Orange County Register

OK, so you’re going to be most interested in the wacky story I have of how Phil Jackson accidentally cut the tip of his left index finger off last week. But far more relevant to the Lakers’ championship prospects this season is the possibility that Lamar Odom’s excellent play so far is a true sign of maturity. In any case, my column speaks to both issues — and weaves in Alex Rodriguez and Michael Jordan, too.

Odom is a New York native and a big Yankees fan, so he is thrilled that the Yankees lead the Phillies, 3-1, in the World Series now after A-Rod’s clutch RBI double Sunday night.

Here is Odom’s explanation for Rodriguez’s past playoff failures: All baseball players go through periodic slumps. It’s at least a better explanation than the one Odom offers for his Yankees having the indignity of that 2004 ALCS collapse to Boston after leading the series, 3-0: “If you’re in the postseason about every year, you’re going to be the team that makes that history.”

This was Odom’s summation of the Angels after their ALCS loss to the Yanks: “You’ve got (John) Lackey, and then after that, you’re lacking!”

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