Floating Away

October is upon us . . .

October is upon us . . . which means many many things. 

There are a ridiculous number of great shows happening soon.  Pick any venue, from Bound Stems at El Cid to the Detour Festival to Jose back in town to the Decemberists and Sufjan and the Hold Steady and . . . man, I could go on forever.  But, I am not.  Which brings me back to my point:  October is upon us. 

October is upon us and today marks a grand day as the Dodgers take on the Mets in Game 1 of the NLDS.  Upon moving to NY, I went to many Yankees games, but soon found my true calling at Shea Stadium watching the Mets play.  I am not sure what it is, but something about Mr. Met really makes me smile.  I like the way I feel wearing my Mets hat around NY.  It was like I was part of a small club.  I found myself checking the standings daily, just so when some super fan approached me on the subway, I could say "3 games out of first.  Lets keep it up". 

Then, something drastic happened.  Well, two drastic things happened.  1) I moved to LA and 2) The Mets got good.  Like really good.  I struggled with my ideas of loving a losing franchise the same way I struggle with the Decemberists being on Capitol Records and playing the Wiltern.  And on top of that, Angel extraordinaire (and part time blogger) Chone Figgins would keep hooking me up with tickets to the Big A so, I put my love for David Wright aside and bought a Angels T-shirt. As the season went on and the Angels flirted with first, I went to my share of Angels games and enjoyed them.  They are a strong franchise.  Mike Scioscia is as good as they come and I would not want to meet Vladimir Guerrero in a dark alley.  But, my heart wasn't in it.  I love baseball and more over, I love what baseball means.  I love that baseball means more than just a game.  The Young Adult novel, "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord hits on that theme exactly:

"Baseball is not just another sport. America is not just another country. In our national pastime, each player is a member of a team, but when he comes to bat, he stands alone. One man. Many opportunities.  For no matter how far behind, how late in the game, he, by himself can make a difference. He can change what has been. He can make it a new ballgame.

 In the life of our nation, each man is a citizen of the United States, but he has the right to pursue his own happiness.  For no matter what his race, religion or creed, be he pauper or president, he has the right to speak his mind, to live as he wishes within the law, to elect our officials and stand for office, to excel.  To make a difference.  To change what has been. To make a better America.

And so can you! And so must you!"

When you read that, you don't think of Anaheim.  You think of storied franchises fighting their way back and trying to make their city love them again.  The Dodgers over the last few weeks have become incredibly fun to watch and I look forward to cheering them on today.  And so can you.  And so must you!

Brian France and Bud Selig Coming to LA

I just got word that USC's Marshall School is bringing Bud and Brian to Los Angeles.  They will be speaking as part of USC's Sports Business Institute's Commissioner Series. 

I'm sharing this news because 1) this is a unique opportunity, 2) I'm pissed that I can't see Bud due to another obligation that night, and 3) as an open question to the public:  why does USC provide much better community programming than UCLA?  As a current student at UCLA Anderson, this especially perturbs me.

That aside, if you can attend, you should.  Bud will be speaking on November 9th and Brian on February 22. 

If you're asking yourself, who are these guys?  No, they are not some new indie band that Dan discovered before the OC did.  Bud is the Commissioner of Major League Baseball and Brian is Chairman and CEO of NASCAR.

If you want to learn more about baseball, click here.  For more on NASCAR, click here.

 

Why is this night different from all other nights?

As a Jewish boy growing up with a father from New York, I heard countless stories about Sandy Koufax putting his religion ahead of the team in the World Series.  While I loved the story and appreciate Sandy Koufax for all he has done (both wearing a Dodgers jersey and a yarmulke), I was disappointed by the lack of Jews playing professional sports when I was growing up.  There are a couple of notable Jews playing major league sports (LA Kings Center and former Wolverine Mike Cammalleri and Arizona Diamonbacks right fielder Shawn Green to name a few), but the NBA hasn't had a Jewish player since Danny Schayes left the NBA in 2000.

Well, today was a historic day for Jews and the NBA.  Lior Eliahu made history today when he was the first Israeli born player drafted.  He was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 44th pick in the NBA's draft.  He was then traded promptly to Houston because apparently they thought Texas would feel more like Israel. 

Immediately after drafting him, ESPN analysts said he is not quite ready to make it to the NBA, but maybe in a couple of years.  Sadly, I realized that my dream of a Jew playing in the NBA was far away, but then I found out that former UCLA Bruin and the 26th pick for the Lakers Jordan Farmar is Jewish!!!  So, thank you to Adonai for bringing a bit of diversity to Staples next year.   

LA Times Quote of the Day

It's a slow day here at work, hence the heavy posting.  I have read most of the LA Times today, but when I read this quote, I laughed out loud.   Today, JA Adande's article in the LA Times broke down the NBA MVP race between Kobe and Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash.  The article, had the best Steve Nash nickname I have ever seen:

"I call Nash Mr. Drummond, because I haven't seen a white man take such good care of black people since 'Diff'rent Strokes.'"

Brilliant.

UCLA v Florida Preview

As everyone knows, UCLA is playing for the NCAA championship tonight at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.  Tip off is at 6:21 on CBS, but UCLA officials and LAPD are worrying about what happens if the bruins win?

According to the Daily Bruin, there will be no tolerance for "'behavior such as throwing beer bottles, jumping on cars and public intoxication,' said Sgt. Peter Harris of LAPD."

What about burning couches? Will that be allowed?

In other news, if you happen to have a Bruin Card lying around, you can watch the game tonight at Pauley Pavillion. Could be fun, but only if you sneak in your own wings.

Brokeback Luge: Matt and Al Strike Again

Are you looking for a cure for your Torino Fever?  Thankfully, the Today Show has a remedy for you.  If watching Al lay on top of Matt while racing down the luge track doesn't cure you...I'm sorry, but there's really nothing else we can do.

It's official: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

An OC jury has ruled that the Angels can remain as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  However, rumor has it that Arte is not going to stop there.  In order to maximize its fan base, the Angels have scheduled a press conference to announce their new name and logo for 2006:  The Los Angeles Angels at Gene Autry Way in Orange County, West Coast, Planet Earth, of Anaheim.

Can you come up with a better name?

MP3:  I See Red - Neil & Tim Finn.  This is my official, unofficial song of the Angels.

It's Hard to be a Saint in the City

On Friday, Oct 28th, the Washington Post reported that the NFL would consider relocating the New Orleans Saints to Los Angeles if New Orleans is unable to recover from Katrina.  The Saints, who have been playing home games in San Antonio, have stated that the SuperDome won't be available until 2006 at its earliest.

Today, the LA Times reported that it isnt that simple.  Paul Tagliabue, commish of the NFL, said, "We're going to make every effort to keep the Saints as Louisiana's team."  For their home state opener at LSU yesterday only 66,000 fans showed up. 20,000 more showed up to watch LSU destroy North Texas.  No word on how many apathetic LA football fans would show up if they played in the coliseum. 

Konerko heading to Disneyland, for real?

No one had a chance.  Not the Indians, the Angels, nor the Astros.  After sweeping Houston to win its first Pennant since 1917, the Sox might have to part ways with slugger Paul Konerko due to free agency.  Konerko lives in Arizona and has publicly said that he would like to play for the Angels.