It has only been two games and they have yet to play a team that reasonably expects to make the playoffs, but you have to be totally amazed by the play of the Lakers. 710 ESPN's Steve Mason has caused a stir by predicting they will win 70 games, and while I won't go that far, they may get close. On the other side of the court, the Clippers looked great in the first quarter, but were never heard from again.

The debuts of the two one-year-and-gone locals were to form as I see it, and as I mentioned yesterday. Kevin Love, in 18 minutes off the bench, shot 5 of 8, scored 12 points, collected 9 boards, and had one steal, in Minnesota's victory over Sacramento. I checked Memphis' stats at half-time, and saw Simpson Mayo with 8 points. In his typical fashion, in a game that started close as the fourth quarter began, but which Houston then won going away, SM was nowhere to be seen, despite playing 40 minutes. He finished with 10 points, shooting 5 of 20, including 0 of 7 from 3-point range.

Elsewhere, former Bruin Jason Kapono, who had the highest 3-point pct. in the NBA in each of the past two seasons (they aren't crediting him with the title last season for sightly too few attempts), got off to another great start with 3 of 4 from downtown and 15 points in Toronto's win.

theHoundDawg

Tags: Lakers |Clippers |UCLA

A few more thoughts about the new NBA season:

Greg Oden is the re-incarnation of Sam Bowie, but not as talented. Like Bowie, Bill Walton, and some other touted big men coming into the NBA, he's started off with the injury bug and you have to wonder will his carer mirror Bowie's, never to be fulfilled?

Barring their usual rash of injuries, which started in the preseason this year, the Clippers do figure to be improved, and their tip-off vs. the Lakers tonight should be interesting. The Clippers, from this perspective, have nothing to lose in playing the Lakers, who looked totally dominant against Portland.

More question marks abound in Charlotte, where it looks like it will be tough for Larry Brown to work much of his prior magic, unless he stays a lot longer than his track record would indicate he will, and in New York, where except for the new coach, it doesn't look like much has changed. Charlotte looks set at point guard and power forward (depending on the health of Sean May), but the rest of the team looks like it needs improvement to be a work in progress. As far as the Knicks are concerned, their only visible improvement is Stephon Marbury starting games on the bench.

Terms that may surprise: Minnesota and Kevin Love (UCLA), and Philadelphia and Elton Brand.

Teams in the dumper: Sacramento and Memphis. How did Sacramento get so bad so quickly, and Memphis will soon learn that in crunch time, the last guy you want on the court is OJ Simpson Mayo.

theHoundDawg

Tags: Lakers |Clippers |UCLA

I feel bad for my criticism of Lute Olson, now that it has been revealed that all of the actions and mystery were due to medical reasons. If you missed it, Olson's doctor held a press conference wherein he stated that Lute suffered a stroke a while back, and that the effects of the stroke became evident at the beginning of practice, preventing Lute from being able to properly handle the team, and that he, Dr. Steven Knope, advised Lute to retire.

I do feel that my statements were reasonable due to the lack of information and the manner in which things were handled.

In a related note, Lute's prize recruit, Abdul Gaddy, has apparently now chosen Washington over UCLA in his third attempt at finding a basketball home.

theHoundDawg

Lute Olson
Kevin O'Neill
Lute Olson
Mike Dunlap
Russ Pennell

3 weeks before their first game of 2008-9, and for the second time in a year, Lute Olson has left the Arizona Wildcats holding an empty bag. After 24 years actually coaching, and after a few downs and a whole lot of ups, including one NCAA title, Olson left the team in the lurch for a second time. The first time, he left the team in the capable hands of assistant Coach Kevin O'Neill. When Olson returned after the season, he chose, for whatever sinister reasons, to fire O'Neill and asistant Miles Simon, and form a new staff, featuring Mike Dunlap, Reggie Geary, and Russ Pennell.

In true Olson style, and characteristic of the way he has treated his career and the University in recent times, Olson apparently told recruits and media sources he was quitting, and Arizona AD Jim Livengood had to find out from news reports. Add to this Olson leaving a questionable staff, including Dunlap, who was offered the interim head coaching job and who turned it down, and the totally inexperienced (and long-time rival Arizona State Sun Devil assistant) Pennell, who is now head Coach. At least for now.

This brings back memories of when Lorenzo Romar, Brad Holland, and Tony Fuller all left UCLA, leaving Steve Lavin as the number one assistant, and in line to be the only possible replacement for the fired Jim Harrick, back in 1996.

As stated in a comment to another post, besides the rats leaving the sinking ship, the recruits are leaving, and hopefully UCLA will benefit, not only by the mess left in Arizona, but with talented recruits seeking nice, new basketball homes.

theHoundDawg

Tags: UCLA

Ohio State (+2-1/2) over Penn State Penn State doesn't impress me as a top-5 team, and the return to health of Beanie Wells and the amazing, week-by-week development of Terrelle Pryor since playing USC has made Ohio State once again an elite team, with a lot to prove and a massive job to jump back into the BCS jumble. OSU will win this one. UCLA (+17) over California Cal is coming off a loss to Arizona and now appears to have a full-blown quarterback controversy. This is a talented team, but until Tedford installs Kevin Riley as the QB, they will underachieve. UCLA's noticeable improvement has been sporadic, with one step back for every two steps forward, compounded now by several injuries on defense, especially to the D-line. Still, UCLA should keep the game close, and cover. Arizona (+16) over USC Another game that seems like it could be close, though the brain surgeons have a knack for running away with these games. Nevertheless, this looks to me like it could be another Oregon State-type game, close to the end, with either team having a shot. Take the points. Also remember that Arizona, tied for the Pac-10 lead, is still the only conference member never to play in the Rose Bowl game, and if they are to have a chance to change that, this is the game they need. theHoundDawg

Dress right for the Bruin and Wildcat games: UCLA Bruins Black Varsity Pleathed Jacket $74.95 Arizona Wildcats Hoody Sweatshirt $59.95

Tags: UCLA |sc brain surgeons

If you have not seen this clip, you won't believe it:



In Saturday's game against LSU, that is South Carolina's QB Stephen Garcia being blocked by a SEC official. Shouldn't he have been penalized for being out of uniform?

theHoundDawg

It hasn't happened too many times lately, given their overall ineptitude and generally miserable on-field performances in recent years, but it is painful to see the Raiders and Rams both win on the same day, as happened today.

A good way to relieve the anger is to buy one of these throwback jerseys and set it on fire:

Raiders Bo Jackson Jersey

Rams Jack Youngblood Jersey

theHoundDawg

The Steelers' Troy Polamalu used the term this past week to describe the modern NFL, after Hines Ward's fine total reached $15,000 for separate incidents of "excessive roughness".

Polamalu is further quoted as having stated that "... the Ronnie Lotts, Jack Tatums. These guys really went after people. They were that way because the game was physical. Now, they couldn't survive in this type of game. They wouldn't have enough money. They'd be paying fines all the time, and then they'd be suspended for the year after they do it two games in a row. It's kind of ridiculous." (heraldstandard.com, 10/18/08).

I heard a discussion on this topic this afternoon on ESPN radio between host Freddie Coleman, and commentator and former player Eric Allen, who wholeheartedly agreed that league attempts to protect player safety were misplaced, and indeed were turning the NFL into a "pansy" league.

A few years ago, the league wised up, and began implementing a measure of protection for players all too frequently injured seriously due in great part to the mentality of NFL players, and to the fact of today's bigger, faster, stronger athletes, and modern equipment providing players the aura and misplaced belief of invincibility. Does that measure of protection - fines and other discipline for "excessive roughness" - actually work?

Well, in today's Cincinnati-Pittsburgh game, during the opening drive, Mr. Ward put a legal block on Bengal rookie Keith Rivers, and broke Rivers' jaw, ending his season. Will Ward be fined again? Who knows, but what difference does it make? The league can impose fines and suspend players, but it will change neither the attitude of players, nor their actions. Maybe that's not a bad situation. NFL players go into professional football realizing full well the risk of injury, and gladly exchange that risk for large sums of money.

The American public actually owes a debt of gratitude to the NFL. If the league did not exist, and the core of NFL players who currently exercise their innate propensity for violence and mayhem would no longer have a legal outlet for such aggression, the incidence of violent crime throughout the US would increase immeasurably. Players like Pacman Jones, Rae Carruth, O.J. Simpson, Michael Vick, and untold others have engaged in violent activities, dangerous to innocent, law-abiding citizens who may get in the way, for decades. How many more Simpsons and Carruths would be in the news headlines instead of the sports headlines, were it not for the violent outlet of NFL football?

A league of pansies? I think not.

theHoundDawg

As the NBA season approaches, there are more than a few question marks screaming out across the league.

I'll be talking a lot about the Lakers as the season nears, but for now, just this: As the Lakers made their run to the Finals last season, the constant mantra was "If only Andrew Bynum were healthy". Well, presumably he is back and healthy, and will he be the difference? Can he be the one to put the Lakers over the top and win the Championship this coming season? The short answer is "No", but a healthy Bynum will be a contributing factor in a talent-laden, well-coached team, that, on paper, appears significantly stronger than last season. They should be NBA Champs.

Can the Celtics duplicate their magic of last season? I was not a Doc Rivers fan before last season, but he did one of the great coaching jobs in NBA history last season, and he may be able to hold this team together to do it one more time. They are without James Posey who played a major role off the bench last season, but I really like Bill Walker, obtained in a post-draft trade, and he can make up for the loss. Leon Powe, who I thought was a budding star in his short tenure at Cal, showed flashes of that in the playoffs, and more playing time for him could be a big bonus for the Celtics.

Maybe the biggest question mark is the Houston Rockets. At times last year they were terrible, but then for a few weeks, after the injury to Yao Ming, they were brilliant. Which Houston team will show up this year? Well, I think the addition of Ron Artest is a major mistake and a step backward. Artest is perhaps the most over-rated player in the league, and has done nothing but make his team of the moment worse. He is a time bomb, and at some point during the season, he will explode, and take the team down with him.

More discussion of these teams, and more question marks, later on. But for now, for you die-hard NBA fans, here are some great basketball-decor items, to liven up your NBA-watching experience for the coming season:

NBA Pub Tables and Stools

Basketball Court Rug

Basketball Zone Wall Art

theHoundDawg

Tags: Lakers

In a comment to my initial post, reference was made to the inept UCLA Football team, and the knight in shinning armor, Rick 'Skippy" Neuheisel. While I hate to agree with the commenter, he does raise some good points. I am at a disadvantage, as the press of other obligations kept me from seeing all but most of the fourth quarter, so what I saw was pretty impressive. However, having seen almost every play of the season so far, and coming in with the Bruins holding a single point lead, and then falling behind the mighty Cardinal of Palo Alto and environs, I can easily and correctly say that this is not what most fans expected to be seeing.

When Neuheisel was hired, replacing the inept Karl Dorrell, the feelings were much the same as when Ben Howland replaced Steve Lavin. However, knowledgeable fans should have expected a similar first year. Least we forget, the man who has led the Bruins to three straight Final Fours went 11-17 in his first year, and it was not until his third year that he produced a championship caliber team.

Neuheisel did a commendable recruiting job after his late hire, but the returning squad was far from a deep and talented group, including many over-rated players. Add to the mix a siege of injuries to key players, including QBs number one and two, and to many other key players beginning with almost the first play of the season, and clearly, as stated by the commenter, the talent the Bruins put on the field is thin, and each additional injury, as seemed to hit the defense especially hard today, further reduced the quality of the play on the field. But, the talent of the coaching staff was very evident today, and Neuheisel and OC Norm Chow got the most out of Kevin Craft and the young offense, to score in the last seconds, to pull out a victory.

The offense and the play of Craft has been more than inconsistent, but given the inexperienced offensive line, injuries to running back Kahlil Bell and fullback Trevor Theriot, and the numerous receivers out with injuries causing almost total reliance on young, inexperienced receivers Taylor Embree, Dominique Johnson, Nelson Rosario, Ryan Moya, and Cory Harkey, the present is ok, but the future looks bright.

I think overall the team is improving, and I do see more victories possible this season.

theHoundDawg

Tags: UCLA |Rick Neuheisel

The UCLA Bruins have been to the last 3 Final Fours, but have failed to win a title since 1995.

They only got to the 1995 Final Four because of Tyus Edney's heroics versus Missouri, and the greatest 4.8 seconds in UCLA Basketball history:



Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, and Lorenzo Mata are gone from last year's team, and Ben Howland faces a major rebuilding year. However, Coach Howland has recruited one of the major talents in the country in Jrue Holiday, and an overall outstanding freshman class to support returning upperclassmen Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, Alfred Aboya, James Keefe and Michael Roll, to hopefully keep the Bruins more than competitive. But a fourth straight Final Four?

A lot more about this in the following weeks.

theHoundDawg

Tags: UCLA

Like a lot of people I'm sure, I turned off last nights Rays-Red Sox game when it was 7-0, and was mesmerized to find later in the evening that Boston had come back to win, scoring 8 runs in the last 3 innings, for an 8-7 come-from-behind-victory, extending the series to at least 6 games.

When down 3 games to 1, and falling behind 5-0 the night before, the Dodgers could muster only a single run (thanks to Manny - see 10/16/08 post).

I thought game 3 in the Dodger-Phillies series was a turning point, and I was wrong, but last night's game might be for Boston, and I wouldn't bet against them winning games 6 and 7 in the Trop.

theHoundDawg

Tags: 2008 MLB Playoffs

The Dodgers have to sign Manny, whatever the cost.

Pre-Manny, they were a moribund team, underachieving, fighting a slew of injuries, aging veterans competing with great but raw young talent, and a frustrated Joe Torre. The under .500 second place Dodgers were playing before unenthusiastic but hopeful fans.

Then Ned Colleti saved his job by trading for Manny.

Manny Ramirez Dodger T-Shirt $21.95

With that move, following the trade for Casey Blake, the Dodgers were a different team. It was more than the home runs, more than the clutch hitting, more than the excitement, it was a new attitude, not seen in LA in years. The team, and the fans, came together, and the whole was greater than the parts. For more than a month, the Dodgers were the best team in baseball. They played that way through the Division Series against the Cubs, but it didn't last, and a solid Phillies team is champion of the National League. They can continue that compassion, that excitement, and be that team for the whole of next season, if Manny returns. With him, the continued development of Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, James Loney, Andre Either, Blake DeWitt, Chad Billingsley, with a healthy bullpen, led by Takashi Saito and Jonathan Broxton, and no more Andruw Joneses, this team can jump that final hurdle and be play until the final out of the season.

They need to rid themselves of the albatross that was Andruw Jones, the contract of the never-to-be-seen Jason Schmidt, the worst throwing arm in baseball in Juan Pierre, the attitude of Jeff Kent, and, unfortunately, the walking hospital ward, and no longer defensively adequate, Nomar.

They need to keep, along with Manny, the other guy that played so well once he came on board, Casey Blake, and Rafeal Furcal. Unless they pull off another coup and sign C.C. Sabathia, and maybe even if they do sign him, they also need Derek Lowe back. The success of the pitching staff, however, depends on the health of Takashi Saito, and Brad Penny. A healthy Saito means a great bullpen, a questionable Saito means question marks, and dependence on a yet unreliable and inconsistent Jonathan Broxton. A healthy Brad Penny means a stalwart to grind out innings, win games, and maybe even re-establish himself as the ace of the staff.

theHoundDawg

Tags: Dodgers |Manny

For several years, I've been writing about politics, the environment, and other social issues, including as often as I have been able to on theHoundDawg blog, and in forums, other blogs, on Yahoo Answers, and elsewhere, but most of my time has been spent building ecommerce websites. I've ignored to a great extent my passion for sports, as it relates to my web presence. Well, today I decided to end that, and theHoundDawgSportsBlog is born.

I've got a lot of time to make up.

I hope to post daily, providing information, opinion, and hopefully insights, to sports, with an emphasis on the teams that are important to me - the LA Dodgers, UCLA Bruins Basketbal, UCLA Bruins Football, the LA Angels, the LA Lakers, and, uh, what is that LA NFL team...........? Well, you know what I mean. That is not to say that I will be ignoring other teams and other sports. Occasionally, the likes of hockey, golf, and maybe even formula one will come up. And rest assured I will have a few choice words from time to time for the likes of the brain surgeons from the University of Spoiled Children. What I will not discuss includes what I feel is the most boring spectator sport there is, tennis, and you won't be reading anything here about the good ol' rednecks of nascar.

theHoundDawg