Although a certain hardcore Lake Show fanatics couldn’t care less from where the money came, another sizable percentage of Los Angeles residents–Lakers fans among them–were understandably upset at the initial announcement that the city would be kicking in any money. Like much of the country, Los Angeles is in a financial crisis, with many workers being laid off. How could the city justify $1 million for a parade?

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa then announced that “private donors” had been found to cover the city’s share. And the protests diminished.

But should they? That the decision to use public monies in this time of need was ever made at all is highly disturbing.

And isn’t it sad that these “private donors” consider a sports victory parade a worthy cause to which to contribute? How about giving that money to the city to save jobs?

Where are our priorities?

Yes, these people have the right to do whatever they want with their money.  I don’t deny that.  It’s just disappointing that they would chose to give money to this parade over saving a teacher’s livelihood.  And I say that as a huge sports fan, who has attended victory parades.  There is a time and place for them.

The only group I’m willing to cut a little slack here would be if the private donors turned out to be the individual Lakers themselves.  If Kobe, Phil, Mitch, Derek, Lamar and the gang ponied up to give their city and their fans one last feel good moment for the season–paying for their own honoring–I’m willing to accept that as a goodwill gesture.

Of course, the city’s decision to pay half the cost in the first place may have forced these donor’s hands, and perhaps they are indirectly saving additional jobs that would have been lost because of the parade.

We’ll never know.

• February 3, 2010 -- NBA Basketball Mid-Season Report (0)
• May 25, 2009 -- NBA Conference Finals Dogfights (0)
• December 1, 2008 -- December (0)
• November 13, 2008 -- Lakers Lesson Learned (0)
• October 29, 2009 -- Tim Donaghy Strikes Back (14)

We’ve been awfully quiet for the last two weeks, and I apologize. It was not my intention to slag, but I went to visit my family over the holidays only to discover that they had a miserable internet connection that made it impossible for me to do just about anything. Then I became one of the countless victims of weather-cancelled travel on my return flight to Los Angeles, delaying my return to normality. I am now home safe and sound in LA, ready to tackle 2009!

I wanted to finish 2008 with my “Best Of” sporting highlights of the finished year; instead, I will say my final farewell from the new year. To be slightly different, I’ll only countdown my Top 5, all in brief except for the all important #1.

Nate’s Top 5 Sporting Moments of 2008

5. Rivalry Renewed! The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers once again meet in the NBA Finals with the Celts completing their return to excellence in a dominating dismantling of the Lake Show.

4. The New York Giants upset the then 18-0 New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII as Eli Manning emerges from his big brother’s shadow in one truly brilliant play,

3. Perennial American League East doormat Tampa Bay executes one of the most remarkable worst-to-first turnarounds in sports history as the Rays not only win their division but advance to the World Series.

2. Usain Bolt shatters the 100-meter world record with a time of 9.69 seconds at the Beijing Olympics. And it looked like he pulled up at the end!

My #1 sports moment of the year actually has two parts: the greater, more encompassing accomplishment and one specific moment in particular.

1b. 2008 was a terrible year for most people, as the global economy plummeted and war continues to rage in Iraq and Afghanistan. But for two weeks in August, the world’s attention was focused on happier affairs as all eyes turned towards the Beijing Olympics, and, in that first glorious week, on one man: Michael Phelps. The world needed Michael Phelps, and he delivered.

Phelps’s pursuit of eight gold medals in one Olympic Games was captivating and inspiring, quite simply everything that both sports in general and the Olympics in particular aspire to be. One could not help but root for him, and with each successive victory, whether massive or by the narrowest of margins, one’s awe grew. That he did so in record form almost every race was the icing on the cake.

1a. As amazing as Phelps’s eight gold medals were, one race in particular stands out: the 4 x 100-meter Freestyle Relay. It wasn’t his closest race (that honor belongs to the 100-meter Butterfly); ironically, the miracle and greatest excitement didn’t even belong to Phelps, but to his teammate Jason Lezak. Lezak, so close so many times before, swam the race of his life, making up more than a half-body length on Frenchman Alain Bernard in world-record split time. That Bernard’s trash-talking was stuffed down his throat made the victory even sweeter.

I remember every second of Lezak’s swim in perfect clarity, leaping to my feet as I realized he was gaining ground even before the commentators announced he was doing so. Watching that race still gives me goosebumps, so I believe the perfect way to end 2008 is to revisit it one more time here:

• February 10, 2009 -- Poor Economy Doing It to Manny and the Mets (1)
• November 7, 2008 -- Are NFL Payrolls Inversely Proportional to On-Field Success? (0)
• January 26, 2009 -- Clippers Clipped (0)
• December 21, 2008 -- The Hate List (9)
• December 14, 2008 -- Playoff Picture Still Murky (0)

Everybody has a night off, but it’s how the Lakers lost that cause flashbacks. Poor defense. A huge blown lead. And Kobe Bryant barely touching the ball as the Pacers slowly clawed their way back.  Then, when the game was on the line, Kobe tried to take over, scoring the go-ahead bucket before Murphy’s fortuitous bounce.

Do the Lakers have anything to worry about? No, of course not. But for the rest of the league, it’s a welcome relief to see that Los Angeles can still slip.

• January 26, 2009 -- Clippers Clipped (0)
• January 2, 2009 -- Hello, 2009 – Bye Bye Best Of 2008 (0)
• December 16, 2008 -- Improving… (0)
• December 3, 2008 -- I Stand Corrected! (0)
• November 24, 2008 -- Coaches Dropping Like Flies (0)

NFL: Last week, I looked at the parity now existing in the National Football League.  Of course, as even as teams are, the playoffs will still only hold twelve teams.  The postseason picture grew a little clearer this past weekend.  In the AFC, one favorite coming into the season, the Chargers, dropped completely out of contention, another, the Patriots, slipped to a game out of a playoff spot, and a third, the Colts rose into one.  Denver showed a strong resurgence and Pittsburgh reiterated that they are the one team capable of challenging the Titans.  The NFC picture is as murky as ever, with eleven teams still in contention.  The Giants and Cardinals are pretty secure, but the South has replaced the East as the division to beat.

NCAA Football: The BCS is as big a mess as ever, with Oklahoma passing Texas for the second spot despite having lost to the Longhorns.  We could be looking at four undefeated teams going into bowl season, two of which will be playing in BCS bowls but not against each other (Alabama and Utah) and a third (Boise State) which is at least receiving consideration, although few expect a second non-”big six” conference team to win an at-large bid.  So much for every week being a playoff, as the BCS supporters posit as a rationale for their irrational system.

NHL: Looking back over the first few weeks of this site, I realized I have yet to post on hockey.  I don’t have a good reason why not–I enjoy the puck immensely.  A quarter season has passed already.  Last year’s Stanley Cup Finalists are both playing strong, although Detroit has been eclipsed by the absolutely stellar play of the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh overshadowed by the New York Rangers and by the Boston Bruins’ return to prominence.  This week features a major show down between the Rangers and Penguins. The Rangers are definitely a good team, but considering that New York has played two more games than anyone else in the league, three more than any other team in its own division, and four more than Pittsburgh, it’s time to see if they truly are that much better than the rest of the conference or if their high point total is an additional games played advantage.

NBA: Lakers. Celtics. ‘Nuff said (with an apologetic nod to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers). Finals rematch, anyone?

NCAA Basketball: So far, North Carolina has justified its unanimous pre-season #1 ranking, dominating even with National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough having played minimal minutes to date due to injury.  Meanwhile, the Big East set a record this week with eight teams being ranked in the AP Poll.  That’s half of the sixteen team league and just under a third of the ranked teams.  Wow.  

A most wonderful time of the year, indeed!

• December 19, 2008 -- Nate’s Most Intriguing Bowl Matchups (2)
• December 14, 2008 -- Playoff Picture Still Murky (0)
• January 12, 2009 -- Divisional Round Dish (0)
• December 9, 2008 -- Football Coaches Have A Sense of Humor (0)
• November 25, 2008 -- EnEfElquality (0)

That having been said, I have to give credit where credit is due.  The Lakers learned their lesson last season.  It may have been painful, it may have been embarassing, but learn it they did, and this year the Lakers are back with a vengeance.  And I am very impressed.  Last year the Lakers took it on the chin, but they’ve come back swinging this year, and swinging hard. It’s why Los Angeles is off to a 7-0 start, the only remaining undefeated team in the NBA.

Since the players are largely the same, the big difference is that the Lakers developed toughness over the off-season.  Last year, Los Angeles was frequently accused of being soft, and while the team managed to work past that weakness most of the year, that softness showed through in the Finals.  This year, LA is both physically and mentall tough.  Physically tough, in that the Lakers don’t let themselves be pushed around on the floor, and mentally tough in that they are never phased no matter what the situation, thus keeping them in the proper mindset to come back even when down by a lot. Proof positive: the Lakers have yet to let an opponent score 100 points. That’s good defense, and good defense equates to toughness.

Last year Boston bullied Los Angeles during the Finals; I simply don’t see that happening again this year.  That doesn’t mean that I necessarily think the Lakers will win; the Celtics are still the champs, and until the Lakers show that they can beat them, advantage Boston.  But even if the Celts do get the better of their match-ups with the Lakers, I think it’s safe to say it won’t be nearly so easy.  

Kudos to the Lakers for a lesson well-learned.  Last year’s rivaly renewed energized professional basketball in a way that the league hasn’t seen in a long time. Long dormant former fans returned to the game. And while it’s never good for one or two teams to dominate, it never hurts to have your marquee franchises at least performing well.

• May 25, 2009 -- NBA Conference Finals Dogfights (0)
• February 26, 2009 -- Around the Horn, Sort of (5)
• January 26, 2009 -- Clippers Clipped (0)
• December 1, 2008 -- December (0)
• June 17, 2009 -- Rain on the Parade (1)