Rick_Garcia's Blog

You're only as good as your last prediction!

This is the last time I will bring up my perfect suggestion that Boston would beat the Lakers BEFORE last seasons NBA playoffs. Because while that was a pretty good one my last prediction has turned out to be awful. The Dodgers tricked me. They did not look this good during the regular season. Right now they are the hottest team in baseball after sweeping the Chicago Cubs in three games. And what about those Angels? They had a 100 win season then lost to Boston in four games. So let me be one of the first to say...I WAS WRONG when I suggested the Cubs would beat the Angels in the World Series.
Dave Roberts was once a Dodger that is until they traded the outfielder to the Boston Red Sox in 2004. All he did was almost single leggidly send the Sox to their first World series in a million years. He told me I shouldn't be surprised at how the Dodgers are doing. He reminded me that last year most people also found the National League West weak and yet the Colorado Rockies wound up in the World series. Roberts thinks the Dodgers will be there this year. And perhaps that will give a lot of baseball fans what they want. A Manny versus the Red Sox match-up.

Don't worry I wont make any more predictions...at least not until the NFL playoffs roll around.

I love so many of the traditions that make America's Pastime so great. It drove traditionalists crazy when baseball changed it's rules to allow an extra four teams into the playoffs. But it's one of the best things to happen to the game. Here we are in another exciting playoff race. In 1994 major league commissioner Bud Selig made the gutsy decision to turn the two National League divisions and two American League divisions into three divisions in each league. Instead of only the two division winners from the senior and junior circuit there are now three division winners and a wild card team from each league in post season play. What this has done is keep the regular season very interesting all the way to the end for more than a few teams each year.
Great move Bud!
And by the way here are my picks for the World Series.

Chicago Cubs vs the Angels. I don't say it with the same certainty that I picked Boston to beat the Lakers in the NBA playoffs But I'm going with the Cubs to win their first World Series in 100 years.

I think I waited until the St. Louis Rams were 0 and 6 last season before pronouncing them dead.. I don't need that much time this year. After starting the season 0 and 2, I have officially laid them to rest. And their coach Scott Linehan may soon not have to worry about how bad the team is because he may not have a job much longer. It's amazing how the one time "Greatest Show on Turf" could fold so quickly. They have one of the best running backs in the NFL in Stephan Jackson. One of the leagues all time best receivers in Tory Holt and their quarterback Marc Bulger aint chopped liver. But Linehan has taken a very good team built by Mike Martz and effectively torn it apart. This team is bad enough to lose 16 games this season.
When you also think about the Raiders, who began the season 1 and 1 including an opening season 41-14 drubbing at the hands of Denver and combine them with the Rams 38-3 and 41-13 disasters in week one and two...
 I'm not sure I miss pro football in Los Angeles this season.

Major league baseball has instituted instant replay. I find this to be a good idea. Baseball diamonds are vast and the four umpires who have to cover all that ground have a tough job.
There have been home runs ruled doubles and doubles ruled home runs since the beginning of baseball in the 1800's. By using instant replay, umpires will be able to correct their  mistakes without totally taking out the human element to judging the game. TAKE ANOTHER LOOK.
We will still have to rely on umpires eyes when it comes to balls and strikes and plays on the bases.
There are critics of this new rule. Can't say I blame 'em.
Imagine having a camera on you at your job all day. While your doing your accounting the boss brings you into the office to correct your work. Or what if fixing pipes is your job and a camera watched as you replaced an elbow joint under somebody's sink. The boss watches the tape and then calls you up to tell you to do it again.
WELCOME TO MY WORLD!!!
That's how we roll in t.v. news! Every newscast we do is recorded. If the boss doesn't like something...he doesn't hesitate to let us know we didn't do the job right. Only in our case we can't correct the problem until the next newscast.
Now that I think about it....
The umps have a another reason to be grumpy!!!

I have to admit...I get caught up in fantasy sports on occasion. Used to love it in the 80's when it was more of a neighborhood game. Now with the internet, like a lot of things, fantasy sports have flourished.

For those of you who don't know what fantasy sports are here's a quick lesson. You join a league that allows you to draft pro players in a sport as if you were the owner of a team. Then you compete with other owners in the league with your players stats matching up against your opponents. In other words you can own a professional team without coming up with several million dollars. For anyone who has participated you know it can be addictive.
To some it's a sickness. Here's why....

Most sports fans have a favorite team. Now let's say your fantasy team has a player competing against your favorite team. Here's what happened to me recently...

My fantasy team needed a few home runs with one more day to go in my competition. And there steps up my best home run hitter against my favorite team. Now my favorite team is in the middle of a pennant race. My hitter steps up to the plate with a runner on first and two outs in the bottom of the 9th. My favorite team is winning 5-3.. The count shows two strikes. So my favorite team is one strike away from moving into a tie for first place when my fantasy hitter hits a deep drive to left field. That ball is gone!!! I am both ecstatic and depressed. The game is tied. But I got my home run. Now I love competition so much that I am almost willing to win a fantasy league at the cost of my team making the playoffs. Almost!

But here's the good news. My favorite team hit a game winning home run in the 9th so I had the best of both worlds. I tell me wife at the beginning of every league that I can't take the drama anymore and hate cheering against my favorite team. For some reason she doesn't believe that I'll quit.

By the way I just got into the NFL draft for fantasy football.

There must be therapists around the country whose business picks up thanks to fantasy sports. If not....WE SURE NEED HELP!

It was a spectacular trade that the Dodgers pulled off just before the trading deadline. Question is will anyone feel that way at the end of the season. I think if the Dodgers make to the post season then the answer is YES. But there is a reason the Boston Red Sox would trade one of their most popular and best players. And there may be fire where there was smoke in the Sox locker room when there were reports veterans of the team wanted to see Manny go. He's colorful, talented (a 12 time all-star with over 500 homers) but also a pain! If the lazy Manny shows up to the park who doesn't run out ground balls to first. Or the one who jogs after fly balls in the outfield. Then there could be fireworks in no time in the Dodgers locker room. There's a grumpy future hall of famer in there by the name of Jeff Kent who won't stand for it for a minute. And when all is said and done Manny will be a free agent.  Will he remain a Dodger? I wouldn't count on it knowing how his agent Scot Boras works. On the other hand...if the Dodgers make a great playoff run, since the investment for Manny was small, then the Dodgers could wind up geniuses. You will either love him or love to hate him when "Manny starts being Manny".

I have been to almost every National League stadium in the country. I've also been to several American league parks and my share of football, basketball and hockey venues as well. So I've tasted my share of sports food.. But every time I go to a Dodger game I fall in love with those foot long Dodger Dogs all over again. The grilled ones of course! I remember a few years ago when for some reason the team got the bright idea to cut down on the grilled dogs. There was almost an uprising. They quickly brought the grills back and all was fine. Today, many stadiums have what they call gourmet stadium food. Or perhaps you've seen your favorite chain. But at the end of the day the Dodger Dog is still king with me. With mustard and relish... mmm mmm!
And you want to know the strangest thing? I HATE HOT DOGS!!!! I really do. I will only eat Dodger Dogs.

What's the best food you've eaten at a sporting event?

Let it go Brett!
You have been the poster boy for class the past 17 years in the NFL. Your teammates admired you. Your opponents respected you and your fans loved you. When you bid a tearful good bye last March football fans came to grips with the fact they would never see your gritty play again. After all Brett we thought you might retire two seasons earlier. At the end of the 2006 season you made it sound like you were done. You have nothing left to prove. You have a super bowl ring. You have shattered records. And now you may be breaking hearts!
Why did you ask the Packers to give you your unconditional release? They are now damned if they do,,,damned if they don't! If they allow you to come back for another season at the age of 38 then your understudy Aaron Rodgers will be forced to watch his 5th season from the bench. Sports is steeped with the not so rich tradition of superstars fighting one too many fight (Ali), Playing one too many games (Mays,Jordan) and being practically embarrassed doing it.
If the Packers release you... their fiercest rivals could sign you and rub it in the face of the team that has cherished you, paid you well and treated you with the ultimate respect. Go away Brett.
Ride off into the sunset with your head held high. That's how we want to remember you!

Nothing like a wedding to test a couples love for each other!
Take my buddy Rob and his fiancee Regina. I've changed their names to preserve the pending nuptials. A wonderful couple in their mid 30's who have both been married before. But when Regina was married the first time her mom was the wedding planner leaving Regina nothing to do but show up. When Rob was married the first time it was short and sweet. Vegas style. So both figured this would be their first REAL wedding.
Now this may come as no surprise to anyone that weddings can bring out the worst in people...BUT THEY CAN!
Rob is a low key guy. Says he wants things to be perfect for his bride. And like many grooms Rob is happy to stay as far away from the planning as necessary. Regina seems cool with that to a point. On one hand she wants to feel like her husband is really into this wedding. So she asks his opinion of things. Problem is she doesnt like the answer most of the time. For example. Regina found a dress. Rob liked it. As soon as he told her that she decided she needed to look for another. Three dresses later and three deposits to go with them she has finally found a dress. Now, She only lost the despoit on one dress since the store with the second dress allowed her to apply the deposit to the brides maids dresses. Oh, the brides maids! More on them in a minute.
Time to pick out the cake. A fun, taste testing experience for Rob. And guess what? He liked the first cake. Three cakes later and two more lost deposits and this loving couple has found their cake.
Did I hear someone say "what about the music" ? Well Rob picked his favorite three songs for the reception. Regina chose 10. Regina didn't like Rob's choices and of her 10 , Rob didn't recognize three or four of them. When he asked why she chose songs he wasn't familiar with, she said, "but they have meaning". To which Rob responded., "They don't mean anything to me since I have never even heard them".
At this point Rob has resigned his position as assistant wedding planner. And is still hoping to be invited to the wedding at all.
But let's not forget the bridesmaids. You see, they don't care much for their dresses and have since let the Bride know it with just weeks to go before the big day. She is now a wreck and wants Rob to help her figure out what to do. Yes, the same Rob who's opinion has been shot down nearly every time he has expressed it.
Well I must tell you I am looking forward to the wedding. But I think Rob may need a good therapist to help him recover from the "happiest day of his life"!

If you play golf regularly you probably understand when I say I hate golf.
That's the problem. I've played sports my entire life. Was pretty decent at anything I tried. Except golf!
Let me get this out of the way. My index is 21. That makes my handicap at my home course Valencia Country Club 23. For those of you who don't play golf. An 18 hole golf course with a par 72 pretty much means that I average a score of 95 or higher when I play a round.
Not very impressive to some. And sadly I look good on the tee. It's just by the end of the round I have a terrible score. Here's the thing. Golf is like a relationship. You're feeling euphoric one minute...crazy  the next. I mean there's nothing like walking around the serene, lush, green outdoors watching the wildlife. It's the kinda thing that makes you call home to tell your family you love 'em. The next minute, you're 117 yards out and you hit it fat sending that little white ball a measly 50 yards. The hole in the ground you've left behind should be surrounded by caution tape so nobody falls in. You know how many clubs we've bent or broken after that shot?! And yet we come back. Giving away more of our hard earned money on green fees, equipment, attire. Why?
For that one shot. That amazing, beautiful shot that we stick right next to the hole. Man that feels good!
Boy I love golf!

Great news Lakers fans!
 In the same breath I can pat myself on the back for predicting the Boston Celtics would beat the Lakers in the NBA finals before the playoffs even began, I can say with confidence the Lakers are the team to beat next season.
Here's why:
The Lakers will add one very important player in the off season. And he's a player they already have.  Andrew Bynum. I know Bynum only really had three good weeks this season but even forgetting his steady improvement, Bynum has something that will make a big difference next year. A big body. With Bynum down low fighting for the much needed rebounds the Lakers couldnt grab against the Celtics, Pau Gasol can the move outside and play a more natural position. Lamar Odom can also concentrate on scoring more as a 4th option taking some pressure off him. But the Lakers will need one more fix. Defense...Defense...Defense!!
The it was easy to call the Celtics champs in advance....they know how to play defense like a college team. Aggressive,smart and like a team. If the Lakers learn the importance of defense...get Bynum back and healthy...mix in Kobe's new affection for team play and the sky or should I say the NBA Championship is the limit!

So Cheer up Lakers'  fans. This is one case where "there's always next year" really means something!

Maybe it's because this is the first time they have met in the NBA finals in 21 years. But it just doesn't have the feel of those magical series from the 80's. Perhaps if we see the these Lakers and Celtics in the finals a few more times maybe we will learn to hate or love them.
See that's the key to a great rivalry. Wasn't it fun Lakers fans to hate Robert Parish, Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale and Cedric Maxwell. They were the bad guys. The cowboys who wore black hats. You remember Kurt Rambis getting thrown around like a rag doll. Those Celtics were characters. So were Magic, Kareem, Worthy and Cooper. I'll bet fans all over Boston cursed those Lakers all day long too! But for some reason today's Lakers and Celtics just don't seem to have that edge. Sometimes I think it's because I don't get the impression they play as much for the name on the front of the jersey as they do for the endorsements they hope to get as individuals. It's funny but I was thrown for a loop one day when I was covering sports in Phoenix Arizona some years ago. I was at a Suns practice one day and was interviewing Maurice Lucas. Lucas was sort of an enforcer in the NBA. Wasn't afraid to mix it up on the court. That's why the Lakers signed him in '85. I asked Mo if he could pick one guy to be his teammate who would it be. Magic??? Kareem??? Jordan??? He told me he'd want Danny Ainge. I was shocked. Ainge??? The ANTI-Laker? Lucas told me he'd take Ainge over everybody else for the same reason he hated playing against him. The guy was tough. The guy hustled. The guy would step in front of a bus for his teammates. Ainge was just one example of that era.
Characters! Guys who would try to bash your head in on the court. But would give you the shirt off their back off it!
This years Lakers/Boston series looks like a great one. But it may take another one next season or the season after to convince me these guys should be put on the same shelf with the Lakers and Celtics of the '80's.

Refer to my previous blog dated April 18th titled "Lakers close but no cigar".
In that blog I predicted the Lakers would win the West. I also predicted the Celtics would take the East. So far so good. But bad news for Lakers fans. I predicted the Celtics would beat the Lakers in the NBA finals. I just don't think the match-up favors the Lakers. This series will come down to defense. My fear is the Lakers are vulnerable in that area. But here is the intangible,. Phil Jackson may be the key. He can out coach Doc Rivers in my opinion. But does he have the horses for Garnett, Pierce and Allen? And will Kobe listen to him down the stretch in crunch time and run down the shot clock instead of putting up an ill-advised shot giving the Celtics one more chance to score? (Remember game 4 in San Antonio?)

I challenge you to think with your mind basketball fans and not your heart and tell me who you think will win this series and why?

In my 21 years covering sports in Los Angeles one thing has been consistent. More celebrities seem to go to Lakers' games than any other sport in the country. I was at the Lakers/Spurs playoff game the other night and did my usual people watching. Saw Denzel, Tobey and Eva. Of course Eva Longoria is sort of obligated to go since her husband Tony Parker plays for San Antonio. I also saw Beckham but he doesn't count since he is a soccer star. Then again his wife Posh was with him and she counts since she's an entertainer. Jack was there too. But I don't think he should count any more. I consider Jack more a member of the Lakers than an Oscar winner. He knows the triangle offense better than Kobe.
I see celebs at Dodger stadium and Kings,Ducks and Clippers games too. But not nearly as many as I do for a Lakers' game. A close second might be a major championship boxing match. De La Hoya and Tyson could pack the stars in but that was only once or twice a year. It's one big mutual admiration society. Stars and athletes. But the Lakers win the award when it comes to being admired by Hollywood.
If you were a celebrity, who would you have front row seats to see?

Went back to my old high school the other night. It was senior night at Quartz Hill High and I was there to hand out a couple of scholarships to some kids.
A couple of years ago a series of events inspired me to create the Unity Award.
The first event was the sad and untimely death of one of my daughter's classmates. When I used to pick her up at school she would point out the boy to me. Said he was strange. That he was always in trouble and that nobody liked him. So I guess I didn't like him. Eventually she got to know the kid and became one of his few friends. Turns out he came from a broken home. Sounds like he was abused in many ways. I never got to know him. As I said I had already judged him and didn't want my daughter hanging around him. I wish I would have gotten to know him. He eventually committed suicide. Maybe I could've done something to help him.
Around that same time I was anchoring the news one night on Channel 13 and I wound up having to read a story about the arrests of some students on the campus of my old high school. Apparently they were in the process of planning a Columbine style attack.
Geez, High School isn't what it was when I went in the late 70's. Or is it?
So often these kids who either take their own lives or the lives of others are the outcasts. My school was full of cliques back in the day. And there were kids when I went to school who I didn't feel I could be caught dead talking to. Why is that?
I wonder what would happen if we ever took the time to say to hello to someone who isn't like us. Just let a stranger know someone knows they're alive.
The Unity Award is presented to two students who write the best essay on what the words "tolerance" and "inclusive" mean to them. And how THEY can bring students from all walks of life together.
One conclusion I think I've come to about tolerance is. Outcasts don't isolate themselves from us as much as we try to keep them isolated. Now why on earth do we do that? Some people have a hellish existence. It's what makes them act out the way they do. And sometimes the rest of us perpetuate those actions by either ignoring them or bullying them.
I challenged the QHHS graduating class of 2008 to do one thing in the final days of their high school careers. Just say hello to one person who they went out of their way to avoid. The picked on kid. The outcast. Just tell them what a pleasure it was going to school with them. May not make much of a difference.
But at this point isn't it worth the shot? I mean would it kill any of us to be nice to someone who rarely has anything nice happen to them?