This was going to run in Saturday's paper, but the Lakers finally signed Lamar Odom just in time to foul up that plan. So here's a bonus column for the hardy few who find their way to the blog:

Tonight marks the conclusion of a remarkable two-week stretch for local followers of the world's great soccer teams -- and, as a bonus, throws in the latest chapter in a bit of sporting melodrama.
This intersection of soccer and soap opera will come at the Rose Bowl, when the L.A. Galaxy faces Barcelona in an 8 p.m. game, wrapping up a brief period that has seen half of last year's UEFA Champions League quarterfinalists play in the L.A. area -- with a Ventura County training stay and exhibition game by Premier League side Burnley thrown in for good meas
Barcelona's visit comes on the heels of the Galaxy's highly entertaining 2-2 draw with AC Milan at the Home Depot Center on July 19, and Chelsea's 2-0 win over Inter Milan in a World Football Challenge exhibition at the Rose Bowl two nights later.
That one -- which drew 81,224 fans, the largest Southern California soccer crowd since the 1999 Women's World Cup final, and the largest men's soccer crowd since the 1984 Olympics -- was not so entertaining, given a rather minimal effort by Inter. ("Too bad one team didn't show up" was a comment lament of those filing out of the Rose Bowl that night.)
As such, the Chelsea-Inter game illustrates the biggest problem with these sorts of visits by European sides. While all sports events are, from a ticket-buying perspective, buyer-beware events -- you never know how good a given game will be, or if the star you're paying to see will be sick or hurt or disinterested -- these games are certainly riskier than most. These are exhibition games, and early-season exhibitions at that, so there's no guarantee that the marquee names will play, or that they'll play particularly hard.
Chelsea, which has stated a clear interest in the U.S. market by visiting four times in the last four years, respected the fans -- and honored its effort to build its brand in this country -- by playing its stars: Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard scored the goals; captain John Terry went the distance, and Petr Cech started in goal. Inter, the reigning Serie A champion making its first U.S. visit in more than 40 years, didn't offer a comparable starting 11, or effort. But you pay your money and you take your chance; and the support for the game certainly won't hurt in bringing comparable attractions to L.A. in the future.
Questions of effort don't figure to be quite as evident tonight, mostly because the Galaxy clearly does have something to prove in these sorts of games. It's still an exhibition, certainly -- the latest chance for Galaxy owner AEG to withdraw some cash from the human ATM that is David Beckham - but given the way the Galaxy has been derided as little better than a pub side in the European press since Beckham's arrival, pride is clearly at stake.
That was pretty evident in the earlier game with AC Milan, when Beckham's dead-ball and long-pass skills helped the Galaxy earn its draw. But the soccer that night was almost overshadowed by the drama surrounding Beckham, who was playing his first game with the Galaxy after engineering a loan to none other than A.C. Milan, which caused him to miss the first half of the season for his MLS team. (Milan, incidentally, was more or less forced to come to L.A. for a game as part of the loan agreement.)
Hard-core Galaxy fans were not happy that Beckham had skipped out on the team he had signed for with such fanfare two years earlier, and let him know it from the outset, hanging out some rather pointed banners and booing him heavily at the outset. That faded somewhat as he played well, but Beckham certainly didn't help his case with the fans with the halftime incident in which he appeared to challenge one to come on the field. That fan obliged -- and was subdued, arrested and given a lifetime ban from Home Depot Center events. ("Lifetime bans" not being what they once were, the fan had his rescinded earlier this week.)
Beckham was also fined by MLS for his behavior -- an absurdly small $1,000, or 0.00015 percent of his $6.5 million salary, about the same as a $15 hit to someone making $100,000 -- and steadfastly has refused to admit he did anything wrong, or that the fans have any reason to be upset. (He was quoted upon his return as emphasizing his "commitment" to the Galaxy, while not quite explaining how skipping half a season to strengthen his position with England's national team illustrates a commitment to his club.)
Anyway, tonight's game will be his first at "home" since all that drama, which means it will be the first time we get a sense of whether the fans' desire to boo Beckham has staying power, whether it's been strengthened by his actions at halftime of the Milan game and his subsequent comments -- or he can play well enough to quell the unhappiness. Since America loves a soap opera, this may draw in some people, in person or on TV, who might not otherwise be interested in tonight's game, even if it does feature one of the world's great soccer clubs.
Whatever their motivation, the fact that more than 70,000 of them are going to be on hand is good news for those of us to hope to see more of these kind of touring European teams in the future.
Even if we'll never know what kind of game they're going to give us.
-- Contact columnist David Lassen at dlassen@VenturaCountyStar.com.

There are a whole bunch of things that are interesting about "The Beckham Experiment," the new Grant Wahl book which has a chance to be an actual indispensable read about soccer in the U.S.
There's the marketing-of-Beckham stuff, the way everyone tried to milk the Beckham cash cow, the way AEG fouled up (the focus of my Thursday column), and the whole Beckham-Landon Donovan feud (which has generated most of the early headlines).
There's also the insight into just how low-budget Major League Soccer is compared to other American professional sports.
Some of this drew attention when Beckham first signed, because his salary was so out of whack with the rest of the players in MLS, even if it wasn't anywhere near the $250 million that Beckham's people made it seem to be. (As was subsequently clarified if largely forgotten, that was a best-case scenario for his total soccer and non-soccer income.)
But "The Beckham Experiment" certainly humanizes the disparity between Beckham's income and that of his teammates, not with its lists of the Galaxy salaries for his first two seasons, but by pointing out what it's like to try to live on $30,000 a year or less as a professional athlete in Los Angeles, and by constantly pointing out how Beckham's teammates doubt he can relate to what their life is like (or effectively express their interests and needs as a team captain). There's also the gulf between Beckham and his teammates that's created when he flies first-class and his teammates fly coach on some road trips.
This is all because of MLS's relentless focus on the bottom line. It may be a necessity, given the league's niche status and the long shadow of the failure of the North American Soccer League, but the $2.1-million salary cap (that's per-team, per-season; Beckham's cap-busting $6.5 million salary is exempt under an exception known as the Beckham rule) clearly hamstrings the quality of play. If the cap wasn't enough to make the idea of bringing a Beckham, or other high-profile international stars, into the MLS a mistake bordering on folly, the cost-cutting elsewhere (bad hotels, cheap team meals, commercial flights) would probably be enough to discourage any other international stars from making the job.
Wahl never explicitly tackles the concept, but his book certainly suggests that The Beckham Experiment was, for MLS as a whole, the wrong idea at the wrong time -- which hasn't kept the entire league from trying to cash in for however long the fading concept of Beckhamania lasts.

Ron Artest sat down at the microphone and asked, "Where's TMZ? They're not here? That's good news."
From there, he was off and running at Wednesday's press conference, his Lakers debut after signing a contract late Tuesday. I'm still not sure his signing is a good idea, but I liked what he had to say enough to give him the benefit of the doubt that he has, in fact, matured, until he shows otherwise.
Here are a few highlight from the press conference including more complete versions of some of the answers referenced in my Thursday column:

How does he feel about joining the Lakers?
"This was a long time coming, so to speak. I always wanted to be a Laker -- not coming out of college; I wanted to be a Knick -- but as I grew and I started to compete against the Lakers and against Kobe, and just grew that respect for him, I always wanted to be a teammate of him. ...
"For the last couple of years, in the back of my mind, I've really wanted to be here. I've definitely put my team in first, in Sacramento or Houston, but when I had the opportunity to come here -- obviously, the team I started out with this year, the Houston Rockets, you wanted to show them some loyalty and give them the first option, just out of loyalty, knowing that being in L.A. is bigger, more opportunities for me.
"When the Lakers called at 12:01, I was surprised. I was talking to my wife first, then talked to my agent, and he said Mitch (Kupchak) called. I said, for what? He said, he wants to help you get a ring, and I was totally shocked and surprised."

On Kobe Bryant's reported comment that he's not sure the Lakers are a better team with Artest, and whether he has to win Bryant over:
"I've got to win myself over first. I've got to make sure I'm doing everything possible this summer to come back a better player, and when I know I gave 100 percent, I know it's not going to be a problem winning the team over. Because I know I'm coming in in tip-top condition, like I always do, every season. Mentally, I'll be focused, so that won't be hard.
But it's not a given. He's right. It's not a give that just 'cause you add me to the team that we're going to be the No. 1 team. You've got to put that work in. And that's something I'm not afraid to do. That's something I know the guys are not afraid to do."

On what adjustments he'll have to make to his game:
"Just do what Coach asks. That's it. There's really no adjustment. If you know how to play the game of basketball, it will be easy.
"When I played last year in Houston, we had T-Mac and Yao" -- Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming -- "in the beginning, and everybody thought it wouldn't work. And it was my contract year, also, so they thought I was going to try to average 20. But I just wanted to win. I could have took extra shots and tried to average 20-plus, but that's not what's going to get the wins.
"It's just do what coaches ask, and follow Kobe's lead, you know, and be right there to help lead when I have to."

On Lamar Odom, his one-time AAU teammate:
"I've played with him since I was like 8,9 years old. That's like my brother. So I would love to play with my brother. But we've got to see what happens. ...
"I always knew he'd get a championship before me. He always does. Even in high school. He always does. So I know mine is coming now. I'm glad he got his out of the way."

What does he have to do to keep his temper from being an issue?
"Well, I think last year, that wipes that whole question out.
"Last year, I was real productive. Think about it: Last year, I was in my contract year, and I needed to probably average a lot of points to get a big contract, and that was not on my mind. I was totally focused on winning. ... As you can see, probably once again I'm underpaid, but it's OK.
"At the end of the day, if you can't win on $33 million, then you can't live. ... I'm even more grateful now to have this opportunity for me and my family."

On his interest in music -- he's produced albums, had his own label, and released a (little noticed) rap CD:
"Before, when I was younger, when I was in Indiana, I would promote a lot, my music, and I did it the wrong way. It took away from my game. I was spending too much time doing the music and trying to push that instead of focusing on my game. ...
"I love to entertain and I love to have fun, and being in L.A., I think that will be easier to that part of me across to the people and have some fun. ... They love to have fun out here, and I love to do music, so that will be any easy transition for me. And my priorities are straight now. I know I've got to work out and play ball first, and then everything else comes second."

On media scrutiny:
"Feel free to write what you want. It doesn't bother me.
"Especially going through the brawl and that whole incident, you know. For the most part I'm good hearted, and I understand that the media, they have to get their stories across sometimes. And sometimes it's at the expense of Ron Artest. And I understand that now. Being who I am and what I've been through, and certain wrong decisions that I've made, so I understand that anything I do, good or bad, sometimes, it can have a spin to the story.
"And I encourage the media sometimes to write whatever they want, bad or good. Because if they're going to put money in their pocket, then cool, I'm happy. They've got a job to do. I don't mind."

On the source of his intensity:
"I mean, 10 years in the league and no ring. Everybody thinks they're the best. I think I'm the best, and that's how you've got to feel when you're a player. You've got to feel that nobody's better than you.
"And if you don't got a ring, you've got guys like LeBron going to the championship, I've never been there, and now playing with Kobe, Kobe's got four rings, I have none. Even Lamar, that's my friend but we were always competitive, he has a ring, I have none. I've got to have one. I need one, bad."

On fitting in:
"I don't have a problem with deferring if it's working. I don't have a problem with not scoring a point if we're winning. That's what's important. ... You win, that's all that's important."
(A reporter noted that was exactly what Lamar Odom likes to say.)
"That's what Lamar says? He told me to say that. He said you'll love me if I say that. Really, I want to average 50."

Selected comments from Joe Torre's pregame press conference:

Asked what advise he had given Manny Ramirez:
"Well, you know, some of my advice was basically just to concentrate on what you have to do ahead. You can't really do anything about the past, and the fact that he's already apologized, and hasn't denied wrongdoing, and really, I don't think there's much more.
"I just really want him, and I need honesty from here in the early going, especially, about the kind of shape he's going to be in playing this game. I know he wants to go out there and be there every day, but I'm not sure how much -- again, until we start playing -- to find out what kind of game shape he's in."

Asked -- having managed Jason Giambi when he returned to baseball after discontinuing steroid use and struggled -- if he was confident Ramirez would still be the same player:
"I think everybody's a separate case and we're going to have to wait and see. I wish I had those answers. I think you're going to have to play the game and see where he is.
"The only thing I do know is that Manny is a legitimately good hitter. You know, Jason was more a power-type guy, and I remember encouraging Jason early on to just think about hitting line drives the other way. And it really wasn't the right advice, because it wasn't until he started -- that Donny [Mattingly] sort of encouraged him to pull the ball -- that he got more of his bat speed back. But I was just trying to keep him from trying to hit home runs at the start.
"Manny's a little more -- even though Jason, in my opinion, is a .300 hitter -- Manny is probably a little more adept at using the whole field and has his whole career."

Asked if he is concerned Ramirez' return will be a distraction:
"No. You should have been around our ballclub here. It's been a little tight, because we haven't scored many runs. So I think Manny coming on board is certainly going to lessen the load on a lot of these kids.
"But I don't think it's going to be a chemistry problem. I really don't. I'd be very surprised if that was the case."

Asked for his thoughts on fan support for Ramirez:
"Well, I don't think baseball's cornered the market on that. I think we've seen it in other walks of life.
"Am I defending what he did? Is he defending what he did? No. And certainly, the young kids need to get a message that what any of the players did, and have been punished for, certainly isn't advisable for them. Even though we're role models, whether we want it or not, that's who we are.
"But again, on the other side of the coin, knowing Manny the person, first of all, you can't control how people are going to react to him, but as far as him paying the punishment and coming back, I mean, do we think he should be out of the game for life.
"He made a mistake, he's done his time, and now he's going to come back. And as I say, I think it's going to be a little time before he's back to being the guy we're used to seeing."

Asked how he was dealing with the situation:
"I'm trying to get as much sleep as I can. We go from here to New York, and I have a sense there maybe another person or two there.
"I'm happy that he's back, because as I said, the ballclub, we've been doing well. We've won our share of games and maybe a few more. I think they're ready for him to come back.
"I'm answering the questions, they're answering the questions, and I think now that he's back -- and again, not that the questions are going to stop here in the immediate future, but I think they're ready for it.
"And that's more of a relief that this is over with. We haven't been holding our breath till he came back, because we obviously wouldn't have played as well. But a lot of our guys have really, I don't want to say have gone above and beyond. They've tried as hard as they could try. And as I've mentioned a number of times, we've been fortunate in a lot of games that we have won. We had a lot of home games and we had a lot of chances to walk off where we didn't have to defend a lead. And I call that luck, schedule-wise. The type of team we've had so far, it certainly isn't luck. They've worked at it. But certainly, where we played the game gave us a little bit of an edge."

Here's my complete transcript of Manny Ramirez' pregame press conference before Friday's game. Questions, being off-mike, are sometimes paraphrased or unintelligible. Answers are as exact as I could make them:

MANNY:
(Sitting down at mike) Showtime.

Question: How long were you doing steroids? When did it start? What was the regime?
First, I want to say that God is good, and good is God. And I don't want to get into my medical records right now. I'm happy to be here, I missed the game, I'm ready to play, I was practicing in Triple-A, and I can't wait to get into the field.

Q: Have you been contacted by the DEA about their investigation?
Like I said, I don't want to get into my records. I want to talk about the game.

Q: Since you just want to talk about the game, can you talk about how much you missed it, and how anxious you are to get back?
Oh, man, I can't wait to get into the field, man. I missed the game that I love. You know, I missed being around the guys. It is what it is, but I'm here, I feel great, and I'm ready to play.

Q: You've already addressed your teammates, but what would you like to say to your fans?
I want to say I'm sorry to the fans, to my teammates, that they're always there for me. I want to thank Frank McCourt for his support, and I'm here. I'm excited. I can't wait to get into the field.

Q: How emotional has this all been for you?
It's been great, because everywhere I go, man, people are there for me. They give me the support. So it hasn't been that bad. And like I said, man, I can't wait. I'm ready to play. I just want to get out there with the guys and move on.

Q: What do you think will be the most difficult part of coming back?
Well, you know, haven't played in two months, so I know it's going to take time for me, you know, to get my rhythm, to get my timing. But that's what I'm here for, and I'm just going to go day by day.

Q: How often are you going to play? Every day to start out?
Um, I'm going to take it day by day. I want to pass this day tonight, and then I want to know how it feels.

Q: Some of the Padres' more prominent players have said they felt this whole celebration of your return has been a bit much and wrong for somebody who's been on suspension. What are your thoughts on that?
Well, everybody got their opinion, you know. I focus all my energy on me and what I'm going to do. I think if they say that, go right ahead, you know. I'm just here to play the game.

Q: Having been away for so long, does it give you a greater appreciation of the baseball and your teammates?
Not really. I appreciate the game very day, and I'm just blessed, you know, to play this game every day the way I play it.
I'm not going to say I didn't miss the game. I missed the game, because this is the game that I love. I appreciate every time I put the uniform on.

Q: How tough was it for you to sit out 50 games?
Well, it was tough, but it is what it is. It's over. I'm moving on.

Q: Do you believe steroids are bad for baseball?
I'm not getting into that, sir. If you want to talk about the game, I'm accountable. If you guys want to talk to me about the game, I'm in my locker. If you want to talk about anything, Scotty's there to answer your questions. [Note: "Scotty" is agent Scott Boras.]

Q: You've said you're sorry to your teammates and your fans. What are you sorry for?
Oh, not being there for them. Not for playing the game, because I'm a huge part of the Dodgers, and I'm proud to wear that uniform. And when I say I'm sorry, I let those fans down, that they go out there to see me.

Q: How do you think this affects your legacy?
I don't want to talk about my legacy right now. I want to wait until I retire. And then I want to think about it.

Q: How much embarrassment has come from this whole thing?
A lot, but you know, we're humans, we learn from our mistakes. There was only one man that was perfect, and they killed him. So that's how I look at life.

Q: When you went out, there was some concern the Dodgers wouldn't be able to maintain their lead. They actually extended it. Now that you've come back, what does that mean for the team going forward, that they've played as well as they without you?
Hey, they're professionals. Everybody played great. Juan Pierre, he did a hell of a job out there, a good player. I'm happy that he's on my side. Hey, all those guys out there, they know how to play the game. They play the game the right way. They play hard. So I knew it was not going to be any problems. They played great. They're in first place. That's where we want to be. And the main goal is to go to the World Series.

Question unintelligible.
A lot, but I'm pretty sure I can handle it. You know, this is not my first rodeo. So I know I'm going to be fine. I know I can play this game, and I'm going to enjoy it as much I can.

Q: Are you nervous?
A little bit, but when you're nervous, that's good.

Q: What were you thinking about last night, knowing that this game was coming and we would all be here?
I wasn't thinking about that. My friend texted me -- hey, big game tomorrow, showtime. So I told him, hey, I'll be ready. I know I haven't been playing in two months, but I've still got it on me, so bring it on,

Q: Throughout the course of the suspension, have you been keeping in contact with teammates? And what have you been saying to them, and them to you?
[laughing] I've been calling Raffy a lot and joke around with him, the way he's doing. But everything's fine. They supported me all the way. They're happy that I'm back, and we're ready to take this to another level.

Q: How helpful were those minor-league games, and how long do you think it will be before you're back where you were?
It wasn't tough ... I love it. They have great kids out there, they're going to be pretty good.
It's going to take me some time to get ready, but let's go and see.

Q: You've always had thick skin. Are you prepared for some of the comments that may come from the stands?
Hey, I'm used to that. When you're good, and you're not at home, they're going to boo you. So it's good. That's only going to give me more fire to do good. So bring it on?

Q: Do you know Dr. [unintelligible] and his son?
I don't want to talk about my criminal record. [he laughs]

Q: You say you're sorry for your fans or teammates. Are you sorry for doing steroids, or --
I already answered your question, sir. I already answered that question. Next.

Q: You say they're a lot of good kids in the minor leagues. Did you have a chance to talk to them about the problems you went through, so they might not --
Not really. Because I was focusing all my positive energy on me.

Q: How bad was this for you?
At first it was bad, but then you move on. So that was in the past, I'm in the present, so I'm not bringing that back.

Q: Dodger fans have been really supportive, almost unanimously. Are you surprised?
No. Because they know when I step on the field, I'm going to give it all I got. And they know I can play. So I'm not surprised. You know, when I went out there, they're the best fans in the whole world, and I wish I could have been there a long time ago.
But I'm not surprised, because I'm one of the best players who ever put on a uniform.

Q: You seem very upbeat. What are you so upbeat?
Now I've got a challenge, so I've got to go out there and show people I still can do it. I know I can do it, so that's good. That's going to five me more fire to play the game.

Q: Because you know there are people who hope you fail.
I'm not going to fail. So -- I'm going to be good. I'm going to be fine.

Q: What did you learn from this experience?
What I learned? You do the right thing, you never have to look back. So that's what I learned.

Q: Have you done the right thing?
I guess so.

Q: What was that?
Playing the game, you know? I know I made a mistake, but I learned from that, and I'm moving on.

Q: What do you expect from the fans tonight as a reception?
It's going to be all good.
I can't control the fans. But I can control myself.

Q: Do you feel different physically than you did two months ago?
I feel great. I know it's going to take some time, like I said, but it's going to be all good.

Q: Are your strength, energy, things like that down?
Nah. I'm great. I've got plenty of energy. I haven't played for 50 games, so I'll be good. I'll be all right.

Q: Will you play the whole game tonight?
I don't know. I want to go inning by inning, and then we'll find out.

Q: Why did you wear sunglasses for this?
Because I want to. [laughs]

Q: Is this like coming in late to spring training, with your contract situation, where you have to catch up a little bit?
I do. I need to catch up. But I will.

Q: Does it bother you that, because you're not going to explain if you did steroids ... that people are going to assume you were cheating, just like a lot of the 500-home-run guys?
Like I say, you cannot control what people are gonna say. You've got to move on, and move on with your life. So I'm just going to enjoy my time playing. I'm against the clock, so I'm going to enjoy the most I can.

Q: You don't think you owe fans of baseball an explanation?
I don't think so, because I say I'm sorry.

Question unintelligible.
Nah, I don't got nothing to prove.

Q: Are you w\orried about aggressive fans? When Barry Bonds was here, somebody threw a fake syringe out on the field.
No. I'm not surprised. No.

[leaving dais]Showtime tonight!