Articles written by mitch chortkoff
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Struggling Lakers Miss Gasol A Lot
As I look at the Lakers' dreadful record I wonder how much better they'd be this season if Pau Gasol remained on the team. Gasol, a far better big man than anyone on the Lakers this season, was...
What's Worse? Trading Kemp Or Piazza
In 1998 the Dodgers traded away Mike Piazza in what immediately became the most unpopular move in their Los Angeles history. Last week the Dodgers traded away Matt Kemp, and judging by initial reactio...
Kobe Has Been Great, But The Greatest Laker???
When the National Basketball Association revealed its list of the 50 greatest players of all time I was on the selection committee. When the list was made public, unfortunately so was the balloting...
Believe It Or Not, Stanton's Contract Makes Sense
Giancarlo Stanton recently signed a 13-year, $325 million contract with the Miami Marlins. Although the right fielder hit 37 home runs last season and came close to outpolling Dodger pitcher Clayton K...
Football Playoff Committee Was Clumsy But Got It Right
The committee that settled on the four teams who’ll play in the first College Football Playoff got it right at the finish. But this distinguished group created needless controversy in the manner it...
Clippers Put It Together On Historic Trip
The joke in the Staples Center press room a few weeks ago was that new Clippers owner Steve Ballmer had called a meeting of the players. And he told them "if you don't start playing better I'm going...
Lakers' Henry Out For The Season
Reserve guard Xavier Henry is the latest in a long line of Laker players who have been injured in the last two seasons. Henry suffered a ruptured left Achilles tendon in practice last week. The...
It's The Jim Mora Era At UCLA
I'm old enough to remember Red Sanders' impact when he coached football at UCLA. And the dynasties of John McKay and Pete Carroll at USC, among others. In this city with a remarkable cross-town...
We're So Lucky To Have MVPs Kershaw, Trout
Out of all the major league baseball players on teams throughout the land the MVPs have been chosen and they both play in Southern California. If you're a baseball fan here you can join me in...
New NBA Season Brings Early Surprises
The NBA season began only two weeks ago but already there have been numerous surprises. The biggest one is the Cleveland Cavaliers' 1-3 start and apparent friction between LeBron James and the...
Father Of Laker Ellington Shot To Death
The father of Laker guard Wayne Ellington was shot to death in a car in Philadelphia last week. Ellington has been granted a leave from the team. “He needs time to grieve and he’ll be welcomed...
WILL DODGERS LEARN FROM THIS WORLD SERIES?
The new owners of the Dodgers arrived with a plan – outspend every opponent and win the World Series pretty often. They have produced a couple of highly competitive teams, but there's been no World...
Kobe Says He's Staying Here
Kobe Bryant has an answer for those who think he should request a trade from the Lakers. “I’ve heard the chatter that I should ask out and go to a contender for the last years of my career. But...
Rookie Randle's Broken Leg Devastates Lakers
By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor He's 19 years old, one of the most talented players the Lakers have and on the NBA season's opening night Julius Randle broke his right leg. The Lakers figured to...
Injured Nash Won't Play For Lakers This Season
By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor Steve Nash is one of the best point guards ever to play in the NBA. He's been MVP twice and ranks third all-time in assists. Unfortunately for the Lakers, Nash did his...
Clippers Experiment And Lose Exhibition Games
Many NBA coaches experiment with new players and new on-court ideas during exhibition games. The theory is that in the eight practice games permitted to each team it's a good time to see what improvem...
Lakers Bring Back Their Tradition With Scott
On the day Byron Scott became the new coach of the Lakers this summer three surprise guests attended the press conference. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Jamaal Wilkes were there to support...
Dodgers Hire Friedman, Demote Colletti
When the Dodgers were quickly eliminated from the current playoffs it was likely a major change was coming. It was a matter of who would be replaced by new owners who expect their big spending to...
COLLAPSE
It looked for awhile like there could be a Freeway World Series this season. So, how can we explain that neither the Dodgers nor the Angels made it out of their opening playoff series? Well, we can...
Dodgers Can Be Champs But Erratic Play Leaves Doubts
During most of my lifetime the New York Yankees have been baseball's biggest spenders and often had the best team. They piled up World Series championships but in some years they didn't win in the...
Can Angels Succeed In Playoffs? I Don't Know
The Angels clinched their division championship the fastest of any team this season. That's the good news for Angel fans. The bad news is the team that clinches first seldom wins the World Series. As...
How Can Lakers Get Back To The Top?
Now that the Clippers have a new owner, a proven outstanding coach and two of the NBA's best players they seem equipped for an outstanding season. Where does that leave the Lakers, who were targeting...
Clippers' Sale Is The Right Decision
Donald Sterling tried everything to prevent the sale of his Los Angeles Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion. But when the sale was finalized Tuesday Clipper fans could...
A Woman Will Coach In The NBA
By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor The San Antonio Spurs are not only NBA champions they have the reputation of frequently being a few steps ahead of opponents in a variety of ways. I admire the Spurs...
UCLA Can Play in Pauley Despite Flood
When Pauley Pavilion was modernized two years go the UCLA basketball team played its home schedule primarily at the Sports Arena. Due to heavy flooding last week which included the Pauley Pavilion...
