05.13.19: Five things you should plan for the week ahead based on unscientific evidence of guaranteed importance

 

The 2019 NBA Draft Lottery is important to whom again?
Oh, right. The Lakers.
For the sixth year in a row.
It happens Tuesday. In Chicago. At 5:30 p.m., on ESPN.
Go on, move along. Nothing left to see.
The percentage of L.A. interest in this reality show may be proportional to the the Lakers’ two percent chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick, a result of finishing as 11^th worst team in the league after the 2017-18 LeBron James Tour ended. The odds increase from 2.2 to 2.4 to 2.8 percent for either the second, third or fourth pick.
Zion Williams isn’t too worried.
Take last year as the most-likely probably: The Lakers had 1.1 percent odds for No. 1, stayed at No. 10, traded it away, and now it’s all some incidental trivia question. This time, Magic Johnson isn’t adding his opinion, so this all apparently lands at the feet of what Linda Rambis wants to do. She could actually be repping the team in person for this thing instead of Kyle Kuzma, but the decision has already been made. Whether or not Frank Vogel and/or Jason Kidd object.
For the record, the Lakers’ recent lottery tracking:
= 2017: Got a push up from No. 3 to No. 2 and took Lonzo Ball
= 2016: Stayed at No. 2 and took Brandon Ingram
= 2015: Another shove up No. 4 to No. 2 and took D’Angelo Russell, current All-Star guard in Brooklyn.
= 2014: Dropped from No. 6 to No. 7 and still had a nice choice with Julius Randle, now in New Orleans doing well.
The Clippers really have no interest. They were part of the ’18 lottery (stuck at No. 13 and took Jerome Robinson) but otherwise they haven’t been a factor since 2011.
With a new system in place the level it off for all those who tanked hard, the Knicks, Cavs and Suns (who had the No. 1 pick last year, took Deandre Ayton, and now have him representing the team at this event) have an equal 14 percent chance of landing the top choice. Same with the second (13.4 percent), third (12.7 percent) or fourth (12 percent) choice. The Bulls, Hawks, Wizards, Pelicans, Grizzles, Mavericks, Timberwolves, Hornets and Heat are also here, as well as reps from the Celtics and 76ers, because the Kings have given up their pick to one of them depending on where it lands.
More info: https://www.nba.com/nba-draft-lottery-explainer

If you’re still following the NBA playoffs:
Western Conference:
* Game 1: Portland at Golden State, Tuesday at 6 p.m., ESPN (with Game 2 Thursday and Game 3 Saturday)
Eastern Conference:
* Game 1: Toronto at Milwaukee, Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., TNT (with Game 2 Friday and Game 3 Sunday)

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Tiger Woods gives the 101st PGA Championship and a field of the 100 in the World Golf Rankings more than just a marginal boost since it gives him some momentum toward Jack Nicklaus’ all-time major wins mark, a month removed from an improbable triumph at the Masters that was apparently worthy of a White House reception and medal distribution.
This was moved up on the calendar from mid-August/pre Labor Day to pre Memorial Day so there will be a major every month from April through July.
Woods, a four-time winner of this event (’99, ’00, ’06, ’07), has become the 8-to-1 favorite over Dustin Johnson (10-to-1) and defending champion Brooks Koepka (12-to-1 with Rory McIlroy). Koepka won at Bellerive Country Club in Missouri, and Bethpage Black (par 71, 7,426), which held the U.S. Open in 2009 and ’02 and is the site for the 2024 Ryder Cup, is a whole other beast on Long Island.
The TV schedule:
* Thursday and Friday: TNT, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
* Saturday and Sunday: TNT, 8-to-11 a.m., Channel 2/KCBS, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
* Livestreaming of featured groups and holes: PGA.com

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One hundred and fifty years ago, the Cincinnati Reds came into existence as the first openly all-salaried professional team in baseball history. Ten men got paid for eight months, from March 15 to Nov. 15, led by Harry and George Wright. They had no agents. There’s a new book out about it: “Baseball Revolutionaries: How the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings Rocked the Country and Made Baseball Famous,” by Greg Rhodes, John Erardi and Greg Gajus.
The Red Stockings first game: May 4, with a 45-9 win over the Great Westerners of Cincinnati. Six days later, they defeated the Kekiongas of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, 86-8. The team went 57-0 that year and scored 2,395 runs.
As the anniversary arrives, the franchise has already embraced it – by waiving Matt Kemp and keeping Yasiel Puig. They’ve also gone to new heights by asking the players to wear 15 different throw-back uniforms.
Having already dragged out all-blue duds from 1911, and nifty white unis from 1902, they’ll have a special “minimalist style” from 1912 to wear during Sunday’s home game against the Dodgers (10:10 a.m., SportsNet L.A., featuring Hyun-Jin Ryu making his first start after a week of pitching two shutouts). That means no insignia on the front. Just the “C” on the sleeves. Stark, but effective. In that same year, the Brooklyn Dodgers, in existence just one year, had a nifty collared top with a large “B” on the front that kind of looks like the Detroit Tigers’ “D.” At least it’s blue. In their first season of 1901, the Brooklyn home scheme was red and white.
How the week shapes up for the Dodgers (27-16, 4 games up in the NL West):
* Vs. San Diego, at Dodger Stadium, Tuesday (Clayton Kershaw vs. Chris Paddack) and Wednesday (Rich Hill vs. Mike Strahm) at 7:10 p.m., SportsNet L.A.
* At Cincinnati, Friday (Kenta Maeda vs. Anthony DeScalfani) at 4:10 p.m., Saturday (Walker Buehler vs. Tyler Mahle) at 1:10 p.m., Sunday (Hyun-Jin Ryu) at 10:10 a.m., SportsNet L.A.
How the week shapes up for the Angels (19-21, somehow second in the AL West):
* At Minnesota, Monday (Tyler Skaggs vs. Jose Berrios) and Tuesday  (TBD vs. Kyle Gibson), 4:40 p.m., Wednesday (Trevor Cahill vs. Jake Odorizzi) at 10:10 a.m., Fox Sports West
* Vs. Kansas City, Angel Stadium, Friday (Matt Harvey vs. Brad Keller), at 7:07 p.m., FSW;  Saturday (Griffin Canning vs. Jakob Junis) at 7:07 p.m., FSW and FS1; Sunday (Tyler Skaggs vs. Danny Duffy) at 1:07 p.m., FSW

And this week in college baseball:
UCLA (41-8, 19-5 in the Pac-12, ranked No. 1 nationally): At UC Irvine, Tuesday at 6 p.m., vs. Washington, at Jackie Robinson Stadium, Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 7 p.m., Sunday at noon, all on Pac-12 Network
USC (20-26-1, 9-13-1 in the Pac-12): At Loyola Marymount, Tuesday at 6 p.m.,; vs. Oregon, at Dedeaux Field, Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m., Sunday at noon, Pac-12 Networks. (Saturday is a Randy Johnson bobblehead day event)
UC Irvine (31-15, 12-6 in the Big West): vs. UCLA, at Anteater Ballpark, Tuesday at 6 p.m.; vs. UC Davis, at Anteater Ballpark, Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m., (both on ESPN3), Sunday at 1 p.m.
Cal State Northridge (21-28, 8-13 in the Big West): At San Francisco, Friday and Saturday at 3 p.m., Sunday at 1 p.m.
Long Beach State (11-38, 5-13 in the BIg West): At Cal State Fullerton, Thursday at 7 p.m. (ESPNU), Friday at 8:15 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m.
Cal State Fullerton (22-25, 8-10 in the Big West): vs. Long Beach State, at Goodwin Field, Thursday at 7 p.m., (ESPNU), Friday at 8:15 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m.
Loyola Marymount (27-20, 14-10 in the West Coast Conference): At Cal State Bakersfield, Monday at 2 p.m.; vs. USC, at Page Stadium, Tuesday at 6 p.m.; vs. Gonzaga, at Page Stadium, Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m., Sunday at 1 p.m. (end of regular season)
Pepperdine (23-22, 13-11 in the West Coast Conference): At UC Santa Barbara, Tuesday at 3 p.m.; vs. Saint Mary’s at Malibu, Friday at 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. (end of regular season)

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The Tour of California started Sunday with a twirl around Sacramento, heads to South Lake Tahoe (Monday, 1-4 p.m., NBCSN), then Stockton (Tuesday, 1-4 p.m., NBCSN), and a cool stop at the Leguna Seca Raceway and Big Sur (Wednesday, 1-4 p.m., NBCSN) before we finally catch our first whiff of it on the 136-mile Pismo Beach-to-Solvang, then Santa-Barbara wine country and the Foxen Canyon trail-to-Oxnard/Ventura Stage 5 leg (Thursday, 1-4 p.m., NBCSN, repeats at 11 p.m.-to-midnight).
Come around to Friday (2-4 p.m., NBCSN, repeats at 11 p.m.-to-midnight) becomes the 80-mile Ontario start, up San Antonio Heights, then Glendora and finishing it up at Mt. Baldy.
It ends up Saturday with the 87-mile Stage 7 (starts at 10:30 a.m., KNBC-Channel 4 joins live from noon-to-2 p.m.), launching at Valencia Town Center, a 1,500-foot climb through the mountains through Action and Aliso Canyon, passing Mt. Wilson on the descent to La Canada Flintridge and then a circuit around the Rose Bowl. Expect a finish to happen about 1:30 p.m.
More info: www.amgentourofcalifornia.com

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The 114th Preakness at Pimlico in Baltimore must be run Saturday, even if this crazy idea that there was any kind of possible Triple Crown shot  on anyone’s radar.
Country House, the Kentucky Derby 65-to-1 winner-by-DQ, is off the board just three days after his triumphant accomplishment, because he probably has a “little viral thing” going, according to trainer Bill Mott. It’ll be the first time in 23 years a Kentucky Derby declared champ isn’t going in Race No. 2 of the Crown Run.
Maximum Security, the Derby’s loser-by-protest-after-winning, is also not going. His owner, Gary Ward, was denied an appeal, threatened to take his legal business elsewhere, and said there is “really no need … to run a horse back in two weeks.” Unless, of course, he had something to race for.
Perhaps on this day, Country House and Maximum Security can meet together at a local bar and reminisce. Of course, this is the perfect opportunity for the bar keep to look at the two of them and ask: Why the long faces?
Bob Baffert’s Improbable will probably be at the Preakness, however, with Mike Smith aboard, after it was the Kentucky Derby favorite but fell to fourth. Or whatever the stewards eventually decided.
TV coverage:
* KNBC-Channel 4 from 2-to-4:15 p.m., with a post time set for 3:40 p.m.

• The LAFC (8-1-3, first in the MLS) has a back-to-back series with FC Dallas (5-4-2), first at Banc of California Stadium (Thursday at 7 p.m., ESPN2) then in Dallas (Sunday at noon, YouTube TV). Also, the Galaxy (7-4-1, tied with Seattle for second in the Western Conference behind LAFC) plays host to Colorado (at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Sunday at 5 p.m., Spectrum SportsNet).
• If you’re still following the NHL playoffs, these last six launch this week from here:
  Western Conference final: Game 2 — St. Louis at San Jose, Monday at 6 p.m., NBCSN (with Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Friday in St. Louis)
  Eastern Conference final: Game 3 — Boston at Carolina, Tuesday at 5 p.m., NBCSN (with Game 4 on Thursday in Carolina)
• The NCAA men’s and women’s college tennis championships happen in Orlando, Fla. USC’s Brandon Holt, the son of Tracy Austin, is the Pac-12 champion seeded six in men’s singles.
• The NCAA women’s golf championship starts in Fayetteville, Ark., Thursday through May 22.