Jimmy Bramlett

As the baseball season has ended here in Southern California, Santa Anita opens their 24-day Autumn Meet on Friday as they lead up to the Breeders’ Cup Classic hosted at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4 and 5. But the big day of the weekend is Saturday. Not only are they hosting four Grade I stakes with the winners automatically qualifying for a spot in the Breeders’ Cup, but they’re also hosting its fourth Gourmet Food Truck Festival.

LA Dodgers defeat San Diego Padres 6-2. Clayton Kershaw completed his Cy Young season with a 21-5 record, 2.28 ERA and 248 strikeouts with his 7 1/3 inning effort in San Diego having at least a share of the lead in each of the triple crown categories.

The Pac-12 schedule has now started up, and things don’t look so good for the conference. There is Stanford which, although good, may be a little overrated nationally. Other than that, there’s a whole lot of mediocrity and futility in the Pac.

This was the kind of game it was for the Pittsburgh Pirates in their 15-1 loss to the Dodgers. In the first inning centerfielder Andrew McCutchen looked at the ball that came off Matt Kemp’s bat. He took a couple of steps back towards the wall as the ball was beginning its ascent into the hazy yet bright sky. As he continued to look at the trajectory, he stopped in his tracks realizing the futility of it and just went back to his position in centerfield.

It really is a shame. The Rose Bowl is a gorgeous place to catch a football game. Set in amongst the hills in Pasadena, knowing the history of the stadium, it is breathtaking.

After the Kings’ season disappointingly ended in another first-round exit from the playoffs - this time at the hands of divisional rivals San Jose Sharks -right or wrong a lot of fingers were pointed at Dustin Penner and his fitness.

Hockey fans really are a wonder. They have the first Sunday of the NFL season before them. They have overwrought commemorations of the 9/11 tragedy before them. Instead thousands of Kings’ fans descended upon STAPLES Center early Sunday morning to partake in the third annual Hockey Fest.

One day away from the start of the college football season and iniquities of powerhouse programs dominate the headlines.

It’s been a long time since a movie has caused so much of an existential crisis within me. I think the last time that happened was with The Matrix 2, and the crisis was actually the bruising of what little intellect I had due to the absolute inanity-laden philosophical assault it took. But with Warrior, I really had to wonder if I am just a contrarian just for the sake of it.

There was not a whole lot of pretty going on in Dodgers ten-inning 1-0 victory over the Houston Astros. Throughout the night the Dodgers kept stranding runners on base, 12 in all, while going 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. The offensive ugliness climaxed in the bottom of the ninth inning when the Dodgers failed to score with the bases loaded and no outs. Despite the ugliness that abounded in the game, for several youngsters the game was a dream.

At the Farmers Field media presentation on February 1, someone affiliated with the project asked me how excited I was about the NFL coming back to Los Angeles. It was clear by the joyful, upward cadence of her question that the correct answer was, “OHMYGODITHINKI’MGOINGTOPUKEI’MSOEXCITED!!!!!111”

A bum ticker ain’t no laughing matter. And when the ticker-in-question belongs to the 23-year old Dodgers’ relief pitcher Kenley Jansen, the gravity of the situation is amplified.