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06/21/2010 -
LOS ANGELES (AP) -Thousands of fans cheered the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers during a victory parade Monday that players promised to repeat next year with a third consecutive title.
Police reported a largely well-behaved crowd. Nine people were arrested for various minor offenses and two children were reported missing, police said. Authorities did not provide a crowd estimate.
Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, Andrew Bynum and Ron Artest waved to the throngs from a flatbed 18-wheeler as fans yelled and snapped pictures. Many people along the two-mile route waited hours for a glimpse of their heroes as they rolled past in a convoy that also included double-decker buses and fire engines.
``We saw them for three minutes, but it was worth every minute,'' said Trisha Siqueiros, 29, who drove two hours from Indio with her father, Ron Nieto, 51, for the parade. ``The only thing is they should have driven a little slower.''
The hour-long parade capped a season that ended with an 83-79 Game 7 victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday and a 16th NBA title for the Lakers.
Team members vowed to play hard for a 17th championship next season.
``When next season starts, we'll be ready, that's for sure,'' Bryant told reporters. He added that of his five titles, ``this is the best one by far because it was the hardest one to get.''
Artest, who donned a top hat with purple and gold feathers and sported an unlit cigar during the ride, also said the team plans to buckle down. ``We have to party for another week, then start putting in the work and write history again next year,'' he said.
The parade, which took the Lakers from Staples Center downtown to the Galen Center at the University of Southern California, started with the purple-spangled-clad Laker Girls, who received choruses of wolf-whistles.
The tribute also included past Lakers greats Earvin ``Magic'' Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The crowd screamed ``Ma-gic! Ma-gic!'' when they spotted the player-turned businessman.
Missing from the parade was coach Phil Jackson, who had to attend previously scheduled medical checkups, said team spokesman John Black. Jackson has said his health will determine whether he will return as coach.
``This is the highest priority for him and for us in determining whether he's going to come back and coach for us again next year,'' Black said.
Artest said he wished Jackson could have been there. ``He's my favorite coach of all time,'' Artest said. ``I enjoyed it for him.''
Diehard fans wore all manner of Lakers attire and colors, from sneakers to purses to Mexican-style ponchos. Some waved huge flags and held up signs, like a foam tombstone reading ``RIP Boston'' and ``Back to back without Shaq.''
Many fans took a day off work to pay tribute to their team.
Window washer Jimmy Baskom, 58, said he forewent the day's pay to drive in from Palmdale because he wanted to see his longtime basketball heroes up close after watching every game this season on TV.
``I've been a die-hard fan all my life and I watch every game but this is my first opportunity to see them in person,'' he said.
Electrician Orie Stewart of Los Angeles said he took a day off to bring his 14-year-old granddaughter to the event. ``We've been longtime fans,'' he said. ``I'm raising my grandchildren to be Lakers fans.''
The police presence was heavy around the parade route with helicopters overhead and officers on foot, horseback, motorcycle and in cars to deter would-be vandals. After last Thursday's game, people started fires, rocked cars, smashed windows and threw objects at fans and officers. At least 42 people were arrested.
The Los Angeles city attorney's office said Monday that 10 people will be prosecuted on misdemeanor charges including inciting a riot, unlawful assembly after being told to disperse, throwing flammable objects and assault.
In one case, a man was accused of setting fire to a Celtics jersey, said senior assistant city attorney Chuck Goldenberg. Another man was arrested for throwing a bicycle at a police officer and other charges resulted from people throwing rocks at police and other offenses.
Cabbie Abraham Teferi, whose taxi was attacked and burned by the mob, was given a $10,000 check by Staples Center owner AEG.
AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke said the taxi was covered by the cab company's insurance so AEG decided to cover the personal expenses of Teferi, 41, an Ethiopian immigrant who has been in the United States for nine years.
``This isn't about a car, this is about a life,'' Leiweke said.
Fans left no doubt they were looking for a third title next year. ``I'm just as excited this year because it's the second time in a row,'' said Teresa Howe, 42, of Simi Valley. ``I'm looking forward to a three-peat. And I'll be here next year.''
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Associated Press Writers Christina Hoag and Thomas Watkins contributed to this report.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Nationals send P Lannan to minors
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals have optioned
opening-day starter John Lannan to Double-A Harrisburg.
The left-hander was 2-5 with a 5.76 earned run average in 14 starts this
season.
In a correspond
<< Jeff Gordon became driver enemy number one at Sonoma
Sonoma, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Gordon is a four-time NASCAR Cup champion
and a five-time race winner at Infineon Raceway, but at the conclusion of
Sunday's race at the Northern California road course, Gordon was a marked man
in the garage.
<< Coyotes re-sign LW Pyatt
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes re-signed left wing Taylor
Pyatt to a two-year contract on Monday.
The 28-year-old Pyatt had 12 goals and 23 points with a career-high plus-13
rating in 74 games last season, his first w
<< Blue Jays designate 3B Encarnacion for assignment
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays have designated third
baseman Edwin Encarnacion for assignment.
Encarnacion, 27, was batting .200 with nine home runs and 22 RBI in 37 games
this season. He was sidelined from Apri
Nuggets make offer to forward Kleiza >>
DENVER (AP) -The Denver Nuggets have made a qualifying offer to restricted free agent Linas Kleiza, who spent the past season in Greece.Nuggets officials didn't release the terms of the offer Monday.The 6-foot-8, 245-pounds Kleiza averaged 8.3 point
Nuggets make qualifying offer to Kleiza >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets have extended a qualifying
offer to restricted free agent forward Linas Kleiza. Terms of the offer were
not disclosed.
Kleiza spent this past season playing in Greece, but prior to that
Wild acquire RW Staubitz from Sharks >>
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild added depth to the
forward position on Monday by acquiring right wing Brad Staubitz from the San
Jose Sharks for a 2010 fifth round draft pick.
"Brad is a tough, physical player
FSU eliminates Gators from CWS; Clemson handles Arizona State >>
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike McGee hit a three-run homer, knocked in four
and earned the save, as Florida State eliminated Florida from the College
World Series with an 8-5 victory at Rosenblatt Stadium.
Tyler Holt chipped in wi
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
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MySportsbook.com Week 1 odds:
Saints +6 @ Colts -6
Falcons @ Vikings (pick ‘em)
Panthers @ Rams (pick ‘em)
Broncos -3.5 @ Bills +3.5
Chiefs -1 @ Texans +1
Dolphins +3 @ Redskins -3
Patriots -5 @ Jets +5
Eagles -3.5 @ Packers +3.5
Steelers -4 @ Browns +4
Titans +6 @ Jaguars -6
Bears +6 @ Chargers -6
Lions +3 @ Raiders -3
Bucs +6.5 @ Seahawks -6.5
Giants +4 @ Cowboys -4
Ravens +3 @ Bengals -3
Cardinals +3 @ 49ers -3
Super Bowl line (2008)
NFC +6.5 vs. AFC -6.5
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