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."

All the talk centers on Kobe Bryant's possible return to game action Friday. But who is the Lakers' point guard that night against Sacramento? Steve Nash hasn't played since Nov. 10, Steve Blake ended Sunday's game with a large ice bag wrapped around his hyperextended right elbow and Monday the Lakers said that Jordan Farmar is out for four weeks because of a tear in his left hamstring. Uh-oh. The Lakers were desperate enough to put Xavier Henry at the point Sunday in a competitive 114-108 loss to Portland.

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.

USC center Marcus Martin and offensive guard Aundrey Walker suffered injuries and were carted off the field during No. 22 UCLA's 35-14 victory over the No. 23 Trojans on Saturday night at the Coliseum. Martin suffered a knee injury on the Trojans' first possession with 12:14 left in the first quarter. Martin, a junior who played at Crenshaw High, was a two-year starter at guard. He moved to center during spring practice and started every game this season. Martin was replaced by Abe Markowitz, a sixth-year senior.

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

The Clippers are not a healthy team, their starting backcourt and one of their top reserves all dealing with injuries. All-Star point guard Chris Paul has a strained right hamstring, starting shooting guard J.J. Redick has a sprained right wrist and backup small forward Matt Barnes is recovering from left retina surgery. Of the three, Paul has the best chance of playing Sunday against the Indiana Pacers at Staples Center. He sat out his first game of the season Friday night at Sacramento, but Paul remains a game-time decision for the game against the Pacers.

SACRAMENTO -- Clippers All-Star point guard Chris Paul didn't play against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night because of a strained right hamstring. Coach Doc Rivers said he told head athletic trainer Jasen Powell they wanted to be "way more conservative" with Paul's injury "than aggressive on it. " Rivers said Paul would play Sunday against the Indiana Pacers at Staples Center if "he's felling better. " "But if he's not, we're not going to take that chance," Rivers said.

Chris Paul said "I'll be ready" to play Friday night despite a strained right hamstring the Clippers All-Star guard suffered in the third quarter of Wednesday night's game against the New York Knicks. The Clippers play at Sacramento against the Kings on Friday night. After the game Wednesday night, Paul said his hamstring was a "little tight. " "But I'll be all right," Paul said. "I'll be ready Friday. I promise you. I'm OK. " There was no update on Paul's injury because the Clippers didn't practice Thursday, having been given Thanksgiving Day off before they left that night for Sacramento.

Chris Paul suffered a strained right hamstring late in the third quarter of the Clippers' game against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. The All-Star point guard didn't return to play in the game after he went to the locker room, but the Clippers went on to a 93-80 victory at Staples Center. The Clippers didn't comment on Paul's status, but he was optimistic. "I told Doc, 'If you need me, I can go,'" Paul said of Coach Doc Rivers. "It's a little tight, but I'll be all right.

TEHRAN - The website known as Rajanews was less than thrilled with the interim nuclear accord worked out last weekend between envoys of Iran and six global powers. "Only simple-minded people regard the deal as the beginning of the end of an unnecessary crisis," an editorial writer at the politically conservative site declared. "Rather, it is the beginning of a new chapter of crisis. " Moderates here generally lauded the landmark deal, and their enthusiasm seems to be shared on the streets of the Iranian capital, where many beleaguered residents have expressed hope that the era of international sanctions that have battered their nation's economy is coming to an end. "I already heard that Boeing company sold spare parts to Iran," said one merchant here, his expectations clearly outpacing the deliberate and limited scope of sanctions relief afforded in the short-term nuclear agreement.

Derrick Rose's comeback turned out to be a cameo, and the Chicago Bulls' worst nightmare became a reality again. The Bulls' hopes about contending for a championship this season took a serious hit. Their long-term plans appear to be up in the air too. The team said Rose will miss the remainder of the season after having surgery Monday morning in Chicago to repair a torn medial meniscus in his right knee. For the Bulls and their point guard, it's an all-too-familiar spot. "I felt for him. He is a great person, first and foremost," Coach Tom Thibodeau said before Chicago played at Utah.

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

Like a shooting star streaking on a cloudless night, Lonzo Ball of Chino Hills creates the same kind of energy and excitement each time he steps onto the basketball court. Maybe it's the precision passes that somehow find their way into the hands of a startled teammate. Maybe it's the sudden burst of spring in his legs as he elevates for a rebound, then dribbles the length of the court. Maybe it's the unselfishness of a 16-year-old who receives as much joy from an assist as making a three-pointer.