The Chase Center crowd didn’t disappoint me when it was time to welcome back Kate Martin. The Valkyries showed a Martin highlight reel with her voiceover, but that couldn’t be heard over the crowd roar. I rode the 9:15 a.m. train northbound this morning, and have boarded the 10:25 p.m. southbound to get home. That’s a long day in order to watch one basketball game, so of course I hoped for a better game than Golden State 78 Los Angeles 58. I said at the post-game press conference: “In the days when I was the only person you had to …
That roar is not the San Andreas Fault cracking, but the Ballhalla crowd greeting Kate Martin
Golden State crowds welcomed back Monique Billings (now with Indiana) and Carla Leite (thriving in Portland) with loud, loving ovations — the roving cameras found a kid with Leite sign _crying_, for heaven’s sake. Tonight, Los Angeles and Kate Martin visit. “Fan favorite” doesn’t fully describe Martin’s position in the Chase Center’s hearts. I’ll put it this way. I met a doctor with whom I talked baseball while he examined me. His name was Dr. Brooks Bahr, and in the course of conversation, he said he was born in Baltimore in 1970. My eyes widened. “They named you after…” Dr. …
For Golden State to beat visiting Los Angeles Monday, force Plum to keep the ball
The unkindest quip I’ve read about the 2026 Los Angeles Sparks is that their offense mostly devolves into four people standing around while Kelsey Plum dribbles. Which isn’t much different from my suggestion for how to beat them: Don’t let Plum share the ball. Even if Plum scorches her lone defender, you’re better off. Consider: In Plum’s three worst assist games — 2 vs. LV, 4 vs. IND, 6 vs. DAL — the Sparks are 0-3, even though Plum shot a smoking 58% (29-for-50). The rest of the team shot .421 on 64-for-152. In the Sparks’ other seven games, in …
On Alan Rickman’s birthday
On Alan Rickman’s birthday, I’ll say that I imagine in Galaxy Quest fandom, there’s a rift that’ll never be fixed. Half the fandom thinks it’s the “sons of Warvan”, as though Warvan was a patriarch. The other half thinks it’s the “suns of Warvan”, like Warvan is a planet. I think it’s suns of Warvan, for two reasons. One, since Grabthar’s hammer is a lifeless object, why not point the other half of the oath in a similar direction. Two, we don’t know anything about Warvan, or his sons. Even though Dr. Lazarus is one of the greatest characters ever …
South Park has the Kaden Rummler shooting covered
Kaden Rummler, 21, was shot in the face and blinded in the left eye during a protest rally Friday in Santa Ana. Department of Homeland Security officials said federal agents were defending themselves when the rally turned violent, while local officials and witnesses said the rally was peaceful until feds started making arrests. South Park already has the pieces in place for this: South Park for years has mocked “stand your ground” laws by enabling gun nuts Jimbo and Ned to shoot _anything_ as long as they first say “It’s coming right for us!”. South Park also depicts homeland security …
Thomas-Keres, Margate 1937
The best way to practice chess is not playing chess. Playing chess is kiddie funsies time, but if you want to improve your play, the best practice is to play through a master game, guessing the winner’s moves as you go. Cover the gamescore, play through the opening without guessing (trying to guess a master’s opening play will drive you crazy, and is not beneficial), start guessing around move 10 or 12 (sooner if an original position arises early) by playing the move on the board (so you’re committed to it), then uncovering the move actually played. If you guess …
Wristwatches
Yesterday afternoon, I stopped on the freeway ramp to assist a stranded motorist, who offered me his bling and his watch if I’d help him get to Florida. Too weird to be true, and maybe he was working a scam. The funny thing is I look at ads for watches all day, because if you look at one ad for a gizmo, you’ll see all the ads for gizmos. Maybe I should’ve taken a closer look at that guy’s watch. I noticed a chessplayer wearing a wristwatch last week, and I thought: Who wears a wristwatch these days, when the …
Cal 60 Pacific 52
Last November, I was renting a room in the Adams Point neighborhood in Oakland, walking distance from the 19th St. BART station. A 10-minute BART ride puts one in Downtown Berkeley, walking distance from Haas Pavilion. I needed Pacific to visit Cal *last* season. During the WNBA season, the Golden Bears visited Chase Center one night for a Valkyries game. Coach Smith was working the crowd waiting in line, and I got her attention. Coach Smith kinda knows me, from Stanford and from Cal, but I don’t think she’s ever seen me in the same context twice. Sometimes I’ve been …
UCLA 73 Oklahoma 59
Mismatches like UCLA 87, UCSB 50 and Maryland 87, Maryland-Baltimore County 50 make me wish I’d waited for conference play, but UCLA 73, Oklahoma 59 on Monday makes November watchable (and man, I’m disappointed about missing USC 69, NC State 68 due to spoilage). God help me, I’m allegiant to TWO Los Angeles sports teams. When Gianna Kneepkens entered the transfer portal, I committed myself to whichever team she joined. Honest, I’m OK with her going to UCLA — the Bruins are a Pac-12 all-star team, and Coach Close is the best sideline interview in the NCAA. With practice, any …
Northwestern 67 IU-Indianapolis 64
The Jaguars missed the tying free throw with 7 seconds left, and the host Wildcats survived. Neither team was good at the line. IU Indianapolis shot 67%, Northwestern made 3 for their first 8, then 5-of-7 in the 4th quarter. NU senior forward Grace Sullivan completed a double right after halftime, and finished with 18 and 18. Even at 6-foot-4, Sullivan averaged 4.3 rebounds in 23.6 minutes last year. Until this afternoon, the only team I had any interest in was Menlo HS (Menlo Park, Calif.), with an assistant coach who’s a chess expert. Without reflection or sentiment, I thought …