Guarding

Did Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the accused gunman in Thursday's rampage at Ft. Hood, Texas, commit mass murder because of a mental breakdown or because of hatred for his own country fueled by Islamic radicalism -- or some combination of the two? We don't know yet, but whatever the explanation turns out to be, we do know this: The carnage is not a reflection on all the other Muslims serving in the U.S. military. President Obama made that point on Saturday, albeit obliquely, when he noted that those who have fought for this country include "Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and nonbelievers."

It appears as if Clippers reserve guard Jamal Crawford will play Saturday after completing a two-hour practice Friday, though the team still has him listed as a game-time decision. Crawford, who has sat out the last five games because of a strained left calf, said there was "definitely a chance" he would play against the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center. Crawford said the decision will be made after he wakes up Saturday morning and sees how the calf responded to practice.

I read with great interest (Oct. 7) an article in the View section about Alexander Haagen. One thing caught me eye, however, that caused me to choke on my bacon and eggs. Mr. Haagen said that he was an All-City running guard at Los Angeles High School. Since he graduated in the Winter, 1938, class, that would have meant that as a senior he played on the 1937 team. I was a starting end on that team and I can state unequivocally that there was no one on that team by that name--or any other L.A. High football team.

Kobe Bryant was annoyed. Really, really annoyed. The Lakers traded Steve Blake before the February deadline, immediately sending a dissatisfied Bryant to Twitter. He said he was "not cool" with the trade "AT ALL," hitting caps lock for effect and also calling Blake a "psycho competitor. " Blake is still appreciative two months later. He'll play with his new team, Golden State, against the Lakers in his return Friday to Staples Center. "Whenever you have support like that from a teammate, it feels great, especially from one of the greatest," Blake said in a phone interview.

Sheriff's deputies chasing a group of gang members shot and killed a pit bull guarding a stash of rock cocaine and weapons in a doghouse, officials said Tuesday. The incident began shortly after 10 p.m. Monday when a man flagged down a sheriff's patrol car and said he had been robbed of $20, Deputy Roger Hom said. The victim said the muggers had fled to a house at in the 11100 block of New Hampshire Avenue in Los Angeles, where deputies entered the rear yard and encountered a man and four teen-agers.

The advertising campaign you will never see: Grampa Shaq is sitting with two grandchildren on his lap, one playing with his gray beard. "Grampa, how did you get so old?" one will ask. "Guarding Hakeem, my child, guarding Hakeem." MO SCHWARTZ Los Angeles

Gunmen killed an anti-terrorism policeman guarding a witness in central Athens in a brazen escalation of domestic militant attacks prompted by massive riots in December. The death of 41-year-old Nektarios Savvas was the first killing attributed to terrorism in Greece in several years. The officer had been guarding the home of a key witness in the trial of the now-defunct far-left Greek terrorist group Revolutionary People's Struggle, known by its Greek acronym ELA.

'I couldn't believe he wasn't first team. Ben Wallace was the defensive player of the year? No offense, but who is he guarding in the Eastern Conference? Bruce checked everyone with game.' -- Nick Van Exel, Dallas Maverick guard, on San Antonio Spur forward Bruce Bowen's making the NBA's all-defensive second team

I would like to commend Dan Medina of Channel 9 news on his investigative reports. I particularly enjoyed his reports on gangs, traffic violator schools and machine guarding. His reports have been extremely professional, thorough and informative. Douglas H. Hinesley, Westminster

Re: "Medical bills tied to more bankruptcies," June 4: A spokesman for private insurers said that "private insurers were in a better position to rein in spiraling medical costs and that the industry had a plan for protecting people from being forced into bankruptcy." Our present healthcare economy makes that hard to believe. His statement is a vivid example of the wolf guarding the henhouse. Wayne Muramatsu Cerritos

Miami's loss has become UCLA's gain. Malcolm Bunche left Miami's football program seeking more playing time, and he fills UCLA's greatest need on the offensive line. Left guard Xavier Su'a-Filo made himself available for the NFL draft and Bunche slides nicely into what had been a vacancy. "He gives us that big body, gives us that experienced offensive lineman we need," Coach Jim Mora said. "He has acted a little bit like a mentor to some of those guys as well, in his own quiet way. I appreciate that he's here.

A season of epic losses continued for the Lakers, who are dropping players almost as fast as they are games. Kent Bazemore was the latest to go down Monday after an MRI exam revealed the shooting guard had suffered a torn tendon in his right foot the previous day against the Clippers. He will miss the season's final five games and undergo surgery to repair the tendon. A timetable for his recovery will be given after the surgery. Bazemore joined Kobe Bryant (fractured knee)

He was booed at Dodger Stadium and two days later wasn't even the most fawned over Paul in his own building. Whoever cued up the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" inside Staples Center on Sunday might as well have been playing an ode to Chris Paul. The song was intended as a tribute to Paul McCartney, who rose from his seat across from the Clippers' bench in the first quarter of their 120-97 victory over the Lakers and obligingly danced when shown on the scoreboard. But there was certainly an undercurrent of truth to the words as they relate to the point guard, who somehow still irks giant swaths of a city simply because he plays for the Clippers instead of its beloved Lakers.

Surely the Lakers wanted to send Steve Nash to the sidelines with something better than this. They might get another chance. In one of the final dramas of a long-ago discarded season, Friday was supposed to be the last game of 2013-14, if not a career, for the 40-year-old point guard. But Lakers Coach Mike D'Antoni said Nash might be back for another game after the Lakers' 107-95 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at Staples Center. BOX SCORE: Dallas Mavericks 107, Lakers 95 Nash had four points and seven assists in only his 14th appearance this season, his chronically sore back preventing him from playing so many other times.

This was precisely why J.J. Redick wanted to come back when he did. So what if the Clippers shooting guard unfurled a clunker against the Dallas Mavericks in a game that will be forgotten by next week? Better than doing it in a playoff game, when an off performance could lead to an early off-season for a team with championship aspirations. That was the lesson Redick learned three years ago, when he sat out the final 17 games of the regular season for the Orlando Magic because of an abdominal injury and then came back for the first round of the playoffs.

ARLINGTON, Texas  - Tipoff at Mississippi was set for 11 a.m. It was not early enough for Florida shooting guard Michael Frazier II. While his teammates were sleeping before the Southeastern Conference game in February, Frazier was on the court at 6:45 a.m. Shot after shot, he searched for his rhythm. It is a never-ending pursuit for Frazier, and one reason he is the best three-point shooter in the Final Four. Florida plays Connecticut on Saturday at AT&T Stadium. "We have to get back and locate and identify where Michael Frazier is at all times," Connecticut Coach Kevin Ollie said Thursday.

It has come to my attention that Judge Kathleen O'Leary just received a promotion to Superior Court. However, judging from her recent unjust jail sentence of Edward Allan to jail, I fail to see why she did not receive a demotion. This former chief of police spent his whole life guarding our rights and now in his senior years, this is his reward. Does Judge O'Leary really think he is a threat to society? DOROTHY M. ALLEN Placentia

PHOENIX - Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford are considered doubtful to play against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, the Clippers said. Griffin missed a game for the first time this season Monday in Minnesota because of back spasms and is considered a longshot to play against the Suns. Crawford also missed the game against the Timberwolves because of a sore left Achilles' tendon. Earlier in March, he missed eight of nine games because of soreness in his left calf. "It all depends on getting treatment and getting some work in," Crawford said after Monday's game.

 The post-season playoff performances have only added to the dilemma and debate of trying to rank the best junior guards in Southern California. There's so many that college recruiters are going to have plenty of options for the class of 2015. Michael Oguine of West Hills Chaminade, Kendall Small of Mayfair, Sedrick Barefield of Corona Centennial, Stephen Thompson Jr. of Bishop Montgomery, Max Hazzard of Loyola, Tyler Dorsey of St. John Bosco are just a few who added to their already impressive resumes during the state playoffs.