Cooling off period here.

Lakers lost their last two games.
End of this year 2010 and winding
down from Holiday frenzy.
Ailing hubby and tinsel with tree boughs
to put someplace. It is another set of thoughts
that seem to be taking precedence right now
so believe it is time to sit back and contemplate
some other facets for these days looming ahead.
The 70 yr. old Larry Brown was let go from coaching
with the Charlotte Bobcats. He leaves with an 88-108
mark with the Bobcats. His 1,327 victories in the ABA
and NBA are but 9 shy of supplanting Don Nelson for
the most all- time.
The Lakers and the Boston Celtics are rivals. So are
the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns but
rivals with Miami Heat? Not hardly. Yet, Miami took
the prize away from us right on Christmas Day.
They have done this before too..back in 2004-2006.
Losing to Milwaukee on Tuesday was painful to watch
but seeing our Lakers taking such a dive on Christmas
Day to Miami caused hearts to flutter & tummies to roll.
Miami 96 and our Lakers 80.
Well, perhaps this might have been a wake up call.
We can only hope so. This coming Tuesday Lakers will
be out of town playing San Antonio. Perhaps a river walk
will ease their bods. and trigger their motions to win one.
Let's hope so and keep the remote control close by!
So farewell again John Wooden and goodbye for now
again Pete Carroll with a silent prayer for a threepeat
as our brand new year comes around for each of us.
Babs Wells

88...remarkable number.

To think that one of our Lakers Dad had such a big part in this
is also remarkable to me. Luke Walton's Father, Bill Walton,
played at UCLA for that top ranked basketball team. No luck,
just perspiration, determination, preparation and planning
that met with opportunity and one after one they won!
UCLA enjoyed the winning streak from 1971-1974 & lived
to tell the tale! Bill Walton himself scored 44 points as UCLA
defeated Memphis State on March 27th.,1973.
And our Laker team won over Philadelphia 93-81 with our reserves
doing most of the damage during the fourth quarter. Kobe Bryant
scored a season low 9 points. It sure looked for a long while as if
the 76'ers were going to win that game as the Lakers kept sputtering
along until toward the very ending of the entire game. Kobe had a
sprained right pinkie when he jammed it while trying to catch a pass
from teammate Pau Gasol in the first quarter but X-rays proved it to
be alright. It did hurt Kobe though and throbbed for about 20 minutes.
Andrew Bynum played in his 3rd. game since his return to the court.
He was out for 24 games since his off season knee surgery.
Lamar Odom is in high hopes of being selected to finally get to play
in next years "All Star" game at Staples Center on February 20th.
Joe Smith is our newest Laker player but will be sitting on the bench
for awhile observing and trying to learn the rudiments of the triangle
that our team seems to really like to play, said coach Phil Jackson.
Our Lakers played in Toronto Sunday morning and won their 5th.
"on road game" where they lost only the one game. We won 120-110.
The bench itself made 57 points in this game so they certainly
can be relied upon to come to the fore when it makes a big difference.
A smidgen of soreness took place for Andrew Bynum in his knee
but he has been on the court when ever he was called upon to do so.
Losing in Chicago to the Bulls was a tough break so all of these
wins have been so nice to have. Lakers play again Tuesday night
at home with Milwaukee as our opponent and then play again on
Christmas Day so we are hopeful Santa knows where to leave his
goodies to shine upon us for another winning game!
Babs Wells

Lower Merion High School is re-naming their gym to honor Kobe Bryant who graduated from that school in suburban Philadelphia several years ago. It is good to note this as a tribute to our Laker player. The Lakers were also privvy to be congratulated by President Barack Obama in Washington D.C. on Monday. The President recognized their playing ability for winning the last NBA Championship title. They met at a boys and girls club in Washington. President Obama also recognized coach Phil Jackson but stated that he still had a soft spot in his heart for all of the titles won when Phil was coaching in Chicago. Rookie forward Derrick Caracter played his customary role as Pau Gasols' backup despite suffering a sprained left ankle during the Lakers victory over the Clippers. Andrew Bynum is back on the court to enable our team more shots at the basket as was seen during the Washington game and the Indiana game. Sasha Vujacic is being sent to the Nets, it is rumored, so he would join former Laker Jordan Farmar there. If so, then Joe Smith would maybe come to be with the Lakers instead. A veteran forward at 35 years old - the Lakers would be the 12th team he has played on within the NBA. With Andrew Bynum's seasons debut against the Washington Wizards, he had 7 points, 4 rebounds in just under 17 minutes. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 24 points and 7-13 shooting. Lamar Odom added 18 points on 6 for 8 shooting and a team leading 10 rebounds. Shannon Brown scored 16 points in a reserve role and Ron Artest scored 10. We beat the Wizards 103-89. Very similar game we played on Wednesday (back to back games) in Indiana. Having lost earlier at Staples Center to the Indiana Pacers, we put those memories aside and beat them right on their own home court. It was a stinging payback time victory when we put them away, being ahead all during the game and came out the victors with score of Lakers 109 & Indiana 94. Sweet victory. Now we play Philadelphia on Friday and Toronto on Sunday. Stay tuned. Babs Wells

Wondering if we can build on this now?

A good game with New Jersey on Sunday.
Was a fun one to watch with the scoring
tit for tat at many times during game.
Final score was Lakers 99 and Nets 92.
It was with a warm feeling seeing the now N.J.
member Jordan Farmar again (formerly
with Lakers) enjoyable all the same
to watch him on the court even though
as an opposing force to contend with.
Lakers are having a practice game today
in Washington. During Sundays' game,
Kobe Bryant scored 32 points with 9 for
19 shooting & added 4 rebounds with a
team leading 6 assists. Lamar Odom had
22 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.
Pau Gasol had 15 points, and 11 rebounds
while Derek Fisher had 10 points.
Yes, the Nets made the Lakers work to win
Sunday's game but Lakers did find their rhythm
and propped up their defense + their offense
too in doing so. What is needed mostly is to
muster up their energy levels and motivation
in order to score ahead of their opponents more
during the minutes out on the court. To win is
a fight and you cannot just stand and watch
Kobe stated after the game on Sunday. We have
back to back games now coming up Tuesday
and Wednesday so it ought to be well worth
the viewing to see while players are on the road again
of just what will transpire. Hope we win!
Babs Wells

Running with the Bulls...

Or should I say "running from the bulls"?
Last nights' game in Chicago lent a warm
feeling for goodly portion of the game and
then our opponents got with the program
and we could never really catch up.
Their team took control and left us in
the lurch. Final score? Chicago 88,
Lakers 84. Nice game but they had
it in their pocket almost entire second half.
Our defense was lacking and they came
aboard to play some pretty good defense.
Chicago used to be where Coach Phil Jackson
called home. Earlier he had guided the Bulls to
win 6 Championships ! That was during the '90's
prior to his coming to coach the Lakers for L.A.
After playing in Chicago, Lakers still have a 5 game
trip to play away from home. Next is New Jersey,
then Washington, next Indiana, then Philadelphia
and Toronto. Grueling schedule but challenging too.
President Obama is scheduled Monday to honor
the Lakers for winning last seasons NBA Title.
We just might be fortunate enough hopefully to be
getting Andrew Bynum back on the courts with
high expectations...having had him out of the running
for so long. This tall player along with Pau Gasol
and Lamar Odom compile some nice players
that add height for our team to begin to barge
into their playing with far more confidence
along with better strategy to compete and win.
Andrew Bynum took another step showing a
lot more recovery from his surgically repaired
knee last Monday during practice when he
participated in full-length.full-contact plays.
He apparantly showed no pain or swelling.
No one has been rooting harder for Andrew's
return than Pau, whose minutes in play became
a worry somewhat for his hamstring to once
again be throwing some pain his way lately.
Twinkling lights, stars that shine, Holiday
Spirit is upon us and we are anxious to see
the road games ahead for us. God Bless.
Babs Wells

Incredible!

First our Champions can do no wrong winning
each and every game..then comes a dry spell
with losses totaling four in a row. Now, these
last two games barely struggling to make it
through the night by mere points to win.
What do you suppose ought to infuse some
enthusiasm, some willingness for more
practice? More insight as to what is the
cause for these last two games, Washington
Wizards and the L.A. Clippers, to almost win?
Tuesday it was a fluke almost with Derek Fisher
throwing the ball and within seconds of the buzzer
at games end, allowed us to win by one point!
Another brownie point for Fish..but with our Kobe
Bryant, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Shannon Brown, Ron
Artest, Steve Blake and of course Derek Fisher,
we should be winning games hands down!
True the risky lapses in points that we managed to finally
get with our defenses make a game exciting with keeping
scores close and Phil's comment about making the
other teams see our imprint upon each game in order
to indicate the opposing team will see this to become
used to our style and indeed, I guess it becomes a mind set.
Winning Tuesday against Washington with score's end 115-108
is still a far cry from Wednesday game against the Clippers with
both teams neck and neck and ending buzzer going off just
as - enter please - Derek Fisher(!) making that much needed basket
so that we could finally win over the clippers, even though behind
at half time, so our ending score was: Lakers 87 - Clippers 86.
What drama will unfold for us next game which is Friday in Chicago?!
Babs Wells

Managing time

Managing time with Derek Fisher is quite often a juggling act.
This 36 year old Laker is an elite point guard.
He also holds a most important job of collecting the
bargaining for agreement which expires June 30th.
(to avoid a lockout that would impact the 2011-12
season.) The Lakers had a day off yesterday but
are out there today for a work out for practice.
Having lost 4 games in a row, our players
were indeed quite offended and wanted to
rectify this number. This they certainly did
in spades..winning big time over the Kings.
Sacramento fell far behind us as we kept
our cool and won easily 113-80.
Pau Gasol went out for a bit with hamstring
pain but had his leg re wound so once
again came back to the court to play with
seemingly no trouble. The bench too had
a field day with Derrick Caracter, Shannon
Brown, Steve Blake and Matt Barnes strutting
their stuff giving the starters a deserved rest.
Tuesday Lakers play against the Washington
Wizards before starting on their "road" trip
against the Clippers. Looming ahead for them
though is the extended trip of the season.
A 5 game trek starting next Friday to play
the Chicago Bulls, New Jersey Nets, Wizards,
Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76'ers and the
Toronto Raptors. Lakers have already beaten
the Bulls and Raptors but lost earlier to the Pacers.
So now comes the challenge. Hope we are up to it.
Babs Wells

Catch Up!

Playing "Catch-up" today and
with games behind us it is wise to finally get caught up -
at least somewhat. With 8 consecutive victories under
their belt, the Lakers looked vulnerable during losses
to the Denver Nuggets to the Phoenix Suns.
Their defense was sadly lacking in each game.
Certainly, the Nuggets and the Suns are two of
the more explosive teams in the league, but the
Lakers also have given up 110 points to the Houston
Rockets, 105 to Memphis Grizzlies and 103 to the
Toronto Raptors.....three non-playoff teams last season.
The Lakers won over Detroit 103-90 when they played
at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan. Kobe Bryant,
Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol "took care of business"
as Kobe stated after the game. Andrew Bynum is still
on the mend and they really do miss this tall player
out there on the court. His rehabilitation from surgery
last summer has been slow and methodical. He has
been working with the Lakers assistant coach Chuck
Person on low post moves and with athletic performance
coordinator Alex McKenzie on strength and conditioning.
With the Thanksgiving Holiday behind us and out of state
company gone back home, helping my husband become
stronger since his debilitating illness, I am once again typing.
If anybody would want to purchase one of the nifty jackets
that the Lakers wear, look for the sleek satin zip-up Adidas.
Price is: $125 that can be found at the NBA.com, Team L.A. store.
If anybody cares to bid on Ron Artests' Championship ring,
go to: RonArtest.com, CelebritiesForCharity.org
His ring is size 11 (he actually wears a sz. 15) but he got
the ring far too small to wear so that he would not be convinced
to keep it! He is selling it to enable the mental health awareness
association to have the proceeds from the sale of said ring.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson has called out Pat Riley to hopefully
get him to become the coach for the Miami Heat team.
Such a victory the Lakers had against Golden State team.
Our final score was 117-89. The Warriors were simply outplayed.
Utah beat our team 102-96. last Friday night and we got our
"come-upn's"..We had a big early lead & then a smaller one later.
When it mattered the most, we lost our shooting touch. We also
lost a key video review and a crucial rebound out of bounds.
And to bring you up to date, we also lost to Indiana and to Memphis.
Tonight we play back to back game in Houston, so lets' hope that
this road game proves to help us gain back another winning one.
Babs Wells

Past and Current

For games played Friday and Sunday, we'll re-cap somewhat.
Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, we won 112-95.
The bench was able to play and Matt Barnes goes 7-7
with score of 24 for L.A. Kevin Love, (Minn.) had a really "off"
night but gave credit to our team after games end. Lamar Odom
scored 11 points on 5-11 shooting & grabbed 8 rebounds.
Kobe Bryant scored 13 of his 23 points in the first half.
Pau Gasol scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half.
It was his league-leading 11th. double-double.
Ron Artest is considering making an attempt at the NFL
after his basketball career ends. He also is interested in
boxing he claims. Shannon Brown was asked about his
shooting techniques and says he worked out tirelessly
over the summer break and made the comment of "keep
shooting and never give up!". Sundays' game against
the Golden State Warriors we again won with the score
of: Lakers 117 and Warriors at 89. Pau Gasol made it
a perfect game making all 10 of his 10 shots and every
free throw 8 for 8 at the line. The Lakers led by as many
as 30 points in the first half. None of the Laker starters
played in the 4th. quarter. The bench got a good work out.
Over all, Kobe Bryant scored 20 points, Lamar Odom 15,
Shannon Brown 17. The Lakers were able to do what they
wanted early on so the team was able to get a little rest
Coach Phil Jackson predicts that hopefully we can get
Andrew Bynum back out on the courts after his knee
surgery and subsequent healing + therapy. Maybe even
by December 10th. playing against Chicago Bulls.
Correction needed..I earlier had said that Derek Fisher
had made so many 3 pointers against Phoenix which
was a wrong mention. Instead it was during Milwaukee
game and in fact, playing Phoenix there was no way
we could beat them that night. The Suns made 22
3 pointers..which was just one shy of the NBA record!
Hats off to them certainly & sorry for my blunder!
The Lakers have spoken to free agents Erick Dampier
and Jake Voskuhl about possibly signing on as
replacement for Theo Ratliff, who is expected to be out
at least a month after his knee surgery. And now a very
sad story to report...happened at our Lakers home base
in Staples Center. Taking pictures a family was way up
on the 3rd. story level in a "luxury box" when a 2 yr.
old lad somehow slipped and tumbled nearly 50 ft. down
from a glass safety barrier that varies in height. Apparently
the child went over the edge of one section and fell into the
seating below. The Garden Grove little tyke suffered severe
head trauma & was taken to a local hospital where he died.
Condolences sent out to the family in this sorry tragedy.
To lose a child is one of life's sorriest and saddest of all
the losses one can imagine. I personally have gone through
this myself..Lamar Odom (Laker) lost a 61/2 mo. old son
with sudden infant death syndrome in June 2006. He particularly
sent his passionate feelings of issuing his sympathy to the family.
Tonight is another game and another plea for victory.
We play in Staples again too. Bring on the Bulls!
Babs Wells

Two wins and two losses...

...Although we finally managed it all. First game lost was to Denver
Nuggets and of course we even wondered about it before
hand because the mile high city has thinner air to breathe.
Anyway, that game gave us courage to begin thinking about
Phoenix game coming up with the Suns. Steve Nash was
quick and fast, our players were not quite - so it would appear.
Another game to give away but not before Shannon Brown
made us proud with all of his 3 pointer shots!
Amazing!
Then came back to back games Tuesday being the first one
playing against Milwaukee on their home court. That game
we won easily and even the bench contributed as well.
Our score at games end was 118-107.
Injured and healing Andrew Bynum did not play for the
11th consecutive game after he underwent surgery.
Backup center, Theo Ratliff was out as well with his
arthroscopic knee surgery he just recently had.
Kobe Bryant led with a 31 point game on 10 for 24 shooting
plus 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Ron Artest scored 7 points in
only 17 minutes 30 seconds. The game against the Bucks
gave us all that breathing space that was sorely needed.
Wednesday's game did just that as we led the Detroit
Pistons by 26 points at one time in the game and we
won it with the score of 103-90.
Detroit had some bad luck when Hamilton was escorted
off the floor right at the start of the game with two technical
fouls against him. Mid way in the game an injury was also
a hard luck break against Detroit when McKade came down
hard on his ankle wrenching it and shoe slipped off his foot.
He tried walking it off eventually and did stand at the line
to attempt making 2 free throws but it was evident he
was in pain. Meanwhile our Laker team got back to business
and paved the way for another win and Kobe led lurching ahead.
Now we are to play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday eve.
so we shall see how that game fares for our Lakers.
See you at Staples Center!
Babs Wells

November...Thanks giving month !

And yes, Laker team. coach Phil Jackson
and all of our fans are mighty thankful
right now..Every single game..all 8
of these first seasons' games Lakers
came out the winners. Even last evening
tackling the timberwolves of Minnesota
(my homestate). They won 99-94.
We are mighty proud of each of these players.
Kobe Bryant led the way, making 33 points.
Minnesota lost with its' team being at: 1-7.
In fact, we have defeated Minnesota 12 times
now in a row. In last nights game, Pau
Gasol had 18 points and Lamar Odom
scored 15 points. The Minnesota team
is being coached, by the way, by former
Lakers assistant coach, Kurt Rambis.
The Portland game last Sunday was
a fast paced one and a winning game.
The Lakers though, made it look so easy.
Routing the Portland Trail Blazers,
the Western Conference Challengers,
winning by 121-96, gave us all much
confidence in their endurance and
in their rhythm on the floor.
Pau Gasol recorded the Lakers second
triple- double in the past three games:
scoring 20 points & grabbing 14 rebounds
+ ten assists in 33 minutes of the game.
He made 9 of 13 shots & both free throws
he attempted en route to his fourth career
triple-double. So now we travel to Denver.
The thinner air in Denver could pose a problem.
For what it is worth, The Lakers have lost
3 consecutive games with Denver..its' elevation
being 5,280 ft. + lost 2009 series with the Nuggets
3-1. Kobe Bryant showed his worth with the
Nuggets before however by making a jump shot then
going on to make a 3 pointer and lastly a 3 point play.
And so it would seem we are very much aware of
our opponent for this upcoming game with Denver.
Fly away for Colorado play..Tuesday night.
Babs Wells

Another win!

It was so much fun watching our Laker Pau Gasol and his brother Marc playing basketball on the same court against each other. Yes, we did win the game against Memphis 124-105 but the willingness for the two brothers to become so competitive was a joy to see. We also found out during this time frame that Kobe Bryant is really considering getting in on the London Olympic games in 2012 in Team USA. Lamar Odom has expressed his interest in this as well. We will be watching this play out as time goes by. The game played in Sacramento was just as much fun to watch as each former game has been with our Lakers winning against the Kings making that final score: 112-100. This then made our team winners at 5-0. Kobe's knee seemed to have been just fine as he indicated all along it really was. Andrew Bynum is still mending but is doing extremely well with his practices and should be back on the courts by Thanksgiving, we are all hoping. Lamar, Pau, Brown and Blake have stepped in to assure us the game is still on track but we do miss Andrew out there. He in fact has graduated from running on a tread mill to running on a track but is still not quite ready to be running out there on a basketball court. Being patient, building up his endurance and strength is what counts. Our win Friday night over Toronto was a hard won game, score at its ending:108-103. We were really good at the start but better at the finish. The Raptors gave us a run for our money. The Lakers though, are two time defending NBA Champions,knowing how to meet a challenge and overcome it. They had a sell-out crowd of 18,997 in the stands.. their sixth win of this new season. Pau scored 30 points, Kobe scored 23 points (remember another Toronto game where he actually scored 81 points?!!) Steve Blake scored 14 points and Shannon Brown had 12..so all in all, the unified team outscored the Raptors Friday at Staple Center. Now we are to take on Portland Sunday at 6:30. We are poised and ready, so put your glasses on Jack Nicholson and lets' watch the game! Babs Wells

Publish Post

October..goodbye!
Lakers have first 3 games in our regular season,
and now we begin our fall line-up with games scheduled
Tuesday at home against Memphis, Wednesday up
north against Sacramento and then back home
for Sunday's game against Toronto.
We seem to have some good bench players
this season. Ratliff, Barnes, Blake and Ebanks. And
Brown is our player that flies up to do the slam dunks.
Andrew Bynum is still out with knee injury and is healing
but expected back by Thanksgiving. Luke is out too
with hamstring soreness - although more than likely
will come back to play either Tuesday or Wednesday.
Kobe Bryant was asked about his knee after
Sundays game and jokingly told the reporter
that he is 100 % perfect (not so but close).
Motivation and preparedness are the two most
wanted connections for any player and it would
appear so far we have shown this to be our
mantra. Barring any more devastating injuries,
it looks right now as if our rhythm is with us
and our goals are clear. All on the same page
is actually a bit unusual for both starters
and bench to have going for them but it would
appear as though that just might be the case
for us...at least right now it does, certainly.
Another 9 month season to play, we are doing
what is required and doing it well to win games.
Pau gave us some thrills Halloween night with
his baskets made one right after the other, finally
making 26 points, Kobe made 20 points, Odom
made 16 points and Derek made 14 points so
these players running down the court knowing
what is expected of them at the basket is what
counts and allows us to win. Rested & eager legs
right now and hopefully not tired ones very soon
either, we have won 3-0 so far in this new season.
Odom talks about "picking the scab" but his analogy
may be only a reference to his ability when needed.
At any rate, we look forward to a wonderful new season.
Babs Wells

Rings, Rings and more Rings!

What a nice ceremony we were able to witness
before our game at Staples center with the Houston
Rockets. Derek Fisher gave a most honorable tribute
to our Kobe Bryant calling him the very best basketball
player in the world. Ron Artest gave the little speech
before the presentation of the Laker banner unfolding
with the Championship blazing brightly for all to see
of our big Title win last season over the Boston Celtics.
Glee is the keyword to describe the scene as our
players were presented their hard won diamond-
encrusted Championship rings Tuesday evening.
Their second consecutive title when the rings were
given out for doing so, brought the house down with
a full seated crowd applauding and cheering for
their Laker team. It was an awesome feeling to see.
However the game that followed was an almost
let-down as the Rockets kept on soaring ahead.
Then in the final seconds, Steve Blake became
a hero with his 3 pointer right on target allowing
us to win 112-110.
Our next game this coming Friday is in Phoenix
and we are hopeful of another win there.
NBA commissioner David Stern apparently likes
revenue sharing and stated as master of ceremonies
Tuesday night, on making a statement for the possibility
of eliminating franchises as a way of increasing
revenue in the next collective bargaining agreement.
The deal between owners and players ends June 30th.
Derek Fisher is the acting union president and has said
"It's fair to say that a construction would be unacceptable".
Phil Jackson, is in his last year as head coach &
is going to be writing a book about his time with the Lakers.
Jeannie Buss, Phil's long time girl friend and daughter of
owner Jerry Buss, has already written a book and at the
end of ring ceremony she showed it to the camera all
about her daily findings living with Phil and other tidbits
of information she wanted to share with the fans too.
But, speaking of Derek Fisher, I ought to mention that
in Tuesday's game that was his 414th. consecutive
game played in a row and the only other player to be
so diligent was Andre Miller of the Portland Trail Blazers
having done so also with 613 games played in a row!
True dedication is what we seem to see so often with
our favored Laker team and with that I will beg off &
begin thinking about this brand new season ahead of us!
Babs Wells

Golden State Warriors slid past the Lakers
like a melting Hershey bar in the sunshine
in Friday's game in Ontario and yet the
Lakers woke up in the game's ending minutes.
We beat them 105-102. Interesting, huh???
No Andrew Bynum playing, Kobe Bryant
out icing his knee sitting on the bench a
lot of the time and we evidently still have
that spark that is needed to win. Fun!
On a recent bus ride one of our newcomers
got into conversation with coach Phil Jackson.
Seems they both have a lot of interest in Zen.
They had quite a lively conversing on the subject.
The rookie is Devin Ebanks from West Virginia.
Phil, being a very intelligent man, enjoyed the
ride speaking on one of his favored subjects
with somebody that also was an interesting
conversationalist. Lakers owner, Jerry Buss,
will have yet another ring to add to his collection
when Tuesday night rolls around. Lakers play Tuesday
at home in Staples Center with the Houston Rockets.
It will be a game none of us will want to miss.
Stay tuned.....
Babs Wells

Ready, set, go!

Wins and losses..exhibition games seem to bring
out playful antics out on the courts. Last eve's. game
was a fun one to see playing in San Diego with Luke
Walton on the floor having passed out 46 tickets to
his Mom to allow family to be there watching him.
Phil Jackson was ill so did not show up but the
coach Brian Shaw took over and did a super job.
Sasha Vujacic played last night also. It appears
he is now engaged to tennis star Maria Sharapova.
Any other news on that score to be announced at
a later date. Sasha looked so good playing that it
would seem his latest Casanova ways must have helped!
One of our newest players, Steve Blake, really did
a good job and of course Shannon Brown did also.
We won this one with score of 120-99 over the
Golden State Warriors but they get another chance
to get back at us tonight in Ontario. Kobe Bryant
had his knees iced for almost the entire game last
eve. but is hopeful that by next Tuesday when our
opening new season begins he will be able to play.
Devin Ebanks seems to have impressed our coach
with his skill and will undoubtedly be playing
guard from small forward. Another new face with our
team is Derrick Caracter. He sat out the last games
due to back spasms. He is a forward from El Paso, TX.
NBA commissioner David Stern, in an interview with
a Spanish newspaper praised Pau Gasol saying that
he is one of the 5 best players in the league today.
They will have to lean on him extensively if Andrew
Bynum is not up to playing when the regular season
begins October 26th. Pau will have to be our go-to
player in the paint. We did win over Denver Nuggets
at Staples center 102-95 but we lost two games in
a row with the Utah Jazz and that was not what we
would wish for, certainly..although during the exhibitions
games it really is not counting too much.
We shall see how our team plays tonight then.
Ready, set, go!!
Babs Wells

Magic Magic

Magic Johnson..also known as Earvin Johnson, has
sold his Laker share to Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong.
He is a 25 yr. Lakers season ticket holder and
he is an innovative physician, businessman,
philanthropist and UCLA Professor.
Magic is now even considering buying into an NFL
Franchise. He is originally from Michigan and so
has been thinking of joining the Detroit
Pistons as either part of the teams new ownership
group or as a member of the front- office staff.
Magic would continue efforts toward his ongoing
friendship with Jerry Buss (Lakers executive
vice president Jeanie Buss, his daughter)
and General Manager Mitch Kupchak.Jerry Buss
is majority owner of the Lakers and has been friends
with Magic Johnson for many years. Magic was with
the Lakers for five NBA titles & was not only a player
in his own right but was made MVP three times. He
was also a coach and then a minority owner with
the Lakers. He was a member of the so called
Dream Team that won gold for the U.S. at the 1992
Barcelona Olympics. In 1996 he was named one of
the Leagues 50 greatest players & was enshrined
into the Hall of Fame in 2002. So we bid you
farewell but not goodbye Magic and may the
Gods be with you in this new chapter in your life.
Babs Wells

Here We Go!

New faces and new players we now see on our
Laker team. Seems last nights game went quite
well with our former starters really doing their
job. Even Kobe Bryant continued playing and
did not have any brace on his knee.
The two games played overseas in London
and Barcelona were won by our opponents,
but last nights game we won over Sacramento.
Score: 98-95 and hard won too especially so
with sharing air time for the heroic efforts shown
in freeing the 33 trapped miners over in Chile.
Engineering expertise and effort along with the
peoples determination for the whole process
was contagious to see and to know you had
the rare opportunity to witness such an act.
Phil Jackson, Lakers coach, is a bit concerned
over the practice time our team will have due
to the 5 games coming up out of 7 days
for exhibition games being played.
Derek Fishers' consistency in playing games
one after the other without a break seems to
have quite a positive effect on our team.
413 games having been played without any
break in his routine. It has become a badge of
honor to show up and play game after game.
He says "When it is time to go to work, you
go to work" so it is a mindset for Derek.
Lakers host Saturday nights game with the
Denver Nuggets at Staple center so perhaps
by then they will have more offense and defense
plays to find another win for us. Lets' hope so!
Babs Wells

Not about our Laker team right now but a bit more
regarding "Make a difference day" October 23rd.
(yup! My Birthday! HA! )
Anyway, Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns NBA team
says that to invest in the children of America is one
of the best ways to spend your time, energy and
money. He has created the Steve Nash Foundation.
Goals are simple: to give under served children a
chance at good health, a good education, and the
opportunity to live in an environment where they
can flourish. The Foundation has been so rewarding
with focus toward efforts made for for underserved
children in British Columbia, Arizona and Paraguay
(Steve's wife's home country). Last month the
Foundation broke ground for their Education Center in
Phoenix. The game plan for October 23rd. is as follows:
USA Weekend Magazine, the NBA & NBA players
association are joining forces to make a difference.
For more information concerning this, go to: NBA.com
and NBPA.org and begin your own real-life action.
Be innovative and find your own inspiration for caring.
After you have planned a project, enter details into
Make a difference day to bank (or)
NBA.com/nbacares & nbpa.org/community
as again this year 10 volunteers' efforts will be
named National Honorees & receive $10,000 in
awards from Newman's Own. For the first time, 3 cities
will be receiving a City Award & $10,000 from Newman's
Own . This new award is sponsored in partnership with
the Corporation for National & Community service.
Lend a helping hand to somebody that needs just that
little nudge from somebody else caring about them.
Hopeful this can catch on. NBA causes are always
such a wonderful way in which to show you care.
Babs Wells

On October 23rd. this year, the day has been designated as
"Make a difference day for folks to go out and
see how best they might extend a hand of help
to another in a way that would benefit.
Last Sunday I read about this with Lakers National
Basketball Players Association President,Derek Fisher.
He told about growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas & always
being taught the value of sharing what ever they had
with others. He also works with the Teaching Garden
which is an effort to teach inner city kids how to grow
their own fruits and veggies. In addition, he is also involved with
the Darfur Dream Team which connects American
schools with students in refugee camps.
Derek & his wife have created the Derek and Candace Fisher
Family Foundation which supports
issues concerning education in health and fitness.
One of his favored causes is very close to his heart.
This is the research and funding for cancer of the eye.
This is called: retinoblastoma.Their youngest daughter
was diagnosed with this defect a few years ago and
now their Tatum is doing well and has had the opportunity
to live a happy life and he intends to help others do the same.
There is such a joy that comes with giving someone a visit
or another form of extension of love and sharing that we hope
this can catch on. Follow your own instincts in how you too
can make your own difference in the world and by the way,
October 23rd. just happens to be this writers Birthday as well!

In case you would like to learn more about all of this, do please
write and share ideas on: Facebook.com/makeadifferenceday.
Babs Wells

This and That

Tidbits today..many articles referring to our Laker
NBA basketball team have been mentioned in the
papers during this late summertime season.
One is about our new point guard Steve Blake.
He has (up to now) not been playing the triangle
play and is trying to bone up on doing this.
The triangle offense call can be a tricky thing.
Guards can get lost in its intricacies. So can
forwards and centers. Blake has not mastered
his options yet & is still learning some of the
terminologies but he looks good & feels comfortable.
Kobe Bryant has told reporters now that he is through
answering questions regarding his surgically repaired
right knee. He answered questions though with a smile.
Sasha Vujacic had injuries last year and the year before
to contend with so is now talking with coach Phil
Jackson about hopefully being used a little more in
plays on the court this year. Averaging only 2.8 points
in 67 games last season suffering with ankle and
shoulder injuries, we will see now what transpires
with trying to get out on the court for more plays this season.
Pau Gasol was far too fatigued last season in the start of
the games having been playing during the summer helping
to lead Spain to the European championship but this past
summer he did travel about, yet is energized now so is
very ready to play. During the summer one trip took him
to Barcelona where he played against his brother Marc,
a center for the Memphis Grizzlies, & they had a lot of fun
in competition with sibling rivalry but Pau came out the winner!
Ron Artest has decided to sell off his Championship ring!
He states it was hard won but still only a piece of jewelry
and if the proceeds from its sale will benefit others then
that is what he is prepared to do. He has become involved
with raising mental health awareness and wants to have
monies from the ring sale to go toward this foundation.
Promoting mental health awareness, and his wish that
underprivileged children have access to counselors is
not a job he says, but rather is his passion.
With Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher we
begin our new basketball playing season and we
are in high hopes of once again being winners so
we start off with the attitude that indeed perhaps we
can pull it off to have a three-peat & send Phil
Jackson into retirement as coach with yet another win!
Babs Wells

Those Laker Guys!

October 4 NBA Lakers play their first Exhibition game
and will be playing the Minnesota Timberwolves
in London. Then on October 26 they will begin
their regular Basketball season.
Lakers Adam Morrison has accepted a Training
Camp Invitation with the Washington Wizards.
Flip Saunders is Wizards coach and says that
Morrison would have an offensive rhythm he hopes.
Training camp begins September 28th.
Andrew Bynum is not expected to be playing in
any of our Laker's exhibition games and it is
even an "iffy" for when he will be able to return
to play during our regular season.
He underwent surgery to mend torn cartilage
in his right knee on July 28th. He has been
undergoing daily therapy.
Bynum, a 7 ft. center, has had a history of
knee injuries & his therapists have been
working with him. They are Alex McKechnie
and July Seto spokesman John Black said.
This Sunday the Lakers open training camp
in El Segundo.
Kobe Bryant also had arthroscopic surgery
on his right knee during the offseason.
Unlike Bynum, Bryant is "right on target"
to begin camp & play the exhibition game,
reported Black.
Lamar Odom continues treating a nagging
left shoulder injury he tells the newspapers.
Luke Walton was limited in his playing too
and played only 29 games last season but
claims his back is feeling good. The Lakers
will wait it out some & see how Walton fares
during the rigors of camp before pronouncing
him sound however.
We have lost an Ex-Laker trainer too.
Frank O'Neil died at age 83 on Tuesday.
He suffered with congestive heart failure.
So it looks as if we are up to date & now looking forward
to our boys perhaps winning another basketball championship!
Babs Wells

On the other hand...speaking of basketball, were you folks
aware that the Clippers point guard Baron Davis vies for
Emmy award for documentary on L.A. gang life?
The former UCLA star hopes to shed some light on
the root causes of gang life, a world of frustration,
hopelessness and despair that all too often leads
youngsters to believe that they have no other options.
The information provided in this film "Crips and Bloods
Made in America" was first released in 2008.
It is narrated by Academy Award winner Forrest
Whitaker & includes interviews with gang members
and NFL Hall of famer Jim Brown who works well
with inner-city youngsters.
Baron Davis himself will be at training camp when the
Emmy awards for News and documentaries are handed
out in New York City next Monday. From afar though
he will be rooting for the film for which he acted as
executive producer and put up the money & provided
entree into the world from which he escaped from...
largely because of basketball, but he has not forgotten.
In an interview with the Associated Press Davis said
that the film is "very prestigious". The 31 year old
Clipper player longs to be more than a star athlete
and believes he can be an agent for social change.
This is why he formed the production company "Verso
Entertainment" & pushed to make the film about two
of America's most notorious gangs.
And then there is the quote from our Laker player
Ron Artest, Laker forward, believing that the next season
will be even better than our last NBA season whereby we
won the Championship....saying "We're hungry and you
know Kobe Bryant is. Kobe's after something. I don't even
know what it is. I think he's after stardom of Pluto or something" !!
So on that note we will await our players to bounce out onto the
courts once again as NBA next season will very soon begin for us.
Babs Wells

Old news here today but worthy of seeing
all the same. Kevin Durant was the popular
player in the USA games against all the other
foreign countries. In fact he propelled U.S. to
the finals. Wearing the red, white and blue -
especially on 9/11, he had a special memorial
message written on his sneakers. He carried the
U.S. into victory for the gold medal game in the
world championship, scoring a U.S. record 38
points in the 89-74 victory over Lithuania.
To play that day, Kevin said, was a great honor.
He went on to surpass Carmello Anthony's single-game record
of 35 points & raise the average in the tournament to 22.1, which
would be the best ever by a U.S. player.
They got their first world title since 1994
winning against Turkey in the final game.
The Lakers Lamar Odom added 15 points
and 19 rebounds. He stated that playing on
September 11th. was "an incredible day for
all of us". A native New Yorker, he said he lost
friends from High school to those terrorists attacks nine years ago in the United States.
"So to be playing and representing your own
country, is a really big deal" Odom said.
The players just beamed after their win over
Turkey 81-64 in order to bring home the gold.
With Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Co.
sitting home, this group that played overseas
was called a "B" team which the players were
aware of and could not wait to disprove!
"I think that was extra motivation" Durant said.
"It was exciting to come out here and win and be
able to prove people wrong".
They may have been unconventional at times
but they worked real hard & made it happen.
At half time during the
Turkey game, the FIBA
inducted its Hall of Fame class, a group that
included women's star Cheryl Miller, former
NBA centers Vlade Divac, Arvydas Sabonia,
and Brazilian star Oscar Schmidt.
Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski helped
cut down the basketball net as he too celebrated
the Final game with Turkey. USA brought us the gold! So very proud of each one of you!
Babs Wells

Notes of Interest

Is it newsworthy to mention that during the volleyball
game with the Volleyball Professionals tour, our
Laker player, Luke Walton, along with his pals
were out there on the court for a pickup playing game?
Or is it worth while to mention that Vin Sculley
will once again be coming back for 2011 as broadcaster
for the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball games?
And awhile back we lost John Wooden that we spoke of
yet last Saturday eve. there was a talk show on our local
TV station interviewing him along with the mentioning of his
newly written book?
UCLA recently made room at the athletic Hall of Fame in the J.D.
Morgan Center for many of John Wooden's gathered treasure
including presidential letters, books, pictures, rolltop desk
and all kinds of memorabilia that once was housed at his
home in his own private den. A place where many sat around
for hours, shared and talked and got some solid Wooden advice..
Latest news that ought to be passed on is the fact that our
Lakers will be playing the Boston Celtics on January 30th.
That game will be played here in L.A. The rematch game will
take place in Boston on Feb. 10th.
LeBron James' homecoming game is set for Dec. 2nd.
The NBA's 2010-11 schedule sends James and the Miami Heat
to Cleveland that night for the MVP's first game in Ohio as the
visitor. Chris Bosh, who like James went to Miami to form an
All-Star trio with Duyane Wade, will face his old fans for the first
time when the Heat visit Toronto on Feb. 16th.
The Lakers will play host to the Miami Heat on Christmas Day.
Lakers owner, Dr. Jerry Buss, feels confident our Laker team will
beat the Miami heat. So on that enthusiastic note we will bid s'long.
Babs Wells

Other BB News

Summertime and the living is easy, time for other bits of
news worthiness to be written and hopefully read as well.

Members of the 1992 dream team, Scottie Pippen,
Magic Johnson, Chris Mullin, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird,

and Patrick Ewing was inducted one week ago today into

the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in

Springfield, Mass. Lakers great Magic Johnson,

Michael Jordan & the rest of the famed squad were

Birds' teammates in his last competitive games, a

powerful & popular group widely credited for the

growth of international basketball.

Another Prime Directive is regarding the cable
network that gave the Lakers even more exposure
with Jerry Buss' leap of faith in financing and launching
the Prime Ticket basic cable service. It quickly became
the teams' most powerful marketing tool, a "must see"
T.V. sporting event. Dr. Jerry Buss was inducted into
the Basketball Hall of Fame one wk. ago today for his
contributions to the game. With help this past season
from Kobe Bryant, Jerry Buss won his 10th. championship
as owner of the Lakers. In fact there has been a star on
the Hollywood Walk of Fame recognizing his accomplishments
for the past four years. It shows an antenna and small T.V.
set signifying his fame on the star. His novel idea of the
Prime ticket paid off and he has been honored for his
keen innovation in the world of sports broadcasting.
Quite an achievement!
Babs Wells

Tid Bits and other News

Do you recall me saying at seasons' end Re: our
Laker team after they once again won the
championship, that I just may be willing to
describe other topics of interest for you that
could pique your interest? But first I will bring
this to your attention however, the fact
that we are indeed going to be continuing
having Shannon Brown on our team for
yet another 2 years! Yes, he has consented
doing so & even turned down more lucrative
offers for a shot at a third straight championship!
He is certainly an acrobatic backup for our
Kobe Bryant averaging career highs of 8.1
points and 2.2 rebounds with 1.3 assists last
season. Shannon, we welcome you back into
the fold.
Now to this other news I read this morning.
There is a near fatal disease I doubt many
of us are no where near aware of.
It is a flesh eating disease and can be very
fatal. It used to be noticeable mostly with a
staph condition. Flesh eating bacteria lurks
to destroy when given the opportunity to
grow and multiply. It is all too often a death
sentence. It can strike out of the blue,es-
pecially with obese people, diabetics,cancer
patients,transplant recipients & others with
weak immune systems. It kills 20% of its'
victims. It is a violent trend and one that
can be started with a strep infection.
It gets scarier as it is often drug resistant.
Inch by inch it can devour spleen, gall bladder,
appendix, parts of the stomach & intestines.
To treat it, doctors cut away dead tissue,
but the infection often advances. Countless
surgeries are performed to keep the victim
from being destroyed from the inside -out.
The actual name for this disease is:
necrotizing facilitis.
Trauma and shock facilities rarely see this
disease so it is very likely many cases are
not even diagnosed properly. Any forms of
a rarity for non-conforming healing of an
open wound ought to be handled with extreme
caution and care. The doctors at the University
of Maryland Medical center + many of
the doctors at Columbia, MD & Georgetown
University Medical Center are very much aware
of this horrible disease and have seen cases
that have required endless surgeries for life.
Please, it is not my place for star wars form of
fright, but a warning only to make my readers
know some of what I have recently read yet still
could scarcely realize myself so I felt an urging
to pass this information on to my readers. Take care.
Babs Wells

Shaquille O'Neal, former Laker player for the NBA,
has now signed on to be with the Celtics team out
of Boston..Oh my! Not the Celtics? Well, yes it is
true, even though Shaq took quite a great deal less
money for the job besides! Along with the threesome
Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett & Ray Allen, Shaq will be
playing now in place of injured Kendrick Perkins.
We are always hopeful for another championship
game with the Lakers and leery of the Celtics so
yes, we will certainly be taking this change seriously.
And another item of interest that actually is not one
that we must be concerned over, but it is newsworthy
all the same in the terrible tragedy that happened
outside of Memphis, Tenn. to an NBA player Lorenzen
Wright, missing and found dead. Missing for 10 days,
the family was devastated over the death of this 34 yr.
old man. Having played for 13 yr. in the NBA..this was
indeed a very sad loss.
Earlier on the courts, we find another saga..our Kobe
Bryant being confronted in an argument with Matt Barnes
formerly with Orlando but now friends apparently as the
Lakers have signed Matt Barnes to play with our team!
Having lost Jordan Farmar, we now are finding that
Matt is to play with the Lakers. He was a former UCLA
standout and shows great potential."This is a dream
come true" Barnes told reporters. As a tenacious player
it looks as if we have a good re-bounder, a better perimeter
defender and a dependable 3 point shooter. Seems a winner!
Babs Wells