NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will hear it from fans at draft
As football-related bets go, this one truly is a mortal lock: Roger Goodell will not be greeted warmly Thursday night when he steps to the podium at the NFL draft. …
Fans loathe lockouts. …
Noting the rare confluence of a British royal wedding and the NFL draft within 10 hours of each other, USA Today’s Mike Lopresti offered a primer contrasting the overblown spectacles. …
“The audience for one will include royals from Swaziland and Romania, dressed in regal splendor,” he wrote, while “the audience for the other will include draftniks from Hoboken and New Rochelle, dressed in Giants and Jets jerseys.” …
Nevertheless, Cam Newton is probably no less anxious than Prince William and Kate Middleton. …
In regard to his ankle, is Kobe Bryant pulling our leg? …
Maybe Phil Jackson and the Lakers won’t scoff the next time Paul Pierce turns up in a wheelchair. …
Uncertainty about Bryant’s availability seems to bring out the best in his teammates, whether it’s Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum or Lamar Odom or Ron Artest or Derek Fisher. …
All stepped up in Game 5, as did Bryant, of course. …
Led by FC Barcelona, seven of the world’s eight most-followed sports teams on Facebook and Twitter are European soccer clubs, SportsBusiness Daily reports. …
The other is the Lakers. …
For clarity’s sake, Ned Colletti’s gotta get off the air. …
Brian Sanches, who gave up Andre Ethier’s game-winning home run Wednesday, is joined on the Florida Marlins’ roster by Gaby Sanchez and Anibal Sanchez. …
Jered Weaver improves with age — every fifth day. …
Weaver, despite his April dominance, is only the sixth pick (at 10-1) to win the American League’s Cy Young Award, according to odds listed at BetUS.com. …
Reader Bruce Dobos of Lomita, noting that the late Lyman Bostock once offered to forfeit a portion of his Angels salary because of a slump-ridden start, emails to suggest, “Vernon Wells should consider doing the same.” …
When Bostock’s unheard-of offer was declined in April 1978, he donated a month’s salary to charity instead. …
San Diego-reared right-hander Mike Leake of the Cincinnati Reds, solid in two starts since his arrest on suspicion of shoplifting, was unable to steal a victory Tuesday night at Milwaukee. …
Discounting Donald T. Sterling’s perennially out-of-the-running Clippers, no other Southland sports franchise more consistently disappoints its fans than the Kings. …
Both USC and UCLA are represented in a USA Today ranking of the biggest NFL draft busts of the last 15 years, ex-Trojans wide receiver Mike Williams landing at No. 6 and former Bruins quarterback Cade McNown at No. 7. …
JaMarcus Russell is No. 1. …
Average home attendance at Kentucky last basketball season was a whopping 23,603 — tops in the nation and higher than the average at UCLA, USC, Long Beach State, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine, UC Riverside and Cal State Northridge combined. …
Bidding on the original Pauley Pavilion center-jump circle at scpauctions.com has topped $104,000, or about triple John Wooden’s top salary at UCLA. …
From “The Winners Manual,” written by beleaguered Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel: “The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour.” …
He’s learning the hard way. …
Regarding David Leon Moore’s running the Boston Marathon last week before reporting on it for USA Today, reader Rick Grant of Brentwood emails to note that his wife, Hattie Kauffman, ran it in 1996 while reporting on it for CBS. …
One more French Open championship for Rafael Nadal would give him six, matching Bjorn Borg’s Open-era record. …
The late Joe “The Jet” Perry starred at Compton College, as did fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer Hugh McElhenny — but not, contrary to reports, at the same time. …
John Smoltz will become the 10th former professional athlete to compete in a Nationwide Tour event when he tees off Thursday in the South Georgia Classic at Valdosta. …
None have made the cut. …
“The best part of the NFL draft ending,” reader Ralph Brax of Lancaster writes, “is that Mel Kiper disappears for a year.”
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