(UPDATE) Catch me on "California Life" this weekend!

Just a reminder that my story on the Orange County Surfers of the Year Awards will be on the show "California Life," this weekend. The show will air Saturday at noon on channel KVMD, and it also airs on KHIZ Saturday at 5 pm and Sunday at 6 pm.

Here is the video link:

http://www.californialifehd.com/segments/huntington-beach-surf-city

Lamar is signed...Everybody in the Pool!

Finally Lamar Odom has come back....HOME.

Yes, the agonizing wait of Lamar Odom Watch 2009 has finally ended. The Lakers and The Candy Man have agreed to terms on a contract that extends at least three years, with a team option for the fourth.

He will earn $25 million over the first three seasons with a team option for a fourth year. The Lakers have a $2 million buy out option so Lamar Odom is basically guaranteed $27 million over four years, but the total worth is $33 million if the Lakers decide to keep him.

This deal works out for the Lakers and is less than an earlier reported contract they offered which was a 3-year deal worth $30 million.

But this is a win-win situation for both sides, and the Lakers should now be favored to win their first back-to-back championship since 2001.

Lamar Odom will be reunited with his childhood friend from New York in Ron Artest. Looking at a possible defensive lineup of Shannon Brown, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum will be sure to give the NBA fits.

I can't wait for the season to start. If everyone is healthy and in the right mindset coming off a championship, look for this team to be even better than last year's squad that won 65 games.

So go outside everybody! Enjoy the sun! Go on with your summer because Lamar Odom has finally come back home.

Big Air BMX!

The Action Sports World Tour presents Big Air BMX Triples at the OC Fair. Day 1 of the preliminary round included 12 riders performing stunts over a 170-foot wooden course with two 25-foot long jumps.

Luke Walton's Basketball Camp

Lakers star Luke Walton and his friend Richard Jefferson of the Spurs bring their basketball camp to the OC for the first time. Interviews with Luke & Bill Walton.

This was the first time I covered a basketball camp of any kind, and I was a little surprised to see how young the kids were. The camp took in boys and girls ranging from 7-18 yrs. old, but there were a lot of kids who looked younger than seven.

Luke told our reporter Eric Carpenter that he thought the older kids decided to go to LeBron James' camp in San Diego earlier this month. After all, all these camps require quite a fee, (Walton & Jefferson's being $300) so I don't blame the older crowd for paying to be around one of the NBA's best players in LeBron James.

Even though Luke Walton and Richard Jefferson aren't marquee NBA names, I was disheartened to see that they didn't seem to be too hands on with their approach. There were a bunch of trainers there who were giving way more instruction than the former Arizona roommates.

I wouldn't want to pay $300 for my child to just hang around NBA stars. These kids were barely getting any instruction from Jefferson or Walton.

They were merely there to fool around with the kids and have a good time, and while that's all well and good, it's not worth the parents' hard earned money.

(UPDATED) Catch me on "California Life" on Channel KHIZ

Just a reminder, an exclusive story I produced for California Life will air tonight on the channel KHIZ at 5:00 pm. The show will also be replayed on Sunday at 6:00 pm. It's a story about the Lakers DVD Screening at Club Nokia in L.A. Live.

If you missed it, here's a link to my story from the California Life website:

http://www.californialifehd.com/segments/la-lakers-champions

Surfers' Hall of Fame

The 2009 inductees include Joey Buran, Pat O'Connell, Bruce Brown, & Jeff Hakman. Each Hall of Famer memoralized the occasion by placing their hands & feet in cement in front of Huntington Surf & Sport.

Surfers of the Year Awards

Brett Simpson, Joe Aaron, Andrew Doheny, and Courtney Conlogue are all awarded as surfers of the year. They were on hand to receive their awards in front of Jack's Surfboards in Huntington Beach.

Bobblehead Manny-Mania!

It was a Hollywood ending that could have been a Hollywood tragedy.

Manny Ramirez was hit by a pitch on the wrist yesterday, and was taken to a local hospital. Fortunately for the Dodgers, the X-Rays came back negative and the ruling was he's be day-to-day.

Well that day was today! On the night the Dodgers were giving away free Manny Ramirez bobble heads, Ramirez came up to the plate as a pinch hitter in the 6th inning with the bases loaded.

The crowd went wild. Bobbleheads were in the air and bobbling like they just didn't care! Manny came up to bat and it was over in an instant.

Ramirez lasered the first pitch he saw from Reds reliever Nick Masset over the left field wall and took a sold out crowd at Chavez Ravine a trip down to Mannywood!

A grand slam one on pitch. Manny Ramirez hits his 11th home run of the season and his 21st all time, placing him two behind the all time leader Lou Gehrig. The Dodgers went up 6-2 and eventually won the game.

And to think that Manny asked out of the lineup when he saw his name penciled in to play left field. It wouldn't surprise me if this was orchestrated by Manny himself. What better way for the fans in Los Angeles to shower you with love than hitting a grand slam on your night. I can't remember the last time a Dodger got not one but two curtain calls.

This was a clear indication to everyone around Major League Baseball that the Dodgers fans have forgiven Manny Ramirez. You can even hear that same passion in Vin Scully's voice as he announced the home run shot. Vin later said in the telecast, that the fan reaction to Manny's home run was the loudest he's heard the fans in twenty years. The fans know that it isn't about cheering or booing a cheater. It's about the opportunity to watch something special.

The Dodgers have now gone 11-5 since Ramirez returned. They currently have the best record in baseball and it looks like no one in the National League can touch them besides the World Series champs.

The Philadelphia Phillies are playing their best ball, and they are heavily rumored to be the front runner to acquire the services of one Roy Halladay.

We'll see if Toronto can pull the trigger on a trade before their self-imposed trade deadline of July 28th, but I do know one thing that's for sure. The 2009 Dodgers are the best blue team Los Angeles has seen since 1988.

Hilarious Video of Mock Lamar Odom Negotiations

This video has me cracking up! It's a parody of the Lamar Odom negotiations starring Hitler as Jerry Buss. The clip is taken from the movie Valkyrie in which fellow crazy man Tom Cruise starred in.

Video of LeBron Being Dunked On By Jordan Crawford of Xavier

Here is the video that has been the talk around the hoops world. This is better quality version than the TMZ video that ESPN is currently airing.

LeBron is a fool for trying to get this video from ever being seen. His memory must be really fuzzy. He got dunked on by Courtney Lee twice this past post-season, so what's the big deal? Nike and James could have used this video as a promotional tool to influence his low sneaker sales.

Now that the video is finally out, what do you think? Was it worth all the effort for it be held under wraps?

Hide the Children! Jason Schmidt is Back from the Dead!

Remember Me? Schmidtyyyyy!

He's alive! He's alive! HE'S ALIVEEEEEEEEEEE!

The news is true boys and girls. Jason Schmidt has risen from the dead, and the Dodgers are bringing his scarred body to the mound to pitch against the Cincinnati Reds tonight.

Schmidty hasn't pitched since June 16, 2007. It's been over two years since we've seen the injury plagued right hander throw off the mound at Chavez Ravine.

Three-years $47 million well spent huh?!

Since signing that contract before the 2007 season, he has gone 1-4 with a 6.31 ERA. The Giants tricked their former assistant General Manager and current Dodgers GM Ned Colletti into signing his damaged goods.

Why is he being called up? Well, the Dodgers are proud to say that he has made five straight starts in the minors with no injuries in sight. He compiled a 4.18 ERA in that span, pitching for the Dodgers Triple-A Albuquerque club.

Hey, I'm not against a man trying to earn a second chance. I mean a third, wait a fourth chance. How many times has this guy been injured again? The dude has had two shoulder surgeries and two rehab stints since June of '07.

Seriously though, I wish him the best, and I hope he picks up the W tonight. We all know he won't be able to hit 90 mph again, but if he can give the Dodgers some quality starts to help out the bullpen, then I'm all for wheeling his overpaid butt to the mound every fifth day.

Jason Schmidt, you have one last chance to try and at least defend your contract, which is one of the worst in sports history.

(UPDATE) Catch me on "California Life"

Hey guys, just a quick reminder that I will be on the show "California Life," on channel KHIZ tomorrow at 5 p.m. and you can catch it again on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. My Ron Artest introduction to the Lakers story will be shown. Check your local listings and I hope you can check it out!

If you missed it, here's a link:

http://www.californialifehd.com/segments/ron-artest

Lakers Break Communication With Lamar Odom...For Now

The Lakers pulled their contract offer for free agent forward Lamar Odom yesterday. The LA Times is reporting that the Lakers had two offers on the table. One was a three-year deal worth $30 million. The other was a four-year deal worth $36 million.

Apparently, Lakers owner Jerry Buss grew tired of waiting for Lamar Odom and his agent Jeff Schwartz to contact him back. The offers were on the table for a week, and when word spread that Odom and his agent were in talks with Mark Cuban and Pat Riley, Buss pulled the offer.

The Mavericks and Heat can only offer Odom a mid-level exception contract at $5.8 million annually over five years, which brings the total at $34 million. The Lakers can offer more money up front in a shorter amount of time, but it's longevity which Odom seeks.

What makes the offers from Dallas and Miami more intriguing is that there are no state income taxes levied in Texas and Miami, thus making his long-term contract more valuable. Factor in that Lamar has stated in the past how much he loves living by the beach, and Miami becomes an even more likely destination.

Sure, Pat Riley traded him, but he reluctantly did so to win a championship (by bringing in Shaquille O'Neal in 2004.) He has often compared Odom to Magic Johnson, and this would be a great gesture on his part to bring Lamar Odom back to play with Dwayne Wade. What better way to entice your franchise player to stay than bringing in a champion who's a proven match-up nightmare.

Ultimately, Odom is looking for a 5-year $50 million deal. Deep down inside, he must know that he won't get anything near that, especially in this economic climate, but he sure is trying. After all, if the Dallas and Miami scenarios don't work, Portland might be back in the running.

Reports are that Utah is willing to take a bank loan to match Portland's offer sheet to free agent Paul Millsap. This would put the Jazz into major luxury tax territory but Utah has all the way until February of next year to trade Carlos Boozer before they take a major money hit.

The Trailblazers interest in Lamar Odom has been "lukewarm" at best, but this would give even more leverage to Lamar Odom in his free agency negotiations. People all around the NBA have been wondering why Portland hasn't gone after Lamar Odom harder. After all, they almost had Hedo Turkoglu on board for a 5-year $50 million deal, and Odom might be the better player.

Portland could finally be forced to make a smart move, and sign the valuable Lamar Odom to a contract, which the Lakers would be pressed to match. Not only would the signing of Lamar Odom make the Blazers a better team, it would significantly weaken the defending champs.

Looking at all these scenarios, I still believe that we have not heard the last of the Lakers and Lamar Odom. Lakers public relations director John Black stated that "Talks have broken down for the time being," but when asked if future negotiations could begin anew, Black said "That's within the realm of possibility."

However, there's one thing you don't want to do to the Lakers, and that's cross Jerry Buss. Shaquille O'Neal tried to do it in preseason game in Hawaii back in 2003. After Shaq converted on a dunk, he looked over to Buss, and told him to quote "Pay me mother******." A summer later, and he was gone.

Kobe bad mouthed Buss when he wanted to be traded in the summer of 2007, and he was almost traded to the Chicago Bulls, before Kobe reneged the deal after seeing what shambles of a team he would end up with.

And as recently as this summer, Buss moved quickly by snatching Ron Artest, when the Trevor Ariza negotiations went south. Buss is currently vacationing in Hawaii, so he might be in a better mood when he comes back. That's only if he wants to come back to the table with however.

Odom has stated numerous times in the past that he would love to come back, and playing with Ron Artest is something he would very much enjoy doing, as he told me in an interview I conducted with him at the Lakers Championship DVD screening on Monday.

The Lakers offers to Odom were more than fair, but Team Odom is trying to find a way to squeeze some extra millions out of them. It's unfortunate that it has come down to this, but I will never criticize a player for trying to make more money. Both sides are playing hard ball, and sooner or later someone is going to give.

The Lakers would be foolish to give Lamar Odom a 5-year $50 million contract to a player who comes off the bench, and shows up once a week. Their two offers were very fair for a chance to play on a championship team, that could add more trophies, and add a Laker Legacy to his name. If Odom could help the Lakers win a number of more championships, who's to say that his jersey won't be up in the rafters along with West, Chamberlain, Abdul-Jabbar, and Johnson.

Both sides want to get this done. It's just a matter of how much more, and how much longer this is going to take.

EXCLUSIVE Lamar Odom Interview

Lamar Odom of the Los Angeles Lakers gives Jonathan Khamis of OCRegister.com an exclusive interview regarding the status of his free agency. This is the first time Lamar Odom has spoken to the media since the free agency period began. He was at the Nokia Club in L.A. Live viewing the premiere of the L.A. Lakers Championship DVD.

OC All-Star Football Game

The 50th OC North-South All-Star Football Game concluded with the South & Coach Brian Barnes breaking the two-year losing streak to the North & Coach John Barnes. The Offensive Player of the Game Scotty Williams is interviewed.

A near sell-out crowd packed the Orange Coast College's LeBard Stadium. It was an impressive showing, seeing as how the OC Fair kicked things off on Friday. This wasn't a typical Pro-Bowl football game with phantom tackles, and dancing on the sidelines. I was surprised (and dismayed) to see how many timeouts were taken, as well as trick plays. The North just couldn't keep up with the South though, and this game was over at the end of the 1st quarter.

Brian Barnes gets one over on his father yet again, but his former player, Tesoro's Preston King was seen in crutches after the game. He went down hard on tackle in the 2nd half, and hopefully this injury isn't too serious for the future San Diego State Aztec.

Defensively, the Southern team was outstanding. They were led by the defensive player of the game, Tesoro's Tanner Hodgdon. Irvine's Nik Abele, UCLA-bound, played very well along with Tustin's Chris Robinson (Washington).

I would've liked to see more running plays, as the North had Ronnie Hillman for goodness sakes! He scored twice, but it seemed like Coach Barnes was too busy trying to make his Los Alamitos connection work with Clark Evans (Colorado) and Darryl Jenkins. The North dropped a lot of passes too, so in some cases, they have no one to blame but themselves.

It was a great showing by the talent rich South, and depending on where that imaginary border is that divides Orange County, Southern football proved to be superior over the North.

Ron Artest Press Conference

The controversial Ron Artest is the newest member of the Los Angeles Lakers. He will wear the number 37, in honor of Michael Jackson's Thriller album which spent 37 weeks in a row in the Top 10. Also, see Ron Artest wear his Lakers uniform for the first time! Interviews with Artest & Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak.

Shannon Brown Signs With Lakers

The Lakers have reportedly agreed to terms with free agent guard Shannon Brown. The contract is worth $4.2 million over two years, with a player option on second year.

Apparently his agent told the LA Times that Brown turned down more money from the Indiana Pacers to come back to Los Angeles.

Brown was a self-described "throw-in" in the February trade that sent space-cadet Vladimir Radmanovich to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Adam "cry baby" Morrison and the unknown Shannon Brown.

At the time, this was a deal that was strictly financial, as Adam Morrison had battled injuries all year and wasn't very ineffective in his role with the Bobcats. No one really knew that Shannon Brown would soon become a favorite among the Lakers fans.

In his first game donning the purple and gold, Shannon Brown amazed fans with his hops on this play...



The play resulted in a horrendous personal foul call, but people took notice of his athleticism. Mitch Kupchak actually saw something in Shannon Brown almost a month before the transaction as he put up 14 pts in 22 minutes against the Lakers, while with the Bobcats.

Brown would only put up 3.2 ppg in limited play but he shot 52% and shot very well from the three-point line, after it was thought he was only a slasher/athletic type who couldn't shoot. He also scored nearly 5 ppg in 13 minutes of play in the playoffs.

After all, Shannon was forced to shoot after his first Lakers practice. According to the OCRegister's Kevin Ding, Kobe found a wide open Brown in the corner, but he elected not to shoot. Immediately after Kobe told him to "Shoot the ****ng ball!"

For a great article on Shannon by K Ding, click here:
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/brown-bryant-lakers-2370495-james-nba

This deal is a win-win situation for both parties. The Lakers get to see if Shannon Brown can become the point guard of the future, while Brown can decide to test the market out again after one year.

It's clear how much Phil Jackson liked Brown. He gave him a chance to guard the bigger point guards in the West in Deron Williams and Chauncey Billups, and Brown held his own. He's a good defensive guard, who can jump out of the gym, and does whatever is asked of him.

The real question is whether Mitch Kupchak can find a taker for Jordan Farmar. He's been a guy that Phil has clashed with on numerous occasions, and his absence would mean more playing time for Shannon Brown.

Are you excited to see Shannon Brown come back and deliver more highlight reel dunks and blocks?! Sound off below.

Ariza and Artest Trading Spaces

Wow what a day. Just yesterday, I thought that Ariza and his agent were buttering up other teams in an effort to have the Lakers overpay him.

Nah-uh. The Lakers and Rockets have essentially traded small forwards. Ron Artest is coming to the Lakers. Trevor Ariza is going to the Rockets.

Artest will be paid $18 million over three years. Ariza receives a 5-year deal worth $33 million.

The Lakers are receiving the better player, but not the younger one. Artest will be 30 in November, while Ariza just turned 24.

Offensively, the two aren't even close. Artest has had a very good NBA career and is coming off a year where he averaged 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.5 steals. He also shot 40% from three, and is a very good wide-open shooter, unlike Mr. Vujacic.

Ariza only shot 31% from three, but did have quite a post-season, as he lit it up at an 48% clip.

Ron Artest can spin circles around Trevor Ariza offensively. He can do multiple things that Ariza can't, such as breaking an opponent off the dribble, and creating his own shot. The problem is that sometimes Artest is his own worst enemy. Instead of facilitating and initiating the offense, he can become a black hole. At times, he will run down the shot clock and force a horrendous shot.

I don't see that happening with this core group though. Artest would often do that when he was the best player on the court on some real bad teams, like he was in Sacramento. This year, he can even be the fourth option to Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and even Andrew Bynum.

The Lakers really only need him to play staunch defense, and hit the open three. Everything else is gravy. We'll see how quickly he can pick up the triangle offense though.

Ron Artest's talent on the basketball court has never been questioned. It's the off the court stuff that has been the real issue.

Five years ago, "The Malice at the Palace," took place when Ron-Ron got into it with the paying customers in Detroit...



He was suspended for nearly the entire season, but he's cleaned up his act. He was a model citizen last year. I believe that the old Ron Artest is dead and buried.

As far as defense is concerned...He's still a good defender, but he's lost a step. Is he a better defender then Trevor Ariza? Well, that remains to be seen over the long haul, but Artest did make the All-NBA defensive second team this past season, and has a reputation in the league as being one of the toughest players around.

Trevor Ariza on the other hand feels that he didn't get any love from L.A. He felt unwanted and was disrespected that the Lakers never even presented him an offer, and would not pay him more than the mid-level exception.

The Lakers brass liked Ariza, but they just love Ron Artest. They've been flirting with the volatile forward for years now. Kobe begged the Lakers to trade for him years ago when the Lakers were a .500 team, and he's always loved Los Angeles. It was inevitable that the stars would align one day to allow him to stroll the red carpet onto the Staples Center parquet court.

Yes, the things Trevor Ariza did for the Lakers were invaluable, but they can be duplicated by a better player in Ron Artest.

I also find it hilarious that apparently Mitch Kupchak had nothing to do with getting Artest, this according to Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times:

"The courtship of Artest began with a phone call from Magic Johnson, continued over the phone with Jackson (Phil) and ended during a seal-the-deal lunch Thursday with Lakers owner Jerry Buss."

Now the real drama unfolds...will the Lakers have enough money to sign Artest's New York homeboy Lamar Odom? The Candy Man has said numerous times this year that he would take less money to stay. Odom must be feeling great that his boy just got signed by the Lakers, so I imagine the two will come together in a nice purple and gold package, just like Gary Payton and Karl Malone did in 2004.

If the Lakers bring back Lamar Odom, and to a lesser extent Shannon Brown, they will have definitely upgraded their chances to repeat.

Peace!

Don't Be Fooled! Ariza Is Playing Hard Ball

Trevor Ariza isn't going to the Cavaliers. Unless it turns out that he is one petty individual.

It's been reported that Trevor Ariza feels disrespected at the Lakers first offer of $5.5 million over an unspecified number of years. In fact, sources close to Ariza say that he is so distraught over the offer, that he could very well sign with another team, but still only offer him the same amount of money.

Hmmm, that doesn't sound like Ariza to me. That sounds a lot like his agent David Lee (no, not the overrated player for the Knicks).

"All we're looking for is little appreciation for what Trevor has done," Lee told the LA Times. "I don't think they believe Trevor is serious about leaving, and that's too bad. I didn't think we'd be in this situation. I am disappointed and surprised by what I thought would be some feelings for the people who have given you everything they've got."

Ariza's agent went on to tell the Press-Enterprise:

"I had a long conversation with Mitch, and I don't think it's going anywhere," agent David Lee said. "I think I'm being optimistic when I say it's not going anywhere."

I take all these quotes with a grain of salt. This is what agents do. They use the media as an outlet to gain leverage for their client. This is a practice as old as the game itself.

It doesn't matter what Cleveland Cavaliers lackey Chris Broussard has to say on ESPN. He has everybody going to the Cavs, but there are two reasons this is not going to happen:

1. Why would Ariza go to the Cavs if they can't offer more money than the Lakers?
2. Their two best players are going to be free agents next year, and let's face it Shaq has a zero percent chance of coming back when the Cavs could lure Chris Bosh to Cleveland next year.

I don't see him going to Portland because even though they have enough money to throw at him, they already have a gluttony of forwards. They start Nicolas Batum and Travis Outlaw (the better player) actually comes off the bench.

The only place that can give him the contract that he covets is Toronto. The Raptors are losing Shawn Marion and Anthony Parker. This would be the perfect destination for him, while their draft pick former USC legend DeMar DeRozan comes off the bench.

Finally the Press-Enterprise cites Lakers sources that say that the team is willing to match offers that Ariza receives, but they aren't going to overpay just because he plays for them.

The Lakers are playing hard ball with Ariza, just like the Dodgers did with Manny Ramirez. At the end of the day I see Ariza signing with the purple and gold, unless Toronto gives him an offer he just can't refuse.