Jeanie Buss/ Lakers Soap Opera

I was looking throughthe Lakers website, i came across a bio- for Jeanie Buss. For those of you who don't know who she is, she is the owner's daughter and the Head coach's girlfriend. Besides being upper Lakers management,she has also posed for playboy. Lakers fans really owe Jeaning a great deal. Rumor has it if it wasn't for her inter-office romance with Phil Jackson, he never would have come back. Although the Lakers still aren't winning any championships, one has to admit that they have shown some improvement.

Thinking of the whole Jeanie/Phil romance, made me wonder if any other Lakers fans feel as if they are watching a soap opera unfold. I used to think that the Lakers provided entertainment through basketball, but after the last few seasons, I can at least be greatful that they have given me good gossip. Think about the last couple of years... There was the Shaq/Kobe feud in which Kobe took the brunt of the blame for running Shaq out of LA. There is the office romance previously mention. Gary Viti and Kwame's sexual harrasment/rape charges were also news. Oh let's not forget Kobe's rape case. There was that time that Phil dissed Kobe in his book. What about the time Karl Malone allegedly made "inappropriate comments" to Kobe's wife? There was the death of Lamar's son and Kobe being called a "dirty player" by the press. There is enough material hear to last longer than all the seasons of All My Children. Could it be the LA water?

Kobe tired of losing

In an article posted in the Los Angeles Times, on May 5th, Kobe Bryant voiced the frustration many Lakers fans have been feeling. In a press conference after being kicked out of the playoffs for the second straight year in a row, Kobe called out management publicly:



As he stated he's not getting any younger. I know many fans are thinking ahead to the next couple of years. He's turning 29 this year and while that may seem young to some people, many forget that he has been playing NBA basketball straight out of high school and that takes a toll on the body. What's going to happen when his body starts to give out? He as a supporting cast that is not very intimidating to other teams. And the Lakers haven't won a playoff series since Shaq left. I totally agree with Kobe, we need better players. This fact is very clear, when I have friends calling to tell me that the Golden State Warriors made it farther than the Lakers in the playoffs... THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS?!!!!! Something has gone terribly wrong.

Chick Hearn

For my multimedia final project I decided to do a mini biography on the Laker's former play-by-play announcer Chick Hearn. Although, he may have not been well known throughout the rest of the the country he was a fixture in the Los Angeles Sports community.During his 42 year career with the Lakers he broadcast 3,362 consecutive Lakers games.

So many people have grown up listening to him, and when researching for my project and listening to his old play-by-plays, I couldn't help but tear up. His voice reminds me of my childhood, when i would sit on the couch and watch games with my dad. Or when I would sneak a radio into my room and listen to him call the Laker games when it far past my bedtime.

I know that many others feel the same as I do when I say that he is truly missed. I think that this was evident during his funeral a couple of years ago when hundreds of people showed up and thousands more watched his funeral on T.V Listening to Lakers games now a days is just not the same for many Lakers fans. I think that when the Lakers have blown an opponent out of a game, many are still wishing they could hear Chick's famous saying "This game's in the refrigerator, the door is closed the lights are out, the eggs are cooling, the butter's gettin' hard and the Jel-lo's jigglin!!!!"

For those of you who have not heard "Old Golden Throat", here's a sampling:

Lakers Out in the First Round

Some say that change is inevitable, that every dynasty must fall. It feels like just yesterday that the Los Angeles Lakers were racking up championships. I remember the yearly victory parades down Figeroa, Mark Madsen doing his crazy little dance, and Slava, shouting "I love LA!". Watching Mark Madsen dance brings me back to happier days...


So it's surprising when one realizes that they have won anything in over five years.

It's disappointing to have such a good start, peak in the middle and fade into the end of the season. After they surprisingly took Pheonix to seven games last year, I thought surely they would improve upon their performance and make it into the second round this year. I mean they weren't even predicted to make it into the playoffs last year.Yet, this season was a let down. They played 82 games to make it into the playoffs then the Lakers exited before I had a chance to blink.

Injures seem to be a common storyline, every season, I used to think that it was a case of bad luck. However, there are other teams in the league who suffer injuries and somehow keep winning. Perhaps,the Lakers lack the tallent and depth to make it deep into the later rounds.

Kobe Haters

I don't think that there is a more hated man in the NBA than Kobe Bryant. There are so many Kobe Hater Blogs out there on the webI guess there are a lot of people out there who hate greatness. I mean there aren't many out there who can put up the numbers that he does. He's averaging 31.3 ppg, 5.4 apg, and 5.6 rpg; while averaging, over 40 minutes a night. Let's not for get the 81 point game last year, or the string of 50 point games he had this year. The list can go on and on and still people choose to hate.


I understand if they don't like him because of his personality. They might think that he's the reason why Shaq is gone. I'm not going to deny that that could be the case. But in reality the weren't getting along anyway. There's really no use dwelling in the past either because nothing is going to bring him back. They might say that he has a huge ego. Who in the league doesn't? So people, hate him, that doesn't bother me. What does bother me is when those same people say that he isn't a great player.

The numbers don't lie. He's leading the league in scoring for godsake. You can't deny his dedication; he's in there day in and day out. You can hate him as a person, but it is idiotic to deny his greatness as a basketball player.

My return to the Southland...

So, the last time I wrote in this blog the Lakers were on the 7 game losing streak. The longest losing streak under the Phil Jackson Era. I had hoped that my return back to the LA are would produce a little win streak. So what happend?

During my stay at home the Lakers played five games. Guess the number of wins during that time span. Yeah that's right five. What happend when i left? Two losses in a row. Coincidence? I think not.

And despite the loses seems to be looking up. The Lakers are about to enter the playoffs and will probably have the seventh seed.

Lakers 7th Straight Loss

Wow, so I haven't really been able to watch many of the Lakers last couple of games, so I was surprised when i looked at their website a couple of days ago and noticed that they had accumulated five straight losses. I though wow this is as bad as it gets. However, as I sat here in the airport waiting to board my plane I took a quick gander at the Lakers homepage and noticed SEVEN straight losses. Please allow me the indulgence of thinking that it is because I have not been in front of the television to cheer them on. A girl can dream, can't she?

With the way things are going I'm not so sure that they will make the playoffs. A disappointment since they started off the year with such promise. I've always heard the NBA season is a marathon and not a sprint.


Well I'm happy to say that I'm heading back to the LA area and hopefully I'll bring them a little luck.