the final score

2008-10-14T09:18:00.001-07:00

Manny being Manny,
What made the Dodgers lose, and
Do it for Torre.

Tomorrow night is Game 5 of the NLCS. With a devastating pair of home runs by Victorino and Stairs, the Dodgers find themselves in a pretty deep hole, looking up for a light or a miracle. Down in the series 1-3, they must now win not only tomorrow’s game but the next three in a row.

Manny comes to us, free-of-charge from Boston because of his publicized poor work ethic and more importantly, character flaws after pushing the team’s 64-year old secretary, Jack McCormick, over 16 tickets he wanted for a Red Sox–Houston game. I must admit, when I found out what he did to this old man, I was disgusted by Manny’s arrogance and lack of class. Hopefully Manny learned from his mistakes and wants to preserve his legacy as one of the best hitters in the game.

But aside from his off-the-field antics, no one can discredit his hitting ability or his clutch hitting in a pressure situation. Throughout the playoffs, he has been nothing but brilliant, able to hit or homer in critical situations. You can’t help but to marvel at his talent. So how is he able to hit so well? One factor is the free agent factor: There’s nothing like a free agent year to make you haul and pump up your marketability. But in addition to setting up the next team to pay you a multi-million dollar salary, unlike other players or rookies on the team, he is relaxed when approaching the plate. He doesn’t put pressure on himself to hit the game-winning home run, but has great patience to wait for good pitches and not swing at anything that comes close to the plate. That’s why sometimes he has a double or a single, and sometimes, he homers. There is no pressure for him, unlike the more inexperienced players, who are hungry, impatient, tense and wound up like stockbroker in the current economic roller coaster, not yet mature to trust on their natural talents. The Dodgers have a lot of talent, but how that talent is nurtured and matured will define the Dodgers’ future success.

I was never a huge fan of Joe Torre, because I hate the Yankees, but after seeing what the Yankees did to snub him out of the Yankee Stadium tribute, it would be really nice to see Torre back in the World Series while the other Joe sits at home watching one of the greats.

I have once heard that sports is 90% mental and 10% physical. Mental perspective and confidence leads to great plays or clutch performances and that can lead to momentum and momentum can lead to championships. If anyone has seen the Red Sox, after being down 0-3, to beat the Yankees in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, and on to win the World Series, or when the SF Giants were just one out away from winning the 2002 World Series until Scott Spiezio of the Angels homers to turn the tide, anything can happen in baseball world.

A Historic Game

2006-09-20T08:20:00.000-07:00

Monday night, I was fortunate enough to witness one of the greatest games that I’ll ever see in Dodger history. The setting: the final game of the series with the Padres who had won 14 of their last 17 games over the Dodgers, ahead by half a game with a victory in the previous night…

It all started in the very first inning when Penny gave up four runs and you thought, “Oh boy, please let it be not one of those games that torture you”. After the second inning, his pitch count was at 76 pitches and you knew that it wasn’t going to be an easy game.

During the next couple of innings, Dodgers managed to score and tie the game heading into the top of the 6th inning, After failing to convert a bases loaded with no outs situation in the 6th, the Dodgers, then brought in Broxton in the 8th inning only to have him give up 2 runs. We answered with a run in the bottom of the 8th. But then in the top of the 9th, Saito gave up another three runs including a wild pitch with the bases loaded.

By this time, we saw crowds flood the exit signs, as is typical of LA games. But I, being a true fan, never have left a game early nor ever will. And I hate to be sitting on a high horse, but I believe that only the true fans deserved to see this game. Only the true fans would still be at Dodger Stadium at the bottom of the 9th inning when we were down 5-9 whether we won or lost. Of course, there are parents with kids, the horrible traffic out of the stadium, a work day the next day, but I’m sure every single person who left wished they would have stayed this one night.

Then in the bottom of the 9th inning with Adkins pitching, Kent is first up to bat. With a 1-0 count, he blasts a homerun over the center field fence. We all cheer and I thought, “Kent must have been so mad that he must have thought, ‘what the heck, I’m going for it’”. As if to make a statement about his long career, or inspire his fellow teammates he led the incredible mark of events in this 9th inning.

Then JD Drew was up next, and with a 2-1 count, he blasts a 461 feet homer to the right field. The crowd goes wild as we chant JD Drew, JD Drew.

By this time the Padres has had enough and decided to bring in their future, hall-of-famer, Hoffman who has successfully shut down the Dodgers in every save situation for the past 5 years (total 55 saves out of 57 opps).

Martin who could potentially be nominated for rookie of the year, is up next. And I don’t know if he was feeling it, or trying to make up for his 0 for 4 at bats, or his dropped ball at the home plate, or was just plain inspired by what just happened, but whatever was going through his mind, on the very first pitch, he homers, this time straight to left field.

Anderson, whom we got through a trade with the Washington Nationals just a shy of a month back at the end of August, was hitting 4 for 4 with two singles, a triple and a homer. He comes to bat and on the very first pitch again, hits the fourth consecutive homerun to tie the game. The crowd is going crazy now, jumping up and down and knowing that something special is happening right before their eyes.

Betemit, Ethier (batting for Saito) and Furcal all fly out just a few feet from the fence and we’re headed to extra innings.

Sele, in the top of the 10th gives up one run and thanks to an awesome effort on the aging Kenny Lofton to steal away a home run from McAnulty (he didn’t catch it but he did keep it from going over the fence), we were only down by one run.

And still, the second exodus started with some people leaving the game...only to have Kenny Lofton walking on Saenez, and then the stage is set: Garciaparra, who was struggling all night long, going 1 for 5, with a double, hitting into a double play, flying out twice and a critical strikeout with two men on base, was finally ready to make his mark in the history books. With a 3-1 count, the injured Garciaparra homers into the middle of the Left Pavillion, and like the injured Kirk Gibson, he hobbles around the bases as the Padres are stunned and the stadium, a complete, chaotic pandemonium.

As we finally emptied the stadium and into the parking lots, fans were still screaming and hollering, high-five-ing strangers on floating air. And as my voice was wearing thin from all the screaming and as we tuned into the post-game show and Dodger Talk on the radio, I can still hear the cars honking as we descended down from Stadium Hill.

I will never forget this game.

UCLA loses to Florida

2006-04-03T21:41:00.000-07:00

It was definitely one of the worst officiated games ever in the history of college basketball in the universe and beyond! But I'm still proud of those guys and how far they've come and for giving us the Gonzaga game and major, lifting-the-roof props to Coach Howland. We'll see them next year, I'm sure.

Baseball season officially started today. Dodgers lose 10-11 to the Braves despite having 17 hits. And of course Lofton starts the year being on the 15 day-DL. But Angels manage to edge out the Mariners for a 5-4 victory with an impressive performance by new-comer JC Romero who bailed out Colon after he loaded the bases with no outs in the 6th inning after giving up a homerun, a single and a double to allow the Mariners to come back and tie the Angels 3-3. Thanks to an all-team effort including Kotchman and Figgins, Izturis, Molina, Cabrera and even Salmon, the Angels were able to squeak out the final run to win the game.

Back from the dead...

2006-03-23T23:50:00.000-08:00

that’s how the UCLA Bruins came back from a pathetic game where at one time they trailed by 17 points, to come back and win against Gonzaga 73-71.

All day long on sports radio they were replaying the 1995, second-round game when Tyus Edny raced across the court with 6 seconds remaining, to lay up the winning two points against Missouri to win 75-74. I remember where I was when that play happened: I was driving, I had to pull over in a parking lot to hear the rest of the game standing up in the parking lot, with the radio blarring, without having to give any more of my attention to the road and I jumped up and down as we won that game. With that game, we ended up winning the tournament and that was the last time we ever became NCAA champions. I thought well, of course they’ll play that clip to hype up the crowd and hype up the game but I know the Bruins will dominate against Gonzaga…

In the first 11 possessions, UCLA score a big fat zero points, with the first point coming at the 9 minute mark into the game by a free throw. Farmar couldn’t dribble, Afflalo couldn’t hit a basket, and the Bruins looked as pathetic as the Bad News Bears coming to Oakland to play Gonzaga.

I wasn’t really worried, I mean for a team that hadn’t scored in 8 attempts, we were only down by 5 points, then 6, then 10…. Then 17. Then I became worried. For the rest of the game I was clutching my stomach, biting my fingernails and holding my breath at every attempt that the Bruins were trying to make to chip away at the lead. Apart from many outlandish calls by the officials, UCLA had no one to blame but themselves.

Slowly they came back, and in the last three minutes, the Bruins scored 8 points and shut down the Gonzaga offense to come within striking distance. Then Farmar, with a steal from Batista, passed to Luc Richard Mbah a Moute for an easy shot under the basket giving the Bruins the lead for the first time with only 9 seconds to go, 72-71. The Bulldogs in-bounded to Raivio who ran with the ball only to have it stolen for a jump ball from Luc Richard Mbah a Moute with the possession arrow going to UCLA. UCLA then inbounds to Afflalo who gets fouled and makes one free throw to make the score 73-71. Gonzaga had one last chance, but Batista missed a desperate throw at the buzzer and the heartbreak was final.

It was UNBELIEVABLE.

It will go down as one of the most thrilling and unbelievable comebacks in Bruin history. It doesn’t really do it justice to just watch the last three minutes. You had to go through the excruciating, painful game for the first 37 minutes that allowed you to appreciate and marvel at the last three minutes. This will be another game that will be engraved in my mind.

The next UCLA game is on Saturday against #1 seed Memphis.
A win there will take them to the Final Four.
GO BRUINS!

March Madness

2006-03-15T19:00:00.000-08:00

March Madness has finally started and UCLA has been getting a lot of love lately. No doubt that they have improved as the season progressed. I'm glad that they didn't have a perfect record this year, they've had their ups and downs and learned how to play with pressure, injured players, keeping things real. It's good experience for a team that is young. And I give real props to Coach Howland who has brought the team back to the basics of defense, defense, and defense. I think if the Bruins play their best basketball they will make it to the final four, but they won't win this year. Maybe in a year or two. But overall, I'm so glad to see the Bruins back where they should be.

Arte Wins and McCourt Doesn't Disappoint

2006-02-09T18:49:00.000-08:00

According to the LA Times, the Angels win the naming lawsuit filed by the city of Anaheim and will continue to be called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Now all we need is a new stadium closer to Los Angeles.

As many suspected, especially with the newly renovated seats in Dodger Stadium, McCourt has raised prices on seats, most significantly, the Pavillion (Home-run) seats are now $8/pop. Field level seats are higher too, but since I rarely get to sit there, I don't know how much more they are this year.

Bengie Finds a Home & Steeler Fans Agree

2006-02-07T11:01:00.000-08:00

Catcher Bengie Molina agreed to a one-year contract worth $5 million with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.
Molina will receive a $1.5 million signing bonus and a $3 million salary this year under the agreement. The deal contains a $7.5 million mutual option for 2007 with a $500,000 buyout. Molina, 31, had career highs of .295 and 15 homers last season. He won Gold Gloves in 2002 and '03.
Good for Bengie!

According to the online poll on the Pittsburgh Post Gazette (www.post-gazette.com), 51% of Steeler fans believe that the Super Bowl game was NOT officiated fairly. That's pretty cool. Even the Steeler fans can admit that the officiating was ridiculously awful. And of course being the classy organization that the Seahawks are, they didn't say a word about the officials in their interviews. Don't get me wrong, they had their chances and they weren't perfect, but we all know how momentum can make a huge difference in a game.

Bengie's Dead End

2006-02-01T14:18:00.000-08:00

It is reported that the Dodgers, after a brief interest in catcher Bengie Molina, has decided to end their pursuit, according to the Daily News. It appears that Molina wanted more money (about $6 mil/year) than what the Dodgers were willing to spend and he may sit out the '06 season stating that, "I think I have done enough to deserve something. If I don't get that type of deal, I think I'm willing to sit out and see what happens next year. I hope it doesn't come to that". I'm still a firm believer that Molina is a good player with a lot to offer, but it looks like his only option would be with Tampa Bay.

Barry's Shadow

2006-01-27T10:08:00.000-08:00

Barry Bonds has decided to not play in the WBC. He states that he doesn't want to risk injury before the regular season begins. But how valid is that point if he was only scheduled to be a DH and not play the outfield at all? Interestingly enough, there's a tougher, Olympic-style steroids test that's administered in the WBC. Bonds, just returning from a golf tournament in the Dominican Republic avoided the subject with reporters there, then conveniently posted his decision on his web site where he wouldn't have to field questions from hungry reporters. It's too bad that every decision he makes, every potential news article and even every record he may break in the future will always be in the shadow of his suspected steroid use. As much as I dislike the guy, I almost feel sorry for him.

Who is Kobe Bryant?

2006-01-24T18:04:00.000-08:00

On Sunday night, Kobe Bryant scored a phenomenal 81 points over the Raptors to bring the Lakers to a 122 -104 victory. It beat the franchise’s Elgin Baylor’s 71 points set in 1962 and is only second to the all-time Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points record also set in 1962. The crowd was electric with the MVP chants and I’m sure that Chick Hearn (legendary former Lakers’ game announcer who was fond of Bryant and really thought him to be special) would have love to have seen this game.

I’ve been at a lost for words when it comes to Kobe Bryant ever since his alleged rape accusation and trial. On one hand he is the hardest working player I’ve witnessed in the NBA. He would often be the first and the last to leave practices, going over and over again his shots, his free throws, his moves. His intense, determined focus to be the best basketball player is admirable, no, even awe-inspiring. I mean this guy works his butt off. In front of the media, he’s also eloquent, smart, thoughtful and gracious. You can almost see his maturity from year to year, from boyhood to manhood.

Then there’s this other side of him: the alleged, numerous, extra-marital affairs, the rumors about how difficult it is to work with him, and his aloofness around other players, being cold and distant. Is the Kobe Bryant we see just a façade? Is the public image just a product of great PR? Is there a dark side to Kobe that only the closest people know about?

He’s a mystery to me. Can’t really tell what kind of guy he is and that’s what makes it harder to like him. You can respect him as one of the greatest players in history, but you don’t know whether you can trust him or whether he’s just putting up a great front. And it bothers me that I can’t see who he really is. I want to like him but there’s always that slice of doubt that enters my mind and casts a dark shadow on the person of Kobe Bryant. This is when I know that one really bad mistake can forever alter your reputation.

Eddie Murray & Bruin Basketball

2006-01-12T09:54:00.000-08:00

Just when you thought the Dodgers were through, they announce yesterday that they've hired Eddie Murray as their new batting coach.

It's a great move. Who wouldn't want a Hall 0f Famer, ex-Dodger, switch-hitting, one of four players in history with 500 home runs (504) and 3,000 hits (3,255), an eight-time All-Star, a three-time Gold Glove winner as part of the coaching staff? This just may appease all the angry, disgruntled fans that have been complaining about McCourt hiring all the wrong people. Incidentally, McCourt will be interviewed on "Mason and Ireland" on ESPN 710 (Los Angeles) today at 3 PM.

There are still a lot of questions with Furcal's recovery from knee surgery, Gagne's recovery from elbow surgery, Drew's recovery from shoulder surgery, Lofton's durability, Garciaparra's consistency, and just how strong our pitching really is. But I must admit, the Dodgers look a lot better than they did 3 months ago. I still don't trust McCourt, but at least there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

Tonight the #11 (AP) UCLA Bruins play Washington State who is 4th in the PAC-10. The Bruins, even with the critical loss of Shipp, have been playing with passion this year and hopefully on their way to a winning season and and good show in March.

USC vs. Texas

2006-01-05T13:08:00.000-08:00

Hype vs. Reality
There’s nothing worse than hearing the hype about a game for 4-5 weeks and then when the big game happens, it doesn’t live up to the hype. On the other hand, when a matchup does live up to the hype and keeps you at the edge of your seat, you find yourself giddy, anxious and enthralled all at the same time. Last night was one of those times.

A Tape-worthy Game
I had scheduled a birthday dinner with a friend, forgetting that it was on the same night as the Rose Bowl game. I was, at first, disappointed to miss it live, but decided that I would record the game since I had already rescheduled this dinner once.

We got back from our time with our friend at almost 11 PM. We rewinded our tape and started watching it and by the time it ended it was 1:30 and it was worth every minute of it. Every now and then there's a "tape-worthy game" that you want to keep forever. A "Lakers Win a Three-Peat Championship" game or Sampras vs. Agassi in a Grueling 5-hour Tennis match or "Angels Winning the World Series for the First Time" game. You may never watch it again, but you just want to have it in case you want to watch it. Well yesterday's Rose Bowl game between the USC Trojans vs. the Texas Longhorns was that kind of a game and I was glad to have it on tape.

Critical Moments for the Trojans
There were a few controversial mishaps for the Trojans, like
1) Vince Young's knee that went down but the lateral that ended with a touch down, or
2) the time on the clock that wasn't stopped when a play was out of bounds which could have added 20-30 seconds to the game, or
3) Bush's lateral throw in the first half that ended in a fumble, or

more than the 4th down/2 yards incompleted rush that gave the ball to Texas in the fourth quarter,

4) the crucial face mask penalty that gave Texas a first down after two fantastic defensive plays by the Trojans that could have stopped the Longhorns mid field.

Would You Rather have Leinart or Young?
Another interesting thought I had was how everyone was in love with Vince Young after the game. It's interesting how media people so quickly change their minds about players. Just a week ago, everyone was raving about how Reggie Bush is the best collegiate player ever and now this week it's Vince Young. No doubt that Young played the game of his life and was absolutely brilliant, but Joe Theisman on Collin Cowherd's show had made an interesting comment about Vince Young-type of players. He said that most NFL teams, would be a bit weary to sign Vince Young on one factor: durability. If a team is going to pay $20-25 million for a player, they want to make sure that he's around for as long as possible and if a quarterback is running wild, you just don't know how long he'll be able to be durable. There's no doubt that Young will be drafted in the top 5 but Theismand does have a point.

Sometimes It's Better Left Unsaid
Throughout the whole game, Vince Young was as poised and focused as a top NFL quarterback playing in his 5th Superbowl game. He threw for 267 yards and rushed for another 200 yards. He was efficient, rugged, smart and cool. Then when they handed him the Offensive MVP award, he opened his mouth and his net worth dropped. He wasn't very classy or humble or the kind of player that commanded your respect. He was just a very talented college kid.

As a UCLA Grad, Props to USC.
As a graduate of UCLA, I will always root for the Bruins over the obnoxious Trojans. But there's something about Pete Carroll's classy, un-stuffy nature that makes you just want to like the guy. Then there's Matt Leinart: dedicated, sincere, another likable guy. And finally there's Reggie Bush, humble, hard-working and knows how to say things with grace--These factors made it impossible to HATE Hate the Trojans, so I'm mature and big enough to give them the props for being a great team with a great coach and having a great run.

Deepest Condolences to Tony Dungy & his Family

2005-12-23T09:10:00.000-08:00

It was announced yesterday that Indianapolis Colts' head coach, Tony Dungy's 18-year old son was found dead in his apartment. So far it has been ruled as a suicide, but an official autopsy is being conducted. It's a tremendous tragedy when you read of young adults committing suicide with so much of their life ahead. And I cannot fathom the sadness and grief that surrounds the parents of a son or daughter who commits suicide.

As I heard of this news, I heard more and more of Tony Dungy and the kind of man he is. He draws tremendous sympathy and respect from virtually every reporter, player and peer because of the kind of life he leads.

In a day and age where many stars and athletes attribute God as their source of goodness, Tony Dungy actually lives it out every day. It's hard to find Christians who actually act like Christians and yet Tony Dungy has done so without being preachy or condescending. His sincere compassion for those around him is an active part of his life, and he lets his actions speak louder than words.

Some close to Dungy say that he'll come back for the playoffs, but that after that, for this man who's life never revolved around football, he may just retire and do something else. He's been quoted in Sports Illustrated that he considered doing a prison ministry after he was fired from Tampa Bay. And for a man who took seriously, his role as a father, this devastating circumstance may just lead him to a different road.

My prayers and thoughts are with the Dungy family, may the Lord deeply comfort them in this difficult time.

Dodgers keep on adding

2005-12-21T11:52:00.000-08:00

The Dodgers acquired Kenny Lofton for a one-year deal yesterday, and also offered Hee Sop Choi to a one-year deal that he ended up taking. The Dodgers pulled a fast one over Choi with a lookey-loo in his contract (taken from 6-4-2’s blogsite) :

It doesn't contain a standard-guarantee provision, meaning Choi receives only a percentage of his salary if he is released before Opening Day. If he is cut during the final two weeks of camp, Choi will get $178,278. If he is cut earlier than that, he will receive $118,852.

Either Choi is too nice or he needs a better agent.

I think that will complete McCourt’s spending spree. All in all, I feel a little better about the Dodgers than I did a month ago when McCourt could hardly drag any GM out here to LA. It is said that the Dodgers look like a used-car lot, but at least we didn’t lose any of our minor leaguers. And I’d add that Colletti was smart enough to sign 1-2 year deals. It’s a gamble for both the team and the players, but at least we have young players on the wings and you never know if these “old veterans”, (a nice way of saying over-the-hill players) will make a decent run for it.

A short note about Johnny Damon going to the Yankees for 4 years, $51 mil. What can you say, except that I’m not naïve enough to expect players to play for love of the game or loyalty. I’d just like to see Damon in his clean-shaven face and short haircut for the first time at Fenway Park next spring. Warning: watch out for bottles and tomatoes on the field.

Where will Bengie Molina go?

2005-12-16T10:14:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons why I like the Angels so much is because of guys like Bengie Molina. It's not only his clutch hitting that was valuable, but it was also the way he handled the young Irvin Santana. Santana, even with his tremendous year, had some jitters here and there, some moments when he was wild. But Molina would always settle him down, guide him along, make him the better pitcher he is today.

I think the Angels should have offered Molina arbitration, but now that the market for catchers have shrunk and he is probably a little more anxious to get signed, why not the Dodgers sign him to a 2-year deal? You can always use more than one catcher, especially when Navarro is as young as he is. And how can you not like Molina at the number 5 spot in the batting order with his last season .295 BA, .446 SLG and 69 RBIs? He would also be the closest thing to replacing LoDuca with his popularity and likability.

This guy is a real find and I'm just surprised that there has been so little interest shown in him.

McCourt–smart enough?

2005-12-15T10:13:00.000-08:00

There's finally been some action in the off-season for the Dodgers. We just picked up Bill Mueller from the Red Sox which is a great move and the credit can go both to Colletti & Grady, whom Mueller had ties with in SF and Boston. And it's reported that the Dodgers are also after Kenny Lofton, Reggie Sanders and they've lured Johnny Damon to a meeting in Los Angeles. This also comes at the heels of the Bradley trade to Oakland, where the Dodgers practically gave away Bradley for a minor leaguer. I still think Bradley had tremendous potential and I bet/hope that he will flourish into a major player that will haunt the Dodgers like the way Konerko has haunted the Dodgers.

All of Colletti's moves have been decent at best, paying more than what is needed, but at this stage of Dodger history, we need to overpay to get players to come to LA. 10 years ago, players would have taken a little less to play in LA, but now we need to make the extra effort and I think that is what Colletti is doing (minus the Bradley deal).

All in all, McCourt has been quiet lately on the front and if he is as smart as he likes to think he is, he will contiune to stay out of the lime light and just submerge himself under the waters. If he is at all concerned with PR, then no matter how much he is actually involved in the decisions, he needs to let the fans and media think that he is taking a lesser role. This will be the first step towards rebuilding a reputable organization.

give me some salt & pepper & tabasco sauce

2005-12-05T08:25:00.000-08:00

Alright. Give me some salt & pepper & tabasco sauce so that I eat every word that I published on Friday. For the past 6-7 years of being burned, I've been cautious, distancing myself from Bruin Football & Basketball, and just when I stick my neck out, I get run over by a freight truck going 100 mph. Boy, was that painful.

Did the Bruins go to a different game in a different state? Did they not know that in order to have a chance at beating USC, they needed to show up to the game?

I mean, I expected the Trojans to score a lot of touchdowns, that was no surprise to me, but where was the Bruin's offense? Where was the the team that was 5th in scoring points this year? Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong for the Bruins. And this I can say for sure, Dorrell did had a "successful" season, but he is no where close to being a contending coach, much less a coach sought after by the NFL.

I'll end with a shout out to those Bruin fans who stuck it out, in the cold, on the those top bleachers cheering for the last touchdown when the rest of the bruin fans had crawled out of the stadium. They were pathetic and it might have been the beer, but hey, you gotta give them props for facing the humiliation with gusto.

the big game

2005-12-02T07:52:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the big game in LA. It's been a long time coming and has been hyped up the whole week. Will UCLA knock down USC? Even if UCLA wins, will it matter in the BCS bowl game standings? Will Reggie Bush lose the Heisman the way Vince Young did last week? Will Drew Olson continue to be overlooked to be one of the best QB's this year? Will USC make it 34 in a row and continue on in history? Will the biggest cross-town rival game in LA live up to the hype and excitement as the USC vs. Notre Dame game?

My brain says that USC has all the solid components to win over a very inconsistent and flighty UCLA team. There is no doubt that the USC offense will show up and be ready to put on an amazing show. And I almost do want to watch Texas and USC battle it on New Year's Day. But my heart says that UCLA has the moxi to put up a good fight. Sure their defense is pathetic and they're not as solid, but that's the beauty of college sports: a pure, reckless passion and love of the game, where kids don't get bogged down about multi-million dollar contracts or the politics of the NFL, but play for pride, teamwork and bragging rights.

Forget the records, the stats, what seems obvious on paper. This game is the last season game for all the seniors. It's the biggest rivalry in LA. It's the game that determines if Coach Dorrell will be at UCLA for the long haul. It's the game that means everything for the Bruins who have lost the past six matchups. It's the game that will make men of boys and super stars of stars.

Choosing what your heart says makes you vulnerable to humiliation, disappointment and embarassment on Monday when you go back to work to face your co-workers. My brain says USC will win, but my heart says UCLA will win by 7 and though I, my rational self, didn't think I would choose UCLA, sometimes, you just have to stick your neck out and go with what your heart says.

For the love of the game or money?

2005-12-01T14:31:00.000-08:00

Recently someone told me that most people who read sports blogs read it mainly for one purpose: to gain info in order to help them win their bets. It made me think, do guys really love sports for the pure love of the game or is it just a tool for gambling?
When you see the fanatics, all decked out in sporting gear with their faces and hair painted in their team colors, are they rooting for the team or are they rooting for a chance to win a hundred bucks?

Ned Colletti

2005-11-18T14:34:00.000-08:00

When I listened to the press conference earlier this week, my first impression was that there were warm fuzzies. Warm fuzzies between McCourt and Colletti, warm fuzzies about Colletti's humble beginnings and his hard work toward his "proudest day of his life", warm fuzzies about the "character and values" that Colletti has.

Warm fuzzies are essential components of Extreme Home Makeover, but how do the warm fuzzies address all my questions and doubts about the Dodgers? Surely warm fuzzies aren't enough to convince me that Colletti is the man but I'm willing to give him a chance. Heck, everyone deserves a chance to prove themselves.

Do I believe that Colletti has what it takes to turn this team around? Well, I've learned these past few years to not have such high hopes and expectations. He hasn't exactly proven himself in the past with the dismal Giants, but who's to say that when it's time for him to come up to the plate, he won't step up & hit a homerun... only time will tell.

It's too bad that even with the great weather, the beach and the legacy of the Los Angeles Dodgers, McCourt couldn't lure Theo over.

MNF - the Eagles vs. the Cowboys

2005-11-17T09:02:00.000-08:00

Normally, I would be rooting for the Cowboys. Like the Dodgers, their glory days were in the 80's and I think it's high time for a comeback. But with all the T.O. chaos that happened I was hoping that the Eagles would show T.O. and the rest of America that they can win without T.O. The Eagles showed some promise, but in the fourth quarter, the game unraveled like a cheap sweater.

The next day the big question was, are the Eagles through? Is it the end of their season? Are they nothing without T.O.?

It's like a bad teacher that tells his class that they might as well give up because they have no potential, they have no talent, and all the smart kids are in another class. Do the Eagles believe that they're through, that they will fufill the prophecy? Or deep down, do they have some heart, soul and passion to come back without McNabb and show that they're much more than a team with an egotistical player. There were some rumors today that the players wanted T.O. back. Are these players really that pathetic and sad to think that they need someone who backstabs them?

Sure the Eagles want to win. And their fans want them to win, but sometimes principle is more important and if they only upheld the dignity that comes from playing hard, to show America that they can be something, then maybe, just maybe they can have enough confidence to win. Hey, looking at the NFL this year, anything is possible.

genesis

2005-11-16T15:15:00.000-08:00

I don't remember the exact time I started becoming interested in sports. Maybe it all started when my uncle who use to attend UCLA sat me down to watch some basketball games with him, or maybe it was when I saw Tony Dorsett dancing through defensive linesmen in his galliant uniform or maybe it was the free promotional Dodger items that Unocal 76 use to give out when my dad purchased 8 gallons of gas or maybe it's simply my competitive spirit that just hated to lose any game I played...whatever the reason, I got into sports, watching the Dodgers, Angels, Cowboys, Lakers, Bruins, even the Rams.

I think my love of sports finally solidified when I became the sports editor of my high school paper, attending a lot of sporting events, interviewing and writing about the last minute field goal or the free throw that won the game.

Which brings me here today. I'm no statician or claim to know everything there is to know about sports, it's just a site to write down my rantings and ravings about what's going on in the world of Los Angeles Sports.