LA Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke wrote an article describing the lackluster reaction of Laker Nation last night as Pau Gasol made his first appearance of the season. Coming off a hamstring injury that sidelined the Spaniard for the first eleven games of the season, Gasol was back to his usual self, contributing 24 points and 13 rebounds in a 108-93 victory over the Chicago Bulls. more ›

Dylan Hernandez, the 28-year-old Dodgers beat writer for the Los Angeles Times, is set to embark on his second full season covering the team. The native Southern Californian and graduate of UCLA has worked for a slew of papers before the Times hired him in 2007. He recently ended one of the more difficult periods in his professional life: covering the Manny Ramirez saga for the Times through sleepless nights and hundreds of stories. I recently caught up with him about the rigors of covering the sport, how traditional sports journalism has been affected by baseball bloggers and what has to happen for the Dodgers to resign Manny Ramirez. more ›

Portland Trail Blazers defeat LA Lakers 111-94. Absolutely nothing in this game was pretty. The Lakers offense was MIA scoring only 56 points through three quarters. A scary moment at the end of the third quarter happened when Trevor Ariza made a hard foul against Rudy Fernandez during a fast break opportunity. Fernandez landed hard on his ribs when he couldn't get his feet under him. Ariza was charged with a flagrant two foul and ejected from the game while Josh Powell and Portland's Travis Outlaw and LaMarcus Aldridge were given technical fouls for the scuffle afterwards. While the Lakers made a valiant attempt in the fourth quarter, a 28 point deficit at the start of the quarter was just too much to overcome. Hopefully they regroup quickly for the upcoming games at Houston and San Antonio. more ›

LA Lakers defeat Golden State Warriors 114-106. Pau Gasol got 33 points and tied a career high 18 rebounds as the Lakers needed an strong fourth quarter push to withstand the Warriors offensive onslaught. After getting only 10 points against the Hornets the night before, Gasol seemed make the Warriors pay for it especially in the fourth quarter. With a 28-6 record the Lakers are tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the best record in the NBA. more ›

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 all comers who stand in their way. Just to show how dominant the Angels are, at the All Star Break they had a six game lead in the division. As of this victory the Angels have a 15 game lead, and at 75-43 have the best record in baseball. In related news, the Angels flagship station AM 830 KLAA (which is owned by the Angels) will be a radio affiliate for Notre Dame Fighting Irish football. more ›

The Dodgers are in a lot of trouble right now, and all the trouble is coming from the front office. more ›

• 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 me, right? Stop wasting my money.
• The LA Times had their own investigation party too. The paper found that about 33,000 state inmates served longer than they should have because they were not given all the time off they earned for good behavior and for working in prison. Hey, those license plates don't make themselves.
• In a scene straight out of "Ferris Beuler's Day Off," a valet crashed a Corvette during a joy ride Friday night in Van Nuys. Uh, what country do you think this is?
• A dead body was found on the 10 freeway this morning. Authorities say the body was already dead when they arrived and there is no truth to the rumor that it was Hillary Clinton's campaign.
• Pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training last week and position players are due to arrive at camp soon. Let the season of sports writing begin. Tony Jackson shows you why you shouldn't mind the fact that the Dodgers don't have Don Mattingly as their hitting coach and Bill Plaschke writes lovingly of Matt Kemp: "He gets a plate full of catfish nuggets. I get a side dish of insight." How many days of this crap will we be forced to endure?
• Tomorrow is Presidents' Day. How will you celebrate? It won't be at these places, which will be closed tomorrow.
• Also closing tomorrow is the Kanye contest on LAist. Enter to win tix to what could be the second best show of the year (Radiohead is reportedly coming to L.A. in August).

I have no balls. more ›

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... more ›

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... more ›

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. 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 lately some have been questioning the efficacy of his triangle offense with the current Lakers team. Adande thinks the Lakers certainly have the right players, but proposes that Jackson rethink his coaching style. “Something different than the erratic, three-point jacking under former coach Rudy Tomjanovich, but not as limited as what they’re doing now,” he suggests. more ›

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. more ›

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... more ›

Yet McKay eventually turned the Bucs around, as they reached the NFC Championship game under his leadership. A generation later, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl with John's son, Rich McKay as the team's GM. more ›

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. more ›

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. more ›

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 to win than ever, and teams that are out of it, still feel like they have a legitimate shot in the future. more ›

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"I'd lie if I said it didn't feel better to hit home runs and make plays against these guys," Green said. more ›

So now is there any question that the Dodgers got the better of the Kevin Brown deal? Weaver has been one of the most reliable starters for the Dodgers, and Yhencey Brazoban (also aquired in the Yankees trade) has become a top reliever. On the other coast, Brown has been on and off the DL, he collapsed in the playoffs last year, and let's not forget that he took himself out for a month by punching a wall. more ›

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 ratings because they have some 26-year old game show host doing games. No kid is going to put down his skateboard and listen to a baseball game because someone who sounds more hip is on the radio. more ›

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