SPORT

Could two members of the Buss family add some green and gold to their purple and gold?

Joey and Jesse Buss, fired last month as Lakers executives, have explored pursuing an ownership stake in baseball’s Athletics, according to two people familiar with the discussions but not authorized to speak publicly about them.

The discussions were described as preliminary, and it is unclear whether they might result in a deal. Jesse Buss did not reply to a message seeking comment.

In September, Joey and Jesse – sons of legendary Lakers owner Jerry Buss – announced the launch of Buss Sports Capital “to pursue high-impact investment opportunities across the global sports ecosystem.” The announcement said Buss Sports Capital would aim “to partner with forward-thinking professionals to unlock new opportunities in professional sports.”

Joey and Jesse Buss retain their stakes of Lakers ownership. In October, Dodgers owner Mark Walter closed his purchase of majority ownership in the Lakers, in a deal that valued the Lakers at $10 billion. Walter tasked Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and former general manager Farhan Zaidi to assess the Lakers’ front office operations.

Last month, Joey Buss was dismissed as vice president of research and development and Jesse Buss as assistant general manager.

The A’s left Oakland after the 2024 season. They plan to move from their temporary Sacramento home to Las Vegas in 2028, and construction there is underway on an enclosed 30,000-seat stadium originally estimated to cost $1.5 billion. In July, team owner John Fisher told the Nevada Independent the cost had risen into “the $2 billion range.”

Fisher obtained $380 million in public funding. He is responsible for the balance of construction costs. In 2023, The Times first reported that Fisher hoped to generate $500 million toward stadium costs by valuing the A’s at $2 billion and selling 25% of the team to minority investors.

Fisher has since used a higher valuation in soliciting investors. CNBC last year estimated the A’s franchise value at $2 billion, Forbes at $1.8 billion, and Sportico at $1.6 billion.

The A’s have posted four consecutive losing seasons. They say they are rebuilding toward their planned 2028 arrival in Las Vegas, and they have an impressive core of position players, including first baseman Nick Kurtz — the American League rookie of the year — shortstop Jacob Wilson, catcher Shea Langeliers, designated hitter Brent Rooker, and outfielders Lawrence Butler and Tyler Soderstrom.

Times staff writer Broderick Turner contributed to this report.

The key now is for Liverpool to push on. After a disastrous run of nine defeats in 12, they are unbeaten in their last four and seemingly out of the toughest phase.

Inevitably, Slot was asked about Salah afterwards, with former Dutch international midfielder Clarence Seedorf suggesting to him players can “make mistakes”.

“Everyone makes mistakes in life but does the player know he’s made a mistake? Should the initiative come from him or me? That’s another question,” said Slot.

Van Dijk, meanwhile, would not be drawn on whether his team-mate had let the side down.

“There is no point me saying if someone has let someone down,” he said. “He didn’t travel based the consequences of what he said. That’s it.

“He trained yesterday perfectly normal. Let’s see when we come back on Friday and see what the situation will be like. My focus is on the team and at this point Mo is still part of the team. We will see what happens.”

But this was a night to praise those who played, particularly Szoboszlai, who has been directly involved in more goals than any other Liverpool player this season (10 – five goals, five assists).

“I have asked a lot of him,” Slot added. “I think what is also special is how much he runs – he is one of the few that played all four games in 10 days.

“It’s special what he is doing physically and also football wise, he stood up in a difficult moment.

“That was his first penalty for Liverpool during a game but he has a great shot and he delivered.”

Winning in Milan is no easy feat, considering Inter had been unbeaten in their last 18 Champions League ties at home

“It should be about what we’ve done over here,” added Slot. “I fully understand that on Friday, in the press conference, all the questions will be about Mo.

“Tonight it should be all about a team, against a team like this who are winning at a stadium like this. The focus should be on that.

“Tonight it should be all about the players that are here. In the rich history Liverpool has had, they have had many of these evenings.”

Proof, if it was ever needed, that with or without Salah, Liverpool will move on.