I didn’t really think UCLA’s Bruins would be “ruined” versus Gonzaga in the NCAA semifinals — despite what I wrote before the game. (See previous entry.) What that was … was invoking the opposite of what I really wanted, as a long-time UCLA fan. Not the blowout I predicted, but something a lot closer. This […]

[Read more →]

Did anyone else stay up late to watch UCLA come through with another upset in the NCAA Tournament? Remember? Four days ago? (It ended at 6:16 a.m where I live and yes, I would like to be congratulated for that.) It was nervous time, but it also was clutch time as the Bruins came through […]

[Read more →]

This is the biggest night for Los Angeles college hoops in … I think it is safe to say “forever.” Both USC and UCLA have battled into the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. That has never before happened. And not only that, they are playing in the same city tonight, in the same arena, one […]

[Read more →]

I have lived outside the United States for most of the past 12 years and I can vouch for this: Over that much time your sports interests mutate. Perhaps significantly. Some sports pretty much disappear from your mind. Thinking all high school sports; just can’t keep track of any of them, so I lost track […]

[Read more →]

The Lakers, kingpins of the National Basketball Association. The Dodgers, top of the heap in Major League baseball. The Rams, still in competition for the Super Bowl. Thus, it is possible, if still improbable, that the champs of the three most popular American professional sports leagues could all be found in Los Angeles.

[Read more →]

In late December of last year — 2019, that is; so long ago — a columnist for The New York Times made a compelling case that 2019 was the “best year” in the history of the human race. Longer lifespans, fewer neonatal deaths, less starvation, more money trickling down to the poorest, more internet access, […]

[Read more →]

Ahead of Game 1 in the NBA finals, 17 of 25 ESPN basketball reporters — described as “experts” by the website — predicted the Lakers would emerge victorious. Of course, that was before observers realized that the Heat is just plain better than the Lakers. That was hammered home the other night when the Heat […]

[Read more →]

I need the Lakers to close out the NBA Finals tonight. Because I have money on them? Because I have become a fan of LeBron James? Because I can’t stand to see them lose? Nope. I need them to win so I can get a little sleep. A downside for an American living in France? […]

[Read more →]

Hey, no pressure, but … –The Lakers are one championship behind the Boston Celtics for the most NBA titles, 17. They could catch their green arch-rivals by winning The Bubble Finals in Florida. —LeBron James already has passed Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in career scoring, has only Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in front […]

[Read more →]

I believe it is time to give the National Basketball Association full credit for pulling off something no one was quite sure would work: The NBA Bubble. Twenty-two teams, dispatched to the ESPN/Disney enclosed sports pod in Orlando, and left to figure out the bottom of the standings, and then stage the whole of the […]

[Read more →]