After seeing a series of bullet-point slides and hearing a slew of buzzwords about UCLA’s athletic department finances, Bob Myers put the crisis facing his alma mater in much simpler terms.
“It’s like water’s coming in the boat and you’re trying to get it out, but how does this thing not sink?” asked Myers, who sandwiched a hugely successful run as the Golden State Warriors’ general manager between his time as a reserve forward on the Bruins’ 1995 national championship basketball team and his appointment as the newest member of the UC board of regents, Tuesday afternoon at the UC regents meeting. “Or how can we help, I suppose?”
Myers was inquiring about an athletic department deficit that has ballooned to $219.5 million after running in the red for six consecutive fiscal years, including a $51.8-million shortfall in the 2024 fiscal year.
To address the increasingly complex issue, new UCLA chancellor Julio Frenk and athletic director Martin Jarmond brought Stephen Agostini, who recently started his second year as the school’s vice chancellor and chief financial officer, to speak to the regents’ special committee on athletics at the University of California, San Francisco.
Agostini outlined many of the UCLA athletic department’s financial challenges, including an anticipated House settlement with the NCAA that will prompt UCLA to make an annual payout of roughly $22 million to its athletes, Olympic sports running about $34 million in the red during the most recent fiscal year, the lack of suite and premium-seat revenue at the Rose Bowl as part of UCLA’s lease agreement with the stadium, and licensing and sponsorship agreements with Associated Students UCLA that provides the lion’s share of revenue to the student organization.
“As many of you know, we have a fairly substantial financial challenge ahead of us,” Agostini said. “We are folding in the athletics deficits within that and will endeavor to address that. We are looking at other revenue streams … but it won’t be easy and given the volatility of the space, we’re hoping to stay abreast in an environment that changes almost monthly.”
In addressing Myers’ question, Agostini said the football and men’s basketball teams — with the women’s basketball team likely following suit — were moving toward a professional sports model in which media revenue is shared equally within conferences. USA Today recently estimated that every Big Ten Conference school besides Oregon and Washington, which agreed to take reduced shares for seven years, would receive a $75-million distribution from the conference for the 2025 fiscal year.
Since that figure is the same for almost every Big Ten school, additional income streams are essential.
“That means that what you generate out of your facilities and your other revenue opportunities becomes really critical to your bottom line,” Agostini said. “And as Martin [Jarmond] just mentioned, if we can’t generate additional revenue from tickets or premium seating or the arrangement we have with ASUCLA, it really makes that challenging for us.”
Myers then asked about tangible ways in which the athletic department could mitigate those issues.
Jarmond said the Rose Bowl had agreed to construct a premium seating section in the south end zone that could generate revenue for the school after the 2026 season. The lack of suite or club-level revenue as part of UCLA’s lease agreement with the Rose Bowl because it doesn’t own the stadium is depriving the school of roughly $15 million to $25 million a year, according to Jarmond. UCLA is also examining the possibility of Pauley Pavilion renovations that could include premium seating, Jarmond said.
Earlier, Jarmond had discussed ways that his department was doing its best to cut costs. He noted that UCLA was in the bottom quartile of coaching salaries after all nine head coaching hires he had made in his nearly five years on the job were from candidates who were assistant coaches.
“That’s been a strategy that I’ve utilized,” Jarmond said, “to give opportunities to assistant coaches but also to help us competitively with personnel and cost containment.”
The school has also regionalized nonconference schedules as much as possible, with the men’s basketball team pulling out of the CBS Sports Classic to reduce travel and increase scheduling flexibility. Jarmond said UCLA was on track to come in below the $5-million increase it had budgeted for travel expenses during its first year in the Big Ten.
“We’re working our way up toward building more revenue and being able to compete in the Big Ten [and] we’ve got to do more, I will tell you that,” Jarmond said. “We can’t do it on a shoestring budget and be competitive and win at the level that we have won and want to win. It’s something that we’ve been ramping up.”
There was no mention of UCLA’s $30 million in direct campus support to the athletic department during the most recent fiscal year, an unprecedented move to help offset the massive deficit. But in his first public comments about UCLA’s athletic department, Frenk both recognized the school’s rich athletic history and acknowledged the many challenges facing a university that will host the athlete village for the 2028 Olympics.
“There continues to be a lot of uncertainty, the landscape continues to shift, the outcome of recent litigations, which have been adverse to universities, the NIL changes, new models of athlete compensation — all have huge financial implications for us,” Frenk said. “But by joining the Big Ten, we have put UCLA in the strongest possible position to navigate the current volatility and to continue supporting our students in every dimension of their lives.
“So this is a key moment in the history of intercollegiate athletics; I think it’s going to continue to be transformed rapidly in the years to come and we are trying to face this with a strategic vision, a commitment to the fact that these are students first and foremost — our commitment to their education, a commitment to competition with integrity, fair competition and those values will continue to be upheld during this time of transition.”
After UCLA’s nearly hourlong session was finished, officials from UC Santa Cruz offered a presentation on their athletic department, an NCAA Division III outfit with a tiny budget but also a corresponding $2.2-million deficit for the most recent fiscal year that might more closely align with the ideals of college athletics.
“It will be interesting, I think,” UC Santa Cruz chancellor Cynthia Larive said, “for you to see the juxtaposition of UCLA and UC Santa Cruz.”
Hot on the heels of the success of Wigan and Warrington’s venture into Sin City in 2025, Hull KR and Leeds are the latest Super League entrants to make the trip over the Atlantic for the now annual Las Vegas event in tandem with the Australian NRL.
This time, RL Commercial have been more heavily involved in the process, after Warriors CEO Kris Radlinski and then Warrington counterpart Karl Fitzpatrick set the ball rolling for this year’s event off their own backs.
Both Hull KR and Leeds, and perhaps importantly from selling the game, brands, have a strong presence. They have shown themselves to be successful off the field of late as well as on it, and should provide the type of match-up which will show Super League in its best light.
Rovers could pitch up in Las Vegas as champions and Challenge Cup winners, and this would be another memorable experience for a fanbase that has shown itself to be loyal and high in turnout at major events in recent seasons – one of the key reasons for their inclusion.
Leeds still carry a cachet to an Australian audience from their legacy of success, their links with high-profile Australians over the years, and the fanbase again, and while some of the success from the years of annual Grand Final appearances has tailed off, there is a sense the club is now heading in the right direction.
Both clubs will take some financial hit on the trip, as did their predecessors, particularly in giving up a home game for one but the hope is there are ways of making the trip pay both tangibly and metaphorically.
The aim one day is that all clubs in the Super League will get a chance to show their wares, but right now, these two clubs need to be shrewd and provide a meaningful showpiece, and there will be confidence that neither will wilt in the glare of the Nevada sun.
The Chargers’ season opener in Sao Paulo, Brazil, will be the NFL’s first game streamed exclusively on YouTube, the league announced Tuesday, further expanding the NFL’s streaming footprint to include the ubiquitous free video platform.
Despite now having a home team and TV partner for the matchup, the Chargers’ opponent was the only piece of the NFL’s seven-game international slate that was not announced Tuesday. Front Office Sports reported the Chargers will face AFC West rival Kansas City on Sept. 5 at Arena Corinthians. The Chiefs have won seven consecutive games against the Chargers while becoming one of the league’s most popular TV draws.
Kansas City star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce were at the center of the NFL’s expanded streaming influence last year as the Chiefs played in the league’s Christmas Day takeover of Netflix. The doubleheader that also featured Houston playing Baltimore drew an average of 26.5 million viewers, which made them the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history. But the ratings lagged slightly behind recent linear broadcasts. In 2023, the NFL boasted its most-watched Christmas Day game since 1989 with the Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders drawing 29.2 million viewers on CBS.
Last season, the Chargers faced the Arizona Cardinals in a “Monday Night Football” game that was the first ESPN+ exclusive to not be included in the international series.
Played as the second game of a staggered doubleheader that featured a matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Baltimore Ravens, the Chargers’ loss to the Cardinals attracted less than 2 million viewers, according to NBC’s Pro Football Talk, which made it the least-watched NFL game since 2008.
Putting a star-studded division matchup at a neutral site on Friday of Week 1 would remove a marquee game from the Chargers’ SoFi Stadium slate. While local fans would miss the highly anticipated rivalry game, the Chargers will still host the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and NFC rookie of the year Jayden Daniels, the San Bernardino native who led the Washington Commanders to their first NFC championship game appearance since 1991 last season.
The home schedule also features AFC West counterparts Las Vegas and Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Minnesota. On the road, the Chargers will play their three AFC West rivals, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Dallas, the New York Giants and Miami.
The remainder of the schedule will be released Wednesday at 5 p.m. PDT.
The month before Sampdoria’s play-off exit Pirlo was called “a key part of the project” by the club’s owners, but three games into the current campaign he was dismissed following two defeats and a draw.
Andrea Sottil replaced him and oversaw a Coppa Italia penalty-shootout victory against Genoa in the first Derby della Lanterna in two years.
However, he too was jettisoned in October 2024 after just four wins in 14 games and replaced by Leonardo Semplici.
With the club in the drop zone, a 3-0 home defeat by Frosinone at the end of March was the tipping point for the fans as patience with Semplici ran out.
The team bus carrying Semplici and his Sampdoria players was pelted by stones and flares by angry supporters after the match at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium.
Semplici was relieved of his duties in April with Alberico Evani – the club’s fourth coach of the season – tasked with keeping them up.
Things began promisingly for Evani with club legend Attilio Lombardo in as assistant and another Sampdoria icon in Roberto Mancini helping in an unofficial capacity.
Evani began with a 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Cittadella, but three draws, a defeat and just one win since then have not been enough to keep them up.
There’s a new interactive exhibit opening on Thursday at the California Science Center across the street from the Coliseum that will provide Disneyland-like sports entertainment for all ages, and it’s free.
Using censors, cameras and 21st century technology, “Game On!” takes up 17,000 square feet formally occupied by the Space Shuttle Endeavor exhibit. It allows visitors to learn about science, sports and movement. You get to actively participate by hitting a softball against pitcher Rachel Garcia, take batting practice instructions from Freddie Freeman and kick a soccer ball into a goal while learning from Alyssa and Gisele Thompson. All are mentors.
Yet there’s so much more. You get to try swimming strokes, skateboarding, snowboarding, cycling. There’s climbing, yoga, dancing and challenging your senses during an exhibit that tests your quickness trying to block a hockey puck. There’s a basketball exhibit where you shoot a ball toward the basket and learn if your form is good or not.
One of the murals at the new interactive sports exhibition at California Science Center.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
“There’s something for everybody,” said Renata Simril, president and CEO of the LA84 Foundation that helped provide funding along with the Dodgers Foundation and Walter Family Foundation.
She’s not embellishing. Parents, children, adults, teenagers — they’re all going to be smiling. Don’t be surprised if nearby USC students discover a new place to enjoy an hour break for fun and laughter from studying by walking over to the exhibition hall when it opens at 10 a.m.
The California Science Center new interactive sports exhibit — “Game On!” — opens on Thursday. It’s free.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
It’s supposed to be open through the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, but don’t be surprised if popularity creates momentum to keep it around longer.
“It’s really cool,” said Garcia, a former UCLA All-American softball pitcher who appears on a screen showing off her 60 mph pitch as a participant swings a real bat trying to hit an imaginary ball as a light trail moves down a rail toward the batter. “I think it’s phenomenal. It’s going to get a lot of kids engaged.”
New interactive sports exhibit opens Thursday at California Science Center. It’s incredible. And it’s free. Kids, adults will love it. Thanks to Jeff Rudolph for the tour. Climbing, baseball, softball, soccer, swimming, yoga, dancing. Open through 2028 Olympic Games. pic.twitter.com/ARhmNFkmQW
Garcia even tried to hit against herself. “I missed the first time,” she said.
The batting cage where Freeman is providing hitting advice has a real soft ball and bat. It will be popular for all ages.
The rock climbing exhibit still has not been completed, but participants will wear a harness as they climb toward the ceiling.
While kids will be the most enthusiastic, a dinner recently held at the facility that had adults dressed in tuxedos and dresses resulted in them trying out the exhibits and acting like teenagers again.
Using science to teach lessons could provide inspiration for non-sports visitors. There’s sound effects throughout and most important, pushing a button doesn’t just mean you watch and listen. It means you get to participate, whether hitting a baseball or softball, trying to make a free throw, trying to swim or skateboard.
Don’t be surprised when word gets out how fun this exhibition creates. There will be lines. The only question will it be kids lining up or adults?
In an interview with the Observer, Wiggins said of his post-career cocaine addiction: “There were times my son thought I was going to be found dead in the morning.
“I was a functioning addict. People wouldn’t realise – I was high most of the time for many years.”
Wiggins – a gangly north Londoner, from a broken home, brought up in poverty – made it to the very top of a sport that requires clinical preparation and a calm head under pressure.
In interviews during his career, Wiggins exuded calm and charm. He seemed to have everything under control.
And perhaps it was, with the hyper-organised, big-budget Team Sky around him between 2010 and 2015, run by Dave Brailsford and Rod Ellingworth – with whom he would win the 2012 Tour, the 2014 world time trial championship and much more.
Wiggins’ talent and presence inspired the team to a period of domination in road cycling never before seen.
But post-career, his troubles spiralled.
In 2020, his marriage to Cath came to an end. They have two children: Ben – now a rider himself with Hamens Berman Jayco – and Isabella.
Then came the collapse of Team Wiggins, which he had founded in 2015. The team lacked enough blue chip sponsors, despite having so many talented British riders. There was an awful more of Wiggins’ own money invested in the team than most realised.
That, and a cocaine addiction, would spell trouble for anybody’s wallet – even a sporting icon. And Wiggins was declared bankrupt.
“I already had a lot of self-hatred,” said Wiggins of his post-career addiction. “But I was amplifying it. It was a form of self-harm and self-sabotage. It was not the person I wanted to be. I realised I was hurting a lot of people around me.
“There’s no middle ground for me. I can’t just have a glass of wine – if I have a glass of wine, then I’m buying drugs. My proclivity to addiction was easing the pain that I lived with.”
Wiggins’ former team boss Jonathan Vaughters – who now heads the EF Education-EasyPost World Tour team – understands why Wiggins has come across the problems he has. But that it’s not through a lack of self-awareness.
“I mean, ultimately pro cyclists are always going to search for that dopamine hit they got while racing,” Vaughters said. “[It] makes them an easy target for addiction.
“I mean… I’d say Wiggo is far more gifted, from an IQ standpoint, than most people. He’s very sensitive to social interactions too. So, you have a guy that’s hyper intelligent, hyper aware of social interactions, and has led an extremely disciplined, but dopamine-soaked lifestyle as a professional racer… It’s a perfect storm.
“He’s very clever. No formal education at all. But he reads people like a book.”
Rose had been exiled from the sport since 1989, after he was found by then-commissioner Bart Giamatti (yes, the father of actor Paul Giamatti) to have been betting on his team’s games while he was manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Rose died Sept. 30, 2024, at age 83.
Rose’s daughter, Fawn Rose, filed a petition for reinstatement Jan. 8 and met with current MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. In February, President Trump advocated for the lifetime ban to be lifted in a social media post, then met with Manfred in April to discuss the matter.
Jeffrey Lenkov, a Los Angeles lawyer who represented Rose at the time of his death and prepared the petition pro bono, told The Times the decision was the result of several years of working with Manfred and his executive team.
“The Rose family and I are extremely overjoyed at the wisdom, courage and compassion exhibited by the commissioner,” Lenkov said. “The reinstatement in and of itself is a historic moment because many people, including Pete at times, thought the ban would never be lifted.
“Getting into the Hall of Fame on his merits is an opportunity he wanted and should be able to receive now.”
Cincinnati Reds player-manager Pete Rose hits a line drive single to break Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record in 1985.
(Associated Press)
From his 24-year career that resulted in more MLB hits — 4,256 — than any other player in history to his lifetime ban, Rose’s saga was as complex and sad as it was triumphant. Pete Rose Night will take place Wednesday at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, and the decision to lift the ban undoubtedly will elevate the mood.
Here is a look at key elements of his rise, fall and potential inclusion in the Hall of Fame.
Will Rose immediately be inducted into the Hall of Fame?
No. Barring an unforeseen exception, a three-year waiting period will apply before Rose can be put on the ballot because the committee that could vote him in doesn’t convene until December 2027 to consider candidates for induction in the summer of 2028.
Rose remains ineligible to be voted in by the Baseball Writers Assn. of America because its ballot includes only candidates whose playing careers ended no more than 15 years prior to the election. Players are eligible to be voted into the Hall of Fame by the baseball writers five years after they retire. However in 1991, two years after Rose was banned from baseball and months before he was set to make the ballot, the Hall’s board of directors passed a rule prohibiting anybody on the ineligible list from being a candidate for induction.
Now that he is eligible, his case will be reviewed by the 16-member Classic Baseball Era Committee that evaluates players who made their greatest impact before 1980. Rose would qualify for consideration because his 24-year career began in 1963.
The committee voted in Dick Allen and Dave Parker this year. When it convenes again to vote for 2028 induction, Rose would need an aye from a 75% majority — 12 of the 16 members.
What did Rose do to deserve a lifetime ban?
Since before the 1919 Black Sox Scandal resulted in Shoeless Joe Jackson and other players being banned for life for taking money from gamblers and throwing games, Major League Baseball has had a rule against gambling to protect the integrity of the game. Rule 21(d) is posted in every clubhouse and states: “Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared permanently ineligible.”
Rose bet on the Cincinnati Reds when he was the team’s player-manager in 1985 and ‘86, and the manager in ’87. An MLB investigation headed by lawyer John Dowd resulted in a 225-page report released in 1989 that named men that Rose allegedly placed bets with and cited evidence that Rose bet on Reds games.
Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose before a spring-training game March 22, 1989, after the Commissioner’s Office investigation into his gambling was released.
(John Swart / Associated Press)
After denying for nearly 15 years that he bet on baseball, Rose admitted it in his 2004 book, “My Prison Without Bars,” written with Rick Hill. Later, he would sign and sell baseballs with the inscription, “Sorry I bet on baseball.” The balls currently go for $200 to $400 apiece online.
Born and raised in Cincinnati, Rose began gambling as a youngster when his dad took him to a local racetrack. By the time he reached the big leagues, he bet on college and pro basketball and pro football in addition to the horses.
“On Feb. 5, 1986, I wrote three checks for eight grand each to cover my losses on the NFL playoffs,” Rose wrote. “The NFL turned into March Madness, which turned into the NBA playoffs, which always turned into the skids.
“I always lived by one hard and fast rule: You don’t bet on baseball. But for the first time in my life, I was no longer playing baseball, just managing. A part of me was still looking for ways to recapture the high I got from winning batting titles and World Series. If I couldn’t get the high from playing baseball, then I needed a substitute.
“I can’t honestly remember the first time I bet on baseball. But I remember the first time I spoke openly about it. I was sitting in my living room, watching the 1986 playoffs between the Mets and the Astros. I had a group of friends over for the game. Without even thinking of the consequences, I said, ‘Betting on the playoffs makes the games more exciting to watch.’ ”
Rose’s immense popularity in his hometown began to erode when the Dowd Report was made public on June 27, 1989.
“Forever and ever and ever, the people here have been solidly behind Pete,” Marty Brennaman, longtime broadcaster for the Reds, told The Times’ Bill Plaschke. “This is the most provincial city I’ve lived in. I can’t imagine a more provincial city.
“But now, there is a segment of the population where, if they haven’t completely gone the other way against Pete, there is at least an element of doubt in their minds. People are becoming divided.”
Longtime Cincinnati historian Dan Hurley insisted the public reaction was even harsher.
“I think the reaction finally is, ‘Hey, they got him,’ ” Hurley said of Rose. “And for us, that’s not very pleasant.”
Rose does have his supporters within baseball. Terry Francona, his former teammate who is in his first season as Reds manager, recently said, “If he’s not in the Hall of Fame, there isn’t one.”
Why the change of heart by MLB?
Pete Rose speaks at a news conference in Las Vegas after MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he has no intention of altering Rose’s lifetime ban from baseball.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
Rose first petitioned for reinstatement in 1997 when Bud Selig was commissioner. Selig didn’t meet with Rose until 2002 and did not rule on the issue before he retired in 2006. Manfred rejected a second petition by Rose in 2015, saying, “Mr. Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life either by an honest acceptance by him of his wrongdoing, so clearly established by the Dowd Report, or by a rigorous, self-aware and sustained program of avoidance by him of the circumstances that led to his permanent eligibility in 1989.
“Absent such credible evidence, allowing him to work in the game presents an unacceptable risk of a future violation by him of Rule 21, and thus to the integrity of our sport. I, therefore, must reject Mr. Rose’s application for reinstatement.”
The fact that Rose died in September created an opportunity to revisit his status. If the permanently ineligible list exists to prevent a person who poses a threat to the integrity of the game from working in baseball, could that status change when the person is no longer living?
Roses adorn the statue of Pete Rose at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati after the all-time hits leader died.
(Kareem Elgazzar / Associated Press)
That argument was made in the December petition by Rose’s family, and Manfred took it into consideration.
“The decision was very complex and it’s not easily said that it could have been done during his lifetime,” Lenkov said. “MLB had a lot of factors to work through. They had to be receptive to listening for a number of years on this issue, and they did.
“Pete in his lifetime felt he had done his time, paid the price. I believe he lived with a scarlet letter on him because of it. His punishment was substantial.”
The relationship between gambling and professional sports — including MLB — has evolved dramatically in recent years. Sports betting is legal in 40 states, and the American Gaming Assn. estimates that its total economic impact is $328 billion a year and revenue from it exceeded $115 billion in 2024.
Yet restrictions still apply, again to protect the integrity of the game. Can a baseball player, coach or umpire bet on March Madness brackets, the Super Bowl or participate in a fantasy football league? Yes. Can they bet on anything — baseball or otherwise — through illegal or offshore bookmakers? No.
What was President Trump’s role in the reinstatement?
Seemingly out of nowhere, the president injected himself into the conversation. Even before the family’s petition for reinstatement had become public, Trump posted a bombastic message on Truth Social on Feb. 28 that read:
“Major League Baseball didn’t have the courage or decency to put the late, great, Pete Rose, also known as ‘Charlie Hustle,’ into the Baseball Hall of fame. Now he is dead, will never experience the thrill of being selected, even though he was a FAR BETTER PLAYER than most of those who made it, and can only be named posthumously. WHAT A SHAME!
“Anyway, over the next few weeks I will be signing a complete PARDON of Pete Rose, who shouldn’t have been gambling on baseball, but only bet on HIS TEAM WINNING. He never betted against himself, or the other team. He had the most hits, by far, in baseball history, and won more games than anyone in sports history. Baseball, which is dying all over the place, should get off its fat, lazy ass, and elect Pete Rose, even though far too late, into the Baseball Hall of Fame!”
No evidence has surfaced of Rose betting on the Reds to lose. After confessing in his book that he bet on baseball, he emphasized that point.
“I bet on my own team to win,” Rose told NJ.com. “That’s what I did in a nutshell. I was wrong, but I didn’t taint the game. I bet on my team every night because that’s the confidence that I had in my players. And I was wrong.”
A pardon wasn’t necessary for Manfred to reinstate Rose, although in 1990 Rose served five months in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion.
Trump met with Manfred at the White House on April 16, but neither man spoke publicly about what they discussed. MLB issued a statement that said, “President Trump is a longtime fan of baseball. As he has done in the past, Commissioner Manfred was pleased to visit the White House again to discuss issues pertaining to baseball with the president.”
What are Pete Rose’s Hall of Fame credentials?
Cincinnati Reds player-manager Pete Rose is congratulated by his teammates after he broke Ty Cobb’s hitting record in Cincinnati on Sept. 11, 1985.
(Associated Press)
Rose broke Ty Cobb’s career hits total of 4,189 in 1985 and finished with 4,256. That alone would be enough for entry into the Hall of Fame, but Rose also was named National League Rookie of the Year in 1963 and the NL Most Valuable Player in 1973. He won three batting titles and three World Series titles — two with the Reds in 1975 and ’76 and one with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980.
Rose batted .303 with an on-base percentage of .375, earning the nickname Charlie Hustle because he sprinted to first base even on a walk. He led the NL in hits seven times, doubles five times, and in 1978 put together a 44-game hitting streak, second in baseball history to Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game streak.
Rose played in more games (3,562), had more plate appearances (15,890) and more at-bats (14,053) than any other player.
Manchester United have decided not to hold an end of year players’ awards night for the second season running.
United cancelled their plans 12 months ago as the senior men’s team finishing eighth in the Premier League, even though they won the FA Cup.
This year, the club have opted not to arrange anything.
The awards night usually involved prizes for players from across the men’s, women’s and youth teams.
Although the men’s side are heading for their worst league finish since the 1973-74 relegation campaign, they could still qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League.
As was the case 12 months ago, United’s women’s team could win the FA Cup. They play Chelsea in the final at Wembley on Sunday. United have already qualified for next season’s Women’s Champions League thanks to their third-place league finish.
United have ruled out a parade if the men’s side beat Tottenham in Bilbao on 21 May and instead will host a barbecue at their Carrington training ground the day after the game.
Many of the previous awards nights, which have been covered by MUTV, have been memorable, particularly in 2015 when then boss Louis van Gaal delivered an amusing eight-minute speech when he demanded those present: “I want to say something – pay attention to the manager.”
Bruno Fernandes and Ella Toone won their respective player of the year awards last season.
United called on fans to vote for the men’s and women’s player of the season, and both teams’ goals of the season, in the match programme for Sunday’s home defeat by West Ham.
The awards will be presented on the pitch at Old Trafford before the men’s final home game of the season against Aston Villa on 25 May.
In the Tokyo Dome in March, you could almost hear the zip of the ball.
101 mph.
The pop of the catcher’s mitt sounded like a gunshot.
100 mph.
Roki Sasaki would lift his left leg almost to his head, stretch far down the front side of the mound, and let out a grunt as a blur of white leather came screaming from his hand.
100 mph.
For a brief moment, at the very start of his Major League Baseball career, it seemed like the Japanese phenom pitching prospect had already achieved one of his most important rookie objectives.
100 mph.
During his MLB debut in Japan, Sasaki hit those 100-plus-mph velocities on each of his first four big-league pitches. In the first inning of that March 19 game against the Chicago Cubs, he eclipsed 99 mph eight times in a 1-2-3 frame.
For a developing young pitcher who came to the majors this offseason fixated on improving his fastball speeds, it was a promising early sign — an apparent indication that, after suffering a slight drop in fastball velo during his last season in Japan, the 6-foot-4 flamethrower still possessed triple-digit life.
“The velocity,” manager Dave Roberts said that day, “was good.”
Roki Sasaki’s first four pitches of his MLB debut against the Chicago Cubs at the Tokyo Dome in March were at least 100 mph. He has not reached that velocity since.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Almost two months later, however, in one of the more confounding developments of the Dodgers’ otherwise successful start to the season, Sasaki hasn’t come close to even flirting with 100 mph again.
Instead, over a choppy seven-game sample following the team’s return from Japan, Sasaki has struggled to consistently throw the ball hard, averaging just 96 mph with his four-seamer on the whole this season while sometimes dropping down to the 92-93 mph range.
“It’s not an ideal situation,” pitching coach Mark Prior said. “Clearly, the fastball is not gonna carry through the zone at 93 very effectively.”
For some pitchers, this wouldn’t be as pressing a problem. Even in an era of rising fastball velocities around the sport, sitting in the mid-90s is still safely above the major-league average.
Sasaki, however, needs premium velocity (plus consistent command) to make his heater competitive. Because, for all his other raw natural talent, there isn’t much natural deception to the pitch.
Unlike the best fastballs in the sport, Sasaki doesn’t throw his four-seamer with much spin or “vertical break” (pitch characteristics that can give fastballs a rising illusion as they barrel toward the plate). While others can miss bats at even below-average pitch speeds, Sasaki’s four-seamer has a flatter shape that’s easier to hit.
As a result, his fastball has always been predicated on eye-popping velocity — requiring elite radar-gun readings to blow opponents away.
“The velocity allows for that margin of error,” Prior said last week. “And clearly, that’s not there [right now].”
In evaluating Sasaki’s underwhelming start to the season — he has a 4.72 ERA and 1.485 WHIP in his first eight starts, logging just 34 ⅓ innings with only 24 strikeouts and a whopping 22 walks — the most glaring red flag has been the performance of his fastball.
So far, his trademark splitter has been an effective weapon, yielding just a .158 batting average to opponents while generating whiffs on 35% of swings. His lesser-used slider has been a fine secondary option, with opponents batting just three-for-12 against it while coming up empty on 33% of swings.
Sasaki’s fastball, on the other hand, has been susceptible to the improved level of hitting he has faced in the big leagues, resulting in a .253 opponent batting average, a .494 slugging percentage, almost as many home runs allowed (six, not even including two others that were robbed on leaping catches by Andy Pages) as strikeouts generated (eight), and a 10.1% whiff rate that ranks fifth-lowest for four-seamers among qualified MLB starters.
Granted, Sasaki’s lack of command has factored into such struggles, leaving him all too often in unfavorable hitter’s counts where opponents are better primed to square up mistakes.
“I think guys are on his fastball because it’s the one thing that’s probably in the zone more than anything,” Prior said. “This goes back to his ability to throw the other pitches for strikes, and be able to mix, probably balance with all three.”
Still, since that adrenaline-fueled debut in his home country, Sasaki hasn’t thrown even one fastball that has topped 99 mph. In that same span, he has chucked 27 that failed to eclipse 94 mph. Each week, his declining fastball velocity has become a bigger conversation point around his outings. But so far, few answers have materialized about how he can fix it.
“Just really still in this process of finding out what the root cause [is],” Sasaki said through interpreter Will Ireton this past weekend, after the Arizona Diamondbacks teed off on a heater that averaged 94.9 mph in a four-inning, five-run start that represented his worst outing of the year.
“[I’m] working with my coaches, talking to people about this,” Sasaki added. “I’m not quite exactly sure and can’t really state exactly the single reason.”
The Dodgers’ coaching staff has faced the same conundrum this year, struggling to identify exactly why an element so critical to Sasaki’s success — fastball velocity was such a point of emphasis during Sasaki’s free agency this winter, he gave interested clubs a “homework assignment” about how they planned to improve it — has been so far from advertised during the start of his rookie season.
Prior acknowledged that there are “clearly some delivery things” that Sasaki is “still trying to work through” right now. After struggling with wild command in his first few appearances, Sasaki and the team also discussed whether slightly dialing back on the intensity of his throws could help him more consistently locate pitches over the plate.
Mechanics alone, however, don’t explain why Sasaki’s fastball has dropped into the low 90s for some stretches of the year, Prior countered.
And though Sasaki’s command has somewhat improved while throwing with less velocity, both he and Prior insisted his velo hasn’t dropped this far on purpose.
“For us, it’s always been like, ‘If it’s 100 or if it’s 98, that’s fine, if it’s easier to control or something like that.’ We had that conversation,” Prior said. “But nothing to the degree of where it’s been.”
Given that Sasaki has shown no signs of any physical ailment, it’s possible he could be experiencing more of a pitch conviction issue in his new MLB surroundings, potentially lacking the internal confidence to let his fastball consistently rip at top speeds.
“We go back to the drawing board every week with him. We try to talk to him about some certain things, some ideas,” Prior said. “But ultimately, he’s working through his process, and we’re just trying to support him with everything we can.”
To this point, that process has not involved the addition of a different fastball variety more apt at generating soft contact, such as a two-seamer or cutter. Sasaki has said repeatedly that his primary goal is to first refine his primary fastball-splitter arsenal.
“There’s been a lot of conversations about a lot of different things,” Prior said. “Again, we go every week with him, and we’ve been trying to shed light on things where we think there’s gonna be some improvement. But ultimately, again, I think it’s just him trying to get his footing under him, and be comfortable in what he’s doing.”
Indeed, the Dodgers continue to argue that this is all part of Sasaki’s long-term development arc — inevitable growing pains for a superstar who, despite all the hoopla that surrounded his signing, arrived in the majors as an admitted work in progress.
“He’s certainly talented,” Roberts said. “But there’s finishing school. That’s something that we were prepared for. I know it’s harder for him to embrace not having complete success, but this is a tough league.”
When Sasaki’s fastball has ticked up, he’s gotten results, too. On heaters thrown at 97 mph or above, opponents are batting just .133 with a .333 slugging percentage, and swinging-and-missing almost twice as often.
“He will make adjustments given how the hitters respond,” Roberts said. “I think you learn that by doing that here.”
But until that happens, and Sasaki’s fastball starts returning to the upper 90s or 100-mph levels he flashed in Japan, more struggles could lie ahead. More growing pains might have to be endured.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell believes NFL fans and newcomers to the sport in Ireland will be seeing the best wide receiver “on the planet” in Justin Jefferson when his side play in Dublin in September.
On Tuesday, the Vikings were confirmed as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opponents for the first ever regular-season game in Ireland.
As part of a record seven international matches to be played in 2025, the sides will meet at Croke Park on 28 September with the Vikings then going on to face the Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium the following week.
In four-time All-Pro selection Justin Jefferson, the Vikings will have one of the game’s genuine superstars in their ranks.
“Justin Jefferson, if fans don’t know about him yet, they certainly will very soon,” O’Connell said.
“Getting the opportunity to see the best wide receiver on the planet in my opinion is a great start to getting to know the Minnesota Vikings, as well as a whole lot of great players on our offence and our defence.
“It’s a heck of a match-up with the Steelers and two great franchises battling it out to get a very important win.”
Rams owner Stan Kroenke will build a movie studio next to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood that will serve as the international broadcast center for the 2028 Olympic Games.
Construction will start by summer on the studio and production facility that will house hundreds of broadcasters from around the world that have acquired rights to cover the Summer Games in Los Angeles, Kroenke’s company said Tuesday.
After the Games, the facility known as Hollywood Park Studios will be used to make movies, television shows and other productions and perhaps host live broadcasts.
The development is part of Hollywood Park, a multibillion-dollar complex built on the site of a former horse racing track also known as Hollywood Park that includes the stadium, apartments, theaters, offices, shops and restaurants.
Kroenke’s organization hopes that attention from the Olympics will boost Hollywood Park Studios’ appeal as a future entertainment production center.
“We want it to be recognized around the world,” said Alan Bornstein, who is overseeing development of the studio for Kroenke.
The studio is part of Hollywood Park’s master development plan focusing on media, entertainment and technology, Bornstein said, anchored by SoFi Stadium, YouTube Theater and the NFL Media office building.
“There has been an increasing convergence of media and technology and sports, all under the notion of entertainment that is now distributed in in multiple channels,” Bornstein said, “whether it’s through streaming or whether through broadcast television or movies in theaters,”
The first phase of Hollywood Park Studios will occupy 12 acres and will consist of five soundstages, each 18,000 square feet, two of which may be opened to a single 36,000-square-foot stage.
The complex will have a three-story, 80,000-square-foot office building to support stage, production and postproduction activities. The studios will have a dedicated open base camp where trucks, equipment and actors’ trailers could be placed, along with a parking structure for 1,100 cars. Future development could include as many as 20 stages and 200,000 square feet of related office space.
The additional stages would be built to suit for future tenants as demand emerges, Bornstein said, who declined to estimate how much the studio complex will cost.
Although demand for soundstages outstripped supply a few years ago, production has recently slowed and dampened the current need for them.
A rendering of the Hollywood Park Studios broadcast center and movie production facility.
(Gensler)
Last year, the average annual occupancy rate dropped to 63%, a further indication of Hollywood’s sustained production slowdown, according to a recent report by FilmLA, a nonprofit organization that tracks on-location shoot days in the Greater Los Angeles area.
That was a decline from 2023, which saw an average regional occupancy rate of 69%. That was the year when dual strikes by writers and actors crippled the local production economy for months.
The foray into Hollywood-level production facilities is part of Kroenke’s goal to combine sports, entertainment and media from around the world, Bornstein said.
In addition to the Rams, Kroenke is owner of the Denver Nuggets basketball team, the Colorado Avalanche hockey team, the Colorado Rapids soccer team, the Colorado Mammoth lacrosse team and Arsenal Football Club, the Premier League soccer team based in London.
SoFi Stadium, where the Chargers also play football, will be converted into the largest Olympic swimming venue in history during the Games in 2028. It will host the Olympic opening ceremony with the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, as well as the opening ceremony for the Paralympic Games.
Kroenke is also a major real estate developer and landlord. The 300-acre Hollywood Park project is one of the largest mixed-use developments under construction in the western United States. SoFi Stadium alone cost $5 billion to build.
Last month, he also unveiled plans for a new Rams headquarters on a 100-acre site at Warner Center in Woodland Hills that would include a residential and retail community intended to be the centerpiece of the San Fernando Valley. It could cost more than the total price of Hollywood Park, which has been valued by outside observers at more than $10 billion.
Creating a second epicenter in Woodland Hills allows the Rams to significantly increase the size of their footprint in the Southern California market.
“When you’re looking to do a practice facility, you don’t need to be right in the middle of everything, and typically that real estate is very expensive,” Kroenke told The Times. “We built an identity in the Valley, with Cal Lutheran, and a lot of our players and families are up there. Our experience was really good.”
Architecture firm Gensler spearheaded the design for the Warner Center headquarters and Hollywood Park Studios. Clayco will be the general contractor for the studio, with Pacific Edge acting as project manager. Financing was arranged by Guggenheim Investments.
Times staff writer Sam Farmer contributed to this report.
Goodison Park is to become the home of Everton’s women after the club scrapped plans to demolish the 132-year-old stadium.
The Blues will move to their new 53,000-seater arena at Bramley-Moore Dock this summer.
During construction of the new facility on the Liverpool waterfront, Everton’s previous ownership group announced plans for an £82m post-demolition renovation project at the Goodison site, which was set to include housing, a care home, retail units and a park.
But after being taken over by private equity firm The Friedkin Group in December, the club conducted a feasibility study about maintaining the stadium as a home for the women’s team, and have now opted to continue operating the site.
With a capacity of 39,572, Goodison Park will now be the largest dedicated women’s football stadium in the country.
“This long-term vision reflects the club’s commitment to investing in the women’s game and ensuring that Goodison Park continues to play a vital role in both football and the community,” Everton said.
“The club’s regeneration plans will retain Goodison Park’s proud identity while giving Everton Women a world-class platform in the heart of Liverpool 4. For supporters, it offers the chance to be part of a new era in one of football’s most iconic venues.”
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. A belated Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there.
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Sometimes it appears a dark cloud is constantly following a player, sort of like Joe Btfsplk or is just hapless where nothing ever seems to go right, like Charlie Brown. or there’s just doom and gloom whenever they are around, like Eeyore.
The first time I remember it is during the 1988 season, when it seemed for a couple of months that this would happen in every at-bat by Jeff Hamilton: fastball down the middle, taken for strike one; fastball down the middle, takes for strike two; curveball in the dirt, swung on and missed, strike three.
This season, that player for the Dodgers is Michael Conforto.
We haven’t talked much about Conforto, so let’s do a little background on him.
Conforto was born March 1, 1993 in Seattle. He was a star at Oregon State and was taken by the New York Mets in the first round (10th overall pick) of the 2014 draft. He reached the majors quickly, appearing in 56 games with the Mets in 2015. The Mets lost in the World Series that season, but Conforto became only the third player to play in the Little League World Series, College World Series and Major League World Series (the other two: Ed Vosberg and Jason Varitek). His breakthrough season was 2017, when he hit .279/.384/.555 with 20 doubles and 27 homers in 444 plate appearances and made the All-Star team. His power numbers began to dip a bit, but were still solid (28 homers in 638 plate appearances in 2018, 33 in 648 plate appearances in 2019), but he was a solid major leaguer. Let’s take a look at his OPS+ each season:
You’ll notice 2022 is not represented. Before the 2021 season, Conforto turned down a $100-million contract extension. That turned out not to be wise. Conforto had an off year by his standards, hitting .232/.344/.384 with 14 homers in 479 plate apperances. He became a free agent after the season and signed with… no one. His agent, Scott Boras, said Conforto injured his shoulder while working out in January, 2022, had surgery and would not play at all that year.
In January 2023, Conforto signed a two-year, $36-million deal with the Giants. He hit .239/.334/.384 in 2023 with 14 doubles and 15 homers in 470 plate appearances and .237/.309/.450 last season with 27 doubles and 20 homers in 488 plate appearances. The Dodgers signed him for one-year, $17-million, and he started off well. After his first six games, he was hitting .368 with four doubles and a homer. Then, the roof caved in.
From April 4-May 9, Conforto was eight for 93, good for an .086 batting average. And he struck out 34 times. Because he also walked 15 times in that span, he scored 12 runs, which may be a record for a guy who went eight for 93.
Last week, Conforto talked to our Jack Harris and said, “This game will kick you down. It will kick you when you’re down. It can be cruel. So sometimes, you just have to lean on what you know you are as a player, and all the support you have around you … and keep going straight ahead, keep working. … I think we’re right on the edge of getting things back. There’s just been a few of them where, you hit it [well], you look up and there’s somebody there. It just seems to happen more when you’re not going right.”
Dave Roberts: “It’s still easy to bet on him because the head is still there, the work is still there. “He’s just got to keep taking good at-bats, and they’ll fall. A guy that’s been around for so long, I think he can handle this five weeks of adversity.”
The luxury of the Dodgers having such a good team is they can afford to give someone like Conforto a longer chance than most other teams could. James Outman could have taken some playing time from him, but Outman is one for 15 since returning from the minors, while Kiké Hernández and Chris Taylor haven’t exactly been candidates for the Silver Slugger this year either. Conforto has three hits in his last six at-bats. Not a sign that the slump is over, but a step in the right direction.
The Dodgers play the long game, which can be frustrating for fans. The Dodgers are very patient with players and have been for quite a while now. It should come as no surprise that they will give Conforto ample time to rediscover his offense. They have the best record in baseball and can afford to be patient.
By the way, Conforto’s mother, is Tracie Ruiz Conforto, who won gold medal in the solo and duet synchronized swimming event at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
Good news…
Clayton Kershaw made what is hoped to be his final rehab start, pitching four innings while giving up two runs, two hits, two walks and striking out two for triple-A Oklahoma City. If all goes well, he will come off the IL and start against the Angels on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.
Tyler Glasnow has started playing catch again as he tries to return from shoulder inflammation.
… Bad news
Blake Snell was supposed to start throwing again Sunday, but did not because of discomfort in his pitching shoulder. Glasnow and Snell will be checked by doctors on Monday, but this isn’t a good sign for Snell.
Ouch!
Just imagine being a Rockies fan. They haven’t made the postseason since 2018 (when they were swept in the first round) and haven’t won a postseason game since 2009. They lost to the Padres on Saturday, 21-0. And Sunday they fired their manager, Bud Black, before they beat the Padres 9-3. That “improved” their record to 7-33, before they lost Monday to drop to 7-34, which means they are on pace to finish 28-134, which I’m guessing would not be a good enough record to sneak into the postseason as a wild-card team. Their GM, Bill Schmidt, blames a lot of it on injuries. But it can’t be too fun to be a fan of the Rockies lately.
Also, just as a reminder that the Dodgers aren’t the only team that struggles at times, the Padres bullpen has given up 29 runs in its last 16 innings, including six runs in the ninth inning at home against the Angels on Monday.
All-time leaders
The Dodgers’ all-time leaders in OPS+, minimum 1,000 plate appearances
Franchise 1. Dan Brouthers, 172 2. Gary Sheffield, 160 2. Mike Piazza, 160 4. Freddie Freeman, 157 4. Jack Fournier, 157 6. Reggie Smith, 152 7. Pedro Guerrero, 149 8. Lefty O’Doul, 145 9. Babe Herman, 144 9. Hanley Ramirez, 144 9. Jim Wynn, 144
Los Angeles only 1. Gary Sheffield, 160 1. Mike Piazza, 160 3. Freddie Freeman, 157 4. Reggie Smith, 152 5. Pedro Guerrero, 149 6 Hanley Ramirez, 144 6. Jim Wynn, 144 8. Mookie Betts, 143 9. Duke Snider, 136 10. Justin Turner, 133
Is there a top 10 Dodgers list you’d like to see Email me at [email protected] and let me know.
These names seem familiar
A look at how some prominent Dodgers from the last few seasons are doing with their new team (through Sunday). Click on the player name to be taken to the baseball-reference page with all their stats.
From 1929, all-time Dodgers great Dazzy Vance talks pitching. 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], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams says he does not think he would have been called up to the British and Irish Lions squad if he had not been playing for Gloucester this season.
The number nine moved to the Cherry and Whites last summer from Cardiff Rugby and has been one of their stand-out players, making 23 appearances in all competitions so far.
Williams was one of three scrum-halves, along with Ireland’s Jamison Gibson-Park and England’s Alex Mitchell, selected by head coach Andy Farrell.
“I don’t think I’d be in this position if it wasn’t for Gloucester,” Williams told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.
“I said before I’m grateful for the coaches, Lights [attack coach James Lightfoot Brown], Dom [defence coach Waldouck] and Skivs [director of rugby George Skivington] for allowing me to play the way we play at Gloucester.
“Coming here this season has helped me massively.”
From John Cherwa: The horses have barely passed the finish line at Churchill Downs when many heads turn to the east, pointing to Baltimore, and start thinking about the Preakness, the second stop on racing’s Triple Crown. And that quickness belies the problem. It’s only two weeks after the Kentucky Derby.
It used to not be a problem when horses raced more often than they do today. The only racing that goes on nowadays is to see how fast you can get your superstar-in-the-making into the breeding shed, which is where the real money is made.
The Preakness is different from the Derby in so many ways. The biggest technical reason is the race is a sixteenth of a mile shorter than the Derby. The biggest non-technical reason is the Preakness is fun, an experience trainers and owners enjoy rather than the price-gouging pressure cooker that is Louisville on Derby week.
“What the Derby thinks it is, that’s what the Preakness is,” Mickey Taylor, one of the owners of Seattle Slew, once said.
This year’s 150th anniversary of the Preakness is full of intrigue but short on stars, especially with Derby winner Sovereignty skipping the race. But it’s still an interesting race and the winner will etch his name in history. Here are five story lines to look for this week.
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NBA PLAYOFFS RESULTS
All Times Pacific
Conference semifinals
Western Conference
No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. No. 4 Denver Nuggets Denver 121, at Oklahoma City 119 (box score) at Oklahoma City 149, Denver 106 (box score) at Denver 113, Oklahoma City 104 (OT) (box score) Oklahoma City 92, at Denver 87 (box score) Tuesday at Oklahoma City, 6:30 p.m., TNT Thursday at Denver, TBD, ESPN Sunday at Oklahoma City, TBD*
No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 7 Golden State Golden State 99, at Minnesota 88 (box score) at Minnesota 117, Golden State 93 (box score) Minnesota 102, at Golden State 97 (box score) Minnesota 117, at Golden State 110 (box score) Wednesday at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m., TNT Sunday at Golden State, TBD* Tuesday, May 20 at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., ESPN*
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 4 Indiana Indiana 121, at Cleveland 112 (box score) Indiana 120, at Cleveland 119 (box score) Cleveland 126, at Indiana 104 (box score) at Indiana 129, Cleveland 109 (box score) Tuesday at Cleveland, 4 p.m., TNT Thursday at Indiana, TBD* Sunday at Cleveland, TBD*
No. 2 Boston vs. No. 3 New York New York 108, at Boston 105 (OT) (box score) New York 91, at Boston 90 (box score) Boston 115, at New York 93 (box score) at New York 121, Boston 113 (box score) Wednesday at Boston, 4 p.m., TNT Friday at New York, TBD, ESPN* Monday at Boston, 5 p.m., TNT*
*if necessary
ANGELS
Taylor Ward hit a grand slam to cap a six-run ninth inning, and the Angels beat the San Diego Padres 9-5 on Monday night.
The Angels rallied against Robert Suarez, who had converted 18 consecutive save opportunities — including 15 this season. Alek Jacob replaced Suarez and struck out Jorge Soler before Ward delivered.
Suarez (0-1) yielded a one-out single before walking four straight batters, forcing in two runs. The right-hander gave up just one run in his first 18 appearances this year.
Freshman Moni Nikolov posted six kills, four aces and a pair of digs and Long Beach State beat UCLA 25-17, 25-23 and 25-21 to win the NCAA men’s volleyball tournament Monday night.
It was the Beach’s (30-3) fourth championship in program history and first since 2019. Long Beach State also won the title in 2018 and claimed its first title in 1991 when current coach Alan Knipe was a player.
The 6-foot-10 Nikolov, who just turned 18, started the match with an opening-serve ace and ended UCLA’s two-time reign with a thunderous kill.
“Not for one second did we think we were going to lose that game,” Nikolov said. “Before the game in the locker room we told each other we were here. We were born for this …. game.
“Even when we were down five, we trusted each other because we knew we were the better team.”
And when we say dog, we really mean horse because Ronald is much closer to a small pony than he is to a large dog.
“He’s a pretty cool dog,” van Gisbergen said of the Rhodesian Ridgeback who weighs 130 pounds, which makes him five pounds heavier than Tyler Reddick, the reigning regular-season NASCAR Cup Series champion. Van Gisbergen wasn’t going to leave Australia without him.
“You can’t get rid of a dog,” he said. “He is part of our family.”
Van Gisbergen isn’t the only animal lover on the NASCAR circuit. About a dozen drivers travel with their dogs so regularly, at least two tracks have built dog parks for the race teams.
“It kind of brings a feeling of home on the road,” said Alex Bowman, who has three dogs, an 8-year-old charcoal Labrador named Finn, a year-old Golden Retriever mix rescue named Huck and a goldendoodle named Merle that belongs to girlfriend Chloe Henderson, a self-proclaimed “dog mom.”
“My dogs are my best friends. So it’s always cool to have them at the race track,” said Bowman, who finished fifth in Sunday’s 400-mile race in Kansas City, Kan., the 12th event on the Cup Series schedule.
Pacific 1 Vegas vs. Pacific 3 Edmonton Edmonton 4, at Vegas 2 (summary) Edmonton 5, at Vegas 4 (OT) (summary) Vegas 4, at Edmonton 3 (summary) at Edmonton 3, Vegas 0 (summary) Wednesday at Vegas, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Friday at Edmonton, TBD, TNT* Sunday at Vegas, TBD, TNT*
C1 Winnipeg vs. C2 Dallas Dallas 3, at Winnipeg 2 (summary) Winnipeg 4, at Dallas 0 (summary) Dallas 5, at Winnipeg 2 (summary) Tuesday at Dallas, 5 p.m., ESPN Thursday at Winnipeg, 6:30 p.m., TNT Saturday at Dallas, TBD* Monday at Winnipeg, TBD, ESPN*
Eastern Conference
Atlantic 1 Toronto vs. Atlantic 3 Florida at Toronto 5, Florida 4 (summary) at Toronto 4, Florida 3 (summary) at Florida 5, Toronto 4 (OT) (summary) at Florida 2, Toronto 0 (summary) Wednesday at Toronto, 4 p.m., ESPN* Friday at Florida, TBD, TNT Sunday at Toronto, TBD, TNT*
Metro 1 Washington vs. Metro 2 Carolina Carolina 2, at Washington 1 (OT) (summary) at Washington 3, Carolina 1 (summary) at Carolina 4, Washington 0 (summary) at Carolina 5, Washington 2 (summary) Thursday at Washington, 4 p.m., TNT Saturday at Carolina, TBD* Monday at Washington, TBD, ESPN*
* If necessary
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1891 — Isaac Murphy wins his second straight Kentucky Derby aboard Kingman. In the stretch, Kingman comes from last in the four-horse field to beat Balgownan by one-half length.
1905 — World heavyweight boxing champion James J. Jeffries retires undefeated after 7 title defences; returns in 1910 to be beaten by Jack Johnson.
1950 — First ever race of the Formula 1 World Drivers Championship is run at Silverstone, England and won by Giuseppe Farina of italy in an Alfa Romeo.
1962 — LPGA Western Open Women’s Golf, Montgomery CC: Mickey Wright wins on the 4th hole of a sudden-death playoff with Mary Lena Faulk.
1976 — The New York Nets overcome a 22-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets 112-106 and win the last ABA championship in six games.
1989 — Trinidad & Tobago ties US 1-1, in 3rd round of 1990 world soccer cup.
1992 — The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers 5-1 to eliminate the Patrick Division champions in six games and advance to the Prince of Wales Conference finals. It is the first time all four division winners are eliminated in the same round. The Norris Division champion Detroit Red Wings were swept by the Chicago Blackhawks in four straight games, and the Montreal Canadiens, who had won the Adams Division, lost in four games to the Boston Bruins. The Vancouver Canucks, the Smythe Division champions lost to the Edmonton Oilers in six games.
1995 — Team New Zealand’s Black Magic 1 completes a 5-0 sweep in the America’s Cup, beating Dennis Conner’s borrowed boat Young America by 1 minute, 50 seconds.
1998 — Chelsea of England win 38th European Cup Winner’s Cup against Stuttgart of Germany 1-0 in Stockholm.
2005 — Tiger Woods misses the cut at the Byron Nelson Championship to end his record of 142 consecutive cuts made over the last seven years on the PGA Tour. Needing a par on the 18th hole at Cottonwood Valley, Woods misses a 15-foot putt. He taps in for a bogey and a 2-over 72, leaving him at 1 over for the tournament.
2006 — English FA Cup Final, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (71,140): Liverpool beats West Ham United, 3-1 on penalties after 3–3 (a.e.t.); Reds 7th title.
2007 — Canada wins hockey’s world championship with a 4-2 victory over Finland. Rick Nash leads the way with two goals as Canada captures its’ 24th world title and first since 2004.
2007 — Rafael Nadal becomes the first player to win the Rome Masters three consecutive times by beating Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-2, 6-2. The victory extends his winning streak on clay to 77 matches. By reaching the final, the Spaniard broke John McEnroe’s record for most consecutive victories (75) on one surface.
2007 — At 16 years, 65 days Matthew Briggs debuts for Fulham in a 3-1 defeat at Middlesbrough; youngest player to appear in an English Premier League match.
2007 — PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: American Phil Mickelson wins by 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Sergio García of Spain; event played in May for the first time.
2012 — Manchester City wins the English title for the first time in 44 years, surging past Queens Park Rangers 3-2 with Sergio Aguero scoring his team’s second goal late in injury time. Aguero scores during the fourth minute of injury time, two minutes after substitute Edin Dzeko made it 2-2. The winning goal snatches the trophy from defending champion Manchester United on goal difference.
2012 — PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: Matt Kuchar wins by 2 strokes ahead of Rickie Fowler, Zach Johnson, Martin Laird and Ben Curtis.
2014 — Henrik Lundqvist sets an NHL record with his fifth straight Game 7 victory. He made 35 saves to lift the New York Rangers to a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins and earn a spot in the Eastern Conference finals. Brian Boyle and Brad Richards score for New York, who rally from a 3-1 series deficit for the first time in the franchise’s 88-year history.
2015 — Derek Stepan scores 11:24 in overtime, lifting the New York Rangers past the Washington Capitals 2-1 and into the Eastern Conference finals. Stepan’s wrist shot from the left wing caps a comeback from a 3-1 deficit in the series. The Rangers become the only team to manage that in successive years, doing the same thing to Pittsburgh in the second round in 2014.
2018 — Liverpool’s Egyptian soccer forward Mohamed Salah scores in a 4-0 win against Brighton to set the EPL goal scoring record (32) for a 38-game season.
2018 — PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: American Webb Simpson wins by 4 strokes from Xander Schauffele, Charl Schwartzel and Jimmy Walker.
2019 — The Tradition Senior Men’s Golf, Greystone G &CC: Steve Stricker wins his first career major title by 6 strokes ahead of Billy Andrade, Paul Goydos & David Toms.
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1911 — Detroit’s Ty Cobb hit his first grand slam. After six innings, the Tigers led the Red Sox, 10-1. Boston came back to win the game 13-11 in 10 innings.
1911 — The New York Giants scored a major league record 10 runs before the St. Louis Cardinals retired the first batter in the first inning. Fred Merkle drove in six of the Giants’ 13 runs in the first en route to a 19-5 rout.
1923 — Joe Sewell of the Cleveland Indians struck out twice in one game for the first time in his career. Washington Senator rookie Wally Warmoth was the pitcher. In a 14-year career, Sewell had only one other multiple strikeout game.
1942 — Boston’s Jim Tobin became the only pitcher in modern history to hit three home runs in one game. Tobin led the Braves to a 6-5 win over the Chicago Cubs. His fourth at-bat was a fly ball caught against the fence in left field.
1955 — At Yankee Stadium, Mickey Mantle hits home runs from both sides of the plate for the first time in his major league career.
1958 — Teammates Willie Mays and Darryl Spencer each had four long hits as San Francisco beat the Dodgers in Los Angeles 16-9. Mays had two homers, two triples, a single and four RBIs, and Spencer had two homers, a triple, a double and six RBIs for a combined 28 total bases.
1958 — Stan Musial got his 3,000th hit with a pinch-double off Chicago’s Moe Drabowsky at Wrigley Field. The Cardinals won 5-3.
1969 — Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs reaches the 1,500 runs batted in milestone with seven RBIs in a 19-0 shellacking of the expansion San Diego Padres.
1976 — For the sixth consecutive game, George Brett of the Kansas City Royals collects at least three hits.
1980 — Ray Knight of Cincinnati hit two home runs in the fifth inning — including a grand slam — to lead the Reds to a 15-4 rout of the New York Mets.
1982 — The Chicago Cubs won game No. 8,000 in their history with a 5-0 victory over Houston at the Astrodome.
1989 — Kirby Puckett of the Minnesota Twins tied a major league record with four doubles against the Blue Jays. He became the 35th player to hit four doubles in a game, the first since Toronto’s Damaso Garcia in 1986.
1993 — George Brett of the Kansas City Royals hits his 300th career home run in the 6th inning of a 7-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Brett is only the 6th major league player with at least 3,000 hits and 300 home runs.
1994 — Tim Salmon of the Angels went 5-for-5 against the Seattle Mariners to give him 13 hits over three consecutive games.
2000 — Todd Stottlemyre of Arizona earned his seventh victory of the season as the Diamondbacks beat the San Diego Padres 6-2. It was Todd’s 136th career win. He and father Mel Stottlemyre became the first father-son combination to record 300 wins.
2002 — Only 38 home runs shy of the exclusive 500 home run club, Jose Canseco retires at 37 age due to injuries sustained in recent years.
2007 — San Francisco rookie Fred Lewis hit for the cycle in a 15-2 win over Colorado, just four days after being called up from triple-A Fresno.
2009 — Soon after Adam LaRoche became the first player to have a home run taken away following a video replay review, Ross Gload lost one the same way when umpires reversed their call. LaRoche wound up with a double for Pittsburgh at PNC Park. Gload’s pinch-hit drive was finally called foul at Milwaukee and he eventually struck out. Both players had already rounded the bases when umps changed the original call.
2009 — Ryan Zimmerman’s 30-game hitting streak ended when he went 0 for 3 with two walks in Washington’s 6-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
2012 — Joey Votto hit a grand slam in the ninth inning for his third home run of the game, rallying the Cincinnati Reds to a rain-delayed 9-6 victory over the Washington Nationals.
2023 — By striking out Brice Turang and Joey Wiemer of the Brewers in the 5th inning, Zack Greinke becomes only the fifth pitcher in major league history to have struck out 1,000 different batters in his career. The veteran Royals hurler, who is in his 20th season, joins Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens in the exclusive club.
2024 — In a first, women are the lead television announcers for both teams in today’s game between the Athletics and Astros. Jenny Cavnar was named the A’s lead broadcaster before the start of the season, and for the occasion the Astros have announcer Todd Kalas and in-game reporter Julia Morales switch roles, with Morales, a long-time friend of Cavnar’s, taking over in the broadcast booth.
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 [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
The Monday Night Club’s Rory Smith, Theo Walcott and Chris Sutton discuss why the actions of Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis could be “unhealthy for football”.
SAN DIEGO — Taylor Ward hit a grand slam to cap a six-run ninth inning, and the Angels beat the San Diego Padres 9-5 on Monday night.
The Angels rallied against Robert Suarez, who had converted 18 consecutive save opportunities — including 15 this season. Alek Jacob replaced Suarez and struck out Jorge Soler before Ward delivered.
Suarez (0-1) yielded a one-out single before walking four straight batters, forcing in two runs. The right-hander gave up just one run in his first 18 appearances this year.
Zach Neto hit a two-run homer for the Angels in the third. But San Diego scored three runs in the bottom half.
Jackson Merrill hit an RBI single, and left-hander Yusei Kikuchi committed a throwing error on Xander Bogaerts’ comebacker, bringing home two more runs. Gavin Sheets then singled to left but Matthew Lugo threw Bogaerts out at home.
San Diego star Fernando Tatis Jr. led off the fifth with his 10th homer, and a Bogaerts sacrifice fly made it 5-3 in the eighth.
Kikuchi gave up four runs — two earned — and seven hits in six innings. Brock Burke (4-0) pitched the eighth, and Kenley Jansen fanned two in a scoreless ninth.
King struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings. He was charged with three runs — two earned — and four hits.
It was San Diego’s first home game this month after a 6-3 trip.
Key moment
Ward drove a 2-2 pitch deep to left for his fifth career grand slam.
Key stat
Suarez had never walked more than two in a game and had just four in his first 17 2/3 innings.
Up next
José Soriano (2-4, 4.00 ERA) starts Tuesday for the Angels against Dylan Cease (1-2, 4.91 ERA).
Under Murray, the Serb reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open, ultimately retiring injured after losing the first set.
The 37-year-old has had a difficult season by his high standards, losing his first match in four of his past five tournaments, as well as being beaten in the Miami Open final by 19-year-old Jakub Mensik.
“Thank you, coach Andy, for all the hard work, fun and support over last six months on and off the court – really enjoyed deepening our friendship together,” Djokovic said.
“Thanks to Novak for the unbelievable opportunity to work together, and thanks to his team for all their hard work over the past six months,” Murray added.
“I wish Novak all the best for the rest of the season.”
Jalen Brunson scored 39 points as the New York Knicks beat the Boston Celtics 121-113 to leave the reigning NBA champions on the brink of elimination from the play-offs.
The Knicks stormed back from 14 points down in the third quarter to go 3-1 up in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final and are in sight of the finals for the first time since 2000.
The Celtics also lost forward Jayson Tatum, who scored 42 points before being carried off in the fourth quarter with what coach Joe Mazzulla described as a “lower body injury”.
The six-time All Star, who was later seen being taken to the Madison Square Garden locker room in a wheelchair, will have a scan on Tuesday to assess the damage.
“He’ll get the MRI and we’ll see what it is,” said Mazzulla.
“Obviously you’re always concerned about someone’s health. It’s two-fold, we’re concerned about his health and where’s he’s at. And then we’re concerned what we’ve got to do better in game five.”
The Knicks can clinch the series with a win in Boston on Thursday (00:00 BST).
Boston, who won game three on Saturday, started strongly with Tatum and Payton Pritchard leading the charge.
A Derrick White three-pointer gave the Celtics their biggest lead of the night early in the third quarter (72-58) but from then on the Knicks took over, taking an 88-85 lead into the final quarter.
Brunson controlled matters and when OG Anunoby grabbed a steal off Tatum in the incident that left the Celtics star writhing in pain before making a dunk, the Knicks were 118-106 ahead.
“I was just in a flow and doing whatever. I wasn’t really trying to take over. It was just ‘whatever we’ve gotta do’,” Brunson said.
“We didn’t quit, kept fighting. And that’s what’s most important. Whenever you get in a hole you can’t quit.”
