Tommy Lasorda, Pete Carroll are backing Chivas USA

So Tommy Lasorda is a Chivas USA fan, huh? Who knew?

The former Dodgers manager is one of a handful of sports celebrities who have shown up on a YouTube video exhorting the Major League Soccer team to overcome Real Salt Lake in a playoff game in Carson on Saturday night.

Lasorda is joined on the video by the likes of the Lakers' Luke Walton and Sasha Vujacic, the Clippers' Eric Gordon, USC's Pete Carroll and, most sincere of all, former Chivas goalkeeper Brad Guzan.

The popular 'keeper, who left the MLS club to join Aston Villa of the English Premier League in July, recorded a shutout in the Czech Republic on Thursday night. England's Guardian newspaper said it was a fortutious goal and "heroics from Guzan" that kept Slavia Prague at bay in a 1-0 victory by Aston Villa in the UEFA Cup.

-- Grahame L. Jones

Photo: Brad Guzan had been one of Chivas' key players before joining Aston Villa of the English Premier League. Credit: Victor Decolongon / Getty Images

It's time to give Paralympians their due

I have covered 14 Summer and Winter Olympics.

Regrettably, I never have covered a Paralympics.

Now, thanks to both NBC and Universal Sports, I am even more aware of what I have missed.

You will be too if you watch Sunday afternoon’s NBC documentary on the 2008 Paralympic Games (11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. PT), along with the 28 hours of Paralympic coverage on Universal Sports from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through next Sunday (Nov. 16).

I have seen the NBC film, which, thankfully, avoids the trap of concentrating only on the inspirational side of these leading disabled athletes.

Paralympians want to be seen first as athletes, with as much dedication to their sport and as compelling an urge to win as able-bodied athletes.  That comes through on the NBC show when U.S. wheelchair basketball athlete Matt Scott says he doesn’t care about touring the sights of China or about how nice the Olympic Village is because, "I want a gold medal, and I want it bad."

(And wait until you see how Chinese high jumper Hou Bin, a three-time Paralympic gold medalist, lights the caldron at the opening ceremony.  It is every bit as dramatic as the high-wire act 1984 Chinese Olympic champion Li Ning performed at the Olympic opening ceremony.)

I wish NBC had avoided the cloying background music that gives the production an overall feeling of touchy-feely rather than sports.  Some of the early segments do focus more on the disability than the athletes’ achievements.  And there is no attempt at explaining the numbering of events, a complicated system that has caused controversy because critics within the Paralympic movement feel there are too many categories and too many medals.

But the emphasis changes as the 90 minutes progress.  By the end, you find yourself eagerly anticipating the race or game in which the athletes profiled are competing.

You likely will cry when you watch some of the segments, but not merely because it is moving to see these Paralympians overcome adversity. You will cry because you share their joy at having hard work and athletic ability result in Paralympic medals or, in the case of the

Shaq and Kobe: Where the end began

It wasn't that long ago that Shaquille O'Neal was making fun of Kobe Bryant in an impromptu rap song at a nightclub.

And now Shaq is telling Sports Illustrated's Dan Patrick that Kobe is the best player in the game.

There's more insight into the strange relationship between Shaq and Kobe in Times' staff writer Mark Heisler's book, "Madmen's Ball," which is excerpted on our website today. Check it out.

--Randy Harvey

Photo: Shaquille O'Neal, right, and Kobe Bryant on the Lakers bench in 2003. Credit: Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times

Clippers Baron Davis signs Li Ning deal

Clippers guard Baron Davis, according to this story in the Daily News, has signed a deal with the Chinese shoe and apparel company Li Ning.

Li, the former Chinese gymnast, did acrobatics in Beijing with his spectacular lighting of the torch, but he also made headlines when his company became involved in the slanted-eyes controversy with the Spanish basketball team.

Davis would be wise to avoid that kind of advertisement for Li Ning.

-- Randy Harvey

An argument for putting USC into the BCS mix

Terry Bowden, a member of college football's first family of coaching and now an analyst for Rivals.com, is puzzled by USC's lack of respect from around the country.

He acknowledges the critics but says it wasn't the Trojans' intent to play a weak schedule when they lined up Virginia, Ohio State and Notre Dame as non-conference opponents.

And it's certainly not their fault that the Pac-10 is so weak.

And Oregon State isn't so bad...

Bowden, however, seems to be in the minority when it comes to the Trojans in the BCS.

-- Randy Harvey

Photo: USC kicker David Buehler (right) with long snapper Chris Pousson during pre-practice warmups on Thursday at Howard Jones Field. Credit: Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times

DeAngelo Hall finds a home -- but Raiders remain lost

DeAngelo Hall wasn't unemployed for long. The big-money cornerback was signed Friday by Washington, two days after the Raiders gave him the boot.

Around the same time, in Green Bay, Charles Woodson, another former Oakland cornerback, spoke his mind about the franchise and Raiders owner Al Davis. Woodson, a starter for the Packers, talked about his old team with Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal.

"It's a sad state of affairs out there, and I really feel for the guys I know, guys like Nnamdi [Asomugha], Derrick Burgess -- those guys who I know week-in and week-out, no matter what, they're going to go out there and play hard," Woodson said. "That's the thing with Al -- it's hot or cold with him. If you're on the good side, you're good; if not, he'll get you out of there. So that's what you're seeing now."

"Oakland, it's sad to see it, because my first few years out there, with [Coach Jon] Gruden and [senior assistant] Bruce Allen, those years were great years. I think if those guys could've actually stayed out there, it would have been a different story. But they were pretty much forced out of there as well. I hate to see it. I love the community, I love the team, and like I said, those guys that I know, I feel for them the most."

On whether his relationship with Davis ran hot and cold: "With us, I guess, we had a relationship, we didn't talk that much or anything. We would talk in passing, at practices or what-not, but I never spent any time in his office or anything like that. I think once Gruden left and

NFL reaching farther with its Super Bowl packages

The NFL knows how to wring money out of the Super Bowl. The top price for a ticket at Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla., on Feb. 1, for example, will be $1,000 -- up from $900 last year.

But the NFL, along with the NCAA (Final Four) and other organization with a hot ticket, know that they can leverage the value of those admissions by incorporating them into pricey travel packages. And, even though it's the National Football League, the NFL is marketing its travel packages internationally, according to Bloomberg News.

The NFL is extending its marketing pitch -- or should that be pass? -- to corporate clients in Canada, Japan, the U.S. and Mexico.

Here's how the league describes its offers at NFL On Location:

Want to motivate and reward your teams most valuable players? ... Only NFL On Location can provide exclusive corporate hospitality within Raymond James Stadium and only NFL On Location provides you with the confidence of working directly with the NFL!

The most expensive of the eight Super Bowl packages (they're color-coded and range from "orange" to "platinum") costs $10,599. That gets the lucky fan a single room, up-close parking, a sideline seat and pre- and post-game parties.

Not to mention the "Official NFL Super Bowl XLIII gift. Operators are standing by. Last season, the NFL packages sold out.

-- Debbie Goffa and Greg Johnson

Photo: Super Bowl XXXV was played at Raymond James Stadium, after which Baltimore Ravens head coach Brian Billick hoisted the Vince Lombardi trophy after the Ravens beat the New York Giants, 34-7. Credit: Elise Amendola / Associated Press

PBA offers Barack Obama bowling tips

The Pro Bowlers Assn. for obvious reasons believes it's a bad idea for Barack Obama to replace the White House bowling alley with a basketball court. 

Perhaps the Obama family will change its mind after touring the White House on Monday.

Or perhaps this offer from PBA stars Billy Oatman and Norm Duke will cause them to pause.

-- Randy Harvey

Photo: In March, Barack Obama did a little bowling in Altoona, Pa. Credit: Alex Brandon / Associated Press

The Clippers: 5 losses, 5 problems to fix

The Clippers are 0-5 in this young season, and already are in elite company: the Washington Wizards are the only other winless NBA team.

Here are five key problem areas for the Clippers and Coach Mike Dunleavy:

Miserable bench play

Game 1: Clippers lose to Lakers by 38 points as the Lakers' bench outscores the Clippers' reserves by 32. Game 2: Clips lose to Denver in overtime by 10 points -- Denver's bench outscores the Clippers' second unit by 17. Game 3: Clippers lose to Utah by 22 and their bench is outscored by 16. Game 4: Clippers lose to Utah, again, by four points while the Jazz bench outscores the Clippers by 27. Game 5: the Lakers beat the Clippers by 18 as Jordan Farmar, Lamar Odom and company outscore the Clips' bench by seven. Do you see a pattern?

Ricky Davis can't shoot.

The Clippers are Davis' seventh team in his 11-year NBA career, and the 6-7 guard/forward has long been derided as a selfish player who can't play defense and cares only about his offensive production. But the Clippers signed him as a free agent so he could generate some instant offense off the bench. It hasn't happened. Davis is averaging 2.6 points per game (compared to his careeer average of 14.3) and is shooting a paltry 22.7% from the field, compared to 44.9% for his career.

Chris Kaman is slipping

Last season Kaman was one of the few pluses, hitting career highs in almost every category before getting hurt during the second half. This year, almost all of his numbers are headed in the wrong direction: scoring 11.8 points (15.7 last year); rebounds 10.6 (12.7); assists 1.6 (1.9); blocked shots 2.0 (2.8); turnovers 3.6 (2.9).

False hustle

This was Red Auerbach's term when a player apparently was working hard but actually was getting outworked in the trenches. This applies to the entire Clippers team. Assists per game: Clippers 17.8, opponents 21.8. Field goal percentage: Clippers 39%, opponents 45%. Rebounds: Clippers 29.2, opponents 36.4. Turnovers: Clippers 17.6, opponents 12.2.

Tough schedule

Each season, 16 of the 30 NBA teams make the playoffs. The rest wait for lottery picks. The Clippers' first seven games this season are against teams that made the last season's playoffs. As the Clippers try to right themselves, the problem is that it's tough to make the playoffs in the West. Last year Denver needed 50 wins, or 18 games over .500, to get the eighth and final playoff spot. The prior season, the Warriors got the last spot with 42 wins. Either way, the Clippers are already behind.

-- Barry Stavro

Photo: Clipper Baron Davis drives the lane and makes a leaping pass around Denver Nuggets Chris Andersen in the first half of their game last Friday in Los Angeles. Credit: Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times.

Lisa Guerrero: Yankees and Republicans go back to the drawing board

I sailed through the Arizona Biltmore lobby on Wednesday like I owned the joint. Almost everybody there gave me the stink eye. No wonder. The day after Barack Obama was elected president, many Republicans were still hanging around the hotel where John McCain had given his concession speech the night before.

And there I was at the front desk checking in, wearing my Obama ’08 T-shirt.

One particularly indignant lady walked by me and hissed, "McCain should’ve won." I replied, "Scoreboard, baby."

Poor sportsmanship? I think not. Does a Red Sox fan have a problem wearing a David Ortiz jersey into Yankee Stadium? Nope. Now if that Red Sox fan dumped a beer on a Yankees fan sitting in front of him during the game, then that’s poor sportsmanship.

And an unforgivable waste of beer.

But sporting my team’s colors and enjoying Tuesday’s blowout victory are things that any loyal sports fan can relate to. We all love the story of the underdog who goes on to win the championship game. Team Barack, indeed.

My husband and I are in Phoenix to attend the wedding of Scott’s old University of Arizona teammate Kevin Long. Kevin is the hitting coach for the Yankees and came really close to heading to the Dodgers this season with Joe Torre. Instead, he stayed in New York out of loyalty to the team that gave him a shot in the big leagues (in 2007) after toiling in the minors for 18 years, primarily with the Royals organization.

Much like the Republicans, the Yankees also have to reassess their disappointing performance this year and figure out a winning strategy for the future.

For example, there has been some speculation that Manny Ramirez will don pinstripes next season, just in time for the inauguration of the new Yankee Stadium. Obviously, as their hitting coach, no one would be more pleased with that scenario than Kevin but, surprisingly, Manny's not the Dodger who could most improve the Yankees in 2009.

Kevin thinks that New York might make Derek Lowe the priority.

“We need to solidify our starting pitching,” he told me. “We were the only team in baseball last year with less than three starters that threw 100 innings (Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte). We have to address the pitching situation first.”

In terms of Manny, Kevin adds, “He’d be a great fit for the Yankees. We’d love to have him. We have the resources and it’s hard not to think about what the Yankees could do with him in the lineup. You’d have to say that if we shored up our rotation and get Manny, we’d be the front-runner next year.”

By a landslide.

-- Lisa Guerrero

Lisa Guerrero has covered Super Bowls, the NBA Finals and the World Series, along with the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys. As an actress, she has appeared on "Frasier" and "The George Lopez Show" and as Billy Baldwin's long-suffering wife in the film "A Plumm Summer," which she executive-produced.