Sorted by date Results 501 - 522 of 522
It’s staggering to realize what’s been going on with Kobe Bryant lately. He’s the reigning MVP of the NBA playoffs, which means he’s been recognized as perhaps the best basketball player in the world. Only LeBron James would have a legitimate claim otherwise. But in the first few weeks of the Lakers’ season Bryant has done something even he never did before. He’s a guard who has taken on the challenge of being an almost unstoppable post player. In the absence of injured centers Andrew Bynum and...
West Los Angeles College won its first conference football game of the season Saturday by stopping Santa Barbara on a two-point conversion try on the final play. The Wildcats won, 42-40 and now have a 2-5 overall record....
Measure EE, the parcel tax that will guarantee funds for the Culver City School District, breezed to victory Tuesday night. More than $1 million per year is expected. The measure required a two/thirds majority and received more than 74 percent approval. For the next five years Culver City residents will be billed $96 per year per parcel, an amount they deemed worthwhile in order to maintain the city’s history of providing quality education. In recent weeks supportive letters to the editor of T...
In the Lakers’ first four games they won twice, were non-competitive in a home loss to Dallas and required overtime to defeat Oklahoma City Reminded that the Lakers aren’t playing anywhere close to their championship form of last season. Kobe Bryant explained. “We’re not at full strength,” he said. “We’re missing one of the best players in the world.” The absence of Pau Gasol with a hamstring injury is a legitimate reason for the Lakers’ slow start. I just wonder if that’s the only major prob...
There is no way to minimize what happened to the USC football team in Eugene, Oregon on Halloween night. It was so devastating, so convincing that it merits our full attention now. For the first time in Pete Carroll’s nine years as the Trojans’ coach one of his teams was humiliated. The 47-20 defeat was by far the most one-sided one he’s suffered at USC. The defensive master was in charge of a unit that gave up 613 yards. And Carroll takes the blame. “The problem was a defensive scheme that caus...
The Lakers have had so many championship celebrations they’ve gotten very good at putting them on. On Tuesday night they brought back key players from past championship teams before raising the newest banner and receiving their rings. It was the highlight of the opening night at Staples Center when the legends came onto the court, waving to the sellout crowd. There they were – Magic Johnson, Norm Nixon, Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Rick Fox, Robert Horry, amo...
It’s not unexpected that Dodger and Angel fans are expressing regret about their teams failing to reach the World Series. Coming close makes the disappointment even greater, but in time, like a few months, fans should come to realize the 2009 season was successful for both teams. It requires taking a step back and taking a deep breath. If this was basketball, you could say your team reached The Final four. That’s right, after all the other teams were eliminated, the Dodgers and Angels were sti...
Alex Rodriguez has destroyed the Angels in the first four games of the American League championship series, which the Yankees lead, 3-1. His remarkable performance, which includes home runs in three straight games, reverses a trend. Rodriguez had been dreadful in post-season games previously. It’s one of my pet peeves in sports that a team or individual who has demonstrated excellence throughout a six-month season is tarnished in the minds of many by slumping for a few weeks at playoff time. I...
Logically, Mark Sanchez would be USC’s quarterback this season and Matt Barkley would be watching from the sidelines. But Sanchez is cashing huge checks and playing for the New York Jets while Barkley is leading USC, with wins at Ohio State and Notre Dame on his resume. There’s a simple explanation for these developments. Both quarterbacks have talent that has overcome any other factors. The Jets took the unusual step of making Sanchez a starter without going through the usual learning pro...
The Dodgers have announced that they’ve agreed to a long-term contract extension for General Manager Ned Colletti. Dodger Owner Frank McCourt made the announcement. “One of our core promises to our fans is championship caliber baseball, year in and year out,” said McCourt. “Ned has been instrumental in our going a long way towards fulfilling that promise. I couldn’t be happier for him, both personally and professionally. The stability and continuity that extending his contract provides will furt...
There’s a perception nationally that the Pac 10 is a weak football conference beyond USC. \But I don’t think that’s right. Sure USC has won the championship the last seven years, I can understand the reasoning. Then I watch the games and know I’m seeing some quality competition. Stanford beats UCLA in a meaningful game, but then Oregon State wallops Stanford. Oregon opens with a loss to Boise State but now looks good. I recall that a couple of years ago Oregon was headed to the BCS champio...
It’s the Dodgers and Phils again in the National League Championship series, but some of the main players have changed from a year ago. The Dodgers lost that best-of-seven series, 4-1. They started a righthanded pitcher in all five games – not an enviable position to be in against a team featuring superb lefthanded hitters Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. This time the Dodgers will start lefthanders Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw. Chad Billingsley, a righthander who lost two games in last yea...
Something happened a few days ago that happens almost every year at this time. Lee Hamilton called. Hamilton is the long-time sports talk guy in San Diego who annually puts me on the air to begin the Lakers’ season. I’m focusing on high school and college football, the Dodgers and my editing duties at The Observer. But when he calls my mind clicks in on the Lakers. As we talked on and off the air it became clear to me that the Lakers’ toughest opponent in defense of their NBA championship will b...
The key to the Dodgers’ chances in the playoffs is for the guy in left field to be Manny Ramirez, not the imposter who’s been there this season. They need the dynamic leader who led them to a first round playoff sweep of the Cubs last year, not the confused batter who struck out frequently in recent weeks. But which Manny will we see? After the Dodgers clinched their division championship Saturday night and celebrated in the clubhouse and then on the field as they saluted adoring fans, Ram...
A weightlifting accident at USC Monday moved Saturday’s football game at California into the background. “We’re only concerned with Stafon Johnson and his family now,” said Coach Pete Carroll, who was at the hospital and in no mood to discuss theTrojans’ running back situation. After dropping a weight on his throat Johnson underwent seven hours of surgery. It’s highly unlikely he’ll play again this season although doctors say he should be able to play in the future. But there will be a game Sat...
The Angels began the season stunned by the death of pitcher Nick Adenhart in an automobile accident, then went through the first few months with a minor league pitching staff. The idea was to merely hold on for awhile, yet they won their division by seven games. The players deserve credit, but the stabiizing force was the manager. This was Mike Scioscia's best job of a distinguished career. The Angels will be judged, as all major league teams are, by how they do in the playoffs. They begin at...
When Joe Torre became manager of t he Dodgers he observed that ‘Tommy Lasorda hugged his players and we all laughed at him. Now we all do it.” Lasorda, who celebrated his 82nd birthday last week, remains an ambassador of baseball and adds to his legacy. He was recently inducted into the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Hall Of Fame and then became a member of The Smithsonian in a Washington, D.C. ceremony. He’s been a fixture with the Dodgers since 1971 and tears come to the former manager’s eyes when he t...
We receive a lot of response to sports happenings here at The Observer. One of the most frequently asked questions is “whatever happened to Darius Banks?” It’s a tribute to Banks’ ability as a quarterback that fans remember him and wonder what he’s accomplishing in football now. Banks is merely one of the greatest quarterbacks in Culver City High history, When he went on with his career it seemed like Division 1 college stardom was in his future and some football experts told me he might hav...
A Memorial Service for International Tennis Hall of Famer Jack Kramer, who died Sept. 12 at age 88. is sdcheduled Saturday from 11 a,m. to 1 p.m. at the LA Tennis Center at UCLA. Kramer led the US Davis Cup team to two titles, won the Wimbledon men’s singles title in 1947 and the United States Championships in 1946 and ’47. He was the No. 1 player in the world until 1954; served as a tireless promoter of tennis for more than 60 years, father of “Open Tennis;” founder of the ATP; televis...
City councilman Mehaul O’Leary returned to his duties Monday night September 14 2009, after missing two meetings following an altercation at his Joxer’s Daly pub on Washington Blvd.in August. O’Leary suffered facial injuries, was in intensive care and underwent surgery after he was punched by bar patron Robert Singerman, a 28-year-old former Culver City High football player. O’Leary hit his head on a concrete floor following the punch. In recent weeks he has been recovering and briefly attende...
One week into the high school football season things are shaping up in the Ocean League. Culver City has won the championship the last three years and was impressive in its non-league rout of St. Bernard Friday night. Inglewood also got off to a good start by going on the road and defeating CIF power Quartz Hill, 19-13. But Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, who are regarded as strong challengers to Culver City, lost and suffered injuries. Beverly Hills was jolted by Long Beach Jordan, 34-7 and...
Joe Torre versus the New York Yankees. How does that sound? Next season’s tentative major league schedule has been revealed and the Yankees will play at Dodger Stadium on June 25-27. Whatever Torre says about that it’s certain he’ll enjoy going against his former team, the one that parted ways with one of baseball’s all-time great managers. When the Yankees did that Torre came to the Dodgers. The schedule also includes a series between the Dodgers and Red Sox in Boston June 18-20. And one bet...
