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Y E S T E R D A Y . . .

Clippers 91, Nets 82: A Clinton is president, a little show named Dawson’s Creek premieres, the movie The Big Lebowski introduces us to “The Dude”, and the nation is forever changed when Britney Spears releases her debut single, “Baby One More Time.” What do all these things have in common? They all occurred in 1998, which was also the last time the Clippers had beaten the Nets in NJ, until last night. The Clips were the beneficiaries of abysmal shooting by the New Jersey, who are going to give Jason Kidd more migraines, if they continue to waste his triple double performances. That team needs to be broken up and Kidd would like mighty fine in the purple and gold.

T O D A Y . . .

Clippers at Bobcats (4:00 p.m. PST, 710 ESPN Radio): The Clips attempt to begin a winning streak in the 2nd game of the always dreaded road back-to-back. And even though they got a win last night, Clips Nation manages to pick out a few negatives that the Clippers hope to improve upon tonight in Charlotte. At least Brevin Knight and Tim Thomas won’t have to worry about distractions like they had to deal with last night in New Jersey. If your looking for this one on TV, don’t bother, as it seems the NBA decided that, for the good of the public, no one should be able to watch this game.

Kings at Blackhawks (5:30 p.m. PST, FSN-W): The Kings will try to solve the riddle that is Blackhawks goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, the best name in all of hockey, who has absolutely dominated them throughout his career (15-5, 1.81 GAA). The Kings two-fold strategy for taking down the man whose name sounds more like a James Bond character than a goalie includes physical play and a goalie platoon. The Kings could also get a boost from the return of Alexander Frolov, who is expected to return from a groin injury tonight.

Canucks at Ducks (7:00 p.m. PST, PRIME HD): The Ducks play the Canucks tonight in Anaheim, but all the focus seems to be on when Scott Niedermayer will make his long awaited season debut. It is unlikely that he will play tonight, and his return is looking more like it will be either Friday or Sunday. The question is whether Niedermayer’s return will be like that shot of tequila that energizes you for the rest of the night, or that shot of tequila that you thought you needed, but in reality, put you down for the count.

N E W S W O R T H Y . . .

• Lack of practice isn’t the only thing delaying Scott Niedermayer’s return. As always, it’s all about the money.
• Jeff Kent has decided against retirement, and will return to the Dodgers next season. Well, this news ensures that we’ll see Torre’s renowned skill in handling difficult players in the National League.
• While Dorrell is flirting with the Blue Devils, the Bruins are starting their coaching search from within with Dewayne Walker.
• The awards keep rolling in for USC NT Sedrick Ellis who was named a first team AP All-American.
• Here are college basketball’s latest rankings. UCLA #6. USC #24.
• Duh Nuh (Jaws theme music), Duh Nuh…it’s coming right at us…Duh Nuh..hide your HGH and greenies…Duh Nuh…the Mitchell Report is almost here.

C O L U M N S . . .

• With Bobby Petrino pulling a Keyser Soze (and just like that…he’s gone) on the Atlanta Falcons to return to the college coaching ranks, it only seems right that we take a look at the column by Jeff Miller of the OC Register discussing the ridiculous contracts that are often given out to college football coaches.
• Geez, and I thought my man crush on Kevin Love and Tom Brady was bad. Bill Plaschke gushes like a schoolgirl about the greatness of Tiger Woods, who was just named PGA player of the year for the 9th time in 11 years.
• Robyn Norwood of the Times checks in with former Mater Dei hoops star Taylor King who backed out of his early commitment to UCLA to sign with the Dukies. Hey Taylor, enjoy your 2nd round playoff exits and life in Durham, NC, when you could’ve been winning titles and living the good life in Westwood.
• SportsHubLA Column of the Day: This is the column that every baseball fan needs to read before passing judgment on what they are about to see in the Mitchell Report on Thursday. Howard Bryant of ESPN.com trailed Senator Mitchell’s investigation, looking at its questionable interviewing techniques, George Bush-like intimidation tactics, general ignorance about the culture of steroid use, and the air of impropriety following the man conducting the investigation. If you didn’t know already, Senator George Mitchell is on the board of directors for the Boston Red Sox, but claims that played absolutely no factor in his investigation. Let’s just set the over/under on Red Sox players named in the report at two, and I’m taking the under. Also, there’s absolutely no chance anyone on the current World Series champions or the 2004 champions will be named. This is what you get when you bring in a politician to conduct an investigation: special interest influences, self-serving public statements, and a goal of making a splash instead of making a difference.

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