Exploring the Mind-Set of Clipper Followers

The first thing someone says to me when I’m going to a Clipper game these days is “Why?”

Well, the Lakers are out of town, the Ducks are in Anaheim, and where else can you catch a glimpse of Frankie Muniz, Monty Hall and Penny Marshall in the same building?

When I arrived before Wednesday’s game, I noticed they already had prepared Staples Center for the contest and had posted the first-quarter score in neon lights: Warriors 49, Clippers 0.

I’d have thought the Clippers would have at least scored on their home court, but some of these people have followed the Clippers a lot longer than I have. But that got me to thinking: Why would anyone decide to become a Clipper fan?

I asked Coach Mike Dunleavy, and he said, “That’s too deep for me.”

I put in a request to speak with Muniz, but apparently he doesn’t have the ability to talk unless he’s been given a script and cue cards are available. So instead, I sat down with Marshall, who shows no shame in rooting for the Clippers, even though they’re obviously in A League of Their Own.

“What am I going to do tonight -- stay home and watch ‘American Idol?’ ” she said. “I’m not embarrassed to say I’m a Clipper fan. They’re young, they’re fun and you never know what’s going to happen. Maybe you’ll even write something nice.”

I checked with Ralph Lawler, who has broadcast 1,496 consecutive Clipper games over the last 25 years, and found him in amazingly good spirits.

“Some people like the idea these guys try hard every night,” Lawler said. “The Lakers take a month off here and there, and at those prices ... sometimes that makes these guys more fun to watch. They’re real close, too, to being good, and if they make a move on the guy [Kobe Bryant] whose locker is down the hall -- look out.”

Bryant in a Clipper uniform? Stranger things have happened to Kobe.

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I STAYED for the Clipper game to give them another chance. What else was I going to do -- go home and watch “American Idol”?

Golden State jumped ahead, 21-7, but as Marshall pointed out, the Clippers have better cheerleaders.

That got me through the first half, studying the cheerleaders intently to determine whether Marshall knew what she was talking about. I needed more time, so that got me to the fourth quarter, when UCLA’s Matt Barnes took over. Finally, Steve Lavin’s coaching pays off.

“The Lakers have wonderful players, but the Clipper games are more fun,” said Marshall before the Clippers clawed their way to a late lead. “I like the fans at Clipper games better too. They’re not all in suits.”

True story: That’s when I noticed that Marshall was wearing glasses -- rose-colored glasses. Imagine what a pair of glasses like that might do for someone writing on Page 2. I took it as a sign, stayed to the end, and what do you know, the Clippers won.

I think we know now what the first fan giveaway should be this season in Dodger Stadium. That’s right: rose-colored glasses.

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STOPPED BY the Dodger workout earlier. How’s that for a day of entertainment: first the Dodgers and then the Clippers.

The hardest-working guy was Adrian Beltre, and keeping in mind he didn’t have to be there and most of the players on the field were minor leaguers trying to catch someone’s eye, that was impressive. But then no one has ever challenged Beltre’s work ethic, just the results.

The Dodgers signed Beltre to a one-year, $5-million deal, which tells you they aren’t convinced he’ll consistently deliver, because after this season Beltre will be free to seek a deal elsewhere. I think it’s a mistake not giving him a longer-term deal.

The guy is 24, has improved dramatically in the field, and hit .290 before an appendectomy and complications sabotaged his development.

“That’s true, but the last two years are on me,” said Beltre, who has the charisma to be a big-time player in L.A. if he does maximize his potential. “Now I’m working my butt off to be consistent.”

If that happens this season, though, he’s probably gone at year’s end to the highest bidder on the free-agent market. Another Dodger loss.

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CAUGHT A part of the USC celebration -- the part where host Roger Lodge was supposed to present the Sporting News trophy to Coach Pete Carroll.

Before doing that, Lodge took the stage and did a commercial for his radio show -- the name of the show escapes me -- complete with the times it’s on the air. Then he told the crowd, “This is a big day for me,” because he was taking the opportunity to plug his dating game show -- the name of it escapes me -- and he was going to put one of the football players on as a contestant. Won’t that kid’s parents be proud. As an afterthought, he handed the trophy to Carroll.

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CHESTER BREWER, dressed as “Da Bull,” the Chicago Bulls’ mascot for the last eight seasons, has been arrested for selling marijuana. I wonder whether someone had to pick him out of a lineup.

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TODAY’S LAST word comes in e-mail from Eli Luria:

“To have Eli Broad buy the Dodgers and Peter O’Malley run the organization would be a dream come true. To vilify Eli Broad because he has not followed through on some promises is not only ludicrous but completely unfair since he has contributed so much to education, the arts and many other organizations...”

If not allowed to vilify someone because they’ve “contributed so much to education, the arts and many other organizations,” we’re going to have a line of local athletes, coaches and owners stretching beyond the L.A. County line.

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T.J. Simers can be reached at t.j.simers@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Simers, go to latimes.com/simers.