DALLAS———–It was the hottest day of the year Saturday in the Metroplex of north Texas as the mercury reached 103 degrees. Two tee-ball games involving my four-year-old grandson at 11:30 a.m., and my six-year-old grandson at 3:30 p.m. was enough activity for this visiting grandfather. Continue Reading

What a wonderful five days we spent in Oklahoma last week, capped by the Henry P. Iba Citizen-Athlete Awards banquet sponsored by the Tulsa Rotary Club and attended by nearly 900 people. It was an honor for me to be asked to serve as master of ceremonies. Continue Reading

There have been 104 World Series played in baseball history and only one has ever ended with a Game 7 game-winning home run. Continue Reading

Editor, Dodger Dugout

Belisario Defied Long Odds to Make Dodgers

Major League organizations spend millions of dollars researching, scouting and signing the best and brightest players both in the United States but all over the world. One might think that no player with the required talent would escape them. But now and again one is found by a stroke of good fortune, or luck, or digging a bit deeper than the others and somewhere under that umbrella, Ronald Belisario seemingly fell right in the Dodgers’ lap. Continue Reading

Ross,

Aren’t the Red Sox giving the Yankees a bad time this season in their head-to-head meetings?

Jim Darby
Omaha

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Ross:

They sure are, Jim. Boston has won all eight games it has played with New York so far, but began the weekend with just a two-game lead over the Yankees. Detroit and Texas would be in the American League playoffs if the season ended now.

Dear Ross:

What a game 4 that was in the NBA Finals! I didn’t think the Lakers had a chance the way they played in the first half at Orlando, trailing by 12 points at the break. The unsung hero was Trevor Ariza. If he doesn’t score 13 points in the third quarter. the Magic even the series. I don’t know much about Ariza. What is his background?

Sharon Taylor
San Clemente, Ca.

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Ross:

Trevor played on two California state highschool championship teams at Westchester in the Los Angeles area, Sharon, and then went to UCLA where he spent only one season. He made the All-Pac 10 freshman team. Ariza was a second round draft choice of the Knicks in 2004 when he was 19, and became a starter under Larry Brown. Two years later, the 6′ 8″ Ariza was traded to Orlando with Penny Hardaway for Steve Francis. Trevor came to the Lakers in November of 2007 in a deal for Brian Cook and Maurice Evans. He is of Dominican descent through his grandfather, and will celebrate his 24th birthday on the last day of this month.

Hi, Ross…….

Didn’t the Dodgers play two 22-inning games in the same season?

Bob Jackson
Nashville

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Ross:

That was 1989, Bob. In June, the Astros beat the Dodgers in Houston, and third baseman Jeff Hamilton was the losing pitcher. The Dodgers won in August at Montreal, 1-0 on Rick Dempsey’s home run. The first game lasted seven hours and 14 minutes while the second took six hours and 14 minutes.

Longtime broadcaster will emcee Iba Awards.

By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
Published: 6/11/2009

Ross Porter said he has eaten more dinners with Vin Scully than either of them have had with their respective wives. That’s life as a sportscaster.

Porter spent 28 years (1977-2004) broadcasting Los Angeles Dodgers games and sharing microphones and meals with Scully, Jerry Doggett, Don Drysdale and Rick Monday.A Shawnee native and University of Oklahoma alum, Porter will return to his home state to serve as master of ceremonies at the 16th annual Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Awards, scheduled for Monday at the Renaissance Hotel.

Porter has witnessed more streaks than Ray Stevens. Read the entire story

By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
Published: 6/11/2009

When you were in college at OU, you wrote the preview story that appeared in the game program the day Notre Dame ended the Sooners’ 47-game winning streak. Have you ever been called a jinx?

I don’t think anybody remembers it. I saved the program. I’ve got it at home. I still look at it once in a while.

Can you tell the story about going to Notre Dame’s locker room after the game?

Harold Keith was a legendary sports information director at OU and, when I was in school there, I was fortunate enough to be selected as one of his assistants. He had three student assistants when I was there. One was Jimmy (James R.) Jones, who became a congressman, and the other one was John Brooks, who of course (was a broadcaster) for OU and the Oklahoma City Blazers and all that. And we got assignments. One year I was in charge of the OU basketball media guide. I put it out.

Read the entire story

What Sunday night’s overtime win by the Lakers over the Magic means is that Orlando cannot capture the NBA championship on its home floor. It also forces the Eastern Conference winners to take four of the last five games to claim pro basketball’s prized trophy. Continue Reading

Here’s the latest evidence of the uncanny ability of oddsmakers to judge a sporting event before it is played.

For Saturday night’s game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals, the bookies predicted a total of 193 points would be scored. Continue Reading

Dear Ross,

Do you think the Cavaliers took the Magic lightly because Cleveland’s 66 and 16 record in the regular season was the best in the NBA? Were they looking ahead to playing the Lakers?

Bob Kraft Sierra Madre, Ca.

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Ross:

There was no reason, Bob, for Cleveland to disrespect Orlando since the Magic have a good record in head-to-head meetings with the Cavs over the last few years. During their playoff series, the Magic were the better team. LeBron didn’t get enough help from his teammates, and Orlando not only had Dwight Howard in the middle, but the three-point shooters were quite accurate.

Hey, Ross!

The Dodgers don’t seem to miss Manny Ramirez that much. Do you think any team in the National League West will challenge before the season is over?

Dick Taylor Palm Springs

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Ross:

Dick, when Ramirez was suspended May 7th, the Dodgers had a record of 21 and 8, and were six and a half games ahead of the Giants. I have predicted that when he comes back around July 3rd, the Dodgers will have a 12 to 15 game lead. The other four teams are mediocre at best. Where Manny will be needed will be the playoffs when the opposition is stronger, and more importantly, the opposition pitching will be better.

Ross…….

It’s been my pleasure to be in Omaha for the College Baseball World Series three times in the past five years. The enthusiasm of the players and spectators makes it a special event. Have you ever gotten to be there during the tournament?

Hank Anderson Lincoln, Nebraska

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Ross:

No, Hank, I’ve never had a chance to witness the College World Series in person. For 28 years, my broadcasting duties with the Dodgers made it impossible for me to be there in June. I’ve always followed the tournament closely. How about some of the early regional games this year? Texas and Boston College set an NCAA record by playing 25 innings and over seven hours before the Longhorns won, 3 to 2. That’s amazing pitching against aluminum bats. Then Florida State scored 37 runs against Ohio State for another national collegiate record, and didn’t even score every inning. It was 32-0 in the fifth. The Buckeyes had surrendered 24 runs to Georgia earlier in the tournament, and allowed 71 runs in their four regional games. Can you imagine what the pitching staff’s earned run average was for the weekend?