L.A. Continues to Prove Why It's the City of Champions (and Future Champions)...

ESPN

Last Saturday, Los Angeles sports fans were in an extremely jubilant mood when two exciting events occurred in baseball and basketball that day: all-star pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani joining the Los Angeles Dodgers for next season, and the Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Indiana Pacers, 123-109, in Las Vegas to win the NBA's inaugural In-Season Tournament...aka the NBA Cup!

Ohtani, who played with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from 2018 to this recent season, will join the Dodgers in 2024 to the tune of $700 million for 10 years. However, Ohtani will only make $2 million a year over the next decade (for a total of $20 million, since I like to unnecessarily spell things out)...as he is deferring the remaining $680 million till after his contract is up in 2034.

This contract set-up allows the Dodgers to spend money on acquiring other players that will hopefully help Ohtani win a World Series title with this team before the end of the deal...such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the current pitcher for Japan's Orix Buffaloes.

In regards to the Lakers, they resume regular season play tomorrow (against the Dallas Mavericks) after going undefeated in seven games to win the In-Season Tournament. As hoped for, the Lake Show will raise a championship banner for the NBA Cup during a home game (against the New York Knicks) at Crypto.com Arena on Monday, December 18!

And yes, this makes up for the Los Angeles Football Club losing the Major League Soccer championship to the Columbus Crew, 1-2, in Ohio two days ago. That is all.


NBA.com

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Richard Par

Just thought I'd commemorate the first day of 2023 by sharing these photos that I took with my Google Pixel 4A phone at the Banc of California Stadium near downtown Los Angeles last month.

I can't divulge why I was at this arena since I was here for work (and the Los Angeles Football Club, who won the Major League Soccer championship on their home field at this venue two months ago, is currently chillin' in the off-season) but I just wanted to point out that it was awesome being at this stadium even though it rained and was cold as hell outside! This was the second professional sports arena (behind SoFi Stadium last June) that I had the opportunity to work at in 2022.

Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium of Anaheim are the only two arenas in Los Angeles and Orange County that my job has yet to book me at. Those assignments will come soon enough...even though I hate cattle calls.

Have a safe and prosperous New Year!


Richard Par


Richard Par


Richard Par


Richard Par


Richard Par


Richard Par


Richard Par


Richard Par


Richard Par

Another SoCal Sports Team Has Won a Championship!

Los Angeles Football Club

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC, which is party owned by actor Will Ferrell, as shown in the tweets below) for winning its very first Major League Soccer championship after defeating the Philadelphia Union, 3-0, at Banc of California Stadium near downtown L.A. yesterday!

LAFC's first MLS Cup comes eight years after its rival regional team, the Los Angeles Galaxy, won its last soccer title in 2014...which is also the year that LAFC was founded. The Galaxy is currently the most successful MLS team with five championships.

This victory makes up for the Dodgers losing in the first round of the playoffs last month (even though the team won a franchise-record 111 games during the regular season), and the Houston Cheaters—err, Astros clinching their first official World Series title yesterday.

Anyways. The Lakers, Dodgers, Sparks, Rams, Angels, Ducks, Galaxy and now LAFC...

Get the f*ck out of Southern California, Clippers! You don't belong here.

(The Chargers have only been in Los Angeles for a few years... They still have an excuse.)

Waking up in a City of Champions.

GOOD MORNING, LOS ANGELES. 🖤💛 pic.twitter.com/KvRKeHWzDg

— LAFC (@LAFC) November 6, 2022

Will Ferrell drinks out of @MLS Cup 👏🤣 pic.twitter.com/yPnbsHpD5e

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 5, 2022

😁🥇@LAFC #Champions pic.twitter.com/tYcNdT2u9S

— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) November 6, 2022