Trivial pursuits: Name the Lakers fan who co-wrote the Monkees movie
Random thoughts, while looking for a breakfast wine that pairs well with stickball and sarcasm:
- Trayce Thompson could hit the crunch off a bowl of Wheaties.
- Heard it here first: Pete Carroll will be the next Rams coach.
- Telecasts without Vin Scully will be like vodka without vermouth.
- If Justin Turner’s beard gets any longer, he can claim it on his taxes.
- Just when you thought pro athletes were starting to behave, along comes Johnny Manziel.
- Sports book Bovada is offering 10-1 odds that Madison Bumgarner will be in the home run derby.
- At what point do the Lakers trade Jack Nicholson?
- The best things in life make you a little sweaty.
- Theo Epstein for president. After fixing baseball in Boston and Chicago, fixing the world would seem like a breeze.
- Did you know: Epstein’s grandpa, Philip, and his great uncle, Julius, co-wrote “Casablanca.”
- Still say Rocky Balboa was the best fighter I ever saw.
- Best backstop? Kevin Costner, who recently told Larry King he may be making yet another baseball movie.
- Trivia I: Who was the only person to play for the Lakers, Kings and Dodgers? (answer below)
- Would free agent Pau Gasol come back to the Lakers? They have been in a death spiral since he left.
- Jimmy Kimmel will be the archbishop of Boston before they settle this Dodgers TV standoff.
- Kelly Ripa will be prime minister of Mars before we’re done hearing about Deflategate.
- Favorite word(s): Mini-camp.
- Shouldn’t hyphenated have a hyphen in it?
- The Rams open on the road against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 12, a Monday night match-up.
- Still don’t understand why the NFL gives us Lions vs. Vikings on Thanksgiving Day, instead of Packers vs. Bears.
- Trivia II: Name the Lakers fan who co-wrote the Monkees movie “Head,” back in the late ’60s.
- Soccer’s sensational Copa America features 32 games in 10 cities over 23 days. Or, as any MLB team would call it, “a typical road trip.”
- June birthdays: J.J. Redick, 32; Jordan Clarkson, 24; Milan Lucic, 28; Tim Lincecum, 32.
- Seriously, there’s nothing wrong with the Dodgers that hiring a few more general managers wouldn’t solve.
- Nicholson can’t shoot. He can’t defend. I’d trade that joker for a box of popcorn.
- The more I recall Muhammad Ali’s preening, polarizing stunts, the more I appreciate the class and patience of Jackie Robinson and Martin Luther King Jr.
- How impressive was Alexander Rossi’s Indy 500 win? An F1 driver primarily used to road courses, he didn’t race on an oval till the month before.
- FYI, Indy cars zoom farther than a football field every second.
- O’Malley family artifacts – including the original Dodger Stadium model – are on display at the Skirball Cultural Center through Oct. 30.
- Costner says the baseball story he wants to do is about the Chicago Cubs. Tragedy? Comedy? Romance? How about all three?
- The only two people qualified to pen a Cubs screenplay: Moses and Shakespeare.
- Quirky Saturday night date: Roller derby, L.A. vs. Arizona, June 11. Tickets from $11.50. Info at derbydolls.com.
- Agree with Rob Manfred: “Rachel Robinson is an American treasure.”
- Inspiring Father’s Day gift: “Wednesdays With Wooden,” Dr. Michael Levi’s recollections of his weekly house calls (with Larry Stewart, via FriesenPress).
- Yasiel Puig plays baseball the way Bob Dylan sings – raggedly, yet occasionally to great effect.
- Think blue. Think positive. I’d wager my entire collection of Fiona Apple albums that the Dodgers TV standoff will get fixed in our lifetimes. Wait, how old are you?
- Trivia I answer: This year, stadium organist Dieter Ruehle has played for the Lakers, Kings and Dodgers.
- Trivia II answer: Jack Nicholson co-wrote the Monkees’ movie “Head.”
- “The movie dropped like a ball of dark star.” – Monkees bassist Peter Tork, describing the film’s botched release.
- Me, I’d hang on to Nicholson. He’s like family. Seriously, have you ever seen him with an ax?
Twitter: @erskinetimes
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