Did The Lakers REALLY Want Dwight to Stay?

I can't get around the sneaking suspision that the Lakers never really wanted Dwight Howard back. I think the billboards, tweets from past players, and the effort at the meeting were all done to give the facade that they were trying. They had too, to save face. They couldn't publicly admit that they knew Dwight wasn't the player they had hoped for.

Lakers Season NOW Makes Sense

For all the talk of new coaches, new players, friction between Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard, and trying to incorporate a system that wont work with this team, I think the real problem came to the fore front this week.

The Lakers loved owner Jerry Buss passed away this past Monday. It was also revealed that he had been in and out of the hospital for 18 months with the family spokesman saying it was quite a surprise he lasted as long as he did. I think this speaks volumes as to what was going on. The team was being asked to keep a secret and they had to deal with the fact that their leader, the greatest sports owner in history, was dyeing. That is a great weight to bear for anyone. Let alone a team that was unable to express anything prior to his passing. I now understand why this team looked like it wasn't there on the court sometimes.

It all makes sense. Both Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss have come out very publicly that Dwight Howard was the future face of this franchise. Did they know privately how much everything that was going on was affecting Dwight and his play?

This is not to downplay what has happened this year. I also think that injuries and the Kobe/Dwight drama are both big problems. However I do believe that the sickness of Dr. Jerry Buss has affected the team the past 18 months more than any one is willing to talk about. I also think that the passing away of Dr. Buss will allow the team to grieve and not think about him in pain or dyeing. They can now focus on basketball.

The NBA has been notified. The Lakers are coming for you.

Heavy Hearts In Los Angeles

It's weird because it feels like someone I knew has passed away. Even though I never met Dr. Jerry Buss. But I grew up a fan of the Lakers. I really honestly cannot remember a day when I wasn't cheering on the purple and gold. So to hear the news today that the leader of the the team had passed away was hard to hear.

I know there are many more fans here in L.A. that feel the same way I do. There are heavy hearts here in Los Angeles. But to all the fans out there, you must know that heaven will be run a little more efficiently now.

Rest In Peace Dr. Jerry Buss

Here I go again (on my own)

Alright LA Sports peeps. Going to try and get this blog started again. So hold on tight, it's going to be a fun (if not different) ride.

Farewell Joe Torre

   As the Dodgers 2010 dismal season comes to an end, I would personally like to say thanks to Joe Torre for giving us Dodger fans hope again.


Image via Wikipedia

   Sure the Dodgers did not make the playoff’s this year. But they did make it every other year you managed them. And they went passed the first round of the playoff’s, something they hadn’t done since they won the World Series in 1988. They came in first place in the N.L. West, 2 of the three years Joe Torre managed them. Those are the tangibles Joe brought to the team. But the intangibles will be really what he left behind.

   Joe Torre brought a sense of class and a caring spirit that will, hopefully, stay with these young players for far much longer. And it was all on display today on the Dodgers last game of the season. Joe let Brad Ausmas catch the final game of his career before his retirement, he let Rafael Furcal get an at bat then pulled him from the game so he could stay above .300 for the season, he allowed first baseman John Lindsey (he had previously spent 16 years in the minors until earlier this year) to walk out for a pinch hit (allowing the crowd to cheer for him and letting him get his name in more box score) even though he has a broken hand and cast on (Joe wasn’t going to let him actually bat and Trent Oeltjen batted for John), and Joe brought in Kuo so he could get the lowest single season ERA (minimum 50 innings) and letting him get his 12th save of the season. Great stuff, right?

   So thank you Joe, and good luck wherever you end up.

 

The Dodgers Are No Better Off Then They Were 4 Days Ago

The Dodgers came into this weeks 4 game series with the Padres needing to win at least 3 out of 4. They did not accomplish this. The Dodgers split the series 2-2 and are in fact worse off then they were 4 days ago because 4 games were taken off the schedule and in the process they lost Russell Martin, for what appears to be the rest of the season, with a hip injury.



Not a good sign if you are a Dodger fan. Of which I am...

Shaq in Boston Celtic Green

I loved Shaq as a Laker. The Lakers would not have won those 3 championships without him. He brought joy and happiness to the city of Los Angeles.

Then came the fallout. Shaq left on not so great terms. He won a championship with Miami and continued to rant and rave on Kobe. But through all this I never hated him. I was no longer a fan but still appreciated what he had done while in a Laker uniform.

Then came the news today. Shaq is reportedly going to be a Boston Celtic. The hated Boston Celtics. The one thing no ex-Laker should ever do is put on a green jersey. Never.

So I should be pissed off. Surprisingly I'm not. The only reason being, I don't want Miami to win anything.