Wide World of Sports Venues-January 31

United Center

Chicago, IL

Opened: August 18, 1994
Construction Cost: $175 Million
Capacity: Concerts-23,500 Basketball-20,917* (2009-Present), 21,500* (1994-2009), Hockey-19,717* (2009-Present), 20,500* (1994-2009).  *=not including standing room only.
Home Teams: Chicago Bulls (NBA) 1994-Present, Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) 1994-Present
Events Attended: Went by it on the "L."

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Jeremy Atherton, 2006 under CC-SA 2.5 License

Small Ball Report-January 31

SCIAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

La Verne 61, Redlands 78
Cal Lutheran 60, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 70
Caltech 65, Whittier 103
Pomona-Pitzer 56, Occidental 64

Standings:

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 6-1 SCIAC, 14-4 overall
Redlands 6-1 SCIAC, 10-8 overall
Occidental 5-2 SCIAC, 13-5 overall
Pomona-Pitzer 5-2 SCIAC, 9-9 overall
Whittier 2-5 SCIAC, 8-9 overall
Cal Lutheran 2-5 SCIAC, 8-10 overall
La Verne 2-5 SCIAC, 6-12 overall
Caltech 0-7 SCIAC, 0-18 overall

Women's Basketball:

La Verne 69, Redlands 71
Cal Lutheran 62, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 51
Caltech 51, Whittier 76
Pomona-Pitzer 44, Occidental 72

Standings:

Occidental 7-1 SCIAC, 15-4 overall
Cal Lutheran 7-1 SCIAC, 14-4 overall
Redlands 6-2 SCIAC, 14-5 overall
Whittier 5-3 SCIAC, 12-7 overall
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 3-5 SCIAC, 12-7 overall
La Verne 2-6 SCIAC, 9-10 overall
Pomona-Pitzer 1-7 SCIAC, 5-12 overall
Caltech 1-7 SCIAC, 5-14 overall

GSAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Fresno Pacific 80, California Baptist 39
Westmont 79, San Diego Christian 62
Point Loma Nazarene 69, Hope International 65 (OT)
Azusa Pacific 80, Concordia 67
The Masters 58, Vanguard 57

Standings:

Biola 10-1 GSAC, 20-1 overall
Concordia 9-2 GSAC, 19-2 overall
Azusa Pacific 8-3 GSAC, 15-6 overall
The Masters 7-4 GSAC, 14-7 overall
Fresno Pacific 6-5 GSAC, 16-5 overall
Westmont 6-5 GSAC, 14-6 overall
California Baptist 6-5 GSAC, 13-8 overall
San Diego Christian 3-8 GSAC, 5-16 overall
Vanguard 3-8 GSAC, 4-13 overall
Point Loma Nazarene 3-9 GSAC, 6-14 overall
Hope International 0-11 GSAC, 4-16 overall

Women's Basketball:

Fresno Pacific 64, California Baptist 53
Westmont 72, San Diego Christian 47
Point Loma Nazarene 67, Hope International 52
Vanguard 91, The Masters 64
Azusa Pacific 68, Concordia 64

Standings:

Point Loma Nazarene 11-1 GSAC, 20-1 overall
Azusa Pacific 10-1 GSAC, 17-4 overall
Vanguard 9-2 GSAC, 13-2 overall
Biola 8-3 GSAC, 12-7 overall
The Masters 6-5 GSAC, 11-8 overall
Westmont 5-6 GSAC, 12-7 overall
Concordia 3-8 GSAC, 10-9 overall
California Baptist 3-8 GSAC, 10-11 overall
Fresno Pacific 3-8 GSAC, 6-15 overall
Hope International 2-9 GSAC, 7-14 overall
San Diego Christian 1-10 GSAC, 4-16 overall

Citrus College Athletics

Men's Basketball:

Citrus College 84 (7-0 CCAA, 21-2 overall), Bakersfield 80

Women's Basketball:

Citrus College 70 (6-1 CCAA, 14-9 overall), Bakersfield 56

Mt. SAC Athletics

Men's Basketball:

Friday's Score:

Mt. SAC 69, East LA 54

Women's Basketball:

Mt. SAC 69, East LA 43

ECHL Hockey

The Ontario Reign have lost two in a row to the Alaska Aces.  They lost 3 to 2 in a shootout on Friday and 6 to 3 yesterday.  They will take on the Idaho Steelheads in Ontario today at 5. 

Tim's Two Cents-January 31

Is the Pro Bowl Past it's Prime?  The answer is yes.  The NFL's All Star Game will be today.  There will be no huge waves or scenic beaches on the Hawaiian islands.  It will still be at a beach.  The one known as South Beach. 

Leading up to this week, almost everyone has been trashing the Pro Bowl.  Like almost everyone else, I don't see the magic of the Pro Bowl.  While I applaud the NFL for trying something new by moving it up before the Super Bowl, it ultimately seems doomed for failure.  We won't get to see any of the Colts or Saints players who were selected to go.  That means no Peyton Manning or Drew Brees.  They will instead be playing for the grand prize next Sunday.

While the Pro Bowl will provide us with an opportunity to see a football game on an otherwise relatively quiet weekend, I won't be watching.  Most of the players won't even be playing very hard to avoid injuries.  The other truth is that most of them probably go just to get a free trip to Hawaii.  That won't be happening this year.  The way I see it, the NFL will have to move the Pro Bowl back to the way it was before.  I don't know how many people will watch if this happens.  I did hear of one way to improve the Pro Bowl.  At halftime, introduce the Super Bowl teams and have that be the kickoff to Super Bowl week leading up to the big week.  I guess it would make it more interesting.  Then again, there's already Media Day.  

The television ratings prove the NFL is the most popular of the four major sports by a country mile, but they have the worst All Star Game of the four major sports.      

Wide World of Sports Venues-January 29

Nationwide Arena

Columbus, OH

Opened: 2000
Construction Cost: $175 Million
Capacity: Ice Hockey-18,144 Arena Football-17,171 Basketball-19,500 Concert-21,000
Home Teams: Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL) 2000-Present, Columbus Destroyers (AFL) 2004-2008, Ohio Junior Blue Jackets (USHL) 2006-2008, Columbus Landsharks (NLL) 2001-2003
Events Attended: None

Small Ball Report-January 29

SCIAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Wednesday's Scores:

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 36, Pomona-Pitzer 47
Occidental 70, Redlands 71
Whittier 51, Cal Lutheran 65
La Verne 73, Caltech 46

Standings:

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 5-1 SCIAC, 13-4 overall
Pomona-Pitzer 5-1 SCIAC, 9-8 overall
Redlands 5-1 SCIAC, 9-8 overall
Occidental 4-2 SCIAC, 12-5 overall
Cal Lutheran 2-4 SCIAC, 8-9 overall
La Verne 2-4 SCIAC, 6-11 overall
Whittier 1-5 SCIAC, 7-9 overall
Caltech 0-6 SCIAC, 0-17 overall

Women's Basketball:

Thursday's Scores:

Occidental 64, Redlands 63
Whittier 55, Cal Lutheran 72
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 50, Pomona-Pitzer 35
La Verne 63, Caltech 32

Standings:

Occidental 6-1 SCIAC, 14-4 overall
Cal Lutheran 6-1 SCIAC, 13-4 overall
Redlands 5-2 SCIAC, 13-5 overall
Whittier 4-3 SCIAC, 11-7 overall
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 3-4 SCIAC, 12-6 overall
La Verne 2-5 SCIAC, 9-9 overall
Pomona-Pitzer 1-6 SCIAC, 5-11 overall
Caltech 1-6 SCIAC, 5-13 overall

GSAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Biola 75 (10-1 GSAC, 20-1 overall), Point Loma Nazarene 62 (2-9 GSAC, 5-14 overall)

Women's Basketball:

Point Loma Nazarene 62 (10-1 GSAC, 19-1 overall), Biola 52 (8-3 GSAC, 12-7 overall)

Citrus College Athletics

Men's Basketball:

Wednesday's Score:

Citrus College 94 (6-0 CCAA, 20-2 overall), Canyons 76

Women's Basketball:

Wednesday's Score:

Canyons 87, Citrus College 68 (5-1 CCAA, 13-9 overall)

Pasadena City College Athletics

Men's Basketball:

Wednesday's Score:

Mt. SAC 91, PCC 86

Women's Basketball:

Wednesday's Score:

Mt. SAC 69, PCC 46

  

Tim's Two Cents-January 29

Kurt Warner Expected to Announce Retirement Today.  What a career it has turned out to be. 

Warner of course made a name for himself when he led the Rams to the Super Bowl as the second string quarterback during the 1999 season against the Tennessee Titans.  From there on, the rest was history.  Not to mention that Warner was named the MVP for that season too. 

I remember rooting against Warner that year because he was on the Rams, a team I didn't really like.  Little did we know the impact he would have on that team.  Case and point, the Rams are now onw one of the worst teams in the NFL today.  They will have the #1 pick in this year's draft and will likely take Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh with the pick.

As for Warner, after his tenure with the Rams, he went to the Arizona Cardinals where he led them to Super Bowl XLIII against the Pittsburgh Steelers where they lost.  That's not the point though.  The point is Warner is in elite company by having led not one, but two teams to the Super Bowl.  If that's not Hall of Fame worthy, I don't what is.  If Warner is not elected to the Hall of Fame, then there is something wrong with the sport.  Today, we will likely see the end of a remarkable story about a relatively unknown quarterback who made a name for himself and is now a sure fire future Hall of Famer.

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and John Trainor under CC-BY 2.0 License 

Wide World of Sports Venues-January 27

Quicken Loans Arena

Cleveland, OH

Opened: October 17, 1994
Construction Cost: $100 Million
Capacity: 20,562
Home Teams: Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA) Lake Erie Monsters (AHL) Cleveland Gladiators (AF1), Cleveland Lumberjacks-defunct (IHL), Cleveland Barons-defunct (AHL), Cleveland Rockers-defunct (WNBA)
Events Attended: None

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and kw111786 under CC-SA 2.0 License

Small Ball Report-January 27

GSAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Senior Rocky Hampton of Biola was named Men's Player of the Week.  Hampton averaged 18.5 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game.  He also had 5 blocked shots and 2 steals as number 4 Biola won both of its games last week.

Tuesday's Scores:

Fresno Pacific 67, The Masters 61
Upset Alert-San Diego Christian 80, Concordia 75
Azusa Pacific 56, Westmont 83 (OT)
California Baptist 60, Vanguard 49
Biola 83, Hope International 42

Standings:

Biola 9-1 GSAC, 19-1 overall
Concordia 9-1 GSAC, 19-1 overall
Azusa Pacific 7-3 GSAC, 14-6 overall
California Baptist 6-4 GSAC, 13-7 overall
The Masters 6-4 GSAC, 13-7 overall
Fresno Pacific 5-5 GSAC, 15-5 overall
Westmont 5-5 GSAC, 13-6 overall
San Diego Christian 3-7 GSAC, 5-15 overall
Vanguard 3-7 GSAC, 4-12 overall
Point Loma Nazarene 2-8 GSAC, 5-13 overall
Hope International 0-10 GSAC, 4-15 overall

Women's Basketball:

Junior Jessilyn Conicelli of Biola named Female Player of the Week.  Conicelli averaged 22.5 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game as Biola picked up a pair of GSAC victories last week.  She scored 22 points and added 14 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season in a victory over number 23 The Masters.  Conicelli also scored a game-high 23 points and had 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in a win at California Baptist.

Tuesday's Scores:

The Masters 76, Fresno Pacific 59
San Diego Christian 82, Concordia 68
Azusa Pacific 73, Westmont 60
Biola 72, Hope International 50
Vanguard 65, California Baptist 50

Standings:

Point Loma Nazarene 9-1 GSAC, 18-1 overall
Azusa Pacific 9-1 GSAC, 16-4 overall
Vanguard 8-2 GSAC, 12-2 overall
Biola 8-2 GSAC, 12-6 overall
The Masters 6-4 GSAC, 11-7 overall
Westmont 4-6 GSAC, 11-7 overall
Concordia 3-7 GSAC, 10-8 overall
California Baptist 3-7 GSAC, 10-10 overall
Hope International 2-8 GSAC, 7-13 overall
Fresno Pacific 2-8 GSAC, 5-15 overall
San Diego Christian 1-9 GSAC, 4-15 overall

ECHL Hockey

Monday's Score:

Ontario Reign 4, Utah Grizzlies 0.  Next game is Friday against the Alaska Aces in Ontario at 7:30 PM.

  

Tim's Two Cents-January 27

Lakers Longest Road Trip of the Year at the Halfway Marker.  With the Lakers beating the Washington Wizards yesterday 115 to 103, they have now played four games and are in the middle of an eight game road trip, the longest of the year. 

It was a nice time in the nation's capital for the purple and gold.  They got to exchange pleasantries with the President, who couldn't help himself to saying how much better he liked the Chicago Bulls when Phil Jackson was the coach.  Come on Barack, the Bulls haven't even been close to winning a championship since Jackson left.  What a way to disrespect the (not Chicago Bulls) guests of honor.  Good one Obama.  The Lakers did what they should have done by beating the Wizards.

The road trip continues tonight against the Indiana Pacers.  That is followed by matchups with the 76ers, Celtics and Grizzlies.  I know I predicted the Lakers would win 6 of 8 on the trip.  I'm not backing off.  That means they would have to gio undefeated for the rest of the trip.  One thing that didn't help was the loss to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.    

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Keith Allison under CC-SA 2.0 License

Wide World of Sports Venues-January 26

Joe Louis Arena

Detroit, MI

Opened: December 12, 1979
Construction Cost: $57 Million
Capacity: Ice Hockey-20,066 Basketball-21,800 Professional Wrestling-16,685
Home Teams: Detroit Red Wings (NHL) 1979-Present, Detroit Drive (AFL) 1988-1993, Detroit Compuware Ambassadors (OHL) 1991-1992, Detroit Junior Red Wings (OHL) 1992-1995, Detroit Rockers (NPSL) 1996-2001, Detroit Turbos (MILL) 1989-1994, Royal Rumble (WWE) 2009
Events Attended: Driven by it.  Driving through Detroit=Not a pleasant site.

Wide World of Sports Venues-January 25

The Palace of Auburn Hills

Auburn Hills, MI

Opened: August 13, 1988
Construction Cost: $70 Million
Capacity: Basketball-22,076 Ice Hockey/Arena Football-20,804 End-stage Concerts-23,000 Center-stage Concerts-24,276
Home Teams: Detroit Pistons (NBA) 1988-Present, Detroit Shock (WNBA) 1998-2009, Detroit Vipers (IHL) 1994-2001, Detroit Safari (CISL) 1994-1997, Detroit Rockers (NPSL) 1997-2000, Detroit Fury (AFL) 2001-2004
Events Attended: None

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and dykstranet, Korrigan, Betp under CC-BY-SA 2.0 License

Tim's Two Cents-January 25

Super Bowl XLIV Matchup Revealed.  For once, my prediction came true!  It will be the Saints and the Colts battling it out on February 7 in Miami.

What can I say about the Colts?  Peyton Manning is unbelievable.  He didn't panic in the first half when the Colts were down 17 to 6 against the Jets.  With under two minutes remaining before halftime, Peyton Manning and the Colts marched down the field in just two plays that ended in an Austin Collie touchdown reception to cut the defecit to four at 17 to 13 before the half. 

From that point on, the Jets had no chance to win in the second half.  Peyton Manning dissected the Jets defense with a surgeon's knife.  The Jets were held scoreless in the second half as the Colts punched their ticket to Miami with a 30 to 17 triumph.

The Vikings and Saints was a good encore that followed.  It was a back and forth matchup like the Packers and Cardinals a couple weeks before.  The Vikings put up a good effort even with five turnovers in a 31 to 28 overtime loss in the Big Easy against Drew Brees and the Saints.  Brett Favre stood resilient even though he was getting knocked around like a human pinata.  The retirement discussion is sure to start up again soon.  My prediction is he'll decide to come back eventually at some point over the summer, probably after training camp.

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Ytoyoda and Craig ONeal under CC-SA 2.0 License

Wide World of Sports Venues-January 24

Sommet Center

Nashville, TN

Opened: 1996
Construction Cost $144 Million
Capacity: Basketball-19,395 Ice Hockey-17,113 Concerts-20,000 End-Stage, 10,000 Half-House, 5,145 Theatre
Home Teams: Nashville Predators (NHL) 1998-Present, Nashville Kats (AFL) 1997-2001, 2005-2007
Events Attended: None

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and EVula under CC-BY 3.0 License

Small Ball Report-January 24

SCIAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Caltech 37, Pomona-Pitzer 82
Whittier 68, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 81
Cal Lutheran 52, Redlands 71
Occidental 71, La Verne 67

Standings:

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 5-0 SCIAC, 13-3 overall
Occidental 4-1 SCIAC, 12-4 overall
Pomona-Pitzer 4-1 SCIAC, 8-8 overall
Redlands 4-1 SCIAC, 8-8 overall
Whittier 1-4 SCIAC, 7-8 overall
Cal Lutheran 1-4 SCIAC, 7-9 overall
La Verne 1-4 SCIAC, 5-11 overall
Caltech 0-5 SCIAC, 0-16 overall

Women's Basketball:

Caltech 76, Pomona-Pitzer 61, that's not a typo!
Cal Lutheran 64, Redlands 60
Whittier 69, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 56
Occidental 62, La Verne 58

Standings:

Occidental 5-1 SCIAC, 13-4 overall
Redlands 5-1 SCIAC, 13-4 overall
Cal Lutheran 5-1 SCIAC, 12-4 overall
Whittier 4-2 SCIAC, 11-6 overall
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 2-4 SCIAC, 11-6 overall
La Verne 1-5 SCIAC, 8-9 overall
Pomona-Pitzer 1-5 SCIAC, 5-10 overall
Caltech 1-5 SCIAC, 5-12 overall

GSAC Conference

Men's Baketball:

San Diego Christian 74, Hope International 73
Westmont 86, Vanguard 77
The Masters 74, Point Loma Nazarene 71
Biola 73, California Baptist 47
Concordia 63, Fresno Pacific 61

Standings:

Concordia 9-0 GSAC, 19-0 overall
Biola 8-1 GSAC, 18-1 overall
Azusa Pacific 6-3 GSAC, 13-6 overall
The Masters 6-3 GSAC, 13-6 overall
Westmont 5-4 GSAC, 13-5 overall
California Baptist 5-4 GSAC, 12-7 overall
Fresno Pacific 4-5 GSAC, 14-5 overall
Vanguard 3-6 GSAC, 4-11 overall
San Diego Christian 2-7 GSAC, 4-15 overall
Point Loma Nazarene 2-8 GSAC, 5-13 overall
Hope International 0-9 GSAC, 4-14 overall

Women's Basketball:

Hope International 73, San Diego Christian 61
Vanguard 88, Westmont 68
Point Loma Nazarene 65, The Masters 61
Concordia 60, Fresno Pacific 53
Biola 86, California Baptist 79

Standings:

Point Loma Nazarene 9-1 GSAC, 18-1 overall
Azusa Pacific 8-1 GSAC, 15-4 overall
Vanguard 7-2 GSAC, 11-2 overall
Biola 7-2 GSAC, 11-6 overall
The Masters 5-4 GSAC, 10-7 overall
Westmont 4-5 GSAC, 11-6 overall
Concordia 3-6 GSAC, 10-7 overall
California Baptist 3-6 GSAC, 10-9 overall
Hope International 2-7 GSAC, 7-12 overall
Fresno Pacific 2-7 GSAC, 5-14 overall
San Diego Christian 0-9 GSAC, 3-15 overall

Citrus College Athletics

Men's Basketball:

Citrus College (5-0 CCAA, 19-2 overall) 85, West LA 58

Women's Basketball:

Citrus College (5-0 CCAA, 13-8 overall) 72 West LA 52

Pasadena City College Athletics

Men's Basketball:

Friday's Score:

East Los Angeles 87, PCC 71

Women's Basketball:

Friday's Score:

PCC 85, East Los Angeles 42

Mt. SAC Athleics

Men's Basketball:

Friday's Score:

Mt. SAC (2-0 SCC, 18-4 overall) 92, Compton 80

Women's Basketball:

Friday's Score:

Mt. SAC (2-0 SCC, 16-5 overall) 73, Compton 29

ECHL Hockey

The Ontario Reign split a pair of games against the Utah Grizzlies losing 5 to 2 on Friday and winning 5 to 3 yesterday.  They will play the Grizzlies once again tomorrow in Utah.

Tim's Two Cents-January 24

Raiders Retain Head Coach Tom Cable.  By retaining Tom Cable, Raiders owner Al Davis was doing what he seems to do best: operating a franchise where its employees are often left out of the loop in team decisions. 

Let's be honest, does anybody really know what goes through Al Davis's mind on a daily basis?  Earlier this week, there were reports that Davis was interviewing prospective candidates should he have decided to fire Cable.  With the news that came yesterday, Davis obviously decided to stick with Cable heading into next season.

There are a few reasons why Davis probably chose to stick with Cable. 

The first is with the NFL heading into an uncapped year next season and the uncertainty of a 2011 season means that Davis probably didn't want to hire a new coach given the future of the league in question. 

The second reason could be that no other head coach truly wants to work in Oakland.  As many NFL fans know, they are not a very good team.  I would not want to work in Oakland, that's for sure.  Maybe it would be a good starting point if you were an up and coming coach trying to make a name for yourself.  It would be the internship of NFL coaching.

The third reason why Davis probably chose to stick with Cable is that they did have some huge wins during the 2009 season.  They beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Oakland and the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh.  I was shocked when they beat the Steelers, as was everybody else probably.  So maybe this offers a glimmer of hope for the Silver and Block?  Not so fast my friend.  As long as Al Davis is in charge, the Raiders are going nowhere!

Finally, with the AFC and NFC championship games happening today, it's time I offer up my predictions leading up to Super Bowl XLIV.  Looking into my crystal ball, I see a Brees versus Manning showdown on Februay 7 in Miami.  Pack your bags Colts and Saints, you're going to the Super Bowl!  You were the two best teams hands down this season.  You deserve a chance to face each other to see who is the best.

Photos courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and BrokenSphere under CC-SA 3.0 License
Wikimedia Commons and Ytoyoda and Craig ONeal under CC-SA 2.0 License 

Wide World of Sports Venues-January 22

FedEx Forum

Memphis, TN

Opened: September 2004
Construction Cost: $250 Million
Capacity: Basketball-18,119 Ice Hockey-11,411
Home Teams: Memphis Grizzlies (NBA) 2004-Present, Memphis Tigers (NCAA) 2004-Present
Events Attended: None

Small Ball Report-January 22

SCIAC Conference

Women's Basketball:

La Verne 56, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 63
Pomona-Pitzer 49, Cal Lutheran 87
Redlands 61, Whittier 39
Caltech 30, Occidental 68

Standings:

Redlands 5-0 SCIAC, 13-3 overall
Occidental 4-1 SCIAC, 12-4 overall
Cal Lutheran 4-1 SCIAC, 11-4 overall
Whittier 3-2 SCIAC, 10-6 overall
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 2-3 SCIAC, 11-5 overall
La Verne 1-4 SCIAC, 8-8 overall
Pomona-Pitzer 1-4 SCIAC, 5-9 overall
Caltech 0-5 SCIAC, 4-12 overall

GSAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Azusa Pacific 102, San Diego Christian 72

Standings:

Concordia 8-0 GSAC, 18-0 overall
Biola 7-1 GSAC, 17-1 overall
Azusa Pacific 6-3 GSAC, 13-6 overall
California Baptist 5-3 GSAC, 12-6 overall
The Masters 5-3 GSAC, 12-6 overall
Fresno Pacific 4-4 GSAC, 14-4 overall
Westmont 4-4 GSAC, 12-5 overall
Vanguard 3-5 GSAC, 4-10 overall
Point Loma Nazarene 2-7 GSAC, 5-12 overall
San Diego Christian 1-7 GSAC, 3-15 overall
Hope International 0-8 GSAC, 4-13 overall

Women's Basketball:

Azusa Pacific 86, San Diego Christian 50

Standings:

Point Loma Nazarene 8-1 GSAC, 17-1 overall
Azusa Pacific 8-1 GSAC, 15-4 overall
Vanguard 6-2 GSAC, 10-2 overall
Biola 6-2 GSAC, 10-6 overall
The Masters 5-3 GSAC, 10-6 overall
Westmont 4-4 GSAC, 11-5 overall
California Baptist 3-5 GSAC, 10-8 overall
Concordia 2-6 GSAC, 9-7 overall
Fresno Pacific 2-6 GSAC, 5-13 overall
Hope International 1-7 GSAC, 6-12 overall
San Diego Christian 0-8 GSAC, 3-14 overall  

Dodgers Re-Sign Vicente Padilla

The Dodgers have re-signed pitcher Vicente Padilla to a 1 year, $5.025 million deal.  I say go ahead and have him.  I wouldn't want him on my team though, being the malcontent that he has been in the past.

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Herkie under CC-SA 2.0 License

Tim's Two Cents-January 22

Cavs Sweep Season Series With Lakers.  It is just me, or do the Lakers seem to be playing like they did two seasons ago when they lost to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals?  They just don't seem to have the same intensity and focus as last year. 

It was nice to see Kobe Bryant become the youngest player ever to reach 25,000 career points against the Cleveland Cavaliers.  If he stays reasonably healthy, he has a chance to become the league's all-time leading scorer.  The only problem was that LeBron James put up better numbers once again with 37 points compared to Bryant's 31 in a 93 to 87 loss.

I have no doubt in my mind that the Lakers will do reasonably well come playoff time, but it is becoming quite clear that they need to ramp up their intensity and focus in their overall game.  Otherwise this season will end as a failure.  Playing for home court advantage throughout the playoffs would certainly help. 

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Keith Allison under CC-SA 2.0 License 

Gary Matthews Jr. Traded to Mets

According to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick, The Mets have acquired outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. from the Angels.  It is believed that the Angels will pay a good chunk of the 2 years and $23 million of Matthews Jr. remaining contract.  It is unclear who or what the Angels would get in return. 

With the Mets, Matthews Jr. would combine with Angel Pagan in centerfield while Carlos Beltran recovers from offseason knee surgery.

It's about freaking time this move was made as many true Angel fans know.  It is a day to rejoice.  Good luck GMJ.  It looks like you finally got what you wanted.  An opportunity to play everyday.

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Eric Colin under CC-BY 2.0 License

Wide World of Sports Venues-January 21

New Orleans Arena

New Orleans, LA

Opened: October 19, 1999
Construction Cost: $114 Million
Capacity: Concerts-19,000 Basketball-18,500 Arena Football-16,500
Home Teams: New Orleans Hornets (NBA) 2002-Present, New Orleans VooDoo (AFL) 2004-2005, 2007-2008, New Orleans Brass (ECHL) 1999-2002
Events Attended: None

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Infrogmation and Nick22aku under CC-SA 1.0, 2.0, 2.5 Licenses

Small Ball Report-January 21

SCIAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Redlands 89, Whittier 81
Pomona-Pitzer 68, Cal Lutheran 66
La Verne 61, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 76
Caltech 33, Occidental 83

Standings:

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 4-0 SCIAC, 12-3 overall
Occidental 3-1 SCIAC, 11-4 overall
Pomona-Pitzer 3-1 SCIAC, 7-8 overall
Redlands 3-1 SCIAC, 7-8 overall
Whittier 1-3 SCIAC, 7-7 overall
Cal Lutheran 1-3 SCIAC, 7-8 overall
La Verne 1-3 SCIAC, 5-10 overall
Caltech 0-4 SCIAC, 0-15 overall

GSAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Tuesday's Scores:

Fresno Pacific 67, Westmont 61
Biola 71, The Masters 57
Azusa Pacific 75, Hope International 54
Concordia 78, Vanguard 62

Wednesday's Scores:

California Baptist 69, Point Loma Nazarene 65

Standings:

Concordia 8-0 GSAC, 18-0 overall
Biola 7-1 GSAC, 17-1 overall
Azusa Pacific 5-3 GSAC, 12-6 overall
California Baptist 5-3 GSAC, 12-6 overall
The Masters 5-3 GSAC, 12-6 overall
Fresno Pacific 4-4 GSAC, 14-4 overall
Westmont 4-4 GSAC, 12-5 overall
Vanguard 3-5 GSAC, 4-10 overall
Point Loma Nazarene 2-7 GSAC, 5-12 overall
San Diego Christian 1-6 GSAC, 3-14 overall
Hope International 0-8 GSAC, 4-13 overall

Women's Basketball:

Tuesday's Scores:

Westmont 61, Fresno Pacific 54
Biola 67, The Masters 62
Azusa Pacific 71, Hope International 56
Vanguard 95, Concordia 44

Wednesday's Scores:

Point Loma Nazarene 95, California Baptist 60

Standings:

Point Loma Nazarene 8-1 GSAC, 17-1 overall
Azusa Pacific 7-1 GSAC, 14-4 overall
Vanguard 6-2 GSAC, 10-2 overall
Biola 6-2 GSAC, 10-6 overall
The Masters 5-3 GSAC, 10-6 overall
Westmont 4-4 GSAC, 11-5 overall
California Baptist 3-5 GSAC, 10-8 overall
Concordia 2-6 GSAC, 9-7 overall
Fresno Pacific 2-6 GSAC, 5-13 overall
Hope International 1-7 GSAC, 6-12 overall
San Diego Christian 0-7 GSAC, 3-13 overall

Pasadena City College Athletics

Men's Basketball:

PCC 85, L.A. Trade Tech 76

Women's Basketball:

PCC 65, L.A. Trade Tech 60

Tim's Two Cents-January 21

Tiger Woods Update.  If you haven't heard, Tiger is reportedly receiving treatment at a sex addiction clinic in Mississippi.  There hasn't been official confirmation that Woods is in Mississippi receiving treatment, and why would there be any?  If that is the case, wouldn't that be a violation of doctor-patient confidentiality?  It seems to me like it would be. 

My question is why would Tiger be at a sex addiction rehab clinic.  Is it to save his marriage?  Last time I checked, Elin was going to file for a divorce.  Is it to save his reputation?  He hasn't been seen in public since the car "accident."  Or does he really have some sort of sexual addiction?  I don't buy it.  So who knows why he's really in there.

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Keith Allison under CC-SA 2.0 License

Angels Close to Deal with Joel Pineiro

The Angels have reportedly reached an agreement the top starting pitcher left in this year's free agent market: Joel Piniero.  The deal, which is not official yet because of a physical, is said to be for 2 years at $16 million.

Last year, Piniero went 15-12 with a 3.49 ERA in 32 starts with the St. Louis Cardinals.  For Piniero, the move is a return to the American League West.  His previous stint was with the Mariners.

I think this is a good move considering the thin free agent crop that's left.  It will definitely help solidify the Angels rotation that already has Scott Kazmir, Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders.  It remains to be seen if this move helps them compete with the much improved division rivals Mariners and Rangers.

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Wknight94 under CC-SA 3.0 License 

Wide World of Sports Venues-January 19

Toyota Center

Houston, TX

Opened: October 6, 2003
Construction Cost: $202 Million
Capacity: Basketball-18,300 Ice Hockey-17,800 Concerts-19,000
Home Teams: Hoston Rockets (NBA) 2003-Present, Houston Aeros (AHL) 2003-Present, Houston Comets (WNBA) 2003-2007
Events Attended: None

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Atownballer under CC-SA 3.0 License

Small Ball Report-January 19

SCIAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Huston Conti of Occidental College named SCIAC Male Athlete of the Week.  The Senior Guard Conti led the Tigers to another 2-0 week as he averaged 18 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game while dishing out 9 assists and coming away with 3 steals.

Women's Basketball:

Occidental 72, La Sierra 41

Stephanie Babij of Occidental College named SCIAC Female Athlete of the Week.  The Junior Forward averaged a double-double this week as the Tigers opened up SCIAC play with a 1-1 record.  She posted 24 points and 11 rebounds in the Tigers 62 to 53 victory over Pomona-Pitzer.  Overall, Babij averaged 17 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game to go along with 5 offensive boards.

GSAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Junior Reggie Owens of Azusa Pacific named GSAC Men's Player of the Week.  Owens averaged 15 points per game, 7 rebounds per game and had 3 assists as Azusa Pacific won both of its GSAC games last week.

Women's Basketball:

Junior C.J. Hill of Azusa Pacific named GSAC Women's Player of the Week.  Hill scored 40 points on 13-18 shooting, including 7-10 from three-point range, and 7-9 from the free throw line as No. 12 Azusa Pacific won both of its conference games last week.  She also dished out 12 assists, had 4 steals and grabbed 2 rebounds.  She also scored a career-high 22 against Fresno Pacific.

ECHL Hockey

Ontario Reign 2, Stockton Thunder 4.  Next game is on Friday against the Utah Grizzlies in Utah on Saturday.

Tim's Two Cents-January 19

Lakers Embark on Longest Road Trip of the Year.  After spending much of the season in the friendly confines of Staples Center, the Lakers now hit the road for an 8 game, 13 day road trip after beating the Orlando Magic 98 to 92 yesterday.  We will finally see what they're really made of.

It all starts on Thursday with LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers.  That is followed by tilts with the New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, and the Memphis Grizzlies.

This has the makings to be a very good road trip for the purple and gold.  They just need to keep their focus and concentration at the highest level.  I can almost certainly guarantee that Kobe Bryant will play injured or not injured.  Pau Gasol and Ron are slowly but surely settling into a groove since coming back from their injuries.  Right off the bat, I think the Lakers will end up winning 6 out of 8 on the road trip.  If previous history is any indication though, my prediction isn't worth the screen it's typed on.   

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Eric Kilby under CC-SA 2.0 License

Wide World of Sports Venues-January 17

Rod Laver Arena

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Opened: 1988
Construction Cost $94 Million (Australian Currency)
Capacity: 16,820
Home Teams: Australian Open (Tennis) 1988-Present, Melbourne Tigers (NBL) 1992-2000, South East Melbourne Magic (NBL) 1992-1998 Victoria Titans (NBL) 1999-2000
Events Attended: None.  2010 Australian Open starts today.

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and SimonEast under CC-SA 3.0 License

Small Ball Report-January 17

SCIAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Pomona-Pitzer 60, Redlands 63
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 77, Caltech 43
Occidental 72, Cal Lutheran 65
La Verne 67, Whittier 81

Standings:

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 3-0 SCIAC, 11-3 overall
Occidental 2-1 SCIAC, 10-4 overall
Pomona-Pitzer 2-1 SCIAC, 6-8 overall
Redlands 2-1 SCIAC, 6-8 overall
Whittier 1-2 SCIAC, 7-6 overall
Cal Lutheran 1-2 SCIAC, 7-7 overall
La Verne 1-2 SCIAC, 5-9 overall
Caltech 0-3 SCIAC, 0-14 overall

Women's Basketball:

Occidental 72, Cal Lutheran 69
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 74, Caltech 61
Pomona-Pitzer 57, Redlands 71
La Verne 65, Whittier 77

Standings:

Redlands 4-0 SCIAC, 12-3 overall
Cal Lutheran 3-1 SCIAC, 10-4 overall
Occidental 3-1 SCIAC, 10-4 overall
Whittier 3-1 SCIAC, 10-5 overall
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 1-3 SCIAC, 10-5 overall
La Verne 1-3 SCIAC, 8-7 overall
Pomona-Pitzer 1-3 SCIAC, 5-8 overall
Caltech 0-4 SCIAC, 4-11 overall

GSAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

San Diego Christian 82, Fresno Pacific 79
Concordia 66, Biola 56
The Masters 63, Hope International 52
Westmont 69, Point Loma Nazarene 66 (2OT)
Azusa Pacific 78, Vanguard 73

Standings:

Concordia 7-0 GSAC, 17-0 overall
Biola 6-1 GSAC, 16-1 overall
The Masters 5-2 GSAC, 12-5 overall
Westmont 4-3 GSAC, 12-4 overall
Azusa Pacific 4-3 GSAC, 11-6 overall
California Baptist 4-3 GSAC, 11-6 overall
Fresno Pacific 3-4 GSAC, 13-4 overall
Vanguard 3-4 GSAC, 4-9 overall
Point Loma Nazarenw 2-6 GSAC, 5-11 overall
San Diego Christian 1-6 GSAC, 3-14 overall
Hope International 0-7 GSAC, 4-12 overall

Women's Basketball:

Fresno Pacific 62, San Diego Christian 53
Biola 73, Concordia 52
The Masters 80, Hope International 61
Point Loma Nazarene 67, Westmont 56
Azusa Pacific 101, Vanguard 92

Standings:

Point Loma Nazarene 7-1 GSAC, 16-1 overall
Azusa Pacific 6-1 GSAC, 13-4 overall
Vanguard 5-2 GSAC, 9-2 overall
The Masters 5-2 GSAC, 10-5 overall
Biola 5-2 GSAC, 9-6 overall
Westmont 3-4 GSAC, 10-5 overall
California Baptist 3-4 GSAC, 10-7 overall
Concordia 2-5 GSAC, 9-6 overall
Fresno Pacific 2-5 GSAC, 5-12 overall
Hope International 1-6 GSAC, 6-11 overall
San Diego Christian 0-7 GSAC, 3-13 overall

Citrus College Athletics

Men's Basketball:

Citrus College 85 (4-0 CCAA, 18-2 overall), Glendale 67

Women's Basketball:

Citrus College 60 (4-0 CCAA, 12-8 overall), Glendale 55

   

Tim's Two Cents-January 17

NFL Playoffs Get Turned Up a Notch.  So much for my predictions for yesterday.  The Saints and Colts both won rather covincingly.  Peyton Manning and Drew Brees each had good performances for their respective teams.

Looking ahead to today's action, we'll see if the Cowboys can punch their ticket to New Orleans and if the Chargers can race to Indy next week.

Wide World of Sports Venues-January 16

Alamodome

San Antonio, TX

Opened: May 15, 1993
Construction Cost: $186 Million
Capacity: American Football-65,000 (expandable to 72,000 Canadian Football-59,000 Basketball-20,662 (expandable to 39,500) Ice Hockey-36,000 Boxing-40,000 Arena Concert-33,000 Center-stage, 30,000 End-stage Stadium Concert-77,000 Center-stage, 50,000 End-stage
Home Teams: Alamo Bowl (NCAA) 1993-Present, New Orleans Saints (NFL) 2005, San Antonio Spurs (NBA) 1993-2002, San Antonio Texans (CFL) 1995, East-West Shrine Game (NCAA) 2006, U.S. Army All-American Bowl 2002-Present, NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament 1998, 2004, 2008, UTSA Roadrunners (NCAA) 2011
Events Attended: None

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Nick81aku under CC-BY-SA-2.5, 2.0, 1.0 Licenses
 

Small Ball Report-January 16

Pasadena City College Athletics

Men's Basketball:

ECC Compton 77, PCC 66

Women's Basketball:

PCC 69, ECC Compton 46

Mt. SAC Athletics

Men's Basketball:

Mt. SAC 90, L.A. Trade Tech 87

Women's Basketball:

Mt, SAC 61, L.A. Trade Tech 50

Tim's Two Cents-January 16

Baseball Owners Meetings Took Place This Week.  All 30 owners in Major League Baseball descended on Arizona to discuss the state of the sport, among other things.

Of particular interest at these meetings was the meeting of the 14 member panel created by Bud Selig to address ways to improve the sport.  I personally don't think a 14 member panel is necessary to address various issues in MLB.

It is probably safe to say that this panel, which includes Angels manager Mike Scioscia, Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa, Frank Robinson just to name a few, was created in the wake of calls for expanded use of instant replay.  MLB and its umpires faced some scrutiny after a series of blown calls in last year's postseason.  With the current replay system in place, only home runs and boundary calls can be looked at, whatever that means.  You never know with commissioner Bud Selig. 

When the debate over the use of instant replay began a few years ago, I wasn't in favor of it.  I thought the umpires did a good enough job and got the majority of the calls right.  After the events of last year's postseason, I have changed my tune.  Baseball would benefit from expanding instant replay, but only on fair or foul calls and close plays on the bases.   The question is if instant replay in baseball is going to be expanded, but when?

Wide World of Sports Venues-January 15

AT&T Center

San Antonio, TX

Opened: October 18, 2002
Construction Cost: $186 Million
Capacity: Basketball-18,581 Ice Hockey-13,400 Concert-17,444 (maximum capacity)
Home Teams: San Antonio Spurs (NBA) 2002-Present, San Antonio Silver Stars (WNBA) 2003-Present, San Antonio Rampage (AHL) 2002-Present, San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo 2003-Present
Events Attended: None

Small Ball Report-January 15

SCIAC Conference

Women's Basketball:

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 49, Occidental 59
Redlands 49, Caltech 36
Cal Lutheran 69, La Verne 56
Whittier 61, Pomona-Pitzer 64 (OT)

Standings:

Redlands 3-0 SCIAC, 11-3 overall
Cal Lutheran 3-0 SCIAC, 10-3 overall
Occidental 2-1 SCIAC, 9-4 overall
Whittier 2-1 SCIAC, 9-5 overall
La Verne 1-2 SCIAC, 8-6 overall
Pomona-Pitzer 1-2 SCIAC, 5-7 overall
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 0-3 SCIAC, 9-5 overall
Caltech 0-3 SCIAC, 4-10 overall

GSAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

The Masters 65, California Baptist 47

Standings:

Biola 6-0 GSAC, 16-0 overall
Concordia 6-0 GSAC, 16-0 overall
The Masters 4-2 GSAC, 11-5 overall
California Baptist 4-3 GSAC, 11-6 overall
Fresno Pacific 3-3 GSAC, 13-3 overall
Westmont 3-3 GSAC, 11-4 overall
Azusa Pacific 3-3 GSAC, 10-6 overall
Vanguard 3-3 GSAC, 4-8 overall
Point Loma Nazarene 2-5 GSAC, 5-10 overall
Hope International 0-6 GSAC, 4-11 overall
San Diego Christian 0-6 GSAC, 2-14 overall

Women's Basketball:

The Masters 76, California Baptist 58

Standings:

Point Loma Nazarene 6-1 GSAC, 15-1 overall
Vanguard 5-1 GSAC, 9-1 overall
Azusa Pacific 5-1 GSAC, 12-4 overall
The Masters 4-2 GSAC, 9-5 overall
Biola 4-2 GSAC, 8-6 overall
Westmont 3-3 GSAC, 10-4 overall
California Baptist 3-4 GSAC, 10-7 overall
Concordia 2-4 GSAC, 9-5 overall
Hope International 1-5 GSAC, 6-10 overall
Fresno Pacific 1-5 GSAC, 4-12 overall
San Diego Christian 0-6 GSAC, 3-12 overall

 

Tim's Two Cents-January 15

What I'll Be Watching This Weekend.  In an effort to do something different today, here's what I'll be watching this upcoming weekend in sports.

NFL Divisional Playoffs.  Another great weekend of playoff action is almost upon us. 

Will the Cowboys continue their recent hot streak against the Minnesota Vikings?  I certainly hope so if for no other reason than to see Brett Favre lose again.  If that happens, Favre will start crying like the prima donna that he is.  By this time next Monday, I hope Brett Favre is back in Mississippi where he belongs.

Will the Colts take advantage of home field or will rust kick in?  My gut feeling right now is the latter.  History over the last few years has shown that the Colts have had little success as the top team in the postseason.  Peyton Manning, the talented quarterback that he is, has only one Super Bowl victory in his career so far.  He is the face of the Colts.  One could argue that without Peyton Manning, the Colts would not be the good team that they are.  I'll go with the upset and the Ravens because rust will be a big factor for the Colts as usual.

Will the Saints have a party in the Big Easy?  This is a tough one that I think could go either way.  I wouldn't be surprised if the Saints offense breaks out in front the home crowd.  As for their opponent, the Cardinals.  We saw what they're capable of last week against Green Bay.  This one's a coin flip.  I'll go with the upset pick once again and the Cardinals just to mess everything up and make things more interesting.

As for the Chargers and Jets, let's keep it simple and sweet.  The Chargers will continue their late season surge and I think they will host the AFC Championship game next week against the Ravens.  

Australian Open in Melbourne.  You probably wouldn't think of me as a tennis fan at first glance, but I am.  The Australian Open, which starts on Sunday, marks the beginning of the new year in tennis as it is the first grand slam event.  As usual Roger Federer enters the tournament as the number one seed on the men's side.  Barring an unforseen turn of events, it will be another Federer-Nadal final in two weeks time.  If history is any indication, it should be epic if it were to happen.   

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Steve Collis under CC-BY 2.0 License

Wide World of Sports Venues-January 14

American Airlines Center

Dallas, TX

Opened: July 17, 2001
Construction Cost: $420 Million
Capacity: Ice Hockey-18,532 Basketball-20,000-21,041 Concerts-18,584 (standing room only)
Home Teams: Dallas Stars (NHL) 2001-Present, Dallas Mavericks (NBA) 2001-Present, Dallas Desperados (AF1) 2002-2008 and 2010-Future
Events Attended: None

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and RadicalBender under CC-SA 3.0 License

Small Ball Report-January 14

SCIAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Redlands 96, Caltech 64
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 66, Occidental 58
Whittier 73, Pomona-Pitzer 75
Cal Lutheran 61, La Verne 66

Standings:

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 2-0 SCIAC, 10-3 overall
Pomona-Pitzer 2-0 SCIAC, 6-7 overall
Occidental 1-1 SCIAC, 9-4 overall
Cal Lutheran 1-1 SCIAC, 7-6 overall
La Verne 1-1 SCIAC, 5-8 overall
Redlands 1-1 SCIAC, 5-8 overall
Whittier 0-2 SCIAC, 6-6 overall
Caltech 0-2 SCIAC, 0-13 overall

Citrus College Athletics

Men's Basketball:

Citrus College (3-0 CCAA, 17-2 overall) 77, Santa Monica 64

Women's Basketball:

Citrus College (3-0 CCAA, 11-8 overall) 54, Santa Monica 35

Pasadena City College Athletics

Women's Basketball:

PCC 73, El Camino 42

ECHL Hockey:

The Ontario lost 2 to 1 against the Bakersfield Condors in a shootout.  They are now 14-18-3 on the season and will take on the Stockton Thunder on Sunday up north.

Tim's Two Cents-January 14

Are the Clippers Cursed?  News broke yesterday that this year's number one draft pick Blake Griffin is going to have season-ending knee surgery.  So that means Griffin will have to wait until next season to make his NBA debut.  The various reactions to the news centered around whether the Clippers are a cursed franchise.  I'm not holding my breath.

Ever since the Clippers moved to Los Angeles in 1984, they've always existed under the shadow of the other, more successful Los Angeles team.  The Clippers have tried so much to be like the Lakers that they even play in the same building.  How sorry of a franchise must you be if you have to share your arena with another team in the same sport?  This team should have moved to Anaheim a long time ago when they had the chance.  They probably still have the chance to move elsewhere but they will probably screw it up once again somehow.

As for the Griffin injury excuse for a curse, I don't buy it at all.  L.A.'s other team has more key players injured than any other team in the NBA right now: Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Ron Artest.  Those are three star players who have been dealing with injuries all season long.  As of last night, their record is 30-9.  The Clippers, who still have the likes of Baron Davis, Marcus Camby and Sebastian Telfair, are 17-20.  So don't give me any of this "we're cursed" nonsense.

The bottom line is the Lakers are a much better run franchise than the Clippers.  They're not a very good team to begin with, living in the shadow of the big brother.  Some other notable first round picks by the Clippers include Michael Olowokandi and Shaun Livingston.  They are now both virtually nonexistent in the NBA today.  Olowokandi never panned out as a premiere athlete in the sport and Livingston was a walking bandaid with numerous injuries. 

As far as I'm concerned, the Clippers will never be a viable franchise as long as Donald Sterling owns the team.

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Conman33 under CC-BY 3.0 License   

Wide World of Sports Venues-January 13

Ford Center

Oklahoma City, OK

Opened: June 8, 2002
Construction Cost: $89 Million
Capacity: Basketball-18,203 Hockey-18,036 Arena Football-17,868 Concerts-20,817
Home Teams: Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA) 2008-Present, New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (NBA) 2005-2007, Oklahoma City Blazers (CHL) 2002-2009, Oklahoma City Yard Dawgs (af2) 2004-2009
Events Attended: None

Small Ball Report-January 13

SCIAC Conference

Women's Basketball:

Chapman 72, Redlands 74

GSAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Biola 62, Westmont 43
Azusa Pacific 75, Fresno Pacific 73
Vanguard 73, San Diego Christian 54
California Baptist 60, Hope International 55 (OT)
Concordia 64, Point Loma Nazarene 55

Standings:

Biola 6-0 GSAC, 16-0 overall
Concordia 6-0 GSAC, 16-0 overall
California Baptist 4-2 GSAC, 11-5 overall
The Masters 3-2 GSAC, 10-5 overall
Fresno Pacific 3-3 GSAC, 13-3 overall
Westmont 3-3 GSAC, 11-4 overall
Azusa Pacific 3-3 GSAC, 10-6 overall
Vanguard 3-3 GSAC, 4-8 overall
Point Loma Nazarene 2-5 GSAC, 5-10 overall
Hope International 0-6 GSAC, 4-11 overall
San Diego Christian 0-6 GSAC, 2-14 overall

Women's Basketball:

Azusa Pacific 81, Fresno Pacific 65
Point Loma Nazarene 65, Concordia 54
Hope International 64, California Baptist 61
Biola 88, Westmont 76 (OT)
Vanguard 81, San Diego Christian 63

Standings:

Point Loma Nazarene 6-1 GSAC, 15-1 overall
Vanguard 5-1 GSAC, 9-1 overall
Azusa Pacific 5-1 GSAC, 12-4 overall
Biola 4-2 GSAC, 8-6 overall
The Masters 3-2 GSAC, 8-5 overall
Westmont 3-3 GSAC, 10-4 overall
California Baptist 3-3 GSAC, 10-6 overall
Concordia 2-4 GSAC, 9-5 overall
Hope International 1-5 GSAC, 6-10 overall
Fresno Pacific 1-5 GSAC, 4-12 overall
San Diego Christian 0-6 GSAC, 3-12 overall

 
 

Tim's Two Cents-January 13

Lane Kiffin in as USC Head Coach.  This move was somewhat shocking.  Kiffin's name wasn't even on USC's radar originally.  Kiffin lasted only one year as the head coach of Tennessee.  Given the landscape of college football, I'm not surprised this kind of move happened.

College coaches have made a routine of changing jobs, so why should this be any different.  Even though Tennessee fans are up in arms this morning, they will go out and probably hire another big time coach.  Then he will probably last a few years before either being fired, resigning or accepting another job offer somewhere else.

As for Kiffin and USC, it makes sense.  Kiffin was on Pete Carroll's staff from 2001-2006.  From the numerous media reports, Kiffin has been working to assemble a who's who of coaching staffs that includes Kiffin's father Monty as defensive coordinator, Ed Orgeron as assistant head coach and possibly Norm Chow as offensive coordinator.

Here's something to keep in mind that could spoil the celebration in Los Angeles.  While USC and its fans are probably jumping for joy this morning, let's not forget the NCAA investigation into USC football that could bring more sanctions to USC athletics in a few week's time.

Wide World of Sports Venues-January 12

Xcel Energy Center

St. Paul, MN

Opened: 2000
Construction Cost: $130 Million
Capacity: Ice Hockey/Lacrosse-18,064 (18,568 with standing room), End Stage Concerts-14,440 Center Stage Concerts-20,554
Home Teams: Minnesota Wild (NHL) 2000-Present, Minnesota Swarm (NLL) 2005-Present
Events Attended: None

Tim's Two Cents-January 12

Mark McGwire Admits to Having Used Steroids.  What a shocker...not!  Unless you've been living under a rock over the last few years, you knew this was going to come out.  It's good that it is coming out now, although I find it hard to believe that McGwire wanted to admit his use of steroids a few years ago but couldn't because he wasn't granted immunity.  If that was really the case, then why didn't we hear from him sooner than we did?  It all comes down to one reason.  He's going to be the new hitting coach for St. Louis in 2010 and doesn't want to cause a "distraction."  I would argue that if McGwire wasn't going to be the Cardinals hitting coach this season, there would still be no steroid admission on McGwire's part.

As McGwire becomes the latest baseball icon to admit past steroid use, it has become increasingly evident that we should not be surprised when more names come out over time.  I wasn't shocked that Manny Ramirez tested positive last year and Alex Rodriguez admitted using steroids as well too.  It's safe to say that most of the big name baseball stars at the time were using as well.  It seemed to be the culture at the time and I don't condone using steroids and other performance enhancing drugs in any way.

The other aspect to look at is whether or not guys like McGwire that have been linked to steroids, should be voted into the Hall of Fame.  There is no doubt that McGwire has the numbers to qualify, but the voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America has turned out a low voting percentage the last few years.  If I had a vote, I would vote for McGwire and all the others who have been linked to steroids because they were all doing it whether it was right or wrong.  It would be difficult to keep them out of the hall because of that.  I don't think McGwire and others will get into the Hall however since McGwire's voting totals have remained very low each year he's been eligible for election.

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Rdikeman under CC-SA 3.0 License      

Wide World of Sports Venues-January 11

Target Center

Minneapolis, MN

Opened: October 13, 1990
Construction Cost: $104 Million
Capacity: Basketball-20,500 Ice Hockey/Arena Football-19,500 Center-stage Concerts-25,500 End-stage concerts-13,000-19,000 Wrestling-9,500 End-stage wrestling-12,500
Home Teams: Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA) 1990-Present, Minnesota Lynx (WNBA) 1999-Present, Minnesota Fighting Pike (AFL) 1996, Minnesota Artic Blast (RHI) 1994-1996
Events Attended: None

Lakers End Two Game Skid

Laker fans can stop panicking for the moment thanks to a 95 to 77 win over the Milwaukee Bucks last night, ending a two game losing streak after losses to the Clippers and the Trail Blazers.  So the world is not going to end.  Even though Kobe had a poor shooting effort, the Lakers found a way to win.  I will say that if you told me Kobe Bryant would go 4 for 21 in field goals and the Lakers would still win, I would say you're crazy.  Funny thing is that's exactly what happened!

For the Lakers, Andrew Bynum had himself quite a game.  Bynum had 17 points and 18 rebounds while Bryant had only 12 points and 5 rebounds.  This game was not a masterpiece on offense though.  Both teams struggled to knock down wide open shots, so I don't know how much of it was good defense or bad luck.

At least today sports radio in Los Angeles can talk about a Lakers win instead of a three game losing streak.  The Lakers will head out on the road to face the San Antonio Spurs tomorrow. 

As for the Clippers, they continue to win.  Their latest victim was the Miami Heat yesterday afternoon with a 104 to 94 victory.  They are getting more confident as the season goes on following victories against both the Lakers and the Celtics.     

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and michael248 under CC-SA 2.0 License

Tim's Two Cents-January 11

NFL Playoffs Have Finally Arrived.  It was a great first weekend of action in the NFL Playoffs.  I can't remember a time when the action included three rematches from week 17 of the regular season.  There was the Jets at the Bengals, the Eagles at the Cowboys and the Packers at the Cardinals.  The only game that wasn't a rematch was the Ravens and Patriots.

The action kicked off with the Jets and the Bengals on Saturday.  This was a relative close game throughout.  The Bengals were the first to get on the board with a 7 to nothing lead.  The Jets stayed in it though as Mark Sanchez did just enough to give the Jets a 24 to 14 win.  As the game moved along, the Jets defense became a problem for the Bengals offense who couldn't get it going on a consistent basis.  For their winning effort, the Jets will head to sunny San Diego to take on Phillip Rivers and the Chargers.

The Saturday night game was the another week 17 rematch between the Eagles and the Cowboys.  As we soon found out, the rematch played out like it did in week 17.  The Cowboys made the plays on offense and the defense bothered Donovan McNabb all night long.  He and the rest of the Eagles didn't have a chance in the 34 to 14 loss.  It is also clear that the Cowboys are playing some of their best football right now as they will head to Minnesota next week to take on Brett Favre and the Vikings.

The Sunday slate of games was equally as good as Saturday.  The Ravens and the Patriots were the early game.  Let's just say I wasn't surprised by the outcome as the Ravens blew out Tom Brady and the Patriots 33 to 14.  The Patriots this year weren't the 18-0 Patriots that went to the Super Bowl against the Giants a couple years ago.  Bill Belichick didn't seem to be the football god he has been in the past.  The most important factor for the Patriots struggles this season was a lack of veteran leadership in the locker room, and in sports, chemistry is vital to winning in the long run.  As for the Ravens, they will take their show on the road to Indianapolis to battle Peyton Manning and the Colts next week, and I wouldn't be shocked if they pulled out a victory.

As if those games weren't enogh to get the competitive juices flowing, the Packers and the Cardinals was the best of the weekend.  It didn't look like it was going to be much of a game as the Cardinals had a 21 point lead at 31 to 10.  It looked like the Packers were out of it at that point.  Not so fast my friend.  Quarterback Aaron Rodgers had one heck of a game in his playoff debut as he led Green Bay to a tie at 38.  It had turned into a shootout.  I guess both defenses decided to take the day off!  In the end, it had to be decided in overtime as Arizona prevailed with a 51 to 45 win thanks to Karlos Dansby recovering an Aaron Rodgers fumble inside the 20 yard line and the rest is history. It is ironic that the game was won on defense as Arizona punched their ticket to New Orleans next week. 

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Keith Allison under CC-SA 2.0 License
  

Wide World of Sports Venues-January 10

Energy Solutions Arena

Salt Lake City, UT

Opened: October 4, 1991
Construction Cost: $93 Million
Capacity: Basketball-19,911 Ice Hockey/Ice Floor-14,000 Concert in the Round-20,000 End Stage Concert-15,000 Dirt Show-15,000
Home Teams: Utah Jazz (NBA) 1991-Present, Utah Blaze (AFL) 2006-2008, Utah Starzz (WNBA) 1997-2002, Utah Grizzlies (IHL) 1995-1997, Salt Lake Golden Eagles (IHL) 1991-1994
Events Attended: Walked along the outside of it.

Small Ball Report-January 10

SCIAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Pomona-Pitzer 78, La Verne 72 (OT)
Caltech 50, Cal Lutheran 84
Whittier 57, Occidental 71
Redlands 62, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 77

Standings:

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 1-0 SCIAC, 9-3 overall
Occidental 1-0 SCIAC, 9-3 overall
Cal Lutheran 1-0 SCIAC, 7-5 overall
Pomona-Pitzer 1-0 SCIAC, 5-7 overall
Whittier 0-1 SCIAC, 6-5 overall
La Verne 0-1 SCIAC, 4-8 overall
Redlands 0-1 SCIAC, 4-8 overall
Caltech 0-1 SCIAC, 0-12 overall

Women's Basketball:

Redlands 61, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 48
Caltech 27, Cal Lutheran 73
Pomona-Pitzer 28, La Verne 66
Whittier 78, Occidental 72

Standings:

Cal Lutheran 2-0 SCIAC, 9-3 overall
Redlands 2-0 SCIAC, 9-3 overall
Whittier 2-0 SCIAC, 9-4 overall
Occidental 1-1 SCIAC, 8-4 overall
La Verne 1-1 SCIAC, 8-5 overall
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 0-2 SCIAC, 9-4 overall
Pomona-Pitzer 0-2 SCIAC, 4-7 overall
Caltech 0-2 SCIAC, 4-9 overall

GSAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Fresno Pacific 63, Hope International 52
Azusa Pacific 96, Point Loma Nazarene 78
Westmont 72, The Masters 71
Concordia 76, California Baptist 54
Biola 72, San Diego Christian 55

Standings:

Biola 5-0 GSAC, 15-0 overall
Concordia 5-0 GSAC, 15-0 overall
Fresno Pacific 3-2 GSAC, 13-2 overall
Westmont 3-2 GSAC, 11-3 overall
California Baptist 3-2 GSAC, 10-5 overall
The Masters 3-2 GSAC, 10-5 overall
Azusa Pacific 2-3 GSAC, 9-6 overall
Vanguard 2-3 GSAC, 3-8 overall
Point Loma Nazarene 2-4 GSAC, 5-9 overall
Hope International 0-5 GSAC, 4-10 overall
San Diego Christian 0-5 GSAC, 2-13 overall

Women's Basketball:

Fresno Pacific 52, Hope International 46
Point Loma Nazarene 57, Azusa Pacific 46
The Masters 85, Westmont 76
Biola 65, San Diego Christian 50
Concordia 84, California Baptist 74

Standings:

Point Loma Nazarene 5-1 GSAC, 14-1 overall
Vanguard 4-1 GSAC, 8-1 overall
Azusa Pacific 4-1 GSAC, 11-4 overall
Westmont 3-2 GSAC, 10-3 overall
California Baptist 3-2 GSAC, 10-5 overall
The Masters 3-2 GSAC, 8-5 overall
Biola 3-2 GSAC, 7-6 overall
Concordia 2-3 GSAC, 9-4 overall
Fresno Pacific 1-4 GSAC, 4-11 overall
Hope International 0-5 GSAC, 5-10 overall
San Diego Christian 0-5 GSAC, 3-11 overall

Citrus College

Men's Basketball:

Citrus College 78, LA Valley 68

Women's Basketball:

Citrus College 67, LA Valley 50

ECHL Hockey:

The Ontario Reign lost 2 out of 3 games against the Las Vegas Wranglers this weekend, including a 5 to 1 defeat yesterday.  They will face the Bakersfield Condors at Citizens Business Bank Arena on Wednesday night at 7:00.

Tim's Two Cents-January 10

Cowboys Win First Playoff Game Since 1996.  Yes it's been a long time, but the drought is finally over.  The Cowboys got a huge monkey off their back yesterday as they beat the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday 34 to 14 at Cowboys Stadium in front of 92,951 fans, a playoff record for a postseason game other than the Super Bowl.  My cousin Henry and other Cowboys fans can relax for now.  This game was a rematch from week 17 in Arlington where the Cowboys previously shut out their NFC East rivals.

As a reward for their dominating performance, Jerry's team will head to Minnesota next Sunday to take on Brett Favre and the Vikings.  We'll see how effective the old gunslinger is against Tony Romo and company.  What I find fascinating is that if the Cowboys were able to win again next week and if the Saints lost, then the Cowboys would host the NFC Championship game in two weeks.  Will there be another record breaking crowd in attendance if all the stars align correctly in two weeks?

As far as next week is concerned, I hope the Cowboys can win against the Vikings if for no other reason than to see the Brett Favre experience come to an end.  Then he can hopefully retire and not put us through a game of will he or won't he. 

Over the past few weeks the one thing I'm sure about is the Cowboys are now a very confident team now that their December woes are over.  Whether they can continue their winning momentum, that's the number one question.    

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Bigcats lair under CC-SA 3.0 License

Tim's Two Cents-January 9

Seattle Seahawks Targeting Pete Carroll?  In a surprising move in the NFL yesterday, the Seattle Seahawks fired head coach Jim Mora after only one year.  What's even more surprising who they are reportedly targeting as Mora's replacemant.  His name is Pete Carroll of USC.  If this is true, then USC fans are probably shaking in their boots. 

This wouldn't be Carroll's first adventure as an NFL coach, having previously coached the New York Jets in 1994 and the New England Patriots from 197-1999. 

At USC, Carroll is coming off a sub par 2009 season.  It was a season in which the Trojans failed to win at least 10 games for the first time since Carroll took over the position.  They had to settle for a spot in the Emerald Bowl to finish the season instead of a BCS bowl appearance  There was also the Stafon Johnson weight lifting accident that ended Johnson's season and the Joe McKnight SUV investigation.  Speaking of McKnight, he has reportedly decided to enter the 2010 NFL Draft. 

Could there be dark storm clouds forming at USC?  Does Pete Carroll know something that we don't?  Only time will tell if the time has come for Carroll to move on from USC before something else happens.

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Daveblack under CC-SA 3.0 License 

Wide World of Sports Venue-January 8

Pepsi Center

Denver, CO

Opened: October 1, 1999
Construction Cost: $160 Million
Capacity: Basketball-19,155 Hockey/Lacrosse-18,007 Arena Footbal-17,417 Concerts-20,000+ Special Events-21,000
Home Teams: Colorado Avalanche (NHL) 1999-Present, Denver Nuggets (NBA) 1999-Present, Colorado Mammoth (NLL) 2003-Present, Colorado Crush (AFL) 2003-2008, 2008 Democratic National Convention, Mountain West Conference Tournament (2004-2006)
Events Attended: None

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and KM Newnham under CC-SA-2.5 License

Small Ball Report-January 8

SCIAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Conference play actually didn't start yesterday.  It is going to start on January 9. 

Women's Basketball:

Conference play has started!

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 41, Cal Lutheran 68
Redlands 62, La Verne 54
Whittier 76, Caltech 43
Occidental 62, Pomona-Pitzer 53

Standings:

Cal Lutheran 1-0 SCIAC, 8-3 overall
Occidental 1-0 SCIAC, 8-3 overall
Redlands 1-0 SCIAC, 8-3 overall
Whittier 1-0 SCIAC, 8-4 overall
Claremont-Mudd-Scripp 0-1 SCIAC 9-3 overall
La Verne 0-1 SCIAC, 7-5 overall
Pomona-Pitzer 0-1 SCIAC, 4-6 overall
Caltech 0-1 SCIAC, 4-8 overall

GSAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Fresno Pacific 74, Vanguard 71 (OT)

Standings:

Biola 4-0 GSAC, 14-0 overall
Concordia 4-0 GSAC, 14-0 overall
California Baptist 3-1 GSAC, 10-4 overall
The Masters 3-1 GSAC, 10-4 overall
Fresno Pacific 2-2 GSAC, 12-2 overall
Westmont 2-2 GSAC, 10-3 overall
Point Loma Nazarene 2-3 GSAC, 5-8 overall
Vanguard 2-3 GSAC, 3-8 overall
Azusa Pacific 1-3 GSAC, 8-6 overall
Hope International 0-4 GSAC, 4-9 overall
San Diego Christian 0-4 GSAC, 2-12 overall

Women's Basketball:

Hope International (5-9 overall) 53, Chapman 52
Vanguard (4-1 GSAC, 8-1 overall 85, Fresno Pacific 65 (0-4 GSAC, 3-11 overall)

Tim's Two Cents-January 8

Alabama Wins BCS National Championship.  It was the game we've been waiting for the last 32 days and let me tell you, it ended up being worth the hype.  It didn't look like it would be that way at the start however. 

The big story that developed in the beginning was the shoulder injury that Texas's Colt McCoy suffered on their first offensive possession.  Alabama also got off to a shaky start with a failed fake punt play and a fumbled punt recovered by Texas.

Once Alabama was able to calm their nerves, it was clear they were the better team on the field, regardless of whether Colt McCoy was in the game.  I realize that it could have been different if he hadn't suffered an injury.  The bottom line is Alabama had an amazing all around game throughout.  Mark Ingram got into a groove after a slow start.  From what I saw, he is a beast.  He is a hard man to tackle as Texas defenders were struggling to bring Ingram down once he settled into a groove. 

As far as Texas, they deserve some credit in defeat as Freshman quarterback Garrett Gilbert played very well in place of Colt McCoy, granted it took him a little time to find a groove as well.

So congratulations to head coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide on the win.  For Saban, it is his second National Championship to go with 2003 at LSU. Nick Saban can finally relax a little and hopefully enjoy the moment.  That looked like a pretty good Gatorade bath.     

Wide World of Sports Venues-January 7

Rose Garden

Portland, OR

Opened: October 1995
Construction Cost: $262 Million
Capacity: 20,630 for Basketball, 18,280 for Ice Hockey/Lacrosse, approximately 20,500 for Center stage at concerts, approximately 15,000 for End stage at concerts, approximately 6,500 for "Theatre of the Clouds."
Home Teams: Portland Trail Blazers (NBA) 1995-Present, Portland Winterhawks (WHL) 1995-Present, Portland Forest Dragons (AFL) 1997-1999, Portland Pythons (WISL) 1998-1999, Portland Fire (WNBA) 2000-2002, Portland LumberJax (NLL) 2006-2009
Events Attended: None

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Fcb981 under CC-SA 3.0 License

Small Ball Report January 7

SCIAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Senior guard Kyle Knudsen of Cal Lutheran and Fresman guard Mike Edwards of...brace yourself...Caltech have been named Co-Male Athletes of the Week yesterday.

Knudsen was selected to the D3Hoops.com National Team of the Week after scoring a career-high 38 points in a 71 to 62 victory over Pacific (OR) University of December 20.  Over the last six games Knudsen has led the Kingmen offense averaging 17.5 points per game and currently ranks fifth in the SCIAC Conference at 16.3 points per game for the season.

Edwards scored 28 points against Rivier College on Saturday in the Holiday Classic.  He added 9 rebounds and 3 assists.  For an encore performance, Edwards scored 29 points against Westminster (PA), including a Caltech record seven three-pointers.  As a Freshman, Edwards is averaging 21.9 points per game on the season and 4.4 rebounds.  He also has 19 steals and 8 blocked shots while shooting 84% from the free throw line

Wednesday's Results:

Chapman 60, Caltech 42.  Caltech is now 0-11 on the season.  SCIAC Conference play begins tonight.

Other College Action:

Citrus College (15-2, 1-0) 67, Bakersfield 65

Pasadena City College 77, LA Harbor 73

Mt. SAC 87, El Camino 76

Women's Basketball:

Aria Krumweide of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps was named SCIAC Female Athlete of the Week yesterday.  She was the MVP of the Caltech-CMS Holiday Classic scoring 46 points with 6 assists as CMS came back from a 13 point second half defecit to beat Buena Vista Universit 82 to 78 and also Knox College 75 to 58. 

Conference play starts tonight.

Other College Action:

Citrus College (9-8, 1-0) 67, Bakersfield 48

Mt. SAC 65, Cerritos 46

Minor League ECHL Hockey:

The Ontario Reign lost once again to the Las Vegas Wranglers 2 to 1 in the first of three straight games against Las Vegas.  Their next matchup is tomorrow in Sin City at 7:05 PM.       

Tim's Two Cents-January 7

Gilbert Arenas Suspended Indefinitely by the NBA.  This is a good move by the NBA and commissioner David Stern.  It was only a matter of time when this decision was going to be made.  This kind of suspension makes perfect sense considering what has happened in the NBA over the last few years.

These sort of suspensions can be traced back to the infamous "Malice at the Palace" between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons during the 2004-2005 season.  As a result, the NBA instituted a number of new policies to create a better image of the game, such as a dress code for the players.  Ron Artest, who was with the Pacers then, was suspended for the remainder of the season.  At the time, it was the longest suspension in NBA history.  So it is no surprise that Gilbert Arenas has been suspended indefinitely based on previous events. 

What is somewhat surprising is that the suspension didn't come sooner since it is against league rules to bring guns to an arena in the first place.  The length of the suspension is yet to be determined, but you can be fairly certain it will probably be for the remainder of this season at least.  Lastly, I've got a newsflash for you Gilbert Arenas.  Bringing a gun to an NBA arena is no laughing matter.  You got what you deserved with the indefinite suspension.      

Wide World of Sports Venues-January 6

Jobing.com Arena

Glendale, AZ

Opened: 2003
Construction Cost: $180 Million
Capacity: 17,799 for Ice Hockey, up to 19,000 for Concerts, 18,300 for Basketball
Home Teams: Phoenix Coyotes (NHL) 2003-Present, Arizona Sting (NLL) 2003-2007
Events Attended: None

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Paul Kucher under CC-BY 2.0  License

Small Ball Report-January 6

GSAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Concordia's Justin Johnson was named Men's Basketball Player of the Week yesterday.  In his Junior year, Johnson averaged 21.5 points per game as Concordia won both of its games last week to move into a first place tie with Biola in the GSAC.

Monday's Results:

Vanguard 70, Hope International 57,
Biola 85, Azusa Pacific 69
Point Loma Nazarene 72, San Diego Christian 63
Concordia 61, The Masters 54
California Baptist 81, Westmont 66

Standings:

Biola 4-0 GSAC, 14-0 overall
Concordia 4-0 GSAC, 14-0 overall
California Baptist 3-1 GSAC, 10-4 overall
The Masters 3-1 GSAC, 10-4 overall
Westmont 2-2 GSAC, 10-3 overall
Vanguard 2-2 GSAC, 3-7 overall
Point Loma Nazarene 2-3 GSAC, 5-8 overall
Fresno Pacific 1-2 GSAC, 11-2 overall
Azusa Pacific 1-3 GSAC, 8-6 overall
Hope International 0-4 GSAC, 4-9 overall
San Diego Christian 0-4 GSAC, 2-12 overall

Women's Basketball:

Senior Colleen Planeta of Point Loma Nazarene was named the Women's Basketball Player of the Week.  Planeta averaged 25.5 points per game, and 8.0 rebounds per game last week.  She also had 18 blocked shots, 12 steals and 5 assists.

Monday's Results:

Point Loma Nazarene 73, San Diego Christian 49
Azusa Pacific 70, Biola 56
The Masters 80, Concordia 62
Vanguard 91, Hope International 86 (OT)
California Baptist 79, Westmont 67

Standings:

Azusa Pacific 4-0 GSAC, 11-3 overall
Point Loma Nazarene 4-1 GSAC, 13-1 overall
Vanguard 3-1 GSAC, 7-1 overall
Westmont 3-1 GSAC, 10-2 overall
California Baptist 3-1 GSAC, 10-4 overall
The Masters 2-2 GSAC, 7-5 overall
Biola 2-2 GSAC, 6-6 overall
Concordia 1-3 GSAC, 8-4 overall
Fresno Pacific 0-3 GSAC, 3-10 overall
Hope International 0-4 GSAC, 4-9 overall
San Diego Christian 0-4 GSAC, 3-10 overall

SCIAC Conference

Men's Basketball:

Pomona-Pitzer 56, Emerson 62 at Occidental
West Coast Baptist 74, La Verne 89
La Sieera 80, Redlands 94

Standings:

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 8-3 overall
Occidental 8-3 overall
Whittier 6-4 overall
Cal Lutheran 6-5 overall
La Verne 4-7 overall
Pomona-Pitzer 4-7 overall
Redlands 4-7 overall
Caltech 0-10 overall

Women's Basketball:

There was no action on Tuesday.  Conference play starts on Thursday.