Benito Martinez Actor, The Shield Currently starring in the third season of the FX drama, The Shield, Benito Martinez has appeared in productions from the stage to the big screen. Martinez graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before landing roles in a number of plays and guest starring on several television series including NYPD Blue and Touched by an Angel. He remains active in local theater companies and will soon appear in the independent comedy feature, The New Suit

Surprise, surprise! I can't believe New Jersey lost yesterday. Dallas couldn't figure out what defense was, and the Nets never backed down. It doesn't seem right. I don't know, but Dallas always surprises me when they win games. They never "run" an offense, but they score at will. They never "D-up," but they get the stops when they need them. Somehow, it just doesn't make sense. Lebron James is the real deal. I've been waiting all year to use his entry into the NBA as an argument for not letting players come directly from high school to the pros, but I can't. Anthony, too. Either the screening process and support from the league has gotten better, or the NBA was just plain lucky. Regardless, these guys are an inspiration and are doing their part to carry the torch into the future. My hat's off to you, guys. Posted by Benito Martinez - Mar 22 2004 6:54PM

Remember Me? I'm baaaaack. After dealing with some technical problems that are far too complicated for me to understand (and I'm sure far too boring for the average computer user) I'm now able to post my blogs again! A lot has happened since my one and only blog, not only in the basketball world, but also in my work world. Now as we are looking to wrap filming of the third season of The Shield and premiere it, my vacation is just beyond the horizon. And man, am I ready! Now I'll get to veg and watch my basketball without interruptions! As with every year, the all important fun-filled All-Star break marks the change for many teams from polite competition to fierce dominance. There doesn't seem to be an obvious choice, but the picture is starting to get a little clearer. But then I live in LA and I'm pretty biased as to what team I'm focusing on. Now with that loss to Atlanta only a vague reminder of what losing feels like, I'm sure my Lakers will start doing what everyone has been waiting for: stop jerking around! Okay, where's my popcorn... Posted by Benito Martinez - Mar 5 2004 6:49PM

Lakers can get it together I grew up in Albuquerque with no local basketball teams, but I attended Kurt Rambis's basketball camp at the University of New Mexico and fell in love with basketball in elementary school. I had a teacher who was a big Denver Nuggets and Denver Broncos fan and they became my teams. Until I moved to LA. I was hesistant to jump on board with the Lakers but I'm a Phil Jackson fan as well, so that brought me in. I felt that any team with Shaq should be able to dominate. With this team, it wasn't until Phil got added to the mix when everything came together. Pat Riley proved that the first time...he was a force to be reckoned with and he brought out the best in the talent the Lakers had in the '80's. I couldn't believe it when they got Payton and Malone..but it was well deserved of Gary and Karl to get the accolades they got for the sacrifices they made in terms of money to get the ring that they deserve. Now they have the opportunity to seal the deal. The elements are there right now, but they are too comfortable....they have to get back to playing basics. When they are playing one-on-one, their weaknesses come out and they don't flow very well as a team. Posted by Benito Martinez - Jan 9 2004 1:16PM