Defense

A former security guard accused of fatally shooting an 18-year-old college student in a Palmdale parking lot nearly a decade ago was convicted of murder Friday, authorities said. The verdict caps a lengthy legal saga that began when Raymond Lee Jennings first reported finding Michelle O'Keefe's body during a routine patrol of the park-and-ride lot. Investigators found the victim, a student at Antelope Valley College, slumped in the front seat of her Ford Mustang. She had been shot four times in the chest and face.

The L.A. KISS unraveled during its second home game at Honda Center in Anaheim on Saturday night as it lost, 40-30, to the Cleveland Gladiators. The defense seemed almost nonexistent at times, the offense could not find a rhythm and even the fans seemed to be against them in the third quarter when a sure touchdown throw by quarterback J.J. Raterink to receiver Donovan Morgan was broken up by a fan in the front row who reached over to grab the...

We're at the point where any San Diego Chargers victory can be summarized in two words. This goes back to Nov. 19, when between updates I saw a 24-7 San Diego deficit against Denver turn into a 35-27 Chargers victory and I text-messaged a friend to ask what happened. My buddy's reply: "LT happened." Flash-forward to Sunday, when the Chargers had to deal with a strong Oakland Raiders defensive effort, a shaky performance by quarterback Philip Rivers and a 14-7 Raiders lead in the fourth quarter.

Allen E. Puckett, one of the engineers who after World War II built Los Angeles-based Hughes Aircraft Co. into the nation's leading defense electronics firm - dominant in the markets for air defense, radar systems, tactical missiles and satellites - has died. He was 94. One of the nation's top technologists and defense executives during the Cold War, Puckett died March 31 at his home in Pacific Palisades after suffering a stroke. His wife, Marilyn, confirmed his death. "Allen Puckett was one of the guiding spirits of Hughes Aircraft," said Malcolm Currie, a former deputy defense secretary who later followed in Puckett's footsteps as another president of the company.

Re "Dysfunction at the jails," Editorial, July 11 The Times fails to acknowledge the summation presented by your chief witness at the county's new jails commission, Sheriff's Capt. Michael Bornman. Bornman was asked what needed to be done to improve the jails. He said repeatedly that the department had already fixed problem after problem. His list of improvements at the jails was so long he had to write them down. As he went through his list, he said (and this is a quote often repeated in his summation)

For what it's worth, the Clippers have held their last four opponents below 100 points. They are 3-1 in those four games, having lost to the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers, 88-82. But there are signs of the Clippers making strides on defense. “You could see it coming, our defense,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said. “We have absolutely lost our pace offensively, and so it's nice that our defense is helping us win games right now.” The Clippers are no longer giving up over 100 points per game like they were earlier this season.

Re "Go native," Letters, Jan. 26 The cries for the obliteration of lawns in L.A. continue. The anti-lawn activists look at lawns while we use lawns. A green lawn can be walked upon and sat upon, and children and pets can play on it. It is an easy-to-maintain, utilitarian surface that is aesthetically restful. Native gardens, touted as water-friendly replacements, require the normal garden tasks of purchasing and installing plants, grooming, weeding and, yes, watering. A look around my hometown reveals native gardens that have been abandoned by owners, probably due to maintenance issues.

Nineteen games into the season and the Clippers are talking about their defense. Or in this case, their lack of defense. They gave up 107 points in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, seemingly with ease. The Clippers didn't close out on three-point shooters. They didn't rotate on defense. They gave up layups and dunks. Simply put, the Clippers were just poor on defense. “I think we should have it,” Blake Griffin said of defending properly. “I've said it over and over, but defense is one of those things that you can really control a lot just by your intensity and being down and ready.

The emphasis Lakers Coach Mike Brown stressed on defense comes in many shapes and forms. There are DVDs. Brown wowed the Lakers' front office with these during his job interview so much that he quickly became the favored candidate. He then distributed them to all his players before the lockout so they'd get a head-start on learning and executing his defensive concepts. There are terms. The main one Brown reiterates involves "shrinking the floor," which entails closing off baseline drives.

It's hard to hear the details of Ethan Couch's crimes without flinching. Last June, the 16-year-old Texan plowed his father's pickup truck into a group of Good Samaritans helping a disabled vehicle on a narrow residential street in a Ft. Worth suburb. He killed four, including a mother and daughter, and permanently maimed two of his seven teenage passengers, one of whom landed on his head, and is permanently paralyzed. But it's even more painful to hear about the punishment handed down Thursday by Texas State District Judge Jean Boyd, who sentenced Couch to 10 years' probation after he pleaded guilty to four counts of intoxication manslaughter, according to the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram , and two counts of intoxication assault causing serious bodily injury.

Kevon Seymour finished the 2013 season in style. The USC cornerback was selected defensive player of the game in the Las Vegas Bowl after deflecting a pass and making seven tackles in the Trojans' rout of Fresno State. The 6-foot, 175-pound junior from Pasadena built on the performance during the off-season and has been playing with a veteran confidence throughout spring practice. Seymour started on the left side last season, but with senior Josh Shaw sidelined while recovering from a stress fracture he also has played on the right.

DeAndre Jordan, the 6-foot-11, goateed center for the Clippers, operates on defense like an NFL middle linebacker. His eyes dart, from the opposing coach to his point guard to try to see what play might be coming. His long arms extend in the air, signaling for his teammates' attention. His deep, booming voice then bellows out the play. Jordan is the captain of the Clippers' defense, and he's intent on putting his team in the best possible position. "When I know this play is going at Blake [Griffin]

The Portland Trail Blazers expected to make the playoffs. They never envisioned practically wrapping up a spot by the day after Christmas. A 24-5 start gave them the best record in the NBA and made them the league's biggest marvel. "I would lie," center Robin Lopez admitted this week, "if I said the beginning of the season didn't surprise me. " The next three months would be startling in a different sort of way. The Blazers have gone 25-23 since their world-beater days, though they're on the verge of clinching their first playoff berth since 2011 and still have a chance to secure home-court advantage in the first round.

Whether it's the opponent's top scorer or the Ducks' mood, defenseman Ben Lovejoy has proven in his breakout season he has a firm handle on it. A confluence of greater maturity and an appreciation of the disparity between Lovejoy's prior NHL job and the confidence boost from Ducks' leadership has created a productive and unselfish shutdown defenseman. "He can skate, defend, plays hard all the time," Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau said. "When we play a team with a No. 1 line that's very fast, he's always against that team - might be the only one who can catch 'em. "He's brought a lot of stability to our defense.

As the Angels prepared for the 2002 World Series, bench coach Joe Maddon looked at the spray charts and came to a radical conclusion: If the Angels wanted to align their defense based on where Barry Bonds most commonly hit the ball, they should play three infielders and four outfielders. The Angels ultimately decided not to play Bonds that way, although Manager Mike Scioscia said they were "a couple pitches away" from deploying the scheme in certain scenarios. In 2005, Maddon left to manage the Tampa Bay Rays, who have been at the forefront of baseball's shift toward unconventional fielding alignments.

Mitch Eby wasn't trying to make history or make a point when he got up to speak to his football teammates at Chapman University two weeks ago. He just was trying to make a difference. But with one simple sentence -- "I am ready to share with you all that I am gay" -- he may have accomplished all three. "It was to put my story out there to kind of help other people in the same situation," the junior defensive lineman from Santa Monica said. "It was reading a lot of stories like this, watching YouTube videos, stuff like that that helped me. And I wanted to be able to provide my story and my own experiences to maybe help other people in the future.

Defense is USC's bread and butter, its faithful standby. If shots aren't falling, if calls go against them, if the hardwood cracks in two and a chasm appears, suspending play indefinitely -- it's cool, no worries, don't sweat it. The Trojans can still rely on their rock-solid defense, which is built on players being aggressive, knowing if they get beat, a teammate has their back. But against Washington State on Thursday, that defense, which was ranked first nationally in scoring defense (54.7)

James R. Schlesinger, the hawkish and sometimes overbearingly erudite conservative whose controversial Washington career included serving as U.S. secretary of Defense under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford before becoming the nation's first Energy chief in Jimmy Carter's administration, died Thursday at a Baltimore hospital where he was being treated for pneumonia. He was 85. His death was confirmed by his daughter, Ann Schlesinger. A Harvard University-trained economist, Schlesinger built an impressive resume of government service, beginning with his appointment as assistant director of the Office of Management and Budget after Nixon's presidential victory in 1968.

HOUSTON - Blake Griffin seems to relish telling his critics how wrong they are about the perceived holes in his game. On Thursday night the Clippers power forward put the clamps on Dallas All-Star Dirk Nowitzki during the most important moments in the Clippers' 109-103 win over the Mavericks. Nowitzki missed all six of his fourth-quarter shot attempts, one of which was blocked by Griffin, who also pressured Nowitzki into throwing the ball into the backcourt for a turnover with 38.9 seconds left and the scored tied.