Dallas Latos (Mat's wife), and almost two dozen other active players haven't gotten him enough attention.

"Why do I stand out from the rest? I'm charasmatic, charming, got a sense of humor, energy, I'm knowledgeable, creative and most importantly -- I have so much passion for the game," said Mata, a Brooklyn-born Yankees fan with a Tony Danza-like personna who also works himself in as a hitting instruction to pre-high school Southern Californians, calling himself the "Batting Doctor" (his website is linked here).

"I will draw fans to the cave. People always connect to me. That's just the kind of guy I am."

Mata got to the final 50 from more than 22,000 who applied. Last year's winners, Mike O'Hara and Ryan Wagner, outlasted 10,000 applicants to win, chronicling their experiences on Twitter, Facebook, the MLB Network and MLBFanCave.com. The 2012 version of the cave will accomodate six fans this time around.

In addition to Mata, those with local connections pushing to make the group of 30 that will go to spring training in Arizona for the final cutdown include Dodgers fans Nick Hamilton (of L.A.) and Jeremy Dorn (of Walnut Creek), as well as Angels fans Matthew James, Ricardo Marquez and Joseph Meehan (all of Anaheim) and Kris Neild (of Glastonbury, Conn.).

All applicants submitted video clips (Mata's is above) and essays to promote their candidacy. Creativity doesn't hurt. A story posted on MLB.com about the finalists (linked here) noted how Marquez used a connection at San Diego State to film a video promoting himself with endorsements from Aztecs manager and Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, Dodgers outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr., and Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg.

The urgency is that the deadline for voting on this phase at MLBFanCave.com ends February 22. Connecting to Mata via Twitter (@eddiemata) and his Facebook page (linked here) also helps the cause.

"I'm battling," said the 36-year-old Mata. "I'm like Steinbrenner right now -- my attitude is that no way anyone outshines me."

Mata says he'll take a break from his acting pursuit to confine himself to the cave, where games are on at almost all hours on 15 TV screens throughout the building that once housed a Tower Records store.

"My job is to make the final curtain," he said. "I've found that acting is a lot like stepping into a batter's box. You can nail it -- hit the ball squarely -- but then sometimes it goes right into someone's glove. That's the audition process. You've got to accept failure and rejection all the time. I know I'll get to the big stage. I'll always leave with a positive note."

The saving grace for Mata living in L.A. is that he can stay connected to Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, one of his favorite players. Mata says he often uses video of Mattingly's swing to illustrate to kids about the right way to connect on a pitch.

"His swing is gorgeous," said Mata, who says he keeps up with Yankees games on the YES network by getting the MLB package on DirecTV. "On my laptop, I have a program where I'll shoot the kid's swing with a camcorder and break it down with a split screen -- the kid on one side, and I can put Mattingly on the other. Sometimes I have to remind the kids -- look, that's the manager of the Dodgers.

"I promise the parents: I can teach your son how to hit a baseball very far. And I can."

Now, we'll see how far Mata can get himself into his next pre-historic housing pursuit.

Former USC star offensive lineman Anthony Munoz, former Kings star Marcel Dionne,and former Olympic sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos were among the six to be named today in the sixth class of the California Sports Hall of Fame.

They will be inducted along with former Oakland/L.A. Raiders linebacker Ted Hendricks and former NBA star Rick Barry at the 2012 ceremonies on Sunday, April 1 at the Ontario Convention Center.

The California Sports Hall of Fame (linked here) was created by Christian Okoye, the former all-pro running back for the Kansas City Chiefs out of the University of the Pacific. Okoye's mission has been to promote education and sports programs for children throughtout the state.

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

THIS WEEK'S BEST BET

Golf: PGA Northern Trust Open, Riviera Country Club, Thursday through Sunday, Golf Channel and Channel 2:

So, who do you trust these days?

Fred Couples (top) has earned our trust. The two-time champ at Riviera (1990, 1992) and three-time runner-up ('93, '94 and '96) led this annual L.A. PGA Tour stop in Pacific Palisades a year ago after three rounds at 8-under, then fired three birdies to start the final round. Then things broke badly. Toward Aaron Baddeley, more specifically.

Couples' double bogey at No. 7 left the door open for Baddeley (left), who, on that same hole made a 20-foot birdie. He finished with a 69 to win the tournament over Vijay Singh.The 52-year-old Couples, trying to be the oldest PGA Tour winner in the last 35 years, dropped into a tie for seventh, willing his way through the course with his recurring back problems. We're not surprised he'll be back for his 30th appearance in this event, tying him with Gene Littler, with a shot at joining Ben Hogan (3), Arnold Palmer (3), Lloyd Mangrum (4) and MacDonald Smith (4) as the only players to win this three or more times.

You've got to trust the abilities of world No. 1-ranked Luke Donald. The 2011 PGA Tour player of the year has three top-10 finishes in his last 10 starts at Riviera, and was runner-up in 2010. He's back in the field.

So is two-time event winner Phil Mickelson. We trust he's cleared a runway or two at Santa Monica Airport to make this thing work again in his favor. Although after his performance this weekend at Pebble Beach, he may be flying without the aid of a private plane.

On the other end of the age spectrum, we've come to trust Patrick Cantlay, the junior at UCLA and top-ranked amateur in the world who got a sponsor's exemption to be here. This will be his Northern Trust Open debut.

Keegan Bradley missed the cut last year at Riviera. Then he went on to win the PGA Championship and was the first rookie to win twice on the PGA Tour since 2004. We trust he'll make it to the final weekend this time.

Surely, we trust Jason Gore (right), another sponsor's exemption after a Twitter campaign got him in. We trust his former Pepperdine teammate, Andy Walker, a 36-year-old who got in by writing a letter about how hard he's been trying to promote diversity in golf, and now he'll get to make his first PGA field.

Tiger Woods? We've got some trust issues with him now. Because he doesn't trust himself here anymore. He decided to pass again on what used to be his backyard event -- but then, he's done that every year now since 2006. Probably because he's failed to win this thing in eight tries as a pro (after getting two exemptions to play when he was 16 and 17 back in the early '90s). "I'm shocked that he doesn't play here, but I guess he doesn't play well here," Couples said during last year's event about Woods. "If I can play well here, any human being in the world can play well here." Trust us, if Tiger keeps turning down Jerry West's invites, they'll eventually stop coming.

MONDAY

NBA: Clippers at Dallas, 5:30 p.m., Prime:

With a chance to win five of six on their Grammy road trip, the Clippers (17-8) have kept their cushion ahead of the rest in the Pacific Division with the franchise's best start since 1974. Dallas (17-10) has won three in a row, but lost to the Clippers, 91-89, back on Jan. 18 when Chauncey Billips hit a 3-pointer with one second left. The storyline in Dallas is how Dirk Nowitzki was picked for his 11th straight All-Star game, as the coaches who select the reserves simply overlooked the fact that last year's NBA Finals MVP is averaging just 17.6 points a game, his worst production since his second season in the league.

TUESDAY

NBA: Lakers vs. Atlanta, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW:

Kiss-Cam alert: On Valentine's Day, it's important you're seated next to someone you don't want your better half to see you with somewhere else in the building. Or on TV. Or on YouTube. The Lakers hope that home is where the heart is after a break-even roadie. The Hawks have been making noise behind Joe Johnson (18.4 points a game) and Josh Smith (15.9), plus a bench that includes Tracy McGrady and former Laker Vlad Radmanovic and Jannero Pargo.

WEDNESDAY

College basketball: USC vs. UCLA, L.A. Sports Arena, 7:30 p.m., Prime:

No one on the current Trojans' roster remembers the bad old days of when they played at the musty old Sports Arena - it's just that Trojan boosters thought they'd never have to go back to the place once the Galen Center opened in 2006. When UCLA has the place as its temporary home court, they're 7-4. Back on Jan. 15, the Bruins had no trouble collecting a 66-47 win at Galen Center, having raced out to an 18-point halftime lead. The Bruins' 19-point win marked the program's largest margin of victory at USC's home arena since an 82-52 win in 1974. At the Sports Arena, of course.

NBA: Clippers vs. Washington, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW:

Gee, Wiz. Welcome home.

THURSDAY

NBA: Clippers at Portland, 7:30 p.m., TNT:

Gerald Wallace scored 20 points, making a key 3-pointer with two minutes left, in the Blazers' 105-97 win at Portland over the Clippers in on Jan. 10. Compare that to the fact he went scoreless in their previous meeting on New Year's Day. Wallace may be averaging 13.5 a game this season, but he rarely hits that number -- often going off for 23 one night and four the next.

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

If it turns out that the Kings aren't adept at catching San Jose for the top spot in the Pacific Division, then it's clear that they'll be fighting it out with the Coyotes (and and a couple of others) for the seventh and/or eight spot in the conference standings. And going into this week, they're about as even as you can get. The Kings have had three days off at home since their six-game Grammy trip ended. Jonathan Quick registered his league-leading sixth shutout last time the Coyotes were in L.A., a 1-0 overtime win on Drew Doughty's goal. But that shouldn't be a surprise. The Kings lead the NHL in one-goal games, and 10 of their last 12 losses have been by a single goal. The Kings' 9-3-4 record against Pacific Division foes is by far the best record any team in the division has against each other. This game is also "Dodgers Pride Night With The Kings," meaning Dodgers GM Ned Colletti will drop the puck.

FRIDAY

NBA: Lakers vs. Phoenix, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW, ESPN:

Steve Nash was named to the Western Conference All-Star team? Over Ricky Rubio?
Well, the 38-year-old, two-time league MVP and now eight-time All-Star is the only one in the league averaging double-digit assists.

College basketball: Loyola Marymount vs. Valpariaso, Gersten Pavilion, 6 p.m., ESPNU:

Here's one of the ESPN BracketBuster games, giving teams on the bubble as the NCAA tournament nears another shot at improving things like their RPI rating. Valpo (18-9), coached by former star player Bryce Drew, is No. 86 and shooting up according to RealTimeRPI.com. The Lions (16-10) are at 107.

SATURDAY

College basketball: UCLA at St. John's, 10 a.m., Channel 2:

What about the rumor floating around that Steve Lavin would leave St. John's at the end of this season, move back to L.A. and apply for the USC job if it opened up? Lavin said the other day he'll be back on the bench -- somewhere -- next season, even if the 47-year-old hasn't been able to guide the Red Storm since November when he had a setback in his prostate cancer recovery. The former UCLA coach was with St. John's when they came to play at Pauley Pavilion against the Bruins a year ago, winning 66-59. Mike Dunlop, the former guard from Loyola Marymount, has guided St. John's to a 10-15 record this season in Lavin's absence.

College basketball: Long Beach State at Creighton, 7 p.m., ESPN2:

Another BracketBuster: The Big West's 49ers (19-6), on a 12-game win streak, haven't faced a Top 25 team since a win over Xavier in late December. The 15th-ranked Bluejays (21-5) lost their last home game to Wichita State by 21 points. RealTimeRPI.com has Long Beach State at No. 34 and moving up, with Creighton at No. 25 but dropping.

NBA: Clippers vs. San Antonio, Staples Center, 12:30 p.m., Prime:

Blake Griffin had 28 points, but Chris Paul was just 3-of-10 shooting in the Clippers' 115-90 loss at San Antonio in their previous meeting on Dec. 28.

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

Since the Flames got Miikka Kiprusoff in a trade with San Jose in 2003, he's played more games than any other NHL goaltender, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He recently passed Mike Vernon as the franchise leader in games played by a goalie as well. Kiprusoff was in the nets to endure a 4-1 loss to the Kings on Jan. 14, but he beat them five days later, 2-1, in a shootout at Staples Center. That's nothing to spit at.

SUNDAY

NBA: Lakers at Phoenix, 5 p.m., Channel 9:

Two days after their last encounter, they meet again.

Women's college basketball: UCLA at USC, Galen Center, noon, FSW:

Ashley Corral, who passed up Cheryl Miller in career assists for the Trojans, had eight of them (with 10 points and eight rebounds) in a 47-43 win at Westwood in the previous matchup on Jan. 14.

Series: "Eastbound & Down," season three premiere, 10 p.m., HBO:

Baseball's top relief pitcher of 2002 hasn't given up on his comeback 10 years later. Back from Mexico, Kenny Powers is now with the Myrtle Beach Mermen. At least, for the moment. This is supposed to be the final season of the series, so you better freakin' enjoy it for what it's worth. That's eight episodes, with Jason Sudeikis, Will Ferrell and Matthew McConaughey joining the cast. You can prep yourself for this year's episodes by buying a Mermen powder-blue T-shirt (linked here). With Powers' No. 55 on the back, of course. The Mermen also have their own Facebook page (linked here).

Exhibition: Harlem Globetrotters, Staples Center, noon and 5 p.m.:

They're based in Phoenix. They're owned by Burbank-based Shamrock Capital Grown Fund, which is the Roy Disney family fund that is run by Stanley Gold -- one of the groups bidding on ownership of the Dodgers. They've actually got a couple of squads, one of which is on the East Coast right now. And their current 29-person roster includes 7-foot-4, 270-pound rookie center Jermaine "Stretch" Middleton (left), who calls L.A. his home, and 6-foot-5 forward Wun "The Shot" Versher, a Compton native out of Dominguez High who played at Arizona State nine years ago. They're also playing at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Saturday (1 and 7 p.m.) at in Ontario on Monday (2 p.m.).

Running: Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, Rose Bowl, 7:30 a.m.:

Miles 2 and 3 hit the Rose Parade route on Orange Grove and Colorado Blvd. Miles 11, 12 and 13 are a tour around the north end of the Brookside Golf Course. Otherwise, you're on your own.

Staff photo by Michael Owen Baker

The next owner of the Dodgers slid some of the caprese salad appetizer next to the spicy fried calamari, careful not to interfere with the integrity of Sisley Italian Kitchen's famous Italian quesadilla that was already in front him.

Age: 36
Resident: Studio City
Family: Married to wife Anna for 13 years. "She doesn't get $1,000 haircuts," Josh confirmed. The couple has twin 6-year-old boys and an 11-year-old daughter.
Business background: He is the CEO of Reno-based Armital Entertainment LLC and co-chairman of Armital LLC.
His Dodger ownership plan: Macciello's new company, Armital Sports, Inc., would own 51 percent of the team. The other 49 percent would go to Eagle Crest LLC, comprised of two key investors. One is Myung-Ho Lee, is a South Korean-born former manager of Michael Jackson's estate and current CEO of Union Finance & Investment, whose clients include Hyundai, Samsung and Daewoo. He once sat on the board of Sony/ ATV Music and is on the board of the Korean Stock Exchange. The other, who requested his name not be publicized, is a Fresno-based businessman who owns a major renewable fuel company.

What's included in today's weekly media column (linked here): A condensed version of the piece we did last week week on the blog about why a newspaper might even have a sports media column in the first place (the original rambling version is linked here), as well as other notes and quotes.

What's not included:
== The second round of the MLB Network's "Baseball IQ" game show started Thursday, and the Dodgers' representative, Director of Ticket Operations Seth Bluman, was knocked out of the field of 16. The Angels' assistant equipment manager Shane Demmitt goes against the Mariners special assistant to the GM Tony Blengio at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Anyone who's watched the first round knows -- this is one tough test of knowledge. It's not even easier sitting at home.

== ESPN announced this morning that a documentary about Magic Johnson's declaration to the world 20 years ago that he had HIV will premiere March 11. ESPN Films and NBA Entertainment got together to make "The Announcement," directed by Nelson George, and narrated by Johnson, who currently works as an ESPN NBA studio analyst. Here's a trailer for the film -- as if any of us want to relive that moment again:

The deadline is 3 p.m. today for fans to purchase a chance to be one of about 150 who will be part of Monday's fundraiser for the Kings' Dustin Penner at the Westchester IHOP.

Those who go to www.lakings.com/pancakes can spend $10, $25 or $50 for packages that include chances to win the breakfast with Penner. All proceeds go to the Kings Care Foundation.

The 75 winners (who can bring a guest) will be notified by 5 p.m. today.

The background on this (linked here): Penner missed a Kings game last month when he threw out his back while at home eating pancakes.

Really, a pancake-related injury?

Once word got out what happened, he decided to get ahead of it by hosting a pancake breakfast to raise money for the team's non-profit foundation.

The breakfast is Monday from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Westchester IHOP (8600 S. Sepulveda Blvd.)

My sincerest thanks to Robert Baly at VinScullyIsMyHomeboy.com (linked here), Howard Cole at the Orange County Registers' Dodger blog (linked here) and Jon Weisman at DodgerThoughts.com (linked here) for helping me get the word out about a piece of Dodger literature I hope will provide a boost to an innercity literacy program that's close to my heart.

A new autographed copy of Clayton and Ellen Kershaw's book, "Arise," about their charity efforts in Africa that came out last month, is up for auction at eBay.com through Feb. 17 (linked here), with 100 percent of the proceeds going toward the Friends of St. Lawrence-Watts' literacy program that helps elementary school kids in the Watts area improve their reading skills to make their lives, and those of their families, much better as they are able to move on to better high schools and colleges.

You can read about some of the success stories on the non-profits' website: www.friendsofwatts.org as we move toward an annual fundraiser on Thursday, March 1 at the Hermosa Comedy and Magic Club -- everyone's invited. Or if you wanted to make a donation at the site, that's welcome as well.

Thanks to the book's publishers, Regal Books (www.regalbooks.com) for making the donation.

Update: Thanks, too, to Steve Dilbeck at the L.A. Times for linking up our auction (linked here)

The Dodgers' 2012 spring training broadcast schedule from Glendale, Arizl., includes 18 games televised back on Prime Ticket (13 dates) or KCAL-Channel 9 (two dates) with Eric Collins and Steve Lyons, with Charley Steiner and Rick Monday calling each nine games on the new flagship radio station, KLAC-AM (570).

The only exhibition game that Vin Scully will be apart of is the Dodgers-Angels contest at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, April 3 on KCAL.

Most radio games will also stream live on dodgers.com and ProAngle Media will produce all 15 high definition telecasts.

The first televised game is the second game of spring training on Tuesday, March 6 at 1 p.m. on Prime Ticket as the Dodgers face the Giants.

UPDATE: The Dodgers announced that Scully will now add the Dodgers' spring games on March 17 and 18 to his plans, doing both for TV.

Shaquille O'Neal called in to NBA TV's "GameTime" Tuesday night to talk about how former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant passed him for No. 5 on the league's all-time scoring list (linked here):

"First of all, I'd like to congratulate Kobe and his family; he's always been a great player. I can remember when me, him and Derek Fisher walked into the first day of practice. Kobe was practicing and shooting the ball by himself and he told everyone that he wanted to be the greatest Laker ever. I will be the first to say that he is the greatest Laker ever. He has a lot of great accomplishments, a lot of championships, passed up the great Jerry West, passed up Magic, shot the ball more than Kareem and he passed me up, so congratulations to Kobe Bryant and his family."

NBA TV co-host Dennis Scott asked O'Neal about his relationship with Kobe:

Shaq: "When I first came to Orlando, I can remember when you (Scott) picked me up and said, "Well big man, even though you are a rookie you are our leader so we go as far as you go." In Orlando, we had a lot of trials and tribulations but you know in Orlando I jumped on you, you jumped on me. I jumped on Nick (Anderson), we jumped on (Scott) Skiles... That's what great leaders do.

"The great John Wooden said, "The true definition of a great player is a player that makes his other players better." I knew that Kobe is a fierce guy, a fierce competitor and, at times, I knew that if I made him mad he was going to play out of this world, and he knew that if he made me mad that I was going to play out of this world. So that's why I tweeted earlier that we are the greatest Laker one-two punch ever created. There will never be a one-two punch more controversial, more entertaining and more dominant than Kobe and myself. So again, congratulations to Kobe Bryant and his family and keep shooting."

FullCourtPest.com

NBA TV co-host Brent Barry asked if Shaq thought Kobe would ever reach Michael Jordan's all-time record, now that he's some 3,700 points short:

O'Neal: "He probably has four or five years left and I don't have my Shaq-alator in front of me, but he is probably going to average 25 or more points per season so he may pass Michael Jordan. He may pass Wilt Chamberlain.

"I am jealous of Kobe in the sense that his injury bug is a much bigger bug than mine. If you look at his career, he never really had a season where he had to miss six to eight weeks because of an injury. I think the most he missed because of injury was two weeks. I missed 250 games averaging 25 points a game. I did the math earlier and that's another 5,000 points. If I would have done that, and if your father would have taught me how to shoot free throws the correct way, I wouldn't have missed 5,000 (points).

"I may have only missed 3,000. I'm kind of upset that in my career I missed all those games due to injury and I missed a lot free throws. If I didn't have that, I would have passed my idol - Wilt Chamberlain. It's neither here nor there, and like I said earlier, congratulations to Kobe Bryant. As long as I passed up all my other idols - Hakeem [Olajuwon], Patrick Ewing and all those other guys, I think I did a great job.

"Like I said, he's [Kobe] the greatest Laker ever. He told me that when he was 18-years-old and I believed him. I pushed his buttons and upset him at times but it made us play to the point where we were able to win three out of four championships and that's all I was trying to do. That's what all great leaders do."

(AP Photo/David Duprey)
New York Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham (82) makes a catch at the sideline as New England Patriots free safety Patrick Chung defends during the fourth quarter of Sunday's Super Bowl.

For a Super Bowl that began with Gisele Bundchen requesting prayers for her husband, was interrupted by Madonna trying to relive her glory days with "Like A Prayer" and concluded with Tom Brady's Hail Mary bouncing away in the end zone, NBC had to feel as if its prayers were answered Sunday.

== How obscene was NBC's halftime show? M.I.A. seemed to sum it up quite well, with the "We're No. 1" salute.

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

THIS WEEK'S BEST BET

NHRA: Winternationals at Pomona, beginning Thursday, ESPN2 has the Sunday final, 4:30 p.m.

In physics, a force is any influence that causes an object to undergo a change in speed, a change in direction or a change in shape. On a drag strip, a Force is anything that gets behind a steering wheel and hits the gas pedal, changing the direction of any race. And any offspring of John Force is bound to force change. This time, it's 23-year-old Courtney, joining her father's Funny Car team after two years racing alcohol fuel dragsters. With sister Ashley Force Hood taking her through the last test drives, Courtney,who now has her communications degree from Cal State Fullerton, will debut at Auto Club Speedway with teammates Robert "Top Gun" Hight, 2011 regular-season champ Mike Neff and her pops. "I'm excited to finally be getting ready for my first professional race," she said. "This is what I've always wanted to do and to have had my sister Ashley, my dad, brother-in-law (Hight, married to oldest sister Adria) and Mike Neff teach me, makes it that much better. I have had the best teachers." Boy oh boy, we remember Courtney back when she was just 17, back on the A&E reality show "Driving Force" with her dad, mom and sisters, making the Kardashians look almost normal. If they ever wanted to revive the program -- and there's talk of that happening again -- Courtney could be the star of the bunch.

MONDAY

NBA: Lakers at Philadelphia, 4 p.m., Channel 9:

True enough, Jrue Holiday has been a focal point of the 76ers' resurgence lately -- the Atlantic Division leaders are 12-3 at home, including a 16-point victory over Chicago, but also coming off a 20-point loss to Miami. The former UCLA and Campbell Hall standout had a career-best 24 points to go with five assists and five steals in a recent win over Milwaukee. "I thought it was his best game," 76ers head coach Doug Collins said. "I thought it was his liveliest game on both ends of the floor." Holiday says his comfort level has come from the fact he has "slowed down and let the game come to me. ... I'm reading the game better. I'm reading the teams we play against. We have good scouting reports. It really carries over in the games." The Sixers are defeating teams by a league-best 10.3 points a game -- no other squad is in double digits. And they are No. 1 in allowing just 86.5 points game. Meanwhile, in his home town, Kobe Bryant should pass Shaquille O'Neal as the No. 4 all-time leading scorer, needing 23 points (and lapping his former teammate in 79 fewer games)

NBA: Clippers at Orlando, 4 p.m., FSW:

Seriously, how many lob-points in the paint will Dwight Howard allow? DeAndre Jordan may be tied for the league lead with 3.0 swats a game, but Howard, the league's three-time defending defensive player of the year, won't be screened out of the competition. He had eight against Cleveland last Friday night -- two more would have given him a triple-double night.

TUESDAY

NHL: Kings at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m., NBC Sports Channel:

Back-to-back losses in regulation a first under Darryl Sutter's watch, so the first two games of the Grammy trip are already stressful -- despite giving up a total of three goals. The Kings have scored only one 5-on-5 goal in nine periods since they returned from the All-Star break, while three of their four goals in the last three games have been scored on the power play. Rich Hammond at KingsInsider.com wrote recently that the Kings seem to have "the scoring ability of a Scrabble player with four 'Z'' tiles sitting in front of him."

WEDNESDAY

NBA: Clippers at Cleveland, 4 p.m., FSW:

The Cavs first have to play a game Tuesday in Miami before meeting up with the Clippers. Good luck with that. The Clippers should have Kenyon Martin on the roster activated by this one.

THURSDAY

NBA: Lakers at Boston, 5 p.m., TNT:

Paul Pierce, the 34 year old wearing No. 34, started the week needing nine points to pass Larry Bird for the No. 2 spot on the Celtics' all-time scoring list, and it should be a done deal before this game (the Celtics face Charlotte on Tuesday before this). Sure, he needed almost 100 more games to get to Bird's 21,791. And the former Inglewood High star likely won't catch No. 1 John Havlicek. But the Celtics, winning eight of their last nine at the end of last week, more focused on pulling their old guys together. That includes point guard Rajon Rondo, finally back after missing a few games with a bad wrist and giving away 14 assists in their last win over Memphis. Last season, in the middle of their Grammy road trip, the Lakers wore their retro home unis, got Ray Allen in foul trouble, pounded it inside and won at Boston, 92-86.

College basketball: UCLA vs. Stanford, L.A. Sports Arena, 8 p.m., FSW; USC vs. Cal, Galen Center, 7:30 p.m.:

Lazeric Jones scored a career-high 26 points, but had a potential go-ahead jumper with three seconds remaining blocked by Josh Huestis when UCLA lost to Stanford, 60-59, in the Pac-12 opener back in late December. Bruins center Josh Smith, who seems to be rounding into form lately, had just 10 points in 20 minutes before fouling out of that one. Meanwhile, Cal pulled out a 53-49 win over the Trojans in their first meeting.

NHL: Kings at Florida, 4:30 p.m., FSW:

The Kings escaped with a 2-1 win against the Panthers when they met at Staples Center on Dec. 1, thanks to six penalty kills and Jonathan Quick's 41 saves. Florida is 0-7 against the Kings since Nov. 27, 2002. The Kings lead the Western Conference with 10 overtime losses; Florida lead all of the NHL with 11.

The Associated Press
Bill Murray, center, jokes with CBS' Ian Baker-Finch on the 18th green about his shoes as D.A. Points, left, looks on during the trophy presentation last year.

Golf: PGA AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, first round, Golf Channel, noon:

The "Cinderella Story" came true last year. Bill Murray and pro partner D.A. Points captured the team title, as Points got his first PGA Tour title with a two-shot victory. "To win at Pebble Beach ... and with Bill Murray? My gosh, I don't think I could ever have dream it up that well," said Points, who came from two shots down in the final round, capped by a 110-yard eagle chip to take the lead on the par-5 14th. Murray and Points finished at 35-under 251. Murray returns to the amateur field this year with George Lopez, Ray Romano, Chris O'Donnell, Josh Duhamel, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia, Bill Belichick, Tony Romo, Bob Stoops and Jim Harbaugh. CBS has the final two rounds Saturday and Sunday.

FRIDAY

NBA: Lakers at New York, 5 p.m., Channel 9, ESPN:

Knicks center Tyson Chandler (far left, with Mike Bibby and Carmelo Anthony) won a title last year in Dallas. So that makes him an expert in these things. He recently said that despite New York's sub-.500 performance, "in all honestly, I still feel like this is a team that can win a championship. I feel like we definitely have the pieces. I feel like we haven't come together yet. It's a process ... I feel like guys are going to have to step up and play roles that they are not necessarily used to. We get everybody back healthy, we get everybody on the floor at one time, then we'll see what we got." They've got a big, expensive mess to this point, 9-15 through the end of last week. If Spike Lee's in the building, it's to see how Kobe Bryant performs. The Lakers won, 113-96, at MSG last year, with Kobe hitting 33 in just three quarters.

NBA: Clippers at Philadelphia, 4 p.m., FSW:

Whatever happened to Elton Brand? He's still playing, averaging a mere 10 points and six rebounds a contest. A far cry from his Clipper hey days.

SATURDAY

NBA: Clippers at Charlotte, 4 p.m., Prime:

The Bobcats came into this week on an 11-game losing streak, a meager 2-8 at home, and they've got to face Boston and Chicago before this one.

College basketball: UCLA vs. Cal, L.A. Sports Arena, 1 p.m., Prime:

The Bruins' 85-69 loss at Cal on New Year's Eve was their most lopsided defeat in the series since a 92-63 loss on Feb. 1, 2001. Tyler Lamb managed to score 26 points against Cal last time.

NHL: Kings at N.Y. Islanders, 10 a.m., FSW:

The Isles announced last week that they're going to take on the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 2, 2012 for a preseason game to help open the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn -- the first NHL game to ever be played in the borough of the former Dodgers. That's nice and all. But for this one, the Kings are going to have to sail over to Long Island.

SUNDAY

NBA: Lakers at Toronto, 10 a.m., Channel 9:

Why aren't the Raptors extinct yet? See what kind of trouble Metta World Peace has with his passport getting back and forth across the Canadian border.

College basketball: USC vs. Stanford, Galen Center, 4:30 p.m., FSW:

Aaron Bright scored seven of his game-high 16 points in the final 4:43 of play to help Stanford win 51-43 in their first meeting against the Trojans.

NHL: Kings at Dallas, 3 p.m., FSW:

It's the last time they'll face each other this year -- the Stars have captured the last three meetings after the Kings took the first two.

Series: "Full Metal Jousting," 10 p.m., History Channel:

The next step toward real gladiator fights is this historic reality series that takes place in Mississippi. Maybe because the state athletic commission didn't need to approve it. This 16-rider, $100,000 tournament might look like something out of a Renaissance Festival/Medieval Times, except, as one rider says: "It ain't no dinner show."

Getty Images
Quaterback Brett Favre talks with Al Michaels during warms up before a Vikings-Saints game in New Orleans in September, 2010.

As much as Al Michaels loves to slip in a wagering reference or two into an NFL telecast, he won't predict a victory for either the New England Patriots or New York Giants on Sunday.

The only thing he says he's rooting for: A triple overtime game.

Bet on it happening someday on his watch. Even if that means the NBC Emmy-Award winning play-by-play man loses his voice by the time it's all over.

The man who by some measure has logged more hours in prime-time than anyone else in TV history - it's eclipsed 2,400 easily by now, whether Ripley's believes it or not - has an eighth Super Bowl to add to his resume.

"I think of the old Mary Levy line, 'Where would you rather be than right here, right now?" Michaels said this week. "This is it. There's no event like a Super Bowl."

The 67-year-old longtime resident of Brentwood took some time off from his prep work to discuss how he fits into the grand scheme of Super Bowl XLVI:

Q: Can you put some context into this "more primetime hours" stat that now follows you around - and you're adding at least four more of them to the total with this game? Doesn't Guinness have to verify this somehow?

A: It's more than 100 complete days if you look at it one way. But if you consider I've done 500 games on "Monday Night" and "Sunday Night" football, there's 1,600 hours. Then 14 years of "Monday Night Baseball," another 600. That's already 2,200 and we haven't got to anything from the Olympics. When we started adding this up back at ABC, we thought Frank Gifford had to have been on the most hours with all his years at "Monday Night" and all that other stuff. It's really amazing. That's 3 ½ months straight of my career. I'm glad I didn't have to do it all in a row.

Q: To do a triple overtime game . . . are you sure the new OT rules even allow that? We've heard Bob Costas saying that the old overtime rule may have been flawed, but the new version of it is "awful." Where do you side on it?

A: I'm not in favor of it, but I'm not totally opposed to it like Bob is. He's very passionate about it. There was a time when maybe a coin toss and a cheap field goal could win it, so be it. That's not a big deal to me. The way it worked out in the Denver-Pittsburgh (overtime playoff) game was pretty interesting (a touchdown on the first play for the Broncos). You saw it again in the San Francisco game (the NFC championship against the New York Giants) were it still might be going on if not for a botched punt. All things considered, in a way, this new way makes things more interesting. It adds to the strategy of the game. But I'd prefer to go back to the old rule. So you lose a coin toss. You understand that a 52-yard field goal can beat you. But that also means if they miss, you get the ball at the 42 going the other way. I think the rule is as equitable as it can be. I'm not the guy who'll be beating the drum about how bad it is.

Q: There's also the replay rule that has been part of more than 10 years now in Super Bowls, and TV is embedded in the process. Are you any more comfortable now having a network obligated to have an effect in the outcome of a Super Bowl?

A: We've been doing it this way, and there's no way around it now, so you live with it and accept it. The guys in the production truck are the ones on the spot. Twenty years ago, you probably don't get a replay of that kick glancing off Kyle Williams' knee. That's all cable cam and high-definition and zoom lenses, watching the rotation of the ball every so slightly. But with technology, you either accept it, or you don't and be accused of being a dinosaur. I hate to say "it is what it is," but that's just the deal.

Q: Speaking of technology, what's your perspective of having the Super Bowl streaming free on the Internet for the first time?

A: I don't follow that really closely. What does it mean, you can be out of the stadium and watch it on your phone? Look, we live in an amazing world. I was on a trip last year to Israel, and I'm at the Golan Heights and over there is Syria and the other way, there's Jordan. And I'm doing day trading on my phone. That's insane. But when it comes to technology, that's about all I know.

Q: So that means there probably won't be a time when you're sending out tweets from the booth during a game?

A: I would doubt that. I'm very certain. All that could happen is I'd be trying it and I'd get something from the director on the ISB and something would go wrong. Ain't gonna happen.

Q: Where would you be watching the Super Bowl if you weren't covering it? Do you have any favorite hangout over the years?

A: I want to just watch the game, so I'm in my family room, with just me and my wife. I don't want to be at a party where there's 100 people in the room, and 86 of them are experts. You always get in a situation where there's one guy who knows more than everyone else. I want to watch the game. I've already got Cris Collinsworth as my expert.

Q: You always seem to have your antenna up as far as the NFL returning to L.A. Is your goal someday to call that first game in whatever venue it occurs?

A: God willing, I'm still alive. We all know it comes down to getting a stadium built. Until we get that done, we're dead. No team is coming here until they put that shovel in the ground. But will that ever happen? We live in a state where, if you separate us from everyone else, we'd have the sixth largest economy in the world. And we have three of the worst football stadiums in the world. Other municipalities have figured out a way to get a stadium built. God willing, I'll be able to do one of the first NFL games back in L.A., or hopefully they'll have a moment of silence in the press box for me.

Q: Well, you are the stage of your career where you seem to keep getting all these lifetime achievement awards (like this one here by the Sports Emmys a year ago). Does it worry you that others seem to know something that you don't?

A: Should I be getting a bunch of stuff from AARP? Here's the deal. I have a good mathematical brain, but when I wake up each morning, in my brain, I'm still about 19. That's how I look at things. I try to keep in shape. I can still walk a golf course. I can do a 10-mile hike. I don't want to think about any of those other numbers.

By Anick Jesdanun
Associated Press Technology Writer

The television set won't be the only place to watch the New York Giants face the New England Patriots on Sunday. For the first time, U.S. football fans will be able to watch the Super Bowl live on a computer or on a phone.

You may be wondering whether anyone without super-strength eyesight would be able to follow the football on a tiny phone screen. And what about the ads? After all, many people tune in more for the commercials than for the game.

I got a chance to test the offering with a pair of playoff games and last weekend's Pro Bowl. Although it's impossible to say what will happen Sunday, I have found the experience decent so far, but no substitute for the big screen.

Los Angeles quarterback Ashley Salerno, above right, tries to avoid an, uh, sack attempt in the 2011 Lingerie Bowl championship game.

Right: Head coach David Bizub of the Los Angeles Temptation lifts player Melissa Margulies after they defeated the Philadelphia Passion 26-25 in the Lingerie Football League's Lingerie Bowl VIII at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas in 2011.
(Photos by Ethan Miller/Getty Images North America)

Where's the buzz for David Bizub?

All's fine as long as the Kings don't win the Pacific Division by one point, right?

Staff photo by John McCoy

What's in today's weekly media column (linked here): An update on the career of Paul Sunderland, who 10 years ago stepped in to replace Chick Hearn on the Lakers, had the job to himself after Hearn's passing in the summer of 2002, and had it taken away three years later. Along with that: The final installment of the 20th edition of the best and worst of the Southern California sports media guys, this time focusing on play-by-play talents. No. 1: Vin Scully, who says his new hero is Betty White. The bottom four .... take a good guess.

What's not in today's column:

== Word is that since Time Warner's new regional channels won't be fully up and running until the fall, in time for the start of the Lakers' 2012-13 season, the 18 Galaxy games that TWC will produce starting in March can be seen on Orange County's KDOC-Channel 56. This, after a rights fee with Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket has ended. This summer, KDOC will also carry the WNBA's Sparks, another franchise that TWC has taken from FSW/Prime.
Way to bury both sports in the L.A. market.

== A couple days after airing the first episode of "Luck," HBO says it has already renewed the deal for a second, 10-episode season, starting in January, 2013. Production starts at the end of this month. The premiere last Sunday drew 3.3 million viewers so far as it continues to repeat. Warning if you haven't seen it: Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke turns up in it, as ... what is he, some kind of TV reporter?

== Highlights (or, lowlights) for NBC's six hours of Super Bowl preview material starting at 9 a.m. on Channel 4:
Bob Costas interviews Tom Brady; Dan Patrick interviews Eli Manning; Tony Dungy sits with Tom Coughlin and Victor Cruz; Rodney Harrison interviews his former coach, Bill Belichick; Al Michaels visits with Patriots owner Robert Kraft; Costas interviews Harrison along with former New York Giants wide receiver David Tyree, the two men linked on Tyree's famous "helmet catch" in Super Bowl XLII; Costas interviews commissioner Roger Goodell; Costas interviews Madonna; Matt Lauer interviews President Barack Obama from the White House; and Nick Cannon hosts a "red carpet" entrance for Adam Sandler, Danny Devito, and stars of all other kinds of NBC prime-time programming.

== Harrison, on whether he can objective as a TV analyst on this game: "Yes, I can cover it objectively. I've been objective. I've criticized Belichick, and the defensive backs from the Patriots as well as I've been complimentary at times to that team. That's my nature. If I feel something, I'll let you know it. But I'm not going to shy away from what I feel. If it means criticizing my former team, I've never been shy about doing that."

== Fox/Channel 11 airs Chelsea against Manchester United on Sunday at 7:30 p.m., using Rob Stone, Eric Wynalda and, yes, Piers Morgan on the call -- all sitting in a studio in L.A. calling it live.

== An explanation as to why Jon Weisman's "Dodger Thoughts" enters the free-agent market again (linked here). Our thought? If we were starting our own L.A.-generated sports-content service, he'd be at the top of our list.

Reeves Nelson, the former UCLA basketball star dismissed from the Bruins' program last December, was released Tuesday by BC Zalgiris after five weeks as he was trying to improve his NBA draft stock playing with the professional team in Lithuania (Seattle Times story linked here).

Reeves reportedly played 17 minutes per game over 24 games for Zalgiris, averaging 4.8 points and 4.2 rebounds a game.

Jonathan Givony at DraftExpress.com (linked here) writes that Nelson is eligible for the 2012 NBA draft, but he isn't expected to be selected.

Nelson led UCLA in scoring (13.9) and rebounds (9.1) last season when he was first-team All-Pac 10.

On Nov. 15, he was suspended for two days and he sat out another game after he was late for a team meeting. After he was reinstated, he missed the team flight to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational. Coach Ben Howland suspended him a second time on Dec. 6 after he was seen laughing on the Bruins' bench during a 10-point loss to Texas.

Three days later, Howland kicked Nelson off the team. The team was 2-5 at the time, and won five in a row after he was let go. They are 10-4 without him on the roster going into tonight's game at Washington.

By Larry Neumeister
Associated Press

Federal authorities announced a crackdown today on websites that stream unauthorized broadcasts of sports events just hours after New England quarterback Tom Brady told reporters gathered in Indianapolis for Sunday's Super Bowl that he watched last year's game on an illegal site.

"Last year I was rehabbing my foot in Costa Rica, watching the game on an illegal Super Bowl website. And now I'm actually playing in the game. So, it's pretty cool," Brady said.

Investigators seized 16 sites and brought criminal charges against a Michigan man who controlled nine of them.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara warned sports fans in a release that piracy costs sports leagues and broadcasters millions of dollars, forcing increases in ticket prices and other costs to consumers.

Web operator Yonjo Quiroa, of Comstock Park, Mich., was charged Wednesday with copyright infringement. Prosecutors said he distributed football, basketball and hockey games and wrestling matches.

Quiroa appeared in federal court in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Wednesday. He was held without bail while his immigration status was under review. Larry Phelan, his lawyer, declined to comment.

Authorities said the prosecution was part of a continuing federal effort to target counterfeiting and piracy on the Internet.

What if we already knew the final score of the Super Bowl?

Would you watch it anyway to make sure that's how it played out?

WhatIfSports.com has already crunched the numbers and come up with a 27-25 Patriots' victory. The Pats won 55 percent of the time that everything was put through the stat machine.

Here's how the numbers fall (linked here).

The Lakers' average ticket price of $99.25 is a 4.2 percent jump from a year ago and ranks second in the NBA among the 30 teams, according to the latest numbers released today by the Chicago-based Team Marking Research's Fan Cost Index. (linked here).

The Clippers' average of $51.47 per ticket is seventh in the league, but has not increased over last season, the statistics show.

Neither price factors in premium ticket costs.

Both the Lakers and Clippers exceed the NBA's average ticket price of $48.48, which is up 1.7 percent for the first time in three years.

New York Knicks' tickets -- $117.47 -- cost more than double the league's average and five times as much as seats for the Memphis Grizzlies, last at $22.95.

Thirteen teams actually cut their average price in the wake of the late start to the regular season because of the lockout. The Clippers are one of seven that were flat. The Lakers were one of 10 teams that were at an increase. last season, only four teams raised prices.

The average non-premium ticket price was $77.36 in the NFL last season, $26.91 in Major League Baseball last year and $57.10 in the NHL this season, according to TMR's surveys.

TMR's Fan Cost Index for the NBA, which includes four average-price tickets, two small draft beers, four small soft drinks, four hot dogs, parking, two programs and two adult-size caps, averaged $301.46 for the league, up 4.5.

The Lakers' Fan Cost Index came in at $514 at Staples Center, up 5.1 percent; the Clippers were at $322.88, up 2.9 percent. Both teams had the same price for a beer ($8), soft drink ($4.75), hot dog ($5.25), parking ($15), program ($5) and cap ($18).

The Knicks were up to $608.78, a jump of 20.4 percent over last year in the remodeled Madison Square Garden.

You'd think so.

Al Michaels, who turned 67 last November, will call his eighth Super Bowl on Sunday, passing Curt Gowdy and matching Dick Enberg for second most of all time.

A list of those who have done play-by-play for the Super Bowl over the 46-year history:

11: Pat Summerall (Super Bowls 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 24 and 26 for CBS; 31, 33 and 36 for Fox)

8: Dick Enberg (15, 17, 20, 23, 27, 28, 30 and 32 for NBC)

8: Al Michaels (22, 25, 29, 34, 37 and 40 for ABC; numbers 43 and 46 for NBC)

7: Curt Gowdy (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 for NBC)

4: Ray Scott (1, 2, 6 and 8 for CBS)

3: Joe Buck (39, 42 and 45 for Fox)

2: Jim Nantz (41 and 44 for CBS)

2: Greg Gumbel (35 and 38 for CBS)

1: Frank Gifford (19 for ABC)

1: Jack Buck (4 for CBS)

1: Jack Whitaker (1 for CBS)

Note: Scott called the first half and Whitaker the second half on the first Super Bowl for CBS; Summerall has also been the analyst for four Super Bowls for CBS and a sideline reporter for the first Super Bowl; Gifford has also been the analyst on five Super Bowls for ABC.

Coming Sunday: A Q-and-A with Michaels, the longtime Brentwood resident who got his start in broadcasting by serving as Chick Hearn's short-lived booth colorman in the mid 1960s.

A press release that landed in our in-basket that we can only repeat in total, with no extra commentary:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sturdy Girl Sports(R) Launched to Bring Ultimate Sports Bra to Women with Augmented Breasts

LOUISVILLE, Colo., Feb. 1, 2012 -- Sturdy Girl Sports, LLC launched today as a new, independent women's sports bra and coordinating performance apparel company. On a mission to help women embrace the body they build, Sturdy Girl Sports today rolled out the market's first line of maximum-support, fashion-inspired sports bras specifically designed for women with augmented breasts.

The bras serve a largely under-served market, and can also be used by women with naturally large breasts.

Since 1997, over 3.8 million women in America have had breast augmentation surgery. The number grows by another 300,000 women each year. In 2008, breast augmentation overtook liposuction as the number one aesthetic surgical procedure and has maintained the number one position ever since. This rapidly expanding market consists of women that have unique fit and support requirements.

"As an avid runner and woman with augmented breasts, I searched everywhere for the right sports bra but found that there was nothing really available," said Hilary Heath (pictured above), Founder of Sturdy Girl Sports. "I've spent the last three years on extensive research and development to provide a high-functioning, well-fitting, uniquely designed sports bra that is also pretty enough to be worn without covering up."

"While working out I noticed for the first time that doing push-ups didn't feel weird," said Grace Gold, Beauty Journalist and author of "The Boob Job Bible." "Ever since I got implants, I can't describe the feeling, but it feels uncomfortable doing push-ups. I think because my chest muscles must be causing pressure on the implants. The support in a Sturdy Girl Sports bra takes that weird feeling away."