By Liz Alper

Cover photo:  several New England Patriots players kneel during the national anthem at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA on Sunday.  Courtesy u/MAINEiac4434 on Reddit

September 26, 2017 (San Diego) - With Puerto Rico walloped by a hurricane and North Korea threatening nuclear war, President Donald Trump has taken time to lob criticisms at NFL players for kneeling during the national anthem, ratcheting up controversy that has now enveloped multiple professional sports.

By Dennis Moore

October 22, 2014 (Valencia, California) - Steve Springer, co-author of Laker Girl, with Jeanie Buss, the NBA Los Angeles Lakers President and Governor, will be one of 10 authors at the annual Barnes & Noble “Local Author Night” in Valencia, California on Friday, October 24^th, 2014 at 7:00PM. This writer had the distinct pleasure and honor of writing a review of Springer’s book for the East County Magazine in San Diego several months ago. Steve Springer is a former sportswriter who spent 25 years at the Los Angeles Times. He is the author of 11 books, including four on the Los Angeles Lakers, and the coauthor of the New York Time bestseller American Son with Oscar De La Hoya. Another memorable book by Springer, and a keepsake, is 50^th Anniversary: The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers. This is a must have for all Lakers fans, me included.