Author: fartheroffthewall

Some of us came of age at the Forum in Inglewood, and it wasn’t just earning a few extra bucks scalping tickets to get a whiff of Lakers Showtime some 30-plus years ago.
We knew guys who knew guys who could sneak us into a lot of stuff, some of which we (at least I) will finally admit in Episode 3 of “The Drill.”
And as a way to help you get through some of the references, here are things we believe you should be up to speed on as we talk you through the latest discussion about the NCAA basketball tournament (with games this weekend at Staples Center), things we once broke (in relation to a Justin Turner injury), things we’ve watched (like the new ARod show on CNBC) and why I decided to wear a USC sweatshirt.
(Which, for the record, was a gift to me to me from Fr. Tom Kelly, replacing the one I once gave away and worthy of a story unto itself as I did here. He is also no relation to the late, great USC broadcaster by the same name with whom I wrote a book with years ago and is still available on Amazon.com.)
There’s an mp3 link that you can capture and upload if you’re just interested in the audio, and that will also be on Beto Duran’s “Living The Dream” podcast platform. (He is, by the way, hosting the Lakers’ pre-game show tonight on Spectrum SportsNet).

So let’s dig in:

* Talking about Sister Jean (the one-time principal at St. Brendan School in L.A.) and her Loyola of Chicago run to the Sweet 16, our friend Jim Thompson (https://twitter.com/JimmySportToons), who also created the illustration for “The Drill” that’s posted above, did up this piece (above) that pretty much shows how she has posterized this whole tournament.
Continue reading “The Drill E3: Things we did at the Forum that we can now admit … and then some” →

So, what’s new with you?
Yup, we’ve experienced a few interesting things the last few weeks … but what’s in the past is history. Which is important to know and even more important to learn from.
How about we drill forward. Which is probably more productive than sitting back on all the things you’ve done before and believe they still matter.

Check out this new show that a few journalistic-type friends and I are working. For now, we call it “The Drill,” an L.A.-sports-eccentric production out of the ProAngle Media production studios in Carson. We post at the start of the week to review what just happened and project what’s coming based on our calculations and experiences.
No personal bashing. No “hot takes.” Like being in the press box without staring at our iPhones to make sure we haven’t missed anything happening right in front of our faces.
Have a look at Episode 2 on Facebook and YouTube. And it’s above for those who don’t like clicking hyperlinks.
(Episode 1? OK, it’s here too, but …. curb your enthusiasm … sweet sassy molassy)

Think of it as maybe “PTI” meets NPR. We want to educate and put into context what’s happening based on what’s grabbing our interests. We may lapse into some “old-time story telling,” but we won’t bore you with things unless we think you’ll get something out of it.
The beauty is also that it’s viewer-driven with where we go from here — let us know what you like, want to see more, care to see less.
With Episode 2 posted on Monday, March 12, we’ve also decided that, instead of screen graphics or inserts, here’s a “cheat sheet” reference list of some of the things we’ve discussed in case you’d like to explore more about it.

Such as:

• • We talked about Tom’s trip to Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Tournament, to do a Q&A with Ed O’Bannon about winning his legal battle over the use of name, likeness and image with the NCAA. Here is the link
  • If you’re interested in O’Bannon’s book, written with SI’s Michael McCann, we highly recommend it. It’s available on Amazon here.
  • We talked about how there’s only been one #8 seed to win the tourney. It was Villanova in 1985. Read up. (Tom predicts an 8-12 seed will win it this year).
  • Beto showed his OC knowledge. Here’s the bar he talked about near Cal State Fullerton called “Off Campus.”
  • Diego Rossi has been on fire for LAFC. Here’s his first goal:

• • How good was Julius Randle on Sunday night against Cleveland? He was this good.
  • Someone didn’t recognize Jack Nicholson? Well, it’s not as good as it gets, and some of us can’t handle the truth of how he’s looking these days (compared to Magic Johnson, for sure). The New York Post’s Page Six jumped on that.
  • For anyone who wonders how much Jerry West — and why producer Jon thinks the Clippers have any sort of edge over the Lakers if he indeed plays somewhere outside of Cleveland next year — consider West’s career accomplishments (outside modeling for the logo).
  • Beto had never heard of Black and Decker! As 50 somethings, it has been a hardware staple! (Yeah, sure, Beto hires someone to work for him).
  • Yes, Lowery has jumped into 2018. Here’s his Twitter handle (As for Tom Hoffarth and Beto Duran, you already know where to find us).
  • If you’ve never seen, heard or experienced Sir Howard Cosell… He was an American institution who helped create the entertainment value of “Monday Night Football,” far from what it is today. Check him out:

• • Oscar Valdez broke his jaw in the ring the other night and kept on fighting. Need more?
  • The Tiger effect was huge in golf this weekend as The Masters comes up. Be aware that his name is being thrown around again, but in a positive way this time, as TV networks wish they had more of him going on.
  • In a segment we call “The Business,” Tom gets into how the new NCAA Tourney Selection Show was met with mixed reviews. Like these. And the Lawrence, Kansas Police Department had some fun with the selection show.
  • If you haven’t seen the 2011 movie “Moneyball,” this is what it was about (prepare to be Brad Pitt-ified:

• • We all love us some Santa Anita, it’s a Southern California gem … and my daughter wanted to remind me that I failed to mention that every time I took her out there, she “suggested” bets placed on horses (and jockeys) that were dressed up in pink. It paid off (with ice cream). Tom’s personal favorite moment was Zenyatta’s Breeders’ Cup Classic win in 2009, thanks to Trevor Denman’s call:

• • A great restaurant after a day at the races is in Pico Rivera. We talked about Dalrae.
  • Uh, we unfortunately mentioned Angela Lansbury. Mrs. Potts. “Murder She Wrote.” She has a lot of charm back in her heyday. She’s no Angie Dickinson.
  • There’s a reason why Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days” resonates with a lot of us. Hum along if you will (and note the “speedball” reference):

• • • • • • We talked about some of the new rules they’re using in the NIT. Here they are.
          • And then, we had an Arash Markazi reference. He was in Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Tournament. If you don’t know who he is, follow him on Twitter. If you do know, ask him why he digs Club Taco Bell:

        https://twitter.com/ArashMarkazi/status/972789388156350465

    So, let us know what you think at this point. Was this list helpful?