2007 IMPACT AWARD CEREMONY LIVE ON FSN WEST

UPDATE: In case you missed the show or the news, LSU's Glenn Dorsey won this year's Lott Trophy. Going in to the presentation, I believed he was the best defensive player in college football this year. And actually, he should have placed much higher in the Heisman voting as well.

However, after doing more research on this young man and then talking to him at the awards dinner, I am even more convinced that the Pacific Club could not have a better person to represent the Lott Trophy. His athletic talent and dedication are only surpassed by his class and humility. He has truly made an IMPACT on and off the field.


Lott Trophy Presented to College Football Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year
Event Telecast Airs Sunday, December 9 at 9:30 PM Live from Newport Beach

Los Angeles – On Sunday, December 9, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation presents the 2007 IMPACT Award from Orange County’s prestigious Pacific Club. FSN WEST, the regional sports network with over two decades serving sports fans in Southern California, Nevada and Hawaii with comprehensive telecast coverage of local team games and events, will provide live telecast coverage of the black-tie banquet from The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, Calif.

The FSN WEST event telecast begins live on Sunday, December 9 at approximately 9:30 PM, after the Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers post-game “Lakers Live” show on FSN WEST. Bill Macdonald hosts the event; Michael Eaves provides interviews and reporting.

The IMPACT Award recognizes annually college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. An acronym for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity, the IMPACT Award honors exemplary athletic prowess and sound personal character. The IMPACT Award tradition began in 2004 when the Lott Trophy was presented to David Pollack of Georgia. Named for the former USC All-American and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Ronnie Lott, the trophy, designed by Michelle Armitage. is a bronzed depiction of a defensive player making a tackle.

Four finalists for the 2007 IMPACT Award have been named. Glenn Dorsey of Louisiana State University, James Laurinaitis of The Ohio State University, J Leman of The University of Illinois and Chris Long of The University of Virginia will attend the ceremony on December 9 in Newport Beach. The IMPACT Award winner will receive the 2007 Lott Trophy. Additionally, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation will make a $25,000 contribution to the general scholarship fund of the winner’s university. Similarly, $5,000 will be donated to the schools of the other three finalists.

Voting for the 2007 IMPACT Award is tabulated by Ernst & Young. Ballots are distributed to college offensive and defensive coordinators, sports journalists, The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation Board of Directors, and a Board of Advisors made up of former NFL players and coaches along with the 17 members of the Master Coaches.


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Sportswriting Pioneer Elected To Hall Of Fame

Today, I feel particularly proud to be an African-American sports journalist. With the news that Larry Whiteside will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, a lifetime devoted to his craft as well as the future of other black journalists has been validated. I just wish Larry would have lived long enough to hear the announcement himself and to stand before the game's greatest players and his journalistic peers on the steps of Cooperstown on induction day. Congratulations, Larry!

WASHINGTON – The Baseball Writers’ Association of America elected late sports-writing pioneer Larry Whiteside to receive the 2008 J.G. Spink Award today for his outstanding contributions in baseball writing.The former sportswriter for The Boston Globe, who died in June of complications from Parkinson’s Disease, became the Globe’s first African-American beat sportswriter and the only African-American in a metropolitan city to cover a Major League Baseball team on a daily basis when he joined the newspaper in 1973.

“This induction couldn’t happen to a more deserving journalist. Larry Whiteside paved the way for so many journalists of color in a section of the industry that still struggles with diversity,” says Barbara Ciara, president of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).

“He is truly a trailblazer.”

As a recipient of the Spink Award, Whiteside will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 27, in Cooperstown, N.Y.

“He was a constant, motivating force in the world of sports journalism and for African-Americans in particular, he was our Jackie Robinson,” says Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sports Editor Garry Howard, who was among those to cast votes for Whiteside’s award.

“What an honor, what a life. I'm truly ecstatic over this moment, because even though Larry would say humbly, ‘No big deal,’ it truly is, and we at NABJ can, and should, celebrate this moment loud and proudly.”

As a founding member of the NABJ Sports Task Force, Whiteside continues to have a profound impact on today’s sports journalists, an impact that earned him the Sports Task Force’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.

“Today, I am so proud that when kids see Larry’s spot in Cooperstown, they can learn his legacy as an outstanding journalist and a pioneer,” says Greg Lee, NABJ treasurer and chairman of the Sports Task Force.

“Larry’s legacy not only lives through the many black journalists who work in newsrooms today, it will live on in the sport he loved so much.”

In addition to the Hall of Fame honor, Whiteside’s family will travel to Kansas City to receive the Sam Lacy Award on his behalf from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum on Jan. 12.

Donations for the scholarship established in his honor by the NABJ Sports Task Force can be sent to the National Association of Black Journalists at 8701 Adelphi Blvd, Adelphi, MD 20783-1716.

http://www.stf-nabj.org/

This Dorrell Firing Talk Needs Perspective

There's been so much talk around LA the last two weeks about the impending firing of UCLA Head Coach Karl Dorrell. It's another example of our ever-shortening attention span when it comes to athletics--especially college athletics. Most of the talk seems to be uninformed and lacking perspective.

During Saturday's FSN Live pre-game show prior to the UCLA/USC foootball game, I gave the following report.



Just two seasons ago, Karl dorrell was the PAC-10 coach of the year, and his team has been bowl eligible every season he’s been the head coach at UCLA--only 15 other coaches have streaks of 5-straight bowl eligible seasons or longer and USC's Pete Carroll is the only other PAC-10 coach with such a streak.

However Dorrell’s critics point to poor showings in those bowl games and an average of 5-losses a year. Reason enough, some believe, for Dorrell to be fired if UCLA loses today to the Trojans for the 4th time in five years under Dorrell.

Earlier, I had a private conversation with the Bruins head coach and I asked him flat out if he thought today’s game would decide his fate. His response: “I don’t look at it that way.“ He also believes UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero isn’t looking at today’s game in that fashion either--neither do a handful of players I spoke to.

But having said that, Dorrell readily recognizes the disappointment felt by the fans, which pales in comparison to the disappointment he feels. As far as the talk about his potential firing is concerend, he told me, “I don’t worry about things I can’t control.. I can only control our practices and the preparation for this game," which, by the way, he feels really good about.

Some other things to consider about Dorrell’s tenure at UCLA: 1) he signed an extension last February paying him through the 2011 season (it includes a $2 million buyout) 2) not only did he lose 6 assistant coaches from his staff following the Bruins 10-and-2 season (three he dismissed and three others who left for NFL jobs), but the Bruins coaching staff is the 5th-best paid in the PAC-10 And Dorrell’s salary ranks in the 40s’s nationally among Division One head coaches.

So if UCLA expects Dorrell's team to play with the big boys, then they need to pay like the big boys!

Piazza Slam Dunks 290-yard Hole-In-One

I've had the fortune of making a hole-in-one during my golfing career, and I've also driven numerous par-4's, but to do both on the same hole is flat out showing off.

Aventura, FLA – November 29, 2007 – Mike Piazza fared remarkably well during his recent visit to the The Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club Soffer Course.

During a private Audemars Piguet golf outing on November 19, 2007, the all-star Major League Baseball player sank a hole-in-one on the par four 1st hole.

The spectacular shot was made on a hole that typically plays nearly 350 yards. On this particular day Piazza struck a tee shot that traveled just over 290 yards and flew right into the cup for a slam-dunk double-eagle hole-in-one.

Piazza appreciates the odds of his shot and though he’s been playing the sport since his youth, he says this was “pretty special.”


(Photo by Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Audemars Piguet)

Looking For A Sports Internship?

If you or anyone you know is interested in a sports-related internship, you should check out this press release from the PGA Tour. You do not have to be a golfer to qualify.


http://www.pgatour.com/company/internships.html

COLLEGE STUDENTS – JUNIORS AND ABOVE: The PGA Tour's Diversity Internship Program for summer of 2008 application is available.

The PGA Tour's objective is to find the best student applicants and place them in challenging internship opportunities to prepare them for a position within the PGA Tour or the golf industry. The ability to play golf or knowledge of the game is not required for most positions.

All undergraduate and graduate majors are considered but mainly Business Administration, Communications/ Journalism/ TV, Sports Management, Information Systems, Legal and Hospitality.

Requirements: Students must have completed their sophomore year prior to starting an internship minimum GPA of 2.8 (on a 4.0 scale), be currently attending an accredited college or university and in good standing when applying, and eligible to work in the United States. International students must obtain all required work visas prior to beginning an internship.

The application and additional information is available at www.pgatour.com/careers.

The deadline date is February 18, 2008. If you have questions please contact Mike Cooney, Director, Human Resources-PGA Tour at 1-800-556-5400 ext 3520 or email him at http://us.f555.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=mcooney%40pgatourhq.com

A Person's Past Is No Reason To Speculate

By now, I’m sure most of you heard about the tragic death of Sean Taylor. The Washington Redskins player was shot in his house by an intruder. He later died from the wounds.

The reporting of and reaction to Taylor’s passing has been as swift as it has been speculative. The following article by Washington Post Columnist Leonard Shapiro is a prime example.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/27/AR2007112701111.html

This column bothers me deeply because Shapiro contradicts himself in his own column by stating, "At the moment, it is far too soon to draw any conclusions as to how or why this tragedy occurred, why another young black man is now dead from a gunshot wound in his own home... Certainly it would be terribly easy to rush toward some sort of instant judgment based on what we think we all knew about Taylor and the sort of life he once, and for all we know, still led. But really, we know nothing at the moment, and until we do, 'may he rest in peace' ought to be the operative phrase for this day."

But yet in the very next paragraph, Shapiro writes, "Still, could anyone honestly say they never saw this coming?"

That's like saying to someone, "I don't want to say you are stupid, but that was really a stupid thing to do."

To preface his statement with such remarks doesn't make the subsequent remarks any less biting or off-base. And to honestly answer Shapiro's question: I NEVER SAW THIS COMING!

I've never met Sean Taylor although I was aware of some his former transgressions. But to say I believed that one day a man (or men) would break into his house and shoot and kill him was inevitable is simply ridiculous.

Shapiro should follow his own advice and not rush to judgment.

These Are The Real Heroes

As all of you have seen over the past several days, Southern California has been torched by raging wildfires fueled by the infamous Santa Ana winds. The devastation is nothing short of heart-wrenching.

For those of you concerned (or at least wondering), my house is completely safe. I live really close to the beach. Half of LA would have to burn down in order for my house to be threatened.



However, as safe as I felt, it was still an eerie feeling walking outside to see the midday sky as orange as a sunset, to smell the fresh scent of burning wood when you knew it was not your neighbor’s fireplace but possibly a family’s home, or to feel ash falling from the sky as if they were snowflakes realizing full well that those tiny little pieces could be the remnants of someone’s lifelong dream. How could you not feel guilty about your good fortune when so many others were wondering, “Why me?”

But this tragic and devastating week has reminded me of something we all should remember: Heroes aren’t the sports figures we emulate, the politicians we elect, or the movie stars we idolize.

A real hero is a person who comes to the aid of his fellow man--often a complete stranger-- when they need it the most. As much as these colossal fires have claimed, firefighters and other emergency personnel have saved 100 times more.

Even as I write these words, I know the men and women who have sacrificed their time, energy and even their lives the past several days will never receive the adulation, appreciation or compensation they deserve. Once the fires have been doused, we will go back to our daily routines of imitating Tiger, stumping for Barack, and reading People. Meanwhile, these real-life heroes will continue to be underappreciated and underpaid.

But heroes have never been worried about such slights. They have much more pressing concerns-- such as rescuing someone else’s future.

I Am In Love With Jill Scott

I recently had the pleasure of attending a Jill Scott concert at the House of Blues in West Hollywood. And to put it mildly, I think I’m in love.

Now don’t get it twisted. I’m not talking about love in the general sense. I’m not ready to propose or anything. We’ve never met.

Nor am I talking about “stalk-her-across-the-country” type love either. My love for Jill is a love built on both appreciation and awe-- for both her ability and her persona.

Her voice talent is as gifted as anyone who’s whispered or wailed into a microphone in the past 15 years. Not to sound as if I’m a singer myself or even a voice coach for that matter, but her vocal range seems as wide and far-reaching as a galaxy. It knows no bounds. For example, towards the end of her recent set at the House of Blues, Ms. Thang broke out some opera on the crowd. That’s right. I said OPERA! What mainstream singer do you know today who could break out some opera? A cappella? And do it so well, that Leontyne Price and Luciano Pavarotti both would have stood and applauded? Go 'head, I'll wait!

But what I really appreciate about Jill Scott’s music are the stories behind and within the music. She sings with such passion that you know the lyrics aren’t just real, but they are real to her. She seems to put her entire soul into to each and every note, thus claiming them as her own. She’s not just singing. She’s sharing her life with you.

As Jill says, she’s a storyteller. The music is just a vehicle. And she can take me for a ride anytime!

Lakers & Clippers Media Day

I checked out both the Lakers and the Clippers annual Media Day festivities today. For those of you not familiar with media day events, it's the first time a team is fully assembled in one place for the media to grill the coaches and players on the upcoming season.

Various teams and sports handle their respective media days differently, but the most common sights are countless interviews and promo shoots for the team's broadcast partners. So be sure to be on the lookout for the latest Lakers and Clippers promotional spots on FSN West and Prime Ticket very soon.

Here are some of my observations from both sessions.

• Thirty minutes into the Lakers proceedings, there was still no sign of Kobe Bryant. Despite reassurances from the team's PR mastermind, Jon Black, some were beginning to think Kobe would not show. And then suddenly, #24 emerged from the training room in full uniform only to be surrounded by a swarm of reporters, cameras and microphones. Better late than never.

(Courtesy: LA Times)

• After making the rounds of promotional shoots, Kobe finally answered questions from the assembled media. Despite a tumultous summer where he demanded a trade and called out the front office and some of his teammates, Kobe put on the good face and toed the company line saying, "I'm a soldier, man. It's not a soldier's job to question whether or not he should fight the war. You've got to go over there and fight. It's not my place."

• On Lakers owner, Jerry Buss, Kobe said, "What I understand about Jerry is that he has kind of been out of the loop for the last two years. My understanding is that he's kind of going to be back in the mix now."

• As for his future with the organization, Kobe said, "I think the important thing for everybody to understand is that I want to bring a title back to L.A. That's priority No. 1 for me, is to bring a title back here. I just have to trust that we're all on the same page in terms of getting that done."

(Courtesy: LA Times)

• I ran into Andrew Bynum and almost didn't recognize him. That might be an understatement since he is 7 feet tall and wearing a uniform with his name on the back of it. But his body has changed so much over the summer that he did not appear to be the same Andrew Bynum I last saw in April. He hired a personal trainer to work with him in the off-season and completely changed his diet. And the results are obvious. If he gets enough minutes on the court, this could be a coming out season for the Lakers future cornerstone.

• There was a moment when Kobe, Phil Jackson and newly re-acquired Derek Fisher posed for a photo. The trio comprising the last link to the Lakers last championship in 2002. Five years never seemed so long ago.

(Courtesy: LA Times)

• Speaking of Phil Jackson, he was using a cane to get around to all of his required stops. Remember, he's still recovering from his second hip-replacement surgery within the past year. He also seemed to be in a much better mood than previous media days. Maybe he was putting on the good face for the franchise and Kobe tried to do. Or perhaps, he's still in the afterglow of his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame this past summer. Say what you will about his "learn-on-your-own" tactics or his Zen-like way of life, but you have to give it up to the man. He is one of the best coaches to ever man a sideline. Congrats again, Phil!

• The Clippers version of Media Day was not nearly as heavily attended as their Staples Center roommates, and the reasons are obvious. 1) Kobe and the Lakers made way more noise in the off-season.. and 2) the injury to Elton Brand has already placed a dark cloud over the Clippers season, although that might be a bit premature.

(Courtesy: LA Times)

• Speaking of injuries, both Brand and Shaun Livingston were getting around pretty well considering how much time has passed since their respective injuries. Livingston told me that he feels great and plans to beat his prescribed goal of being back on the court in February or March. He wants to start playing again in January, which would be less than a year since suffering one of the most devastating in-game sports injuries ever witnessed live or on television.

• Back to Brand for a moment. I actually visited Elton at his house a week before Media Day. We shot a long interview which will be used for an upcoming edition of "In My Own Words." In addition to updating me on the rehab of his ruptured achilles tendon (it's an all-day affair starting at 6 am which includes stationary bike work), he also told me why the fans should not jump off the bandwagon just yet (read: newly acquired free agents Brevin Knight and Ruben Patterson) and when he plans to be back on the court (not long after Livingston). I'll post some excerpts from that interview soon.

Grillz Candy.. What The.. ?!?!

In the words of Rakim, "It's been a long time. I shouldn't have left you without a strong post to read to!" Well, that's not exactly what he said, but you get the point. I'm sorry for not having posted anything in a while. However, sometimes work calls, and lately it's been calling quite often.

Now that I have that apology out of the way, I want to share a disturbing moment with you from a recent trip to Blockbuster. If you've ever been to the video rental superstore, you know that one of the ways they entice you to spend more money before exiting is to surround the line to the counter with candy, popcorn, ice cream and other goodies. Makes sense I guess. If you are going to do the movie thing, you might as well go all out.

I usually look right past all the goodies because I've never been a big candy person. Even as a kid, I didn't really like Halloween. I was the first of my friends to stop dressing up because I didn't think it was worth the trouble if I wasn't going to eat the candy, anyway. So tempting me with candy won't get you anywhere, but cookies are something entirely different!

Anyway, back to the story. So as I am approaching the counter, a flickering of light caught my eye. Was I really seeing what I thought I was seeing? Is that.. it can't be.. but is it really? Oh my God, it's BLING!! Yes, you heard me, BLING!

(Now before you try to take away some of my cool points, I know "bling" is a bit of a played out term right now. I mean once Bill O'Reilly or your grandmother starts using hip terms, it's time for you to stop! However, I just can't think of another word that truly sums up what I saw because it was so trifling!)



Right there on the counter, in see-through plastic wrapping was "Grillz Candy." Yes, you heard me right again. There's no way I could make that up. It's called, "Grillz Candy!"

Basically, it's a piece of hard candy attached to an apparatus that, when inserted in your mouth correctly, makes it appear as if you have a mouth full of fake diamonds set in platinum. Get it? Grillz Candy!



Just the concept of this candy disturbed me in ways you could not understand. What has this world come to that companies will manufacture a treat for kids that will make them look like self-absorbed rappers or common street thugs? I mean, what in the name of spinning rims is going on these days?

Hey, don't get me wrong. I can find a good laugh in just about anything. And if you had been in line that night in Blockbuster, you would have heard me do just that. But some people just take some stuff too damn far. I mean, seriously.. Grillz Candy? Really?

By the way, I forgot to share one other important piece of information. The flavor I picked up? Watermelon!