De La Hoya Hits The Links

I'm here at the Lakeside Golf Club in Burbank where Oscar De La Hoya is
hosting his ninth annual celebrity golf classic. I chatted with De La
Hoya and his friend George Lopez (pictured above) about the event and
also about De La Hoya's next and possibly last fight which is supposed to take
place December 6th against an opponent yet to be named. "We'll find out
by next week," De La Hoya told me. "I want to have it done by next week.
We'll see." The smart money is still on De La Hoya taking on Manny
Pacquiao. I wrote as much in my SI.com story which got posted as the top news story on the front page.

LA Times Photo Gallery

Here are some pictures from the Dodgers’ dramatic 7-5 win over the Brewers today taken by Los Angeles Times photographer Anne Cusak. Check out the entire gallery here.


Wondering, like most in the press box I'm sure, what I'm doing on the field getting announced to the crowd at Dodgers Stadium before the game.


Linda throwing the ceremonial first pitch in her Dodger blue and white. I know I'm biased, but I think her form was much better than Pam Anderson or Posh Spice and certainly better than Mariah Carey.


Andre Ethier capping off a perfect day at the ballpark as he gets held up by his teammates at home plate after hitting a game-winning home run.


I thought it was interesting that the main picture above the Times' game story afterwards was of Linda and us on the field before the game. I'm not sure why they didn't use the great shot of Ethier being lifted up by his teammates, but click on the game story or the photo gallery and there we are.

First Pitch

Here's a better video of Linda throwing out the first pitch. If she
seems a bit nervous its because she had to follow Homer Simpson, who
somehow threw a perfect fastball just before her as the rest of The
Simpsons family looked on. The Simpsons (or their oversized mascots)
were on the field because everyone in attendance was given a free ticket
to Universal Studios Hollywood to try out the new Simpsons ride.

In Blue Heaven

I've been to Dodger Stadium countless times over the years as a fan and
a reporter but today was easily the highlight. Before the Dodgers played
the Brewers in a Sunday afternoon game, I took the field with Linda
McCoy-Murray, the widow of Pulitzer Prize winning sportswriter Jim
Murray and the founder of the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation along with
fellow JMMF Board Members Bill McCoy and Helne Cohen. We were all
announced to the crowd as we stood on the first base line in a pre-game
ceremony honoring the tenth anniversary of Jim's passing and shown on
the Jumbotron in centerfield.

I was named a Murray Scholar six years ago while I was at USC and last
year had the honor of becoming the first scholarship recipient to be
named on the board. Anyway, I was lucky enough to get a nice pop from my
friends in the press box when my name was announced before Linda threw
out the first pitch. My old buddy Kato Kaelin, who is a huge Brewers
fan, was also there and at least had something to cheer about before his
Brew Crew got shelled in the first inning by the Dodgers.

On The Rail

USC Scrimmage

I'm here at the USC scrimmage at the closed off Coliseum where they are
piping in crowd noise and hip-hop music to get the team fired up as they
go through practice in front of friends, family and a handful of media,
including my friends Adam Maya and Michael Lev of the OC Register. Check
out their blog at usc.freedomblogging.com.

Dodgers Appearance

I get about a dozen press releases a day about various events in Los Angeles but I've never actually been included in one of them. That is until today.

**MEDIA ADVISORY**

DODGERS TO HONOR THE LATE LOS ANGELES TIMES SPORTS WRITER JIM MURRAY ON TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS PASSING

WHAT: The late Los Angeles Times and Hall of Fame sportswriter Jim Murray will be honored in a pre-game ceremony prior to Sunday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers at 1:10pm. Linda McCoy-Murray, Jim's widow and President and Founder of the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation, will throw the ceremonial first pitch. JMMF Board members Bill McCoy, Helene Cohen, and Arash Markazi, a 2002 USC Murray Scholar and now a writer for Sports Illustrated, will join Linda on the field to be introduced, along with Mr. & Mrs. Peter O'Malley, former owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

WHEN: Sunday, August 17, 2008
Approx. 12:50pm

WHERE: Dodger Stadium, On the first base line

Signe Hilton
Supervisor, Public Relations & Broadcasting
Los Angeles Dodgers
1000 Elysian Park Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(323) 224-1562