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Y E S T E R D A Y…

Nationals 11, Dodgers 2: Cristian Guzman hit for the cycle, Elijah Dukes crushed two homers and the Boys in Blue get swept by the Nats, a near…  wait for it… capital offense. Their eighth straight loss dropped them 3.5 games behind the first place D-Backs.

Angels 7, Rangers 5: After falling down 5-1, Juan Rivera crushed a three-run, eighth inning double to complete the Angels come from behind victory.

Sparks 78, Monarchs 63: They’re back. Candace Parker and Lisa Leslie combined for 30 points as L.A. clipped the Monarchs at the Stapler.

T O D A Y…

Dodgers at Diamondbacks (6:40 p.m. PST, KCAL): The NL West has been a lot like a bride tossing her bouquet to a bunch of married women…nobody really wants it. If the Dodgers catch Arizona in the standings, this series could decide it.

Rangers at Angels (7:05 p.m. PST, FSN): In the second game of the replay era, Texas hopes to avoid a reprisal of Thursday night’s eighth inning collapse. Dustin Nippert (1-3) takes the hill against darkhorse Cy Young Candidate Ervin Santana (13-5).

Chargers at 49ers (7:00 p.m. PST): In the words of Ron Burgundy, “Super, dooper gang, alright.” The Bolts and Niners must have the same feeling as they suit up for their final preseason game. Best case scenario: nobody gets hurt.

Raiders at Seahawks (7:00 p.m. PST, KTLA): Both teams’ starting quarterbacks will hold clipboards in what may look more like a second-team walk-through than a football game. Raiders coach Lane Kiffin is even keeping punter Shane Lechler on the sideline.

Trojans at Cavaliers (Saturday, 12:30 p.m. PST, ABC): Mark Sanchez leads USC into Charlottesville as the ball drops on the Trojans 2008 season. It could get a little slippery. Game time forecasts say their is a 30% chance of rain.

N E W S W O R T H Y….

• An injured hamstring knocked Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick out for six weeks earlier this season. Now, a similar injury may jeopardize his postseason chances.
• Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has heard all the good news about Andrew Bynum’s surgically repaired knee, but he went to Atlanta to see for himself.
• UCLA defensive tackle Brian Price has overcome tragedy in life to become a standout on the field.
• Angels Stadium was replay-ready on Thursday…peep show not included.
• A day after designating infielder Pablo Ozuna for assignment, the Dodgers do the same with seldom used journeyman Tanyon Sturtze to make room for Cory Wade. They also sent Clayton Kershaw to the minors immediately following his five run, 2.1 inning loss to Washington, although it was more logistical than demotion.
• Oscar de la Hoya delays retirement for the second time, agreeing to fight Manny Pacquiao at the MGM on December 6th.  According to reports, purse details were not announced, but I’m sure Oscar will offer Pacquiao at least 10%.
• After more than two weeks off, the Sparks eye the playoffs as they resume their post-Olympic schedule.

O N  S P O R T S H U B L A…

• Kris Wright of TheSabre.com takes a few questions about the UVA squad playing opponent for USC’s season opener.

I N  T H E  B L O G S…

• Yahoo! Sports Blogs gives Dodger fans another reason to laugh at the Giants’ Barry Zito. While he’s flopped his way to an 8-15 record as baseball’s highest paid pitcher, he’s also found time to do some modeling. Derrick Zoolander eat your heart out.
• Inside The Warriors, a blog from the Contra Costa Times, reports that Golden State is scrambling to find another point guard after learning that Monta Ellis tore ligaments in his ankle on Wednesday. Their first candidate: former Clipper Shaun Livingston, who worked out for the team in Chicago.
• Dodger Thoughts’ Jon Weisman and AZ Snakepit’s Jim McClennan break down why nobody seems all that interested in winning the NL West. 

C O L U M N S…

• Pete Carroll would be a maniac to leave USC for the NFL, at least according to Doug Krikorian of the Long Beach Press Telegram.
• Pete Fiutak of Fox Sports and College Football News explains that the BCS may not be perfect, but for 10 years it’s given us nothing short of “anything, anything,” including a few Novembers to remember. Fiutak highlights some of the chaos, including much Pac-10 dramarama.
• With so many tailbacks stealing the show, Mark Whicker from the O.C. Register writes that it’s sometimes easy to miss USC fullback Stanley Havili.
• The Time’ T.J. Simers finds an unintentional punchline in the Dodgers offering 2009 season ticket “deals.”
• SportsHubLA Column of the Day:The L.A. Times’ Bill Plaschke asks who needs football in Los Angeles, when you can live in a fantasy world. Even though it’s been 14 years since the Rams and Raiders jetted town, Plaschke says a large number of Angelinos are distracted by rotisserie leagues, and he’s one of them. I’m sure he also does the most amazing Chewbacca impersonation.

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