LAKERS EXTEND QUALIFYING OFFERS TO SASHA VUJACIC AND RONNY TURIAF

Basically what this means is the Lakers would like to keep both players, for the right money of course. The free-agent period begins tomorrow (July 1st). If either Vujacic or Turiaf agree to a deal with another team, the Lakers can match that offer and retain the player's rights. So now it becomes a bidding war. Is there another team out there willing to pay more than the Lakers for Vujacic or Turiaf?


EL SEGUNDO - The Los Angeles Lakers have extended qualifying offers to restricted free agents Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

In accordance with the league’s collective bargaining agreement, these offers establish the Lakers’ right of first refusal. Restricted free agents may sign an offer sheet with any team, but the Lakers have the ability to match any offer.

DODGERS PLACE OUTFIELDER JUAN PIERRE ON 15-DAY DISABLED LIST

This is not the best of news for the Dodgers. They were already having problems scoring runs with so many veterans on the DL, and now their only other bonafide leadoff man--besides Rafael Furcal-- will be out of action for at least 2+ weeks.

The ironic part about this news is that before Sunday's game in which Pierre got hurt, Joe Torre said that he would remain in left field even after Andruw Jones comes back from the DL. Basically, just when Pierre solidifies himself in the lineup as an everyday player for Torre, he gets hurt. Where is Alanis Morissette when we need her?

Outfielder Jason Repko recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today placed outfielder Juan Pierre on the 15-day disabled list with sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee and recalled outfielder Jason Repko from Triple-A Las Vegas. General Manager Ned Colletti made the announcement.

Repko, who will wear No. 17, is available for tonight’s series opener at Houston.

Pierre suffered the injury yesterday at Dodger Stadium while sliding into second base during a stolen-base attempt in the sixth inning of the Dodgers’ 1-0 loss against the Angels.

Pierre, 30, is being placed on the disabled list for the first time in his nine-year Major League career. Baseball’s active stolen-base leader with 424, Pierre is hitting .277 with 35 steals and 30 runs scored in 73 games this season. He ranks second in the Majors in steals, just one behind leader Willy Taveras, and is tied with James Loney for the team lead with 22 multi-hit games. The left-handed hitter has batted leadoff in each of the last 49 games while Rafael Furcal has been on the disabled list.

Repko hit .277 with 16 doubles, six homers, 29 RBI, and 15 steals in 74 games with Triple-A Las Vegas. The 27-year-old has batted .375 (39-for-104) with eight doubles, 15 RBI, and eight steals in 26 games in June.

Repko, a sandwich pick (37th overall) of the 1999 First-Year Player Draft, missed all of the 2007 season with a torn right hamstring. He appeared in 198 games with the Dodgers from 2005-06, batting .232 with 20 doubles, 11 homers, 46 RBI and 15 steals.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, pioneers in sport and world culture, are celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2008. In that period, they have won more games, more pennants, and more World Series than any other club in the National League. Since the start of the modern era in baseball, the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles, combined, have a cumulative attendance of more than 177 million, the highest total in the history of baseball or any other sport.
Visit the Dodgers on the Internet at www.dodgers.com.

Back Up And Running

Good news, good news!! My laptop is back in working order after the Geek Squad installed a new hard drive for me. Of course, I still have some customizing to do before it's back to how it was before the crash, but at least I have my computer back!!

So give me a little while before I am back to my regular posts. I feel like there's a lot we need to catch up on.

See you soon!

OJ Mayo Whistleblower Not Done Yet

Now that OJ Mayo has made the leap to the NBA, he will likely not have to deal with the allegations that he received improper benefits during his one season at USC. However, that doesn't mean that this story is going away.

See for yourself in this Sporting News article by Victoria Sun, who recently spoke to the man who blew the whistle on Rodney Guillory.

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=428460

I'm Not Dead, But My Computer Is

Sorry for being away for so long, but travel has a way of cutting into my blogging time. However, my main issue as of late has been my laptop. It seems as though Vista is finally showing me what so many people have been saying about it. It's not a question of whether it will trip out, but rather when. Well, my when came just about a year after I purchased my first Gateway notebook. Can you say expired warranty?

So while the Geek Squad at Best Buy goes to work on my laptop, I will have limited access to my blog. Hopefully, I will get it back soon though, because I've got some stuff to say.

Until then...

UPDATE:

It turns out that the problem with my laptop was not Vista, but rather my hard drive.  Yeah, the hard drive on my Gateway notebook craps out just 15 months after I purchased it.  And more importantly, it crashes 3 months after my warranty expires.  I guess this is one time I wish I would have purchased the extended warranty.  Damn you, Gateway!  I should have known better than to have purchased a product that comes in a box featuring a cow-print design.

Anyway, my boy at Best Buy's Geek Squad tells me they should have my new hard drive and Windows software installed and ready for pickup by Friday night.

Wish me luck!

Japan, Seeking Trim Waists, Measures Millions

I ran across this article in the New York Times today. Talk about taking drastic measures to fight obesity. I know this would never fly in the United States, but something needs to be done. We, as a nation, are eating ourselves into diabetes, heart disease, and other health-altering ailments.

Good thing I don't live in Japan though. I wouldn't make the cut when it came to the government-mandated waistline. How do you measure up?

By NORIMITSU ONISHI
AMAGASAKI, Japan — Japan, a country not known for its overweight people, has undertaken one of the most ambitious campaigns ever by a nation to slim down its citizenry.

Summoned by the city of Amagasaki one recent morning, Minoru Nogiri, 45, a flower shop owner, found himself lining up to have his waistline measured. With no visible paunch, he seemed to run little risk of being classified as overweight, or metabo, the preferred word in Japan these days.

But because the new state-prescribed limit for male waistlines is a strict 33.5 inches, he had anxiously measured himself at home a couple of days earlier. “I’m on the border,” he said.

Under a national law that came into effect two months ago, companies and local governments must now measure the waistlines of Japanese people between the ages of 40 and 74 as part of their annual checkups. That represents more than 56 million waistlines, or about 44 percent of the entire population.

Those exceeding government limits — 33.5 inches for men and 35.4 inches for women, which are identical to thresholds established in 2005 for Japan by the International Diabetes Federation as an easy guideline for identifying health risks — and having a weight-related ailment will be given dieting guidance if after three months they do not lose weight. If necessary, those people will be steered toward further re-education after six more months.

To reach its goals of shrinking the overweight population by 10 percent over the next four years and 25 percent over the next seven years, the government will impose financial penalties on companies and local governments that fail to meet specific targets. The country’s Ministry of Health argues that the campaign will keep the spread of diseases like diabetes and strokes in check.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/world/asia/13fat.html?no_interstitial

CHONE FIGGINS TO RETURN FROM DL FRIDAY

ANAHEIM, CA – The Angels Thursday announced that infielder Chone Figgins will be recalled from rehab and activated from the 15-day DL effective tomorrow (June 13). Effective today, infielder Brandon Wood has been optioned to triple-A Salt Lake. These announcements were made by Angels’ General Manager Tony Reagins.

Figgins, 30, has missed 33 games on two DL stints with a strained right hamstring. He originally suffered the injury sliding into home plate in the 8th inning May 3 vs. Baltimore. His first DL stint went from May 11 (retro to May 4) through May 20. He appeared in three games during his recent rehab assignment with Salt Lake batting .200 (2/10) with two runs scored, two walks and two strikeouts.

In 33 games with the Angels this season, Figgins in batting .306 (38/124) with 19 runs scored, six doubles, seven RBI and a team-best 11 stolen bases.

Wood, 23, is optioned to Salt Lake for the third time this season. In 29 games with the Angels in 2008 he is batting .125 (8/64) with five runs, one double, one home run, two RBI and 21 strikeouts. At Salt Lake, he is hitting .270 (33/122) with nine home runs and 23 RBI.
-ANGELS-

Obama Launches Online Campaign Against 'Smears'

Check out this Associated Press story about a new website launched by the Barack Obama campaign. I think it's a great idea, actually. When people are constantly putting out lies about you, then you should do whatever you can to dispel them. What saddens me, however, is that a candidate would need such a tool in the first place.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama launched a new website Thursday devoted to dousing "smears" against the first African-American with a serious shot at the presidency.

The site at http://www.fightthesmears.com/ debunks false rumors doing the rounds of the Internet and right-wing media outlets -- including one recent assertion that Obama's wife Michelle has been caught on tape slurring white people.

Obama's main campaign website already had a fact-check section to refute rumors such as the Christian candidate is a secret Muslim. But aides said the new site went further in inviting supporters to spread the word.

"We created an interactive tool to allow our supporters to fight back against these smears in the same way that they received them -- on the Internet," campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor said.

"People can upload their address books and easily send fact-based emails to their friends and family," he said.

"Just knowing the truth isn't enough -- you have to proactively tell people the truth to fight back."

The new initiative was launched after reports, by conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh among others, that a videotape existed showing Michelle Obama using the derogatory term "whitey" in the couple's former church.

No such tape has surfaced despite frenzied speculation by right-wing pundits and blogs, and Obama last week decried the mainstream media's attention to "dirt and lies."

Political candidates have traditionally refused to acknowledge slanderous rumors for fear of giving them respectability.

But given the slew of emailed attacks being spread against Obama, his campaign said it had no choice but to respond in kind.

"Whenever challenged with these lies, we will aggressively push back with the truth and help our supporters debunk the false rumors floating around the Internet," Vietor said.

Courtesy: Associated Press

In My Own Words: Candace Parker Debuts Thursday

Interview with WNBA’s Top Draft Pick Follows Game 4 Post-Game “Lakers Live”; First 2008 Sparks Game Telecast Airs on FSN PRIME TICKET on July 1

Los Angeles – FSN PRIME TICKET is the destination for seven 2008 Los Angeles Sparks game telecasts and original programming dedicated to the Sparks. On Thursday, June 12, 2008, the regional sports network debuts “In My Own Words: Candace Parker” at 9:30 PM, or immediately following FSN WEST’s “Lakers Live” post-Game 4 coverage of the 2008 NBA Finals.

Michael Eaves talks to Parker about her rise from the junior ranks in suburban Chicago to the top of the NCAA women's game.

Candace Parker, the No. 1 draft pick out of the University of Tennessee, joins the Los Angeles Sparks for the 2008 season. Parker’s promise paired with Lisa Leslie’s experience have made the 2008 WNBA season one of the most anticipated in years. The teammates will play together for LA this season, and for the United States this August, as both were named to the 2008 Olympic Women’s Basketball Team.

FSN PRIME TICKET begins coverage of the 2008 Los Angeles Sparks’ season when the New York Liberty come to town on July 1. Los Angeles Lakers’ guard Derek Fisher provides analysis alongside play-by-play announcer Larry Burnett. Lindsay Soto provides sideline reporting and halftime interviews. The complete 2008 Sparks telecast schedule on the regional sports networks is as follows:

MONTH DATE OPPONENT GAME TIME NETWORK
July Tues. 1 NEW YORK 12:30 PM PRIME TICKET
July Sun. 6 PHOENIX 6:30 PM PRIME TICKET
July Mon. 14 SAN ANTONIO 7:30 PM PRIME TICKET
*July Thurs. 17 at Phoenix 7:00 PM PRIME TICKET
August Thurs. 28 SACRAMENTO 7:30 PM PRIME TICKET

September Mon. 1 MINNESOTA 7:30 PM WEST
September Thurs. 11 ATLANTA 7:30 PM PRIME TICKET

*Taken from FSN Arizona --- Schedule Subject to change --- All times listed Pacific

About FSN PRIME TICKET
FSN PRIME TICKET and its sister network, FSN WEST, have been providing local sports coverage to Southern California, Nevada and Hawaii for over 20 years and together present more live, local sports programming than any other network or broadcast system in the market. The partner networks combine to produce over 700 live sporting events and telecast over 5,000 hours of original programming every year. For complete national and regional sports news, provocative opinions, telecast schedules and updated statistics, log-on to www.foxsports.com.
-- FSN PRIME TICKET --

Dodgers Auctioning Special Experiences For Hollywood Stars Game

Experiences are available online with proceeds benefiting the Dodgers Dream Foundation

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Los Angeles Dodgers are auctioning unique and memorable experiences for the 50th annual Hollywood Stars Game on Saturday, June 21. Fans are invited to be part of the action when honorary team captains Russell Martin and James Loney work alongside top celebrities in film, television, music, and theater. The packages will offer fans the opportunity to take part in pre-game and in-game festivities, with proceeds from the auction benefiting the Dodgers Dream Foundation.

More than 30 celebrities are expected to participate in the game, including Christian Slater, David Arquette, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Van Der Beek, Sean Astin, Tom Arnold, Garry Marshall, Cristian de la Fuente, George Thorogood, and many more. The game will be hosted by popular E! personalities from E! News and The Daily 10 and will feature special performances by the Blue Man Group. The Hollywood Stars Game will begin shortly after the conclusion of the Los Angeles Dodgers-Cleveland Indians game that day, which starts at 12:55 p.m.

Fans can vie to be an honorary photographer, an honorary coach, or an official Hollywood Stars batkid. Additional auction winners will read the celebrity team lineups or take the field with a celebrity at the start of the game and receive their autograph. Each package includes four baseline box or field level tickets to the Dodgers-Indians game. Many of the experiences are open to adults and children of all ages. Bidding is now underway online and will continue until 2 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, June 17. Full details of each package are online at dodgers.com/ticketauction.

Founded in 1998, the Dodgers Dream Foundation (DDF) was created to provide educational, athletic and recreational opportunities for the youth of the Greater Los Angeles community. In 2007, the Dodgers and the Dodgers Dream Foundation assisted more than 5,000 local youth organizations by renovating baseball fields in the community, through player appearances, and by donating more than 100,000 tickets, autographed memorabilia, donation of used equipment and much more. Last season, the Dodgers Dream Foundation affected an estimated 250,000 local youth through its various programs.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, pioneers in sport and world culture, are celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2008. In that period, they have won more games, more pennants, and more World Series than any other club in the National League. Since the start of the modern era in baseball, the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles, combined, have a cumulative attendance of more than 177 million, the highest total in the history of baseball or any other sport.
Visit the Dodgers on the Internet at www.dodgers.com.

NBA GIVES FANS A CHANCE TO OWN A PIECE FINALS OF HISTORY

Jerseys Worn by Players Competing in NBA Finals to be Auctioned Off During Games

NEW YORK, June 4, 2008 – NBA fans will have the chance to own the actual jerseys worn by their favorite players competing in The Finals. An auction of the jerseys worn by each player from the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers during Game 1 and Game 3 of The Finals will begin with the tipoff of each game.

For the first time ever, fans can visit NBA.com while Games 1 and 3 are being played to bid on the actual jerseys each player is wearing on court. A jersey for every active player from each team will be available giving fans the choice to own either the player’s home or away jersey. The Game 1 auction will run from June 5 to June 24 and the Game 3 auction will run from June 10 to June 26.

MeiGray, the official game-worn source of the NBA, will oversee the auction on NBA.com, and authenticate the jerseys with a unique security system which includes a special code, tag, and security number placed on the jersey before players wear them on court during The Finals. After the games are played, the jerseys will be securely stored until they are delivered to the winners.

“This is unique way to bring our fans closer to The Finals,” said Lisa Goldberg, NBA Senior Director of Trading Cards and Memorabilia. “Giving fans the chance to bid on jerseys while the games are in progress is a whole new way to get exclusive memorabilia from the NBA’s premier event of the season.”

# # #

Lakers vs. Celtics: Who Ya Got?

Covering a major sporting event is like being in Kentucky during Derby Week. Wherever you go, everyone wants to know who you think will win. It’s something I’ve grown accustomed to, even if I’m not truly comfortable with it.

As I head to Boston to cover this year’s NBA Finals between the Celtics and the Lakers, I’m faced with that familiar situation yet again.

Yo, Eaves. Who you got in the Finals? Lakers or Celtics?

I’ve never been one who likes to make predictions, whether it’s the outcome of sporting events or the length of someone’s marriage. I’ve always been a huge fan of fate. Whatever happens, happens. I figure everyone has a 50/50 shot, right?

Plus, what the hell do I know? Yeah, when it comes to sporting events, I’m more tuned in than the average fan. I get to talk to the coaches and the players from both sides. I have the ability to hit up the research department to uncover stats and/or trends that might give some clue as to the outcome.

But in all seriousness, I don’t know anymore than you do. Simply because no one knows, not even Vegas. It’s a cliché, but in sports, it may be the most après pox: It’s why they play the game(s).

Although it’s not common for me to make public predictions on sporting events, I usually have a feeling one way or the other how a game or a series might go. And just between me and you, I’ve nailed some pretty good ones in the past.

• Louisville against Duke in the 1986 NCAA National Title Game: partially conceived in state pride, but there was just something about that freshman, Pervis Ellison.
  


• The Patriots over the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI: New England just didn’t seem scared of the Greatest Show On Turf.
  


• Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson: called the exact round.
  


• Bernard Hopkins beating Oscar De la Hoya: the Executioner seemed to take the fight personally.
  


• Stedman never marrying Oprah: money only goes so far, and it’s a short run when you have enough money of your own.

But as we edged closer and closer to the opening tip of Game One between the Lakers and the Celtics, I was having a hard time finding my trusty feeling. I had looked everywhere for it. Television. Radio. Internet. The back of the refrigerator. No luck. My trusty feeling was ghost.

Luckily, like coming across an old t-shirt or hoop earrings you misplaced three months ago, my trusty feeling found me. Nothing triggered it. It just appeared. Right there in my gut like all good--and bad--feelings.

There was one problem. My head wasn’t quite feeling my gut just yet. You see my head is a bit on the analytical side. It won’t go on blind faith or strong assumptions alone. It likes proof. In fact, it needs proof. Probably just so it will have something to blame in case it’s wrong.

So to make my head and my gut see eye-to-eye, I did what any intelligent, unsure person would do. I asked someone smarter than me.

In an impromptu, unscientific poll, I asked several current and former players, coaches, front-office personnel, and media members who they thought would win the 2008 NBA Finals. Lakers or Celtics?

Again, this move was strictly for my head. My gut has no problems whatsoever standing alone in the face of uncertainty. Call it confidence, ego or cockiness, but my gut believes in itself and nothing else.

The results were overwhelmingly one-sided. The Lakers won in a landslide. In fact, finding Celtics supporters was becoming an issue.

Of the 22 experts who felt comfortable giving a prediction, only five of them thought Boston would claim the title. Three of them were former players who played most, if not all, of their careers in the Eastern Conference. Another was a journalist from New England.

My gut was like, “See, I told you. Lakers all the way, baby!” But my head, being its stubborn self, wasn’t ready to just fall behind these experts. After all, how many times have the experts been wrong?

Plus, my head thought back to one of those rare times it prevailed over my gut when the two did not share the same belief-- the 2004 NBA Finals.

If you remember that year, the Lakers featured not only Shaq and Kobe, but also future Hall-of-Famers Karl Malone and Gary Payton. Both of whom had already played in the NBA Finals, only to lose to a Michael Jordan-led Chicago squad.

And the team LA was facing in 2004 should have simply just been satisfied with being there. Detroit emerged from a weak Eastern Conference thanks mostly in part to the mid-season acquisition of Rasheed Wallace, and it’s core players--Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace, and Tayshaun Prince--were too young to hang with a veteran-laden squad oozing playoff and championship experience.

The Pistons didn’t have a chance. That series was over before it started.

Boy was it ever. Detroit came into Staples Center with not only a no-fear attitude but a strong feeling of disrespect. Youth and playoff inexperience their ass. They had something for the Lakers, and it was a 5-game sweep.

It wasn’t a sweep in the traditional sense because the Lakers actually won Game Two at Staples Center, but it was readily apparent to me at the time that the Pistons were the better team, and they proved it over the next three games.

So it’s that recent historical reference that has my mind tip-toeing the fence between the Lakers and the Celtics. After all, the reason we study the past is to help us make better decisions in the future. At least that’s what all my history teachers said.

Well, regardless, that future is now. And it’s demanding a say. One way or the other. Lakers or Celtics? Boston or LA? Kobe and Co. or the Big Three?

The Celtics swept the Lakers in the regular season, but Pau Gasol didn’t play in any of those two games.

The Lakers have played the best basketball during the playoffs breezing through the more difficult Western Conference, while the Celtics struggled against the likes of Atlanta and Cleveland.

The Lakers have more experience, but the Celtics have more to prove.

On and on it goes. My gut leading the cheer for the Lakers. My head trying to make a strong case for the Celtics.

So with my gut and my head looking more and more like Barack Obama and John McCain on most issues--no common ground in sight--the choice is up to the lone voter in this balloting: Me.

And while I’ve always listened to my head, mostly because I realize the work it puts into coming up with the logical decision in every situation, I tend to trust my gut more. Makes sense, I think, since it’s so close to my heart.

Lakers in 6!

Win Tickets To The NBA Finals

Here’s your chance to Win a Once-in-Lifetime Experience to attend an NBA Finals Game in Los Angeles as the personal guest of Lakers’ star guard Jordan Farmar!

Drawing Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Entry Deadline: 9:00 AM EDT June 10, 2008

Enter the “Jordan Farmar Foundation NBA Championship Experience Raffle” and help Jordan Farmar in his efforts to support the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, the Special Olympics, the Metropolitan YMCA, and other charities serving children.

http://www.farmarlive.com/farmar/blogDetail/512

“LAKERS LIVE” GOES TO THE 2008 NBA FINALS

Rick Fox Joins FSN Lineup to Provide Expert Analysis on Post-Game Shows

FSN WEST Preps LA Fans for Lakers-Celtics Series
With Original Programming Marathon on June 4, Starting at 6:30 PM

Los Angeles – FSN WEST, the destination for the most comprehensive coverage of the Los Angeles Lakers, continues to follow the team throughout the 2007-08 NBA Playoffs to provide local fans with “Lakers Live” post-game coverage of the 2008 NBA Finals. Showtime begins as soon as the final horn sounds after each game.

Former Los Angeles Laker and Boston Celtic player Rick Fox joins “Lakers Live” to provide Lakers fans with expert insight into the team and their performance following each Finals game. Patrick O’Neal and Michael Eaves contribute in-depth reporting to “Lakers Live”, as well as courtside comments from Stu Lantz and Joel Myers. Hosted by Bill Macdonald, the FSN WEST production will be on location in Boston and Los Angeles throughout the Finals. Tune-in for “Lakers Live” is as follows:

NBA FINALS – Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics
GAME DAY DATE HOME/AWAY TIME NETWORK
Game 1 Thurs. June 5 at Boston 8:30 PM FSN WEST
Game 2 Sun. June 8 at Boston 8:30 PM FSN WEST
Game 3 Tues. June 10 at Los Angeles 10 PM** FSN WEST
Game 4 Thurs. June 12 at Los Angeles 8:30 PM FSN WEST
If necessary:
Game 5 Sun. June 15 at Los Angeles 8:30 PM FSN WEST
Game 6 Tues. June 17 at Boston 8:30 PM FSN WEST
Game 7 Thurs. June 19 at Boston 8:30 PM FSN WEST
**Lakers Live airs following Angels-Rays coverage

In advance of Game 1 of the Lakers-Celtics series, FSN WEST invites fans to tune-in to a Lakers original programming event on Wednesday, June 4. The four-hour block includes profiles of current Lakers players and provides insight into the Lakers-Celtics rivalry. Beginning at 6:30 PM, the tune-in for the event is as follows:

Lakers Original Programming Marathon – June 4 on FSN WEST
6:30 PM “Lakers Insider: Vladimir Radmanovic”
7:00 PM “Before the Bigs: Luke Walton”
7:30 PM “In My Own Words: Derek Fisher”
8:00 PM “In My Own Words: Jerry West”
8:30 PM “In Focus on FSN: Lakers/Celtics”
9:00 PM “Magic vs. Bird: The Game that Changed the Game”
10:00 PM “In My Own Words: Magic Johnson”

About FSN WEST
One of the nation’s premier sports networks, FSN WEST has televised Los Angeles Lakers games for 22 seasons and continues to provide 24-hour sports programming to more than 6.7 million subscribers in Southern California, Nevada and Hawaii. In addition to the Los Angeles Lakers, FSN WEST is the destination for the Los Angeles Kings, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Los Angeles Galaxy. Together, FSN WEST and sister network FSN PRIME TICKET present more live, local sports programming than any other network or broadcast system in the market. For complete national and regional sports news, provocative opinions, telecast schedules and updated statistics, log-on to www.foxsports.com.

# # #

Nomar Garciaparra: In My Own Words

Los Angeles – FSN PRIME TICKET, the destination for the most comprehensive local coverage of the Los Angeles Dodgers, debuts “In My Own Words: Nomar Garciaparra” on Friday, June 6, 2008. The half hour program debuts at 11:00PM, immediately following “Dodgers Live” post-game show coverage of the Dodgers-Cubs telecast.

Currently in his 13th MLB season, and his third with the Dodgers, Garciaparra has garnered some of the league’s most illustrious accolades: unanimous Rookie of the Year recipient, six-time All-Star, two consecutive batting titles, five Top 10 finishes in MVP voting, amongst other honors. Throughout the program, Garciaparra takes fans through his career and these achievements while expressing his passion for the sport. Wearing just three professional team jerseys throughout his MLB career, “In My Own Words: Nomar Garciaparra” captures the infielder’s thoughts on his time with Boston Red Sox, Cubs and currently, the Boys in Blue.

“In My Own Words: Nomar Garciaparra” will re-air on FSN PRIME TICKET as follows: Tuesday, June 10 at 6:30 PM and 10:30 PM; Thursday, June 12 at 12:00 PM and 10:30 PM; Thursday, June 19 at 10:30 PM; Friday, June 20 at 4:30 PM; Thursday, June 26 at 10:30 PM; Monday, June 30 at 4:30 PM; Thursday, July 3 at 2:30 PM and Monday, July 21 at 10:30 PM.

About FSN PRIME TICKET
FSN PRIME TICKET is the destination for the most comprehensive, local coverage of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Clippers, Anaheim Ducks, Chivas USA, Los Angeles Sparks, Los Angeles Avengers, Las Vegas Gladiators, UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans, local high school sports, Big West and Pac-10 conference competition. FSN PRIME TICKET and its sister network, FSN WEST, have been providing local sports coverage to Southern California, Nevada and Hawaii for over 20 years and together present more live, local sports programming than any other network or broadcast system in the market. The partner networks combine to produce over 700 live sporting events and telecast over 5,000 hours of original programming every year. For complete national and regional sports news, provocative opinions, telecast schedules and updated statistics, log-on to www.foxsports.com.
-- FSN PRIME TICKET --

Bolts Add Veteran Newberry

The Chargers added a talented veteran with a wealth of experience Monday when they signed former Pro Bowl offensive lineman Jeremy Newberry to a one-year contract.

“Jeremy is a tough, physical, experienced player,” said Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith. “He brings additional veteran leadership to the Chargers. He has always been a top-level competitor and we are pleased that he will be a part of our team.”

A veteran of 10 NFL seasons, Newberry (6-5, 315) has played in 104 career games and has started every game in which he’s appeared. While his most significant action has been at center, Newberry has also started at guard and tackle during his career.

In 2007, Newberry bounced back from injuries to start 14 games for the Oakland Raiders. With Newberry anchoring the middle, the Raiders rushed for 2,086 yards as a team, the sixth-best total in the NFL. Before his arrival, Oakland ranked 29th in the league on the ground in 2006.

Newberry was originally drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He enjoyed nine seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, starting 90 games and earning two trips to the Pro Bowl. He was on the club’s roster in 2006 when Chargers Head Coach Norv Turner served as San Francisco’s offensive coordinator, although Newberry missed the season with a knee injury.

Throughout his career, Newberry has shown a great deal of toughness. Following Pro Bowl seasons in 2001 and 2002, he was hampered by an ankle injury in 2003 but still started all 16 games. His teammates honored him with the Ed Block Courage Award in recognition of his gritty play.

A native of Antioch, California, Newberry has spent his entire football career in the Golden State. He starred at Cal-Berkeley before joining the 49ers.

###

Russell Martin To Receive Tip O'Neill Award

ALL-STAR CATCHER WILL BE HONORED ON CANADIAN COMMUNITY NIGHT TUESDAY

WHO: Dodger All-Star catcher Russell Martin, members of Canadians Abroad, and the SoCal Curling Club

WHAT: Dodger catcher Russell Martin will be presented with the Tip O’Neill Award, given annually to the Canadian-born player “judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to baseball's highest ideals.” Martin, a native of Ontario, won the 2007 NL Silver Slugger Award as well as the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for NL catchers. Past winners include Larry Walker (nine times), former Dodger Eric Gagné (twice), Jason Bay (twice), and Justin Morneau.

WHEN: Tuesday, June 3, 2008
6:55 p.m.* On-field introductions of Canadians Abroad members and the SoCal Curling Club
6:55 p.m.* Photo opportunity and presentation of the Tip O’Neill Award to Dodger All-Star and Ontario native Russell Martin

*Time Approximate

WHERE: On the field at Dodger Stadium


The Los Angeles Dodgers, pioneers in sport and world culture, are celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2008. In that period, they have won more games, more pennants, and more World Series than any other club in the National League. Since the start of the modern era in baseball, the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles, combined, have a cumulative attendance of more than 177 million, the highest total in the history of baseball or any other sport. Visit the Dodgers on the Internet at www.dodgers.com.