Pregame

It's hard to imagine a hoop world minus a few pregame rituals. Really, NBA. The league is considering moving things along, in terms of pregame antics, and that could greatly curtail the creative instincts of the likes of LeBron James, almost the entire Thunder team and, closer to home, the lively Metta World Peace and Dwight Howard.  How do you confine genius to 90 seconds? That's the timeline - teams would have 1½ minutes from the end of player introductions to tipoff.

SAN DIEGO - With the Padres playing their home opener Tuesday, the Dodgers will be the first team to hit in Petco Park since it was renovated over the off-season. Long considered one of baseball's most pitcher-friendly parks, Petco Park is not as cavernous as it used to be. The wall that runs from right field to right center was brought in 11 feet. The wall in left-center was also moved in. The parts of right-center and left-center that were 402 feet away from home plate are now 391 and 390 feet away, respectively.

LeBron James has been wowing crowds for years with pregame dunks. But some of his critics apparently find it insulting he can so easily produce eye-popping jams but refuses to participate in the dunk contest during All-Star weekend. Instead of agreeing to partake in the dunk contest, James suggested another solution. "Maybe I should stop, because it's making a lot of people mad about what I do," James told reporters after Miami's double-overtime win Tuesday against Sacramento.

LeBron James and the Miami Heat's dunk routine during warmups will continue. So said the high-flying All-Star forward, who has received much criticism for never entering the NBA's dunk contest during All-Star weekend. "I don't do it for anybody besides our team," James said Thursday. "We came up with something and said, 'Let's get warmed up even more.' Actually, [Mario Chalmers] was the one who really started it. He said, 'Let's get hype, let's get up.' We're happy that our fans love it. We're going to continue to do it. It's something that we enjoy.

In a pregame telephone call on Saturday from Boston's Children's Hospital to the Red Sox clubhouse, Jason Leader, an 11-year-old cancer patient, asked his favorite player--Mo Vaughn--to hit a homer. Vaughn promised Jason he would, and did so during the seventh inning against Patterson.

Hines Ward didn't stay retired for long. And, not suprisingly, the former football great's new career is in television. Ward, one of the all-time most popular players for the Pittsburgh Steelers as well as a champion on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," is the newest analyst for NBC's "Football Night in America," the network announced Thursday. In addition, he will serve as a studio analyst for college football and appear on "NBC SportsTalk" on NBC Sports Network. "I am really excited.

Friday night's game between Brea-Olinda and Savanna high schools included such oddities as a pregame shooting incident that delayed kickoff by 45 minutes, a rainstorm, a Rebel touchdown and a Wildcat team that turned over the ball five times but still won by 29 points. Brea scored five touchdowns in the game's first 27 minutes and breezed to a 35-6 victory over the winless Rebels at Handel Stadium. The game almost wasn't played at all. At 6:40 p.m.

In the book "Unfinished Business," author Jack McCallum quotes this exchange between Boston Celtic Coach Chris Ford and Kevin McHale: "What are you doing?" Ford asked McHale as the coach prepared to convene the pregame meeting. "I'm brushing my teeth," McHale said. "What's it look like?" "We've got a game, you know," Ford said. "Well, 10 years from now nobody will know who won this game," McHale said. "But I'll know if I have cavities."

Kerry Reed dislikes zucchini, but you can bet there'll be a huge helping of the vegetable, along with a generous portion of fish, on the Orange High School senior's plate for this afternoon's pregame meal. Reed, who plays defensive back, running back and returns punts for the Panthers' football team, needs all the protein he can get--even if it means he must consume the dreaded zucchini. "I just hold my breath, put the zucchini in my mouth and swallow it," Reed said.

Two days after their flag was displayed upside-down at Game 2 of the World Series between the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays, thousands of Canadians loudly responded Tuesday night before Game 3. They stood and sang the U.S. national anthem. They sang it louder than it was sung in Atlanta last weekend, and when Jon Secada sang "land of the free," they erupted in cheers.

LeBron James has been wowing crowds for years with pregame dunks. But some of his critics apparently find it insulting he can so easily produce eye-popping jams but refuses to participate in the dunk contest during All-Star weekend. Instead of agreeing to partake in the dunk contest, James suggested another solution. "Maybe I should stop, because it's making a lot of people mad about what I do," James told reporters after Miami's double-overtime win Tuesday against Sacramento.

The Lakers honored Jerry Buss with a tribute before their game against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday at Staples Center. The Lakers' longtime owner died Monday from kidney failure after a battle against an undisclosed type of cancer. He was 80. The tribute began with a video montage of Buss photos, spanning from his childhood to his 10 championships with the Lakers in his more than three decades as the team's owner. After the video presentation, Bryant, who has known Buss since he was a teenager, walked to half court amid raucous appluase from the crowd and took the microphone.

The Kings' minds must have been floating in the rafters with their Stanley Cup banner when the puck was dropped at Staples Center to launch their title defense, so removed was their game from the precise, defense-minded performances they routinely pulled off while bulldozing through the playoffs last spring. The only clean passes they completed Saturday occurred when they relayed the Cup from hand to hand during a pregame ceremony, the last time players would cradle the precious silver trophy before it went back up for grabs.

In the last 15 years, I've covered nearly every USC road game where the Trojans marching band performs on the field, and there's always a moment in those games that makes me cringe. It's the moment before the pregame show in which the USC drum major majestically - or is that tauntingly? - plants a sword in the middle of the opponent's field. I hate it. I'm stunned other schools allow it. It feels like more than just a piece of metal digging into grass, it feels like a lack of respect burrowing under the stadium's skin.

The Lakers finally get the season started Tuesday night, hosting the Dallas Mavericks. [Updated Oct. 30 5:35: Kobe Bryant announced on his Facebook page that he is "feeling good enough to play" and will be in the Lakers' lineup tonight. Earlier today, Bryant said he was "85%" sure he would play after missing more than a week with a bruised foot. Jodie Meeks was expected to be in the starting lineup had Bryant sat out tonight's game. The Mavericks will be without both Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman.

It was hard to tell what, exactly, the Oklahoma City Thunder was preparing to do. In a routine as carefully choreographed as any Broadway production, Russell Westbrook and James Harden would flex their muscles before games last season. Brawny forward Serge Ibaka would shadow box with end-of-the-bench teammate Royal Ivey. Then Ibaka would pretend to kick a soccer ball to Kevin Durant in front of the scorer's table. This season, the Thunder and every other team will have to stick to basketball.

Jumbo pack of diapers? Check. Case of bottled water? Check. Three thousand dollar Super Bowl ticket? Geez, you really can buy just about anything supersized at Costco. The wholesale giant is best known for its food and household items, but its website is offering three ticket packages for the NFL's big - and expensive - game Sunday between the New England Patriots and New York Giants. "Our goal is to become one of the [ticket] options that pop into our members' minds when it comes to these types of events," said Kristin Lovik, an assistant buyer for Costco.com.

Just hours before the opening kickoff of the new NFL season, ESPN reached a $15-billion-plus deal with the league to continue airing its popular "Monday Night Football" program through 2021 — and also for the first time bring those games to the iPad. The eight-year agreement will cost the Walt Disney Co.'s sports network $1.9 billion a year — up a whopping 72% from what it is currently paying, according to a person familiar with terms of the deal. Such a significant increase underscores the growing value of live games in attracting television audiences, as well as the importance of emerging digital platforms.

It's hard to imagine a hoop world minus a few pregame rituals. Really, NBA. The league is considering moving things along, in terms of pregame antics, and that could greatly curtail the creative instincts of the likes of LeBron James, almost the entire Thunder team and, closer to home, the lively Metta World Peace and Dwight Howard.  How do you confine genius to 90 seconds? That's the timeline - teams would have 1½ minutes from the end of player introductions to tipoff.

Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand refused to shake hands with Chelsea defenders John Terry and Ashley Cole before their English Premier League game Saturday in West London, continuing a feud that began last season. Terry, who is white, was accused by Ferdinand, who is black, of racial abuse during a game last season. Terry went to trial and was acquitted of the charge. Cole, who is black, testified on his teammates' behalf during the trial. Saturday was their first meeting on the pitch since the Terry's acquittal in July.