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New owner probably won’t mean a thing if the team can’t swing

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Dodgers fans would gladly welcome it, of course, but stable ownership doesn’t guarantee a winning record. …

Just ask the Angels. …

Thank you, baseball gods: Aces Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers and Jered Weaver of the Angels appear destined to square off twice in the next two weeks. …

Until Sunday, when he fell to the ground clutching his broken left wrist, Albert Pujols seemed indestructible. …

Arizona’s Derrick Williams, formerly of La Mirada High, might be the top pick in the NBA draft, making him only the second player from a Southland high school taken that high. …

In 1962, the Chicago Zephyrs made former Jefferson High star Bill “The Hill” McGill of Utah the No. 1 pick. …

Williams, no shrinking violet, recently told the Sporting News, “Whoever does choose me is making the right choice and whoever doesn’t choose me — I will try to get back at them and let them know they should have chosen me.” …

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UCLA’s Bill Walton, the top pick in the 1974 draft, was from La Mesa Helix High in San Diego County. …

The Ducks are unique among the Southland’s NHL and NBA teams this year in that they own a first-round draft pick. …

The Lakers, Clippers and Kings traded theirs away. …

While others bashed LeBron James, Larry Bird was the voice of reason in noting that James was “as good as anyone that’s ever played this game” and would win “a lot of titles.” …

Even if it’s one fewer than James thought he would win. …

Rory McIlroy sure looks a lot like Danny Noonan,” suggests reader Sterling Buckingham of Canyon Country, comparing the curly haired U.S. Open winner with the curly haired caddie from “Caddyshack.” …

Tiger Woods, three years removed from his last major championship and absent from the U.S. Open because of injuries, nevertheless is the No. 3 choice to win the British Open, according to odds posted at bodog.com. …

McIlroy is the 5-1 favorite. …

The Florida Marlins’ hiring of 80-year-old Jack McKeon as manager reminds that the NHL’s oldest coach, Terry Murray of the Kings, won’t be 80 until July 2030. …

The NBA’s oldest coach is 67-year-old Paul Silas of the Charlotte Bobcats, while the NFL’s oldest is 64-year-old Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants. …

If Dustin Brown wins the NHL Foundation Player Award on Wednesday in Las Vegas, he’ll be the Kings’ first award winner since 1998, when Rob Blake won the Norris Trophy. …

A Sporting News ranking of the top teams in NBA history, topped by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, puts the 1971-72 Lakers of Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain at No. 2 and the 1986-87 Lakers of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at No. 3. …

Scoffs Showtime-era Laker Michael Cooper, dismissing the ‘95-96 Bulls: “All they had was [Michael] Jordan and [Scottie] Pippen. Our 1987 team would have beaten them 4-0.” …

After Justin Verlander flirted with a third no-hitter last week, the Wall Street Journal argued that Nolan Ryan’s record of seven no-hitters was less likely to be broken than Joe DiMaggio’s record of hitting safely in 56 consecutive games. …

Newcomer Utah, set to face Matt Barkley and USC in its Pacific 12 Conference opener Sept. 10 at the Coliseum, will be picked by many to finish atop the Pac-12 South Division and play in the conference’s inaugural championship game. …

Because of the lockout, Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers might be hard-pressed to match Sam Bradford, who took every snap for the St. Louis Rams as a rookie last season. …

The only other NFL quarterbacks who took each of their team’s snaps in 2010 were Peyton Manning and Joe Flacco. …

“Hear about the guy who got 14 ties for Father’s Day?” writes Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times. “His kids bought him MLS tickets.” …

Forty years ago this week, UCLA’s Jimmy Connors became the first freshman to win an NCAA tennis singles championship when he defeated Stanford’s Roscoe Tanner at South Bend, Ind. …

T-shirt wisdom: “We bust ours … to kick yours.”

jerome.crowe@latimes.com

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