Defense

Edward A. Frieman, a leading figure in American science for decades as a researcher with wide-ranging interests, a top-level governmental advisor on defense and energy issues, and director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, has died. He was 87. Frieman died April 11 at UCSD's Thornton Hospital in La Jolla of a respiratory illness, the university announced. His legacy extends to leadership posts in academia, government and private industry. There are "not many like him, and he will be sorely missed," said John Deutch, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and former CIA director and deputy secretary of Defense.

Many of the nation's 440 military bases were established in what were once sparsely populated hinterlands where soldiers trained without complaints from neighbors about the roar of warplanes and the sound of gunfire and explosions. Now, with urban sprawl pushing up against perimeter fences, the U.S. Department of Defense has quietly become a major protector of wilderness and ranch lands. Working with conservation organizations and local governments, its Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative has helped buy nearly $1 billion worth of land to create buffer zones around 64 military bases where development threatened to encroach on combat training.

SAN ANTONIO -- The Lakers didn't have a great regular season. They're also lagging in awards attention. Dwight Howard was 14th in the voting for NBA defensive player of the year, receiving one first-place vote and four third-place votes. Memphis center Marc Gasol won the award, which was announced Wednesday. [Updated at 10:49 a.m.: Howard seemed surprised, if not mildly irritated to finish that far behind the leaders. "That's funny," he said. "That's OK. We've got next year and I've got a long time.

Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol won his first NBA defensive player of the year award after anchoring the league's stingiest defense. Gasol received 212 points and 30 first-place votes to beat the Miami Heat's LeBron James, who had 149 points and 18 first-place votes, the NBA announced Wednesday. The 7-foot-1 Spaniard averaged 1.7 blocks and 1.0 steals for a Memphis defense that gave up a league-best 88.7 points per game. The five-year veteran ranked 12th in the league in blocks.

SAN ANTONIO - The Lakers didn't have a great regular season. They're also lagging in awards attention. Dwight Howard was 14th in the voting for defensive player of the year, receiving one first-place vote and four third-place votes. Howard seemed surprised, if not mildly irritated, to finish that far behind. Memphis center Marc Gasol won the award, which was announced Wednesday by the league. "That's funny," Howard said of his distant finish. "That's OK. We've got next year and I've got a long time.

Galaxy VS. SPORTING KANSAS CITY When: 7:30. Where: Home Depot Center. On the air: TV: NBC Sports; Radio: 1150, 1330. Records: Galaxy 2-1-2; Sporting KC 4-1-2. Record vs. Sporting KC (2012): 0-1-0. Update: The Galaxy has its work cut out for it against Sporting Kansas City, which sits atop Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference, because Sporting Kansas City's tough defense has not allowed a goal in its last five games. In addition, several Galaxy players are dealing with moderate injuries, and it remains to be seen whether they can play the full 90 minutes.

They were damaged goods a year ago, with a new coaching staff coming in. Defensive backs Anthony Jefferson and Brandon Sermons had little opportunity to make an initial impression. Jefferson was still recovering from a back surgery that forced him to sit out the 2011 season. Sermons had seen limited duty after suffering a broken leg that wiped his 2010 season. Both are making an impression this spring. "They are putting themselves in position to show who they were coming out of high school," said secondary coach Demetrice Martin . "Both of them were pretty highly recruited guys.

It was a high-wire act for Angels starter Tommy Hanson and two relievers Friday night, but the defense provided a nice safety net, and the offense provided a rare cushion in an 8-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers at Angel Stadium. Detroit had 16 baserunners, and loaded the bases with one out in the seventh inning when it trailed only 2-0. But the powerful Tigers, who were shut out in Seattle on Thursday, didn't score until the ninth, after the Angels broke open the game with five eighth-inning runs.

The Lakers just beat the San Antonio Spurs last Sunday and played them closely in two losses earlier this season. Nobody seems to care. Try finding somebody - anybody - not wearing purple and gold who would pick the Lakers to win this first-round playoff series. Oddsmakers certainly don't like them, making the Spurs decisive favorites, as most second-seeded teams are against seventh-seeded teams. MGM Resorts International has the Lakers as 51/2 to 1 underdogs. Gambling website Bovada has them as 6 to 1 going into Sunday's series opener in San Antonio.