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Y E S T E R D A Y…

Lakers 109, Utah 98: The purple and gold opened the second round of the playoffs in the same way they closed each of the four games in the first- with a win. Kobe Bryant had 38 points, Pau Gasol 18, and Sasha Vujacic 15 off the bench as the Lakers took a big second quarter lead and never gave it up. Not that it was easy. Utah pounded LA physically and on the boards, outrebounding them 58-41and laying the wood on the Lakers whenever they got near the basket. Of course, that left Kobe to hit a franchise playoff record 21 free throws, and on the night LA made it to the stripe 46 times to Utah’s 30. Game 2 is Wednesday night at Staples.

Angels 6, Baltimore 5: It wasn’t easy for starter Joe Saunders, who scuffled along for five innings, destroying the WHIP for all who own him on their fantasy teams. He allowed 12 hits, including a homer from Melvin Mora, and four earned runs. But in the end, thanks to homers from Torii Hunter (three run), Robb Quinlan (two run) and Gary Matthews Jr. (solo), Saunders was able to escape with the most important stat of all- the win. He’s now 6-0 on the season.

Rockies 7, Dodgers 2: What a difference a win streak makes. On Sunday, Derek Lowe was tennis ball dull, the offense went to sleep, and the Blue’s eight game victory fest went the way of the dodo. Not that anyone was worried. LA now has the confidence of a team that believes in its ability to win. And having run their record to (now) three games over .500 and crept to within four games of first place Arizona in the NL West, they have reason to feel good about themselves.

T O D A Y…

Angels at Kansas City (5:00 pm, FSW): Ervin Santana is a happy man these days, and who can blame him? The lanky righty, who struggled mightily last season, brings a 5-0 record into tonight’s tussle with the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. He’s got a good chance to channel his inner Saunders and get that sixth win, too, since after a hot start K.C. has become, well, very K.C. like. A 9-6 start has turned into a 14-16 record, and they’ll trot Brett Tomko (1-3, 6.26) out to the hill. Pardon me if I don’t think that helps their chances.

Dodgers vs. Mets (7:10, FSN PRIME):The Blue return home for a quick six game stand, kicking off tonight against the Metropolitans, who haven’t exactly blown the doors off the NL East as some hoped. The Dodgers will send Chad Billingsley (1-4, 5.20) who has been shaky overall but is coming off his best start of the season last Wednesday in Florida. He’ll face lefty Oliver Perez (2-2, 4.03) for New York.

N E W S W O R T H Y…

• Jazz PG Deron Williams pointed the finger at himself after Sunday’s loss.
• Fans might not be, but Joe Torre is staying patient with slumping- that’s the nice word- CF Andruw Jones.
• Within this notebook is word of yet another strong performance from Dodgers phenom Clayton Kershaw, who threw six-plus of one run ball for AA Jacksonville.
• The injury shuffle continues for the Halos:Dustin Moseley was put on the 15 day DL with tightness in his forearm. The good news? Chone Figgins’ hammy won’t land him there (right now, at least), and both Howie Kendrick and John Lackey are improving.
• The USC women’s track and field squad snapped a 15 season losing streak to the girls at UCLA.

C O L U M N I S T S…

• Mark Whicker of the OC Register notes that the Angels are scoring, hitting homers, and (best of all) winning despite injuries up and down the lineup. Why? A farm system that consistently fills any cracks. The present is good, the future looks great. I’d hate to be some jackass who advocated trading all that away for Miguel Cabrera.
• And now for the Lakers: If Mark Heisler knows Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, and since they’ve both been around for a billion years, he probably does, the Jazz are in for a tough couple days of practice after their Game 1 effort Sunday.
• Don’t get too bogged down in art or style, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Daily News, all that matters in the playoffs is winning, and for the fifth straight time, the Lakers did just that.
• Still, notes Jim Alexander of the Press-Enterprise, all was not lost for Utah, who did some good things against the Lakers but couldn’t keep their hands on the ball (too many TOs) or keep Kobe off the free throw line.
• Speaking of the FTs, Bill Plaschke of the Times says with his 21 makes from the stripe, Kobe showed yet another way why he’s an MVP player, quietly destroying the Jazz in what was perhaps less spectacular than but equally damaging to any parade of jumpers and layups he can hit.
• SportsHubLA.com Column of the Day:Stepping away from the Lakers for a moment (sort of), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a column special for the Times in which he compares the political climate of 1968 with that of 2008, relative to the question of Olympic boycotts. In ‘68, Dr. Harry Edwards, in the midst of the Vietnam war and social unrest at home, called for a boycott of the Games by black athletes. The movement eventually fizzled, but not the spirit, as evidenced by the famous protest of Tommy Smith and John Carlos, who bowed their heads and raised a black-gloved fist in the air during the National Anthem after finishing first and third in the 200 meter dash. This year, though, despite major social issues that are wrapping themselves around the Beijing Olympics, Abdul-Jabbar believes there should be no boycott. Interaction with China, influencing them by bringing them into the global community, then holding them responsible to the rules of it, is a more positive force for change in that part of the world. As I’m no fan of Olympic boycotts (they hurt athletes far more than the nations they target), I agree with Kareem. But it’s particularly refreshing to get a perspective from someone who was part of the action 40 years ago, and is still a voice today.

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