OK, moments before kickoff. The lineups: U.S. — Tim Howard, Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Jay DeMerit, Jonathan Spector, Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Clint Dempsey, Charlie Davies, Jozy Altidore. Spain — Iker Casillas, Gerard Pique,  Carles Puyol, Joan Capdevila, Sergio Ramos, Xavi, Cesc Fabregas, Xabi Alonso, Albert Riera, David Villa, Fernando Torres. Well, yikes.  […]

[Read more →]

I’ve never tried this. But I will today. Just because. To see if it is possible. Or sensible. Or useful. Running commentary! I am going to watch the Confederations Cup soccer match between the United States and Spain, which begins at 11:30-ish … and bang in entries every few minutes. Now, it seems to me […]

[Read more →]

I can’t be the first person to notice this. Dodgers broadcasters Eric Collins and Steve Lyons sound like the same guy. Collins is the new when-Vinny-is-off TV play-by-play guy for the Dodgers, and Lyons is a holdover commentator. And they would be fine. Acceptable, anyway. (What was wrong with Charley Steiner, exactly?) Except for this: […]

[Read more →]

I live near the ocean, in Long Beach, and for decades now the shoreline area has been served by a nice little weekly. Then another. The Grunion Gazette and then the Downtown Gazette. Same company. (A grunion, fyi, is a small, silvery fish that a few nights each year hurls itself up on the sands […]

[Read more →]

There were various man-bites-dog scenarios, each more fantastical than the next, that had the United States national soccer team shaking off two comprehensive defeats and somehow earning a berth today in the Confederations Cup semifinals. To give you an idea of how extraordinary the scenarios were, this was the least ridiculous: U.S. 3, Egypt 0 […]

[Read more →]

Here is the headline on the media release put up by USC this morning. KEVIN O’NEILL NAMED USC MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH Kevin O’Neill. Sure. Everybody had been talking about him. The alumni were all fired up about the chance to bring him in. Which, of course, is fiction. Kevin O’Neill arrives at USC directly […]

[Read more →]

Watching Phil Jackson move around is painful. He appears to have significant issues with arthritis, if his extraordinary stiffness is any indication. He has had both hips replaced, but you wouldn’t know it from following him down the hall. If he has to travel any distance inside Staples Center, a golf cart is used. And […]

[Read more →]

I always have loved military history. For quite some time I was convinced that the soldiery of a nation or an empire were what made it great. The nuances of economic might or cultural power being too elusive for me to ponder overmuch, certainly before adulthood. Thus,  I always have been appreciative of the huge […]

[Read more →]

Another lopsided defeat in the Confederations Cup. Brazil 3, the United States 0. Difficult to be angry with anyone after this. Some guys played a bit worse than others (DaMarcus Beasley, good luck in your future endeavors, whatever they might be), but after this match, a comprehensive defeat, and the Italy match (a 3-1 defeat) […]

[Read more →]

Lamar Odom? Or Trevor Ariza? Which free agent do the Lakers keep? Which do they let go away? The answer? Neither. Lakers owner Jerry Buss can solve this. Just pay both of them and raise prime-seat ticket prices to cover the additional outlay.

[Read more →]