The Atlanta Dream will host Games 3 and 4 of the WNBA Finals against the Golden State Valkyries in the building they will call home starting next season, not the one where they played most of their home games this year.
That’s good because State Farm Arena — home of the NBA’s Hawks and soon-to-be the fulltime home of the Dream — can seat around 17,000 people, while Gateway Center Arena — the WNBA franchise’s home facility since 2021 — can only hold 3,500 fans.
“This is what the players and the fans deserve,” Dream majority owner Larry Gottesdiener said in a statement. “We are grateful to all of the stakeholders who worked together to resolve the conflicts and make this happen.”
Game 3 will be played Oct. 21 at 5 p.m. PDT. The game was originally supposed to be played the following day, but a Sombr concert is taking place at the arena on that date.
Game 4 will take place Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. PDT. While that date wasn’t changed, the game was originally slated to start 2 1/2 hours later. The Hawks also pushed back the time of their home opener that evening by a half-hour to 5:30 p.m. PDT to help accommodate the WNBA game.
“The change of venue dramatically expands the seating capacity and ensures that the Dream will be able to provide an extraordinary atmosphere for the first WNBA Finals game to be played in the Atlanta market since 2013,” league commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. “We are pleased that thousands more fans across the Southeast region will have the opportunity to experience the ultimate WNBA action — the WNBA Finals — in person.”
The Dream played six regular-season games and all three home playoff games this season at State Farm Arena. Efforts to hold the Dream’s home Finals games at such area venues as Gas South Arena (around 13,000 seats) and Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion (8,600 seats), didn’t work out, according to USA Today.
There has been no word on the venue for a possible Game 6 of the best-of-seven series, which the Dream are currently scheduled to host on Oct. 29, the same date as another Hawks home game.
Paris St-Germain boss Luis Enrique says he was surprised to learn Manchester City had been found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules and he hopes the club can avoid sanctions.
“There is a lot of noise around Manchester City and there is often noise around big clubs,” said Enrique when asked about City’s guilty verdict at a news conference at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
“We have just have to to wait and see what the final decision will be. I hope everything works out well for Manchester City because I think what they have done on the pitch has been incredible over the last few years and they certainly deserved to win on the pitch all the trophies they have won.
“Now we have to wait to see what the authorities decide or the judge is going to say.”
An independent commission found City had broken rules over a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018 by creating “sham” contracts with commercial partners to secretly funnel more than £830m into their football operations.
City insist they are innocent and have appealed.
Luis Enrique added: “The first thing that you hear, it is a surprise, but we need to respect the process and wait for the final decision.
“The authorities are responsible for making these decisions. But speaking only about football, they deserved those trophies. I love their football. Beyond that, we have to wait for the decision.
“The trophies you win on the pitch remain on the pitch. They deserved to win that and I hope they can avoid the sanction. But we have to wait.”
Jimmy Crowley, the son of former Southern Section commissioner Dean Crowley, had a Friday night off from officiating Big Sky Conference football games, so he went to St. John Bosco last week to evaluate the high school officials for a game against Orange Lutheran.
Southern California high school football games have been used as a proving ground for years and a first stop for officials wanting to move to college and the NFL.
It used to be that the commissioners in the City Section and Southern Section were high school or college officials. Jim Cheffers, a former City Section commissioner, used to officiate in the Pac-8. Now his son, Carl, is one of the top NFL referees and has worked three Super Bowls.
Tony Corrente, a former baseball coach at La Mirada who won a CIF title in 1988, made it to the NFL for 26 years as an official and was referee for Super Bowl XI. Former Hollywood High principal Jim Tunney was a long-time NFL referee.
While fans sometimes don’t appreciate officials, in Southern California high school football, you might be watching a future college or NFL referee.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Alaric Jackson has a history of violent outbursts. Still, it was surprising to see the Rams star offensive tackle punch Buffalo Bills linebacker Bradley Chubb on the SoFi Stadium field moments after the Bills defeated the Rams 37-34 in overtime on Monday.
Players were milling around midfield, exchanging jerseys and making small talk when Chubb appeared to say something to Jackson, who was chatting with another Bills player. Jackson immediately marched over to Chubb and slugged him once in the face, knocking a cap from his head.
Players from both teams intervened, and the episode was documented on video by the NFL. Based on precedent, Jackson, 28, likely faces a suspension.
One year ago, Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch was suspended for one game after he smacked Kansas City Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in the helmet after a game.
At the time, Branch spoke to reporters in the locker room and admitted his actions were “childish.”
Jackson did not make himself available for an interview after Monday’s incident, although Chubb did.
“It’s just emotions, you know what I mean? Emotional game. It was a close game,” Chubb said. “And, you know, they always catch the second guy. So, I let him swing. And then my teammates held me back, and I just chilled.”
Jackson averted a suspension ahead of this season when authorities declined to file formal criminal charges after he was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence. Police responded to a call at a home in West Hills on June 8 at 11 p.m. and said in a report that the 6-foot-7, 338-pound Jackson was arrested for “willfully inflicting physical or corporal injury resulting in a ‘traumatic condition’ [such as a bruise, scratch, swelling, or internal injury] on an intimate partner.”
Jackson, who is in his sixth season with the Rams and fourth as quarterback Matthew Stafford’s blindside protector, entered a diversion program that required him to complete probation and anger management classes. Four months earlier, he had signed a three-year contract that included $35 million in guarantees. He is scheduled to earn $18.4 million this season.
In 2024, Jackson was suspended for two games by the NFL for violating its personal conduct policy following a lawsuit filed by a woman alleging he recorded her without her consent during sex. The woman, who also reported it to the league, alleged that Jackson refused to delete the video and taunted her with it. The civil suit was dismissed.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Win or lose, Tuesday is an off day. So forget about the Dodgers for a day and enjoy life.
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Game 2 thoughts
First inning
—Nervy ABS challenge by Mookie Betts. First batter of the game challenges?
—Takes second on a groundout. Third on a wild pitch. Scores on a sacrifice fly. Is this the mid-60s Dodgers? Dodgers 1, Brewers 0.
—And Shohei Ohtani still looks lost.
—I’ll bet on Yoshinobu Yamamoto every time.
—Where’s this Brice Turang guy come from?
—And then the score is tied. Dodgers 1, Brewers 1.
Second inning
—Nice to see Andy Pages draw a walk, but the Dodgers go down relatively quietly.
—There’s something about the name Garrett Mitchell that I like. I can’t figure out why, though.
—Can you tell I had to step away for a few minutes during this inning? Sorry.
Third inning
—Tommy Edman pays immediate dividends.
—Wow. Betts hit that ball hard.
—Sal Frelick made a great catch in right field.
—The Brewers taketh away and giveth. Don’t see that many errors on pickoff throws nowadays. Dodgers 2, Brewers 1.
—I think after the season we will see the headline “Ohtani spotted in full body cast.”
—Wow! Brewers manager Pat Murphy basically buried his rookies for making mistakes in the previous half-inning.
—A nice play by Kyle Tucker. He’s gotten better at everything!
—Sometimes John Smoltz will fall in love with a topic and won’t let it go. Like drawing throws to first base.
—First and second, one out. Can the Brewers cash in?
—Brewers are making Yamamoto work.
—Another PitchCom problem for the Dodgers! The battery probably ran out because of this long at-bat by Jake Bauers.
—Is it me, or could Teoscar have caught that ball if he hustled?
—Nice 12-pitch at-bat by Bauers.
—And the Brewers cash in. Brewers 3, Dodgers 2.
Fourth inning
—The Dodgers knocked out the Brewers’ ace early in Game 1 and still lost. Can they reverse that this game?
—I prefer the Limu Emu (and Doug) commercials to the Liberty Bibberty commercials.
—Only in this newsletter are those types of important things debated.
—The Dodgers seemed to be in a hurry to end that half-inning. Must be some great food in the clubhouse.
—For those of you emailing to ask, the woman who sits in the front row behind home plate and writes down every play is Front Row Amy, Amy Williams. She’s had season tickets for about 15 years and logs every play. She’s very famous in Milwaukee.
—Roki Sasaki quiets things in the bottom half. How many innings will he pitch?
Fifth inning
—Leadoff double for Tucker. Can the Dodgers cash in?
—The Dodgers bunted! And Logan Henderson threw the ball away! He should never be allowed to throw to first again. Dodgers 3, Brewers 3.
—Murphy must be extra furious at his rookies now!
—Could I use any more exclamation marks?!?
—Henderson pitched well, but two throws cost him. Baseball!
—Hey, the Dodgers used to have a pitcher named Dustin May too. What are the odds?
—Betts advanced the runner to third, Small ball.
—Can the Dodgers cash in?
—Freeman gets a sacrifice fly. Or does he? The Brewers challenge the call.
—And the call stands. Everything is happening in this game. Dodgers 4, Brewers 3.
—Tommy Edman always seems to be in the middle of the action.
—That HPE self-driving network commercial doesn’t work at all.
—Only one inning for Sasaki. Surprising.
—Kris Bubic, who made the team over Jack Dreyer, which made some fans mad, gets to earn his keep.
—And he doesn’t earn his keep. Dodgers 4, Brewers 4.
—This has been a great series.
—Christian Yellich singled, Mitchell walked. Where’s Jack Dreyer?
—That infield hit seemed to anger Brock Stewart. He fired three fastballs right past Sal Frelick.
Sixth inning
—The Dodgers go down quietly. Ohtani again looked terrible.
—Can no pitcher throw the ball to first anymore?
—If you are going to intentionally walk a guy to get to William Contreras, make sure your first pitch to him is not right down the middle. Brewers 5, Dodgers 4.
—The Brewers fans can get really loud.
—Tanner Scott comes in and quiets things down.
Seventh inning
—That was an at-bat from the last season version of Pages, flailing at a pitch way out of the zone.
—The Dodgers again go quietly. All their power has drained away.
—This is what drives me crazy about modern baseball. Scott strikes out all three batters he faces, but they take him out of the game.
—And Edgardo Henriquez gives up a hit to the first batter he faces.
—I seem to be extra cranky today. Must be how Pat Murphy feels all the time.
—And the inning ends quietly.
Eighth inning
—Another quiet inning for the Dodgers. Those are piling up.
—The Dodgers have scored four runs. Two on errors, two on sacrifice flies. Not they typical way they score runs.
—David Hamilton hit .245 this season, but you’d never guess that watching him in this game.
—He steals second, takes third on a groundout, scores on a single. Small ball. Brewers 6, Dodgers 4.
—And the Dodgers turn to their seventh reliever of the game, Justin Wrobleski.
—Another run comes in. Brewers 7, Dodgers 4.
Ninth inning
—The Dodgers need to have a tough discussion about Ohtani. Yes, he’s great. Yes, he’s won two MVP awards in two seasons with the Dodgers. And if he was just in a slump, I’d be OK with leaving him in the lineup. But he is obviously hurting. You are doing him and the team a disservice.
—Ohtani flies to left.
—Will Smith, also not hitting well, flied to right.
—Miguel Rojas, batting for Max Muncy, strikes out.
—Dodgers now trail 2-0. Desirable? No. Happy about it? No. But teams have come back from 2-0 deficits before. It could happen again. We could be sitting here Thursday wondering what happened. Or thinking the Dodgers are right back in it. We’ll just have to wait and see.
—Meanwhile, like I said at the start, take Tuesday and enjoy life. It’s just a baseball game.
Up next
Wednesday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., FS1/Fox Deportes/Fox One
Thursday at Dodgers, 6 p.m., FS1/Fox Deportes/Fox One
*Friday at Dodgers, 6 p.m., FS1/Fox Deportes/Fox One
*Sunday at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., FS1/Fox Deportes/Fox One
*Monday, Oct. 19 at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/Fox One
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Much was made of South Africa’s run to the 2025 World Test Championship final at Lord’s.
They played only 12 Tests – no team played fewer – and qualified after drawing at home against India and losing in New Zealand, before beating West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Mitigation for this latest Test also comes from the fact this is their first in almost a year and the majority of their batters played one domestic red-ball match to prepare.
Australia recently came off an eight-month break of their own and lost to Bangladesh in home conditions, as Conrad was keen to point out.
And last summer’s famous win over Australia and a 2-0 success in India proves they can beat the world’s top teams.
However, this Test only reinforced a worrying trend among South Africa’s batters.
Tristan Stubbs and Ryan Rickelton are fine white-ball players, but Stubbs’ two Test centuries have come against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and Rickelton’s against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
This was an obvious step up.
In the first innings, Stubbs, two overs after Wiaan Mulder had been bounced out, top-edged a pull to fine leg, and in the second he played a loose drive on one.
Opener Rickelton drove and edged at a wide ball late on day two and nicked through a pull in the fourth over on day four.
Similarly, Mulder scored 367 not out against Zimbabwe last year, but Bangladesh are the only other side he averages more than 30 against. His 110-ball stay for 29 on the final day before being strangled down the leg side was at least encouraging.
Wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne, in contrast, lasted only three balls before nudging Matt Renshaw’s part-time spin to slip. His Test average of 30.14 drops to 28 against Australia and 15 against both England and India.
Conrad said that “a few of the guys need to step up”.
“The real disappointment was the batting in the first dig on a really good wicket,” Conrad said.
“Yes, a world-class attack, but quite a few guys getting starts and not kicking on.”
For the ODIs, Jofra Archer is back in the pace attack after being rested for the tri-series in Pakistan in October.
Archer’s return means the 50-over squad is close to full strength, bar the absence of wicketkeeper Jos Buttler who is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines following hamstring surgery.
After the ODIs, all of seamers Archer, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Sonny Baker, along with batter Ben Duckett, miss out on the T20s in order to prepare for South Africa.
The re-shuffle means eye-catching call-ups for Rew and Jack, while opener Aneurin Donald keeps his place after making his debut in the series against Sri Lanka last month.
The addition of Rew and Jack, who were awarded development central contracts on Monday, offers the tantalising prospect of a first international cap against England’s fiercest rivals in one of the most iconic venues in cricket. The first T20 is at the colossal Melbourne Cricket Ground on 21 November.
Rew does not turn 19 until 29 November. If he plays on the tour, he would become the third-youngest man to make his England debut in any format after Rehan Ahmed and Brian Close, and the youngest man to play for England against Australia.
Rew is the younger brother of James, who made his Test debut for England against New Zealand at The Oval in June.
Thomas captained England Under-19s to the final of the World Cup earlier this year and made two centuries for Somerset in the County Championship during the summer.
Jack, who has the middle name Vaughan after former England captain Michael, has been on England’s radar since last year.
He looks likely to earn a debut in Australia because he is one of only three specialist fast bowlers in the squad. Uncapped Henry Crocombe is down under for both series after earning a two-year central contract on Monday, while Luke Wood is part of the T20 squad despite losing his central deal.
Bethell’s return to both squads is an indication of the selection decision England will face for the Test series in South Africa.
In the left-hander’s absence for the home Test series against Pakistan this summer, Emilio Gay, Jordan Cox and Dan Lawrence came into the England XI. Bethell’s comeback could displace any one of that trio.
Harry Brook captains England on both legs of the tour and is once again set to play across formats in every game of the winter. He has not missed an international since a raft of players were rested for the T20 series in Ireland last September.
The trip will be Brook’s first return to Australia since a nightclub incident in Wellington, New Zealand, last October was revealed on the final day of the Ashes series in January.
During the Ashes, England’s players came under intense scrutiny from the local media, not helped by a series of off-field misdemeanours. Though a white-ball tour will not have the same profile as the Ashes, the tourists can still expect a degree of hostility from the home fans.
There will also be the spectre of former Test captain Ben Stokes, whose stint with Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League begins shortly after England’s tour ends.
From Maddie Lee: Mookie Betts slapped his bat with his free hand after tipping a slider from Brewers right-hander Abner Uribe back into catcher William Contreras’ mitt.
Betts had been setting the tone for the Dodgers from the leadoff spot all postseason, taking good at-bats against some of MLB’s best starting pitchers. But there wasn’t much he could do against a sinker-slider mix like Uribe’s.
Uribe shuffled off the mound, and the crowd at American Family Field roared.
Then, with left-handed-hitting Freddie Freeman coming to the plate, Milwaukee had an answer for him too. Manager Pat Murphy signaled to the bullpen, left-hander Aaron Ashby emerged and struck out Freeman on four pitches, only one of which touched the strike zone.
“They all throw 100 [mph] from different angles,” Freeman said after the Dodgers’ 7-4 loss in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series on Monday.
The Dodgers’ performance against the Brewers bullpen on Monday magnified how much the star-powered lineup hasn’t been clicking with Shohei Ohtani struggling at the plate. He went 0-for-4 in the cleanup spot in Game 2, bringing his postseason total to three hits, all singles, in 20 at-bats.
Manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic after the game that he would “have a conversation” with Ohtani Tuesday to determine “what’s best for him, what’s best for [the team].”
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Three-peat chance is looking weak
From Bill Plaschke: Once brimming with life, the Dodgers’ historic quest has curled up into a withered heap.
The three-peat is slowly, agonizingly having the life squeezed out of it by a collection of hardscrabble Midwesterners with no regard for stardom or status.
Two games into the National League Championship Series, the three-peat was formally placed on life support Monday after the mighty Dodgers lost a second consecutive game to those little giants known as Milwaukee Brewers.
This time the score was 7-4 after another devastating night at American Family Field, and now the Dodgers trail two games to none in a best-of-seven series that appears beyond their control.
For a second consecutive game, their ace was knocked out. For a second consecutive game, their powerful offense petered out.
For a second consecutive game, they looked like a weary, aging band of fallen stars that had stumbled into a surprisingly deep pothole and had no idea how to climb out.
No. 1 Milwaukee vs. No. 2 Dodgers at Milwaukee 2, Dodgers 1 (box score) at Milwaukee 7, Dodgers 4 (box score) Wednesday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One Thursday at Dodgers, 6 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One *Friday at Dodgers, 6 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One *Sunday at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One *Monday at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
ALCS
No. 1 Tampa Bay vs. No. 2 Cleveland Cleveland 7, at Tampa Bay 3 (box score) Tuesday at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max Thursday at Cleveland, 3 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max Friday at Cleveland, 3 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max *Saturday at Cleveland, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max *Monday at Tampa Bay, 2 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max *Tuesday at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Iamaleava is expected to miss the rest of this season with a knee injury, according to a person with knowledge of the injury not authorized to discuss it publicly.
Chesney said he is waiting for UCLA doctors to “make the final call on things.”
“He has a meeting later today, and he’ll have a whole lot more clarity on exactly where things are at,” Chesney said of Iamaleava during a news conference Monday. “Everything being reported is what’s being reported. There is a serious concern at this moment, but at the same point in time, there is nothing that has been fully ruled at this moment.”
The injury is a blow for the No. 12 Bruins, who are 5-0 during Chesney’s first season and have a favorable path to the College Football Playoff.
Chesney said that while Ty Dieffenbach and Madden Iamaleava, Nico’s younger brother, both earned the right to start, Chesney will start Dieffenbach going forward and see how it plays out.
1893 — The U.S. yacht Vigilant wins the America’s Cup with a three-race sweep over the British challenger Valkyrie II.
1947 — The NHL holds its first All-Star game with the All-Stars beating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3. Toronto’s Harry Watson scores the game’s first goal and assists on the other two goals. Trailing 3-2 after two periods, Montreal’s Maurice Richard and Chicago’s Doug Bentley each score to give the All-Stars the win.
1961 — Jacky Lee of the Houston Oilers passes for 457 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-31 tie with the Boston Patriots. Charley Hennigan of the Oilers catches 13 passes for 272 yards.
1963 — Mickey Wright wins her fourth LPGA championship in six years by beating Mary Lena Faulk, Mary Mills and Louise Suggs by two strokes.
1982 — IOC Executive Committee approves the reinstatement of Jim Thorpe’s gold medals from the 1912 Olympics.
1985 — Phil Simms of the New York Giants passes for 513 yards with an NFL-record 62 pass attempts in a 35-30 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Simms completes 40 passes with 29 for first downs, also an NFL record.
1998 — For the first time in NBA history, the league cancels regular season games after labor talks break off.
2001 — DeShaun Foster of UCLA runs for a school-record 301 yards and four touchdowns as the Bruins beat Washington 35-13.
2001 — Georgia Southern fullback Adrian Peterson is held to 71 yards rushing, snapping his NCAA-record streak of 36 straight regular-season games with at least 100 yards.
2011 — American Jordyn Wieber wins another gold medal, beating Russia’s Viktoria Komova for the all-around title at the world gymnastics championships in Tokyo. Wieber, who led the Americans to the team title two days earlier, finishes with 59.382 points, just 0.033 ahead of the Russian.
2013 — Kenya’s Dennis Kimetto, six weeks removed from a bout of malaria, breaks the course mark in capturing the Chicago Marathon. Kimetto finishes in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 45 seconds, leading a 1-2-3 finish for Kenyan men. He beats the mark of 2:04:38 set by Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Kebede last year.
2017 — Gustav Nyquist scores twice and Detroit has four goals in the third period to beat Vegas 6-3, handing the NHL’s newest franchise its first loss. Vegas is the first NHL expansion team to win its first three games.
2019 — Simone Biles becomes the most decorated gymnast in history when she wins record 25th medal at the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.
Compiled by the Associated Press
This day in baseball history
1903 — The Boston Pilgrims win the first World Series, 5 games to 3, with a 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
1960 — Bill Mazeroski opens the bottom of the ninth with a home run off Ralph Terry of the New York Yankees to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 10-9 victory and the World Series championship.
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. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Meanwhile, it emerged over the weekend that Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam did not select three of his key players because of the state of the StoneX Stadium pitch.
Pedro Rubiolo, AJ MacGinty and Steven Luatua were rested for the trip to north London.
“They came off big injuries last season so it wasn’t worth putting them on that pitch,” Lam explained.
“If we were playing the game at home or if it was a semi-final, they would have played.”
Saracens have been contacted for comment.
Lam has previously voiced his opposition to artificial pitches being used in the Prem.
Following the Bears’ league win at Newcastle in April, Lam blamed the pitch for causing a number of injuries to his team.
“These pitches are hard – I’m not a big fan of them,” Lam said at the time.
“We always take injuries on them and we’ve taken a few more.”
Newcastle installed a new pitch at Kingston Park this summer before the 2026-27 season and have kept it fully artificial.
It marked the first time UCLA defeated Oregon since 2017. The win was the Bruins’ first at Autzen Stadium since 2004. And Bob Chesney became the first UCLA head coach to start his tenure 5-0.
Sunday came with one more breakthrough: The Bruins cracked the top 15 in the Associated Press’ Top 25 for the first time since 2022.
UCLA’s 17-15 victory over Oregon proved that the Bruins deserved a spot in the upper echelons of the Big Ten. Not only did UCLA leave Oregon with an undefeated record — one win away from being bowl eligible — but the Bruins also will returned to Los Angeles with three consecutive home games on the schedule, a stretch that could push them farther up the totem pole.
“It doesn’t matter. Now we have to get better,” Chesney told reporters after the win. “How do we get better? We go back and look at the things we need to fix. We evaluate our personnel and see where we stand once we figure out whether some of these guys are coming back next week. There’s a lot of football left to be played, so it doesn’t matter. Getting better is always the message when we turn the corner.”
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Here are three takeaways from UCLA’s fifth win, which kept the Bruins among nine remaining undefeated Football Bowl Subdivision schools and avenged one of Chesney’s two losses last season when his magical run at James Madison ended against Oregon.
Colin Hitschler can bounce back with the best
The week leading up to defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler’s rematch against Oregon featured reminders about how the Ducks steamrolled his Dukes’ defense last season in the College Football Playoff, finishing with 51 points and 514 yards.
And Hitschler acknowledged that Ducks coach Dan Lanning’s offense got the best of him, leaving him with a chip on his shoulder.
His “Bruin Bullies” made their presence felt from the first whistle to the last, forcing seven turnovers — five fumble recoveries and two interceptions, categories in which UCLA now ranks first and second, respectively, in the nation.
And while Oregon quarterback Dante Moore remained sidelined because of a head injury, backup Dylan Raiola — who spent the previous two seasons as Nebraska’s starter — was a highly regarded talent and expected to challenge the UCLA defense, particularly after throwing for 289 yards and two scores against USC last month.
UCLA defensive lineman Darold DeNgohe tackles Oregon quarterback Brock Thomas on Saturday in Eugene.
(Lydia Ely / Associated Press)
The Bruins gave Raiola more headaches than anything else as he finished with 43 passing yards and three turnovers before he was benched for third-stringer Brock Thomas in the fourth quarter.
And even when Thomas entered for Raiola, the Ducks’ offensive weapons largely flatlined despite their perceived superior status.
Running back duo Dierre Hill Jr. and Jordon Davison — who combined for 238 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns against the Trojans — and tight end Jamari Johnson, who torched the USC defense for seven catches and 119 yards, were limited to a combined 111 all-purpose yards and just one score.
The Bruins’ defense was everywhere in Eugene, limiting the run game to 2.7 yards per carry, largely blanketing pass catchers in coverage downfield and forcing turnovers at every level.
“We don’t focus on outside chatter,” senior linebacker Sammy Omosigho said after the win. “That has no meaning to us, no focus to us, no value to us. We focus on ourselves.”
Bruins’ QB concerns aren’t going anywhere
Many observers who watched Saturday’s showdown will tell you the Bruins should have won more handily.
The Bruins almost doubled the Ducks in time of possession, yet there was a chance for Oregon to win on the last drive of the game.
UCLA had to overcome its own problems, with quarterback Nico Iamaleava battling Raiola for most turnovers and questionable decisions under pressure.
UCLA coach Bob Chesney calls to his players.
(Lydia Ely / Associated Press)
Iamaleava got off to a slow start this season as UCLA relied on its potent rushing attack. He rebounded against Purdue and Maryland, combining for 485 yards and four touchdowns with zero turnovers.
While Iamaleava went 10 for 17 for 162 yards in the first half, his mistakes came at especially costly times for the Bruins.
During UCLA’s second drive, the Bruins were pinned on their 10-yard line. With Oregon outside linebacker Nasir Wyatt blitzing, Iamaleava attempted to throw the ball away to the flat and instead fumbled, giving the Ducks the ball on the Bruins’ one-yard-line. Oregon scored one of its two touchdowns immediately after the turnover.
Later in the half, Iamaleava threw two interceptions, the first at midfield and the second coming at Oregon’s 22-yard line, wiping out a field-goal opportunity.
Iamaleava struggled with accuracy and timing, underthrowing a deep ball to wide receiver Aidan Mizell on the first play of the game — a pass that arguably could have been a touchdown if Mizell was hit in stride — and mistiming a pass to running back Jaivian Thomas, who was wide open in the end zone, on third and goal during the same drive.
Iamaleava was facing a formidable Ducks defense, the best unit the Bruins have played to date, and was injured during the second interception. He did not return to the field after sustaining a leg injury near the end of the first half, and it is unclear how long he will be sidelined.
Backup Ty Dieffenbach steered UCLA to a win, but the Bruins need better quarterback depth.
UCLA is a playoff contender
The Bruins celebrate their win over the Oregon Ducks.
(Tom Hauck / Getty Images)
Saturday was more than just a win. It was a bold announcement to the rest of the Big Ten and the nation that UCLA is a playoff contender.
Chesney told fans during a UCLA men’s basketball game shortly after he was hired that the football team is playing for banners. And Saturday’s win proved that his plan to pursue championships — something that seemed absurd amid a lost 2025 season — has a real possibility of paying off with one.
The Bruins have one of the easier schedules in the Big Ten with seven games remaining. UCLA will play five home games, including with 2-4 Michigan State, 2-3 Nevada of the Mountain West and 3-3 Illinois.
While UCLA still has road games at Michigan and Minnesota and competitive home games against Wisconsin and USC, the Bruins proved Saturday that they can hang in any environment, frustrating the Ducks at hostile Autzen Stadium.
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Big Ten confirms a big mistake
The Big Ten released a statement Sunday announcing its officials placed the ball at the wrong spot during Oregon’s final failed two-point conversion attempt after a UCLA penalty. The ball should have been placed at the half-yard line instead of the 1½-yard line. The lead officially announced the correct placement, but the crew never moved the ball.
UCLA’s defense stuffed the two-point conversion attempt, and the Bruins went on to secure a 17-15 win.
The mistake has drawn limited outrage, with fans more concerned about the number of errors by Big Ten officials this season than about them potentially thwarting Oregon’s chance to tie the score. That probably has a lot to do with the number of mistakes the Ducks made and the perception the Bruins outplayed them.
Dieffenbach has long embraced change
Before Ty Dieffenbach was asked to lead UCLA’s offense in the second half at Oregon, he began his high school career in Southern California as a wide receiver.
The Times’ Eric Sondheimer spoke with Dieffenbach ahead of his senior season about his switch to playing quarterback for Agoura, a team that needed a signal-caller and quickly developed a prolific one.
Agoura coach Dustin Croick told Sondheimer he wouldn’t have asked Dieffenbach to play the position just because of the 6-foot-5 athlete’s arm strength. Croick detected something else.
“We can teach kids how to throw, how to read defenses, but the leadership has to be a natural thing,” Croick said.
The two have stayed in touch as Dieffenbach spent two seasons at Pittsburgh without playing before transferring to Cal Poly and starting for one season. Dieffenbach then joined UCLA during the offseason and prepared as though he could be asked to play at any time.
Dieffenbach celebrated with the high school coach who first believed in his quarterback skills via Facetime after UCLA’s win.
Agoura football coach Dustin Croick was busy with relatives in town. He turned off his phone. Then he saw 173 text messages. Then he faced timed with his former QB Ty Dieffenbach after UCLA beat Oregon. Emotional day. pic.twitter.com/eyn5YD6Uva
The Valkyries became the first WNBA expansion team to reach the playoffs in its first season and the Finals in its second.
“I told them that I was proud of our whole team, the whole 14, because I saw another level of fight tonight,” Nakase said after the clinching win. “And that’s what I was really proud of. We talked about leveling up one more as a team and I think that overtime proved strength in numbers. We really left it all out there on the floor. We really emptied the tank.”
Golden State hosts the Atlanta Dream at 12:30 p.m. Saturday to open the Finals. The Dream notably are led by UCLA alum Jordin Canada, the the starting point guard and ignition to their offense.
Bruins on deck
Wednesday, Oct. 14 Women’s basketball at California (exhibition)
Thursday, Oct. 15 Women’s tennis at ITA Regional Championships, all day Men’s tennis at ITA Regional Championships, all day
Friday, Oct. 16 Women’s tennis at ITA Regional Championships, all day Men’s tennis at ITA Regional Championships, all day Women’s golf at Stanford Intercollegiate, all day Men’s golf at Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational, all day Men’s soccer at Wisconsin, 5 p.m. Women’s volleyball vs. Penn State, 7 p.m. Women’s soccer vs. Washington, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 17 Women’s tennis at ITA Regional Championships, all day Men’s tennis at ITA Regional Championships, all day Cross country at UC Riverside, 8 a.m. Men’s water polo at USC, 1 p.m. Football vs. Wisconsin, 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 18 Women’s tennis at ITA Regional Championships, all day Men’s tennis at ITA Regional Championships, all day Women’s volleyball vs. Ohio State, 3 p.m.
Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email newsletters editor Houston Mitchell at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Sports editor Iliana Limón Romero contributed to this report.
MILWAUKEE — Mookie Betts slapped his bat with his free hand after tipping a slider from Brewers right-hander Abner Uribe back into catcher William Contreras’ mitt.
Betts had been setting the tone for the Dodgers from the leadoff spot all postseason, taking good at-bats against some of MLB’s best starting pitchers. But there wasn’t much he could do against a sinker-slider mix like Uribe’s.
Uribe shuffled off the mound, and the crowd at American Family Field roared.
Then, with left-handed-hitting Freddie Freeman coming to the plate, Milwaukee had an answer for him too. Manager Pat Murphy signaled to the bullpen, left-hander Aaron Ashby emerged and struck out Freeman on four pitches, only one of which touched the strike zone.
“They all throw 100 [mph] from different angles,” Freeman said after the Dodgers’ 7-4 loss in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series on Monday.
Those back-to-back strikeouts in the eighth inning were part of five perfect innings thrown by the Brewers’ bullpen — a postseason record. And the Dodgers’ inability to rally against the Brewers’ relievers, paired with the shortest start in Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s postseason career, sunk their chances of evening the series.
The NLCS heads to Los Angeles with the Brewers leading 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.
The Dodgers’ performance against the Brewers’ bullpen on Monday magnified how much the star-powered lineup hasn’t been clicking with Shohei Ohtani struggling at the plate. He went 0 for 4 in the cleanup spot in Game 2, bringing his postseason total to three hits, all singles, in 20 at-bats.
Manager Dave Roberts told the Athletic after the game that he would “have a conversation” with Ohtani on Tuesday to determine “what’s best for him, what’s best for [the team].”
Factoring into the decision of whether to bench Ohtani is an understanding that he likely is not completely healthy, according to a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly.
Ohtani has dealt with left knee and right biceps issues for much of the season. But it’s been difficult since he returned from the injured list to determine whether health, bad swing habits caused by earlier injuries, or some combination of the two has been to blame for his poor performance.
Ohtani hasn’t addressed the media since the day before Game 1 of the division series.
“It’s tough,” Teoscar Hernández said. “We obviously need his help. He’s a big, big part of this team, and it’s really important. And I feel bad for him. I know what he’s capable of. He’s been dealing with some stuff in the past. We don’t know if it’s still there. But it’s Shohei. Any moment he can come through.”
The game wasn’t doomed, per se, when Yamamoto exited after 2⅔ innings, but it was clear it would be an uphill battle for the Dodgers.
Yamamoto stood on the same mound where a year ago he’d thrown a complete game and was pummeled by Brewers fans’ chants:
“Yel-li! Yel-li!”
As the fans celebrated Brewers captain Christian Yelich’s two-run single for an early lead, Roberts emerged from the visiting dugout, ready to take the ball from the starter who’d made himself a household name with his postseason heroics.
“He just didn’t have it tonight, which is very rare,” Roberts said.
The two walks Yamamoto issued in the inning set up Yelich for a big at-bat. The first walk, to Brice Turang, included a borderline ball-four call. Yamamoto’s hand flew up to the back of his hat like he was contemplating an ABS challenge, but neither he nor catcher Will Smith pulled the trigger. And the second, to Jake Bauers, lasted 12 pitches.
The other run Yamamoto gave up, in the first inning, also included a missed opportunity for a challenge.
Yamamoto struck out Jackson Chourio — whose leadoff home run last year was the lone run in Yamamoto’s NLCS complete game — to open the frame.
Then Turang worked a full count — although the first ball caught most of the low and outside corner — before he hit an opposite-field double.
“It was kind of early in the game, we kind of had him on the ropes where we could just get him out there,” Smith said. “The walk one was a bummer but I guess it happens. It’s baseball.”
The next batter, William Contreras, fought off a low slider, poking it into shallow left field to tie the score.
Against Brewers starter Logan Henderson, the Dodgers capitalized on a couple of errant throws by the pitcher, on a pickoff attempt and a sacrifice bunt, to contribute to two unearned runs, on a day when he gave up four runs in all.
Hernández and Freeman hit sacrifice flies in the first and fifth innings, respectively. Freeman’s came off former Dodger Dustin May, driving in a runner inherited from Henderson. And that was the most the Dodgers accomplished against the same relief corps that held them off the day before. They finished with three hits, their fewest in a playoff game since 2020.
“If there is a positive, you can say that a lot of our guys are starting to get looks at their back-end guys,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “But when they’re as good as they are, I don’t know how much that helps. Unfortunately, that’s the issue with that.”
If the Dodgers are going to bounce back, they’ll either have to figure out how to score against the Brewers’ suffocating bullpen, or build early leads and maintain them.
The Dodgers were forced to throw seven relievers behind Yamamoto. In the fifth inning, with the Dodgers up 4-3, Roberts brought in left-hander Kris Bubic — replacing right-hander Roki Sasaki after a hitless inning — to face the left-handed-heavy heart of the order. But Bubic missed down the middle to the right-handed-hitting Contreras, who gave the fastball a ride over the center field wall, tying the score.
In the sixth, against Dodgers right-hander Brock Stewart, Contreras drove in the go-ahead run in a traffic-filled inning that included a Freeman error on a muffed pickoff attempt. Left-hander Tanner Scott came to the rescue and struck out Bauers and Yelich to end the inning and Garrett Mitchell to kick off the seventh.
The Brewers added insurance runs in the eighth inning with RBI singles by Turang off hard-throwing right-hander Edgardo Henriquez and Bauers against left-hander Justin Wrobleski.
“The guys in here are really good at staying together,” Betts said. “I don’t think there’s much doubt going on. I think we just need to regroup and figure out what we need to do individually. But there’s no doubt.”
The three-peat is slowly, agonizingly having the life squeezed out of it by a collection of hardscrabble Midwesterners with no regard for stardom or status.
Two games into the National League Championship Series, the three-peat was formally placed on life support Monday after the mighty Dodgers lost a second consecutive game to those little giants known as Milwaukee Brewers.
Shohei Ohtani strikes out during the sixth inning
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
This time the score was 7-4 after another devastating night at American Family Field, and now the Dodgers trail two games to none in a best-of-seven series that appears beyond their control.
For a second consecutive game, their ace was knocked out. For a second consecutive game, their powerful offense petered out.
For a second consecutive game, they looked like a weary, aging band of fallen stars that had stumbled into a surprisingly deep pothole and had no idea how to climb out.
For the Dodgers to win this series and continue their journey toward a third consecutive championship, they must beat the Brewers in four of the next five games, the last two of which would be played in Milwaukee.
It doesn’t seem likely. It doesn’t even seem possible.
Not once in in their previous two title seasons did they trail anybody two games to none, and they certainly don’t seem equipped to survive it now.
Look at how they lost Monday. On second thought, don’t look, because what you’ll see bears scant resemblance to the swaggering, self-assured Dodgers of postseasons past.
They pitched their October ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and he’s always saved them, right? Not this time. He couldn’t make it out of the third inning, battered by scattered wildness and scathing swings.
They were handed runs on two errors by the Brewers’ shaky rookie starter, Logan Henderson, and they’ve always capitalized, right? Not this time. They couldn’t make the Brewers pay for their clumsiness, managing just three hits, the slumps of their superstars ever deepening, Will Smith and Shohei Ohtani becoming absolute offensive liabilities.
Even with all this, they sent Henderson packing after four innings and took aim at a heavily used Brewers bullpen and surely they could summon the firepower to send at least one of those relievers running, right? Not this time, as four Brewers relievers set a postseason record by pitching five perfect innings.
The last two innings being a sad microcosm of the previous seven.
Entering the eighth inning, the Dodgers trailed only 4-3 and had the top of their order coming up in what still could have been a trademark Dodgers October comeback.
Mookie Betts strikes out in the eighth inning.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Not so fast.
Facing Abner Uribe, Mookie Betts struck out. Facing Aaron Ashby, Freddie Freeman struck out and Teoscar Hernández grounded out. Yeah, with perhaps their season on the line, they couldn’t even get the ball out of the infield.
The Brewers, of course, sealed the deal with two runs on three singles in the bottom of the eighth, and the Dodgers went meekly 1-2-3 in the ninth.
It was surely, truly painful for Dodgers fans to witness the final out, a strikeout by … yep, last season’s World Series hero Miguel Rojas.
The three-peat is dying, and it’s almost unbearable to watch.
Having both of their aces beaten in Milwaukee, the Dodgers will come home with Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow starting in Games 3 and 4, respectively.
In any other scenario, both pitchers are aces as well, and the Dodgers would have a huge advantage. But neither pitcher has looked great in the postseason, and both will be pitching while bearing the weight of a stressed-out Dodgers Nation.
“Yeah, it’s certainly a challenge,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I think that if you look at Game 3, I like where we’re at as far as in a vacuum, who’s pitching, where our bullpen is at, being at home. Then you’ve got to go from there.”
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about Game 2 is that the Dodgers led … then blew the lead … then led … then blew the lead … then led …then blew the lead.
The Brewers’ final tying blow came on William Contreras’ fifth-inning homer against Kris Bubic, who has struggled in this postseason and perhaps shouldn’t have been in the game. The Brewers’ final go-ahead run came in the sixth on Contreras’ bases-loaded single after Brice Turang surprisingly was intentionally walked in front of him.
But neither of those plate appearances was the game’s most important. The key moment that actually didn’t score any runs was Jake Bauers’ 12-pitch walk in the third inning.
That loaded the bases, and Christian Yelich then greeted an exhausted Yamamoto with a two-run single.
“Yeah, it just got to a certain point where it was straight compete mode, a little bit of like blackout, just kind of in the flow a little bit competing,” Bauers said. “It was fun. It was a fun at-bat. I knew that was a moment where the guys needed something, the team needed something.”
Funny, but those are the kind of things Dodgers hitters used to say, back when they were confident and full of life.
But Smith is one for 23, and Ohtani is three for 19, and the Dodgers have just one extra-base hit against the Brewers, and nobody is saying anything about the fun of competing.
In fact, things are so lousy, Roberts appeared to call out Smith for not using the ABS challenge in the early innings against Turang. Both times strikes were called balls, and Turang took advantage of the missed calls to double and walk and score twice.
Yamamoto also seemed annoyed that his catcher could be letting his batting woes affect his work behind the plate.
“Obviously in that spot, Will didn’t feel like it was a strike, but obviously if you look back, that’s a called third strike, he doesn’t double, and that changes the outing,” Roberts said of Turang’s first-inning at-bat.
Roberts still has hope. But he’s not looking past Game 3.
“As far as can we do it, absolutely, but it’s just you want to get that first one,” he said.
Dodger Stadium will be filled with fans in what could be a celebration. Or a wake.
Nathaniel Lowe ended an eighth-inning tie with a two-run single after Chase DeLauter and Patrick Bailey homered off Drew Rasmussen, and the Cleveland Guardians rallied past the Tampa Bay Rays 7-3 in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night.
Junior Caminero and Jonny DeLuca had RBI singles in the first and Cedric Mullins hit a solo homer for the Rays, who never trailed in a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees in their AL Division Series.
“It’s been a while since we lost, so I think that’s a good thing, and I know the guys will come back and respond tomorrow,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said.
Game 2 is Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. Rookie left-hander Parker Messick starts for Cleveland, and right-hander Freddy Peralta takes the mound for the Rays.
Five relievers combined for five innings of one-run, two-hit ball for the Guardians, who became only the 11th team to overcome an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five playoff series with a victory over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.
Cade Smith, who pitched in all five games against Chicago, tossed a perfect ninth.
“Obviously we came off an emotional series, had a quick turnaround. But these guys come ready to play every day. Couldn’t be more proud of them,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “We got punched early. And our pitching staff, credit to them, for stopping it and keeping us in the game as long as they did. And the offense came alive.”
Rasmussen took a 2-0 lead into the sixth before DeLauter led off with an opposite-field homer to left-center. Bailey started the seventh with a towering shot to center that went a projected 436 feet, ending Rasmussen’s night.
Rasmussen took a no-hitter into the eighth in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Yankees.
José Ramírez opened the eighth with an infield single off Tyler Wells, and DeLauter ripped a double to right. After Wells retired Jo Adell on a grounder to second, Ian Seymour entered. Lowe lined an 0-2 pitch up the middle to drive in two, giving Cleveland a 4-2 lead.
Mullins connected off Erik Sabrowski for a solo shot in the bottom half.
Ramírez, whose two-run homer lifted Cleveland to a 2-0 win in Game 5 vs. Chicago, provided an insurance run with an RBI single in the ninth off Cole Sulser. Ramírez helped the Guardians get two more by breaking for third with two outs and two strikes on Adell. Caminero ran to cover the bag and was out of position when Adell hit a sharp grounder toward third. The ball rolled into left field for a two-run double.
A crowd of 35,361 fans waved yellow rally towels and rang cowbells at Tropicana Field in the Rays’ third appearance in the ALCS in the franchise’s 29 season-history.
They were fired up when the 98-win Rays jumped ahead 2-0 in the first and Rasmussen battled to keep it there until the sixth.
Coming off that dominant performance against the Yankees, Rasmussen went six-plus tough innings. The two-time All-Star right-hander, who was four outs from a no-hitter in a 1-0 victory against New York, allowed a hit to the second batter he faced and eight total, striking out seven.
Guardians starter Foster Griffin allowed two runs and five hits in four innings.
The Rays allowed just 12 hits in three games against the Yankees but the Guardians got 14 in the series opener, including three apiece from Ramírez and DeLauter.
Glove work
The Rays helped Rasmussen with outstanding defense.
Nick Fortes threw out Ramirez trying to steal second in the first. Caminero made an excellent play to retire Adell on a hard bouncer to third. Caminero short-hopped the ball with his backhand and fired a strong throw to first.
The Guardians had a runner on first with one out in the third when second baseman Ben Williamson robbed DeLauter of a hit that prevented a first-and-third jam. Williamson, who wasn’t on the ALDS roster, made a diving grab on DeLauter’s sharp grounder, got up and threw him out.
Stranded runners
Rays slick-fielding shortstop Taylor Walls was 0 for 3 and left six runners on base. He struck out with the bases loaded to end the first, lined out with a runner on in the fourth and grounded out with runners on first and second to end the sixth.
Up next
Messick took the loss in Game 1 of the AL Division Series, giving up two runs in 4 1/3 innings. He threw 2 1/3 innings in relief in a Game 4 victory, giving up two runs. Messick had 11 strikeouts in the two appearances. He was 12-9 with a 2.56 ERA in the regular season.
Peralta gave up one run and three hits over 4 2/3 innings in Game 2 of the AL Division Series vs. the Yankees. He was 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts after joining Tampa Bay at the trade deadline. Peralta was 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA for the Mets this season.
The Rams delivered some thrills — but not a victory.
Tyler Bass kicked a 45-yard field goal with 1:55 left in overtime, sending the Rams to a 37-34 loss before 73,882 at SoFi Stadium.
Special teams miscues and penalties once again hampered the Rams in a game that featured three touchdown passes by Matthew Stafford and a career-best 17 catches by Puka Nacua.
Just as they did two years ago, when the Rams outlasted the Bills for a 44-42 victory, the teams put on a show.
But the Rams’ record dropped to 2-3, the fourth time in the last five seasons the Rams are 2-3 or worse after five games.
In 2022, when the Bills blew out the Rams in the opener at SoFi Stadium, the Rams were 2-3 en route to a 5-12 finish, the worst Super Bowl hangover in NFL history.
In 2023, the Rams were 2-3 before rallying to finish 10-7. The Detroit Lions eliminated the Rams in the NFC wild-card round. The next season, the Rams started 1-4, finished 10-7 again and lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round.
Monday’s game was a matchup between the two previous NFL most valuable players, Bills quarterback Josh Allen in 2024 and Stafford in 2025. It was the first game between consecutive MVPs who play in separate conferences since 2015 when Peyton Manning went against Aaron Rodgers.
Stafford completed 40 of 54 passes for 383 yards, including two touchdown passes to Davante Adams and another to Nacua, who had 138 receiving yards.
Allen, who accounted for six touchdowns in a 44-42 loss to the Rams two years ago, completed 12 of 19 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown, and he rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown as the Bills improved to 4-1.
This was supposed to be a special season for the Rams.
But it has turned into a special teams nightmare.
Harrison Mevis failed to convert two field-goal attempts, including a winning kick in overtime that was blocked by Buffalo linebacker Greg Rousseau. The Rams also gave up a 70-yard return on the opening kickoff.
Tyler Bass kicks a 45-yard field goal in overtime to seal the Bills’ 37-34 win over the Rams at SoFi Stadium on Monday night.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
The Rams continued their penalty-filled foibles: They were flagged 11 times for 84 yards, many of the pre-snap variety that drives coach Sean McVay crazy.
Special teams miscues and penalties hampered the Rams in the first half, and they trailed 13-7 at halftime.
The Rams took the lead early in the second half when Stafford engineered a 60-yard drive that ended with Blake Corum’s one-yard touchdown run.
But late in the third quarter, the Bills took the lead on Allen’s touchdown pass to receiver Keon Coleman. The Bills missed the extra-point attempt, leaving them with a 19-14 lead.
The Rams immediately answered, Stafford connecting with tight end Tyler Higbee for 28 yards before Corum caught a pass and turned it into a 34-yard gain. That set up Stafford’s two-yard touchdown pass to Nacua early in the fourth quarter, but Stafford was sacked on a two-point conversion attempt, leaving the Rams with a 20-19 lead.
Rams linebacker Nate Landman punches the ball out of Bills running back James Cook III’s arms during the third quarter Monday.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
Allen then directed an 80-yard drive that he capped with a one-yard sneak, and his two-point conversion pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid gave the Bills a 27-20 lead with 11:28 left.
But the Rams tied the score on the next possession off a five-yard touchdown reception by Adams.
Allen, however, got the ball with just over seven minutes left, and had 15- and 21-yard scrambles during a drive that ended with James Cook III scoring on a five-yard run for a 34-27 lead with 1:39 left.
On the ensuing possession, Stafford completed a 14-yard pass to Adams and, one play later, found Nacua for 16 yards and then Adams for 15. A one-handed catch for nine yards by Kyren Williams moved the ball to the one-yard line, and Williams scored on the next play with five seconds left in regulation. Mevis’ extra-point tied the score.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passes during the first half against the Bills on Monday.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
The Bills got the ball first in overtime, and appeared on their way to a field goal or touchdown when Khalil Shakir gained 57 yards on a catch-and-run to the Rams’ 22. Rams safety Kamren Kinchens prevented Shakir from scoring when he just barely managed to trip up the Buffalo receiver.
But on the next play, linebacker Nate Landman punched the ball from Cook’s grasp and Aaron Donald recovered the fumble with 7:54 left.
Stafford drove the Rams to the Bills’ 30, but the Bills blocked Mevis’ attempt, setting the stage for the Bills’ winning drive.
Wales have reached the play-off stages of qualification for a major tournament for only the third time in the history of the women’s national side.
Their first attempt, in qualifying for the 2023 World Cup, ended in agony.
Gemma Grainger’s team beat Bosnia-Herzgovina at the semi-final stage before – despite taking an early lead – losing out to a goal late in extra time of the final in Switzerland.
Two years later, it was an entirely different story as Wales overcame Slovakia and the Republic of Ireland to reach Euro 2025, the first women’s major tournament in the nation’s history.
Thanks in part to a lengthy injury list, James is one of only five players who began the decisive game in Dublin 22 months ago who are in contention to start against Albania.
The 146-cap Seattle Reign midfielder was also part of the side left heartbroken by that late defeat in Zurich in October 2022.
“[They were] two very different feelings after both games,” James said.
“The feeling that we had out in Switzerland, going so close in extra time and narrowly missing out, it fuelled us for Dublin.
“There’s a big group of us that experienced that and at the start of this camp we made sure the whole group was aware of how it feels to be on both ends of that.”
MILWAUKEE — The Dodgers spent $163 million on the back end of their bullpen the past two years. The Milwaukee Brewers did not.
So two games into the National League Championship Series, guess which team’s relief corps has been lights out and which one has been lit up? (Spoiler alert: it’s not the team with all the money.)
Milwaukee sent a parade of four relievers to the mound for a second straight game Monday, and for a second straight game they didn’t give up a run, retiring the last 15 Dodgers in order in a 7-4 win that gives Milwaukee a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, which moves to Dodger Stadium for Game 3 on Wednesday.
The Brewers’ bullpen has pitched 9 2/3 innings in the series, yielding just two hits — both off Abner Uribe — and three walks. That’s it. Both wins have gone to relievers, DL Hall in the opener and JoJo Romero in Game 2.
Dodger relievers, meanwhile, have pitched 9 1/3 innings in the two games, giving up four runs on nine hits. Reliever Brock Stewart took the loss Monday.
In a series that’s rapidly shaping up as a battle of the bullpens, the Dodgers clearly aren’t getting what they paid for.
“I don’t have an answer,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shrugged when asked why the Dodgers relievers have struggled while the Brewers have shined. “I know that they’ve got good arms; so do we. I think they’re just finding ways to win pitches better than we are.”
Slugger Max Muncy has a theory on the same question.
“They’re really good,” he said.
The Brewers’ 48 bullpen wins was the most in baseball during the regular season and its 3.40 ERA was best in the National League. And it has been even better in the postseason, giving up just one earned run in 28 2/3 innings against the Dodgers and San Diego Padres. In the divisional era (since 1969), only the 1991 Minnesota Twins have a lower bullpen ERA through six playoff games and with a reliever earning the victory in all five of Milwaukee’s postseason wins, the Brewers have done something only the 2014 Kansas City Royals had done previously.
“There’s a reason they’re where they’re at right now and the bullpen’s a big piece of that,” Muncy said. “If there is a positive, you can say that a lot of our guys are starting to get looks at their back-end guys. But when they’re as good as they are, I don’t know how much that helps.
“They’re all throwing 100 [mph] plus and they all have really nasty stuff.”
Especially Aaron Ashby, who has pitched in both games, holding the Dodgers to a walk in 3 2/3 innings, striking out three. He’s the Brewers’ best-paid reliever, earning $5.5 million this season.
The Dodgers have three relievers making at least twice that — and one of them, Blake Treinen, didn’t even make the postseason roster. One of the others, Tanner Scott, gave up twice as many runs in his first postseason appearance as the Brewers’ bullpen has given up this month.
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Abner Uribe celebrates after completing the seventh inning of Game 2 of the NLCS.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“They attack the hitters,” Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández said of Milwaukee’s relievers. “They throw strikes. They got good stuff. They throw hard. We’ve just got to do a better job.”
Hernández then echoed Muncy in pointing out the Dodgers have now seen six of Milwaukee’s nine relievers, with Ashby and Uribe throwing in both games. And while the Dodgers haven’t done anything against them yet, that familiarity could help going forward.
“We know what we’re going to get,” Hernández said.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy conceded the point — sort of.
“Familiarity, as the numbers tell us, does provide an edge,” he said. “So what we try to do is make sure they don’t face the same guys the next time they pitch if they’re one-inning guys.
“Can’t always do that.”
Sometimes you can, though. Uribe, who has appeared in all six Brewers games this postseason, has already faced eight Dodger hitters in the series, but only one of them, Andy Pages, twice. And when he does face someone a second time, Murphy said with a smile, who’s to say he’ll him pitch the same way?
“Uribe might have something up his sleeve based on how those other times went,” he said. “Like, well, I never gave him this.’”
That would count as a surprise. However the dominant performance of the Brewers’ bargain-basement bullpen would not. Because even in baseball, the Dodgers are finding out, there are some things money can’t buy.
Ferdi Kadioglu (Brighton): He makes a massive block in the second half, which would have made it 1-1, and if the floodgates open it would be a problem. He is not known for his defensive skills, but he was great.
Jefferson Lerma (Crystal Palace): A centre-midfielder playing at centre-back. He scored a goal, made some big tackles, and was also was able to play out from the back, being the catalyst for Palace, so he goes in as well.
James Justin (Leeds): I know he loves playing against Arsenal, but the transformation he has had from when he was at Leicester to Leeds – the ability to play right wing-back, right centre-back. Everything that he gives you in that situation, he’s just a joke of a centre-back. I don’t believe he gets anywhere near enough credit. An unbelievable goal and he could have had more on the day.
Ethan Pinnock (Coventry): When he moved to Coventry from Brentford, I thought, that’s a dodgy one for Coventry. He is decent, but he doesn’t move the needle. How wrong was I? He has been excellent. A big physical presence, but also has that calming influence to talk others through games, and you can see since he’s been in the team, Coventry have got better week-on-week.
Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal): He’s probably Arsenal‘s best forward at the moment. Getting in really good positions, defensively solid, but also offers you a lot from assists and goals.
Sean and Heidi Cripe will never forget the call from their son’s high school saying Davis was being taken to the emergency room.
“He chugged an energy drink — like, just trying to be cool,” said Sean Cripe, recounting the day nearly a decade ago.
The teen’s heart soon fell out of rhythm and he died. While such deaths are rare, doctors across the country have warned for years that energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine that can seriously harm children, causing problems such as abnormal heartbeats, increased heart rate, sleep disturbances, dehydration, agitation, high blood pressure and seizures.
A newly formed coalition of doctors is highlighting these risks in the wake of a sponsorship deal between Monster Energy and the Big 12 Conference college athletic organization. The group has asked conference leaders to pause the sponsorship and the NCAA to review energy drink marketing to youths in general, citing the deaths of three children including Davis, a 16-year-old from South Carolina.
The doctors stress that they’re not just concerned about Monster but all energy drinks and any similar partnerships.
“Kids are going to see energy drinks now promoted by the universities and the athletes that they admire and want to emulate,” said Dr. Matthew Nelson, an Idaho cardiologist involved with the effort. “The kids will think of them as sports drinks, which they’re not.”
Too much caffeine can harm kids in many ways
Various medical groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, say children and teens should avoid energy drinks altogether. Yet many are not. According to the latest results of the federally funded Monitoring the Future survey, run by the University of Michigan, 23% of 12th-graders, 20% of 10th-graders and 18% of eighth-graders reported consuming energy drinks daily.
Depending on the product, caffeine content can range from 80 to 300 mg per serving. By comparison, a typical 8-ounce coffee contains about 80 to 100 mg and some sodas contain 50 mg or less. Overall, the pediatrics academy recommends children ages 12 to 18 limit caffeine to 100 mg a day. Younger kids are discouraged from consuming any caffeine.
Caffeine and other stimulants increase heart rate and the reactivity of the nervous system — basically “how fast things go in the body, which can create an overload of the system,” said Dr. Tamara Hannon, an Indiana pediatrician who chairs the academy’s nutrition committee.
She likened it to running a blender until the motor heats up too much. “The same thing can happen when you deliver stimulants to people,” she said. “The heart can wear out, the nervous system can go haywire and you can have really serious consequences.”
Mixing different types of caffeine can be risky
Children with preexisting conditions such as high blood pressure are at especially high risk, Hannon said, but even healthy children who get too much of a stimulant can have serious problems. That includes young athletes.
Another consideration: Kids often drink various types of caffeinated beverages. That was the case with Davis Cripe, who died in 2017. According to the coroner at the time, Davis had no prior heart condition and drank a Mountain Dew and a latte from McDonald’s earlier in the day. He experienced arrhythmia after having the energy drink.
It wasn’t the first time Davis drank one, although he didn’t consume them regularly.
“We had talked to him and let him know that they weren’t healthy,” Sean Cripe said. “We didn’t understand they could be deadly.”
Trade group says the energy drink industry tries to protect kids
The American Beverage Assn. — which includes Monster and other companies comprising 94% of the energy drink category — said members voluntarily disclose caffeine totals on product labels, which carry advisories such as: “Not intended for children, pregnant or nursing women, or persons sensitive to caffeine.” Members also don’t sell or market energy drinks in K-12 schools.
Monster Energy said in a statement that caffeine and other drink ingredients are found in a broad variety of food products. “Mainstream energy drinks have been marketed worldwide for more than 30 years and more than 100 billion energy drinks have been sold and safely consumed globally,” the company added.
The deal between Big 12 and Monster calls for a co-branded logo on football and basketball jerseys, fields and courts, and across digital and social media channels.
“The energy drink category is not new to collegiate athletics,” the Big 12 Conference said in a statement, adding that beverage companies are always looking for ways to reach sports fans.
The NCAA doesn’t have the authority to regulate conference or school sponsorship agreements, Dr. Deena Casiero, the association’s chief medical officer, told the doctor group in a letter. She said the association offers schools educational resources on caffeine and student-athlete health, and caffeine has been a topic of interest for an NCAA committee, which recently commissioned a cardiac advisory group.
How to educate kids about excess caffeine
To protect children, teachers and coaches can educate them about the dangers of too much caffeine and the difference between energy drinks and sports drinks, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sports drinks are designed to help replace water and electrolytes lost through sweating after activity.
Parents and other adults can also model good behavior by not consuming energy drinks in front of kids.
On a related topic, Harvard Medical School experts say there’s no scientifically valid evidence behind the common belief that caffeine can stunt a person’s growth.
At well visits, parents should talk with pediatricians about all the beverages their children are consuming, said Hannon, who often advises families to “Rethink your drink.”
Sean Cripe said sharing stories like his could also help children understand that energy drinks are not for them.
The Atlanta Dream made it to the WNBA Finals, which is obviously a good thing.
In fact, it’s so good that many fans will surely want to come out and support the team when it hosts Games 3 and 4, plus Game 6 if needed, against the Golden State Valkyries.
And that could be a problem. Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Ga., where the team has played most of its home games since 2021, seats only 3,500 people for basketball games.
The Dream played six regular-season games and all three home playoff games this season at the Atlanta Hawks’ State Farm Arena, which holds around 17,000 and will be the Dream’s official home venue starting next season. But that facility is booked for all three dates the team would need it, with a Sombr concert slated for Oct. 22 and Hawks regular-season games on Oct. 24 and 29.
So, what’s a franchise playing in its first WNBA Finals since 2013 to do?
It’s not a rhetorical question. The team hasn’t announced where their home games in the series will be played, and tickets for the games in Atlanta have yet to go on sale.
Last week, Dream president Morgan Shaw Parker said they were “finalizing details” on where the team’s home games will be played during the Finals. Efforts to move the games to larger area venues, such as Gas South Arena (around 13,000 seats) and Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion (8,600 seats), have hit snags, according to USA Today.
The Dream did not immediately respond Monday to questions from The Times. The WNBA referred questions back to the Dream.
The Valkyries play their home games at Chase Center in San Francisco, which seats around 18,000 people. A Doja Cat concert originally scheduled for Oct. 19 was rescheduled to Oct. 25 to avoid conflict with Game 2 of the WNBA Finals.
If the Dream can’t relocate the games, this wouldn’t be the first time WNBA Finals were held in a small venue: In 2019, the Washington Mystics hosted three games at their home venue (known now as CareFirst Arena), which seats about 4,200 people.
Led by Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, former UCLA star Jordin Canada and 2026 defensive player of the year Angel Reese, fourth-seeded Atlanta swept through the first two rounds of the playoffs, dismissing No. 5 Washington and No. 8 New York.
Coventry backed up their victory at Nottingham Forest before the international break, scoring four goals in the top flight for the first time since a 4-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday in May 2000.
Those around the Sky Blues’ training ground at Ryton feel that, if they are competitive over the next seven games, they will have a platform for survival.
“It’s big and we have to tap into that in a good way, in a humble way,” said Lampard, whose side are now 14th.
“We have to be excited and I’m seeing players in my eyes that are developing quite quickly.
“A lot of players had low Premier League minutes, or zero Premier League minutes – Jack Rudoni, [Brandon] Thomas Asante, [Ephron] Mason-Clark, a lot of them.
“So is it human nature in the first few games we’ve had two top teams in the league (Arsenal and Manchester City) and we’ve had Brighton and we’ve gone: ‘hmm, it’s not easy here’.
“This [win] gives good confidence, so it’s the balance of confidence against overconfidence. But it’s great when you have a template of feeling when you get a result of that level.”
It can be a defining six weeks for Lampard’s men after a resounding, if not perfect, win against Newcastle.
Coventry’s previous home games had seen them fall to a 1-0 defeat by fellow promoted side Hull before a 5-0 thumping by Brighton.
Sandwiched in the middle was a 3-1 loss to Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup, meaning it was imperative they found form at the CBS Arena.
“We’re going to be a relative underdog in pretty much every game,” added Lampard. “So we have to maximise everything and be on the limit and I thought we were on the limit in loads of ways.
“They need to keep their feet on the ground because the next one’s tough and the one after that will be tough.
“But we look like a team that [will make it] hard for teams to come here. That’s the feeling we haven’t quite had in our first CBS games this season.”
An autographed Chicago Bulls jersey worn by Michael Jordan during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals was privately sold to a Miami real estate investor for $14 million, an auction house announced Monday. The price is believed to be the highest ever paid for basketball memorabilia.
A game-worn red road jersey was purchased by Ron Firman, according to Philadelphia-based Hunt Auctions. Jordan wore it June 5, 1998, while scoring 37 points in the Bulls’ victory over the Utah Jazz. The Bulls went on to win the series in six games, giving Jordan his sixth and final championship.
This is the third Jordan jersey from the 1998 Finals that has sold for more than $10 million. Jordan’s Game 3 white home jersey was auctioned in September for $12.26 million and his Game 1 red road jersey was sold at auction for $10.09 million in 2022.
“While Michael Jordan’s importance within the sports memorabilia marketplace has long been established, it has now escalated to an elite asset class more typically reserved for iconic works of art,” said David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, in a statement.
Firman’s X account describes him as a “Commercial Real Estate Co. Principal. Partner in private co. who’s trading is comparable to a hedge fund’s. Rare Vintage Sports Memorabilia Collector.”
His most recent post came Nov. 29, 2022, and features a signed photo of Joe DiMaggio belting a single in the seventh inning of the 42st consecutive game he recorded a hit in 1941, setting an American League record. DiMaggio extended the streak to 56 games, a Major League record that still stands.
Firman also recently set a record by spending $3 million for a 1951 Mickey Mantle first-generation photo used as the basis for Mantle’s celebrated 1952 Topps rookie card. Now Firman owns another piece of legendary memorabilia. The Bulls’ 1997-98 season was the subject of the “Last Dance” documentary series released in 2020.
“Michael Jordan was an incredibly talented player who is admired around the world,” Firman said in a statement distributed by Hunt Auctions. “I’m very excited about the purchase.”
The only game-worn jersey publicly to fetch more than $14 million was worn by Babe Ruth when he supposedly called his shot before hitting a home run against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series. That jersey sold for $24.12 million in 2024 at Heritage Auctions, setting a world record for the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia. It appreciated more than 25 times from the $940,000 it went for in 2005.
“In our opinion, and 36 years of market experience, Babe Ruth and Michael Jordan stand above all others in the history of American sports,” Hunt said. “The record-setting price achieved for the related Michael Jordan jersey is yet another corroborative result as to the significance of Jordan within the industry and popular culture.”
A Michael Jordan jersey from his ‘Last Dance’ season has sold for $14m (£10.6m), a record for a piece of basketball memorabilia.
Jordan wore the Chicago Bulls jersey during game two of the 1998 NBA Finals and has autographed it too.
He scored a game-high 37 points that evening before ending his last season with the Bulls with a 4-2 series win for his sixth and final NBA Championship. He was named the Finals’ Most Valuable Player in all six.
The only item of sports memorabilia that has cost more is the jersey worn by baseball legend Babe Ruth when he “called the shot” during the 1932 World Series, which was sold for $24.1m (£18.2m) in 2024.
The previous high for a basketball item was a card featuring Jordan and Kobe Bryant from 2007-08 which sold for $12.9m (£9.8m) last year.
The previous record for a piece of game-worn Jordan memorabilia was set just two weeks ago when his jersey from game three of the 1998 Finals, which is not autographed, sold via auction for $12.3m (£9.3m).
The latest purchase was made by Miami real estate investor Ron Firman in a private sale through Hunt Auctions.
David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, said in a statement: “While Michael Jordan’s importance within the sports memorabilia marketplace has long been established, it has now escalated to an elite asset class more typically reserved for iconic works of art.”
