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The Los Angeles Bike Freeway →
A brief history of the now-forgotten California Cycleway.
It turns out in 1897 our city thought it was a good idea to create a toll freeway—for bikes. With bikes as popular as they have become in the last few years, many Angelenos probably wish this was a reality. The funny thing is that the thing that killed this idea was the the same thing that now so many Angelenos seem to resent. The automobile boom made the city abandon the bicycle freeway in favor of the freeways we have now. I for one love cars, and love that Los Angeles, unlike the other popular cities in our country, goes well beyond the downtown metropolis. Our city is meant to be explored; whether by car, bike, bus, or foot.
Source: Vice (motherboard.vice.com). Article written by Brian Merchant.
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fourplusonemore said: Was that ejection the last time Dwight will be in a Lakers uniform?
I’ve believed for most of the season that Dwight was here for one year. I also believe Dwight leaving is actually the best-case scenario for the team, though Buss and Kupchak may not see it that way.
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How the Mighty Have Fallen
Bus rides down Figueroa Street, Laker chants in every sports bar, purple and gold oceans in downtown Los Angeles, me standing in the middle of those oceans; those days are long gone. I’ve been a Laker fan my entire life, and that is not coming to end. Unfortunately, this season has come to an end and I’m left with a strange feeling the organization is so far removed from the glory days that its current management team simply does not have the formula needed to get the team back to those days. The team has put itself in a predicament and for the first time in the history of this legendary team, it has no control over its immediate future.
The Lakers are the type of team that doesn’t really have an off-season. Even when basketball is not being played, the Lakers are making moves, preparing for the new season; and everybody follows, reports, and discusses each one from rumor to reality. So what should we Laker fans expect this off-season? This year could consist of one big question being answered followed by a bunch of nothing, leading to a 2013-14 season that could be a repeat of the 2012-13 season.
Jim Buss, the not-so-basketball-savvy son of the basketball genius, Dr. Jerry Buss, has put the team’s future on Dwight Howard. Dwight Howard has already admitted this season was a nightmare, this after being ejected during a 7-point performance during the elimination game against the Spurs. Yet, Buss and Mitch Kupchak, Lakers’ GM, insist Howard is staying a Laker. Since Howard is an unrestricted free agent now, the Lakers will make zero moves until Howard makes a decision, and Howard has proven he’s not the best at making quick decisions.
So what happens when Howard finally makes up his mind? If Howard decides to stay, the Lakers will enter a 5-year, $108M commitment with Howard, leaving the Lakers little money for other players. This will leave the Lakers with the decision to amnesty Kobe Bryant, the person who has been the face of the Lakers for 17 seasons. This would be an ultimate slap in Kobe’s face but while I think Jim Buss values dollars over winning, I don’t believe he will take this route. The only other player of trade value is Pau Gasol. I have never been the biggest fan of Gasol, but I’ll admit he was treated like garbage this year and he handled it like a true professional. This trade would have to bring in some serious young talent to make this worthwhile.
On the other hand, if Howard decides he doesn’t want to play with Kobe Bryant for even one more year and decides to go somewhere else, that’s $108M the Lakers get to pocket. This is the decision that puts Lakers management in a position they are accustomed to—one where they hold the cards. The team would now have the ability to go after young talent, they could move up in the first round of the draft, they could start thinking about life after Kobe rather than forcing in a replacement before Kobe is ready to step aside (there can only be one Alpha). In my honest opinion, losing Howard would actually be the best thing that could happen to the Lakers.
As a long time Laker fan, I can say this has been the most frustrating season I’ve ever experienced. I’m actually glad this year is over for the Lakers. But as always, there will be no off-season. The new Lakers season begins tomorrow. Kobe can now dedicate himself to therapy full-time, Howard can stop pretending to like his teammates and can start smiling again until the season ends and he can make his announcement, Kupchak can start trying to convince Jim Buss that D’Antoni’s system simply won’t work with this team, and we can start speculating about the move that will move the Lakers into the top 15 picks of the first round of the NBA draft.
Monday, April 29 2013: The beginning of the 2013-14 Lakers season. It wil be a tall order to get back to the days of purple and gold oceans along Figueroa Street, but in Los Angeles, every dream can become reality. Look around, our City of Angels will chew you up and spit you out, only after that can you rise to become successful and call the city your own. The Lakers must now begin to rise once again, as they did in the 90s.
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Now I must figure out what I’m going to write about the Lakers to close this very depressing season.
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Dodgers' Billingsley Out for the Season →
The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that Chad Billingsley will undergo Tommy John surgery Wednesday, costing the pitcher the rest of this season and likely a good chunk of 2014.
At this rate the Dodgers’ pitching staff will consist of Kershaw and some high school guys by the end of the month.
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The Season is not Over
I’ve said what I wanted to say about Kobe. Now on to the team. The season is not yet over and the Lakers can still make the playoffs. I was a fan before Kobe and will be when Kobe decides to retire. Now is not the time to stop supporting the team. Whether the season ends Wednesday, or in the first round, or in June; I’ll be watching.
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Kobe
I’m going to hold off on writing anything until the MRI confirms the torn Achilles.
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Fellow Dodger Fans, Think Before You React
As a Dodger fan, I’m upset about Greinke being out for eight weeks. But I am also upset by all the hateful things being said by other Dodger fans on all social media outlets. I’ve read just about everything from threats made to Carlos Quentin to warnings that Dodger Stadium will require full LAPD support on Monday (the upcoming Padres/Dodgers game at Dodger Stadium) to actual threats made to San Diego fans who decide to attend on Monday.
To these “fans”, can we all just grow up a little? One: Greinke’s collarbone broke because he did not know how to properly defend himself from a batter charging the mound. Lowering your shoulder to stop the charging batter is not the way to do it. Since Greinke has eight weeks to kill, I recommend he watch tape of a certain 1993 game between the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox. There he will see a young, 40-year-old pitcher by the name of Nolan Ryan show exactly how it’s done. Two: Let the players handle their differences on the field. Taking personal player feuds out on other fans is simply idiotic. Greinke stands to make $19 million this year and Quentin $9.5 million. If they want to fight, they can fight, accept responsibility for their action, pay fines to the MLB, etc. If a fan decides to jump a Padres fan on behalf of Greinke (or so he thinks he’s doing), Greinke, nor the Dodgers, will stand up for him and bail him out of whatever he gets himself into.
The irony of it all is that the Padres/Dodgers game that some people are touting as a retaliation game is also the Jackie Robinson tribute game. Robinson endured some of the worst abuse a professional baseball player has ever received during a season and his retaliation was to play ball better than anybody else who stepped on that diamond. And here we are in 2013 promising violence over the outcome of a player scuffle. Dodgers’ ownership is doing all they can to turn this organization around and make it the pride of the MLB as it used to be. We shouldn’t make their work harder by doing something everyone will regret immediately.
Sources:
ESPN, http://espn.go.com/
MLB, http://mlb.mlb.com/
New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/
Spotrac, http://www.spotrac.com/
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I need some classic Laker games. I need to see true Laker centers who proudly wore purple and gold.
Uncle Drew vs Black Mamba, part 2
Win or lose, I can’t wait to see them go at it again. Kobe should convince Kupchak to go after Kyrie.
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