Brett Barbier caught the majority of the season for Cal Poly during his junior campaign in 2015. By Owen Main

Owen opens the show talking about whining in Los Angeles. DeAndre Jordan’s going to be a Clipper again and this has to be the whiniest fanbase of a first-place team I’ve ever seen.

Owen talked about a $30 million difference between what the Clippers could offer DeAndre and what the Mavs could. He later fact-checked that and it turns out the difference between the two deals was about $8 million and the Clippers’ deal give Jordan an opt-out after three years, allowing him to sign another contract before the age of 30 if he is so inclined. Still, $8 million with an opt out would sure be compelling to me… .

The second half of the show is Brett Barbier of Cal Poly baseball and the San Luis Obispo Blues. Barbier talks about what this summer’s been like for him and also what it’s been like to be able to see some of the incoming freshmen pitchers this Summer.

In the aftermath of the racist Donald Sterling remarks and Sterling’s subsequent ban for life, I am overcome by a few overwhelming thoughts:

Chris Paul is the Players Union president, and plays for the Clippers. By nikk_la, via Wikimedia Commons

He left the NBA no choice

Or at least no good one… . The league is comprised of nearly 80% of its players who are African-American. Players and fans were ready to stage a revolt, including rumors about player boycotts from teams other than the Clippers. Like Roger Goodell during the Michael Vick incident, new NBA commissioner Adam Sliver had to bring the hammer down. Taking a Thor-like swing, Silver made a statement in an unprecedented punishment of an owner.

At this point, the stage is set for other NBA owners to force Sterling to sell the team. With his history, there is no other recourse. Socially, if the NBA is to stay legitimate and viable, there is no other option or choice.

The precedent it sets is scary though, you’ll have to admit. Sterling’s racist history is well-documented — perhaps a reason why this particular case warranted such swift and strong action. But which person out there has never made an insensitive comment or statement? Who hasn’t said something outlandish they are glad isn’t out in the ether? Who hasn’t said something to their spouse or girlfriend that they would never in a million years want their employer to hear?

If someone from the University of Indiana has a tape of Mark Cuban saying something stupid, are we going to force Cuban to sell the Mavs? Mark Jackson has made it clear where he stands on homosexuality. Is he going to be in the line of fire, too? 

The question of exactly where the line is and what is ever forgivable will be hotly debated. Perhaps that’s the good that can come of this — more good dialogue about race in this country. Something tells me that it’s already getting pretty political though, which will really hurt the chances of any kind of real debate in the garbage PTI/FirstTake/Crossfire social dialogue we’ve created over the past decade.

Where art thou, David Stern?

Where’s David Stern in all this? Glad he’s retired, that’s where.

Stern sat idly by for years as Sterling’s wrap sheet got longer and longer. Jerry Buss owned lots of real estate. Did we ever hear about him being embroiled in discrimination talk? Sterling has always had a bad reputation when it comes to race relations, which is why, while sad, wasn’t a surprise.

The fact that it wasn’t a surprise to a fan like me makes me believe now, more than ever, that Stern waited about 5-10 years too long to retire. In terms of managing public image, Stern always overestimated himself and his league.

Who gets to be the thought police?

An interesting backlash to this story will be to hear people talking about hypocrisy. Whether it’s this post about Jay-Z that has been popular on my social media feed today, or other more moderate versions I’ve read, we are going to have to figure out where the “line” is, and also accept that that line is going to be in a different place for different people.

When something like this quagmire happens, my questions isn’t whether it will happen again, but rather when? Once the precedent is set, everyone is in jeopardy.

To be clear

To be clear here, I think Silver did the right thing — the only thing he could have done given where the league is now. I don’t think he had any other choice. I believe Donald Sterling is a bad guy who ran his mouth to the wrong mistress and is paying the appropriate price. He’ll probably wind up selling his team, on which he’ll probably make about 65-times what he paid for it. His lifestyle won’t change, except he won’t get to see the organization and fans he milked for as long as I’ve been on this planet.

Prior to this season, that losing franchise had won just 17 playoff games in 32 seasons, including just four in Sterling’s first 25 years at the helm.

What I’d really like to see come out of it is a better, real discussions about issues related to race and prejudice.

If you want to read something that contextualizes this fiasco better than I ever could, check out Jason Whitlock’s piece on this fiasco.  Seriously, if you haven’t read it, you probably should.

If you don’t feel like reading any more words, here’s an informative clip from Bomani Jones on a radio show that is also worth a listen.

Matt Dale is a friend of Fansmanship and has been a podcast guest in the past. Today, he had a semi-unique perspective on the Donald Sterling fiasco:

Donald Sterling (center) probably won’t be the owner of the Clippers for much longer. By Cliffwildes (NBA event), via Wikimedia Commons

By: Matt Dale

Donald Sterling is a disgusting and vile racist. No question there — however Adam Silver and the NBA’s decision to remove him is a misguided attempt to cure an error of thoughts and beliefs.

A brief disclaimer – I am an avowed liberal and proud Democrat and I believe that Silver and the NBA owners are wrong.

To remove an owner, basically what’s happening, for private thoughts and speech is a clear violation of our American liberal capitalist beliefs and system. Sterling’s feelings on these issues are not news to anyone around the league.

At this point the league is deciding what thoughts are okay and which are not. To this point – Mark Jackson is an outspoken critic of gay marriage. Does he get to keep his job? And who gets to decide: Adam Silver, the individual players or the fans?

Moving beyond the issue of racism, and to continue with the Jackson situation, has the league now begun legislating thoughts? Has Mark Cuban ever used a homosexual slur? What about the other league owners?

My suggestion: let the markets decide. If players, sponsors and fans want to be aligned with a racist – let it be known through their continued association. Should any of these groups disagree – simply refuse to be associated with this team and man. He will feel the pain both competitively and economically very soon.

Sterling’s bottom line, and more importantly, his social status will suffer and rightly so. In a league that is at its heart a business, this should be enough to right any wrongs.

Back together and it feels so good. Owen’s and Luke’s newborns are more than three months old and so it’s time to get back together and talk sports.

We probably spent more time talking about the Warriors, Cavs, and Wizards than anyone ever. Diane Tanjuaquio also joined us for a segment to talk NBA.

I want to apologize for the technical malfunctions that were prevalent throughout the podcast. See if you can hear the clip of Luke singing every time our system hiccuped and enjoy.

Los Angeles sports fans, eat your hearts out.

You already had 4 courses. And the dessert is going to be pretty sweet, too.

Already in 2012, Los Angeles has seen its share of stars. The 2012 baseball season featured arguablly the best player in baseball, Albert Pujols joining the ranks of stars in Los Angeles. OK, he didn’t quite make it to Los Angeles, but Orange County isn’t bad.

Mike Trout became the best player in baseball last season at the age of 20. By Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA (Mike Trout Uploaded by Muboshgu) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Across town, the Dodgers did nothing if not raise their star profile. It started with Magic Johnson and the Guggenheim group buying the team for over $2 billion. Matt Kemp was already a star. So was Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers traded for Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, Josh Beckett, and Carl Crawford, all of whom have been in the top two or three at their position at some point in their careers.

The Lakers have always been star-driven. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol have been stars for years. Metta World Peace thinks he’s one, although I’d argue against it. In the offseason, the team acquired Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, both of whom are definitely stars.

The Lakers’ Staples Center roommates, the Clippers, are also beginning to gel with their own superstars, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, leading the way.

At the Home Depot Center, the Galaxy had stars this year. In David Beckham’s last season. Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan are among the world’s best players and, alongside Beckham, led a star-driven team to its second straight MLS Cup.

The team with the fewest stars is the only team other than the Galaxy to win a championship this year. The Los Angeles Kings, led by Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, and Jonathan Quick won the Stanley Cup for the first time.

Zack Greinke had Los Angeles baseball fans abuzz this week, but he doesn’t get close to cracking the top-10 sports stars in Los Angeles. By Keith Allison on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as “Zack Greinke”) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

If the Western Divisions of the National and American League end up the way they look on-paper now, a freeway World Series in southern California is a distinct possibility. I don’t want to digress into a different topic, but if things went like they “should” go based on preseason predictions, the Lakers wouldn’t be struggling so much.

Struggling or not, the Lakers have remained relevant with stars. However they do in 2013, both the Angels and Dodgers have positioned themselves to be relevant all season. As I’ve said before, when it comes to Los Angeles, sometimes it’s more important to be relevant, than good. And fans in southern California don’t complain when their teams are both.

Owen’s List of Star Power in Los Angeles sports in 2012

1) Kobe Bryant

2) Albert Pujols

3) Matt Kemp

4) Mike Trout

5) Blake Griffin

6) Chris Paul

7) David Beckham

8) Clayton Kershaw

9) Josh Hamilton

10) Dwight Howard

Honorable Mention — Steve Nash, Adrian Gonzalez, Landon Donovan, Pau Gasol, Jared Weaver, Hanley Ramirez, Robbie Keane, Jonathan Quick, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Serena Williams, Zach Greinke, Andre Ethier.

Did I miss someone? Do you not agree with my top-10? Post below and tell us what you think.

Pau

The NBA All-star weekend festivities have officially jumped the shark. Not to mention, NBA All-star voting is an absolute comedy, reminiscent of a 3rd grade class presidential election or who gets picked first for dodge ball on the playground (which of course we all know is based solely on who traded what to who at the lunch table).

Who honestly even cares about a system where a perpetually injured Yao Ming is the Western Conference’s starting center? What is “earned” in this process is solely due to the size of your fan-base, be it cult following or entire foreign country. It has nothing to do with pertinent numbers, winning or current relevance. I’m half-surprised Allen Iverson hasn’t recieved a couple million votes this season.

With this bitter diatribe as well as the slanted-eye of Laker-fansmanship aside, I offer my case for Blake Griffin getting an all-star nod over the seemingly undeserved and “popular” pick, Lamar Odom.

Griffin’s 47 points and 14 rebounds a week ago was his twenty-seventh consecutive double-double. Odom doesn’t even have twenty double-doubles on the season, let alone consecutive. 47 points is the league-wide game-high so far for the season and is also something Lamar has never accomplished in his entire NBA career. 47 and the top performance on the season, not bad for a rookie.

Griffin has averaged 22.8 points, 12.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists on the season, and 27.2 points, 14.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the past month. Odom has averaged 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists on the season, and 15.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in the past month. Not only are Griffin’s numbers substantially better overall in every facet and in any time-frame, he has also improved the past month as Odom has slightly regressed.

Griffin also out-played Odom in their most recent match-up, a Clipper win, in which Odom lost his head with the outcome of the game already decided, when he tossed Griffin to the floor while positioning for the rebound of an insignificant free-throw. Sore losers don’t make good all-stars.

Also scoring points for Griffin is the fact that Lamar comes across as lazy and careless while Griffin is anything but. It seems that with Lamar, there is a particular amount of wasted talent and overall lack of his will, or lack thereof, on the outcome. Wasted talents don’t make good all-stars either.

Odom is part of a two-time champion and helped win gold at the World Championships for his country this past summer. While these feats are highly commendable, they are team triumphs. Let us not reward reasonable players on winning teams simply because they deserve a “life-time achievement” award. Can anybody say Eric Crouch for Heisman?

While you can’t deny Odom’s versatility, the overall malleability of Griffin’s game is something the league hasn’t seen in decades. People are struggling to compare Blake to any power forward of years past. Some have even made the notion that he is only most comparable with Lebron James, due to how extraordinary and ridiculous his overall talent is. The basic fact of the matter becomes: Griffin can only be compared to Griffin, and while Odom is known league-wide as a different breed of player, the way Griffin breaks the mold puts Odom to shame in that regard.

If I may make an analogy in “freak,” Odom is to Randall Cunningham as Griffin is to Michael Vick. Everyone was amazed at how Cunningham broke the mold when he came into the league, one of the first true pass/run threats of the modern era – but when Vick took the league by storm, he took the pass/run quarterback dynamic to a whole new level that Cunningham could never even hope to equal on even his best day. Such is the same with Odom and Griffin.

As I consider all factors, I keep coming back to one important point that must be considered. Lamar’s idea of a meaningful off-day is strolling Rodeo Drive with his wife and having a production meeting for his upcoming “reality” TV show. Griffin’s idea of a productive day is being in the midst of his fifth hour of training and practicing, without his team, on an off-day.

While Griffin’s right hand is stuffed through the rim after an insane dunk, Odom’s right hand, which is non-existent on the hardwood, is stuffed in a bag of candy that has been laid out on the back seat of his limo.

On the subject of stuffing, before we stuff the entire all-star process altogether – make sure to stuff the ballot box with Griffin.

-Andrew Stevens