LA Angels defeat Seattle Mariners 7-4. The Angels looked like they would suffer a letdown after their weekend sweep over the Yankees by falling behind the Mariners 3-0. But aided with a Juan Rivera solo shot and Vladamir Guerrero two-run shot in the fifth inning, the Angels came back to show who's king of the AL West. They got three insurance runs in the eighth inning and just continue to steam through any and......

The Dodgers are in a lot of trouble right now, and all the trouble is coming from the front office. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is reporting that Ned Colletti is going after Cleveland Indians’ starter CC Sabathia and Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson. Upon first reading it sounds completely absurd. Why would the Dodgers want to rent a starter for the remainder of the season when they have the best ERA in the......

Still Life with Seasonings, by Alex Kehr via LAist Featured Photos Pool on Flickr An investigation by the Daily News found that, as the DWP has increased rates they continue to issue cars to more than 100 employees who are free to take them home. Proponents of the program say the cost of the vehicles is offset by the tax breaks the department receives from the hybrids they drive. Other people say, You're shitting......

I have no balls. After talking about the New England Patriot’s upset win against the St. Louis Rams six years ago, I said in this webspace, “Somehow I get a similar feeling with this Sunday’s game.” But I quickly dismissed it. In the end I picked the Patriots to win the game 34-27, and I was flat wrong and Bill Plaschke was right. And you don’t know how hard it is for me to admit......

Monday Shalom Auslander presents Foreskin's Lament 7pm @ Vroman's Valerie Plame Wilson presents Fair Game 7pm @ Carpenter Performing Arts Center, Long Beach Barbara Firestone presents Autism Heroes 7pm @ Dutton's Slash presents Slash 7pm @ Borders, Torrance Lawrence Wright presents The Looming Tower 7:30pm @ UCLA Tuesday David Plante, with host Mark Danielewski, presents ABC 7pm @ Book Soup Michael Lent presents Christmas Letters from Hell 7pm @ Vroman's Tommy Lasorda & Bill Plaschke......

Fuck Bill Plaschke. Fuck TJ Simers. Fuck the LA Times. Fuck Grady Little. Fuck Ned Colletti. Fuck Frank McCourt. Fuck Jeff Kent. Fuck the Dodgers. When I read Plaschke’s column Wednesday morning that basically put Matt Kemp in the hangman’s noose, my blood started to boil. How does he have the unmitigated gall to scapegoat Kemp and let the veterans have a free pass just because they have “experience”? This entire mess became public......

Now that the Lakers have been eliminated from the playoffs after last night’s 119-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns, local sports writers weighed in this morning about where to place the blame. Times columnist J.A. Adande joins a growing number of people who are looking to coach Phil Jackson for some answers. Jackson is a Hall of Famer and is considered by many to be one of the best coaches in NBA history, but......

The major league baseball season begins tonight, with the St. Louis Cardinals beginning their title defense against the New York Mets. And, as always, with Opening Day comes optimism. Fans across the country have convinced themselves that this year the (insert local team here) will challenge for the pennant and make a strong push in October. Next year is now. In no area of the country is this Opening Day optimism felt more strongly......

Nobody is more obsessed with lists, rankings, top 100, top 25, and top 10 than the sports world. ESPN, Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, and every independent and not-so-independent sports writer puts together these lists at the end of the year ... not to mention every few hours on the web. So much action happens over the course of 12 months that there are ample stories to compile a top 10. Even when it's just......

Nearly 30 years ago, the legendary USC football coach John McKay left Los Angeles for Tampa Bay to become head coach of the Buccaneers. McKay took over the worst team in football, one which set a record for consecutive losses. When asked about his team's execution, McKay famously quipped "I'm in favor of it." Yet McKay eventually turned the Bucs around, as they reached the NFC Championship game under his leadership. A generation later,......

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, on clinching the AL West. While we at LAist admit to a strong Dodger bias, and changing the team name didn't make us think the Angels were an LA team, we acknowledge them as a SoCal team. And we can't help but admire the work that Arte Moreno has done. In less than three years, Moreno has helped turn the Angels into media darlings in LA,......

There has been plenty of speculation recently on the future of Dodgers Manager Jim Tracy. Apparently Tracy can opt out of the two-year contract he signed last winter, and some feel he might. In today's LA Times, Bill Plaschke adds yet another volume to his DePodesta Hate-Fest, claiming that Tracy should opt out if he isn't guaranteed a long-term contract and more influence in personnel decisions. And what, praytell, has Tracy done to earn......

The Trade Deadline came and went yesterday, and Bill Plaschke is out for blood. Neither the Dodgers, nor the Angels, made any moves. It's understandable that LA baseball fans would be upset. LAist is not pleased that neither team found a significant way to upgrade their imperfect rosters. But to express sheer outrage would ignore the realities of today's baseball world. There has never been more parity in baseball. More teams have a chance......

It has been an absolutely disastrous week for the Dodgers. While every team gets injuries, the DePodesta haters have plenty of ammunition to fire now that the Azul have lost eight straight games. Just a few weeks ago, were saying that Dodgers main problem rest in a rotation wrecked by injuries, and some ineffectiveness. But suddenly, the pitching has come around, and the Dodger bats have just died. The Dodgers have seen seven quality......

Following in the steps of Tom Goodwin, Shawn Green became the latest player on the Dodger payroll to beat them back. Receiving $10 million from Frank McCourt this season, Green hit a 2-run homer last night for the Diamondbacks in Arizona's 3-2 win over LA. "I'd lie if I said it didn't feel better to hit home runs and make plays against these guys," Green said. Yes, Shawn, but you didn't mind hiding your......

See, we told you the Dodgers would be alright. Last night Jeff Weaver mowed down the Giants, pitching eight shutout innings in a 6-0 victory. It was the team's second straight victory over the hated Giants, and the Azul have hit every pitcher they've face so far except Jason Schmidt. So now is there any question that the Dodgers got the better of the Kevin Brown deal? Weaver has been one of the most......

Lon Rosen just made one of the worst decisions in Los Angeles Dodgers history. It was certainly the worst in Frank McCourt's tenure as owner. Rosen has made the moronic decision to fire Ross Porter. As someone who has represented the Los Angeles Dodgers with class and dignity for 28 years, Ross Porter deserved much better than to be fired by some new idiot who runs the marketing department. The Dodgers won't get better......

The media whines as Paul DePodesta makes his first bold moves as GM of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers traded away fan favorite Paul Lo Duca, superlative set-up man Guillermo Mota, and, in an addition-by-subtraction, the contract of OF Juan Encarnacion. Let's have an LAist moment of silence for Lo Duca. ... In return, L.A. gets First Baseman Hee Seop Choi and Pitcher Brad Penny, two young and promising impact players. DePo also picked......