Jimmy Bramlett

The NHL suspended Kings captain Dustin Brown for his elbow to Jason Pominville in the second period. NHL discipline czar Brendan Shanahan with the video explanation:

Never would I have thought that today's match up in the Dodgers 7-3 loss to the Mets would go the way it did. The Dodgers had 37-year old Ted Lilly making his first start since last May having been stitched together after injuries held him back last season. Meanwhile the Mets had the 24-year old firethrower Matt Harvey whose best piece of brilliance is the fact the he has the same birthday as mine.

Earlier in the afternoon, the Dodgers announced that Chad Billingsley would have Tommy John surgery on his right elbow after all. When Billingsley first went on the disabled list in August with pain in his right elbow, there was talk about him having the surgery.

With the Anaheim Ducks clinching the two-seed with their 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers last night, the best seed the Kings could hope for was a four-seed. In order for that to happen the Kings would have to beat the Minnesota Wild in any fashion, St. Louis loses in any fashion to Colorado and San Jose loses in regulation to Dallas. It turned out none of that mattered.

The Clippers have Chris Paul, the Memphis Grizzlies don't. Chris Paul hit a shot with hands all over him with 0.1 seconds remaining in the game to give the Clippers the 93-91 win for a 2-0 series lead.

They paid through the roof for a roster that looked to be top of the line. Yet after a first few weeks, it's clear money can't buy rings. This time I'm not talking about the Lakers.

The Kings could have scowled and just taken the loss. What the hell did it matter? They've already clinched a playoff spot. Besides the Kings have had problems with the Dallas Stars this season having only won once in the four games so far this season. But the Kings paid no mind to a couple of crucial calls (and non-calls) that went against them coming back in overtime to defeat the Stars 4-3.

Laker fans seemed awfully confident that the Lakers could upset the Spurs in the first round. I wonder how they feel after the Spurs took Game 1 91-79.

There's no question about it: the Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies first round playoff series will be the meat tenderizer series of the playoffs. In Game 1 things looked like a set of a gay porn shoot with the sweaty bodies collapsing all over the floor, limbs hanging on limbs. Last season the Clippers overcame a 27 point deficit in the second half to steal Game 1 in Memphis en route to a Game 7 win of the series.

I saw Tommy Lasorda waddling around the Chick Hearn Press Room where they feed the media at STAPLES Center tonight. I wasn't certain, but he seemed to be coming from the vicinity of the bathrooms. I made a mental note of using the bathrooms in the upstairs hockey press box. I've been around Dodger Stadium enough to know better.