Blog

Thursday’s NBA Draft (4 p.m., ESPN, Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.) may mark the first day of summer, but it appears to shed little sunshine on the Lakers or Clippers. The former has the No. 24 overall pick (via that Cleveland trade) and No. 47, while the later has picks 12 (from Detroit) and 13. Phoenix chooses first, and Sacramento second. But with Kawhi Leonard now apparently available in San Antonio, one scenario is the Kings dealing that No. 2 choice to the Spurs for him. Philadelphia, the mess that it is with six picks in this draft somehow, could also put a package together. Wouldn’t that be a problem for the Lakers? University of Arizona freshman Deandre Ayton is supposed to go first, but Slovenia’s Luka Doncic could upset those plans. UCLA’s Aaron Holiday (who will share the stage with his two NBA brothers) and USC’s De’Anthony Melton are the local noteworthy players. And of the 60 players expected to get chosen, none seem to be named LiAngelo Ball (Lithuania, UCLA, Chino Hills), who had to spend last Sunday’s Father’s Day with …

Continue reading “06.18.18: Five things you should plan for the week ahead based on unscientific evidence of guaranteed importance” →

If you spent the last three days unplugged from the world of sports, recharge your knowledge here:

The aftertaste of 28-year-old Brooks Koepka’s second straight U.S. Open triumph, this one at Shinnecock Hills in New York, is a strange one. The course was “cooked” on Saturday, resulting in eight players shooting 80 or worse, including Phil Mickelson having a “moment of madness” (in the words of his playing partner, Andrew Johnston) where he hit a moving ball on the 13th green that was about to roll off. Mickelson says he knew he would get a two-stroke penalty for the move, face a DQ by flaunting the rule and making a statement against the USGA, but he only embarassed himself more than anything. (“This was Mickelson’s attempt to be the smartest guy in golf once again,” wrote AP reporter Tim Dahlberg. “Mickelson should know there’s no place for that kind of behavior on any golf course.”) What was he thinking? Only he can answer it. The next day, someone named Tommy Fleetwood almost sets a record for lowest round in a major, missing a birdie putt on 18 that would have given him 62. For contest, Fleetwood shot a 78 the day before. And then there was Paulina Gretzky celebrating as if the father of her kids just won the event. That kind of summed it up.

Continue reading “06.18.18: Five things you need to know from this past weekend” →

It was our pleasure to have former Dodgers GM Ned Colletti visit The Drill and sit in one of our big chairs for an extended interview today.
We covered all sorts of things from the current status of the Dodgers, a deeper dive into his book “The Big Chair,” and a few quick hits on the news of the day.
Enjoy.

So we’re sitting around at the Fox Sports Studios in Century City back in early December. The sun has barely risen on a Friday morning call for all soccer hands on deck – particularly Southern California residents Landon Donovan and Alexi Lalas.
They wanted to be there, and maybe they didn’t, as the draw for the 2018 World Cup was taking place live in Russia and carried on FS1. A 2 1/2 hour show was devoted to the selection of the 32-team bracket.
The buzz in the air was interesting – anticipation for the announcement, but deflation knowing the U.S. isn’t one of them.
Team America, f*%# no.
Continue reading “Sports media notes 06.12.18: How Fox falls forward with a U.S.-empty World Cup and Telemundo turns up the flame with a Mexico-charged Copa de Mundo” →