Clutch

The Angels hit the skids in Chicago and Oakland last week, going 1-6 against the White Sox and Athletics on their last trip before the All-Star break. Thursday night, they popped the clutch. After tallying seven hits — total — with runners in scoring position in those seven road games, the Angels racked up seven hits in 12 at-bats with runners in scoring position Thursday night for an 8-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners in Angel Stadium. Erick Aybar had three hits and three runs batted in, Jeff Mathis had three hits and two runs, and Bobby Abreu had two hits and three RBIs, as an Angels club that hit .189 and was outscored, 44-14, on the last trip opened the second half on a high note.

OAKLAND - For the 11th time since 2010, Angels ace Jered Weaver threw at least seven innings and allowed one earned run or less, only to receive a loss or no-decision. Easing the sting for the right-hander Wednesday was Alberto Callaspo's two-out, two-run double to left field in the top of the 11th, a clutch hit that pushed the Angels to a 3-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics. Kendrys Morales drew a one-out walk off A's reliever Jordan Norberto in the 11th, and pinch-runner Peter Bourjos took third on Howie Kendrick's two-out single to center field.

Swingman Eric Piatkowski, the Clippers' designated three-point shooter, hasn't had much success making game-winning or tying shots. Piatkowski missed a reverse layup at the buzzer that would have forced overtime in a 102-98 loss at Washington on Jan. 10, then missed a potential game-winning jump shot at the end of regulation in Sunday's 107-102 double-overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. "I had a good look," he said of Sunday's miss. "I should have shot it when I first got it.

Falling down on the job was a moment Steve Blake may never forget. In a good way. The Lakers were teetering on the brink of an extended off-season Saturday night when their backup point guard took a pass from Kobe Bryant in the corner midway through the fourth quarter. Blake spotted up and released the ball before absorbing a body bump from Denver Nuggets counterpart Andre Miller that sent Blake crashing to the Staples Center court. But the ball continued on a steady and true trajectory, falling through the net to give the Lakers a five-point lead in their eventual 96-87 triumph in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series.

After spending most of the second half in foul trouble, guard Chad Krogh of Saugus High was hoping to redeem himself. When he finally got an opportunity, he responded by making a three-point basket with 1:11 remaining to give the Centurions a six-point lead. That made all the difference for host Saugus, which held on for a 58-52 victory over Valencia on Friday night in a battle for first place in the Foothill League. Krogh said he didn't think twice about taking the shot.

Kobe or not Kobe, the mystery, wrapped in an enigma, wearing No. 24, continues.... There was never an icon, or whatever Kobe Bryant is, like Kobe Bryant, who's held at arm's length even by a segment of Lakerdom. When he broke Jerry West's scoring record a wave of protest arose — among Lakers fans — offended by the suggestion that it made him the greatest Laker. Kobe takes your breath away, but so did West and Magic Johnson, who also tugged at your heartstrings.

Scottsdale, Ariz. -- Alexi Amarista continued to build his case for a utility job Tuesday, breaking  a tie with a three-run double to right field in the top of the ninth inning to lead the Angels to a 5-3 exhibition victory over the San Francisco Giants in Scottsdale Stadium. Amarista's versatility and speed make him an attractive bench option, as he can play all three outfield positions and three infield positions. His hit off Giants reliever Javier Lopez improved his spring average to .349 and moved him into a tie for the team lead with 13 runs batted in. "He's had an incredible spring," Manager Mike Scioscia said.

Question: I have just had to replace the clutch on my 1982 Datsun Stanza 5-speed for the third time. The car, which has been satisfactory in most other ways, has 64,000 miles on it. One mechanic told me that the previous installation was too tight. Another said it should have been adjusted regularly, and the third said this is a problem to be expected with front-wheel-drive cars. What can be done?--D.G.

Please excuse the Granada Hills boys' team for being a little nervous Friday night with forward Nick Tarditti on the free-throw line with a chance to upset Cleveland last week. Tarditti had been fouled on a layup with four seconds left that tied the score, 67-67. "But he's probably the worst free-throw shooter," said Granada Hills Coach Lou Cicciari. "He hits maybe 30%. We take a timeout [before the free throw] and he's laughing." How bad was Tarditti?

Tiger Zhang browsed the sweaters at the Hugo Boss boutique at the upscale Oriental Plaza mall looking for fashionable additions to his wardrobe. The 41-year-old investor was dressed in the unofficial uniform of Chinese businessmen: dark blazer, crisp white shirt, designer slacks, silky tan socks, hand-tooled loafers ? and an expensive purse. Lest anyone think the $500 Dunhill clutch with dual bronze zippers belonged to his wife, he proudly explained how his business cards, cash and two cellphones fit neatly into its buttery leather interior.

DENVER - There used to be only one point guard who made big shots for the Lakers. Now there are two. It's supposed to be Kobe Bryant's team, followed closely by Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, but Steve Blake and Ramon Sessions made three-pointers on consecutive possessions in the final minute to push the Lakers to a 92-88 victory Sunday over the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Blake was beaming at the end of the game, a rare sight, and Sessions' friends and family members were going nuts somewhere in Myrtle Beach, S.C., eagerly eating up his tiebreaking shot on the 65-inch TV he bought for a bar there last month.

The tide appeared to shift Friday night at Staples Center. Denver had just cut its deficit to one in the final minutes, and the Lakers needed someone who could provide them with a cushion. Yet, they faced a few constraints. Kobe Bryant remained sidelined for the fourth consecutive game because of a sore left shin. The Nuggets were fronting Andrew Bynum in the post and double teaming him if he did get an entry pass. And Pau Gasol also faced a swarming defense when the Lakers looked for him. But there stood Matt Barnes wide open on the perimeter.

SAN FRANCISCO - In its biggest acquisition, Facebook is paying $1 billion for the hugely popular Instagram mobile photo-sharing app maker in a move that broadens its business and absorbs a potential rival. The tiny San Francisco startup has just 13 employees and no significant revenue. But its acquisition helps ensure that Facebook - on the verge of staging the most hotly anticipated initial public stock offering in years - will be on the forefront of how people share photos with friends on their smartphones.

It was a perfect test for a young point guard who had never been to the playoffs.  The media was out in full force, the players were chippy and the crowd may have reached unsafe decibel levels as the Lakers and Clippers battled for superiority in the Western Conference standings and bragging rights in the city.   When Ramon Sessions found himself in a critical position late in the game, he knew he had found the moment to show his teammates that he belongs.   The Lakers had blown a 15-point lead and were up by only two points at 106-104 with less than a minute remaining.

Some random thoughts about the sale of the Dodgers, wondering just how gaga everyone might have gone had Magic Johnson actually bought the team. And by the way, folks used to make fun of the Parking Lot Attendant and Screaming Meanie for the ridiculous things they would say. So why does Magic catch a break? He releases a statement the night the Dodgers are bought, which means he has time to study what he's going to say. And yet Magic says in this statement: "I am thrilled to be part of the historic Dodger franchise and intend to build on the fantastic foundation laid by Frank McCourt as we drive the Dodgers back to the front page of the sports section in our wonderful community of Los Angeles.

Scottsdale, Ariz. -- Alexi Amarista continued to build his case for a utility job Tuesday, breaking  a tie with a three-run double to right field in the top of the ninth inning to lead the Angels to a 5-3 exhibition victory over the San Francisco Giants in Scottsdale Stadium. Amarista's versatility and speed make him an attractive bench option, as he can play all three outfield positions and three infield positions. His hit off Giants reliever Javier Lopez improved his spring average to .349 and moved him into a tie for the team lead with 13 runs batted in. "He's had an incredible spring," Manager Mike Scioscia said.

Clayton Kershaw is turning into Randy Wolf. He can't win. Doesn't matter if he blanks his opponents or holds them to one earned run over six innings, as he did the San Diego Padres in a 2-0 loss at Dodger Stadium on Friday night. He has a 2.75 earned-run average in his last nine starts. He's also 0-3 over that span with six no-decisions, inheriting the misfortune that haunted Wolf until the veteran left-hander went on his current four-game winning streak. "I don't care about me winning," Kershaw said.

CLUTCHING is to motorcycling what chewing is to eating. You can't ride a motorcycle without doing it, so I was a little suspicious of Yamaha's FJR1300AE clutchless sport tourer. Riding a motorcycle without a clutch seemed a bit like drinking non-alcoholic beer. Why bother? But clutchless doesn't mean sissy, and it isn't a coy, linguistic coverup for automatic. It's shorthand for a manual transmission that uses an electronic control unit to engage and disengage the clutch.

Reporting from Sacramento -- Her name is Emily Dinger, but she might as well change her last name to Dagger, because her three-point shooting in the second half and clutch free throw in the final seconds were the daggers in helping San Jose Archbishop Mitty defeat Riverside North, 56-54, in the Division II state championship game for girls' basketball at Power Balance Pavilion on Friday night. North (30-6) kept coming back but couldn't overtake the Monarchs (28-5) after Dinger's free throw put her team ahead by four points with 11 seconds left.

One successful finish off a two-on-one does not erase about a year of star-crossed misery. At least, for the Kings' Dustin Penner , it represented a start. Penner's goal in the third period against Nashville on Saturday put the Kings ahead for good and ignited a three-goal outburst from them en route to a 4-2 win over the Predators at Staples Center. They have won four straight games and the surge keeps them in the midst of the packed Western Conference race, a battle seemingly changing by the hour.