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From Bill Plaschke: Dear LeBron, … ask out.
Dear A.D., … follow him.
This is my Christmas wish for a Lakers franchise that has lost the town to the Dodgers, lost the season because of a lousy roster, and just lost by 41 points to Pat Riley.
After a quarter of the season, the Lakers are no better than a bottom seed in the Western Conference, surely headed for a third consecutive appearance in the play-in tournament, seemingly destined for a second consecutive first-round knockout.
It’s over. Already. There is no hope. Again. With no first-round draft pick and suffocating salaries, they might not be any better next year. Really.
Amid a 3-7 skid that was tempered only briefly by a 107-98 victory over a horrible Portland Trail Blazers team Sunday, there is dread and desperation among the Lakers masses, which has led to two legitimate questions somebody in the organization should be asking.
Does LeBron James really want to end his career mired in mediocrity? Does Anthony Davis really want to spend the rest of his prime in the shadows of irrelevancy?
With the Lakers’ slide rolling into a Dec. 15 landmark — that’s the date when teams can first trade players such as James who signed new contracts last summer — the timing is right for the most obvious truth.
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DODGERS
From Jack Harris: Last year, the Dodgers entered Major League Baseball’s winter meetings as one of the most intriguing clubs in the league, as they awaited an outcome to the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes.
This year, the team has been somewhat under the radar at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, having already executed several key pieces of offseason business.
Last week, the team addressed its need in the starting rotation, landing two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell on a five-year, $182 million contract. On Sunday, it re-signed Blake Treinen in the bullpen and added veteran Michael Conforto for outfield depth — all while another target, Juan Soto, agreed to a record-breaking $765 million deal with the New York Mets.
Nonetheless, the Dodgers’ winter to-do list isn’t complete yet. And after manager Dave Roberts and general manager Brandon Gomes met with reporters on Monday, here are five story lines to follow as the rest of the meetings, and the winter, progress.
‘A Shohei economy’: How Shohei Ohtani’s first year transformed the Dodgers financially
MLB auction: Aaron Judge’s dropped World Series ball can be yours
RAMS
From Gary Klein: The Rams’ decision last week to claim cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr., a 2023 first-round draft pick, off waivers from the Washington Commanders could pay an immediate dividend.
Rams coach Sean McVay said Monday that cornerback Cobie Durant suffered a lung bruise during the Rams’ victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday and that his status for Thursday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers is to be determined.
Durant, a third-year pro, began the season playing in the slot but was moved to the outside opposite Darious Williams after Tre’Davious White struggled. On Sunday, Durant made one tackle and defended a pass in the 44-42 victory over the Bills that improved the Rams’ record to 7-6.
CHARGERS
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Elijah Molden returned to the visiting locker room in Arrowhead Stadium to find congratulatory messages on his phone. The Chargers defensive back didn’t find any reasons to celebrate.
“There’s no such thing as almost,” said Molden, who had an interception negated by a penalty in the Chargers’ 19-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
For the second time this season, the Chargers (8-5) were left recounting the mistakes and missed opportunities in a close loss to the Chiefs. The two-time defending Super Bowl champions bounced a 31-yard field goal off the upright and through the goal posts as time expired Sunday to clinch their ninth consecutive AFC West title.
Four takeaways from the loss:
ANGEL CITY
From Kevin Baxter: Angel City sacked coach Becki Tweed on Monday, the second major casualty in the team’s command structure in four days following the worst season in the young franchise’s short history.
General manager Angela Hucles Mangano was fired last week.
Tweed was named Angel City’s interim coach midway through the 2023 season and guided the team on an 11-game unbeaten streak that led to its only playoff appearance. That earned her the full-time manager job, but the team struggled last season, going 7-13-6. Only one NWSL team gave up more goals than the 42 Angel City allowed and the team’s goal differential of -18 was also second-worst.
U.S. women’s soccer team set to face Brazil at SoFi Stadium
DUCKS
Patrik Laine scored in regulation and added the winner in the shootout as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Ducks 3-2 on Monday night.
Kirby Dach scored his first goal in 20 games as the Canadiens rebounded after blowing a two-goal lead on home ice Saturday against the Washington Capitals. Montreal has won three of its last four games.
Troy Terry scored his team-leading seventh and eighth goals of the season for the Ducks. Lukas Dostal made 19 saves as the Ducks lost their third straight game of a four-game trip.
HEISMAN TROPHY
Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and Miami’s Cam Ward were announced as the Heisman Trophy finalists on Monday night.
The Heisman has been given to the nation’s most outstanding college football player since 1935. This year’s winner will be announced Saturday in New York. The top four top vote-getters determined by more than 900 voters — the panel includes members of the media and former Heisman winners — are selected as finalists.
A look at the finalists’ road to Manhattan:
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1939 — The Green Bay Packers register the first shutout in an NFL championship game by beating the New York Giants 27-0.
1971 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scores a career-high 55 points in Milwaukee’s 120-104 victory over the Boston Celtics.
1982 — Michael Dokes knocks out Mike Weaver in the first round to capture the WBA heavyweight title in Las Vegas.
1985 — The Indiana Pacers make only 19 field goals in an 82-64 loss to the New York Knicks, setting an NBA record for the fewest field goals made by one team since the inception of the shot clock.
1992 — The NHL awards expansion franchises to Anaheim and Miami. The newcomers, scheduled to begin play in the 1993-94 season, bring the NHL to 26 teams.
1994 — Art Monk sets an NFL record for consecutive games with a reception on New York’s first play in the Jets’ 18-7 loss to the Detroit Lions. Monk’s five-yard catch gives him 178 consecutive games with a reception, breaking Steve Largent’s NFL mark.
1999 — Laffit Pincay Jr. guides Irish Nip to a two-length victory in the sixth race at Hollywood Park for his 8,834th victory, breaking Bill Shoemaker’s 29-year-old record and making him the world’s winningest jockey.
2006 — LaDainian Tomlinson breaks Shaun Alexander’s NFL single-season touchdown record of 28 when he scores three times in the San Diego Chargers’ 48-20 victory over the Denver Broncos. Tomlinson has 26 TDs rushing and three receiving.
2006 — Marvin Harrison of Indianapolis is the fourth player in NFL history with 1,000 receptions, joining Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Cris Carter.
2008 — Carmelo Anthony matches George Gervin’s NBA record for points in a quarter with 33 in the third and finishes with a season-high 45 points in Denver’s 116-105 victory over Minnesota.
2010 — George Karl earns his 1,000th coaching victory, the seventh coach in NBA history, as the Denver Nuggets hold off the Toronto Raptors 123-116.
2016 — 82nd Heisman Trophy Award: Lamar Jackson, Louisville Cardinals (QB), youngest player to win at 19.
2016 — Army ends a 14-year run of frustration against Navy, using an overpowering running game and opportunistic defense to carve out a long overdue 21-17 victory.
2016 — Roman Torres scores in the sixth round of penalty kicks to give the Seattle Sounders their first MLS Cup title, 5-4 over Toronto FC after 120 scoreless minutes. It’s the first MLS Cup final to fail to produce a goal in regulation, setting the stage for a dramatic tiebreaker.
2017 — Ben Roethlisberger completes 44 of a franchise-record 66 passes for 506 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to top 500 yards passing three times and leading Pittsburgh past Baltimore 39-38. Antonio Brown caught 11 passes for 213 yards for Pittsburgh.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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