Doug Smith

Few markets crashed harder than Compton when California's real estate bubble burst. The city's northwest side saw the median home price plummet to $94,000 in 2009, down from $385,000 at the peak. Foreclosures dotted the streets. Families fled, leaving trash and old furniture behind. "There were a lot of empty houses. It was a big mess," said real estate broker Ruben Magdaleno of Re/Max VIP. These days, the working-class community has a new identity: comeback kid. Northwest Compton has posted the most dramatic price jump of any area in Southern California.

Re "The voice of L.A.," Opinion, May 14 Part of what makes Vin Scully special is that he is not ubiquitous. His style, often imitated, is still truly unique among sports announcers, and I for one appreciate him all the more for that. In Los Angeles, we've been blessed by having some of the best announcers for our sports teams. Dick Enberg, who called Rams games, was no slouch; I still miss hearing him. Chick Hearn was unparalleled as a basketball announcer, and Al Michaels certainly rates on a national level for whatever sport he voices.

I do not like the new "Glendale" at all. What has happened to "Around the Foothills" by Doug Smith? I miss his unique column. SUSAN BORDEN Los Angeles Editor's note: Doug Smith is now assistant editor of the Glendale and San Gabriel Valley sections.

Readers are talking a lot about a man who talks for a living: Vin Scully. Times data editor Doug Smith's Op-Ed article Tuesday musing on "the voice of L.A. " closed with a question: "As far as I'm concerned, the voice of L.A. should be heard every day in some public place. So tell me, where would you want to hear Vin Scully?"  More than 60 suggestions were sent to letters@latimes.com and to Smith directly. Perhaps as a reflection of mobile technology's imbededness in our lives, many of the suggestions relate to cellphones.

Nose tackle Doug Smith of the Houston Oilers was in stable condition Wednesday after having been shot in the right leg during an altercation in his hometown of Bayboro, N.C. Smith underwent minor surgery to clean and disinfect the wound. Smith, 30, was shot Tuesday night during an argument with another man at a neighborhood cookout, police said. George Cradle was arrested on assault charges.

Oilers nose tackle Doug Smith was in stable condition after being shot in the leg following an argument in his hometown of Bayboro, N.C., the club said today. Smith, who just completed his fifth season with the Oilers, was shot in the right leg Tuesday and underwent minor surgery at Craven County Regional Medical Center in New Bern, N.C., to clean and disinfect the wound. Smith, 30, was shot at a neighborhood cookout, police said.

Center Doug Smith, who's in Hawaii this weekend preparing for his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl appearance, was the only surprise on an otherwise predictable list of 16 Rams who were left unprotected in Plan B free agency. The Rams are obviously gambling that Smith, a 12-year veteran with the Rams who turned 33 last November, will not want to pull up stakes after all these years and test the free-agent market.

Doug Smith knows that the odds don't favor his making it through a 15th season as a Ram, but he knows enough to understand that anything can happen between now and the end of training camp. Smith's roster spot was put in jeopardy when Coach Chuck Knox signed center Blair Bush as a Plan B free agent.

With no incidents or scandals to speak of, and malice toward none, Ram center Doug Smith has peacefully survived almost as many style changes as coaching changes. In fact, you could blackmail Smith with the threat of wallpapering the locker room with his rookie mug shots of 1978, when Smith's hair raged like a five-alarm fire in a coif best described as early Angela Davis. And that was only from the neck up. Consider the times. "Three-piece suits, wide lapels," Smith said ashamedly.

Doug Smith, a former center who was selected to play in the Pro Bowl six times during a 14-year career with the Rams, has been hired to coach defensive linemen by USC Coach John Robinson. "I've been looking at those guys for several years," said Smith, who worked as a volunteer coach for the Rams last season after being released during the exhibition season. "It creates some new challenges.

Re "On 2 wheels, it's open road," Column, Jan. 19 In his justification for motorcycle "lane splitting," Doug Smith writes as if all motorcyclists are supremely careful drivers. He ignores the numerous hazards this practice poses to automobile drivers. If Smith wants to take his chances of becoming road kill, he might want to consider the consequences to drivers who are unable to see motorcycles in their blind spots. Motorists who end up harming lane splitters have to live the rest of their lives knowing they changed or even ended a precious life through little fault of their own. Lawmakers must take a serious look at the number of accidents and fatalities resulting from this practice of beating traffic.

Re " The strange streets of L.A. ," Opinion, July 1 Looking for comedy writers? Look no further than the Jennifer Chuu, Joanne Lo and Doug Smith. Their take on the misspellings of L.A.'s streets as written by traffic cops was hilarious. More, more, please. Charlotte Levitt Los Angeles ALSO: Letters: A new water war Letters: Unions and political spending Letters: The wrong kind of pension reform

American audiences know Jay Baruchel as the nerdy kid from such films as "Knocked Up" and "She's Out of My League. " But with the new hockey comedy "Goon," the Montreal native is making the leap to feature film screenwriter. He and Evan Goldberg ("Superbad") teamed up to pay homage to Canada's national pastime with a movie that's violent on the ice and tenderhearted off — but it is thoroughly, unquestionably Canadian. "We made it for somebody, and we made it for Canadian kids," Baruchel, 29, said in a recent interview.

Veterans Day traces its roots to World War I, commemorating the day the armistice went into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. It celebrates the heroism and sacrifice of those who have fought for our country, particularly the living veterans. There are roughly 23 million veterans living in the U.S., with some 2 million in California. Here's a statistical profile of some of the key characteristics that make up the state's veteran population. -- Notes: All numbers rounded to the nearest 1,000.

I was making my way back from Hemet, where I had just met with the family of a soldier killed in Iraq, when I thought about my colleague Doug Smith. Smith, a Times scribe for 36 years, was on his third volunteer tour of duty reporting from Iraq. I know it's tough on his wife, Jackie, when he's away, so I called her at the Smith home in Pasadena to check in. Jackie had just gotten off the phone with Doug, and there was nervous relief in her voice.

There isn't much ordinary about Utah quarterback Alex Smith, other than his last name. Last week, that last name was on an express-mail letter sent to Utah by the Downtown Athletic Club notifying Smith he is a candidate for the Heisman Trophy. He can put the letter alongside another piece of paper that makes him a rare college junior -- the diploma he received in May when he graduated with a degree in economics after only two years in college. Smith, a nephew of Michigan State Coach John L.

Ken Iman. Rich Saul. Doug Smith. Now, following in that long tradition of All-Pro Ram centers, we present Trevor Ryals . Unless his sore knee gets worse. In which case, we bring you Theo Adams . Center was one position the Rams haven't worried much about since the mid-1960s. And they figured they would be in great shape again this year.

The Rams' final roster cuts Monday left 14-year veteran center Doug Smith temporarily without a team, backup quarterback Chuck Long without a job and newly named No. 2 quarterback Mike Pagel without a ride home. Long, who drove Pagel to Rams Park on Monday morning, not planning to get his walking papers minutes later, was released along with Smith and 10 others as the Rams got down to the 47-man limit. Smith's absence probably will not be a long one.

I initially refused to call Edison Field anything but "the Big A," but eventually I gave in. I never thought I'd be disappointed with the renaming of the stadium to a non-corporate name. After the passing of Gene Autry, I had hoped that eventually there would be an Autry Field. As a lifelong fan of the Angels, I've always associated the heart of the Angels with the Cowboy. I believe there could not be a more fitting tribute to the father of the Angels than to name the stadium in his honor.

They were one of those bands that seemed to have all the right ingredients but never got the big break. Long-in-tooth followers of the local music scene in Orange County may recall the group, Dexter, which back in the '80s proffered a melodic brand of techno-pop in the Depeche Mode vein. Dexter did well enough to get named Best Unsigned Band In America by Musician magazine in 1986, and to sell out the Coach House as headliners in 1987. But the record deal never came.