There has been one Dodgers signing that was reported after my last post, and thus I have yet to talk about it. Luis Gonzalez was signed to a 1 year, $7 million contract to play left field. This means Andre Ethier will move to right field, and Matt Kemp will move back down to AAA. Honestly now, what is Ned thinking? I know he loves getting veterans with playoff experience, but Luis Gonzalez? For $7 million? Last year he put up a line of: .271, 15 HR, 73 RBI, and a .795 OPS. Are you telling me that if you put Marlon Anderson in left field full time that he couldn't duplicate those numbers? In his 25 games with the Dodgers last year, Anderson hit .375 with 7 HR, 15 RBI, and a 1.243 OPS. He won the starting job from Ethier and was the Dodgers' best hitter over the last month of the season. Now you're telling me he's gonna be sent back to the bench for a 40 year old guy that we vastly overpaid? This is unthinkable. Granted, you can't expect Anderson to keep up last year's pace over a full season, but I'm guessing he would have ended up with similar numbers as Gonzalez will next year, and without the wasted money.

Celebrity sighting of the Day: Went to the Lakers/Spurs game tonight and sat right next to the Lakers tunnel. Surprisingly, the celebrity scene was much more toned down than at the Clipper game I attended last week. The only person I saw was that freckly red head from Grey's Anatomy. The one who was in Old School. Other than her, didn't really see anyone. No Jack. No Denzel. Apparently Eva Longoria was there, but I didn't catch a glimpse. Very sad.

Some things I noticed about the Lakers:
1) Kwame Brown still has small hands and still can't finish any of his post up moves. This is pretty much what we can expect from Brown for the rest of his career. There will be no more talk of him developing his raw athleticism and becoming a decent big man in the NBA. His hands are simply too small and not soft enough. There were at least 3 passes from driving Lakers in this game that Kwame straight up muffed for a turnover. Kwame will be firmly entrenched for the remainder of his career as a hustle big man. Someone who plays good defense and gets all his buckets off of second chance put-backs and easy assisted dunks. If the Lakers actually want a decent post up scorer, they will need to look towards (dare I say it) Andrew Bynum.

2) Vladamir Radmanovic was a completely wasted signing this offseason. The Lakers rotation seems set with Kobe, Kwame, Lamar, Smush, Luke, Farmar, Maurice Evans, Brian Cook, and Bynum as the nine guys they will play every game. This pretty much leaves out Sasha Vujacic (who's jersey inexplicably takes up a whole wall at the Team LA store), Ronny Turiaf, and Vlad Rad. You can see Turiaf sticking around because of his attitude and energy. He's our new Mark Madsen, only bulkier and a better dancer. Vujacic and Vlad, however, are completely expendable. Sasha just isn't that good a player, and Vlad, who was supposed to help the Lakers this season with his outside shooting, will rot on the bench. There just isn't any room for him to play. He doesn't bring anything to the table, really, other than his shooting. He's a big man who can't rebound or play defense. I just wish the Lakers would have realized this sooner before they blew their whole mid-level exception on him.

3) The Laker Girls are much hotter than the Clippers' Spirit. They just are.

4) I'm still doing a double take every time I look at Kobe and see 24 on his back. Don't know why, but it just weirds me out. I know we should all be somewhat used to it by now, but I'm just not. And I don't know if I will be any time soon. Over/under on me getting used to Kobe's 24: 2.5 seasons.

5) The Staples Center seems a lot darker during Laker games than it does during Clipper games. I think they leave some of the lights off that illuminate the seats. It makes for a different ambiance. Clipper games are much brighter and seem more happy and family friendly. Laker games have a vibe that you're watching a drama unfold at the theater. Neither one is better than the other, they're just different.