Tim Peterson
There are a lot of surprising things that have happened on the sporting scene in the last week. The Lakers have gone 4-1 without Kobe Bryant, the Kings have jumped out to a 3-0 series lead on Vancouver and the Dodgers are off to a 9-1 start to open the 2012 season.
But the most shocking thing took place on Thursday where I birdied a par five 500 plus yard hole at Highland Falls in Summerlin near Las Vegas. It might sound like a story but Mid Valley staffer Duane Barker was there to back me up. I didn’t win jack but two days of golfing made it well worth the trip.
If you are a golfer and like Vegas, check out Highland Falls or Aliante Golf Club. Both have very reasonable greens fees that include a cart and range balls. And the course conditions were nearly perfect.
When the Dodgers and Lakers are on at the same time it’s usually a tough call. But with Vin Scully back at the mic and the Lakers on ABC it was a no brainer Sunday. Vinny gets the nod.
When the season started the feeling was that Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw and at times Andre Ethier, would have to carry the team. And while that may be true especially with Kemp, Dee Gordon gives the Dodgers a whole new dimension. His speed makes him a threat to score every time he gets on base and with guys like Davey Lopes and Maury Wills on hand to teach him he’s going to steal a ton of bases. He has six already.
Not to throw a wet blanket on the Magic Johnson led ownership group party, but it’s looking more and more like Frank McCourt is still in the picture. Speaking of Kemp he might not have been far off when he predicted that he would go 50-50 this year.
Regardless of what sport you’re into, the Dodgers are still the best buy in town. You can still get a family of four in and out of the ballpark for less than a hundred bucks. Try doing that at any other venue, professional or college, locally. You won’t come close. Have you priced Laker tickets lately? It’s the one thing that makes the fans feel more connected to the Dodgers than any other LA franchise. Now if we can just get McCourt out of town.
Funniest thing I saw on Facebook this week- A picture of Bryant with the caption “When I need some peace and quiet I set my phone to LeBron mode, no ring.”
I really haven’t seen anything that has led me to believe this is James’ year either. Every time I see the Heat play it’s Dwyane Wade that leads the way. He virtually took over in the fourth quarter Sunday in Miami’s win over the Knicks.
If you get a chance check out “The Announcement” on ESPN. It does a great job of chronicling Magic’s battle with HIV and his 20 year journey with the disease.
It’s great to see every major league baseball player wearing number 42 every April 15 in honor of Jackie Robinson. Who is the only player to wear 42 on a daily basis? The Yankees’ Mariano Rivera.
I was hoping we had seen the last of the high school coaches step down when surprisingly another one resigned last week. I wish Arcadia Coach Jon Dimalante the best in whatever he does. I still remember when he literally stopped practice one day a couple of years ago when he saw me and had the entire team shout “Hoorah!” to make me feel welcome. Dimalante was a class act and a solid football coach who always had the Apaches prepared. Good luck Coach!
That’s my principle.
Tim can be reached at tim@midvalleysports.com
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