SportsHubLA

Y E S T E R D A Y…

Lakers 102, Spurs 97: To paraphrase the old “tree” parable, if the Spurs fall in Staples and neither Tim Duncan nor Tony Parker suits up, does it still sound like a Laker win? If you ask the Lakers, definitely. Besides, the Lakers played without an ejected Andrew Bynum for the entire fourth quarter and couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn during the first and third quarters, so they’re willing to write off the whole thing as an even victory.

Stars 4, Kings 1: The Kings may not be great, but at least they’re consistent. They ain’t done jack against the Kings over the last few years, with last night’s loss making them a glorious 1-11-1 over their last baker’s dozen. Rookie goalie Jason Quick was pulled after allowing four of eighteen shots in his direction, amazing when you consider that Dallas’ first attempt didn’t even come until ten minutes expired. When it rains, it pours, I guess. T O D A Y…

Wild at Ducks (7:00pm EST, FSN): Whether or not Scott Niedermeyer plays remains a mystery, but in any event, Anaheim catches a Minny squad struggling to put the biscuit in the basket. They’ve also lost three straight and are on the fourth game of a five-roadie stretch. Throw in the bad blood from last year’s playoffs and the Ducks should have all the motivation they need to add another in the win column.

Clippers at Grizzlies (5 pm PST, KTLA): The bad news is that the Clips officially stink. The good news, however, is that the Grizz are even worse, and their 4-6 home record matches the Clipper success away from Staples. Something’s gotta give, right? It’s expected that Richie Frahm will be signed to a non-guaranteed contract and suited up for action, his gain being the waived Ruben Patterson’s loss.

Lakers at Warriors (7:30 pm PST, KCAL 9):The Lakers are not only coming off a win, but recently beat Golden State at their own small ball game. Don Nelson wanted to run with midgets. Phil Jackson stuck with Andrew Bynum and Ronny Turiaf. Chalk one up for Goliath.

N E W S W O R T H Y…

• For those of you living under a rock that doesn’t come with cable or internet, Senator George Mitchell released his report yesterday about baseball, steroids and HGH. In what can only be described as shocking news, it turns out that MLB culture actually is steeped in the stuff. For the Angels, hella former players- including World Series heroes- are all over it and Gary Matthews Jr got his expected HGH mention. No current Dodgers’ name appears on the pages, but a slew of prominent cats long since gone represent. Lo Duca (apparently quite the enthusiast). Gagne. Brown. Even Chris Donnels, proving there are limits as to how much these substances will enhance a performance. More opinion on this brouhaha to come.
• Jim Harbaugh’s bro and Rick Neuheisel are getting face-to-face time for the vacant UCLA football coaching gig. My bracket has Neuheisel making it to the championship round of interviews.
• Poor Casey Cunningham’s got a case of “bad liggys” (not the proper medical term, for those wondering). The USC forward torn a ligament in his knee during practice- the same one he had to rehab last year in high school- and will miss the season.
• Toy Cannon over at TrueBlueLA has some projections for the pitchers and hitters that are likely to grace the roster of this year’s Dodgers squad.

C O L U M N S…

• The Daily News’ Tom Holfarth tweaks Phil Jackson’s resistance to being miked, pointing out the positives outweighing the arguably non-existent negatives.
• In the wake of all this Mitchell Report hoo hah, it’s nice to see a positive story in sports. Matt Calkins’ tale about Cal State San Bernadino hooper Joseph Tillman would certainly qualify.
• The folks over at DumpDorrell- yes, they’re still there- weigh in on the possibility of a Neuheisel hire for UCLA.
• SportsHubLA Columns of the Day: Brought to you by the firm of Mitchell, Radomski and Balco. The report is now public. So are the opinions. Bill Shaikin of the Times considers this a black eye on the sports’ face, a kisser his colleague Bill Plaschke finds a distinct shade of blue. Of course, due process in administering the bruises took a backseat to feeding a fervor, which is why the O.C. Register’s Mark Whicker thinks the report is basically a joke. While I don’t know if I’d go so far as to discount these findings- the methodology may be questionable, but the results or names uncovered revealed zilch that wasn’t already being whispered about- but I do agree that Mitchell’s zillion-page opus has the potential to end up a bag of hot air if hard-line stances don’t follow. Whether you’re talking Bud Selig (and clean players) taking on the union, owners truly putting their foot down or fans saying backing any outrage with empty stadium seats, this will ultimately end up a waste of tax dollars and ESPN talking head air time without tangible action.

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