Manny, Artest, Venus and Serena, and random observations on the wonderful world of sports

In the words of the great San Francisco Chronicle sports columnist Scott Ostler, here are my deep thoughts, cheap shots, and bon mots:

---Back from a week-long vacation in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and there were several sports-related elements to my trip.

---On Wednesday I made my first-ever trip to Dodger Stadium and saw the hated blue defeat the Colorado Rockies 1-0 on a Rafael Furcal pinch-hit RBI single. I hate everything about the Dodgers, but I was impressed with the ballpark. Great location, nice stadium, but it's still no AT&T Park!

---Much to my delight, sitting next to me at the Dodger game on a beautiful Southern California afternoon was a fellow Giants fan. We talked about our shared passion for the orange and black and our shared hatred for the Dodgers. Go Giants and Beat L.A.!

---Speaking of the Dodgers, Manny Ramirez is back. Here's hoping he ruins team chemistry!

---Great article by SF Chronicle sports columnist Bruce Jenkins on his Three Dot Blog on the hypocrisy of Dodger announcer Charley Steiner and Yankee announcer Michael Kay when it comes to the steroid era. Throughout Barry Bonds' career as a Giant, Kay and Steiner criticized the great Giants broadcasters Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow for their passionate, joyous calls of Bonds' home runs. Yet Michael Kay goes crazy for every Alex Rodriguez home run and Steiner is bound to go nuts every time Manny leaves the yard. Stay classy, Mr. Kay and Mr. Steiner.


---I also had the opportunity to visit the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Sitting inside the Rose Bowl was an awesome, surreal experience. The place just oozes tradition and I could hear Keith Jackson utter the words, "the granddaddy of them all!"

---Quick note on the Staples Center: There is absolutely no evidence that the Clippers play there. No matter what Mike Dunleavy and Donald Sterling do, no matter how big of a star Blake Griffin turns out to be, the Clippers will always live in the shadow of the Lakers in Los Angeles.

---On that note, Ron Artest is headed to the Lakers. Ouch. Sadly, this is a great move by Mitch Kupchak that makes the defending champs even better. Now that he's a Laker, I will no longer root for Artest, but I'm still a big fan of his game. Artest is one of the most tenacious, passionate, and exciting players in the NBA.

---And while in Vegas, I had a pretty cool near-brush with fame with Pete Rose at Caesar's Palace. Rose was signing autographs in a baseball card store and I was standing about ten feet away from him. Not especially exciting, but it was surreal nonetheless to be standing within close proximity to one of the greatest hitters the game of baseball has ever seen.

---As we approach the MLB All-Star Break, look for two teams to start heading in opposite directions in the AL East. Joe Maddon's Tampa Bay Rays are starting to put it all together. David Price is beginning to realize his unbelievable potential on the mound, and if Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton, and Evan Longoria set the tone at the plate, the Rays will make a run at the Red Sox and Yankees. The same cannot be said of Cito Gaston's Toronto Blue Jays. If Roy Halladay stays healthy, the Jays will avoid total collapse, but it will be a familiar summer of mediocrity for J.P. Ricciardi's franchise, and they will once again finish well out of the playoff picture.

---The Wimbledon finals are set, and they will be absolutely tremendous. The Williams sisters finale will be a fiercely competitive display of intense sisterly competition, and I think this is the year that Serena finally bests Venus. On the men's side, Roger Federer seeks to further solidify his illustrious legacy with a win over Andy Roddick. But Roddick, coming off a surprising upset of Britain's own Andy Murray, looks to bring a rare Wimbledon championship to the United States. My money is on Federer, but I would love to see Roddick pull off the shocker.

---I am pulling for Roddick, but I have one request: Can he cut it out with all these childish pouts at the officials. It was entertaining at first, now it's just tired.

---What a terrible week for the Houston Rockets. First, they learn that Yao Ming could be out for all of next season. Then they lose Ron Artest to L.A. Yikes. The only bright side for Houston is the acquisition of Trevor Ariza. Ariza is a solid role player that will put up big numbers in Rick Adleman's system.

---I'll leave with a few thoughts on Michael Vick. Vick committed a heinous act, but he served his time and has shown genuine remorse. He deserves a second chance, and any NFL franchise that picks him up will acquire an excellent quarterback with awesome speed and athleticism.