Category — Magic Johnson

The Clippers trail the Lakers by just 1 1/2 games for the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference as they try to win on the road tonight at OKC. Fat chance. They are an 8 1/2-point dog and we’re betting they lose by more than that. Anyway, the rest of the stories…
Thug? Oh no, not Blake: Since we brought up his dirty play a week or so ago, much talk has shifted to whether Blake Griffin is a villain or not. Chris Paul plays defense attorney.
NewsOK.com
Kobe to miss 3rd consecutive game: The Lakers, who are 9 1/2-point underdogs, will be without the NBA’s leading scorer when they face the hot Spurs tonight in San Antonio.
ESPN LA
Freedom of speech: Despite being 1 of the clueless folks in Major League Baseball, columnist Rob Neyer believes nitwit Marlins Manager Ozzie Guillen should not have been suspended for speaking his mind.
SB Nation
More Lamar Odom stink: Now if the producers of the Kardashians show wanted to hit the roof with the ratings, they would air an episode with Odom and his less than professional attitude in Dallas immediately. But of course it ain’t about him. It’s all about the fame whores. Mark Cuban, though, speaks his mind about how the Mavs tried to make it work with Odom, who couldn’t even make it to practice on time despite living across the street.
ESPN Dallas
Big man on campus: Folks are singing the praises of Arkansas AD Jeff Long for showing some balls and canning Bobby Petrino.
Sporting News
Fox, MLB object to Dodgers sale: It appears to be just a bump in the road.
USA Today
Typical Vegas visitor?: The snapshot here says he’s white (big surprise there), 49-years-old and from Southern California.
Las Vegas Sun

Bouncing around the sports world as we play a little hard ball.
Police State: Opening Day at Dodger Stadium is usually a thing of beauty. It will be again today, but the festivities will be a bit tamer this year. Unfortunately, a heavy presence by the popo, much of it in response to the tragic beating of Giants’ fan Bryan Stow last year, will take some of the fun out of going to the old ballpark. Still, fans will be able to enjoy the beauty of Clayton Kershaw, who will receive his Cy Young award on Wednesday, opens on the mound for the Dodgers against the Pirates.
L.A. Times
Vin Scully to miss Opening Day: Even worst, the Dodger legend and Hall of Fame broadcaster won’t be in the lineup today because he’s home nursing a severe cold. Get well soon, Vinny.
ESPN LA
“Pop” goes the Spurs’ run: Are you reading this Mike Brown? Maybe 1 day you could take another page out your daddy Gregg Popovich’s playbook. The San Antonio coach gave Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker the night off as the Jazz ended the club’s 11-game winning streak in Utah last night. The Spurs dropped a game back of the Thunder, who hammered the Bucks. The Lakers visit the well-rested Spurs in the season’s 1st meeting between the 2 club on Wednesday.
San Antonio Express-News
Sorry doesn’t cut it: The Marlins show a little backbone by suspending Manager Ozzie Guillen for 5 games.
Miami Herald

Football players smoking weed and engaging in bad behavior at Florida under Urban Meyer?: This is news? Last time we checked, Florida, Miami and Florida State (see a pattern here?) have all been among the country’s top renegade programs. When Randy Shannon tried to clean up Miami, he got fired. So…
Sporting News
Can Derrick Rose stay healthy?: Word out of Chicago is the Bulls point guard tweaked an ankle in Sunday’s loss to the Knicks and will be a game-time decision when the 2 clubs meet again tonight.
Chicago Tribune
What do the Cards need with Albert Pujols when they have Mr. Freese?: The St. Louis third baseman and World Series hero continues to rake it as the club is off to a strong start.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Speaking of the real deal…: Oakland’s Yoenis Cespedes appears to be all of that.
San Jose Mercury News
It’s still Tiger’s world: Bubba Watson won the Masters, but the neighbors are still talking about the temper tantrums of Tiger Woods.
N.Y. Daily News

Much attention has been focused on Matt Kemp, who along with the hot rumors of dating Eva Longoria homered as the Dodgers spoiled the Padres Opening Day on Thursday. But inquiring minds wanted to know who was the new lady hanging out with Frank McCourt. It appears McCourt has made a major league upgrade from ex-wife Jamie McCourt.
Larry Brown Sports

The men’s basketball teams at San Diego State and Syracuse will face off on USS Midway Museum flight deck in San Diego on Friday Nov. 9.
“We are very excited to be participating in the Battle on the Midway,” SDSU coach Steve Fisher said. “We look forward to bringing the focus of the nation to the military, the city and San Diego State University with this wonderful event. It is natural for SDSU to take a part in an event which will showcase our community to the country. The fact that we are playing Syracuse, the top-ranked squad for most of this past season and a perennial top-10 team, will help make it a national draw.”
Last season’s North Carolina-Michigan State contest on the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego attracted President Obama and Magic Johnson, who’s chronic roving eye apparently is sneaking a peek at the First Lady.

Ne-Yo will give an intimate, private performance at Aria Resort & Casino at CityCenter in Las Vegas during the 11th annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational on Friday, March 30. Ne-Yo will perform at the MJCI Celebration, an annual gala for the tournament’s celebrities and VIP invited guests.
“I feel blessed for the opportunity to perform in the city where I grew up,” Ne-Yo said. “Performing in Las Vegas is always amazing, and being able to perform in celebration of Michael [Jordan’s] tournament, which benefits so many charities, is the best feeling.”
Returning to Shadow Creek, MJCI marks only the 2nd time the exclusive golf course will open its doors to the public. Proceeds from the charitable tournament will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, UC San Diego Nevada Cancer Institute, James R. Jordan Foundation, Opportunity Village and Cats Care, the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats’ charity arm. Since its inception in 2001, MJCI has raised more than $6 million for charity. The event runs from March 29 through April 2.
Among the celebrities scheduled to attend: Marcus Allen; Brian Baumgartner; Jerome Bettis; Brandi Chastain; Chris Chelios; Eddie Cibrian; Roger Clemens; Vince Coleman; Julius Erving; Angie Everhart; Joey Fatone; Marshall Faulk; Terry Francona; Wayne Gretzky; Janet Jones-Gretzky; Ken Griffey, Jr.; Penny Hardaway; Brett Hull; Toni Kukoc; Mario Lemieux; Sugar Ray Leonard; Greg Maddux; Win McMurry; Joe Morgan; Paul O’Neill; Maury Povich; Ahmad Rashad; Salli Richardson; LeAnn Rimes; Aaron Rodgers; Stuart Scott; Bruce Smith; Ozzie Smith; John Smoltz; Matthew Stafford; Michael Strahan; Jason Taylor; Alan Thicke; Tico Torres; Brian Urlacher; Michael Wilbon; Winky Wright; and Adrian Young.
Tickets for the golf tournament can be purchased at any MGM Resorts International box office outlet, online at www.arialasvegas.com or www.MJCIgolf.com.

West 152, East 149.
Kevin Durant’s hot line: 36 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals.

What’s that saying about a picture being worth a 1,000 words?
From Scott Grieve of Carpinteria in today’s letters to the editor section of the L.A. Times:
“As I surveyed the wreckage from the Sunday night Lakers meltdown in Phoenix, I formulated a 5-point plan to put them on track to contend for the world title.
1. Hire Derek Fisher as head coach under the condition that he retires as a player. He’s intelligent, experienced, competitive and a true leader. He played under some of the best basketball minds in the game. He is respected by all NBA players, something that Mike Brown can only dream about. Besides, I am tired of seeing people blow by him like he was a greeter at Walmart. Derek, think legacy.
2. Annul the Lamar Odom trade. Everyone knows that Kardashian arrangements last only 72 days and we just passed that number since this ill-conceived trade. Lamar, just tell the Mavericks that you are vastly different people and that you want different things in life. Or have Khloe tell them.
3. Hire Mike Brown as your video coordinator. That way he and Ron Peace can sit around and discuss stats before every game.
4. Trade Jimmy Buss to the Warriors for Jerry West or any other person from West Virginia that has actually played in or coached a basketball game.
5. Trade Stu Lantz to another NBA team. There must be someone out there that hasn’t heard Stu’s clichés … over and over again. “The goal is to win the game” … really Stu?
It’s just my opinion, but the status quo won’t get it done.”

The Warriors, who have a history of botched deals, will be infamous for cutting Jeremy Lin, but so will the Rockets. Still, Golden State, with a huge Asian fan base in the Bay Area, looks like the biggest idiots after clearing more than $700,000 in cap room by cutting Lin to sign Clipper center DeAndre Jordan to an offer sheet. Of course the Clippers matched the offer sheet, the Rockets picked up Lin before cutting him and the rest is NBA history. According to Forbes, the “Lin brand” is now worth $14 million.
Forgive Warriors coach Mark Jackson, the former NBA TV analyst, for being a bit sensitive to it all. “I had nothing to do with Jeremy Lin,” said Jackson, who was angered by a tweet Spike Lee sent thanking him for cutting Lin. “I never saw him do a layup. Stop asking me. He never practiced for us, so leave me out of it.”
Right, right.
Yahoo Sports

Since we’re doing Vegas, we always try to do what Vegas does. Make sense? Didn’t think so.
As far as the NBA goes…
The Heat remain the favorite to win it all (6-5), while the Bulls continue to be a flavor (3-1) of many. Among the others: Lakers (7-1); Mavericks (11-1); Thunder (7-2); Celtics (25-1); Spurs (15-1); Magic (25-1); and Rockets (250-1).

The Lakers announced today that they will retire Shaq’s No. 34, making him only the 8th Laker who will have received the honor.
ESPN LA