Clippers show they are tough, and Lakers cry

THE CLIPPERS proved themselves to not only be tougher and more team-oriented than the Lakers on Thursday night -- making it twice in the last eight days -- but they also demonstrated more class.

The Clippers might still end the season whining about what went wrong and how close they came to making the playoffs, but in the meantime, it’s the Lakers who will do all the crying.

If it’s not Kobe Bryant, and it usually is, it’s Lamar Odom carrying on or complaining he was fouled or done wrong. It’s become as much a part of their game as Odom going left and Bryant shooting off-balance.

They are brilliant performers and big babies.

They never miss a shot, turn the ball over or do anything wrong. It’s always the ref’s fault, Kobe getting slapped with a first-quarter technical for crying and then almost getting tossed later for waging yet another woe-is-me argument.

Bryant now has 13 technical fouls; 16 and he gets suspended. Three games remain. Just think if he weren’t such a star -- the refs usually giving stars the benefit of the doubt.

Odom has 11 technicals, playing in 21 fewer games than Bryant, or he might be right there with him.

As good as they both are, do they really need to beg ... well yes, maybe beg for more help from their teammates.

THEY PUT Jack Nicholson and Billy Crystal up on the “Kiss Me” board, and well, they went at it.

THE PARKING problems continued Tuesday and Wednesday, and so did the complaints about Dodger Stadium:

Michael Clark: “I found myself scanning the parking lot in the eighth and ninth inning to see what progress the cars were making in leaving the lot -- and I don’t think I was the only one. When we left -- my 13-year-old son urging me to ‘Go, go, we got to get out of here’ -- we joined thousands of other fans who no longer were strolling to their cars, but instead trotting -- even running. We were like the children leaving the schoolhouse in Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds.’ ”

Erica Kimbrough: “Some idiots were rolling empty bottles down the small slope and aiming them at car wheels (all the cars stopped in traffic.) There was no security in the parking lot the whole time.”

James in Glendale: “To cap off the lovely night, a fight broke out in the inner reserve level where my family was sitting. The culprits/thugs were cursing and yelling the whole game, even at the lemonade guy, and nobody at the stadium did anything. All of this after Tom Lasorda’s inspiring family environment speech on Dodger Vision before the game.”

Jeffrey Hubbard: “My God, what were the McCourts thinking?”

And then this, from Barry R. Halpern, M.D.: “I am a physician and I am considering reporting the state of the restroom facilities to the L.A. County Department of Health. I’ve been all over the world but have never seen restrooms in a more disgusting state of affairs -- at least on the loge and reserved levels. Floors with sitting water, filthy toilets, rank odors, sinks without soap. I believe these are the same restrooms some of the concession-stand food handlers utilize.

“To be fair, I need to report I had no problem with the parking lot situation.”

You see, things really aren’t so bad.

DODGERS MANAGER Grady Little started something when he pledged $100 to Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA for every win. Marty Adelstein and Steve Soboroff matched Little’s donation, and now Jared Levine and Harris Rosner have joined the charitable firm -- making it $500 for every Dodgers win.

“I’ll also donate $100 for every shutout and $1,000 for any Dodger no-hitter,” Rosner said, and with the Dodgers’ 3-0 win over Colorado -- it was a $600 night.

JOSE CRISTOBAL noticed Vin Scully stuck in traffic, and took note that a classy Scully had passed on the chance for favorable treatment. Scully modestly said later, “I like traffic.”

Because of poor wording by the writer, and that would be me, it sounded like Cristobal or Scully also took a shot at the Parking Lot Attendant at the end of Page 2. There’s a better chance of the Dodgers winning the World Series -- I think you know who was taking a shot at the Parking guy.

To make matters right, I have a pair of Dodgers tickets for Cristobal. That might be construed as a punishment rather than an apology, so thanks to E.J. at Jackson Limo, a car will pick up Cristobal, and more important, get him home. I’d do the same for Scully, but he said he likes traffic.

DODGERS EMPLOYEES, told bus service had been stopped on opening day, began walking to their cars, which were parked outside the stadium. One food-service worker fell, which prompted today’s LAST WORD from Julianna Orozco-McGinnis:

“My mother has been an employee at Dodger Stadium for 27 years and she was the worker who fell. I was horrified and offended the (Dodgers) sent her home in a taxi instead of calling a family member or offering to take her. She was put in an ambulance, but was disoriented and told she would have to pay for it, so she refused to go to the hospital. And so they put her in a taxi. She went to the ER at 6:30, and was released at 5:30 a.m. She spent 11 hours in the ER in a lot of unnecessary pain.

“Mom just loves working at Dodger Stadium. She is 80 years old and has had five retirement parties, but the next opening day, she’s back at the stadium. She has a name, Jewel Orozco, and she is truly a gem. She will be returning to work (today), but her knee injuries are pretty bad and I’m worried about her back injury.

“I want to thank you for not letting her accident get swept under the rug. She is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and loved by many. She is important.”

Another worker called to say the Dodgers apparently now agree, and after Jewel Orozco’s tumble and talks with the employees’ union, the Dodgers will provide shuttle service to their employees.

The employees also requested to park outside the stadium the rest of the season. I wonder why.

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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.