Cubs

It was not the way Los Angeles Loyola had wanted to start one of the toughest weeks of its basketball season, with word that Coach Jamal Adams' mother was dealing with a serious health issue and had to undergo surgery Monday. Players united in offering support to Adams, and they made their coach feel relieved with their focus and effort in a 70-52 Mission League victory over Encino Crespi that moved Loyola into a second-place tie with the Celts. "Collectively, these guys have been lifting me up," Adams said.

Tim Kawakami wrote on July 3, "The Cubs have lost with [Sammy] Sosa, will lose when they trade him, and most of all, after two fantasy seasons, have forever lost touch with that wonderful meeting of time, place and power-hitting hero." Consistent excellence would ruin the Cubs, who must remain a fable, not a winner. TOM SCARPELLI Northridge

As a transplanted Chicagoan happily living in Southern California, I used to think the greatest words in sports were Harry Caray yelling, "Cubs win! Cubs win!" Now I think the greatest words in sports are "T.J. Simers is on vacation." Robert Kaseman San Diego

The recent firing of Tony LaRussa and Jim Frey by the White Sox and Cubs, respectively, marked only the second time in Chicago's baseball history that the teams have fired managers in the same season. It first happened in 1979 when LaRussa replaced Don Kessinger with the White Sox and Joe Amalfitano replaced Herman Franks with the Cubs. The new managers--Jim Fregosi of the White Sox and Gene Michael of the Cubs--haven't gotten off to the most cordial beginning.

CHICAGO -- I'm waiting for luggage at O'Hare with Jim Belushi. We're both going to be at Wrigley Field tonight. He will be the Cubs' guest, singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch. I hope they have a seat in the press box. We played together as kids in our hometown of Wheaton, Ill., climbing the same tree. Obviously Belushi is a much better climber. According to Jim, the Cubs are going to win this series. He's wearing a Cubs cap, and he's going to be the emcee at a downtown rally.

The media have to stop "hyping" the public into believing the Dodgers are anything more than a very mediocre team. The bottom line is that the Dodgers are in first place for only one reason--they're in a division that is an embarrassment to baseball. BILL MICHAEL Arcadia So the Cubs just took seven of eight from San Francisco and Los Angeles, the two strongest teams in the NL West, and everyone knows the Cubs stink. R.W. TOLBERT Anaheim

It's suddenly fashionable to be a Clippers fan, while Lakers fans lick their wounds or, as is often the case with Lakers fans, hire someone to lick their wounds for them. So go ahead, climb aboard that Clippers bandwagon. Just try not to honk a hamstring while you fight for a seat. And no, you can't "borrow" my Heineken. New Clippers followers should also be aware that when you adopt a new team you adopt a new worldview. After all, Yankees fans are as different from Cubs fans as Brewers fans are from Baptists.

Offense: The Cubs led the NL with 5.3 runs per game. They had five players hit 20 or more home runs, and Jim Edmonds hit 19 for them (20 overall). Cleanup hitter Aramis Ramirez hit .289 with 27 home runs and 111 runs batted in. Leadoff hitter Alfonso Soriano had 29 home runs, nine more than Dodgers home run leader Andre Ethier. The Dodgers averaged only 4.3 runs per game, which was 24th in the majors and worst among playoff teams. But the addition of Manny Ramirez at the July 31 trade deadline did wonders for their offense.

Angels' spring-training schedule. Start time is 12:05 p.m. PST unless noted. Home games at Diablo Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., unless noted February 23 - (split squad) vs. Cubs; at Giants. 24 - vs. Athletics. 25 - at Mariners. 26 - vs. Diamondbacks. 27 - vs. Giants. 28 - at Dodgers. March 1 - vs. Dodgers. 2 - at Brewers. 3 - vs. Cubs. 4 - at Athletics. 5 - vs. Reds. 6 - vs. Italy. 7 - at Padres. 8 - vs. Diamondbacks. 9 - vs. Rockies. 10 - at Royals, 1:05 p.m. 11 - at Indians, 1:05 p.m. 13 - at Padres, 1:05 p.m. 14 - vs. White Sox, 1:05 p.m. 15 - vs. Mariners, 1:05 p.m. 16 - at Athletics, 1:05 p.m. 17 - vs. Padres, 1:05 p.m. 19 - at Brewers, 1:05 p.m. 20 - vs. Indians, 1:05 p.m. 21 - at Rangers, 6:05 p.m. 22 - vs. Royals, 1:05 p.m. 23 - (split squad)

Southern California's oldest college gymnasium will host its final basketball game tonight when Los Angeles City College faces Ventura College in a Southern California Junior College regional at 7. Completed in 1935, the Cubs' cozy gym has been an effective force behind LACC's basketball success over the years.