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From Bill Plaschke: So now it’s official, Bronny James is entering next month’s NBA draft and I know what you’re thinking and …
No.
So now it’s obvious, LeBron James’ oldest child has a chance to play with his father and, wow, wouldn’t that be …
No!
So now it’s happening, the Lakers are going to pick Bronny so they can re-sign LeBron and …
No, no, no!
The Lakers should not draft Bronny James under any circumstances, with any pick, absolutely not, steer clear, take a pass, blow him off, take somebody else, anybody else.
Adding Bronny James to the Lakers would be like lighting up a cigarette at the gas pump.
Their lack of self-restraint would result in an explosion.
It was confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday that Bronny, 19, officially is leaving college after one season at USC and turning pro.
Bronny wasn’t too impressive as a Trojan, averaging five points, three rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes per game after suffering a cardiac arrest episode the previous summer. However, he was one of the best players in the recent NBA draft combine and later shone for every team during a pro day at the Lakers practice facility.
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DODGERS
From Mike DiGiovanna: The defensive contributions of Miguel Rojas have been notable considering how little he has played this season, the Dodgers utility man accumulating two defensive runs saved in just 62 innings at second base and one defensive run saved in just 118 innings at shortstop, according to Fangraphs.
But there are no advanced metrics to quantify the impact and influence Rojas has had on fellow infielders Mookie Betts, Gavin Lux and Max Muncy, who have combined for 13 defensive runs saved entering Friday night’s game against the Colorado Rockies.
“If there was, I want to know the number,” Dodgers third-base coach Dino Ebel said, “because it would be as high on the chart as I think you could get.”
Rojas is 35 and nearing the end of a big-league career in which he has spent 11 years as a slick-fielding, light-hitting infielder. The Dodgers’ regular shortstop in 2023, Rojas has played a part-time role this season, starting just 23 of 58 games entering the weekend.
Jorge López cut by Mets after throwing temper tantrum — and glove — against Dodgers
ANGELS
Aaron Judge hit his 275th home run, Juan Soto broke things open with a bases-clearing triple in the seventh inning and the New York Yankees beat the Angels 8-3 on Thursday night when a pair of streaks ended.
Anthony Volpe went 0 for 4, ending his hitting streak at 21 games. He matched Arizona’s Ketel Marte for the longest in the majors this season.
Carlos Rodón (7-2) allowed three runs in six-plus innings, ending the starting staff’s MLB-record run in which they had gone at least five innings and allowed two runs or fewer in 16 games.
Logan O’Hoppe hit his fourth home run in eight games, but the Angels’ home woes continued. They dropped five of six during their homestand and are 7-21 at The Big A this season.
Judge joined Lou Gehrig as the only Yankees players to have at least 12 home runs and 12 doubles in a calendar month with a two-run shot off Patrick Sandoval (2-8) in the fourth inning. Gehrig accomplished the feat in July 1930.
SPARKS
Marina Mabrey scored 20 points and tied a career high with six three-pointers, Elizabeth Williams had 17 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks and the Chicago Sky beat the Sparks 83-73 on Thursday night for their first home win of the season.
Mabrey gave Chicago a 21-point lead with 6:59 remaining in the third quarter. The Sparks battled back, closing on a 20-8 run to get within 67-58 entering the fourth. The Sky committed 10 fouls in the third quarter, turned it over six times and allowed 27 points.
The Sparks were within 78-69 with 2:16 left after Rickea Jackson completed a three-point play, but rookie Angel Reese made a shot in the lane on back-to-back possessions to extend Chicago’s lead to 82-69.
The Sparks were slowed by 18 turnovers.
NBA PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE
All times Pacific
Conference finals
Western Conference
No. 3 Minnesota vs. No. 5 Dallas
Dallas 108, at Minnesota 105 (box score)
Dallas 109, at Minnesota 108 (box score)
at Dallas 116, Minnesota 107 (box score)
Minnesota 105, at Dallas 100 (box score)
Dallas 124, at Minnesota 103 (box score)
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Boston vs. No. 6 Indiana
at Boston 133, Indiana 128 (OT) (box score)
at Boston 126, Indiana 110 (box score)
Boston 114, at Indiana 111 (box score)
Boston 105, at Indiana 102 (box score)
NBA Finals
Thursday at Boston, 5:30 p.m., ABC
Sunday, June 9 at Boston, 5 p.m., ABC
Wed., June 12 at Dallas, 5:30 p.m., ABC
Friday, June 14 at Dallas, 5:30 p.m., ABC
*Monday, June 17 at Boston, 5:30 p.m., ABC
*Thursday, June 20 at Dallas, 5:30 p.m., ABC
*Sunday, June 23, at Boston, 5 p.m., ABC
*-if necessary
UCLA SOFTBALL
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Jordan Woolery knows how to make a good first impression.
The sophomore making her Women’s College World Series debut launched a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to lead UCLA to a 4-1 win over No. 14 Alabama on Thursday at Oklahoma City’s Devon Park.
The No. 6 Bruins (43-10) will play in the winners bracket Saturday at noon PDT (ABC) against No. 2 Oklahoma, which won 9-1 in six innings over No. 10 Duke on Thursday.
Woolery, last season’s Pac-12 freshman of the year, is part of a large UCLA sophomore class experiencing the World Series for the first time. Players arrived Monday and went through the gantlet of media interviews and promotional shoots.
COLLEGE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES
From Anthony De Leon: Pomona-Pitzer baseball players repeated a mantra — “This is for Cleveland” — after every early-morning weightlifting session and practice as they prepared for the 2024 season.
The team that never was a factor in the Division III College World Series in Cleveland wasn’t afraid to set big goals.
A few months later, the Sagehens are somehow five wins from finishing the greatest season in school history.
No. 4 seed Pomona-Pitzer (37-12) touched down in Cleveland on Tuesday afternoon. The team is gearing up for its first College World Series matchup in school history, facing off against No. 5 seed Misericordia University on Friday at 7 a.m. PDT.
NHL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE
All times Pacific
Conference finals
Western Conference
C1 Dallas vs. P2 Edmonton
Edmonton 3, at Dallas 2 (2 OT) (box score)
at Dallas 3, Edmonton 1 (box score)
Dallas 5, at Edmonton 3 (box score)
at Edmonton 5, Dallas 2 (box score)
Friday at Dallas, 5:30 p.m., TNT
Sunday at Edmonton, 5 p.m., TNT
*Tuesday at Dallas, 5:30 p.m., TNT
Eastern Conference
M1 New York Rangers vs. A1 Florida
Florida 3, at New York 0 (box score)
at New York 2, Florida 1 (OT) (box score)
New York 5, Florida 4 (OT) (box score)
at Florida 3, New York 2 (OT) (box score)
Florida 3, at New York 2 (box score)
Saturday at Florida, 5 p.m., ABC
*Monday at New York, 5 p.m., ESPN
Stanley Cup Final
Game 1: Saturday, June 8, TBD, ESPN
Game 2: Monday, June 10, TBD, ESPN
Game 3: Thursday, June 13, TBD, ESPN,
Game 4: Saturday, June 15, TBD, ESPN
*Game 5: Tuesday, June 18, TBD, ESPN
*Game 6: Friday, June 21, TBD, ESPN
*Game 7: Monday, June 24, TBD, ESPN
*-if necessary
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1927 — Detroit first baseman Johnny Neun records an unassisted triple play in the ninth inning to end the 1-0 win over the Cleveland Indians. Neun grabs a Homer Summa line drive, tags Charlie Jamieson at first and outruns Glenn Myatt to tag second.
1942 — Sam Snead wins the PGA Championship, beating Jim Turnesa in the final round 2 and 1.
1949 — Sam Snead wins the PGA Championship, defeating Johnny Palmer in the final round 3 and 2.
1965 — Jim Clark becomes the first non-U.S. driver in 49 years to win the Indianapolis 500.
1983 — The Philadelphia 76ers win the NBA championship with a 115-108 victory over the Lakers, completing a four-game sweep.
1987 — The Edmonton Oilers win their third Stanley Cup by beating the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1 in Game 7.
1997 — Ila Borders becomes the first woman to pitch in a regular-season pro baseball game, in the sixth inning of the St. Paul Saints’ Northern League game against Sioux Falls. She struggles, giving up three earned runs without getting an out.
2008 — Usain Bolt sets the world record in the 100 meters with a time of 9.72 seconds at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York. Bolt is .02 seconds faster than the old record held by fellow Jamaican, Asafa Powell.
2009 — Rafael Nadal’s unbeaten run at the French Open ends when the four-time defending champion loses to Robin Soderling of Sweden 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2) in the fourth round. Nadal’s record winning streak at Roland Garros ends at 31 matches.
2021 — Naomi Osaka pulls out of the French Open citing her mental health, after refusing to appear at compulsory post match news conferences.
Compiled by the Associated Press
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 houston.mitchell@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.