Lightning Round

It's been a rough week so far, but I have a few things to put together a quick Wednesday Lightning Round. UPDATE: 6:55 p.m.

I hate stupid people. Especially stupid people I don't know. It makes it easier to write about them.
Was driving to work, going down Lime Ave. toward the office, past the courthouse. For those who don't know the area, there is a bridge going from the courthouse to a parking lot for jury members.
Underneath the bridge that day was a woman talking on her cell phone. It was in the shade, so maybe she was just beating the heat. (But then I wouldn't have anything to write, would I?)
Sure enough, as soon as I went by, traffic was clear for her to jaywalk across the street, ignoring the conveniently place bridge that would have allowed her to cross without, oh, I don't know, BREAK THE LAW!
How ignorant do you have to be? So much so that they're not even worth spelling out ignorant.

I don't follow basketball much, but it was nice to see the Lakers didn't just choke things away. I'd rather hear about them playing for another couple of weeks than starting another soap opera offseason with Kobe and Phil being eliminated early in the playoffs.

Watched the NBA Draft Lottery and laughed when the Clippers got the first pick. Tell me your first thought wasn't "Well, how are the Clippers going to piss this away?"

How come those who have sworn to uphold the law are the first to break the law.
I've seen it a couple of times, and Gina sees it all the time in the desert — police officers talking on their cell phones while driving. Would it kill them to stick a silly looking Bluetooth in their ear?
After all, they're quick to pull you over for doing it, as they did to Gina's boss — which led to more hilarity. You can read about it here.

**UPDATE: Sure enough, seven hours after posting this, I walked over to get a drink, and on the way back, saw a cop pull up to a red light with his hand on his phone, and the phone up to his ear.

I am absolutely loving the whole mess between the WWE and the NBA/Denver Nuggets. First off, there's no court in the land that wouldn't side with the WWE. Knowing that Vince McMahon is going to milk this thing for everything it's worth (and he's going to get a nice pay day for backing out of his contract).
If I were him, there are only two options I'd consider for his show next Monday (he has a TV contract to fulfill, too).
One is I'd take the show to Staples Center (it's open, and they've offered), and I spend the whole night talking up the Lakers and bashing the Nuggets.
Or, I'd go to one of the outdoor venues in the Denver area (Mile High, Coors Field or the Colorado Rapids' soccer stadium). Exchange all the tickets for similar seats at the outdoor venue, and then give tickets for the bulk of the rest of the seats for $5 apiece (or just give 'em away) and PACK the place, and then spend the whole night talking up how you filled a huge outdoor stadium on a night the Nuggets were playing.
Either way, he's going to win.

Be interesting to see how the Blackhawks play once they're back home, in front of their frothing at the mouth fans.
It's no secret that there's a lot of NHL fans (not in Detroit) who are rooting for the Hawks just because it's good for the league to have Chicago be a success (and to see someone new in the Cup finals).
But for Kings fans, besides our past playoff rivalries with the Red Wings, we see a lot of hope in the Hawks run, because they've been rebuilt much like the Kings are currently in the process of doing. So we hope that Chicago's success is a sign of things that may come to LA.

Nope, not going to bash the Ducks on their way out. They played well this playoff year, and did it without the semi-goonery they used the year they won the Cup.
But it's a really interesting offseason for them. Lots of questions about who's coming back. Niedermayer going to retire for good this time? Trade Pronger while his value's still high? Selanne has another year on his contract, but will he retire? And Hiller just supplanted Giguere in the playoffs. Was this year just an anomaly for Giggy, or was it a sign of things to come?

Of course, Tim Leiweke — the man who oversees the Kings, Galaxy, Home Depot Center, Staples Center and LA Live for their primary owner, Phil Anschutz — was happy as a pig in slop Tuesday, seeing the company's products all over your TV.
One side of the street had the sports fans, with the Lakers playing at home in the playoffs. Over at the Nokia Theater, you had the finals of "American Idol." No matter the TV shot, you saw the downtown LA entertainment destination — the real reason the Kings are a part of their holdings.
The Kings were the reason he got to build a new arena (Lakers owner Jerry Buss wanted one, too, but I don't think he could have pulled it off on his own). And once it was in, and a success, it was easy to expand to add LA Live.

My brother's an umpire, so he was quick to defend John Lackey's tossing after two pitches. And I know why. But man, wouldn't a warning sufficed if you were worried after the first pitch?

Disney Channel changed the hours it plays its "Playhouse Disney" programs this week, ending the block at 10 a.m. after the "Imagination Movers." So we've moved over to Nick Jr., and I never thought I'd say this, but I kinda miss the "Little Einsteins," when faced with the "Backyardigans." Or maybe I'll just put on the Daily Show/Colbert block on for us to watch in the 10 a.m. hour.

"Dora and the Super Babies" commercial is playing in the background. Nothing more creepy than the thought of "Super Babies."

Item: Fans are starting a Twitter petition in the hope of saving "My Name is Earl." Reaction: I like the show, but let it go people. You got four years out of a show that many wrote off after season one. Besides, Fox may keep it going, because they already produce it, and it makes them money in syndication.

That's it. Hope to have something new tomorrow. May resort to posting an rerun (there are some things I wrote on my MySpace blog that would work here as well, including some more personal stories from my time working at Anaheim Stadium).

Have a good day.