Coaching

Private quarterbacks coach Steve Clarkson has been making headlines this week by building up Tim Tebow, trashing Mark Sanchez, the New York Jets and the Denver Broncos, and making a case that Tebow could be the savior of the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise. All this from a guy who worked with Tebow for just three sessions. Earlier this week, Clarkson -- a Wilson High School graduate who has worked with numerous quarterbacks, including former USC Trojans Matt Leinart and Matt Barkley -- had plenty to say during a conference call with reporters.

Lakers assistant coach Eddie Jordan has accepted the head coaching position at Rutgers. While the university has yet to announce the hire, Jordan will return to his alma mater, where he attended and played from 1973-77. Jordan replaces Mike Rice, who was fired after a practice video showed him being verbally and physically abusive to his players. While at Rutgers as a student, Jordan was known as "Fast Eddie" and led the Scarlet Knights to a Final Four appearance in 1976. Jordan was added to the Lakers' staff under former coach Mike Brown and was asked to help institute a variation of the Princeton offense.

SACRAMENTO - The cow bell crowd came to beg some more for NBA attention, maybe the last Kings' game to be contested on this prairie before a move to Seattle. But there was the real possibility the energy in this graveyard might raise the Kings from the dead, thereby sending the Clippers to Memphis to begin the playoffs. However, this has been the best regular season in Clippers' history, with Wednesday night's 112-108 victory the exclamation point. While the local yokels remained here in their seats long after the game was over, chanting, "Here we stay," there's a lot more basketball to be played in Los Angeles.

Kings Coach Darryl Sutter has tried tough love (criticism in the media), no love (banishment from the lineup) and more love (playing on a line with Jeff Carter and Mike Richards.) So now how should he handle Dustin Penner? Penner has two goals in 29 games this season. If you examine a wider sample, he has 9 goals in 94 games since the start of last season. But those aren't the numbers that offer hope, promise and a coach and impatient fan base reason for optimism. Remember, Penner also had 11 points - including three goals - in 20 playoff games during the Kings' run to the Stanley Cup. Sutter seems inclined to use his playbook from last season.

Lakers Coach Mike D'Antoni will be back next season, General Manager Mitch Kupchak said Wednesday. "Yeah, he's back. I think he's done a great job," Kupchak told The Times. "There's been no discussions otherwise. "He's made adjustments. He's been flexible. He's evaluated how he coaches as the season's progressed. He's listened to the players. He's very easy to work with and we think in particular since the meeting the day of the Memphis game, yeah. " D'Antoni is 40-32 since taking over as the Lakers' coach, though the Lakers are 28-12 since the day after a team meeting called by D'Antoni in Memphis in January.

MINNEAPOLIS - Mike Butcher is aware of the chatter. The pitching coach knows there are legions of fans who look at the Angels' major league-worst 5.43 earned-run average and think he should be fired. He also knows people above him in the organization might feel the same way. After hitting coach Mickey Hatcher was fired last May in the wake of the team's sluggish start, who's to say the Angels wouldn't make a similar move with Butcher if the pitchers continue to struggle? "It doesn't bother me, not at all," said Butcher, when asked before Wednesday's rainout whether Hatcher's dismissal, the first off Manager Mike Scioscia's coaching staff in 13 years, made him feel less secure about his job. "It's not going to make me do my job any different or make me feel any different.

Having Chauncey Billups back in the starting lineup for the Clippers on Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers meant a lot to the team in many ways. Billups brings the Clippers championship experience. He won a title with the Detroit Pistons over the Lakers in 2004, when Billups was named the Finals most valuable player. "He's a little bit older now," Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro said about the 36-year-old Billups. "He's missed most of last season and a lot of this season, so that's not as easy to do. We still expect a lot from him with his leadership.

Animal Planet needs to get its cameras trained on the Burrill brothers, Casey and Brady , at Valencia West Ranch High. They are quickly becoming adept at capturing and eradicating rattlesnakes. Call them "Rattlesnakebusters. " Since August, 11 rattlesnakes have been found on or near the West Ranch baseball diamond and sent to rattlesnake heaven. The diamond is located near a hill that's probably a nice home to lots of rattlesnakes. Coach Casey Burrill and his brother, Brady, the top assistant, have been the primary trackers of rattlesnake intruders.

We agreed to meet at the Kettle in Manhattan Beach. I arrived early so I could remove the knives from the table. I had never met Shannon Mora, but she's the wife of UCLA football Coach Jim Mora so I could only imagine. First thing I wanted to know: "Are you forced to put everything in the form of a question at home?" "No, I comment, make statements and question," Shannon said. "He doesn't allow me to do that," I explained. "But you're not sleeping with him," she said, and I guess I had just never given any thought that someone did. We laughed because we share something in common: We both like Jim Mora.

MINNEAPOLIS - The Angels moved Tuesday to defuse speculation they were pursuing former closer Troy Percival, possibly as a replacement for pitching coach Mike Butcher, and Percival said Tuesday that “no one has contacted me directly” about a job with the team. Percival, who took over this spring as varsity coach for a struggling Moreno Valley High program, said he recently received a call from his agent, Paul Cohen, saying the Angels had “made an inquiry.” But Cohen left for vacation, and Percival has not talked to the agent about it since.