Panthers

The improbable playoff run for the Corona High baseball team has led to a trip to Dodger Stadium to play in the Southern Section Division 1 championship game. The Panthers (19-14), who began the playoffs as the fifth-place team from the Big VIII League and a lowly wild-card team, won their semifinal game against Valencia West Ranch, 2-1, on Tuesday at Blair Field in Long Beach. Senior right-hander Daniel Pena gave up six hits, struck out four and walked one. In five playoff games, Pena has been the winning pitcher in three games and has saved two. "He deserves a lot of credit," Coach Andy Wise said.

No. 9 Carolina Panthers: ILB Luke Kuechly, Boston College - - Kuechly (pronounced  KEEK-lee) led the nation in tackles in each of the past two seasons, with a career-high 191 last year alone. He finished his Boston College career as the leading tackler in both school and Atlantic Coast Conference history (532 tackles). Comment: The Panthers lost Jon Beason and Thomas Davis for the season in Week 1 last season. Kuechly is phenomenal in pass coverage and never has to come off the field.

Death threats and a $10,000 bounty offered for a citizen's arrest of George Zimmerman have raised concerns about the threat of "vigilante justice" in the racially charged case. A group identifying itself as the New Black Panther Party is offering $10,000 to anyone who makes a citizen's arrest of George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin slaying. The reward, and an earlier spate of death threats, also raise questions about whether law enforcement is taking steps to protect Zimmerman and his family.

When: 4:30 PST. Where: BankAtlantic Center. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 1150. Records: Kings 26-18-10, Panthers 24-17-11. Record vs. Panthers: 1-0. Update: The Kings and Panthers have been shut out a combined 10 times this season, the Kings accounting for six of them. In the makes-complete-sense department: The Kings are 15-0-1 when they score at least three goals in a game. Left wing Kyle Clifford, who has two goals in his last five games (including the game-winner against Carolina)

To Cam Newton, NFL history is a little like ancient history -- not terribly relevant to what he's doing in the league right now. Before setting the single-season mark for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback last Sunday with a total of 13, Newton was asked about Steve Grogan, the guy whose record he would break. "Who's that?" Newton asked. Apprised that Grogan was a New England quarterback in the 1970s and that he rushed for 12 touchdowns in 1976, Newton confessed to drawing a blank.

By the time the NFL's Carolina Panthers took the field for the 2009 season, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum had been out of the pro football business for more than a decade. But that didn't stop a member of the Coliseum's governing commission, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, from using his position at the agency to score $560 worth of Panthers tickets ? on the public's dime. Neither Ridley-Thomas nor the commission reported the gift of the tickets in financial disclosures required by state law, and their value exceeded the legal limit on gratuities for government officials.

Former Black Panther and convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal will be spared the death penalty, the Philadelphia district attorney announced, bringing a quiet end to a racially charged case that spanned 30 years. Seth Williams, the city's top prosecutor, said Wednesday that Abu-Jamal would spend the rest of his life in prison. He said the "decision to end this fight [over a death sentence] was not an easy one to make" and that he remained convinced that Abu-Jamal was guilty as charged and deserved to die for his crime.

The Kings' well-founded worries turned into legitimate concerns Friday when center Mike Richards landed on injured reserve and defenseman Willie Mitchell joined him on the sideline. Though Mitchell was not put on injured reserve, Coach Terry Murray acknowledged both players would miss at least a few games. Summing up the situation, a grim-faced Murray said: "Not good. " The official team line is that Richards has an upper-body injury and Mitchell has a lower-body injury sustained during his first shift Thursday against Florida.

Beware the seemingly ordinary, almost harmless-looking game against an Eastern Conference foe in early December. The Kings and the Florida Panthers are not exactly associated with bad blood, bile and belligerence. By the time the Kings skated away with a 2-1 victory - and their goalie Jonathan Quick making 41 saves and adding a rare assist - the win ended up being an especially costly one at Staples Center on Thursday night. Let us count the ways. Not only did another defenseman, Willie Mitchell, fall by the wayside early on, the Kings lost center and spiritual leader Mike Richards for the third period.

The Times' NFL writer, Sam Farmer, examines this week's matchups. Lines according to Glantz-Culver (O/U = over/under). Last week's record 8-5 (.615); season 63-27 (.700). Using point spreads with the scores Farmer predicted, the record against the spread last week would have been 6-6-1 (.500); season 39-46-5 (.459). Denver (1-4) at Miami (0-5) Sunday, 10 a.m. Broncos 23, Dolphins 20 TV: None. DirecTV: 704. Line: Dolphins by 2. O/U: 42. With a bye to prepare, the Broncos will have figured out an offensive package that plays to Tim Tebow's strengths.