A lot of hoopla (no pun intended) was made about Kobe Bryant’s sore throat on Monday night, as the Lakers lost to the Rockets 100-92 in Game one of the Western Conference semifinals.

Apparently, Kobe missed an “important” practice on Sunday because he wasn’t feeling well.

Kobe Bryant isn't sick. He just needs to play better.

There’s been a lot of speculation as to why Kobe underperformed, so much so that he finally put a stop to the “sick” rumors. He told the LA Times that he is fine and that it wasn’t an issue for him on Monday night.

His explanation for the poor performance? Simple. His shooting was off. It happens, even to the great ones.

Other than that Kobe said, “I’m fine. And he’s looking forward to Game two.

The Lakers and the Rockets play tonight at 10:30 EST.

Photo provided by Newscom

Did I read that headline correctly? Today’s Los Angeles Times had a headline that read, “Dodgers reliever Tanyon Sturtze gets cut, then is told to stay.” Hey buddy - you are off the team. Just kidding, come on… put that uniform back on!

Now that’s really messing with someone. It’s probably something the Los Angeles Dodgers should have really thought about before executing. Not exactly the best way to handle a player, especially a pitcher. There are enough mind games played with pitcher’s these days, they don’t need help from their own front office.

Understandably, Sturtze did not want to comment on the situation.