TORRANCE TRIBUNE April 17, 2014 Page 7 Up and Adam Worst Season Ever? By Adam Serrao The Los Angeles Lakers have made history. That’s a sentence that all Laker fans are accustomed to hearing, what with their 16 championship trophies, 31 conference titles, 23 division titles and nine retired numbers. These Lakers, though…the Lakers that made history two Sunday nights ago when they played against their inner-stadium rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, won’t be garnering any such honors this year. With a 120-97 blowout at the hands of the Clippers--the team’s fourth blowout in as many tries versus their neighbors this year--the Lakers matched a franchise record that, frankly, nobody can remember and nobody wants to remember. In taking their 52nd loss of the season, the Lakers repeated history in what only the 1974-’75 Lakers could equal, tying them for the worst record in franchise history. Such a horrific season only begs the question: is this the Lakers’ worst season ever? The Lakers’ worst season ever did not stop at 52 losses. The purple and gold had no problem racking up numbers 53 and 54 in the two games immediately after against Houston and Golden State respectively. The Lakers aren’t just losing. They are allowing epic performances to their opponents, such as the 49-point third quarter given up to the Rockets en route to a 145-point output. “We talk about schemes and different ways to play things,” Laker guard Jordan Farmar explained. “But it just seems like guys on other teams score too easily. It just comes down to heart. It comes down to pride. Guys have to want it.” Apparently, the Lakers have no heart, pride or want-to, because the 145-point output that Houston enjoyed wasn’t the only laughable defensive effort displayed this year. They’ve also given up over 130 points to the Denver Nuggets on two separate occasions, 132 points to the New Orleans Pelicans and another 134 points to the Rockets earlier this year. This year, the Lakers had allowed over 100 points on 62 different occasions (as of three games left in the regular season). With their 54th loss of the season against the Golden State Warriors, the Lakers pushed the cellar even further down in what has been the franchise’s worst statistical season in history. The ‘57-’58 Minneapolis Lakers lost 53 times in what was, at the time, only a 72-game season. The Lakers and their head coach Mike D’Antoni certainly wish that this season had only been 72 games long for a club that will miss the playoffs for just the third time since 1976. “It’s like Winston Churchill said,” remarked D’Antoni. “‘If you’re in hell, just keep your head down and keep going.’” There certainly aren’t any heads raised high on this year’s Lakers team, including that of their head coach, and the body language of the club doesn’t seem to insist that there is any glimmer of hope or shining light in what has been an otherwise completely tumultuous season. “You weather it because you weather it,” continued D’Antoni. “It’s not the greatest thing in the world, but you put your head down and keep going. It’s up to the franchise to decide what direction they want to go, and then you go with it. I’m okay with whatever. I’m just going to do the best job that I can do.” For a head coach that’s “okay with whatever,” it has certainly shown in the standings and in the effort that he has put into running the team this year. Apparently the “best job” that D’Antoni can do gets the Lakers their worst record in franchise history. The front office, as well as Laker fans everywhere, must be asking themselves if they want a coach who is so blasé about everything back in charge for next season or for any of the years to come. No final decision has been made on D’Antoni’s future, but the coach does have one year worth almost $4 million left on his contract with the Lakers. That hasn’t stopped the Lakers from cutting ties with coaches in the past (Mike Brown), but D’Antoni is extremely close to Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchack (who just received a contract extension) and may just be given one more year to head a team that remains in limbo during some of the worst times in franchise history. One bad season certainly doesn’t mean that the Los Angeles Lakers are destined for failure for the foreseeable future. Every team goes through ups and downs and like the old saying goes, it has to get worse before it gets better. Take the Clippers, for example. The Clippers have lost at least 52 games in a season 22 times since the team came into existence in the 1970-71 season. Even if the Lakers ended up losing out and dropping every game remaining in the season to finish with 57 losses on the year, all they have to do is look across the hallway to see that the Clippers have accomplished such a feat 13 times in their history. Sure, this year is bad. It’s the worst year ever for the Lakers, as a matter of fact. But in keeping things in perspective, it can’t get much worse from here. This turbulent Laker season will ultimately come to a close and the team will begin digging itself out of its tomb come the offseason. Eventually, sooner rather than later, this proud franchise of 16 championships will get back on track. Who knows, this year’s draft might one day even provide another jersey number to add to those retired by the team, hanging in the rafters. If you’re a Laker fan this year, all you can do now is hope. • Warriors Pioneer League Stint Ends By Adam Serrao Never have the West High Warriors been so thankful to be on the verge of their first league game and done with visiting teams from the Pioneer League. Their rivals from around Torrance have been giving them a hard time this year, starting with the North High Saxons on through the South High Spartans and recently ending with the Torrance Tartars. All in all, the Warriors have lost three games to their foes from the same city, being outscored by a total of 21-7. That trend didn’t change last Wednesday night at Kendall Field in Torrance, as the Warriors called it quits against the Pioneer League for the foreseeable future this season with an 11-1 loss against the Tartars. The Warriors hate the Pioneer League so much that they even lost to a team named “Pioneer” earlier in the season by a final score of 4-2. Warriors head coach Juan Cueva and company are hoping to have better luck against their own Bay League opponents once league play begins this Wednesday, but in the meantime they have to deal with what has already happened in the past. Speaking of the past, Torrance has beaten West in five of the past six meetings between the two teams, so things weren’t necessarily looking good from the outset in this one. They certainly didn’t get any better either once Manny Olloque stepped to the plate in the bottom of the third inning. “I was just looking for a pitch I could drive,” Olloque explained. “Fortunately, he left a ball up and I hit it.” Olloque didn’t just hit it--he crushed it over the left field wall for a grand slam that served to break the game open at 4-0 before the inning ended with a 5-0 Tartars lead. With Kyle Smith on the mound for the Tartars, West never would quite rebound. Smith only allowed five hits on the day, including a double by Jackson Cooper and a run scored in the top of the seventh inning when Nathan Santiago singled Cooper home. “We couldn’t figure out their lefty,” Cueva said. “He did a great job mixing up his pitches and he blew it by the guys he could blow it by.” In total, Smith blew it by 11 guys on the day, walking only three. “I think getting ahead in the count, getting started early and having command of my fastball were the keys for me,” Smith said. “My off-speed pitches were good as well.” Pretty much all of Smith’s pitches were good in this matchup, as Olloque experienced the same success at the plate. In addition to his grand slam, Olloque sparked another five-run inning in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI double to make the score 10-0 after four. Olloque finished the day going three for four with six RBIs and his grand slam home run. The Warriors (7-9) now look forward to taking their young group of players into league play this Wednesday when they open up a two-game set against the Mira Costa Mustangs. Torrance (10-7), winners of three out of their last four, will look to keep the ball rolling against Pioneer League favorites South High (11-5), when the two open up league play on Wednesday as well. Now is the time when teams begin making their runs towards the top of the division. Both Torrance and South expect to be right there in the race once all is said and done this year. South High The South High Spartans have the most wins in the Pioneer League leading up to league play, but the Peninsula Panthers did their part to stunt South’s advances last Thursday afternoon in Palos Verdes. There wasn’t much scoring in this one, but Peninsula was able to get on the board first and when it mattered most. Max Green hit a two-run double in the bottom of the second inning to put his team ahead for good in the game, helping himself out in the process. Green also pitched six innings of one-hit ball, allowing just one run on four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. The Spartans’ lone run of the day came in the top of the sixth inning when Kyle Henmi reached base on a single. Henmi would advance on a balk, steal third and later score on a sacrifice fly by JB Guyton. The one run wasn’t enough for the Spartans, as they ultimately took the loss behind another strong outing from starting pitcher Matt Mogollon. Mogollon threw another complete game, his fifth of the season in just six starts, and allowed just two runs on four hits with three strikeouts. North High The North High Saxons started off league play with a split series against Centennial, dropping the first game of two but taking the second by a final score of 12-5. The Bay League’s Redondo Union was next on the schedule for North, with a two-game set on Tuesday. Unlike West High, the Bay League’s Redondo team was able to counter their Pioneer League foes with a two-game sweep, taking the first of two with a 7-5 win and ending the series with a 3-0 shutout. North and head coach Mike Demaria are still tied for first atop the Pioneer League division with Centennial, but with league play starting soon, the Saxons must be semi-faultless in order to keep that top seed in a division full of hungry competitors. • Call toll-free: 1-800-409-2420 Are You Still Paying Too Much For Your Medications? You can save up to 75% when you fill your prescriptions at our Canadian and International prescription service. Get An Extra $10 O & Free Shipping On Your 1st Order! Call the number below and save an additional $10 plus get free shipping on your rst prescription order with Canada Drug Center. Expires June 30, 2014. Oer is valid for prescription orders only and can not be used in conjunction with any other oers. Valid for new customers only. One time use per household. Order Now! 1-800-409-2420 Use code 10FREE to receive this special oer. Compare our prices and see how much you can save on your medications! Their Price Bottle A Manufactured By PfizerTM. Our Price CelebrexTM $568.87 Bottle B Typical US brand price for 200mg x 100 Manufactured By Generics Manufacturers Celecoxib* $62.00 Generic equivalent of CelebrexTM Generic price for 200mg x 100 Please note that we do not carry controlled substances and a valid prescription is required for all prescription medication orders. Call Toll-free: 1-800-409-2420 Prescription price comparison above is valid as of November 1, 2013. All trade-mark (TM) rights associated with the brand name products in this ad belong to their respective owners. *Generic drugs are carefully regulated medications that have the same active ingredients as the original brand name drug, but are generally cheaper in price. Generic equivalents are equal to their "brand" counterparts in Active Ingredients, Dosage, Safety, Strength, Quality, Performance and Intended use. It may vary in colour, shape, size, cost and appearance. The Family Value Combo 2 (5 oz.) Filet Mignons 2 (5 oz.) Top Sirloins 4 Boneless Chicken Breasts (1 lb. pkg.) 4 (4 oz.) Omaha Steaks Burgers 4 (3 oz.) Gourmet Jumbo Franks 4 Stu ed Baked Potatoes 49381JMK Reg. $154.00 Now Only...$3999 PLUS, 4 More Burgers FREE! to every shipping address in your order from this ad. Limit 2. 4 (4 oz.) burgers must ship with $39 order. Standard S&H added. Expires 4/30/14. ©2014 OCG | 20142 Omaha Steaks, Inc. Call 1-800-912-6541 and ask for 49381JMK www.OmahaSteaks.com/sp34
Torrance 04_17_14
To see the actual publication please follow the link above