Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.’s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
From Mark Zeigler: During the first timeout at NRG Stadium, they introduced the four astronauts chosen for NASA’s Artemis II scheduled to circle the moon next year, the first crewed mission to venture that far into outer space in more than 50 years.
Then San Diego State’s basketball players walked on the floor for their own lunar mission.
It failed. They missed the moon. They landed among the stars.
There were the inevitable tears in the locker room, the deafening silence, the palpable disappointment, following Connecticut’s 76-59 victory against the Aztecs in the national championship game Monday night. But the fact that they were even here – 25 years after ranking among the most woebegone programs in Division I, 12 years after never having won an NCAA Tournament game – offered a piece of bittersweet chocolate for a city still starving for its first major sports championship.
“San Diego State, we put our name on the map,” senior forward Keshad Johnson said. “We put our school on the map. We’re recognized now. Win or loss, I’m sure everybody respects us.”
They finish 32-7 and remain the first team in school or Mountain West history to reach the Elite Eight, Final Four or championship game, remain forever embedded in San Diego sports lore for the dramatic comebacks, for the buzzer beaters, for the magical ride.
They don’t, however, become only the third team from the Pacific time zone to win a national title since John Wooden retired in 1975 and the UCLA dynasty ended.
UConn became U-can’t.
The Huskies were too big, too long, too fast, too deep, too skilled, too focused, too tough, too everything. Too much.
Enjoying this newsletter? Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times
Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a subscriber.
DODGERS
From Mike DiGiovanna: Dodger Stadium felt more like early season Chicago on Monday night, with a wind-chill factor of about 50 degrees and gusts of 13-15 mph whipping the flags behind center field into a frenzy and turning a few fly balls and infield popups into adventures.
So it was no surprise that the game–especially for one crazy inning–resembled one of those wild Wrigley Field affairs, with the Dodgers and Colorado Rockies combining for 11 runs, eight hits and four walks in the fifth inning.
When the haymakers stopped flying, it was the Dodgers who were standing, riding their seven-run, five-hit outburst in the fifth to a 13-4 victory before a Julio Urias bobblehead crowd of 49,792 in Chavez Ravine.
Rookie outfielder James Outman and veteran outfielder Jason Heyward each drove in three runs, Outman with a pair of triples and Heyward with a homer and sacrifice fly, and Chris Taylor (third inning) and Will Smith (eighth) each crushed two-run homers to pace a 13-hit attack.
Dodgers display talented promise, but also potential volatility, in opening series
ANGELS
From Sarah Valenzuela: Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon was suspended and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball on Monday for an incident with a fan after the team’s opening-night game. He will miss four games, beginning with the Angels’ game Monday night in Seattle
After the Angels’ loss to the Oakland Athletics on Thursday at Oakland Coliseum, Rendon was seen — in a video that was widely circulated the following day — grabbing the shirt of a fan in the stands and cursing at him as the team walked back to the clubhouse from the field.
Rendon elected to appeal his suspension and was in the lineup about three hours before the first pitch against the Mariners. MLB then reduced his suspension from five games to four.
“My emotions got the best of me,” Rendon told reporters in Seattle after the suspension was reduced. “I’m usually pretty good about interacting with fans … have fun with it. But the gentleman, we spoke on the phone, and we both apologized about what had happened. And so we’re both ready to move forward.
“I can’t be mad, right? I’m a fan of other sports. I like heckling too.”
————
Shohei Ohtani hit his second home run of the season, Taylor Ward added a two-run shot in the eighth inning and the Angels beat the Seattle Mariners 7-3 on Monday night.
Ohtani drove a 1-and-1 pitch from George Kirby (0-1) an estimated 431 feet into the right-center field seats in the fifth inning for a 4-2 lead. Ohtani had grounded out in his first two at-bats before the rare home run off Kirby, who surrendered only one long ball during the final three months of last season.
Next Angels star in the making? Logan O’Hoppe striving to excel as a rookie catcher
NFL
From Sam Farmer: Everybody knows Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson can throw the deep ball.
But how about the curve ball?
This 2.0 version of the Los Angeles Times mock draft has the Carolina Panthers passing on more seasoned quarterback prospects Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, and instead using the No. 1 pick on a physical specimen who is light on experience but heavy on potential.
A look at one way the opening round could unfold:
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1921 — The NHL champion Ottawa Senators beat the Pacific Coast Hockey Association champion Vancouver Millionaires 2-1 to win the Stanley Cup 3 games to 2.
1937 — Byron Nelson shoots a 283 to win the Masters by two strokes over Ralph Guldahl.
1938 — Henry Picard beats Ralph Guldahl and Harry Cooper by two strokes to capture the Masters.
1959 — France beats Wales, 11-3 at Stade Colombes to win the Five Nations Rugby Championship outright for the first time.
1974 — Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth’s home-run record by hitting his 714th.
1983 — Lorenzo Charles scores on a dunk after Derek Whittenburg’s 35-foot desperation shot falls short to give North Carolina State a 54-52 triumph over Houston in the NCAA championship.
1985 — Tulane University cancels its basketball season.
1986 — Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky breaks his own NHL single-season points record with three assists to increase his total to 214. He scored 212 points in 1981-82.
1987 — New York’s Denis Potvin, the highest-scoring defenseman in NHL history, scores his 1,000th point.
1988 — Danny Manning scores 31 points and grabs 18 rebounds as Kansas wins its second NCAA championship with an 83-79 victory over Oklahoma.
1989 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar plays final NBA game.
1993 — Sheryl Swoopes shatters the women’s championship game record by scoring 47 points to lead Texas Tech to an 84-82 victory over Ohio State.
1993 — Mario Andretti, at 53, wins the Valvoline 200 in Phoenix to become the oldest driver to win an Indy car race and the first driver to win a race in four different decades.
1994 — Arkansas wins its first men’s national championship with a 76-72 victory over Duke, depriving the Blue Devils of a third title in four years.
1998 — Mark McGwire ties Willie Mays’ National League record by hitting a home run in each of his first four games. McGwire launches a towering three-run shot in the sixth inning of an 8-6 victory over the San Diego
2001 — Hideo Nomo becomes the fourth pitcher in major league history to throw a no-hitter in both leagues in Boston’s 3-0 victory over Baltimore.
2003 — Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs becomes the 18th player to hit 500 homers, connecting for a solo shot in a 10-9 loss to Cincinnati.
2004 — Carolina’s Brad Fast beat Florida goalie Roberto Luongo with a wrist shot to tie the game at 6-6 late in the third period. It’s the final tie game in NHL history.
2005 — North Carolina defeats Illinois to win the NCAA Division I men’s basketball championship. Sean May has 26 points and the Tar Heels don’t allow a basket over the final 2 1/2 minutes to defeat Illinois 75-70.
2011 — Kemba Walker scores 16 points and Alex Oriakhi has 11 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots to lead Connecticut to a 53-41 win over Butler in the men’s NCAA championship game.
2015 — The United States defends their women’s world hockey championship with a 7-5 win over Canada.
2016 — Kris Jenkins hits a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Villanova to the national title with a 77-74 victory over North Carolina — one of the wildest finishes in the history of the NCAA Tournament. Jenkins’ shot comes moments after Marcus Paige hit a double-clutch 3 from beyond the arc to tie the game at 74 with 4.7 seconds left.
—Compiled by the Associated Press
And finally…
Jim Valvano and North Carolina State wins the title in 1983. Watch and listen here.
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.