Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
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Stop me if you've heard this story before -- like last month -- but the Lakers are trying to trade Pau Gasol. If you don't follow pro basketball closely you probably wonder why they'd trade a proven player who averaged 20 points per game in January. If you do follow the NBA you know it's a common practice for teams out of playoff contention to unload players with high salaries. These teams aren't going to get the lucrative playoff revenue, so reducing the payroll makes sense. One deadline...
The most interesting part of the remaining NBA regular season games involve teams driving toward favorable playoff position. There’s a big difference between having home court advantage and not having it. There’s a big difference from playing a powerhouse opponent right away or getting a series first to work your way in. I’ve traveled with great Laker teams with players who understood this. Shaquille O’Neal used to emphasize to me the Lakers had to finish in the top four to get a home court e...
The Dodgers will be paying Clayton Kershaw more than Sandy Koufax ever was paid. More than they’ve paid any pitcher in club history At 25, Kershaw has had six spectacular seasons. In one year he would have been a free agent. Can you imagine what the upcoming season would have been like if the Kershaw negotiations were going on? The new Dodger ownership preferred to get the matter settled early so everyone could concentrate on baseball. That was the right decision. Kershaw has had the best e...
A bombshell announcement may be heading to the Culver City High football program. If Stanley Norman transfers to Serra High in Gardena, as is being speculated, the Centaurs would be without perhaps their best player next season. The Los Angeles Times' Eric Sondheimer, the premier high school sports reporter in Southern California, writes that Norman has taken out application papers to transfer to perennial powerhouse Serra. Norman is considered one of the top juniors in the state and already...
Speaking to several members of the media recently, the subject came up of outstanding college football coaches who had failed in the NFL. Lou Holtz was high on that list. His college teams won 388 games, including 132 at Notre Dame, but one year he went into the NFL and his New York Jets had a 3-11 record. When Pete Carroll was presiding over a collegiate dynasty at USC from 2000 to 2009 he seemed to find his niche. His Trojans were nationally prominent, so why would he leave? The Trojans had...
When several National Football League coaching openings became available last week UCLA's Jim Mora Jr. was prominently mentioned. His response was to say thanks but no thanks. Mora has concluded two spectacular years at UCLA. There were nine victories last season and 10 this season. UCLA beat USC both years. The Bruins routed Virginia Tech, 42-12 in last week's Sun Bowl, scoring 28 points in the fourth quarter. Mora said he's not one to hop onto a new job. He likes it here. And he's building som...
The Lakers announced that Kobe Bryant will be out for six weeks with a broken bone in his left leg. Doctor Robert Klapper, ESPN radio's medical expert with a distinguished reputation in his field, told listeners that because the injury is on a lower extremity Kobe won't be able to train during the six weeks to get back into playing shape. Most likely, then, the Lakers can expect to be without the Kobe they've come to rely on for probably two months. Well, two months from now the Lakers are...
Tyler Skaggs was thrilled to be drafted by the Angels in 2009, when he was the 17-year-old star pitcher at Santa Monica High. Quite simply, he had been an Angels fan. But in professional baseball there are often twists and turns in a career. The Angels traded Skaggs a year later to the Arizona DiamondBacks. Last week the Angels acquired Skaggs again. In reality, at age 22, the 6-foot-5 lefthander has shown more promise than results. He's been in demand. The DiamondBacks wanted him originally...
After the Clippers set a franchise record for victories in a season Vinny del Negro was fired as coach. There was the matter of the Clippers losing in the first round of the NBA playoffs. That was last season and this one began with Clippers management sending a very clear message. It was time for the Clippers to approach – and possibly win -- the first NBA championship in their history. Doc Rivers, leaving Boston after nine years, was hired as the coach who might change Clipper history. The t...
Santa Monica High boys basketball has soared to remarkable heights in the long reign of James Hecht as coach. The Vikings reached the championship game of the state tournament at the conclusion of last season, and typical of Hecht’s reign they’ve come back with another highly competitive team despite the graduation of key players. Samohi hosts an annual early season tournament and a measure of the program’s success is the willingness of elite opponents to participate. So it was a strong field...
The Detroit Tigers were mighty good last season except for the fatal flaw of not having a premier closer. It made a lot of sense when they negotiated with free agent Brian Wilson, who earned two championship rings with the San Francisco Giants, then helped the Dodgers last season. But Wilson then informed the Tigers he wasn’t going to join them. A few days later the Dodgers announced they had brought Wilson back with a one-year contract and a player option for 2015. They didn’t reveal a fin...
When the Lakers lost to the Phoenix Suns Tuesday at Staples Center Coach Mike D’Antoni began the evening with his ninth different starting lineup in 21 games. The great Laker teams I covered in the past usually had set lineups and set substitution rotations. The players knew their roles. With roles changing game by game the defense suffers. It can take several years for teammates to learn where each other will be. This season the Lakers brought in a batch of good shooters who’d been cut by oth...
There hasn't been a lot written about this, but I've been told there are an unusually high number of USC undergraduate football players eligible for the NFL draft. The number I've heard is 33. That's a lot. Some aren't likely to be high NFL draft choices but they provide depth at USC and they would be missed. Some have redshirted and that year counts toward NFL eligibility. If a player has been in the program for three years, even if one year he redshirted and didn't play, he's NFL eligible....
Santa Monica High’s football season ended last week with a 42-10 loss at Lompoc in the second round of the CIF playoffs. But there’s reason for optimism. Samohi, after winning the Ocean League the last two seasons, finished second to Culver City this time, losing a 17-14 game in overtime. Samohi then won its first round playoff game. Despite inconsistent quarterback play as several players rotated at the position, Samohi compiled a 7-5 record. Coach Travis Clark has the program strong eno...
As the editor of this newspaper I urge my columnists to take a stand on issues. I don't tell them what stand to take, but merely let readers know their position. Readers have their opinions and want to compare them to yours. But today I find myself unable to take the same advice. Kobe Bryant has signed a two-year, $48.5 million contract with the Lakers and as the wisdom of the Lakers' move is debated nationally I can very clearly see both sides of the issue. First, the obvious benefits. Kobe,...
Matt Barnes is one of the strongest defensive players in the NBA, excelling through his entire career with his determination, efficiency, his blocking abilities, mental resilience and mostly by how much he cares about his friends. With his strong will, he is there for them at any cost. The Clippers’ forward from UCLA will be there for his team members even when he has to sacrifice himself, his money and his time in the game. He’s truly extraordinary. Unfortunately, all these important qua...
After USC routed California Saturday, scoring 62 points, I began hearing from Trojan fans who asked the same question. They wanted to know if Ed Orgeron has a chance of remaining as the Trojans' coach beyond this season. I consider it a worthwhile topic because I've respected Orgeron since he became a Trojan assistant coach, became a head coach at Mississippi, then returned to the Trojans as an assistant and recruiting co-ordinator. It's obvious he's been an improvement over Lane Kiffin this...
