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Manchester City players to reimburse fans after ’embarrassing’ loss

The trip was long — about 1,100 miles from Manchester, England, to Bodø, Norway.

The temperatures were freezing — around 28 degrees, with the wind chill around 10 degrees.

The results were not ideal — at least not for the 374 Manchester City fans who traveled to the fishing town north of the Arctic Circle only to see their team suffer one of the biggest upsets in Champions League history.

None of this was lost on Manchester City’s team captains after their club’s shocking 3-1 loss to Bodø/Glimt. In a joint statement the following day, the four players — Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Rodri — announced they would reimburse every Machester City fan who bought a ticket for the game.

“Our supporters mean everything to us,” the statement read. “We know the sacrifice that our fans make when they travel across the world to support us home and away and we will never take it for granted. They are the best fans in the world.

“We also recognize that it was a lot of traveling for the fans who supported us in the freezing cold throughout a difficult evening for us on the pitch. Covering the cost of these tickets for the fans who traveled to Bodø is the least we can do.”

According to the BBC, away tickets to the game cost around $33.75 in U.S. dollars, which would make the total amount to be handed out by the thoughtful and embarrassed group of Manchester City team leaders close to $13,000.

One of England’s most successful soccer teams, Manchester City has spent more than $500 million on its superstar roster over the last year. But for at least one day, it was no match for a club playing in its first Champions League.

Bodø/Glimt took a 3-0 lead on two first-half goals by Kasper Høgh and one in the 58th minute by Jens Petter Hauge. Rayan Cherki scored Manchester City’s only goal in the 60th minute.

“It’s embarrassing,” City’s Norwegian striker Haaland said after the loss, which came three days after a 2-0 defeat to Premier League rival Manchester United.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Winter Olympics 2026: Dave Ryding and Mia Brookes in Team GB squad for Milan-Cortina

Multiple World Cup gold medallist Kirsty Muir was Team GB’s youngest athlete four years ago in Beijing, and at the age of 21 she returns for her second Olympics to compete in the freestyle skiing slopestyle and big air alongside Chris McCormick.

Freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy, who retired after the 2022 Games but returned to training last year, returns to the Olympic stage in the halfpipe alongside Liam Richards, while Maisie Hill and Txema Mazet-Brown join Brookes in competing in snowboard slopestyle and big air.

Like Ryding, Andrew Musgrave will compete at his fifth Olympics as he participates in the cross-country. He is selected alongside Beijing 2022 veteran James Clugnet and debutants Joe Davies and Anna Pryce.

Ollie Davies is Team GB’s sole representative in the ski cross, while Makayla Gerken Schofield and Mateo Jeannesson will compete in the moguls.

“Over the past four years, our skiers and snowboarders have shown they’re capable of mixing it with the very best in the world, and the squad that’s heading out for these Games is a real reflection of the talent, grit, and will to win that makes British sport so special,” said Vicky Gosling, GB Snowsport chief executive.

UK Sport believes Team GB could win between four and eight medals at next month’s Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

The nation’s best medal haul at a Winter Games is five, achieved at Sochi 2014 and matched in Pyeongchang four years later, but Team GB came home from Beijing in 2022 with just two medals.

The BBC will broadcast more than 450 hours of live action from the Games, which run from Friday 6 to Sunday 22 February.

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Lakers star LeBron James downplays reported rift with Jeanie Buss

LeBron James downplayed any suggestion of a rift between him and Lakers governor Jeanie Buss on Thursday following an ESPN report that detailed how the now-minority owner of the team had started to turn on the Lakers superstar.

“Quite frankly, I don’t really get involved in that, or the reports, or whatever the case may be,” James said after the Lakers lost 112-104 to the Clippers at Intuit Dome.

The report detailed how years of in-fighting between the Buss siblings led to the family selling a majority stake of the team to Dodgers owner Mark Walter last year. As the franchise struggled to recapture the magic established under Jerry Buss, Jeanie had grown distant and resentful, the report said, that James didn’t take accountability for involvement with the decision to acquire Russell Westbrook in 2021. She reportedly floated the possibility of trading James to the Clippers in 2022 and didn’t believe James was grateful when the Lakers drafted Bronny James in 2024.

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Lakers star LeBron James responds to a report stating there is a rift between him and Lakers governor Jeanie Buss.

But LeBron James brushed it off.

“At the end of the day, when I came to this organization, my whole mindset was about restoring excellence,” James said. “The things that I seen growing up with the Lakers — obviously, I didn’t get an opportunity to watch Showtime [era], but I know the history. Then the early 2000s with Shaq [O’Neal] and [Kobe Bryant], and then what Kob did and those couple runs with him and Pau [Gasol]. So my whole mindset was like, ‘How can I get that feeling back to the Lakers organization?’ … And then I was able to do that along with, you know, 14, 16, other guys winning the championship, bringing the championship here.”

The Lakers’ 2020 championship — in James’ second season with the team — helped the franchise tie rival Boston for the most championships in league history. But the Celtics have since pulled ahead with an 18th NBA title.

The Lakers have won two playoff series in the five seasons since their last championship and have been eliminated in the first round in back-to-back seasons. They stunned the NBA by acquiring Luka Doncic in a midseason trade last season but are struggling to hang on in the competitive Western Conference. They have lost six of their last nine games.

James scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers (26-17) cut a 26-point third-quarter deficit to three points with 1:28 remaining when James converted a three-point play. But the Clippers, who have won 14 of their last 17 games starting with their last win over the Lakers on Dec. 20, answered with a reverse dunk by Ivica Zubac and a dagger three-pointer from John Collins.

“LeBron, for what seems like the 20th straight game, just gave us — he emptied the tank and gave us everything he had,” coach JJ Redick said.

After he missed the first 14 games of the season because of sciatica, James is averaging 22.5 points, six rebounds and 6.9 assists per game. Since guard Austin Reaves re-injured his calf on Christmas Day, James has averaged 24.9 points and played more than 31 minutes in each of the 12 games, including playing two back-to-backs in a week.

The 41-year-old James has achieved some of the most significant milestones of his career with the Lakers. He became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in purple and gold. He is the first player to play 23 NBA seasons. Now in his eighth season with the Lakers, L.A. has been his continuous NBA home for longer than any other city, not counting the separate seven- and four-year stints he had in Cleveland.

When he came to the Lakers, James told Buss that he wanted to return the Lakers to glory, he recalled while accepting the NBA Finals most valuable player award in 2020. Buss, standing nearby in the socially distant trophy ceremony, smiled and clutched her hands to her chest when James brought up her father.

Lakers star LeBron James dunks over Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis on Jan. 9 at Crypto.com Arena.

Lakers star LeBron James dunks over Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis on Jan. 9 at Crypto.com Arena.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

When asked Thursday of how he thought the partnership with Jeanie Buss has been, James said he thought “it was good, but somebody could see it another way.

“So it’s always two sides of the coin,” James continued.

The two have not talked since the report was published Wednesday, but that’s not out of the ordinary, James attested.

“We never talked,” James said. “I don’t understand. It’s not like me and Jeanie be on the phone talking, guys. I never heard a report about that. Don’t make something out of it that it’s not. It’s always been mutual, it’s always been respect, it’s always been a great partnership.”

LeBron James hugs Jeanie Buss after the Lakers' NBA championship win on Oct. 11, 2020.

LeBron James hugs Jeanie Buss after the Lakers’ NBA championship win on Oct. 11, 2020.

(Douglas P. DeFelice / Getty Images)

“I’ve been here two years, everybody in this organization appreciates LeBron and appreciates what he’s done for the Lakers,” Redick said before the game. “He’s carried on the legacy and also truthfully the burden of being a superstar for the Los Angeles Lakers for eight years. And he’s done it with class. And then personally, I can just speak to it: I’ve enjoyed coaching him at the highest level, like 10 out of 10. That’s not to say LeBron and I don’t have our disagreements, but I know with that guy, he’s gonna put everything into this and it’s been awesome to coach.”

James picked up his $52.6 million player option this summer. It’s the first time in his 23-year NBA career that he’s played on the final year of a deal. He will be up for free agency this summer along with several other players, including guard Austin Reaves, forward Rui Hachimura and center Deandre Ayton.

With the trade deadline approaching, James brushed off questions about what steps the Lakers can do to improve their roster. As he turned to walk out of the locker room, James pointed to his hoodie that was printed with the name of his wife Savannah’s podcast.

“Everybody’s crazy,” James said.

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High school basketball: Thursday’s scores

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

BOYS

CITY SECTION

Alliance Bloomfield 39, Alliance Ted K. Tajima 36

Animo Robinson 72, New Designs University Park 30

Animo Venice 89, Burton 40

Animo Watts 65, New Designs Watts 26

Bert Corona Charter 44, Lakeview Charter 32

Central City Value 76, Animo Bunche 37

Collins Family 48, East College Prep 46

Downtown Magnets 90, Annenberg 23

Hollywood 60, Northridge Academy 58

LA University 94, New West Charter 40

Orthopaedic 49, Aspire Ollin 28

Rise Kohyang 50, Stern 45

San Fernando 59, Panorama 54

Triumph Charter 102, CHAMPS 43

WISH Academy 71, Animo Pat Brown 53

SOUTHERN SECTION

Alpaugh 39, Coast Union 28

Alta Loma 32, Colony 30

Beaumont 45, Redlands 43

Cantwell-Sacred Heart 67, Paraclete 49

Channel Islands 47, Fillmore 42

Chino 90, Ontario 47

Chino Hills 69, Los Osos 67

Colton 57, Rim of the World 32

Compton Early College 49, Pacific Lutheran 47

CSDR 71, Anza Hamilton 25

Don Lugo 65, Chaffey 56

Eisenhower 67, Bloomington 47

Elsinore 89, West Valley 54

Excelsior Charter 84, ACE 36

Geffen Academy 52, New Roads 44

Glendale Adventist 64, Beacon Hill 55

Glenn 39, Edgewood 36

Godinez 70, Garden Grove 43

Highland Hall 43, Lighthouse Christian 21

Holy Martyrs Armenian 66, Buckley 46

Jurupa Hills 58, Grand Terrace 41

La Palma Kennedy 69, Placentia Valencia 63

Mesrobian 82, Southwestern Academy 29

Milken 68, AGBU 62

Montclair 66, Diamond Ranch 59

Nordhoff 46, Carpinteria 40

Ocean View 81, Westminster 36

Palm Desert 66, Shadow Hills 55

Palm Springs 52, Xavier Prep 22

Rancho Cucamonga 66, Upland 37

Rancho Mirage 79, La Quinta 34

Redlands East Valley 71, Citrus Valley 68

Riverside Notre Dame 61, Kaiser 59

San Jacinto Valley Academy 67, SJDLCS 20

Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 50, Tustin 41

Santa Clarita Christian 73, Lancaster Baptist 45

Santa Rosa Academy 63, California Military Institute 46

Segerstrom 49, Santa Ana 38

Summit 80, Carter 57

Tahquitz 48, San Jacinto 36

Tarbut V’ Torah 77, Newport Christian 63

Temecula Prep 78, Nuview Bridge 26

Thousand Oaks Hillcrest Christian 61, Sequoyah School 47

Trinity Classical Academy 72, Desert Christian 61

Vistamar 83, CAMS 25

Weaver 51, Noli Indian 27

INTERSECTIONAL

Georgia-Cumberland Academy 52, Loma Linda Academy 30

San Fernando Valley Academy 80, Summit View 19

San Gabriel Academy 56, Greater Atlanta Adventist (GA) 18

San Gabriel Academy 75, Chisolm Trail Academy (TX) 47

Spencerville Adventist Academy (MD) 49, Loma Linda Academy 43

GIRLS

CITY SECTION

Alliance Ted K. Tajima 32, Alliance Bloomfield 22

Animo Robinson 41, New Designs University Park 4

Animo Venice 34, Burton 12

Animo Watts 88, New Designs Watts 2

Annenberg 32, Downtown Magnets 12

Aspire Ollin 44, Orthopaedic 9

Central City Value 56, Animo Bunche 16

East College Prep 32, Collins Family 13

New West Charter 40, LA University 21

Northridge Academy 82, VAAS 11

San Fernando 63, Panorama 16

Stern 41, Rise Kohyang 17

Vaughn 34, Fulton 10

SOUTHERN SECTION

Adelanto 67, Granite Hills 14

Alemany 100, Marymount 40

Alpaugh 53, Coast Union 27

Beaumont 54, Redlands 36

Beckman 59, San Clemente 43

Bishop Diego 59, Coastal Christian 47

Bishop Montgomery 63, St. Anthony 48

Buena 49, Santa Barbara 18

Calvary Baptist 67, Bethel Christian 29

CAMS 43, Vistamar 42

Cantwell-Sacred Heart 46, Bishop Conaty-Loretto 8

Cate 56, Santa Barbara Providence 18

Chaffey 52, Don Lugo 40

Chino 68, Ontario 47

Chino Hills 54, Upland 26

Citrus Valley 41, Redlands East Valley 27

Colony 57, Alta Loma 32

Colton 36, Arroyo Valley 31

Corona Centennial 65, Moreno Valley 54

CSDR 64, Anza Hamilton 30

Elsinore 60, West Valley 18

El Toro 49, Mission Viejo 34

Fontana 67, Grand Terrace 35

Foothill Tech 42, Thacher 35

Gardena Serra 74, Ramona Convent 29

Harvard-Westlake 55, Marlborough 36

Highland 40, Littlerock 21

Holy Martyrs Armenian 46, ISLA 28

Jurupa Hills 47, Bloomington 23

Kaiser 41, Rim of the World 15

Knight 61, Palmdale 27

Laguna Beach 45, Capistrano Valley 27

Lakewood St. Joseph 54, St. Monica 45

Lancaster 46, Quartz Hill 41

La Quinta 68, Rancho Mirage 18

Los Alamitos 65, Corona del Mar 33

Marina 45, Fountain Valley 40

Mary Star of the Sea 58, San Gabriel Mission 16

Mater Dei 58, JSerra 48

Milken 45, AGBU 30

Montclair 35, Diamond Ranch 24

Newport Christian 28, Anaheim Discovery 20

New Roads 32, Geffen Academy 15

Notre Dame Academy 50, Flintridge Sacred Heart 27

NOVA Academy 55, First Baptist 9

Oakwood 55, Le Lycée 7

Pilibos 61, Santa Monica Pacifica Christian 59

Rosary Academy 58, Newport Beach Pacifica Christian 37

Samueli Academy 57, Legacy College Prep 9

San Dimas 52, South Hills 28

San Jacinto 50, Tahquitz 39

San Marcos 62, Oxnard 24

Santa Clarita Christian 61, Lancaster Baptist 44

Santa Margarita 78, Orange Lutheran 73

Shadow Hills 54, Palm Desert 39

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 74, Louisville 49

Sierra Canyon 93, Chaminade 35

South Hills Academy 23, Animo Leadership 15

Southlands Christian 66, Vista Meridian 0

Spring Valley Academy 46, Loma Linda Academy 32

St. Bernard 62, Pomona Catholic 8

St. Bonaventure 85, Santa Clara 12

St. Genevieve 52, Paraclete 38

St. Paul 55, Sacred Heart of LA 44

St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 70, St. Mary’s Academy 43

Temecula Prep 66, Nuview Bridge 30

Trabuco Hills 60, Tesoro 57

Trinity Classical Academy 67, Desert Christian 32

Valley Christian Academy 46, Lompoc Cabrillo 38

Victor Valley 45, Barstow 30

Western Christian 49, Webb 8

Xavier Prep 41, Palm Springs 36

Yucaipa 68, Cajon 37

INTERSECTIONAL

Loma Linda Academy 37, Collegedale Academy (TN) 28

Redlands Adventist Academy 51, Pine Hills Adventist 23

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Aston Villa: Unai Emery says he pushed Youri Tielemans because ‘he’s my son’

“It might be innocent, but I don’t like that,” former Villa defender Joleon Lescott said on TNT Sports.

“Regardless of what it was for, if it was the other way around and the player refused to shake his manager’s hand, there would be uproar, and his mentality and professionalism would be questioned.

“I’m sure it’s more innocent than it looks, but I don’t like the look of it.”

Emery, who has won the Europa League a record four times as a manager, was managing his 100th game in the competition and said he is “dreaming” of a fifth title.

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Lakers claw out of 26-point hole only to lose in end to Clippers

When the Lakers and Clippers faced each other at Intuit Dome on Dec. 20, both teams were struggling. After that game, they began to move in opposite directions.

The Lakers were 19-7 before that game and the Clippers stood at 6-21. Since the Clippers’ win that night, they’ve gone 14-3 — and the Lakers are 7-10.

The Lakers continued their tailspin Thursday, falling into a 26-point hole they were unable to climb completely out of in a 112-104 loss to the Clippers, losing for the sixth time in nine games.

Luka Doncic nearly had a triple-double with 32 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, but it wasn’t enough to extend the Lakers’ modest two-game win streak. LeBron James finished with 23 points, six assists and five rebounds.

Clippers forward John Collins dunks during the first half Thursday against the Lakers.

Clippers forward John Collins dunks during the first half Thursday against the Lakers.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The Clippers won for the seventh time in eight games behind seven players scoring in double figures.

Kawhi Leonard had 24 points, giving him a career-best 23 consecutive games with 20 points or more. James Harden had 18 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds and Ivica Zubac had 18 points and 19 rebounds.

The Lakers were down 26 in the third quarter, but trimmed it to 86-72 at the end of the quarter and then to 93-91 in the fourth on a three-pointer by Doncic and by playing defense like it mattered.

The Lakers kept clawing back, getting to within 105-102 on a three-point play by James, but they couldn’t stop the Clippers from closing out.

Even with Deandre Ayton back after missing the second half against Denver on Tuesday because of a left eye injury, the Lakers still lost to the Clippers for the second straight time. Ayton, who wore goggles during the game, had four points and five rebounds in 20 minutes.

Leonard had been listed as questionable before the game with left knee contusion. He had missed three games with the injury, but Lakers coach JJ Redick was confident before the game the Clippers star would play.

“We assume everybody’s going to play against the Lakers,” Redick said. “(It’s) backed by statistical data. We talked about this last year.”

And Leonard made his presence felt, drilling a three-pointer to give the Clippers a 72-49 lead in the third, prompting Redick to call a timeout.

Leonard, Harden and Zubac are a big reason why the Clippers have won 14 of their last 17 games.

“It was just being positive with our guys every step of the way,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said before the game. “I think that bled over to just coming together, understanding that first game against the Lakers (the Clippers won in December) and it was kind of like we could exhale then. Now we can start playing better basketball and we’ve been able to do that.”

Etc.

Austin Reaves, who has missed 14 games with a calf injury, played in some three-on-three “stay-ready” games in practice, Redick said. “He’s looked great,” Redick said. “He’s progressed really well. And the last couple live exposures, he’s looked like Austin. So we’re hopeful he’s back soon.”

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Celtic show ‘spirit’ & ‘resilience’ in Bologna as big week looms

After Hatate’s dismissal in the 34th minute, it was a backs-to-the-wall Celtic performance, with Trusty’s back-post tap-in a rare venture into Bologna territory.

Attack after attack was repelled by the Celtic backline as Trusty and Liam Scales stood up to the Bologna onslaught.

The hosts dominated possession, pinned Celtic in their own half and had 63 touches in the Celtic box.

And yet, the stubborn defence was undone frustratingly easily as Dallinga’s header went through Schmeichel from close range and the Denmark veteran was then rooted to the spot as Rowe’s powerful shot flew over his head.

“There will be a feeling of ‘what could have been?’ – and I think Schmeichel could do better for both goals,” former Scotland forward James McFadden said.

“So it will be mixed emotions.”

O’Neill questioned whether Schmeichel was unsighted for Rowe’s leveller, but chose to focus on the efforts of his centre-backs in the valuable draw.

Trusty alone made 17 clearances and three interceptions, marshalling the depleted visitors to great effect.

“Trusty was magnificent, as he has been during my time here,” O’Neill said.

“I couldn’t give him higher praise, he was absolutely magnificent as were the team. Him and Scales have been great as a defensive two in the time I have been here and my expectation of them is quite high.

“Trusty epitomised the spirit of the team tonight. It was colossal and keeps us in the competition for at least one more week.”

Another former Celtic manager also praised the way they battled to a point.

“Brilliant character from the players,” Neil Lennon said. “You can see what it means to them.

“Auston Trusty and Liam Scales were immense. They had to defend so many crosses.

“It’s a massive point.”

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Kara Dunn scores 23 points but USC’s rally falls short in loss to No. 13 Michigan State

Kennedy Blair scored 21 points, and the No. 13 Michigan State women held off USC’s late surge for a 74-68 victory on Thursday night.

Michigan State opened the fourth quarter on a 13-5 run to stretch its lead to 66-54 with 5:15 remaining. Jazzy Davidson scored the last five points in a 10-0 run to help pull USC to 66-64 with 4:10 left before the Spartans sealed it from the free-throw line.

Kara Dunn scored 23 points and Davidson added 21 to lead USC (11-8 overall, 3-5 in the Big Ten). Kennedy Smith scored 15 points.

Blair shot eight of 15 from the field overall, made five of six free throws and had five steals. Grace VanSlooten scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Michigan State (18-2, 7-2), which rebounded from a 75-68 loss to then-No. 10 Iowa. Rashunda Jones scored 16 points and Ines Sotelo added 12 to go with seven rebounds for the Spartans.

Michigan State scored 25 points from 24 USC turnovers.

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Mr Consistent: Has Danny Rohl turned Rangers’ ship around?

While Youssef Chermiti earned rave reviews for his Old Firm heroics at the start of the month, he and Bojan Miovski passed up chances on Thursday and questions still linger over their ability to hold down the number nine shirt.

“Rangers aren’t the finished article, there’s still work to be done but they’re going in the right direction,” McFadden said. “There has been big progression, but they need to strengthen at the top end.

“They’re winning games. Are they at their free-flowing best? No, but it doesn’t matter. Somehow, they’ve managed to get themselves into a title race.”

At least there have been some reinforcements. Toko Chukwuani has come in as a defensive midfielder, and Rohl has also brought in left-back Tuur Rommens – a problem position given Jayden Meghoma was the only natural in the position – and winger Andreas Skov Olsen.

The latter is considered a big coup, on loan from Wolfsburg, and adds much-needed quality to the wings. Djiedi Gassama’s form has tailed off, and although Mikey Moore has come onto a game, Oliver Antman is still out injured.

Ineligible for the win over Ludogorets, the trio are expected to feature in some capacity against Dundee. That game could be vital in the grand scheme of the season, due to Hearts and Celtic meeting at Tynecastle the same day.

“I thought this season was a write-off,” admitted pundit Steven Thompson at Ibrox. “There were changes at board level, the recruitment wasn’t anywhere near good enough but Danny Rohl has flipped the script.

“You’ve got to give him so much credit for that. At times the football was good tonight, at times it was just OK. But it’s a clean sheet in Europe, and it just keeps this feel-good factor going.”

If the other two title contenders knock points off each other, Rangers could be within three points. Heady heights from the early days of Martin.

“Danny Rohl has done an absolutely fantastic job with this group of players,” said ex-Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday. “There is that lingering question – can they go that extra yard? A lot of people didn’t this group of players could step up.

“I think they need help, and the biggest help they could be given is a number nine at the top end of the pitch.”

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Curt Cignetti once said, ‘Google me.’ This is what happens when you do

Curt Cignetti was salty.

Asked at a news conference about how he planned to sell his vision to young players, the recently hired Indiana coach didn’t even look up while delivering his now-famous response.

“It’s pretty simple. I win,” answered Cignetti, who then paused two seconds before delivering the final two words.

“Google me.”

A little over two years later, there’s no need to Google the 64-year-old coach who just finished leading the Hoosiers to an improbable 16-0 season and their first national championship in football.

But anyone who does happen to use the technology giant to look up Cignetti’s name will find something interesting at the very top of his search result page. It’s just three words:

“Yup, he won.”

Google left the Easter egg following Indiana’s 27-21 victory over Miami in Monday’s College Football Playoff championship game. A representative from the company told The Times the phrase would remain atop Cignetti’s page for the next few weeks.

Here are some other facts a search on Cignetti might produce. His first head coaching gig came in 2011 at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where his father, Frank Cignetti, played and then coached for 20 seasons. In six seasons with the Crimson Hawks, the younger Cignetti went 53-17 and led IUP to three NCAA Division II playoff appearances.

He then coached at Elon in 2017 and 2018, going 14-9 and taking the Phoenix to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs both years. As the coach at James Madison from 2019 to 2023, Cignetti led the Dukes to an overall 52-9 record, three FCS playoff appearances — including the 2019 national championship game — and a 19-4 record in JMU’s first two seasons after moving up to the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision.

Last season at Indiana, Cignetti took over a team that had won a combined nine games over the previous three years and led it to a program-best 11-2 record and a CFP postseason appearance. That set the stage for the Hoosiers’ historic 2025 season and Cignetti’s second straight Associated Press coach of the year award.

Yup, he wins.

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Rams eager to force turnovers on Sam Darnold and Seahawks

Kobie Turner makes his living as a pass rusher and run defender for the Rams, not a defensive back.

But the last time the Rams played the Seattle Seahawks, the third-year defensive lineman snatched a Sam Darnold pass near the goal line for his first career interception.

“It was like time almost stopped,” Turner recalled Thursday. “It was a perfect spiral. It was beautiful.”

Turner’s turnover was one of seven the Rams forced in two games this season against the Seahawks, including six interceptions.

Of the Rams’ 16 interceptions this season, more than a third came against the Seahawks.

The Rams aim to continue their torrent of takeaways Sunday when they play Seattle in the NFC Championship game at Lumen Field.

Four of second-year safety Kam Kinchens’ six career interceptions came against the Seahawks, including two in the first matchup between the teams this season.

“Usually, you hope a guy doesn’t make the same mistake twice,” Kinchens said of Darnold. “In my case, I’m hoping he makes the same mistake twice, because that’s more picks for me.”

Are the Seahawks his favorite team to play against?

“Yes,” Kinchens said, “Because they like to test the secondary. They have good receivers and Sam Darnold wants to throw the ball down the field and push it down the field. That’s a lot of opportunities, and I love when I get to show people my receiver skills.”

Rams cornerback Cobie Durant runs with the ball after intercepting a pass against the Chicago Bears.

Rams cornerback Cobie Durant runs with the ball after intercepting a pass against the Chicago Bears in the divisional playoffs on Sunday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Cornerback Cobie Durant, nicknamed “The Land Shark,” intercepted three passes during the regular season, including one against the Seahawks.

Durant intercepted a pass in a wild-card victory over the Carolina Panthers, and he picked off two passes in last Sunday’s divisional-round victory over the Chicago Bears.

“The Land Shark shows up when you need him the most,” coach Sean McVay said.

The key, Durant said, is the combination of pressure from the Rams’ front and ball-hawking skills of the secondary.

“No rush,” Durant said. “No picks.”

Turner, edge rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young and linemen Braden Fiske and Poona Ford will be on the spot Sunday as they attempt to slow down Darnold, running back Kenneth Walker III and receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba among others.

If the front can get to Darnold, whether for a pressure, quarterback hit or sack, “he knows that we’re coming,” Verse said. “He knows that he’s going to feel us, and that makes any quarterback cautions, no matter who you are.”

Rams defensive end Braden Fiske and linebacker Byron Young close in on Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold.

Rams defensive end Braden Fiske (55) and linebacker Byron Young (0) close in on Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold during a Rams win in November.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

In a Week 11 game against the Seahawks at SoFi Stadium, the Rams intercepted four passes in a 21-19 victory that was not assured until Jason Myers’ 61-yard field-goal attempt on the final play fell short.

Kinchens intercepted two passes, and Durant and cornerback Darious Williams each intercepted one.

Five weeks later at Lumen Field, the Seahawks defeated the Rams, 38-37, in overtime.

The Rams led by 16 points in the fourth quarter but could not hold off the Seahawks. Turner and cornerback Josh Wallace intercepted passes, but Darnold completed 22 of 34 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns and also converted on a pair of two-point conversion passes.

Now comes the third game between the NFC West rivals.

“I don’t think either of us are going to be tricking each other,” Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula said.

The Rams must slow down a Seahawks offense that was at full throttle in Sunday’s 41-6 divisional-round victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

Walker ran for 116 yards and three touchdowns. But Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Darnold completed 12 of 17 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. Smith-Njigba caught three passes, one for a touchdown.

Crowds at Lumen Field are among the NFL’s loudest, so the Rams are expecting another one at full volume Sunday.

Safety Kam Curl, whose interception in overtime against the Bears set up the winning field goal, noted that the crowd in Seattle quiets when the Seahawks offense is on the field.

“It’s good for us,” he said. “We get to make all our checks and our communication. They think they’re helping the offense but they’re really helping us too.”

Turner said Darnold showed his mettle by directing the winning drive against the Rams the last time they visited Lumen Field.

“He’s a tough quarterback,” he said. “A veteran experienced guy.”

Turner would like to experience another interception.

“If Sam wants to throw me another pass,” he quipped, “I would recommend throwing another spiral just like that one because it was beautiful.”

Etc.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is a finalist for NFL most valuable player and receiver Puka Nacus is a finalist for offensive player of the year. Stafford led the league with 46 touchdown passes and 4,707 yards passing. Nacua led the NFL with 129 receptions. MVP finalists: Stafford, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence, New England quarterback Drake Maye and San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey. Offensive player of the year finalists: Nacua, Maye, McCaffrey, Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson and Smith-Njigba. … The Rams designated offensive lineman Rob Havenstein to return from injured reserve. Havenstein has not played since the Nov. 16 game against the Seahawks.

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Judge rules lawsuit targeting St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro misfires

A lawsuit that named decorated St. John Bosco High School football coach Jason Negro as a defendant was ruled by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge Thursday to have little legal basis.

The civil suit filed a year ago by recently fired St. John Bosco president and CEO Brian Wickstrom and two other former school administrators seeks damages from Negro, the school and the Salesian Society — a Catholic religious order that oversees the school — claiming retaliation, harassment and defamation.

“Anyone can file a complaint, but when it gets to court, it has to have a legal basis and facts,” said Brian Panish, Negro’s lawyer and a longtime St. John Bosco booster.

The plaintiffs — St. John Bosco CFO Melanie Marcaurel, chief technology officer Derek Barraza and Wickstrom — also want their jobs back, according to the lawsuit. They were fired in 2024 after alleging that Negro embezzled money from the school for years and had assistant coaches pay the tuition for prized players in cash, saying the payments were from “anonymous donors.”

The lawsuit also alleged that Negro conducted all financial transactions associated with his powerhouse program in cash that he keeps in a safe in his office, with no accounting or accountability by the school.

A cross-complaint filed in June by Negro, St. John Bosco and the Salesians fired back, saying that “the school uncovered information that Wickstrom obtained loans without authorization, received excessive compensation and benefits to which he was not entitled, and breached his fiduciary duties.”

In his ruling Thursday, Judge Tony L. Richardson determined that St. John Bosco — not Negro or the Salesian Society — employed the plaintiffs, making only the school a proper target for most of the claims. Richardson said that the plaintiffs have 20 days to amend their lawsuit to focus on St. John Bosco as a defendant.

The judge also shot down an argument that Negro is responsible for punitive damages, writing “the plaintiffs have not alleged a viable cause of action against Negro and therefore have not alleged facts to support punitive damages.”

A message left with the lawyer representing Wickstrom, Marcaurel and Barraza was not returned.

Negro has twice been named national coach of the year by Max Preps, leading the Bellflower parochial school to a record of 177-30 in 16 seasons, winning four CIF State championships and two national titles.

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Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper returns from neck injury scare

Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper, one of three netminders on Canada’s upcoming Olympic hockey roster, has been cleared to return after suffering a neck injury against the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

Kuemper said after returning to practice Thursday that he lost feeling in his arm when Rangers forward Jonny Brodzinski ran into him in the first period of the game. He said he tried to shake it off, but had to be replaced by Anton Forsberg.

“Yeah, kind of got hit on the side of my neck, and it pinched my neck and pinched the nerves, and my arm went dead,” Kuemper said. “So, yeah, wasn’t allowed to come back in until we did some further testing yesterday.”

Kuemper felt better when he woke up Wednesday, and additional examinations confirmed he would be available for an upcoming road trip, which starts at the St. Louis Blues on Saturday and runs six games while the Grammy Awards are hosted at Crypto.com Arena.

Kuemper was named alongside St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington and Washington’s Logan Thompson to the 25-man squad for Canada that will play in the Milan Cortina Olympics next month.

The 35-year-old is a first-time Olympian for Canada, which has won the past two goal medals with NHL players participating. Kuemper is expected to be the third keeper behind Binnington and Thompson.

Kuemper, a 14-year NHL veteran from Saskatchewan and Stanley Cup winner with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022, is 12-9-9 with a 2.52 goals against average and .904 save percentage in 32 games for the Kings this season. He missed six games in December because of an upper-body injury sustained Dec. 15 when Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen hit him in the head.

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USC closing in on naming Gary Patterson defensive coordinator

In his years-long pursuit to build a great defense at USC, Lincoln Riley first entrusted the job to a familiar face from his Oklahoma days. When that failed, Riley handed the reins of his defense — and a massive paycheck — to the crosstown rival’s rising star … who then left two years later.

Now, in his third try at finding a leader for USC’s defense, Riley is working to lure a Hall of Famer to Hollywood.

USC is closing in on a deal to hire Gary Patterson, the longtime Texas Christian coach, as its defensive coordinator, a person familiar with the decision but not authorized to speak publicly told The Times.

Patterson, who hasn’t been a full-time coach since 2021, would come to USC just weeks after being voted into the College Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot. Patterson spent 24 seasons at Texas Christian, where he developed his reputation as a preeminent defensive mind and masterful evaluator of talent. His 4-2-5 scheme led the Horned Frogs to finish No. 1 in total defense five times in his 21 years as coach, while he was twice named coach of the year by the Associated Press.

Patterson was the winningest coach in TCU history and the second-longest-tenured coach in Division I, behind only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, when he resigned in October 2021 after being told he wouldn’t be back the following season.

Riley, who was Oklahoma’s coach at the time, said he was “sick” when he heard the news of Patterson’s exit. The two coaches knew each other well, having crossed paths in the Big 12 for half a decade by that point.

Riley left for USC a month later, while Patterson floated around other Texas football programs in consultant roles. He worked as a defensive analyst on Steve Sarkisian’s staff at Texas in 2022 and was offered a chance to return in 2023 but opted to take a year off. Patterson then accepted a role as a “senior level strategic consultant” on Baylor’s staff in February 2024, only to leave six months later, on the doorstep of the season.

Riley, meanwhile, was struggling to find any sense of stability for his USC defense. Under Alex Grinch, who followed Riley from Oklahoma, the Trojans unraveled on that end. The nadir came in 2023 as the defense finished 121st in the nation in points per game, giving up 34.4, and 119th in yards per game, giving up 432.8. Grinch was fired the first week of November.

The next day Riley declared USC would build “a great defense” during his tenure.

“I have complete belief, conviction,” the coach said. “It is going to happen. There’s not a reason in the world why it can’t.”

That process has been slow in the Big Ten. In two seasons as defensive coordinator, D’Anton Lynn made substantial progress in building a unit that could withstand the conference’s more physical nature. After hitting rock bottom with Grinch, USC gave up 10 fewer points per game under Lynn and nearly 50 fewer yards per game on the ground.

But that progress hit some snags last season as injuries ravaged the Trojans’ depth on defense. Then, just before the bowl game, Lynn left for the same job at his alma mater, Penn State, after rejecting the school’s advances a year earlier.

Coincidentally, it was Patterson’s old program, TCU, that ended the Trojans’ season a few days later with a walk-off touchdown in the Alamo Bowl.

The search that led Riley to focus on Patterson lasted more than three weeks into the offseason, through the January transfer portal window. USC still managed to add five players on defense, including one of the top defensive backs available in Iowa State’s Jontez Williams.

Patterson would inherit a defense without many of its top contributors from a season ago, including linebacker Eric Gentry, safety Kamari Ramsey and defensive lineman Anthony Lucas. But the Trojans also welcomed the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class to campus recently, a group that includes five top-100 prospects on defense, according to 247 Sports.

For Patterson, getting the best out of his defenders never proved to be a problem at TCU, where he was known for unearthing underrated prospects. But how the dynamic might look at USC with Patterson, a 21-year coach, stepping into a coordinator role remains unclear.

It’s also uncertain how Patterson’s hire would impact the Trojans’ remaining defensive staff. Secondary coach Doug Belk didn’t have his contract renewed, possibly to clear the way for Patterson to coach safeties. Mike Ekeler was hired from Nebraska to coach linebackers in addition to special teams, perhaps making linebackers coach Rob Ryan expendable.

The status of defensive line coach Shaun Nua also remains up in the air.

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Brandon McCoy, Brannon Martinsen come through in Sierra Canyon win over Harvard-Westlake

Joe Sterling, one of the best three-point shooters in the country, tried to put up a three-point attempt from long range at the outset of the third quarter on Wednesday night at Sierra Canyon. He must have forgotten who was guarding him, because Brandon McCoy came flying like Superman to block the shot, then took the deflected ball, dribbled and delivered an uncontested dunk.

“I knew he was going to shoot it,” McCoy said.

McCoy’s athleticism was on display all night as No. 1-ranked Sierra Canyon put itself in position to be the No. 1 seed for next week’s Mission League tournament with a 55-47 home victory over Harvard-Westlake.

McCoy finished with 20 points, including back-to-back threes in the second quarter when he helped Sierra Canyon (19-1, 5-0) wipe away an early deficit. He had zero points in the first quarter and 20 points the rest of the way.

“I wanted him to be more aggressive,” Sierra Canyon coach Andre Chevalier said. “He went into attack mode.”

Not only was McCoy contributing on offense, but his defense helped the Trailblazers hold Harvard-Westlake’s leading scorer, Sterling, to a season-low five points. He made one of eight shots and got into foul trouble.

“The fact he’s playing defense at a high level is amazing,” Chevalier said. “That’s what college coaches are looking for.”

Sierra Canyon also received a strong performance from 6-foot-8 Brannon Martinsen, who had 16 points. “I found my role,” he said. “It was figuring out how to complement guys as good as me.”

Pierce Thompson led No. 3 Harvard-Westlake (21-3, 4-1) with 14 points. The Wolverines struggled against Sierra Canyon’s half-court trap and didn’t have enough offensive contributors with Sterling taken out of the game by the Trailblazers’ defense.

“They’re good,” Harvard-Westlake coach David Rebibo said. “I don’t think they’re invincible. They’re deep and versatile. That’s what makes them so dangerous.”

The Mission League will hold a tournament beginning Jan. 29. The first two teams in the regular-season standings are guaranteed Southern Section playoff berths. Harvard-Westlake closes with tough matchups against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame on Saturday and St. Francis at home next week. Sierra Canyon has a home game against Crespi and a road game against Chaminade.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 68, Crespi 56: NaVorro Bowman scored 33 points for the Knights.

Loyola 104, Bishop Alemany 70: Deuce Newt had 50 points and made 10 threes for Loyola. Austin Acy, a freshman, had 40 points for Alemany.

St. Francis 66, Chaminade 56: Cherif Millogo had 20 points and Luke Paulus 17 for St. Francis.

Santa Margarita 102, Servite 69: Drew Anderson finished with 35 points and 10 rebounds for the Eagles.

St. John Bosco 56, JSerra 50: Christian Collins scored 30 points and Max Ellis and Tariq Iscandari had key threes to stay unbeaten in the Trinity League.

Mater Dei 81, Orange Lutheran 79: Zain Majeed scored with 1.5 seconds left for Mater Dei. Luke Barnett had 23 points and became Mater Dei’s career three-point leader with 373 moving past Taylor King.

Corona del Mar 76, Los Alamitos 54: Ryan Mansouri scored 23 points for 23-1 Corona del Mar.

Cleveland 56, Chatsworth 55: Aaron Krueger led Chatsworth with 17 points.

Birmingham 74, Granada Hills 53: Tekeio Phillips had 16 points and Christian Graham 15 to help the Patriots set up a showdown with Cleveland on Friday to decide first place in the West Valley League.

El Camino Real 44, Taft 43: The Royals made a three at the end to win.

Narbonne 63, San Pedro 62: Branden Key had 24 points to help Narbonne pull off the Marine League upset.

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Why football is a ‘mediated experience’: Chuck Klosterman on the history of TV sports

This essay is excerpted from culture writer Chuck Klosterman’s new book, “Football.”

Television defined the last half of the twentieth century, outperforming all other mass media combined.

This was already understood by the onset of the 1970s, prompting countless network executives to kill themselves in the hope of creating something impeccably suited for sitting in front of an electromagnetic box and remaining there for as long as possible. This typically entailed thoughtful consideration over the content of TV: what a program was about, how it was written, and what personalities were involved. But what’s even more critical, and far harder to manufacture, is the form of the program: the pacing, the visual construction, and the way the watcher experiences whatever they happen to be watching. How a person thinks about television is a manifestation of its content; how a person feels about television is a manifestation of its form. And there’s simply never been a TV product more formally successful than televised football. This was an accident. But it turns out you can’t design something on purpose that’s superior to the way televised football naturally occurs.

Football is a purely mediated experience, even when there is no media involved. It’s not just that you can see a game better when you watch it on television. Television is the only way you can see it at all.

I realize I’m making an aesthetic argument many will not accept, particularly if they start from the position that football games are boring, meaningless, or both. The merits of televised football as a formal spectacle are immaterial to someone who hates the thing being televised, in the same way the harmonic simplicity of Miles Davis is immaterial to someone who hates jazz. Appreciating the TV experience of football requires some casual interest in the game itself. But what makes the TV experience of football so remarkable is how “casual interest” is more than enough to generate an illogically deep level of satisfaction. The way football is broadcast manages to obliterate any difference between an informal consumer and a face-painting fanatic. This is due to many factors, the most critical being that football is always, always, always better on television than it is in person. The televised experience is so superior to the in‑person experience that most people watching a football game live are mentally converting what they’re seeing into its TV equivalent, without even trying.

"Football" by Chuck Klosterman

The only sport universally understood to be better when watched in person is hockey. In the same way football is always better on TV, hockey is always better live. With almost every other sport, the difference is debatable. Baseball is sometimes better in person, because it’s nice to sit outside in the summer (the weather and the park have more influence than the game). Basketball becomes more compelling if you sit close to the court and less compelling if you’re in the rafters, though the prime seats in any NBA arena tend to provide ticket holders with the same viewpoint they’d get from a TV broadcast. Live tennis and live golf offer details that can’t be captured on television, but there are rules of decorum and big potential for monotony. Soccer is exclusively about atmosphere and identity, so the experience of being in the crowd and the experience of the game itself are only nominally associated, in the same way going to see the Grateful Dead in the late 1980s was only nominally about music. Live boxing and live auto racing deliver palpable electricity with subpar sightlines. In all of these non‑football examples, the debate boils down to how effectively the televised depiction of an event can translate its in‑person actuality, which is why hockey is an outlier (the ambient feeling of bodies colliding with plexiglass is not digitally transferrable). Televised football is an outlier to an even greater extent, and for a much stranger reason: The TV experience doesn’t translate the live experience at all, in any way. The game happening in the physical world only exists to facilitate the broadcast version of the game, even if the game is not being televised. Here again, it must be reiterated: Football is a purely mediated experience, even when there is no media involved. It’s not just that you can see a game better when you watch it on television. Television is the only way you can see it at all.

With football, the psychology of fascism works.

Football fans attend football games for lots of different reasons. However, one of the expressed reasons can never be “A desire to see what’s really happening.” If that was someone’s true desire, they would stay home and watch it on TV. No one inside a football stadium — including the coaches on the sideline and the players on the field— can see the game with the consistent clarity of a person watching remotely. The announcers have the game happening directly in front of them and still watch the action on TV monitors, in part because they want their commentary to match what the home viewer is seeing but mostly because the camera is the perspective that matters.

And even when there is no camera, our minds insert one.

By now, it’s difficult to find any football game that isn’t being filmed by someone. When CBS broadcast Super Bowl LVIII in 2024, the network utilized 165 cameras. When Super Bowl I was broadcast in 1967 (on two competing networks at the same time), the total number of cameras was 11. This is now unthinkable. Show up at a random Pop Warner football game in rural Idaho, and you might find 22 different parents recording the action on 22 different camera phones. When I played high school football in the 1980s, not even the state championship was broadcast by any local station; today, most regular‑season high school games in every state can be streamed live, sometimes with a multi-camera professionalism on par with the broadcast of Super Bowl I. A camera‑free event has become rarer than the alternative. But the mental phenomenon I’m describing has little to do with how videography has expanded. The mentally inserted “camera” is not a machine. It is a way of seeing. It’s a type of forced perspective, invented by cameras and normalized through the omnipresence of television. In other realms of existence, such a phenomenon would be bad, since what I’m describing is a kind of psychological fascism. It is, technically, a form of mind control. Yet in this one particular instance, it benefits both the sport and the audience. With football, the psychology of fascism works.

Author Chuck Klosterman

Author Chuck Klosterman

(Joanna Ceciliani)

Visualize, for a moment, a capacity crowd at Michigan Stadium, the third‑largest sports venue on earth. Imagine the Michigan Wolverines are playing the Ohio State Buckeyes, with 107,601 people in the stands. Those 107,601 people are all seeing the event in a unique way, because every individual seat is in a unique location. All 107,601 sight lines are personal. Throughout the game, the ball moves up and down the field, and — every so often — a play will happen directly in front of a handful of fans coincidentally located in the ideal spot to see the action. Perhaps a woman’s seat is in the tenth row of section 15, located in the westerly corner of the south end zone: If an Ohio State receiver runs a fade pattern and catches the ball over his shoulder in front of the southwest pylon, that ticket holder will witness the reception with an unmatched lucidity. No one else will experience that extemporaneous moment like the woman in that particular seat. However, this solitary play is probably the only time when that will be true. There will be 179 other plays throughout the game, none of which will unequivocally cater to the singular view of this specific woman in this specific location. And what will happen during those other 179 plays is a bypassing of consciousness: The woman will see a play from her unique vantage point and automatically reframe what she saw into the way it would appear on television. She will watch the play from where she is sitting, but she will process the play from the standard TV perspective of a wide‑angle camera stationed in the press box at midfield. What she sees with her eyes will not be what she sees with her mind.

“But that’s not true,” you say. “That’s not how it is for me.” And maybe it’s not. There are exceptions to everything. Maybe your mind doesn’t work like this. Maybe you’ve attended three football games a week for twenty years without ever owning a television. Maybe your visual relationship with the world is completely authentic and unchanged by technology. I can’t crawl inside your skull and prove you wrong. But this is how it works for most people, including most who insist it does not. The visual imprinting of television is more overpowering than the visual imprinting of life; a TV screen presents an enclosed reality inside the preexisting reality of your house, and that manufactured reality overwrites both your memory and your imagination. Think of the primary setting from an old multi-camera sitcom (Jerry’s apartment on “Seinfeld,” the living room on “The Big Bang Theory,” the bar from “Cheers”). The standard shot of the set is ingrained in your memory and can be instantly recalled, but try to imagine physically entering that set through a different door and meandering around, without referencing the original image and triangulating where everything is supposed to be. Think of a real place or a historical event you’ve only experienced through film (the streets of 1950s San Francisco in “Vertigo,” West Baltimore as depicted on “The Wire,” the invasion of Normandy as seen in “Saving Private Ryan”). How difficult is it to now reimagine these places or events in a manner unlike the fake images you’ve seen only a few times? If you’re still skeptical, try this test: Host a party in your home and prop up your smartphone in an inconspicuous corner. Film 20 minutes of the party while you mingle with various guests. Rewatch that footage once a week for a month. At the end of the month, try to mentally reconstruct interactions from the party that aren’t anywhere on the recording. Try to visualize how the party looked, but from a different angle. You may be alarmed to realize your own unrecorded memories are locked into the perspective of wherever you placed your phone.

“But that’s not how football on TV works at all,” you say in response. “Football is seen from multiple angles that constantly shift. A few paragraphs ago, you noted that CBS used 165 different cameras for the Super Bowl. Football is better on TV, but not for the reason you claim. It’s better on television because there isn’t one static view.”

It can even be argued that the standard camera view of a TV football game is the worst camera angle available.

That’s a valid response, and it might feel true on a moment‑to‑moment basis. A controversial play might be replayed from seven different angles in the span of thirty seconds. It can even be argued that the standard camera view of a TV football game is the worst camera angle available. During the college football playoffs, ESPN’s family of networks will sometimes show the same game on multiple channels, with one channel broadcasting the whole affair from the Skycam camera. This is a remote camera hovering above and behind the line of scrimmage, replicating the perspective one sees in a video game. Coaches call this the “All‑22” view, because all 22 players on the field are simultaneously observable. It’s the camera angle coordinators use for film study, and — when it’s available — it’s the way I prefer to watch football. The Skycam allows the viewer to see how the defense is aligned, to follow pass patterns as they develop, and to (almost) see the game the way it’s seen by the quarterback. In terms of absorbing what’s transpiring, it’s vastly superior to the traditional mid‑ field perspective from the press box. Yet even as I’m watching the Skycam view, I can sense what’s happening inside my brain: I’m unconsciously converting what I see into the classic sideline sight line, even though that’s an inferior shot. I prefer the Skycam, but I understand what I’m seeing through the limited perspective of the most traditional camera angle: a master shot that (a) exclusively fixates on the location of the ball, (b) doesn’t include every involved player, and (c) provides no sense of depth or spacing. It’s an inadequacy that should be a death blow.

But like I keep saying: Football is different. These are the flaws that make the magic.

Copyright © 2026 by Charles Klosterman. Published by Penguin Press, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

Klosterman is the bestselling author of nine nonfiction books (including “The Nineties” and “Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs”), two novels (“Downtown Owl” and “The Visible Man”) and the short story collection “Raised in Captivity.” He was raised in rural North Dakota and now lives in Portland, Ore.

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The Hundred: Welsh Fire sign former England international Chris Woakes

Welsh Fire have signed former England international Chris Woakes for the 2026 season of The Hundred.

The 36-year-old is a one-day and T20 World Cup winner described by Welsh Fire as “one of the most respected all-rounders in world cricket”.

Woakes had signed for the Fire last year but was unable to make an appearance after dislocating his shoulder in his last ever Test match against India in August.

With over 300 international wickets and experience in franchise leagues across the world, Welsh Fire will be hoping the white-ball veteran helps turn the side’s fortunes around after a tough few years.

Woakes said: “I’m absolutely delighted to return to Welsh Fire for this year’s Hundred campaign.

“I was gutted not to be able to take to the field last year in Wales due to the shoulder injury, but I’m really excited to be coming back and to play in front of Welsh Fire fans.”

Despite his vast experience across white-ball competitions, Woakes has only played three games in The Hundred – for Birmingham Phoenix in 2023.

Welsh Fire men’s head coach Michael Hussey said: “Chris is a world-class cricketer and a fantastic addition to our group.

“His experience, professionalism and ability to influence games with both bat and ball will be invaluable for us, both on and off the field.”

Woakes follows Phil Salt, Rachin Ravindra and Marco Jansen in becoming Welsh Fire’s fourth and final direct signing.

An auction will take place in March where the franchises will bid for players to determine their final squads for the 2026 edition of the competition.

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Speedo moves U.S. headquarters to Long Beach ahead of Olympics

Long Beach’s bet on the Olympics to help reshape its economy has attracted at least one sportswear company to the port city.

Speedo’s parent company, Pentland Brands, plans to move its North American headquarters from Orange County to Long Beach, which has emerged as a hub for aquatic sports for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The privately held, U.K.-based company that manages a portfolio of fashion and sportswear brands — including outdoor gear brand Berghaus and cycling apparel brand Endura — plans to move to a 25,000-square-foot facility at Aero Long Beach this summer.

Pentland Brands’ North American headquarters has since 2015 been located in a 69,000-square-foot office in Cypress, a company spokesperson said in an email.

The company cited the Olympics as a driving factor in its decision to move.

“Being based in Long Beach places Speedo — a brand trusted by swimmers on the world stage — at the heart of one of the world’s most anticipated sporting events,” the company said in a statement.

Bo Martinez, the city’s economic development director, said in a statement that Pentland’s relocation to Long Beach is “a powerful vote of confidence” that strengthens the city’s efforts to “diversify the local economy, create more high-quality jobs and build an ecosystem where creative, forward-thinking companies can thrive.”

Pentland Brands’ Long Beach facility, which will accommodate more than 130 employees, is expected to include a dedicated Speedo showroom, open office space and rooms for product design, according to the statement.

Long Beach will host 11 sporting events during the 2028 Olympics, which are scheduled to run July 14 through July 30, according to an April statement from the city.

Many are water sports, including coastal rowing, open-water swimming, beach volleyball, sailing, artistic swimming and water polo. Also on the lineup are non-water sports such as sport climbing, handball and target shooting.

Events will be spread across seven venues, including temporary buildings as well as the Long Beach Arena, which hosted events during the 1984 Olympics, and Marine Stadium, built for the rowing events of the 1932 Olympics.

Long Beach will also host seven events for the 2028 Paralympics, scheduled to take place from Aug. 15 to Aug. 27, according to the city’s website.

Long Beach Councilman Daryl Supernaw said in an email to The Times he was “thrilled” for the company behind Speedo to move into his district, which encompasses neighborhoods around the Long Beach Airport.

“It is an ideal company to help diversify our economy and [reinforce] the City’s long history in aquatics,” Supernaw wrote.

Long Beach in 2023 unveiled plans to spend over $900 million on infrastructure over the next five years, with about $200 million earmarked for Olympics-focused projects.

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson told The Times in 2024 that he considered the Olympics an opportunity for his city, which has long relied on oil revenue, to “build a new economy.”

Pentland Brands is a division of the Pentland Group, which was founded in the 1930s as the Liverpool Shoe Co.

In the 1990s, Pentland acquired Speedo International and Speedo Australia. In a move to consolidate the global swimwear brand, the company bought Speedo North America from apparel company PVH Corp. for $170 million ahead of the Tokyo Summer Olympics that were postponed to 2021.

Speedo is a major Olympic sponsor and has partnerships with the national swimming governing bodies in the U.S., Canada, China and Australia, among others.

The Australian swimwear brand traces its origins to 1928, when Scottish immigrant Alexander MacRae produced a sleeveless Racerback swimsuit.

Speedo’s tight-fitting suits sparked a brief controversy at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, when a complaint was filed about Australian swimmer Clare Dennis’ exposed shoulders, according to the Daily Telegraph. The complaint was dismissed and the teenager went on to win gold in the 200-meter breaststroke.

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Dodgers Dugout: Time for our Hall of Fame voting, with one big newcomer to the ballot

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell and it’s time for our annual Dodgers Dugout Dodgers Hall of Fame voting.

I get dozens of emails every season from fans who want to know why their favorite Dodger isn’t in the Hall of Fame. Which got me thinking (always a dangerous proposition), what if we had a Dodgers Dugout Dodgers Hall of Fame, as selected by the readers? We started it in 2022 and so far, readers have voted 16 people into the Hall. It’s time to vote again.

The way it works: Below you will see a list of candidates divided into two groups, players and nonplayers.

In the players’ category, you can vote for up to 10 players. You don’t have to vote for 10, you can vote for any number up to and including 10. Your vote should depend on what the player did on and off the field only as a Dodger. The rest of his career doesn’t count, which is why you won’t see someone such as Frank Robinson listed. And you can consider the entirety of his Dodgers career. For example, Manny Mota was a good player and has spent years as a Dodgers coach and a humanitarian. You can consider all of that when you vote. And remember this is the Dodgers Hall of Fame, so there might be some people considerably worthy of being in a Dodgers Hall of Fame who fall short of the Baseball Hall of Fame in your mind.

In the nonplayers category, you can vote for up to three.

To recap, you can vote for up to 10 people on the players ballot, and three on the non-players ballot, meaning you could vote for 13 people total if you desire. But no more than 10 players and three non-players.

Whoever is named on at least 75% of the ballots will be elected. The eight people receiving the fewest votes will be dropped from future ballots for at least the next two years. Active players or active non-players are not eligible.

How do you vote? For the players ballot, click here. For the nonplayers ballot, click here. Or you can email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. You have until Feb. 1 to vote. Results will be announced soon after that.

I tried to compile a ballot that had players representing each era of Dodgers baseball. I’m sure there’s a player or two you think should have been on the ballot. Send that player’s name along and he might be included in next year’s ballot. And it’s possible the player you are thinking of has already been on the ballot, but dropped off due to lack of support.

Before we get to the ballot, let’s review previous results.

2025 inductee

Don Sutton, named on 75.7% of ballots

2024 inductees

Walter O’Malley, 79.4%
Pee Wee Reese, 76.3%

2022 inductees

Tommy Lasorda, 87.7%
Walt Alston, 86.5%
Fernando Valenzuela, 80.6%
Maury Wills, 76.6%
Gil Hodges, 75.3%
Orel Hershiser, 75.1%
Branch Rickey, 72.1%

Note: In 2022 you had to be named on only 65% of the ballots to be inducted. It has been 75% all other years.

2021 inductees

Sandy Koufax, 95.6%
Vin Scully, 92.7%
Don Drysdale, 90%
Jackie Robinson, 88.9%
Roy Campanella, 84.7%
Duke Snider, 78.2%

How the rest of the 2025 ballot fared:

Jaime Jarrín, 65.8%
Peter O’Malley, 65.1%
Steve Garvey, 64.4%
Don Newcombe, 62.1%
Ron Cey, 61.6%
Mike Piazza, 50.3%
Dusty Baker, 47.7%
Davey Lopes, 47.1%
Manny Mota, 46.7%
Red Barber, 45.4%
Carl Erskine, 42.9%
Tommy Davis, 42.5%
Kirk Gibson, 40.6%
Jim Gilliam, 40.5%
Mike Scioscia, 39.7%
Johnny Podres, 36.7%
Ross Porter, 35.3%
Willie Davis, 33.9%
Buzzie Bavasi, 32.1%
Eric Karros, 30.1%
Jerry Doggett, 29.8%
Bill Russell, 29.5%
Zack Wheat, 28.9%
Eric Gagne, 28.2%
Carl Furillo, 27.9%
*Rick Honeycutt, 26.7%
John Roseboro, 26.1%
Pedro Guerrero, 25.3%
Dazzy Vance, 23.3%
Tommy John, 23.3%
Andre Ethier, 23.1%

Bottom 12, eliminated from at least next two ballots

Helen Dell, 22.7%
Adrián Beltré, 21.4%
Steve Yeager, 20.6%
Leo Durocher, 18%
*-Ned Colletti, 12.9%
*-Steve Sax, 10.8%
*-Casey Stengel, 5.2%
*-Red Adams, 4.7%
*-Jim Lefebvre, 3.8%
*-Billy Cox, 3.6%
*-Cookie Lavagetto, 2.6%
*-Monty Basgall, 0.8%

*-first time on ballot.

The Dodgers Dugout Dodgers Hall of Fame

Listed in order of percentage:

Sandy Koufax, 2021 (95.6%)
Vin Scully, 2021 (92.7%)
Don Drysdale, 2021 (90%)
Jackie Robinson, 2021 (88.9%)
Tommy Lasorda, 2022 (87.7%)
Walt Alston, 2022 (86.5%)
Roy Campanella, 2021 (84.7%)
Fernando Valenzuela, 2022 (80.6%)
Walter O’Malley, 2024 (79.4%)
Duke Snider, 2021 (78.2%)
Maury Wills, 2022 (76.6%)
Pee Wee Reese, 2024 (76.3%)
Don Sutton, 2025 (75.7%)
Gil Hodges, 2022 (75.3%)
Orel Hershiser, 2021 (75.1%)
Branch Rickey, 2022 (72.1%)

Note: In 2022, you had to be named on only 65% of the ballots to be inducted. It has been 75% all other years.

The 2026 ballot

Players

Vote for no more than 10 players. Vote here or email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. Click on the player’s stats to be taken to his overall career stats. If you don’t wish to read all the comments, scroll to the bottom where you will see just a straight list of candidates without comments. But I worked hard on these, so throw me a bone, will ya?

Dusty Baker (1976 to 1983, .281/.343/.437): Baker is one of the most loved Dodgers since they moved to L.A. He was a very good player and part of the group of four Dodgers who hit at least 30 homers in 1977, becoming the first team to do that. Baker did it on the final day of the season, homering off of Houston ace and Dodger nemesis J.R. Richard in the sixth inning. Baker finished fourth in MVP voting in 1980, when he hit .294 with 29 homers and 97 RBIs. He hit .320 in strike-shortened 1981 and .300 in 1982.

Ron Cey (1971 to 1982, .264/.359/.445): Cey is almost criminally underrated by those who grew up outside of L.A. He was good for 20-30 homers, 70-90 walks and 80-100 RBIs every year and played a solid third base. He was a direct contemporary of Mike Schmidt, so he often got overlooked when it came to discussing the best third basemen during his era. But the Dodgers made four World Series with Cey as the starting third baseman, and he played a huge part in the team getting there each time.

Tommy Davis (1959 to 1966, .304/.338/.441): Davis put together one of the greatest seasons in Dodgers history in 1962, when he hit .346 (leading the league) with 27 doubles, 27 homers, 120 runs scored and a league-leading 153 RBIs. He followed that up in 1963 by leading the league in hitting again with a .326 average. Those were the only two batting titles in L.A. Dodger history until Trea Turner won a title in 2021. Those seasons are even more impressive when you consider that Dodger Stadium was an extreme pitcher’s park in those days.

Willie Davis (1960 to 1973, .279/.312/.413): Davis was an outstanding defensive player who led the NL in triples twice (1962 with 10 and 1970 with 16) and whose offensive numbers don’t look as impressive as they should because he played during one of the biggest pitcher’s eras in baseball history. His best season was probably 1969, when he hit .311 with 23 doubles, eight triples and 11 homers, or it could have been 1962, when he hit .285 with 18 doubles, 10 triples and 21 homers, or 1971, when he hit .309 with 33 doubles, 10 triples and 10 homers. He didn’t walk much and had moderate power, but he caught everything hit to him (except for that one game in the 1966 World Series, but let’s not get into that). He is still the L.A. Dodgers career leader in runs (1,004), hits (2,091) and triples (110).

Carl Erskine (1948 to 1959, 122-78, 4.00 ERA): “Oisk” is what he was called, and “Oisk” was known for his big overhand curve. But what I love about Erskine is he became a staunch supporter of Jackie Robinson from the day Erskine joined the team as a rookie in 1948, one year after Robinson broke the color barrier. At one point during the 1948 season, Erskine left the clubhouse after a game to talk to Rachel Robinson and Jackie Robinson Jr. Fans filed by and stared at this white man talking to these two Black people. Some didn’t care. Some were taken aback. Some shook their head. The next day, Jackie came up to Erskine and thanked him for talking to his family in the open, which was quite a thing for a rookie to do in those days. He said, “You know, you stopped out there in front of all those fans and talked with Rachel and little Jack.” Erskine replied, “Hey Jackie, you can congratulate me on a well-pitched game, but not for that.” In 2005, he wrote a book titled “What I Learned From Jackie Robinson.”

Andre Ethier (2006 to 2017, .285/.359/.436): On Dec. 13, 2005, the Dodgers made one of their best trades ever when they sent Milton Bradley and Antonio Perez to Oakland for Ethier, who became their starting right fielder for the next 10 seasons and put himself on many all-time top 10 lists in L.A. Dodgers history. You knew what you were going to get from Ethier every season: A .280-.290 average with about 20 homers and 80 RBIs. He was the first Dodger to have at least 30 doubles in seven consecutive seasons, made the All-Star team twice and won a Gold Glove.

Carl Furillo (1946 to 1960, .299/.355/.458): “The Reading Rifle” led the NL in batting average at .344 in 1953, the second of his two All-Star seasons with the Dodgers. He finished sixth in MVP voting in 1949 when he hit .322 with 27 doubles, 10 triples, 18 homers and 106 RBIs. He was a good fielder with a great arm, racking up 24 assists in 1951, more than earning his nickname. He was a steady player for the Dodgers for years and played in seven World Series, including the 1955 and 1959 title teams.

Eric Gagné (1999 to 2006, 25-21, 3.27 ERA, 161 saves): Gagne was a failed starter who came out of nowhere to seize the closing job in spring training in 2002. He converted 84 consecutive saves at one point, and few people left Dodgers games early when Gagne was the closer because they wanted to see him pitch. He was dominant and won the Cy Young Award in 2003. Then injuries derailed him and he pitched little in 2005 and 2006. He was with the Brewers when he was named in the Mitchell Report as a player linked to human growth hormone use. His tenure ended with the Dodgers 20 years ago, but it seems like a million years ago for some reason.

Steve Garvey (1969 to 1982, .301/.337/.459): Do I really need to write a lot about Garvey? One of the most popular Dodgers in history. But history hasn’t been kind to him, as many of the newer analytic numbers have downgraded him on offense. But, the importance of knowing every season that your first baseman was going to hit .300 with 100 RBIs can’t be overstated. He was named NL MVP in 1974 and finished in the top six in voting five times. He also made eight All-Star teams and won four Gold Gloves.

Kirk Gibson (1988 to 1990, .264/.353/.433): There are Dodgers with better numbers not on this ballot, but he makes the list because he turned the Dodgers from losers to winners in an incredible 1988 season, when he seemed to get every clutch hit the team needed, especially when he hit that amazing pinch-hit home run in Game 1 of the World Series. It’s up to you to decide if one miraculous season is enough to make him a Dodgers Hall of Famer.

Jim Gilliam (1953 to 1966, .265/.360/.355): It seemed that every season Jim Gilliam would be on the bench, squeezed out of the lineup by a hot rookie or flashy newcomer, then by the end of April, either the new player would be a bust or an injury would open a spot and Gilliam would end the season as the starting second baseman. Or starting third baseman. Or starting left fielder. But let me recount a story Vin Scully told me about Gilliam for my book: “I was introducing the team, and I would introduce, ‘So and so is the shortstop’ and so on, and I introduced Jim as ‘Jim Gilliam, baseball player.’ He was one of the smartest players. I remember Walter Alston saying that Jim never missed a sign. Never. Like anyone else, you are going to drop a ball, you are going to make an error, but Jim never made a mental mistake. And on the base paths, he’d go from first to third all the time. He always did the right thing. He was very quiet and not at all ‘on,’ but he was a consummate baseball player. He was married in St. Louis, and the team bus stopped at the reception while the photographer was taking pictures. Jim said to the photographer, ‘One more.’ The photographer took it and Jim got on the bus and we went to Busch Stadium.” The Dodgers retired Gilliam’s No. 19 shortly after he died after the 1978 season.

Pedro Guerrero (1978 to 1988, .309/.381/.512): You can make an argument that Guerrero is the best hitter in Dodgers history. He is fifth in OPS+ and had at least 1,000 more plate appearances than the four people ahead of him on the list. He hit .320 in 1985, then blew out his knee on an ill-advised slide in spring training of 1986. He came back in 1987 to hit .338. He had power, hitting 30-plus homers three times (back when that really meant something) and had a good eye at the plate. Defensively, however, he was brutal. He was not a good fielder at third, and hated playing there, but you have to give him credit for going out there whenever he was asked.

Tommy John (1972-78, 87-42, 2.97 ERA): After being a mainstay of the rotation in 1972-73, John was on his way to a career year in 1974 (13-3, 2.59 ERA) when he tore a ligament in his elbow. It always meant the end of a pitcher’s career, but John agreed to undergo a first of its kind surgery, taking a ligament from a different part of his body to replace the one in his elbow. He came back in 1976 to win 10 games, then went 20-7 with a 2.78 ERA in 1977, finishing second in Cy Young voting. He was almost as good in 1978 and went 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in six postseason starts with L.A. Since then, hundreds of pitchers have had the surgery now named after him.

Eric Karros (1991 to 2002, .268/.325/.454): Karros had an interesting career. He is the all-time L.A. Dodgers home run leader, yet rarely gets mentioned when the subject is all-time great Dodgers. He led the league in only two categories in his career (games played in 1997 and double plays grounded into in 1996). He never made an All-Star team. He was often overshadowed by Mike Piazza. But he rarely got hurt and was good for 25-30 homers every season.

*-Joe Kelly (2019-21, 2023-24, 9-5, 3.72 ERA, 3 saves): Kelly is remembered for two things with the Dodgers: His Mariachi jacket, and not being afraid to hit an Astros batter or two after the sign-stealing scandal. After the Astros cheated to win the 2017 World Series, the Dodgers didn’t face them again until 2020. Kelly decided someone had to pay a price. The game was uneventful through five innings, and then Kelly decided to shake things up. After retiring Jose Altuve on a popup, he had a 3-0 count against Alex Bregman when his next pitch, ball four, flew behind Bregman’s head. The next batter, Michael Brantley, wasn’t on the 2017 Astros. Kelly threw him three pitches, none particularly close to him, and got him to ground to first. When Kelly covered first base in an attempt to complete a double play, he got annoyed when Brantley’s foot clipped his leg. Kelly glared at Brantley and suddenly, from the Astros dugout, someone shouted “just get on the mound, little … “ The … represents a word we can’t use in a family newsletter.

The next batter: Yuli Gurriel. With a 2-0 count, a Kelly pitch went well inside, sending Gurriel sprawling. He walked Gurriel on the next pitch. That brought us to the main event: Carlos Correa.

Correa was the most vocal Astro to defend their title after the sign-stealing was discovered. He was particularly pointed in his comments toward the Dodgers. Kelly started with a pitch that made Correa duck. He seemed none too happy. The at-bat continued and Kelly struck Correa out with a breaking ball in the dirt.

And then the fun began. Correa chirped at Kelly. Kelly, according to Astros manager Dusty Baker, said “Nice swing ….” Kelly made a pouty face at Correa, who started walking toward the Dodger dugout. The benches cleared. No punches were thrown. The game resumed and nothing much interesting happened after that, other than the Dodgers winning, 5-2.

But, on social media, Kelly became one of the most loved Dodgers of all time. He still is. So that puts him on the ballot.

Of course, Kelly is also known for hitting Dodger Hanley Ramirez in the ribs with a pitch, which pretty much ended the Dodgers’ postseason. He talks about that here.

*-Clayton Kershaw (2008-25, 223-96, 2.53 ERA): What can I say that I haven’t already written over the last 10 years? We can quibble over his postseason stats all day, but he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer with the only question being how many people leave him off their ballot.

Davey Lopes (1972 to 1981, .262/.349/.380): There were certainly more prolific base stealers in baseball history, but there may have never been a better base stealer than Lopes. In 1975, he led the NL with 77 steals and was caught only 12 times. In 1976, he led with 63 steals and was caught only 10 times. At the age of 40, he stole 47 bases and was caught only four times. Admittedly, that was with the Cubs, so it doesn’t count for our purposes, but it’s my favorite Lopes stat. My favorite thing Lopes always did with this: He was often batting behind the pitcher, and when the pitcher made an out, particularly if he had to run hard on a ground ball, Lopes was a master of taking his time getting to the batter’s box, allowing the pitcher a little extra time to recuperate. Lopes would reach the batter’s box and see that he “forgot” to knock off the weighted donut off the bat, so he’d return to the on-deck circle to do so. Or he’d go back for a little extra pine tar. It was always a lot of fun to watch.

Manny Mota (1969 to 1980, 1982, .315/.374/.391): To think of Mota as only a pinch-hitter is a mistake. He hit .305 in 124 games with the Dodgers in 1970 and .323 in 118 games with the team in 1972. He made the All-Star team in 1973, when he hit .314. But pinch-hitting is what made him famous. Mota set the record (since surpassed) for most career pinch hits in 1979 when he collected his 145th. He seemed to be able to get a hit whenever he wanted to. Eighteen players have at least 100 pinch-hits in their career. Mota is the only one with a .300 average in such situations. After retiring for good as a player, he became a coach for the Dodgers and remains active in the organization to this day.

Don Newcombe (1949 to 1951, 1954-1958, 123-66, 3.51 ERA): Newcombe could have been a two-way player if the Dodgers would have let him. In 1956, he went 27-7 with a 3.06 ERA in 38 games, 36 starts and 268 innings with 15 complete games. At the plate, he hit .234 with six doubles, two homers and 16 RBIs. He won the Cy Young and MVP awards after the season. He was rookie of the year in 1949 and was the first player to win all three major baseball awards. He went 20-5 during the Dodgers’ World Series championship season in 1955. That year, he hit .259 with nine doubles, seven homers and 23 RBIs. How good a hitter was Newcombe? He pinch-hit 88 times in his career. Newcombe struggled with alcoholism for years but became sober in 1967 and worked for the Dodgers for years, helping athletes and others across the country in their struggles with sobriety. “What I have done after my baseball career and being able to help people with their lives and getting their lives back on track and they become human beings again means more to me than all the things I did in baseball,” Newcombe said in 2008.

Mike Piazza (1992 to 1998, .331/.394/.572): The best-hitting catcher in baseball history was an All-Star every full season with the Dodgers and finished as the MVP runner-up two consecutive seasons. His best season was 1997, when he hit .362 with 32 doubles, 40 homers and 124 RBIs in 152 games. He wasn’t much defensively, but not as bad as people said, and the less said about his trade to Florida in 1998, the better.

Johnny Podres (1953 to 1955, 1957-66, 136-104, 3.66 ERA): Podres pitched for four of the Dodgers’ World Series title teams (1955, 1959, 1963 and 1965, though he didn’t pitch in the ’65 World Series) and was MVP of the 1955 World Series, the first title for the Dodgers, when he went 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA, good for two complete-game victories over the New York Yankees, including a 2-0 shutout in the decisive Game 7. He was often overlooked on the team, overshadowed by Koufax or Newcombe or Drysdale, but he was a key pitcher for the team for 12 years.

John Roseboro (1957 to 1967, .251/.327/.382): Roseboro made five All-Star teams with the Dodgers and won two Gold Gloves. He was the starting catcher on three World Series title teams and when people mention the great Dodgers pitching staffs of the 1960s, they seldom mention who was catcher for all those great pitchers. It was Roseboro.

Bill Russell (1969 to 1986, .263/.310/.338): Russell was a converted outfielder who went on to become one of the longest-tenured Dodgers in history, second all-time in games played for the team with 2,181, trailing Zack Wheat (2,322). If there is one word to describe Russell, it’s “steady.” He never was the best shortstop in the NL, and was never the worst. He never led the league in anything, made the All-Star team three times, seldom struck out, didn’t have a lot of power. But he went out there every day and rarely cost his team a game, and also was known among fans as the best clutch hitter on the team. He replaced Lasorda as manager in 1996 and was fired in 1998 during the infamous Fox era.

Mike Scioscia (1980 to 1992, .259/.344/.356): Scioscia was with the Dodgers for 13 seasons, never won a Gold Glove, never led the league in any offensive category and made only two All-Star teams. But what he did can’t be understated: He gave you above average play almost every season for 13 seasons. You never had to worry about the position when Scioscia was there, and he hit one of the most important home runs in Dodgers history when he connected off Dwight Gooden in Game 4 of the 1988 NLCS.

Dazzy Vance (1922 to 1932, 1935, 3.17 ERA): Vance was the first true ace the Dodgers had and is still one of the greatest pitchers in their history. He led the league in wins twice, in ERA three times and in strikeouts seven consecutive seasons. Vance’s actual first name was Arthur, but he was called “Dazzy” because of his dazzling fastball. You can read more about him here.

Zack Wheat (1909 to 1926, .317/.367/.450): The most unappreciated great player in Dodger history. Wheat was just relentless at the plate, hitting over .300 every year with mid-range power. He hit .375 in 1923 and 1924. He is still the team’s all-time leader in several offensive categories. He was beloved in Brooklyn and served as a mentor for several young Dodgers, including future manager Casey Stengel. “I never knew him to refuse help to another player, were he a Dodger or even a Giant,” Stengel said. “And I never saw him really angry and I never heard him use cuss words.” Read more about Wheat here.

*-Alex Wood (2015-18, 2020, 31-21, 3.54 ERA): Wood went 16-3 with a 2.72 ERA in 2017, but never quite reached those heights again. He was the one guy who thought there was something fishy going on with the Astros in the 2017 World Series and had catcher Austin Barnes changes signals after every batter when someone was on base during Game 4. He gave up only one run and one hit in 5.2 innings for the only Dodgers’ victory in Houston. He was a valuable member of three Dodgers World Series teams, winning one with them in 2020, pitching four innings of shutout relief over two games.

Steve Yeager (1972 to 1985, .229/.299/.358): Yeager was one of the best defensive catchers in history who had the misfortune of being a direct contemporary of the best defensive catcher in history, Johnny Bench. Otherwise, Yeager would have multiple Gold Gloves. His best season offensively was 1977, when he .256 with 21 doubles and 16 homers. Dodger fans remember how he blocked the plate, becoming an almost impenetrable wall whenever a runner tried to score and Yeager had the ball.

Nonplayers

Vote for no more than three. Vote here or email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com.

Red Barber: Barber was a Dodgers broadcaster from 1939 to 1953 and mentored a young Scully. His folksy style and catchphrases made him one of the most famous announcers in the U.S. Among his phrases: “They’re tearin’ up the pea patch,” “Can of corn,” “Sittin’ in the catbird seat,” “Tighter than a new pair of shoes on a rainy day.”

Buzzie Bavasi (former general manager): In Bavasi’s 18 years as the team’s GM, the Dodgers won eight NL pennants (1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1959, 1963, 1965 and 1966) and four World Series titles (1955, 1959, 1963 and 1965).

Jerry Doggett: Called games in Brooklyn and Los Angeles from 1956 to 1987, and was a key part of the memorable Vin Scully-Jerry Doggett-Ross Porter broadcasting trio.

Rick Honeycutt: Honeycutt pitched for the Dodgers from 1983-87 and went 33-45 with a 3.58 ERA. The Dodgers traded Dave Stewart and Ricky Wright to acquire him and got Tim Belcher when they dealt him away. But he’s mainly here for his long tenure a pitching coach, from 2006-19, under four different managers. He and Ron Perranoski hold the record for most years as Dodgers pitching coach.

Jaime Jarrín: The longtime Spanish language broadcaster for the Dodgers, who started with the team in 1959 and retired after the 2022 season. In 1998, Jarrín received the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame. In February 1998, Jarrín was the first recipient of the Southern California Broadcaster Assn.’s President’s Award. He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that year.

Peter O’Malley: O’Malley was team president starting in 1970 and became team owner in 1979 until he sold the Dodgers in 1998. Many fans consider the Peter O’Malley era to be the golden age for the L.A. Dodgers.

Ross Porter: Dodgers broadcaster from 1977 to 2004. On Aug. 23, 1989, Porter set a major league record for broadcasting 22 straight innings on radio by himself in a six-hour, 14 minute game against the Expos in Montreal. Also hosted the postgame “Dodger Talk” on the radio for many years and contributed the “Ask Ross Porter” segment to this newsletter for several years. Currently answers reader questions at his Ross Porter Sports Facebook page.

*-new to ballot this year.

Here is the ballot without comments:

Players (vote for no more than 10)

Dusty Baker
Ron Cey
Tommy Davis
Willie Davis
Carl Erskine
Andre Ethier
Carl Furillo
Eric Gagné
Steve Garvey
Kirk Gibson
Jim Gilliam
Pedro Guerrero
Tommy John
Eric Karros
*-Joe Kelly
*-Clayton Kershaw
Davey Lopes
Manny Mota
Don Newcombe
Mike Piazza
Johnny Podres
John Roseboro
Bill Russell
Mike Scioscia
Dazzy Vance
Zack Wheat
*-Alex Wood
Steve Yeager

Non-players (vote for no more than three)

Red Barber
Buzzie Bavasi
Jerry Doggett
Rick Honeycutt
Jaime Jarrín
Peter O’Malley
Ross Porter

*-new to the ballot

My ballot

There are four people should definitely be in: Clayton Kershaw, Dazzy Vance, Zack Wheat and Jaime Jarrín. Vance and Wheat played 100 years ago, yes, but they were outstanding players and should be in. It would be like someone starting a Dodgers Hall of Fame 100 years from now and not including Duke Snider and Don Drysdale. Kershaw is one of the greatest Dodgers of all time. And Jarrín was the Spanish-language broadcaster for the team for more than half a century and helped open them to a new market.

If you don’t vote for those four, no one is going to yell at you, but it’s hard to justify putting 10 (or four) on the ballot ahead of them.

And finally

Clayton Kershaw comes out of a regular-season game for the final time. 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 houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

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What position will Kyle Tucker play? Takeaways from his Dodgers intro

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After addressing their two biggest needs this offseason, the bullpen and outfield, via free agency, the Dodgers appear to be relatively set with their roster a little more than three weeks before pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Arizona.

“There’s still some things we’re kicking around and some conversations that have been ongoing for a little bit that we’re going to continue to enhance and build up depth,” Friedman told reporters.

Asked if the Dodgers still are in the market for starting pitching, Friedman said: “We are not.”

That appeared to play out Wednesday night when the Mets acquired starting pitcher Freddy Peralta in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers.

The 29-year-old right-hander had been someone the Dodgers were interested in, the Athletic reported this week. Considering their rotation already projected to feature Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki, the reported interest in Peralta was surprising.

But coming off a grueling postseason in which the starters, Yamamoto in particular, carried a heavy load, the Dodgers already were thinking about ways to navigate next season — especially with the World Baseball Classic in March.

Last month during winter meetings, Roberts hinted at a six-man rotation as a way to give starters extra rest over a long season. Among the Dodgers’ four starting pitchers during the postseason — Yamamoto, Snell, Glasnow and Ohtani — only Yamamoto pitched the entire season. Snell and Glasnow spent significant time on the injured list, and Ohtani didn’t make his pitching debut until June.

The Dodgers have plenty of young pitchers who could step in, from ascendant minor-league prospect Jackson Ferris, to returning 2024 breakout rookies River Ryan and Gavin Stone, to the more-established Justin Wrobleski and Emmet Sheehan.

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Prep talk: The Marcaccini family is back in high school basketball

Monte Marcaccini was one of the best basketball players in Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High history, leading the Knights to a 1993 Southern Section Division III-A championship. He was a 6-foot-5 guard who turned down a scholarship to Indiana to play club ball in Italy, then ended up at Pepperdine and later Virginia before playing overseas.

Now Marcaccini, 51, is back in high school basketball, serving as an assistant coach at Oaks Christian High, where his son, James, is a 6-3 freshman playing for the 20-4 Lions.

“He loves the game and works hard,” Monte said. “I was a lot smaller than he was. He’s a much better player than I was as a freshman.”

Monte was known for being a little flamboyant and trash talking with the best. He’d tell anyone and everyone he could beat you one on one.

So who wins when it’s father vs. son these days?

“Now it would be pretty close,” the father said. “I would be worried now.”

Monte started a private business 25 years ago using his Italian roots — gelato, a frozen dessert.

Monte played for coach Mick Cady at Notre Dame. Cady also was the high school coach in Northern California for Oaks Christian coach Mark Amaral and recently dropped by to give a pep talk to the Oaks Christian players.

The big question is whether the son talks more than the father.

“I talked way more. He’s much more of a gentleman,” Monte said.

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

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