Sports Desk

Freddie, meet Freddie.

It was excruciating. It was exhausting. It was ecstatic.

It was Fred-die, Fred-die, Fred-die, forever.

Repeating history, rocking the Ravine, winning the unwinnable, Freddie Freeman has done it again for the Dodgers, knocking a baseball for a second consecutive October into probably a second consecutive championship.

In the 18th inning of the longest World Series game in baseball history Monday, nearly seven hours after it started, Freeman smashingly ended it with a leadoff home run against the Toronto Blue Jays to give the Dodgers a 6-5 victory and a two-games-to-one lead.

This time last year he was hitting an extra-inning, walk-off grand slam against the New York Yankees that propelled the Dodgers to the title. At the time, he was being compared to Kirk Gibson and his memorable 1988 World Series homer.

This time, he can only be compared to himself, a guy who was struggling so much in the postseason that both Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts had been intentionally walked in front of him late in the game.

Three times in extra innings, he could have ended the game with a hit. Three times he left runners stranded.

But, finally, Freddie once again became Freddie, driving the ball deep over the center field fence, thrusting his right hand in the air, and watching his teammates dancing and jumping and screaming with a jubilation not previously seen by this workmanlike team this postseason.

“I don’t think you ever come up with the scenario twice,” said Freeman. “To have it happen again, it’s kind of amazing, crazy, and I’m just glad we won.”

Nobody seemed happier than Ohtani, who left the scrum to run down to the bullpen to embrace teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Despite throwing a complete game two days ago, Yamamoto was preparing to pitch in this game because the Dodgers had run out of arms.

It was that kind of night. It was two seventh-inning stretches. It was umpires nearly running out of baseballs. It was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. eating in the dugout.

“It’s one of the greatest World Series games of all time,” said Dodger Manager Dave Roberts while meeting the media after midnight. “Emotional. I’m spent emotionally. We got a ball game later tonight, which is crazy.”

When Ohtani returned toward the dugout he was hugged by water-spraying teammates, and for good reason.

Throughout the night Ohtani once again wrapped Dodger Stadium in his giant arms and shook it down to its ancient roots.

The win was set up after Tommy Edman made a perfect relay throw to the plate to gun down Davis Schneider in the top of the 10th, then Clayton Kershaw dramatically worked out of a base-loaded inherited jam in the 12th.

But before Freeman’s homer, Ohtani owned the night.

He led off the game with a ground-rule double. Then he gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead with a third-inning homer. Then he closed a 4-2 deficit with a fifth-inning RBI double. Then he tied the game at 5-all with a seventh inning home run.

Then, his aura became even crazier.

Four times in a five-inning stretch from the ninth inning to the 15th, Ohtani was intentionally walked — drawing a fifth walk on four pitches in the 17th. Twice the bases were empty. Once he had to pause at second base to relieve leg cramping. It was nuts.

Imagine a player so dangerous he is given a base four times with a World Series game on the line. One can’t imagine. That’s Ohtani.

“He’s a unicorn,” said Freeman. “There’s no more adjectives you can use to describe him.”

Remember 10 days ago when Ohtani had three home runs and struck out 10? Monday night was nearly as impressive because it was in the World Series, his four extra-base hits tying a record that had last been set in 1906.

And, yeah, he pitches again Tuesday in Game 4, so by the time you comprehend all this, he may have done it again.

“Our starting pitcher got on base nine times tonight,” said Freeman with wonder.

Ohtani was so good, he was better than the Dodgers bad, which included bad baserunning, bad fielding, and a bit of questionable managing.

The Dodgers stranded the winning run on base in the ninth,10th, 11th, and 13th, 14th and 15th inning and 16th…and really should have won it in the 13th.

That’s when Roberts surprisingly batted for Kiké Hernández after a Tommy Edman leadoff double. Miguel Rojas bunted Edman to third, but Alex Call and Freeman couldn’t get him home.

That was only one of numerous potentially game-changing plays on a night when the Dodgers took a 2-0 lead, fell behind 4-2, tied it up at 4-all, fell behind 5-4, then tied it up again in the seventh. Who’d have thought it would remain tied for the next 11 innings?The Dodgers left 18 men on base. They were two-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

Max Muncy went 0-for-7. Mookie Betts went 1-for-8. Freeman was just 2-for-7.

“Weird how the game works sometimes, huh?” said Freeman.

The official time of this one was 6:39, which wasn’t so long that one thought of actor Jason Bateman’s reminder to the crowd during a pregame cheer. He noted that the Dodgers had not clinched a World Series championship at Dodger Stadium since 1963.

Two wins in the next two days and they’ll finally do it again.

After Monday’s doubleheader sweep, it’s hard to believe they won’t.

Teoscar Hernandez, who had struck out in all four of his at-bats in game two, opened the scoring for the Dodgers with a home run in the second inning.

Ohtani doubled the lead with a solo shot of his own in the third, before the Blue Jays’ bats woke up in the top of the fourth inning.

A fielding error by second baseman Tommy Edman allowed the Canadians to put two men on base, Alejandro Kirk lifted his second homer of the series over the centre-field fence for a 3-2 lead, before Andres Gimenez’s sacrifice fly made it 4-2.

Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer became the first man to pitch for four different teams in the World Series, but he departed in the fifth inning and that was the cue for the Dodgers to level the scores.

Ohtani’s third hit of the night scored Enrique Hernandez, before Freeman drove in Ohtani from second base for 4-4.

The pendulum swung back towards Toronto in the seventh when Bo Bichette’s line drive to the right field corner allowed Vladimir Guerrero Jr to score from first base, but Ohtani’s second homer of the night tied the scores again at 5-5, and the game remained deadlocked after that.

Both sides stranded multiple baserunners on several occasions, and neither was able to conjure a run with the bases loaded.

Ohtani was intentionally walked, external four times and was caught stealing second base, while Toronto pinch-runner Davis Schneider was thrown out at home plate in the 10th, and veteran Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw made a cameo appearance from the bullpen in his final series before retirement.

Eventually, with both sides running out of bench players, Freeman lifted reliever Brendon Little over centre field to win it.

The series continues with game four on Tuesday, again at Dodger Stadium, when Ohtani will be the starting pitcher.

Injuries nearly swallowed the Lakers whole Monday night, leaving them short on ballhandlers, key role players and star power.

They were down seven players and they were playing on back-to-back nights to top it off, leaving the task daunting for the Lakers.

Still, the Lakers had to press on against the odds, which they were unable to overcome in falling 122-108 to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Austin Reaves did his best to keep the Lakers in the game, scoring 41 points one night after scoring a career-high 51 at Sacramento. Reaves now has scored 143 points in the first four games this season, tying him with Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor (1962) for the most points in Lakers’ history over that span to start the season.

Rui Hachimura (16 points) and Deandre Ayton (16 points, eight rebounds) tried to help out.

But with guard Luka Doncic (left finger sprain, lower left leg contusion) and LeBron James (right sciatica) out, it was going to be tough for the Lakers. Then with guards Marcus Smart (right quad contusion) and Gabe Vincent (left ankle sprain) down, it meant the Lakers were in deeper trouble without much of their backcourt. Add Maxi Kleber (abdominal muscle strain), Jaxson Hayes (right patellar tendinopathy) and Adou Thiero (left knee surgery recovery) sitting the bench in street clothes, and it was too much for the Lakers to deal with.

The Lakers have two more games this week, at Minnesota on Wednesday night and at Memphis on Friday, meaning L.A. will have played four games this week while not being whole.

Along with Reaves and Ayton, the Lakers started Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura and Jake LaRavia.

The Lakers’ bench consisted of Dalton Knecht, Bronny James, Chris Manon and Christian Koloko, the last two of whom are on two-way contracts — leaving them with nine available players.

“I don’t expect anybody to do more than they’re doing,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “What we challenged the guys on before the game was playing with an edge. And that’s a habit that I think takes time to form. We saw glimpses of it throughout the preseason. You’re just kind of waiting on it. You hope you get it opening night. And then you finally start seeing it when we’re in Game 2 against Minnesota. And I thought the guys throughout the game yesterday [in Sacramento] just had a terrific competitive edge. That’s what we need. And that’s regardless if we have a full roster or … how many guys are out? Six? Seven? Seven. Seven guys out. Yeah, we gotta do it.”

Taking care of the basketball was one of the problems the Lakers had. Then again that wasn’t a total surprise, considering the Lakers really had just one ballhander in Reaves and he was harassed all night by Portland.

The Lakers turned the ball over 25 times, leading to 28 points for the Trail Blazers.

The Lakers didn’t do it from the three-point line in the first half, missing 11 of their 12 attempts. They finished the game going seven for 27 from the three-point line.

O’Neill managed Celtic from 2000-05, winning three Scottish Premier League titles, three Scottish Cups, and a League Cup. He also took the club to a Uefa Cup final.

However, he has not managed a club since he being sacked by Nottingham Forest in June 2019 – more than six years ago.

Coincidentally, the former Republic of Ireland manager was on TalkSport earlier on Monday taking about the Scottish title race – and his belief that Hearts could become the first non-Old Firm side to win it since 1985.

“Hearts have shown a great determination. Their record is great, at this minute,” O’Neill said. “With Celtic not being as strong, as physically as strong, as maybe you would want them to be. It is possible.

“Celtic can actually lose games now, whereas before, they looked invincible in matches. Rangers are no threat whatsoever. They are so far adrift it’s untrue.

“But this is the moment, this is the time for Hearts. They have gone eight points clear. That is a decent enough lead, really. Their confidence has grown, and it will grow from that victory.”

O’Neill will be joined by Maloney, who had two spells as a player with Celtic and was part of Belgium’s coaching staff for a stint after retiring.

The Scotland international took on his first job with Hibs in 2021 but lasted just four months.

Then he took charge of Wigan Athletic in January 2023 but was dismissed in March of this year, having won 42 of his 115 games in charge.

When Charlie Sheen needed his then-13-year-old daughter taken to a hair appointment because he was too drunk to drive, he turned to his sober friend, Tony Todd.

When Sheen wanted to meet Carlos Estévez because the major league pitcher shared Sheen’s given name, he turned to his connected friend, Tony Todd.

When Sheen was in the throes of a crack addiction, fired from his starring role on “Two and a Half Men” and in need of an unwavering voice of encouragement, he turned to his non-judgmental friend Tony Todd.

“There are so many fake friends in Charlie’s life,” Todd said. “I’ve been there for him since we were little kids. The cool thing is, we’ve never had an argument.”

Thanks to the recent Netflix documentary “aka Charlie Sheen” and publication of “The Book of Sheen” memoir, Todd’s 50-year friendship with the mercurial actor has been revealed to the world. Todd’s social media accounts have since been flooded with praise from viewers far and wide.

“I had to reach out immediately to say you were and remain an angel from heaven.”

“You are the friend we would all like to have man, greetings from Spain!”

“Dear Tony, If you ever visit Istanbul, it would be our honor to host you in our hotel…. You are not only a great actor but also a true friend.”

“You … are a stellar human being [heart emoji].”

Todd and Sheen have been pals since they bonded through baseball, first on Little League fields in Malibu, then on the Santa Monica High School team, then while taking batting practice in Sheen’s posh indoor batting cage, then while putting on power-hitting displays at local high school fields and even Dodger Stadium.

And their friendship spread into their private lives, with Todd serving as best man at the first two of Sheen’s three marriages and serving as a drug-free wingman even when Sheen descended into a chaotic, self-destructive morass of cocaine, alcohol and reckless sex.

“There’s never been a call he hasn’t answered, there’s never been a crisis he didn’t help solve,” Sheen said in a phone interview. “Tony Todd has always been a friend, and a true one.”

The documentary “aka Charlie Sheen” is a first-person tell-all, with the narrative helped along by Sheen’s oldest brother, Ramon, childhood neighbor Sean Penn, “Two and a Half Men” co-star Jon Cryer and executive producer Chuck Lorre, drug dealer Marco Abeyta and ex-wives Denise Richards and Brooke Mueller.

And, of course, Todd. He laughs. He cries. He exudes honesty and empathy.

“He’s just one of my favorite people to have around in any situation,” Sheen said.

All of it certainly has made Todd — not to be confused with the actor of the same name who starred in “Candyman” and died a year ago — fame-adjacent.

Although he has enjoyed a career that includes acting/stuntman roles in both “Black Panther” movies and acting roles in the movie “Little Big League,” the TV show “Anger Management” and more than two dozen national commercials, Todd is best known in Santa Monica as the dude who can’t say no to volunteer fundraisers and sports a vanity license plate that reads “NVR KWT.”

Just this summer he helped raise $10,000 for Santa Monica Little League by hosting an outdoor screening of “Little Big League” and tapping into his vast contact list of pro athletes and A-list entertainers to attract silent-auction items.

And Todd was hailed as a “real hero” by authorities after he gave $700 to a family of five who had been robbed of their rent money in Lancaster in 2018. He was “so moved by the family’s story” that he jumped in his car and drove from Santa Monica to the high desert to hand-deliver the money.

His friendship with Sheen resonates with many, in part because Todd professes never to have taken a drug or a drink. Sheen, of course, was the poster man-child of substance abuse until becoming sober in December 2017, the day he relinquished his car keys to Todd to drive his daughter Sami to a hair salon appointment in Moorpark.

When Sheen was addicted to crack, Todd moved into his friend’s Mulholland Estates house in Beverly Hills. Even then, Sheen wouldn’t smoke the drug in Todd’s presence, and they often would end evenings watching MLB Network or ESPN’s “Sports Center.”

“I didn’t do hard stuff in front of him, just out of respect,” Sheen said.

Todd wept in “aka Charlie Sheen” when he explained why he continued to live with his friend knowing the actor was often smoking crack in the next room.

“I just can’t leave him to die,” he said.

Happier times occurred when they would head to a ball field to hit. Years earlier, after suffering a shoulder injury, Sheen had learned to bat left-handed, taking a hundred or so swings a day off an Iron Mike pitching machine in his indoor batting cage.

While filming a DirecTV commercial at Dodger Stadium in 2007, Sheen stepped into the batter’s box during a lunch break and crushed a pitch over the right-field wall. Todd whooped and hollered, in no small part because he had bet a Dodgers employee that his buddy would go deep.

“I knew it was going to happen because of all the [batting practice] we’d been taking,” Todd said.

Sheen also increased his strength by taking massive doses of testosterone, which he mentions in the documentary and alluded to in a 2015 interview when he said his HIV-positive diagnosis wasn’t the reason for his epic meltdown in 2011 after he was fired from “Two and a Half Men.”

“I wish I could blame it on that, but that was more of a ’roid rage,” said Sheen, who earlier had admitted he took steroids ahead of filming the 1989 hit movie “Major League,” in which he played pitcher Ricky (Wild Thing) Vaughn.

Todd had a video shot of batting sessions at Oak Park and Santa Clarita Hart high schools around 2008. Sheen hit a home run Todd estimated traveled 445 feet at Oak Park and hit a barrage of homers at Hart in the presence of Hall of Fame slugger Eddie Murray and the Hart High team.

Todd followed Sheen’s power display at Hart with a home run of his own. Todd was a talented-enough baseball and football player to earn a double scholarship to USC, although a serious injury his senior year in high school cost him the free ride.

His baseball ability landed him the role of Mickey Scales in “Little Big League” and his astonishing speed delighted Sheen even into their 40s. During one of their batting sessions at Oak Park High, Todd was challenged to a race around the bases by an onlooker.

Sheen told the man to start the race at second base while Todd started at home plate.

“By the time they rounded third, Tony had passed him, and after touching the plate he grabbed a glove and pretended to tag the guy when he reached the plate,” Sheen said, laughing.

Todd served as a baseball coach at Santa Monica High for several years, and in 2013 he lobbied for the school to award Sheen his diploma — the actor had been 1½ credits short 30 years earlier and hadn’t graduated.

Todd reached out to his friend Ross Mark, who handled bookings for “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” and they concocted a plan to have Sheen on as a guest and for Leno to surprise him with the diploma.

Todd walked on stage with the diploma and Sheen — who had quickly donned a cap and gown — gave him a hug, his lifelong friend having effectively smoothed over one more rough patch in his life.

The fans were enraged, They now saw him as akin to a martyr who might be carried out on his shield because his directors wouldn’t back his vision to bring success.

The leak was poisonous, of course, and it was meant to hurt Rodgers, which it did. He called for an investigation and for the guilty person to be removed. If there was a probe then we heard no more about it.

At that point it was plain Rodgers was losing the support of the people above him.

The regular gripes about transfers were followed by a desperate beginning to the season. A feeble exit from the Champions League, flat domestic performances, a stench of decay in the air.

Blame was shifted. When Celtic lost to Dundee a few weeks back he said: “You can’t be given the keys to a Honda Civic and drive it like a Ferrari.”

If Rodgers had said that after losing a big Champions League game then it would have been contentious enough, but after a loss to Dundee – with a tiny fraction of Celtic’s resources – it was mortifying. Later, he doubled-down on it.

The fans, increasingly growing weary of excuses, didn’t buy it, but if it was a battle between Rodgers and the Celtic board then, in their eyes, Rodgers was still an emphatic winner.

Nothing was heard from Desmond, as usual, but the story of his business life tells us he doesn’t appreciate his people going rogue. Rodgers comment by Rodgers comment, those Desmond whiskers would have to started to dance.

Monday, in the wake of a loss to Hearts that put Celtic eight points behind Derek McInnes’ team, was the endgame. Desmond opened his laptop. Sudden, unsparing and almost startling in its intensity, he unburdened himself.

Unquestionably, elements of what Rodgers did and said was self-serving. He dropped hints that some players were being signed without his full approval, something that Desmond categorically denies.

He said as recently as Sunday that he was never more determined to fix things as he was right in the here and now, but the trust had obviously gone. In both directions.

A divorce is the wisest action. This was an irretrievable breakdown. Unseemly and embarrassing.

Rodgers made good points, though, and the supporters, though turning on him slightly in the wake of recent performances, were wholly behind him in other areas.

Some will see him now as a victim, a sacrificial lamb, a man who had the bravery to speak up about the problems the club faced and who got driven out because of it. Silenced and humiliated by Desmond.

It’s an interpretation with merit, but they were two parties involved in this break-up.

Through his caustic words, Desmond has made it a vicious separation. We’ll get Rodgers’s riposte in time, but his era is over now. No coming back this time, not even a chance of a proper farewell. A sad, but inevitable conclusion.

The Rams traded for cornerback Roger McCreary, star receiver Puka Nacua is expected to return for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints and receiver Tutu Atwell will spend at least four games on injured reserve.

All of those moves were announced by the Rams or discussed by coach Sean McVay on Monday as the Rams returned from an off week.

With the NFL trade deadline approaching next week, the Rams acquired McCreary, 25, and a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a conditional 2026 fifth-round pick.

McCreary, a 2022 second-round pick from Auburn, has three career interceptions, including one this season. He is expected to provide depth to a cornerback group that lost Ahkello Witherspoon early in the season because of a broken collarbone. Witherspoon, who has been doing some individual work, was expected to be sidelined 12 weeks.

McVay said veteran Darious Williams also suffered a shoulder injury in the Rams’ Oct. 19 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

So McCreary, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, could fortify a position group that includes Cobie Durant and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. Safety Quentin Lake has played as a slot cornerback and hybrid linebacker.

The Rams played against McCreary and the Titans in Week 2.

“We were looking to be able to add some depth,” McVay said, according to a transcript of a videoconference with reporters. “He was a guy that we respected from playing against him earlier this year.”

Nacua sat out against the Jaguars because of a high ankle sprain he suffered during an Oct. 12 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua catches a pass against the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 12.

(Terrance Williams / Associated Press)

McVay said he expected that Nacua would practice this week and play against the Saints.

Nacua ranks fourth in NFL with 616 yards receiving.

“We do expect him to be back on Wednesday and expect him to play this week unless there are setbacks,” McVay said.

Atwell, who signed a one-year, $10-million contract before this season, played only 10 snaps against the Jaguars after sitting out against the Ravens because of a hamstring injury. He has four catches for 164 yards, including an 88-yard touchdown.

McVay said offensive tackle Rob Havenstein also is expected to return this week from an ankle injury that has sidelined him for three games.

The Rams are 5-2 heading into their game against the Saints (1-7) at SoFi Stadium.

Six months later, Vaughan replaced Hussain as Test captain. His mission was to reshape an England team scarred by years of Ashes beatings. Only four of the XI from Sydney made it to the first Ashes Test at Lord’s in 2005.

“It wasn’t two years of waking up and thinking, ‘we’ve got to beat Australia’, because the only way to beat Australia is to win the games before,” says Vaughan. “You can’t suddenly arrive in an Ashes to beat that side having not beaten the other teams.

“It became obvious we were going to have a fresher team, a younger team, a team that had very little baggage. What was very clear in 2002-03, understandably, once we’d lost the first Test it was ‘here we go again’, because a lot of those players had been around the England side in the 1990s.”

Those unforgettable eight weeks of summer in 2005 etched the names of Vaughan and his players into English cricketing folklore. Steve Harmison drawing blood from Ponting, and Andrew Strauss’ catch. Kevin Pietersen’s hair and Gary Pratt’s direct hit. Andrew Flintoff’s batting. Andrew Flintoff’s bowling. Andrew Flintoff’s drinking.

Because of injuries that occurred even before the series ended, the class of 2005 never played together again.

“That moment when you win is the best moment, but also quite deflating because it’s all over,” says Vaughan. “All the stress and pressure were hard to deal with, but you get adrenaline from being in a series like that. When it’s over you wonder what’s next.”

Vaughan did not know it at the time, but lifting the urn was to be his last act as an Ashes cricketer. His troublesome knees meant he played only two more Tests in the 18 months that followed, including missing the defence in Australia in 2006-07. Under the captaincy of Flintoff, and a shadow of the team that won in 2005, England were dismantled 5-0 by an Australia side determined for revenge.

“We got absolutely hammered, and would have got hammered with me playing,” says Vaughan. “We poked the bear.

“It was hard to watch, because a lot of my mates were playing. Once we beat that Australia team once, they weren’t going to allow us to beat them twice, especially in their own backyard.”

Vaughan tearfully stepped down as England skipper in 2008, although still with thoughts of playing in the home Ashes of 2009 under the captaincy of Strauss. Form and knees didn’t allow it. In the four years between Ashes series played in this country, Vaughan went from winning captain to former cricketer. He retired at the age of 34.

“Straussy rang me and said he wanted me to get runs in county cricket and we’d have a look, but my body was knackered,” says Vaughan. “I couldn’t do the training or the work.

“There was the odd morning I woke up and thought, ‘come on, let’s have a go at getting that batting slot’. I was thinking there was a chance.

“I probably retired a little bit too young, but I would have royally embarrassed myself in 2009.”

Considering his lofty standing in recent English cricketing history, Vaughan played relatively few Ashes Tests – 10 of them, five away and five at home.

He will forever be remembered for what he achieved in 2005. It would not have been possible without what happened in 2002-03.

New York Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo had a long day Sunday, having suffered what appears to be a season-ending ankle injury and reportedly undergoing surgery that night.

Nonetheless, the player who has become one of the breakout stars of the 2025 appeared to be up early Monday.

Skattebo took to his Instagram Story to post a video showing clips of Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, receiver Darius Slayton, defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux and offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor all expressing concern for their injured teammate following New York’s 38-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

“My guys love tall boys,” Skattebo wrote in the caption, making an apparent reference to his relatively small (by NFL standards) 5-foot-11 stature.

Skattebo was injured midway through the second quarter after attempting to catch a pass over the middle. His right foot appeared to get caught under another player and was bent in an unnatural direction. Players from both teams huddled around Skattebo in concern as he was treated by medical staff.

Even the notoriously harsh Philadelphia fans gave their NFC East rival’s rising star a standing ovation as he was carted off the field with an air cast on his leg. Skattebo responded by waving in appreciation.

“I feel absolutely terrible for the young man,” Giants coach Brian Daboll said. “Looked bad. You feel for anybody that goes down and has a really bad injury. I know the players feel the same way about Skatt.”

Dart added: “That’s my boy, man. That sucks. It’s just the worst part of the game.”

The Giants said Sunday that Skattebo had suffered a dislocated ankle and would undergo surgery that night. ESPN reported Monday morning that the fourth-round draft pick out of Arizona State remained in the hospital after the previous night’s surgery and was “doing well given the circumstances of what was described as an emergency situation.”

Skattebo leads Giants this season with 410 rushing yards in 101 carries with five touchdowns. He also has 24 receptions for 207 yards with two touchdowns, including one on an 18-yard pass from Dart in the first quarter of Sunday’s game.

Skattebo’s injury leaves New York with second-year player Tyrone Tracy Jr. and seven-year veteran Devin Singletary at running back. On Sunday, Tracy had 10 carries for 39 yards and two receptions for 14 yards while Singletary rushed twice for no yards but had a 28-yard reception.

For the season, Tracy has 45 carries for 159 yards with one touchdown and 10 catches for 68 yards; Singletary has 28 carries for 84 yards and three receptions for 28 yards.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Manchester United and Newcastle monitor Elliot Anderson, Barcelona lead Mason Greenwood chase, Jobe Bellingham not interested in Manchester United.

Manchester United and Newcastle are closely monitoring England midfielder Elliot Anderson, with Nottingham Forest demanding a fee between £100m and £120m for the 22-year-old. (Florian Plettenberg), external

Barcelona lead the chase for Marseille’s England forward Mason Greenwood, though Tottenham and West Ham are also interested in the 24-year-old. (Teamtalk), external

Jobe Bellingham has no interest in joining Manchester United, who had been weighing up a potential loan deal for Borussia Dortmund’s 20-year-old English midfielder. (Mirror), external

Manchester United will block transfer requests from England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, 20, and Netherlands forward Joshua Zirkzee, 24, if they ask to leave in January. (Sun), external

Manchester United have given Napoli the green light to exercise their obligation to buy Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund, 22, in January. (Mirror), external

West Ham have made Lille and Brazil defender Alexsandro their top priority for the January transfer window, with the 26-year-old valued at £26m. (ESPN Mexico – in Portuguese), external

Vinicius Jr, 25, is “seriously considering” the prospect of leaving Real Madrid after voicing his frustration towards manager Xabi Alonso, who substituted the Brazil forward late in Sunday’s El Clasico win. (AS – in Spanish), external

Juventus have initiated discussions with former Napoli and Italy boss Luciano Spalletti, 66, about becoming their head coach after sacking Igor Tudor. (Gianluca di Marzio – in Italian), external

Tottenham, Arsenal and Newcastle are monitoring Porto and Spain striker Samu Aghehowa, 21. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

Shaquille O’Neal purchased a black 2025 Land Rover worth a reported $180,000 from an auto broker in Riverside. He paid even more to have it customized for his 7-foot-1 frame.

It was meant to be delivered to Baton Rouge, La., earlier this month but never arrived at its intended destination.

Instead, Shaq’s latest automobile purchase appears to be the “high-value vehicle” that is being investigated as stolen by the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia and thought to be somewhere in Atlanta as of Monday morning.

In a news release last week, the Sheriff’s Office indicated that the vehicle had been “originally ordered through a California-based auto brokerage on behalf of a high-profile client.”

The New York Post was first to report that the client was O’Neal and the company was Riverside’s Effortless Motors. Ahmad Abdelrahman, owner of Effortless Motors, confirmed both facts to The Times during a phone interview.

Abdelrahman said his company had provided O’Neal with numerous customized vehicles over the last two years. He referred to the NBA and Louisiana State legend as “an amazing human being” and said that Effortless Motors was offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the vehicle.

“The last guy you want to steal a car from is Shaquille O’Neal, you know?” Abdelrahman said. “I’ve never had this happen to us before. We do all his vehicles. We’ve transported deals for him hundreds of times, and something like this is definitely insane.”

In a statement emailed to The Times on Monday, the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office said that its criminal investigations division “is actively investigating the theft of a high-value vehicle that was fraudulently removed from a business in the Dahlonega area earlier this month. Investigators have confirmed that the vehicle was transported from a local fabrication business under false pretenses and is believed to have been taken to the Atlanta metropolitan area.”

The department added that multiple search warrants had been obtained and executed as part of the investigation and several people of interest had been identified.

Abdelrahman told The Times that O’Neal’s Land Rover was customized locally by Effortless Motors but was supposed to have additional fabrication work done in Georgia before completing its trip to Louisiana.

After learning that the vehicle never arrived in Baton Rouge, Abdelrahman said, he contacted the company he had hired to ship the vehicle, FirstLine Trucking LLC, and was told that “their system was hacked.”

“They never got our order,” Abdelrahman said he was told, “and the hackers intercepted the vehicle and picked it up, and they vanished with the car.”

FirstLine Trucking did not immediately respond to messages from The Times. O’Neal has not publicly commented on the matter.

Moto3 rider Noah Dettwiler remains in a “stable but still critical” condition after being involved in a serious crash at the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Dettwiler, 20, collided with Moto3 world champion Jose Antonio Rueda during a sighting lap before their race.

Moto3 is the entry-level class below Moto2 and MotoGP.

“Noah has undergone several surgeries in the last few hours, which went well,” the rider’s CIP Green Power team and his family said in a statement.

“According to the doctors in charge, his condition is stable but still critical.

“We appreciate your understanding and ask that Noah and his family’s privacy be respected at this time.

“Thank you for all your incredible support and messages.”

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS WATER POLO

SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS

(Games at 5 p.m. unless noted)

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE

OPEN DIVISION

Pool A — First Round

#8 Laguna Beach at #1 Newport Harbor

#5 JSerra at #4 Oaks Christian

Pool B — First Round

#7 Long Beach Wilson at #2 Santa Margarita

#6 Mira Costa at #3 Corona Del Mar

THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE

First Round

DIVISION 2

Redlands East Valley at Chino Hills

Etiwanda at Santa Monica

Alta Loma at La Habra

Walnut at Los Alamitos

San Marino at Orange Lutheran

Edison at El Segundo

Damien at Crescenta Valley

Carpinteria at Crean Lutheran

La Serna at Redondo Union

Riverside King at Royal

Corona Santiago at Ventura

Dana Hills at Aliso Niguel

Woodbridge at Capistrano Valley

Anaheim Canyon at Murrieta Valley

Portola at St. John Bosco

Cate at Riverside Poly

DIVISION 3

Flintridge Prep at Camarillo

Agoura at Brea Olinda

Long Beach Poly at Bonita

Roosevelt at Irvine University

Redlands at Malibu

Troy at Pasadena Poly

Elsinore at Arcadia

Millikan at Santa Barbara

Valley View at Temecula Valley

Rancho Cucamonga at Glendora

Yorba Linda at Great Oak

Fullerton at Temple City

Brentwood at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame

Schurr at Trabuco Hills

Burbank at Hoover

Cathedral at Upland

DIVISION 4

Webb at Charter Oak

Santa Ana at Tustin

Garden Grove Pacifica at La Canada

Temescal Canyon at Placentia Valencia

Aquinas at Buena Park

La Quinta at Anaheim

Palm Desert at Los Altos

Paloma Valley at Hemet

La Salle at Glendale

Estancia at Western

Sunny Hills at Mission Viejo

West Covina at Culver City

West Torrance at Liberty

Sonora at Don Lugo

South Torrance at Xavier Prep

Garden Grove at Corona

DIVISION 5

Bolsa Grande at Fontana

Edgewood at Lakeside

Heritage at Ramona

Chino at Los Amigos

Cerritos at Warren

Summit at Westminster

Pioneer at Rowland

Artesia at Norte Vista

Nogales at Montebello

Chaffey at La Mirada

Westminster La Quinta at San Bernardino

Indio at Hillcrest

Savanna at Nordhoff

California at Santa Fe

West Valley at Baldwin Park

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE

First Round

DIVISION 1

Servite at Loyola

San Marcos at San Juan Hills

Huntington Beach at Buena

San Clemente at Dos Pueblos

Downey at Mater Dei

Sage Hill at Yucaipa

Westlake at Beckman

Foothill at Harvard-Westlake

Note: Open Division Pool Play second round Nov. 1 at higher seeds; Divisions 2-5 second round Nov. 4; Open Division Pool Play third round Nov. 5 at higher seeds; Division 1 quarterfinals Nov. 6; Divisions 2-5 quarterfinals Nov. 7; Open Division crossover round Nov. 8 at higher seed; Divisions 2-5 semifinals Nov. 11; Open Division semifinals Nov. 12 at Woollett Aquatics Center; Division 1 semifinals Nov. 12; Finals (all divisions) Nov. 15 at Mt. San Antonio College.

Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr says he “didn’t want to offend anyone” when he and some of his team-mates clashed with Barcelona players after winning Sunday’s El Clasico.

The Brazil forward, 25, expressed his frustration at being substituted in the 72nd minute and went straight down the tunnel.

He returned to the Real bench later and, after his side’s 2-1 win, tried to confront Barcelona’s 18-year-old winger Lamine Yamal during unsavoury post-match scenes.

Vinicius was one of five players booked for their part in the incident, while Real’s substitute goalkeeper Andriy Lunin was shown a red card.

“El Clasico is like that,” Vinicius told Real Madrid TV. “There are a lot of things happening on and off the pitch.

“We try to maintain a balance, but it’s not always possible. We didn’t want to offend anyone, not Barca players, nor the fans.

“We know that when we step on to the pitch, we have to defend our side, and that’s how it was today.”

Lamine Yamal had angered the Real players by saying last week that Real ‘steal’ and ‘complain’.

After scoring Sunday’s winner at the Bernabeu, Real’s England midfielder Jude Bellingham said on Instagram:, external “Talk is cheap. Hala Madrid always.”

Whether it’s wearing a specific jersey — or in the case of Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s interpreter, lucky boxers with a rabbit shooting a rainbow-colored laser out of its eyes — or making sure you’re watching the game from the spot on the couch, superstitions abound when it comes to sports, especially during the playoffs.

L.A. bleeds blue, and now that the Dodgers are facing off against the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series, we want to hear your superstitions, actions and the lucky items you’re employing to help cheer the team on to victory.

Tell us your superstitions, and we might share your story in a future article.

Enter by filling out the form and tell us about your lucky item or whatever superstition or strategy you have to help the Dodgers win. You can even include a photo if you’re so inclined.

India have called up batter Shafali Verma in place of the injured Pratika Rawal for their Women’s World Cup semi-final against Australia.

Rawal sustained an ankle injury while fielding during India’s final group game against Bangladesh on Sunday.

The 25-year-old opener tried to stop a boundary on the slippery outfield at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai and was later unable to bat in the match.

Rawal is the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer with 308 in six innings at 51.33, behind only fellow India opening batter Smriti Mandhana.

India’s request to replace Rawal in their squad with Verma was approved by the International Cricket Council’s event technical committee for the tournament.

Verma has not played a one-day international for India since October 2024 but has played 50-over cricket for India A in recent months.

The 21-year-old was left out of India’s original squad for the World Cup but will now come into contention for a place against Australia in the semi-final showdown on 30 October.

Amanjot Kaur opened against Bangladesh after Rawal limped out while Uma Chetry and Jemimah Rodrigues are other potential partners for Mandhana at the top of the order.

Hi and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. I must be dreaming, because I am almost positive I watched someone pitch a complete game.

Game 2 thoughts:

—Alessia Cara performed the Canadian anthem, and Bebe Rexha performed the U.S. anthem before the game. Apparently, Bryan Adams was unavailable.

—Don’t get mad and call me un-American, but the Canadian national anthem is beautiful.

—Joe Carter threw out the first pitch. Apparently Dave Stieb was unavailable.

—I was concerned after the first inning. It was a repeat of Game 1. Dodgers score, but Blue Jays threatened before being retired without a run scoring. Just like Game 1.

—This time however, Yoshinobu Yamamoto settled into a groove and was dominant. If someone told me after that inning, where Yamamoto threw 23 pitches, that he would pitch a complete game, I would have laughed.

—Nice to see Will Smith hit a home run. It was his first extra-base hit of this postseason. It seemed to fire the team up. It certainly fired Smith up.

—Blue Jays fans were mad at manager John Schneider for not removing Kevin Gausman sooner. Complaining about a manager and how he handles pitchers? Sounds familiar.

—I’m just glad Schneider was finally able to find steady work so many years after “The Dukes of Hazzard” was canceled.

—Wait, I’m now being told that is a different John Schneider. I guess that explains why Tom Wopat isn’t one of his coaches.

—Teoscar Hernández is three for his last 22 with nine strikeouts and struck out in all four of his at-bats in Game 2. He is going through one of those phases where he chases pitches well out of the zone. Hopefully he snaps out of it.

—Justin Dean made a very nice play in center field in the ninth inning, showing why the Dodgers have him on the roster. The jump he got on the fly ball was incredible. He has now been in 11 of the 12 postseason games without coming to the plate, though he did score a run as a pinch-runner.

—You have to wonder what Hyeseong Kim thinks. He’s been on the roster for every round of the postseason, but has only played in one game, as a pinch-runner.

—Many of you don’t like John Smoltz because he talks too much. And I agree, he needs to cut down a bit, but what he says is usually very good. Plus, he’s very vocal in pushing back against the ridiculous pitch-count theory, that 100 pitches is the limit. I appreciate him for that.

—Yamamoto was in a zone. It was like he saw nothing else except Smith behind the plate. The Toronto crowd is loud, and it didn’t seem to bother him at all.

—Some numbers about Yamamoto:

He’s the fourth pitcher to retire the last 20 or more batters of a postseason game, joining Don Larsen of the Yankees, who retired all 27 batters in his perfect game against the Dodgers in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. St. Louis’ Grover Cleveland Alexander, who retired 21 Yankees in a row in Game 2 of the 1926 World Series and Boston’s Dutch Leonard, who retired 20 Phillies in a row in Game 3 of the 1915 World Series.

No Dodger had ever retired 20 batters in a row in a postseason game. The previous high was 19 by Carl Erskine in Game 5 of the 1952 World Series.

It was only the eighth time a Dodger pitched consecutive complete games in the postseason, joining Orel Hershiser (three consecutive in 1988), Sandy Koufax in 1963 and 1965 World Series, Sal Maglie (1956), Johnny Podres (1955), Whit Wyatt (1941) and Sherry Smith (1920).

—But more importantly, it was a wonderful throwback to the way baseball used to be. A pitcher going deep into the game, dominating an opponent even though he may be tiring. Getting big congrats from teammates for a job well done. That’s how legends are made.

—And the best part, in both his complete games, is the little smile Yamamoto gives after he gets the last out.

—The Blue Jays turn to Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber in Games 3 and 4.

—The Dodgers won the 2020 World Series five years ago today.

—My prediction remains, Dodgers in five.

—More importantly, we wish Alex Vesia and his wife the best as they go through a trying time.

Postseason stats

How the Dodgers and Blue Jays have done this postseason:

Batting

Alex Call, .750/.857/.750, 3 for 4, 2 walks

Ben Rortvedt, .429/.500/.571, 3 for 7, 1 double, 1 RBI, 3 K’s

Miguel Rojas, .375/.444/.375, 3 for 8, 1 RBI

Will Smith, .314/.400/.400, 11 for 35, 1 homer, 6 RBIs, 4 walks, 10 K’s

Kiké Hernández, .273/.333/.364, 12 for 44, 4 doubles, 5 RBIs, 4 walks, 13 K’s

Mookie Betts, .271/.364/.396, 13 for 48, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 6 RBIs, 6 walks, 6 K’s

Tommy Edman, .262/.295/.429, 11 for 42, 1 double, 2 homers, 6 RBIs, 2 walks, 14 K’s

Teoscar Hernández, .229/.275/.500, 1 double, 4 homers, 11 RBIs, 3 walks, 16 K’s

Max Muncy, .229/.386/.429, 6 for 28, 1 double, 2 homers, 2 RBIs, 8 walks, 9 K’s

Shohei Ohtani, .224/.333/.633, 11 for 49, 1 triple, 6 homers, 11 RBIs, 8 walks, 19 K’s

Freddie Freeman, .222/.340/.400, 10 for 45, 5 doubles, 1 homer, 1 RBI, 7 walks, 11 K’s

Andy Pages, .093/.133/.116, 4 for 43, 1 double, 1 RBI, 11 K’s

Dalton Rushing, 0 for 1, 1 K

Team, .244/.331/.416, 18 doubles, 2 triples, 16 homers, 44 walks, 113 K’s, 4.58 runs per game

Blue Jays

Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., .431/.500/.843, 22 for 51, 3 doubles, 6 homers, 12 RBIs, 7 walks, 4 K’s

Ernie Clement, .429/.442/.592, 21 for 49, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, 8 RBIs, 1 walk, 2 K’s

Bo Bichette, .333/500/.333, 1 for 3, 1 walk

Nathan Lukes, .318/.375/.386, 14 for 44, 3 doubles, 8 RBIs, 4 walks, 7 K’s

Addison Barger, .300/.378/.575, 12 for 40, 2 doubles, 3 homers, 8 RBIs, 5 walks, 8 K’s

George Springer, .259/.349/. 593, 14 for 54, 6 doubles, 4 homers, 9 RBIs, 5 walks, 12 K’s

Alejandro Kirk, .255/.316/.529, 13 for 51, 2 doubles, 4 homers, 10 RBIs, 5 walks, 8 K’s

Daulton Varsho, .255/.296/.510, 13 for 51, 4 doubles, 3 homers, 10 RBIs, 2 walks, 13 K’s

Andrés Giménez, .244/.292/.400, 11 for 45, 1 double, 2 homers, 9 RBIs, 2 walks, 5 K’s

Isiah Kiner-Falefa, .200/.200/.280, 5 for 25, 2 doubles, 1 RBI, 1 K

Anthony Santander, .200/.250/.200, 3 for 15, 2 RBIs, 1 walk, 5 K’s

Myles Straw, .182/.250/.182, 2 for 11, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 3 K’s

David Schneider, .154/.313/.251, 2 for 13, 1 double, 3 walks, 5 K’s

Joey Loperfido, 0 for 1

Team, .294/.352/.510, 27 doubles, 1 triple, 23 homers, 37 walks, 76 K’s, 6.38 runs per game

Pitching

Jack Dreyer, 0.00 ERA, 1.2 IP, 2 walks, 1 K

Justin Wrobloeski, 0.00 ERA, 1 IP

Will Klein, 0.00 ERA, 1 IP, 1 hit

Tyler Glasnow, 0.68 ERA, 13.1 IP, 7 hits, 1 ER, 8 walks, 18 K’s

Roki Sasaki, 1.13 ERA, 3 saves, 8 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 2 walks, 6 K’s

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 3-1, 1.57 ERA, 28.2 IP, 17 hits, 5 ER, 4 walks, 26 K’s

Shohei Ohtani, 2-0, 2.25 ERA, 12 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 4 walks, 19 K’s

Blake Snell, 3-1, 2.42 ERA, 26 IP, 14 hits, 7 ER, 8 walks, 32 K’s

Alex Vesia, 2-0, 3.86 ERA, 4.2 IP, 3 hits, 3 ER, 3 walks, 4 K’s

Blake Treinen, 7.36 ERA, 1 save, 3.2 IP, 5 hits 3 ER, 2 walks, 5 K’s

Anthony Banda, 8.10 ERA, 3.1 IP, 4 hits, 3 ER, 1 walk, 3 K’s

Emmet Sheehan, 17.18 ERA, 3.2 IP, 8 hits, 7 ER, 3 walks, 2 K’s

Clayton Kershaw, 18.00 ERA, 2 IP, 6 hits, 4 ER, 3 walks

Edgardo Henriquez, infinity, 0 IP, 1 hit, 1 ER, 2 walks

Team, 10-2, 3.06 ERA. 4 saves, 109 IP, 74 hits, 37 ER, 42 walks, 116 K’s

Blue Jays

Chris Bassitt, 0.00 ERA, 3.2 IP, 1 hit, 5 K’s

Jeff Hoffman, 1.13 ERA, 2 saves, 8 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 3 walks, 13 K’s

Kevin Gausman, 2-2, 2.55 ERA, 24.2 IP, 14 hits, 7 ER, 9 walks, 18 K’s

Max Scherzer, 1-0, 3.18 ERA, 5.2 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 4 walks, 5 K’s

Seranthony Dominguez, 2-0, 3.38 ERA, 8 IP, 3 hits, 3 ER, 5 walks, 7 K’s

Trey Yesavage, 2-1, 4.26 ERA, 19 IP, 14 hits, 9 ER, 10 walks, 27 K’s

Shane Bieber, 1-0, 4.38 ERA, 12.1 IP, 16 hits, 6 ER, 3 walks, 15 K’s

Louis Varland, 0-1, 4.63 ERA, 11.2 IP, 10 hits, 6 ER, 2 walks, 13 K’s

Mason Fluharty, 5.40 ERA, 5 IP, 6 hits, 3 ER, 2 walks, 8 K’s

Eric Lauer, 6.75 ERA, 4 IP, 4 hits, 3 ER, 2 walks, 6 K’s

Braydon Fisher, 7.94 ERA, 5.2 IP, 8 hits, 5 ER, 3 walks, 8 K’s

Yariel Rodríguez, 10.13 ERA, 2.2 IP, 2 hits, 3 ER, 4 walks, 1 K

Brendon Little, 0-1, 12.00 ERA, 3 IP, 5 hits, 4 ER, 4 walks, 2 K’s

Tommy Nance, 13.50 ERA, 1.1 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 1 walk

Justin Bruihl, 54.00 ERA, 0.1 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER

Team, 8-5, 4.38 ERA, 2 saves, 115 IP, 96 hits, 56 ER, 53 walks, 128 K’s

In case you missed it

World Series: George Springer says he will focus on game, not boos, at Dodger Stadium

Shaikin: No more dead-arm nightmares for Dodgers and their uncomplicated pitching strategy

Hernández: What Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s complete games reveal about the Dodgers’ star pitcher

Healthy and energized, Will Smith’s resurgence coming at a perfect time for Dodgers

Plaschke: As tied World Series returns to Dodger Stadium, George Springer and Max Scherzer beware

Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s complete-game repeat a brilliant oddity ripped from a bygone era

Arellano: He’s just happy to root for the Dodgers again after almost dying during the last World Series

Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches a masterclass, Dodgers win World Series Game 2 | Dodgers Debate

Max Muncy talks World Series Game 2 win, Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s performance

What it’s like to experience a World Series game at Cosm Los Angeles

And finally

Highlights from Game 2 of the World Series. 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 [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Britain’s Cameron Norrie is “pumped” to face world number one Carlos Alcaraz in the second round of the Paris Masters after beating Sebastian Baez in straight sets.

The world number 31 beat Argentine Baez, ranked 12 places below him, 6-3 6-4 in a match which featured six breaks of serve.

Norrie won the opening three games before having his serve broken to 15 as Baez pulled it back to 3-3.

However, the 30-year-old regrouped to win the next three games, converting his second set point.

Norrie threatened to throw away a 3-0 lead again in the second set, saving a break point in the sixth game, and later saved four more in the 10th game before closing out the match at the first opportunity.

“I was really tight going to serve for the match. I said I was going to pretend it was 0-30 and then it was 0-30 and 0-40,” Norrie told Sky Sports.

“It was about getting the job done and it was nice to face some adversity. It was not a typical match. He fought well.”

Norrie will meet Alcaraz, who exited last year’s tournament in the third round, on Tuesday, with the Spaniard playing his first match on tour since beating Taylor Fritz in the Japan Open final at the end of September.

Alcaraz has won five of their seven meetings, most recently beating Norrie in straight sets in this year’s Wimbledon quarter-finals.

Norrie’s compatriot Jacob Fearnley is in first-round action later on Monday against 12th seed Andrey Rublev.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. It’s Mater Dei at St. John Bosco week. With one week to go in the football regular season, here’s the unbeaten teams: Westlake (9-0), Laguna Beach (9-0), St. John Bosco (9-0), Sierra Canyon (9-0), Crean Lutheran (9-0), Corona del Mar (9-0), Oxnard Paciifica (9-0), Crespi (9-0), Rio Hondo Prep (9-0), Rowland (9-0) and Palisades (9-0).

Receiver Madden Williams will be a key player for St. John Bosco.

(Craig Weston)

The Trinity League championship will be decided Friday night when St. John Bosco hosts Mater Dei. St. John Bosco will either win the title outright with a victory or there will likely be a three-way tie among the Braves, Mater Dei and Santa Margarita. Then it will be up to the computer to decide playoff seedings.

St. John Bosco needs a win to stay ahead of unbeaten Sierra Canyon for the No. 1 seed in Division 1. The top six teams look clear: 1. St. John Bosco, 2. Sierra Canyon, 3. Corona Centennial, 4. Santa Margarita, 5. Mater Dei, 6. Mission Viejo. The last two spots of an eight-team bracket might go to Servite and Orange Lutheran, which play each other Friday. Pairings will be announced Sunday at 10 a.m.

One of the best games of last week was the battle of the unbeatens, Laguna Beach at Dana Hills, before a packed crowd. Laguna Beach prevailed 49-40 with quarterback Jack Hurst throwing five touchdown passes and 387 yards passing.

Norco gave Corona Centennial all it could handle in a 59-49 loss. The Cougars attempted six consecutive onside kicks and recovered two. Receiver Blake Wong had 14 catches for 214 yards and three touchdowns.

Bishop Diego defeated St. Bonaventure 35-27 to improve to 8-1. Behind the scenes, former St. Bonaventure coach Joe Goyeneche is now an assistant at Bishop Diego, so that game had special meaning.

San Clemente handed Los Alamitos its first defeat, 28-9. Los Alamitos has another tough matchup Thursday night, hosting 8-1 Mission Viejo at Artesia High.

Quarterback Colin Creason has led Los Alamitos to an 8-0 record.

(Craig Weston)

Los Alamitos quarterback Colin Creason had to wait three years to finally start a varsity game. Here’s the report on his rise for the Griffins.

It’s time for the 101st meeting between Fillmore and Santa Paula. It will be played Thursday night at Larrabee Stadium in Ventura to take care of the large fan bases.

The Loyola-Sierra Canyon game Friday night has the Riordan family split. Brothers Madden and Jordan are on different sides. Madden is the star defensive back for Sierra Canyon. Jordan is secondary coach for Loyola. Madden used to be a ball boy for Loyola when Jordan played for the Cubs.

Somto Nwude of Crespi did something at SoFi Stadium that not even future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald achieved. He had six sacks in a win over Harvard-Westlake. That’s a school record.

Newbury Park quarterback Brady Smigiel has had surgery on his knee for a torn ACL.

Here’s this week’s top 25 rankings by The Times.

Here’s the top individual performances from last week.

Here’s this week’s schedule of games. A lot of games are Thursday night this week to avoid Halloween on Friday.

The 90th edition of the East L.A. Classic on Friday night drew a crowd estimated at 14,000 at East L.A. College.

(Craig Weston)

The 90th edition of the Garfield vs. Roosevelt East L.A. Classic drew a crowd estimated at 14,000 at East Los Angeles College. Garfield won 37-30 to wrap up the Eastern League championship. Here’s the report.

Crenshaw defeated King/Drew 6-2 to win the Coliseum League championship and improve to 8-1. Here’s the report.

Crenshaw football coach Robert Garrett.

(Robert S. Helfman)

One interesting aspect is that Crenshaw coach Robert Garrett has been on administrative leave. He started the season with 290 wins and will get credit for every Cougar victory as long as he’s eventually reinstated, so he may reach the historic figure of 300 wins without being allowed to be on the field this season. Garrett would be the 16th coach in state history to be at 300 wins, according to CalHiSports.com.

Senior running back Darnell Miller of Santee broke the City Section rushing record with 502 yards against Jefferson. He had 33 carries and scored five touchdowns. The state record is 619 yards held by Ronnie Jenkins of Hueneme.

South Gate junior quarterback Michael Gonzalez is showing he’s one of the best in the City Section. Here’s the report.

Birmingham has won 53 consecutive games against City Section opponents.

The big game of the week is Thursday. San Pedro is hosting Carson to decide the Marine League championship. Playoff pairings will be announced Saturday after 5 p.m. It’s going to be a close call whether Birmingham or Carson will be the No. 1 seed depending on the outcome of San Pedro vs. Carson.

Here’s this week’s top 10 City Section rankings.

Coach of the year

Crenshaw interim coach Terrance Whitehead speaking with quarterback Daniell Flowers.

(Robert H. Helfman)

There are numerous candidates for football coach of the year this season. So many have been doing terrific coaching jobs.

Here’s a look at possible candidates.

The Southern Section Division 1 flag football quarterfinals are set for Monday, and there’s should be some terrific games.

Top seeded JSerra plays at Santa Margarita. Dos Pueblos is at Edison. Huntington Beach will travel to Camarillo for a 7 p.m. showdown. Orange Lutheran is at San Marcos. The semifinals at Saturday.

Here’s updated pairings.

In the City Section, Wilson knocked off Northern League power Eagle Rock for the first time 18-7. City Section pairings come out Saturday.

Girls volleyball

Venice is seeded No. 1 in the City Section Open Division girls volleyball playoffs that begin Monday and Wednesday. Here’s the link to pairings.

In the Southern Section, a key Division 1 playoff match as Mira Costa at Marymount on Tuesday. Here are the complete pairings.

Cross-country

At the Mt. SAC Invitational, Braelyn Combe of Corona Santiago ran a meet course-record time of 16:53.

Mira Costa finished first in the girls team competition. Great Oak was second.

San Clemente topped the boys team competition. Redondo Union was second.

Top girls’ players staying home

McDonald’s All-American Kennedy Smith of Etiwanda.

(Greg Stein)

There’s rising talent in girls’ basketball in Southern California, and the coaches at UCLA and USC agree that the big change is keeping the talent in Los Angeles.

In the old days, top players would look to leave for national powers back east to receive TV exposure. UCLA and USC have become a first option as their programs rise nationally.

Here’s a look at how the changes are affecting girls basketball.

More transfer problems

In case schools in the Southern Section haven’t noticed, just because a school sends in transfer paperwork and approves a valid change of residence or even a sit-out period transfer doesn’t mean it can’t be switched to ineligible when additional information is provided.

That happened again last week when Orange Lutheran’s football team forfeited two wins at the start of the season after an investigation determined that a previously approved student who submitted valid change of residence paperwork had not moved.

Here’s the report.

Be like Shohei

Jared Grindlinger of Huntington Beach has now been named to USA Baseball national teams in three different age groups.

(Nick Koza)

Shohei Ohtani is inspiring a generation of high school baseball players to try pitching and hitting at the same time like he does for the Dodgers.

One of those players is junior Jared Grindlinger of Huntington Beach, an outstanding outfielder and pitcher. He and others discussed the challenge at practices and their admiration for what Ohtani keeps accomplishing.

Here’s the report.

Water polo

The chase begins to try to beat top-seeded Newport Harbor in the Southern Section water polo playoffs.

The Division 1 favorite all season, Newport Harbor has lost only once, to San Diego Cathedral Catholic.

Evan Wu of Santa Margarita.

(Lloyd Sicard)

Santa Margarita is seeded No. 2 and has Evan Wu, who has scored 111 goals this season. Here’s a look at Wu.

Here’s the playoff pairings.

Basketball

Donovan Webb, a 6-foot-4 junior point guard at Golden Valley, has been receiving rave reviews for his skills.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

The first high school basketball media day was held at Canyon on Saturday, bringing together coaches and players from the Foothill League.

Here’s a look at some players to watch, including junior point guard Donovan Webb of Golden Valley.

Notes . . .

St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro, left, shakes hands with Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson in 2022 at the Rose Bowl. Bosco won 24-22.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The Rose Bowl will be the site for the Southern Section Division 1 football championship game on Friday, Nov. 28. It will be the first time for the Pasadena stadium to host the final since nearly 16,000 fans showed up for St. John Bosco vs. Mater Dei in 2022. The girls flag football final is at El Modena. . . .

L.A. Southwest College will host the City Section Open Division championship football game on Saturday, Nov. 29. . . .

Sierra Canyon’s boys and girls basketball teams will compete in the Hoophall Classic in January. Also making the trip back east are Ontario Christian girls and boys teams from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, St. John Bosco, Mater Dei and Inglewood. Here’s the schedule. . . .

Cornerback CJ Lavender of Mater Dei, having the best season of any Monarch defensive back, has committed to UCLA after previously being committed to Washington. . . .

Offensive lineman Andre White from Rancho Cucamonga has committed to UNLV. . . .

Distance runner Millie Bayles from Trabuco Hills has committed to Brigham Young. . . .

Jacob Webster, a 6-foot-4 quarterback at Oak Hills, has committed to Loyola Marymount for baseball. . . .

Jaylin Conard, a junior guard who played at DNA Prep, has transferred to St. Francis. . . .

Barron Linnekens, a senior center for Harvard-Westlake, has committed to Washington University in Missouri. . . .

Kobee Finnikin, a senior first baeman from Rancho Mirage who is committed to Cal Baptist, has transferred to Corona. He was the Desert Sun athlete of the year in 2024. . . .

Josh Irving, a 6-foot-11 center at Pasadena, has committed to Texas A&M. . . .

Luke Barnett, a top shooting guard at Mater Dei, has committed to Kansas. . . .

L.A. Jordan officially canceled its football season last month for lack of players. The school had a successful coach last season in Derek Benton, who moved to Fremont. First-year coach James Boyd was let go in the middle of this season. . . .

From the archives: Bear Bachmeier

Quarterback Bear Bachmeier poses for a photo on his family’s three-acre plot of land while attending Murrieta Valley.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

There’s a bear on the loose in Provo, Utah. Bear Bachmeier, a freshman quarterback from Murrieta Valley, has led Brigham Young to an 8-0 record. He originally attended Stanford, then transferred to BYU. His brother, Hank, is a former college quarterback and brother Tiger transferred from Stanford to BYU with him.

Bachmeier wore No. 47 in high school and sometimes ran as if he were a fullback. His toughness and intelligence are two qualities he showed throughout high school.

Here’s a story from 2021 on Bear throwing to Tiger for the first time in high school.

Here’s a profile on Bachmeier in 2023 explaining his background and family history.

Recommendations

From Thenewstribune in Tacoma, a story on the son of a former NFL receiver starring as a receiver.

From Elisportsnetwork.com, a story on a football coach being suspended in Washington and his staff refusing to coach. He has since been reinstated.

From MaxPreps.com, a story on a high school football team in Minnesota that keeps losing and losing (150 straight losses) but won’t quit.

From the Daily Pilot, a story on a student at Corona del Mar writing a book on flag football.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

Did you get this newsletter forwarded to you? To sign up and get it in your inbox, click here.

Nathan Collins scored 22 points as England came through a testing final warm-up for the Wheelchair Rugby League Ashes to beat Queensland 72-60 on the Sunshine Coast.

Leeds Rhinos pivot Collins scored two tries and landed seven goals as Tom Coyd’s side had to come back from an early 12-6 deficit against competitive hosts.

Wheels of Steel winner Joe Coyd scored three of England’s 13 tries, and added a goal, as they followed up their 86-10 win over New South Wales in last Friday’s tour opener.

Mason Billington and Luis Domingos both scored twice, with one try each for Rob Hawkins, tour captain Lewis King, Seb Bechara and Finlay O’Neill. Wayne Boardman added a goal to the tally.

For Halifax Panthers youngster O’Neill it was a first international try, and he was watched by his father and grandmother, who have travelled from Yorkshire for the tour’s early stages.

Queensland included several players who are set to feature for Australia against England later this week, including Zac Schumacher, who scored five of their tries, and Bayley McKenna, who converted all nine of his goal attempts.

Dan Anstey and Adam Tannock scored twice for the hosts and Pete Arbuckle once, with their other goal coming from Jack Kruger.

England face a two-Test series against Australia on the Gold Coast, with the first match on Thursday and the second on Sunday.