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The task the Clippers face in trying to deal with a tough Memphis Grizzlies team has become even more daunting. There is Blake Griffin's sprained right ankle that limited the All-Star forward to about 20 minutes in the Clippers' Game 5 loss Tuesday in the Western Conference playoffs. His X-rays were negative and an MRI showed no structural damage Wednesday. But the Clippers, who trail the Grizzlies, 3-2, have listed Griffin as a game-time decision for their win-or-go-home Game 6 at Memphis on Friday.

Barack Obama really, really does not want to get tangled up in Syria. For almost a year, Obama's secretaries of State - first Hillary Rodham Clinton, now John Kerry - have pressed the president for more aid to the insurgents who are fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad. Obama and his White House aides have resisted, fearing a slippery slope that would lead inexorably to U.S. military intervention and the kind of messy Middle Eastern war he campaigned against in 2008.

The elite level of the National Hot Rod Assn.'s funny car drag racing is dominated by two multi-car teams, John Force Racing and Don Schumacher Racing, which have seven funny car drivers between them. But that's of no concern to one of the sport's soloists, veteran Cruz Pedregon. Pedregon, 49, leads the funny car championship standings after his win Sunday near Houston even though he's a single-car team, with Pedregon as driver, chief engine tuner and manager. It's the first time since September 2009 that a driver who does not work for Force or Schumacher has led the funny car standings in the NHRA's premier Mello Yello Series.

OAKLAND - The Angels are a mess. There's really no other way to put it. Their ace, three of their top relievers and their third baseman are on the disabled list. They got their shortstop back from the DL on Tuesday but lost their center fielder and productive leadoff batter to a hamstring strain. Their rotation is thin, their bullpen is thinner, and their mercurial right fielder, the one they invested $125 million in last December, looked completely lost at the plate for most of April.

The most sensible solution to the ocean and stream pollution caused by carry-out plastic bags would be to charge a small fee for them. People will do almost anything to avoid even a tiny levy - tote their own reusable bags, toss their loose groceries into the trunk. Unfortunately, none of the three bills in the Legislature to address the plastic bag problem would work that way. Consumers already pay for carry-out bags; they just don't realize it because the cost is rolled into the price of the goods they buy, creating the illusion that the bags are free.

ST. LOUIS - Can a playoff matchup be familiar but strikingly different at the same time? The Kings will start their defense of the Stanley Cup on Tuesday against the Blues, the team they swept out of the second round of the playoffs last spring. Like last season, the Blues have the better seeding and home-ice advantage at the Scottrade Center. The core of both teams is essentially the same too. The differences, though, are significant. This time, the Kings will begin with a championship to their credit and the knowledge of what it takes to win probably the most grueling postseason tournament in professional sports.

The Kings won all three of their games this season to extend their winning streak against the Blues to eight, including a sweep of their second-round playoff series last spring. The Kings recorded a 4-1 victory on Feb. 11 at St. Louis, a 6-4 victory at Staples Center on March 5, and a 4-2 decision on March 28 at St. Louis. The Feb. 11 triumph started an 11-3 surge for the Kings and turned things around for them after a dismal 3-5-2 start. Jeff Carter led both teams with three goals in the three games.

No. 2 Anaheim (30-12-6) vs. No. 7 Detroit (24-16-8) Hockey philosopher/legend Teemu Selanne of the Ducks cut to the chase when he summed up a playoff series against a frequent opponent. "History is repeating," Selanne said Sunday. Detroit, again, naturally. The Ducks and the Red Wings will be meeting for the sixth time in the playoffs; Detroit has won three times, including the last meeting in 2009. Of note, the home team failed to win in each of the three meetings between the clubs in this shortened regular season.

Rank, School (Record), Playoff division 1. MATER DEI (21-1) SS-Division 1 2. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (20-3) SS-Division 1 3. FOUNTAIN VALLEY (22-2) SS-Division 1 4. OAKS CHRISTIAN (20-3-1) SS-Division 4 5. BONITA (21-3-1) SS-Division 3 6. EL TORO (16-6) SS-Division 1 7. GARDENA SERRA (19-5) SS-Division 3 8. ORANGE LUTHERAN (16-6) SS-Division 1 9. ANAHEIM CANYON (17-5 SS-Division 1 10. LOYOLA (18-8) SS-Division 1 11. SAN CLEMENTE (20-6) SS-Division 2 12. CYPRESS (18-6)

For those who want to give pole dancing a try, studios tend to welcome beginners with open arms, says Annemarie Davies, founder and chief executive of United Pole Artists. Many have introductory and beginner classes. Scared you don't have the same strength and flexibility as those who competed in the National Aerial Pole Art championship? You probably don't, but Davies said that's no problem. There are no strength expectations for beginners, Davies said. Men and women will build strength and improve as they move forward in pole, "just like almost everything else in life.