Sports Desk

Japan’s roster for the World Baseball Classic features familiar names, but one question lingers.

The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto were among those named to Team Japan by manager Hirokazu Ibata on Monday at a news conference in Tokyo. Ohtani previously announced his intention to participate in the WBC in November, and Yamamoto was expected to take part despite a heavy workload in the Dodgers’ run to a second straight World Series championship.

Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki, who will be returning to the starting rotation after missing most of last year’s regular season because of a shoulder injury, was not selected. Sasaki was on Team Japan in 2023, starting two games — including a dramatic semifinal win over Mexico.

In his earlier announcement, Ohtani did not indicate whether he would pitch in the WBC and on Monday Ibata told reporters that the team will get a better sense once Ohtani reports to spring training next month.

In the 2023 WBC, Ohtani won tournament MVP with a .435 batting average and 1.86 pitching ERA, helping Japan to the title. He punctuated the event with his memorable strikeout of Mike Trout for the final out in the championship game.

Eight major leaguers were named to Team Japan’s WBC roster, including the Angels left-hander Yusei Kukuchi, Padres left-hander Yuki Matsui, Blue Jays infielder Kazuma Okamoto, White Sox infielder Munetaka Murakami, Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki and right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano, currently a free agent who pitched for the Baltimore Orioles last year.

MLB players are expected to join Team Japan for exhibition games on March 2. Japan will open WBC play on March 6 against Taiwan.

A decision on whether Pakistan will boycott next month’s men’s T20 World Cup is set to be made by early next week.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chair Mohsin Naqvi held talks with the country’s prime minister, Shahbaz Sharif, on Monday to discuss their participation in light of Bangladesh’s withdrawal.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) replaced Bangladesh with Scotland on Saturday for the tournament which is being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka between 7 February and 8 March.

Naqvi said in a post on X, external he had “a productive meeting” with Sharif where he “briefed him on the ICC matter”.

“He [Sharif] directed that we resolve it while keeping all options on the table,” Naqvi said.

“It was agreed that the final decision will be taken either on Friday or next Monday.”

BBC Sport understands that in addition to a full boycott of the tournament Pakistan officials are considering just boycotting their match against India.

Pakistan are due to play India at the T20 World Cup in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 15 February in accordance with an agreement signed last year saying the two countries will play at neutral venues whenever one of them hosts an ICC event.

Political tensions mean the two countries have not faced each other outside men’s major tournaments since 2013, while India have not played in Pakistan since 2008.

The ICC has been approached for comment.

Pakistan’s response comes after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had asked for their World Cup fixtures to be switched from India citing safety concerns.

There has been growing tensions between the countries and Bangladesh requested their games were played in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament, instead.

The ICC rejected Bangladesh’s request, saying there was an “absence of any credible security threat” before the BCB reaffirmed its position.

BBC Sport understands Pakistan supported Bangladesh’s position in an emergency ICC board meeting held last Wednesday.

In a statement released last Saturday, in which they announced the decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland, the ICC said it had “engaged with the BCB through multiple rounds of dialogue conducted in a transparent and constructive manner”.

“In light of these findings, and after careful consideration of the broader implications, the ICC determined that it was not appropriate to amend the published event schedule,” the ICC statement added.

The ICC also said it was keen not to establish “precedents that could undermine the neutrality and fairness of ICC events”.

This month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India told Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to drop Bangladesh cricketer Mustafizur Rahman because of political tensions.

The Dodgers’ $240-million signing of Kyle Tucker revived anguished cries that the team is ruining baseball. It also revived a strange chapter in team history, with frenzied online commentary that the signing of Tucker was made possible in large part because Major League Baseball long ago rewarded the Dodgers’ owners with preferential financial treatment that continues to this day.

Is that true?

Yes and no.

Uh, thanks. Go on.

Remember Frank McCourt, the Dodgers’ former owner?

In 2011, after then-commissioner Bud Selig rejected a proposed $3-billion local television deal between the Dodgers and Fox Sports, McCourt took the team into bankruptcy court before agreeing to sell. That meant Selig and the MLB owners would not pick the new Dodgers owner. McCourt would, in a process controlled by the court.

With the Dodgers’ local TV rights soon to expire, McCourt realized bidders for the team might offer more — and he might make more — if the bidders knew in advance how much the league would take from the sale of those rights.

In a settlement with McCourt — and to avoid the risk of the judge imposing a deal less favorable to the league — MLB agreed the fair-market value of a Dodgers TV deal would be based on the very Fox deal that Selig had rejected.

Why did that matter?

That value was $84 million for the first year and would increase thereafter, with the league taking its standard 34% cut and sharing that among all its teams.

However, with a bidding war looming between Fox Sports and Time Warner Cable, Selig knew the rights would be worth more than Fox had offered in its extension with McCourt, who needed immediate cash.

In bankruptcy court, an attorney for Guggenheim, the winning bidder and still the Dodgers’ owner, said the settlement represented a “substantial component of the value proposition of the transaction” — that is, a primary justification for the then-record $2.15-billion purchase price.

In 2013, one year after buying the team, Guggenheim sold those local TV rights. Were they indeed worth more?

You might as well ask if Shohei Ohtani is good. The rights that McCourt wanted to sell for $3 billion were bought by Time Warner Cable for a record $8.35 billion.

Because of the settlement, the league would take its cut based on a deal worth $3 billion rather than based on a deal worth $8.35 billion.

And the league was fine with this, because it wanted to help a marquee franchise return to glory?

LOL, no. In 2012, an MLB attorney had warned the court that the settlement could result in a league of “the Dodgers and the other 29 teams.” Under its terms, the Dodgers could keep tens of millions of dollars each year that otherwise would be shared with the league.

In the wake of the massive Time Warner deal, Selig’s office told other owners it planned to treat television revenue for the Dodgers like television revenue from any other team.

However, thanks to McCourt, the bankruptcy court was in charge, not the league. MLB did not have the power to redo the court-approved settlement, because Guggenheim could have asked the court to uphold the deal and order the league to abide by it.

After negotiations, MLB and Guggenheim made a modest adjustment, setting the “fair-market value” of the Time Warner deal at about $130 million for the first year rather than $84 million. That figure is used to determine the league’s cut, which for all local TV deals has since increased from 34% to 48%.

Just about every report on the Dodgers’ TV deal says the team is guaranteed $334 million each year. Is that accurate?

That $334 million is the annual average. The deal started at a lower value and increases every year.

By the time the deal ends in 2038, the Dodgers will be getting more than $500 million per year.

How is that possible? Aren’t local sports channels dying?

The parent company of the FanDuel Sports channels — including the one that carries the Angels — emerged from bankruptcy last year but now is fighting to remain in business. If your company spends millions upon millions on sports rights, and if your financial success depends on cable and satellite customers paying for a programming bundle that includes sports channels most viewers do not watch, you’re doomed.

The Angels’ local television revenue took a big hit last year and probably will do so again this year. The Milwaukee Brewers, the team that plays in the smallest market in the majors, reportedly got $35 million in its FanDuel deal last year.

The Dodgers own SportsNet LA through a related entity, American Media Productions (AMP), and the television revenue comes via a marketing and distribution agreement with Charter Communications, which inherited the deal when it acquired Time Warner Cable in 2016.

Charter’s revenue in 2024: $55 billion. The giant television, telephone and broadband company is not going out of business anytime soon, even as it is stuck with a money-losing Dodgers deal.

What did Dodgers chairman Mark Walter say upon the establishment of SportsNet LA?

“The creation of AMP will provide substantial financial resources over the coming years for the Dodgers to build on their storied legacy and bring a world championship home to Los Angeles.”

Nailed it. So why would Walter consider forsaking some of those substantial financial resources?

In 2028, when MLB national TV contracts expire, Commissioner Rob Manfred would like to offer traditional networks and streaming services the chance to bid not just on national broadcasts but on an all-baseball, all-the-time outlet where fans could watch any team, wherever they lived, and with no blackouts. With that, the league believes, it could strike gold — and then share the wealth among all 30 teams.

That would require teams to turn over their local broadcast rights to the league. The Dodgers’ local television revenues provide a massive competitive advantage. It’s hard to imagine Walter (and owners of other big-city teams with similar TV riches) surrendering those riches without the league offering him something significant in return.

Like what?

Perhaps a chance to exempt the Dodgers from sharing ticket revenue, or to secure the Japanese television rights now controlled by MLB. Maybe the league would buy SportsNet LA. Could be anything. But that is a 2028 issue. First up is collective bargaining, and the possibility of owners shutting down the sport next winter in pursuit of a salary cap.

Ranked 27th in the world, Jovic is playing her first Grand Slam as a seeded player.

Just 12 months ago, she was 191st in the rankings.

She won a first WTA Tour-level title at Guadalajara in Mexico during a breakthrough 2025 season, while she also won her first WTA 125 title at the Ilkley Open.

And she started 2026 on the front foot – reaching the semi-finals in Auckland before a run to the Hobart International final, where she lost to Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

“She is like a shining light, she’s burst on to the scene, she’s risen up so quickly but she brings a sense of purpose every single time she hits the ball, and you just watch the intensity of the footwork and there’s purpose behind every single ball she’s hitting,” former British number one Annabel Croft told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Jovic has won 11 matches already this year – more than anyone else on the WTA Tour.

“This is such great news for women’s tennis and I’m so excited every time she steps on the court because she brings so much sunshine and so much light, a beautiful energy,” former world number five Daniela Hantuchova added.

“She is the ultimate professional, super disciplined and committed and her technique is unbelievable.”

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. It was a historic weekend for coach Harvey Kitani, who became only the third high school basketball coach in state history to reach 1,000 wins.

Kitani memories

Harvey Kitani is surrounded by his players after earning his 1,000th career victory on Friday night at Mater Dei in Rolling Hills Prep’s 60-45 win over Bishop Gorman.

(Nick Koza)

Harvey Kitani joined Gary McKnight of Mater Dei and Mike LeDuc of Damien as the only high school basketball coaches to reach 1,000 wins. Kitani got his 1,000th career win coaching Rolling Hills Prep to victory on Friday against Bishop Gorman.

Many of his victories came during a 35-year stay as head coach at Fairfax. Let me offer some of the most memorable moments covering him since 1979.

No. 1 is when his star player, Sean Higgins, called a news conference in 1987 to announce his college choice. He signed with UCLA. But Higgins didn’t show up to the news conference. Sitting in the principal’s office and waiting and waiting for Higgins to arrive was so strange. Then word came that Higgins was pressured to sign with UCLA by his stepfather. He ended up getting released from his letter of intent and enrolling at Michigan.

Kitani’s best team was that 1987 season winning the City 4-A title and was unbeaten until the state tournament. Higgins, Chris Mills and JD Green were the standout players. Kitani would win a 3-A title and two more upper division titles.

The Fairfax vs. Westchester rivalry became one of the best in the Southland. Westchester coach Ed Azzam, who is the City record holder for most career wins, always got along with Kitani, who hired Azzam to teach middle school students when he retired. Their teams played for City titles against each other in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2015. Those were the days. Besides playing two league match-ups they’d face off again in the playoffs.

Kitani got to coach the Shipp brothers, Joe, Josh and Jerren. They ended up playing basketball for Cal, UCLA and Arizona. Josh helped Fairfax win a state title in 2004. He also coached center Renardo Sidney.

He retired from teaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District in 2016 and decided to accept the coaching position at Rolling Hills Prep, which is 15 minutes from his home and where two of his sons attended.

“If Fairfax was here, I’d still be at Fairfax,” he said.

He’s won four Southern Section titles. He truly has a body of work to admire.

“Unbelievable,” he said of staying in coaching for 46 years.

Boys basketball

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame’s NaVorro Bowman scored 26 points in a win over Harvard-Westlake on Saturday.

(Craig Weston)

NaVorro Bowman, a junior guard for Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, has thrust himself into consideration for Mission League MVP. He had 26 points Saturday in Notre Dame’s 71-66 win over Harvard-Westlake. The Knights are on the verge of finishing second in the regular season and clinching a playoff spot before the Mission League tournament begins Thursday.

Sierra Canyon, led by Brandon McCoy and Brannon Martinsen, a pair of former Trinity League all-stars, defeated Harvard-Westlake to lock up the No. 1 seed for the Mission League tournament. Here’s the report.

Former Notre Dame star Monte Marcaccini has returned to high school basketball as an assistant coach at Oaks Christian, where his son, James, is a promising freshman. Here’s the report.

Palisades, which hasn’t played a basketball game or any sporting event on its campus since the Palisades fire in January of 2025, will hold its first home basketball game Thursday against Fairfax at 6 p.m. Classes return to the campus Tuesday. Palisades (11-11) has emerged as the favorite to win the City Open Division basketball title.

L.A. Southwest College and Pasadena City College are expected to be the championship sites for the City Section basketball finals Feb. 27 and 28.

Cleveland won an important West Valley League game against rival Birmingham. Here’s the report.

The City Section’s top four teams have become real clear: Palisades, Cleveland, Birmingham and Washington Prep.

Second-year coach Leon Jacob has turned around the Angelou program. Here’s the report.

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

Girls basketball

Aryanna Reyes of Pioneer set a school record with a 52-point performance against Artesia.

Changes are coming in the Southern Section power rankings. No. 2 JSerra lost to Santa Margarita in a Trinity League game. Mater Dei upset highly regarded Bishop Gorman from Las Vegas. Etiwanda routed No. 5 Rancho Christian 104-73.

For some reason, the rankings always ignore Etiwanda in the early going even though the Eagles always contend for Southern Section and state titles. Sierra Canyon is 21-2 and headed for another unbeaten Mission League season. The Trailblazers have never lost a Mission League game.

Harvard-Westlake, led by freshman Lucia Khamenia, has moved into a tie for second place with Marlborough in the Mission League.

Ontario Christian remains No. 1 with a 25-1 record.

Reagan Enright from Rolling Hills Prep scored the 1,000th point of her career.

Westchester is 17-3 and 6-0 in the Western League behind the City Section’s best player, Savannah Myles, averaging 22.1 points. Here’s the report.

Wrestling

Abraham Datte of Monroe is the two-time City Section heavyweight wrestling champion and wants to be a paramedic.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Abraham Datte is a two-time City Section heavyweight wrestling champion from Monroe who wants to become a paramedic. He chose Monroe because of its Fire Academy. Here’s a profile.

The Southern Section Divisional championships are set for Feb. 13-14.

Here are the boys’ sites.

Central — Westminster High

Coastal — Fountain Valley High

Eastern — Canyon Springs High

Inland — Great Oak High

Northern — Moorpark High

Southern — Glenn High

Here are the girls’ sites.

Central — San Dimas High

Eastern — Roosevelt High

Northern — Adelanto High

Southern — Marina High

The Masters Meet is Feb. 20 for boys and Feb. 21 for girls.

The state championships are Feb. 26-28 at Dignity Health Arena in Bakersfield.

Soccer

South East (16-1-3) and El Camino Real (12-3-1, 5-0-1) are looking like the teams to beat in City Section boys soccer. El Camino Real plays at Birmingham on Wednesday.

Servite handed Mater Dei its first defeat 2-1 to move ahead of the Monarchs in the Trinity League standings.

Cathedral is 12-2-1 and 4-0-1 in the Del Rey League heading into a big match Friday at Bishop Amat.

In girls soccer, Santa Margarita is ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section power rankings and is 13-0-2.

Baseball

Chatsworth coach Marcus Alvarado has resigned.

(Nick Koza)

Marcus Alvarado, who coached Chatsworth to a 2022 City Section Open Division championship, said he resigned on Friday, saying he had lost his love for baseball after repeated complaints from parents. Here’s the report.

Gabe Cerna, the baseball coach at Sun Valley Poly since 2009, has been replaced by his assistant, Freddy Flores, who will be an interim coach. Cerna also was the school’s athletic director. Cerna is now teaching at Fulton Prep. He said the school decided to go in “a different direction.”

Harvard-Westlake has put the jerseys of nine former players who reached the major leagues on its outfield walls at O’Malley Family Field. They start in left field and go to center field. They might run out of room, but coach Jared Halpert said, “That’s a good problem to have.”

Pete Crow-Armstrong, Jack Flaherty, Nik Turley and Josh Satin were on hand on Saturday for a ceremony. Meanwhile, the baseball team played teams from Las Vegas, and No. 1 pitcher Justin Kirchner, a Yale commit, struck out 10 in four innings.

Notes . . .

There was an altercation Friday night at the conclusion of the Chatsworth at Taft girls’ basketball game involving the Chatsworth coach and a relative of one of his players. L.A. School Police are investigating. Here’s the report.

Oaks Christian has hired Rudy Carlton as its new football coach. He was an assistant coach at JSerra last season and has extensive college coaching experience from his days at Azusa Pacific. Former Oaks Christian standout Ron Pitts is becoming the general manager and the school is creating an advisory council of former NFL players. . . .

Matt Villasenor has resigned as football coach at Nogales to become head coach at Muir. . . .

Dujuawan Jones is the new football coach at San Marino. . . .

Former Corona del Mar and UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers has been hired to coach quarterbacks at Corona del Mar. . . .

A lawsuit targeting St. John Bosco football coach Jason Negro has misfired after a judge’s rulings. Here’s the report. . . .

Kevin Encinas is the new football coach at Nogales. . . .

The Southern Section Council will discuss a proposal Tuesday that would allow football at-large playoff berths for teams with a .300 or better overall record. It’s currently .500 or better. The aim is not to allow teams with 1-9 or 2-8 records. It’s a non-action item. . . .

Jaden Soong competes at the Southern California Golf Assn. Amateur Championship at Saticoy Club in Somis.

(Courtesy of SCGA)

Sophomore golfer Jaden Soong of St. Francis will try to qualify for the PGA’s Farmer’s Insurance Open on Monday in Mission Viejo. He needs to finish in the top four. He turns 16 on Monday. . . .

After only one season as coach, Doug Bledsoe said he has resigned as football coach at Narbonne. He took over the program after numerous rules violations resulted in a three-year postseason ban by the City Section and an exodus of players. Narbonne went 0-10. . . .

Garfield running back Ceasar Reyes set a school record with 420 yards rushing and four touchdowns in win over South Gate

(Nick Koza)

There was major transfer news in football, with two-time All-City running back Ceasar Reyes going from Garfield to Salesian. Here’s a link to The Times’ transfer portal keeping track of key players switching schools. . .

Shortstop Bobby Brooks from La Habra has committed to Sacramento State. . . .

Even though Morningside High has closed, former Morningside basketball star Stais Bozeman had his jersey retired Friday.

From the archives: Ryan Turell

Yeshiva’s Ryan Turell brings the ball up court against St. Joseph’s Anton Jansson.

(Joe Bednarsh / Yeshiva Athletics)

Former Valley Torah basketball star Ryan Turell is playing for Haifa in Israel’s second division pro basketball league. He entered this week averaging 13.3 points.

He became a standout college player at Yeshiva. He had one game in which he scored 51 points.

Here’s a story from 2021 in which he was being called the Jewish Jordan.

Here’s a story from 2024 about Turell trying to become the first Orthodox Jewish player in the NBA.

Recommendations

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on sophomore girls’ basketball star Tatianna Griffin from No. 1 Ontario Christian.

From AL.com, a story on Alabama creating separate playoff divisions for private and public schools.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on former Harvard-Westlake soccer star Gisele Thompson.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

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

When it comes to improved teams, the girls’ basketball team at St. Monica Academy in Montrose has had a big turnaround under first-year coach Vic Karapetian.

The team is 15-3 and 10-1 in the Heritage League after going 1-26 in league play the previous two years.

There are no seniors on the roster, and three freshmen have been making major contributions.

Karapetian had previous success coaching at AGBU and Mesrobian.

Mary Tomooka and Victoria Grigsby, the freshman backcourt duo, have been key players.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Late in the mess that was the Rams’ final game of the season, Sean McVay was seen frustratingly burying his face in his play card.

That couldn’t hide the truth.

The Rams’ 31-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in the NFC championship game must be draped on the deflated shoulders of the Rams’ resident genius.

As blasphemous as it sounds when referencing one of the greatest coaches in Los Angeles sports history, this one was on McVay.

A day after his 40th birthday, McVay coached like he was no longer the child prodigy, but instead an aging leader who leaves himself open to second-guessing.

McVay has rarely deserved criticism in his nine successful seasons here. But in the wake of an afternoon at Seattle’s deafening Lumen Field that should have propelled the Rams to the Super Bowl, this is one of those times.

A confusing final possession of the first half. Another special teams miscue. A bad decision to pass up a field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter.

It all added up to negatively impact a game the Rams could have won, and should have won.

“I love this team and I wasn’t ready to stop working with them,” McVay said. “This was a special year, it’s hard to fathom that it’s over.”

It shouldn’t be over. The Rams gained 479 yards against the league’s top-rated defense. They only committed four penalties. The offense didn’t have a turnover. Matthew Stafford was brilliant, 374 yards, three touchdowns, countless big throws.

The Rams were great, but during the biggest moments, they got goofy, and basically handed the Super Bowl invitation to the Seahawks on a grass-stained platter.

What was McVay thinking?

Rams coach Sean McVay watches from the sideline during the fourth quarter of a 31-27 loss to the Seahawks in the NFC championship game Sunday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Begin with the Rams’ possession at the end of the first half, after they scored a touchdown to take a 13-10 lead and their running game was rolling and they had a chance to capitalize on their momentum.

But instead of continuing to pound the ball and at least run down the clock, they threw twice in three plays, both incompletions, and had to punt after just 39 seconds, thus giving the ball back to the Seahawks with 54 seconds remaining in the half. Sure enough, the Seahawks then went 74 yards in 34 seconds, highlighted by a 42-yard pass from reborn Sam Darnold to Jaxon Smith-Njigba against Kam Curl and ending with a 14-yard touchdown pass to an uncovered Smith-Njigba to give them a 17-13 halftime lead.

The strategy by McVay was so flawed, it was actually criticized by Tom Brady on Fox, and Brady rarely criticizes anybody.

“The finality of all of it, I didn’t really expect this,” McVay said. “We had our chances … a couple of critical errors that ended up costing us. … I’m pretty numb.”

The next mistake occurred at the start of the second half with — surprise, surprise — more special teams struggles. This time it was Xavier Smith muffing a punt and Dareke Young recovering on the Rams’ 17-yard line. On the next play, Darnold hit former UCLA star Jake Bobo for a touchdown pass ahead of Quentin Lake to give the Seahawks a 24-13 lead.

“It was costly,” McVay said. “That was a tough one.”

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Gary Klein breaks down what went wrong for the Rams in their 31-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC championship game at Lumen Field.

Special teams have haunted McVay for a couple of years. They were so bad earlier this season that he dumped the coordinator. It didn’t matter. They still stink. Coaches always talk about the three phases of the game. McVay clearly doesn’t have a handle on this third phase.

Even with all this, the Rams were driving in the fourth quarter with a chance to take the lead or at least make a dent in a four-point deficit when another decision went bad.

The Rams had rolled 84 yards in 14 plays and were facing fourth and four at the Seattle six-yard line. There was 4:59 left in the game. That was plenty of time to kick the field goal, take the points, then lean on the defense to stop mistake-prone Darnold long enough to drive back downfield for the winning field goal.

But, no. McVay decided to go for it, and Stafford ended up throwing a pass to a blanketed Terrance Ferguson, the ball fell incomplete, and the Seahawks held the ball until the last 25 seconds.

Take the points! C’mon man, take the points!

If the Rams were within a field goal of winning, the pressure on the Seahawks would have been enormously heightened and the momentum of the ensuing drive would have felt entirely different and even if the Rams still only got the ball back with 25 seconds left and no timeouts … that’s long enough for a field-goal drive.

Rams coach Sean McVay, right, shakes hands with Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald after the Rams’ 31-27 loss in the NFC championship game Sunday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Granted, winning this game was a tough task. The Rams were trying to become only the sixth team to win three consecutive road playoff games. But they seemed up to the challenge and seemed destined to win … until they didn’t.

“A lot of resolve, a lot of resilience from our group, we just came up short,” McVay said.

The Rams will be back. Stafford has given no indication that he’s retiring, Puka Nacua isn’t going anywhere, the heart of the young defense returns and, of course, McVay is back.

One assumes his numbness will eventually disappear. One trusts it will be replaced by some of that resolve and resilience.

CALGARY, Canada — Rookie Beckett Sennecke scored at 2:54 of overtime for his first NHL hat trick as the Ducks rallied to beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 Sunday night.

Sennecke’s winner came on a 2-on-1 in which he kept the puck and snapped a shot past Dustin Wolf, just inside the post.

Chris Kreider also scored for Anaheim (28-21-3), which extended its winning streak to seven games. Mikael Granlund and Alex Killorn each had two assists. Lukas Dostal made 32 saves and improved to 19-12-2.

Sennecke’s three-goal effort gives him 18 for the season and 41 points overall, which places him second in rookie scoring to Montreal’s Ivan Demidov, who has 11 goals and 32 assists for 43 points.

The Ducks moved to within one point of the second-place Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division. Anaheim holds one game in hand. The Ducks and Oilers play Monday in Edmonton.

Jonathan Huberdeau, Matt Coronato and Hunter Brzustewicz, who had his first NHL goal, scored for Calgary (21-25-6), which is winless in its last four games (0-2-2). Wolf, who had 17 stops, falls to 15-21-2.

Huberdeau’s ninth goal snapped a 10-game goalless streak. Brzustewicz’s first NHL goal comes in his 18th game.

Calgary entered the game having scored just once in each of its last three games since the trading away of defenseman Rasmus Andersson. However, goals less than two minutes apart by Huberdeau and Brzustewicz gave the Flames a 2-0 lead eight minutes into the first period.

Tied 2-2 entering the third period, Coronato broke the deadlock at 4:50 before Kreider tied it at 13:08 and forced the extra session.

The Ducks’ second seven-game winning streak of the season gives them multiple seven-game runs in a season for the first time since 2014-15, when they also had two.

The Australian Open says it provides some health data to players and their teams at the tournament.

“They can monitor key external load measures such as distance covered, changes of direction, high acceleration events and speed/spin of shots,” it said.

The issue of player welfare has long been a hot topic in tennis, with fears some stars are reaching breaking point because of the physical and mental demands placed on them by a long, intense season.

Sports scientists have argued tennis falls behind other sports when it comes to data analysis.

Alcaraz, who has expressed fears the season is too demanding, Sinner and Sabalenka being instructed to remove their devices appears to support that view.

Stephen Smith, founder of Kitman Labs, says tennis must collect more data from its athletes in both practice and match conditions.

This information should be centralised and shared across the tours for the benefit of all professionals, he says.

“There is a huge opportunity for tennis to start understanding how you apply tech and data to improve player welfare,” says Smith, whose company has provided Premier League football, Prem rugby and NFL teams with data and analytics.

“We’ve seen it work in other sports – particularly American sports like the NFL, NBA and MLB. The NFL are world leaders in this field.

“They’ve been collecting data across the demands of their games – training and games and the injuries – and making rule changes based off what has been happening.”

Dr Sikka, who is also a team physician for baseball’s New York Yankees, agrees.

“Other major sports leagues have already built thoughtful, evidence-based frameworks for wearable technology,” he said.

“Tennis should meet that same standard.”

This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team.

Just three weeks ago, Carrick were thrashed 7-0 by Glentoran. However, since then, they are unbeaten in five games and lifted the County Antrim Shield for the first time in 33 years.

We will never know what was said after that heavy defeat at Taylors Avenue, but something seems to have clicked for Carrick and their 5-1 win over Dungannon Swifts at the weekend was their second league match in a row in which they have scored more than four goals.

Stephen Baxter’s side have leapfrogged Crusaders and Ballymena and now sit ninth in the table.

Forwards Danny Gibson, Paul Heatley and Adam Lecky have all found form in recent weeks with the latter netting four crucial goals this week alone.

Trophies increase confidence and Baxter will be hoping their shield success can boost the last few months of their league season and help them advance in the Irish Cup as well.

Martinez is arguably not as imperious as he once was. But it is difficult to pinpoint exactly why.

A World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022, having joined Villa for £17m in 2020, he has been one of the club’s best performers.

This season, though, the cracks have begun to show – for which it is easy to blame his failed move to United.

An emotional Martinez appeared to be saying goodbye after Villa’s final home game of last season, against Tottenham in May.

Villa were open to letting him leave, looking at Brentford‘s Mark Flekken among others, but then Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim lost the battle to bring him to Old Trafford.

United’s data suggested Senne Lammens was going to be one of Europe’s best, that although he was not good as Martinez now, signing the Belgian made more sense, financially and for the future.

They wanted to spend money in attacking areas – signing Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and Bryan Mbuemo – with Amorim overruled on a move for Martinez as Lammens joined from Royal Antwerp instead.

On 31 August, the day before the transfer deadline, Martinez was left out for a 3-0 home defeat by Crystal Palace. When asked about Martinez’s whereabouts, head coach Unai Emery repeated the name of stand-in keeper Marco Bizot several times.

He returned after the international break for a 0-0 draw at Everton on 13 September – with Emery calling him “the best goalkeeper in the world”, and one who had a “massive” commitment to Villa.

But has Martinez been as consistent this season?

There has been more than one late withdrawal from a game – including two following the warm-ups before matches against Brighton and Feyenoord.

He has saved 76.1% of the shots he has faced this season – the most in the league – and is fifth on Opta’s ‘goals prevented’ stats list with 17.

He has made 55 saves – the 12th-highest total of any Premier League goalkeeper this season. His ‘expected goals on target conceded’ tally – which measures the likelihood of an on-target shot resulting in a goal – is 20.85.

Villa have conceded 25 this season, but eight of those have been with Bizot in goal so Martinez’s stats should not be worrying.

It is the three mistakes leading to a goal – the highest in the league – which will gnaw away, though.

The most obvious was his error at Anfield in November, gifting the ball to Mohamed Salah to score, and giving Liverpool a platform for a 2-0 win.

Yet, Villa went on to win their next 11 games, before losing 4-1 to Arsenal on 30 December, when Martinez again faced scrutiny.

He spilled the ball under pressure from Gabriel from a corner, allowing the defender to score, although Villa argued the goal should have been disallowed for a high elbow by the Arsenal man.

Last Sunday’s his mistake, failing to catch or clear Dwight McNeil’s shot, contributed to Thierno Barry’s winner for Everton.

He missed Thursday’s 1-0 Europa League win at Fenerbahce with a calf injury, with Bizot keeping his fifth clean sheet in 11 games this season.

Dutchman Bizot, signed from Brest in the summer, is 34 and not a long-term replacement for Martinez.

But the Argentine is being linked with Inter Milan, and Villa are expected to assess his future in the summer.

Rooney believes the actions of Carrick and his staff away from the first team have also contributed to the sense the club is beginning to move back to what made them so successful in years gone by.

“There’s a calmness about the place,” Rooney added.

“I was watching the under-16s on Saturday morning and they were all there again. Michael Carrick was there, Steve Holland, Jason Wilcox, all the coaches were there and so on, which you’ve heard me talking about a lot, that connection with the academy.

“What I saw, not just from Michael, but the other coaches, Johnny Evans as well, is a real calmness and a belief.

“Michael told me how good the players were and he felt he had to stop the session early because they were that good and he wanted to bottle it up.

“And that’s proven today. An absolute incredible performance.”

A jubilant away end sang, presumably tongue in cheek, about winning the league and while that might be out of reach this season, winning the title was the norm under Sir Alex Ferguson.

United won 13 league titles with the Scot at the helm, with Rooney a key part of five of those successes.

“You go back to the United DNA and United as a club and things you want to see,” he added.

“I was there for 13 years, so [there are] things you want to see at that football club which I haven’t seen there for a long time. And I thought it was absolutely brilliant.

“You’ve got all the coaching staff all there watching the under-18s play. And then again, on a Saturday morning, they’re all there watching the under-16s play after the training session.

“These are all things which used to happen in the past and it makes a big difference. In my eyes they have taken a step towards getting the club back a little bit closer to where they used to be when the club was successful.

“I know how Michael works and I knew what he could do with this team. I am really pleased with the start he has made because he and his coaches have been criticised as well and have gone and competed with the best teams in the league.”

Kawhi Leonard scored 21 of his 28 points in the first half as the Clippers built a 38-point lead in the second quarter and beat the Brooklyn Nets 126-89 on Sunday.

James Harden scored 19 points, John Collins added 18, and Jordan Miller had 16. Ivica Zubac finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds as the Clippers, who were coming off a victory over the Lakers on Thursday, won for the eighth time in nine games.

Danny Wolf scored 14 points and Egor Demin had 12 for the Nets, who shot 28% in the first half and 34% (29 for 86) overall, including 21% (nine for 43) from three-point range. Brooklyn lost its fourth straight and has dropped 10 of its last 11 games and 13 of 15.

The Nets were coming off a double-overtime loss on Friday to the Boston Celtics, who are in second place in the Eastern Conference. Two days earlier, Brooklyn was beaten 120-66 by the New York Knicks.

The Clippers charged to a 24-point lead in the first quarter and extended their advantage to 38 points in the second, carrying a 68-37 lead into the break. Los Angeles maintained its lopsided advantage in the third quarter and was ahead 96-66 headed into the fourth.

It was another lopsided win for the Clippers over the Nets in Los Angeles. When the teams met in L.A. on Jan. 15, 2025, the Clippers won 126-67, and the 59-point margin of victory is the only 50-point win for the Clippers.

Gabriel Hamer-Webb has revealed how family grief led to him picking Wales over England for his international future.

The Bath-born wing has already represented England at Under-20s level in the Six Nations.

But he was convinced to switch allegiance by his Cardiff-born mother following the tragic loss of both his father and brother.

“That loss definitely taught me a lot. I’ve only tried to see silver linings and even though it’s tragic and sudden, you can’t control or change it,” said Hamer-Webb.

“The losses meant that I’m a sole male figure in my instant family. That weight brings pressure but I would do anything for my sisters and my mum anyway.

“So I asked my mum a while back, ‘What would be better for you?’ She said, ‘Wales of course, that’s where we’re from, where your family is from’.

“That was big for me. If that’s the thing that makes my mother the proudest, then wow, that could be something.”

DENVER — Drake Maye ran for 68 yards and threw for 86 in sloppy, snowy conditions and scored New England’s only touchdown on a six-yard keeper, propelling the Patriots to their 12th Super Bowl with a 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Christian Gonzalez intercepted Jarrett Stidham, starting in place of an injured Bo Nix, at New England’s 36 with 2:11 remaining, and the Patriots (17-3) iced their first playoff win in Denver when Maye ran for seven yards on third and five from his 41.

In Mike Vrabel’s first season as their coach, the Patriots became the third team in the Super Bowl era to win a conference championship with 10 points or fewer. Buffalo beat Denver 10-7 in the 1991 AFC title game, and the Rams beat Tampa Bay 9-0 in the 1979 NFC championship game.

“I’m just proud of this team,” Maye said. “Don’t have many words. Just thankful for this team. Love each and every one of them. It took everybody.”

The Broncos (15-4) finished one step shy of fulfilling Sean Payton’s preseason prediction of a trip to Super Bowl 60.

Both kickers missed two field goals in the frigid conditions with Denver’s Wil Lutz and New England’s Andy Borregales wide on long tries just before the snow came in at halftime.

The Patriots fell behind 7-0 but had a key fourth-down stop near their own end zone to spark the comeback. Their victory was their 40th in the playoffs, breaking a tie with the San Francisco 49ers for the most in NFL history.

It was sunny at kickoff with a temperature of 26 degrees, but by halftime the snowflakes began falling and grounds crews had to use snowblowers to mark the hash marks and yard lines by the fourth quarter, when it was 16 degrees.

“What an atmosphere out here,” Maye said. “Battle of the elements. Love this team. How about the defense? I love each and every one of them.”

After gaining just 72 yards in the first half, the Patriots opened the second half in swirling snow with a 16-play, 64-yard drive that ate up 9½ minutes and ended with a 23-yard field goal by Borregales that gave New England its first lead at 10-7.

The Patriots managed just four first downs in the first half, punting five times and missing a field goal. But they capitalized on a short field when New England’s defense set up Maye at the Denver 12 with a takeaway, and Maye took it in from six yards out to tie it at 7 at halftime.

As he stepped in for the injured Nix (ankle surgery), Stidham’s first completion since the 2023 regular-season finale was a 52-yard dart to Marvin Mims Jr. to New England’s seven-yard line that set up Courtland Sutton’s six-yard touchdown catch to start the scoring.

The Broncos reached New England’s 14 early in the second quarter, but Payton decided to go for it — and Stidham’s throw to R.J. Harvey was incomplete on fourth and one.

Instead of going up double digits, the Broncos were left clinging to a 7-0 lead, and Elijah Ponder recovered Stidham’s backward pass at the Denver 12, setting up the tying touchdown two plays later.

Stidham, who was drafted by the Patriots in 2019, made his first start since the 2023 regular-season finale. The Broncos were the only team in the league that didn’t give their backup quarterback any snaps or handoffs the last two seasons.

Nix, who had 11 game-winning drives in his first two seasons, got hurt on Denver’s final drive in overtime against Buffalo last week. But he didn’t come out of the game and the extent of his injury — a broken right ankle — wasn’t known until he went for X-rays after the 33-30 win.

New England may have won six Super Bowls, sharing the NFL record with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they had to rebuild after Brady joined Tampa Bay in 2020 and legendary coach Bill Belichick left after a 4-13 record during the 2023 season.

Less than two hours after another 4-13 season ended last January, owner Robert Kraft made the bold decision to fire Jerod Mayo before letting Mike Vrabel bring in his own coaching staff.

That decision has paid off immediately. Little was expected of the Patriots as they headed into the season but they improved to 14-3, with that 10-win swing tied for the biggest turnaround in NFL history.

Maye established himself as a leading contender for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award and again showed maturity beyond his years on Sunday.

Denver’s defence led the league for sacks this season and although they sacked Maye five times, he made some key plays with his legs.

The 23-year-old scrambled out of the pocket to earn some crucial first downs and scored the Patriots’ only touchdown after Stidham fumbled right in front of the Broncos’ end zone.

The game then became a defensive battle, with both teams missing field goals before half-time, before Maye kept a New England drive going for more than nine minutes, resulting in what proved to be the game’s decisive score from kicker Andy Borregales.

In just half a quarter, the entire field was covered in snow, making it virtually impossible for either side to get their offence going in the final period, and Denver’s Wil Lutz missed a 45-yard field goal before Stidham’s desperate pass was picked off by Gonzalez.

The resurgent Patriots have become the first team to reach the Super Bowl after 13 losses in the previous season while Maye will be the second-youngest quarterback to start the NFL’s championship game after Dan Marino with the Miami Dolphins in 1985.

And having won three Super Bowls as a linebacker with New England, 50-year-old Vrabel could now become the first man to become an NFL champion as a player and a head coach with the same team.

MADISON, Wis. — Chad Baker-Mazara made five three-pointers and scored 29 points, Ezra Ausar added 17 points, and USC beat Wisconsin 73-71 on Sunday to snap the Badgers’ five-game win streak.

Jacob Cofie had 11 rebounds to go with nine points and five assists for USC (15-5, 4-5 Big Ten).

Nick Boyd hit a three-pointer, made two free throws and added a layup to spark a 17-2 run that gave the Badgers a 58-46 lead with 12 minutes to play, but the Badgers made just four of 16 from the field the rest of the way. Baker-Mazara scored nine points — which included the final seven — in a 16-2 run over the next seven-plus minutes to take a two-point lead with 4:54 remaining.

John Blackwell made two free throws that tied it 65-all with 3:13 left, but Ausar made back-to-back baskets, Baker-Mazara scored in the lane, and Jerry Easter II hit two free throws with two seconds left that made it a four-point game.

Boyd made 10 of 17 from the field, hit eight of nine from the free-throw line, and led Wisconsin (14-6, 6-3) with 29 points. Nolan Winter added 12 points and Blackwell 11.

The Badgers (14-6, 6-3) shot 34% (23 of 67) overall and made nine of 37 (24%) from behind the arc.

UCLA senior Jordan Chiles delivered a perfect 10 on the floor exercise and a balanced team effort helped the No. 5 Bruins defeat No. 21 Michigan State on Sunday at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich.

The nationally televised meet featured the past two Big Ten gymnastics champions, with the Bruins winning in 2025 and the Spartans in 2024.

UCLA (6-2, 2-0 Big Ten) led the team scoring wire to wire. Chiles’ perfect floor routine helped the Bruins combine for a season high 49.450 on the event, their third rotation, and extend a lead that Michigan State (1-4, 0-2) could not erase.

“Incredibly proud of this one,” UCLA coach Janelle McDonald posted on X. “TEAM is what it is about & the Bruins showed up for each other today!!!”

UCLA posted a team score of 197.425, finishing ahead of Michigan State’s season-high score of 196.900.

Chiles won the individual all-around title with a score of 9.975. Michigan State’s Sage Kellerman placed second (9.925) and Spartan Cady Duplissis placed third (9.900).

UCLA opened the meet on the bars, with Jordan Chiles scoring a 9.950, Sydney Barros a 9.900, Ciena Alipio and Tiana Sumanasekera a 9.875, Ashlee Sullivan a 9.750 and Katelyn Rosen a 9.525.

The Bruins led 49.350-49.300 after the rotation.

UCLAOs Jordan Chiles performs during her floor routine, which received a perfect 10 score.

(Jesus Ramirez / UCLA Athletics)

Chiles stuck her double twisting Yurchenko vault and scored 9.975 on UCLA’s second rotation. Rosen scored a 9.875, Sullivan scored a 9.850, Riley Jenkins scored a 9.825, Sumanasekera scored a 9.775 and Jordis Eichman scored a 9.750.

The Bruins extended their lead to 98.650-98.275.

Chiles then delivered her perfect 10 on the floor. Barros posted a 9.900; Rosen, Alipio and Sumanasekera each posted a 9.850 and Sullivan added a 9.825.

The Bruins led 148.100-147.550 entering the final rotation.

Chiles and Alipio both scored 9.950 on the beam. Sumanasekera and Eichman posted 9.825 scores, while Rosen and Sullivan delivered 9.775 marks to close out UCLA’s team victory.

Michigan State set an attendance record with 9,887 fans, surpassing the previous high of 6,250.

“I’m extremely proud of what the team did today,” Michigan State coach Mike Rowe said. “… The attendance record is really exciting. The Breslin is great because as soon as they hear the competition, who’s coming here, the tickets will sell like crazy. The energy is electric. The more amped they are, the better they score.”

It is understood Robertson was not pushing for a move, although the Scotland captain is keen to play more regularly before this summer’s World Cup.

Liverpool signed him from Hull City for £8m in 2017 during Jurgen Klopp’s reign and he has made 364 appearances for the Reds.

The 31-year-old has won nine trophies during his time at Anfield, including two Premier League titles and the Champions League.

However, he is no longer the first-choice left-back under Arne Slot, with Milos Kerkez the preferred option.

Robertson came off the bench to replace Kerkez against Bournemouth but he has started just four times in the Premier League this season.

After the match, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said he wants Robertson to stay, calling him a “very important” member of the squad.

Defending champions Liverpool are sixth in the league, 14 points behind leaders Arsenal, but are in a strong position to reach the Champions League last 16 and will face Brighton in the fourth round of the FA Cup next month.

The transfer window closes on 2 February.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says his side were “not at their best today” but it is “totally unrealistic” to win every single game after his side lost 3-2 to Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium.

MATCH REPORT: Arsenal 2-3 Manchester United

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A look at The Times’ top 25 boys’ basketball rankings for the Southland after Week 10.

Rk. School (Rec.); Comment; ranking last week

1. SIERRA CANYON (20-1): Mission League regular-season champions; 1

2. REDONDO UNION (23-3): Has games left vs. Palos Verdes and Mira Costa; 2

3. ST. JOHN BOSCO (18-5): Faces Orange Lutheran, then Servite this week; 4

4. SANTA MARGARITA (22-3): At Mater Dei on Wednesday; 5

5. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (17-6): In position to finish second in Mission League; 9

6. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (21-4): It’s regroup time after consecutive losses; 3

7. LA MIRADA (20-6): On a 12-game winning streak; 6

8. DAMIEN (24-4): Trying to win Baseline League tournament; 7

9. CORONA DEL MAR (24-1): Can clinch Sunset League title this week; 8

10. CORONA CENTENNIAL (23-5): Big VIII League champs; 10

11. VILLAGE CHRISTIAN (19-5): Hosts Heritage Christian on Saturday night; 11

12. ETIWANDA (23-2): Rematch with Damien is looming; 14

13. CRESPI (16-10): Celts need good showing in Mission League tournament; 12

14. INGLEWOOD (22-5): On a 10-game winning streak; 22

15. CREAN LUTHERAN (19-7): Tied for first place in Crestview League; 13

16. SAN GABRIEL ACADEMY (15-7): Won title in Maryland; 15

17. JSERRA (15-11): Faces Servite, Mater Dei this week; 19

18. LOS ALAMITOS (15-9): Second place in Sunset League; 16

19. MATER DEI (16-10): Plays at St. John Bosco on Tuesday; 17

20. ST. FRANCIS (20-8): Faces Harvard-Westlake on Tuesday; 18

21. MIRA COSTA (22-4): Waiting for Redondo Union rematch on Feb. 3; 20

22. ELSINORE (24-0): Junior guard Kamryn Nathan is averaging 25.3 points; 21

23. ROLLING HILLS PREP (21-6): Coach Harvey Kitani earned victory No. 1,000; NR

24. BRENTWOOD (21-3): Rematch with Crossroads on Monday; 24

25. LOYOLA (14-13): Cubs have wins over Notre Dame, St. Francis; 25