Sport

HOUSTON — Amen Thompson’s three-point play with 17.2 seconds left helped the Houston Rockets to a 115-113 win over the Clippers on Thursday night.

Thompson tipped in Alperen Sengun’s miss to break a 110-110 tie, was fouled by Kris Dunn and hit the free throw. The putback came off Houston’s third offensive rebound of the possession and 21st of the night.

Thompson made eight of 12 from the field and finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

The Rockets (16-6) outrebounded the Clippers 51-28 and avoided losing back-to-back games for the first time since Oct. 24.

The Clippers had two possessions with a chance to tie the game, but Kawhi Leonard was called for an offensive foul, and Nicolas Batum committed a violation on an inbounds pass.

Sengun led the Rockets with 22 points and 15 rebounds, five assists and four steals, while Jabari Smith Jr. added 18 points.

Kevin Durant scored 13 of his 16 points in the third quarter. He started the game one for seven from the field but knocked down his next four shots.

Ivica Zubac matched a season high with 33 points for the Clippers. He shot 13 for 14 and added seven rebounds.

Leonard scored 24 points in a season-high 41 minutes, and James Harden chipped in 22 points against the team he starred with for more than eight seasons.

For the Clippers (6-19), it’s the third loss in a row and eighth in nine games.

Up next for the Clippers: host Memphis on Monday.

Elsewhere on the opening night, 2023 world champion Michael Smith beat Women’s World Matchplay winner Lisa Ashton 3-0.

Ashton, who had the majority of the crowd on her side, won two of the first three legs but Englishman Smith, 35, then put together a run of seven successive legs on his way to securing a spot in the last 64.

“That first set was nerve-wracking,” Smith told BBC Radio 5 Live. “As soon as I walked out, the crowd was on me straight away.

“I expected it but I thought if I go 1-0 down, it was going to get worse and worse.

“I tried to force things that weren’t there, but when I took that first set, it was happy days. I started to settle in then and nearly threw it away in the last set, but we’ll take the win.”

German debutant Arno Merk and Latvia’s Madars Razma also made it through to round two with 3-1 wins against Belgium’s Kim Huybrechts and Dutchman Jamai van den Herik respectively.

A total of 128 players are competing in the World Championship, up from 96 last year, for an increased first prize of £1m.

The first round is scheduled to conclude on Friday, 19 December, with the final taking place on Saturday, 3 January 2026.

NEW YORK — Anders Lee scored twice and had two assists, and David Rittich made 31 saves as the New York Islanders beat the Ducks 5-2 on Thursday night.

Simon Holmstrom had a goal and two assists and defensemen Travis Mitchell and Ryan Pulock each scored as the Islanders won for the fifth time in six games.

Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry scored for the Ducks, who had their three-game winning streak ended.

Islanders leading scorer Bo Horvat left about seven minutes into the second with a lower-body injury after he became tangled with Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson.

The Islanders took a 3-0 lead in the opening period, starting with Mitchell’s first NHL goal. The 26-year-old was playing his seventh game following his recall from Bridgeport of the AHL.

Lee made it 2-0, beating Ducks netminder Ville Husso on the power play. The Islanders captain scored again with the man advantage late in the first, his eighth goal. Lee has 297 career goals, fifth-most in franchise history.

Carlsson rifled a shot past Rittich in the second for his team-leading 17th goal.

Terry made it 3-2 with a shorthanded goal early in the third. The Islanders pulled away when Holmstron scored his sixth and Pulock added his first.

The Islanders are 14-6-2 in their last 22 games and continued strong play against top-tier competition since losing to Washington on Nov. 30. New York has since defeated Tampa Bay twice, plus Colorado and Vegas.

Rittich improved to 7-3-1 with a sharp performance against the improved Ducks, who have 19 wins in 31 games.

Husso made 32 saves.

Up next for the Ducks: at New Jersey on Saturday.

As the players walked out at a packed Celtic Park, and a stirring rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone echoed around the stadium, the camera cut to Nancy.

The disco lights, which were splurged out on for these European nights, flashed towards the Frenchman.

Hart said the ground in the east end of Glasgow is a “special place” on such occasions but the mood of that place has turned sour in recent times.

Long before Nancy’s arrival, the club was riven with disharmony.

The events of last summer – recruitment issues, Champions League dismay, Brendan Rodgers’ acrimonious departure – had cast a long shadow.

Martin O’Neill’s interim stint back at the club steadied matters, with seven wins from eight games and an uplift in the mood.

But by the time Roma had a fourth goal ruled out in the closing stages on Thursday, large swathes of the crowd had gone home. Many fans had seen enough.

“It breaks my heart to see [Celtic Park] like this,” said Hart. “The atmosphere just isn’t there. This is such a special football club, but it’s only special when it’s united.

“It’s not easy for a new manager and new system, but it’s not rocket science and Nancy’s got to learn quick.”

Perhaps one thing all of a green and white persuasion could agree upon was that Roma were rampant as they cantered to a second win in Glasgow this term.

“It wasn’t good enough, especially first half, we lost too many duels and too many sloppy balls,” midfielder Arne Engels – who missed a first-half penalty – said.

“We know we can do better and hopefully we can move on because we have a final in a few days. We need to keep our heads high and move on.

“It’s up to us to react. We need to look to ourselves to keep performing.”

When seven distance runners from Anaheim High waiting to cross a street near campus were struck by a car on Wednesday driven by a suspected drunk driver, it once again brought into focus the dangers coaches and athletes must deal with while training on the streets of Southern California.

For Hernan Herrera, the incident brought back memories to his senior year at Monroe High as a member of the cross-country team in 2009. He was struck by a car in North Hills that ran a red light. He said he was hospitalized for weeks with knee and pelvic injuries that required surgery and left him sidelined for months.

Herrera was 17. Now he’s the dean of students and wrestling coach at Monroe. He doesn’t see changing the practice routine used by most high schools running in the neighborhood to fulfill weekly requirements of 45 to 60 miles of training to prepare for competitions.

“Everyone understands accidents happen and there’s no one to blame other than the person behind the wheel,” Herrera said.

Yes, schools could transport students to quieter streets or hilly areas with running trails, but that would lead to additional costs and there are many schools far away from such areas.

Coaches have been assigning adults to supervise street workouts for years. Monroe coach Leo Hernandez said he got his position in 1999 because he could run with his athletes to keep watch over them.

Maybe there needs to be additional meetings and reminders for those running on sidewalks or crossing streets to be cautious and to reinforce following traffic rules while being on the lookout for distracted drivers.

Herrera said athletes must get in their workouts beyond running around the school track to be able to compete well in cross-country or distance races in track and field.

“I don’t think there’s anything to do to mitigate the situation,” he said.

While Rohl did not dig out his defenders, former Rangers striker and coach Billy Dodds wasn’t as generous.

“The Rangers defence, that was as bad as I’ve seen it this season,” he said on TNT Sports.

Given some of the goals Rangers have coughed up under Rohl and his predecessor Russell Martin this season, that is quite the statement.

Rohl’s assessment was that those two defensive mistakes cost Rangers, but in reality, the margin of victory could have been greater for Ferencvaros.

“For the second game in the row in this competition, I see a team who is competitive and a team in a forward process, but I see a team, especially in this competition, destroy the hard work in two, three situations,” Rohl said.

The home side had 13 shots in the Rangers box, four of which were squandered by striker Bamidele Yusuf, who could have had a first-half hat-trick.

In attack, Miovski’s fine finish was the one moment of quality for a Rangers side who struggled to create. Indeed, their seven shots was the lowest they have registered in a Europa League match this season.

Keane – assisted by former Aberdeen boss Stephen Glass – was asked if he was surprised by the Rangers team he came up against, but chose to focus on his own high-flying outfit.

“I knew they were going to play three at the back,” he said.

“I can’t speak too much about them because I’m not bothered about them. I knew we’ll always score. We were brilliant tonight, everybody to a man.”

Philip Rivers hasn’t played in the NFL for several years. Neither has Cam Newton.

Rivers is in his mid-40s. Newton is in his mid-30s.

Rivers signed with the Indianapolis Colts this week. Newton did not — and he’s taking it somewhat personally that the team did not even reach out to him.

“It’s almost like a slap in my face, bro,” Newton said on the latest episode of the “4th&1 with Cam Newton” podcast. “ I ain’t gonna lie.”

Cohost Omari “Penny” Collins pointed out that NFL teams may not realize Newton is available because of his high profile as a podcaster and TV personality.

Newton stared at Collins incredulously before shouting his response.

“Did Philip Rivers send any type of sign that he was available?” the regular contributor on ESPN’s “First Take” said. “Why you asking me to do something that everybody else didn’t do? I ain’t no sucker. I ain’t no lab rat. Come on, bro.”

Newton added: “People be holding people to a standard that they ain’t even holding everybody else to that standard. And that’s what I don’t like. ‘Well, you ain’t showed that you [are available].’ Have you followed my Snapchat?”

Rivers spent his first 16 NFL seasons with the Chargers and one more with the Indianapolis Colts before retiring after the 2020 season. An eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Rivers ranks in the NFL’s top 10 for passing yards, passing touchdowns and passes completed. He is currently a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist, although his eligibility for that honor may soon get pushed back.

If Rivers ends up on their active roster — a distinct possibility with the multitude of quarterback injuries the Colts are dealing with — Rivers won’t be eligible for the Hall of Fame until five years after he retires again.

The signing reunites Rivers with Indianapolis coach Shane Steichen, his onetime quarterbacks coach and then offensive coordinator with the Chargers. The two men are close friends who are said to speak on the phone weekly. As coach of St. Michael Catholic High in Fairhope, Ala., Rivers uses the same plays and terminology as Steichen.

But, as Newton pointed out to Collins, “he’s 44 years old, bro.”

Newton, on the other hand, is 36.

Drafted No. 1 overall by the Carolina Panthers in 2011, he was the league MVP in 2015 and led the Panthers to the Super Bowl the same year. His 75 career rushing touchdowns and 46 career games with both passing and rushing touchdowns were both records for NFL quarterbacks until they were broken this season by Buffalo’s Josh Allen.

Newton has not played since 2021, but he never officially retired.

“I did not,” he said, “and will not because of an opportunity like this.”

Newton speculated that teams might be scared off by his flamboyant personality. “They don’t want a circus,” he said.

He also joked that the Colts already have a star player who wears jersey No. 1 — cornerback Sauce Gardner — and they knew “I gotta get No. 1.”

Newton was sure to state he had nothing personal against Rivers, his “brother from another.” But Newton also made it clear he wouldn’t hesitate to work out for an NFL team truly interested in his services.

“I’m open for business,” he said. “But I wanna be [with] who really want me. If you don’t want me, don’t send flowers.”

Igor Jesus joined Forest in the summer from Brazilian side Botafogo.

His career started five years ago at Coritiba, a then Serie-B side based in Brazil’s eighth largest city.

As an 18-year-old he scored three goals in 24 appearances to help them secure promotion.

But, after initially struggling at a higher level, he left midway through the following campaign to join Emirati side Shabab Al-Ahli.

He spent four seasons in the Middle East, scoring 46 goals in 92 games, before returning to Brazil and Botafogo in July 2024.

There he has excelled. He led the line as his side lifted the Serie A and Copa Libertadores titles last season.

Unsurprisingly, the scouting departments at numerous club around the world were on high alert.

Igor Jesus made his Brazil debut in October last year, scoring in a 2-1 World Cup qualifying win in difficult conditions in Chile.

South American football expert Tim Vickery called him “the modern-day Drogba” after he scored the winner against European champions Paris St-Germain in the Club World Cup group stage during the summer.

When the Dodgers are on the field, Shohei Ohtani dominates the headlines with his base running, his slugging and his pitching. But off the field, his actions also resonate.

In a recent interview with Japanese media, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told a story of when the two-time World Series champion helped relief pitcher Gus Varland’s mother get cancer treatment by making a “very, very big contribution.”

“Shohei does a lot of great things, but a lot of what he does is on the down low, quiet, so people don’t talk about it,” he said.

Varland made seven relief appearances with the Dodgers during the 2024 season — including pitching in the season-opening series in South Korea against the San Diego Padres — and posted a 4.50 earned run average in six innings of work before he was designated for assignment in July of that year.

Roberts said he ran into Varland’s mother during the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays because his brother, Louis, pitched for them. Roberts said the mother told him she was cancer free.

After spending his first six major league seasons with the Angels, Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers. In November, he won his fourth MVP award in five seasons, becoming the only player besides Barry Bonds to win it more than three times.

Ohtani helped the Dodgers win their second consecutive World Series title after hitting 55 homers with a batting average of .282 and an ERA of 2.87 in 2025.

“The summit supported the IOC EB’s recommendation that youth athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport should no longer be restricted in their access to international youth competitions, in both individual and team sports,” said an IOC statement issued about the summit meeting., external

“The summit participants committed to take these discussions back to their organisations for their consideration. It was recognised that implementation by the stakeholders will take time.

“In addition, the standard protocols of the international federation (IF) or the international sports event organiser regarding flags, anthems, uniforms and other elements should apply, provided that the national sports organisation concerned is in good standing.

“The above principles should apply to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, and are recommended for adoption by all IFs and international sports event organisers for their own youth events.”

It added: “With its considerations today, the Olympic Summit recognised that athletes, and in particular youth athletes, should not be held accountable for the actions of their governments – sport is their access to hope, and a way to show that all athletes can respect the same rules and each another.”

The statement added that while Russia should still be barred from hosting international events, “this recommendation no longer applies to Belarus”.

The move follows nine Russian and Belarusian athletes being granted permission to compete in qualifying events for next year’s Winter Olympics as neutral athletes following the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned a ban.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The 2026 World Baseball Classic begins in less than three months.

Between now and then, the Dodgers will have to have some “delicate” conversations with their star trio of Japanese pitchers.

As of now, Dodgers front-office officials said at this week’s winter meetings, no final decisions have been made about whether Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki will participate in the tournament, nor if Shohei Ohtani (who has already confirmed his participation) will pitch in addition to hitting.

“We’re still working through that,” said president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, who met with Team Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata at the Signia by Hilton Orlando this week.

“We’re very supportive of Samurai Japan and all that they’re trying to accomplish, and they’re very supportive of us,” Friedman added. “It was about just keeping open the lines of communication, the mutual respect and working together to help all sides.”

What would be most helpful to the Dodgers, of course, is if none of their three Japanese stars pitch in next spring’s international tournament.

Each of them shouldered a heavy burden during last season’s postseason, from Sasaki’s nine appearances out of the bullpen to Ohtani’s four starts in a two-way role to Yamamoto’s playoff-leading 37⅓ innings (the final 8⅔ of which came on back-to-back days in Games 6 and 7 of the World Series) most of all.

Each of them could also benefit from extra rest going into the 2026 campaign. Sasaki will be returning to the starting rotation after missing most of last year’s regular season because of a shoulder injury. Ohtani will be embarking on his first full season of two-way duties since 2023. Yamamoto is coming off what was already an unprecedented workload even before last season’s playoffs, having set a new career high (either in MLB or Japan) with 30 starts in the regular season.

Already, it appears several other Dodgers players will, or are likely, to skip the event. While Team Canada general manager Greg Hamilton said Freddie Freeman would like to participate, the first baseman is dealing with some lingering health issues after playing through an ankle injury for much of last season. Teoscar Hernández said in an interview that he will not play for the Dominican Republic in order to focus on next season. Tommy Edman, who previously represented Team Korea, is also not expected to play as he recovers from an offseason ankle surgery.

To this point, the only Dodgers player other than Ohtani to confirm his WBC participation is catcher Will Smith for Team USA.

More could follow, from Mookie Betts (who has yet to announce any WBC decision) to Hyeseong Kim (who told Korean media he has requested permission from the Dodgers to participate) to Alex Vesia (who is under consideration for a Team USA spot, according to American general manager Michael Hill).

In Japan, however, the WBC is held to a higher standard of importance than most other countries around the world (and, to its fans, an even more significant level than the World Series itself). The nation has won the event a record three times, including in the most recent 2023 edition. And having star players sit out, or even be restricted, in the tournament can threaten to become a culturally controversial development.

The Dodgers understand this.

Manager Dave Roberts this week described the dynamic with the Japanese players as “very delicate,” and said neither he nor the organization “want to be dismissive of what it means to them representing their country.”

“You can’t debate the emotion,” he added, “what a player might feel of this potential opportunity.”

That doesn’t mean, however, the Dodgers aren’t concerned about the cost the tournament can incur, especially for starting pitchers given its place on the calendar.

Next year’s event will take place March 5-17, requiring pitchers to be built up for live-game action nearly a month earlier than they would otherwise. Team Japan will also have to travel from Tokyo (where they will play their group stage games) to Miami (where the knockout round will be held) during that two-week window, assuming they advance through the preliminary round as expected.

Because of that, Roberts acknowledged he was hoping Ohtani (who will still be managed carefully as a pitcher next season, potentially with a week or more of rest between outings) would only hit in the event — and seemed to hint that would be the likely outcome for the reigning MVP.

“The pitching side of things is challenging and gives us a little bit of pause,” general manager Brandon Gomes added. “But yeah, we’ll obviously continue to have those conversations and figure it out.”

The Dodgers will also face a decision with Sasaki, whom they can block from participating in the WBC since he missed the majority of last season on the 60-day injured list, though they haven’t given an indication yet on whether they would do so.

“We just need to sit down and talk through it as an organization,” Gomes said generally of the team’s process for WBC players. “Once we get more info on the players, we’ll have those conversations.”

While the Dodgers can’t prevent Yamamoto from participating, Roberts indicated they could lobby for Team Japan to keep him (and Ohtani or Sasaki, if they wind up on the Japanese staff, as well) on a more restricted workload for the tournament.

“I would like to think that it’s going to be a dialogue as far as restrictions and limitations,” Roberts said. “In the sense of just trying to give them the opportunity, but also understand they’ve come off some stuff, some long seasons.”

There should be more clarity in the coming month, with Team Japan hoping to have its roster finalized by the new year. Next week, Friedman said, clubs and national teams will also submit forms to MLB regarding players’ potential participation, which allows for a period of feedback between all parties.

“I do think that the conversations need to be had [and] will be had, as far as what each individual is taking on and whatever role that they might be taking on,” Roberts said. “And what potential costs there might be.”

For now, however, when it comes to one of the more delicate situations the Dodgers will have to navigate this offseason, “there’s no more clarity than we had before,” Roberts added.

Ireland earned their first points in the FIH Pro League as they edged out England 4-3 in a dramatic shootout after a 1-1 draw in Dublin.

Sarah Torrans gave the home side a first-half lead before Ellie Rayer equalised for England in the third quarter.

In heavy rain at the Sport Ireland campus, both sides looked happy with a point at the end, but it was Ireland who held their nerve in the shootout with goalkeeper Lizzie Murphy making the final stop to give the hosts the second point.

Charlotte Beggs, Mikayla Power and Hannah McLoughlin (2) scored for Ireland in the shootout, while Darcy Bourne, Rayer and Lily Owsley converted for England.

“We’re delighted. We started the game with a lot of energy and that was exactly what we wanted to do,” said Torrans.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t hold them out for the win and but look it’s a number of steps forward for us so we’re happy right now.”

The answer was entirely predictable: “Good.”

The question that elicited the response above from Austin Reaves: How was he feeling physically?

Reaves doesn’t make excuses, and he wasn’t about to start now, not in the wake of a 132-119 defeat by the San Antonio Spurs at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night.

Except Reaves didn’t look “good” in the loss.

He finished with a modest 15 points, including only four in the first half.

The underwhelming performance followed an 11-point game against the Philadelphia 76ers three days earlier.

“Just didn’t get the ball to go in the basket,” Reaves said.

Or was it something more?

Was the offensive burden he shouldered up to this point starting to take a toll on him?

Had the former undrafted free agent really elevated his game to a new level or was he just on a six-week heater?

The answers will be revealed in the coming weeks.

The Lakers, however, already know they can’t win with Reaves playing the way he did against the Spurs, when he made only two of six shots in the opening half.

Reaves has to score for this version of the Lakers to beat a team like the Spurs. He has to score because they can’t stop anyone.

Their on-ball perimeter defense is atrocious.

Their three-point defense is dreadful.

Their transition defense is shocking.

“Very few teams don’t have something that you can expose and we consistently got exposed to the same things,” coach JJ Redick said.

Bill Parcells once said you are what your record says you are, but that might not be the case with the Lakers, who are 17-7.

In their last six games, Lakers opponents have shot 49%, including 45% on threes. Redick’s team has allowed an average of 122 points per game.

“The things that help you win on the margins, we’re just not very good at right now,” Redick said.

The defense against the Spurs was particularly awful, the visitors making 50% of their threes in the first two periods to take a 70-58 lead into halftime with their franchise player Victor Wembanyama sidelined with a calf injury.

The Spurs’ athleticism clearly troubled the Lakers, who lack footspeed on the perimeter.

“They were just going downhill, driving and [kicking],” Lakers guard Luka Doncic said. “They scored like 10 three-pointers in the first half. They got up real quickly.”

Spurs guard Stephon Castle finished the game with 30 points. He was one of seven players to score in double figures. The Lakers were behind by as many as 24 points.

“Obviously, it’s a unique team,” Lakers forward LeBron James said. “They got six or seven guys that can break you off the dribble. Super fast, super quick.”

Unlike the Lakers, who have slow-moving guards in Doncic and Reaves, a 40-year-old player in James and an inconsistent center in Deandre Ayton.

The Lakers were eliminated in the playoffs last season by a more physically gifted team in the Minnesota Timberwolves and they once again look incapable of overcoming such a disadvantage this time around.

Asked what they could do to remedy their defensive shortcomings, James replied: “I mean, obviously, you can’t do it individually by yourself. It has to be five guys on a string, communication always at an all-time high, letting you know what’s going on behind you and things of that nature.”

Redick shared a similar view, but made it sound as if the process could take time. In the meantime, he said he expected Reaves to recover from his two-game slump.

Even after the Spurs game, Reaves ranked ninth in the NBA in scoring at 27.8 points per game.

“Yeah, look, the reality is the guy carried us for six weeks and that takes a toll on you,” Redick said. “He kept fighting and I appreciate that. But he’s gonna have a lot more great nights than frustrating nights.”

He better. More frustrating nights for Reaves figure to result in more frustrating nights for the Lakers.

Wintle is enjoying Cardiff’s new brand of football under Barry-Murphy, particularly as he is back in the first-team picture after time on the periphery.

The 28-year-old spent last season on loan at Millwall, but has started 15 of Cardiff’s 18 League One games in this campaign.

Wintle also captained the team in the win over Huddersfield earlier this month, wearing the armband for the first time since the 2023-24 season in the Championship.

“I’m loving it. With this manager, everyone has to be ready,” he added.

“You’ve got to make sure you’re playing well to keep your shirt. If you don’t, you’ll be out because we’ve got players sat on the bench that probably should play every week as well.”

Barry-Murphy has shown he is willing to rotate his players and bench senior figures such as Republic of Ireland forward Robinson, England international defender Calum Chambers and Perry Ng, who was voted Cardiff’s player of the year in the Championship.

All three have demonstrated they have a role to play, however, and the former Manchester City Under-21s coach has so far been vindicated with the faith he has shown in younger players.

“I think if we didn’t have Bri as the manager, there would be a bit of unknown, uncertainty in players, especially the older players, you think, ‘Oh, can we do it?’,” Wintle said.

“Myself and Perry have played League One and League Two for a few years when we were younger and we know it’s not easy. You can get bullied and eaten up but, with this manager, the way we play, it gives everyone freedom and you feel like you can’t get it wrong.

“So for me and for the young lads, it’s brilliant. Everyone knows their role and you feel like you go out there and you know exactly what’s going to happen.”

Hi and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Looks like the Dodgers found a new closer for Christmas.

The new closer

Well, the Dodgers did what many did not expect: give another long-term, big-money deal to a closer. They have agreed to a deal with former Mets closer Edwin Díaz on a three-year, $69-million deal. There will be $4.5 million deferred each year and the value of the contract as tabulated for luxury tax purposes will be $21 million per year. It’s a record for annual value for a reliever, breaking the record held by….. Díaz.

Díaz was considered by most to be the top reliever on the market. Last season with the Mets, he was 6-3 with a 1.63 ERA and 28 saves. In 66.1 innings, he gave up 37 hits and walked 21 while striking out 98. He turns 32 in March. He had three blown saves and allowed six of 15 inherited runners to score.

If there is a red flag here, it is that his fastball velocity has dropped from an average of 99 mph in 2023 to 97 mph last season. Which is still pretty fast of course.

You’ll forgive me for not doing somersaults over the deal yet. It could turn out to be an amazing signing. However, as we saw last season with Tanner Scott, relievers are like a box of chocolates: You never know what you are going to get. Díaz has a much better record of success than Scott did. But we’ve seen over the last few seasons what can happen with a signing (Scott, Kirby Yates), decline in form (Blake Treinen) or injuries (Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech, Brusdar Graterol).

But the Dodgers did need bullpen help, and they signed the best reliever on the market, so it’s hard to find fault in that.

You can read more on the signing in this story by Jack Harris.

And an analysis, which includes discussion of a possible salary cap, from Bill Shaikin here.

Fernando misses the Hall

The Contemporary Baseball Era Committee for the Baseball Hall of Fame met Sunday. It was a 16-member committee, and there were eight candidates to consider: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela.

The only person elected: Kent, wh was named on 14 ballots (you had to be on 12 for election).

The others:

Nine votes
Carlos Delgado

Six
Don Mattingly
Dale Murphy

Fewer than five
Barry Bonds
Roger Clemens
Gary Sheffield
Fernando Valenzuela

The committee made a big mistake in not electing Fernando, and really embarrassed itself by not giving him even five votes.

When you look at the numbers, Fernando is at best a borderline candidate. He won a Cy Young and Rookie of the Year award, but won only 173 games in his career.

However, when you consider what he meant for the sport in addition to his accomplishments as a player, he qualifies. The three players who created more baseball fans than any other are Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson and Fernando. The fact the Dodgers have a massive Latino following can be traced back to Fernando. He created fans in other cities. He opened MLB to an almost entirely untapped market.

But, some people look only at the numbers. Fernando should be in the Hall. So should Maury Wills. Unfortunately, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that either will make it.

And congratulation to Jeff Kent, who played for the Dodgers but will go into the Hall as a Giant. So, not that big of a congratulations. His election enhances the candidacy of another former Dodger: Chase Utley.

New book

Last week I told you about a new book by Ross Porter, the longtime Dodger announcer who used to do the “Ask Ross Porter” feature in this newsletter. The book, “The Ross Porter Chronicles — Volume 1: The Dodger Years,” is a compendium of interviews he has done over the years with Dodgers, including Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell, Ron Cey and Sandy Koufax.

Reaction was overwhelming, and as a result, they sold out of signed books. However, if you still want a signed copy to give to someone as a Christmas present (it would make a great gift for a Dodger fan), you have an alternative. You can order the book at Amazon. Make sure you have it shipped to you before Dec. 21. Ross will be signing books in person on Dec. 21 from 1-3 p.m. at Northridge Sports & Memorabilia, 9514 Reseda Blvd,, Unit 14.

Anyone who buys the book on Amazon can bring it to the signing, and Ross will sign it for free. He’ll also sign any Dodger items you bring.

It’s a great chance for you to meet a Dodger icon. Ross is 87. The icons from our Dodger childhood won’t be there forever. If you have a chance to go out there, I highly recommend it.

In case you missed it

Analysis: Could Dodgers’ Edwin Díaz signing portend more big moves later this offseason?

Starz picks up drama on gambling scandal involving Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter

Shaikin: Dodgers signing of Edwin Díaz shows they aren’t going to worry about a potential salary cap

Dodgers and Edwin Díaz agree to terms in blockbuster move to shore up bullpen

Former Dodgers, Giants slugger and noted curmudgeon Jeff Kent voted into the Hall of Fame

Fernando Valenzuela falls short of induction into National Baseball Hall of Fame

Metro votes to approve Dodger Stadium gondola project despite protests

And finally

Fernando Valenzuela pitches a no-hitter. Watch and listen here.

Until next time…

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Salah has the selfish streak and pride that is the preserve of all the greats – as was seen when then Manchester United manager Erik ten Haag, a Dutch countryman of Slot, dropped Cristiano Ronaldo at the end of his second spell at Old Trafford in November 2022.

Ronaldo’s response was to give an interview to Piers Morgan on TalkTV in which he complained, as Salah has effectively done now, that he was “betrayed by the club”.

Manchester United and Ronaldo agreed, within days, to cancel his contract.

Salah’s contract will not be cancelled.

Liverpool would, if they sold, demand a sizeable fee for a global figure who signed a new two-year contract in May, but such is the Egyptian’s strength of feeling, reconciliation looks difficult.

It remains to be seen whether Salah will even get the farewell he hinted at when Liverpool play Brighton on Saturday before he heads off to the Africa Cup of Nations.

So does the evidence support Salah’s assertion that “it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame” and that “someone doesn’t want me in the club”?

Salah has been a shadow of his old self this season. For the first time, someone who looked at the peak of his physical and footballing powers last season has started to look his age.

The contrast in numbers is stark and unflattering.

He was the inspiration as Liverpool won a 20th title last season, scoring 34 goals in 50 starts in all competitions. This term he has made 16 starts, scoring only five times.

Salah’s ability to do defensive dirty work was also called into question, with Chelsea‘s Marc Cucurella suggesting they targeted Liverpool‘s right flank in their 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge in October because he was “always ready to attack”.

Not a problem when Salah is providing a regular supply of goals, but brought into sharp relief when they dry up.

Salah, however, feels he is right to flag up he has hardly been Liverpool‘s only problem this season.

Swiss suffer third crash in a month by an Olympic champion in training ahead of World Cup and 2026 Milan Cortina Games.

Two-time Olympic champion Michelle Gisin has been airlifted from the course after crashing hard in a practice run for a World Cup downhill.

The 32-year-old Swiss skier hit the safety fences racing at more than 110km/h (69mph) on a cloudy morning on Thursday at St Moritz in practice for the downhills scheduled for Friday and Saturday, followed by a super-G on Sunday.

One of Gisin’s skis seemed to catch an edge approaching a fast left-hand turn, and she lost control, going straight on and hitting through the first layer of safety nets until being stopped by the second.

There was no immediate report of any injury. Television pictures showed Gisin conscious, lying by the course with scratches and cuts on her face as medics assessed her.

Gisin is the third current Olympic champion in the Swiss women’s Alpine ski team to crash in training in the past month, after Lara Gut-Behrami and Corinne Suter.

Gisin, who won gold in Alpine combined at the past two Winter Games, is currently the veteran leader of the Swiss women’s speed team because of injuries to her fellow 2022 Beijing Olympic champions.

Gut-Behrami’s Olympic season was ended after she tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee while crashing in practice last month at Copper Mountain, Colorado, in the United States.

Suter is off skis for about a month with calf, knee and foot injuries from a crash while training at St Moritz last month.

At the last Winter Games in China, Suter won the downhill, Gut-Behrami won the super-G — where Gisin took bronze — and Gisin took the final title in individual combined. The Swiss skiers have seven career Olympic medals.

Gisin crashed on Thursday when American star Lindsey Vonn was already on the course, having started her practice run. Vonn was stopped while Gisin received medical help and resumed her run later.

Vonn was fastest in the opening practice on Wednesday.

The Milan Cortina Olympics open on February 6 with a women’s Alpine skiing race at the storied Cortina d’Ampezzo hill.

Concerns had been raised in advance of the World Cup in September, primarily about how to limit risks in the high-speed sport, following the death of Italian skier Matteo Franzoso in a training accident in Chile.

The debate continued into the start of the Olympic ski season a month later, with prominent American skier Mikaela Shiffrin stating: “We are often training in conditions where the variables are just too many to control, and you have to decide sometimes: is this unreasonably dangerous?”

Since it first opened in 1923, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has been the sole home of USC football. No major sports team in the city’s history has played in the same venue for longer.

But after more than a century spent in the city’s iconic stadium, The Times has learned that the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games will likely force USC to find a new home for its football team in 2028, with the likeliest option being SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

Multiple people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to discuss it publicly told The Times that the Coliseum would not be ready for the start of college football season in September 2028 because of the $100-million temporary track that’s being built on top of the Coliseum field to host the track-and-field competition at the L.A. Olympics and Paralympic Games.

The logistics are still being worked out with L.A. 2028, and USC has not made a final decision about where the Trojans’ 2028 football season will be played. A source said the school hasn’t officially determined whether the Coliseum field could be ready later in the fall, perhaps to host a portion of USC’s 2028 home schedule. But even if it is logistically possible, it’s not clear that USC’s athletic department would find that arrangement in its best interest, given it would mean uprooting the team midseason or spending a long stretch of the 2028 slate away from L.A.

“USC and LA28 are working in lockstep on all logistics for the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” USC athletics spokesperson Cody Worsham said in a statement. “We will share details with the public when they are finalized.”

SoFi Stadium officials declined to comment when asked about USC’s possible move to the venue in 2028.

With the closing ceremonies of the Paralympic Games set for Aug. 27, 2028, there would be just two weeks for the temporary track to be removed and the grass field below to be restored ahead of USC’s currently scheduled 2028 home opener on Sept. 9. Multiple people told The Times that’s not a feasible timeline for a structure LA28 chairman Casey Wasserman once called “the most expensive and probably complicated thing we actually have to build” ahead of the 2028 Games.

This isn’t a new problem at USC. Discussions about the plausibility of the football program sharing the Coliseum with the Olympics in 2028 trace back well before current athletic director Jennifer Cohen was hired in 2023. The belief at one point, according to a person familiar with those discussions, was that with some clever scheduling, USC would only have to miss a home game or two.

Now, according to multiple people familiar with the situation, USC is expected to spend the 2028 season at SoFi Stadium, which hosts the NFL’s Rams and Chargers. By that point, it may also be the home field of the city’s other Big Ten football team.

UCLA has already stated it plans to trade the Rose Bowl, where it has played since 1982, for the modern SoFi Stadium, in spite of a lease agreement that runs through 2044. The city of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Operating Company have since sued the school and SoFi Stadium’s ownership in hopes of blocking the Bruins’ move.

If UCLA forges on with plans to abandon the Rose Bowl in 2026 for SoFi, all four of the city’s major football teams could be playing under the same roof two years later.

Those logistics, however, pale in comparison to what it will take to host Olympic track and field at the Coliseum in 2028, in the same stadium where the competition was held almost a century earlier. The biggest obstacle LA28 faced using an iconic venue that hosted the 1984 Olympics is that there wasn’t enough room on the Coliseum floor for an Olympic-sized track.

Renovations in the early 1990s added 14 rows of seats at the bottom of the bowl, shrinking the size of the Coliseum field. The solution requires installation of a track 11 feet above the field that stretches over the first few rows of stadium seating to met Olympic standards.

To build the temporary track, the Coliseum’s turf and the dirt beneath it will be scraped away, down to the stadium’s concrete base where columns will be placed about every 10 feet. That construction at the Coliseum is expected to begin immediately after the Trojans finish their home football schedule sometime in November 2027.

Bill Hanway, the executive vice president for AECOM — the infrastructure consulting firm hired to oversee LA28’s preparations — told The Times in June 2024 that the track was “an incredibly complex build” in “an incredibly tight space.”

Taking track down will be its own challenge, one that will take longer than the two-week window between the end of the Games and the beginning of USC’s 2028 slate. When a similar structure was built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, the soccer team that played in the stadium — Queen’s Park FC — didn’t return for more than a year.

Unless that timeline can be slashed, the Trojans will spend the 2028 season switching off Saturdays with their rivals, who, for one year, would be across-the-hallway as opposed to across town.

USC and UCLA shared the Coliseum for 54 years before the Bruins moved to the Rose Bowl in 1982. For 33 of those years, the Coliseum also hosted the Rams on Sundays.

If that feels too crowded to USC, the Rose Bowl is the only other option in town — and suddenly seems to be in serious need of a tenant.

But as of now, according to a person familiar with the situation, SoFi Stadium is the only venue that’s been discussed as a potential temporary home.

On the timescale of Tanner’s return, Barry-Murphy added: “He’ll obviously tell you he’s available much sooner, which is great because he feels so good and he’s looking so good.

“But I just think with the amount of time he’s been out for would mean that we just have to be mindful of building him back up to a healthy level of fitness before we expose him to the games he’s going to have to play.”

Meanwhile, centre-back Gabriel Osho is around two weeks away from a return following an injury to his big toe.

The 27-year-old sustained the injury during last week’s 5-1 EFL Trophy defeat at home by AFC Wimbledon.

“Gabriel Osho is back in partial training, so really good news on his toe injury, where there’s no fracture and we can build him back up pretty quickly,” said Barry-Murphy.

“I would say if today [training on Thursday] goes reasonably well, then I’d say he could be back within maybe two weeks. But I’m not certain, just because initially we thought there might be a fracture to his toe, and then it was looking as if it was going to be slightly longer term.

“The good news means there is no fracture. So if he starts to come through day by day, then that two-week period could be realistic.”

A shortlist of six contenders has been announced for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award for 2025.

Footballers Hannah Hampton and Chloe Kelly, rugby union player Ellie Kildunne, darts player Luke Littler, golfer Rory McIlroy and Formula 1 driver Lando Norris are the nominees.

Voting will take place during the show on BBC One, the BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website & app on Thursday, 18 December.

READ MORE: Sports Personality of the Year shortlist announced

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
BOYS
CITY SECTION
Arleta 61, Chavez 21
Bernstein 51, RFK Community 40
Bravo 70, Roosevelt 63
Canoga Park 68, Reseda 21
Carson 52, Wilmington Banning 44
Central City Value 51, Animo Bunche 46
Chatsworth 69, Sylmar 52
Contreras 51, Mendez 40
Diego Rivera 58, Iovine and Young Center 30
Downtown Magnets 96, Annenberg 20
Fairfax 65, LA University 26
Foshay 94, Horace Mann UCLA Community 49
Garfield 66, South East 33
Granada Hills Kennedy 52, Van Nuys 38
Hawkins 80, Port of Los Angeles 72
Huntington Park 51, South Gate 38
Jefferson 74, Santee 63
King/Drew 58, LA Jordan 52
LACES 38, Westchester 36
LA Hamilton 82, LA Wilson 65
Lincoln 56, Hollywood 40
Locke 60, Dymally 21
Los Angeles 70, Angelou 32
MSAR 39, Bert Corona Charter 38
MSCP 108, Stella 22
Orthopaedic 67, Aspire Ollin 18
Palisades 75, Venice 55
San Fernando 89, Panorama 38
Washington 86, Crenshaw 56
West Adams 58, Manual Arts 48

SOUTHERN SECTION
Ambassador 53, NOVA Academy 42
Anaheim Canyon 77, Norte Vista 63
Apple Valley 92, Barstow 87
Arcadia 58, Pasadena 53
Arroyo 58, El Rancho 51
Banning 61, Rubidoux 57
Bassett 56, EF Academy 30
Capistrano Valley 59, Laguna Beach 47
Chino Hills 68, Corona Santiago 62
Coachella Valley 59, Cathedral City 38
Corona Centennial 79, Calvary Chapel 30
Corona del Mar 64, Great Oak 43
CSDR 59, La Sierra Academy 28
Edgewood 53, Santa Ana Valley 23
Elsinore 65, Murrieta Valley 60
Estancia 64, Nogales 25
Etiwanda 58, Cypress 42
Foothill Tech 49, St. Bonaventure 46
Fountain Valley 65, Irvine University 47
Garden Grove 62, Magnolia 40
Glendora 70, Brea Olinda 65
Glenn 67, Eastside Christian 12
Grace 51, Villanova Prep 38
Heritage Christian 53, Aquinas 29
Holy Martyrs Armenian 60, Calvary Baptist 48
Knight 80, Palmdale 41
La Canada 67, La Puente 21
La Habra 59, Huntington Beach 50
La Palma Kennedy 38, Garden Grove Pacifica 36
Los Alamitos 89, Cerritos 54
Los Altos 83, Savanna 56
Marina 70, Ocean View 37
Mater Dei 90, Jurupa Hills 70
Mayfair 63, Warren 54
Millikan 61, Leuzinger 43
Mission Viejo 67, Sage Hill 60
Monrovia 67, Pomona 22
Montclair 62, Patriot 61
Oaks Christian 77, Simi Valley 32
Orange Vista 72, Heritage 61
Pacific Lutheran 65, Animo Leadership 51
PACS 60, Santa Clarita Christian 46
Paloma Valley 55, Moreno Valley 50
Pasadena Poly 59, Gabrielino 39
Peninsula 61, Temescal Canyon 53
Quartz Hill 73, Lancaster 53
Rancho Verde 83, Sonora 71
Redlands East Valley 81, Grand Terrace 41
Rialto 65, Granite Hills 23
Riverside King 79, Arlington 42
Rolling Hills Prep 79, CAMS 23
Samueli Academy 47, Century 42
San Gabriel 67, Pasadena Marshall 41
Santa Ana 48, Orange 35
Santa Barbara Providence 86, Oak Grove 34
Sierra Canyon 89, Rancho Christian 57
Silver Valley 68, Western Christian 57
Silverado 61, Ridgecrest Burroughs 24
South Hills 36, West Covina 35
St. John Bosco 62, Fairmont Prep 56
St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 83, Whittier 40
Valley View 65, Vista del Lago 64
Vasquez 76, St. Genevieve 68
Verbum Dei 64, Long Beach Wilson 58
Westlake 75, Buckley 62

INTERSECTIONAL
Alemany 66, Granada Hills 65
Duarte 69, CHAMPS 28
Garces Memorial 58, Paraclete 49
Legacy Christian Academy 66, Birmingham 47
Mira Mesa 60, Murrieta Mesa 48
Newport Beach Pacifica Christian 66, Seattle (WA) King’s 35
Rancho Mirage 65, Brawley 58
SEED: LA 85, Magnolia Science Academy 21

GIRLS
CITY SECTION
Animo Bunche 35, Central City Value 33
Annenberg 38, Downtown Magnets 4
Arleta 68, Chavez 6
Bell 50, Legacy 15
Carson 36, Wilmington Banning 33
Diego Rivera 47, Iovine and Young Center 3
Foshay 39, Horace Mann UCLA Community 25
Garfield 62, South East 31
Granada Hills Kennedy 72, Van Nuys 8
Hawkins 79, Port of Los Angeles 32
Huntington Park 57, South Gate 17
LA Fairfax 40, LA University 19
LA Wilson 64, Elizabeth 6
Locke 30, Dymally 10
Los Angeles 30, Angelou 28
Mendez 19, Contreras 16
MSCP 46, Stella 15
Palisades 60, Venice 56
Reseda 36, Canoga Park 18
RFK Community 44, Bernstein 32
San Fernando 54, Panorama 18
San Pedro 78, Rancho Dominguez 7
Verdugo Hills 47, North Hollywood 36
West Adams 51, Manual Arts 12
Westchester 84, LACES 34

SOUTHERN SECTION
Acaciawood 39, Liberty Christian 10
Alemany 74, YULA 34
Aliso Niguel 52, Capistrano Valley 29
Apple Valley 51, Barstow 21
Arcadia 59, Pasadena 29
Banning 33, Rubidoux 16
Carpinteria 54, Nordhoff 39
Carter 65, La Sierra 23
Citrus Valley 56, Perris 30
Colony 45, Fontana 42
Compton Centennial 41, San Gabriel Academy 36
CSDR 66, La Sierra Academy 8
Dana Hills 45, Northwood 40
Dominguez 56, La Puente 24
Fillmore 46, Channel Islands 34
Flintridge Sacred Heart 51, Burbank Providence 32
Garden Grove 33, Los Amigos 29
Glendora 67, Patriot 27
Heritage 74, Chaparral 37
Hesperia Christian 45, Arrowhead Christian 33
Indian Springs 47, Tahquitz 42
La Serna 57, La Habra 28
Long Beach Wilson 46, Whitney 42
Los Amigos 37, Santa Ana Valley 28
Milken 53, Notre Dame Academy 39
Montclair 33, Arroyo 19
Norwalk 66, Workman 24
Ontario Christian 98, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 25
Pasadena Poly 65, Westridge 9
Redlands 60, Arlington 29
Redondo Union 50, Harvard-Westlake 37
Rosamond 57, Desert 13
Rosary Academy 70, Wiseburn Da Vinci 39
St. Lucy’s 25, Bloomington 11
St. Margaret’s 52, El Toro 46
Sunny Hills 47, Paramount 40
Temecula Valley 42, Desert Christian Academy 35
Thousand Oaks 63, Canyon Country Canyon 43
Upland 39, Temescal Canyon 38
Vista Murrieta 48, Ayala 47
Walnut 52, Millikan 40
Yorba Linda 44, Northview 28

INTERSECTIONAL
Birmingham 52, La Canada 41
Centennial (CO) Eagle Crest
Gertz-Ressler 36, Beverly Hills 31