Trojans Fight On to NCAA Tourney

The USC Trojans defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils 66-63, and clinched an NCAA Tournament berth. The Trojans entered the second-half trailing by 15, but scored 42 points to take the lead and get the win. Dwight Lewis hit a 3-pointer that brought the Trojans within one, and USC took the lead with just seconds left after Daniel Hackett hit two free-throws. On the ensuing possession, James Harden's shot was blocked by Taj Gibson, practically ending the game. Arizona St. could not come back after that. ASU had only 4 free-throw opportunities, while the Trojans had 21. DeMar DeRozan led the game with 25 points, and Hackett had 19 and 6 rebounds. Lewis added 13 points. Jeff Pendergraph led the Sun Devils with 20 points and 8 rebounds, and Derrek Glasser scored 16 points.

Dodgers News: Homers Abound, Levine Takes a Whack, and Manny Gets Ready for Left

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 7-3, their ninth win of the spring. Russell Martin had a home run, 2 runs scored, and two RBI's, and Juan Pierre had two hits, including double, two stolen bases, and scored a run. Delwyn Young had a solo home run, and Valentino Pascucci had a two-run blast. Mark Loretta had a double. Clayton Kershaw had a decent outing, giving up two runs in 3-and-two-thirds innings and striking out five. Ramon Troncoso had perfect one-and-one-third innings.

Ken Levine called the game on the Dodgers' radio network. Levine is one of six candidates competing for the TV play-by-play job on games outside the NL West. The hole was created after the Dodgers announced Charlie Steiner would only broadcast on the radio. Steiner previously did play-by-play for Vin Scully, who can not call games east of the Rocky Mountains. The list of candidates can be seen here.

Eric Threets left the game after pitching just one-third of an inning. Threets suffered an injury to his left shouler. Doug Mientkiewicz left the game after straining a quad muscle.

Joe Beimal is expected to sign with a team soon, according to ESPN. Aside from the Dodgers, Beimal has gotten interest from Colorado, San Diego, and Oakland. Beimal pitched the last three seasons in LA, and had an ERA of 2.02 with a 5-1 record last season.

The Brewers were asked to use the DH in today's game so Manny Ramirez could get at-bats. However, Milwaukee denied their requests, and the pitcher-hitter rule was used. Manny is instead penciled in for tomorrow's game against Colorado as the left-fielder.

Kings Lose in Wacky Third

The Los Angeles Kings fell to the Vancouver Canucks 4-2, and remain 5 points out of playoff contention. Vancouver scored two goals in the first period, and after the Kings tied the game in the third, scored two more goals to win the game. Alexander Frolov and Anze Kopitar both had goals in the third to tie the game, but Jonathan Quick could not stop the Canucks from scoring. Both third period goals for Vancouver came from Henrik Sedin. Quick made 28 saves, but LA could not score on Roberto Luongo, who stopped 24 of the Kings' 26 shots.

Fight On: Trojans Upset Bruins to Advance to Pac-10 Finals

The USC Trojans defeated the rival UCLA Bruins 65-55 in the semifinals of the Pac-10 tournament, and advance to the finals against Arizona State. The victory gives USC a legitimate claim to an NCAA tournament berth, but a win today would make a berth automatic. The Trojans controlled most of the game, going into halftime leading 33-28. UCLA went 19-for-70 during the game, while USC had a .511 shooting percentage. The Bruins kept creeping up, including when the second half opened and Josh Shipp his a 3-pointer to bring UCLA within 2. However, a 13-6 run by the Trojans opened the gap. DeMar DeRozan led USC with 21 points, and Taj Gibson had 13 points and 11 rebounds before he fouled out. Shipp led the Bruins with 19 pionts, and Nikola Dragovic added 12.

Dodgers News: Manny's Debut, Wade Gets In, and Papelbon Won't Stop

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Texas Rangers 4-3, their eighth win of the spring. Manny Ramirez made his Spring Training debut, getting a hit, run, and two walks. Andre Ethier and Delwyn Young both had a hit and RBI, and Orlando Hudson had a hit and scored two runs. Brad Ausmus had a double. Chad Billingsley had a rough outing, giving up two homers in his first inning of work, resulting in three runs. James McDonald pitched two scoreless innings, but walked four batters. Jeff Weaver, Guillermo Mota, and Corey Wade combined to throw three scoreless innings, allowing only hit and striking out three between them.

Corey Wade pitched a perfect inning in his spring debut. Wade was suffering with a sore shoulder, keeping him sidelined for a few weeks from pitching in any games.

Valentino Pascucci returned to the Dodgers after playing for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. He struck out in his only at-bat. Italy went 1-2 in the WBC, ultimately being eliminated by Venezuela.

Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon continued to explain his metaphor comparing Manny Ramirez to cancer. He likened Jason Bay, Manny's replacement, to chemotherapy. Ramirez was sent to LA from the Red Sox at the trade deadline in a three-way trade, and Bay was sent to Boston from Pittsburgh. Papelbon has drawn ire from the media for comparing Ramirez to cancer in an interview with Esquire.

Pac-10 Tourney - Round 1

USC - The Trojans knocked off the California Golden Bears to advance to the semifinals 79-75. Daniel Hackett hit four late free-throws in the final 3.8 seconds of the game to lift USC. The Trojans nearly lost an 18-point lead after Cal tied the score at 75, but with Hackett's free-throws, the Bears could not keep up. Taj Gibson led USC with 21 points and 16 rebounds, and DeMar DeRozan had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Hackett finished with 15 points, and Dwight Lewis added 11. Patrick Christopher led Cal with 15 points, and Jorge Gutierrez added 14.

UCLA - The Bruins took down Washington State 64-53, and will advance to the semifinals. UCLA took a 21-0 run through the first half to take a 20-point lead, and the Cougars shot just 30% from the field. The win avenged an 82-81 loss at home last month. Darren Collison led the Bruins with 15 points, and Nikola Dragovic added 12. Both Josh Shipp and Jrue Holiday had 10. Aron Baynes led WSU with 22 points.

USC and UCLA will play each other in the second round of the Pac-10 tournament.

Lakers Enjoy Texas Two-Step

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the San Antonio Spurs 102-95, clinching the Pacific Division and a playoff spot. LA shot .518 from the field, but the Spurs went 11-for-17 from 3-point range. All five Laker starters scored in double-figures, the Laker bench outscored San Antonio 24-19, and the team outscored the Spurs 35-17 in the first quarter. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol both finished with 23 points, and Lamar Odom had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Derek Fisher and Trevor Ariza both finished with 10 points. Tony Parker had 25 points and 9 assists for the Spurs, and Michael Finley also had 25 points. Tim Duncan had 16 with 11 rebounds.

Editor's Note: Papelbon Should Shut Up

Jonathan Papelbon thinks Manny Ramirez is cancer. He feels so strongly about this that he has no problem saying it in an interview with Esquire Magazine. "Once we saw that, we weren't afraid to get rid of him. It's like cancer. That's what he was. Cancer." Pabelbon, the young Red Sox closer, needs to learn to shut up. Any kind of Manny drama is over. Long over. It's even over for the Dodgers. Pabelbon is just beating a dead horse. People know how the Bostonians felt about Manny. It's no secret they all look at him with scorn and loathing contempt. There's nothing new to what Pap said. But to come out nearly eight months after it all ended and compare Manny to one of the deadliest diseases in the world does not paint a pretty portrait of Papelbon. It all just makes him look like an immature child craving for attention by any means, even by dragging up a tired subject. Papelbon can strike out the best of them, but that doesn't give him the right to wave his mouth. All he needs to do is just pipe down and keep to himself.

UPDATE: Pap won't take my advice. In an interview at the Red Sox Spring Training home in Juniper, Florida, Pap likened Jason Bay to the chemo treatment that "cured" Manny's cancer.

Dodgers News: Manny Scratched, Two Sent to Minors, and Pedro Gets Interest

Manny Ramirez was unable to start for the Los Angeles Dodgers in today's exhibition against Team Korea. He complained of a tight hamstring, but believed he could still start. Manager Joe Torre did not let him though, and kept him on the bench. Manny could be ready by tomorrow.

The Dodgers defeated Team Korea of the WBC 4-2 in an exhibition. Chin-lung Hu hit a two-run single in the eighth to win the game for LA. Orlando Hudson had two hits, and Blake DeWitt and James Loney each had a double. Randy Wolf pitched 3-and-one-third scoreless innings with two hits, two walks, and four strikeouts. Shawn Estes only gave up a hit in two innings of work, and Hong-Chih Kuo made his spring debut, giving up a hit and striking out one in two-thirds of an inning.

The Dodgers sent pitchers Scott Strickland and Travis Chick down to the minors. The move cuts the number of pitchers in camp to 28.

Russell Martin returned to the Dodgers, scoring a run. Martin caught for Team Canada in the WBC and had a home run against Team USA. Canada was eliminated in two games.

The Dodgers are curious about signing Pedro Martinez, but that's all. Pedro pitched six scoreless innings for the eliminated Dominican Republic WBC team, but his glory years are behind him. Martinez came up in the Dodgers organization, but was traded when management believed he could not be an effective starter. He has won three Cy Young awards and has 3,117 career strikeouts with Montreal, Boston, and the New York Mets.

Lakers Outlast Houston

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets 102-96, snapping their three-game road losing streak. The Lakers were without Lamar Odom, who was serving his one-game suspension for leaving the bench during Monday's loss in Portland. LA entered the second half trailing by 11 points, but out-scored Houston 62-45. The Rockets committed 23 turnovers, while the Lakers had only 12, 11 of which came in the first half. Kobe Bryant had 37 points and 6 assists, and Pau Gasol had 20 points. Josh Powell started for Odom, and had scored a season-high 17 points to go with 9 rebounds. Von Wafer came off the bench to lead the Rockets with 20 points, and Yao Ming had 16 points and 6 rebounds.

Dodgers' WBC: USA Falls and Dutch Can't Keep Rolling

VENEZUELA 5 - USA 3: Team Venezuela defeated Team USA in the Pool C finale to determine seeding for the next round. Jonathan Broxton pitched a perfect ninth inning for America, striking out two, including Dodger teammate Luis Maza. It was Maza's only at-bat in the game, and he also committed an error. Ryan Braun had three hits, including a double, and an RBI, and Chris Iannetta had a home run. Gregor Blanco came up a single shy of a cycle for Venezuela.

PUERTO RICO 5 - NETHERLANDS 0: Team Puerto Rico defeated the Dutch to take the number one seed for the next round. Kenley Jansen did not enter the game for Holland. Not one player for P.R. had more than one RBI or one hit. Alex Rios had a triple, RBI, and run for Puerto Rico.

All Dodgers are in black

Clippers Can't Keep Up with Cavs

The Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers 87-83, their 49th loss of the season. LA had a 19 point lead at one point in the third quarter, but lost in the fourth 35-14. The Clips held Cleveland under 20 points in each of the first three quarters, and to 39% shooting in the entire game. Chris Kaman made his return after missing 48 games with an injury to his left foot. Zach Randolph and Al Thornton led the Clips with 20 points each, 9 rebounds for Thornton and 12 for Randolph. Eric Gordon added 14 points. LeBron James had his second straight triple with 32 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, and Mo Williams hit a game-winning 3-pointer with just 6.6 seconds left in the game.

Dodgers' WBC: Venezuela Advances and Dutch Surprise Part II

VENEZUELA 10 - ITALY 1: Team Venezuela defeated Team Italy to advance to the second round. Venezuela will play Team USA in the Pool C finale to determine their seeding for the next round. Luis Maza struck out twice in two at-bats for Venezuela, and Valentino Pascucci did not enter the game for Italy. Bobby Abreu was one of four Venezuelans to hit a home run, and Miguel Cabrera had three hits, including a homer.

NETHERLANDS 2 - DOMIN. REPUB. 1: The Dutch stunned the Dominican Republic for the second time in the WBC, winning 2-1 in 11 innings. The D.R. took a 1-0 lead in the top of the tenth, but Holand came back to score two, the game-winner on an error by Willy Aybar. Kenley Jansen struck out once in three at-bats, and the Dutch advance to the second round, and will play Puerto Rico in their pool finale.

Kings Skate By Canucks

The Los Angeles Kings defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-2, and are now just 3 points out of a playoff spot. Jarret Stoll scored two power-play goals for LA, and Denis Gauthier had the Kings' other goal. Alex Burrows and Taylor Pyatt both scored for Vancouver. Both LA and the Canucks took 22 shots, but Jonathan Quick made 20 saves for LA, while Roberto Luongo made 19.

Ariza Safe, Odom Suspended

Trevor Ariza was not suspended for yesterday's game in Portland. Ariza tried to knock the ball out of Rudy Fernandez's hands, but only got his arms. Fernandez crashed to the floor, and had to be taken out of the game on a stretcher. Ariza was called for a flagrant-foul-2, and was ejected. The NBA decided not to suspend him. Lamar Odom however will be forced to miss tomorrow's game against Houston. Odom left the bench to separate Ariza and several Blazers from arguing. Leaving the bench is a violation of NBA rules under any circumstances.

Dodgers News: LA Bites Snakes, Abreu is Out, and Paul is In

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-3, their seventh win of the spring. Casey Blake slugged a solo homer, and Matt Kemp had a 2-run home run. Brad Ausmus had two hits, including a double, and James Loney had two hits, two RBI's and a run scored. Juan Pierre tripled and Orlando Hudson scored a run. Hiroki Kuroda pitched three-and-two-thirds scoreless innings with six strikeouts, and has not given up an earned run all spring. Jeff Weaver gave up a run in his only inning, and Guillermo Mota pitched a scoreless inning, striking out two.

The Dodgers will have tomorrow off, and will play an exhibition against Team Korea on Thursday. Manny Ramirez is expected to make his debut that day.

Tony Abreu is no longer a candidate for a utility role with the big-league club. Abreu strained his groin during Spring Training, and hasn't played in a game since. He is improving, but due to his lack of playing time (he was out all last season with sports hernia and hip surgery), he will play in the minors. Juan Castro, Blake DeWitt, Hector Luna, and Doug Mientkiewicz are all candidates for the utility-man spot. Chin-lung Hu, normally a defensively-gifted middle infielder, has made too many errors to be in the running.

Xavier Paul is a strong candidate for the fourth outfield spot if Juan Pierre is traded. Paul is batting .406 in Spring Training with 10 RBI's, one homer, two triples, and three doubles. Juan Castro's bat is making him the favorite to become a utility infielder. Castro has a .524 batting average with a home run and five doubles.

Oregon Trail Leads to Defeat for Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Portland Trail Blazers 111-94, only their 13th loss of the season. LA had only 16 points in the first quarter and 18 in the third, and finished the game shooting .439 from the field. Portland was hot from the beginning, going 40-for-82 in the game and 11-for-24 from three-point range. The Lakers had 13 turnovers and only 16 free-throw opportunities. Kobe Bryant had 26 points on only 11-for-29 shooting, and Pau Gasol scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Jordan Farmar had 12 points off the bench. Brandon Roy led the Blazers with 27 points, and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 16 and had 13 rebounds. Travis Outlaw came off the bench to add 22 points.

WBC Dodgers' View: Italian Upset and Dutch Collapse

ITALY 6 - CANADA 2: Team Italy defeated Team Canada, eliminating the Canadians from the WBC. Italy will go on to play Venezuela, and the winner between those two will move on to the next round. Valentino Pascucci struck out twice and walked once for the Italians, who scored a run in each of the first four innings to upset America's neighbors-to-the-north. Russell Martin struck out twice as well. Justin Morneau had four hits, and Jason Bay had Canada's only two RBI's.

PUERTO RICO 3 - NETHERLANDS 1: Team Puerto Rico defeated the Netherlands, and will advance to the next round. The Dutch will have to play a rematch against the Dominican Republic in order to move on. Kenley Jansen went hitless in three at-bats and had an error, but tagged out two Puerto Ricans at the plate on outfield assists. The Dutch had a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the eighth, but a bases-loaded double from Yadier Molina sent two home to win the game.

All Dodgers are in black

Dodgers News: LA Makes Up for Schmidt, Kuo Gets a "B", and Korea Comes to Town

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Texas Rangers 14-7. Juan Castro beefed up his utility-man resume with a solo homer, and Hector Luna had a 2-run home run. Xavier Paul had 3 runs, 3 hits, and 2 RBI's, and Blake DeWitt scored a run, got two hits, and knocked in two. Both James Loney and Matt Kemp had one hit, one run, and one RBI. Jason Schmidt gave up three runs in two innings in his first start with LA since 2007, but got the win after the Dodgers scored 10 runs in the first three innings. Eric Milton threw three scoreless innings after Claudio Vargas surrendered four runs.

Schmidt, in his first start since 2007, allowed three runs, two walks, and two hits, including a home run. He struck out two.

Hong-Chih Kuo made his spring debut in a B-game against the Chicago White Sox, pitching a scoreless inning. Kuo could pitch in a real game as early as Thursday.

Andruw Jones launched a home run off Claudio Vargas, his first homer of the spring. Jones played with the Dodgers last season, signing the highest salary contract in franchise history. However, Jones was a flop, with 14 RBI's and 3 home runs. The Dodgers reworked his contract so they could release him, and Jones signed a minor-league deal with the Rangers. He hopes to make the club in April.

Team Korea defeated Team Japan in their pool finale to determine the two teams' seeding in the next round for the World Baseball Classic. Korea will play the Dodgers this Thursday in an exhibition.

WBC The Dodgers' View: USA Advances

USA 15 - VENEZUELA 6: Team USA defeated Team Venezuela and advanced to the second round of the World Baseball Classic. Kevin Youkilis, Adam Dunn, and Ryan Braun each hit home runs for America, and David Wright had three hits and scored 2 runs. Both Chris Iannetta and Mark DeRosa had four RBI's, and Dustin Pedroia had a hit, run, and knocked in two runs. Jonathan Broxton pitched a scoreless inning, giving up only one hit and striking out one. Luis Maza did not enter the game for Venezuela. Venezuela will play the winner of the Italy-Canada game, and the winner between those two will advance to the second round. USA will still play in the Pool C finale to determine its seeding in the second round.

All Dodgers are in black

Editor's Note: Lakers Need to Hit Road Back

The Los Angeles Lakers will embark on one of the toughest road trips of their season, and find themselves in a struggle for the best record in the NBA. A big seven-game road trip is just around the corner, in which LA will travel to seven states in 12 days. But for now, the Lakers must focus on getting through their upcoming three-game trip. They schedule will pit them against Portland, Houston, and San Antonio, three top-tier teams in the West. LA cannot hold back, waiting for their next trip on the road. The next three games will be crucial in proving they can handle the Western Conference's best on the road, especially without Andrew Bynum. The bench must play a critical part, especially DJ Mbenga. Mbenga is the automatic backup-center after the Chris Mihm-trade, and must truly fill in for Pau Gasol to make a difference in games. He has the potential to be a stellar center, and can be one with enough playing time. He's got that playing time now, and he, along with the rest of the Lakers, must hit the road running to show the country they can handle anything.

Dodgers News: Whipe-Out, Blake is Back, and Schmidt Will Pitch

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the Chicago White Sox 9-4, their 6th loss of the spring. Mark Loretta had 2 hits, including a double, and knocked in a run, and Brad Ausmus had a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Rafael Furcal had a single and his first RBI of the spring. Clayton Kershaw threw two-and-two-thirds scoreless innings, and James McDonald gave up two runs in two innings. Scott Elbert had a rough outing, surrendering three runs in just one inning of work.

Casey Blake played third base for the first time after recovering from a hamstring injury. Blake previously played in the DH position in yesterday's game.

Jason Schmidt is scheduled to pitch in Monday's game against Texas. It will be the first game Schmidt would pitch with the Dodgers since 2007.

Clippers Can't Keep Pace

The Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Indiana Pacers 106-105, their 48th loss of the season. Eric Gordon and Zach Randolph both returned to the court after missing a few days, but Marcus Camby, Baron Davis, and Ricky Davis could not play. LA had a 13 point lead after halftime, but lost in the second half 55-41. The Pacers had only 9 turnovers, and the Clips shot .494 from the field. Gordon had 35 points to lead the Clippers, and Al Thornton had 22 points and 9 rebounds. Randolph finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Jarrett Jack led Indiana with 25 points, and Troy Murphy added 22 points and 15 rebounds.