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Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Ramon Vega says he intends to stand as a candidate in next year’s Fifa presidential election.
The 55-year-old is the first person to confirm they want to challenge Gianni Infantino, who has defied calls to step down in the wake of his failed plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors, which has sparked a major backlash across football.
A former Switzerland centre-back, Vega also played for Celtic and Watford and has worked in finance since retiring from football in 2004.
“I am standing to reunite the global football family, deliver genuine and lasting reform, modernise Fifa for the 21st Century, restore stability and credibility, and rebuild the trust that our game urgently needs,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa – president of the Asian Football Confederation – has written to Infantino, distancing himself from an external review of Fifa’s governance system.
In his letter – seen by BBC Sport – Sheikh Salman proposes that Fifa’s council sets up a working group to examine potential reforms, “rather than being outsourced to an external party”.
Last month, Infantino said he was “fully committed to leading Fifa” despite Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation calling for him to quit.
Vega considered running for Fifa’s top job in 2015 following the suspension of former president Sepp Blatter.
Four years later he said he would stand against Infantino, but failed to garner enough support to be included in the ballot, having required the backing of five of Fifa’s 211 member federations.
Candidates must also be proposed by a member association and have played an active role in the game for two of the past five years, as well as passing an eligibility check by a review committee.
“I am standing because my life has prepared me to serve the game,” Vega said in a statement announcing his candidacy.
“Football does not belong to presidents, confederations or administrators. Football is greater than any position, any individual or any institution.
“It is the people’s game and belongs to everyone: the players, coaches, referees, supporters, volunteers, clubs, leagues, associations and communities that give football its life.
“It belongs to every child discovering the game, every professional carrying the hopes of a nation, and the billions of supporters whose passion makes football the world’s game.
“Football must always come first. Yet for too long, division has fractured our football family.
“The current leadership has demoralised the game. Weak governance has damaged Fifa’s credibility and eroded trust across the global football family. We must stop this conflict from escalating.
“Ego-driven battles within football administration must never be allowed to damage those who matter most: the players, coaches, referees and supporters around the world. They are not responsible for these conflicts. They deserve better.”
Vega concluded: “Football is in the emergency room, on life support. We cannot wait any longer. Fifa needs a new direction and fundamental reform.
“We must reunite the football family, restore trust, bring stability and modernise Fifa’s governance. This requires decisive change – not cosmetic adjustments.”
Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay has returned to training at Napoli following his recent heart surgery.
The 29-year-old’s ablation procedure – a minimally invasive operation to correct irregular heart rhythms – took place in Manchester last month and was described as “a complete success”.
And Napoli said: “On Wednesday, Scott McTominay underwent further diagnostic tests, which showed that he is fit to play.
“The Napoli player therefore resumed training with the rest of the team after the period spent training separately.”
McTominay was substituted after 56 minutes of Napoli’s 2-1 Serie A defeat by Como in August. A mild benign arrhythmia was discovered, prompting the corrective treatment.
According to the NHS,, external an arrhythmia is when the heart beats too quickly or too slowly, or the heartbeat is not steady.
The British Heart Foundation explains, external that a cardiac arrhythmia ablation involves using heat or cold energy to create tiny scars in the heart to block faulty signals and restore a typical heartbeat.
During his absence, McTominay missed four Scotland fixtures, including Tuesday’s Nations League defeat by Slovenia.
The Scots’ next games are against Switzerland and North Macedonia in November.
He pounded his chest twice as he left the batter’s box, and all of Dodgers nation rocked to the beat.
Andy Pages did it. He finally did it. He finally broke out of his baffling two-year October slump with a hit so powerful, he didn’t even have to climb over Kiké Hernández to get it.
How powerful? With one smooth swing he broke a tie by scoring two runs while sending two teams packing, the Atlanta Braves trudging home for the winter and the Dodgers charging into the National League Championship Series.
Yeah, it was a blast, both figuratively and literally, Pages’ two-out, two-strike bases-loaded single in the seventh inning Wednesday night silencing the lame tomahawk-chopping fans at Truist Park and giving the Dodgers an eventual clinching 4-1 victory against the Braves in the National League Division Series.
Dodger Andy Pages hits a two-RBI single against the Braves during Game 4 of the NLDS Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
Certainly, it only gets tougher from here. In winning this best-of-five series three games to one, the Dodgers can now prepare for a best-of-seven showdown task against either the mighty Milwaukee Brewers or blazing San Diego Padres.
Yes, they will need to hit better, they will need Blake Snell to find his focus, they will need Shohei Ohtani to show up.
But… Andy Pages! Seriously! If a guy who was seven for 66 in the last two postseasons and was so helpless last year he was benched for the last three games of the World Series… if that guy can drive in the winning run from the bottom of the order? The once-fallible Dodgers may just be unbeatable.
“There’s no more talented team than the Los Angeles Dodgers,” manager Dave Roberts shouted in the postgame clubhouse. “We’re the best organization in sports, top to bottom. We’re smarter, we’re better, and we’re tougher.”
At that point, someone referenced a recent comment from Padres owner José E. Feliciano insinuating that the Dodgers, baseball’s oldest team, was composed of dinosaurs.
“And we’re dinosaurs!” shouted a voice above the clubhouse din.
If they’re dinosaurs, their first initial is “T” and their last name is ‘Rex.”
It’s OK to start seriously thinking about a three-peat now. They’re now just eight wins away but, given how mediocre the American League playoff teams appear, they could realistically be just four wins away.
Here’s guessing that the NLCS will be the real World Series. And here’s guessing the Dodgers will be ready.
Pages, who won the hearts of Dodger fans last October when he made a leaping game-saving catch over the back of Kiké Hernández, was granted his first big October swing thanks to the Braves largess.
In the seventh inning of a 1-all tie, Teoscar Hernández redeemed himself for another fielding blunder with a single that finally drove dizzying Tyler Mahle from the game.
In came Game 2 rookie sensation Didier Fuentes, only this time, he was all rookie and zero sensation, walking Josue De Paula and Kyle Tucker to load the bases. Considering De Paula is just a kid and Tucker has been struggling, the fact that both showed such patience in such a pressure situation was pretty cool. And moments later, it got even cooler.
In came veteran reliever Robert Suarez, and Pages was ready for him, working the count full before lining the two-run single up the middle.
The Dodgers added a run two innings later on a Max Muncy home run — has there ever been a playoff game when he hasn’t homered? — to finalize the score.
Dodger Max Muncy celebrates after hitting a home run in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the NLDS against the Braves in Atlanta Wednesday.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
When the game ended on an Austin Riley fly out to right field, Pages celebrated in center field by taking off his cap, turning his face to the sky and pounding the cap three times into his glove.
It was a series that was worth the emotion, the Dodgers famous starting rotation giving up just four runs in 21 ⅓ innings, the bullpen solid behind a revived Edwin Díaz, and the offense doing just enough to beat Braves aces Chris Sale and Mahle.
In the fifth inning of a tie game, starter Tyler Glasnow issued walks to Riley and Michael Harris II. With two out, in came Alex Vesia. Up stepped slugger Matt Olson. The fans climbed to their feet. This was the Braves’ big chance.
Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz throws the ball against the Braves in the ninth inning Game 4 of the NLDS Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
But Olson swung at the first pitch and lined it directly to second baseman Kiké Hernández to end the threat and quiet the joint. Díaz threw a hitless ninth for his second save of the series and…who’s going to beat them?
Afterward, Roberts referenced nearly half of his team when talking about his pride. He talked about Pages’ hit, about De Paula’s walk, about reliever Edgardo Henriquez’s 1 ⅔ shutout innings, about Muncy’s bat and Freddie Freeman’s glove.
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“I guess, amazement,” he said. “Our guys just continue to fight, persevere. You never know who the guy’s going to be.”
The only glaring weakness was, once again, the superstar who used to be their strength. Ohtani scored the Dodgers’ first run after drawing a walk but went hitless in three ensuing at-bats. He only got two hits in the four-game series and you have to wonder if his injury-wracked body would be better out of the lineup.
How well are they playing without the full services of their most historic player? On the verge of making history, the Dodgers don’t even miss him.
Pep Guardiola is expected to attend Manchester City‘s Champions League tie against Paris St-Germain next week – the club’s first home match since they were found guilty of the majority of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League.
It will mark the first time the Spaniard has returned to Etihad Stadium since he left the club at the end of last season after a decade as manager.
Earlier this month, an independent commission found the club guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.
City continue to deny any wrongdoing and have lodged an appeal against the findings in the Premier League’s report that stated the club falsely inflated commercial revenues by £830m through “sham” contracts.
In the aftermath of the verdict, 55-year-old Guardiola backed City’s owners and leadership and says he will “always” be behind the club.
“I want every single Manchester City fan across the world to know I am here; more than ever,” he posted on social media.
“I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran [Soriano], the players, staff, Enzo [Maresca] and you, our unique supporters.
“Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all.”
Striker Harry Kane says he could reach 100 goals for England after equalling his country’s appearance record of 125, drawing praise from team-mates Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham.
Declan Rice is close to agreeing a new long-term Arsenal contract, sources have told BBC Sport.
The England midfielder has become a crucial player for the Gunners since his arrival from West Ham for £105m in July 2023.
His current deal expires at the end of next season but BBC Sport revealed in March that talks over a new contract were under way with the process now at an advanced stage.
The 27-year-old has made 165 appearances for Arsenal and helped the club end their 22-year wait for a Premier League title last term.
Rice would receive a significant increase to his reported £240,000-per-week salary, putting him on a par with the club’s best earner Bukayo Saka, who is believed to be paid about £350,000 a week.
While Rice withdrew from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad before the recent three-week camp, he has amassed 80 caps since switching his international allegiance from the Republic of Ireland in 2019.
After a slow start to the season, the New England quarterback seemed to return to his almost-MVP form from a year ago (he finished second in voting to the Rams’ Matthew Stafford) on Sunday during a 29-26 win over the previously unbeaten Buffalo Bills.
On Wednesday, Maye was announced as the AFC offensive player of the week for his efforts in that game, which included completing 22 of 37 passes for 269 yards with three touchdowns and one interception and rushing for 54 yards in eight attempts.
With Maye-mania surely back on track in New England, there was probably no better time for the third-year quarterback to casually drop that he kinda, sorta, maybe, possibly isn’t quite sure moon landings have ever actually happened.
During an appearance Monday on WEEI-FM (93.7) in Boston, Maye was asked by a caller, “What wild conspiracy theory out there do you actually kind of secretly believe in?”
Maye asked for a moment to think — “let me try not to get too controversial,” he said — before revealing his answer.
“I don’t know about the moon, you know?” Maye said. “I’m not really sure 200% if we went there or not. I wouldn’t say I’m leaning one way or the other. I just know I’m a little bit skeptical.”
Maye spent three years at North Carolina, including two as the Tar Heels’ starting quarterback. In 2022, he set a school record with 4,321 passing yards, tied another with 38 passing touchdowns and was named the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year.
During his time at Chapel Hill, Maye said during the radio interview earlier this week, he took a class on conspiracy theories.
“They studied Hitler being alive and ‘are birds real?’ — some of the classic ones that you hear about,” Maye explained.
Asked to elaborate on the birds one, Maye said there are some who believe birds are actually instruments of the government used to spy on us — “or something along the lines of that,” he said.
Maye isn’t the only athlete who has expressed moon-landing doubt. In 2018, Stephen Curry said he didn’t think humans had ever been there, although two days later the Golden State Warriors superstar said that he was kidding.
Former NASCAR and IndyCar driver Danica Patrick reportedly posted one such theory on her Instagram Stories in 2024 and wrote that she believes it.
“I don’t care if you think I’m crazy,” she wrote. “I already know I am.”
Earlier this year, Boston Celtics guard Derrick Whitedescribed himself as a “non-moon landing guy.” Also, two-time major golf champion Bryson DeChambeausaid that while it’s likely that moon landings have happened, some of the footage we’ve been shown might have been fake.
Messi marked his final appearance for La Albiceleste with a goal before addressing the adoring fans in a speech lasting nearly 10 minutes.
Some of his team-mates were in tears as Messi admitted he did not want to leave the field.
“There are so many emotions going through me right now,” he said. “I’m surely forgetting many things I would like to say because this is a very difficult moment for me. The first person who comes to my mind is my dad.
“I leave grateful, proud and at peace. Thank you for everything.”
“I know I’m taking the right decision. It was an incredible journey, full of joy and some sadness, but I know for sure that every step I took was worth it.”
Messi also thanked his family, team-mates and clubs and paid tribute to another Argentina legend, the late Diego Maradona.
His Instagram post also drew a response from Ronaldo, who wrote: “Leo, after so many years of defending your country, you’ve made history that will last forever.
“I have the utmost respect for what you’ve accomplished with Argentina. A hug.”
Manchester United and Liverpool both eye Adrien Truffert, Tyler Morton is wanted by Newcastle and Martin Odegaard is the latest big name set to sign a new Arsenal deal.
Brazil and Athletico Paranaense defender Arthur Dias, 19, is being tracked by Barcelona having previously attracted an £18m bid from Tottenham. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, 27, is expected to join manager Mikel Arteta in signing a new long-term contract at the Emirates. (Teamtalk), external
Arsenalare ready to make a fresh attempt to lure Julian Alvarez, 26, to north London in January, with the Atletico Madrid and Argentina striker now seriously considering a move to the Gunners. (Teamtalk), external
Former Real Madrid full-back Dani Carvajal remains a free agent after the 34-year-old’s move to Getafe collapsed. (Goal), external
Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are keen on Tottenham youngster Luca Williams-Barnett, who made his Spurs debut at the age of 16. (Sun), external
Rahm’s lawyer, John Beck, told the hearing the 31-year-old Spaniard “independently reviewed the terms of LIV 2.0 and determined those terms are unacceptable as to him”.
It was later said that LIV and Rahm’s representatives are “in advanced discussions for a consensual separation agreement between Mr Rahm and LIV”.
It is hoped this will be finalised by a court hearing on 5 November.
LIV’s participants are owed at least $45m (£33m) and have the option to leave.
However, the agreement secures an extension for the league to discuss terms with its players, with talks now open until 25 October.
Documents outlining the money owed to LIV Golf’s creditors, with the 30 largest unsecured claims, show that two-time major winner Rahm tops the list with an unsecured claim of $7.5m (£5.5m).
BBC Sport understands there is no obligation on players to sign on to LIV 2.0, regardless of whether they had previously signed multi-year contracts with LIV Golf.
Spain’s Rahm was arguably the most high-profile name to join LIV when he left the PGA Tour in December 2023 for a deal worth a reported £222m ($300m).
Some players, including Brooks Koepka, have since returned to the PGA Tour, which rewrote its rules in December to allow the five-time major winner to come back, subject to certain sanctions.
Rahm did not follow suit and remained under long-term contract with LIV, but in May reached a deal with the DP World Tour – formerly the European Tour – to retain his membership and remain eligible for next year’s Ryder Cup.
In August, the former world number one won his third straight LIV season title.
He has previously said he had no regrets over joining LIV and backed organisers to make it sustainable.
Chapter 11 protection postpones a US company’s obligations to its creditors, giving it time to reorganise its debts or sell parts of the business.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is providing a bankruptcy loan of $49.6m (£36.6m) – called ‘debtor in possession’ (DIP) financing – to help fund the process.
He has won two Super Bowls and is a six-time Pro Bowl selection.
Four games into his 14th NFL season — all spent with the team that selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2013 draft — Johnson has decided that he’s done.
“I deeply wanted to gut it out for one more year; to take the field with my brothers for one last season,” Johnson said in a statement posted Tuesday on social media.
“But after a lot of reflection, I’ve realized that my personal and family priorities in my life have changed. Right now, it is critical that I focus on my mental health. I owe it to my teammates, coaches, the organization and the fans to have my head and heart 100 percent in the game. And right now my heart is telling me that it’s time to say goodbye to football.
“At this time, I have made the incredibly difficult decision to retire from the National Football League.”
Johnson took a three-game leave of absence during the 2021 season as he battled anxiety and depression and has said he considered retirement during the offseason after a foot injury caused him to miss the Eagles’ final eight games last year. He was a late scratch for last Sunday’s game against the Rams for personal reasons.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, coach Nick Sirianni said Johnson was a “phenomenal player” and much more.
“I love Lane. I’ll miss him dearly and I wish him the best,” Siranni said. “Just want him to be his best. Like I said, love him and everything that he stood for and everything he is.”
Rookie Markel Bell started in Johnson’s place on Sunday, and Sirianni suggested the third-round pick will remain in the spot vacated by Johnson.
“I’m really excited for Markel’s opportunity,” Sirianni said. “Thought under the circumstances of last week that he handled that really well. And I’m excited about the growth that he’s going to be able to have this year. I’m excited for him.”
In a statement released on Tuesday, team owner Jeffrey Lurie called Johnson “an all-time Eagle and one of the best players ever to play his position in NFL history.”
“His combination of talent, strength, athleticism and intelligence made him a truly unique player in this league, and there is no doubt in my mind that one day he will be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Lurie said.
“Beyond his on-field accomplishments, Lane has done a tremendous amount to give back to the community through his numerous charitable endeavors. The courage he has shown using his own personal experiences to advocate for mental health awareness has undoubtedly saved lives.”
Retired Eagles center Jason Kelce, who played 11 seasons with Johnson, wrote a lengthy tribute to his former teammate on X.
“For the past decade, Lane has been the best Right tackle in the NFL,” Kelce wrote. “His athleticism, technique, strength, and size, combined to make him a player few could get around. His pass set and movements looked more like an art than someone who punched people for a living. It was a pure joy to watch him play for all these years, but even more so, it was a pure joy to be his friend.”
Kelce added: “Congratulations on retirement, I loved every second of watching you play, and am proud that I got to share the field with you.”
Tight end Zach Ertz, who recently re-signed with the Eagles after playing for them from 2013 to 2021, posted several pictures of himself and Johnson on X and wrote “every step of the way.”
Left tackle Jordan Mailata told WIP-FM (94.1) in Philadelphia he was “still kinda shocked” by Johnson’s decision.
“I just think about how much I’m going to miss him going forward,” Mailata said.
Longtime Oregon Ducks men’s basketball coach Dana Altman is retiring effective immediately, the school announced on Wednesday.
Altman, 68, took over ahead of the 2010-11 season and is the winningest coach in Oregon history with a 382-182 record. The Ducks made nine NCAA Tournament appearances over that span, including a Final Four berth in 2017.
Oregon also won four Pac-12 regular season titles and four Pac-12 tournament titles during his tenure.
Over the course of his 37-year career as a head coach, Altman’s record is 792-425. Before he came to Eugene, Altman was the head coach at Creighton for 16 years.
“I have had to make two really tough decisions in my coaching career,” said Altman. “The first was leaving Creighton, a place my family and I dearly loved, to come to Oregon. This is the second,” Altman said in a statement. “I’ve loved every minute of coaching here, and stepping away is difficult and truly painful. I love coaching, it’s what I know best and what I’ve been fortunate enough to do for almost five decades. I’m going to miss my coaches, my players and our incredible fans more than I can express. But I know this is the right thing to do at this time.”
Oregon will begin the national search for Altman’s successor after the season. Assistant coach Tony Stubblefield will coach the Ducks for the 2026-27 season.
The Ducks struggled last season, going 12-20, and the program lost nine players to the transfer portal and three to graduation in the offseason.
Stubblefield has spent two stints as an assistant to Altman at Oregon. He left to become head coach at DePaul from 2021-24 before returning to the Ducks.
“Winning 382 games over 16 years, including making nine NCAA Tournaments and a Final Four, is an incredible track record. But the record book tells only part of the story,” Oregon athletic director Rob Mullins said. “Dana and Reva have given so much of themselves to this university and to the young men who played for him, and we thank him for all his contributions to Oregon student-athletes, the game of basketball, and the University of Oregon.”
Shanelle Williams has already fulfilled one childhood ambition after making her Wales debut and now she is preparing for another milestone in Japan.
The 19-year-old former Gwernyfed RFC junior came off the bench in Wales’ 50-19 win over South Africa in the WXV Global Series in September.
As a child, Williams had written on her Christmas list that she wanted to play for Wales.
“I didn’t actually know that there was a women’s team,” the hooker said.
“I used to tell my dad that I was going to play for Wales with the boys.
“Then I obviously realised that I actually can play for Wales. Since then, everything I’ve done, rugby’s always been a priority.”
Williams had forgotten about the Christmas list until her older sister reminded her after she won her first Wales Under-18 cap.
“It’s quite a nice reminder that I have been working for this for so long, so it has all been worth it,” she said.
Williams started playing rugby at Gwernyfed aged eight, spending four years there before joining the Red Kites and later moving into the Wales pathway.
She went on to play for Cardiff Quins and Cardiff Rugby before attending Hartpury College.
Her father played a key role, regularly making the journey from home to Cardiff for training.
“Obviously I’m from Gwernyfed, so it was about an hour and a half down to Cardiff,” she said.
“He used to take me for training on Friday nights straight after school.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do it if my dad hadn’t given me that opportunity, so I’m very lucky.”
San Marino High first-year football coach Dujuawn “DJ” Jones got smart when he took over the program, searching for the best athletes on campus and getting their friends on the football team to lobby for them to come out.
What’s happened this season is pretty extraordinary. Aided by nearly a dozen baseball players, San Marino’s football team is off to a 6-0 start. The quarterback, Parker Wilson, is the starting catcher for the baseball team. There are also wrestlers, basketball players and track athletes on the team.
The joke is whether the majority of players are talking about the Dodgers or the Rams during practices.
“We try to do some of the teachings more like in baseball terms,” Jones said. “We want our kids to play other sports.”
There are lots of baseball players around the Southland having big seasons playing football, from Capistrano Valley quarterback Talon Spencer to Corona del Mar receiver JJ Haley to Hart running back Matix Frithsmith to La Canada quarterback Joe Bell to Palos Verdes running back Christian Weis.
The only question left to ask regarding San Marino is how many of the football players are visiting the batting cage before practice?
“Right now they’re not missing too much,” Jones said.
If only the baseball players playing the sport 365 days a year knew what fun they are missing out on.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
One is Catholic, the other Jewish. One was a star linebacker for a private high school, Loyola, the other a star receiver for a public high school, Newbury Park. Both wear the same jersey number at UCLA, No. 20.
Scott Taylor and Shane Rosenthal became roommates last year and based on their many smiles, witty comeback lines and football success, it’s clear they’ve become best friends and best teammates.
“It’s cool,” Rosenthal said.
“We just get along really well,” Taylor said.
They share an apartment with two other UCLA players, punter Lennox Miller and defensive back Kuron Jabari.
Whatever initial concerns or perceived stereotypes they may have had quickly vanished after learning about their similar upbringings, goals and expectations to be good students and good people.
“I hosted him on his official visit,” Taylor said. “Hosted him for dinner, took him to Westwood. We have a lot of the same priorities, doing the right things, eating the right food, going to bed at the right time. Little things.”
Said Rosenthal: “We’re on the same timing for everything. He plays defense. I play offense. We’re able to watch film together, talk about football, talk about what he sees from the defense, talk about what I see from the offense and how we go at each other in practice.”
Taylor, a 6-foot-4, 241-pound sophomore who’s never seen a steak he didn’t want to eat, “is a damn good cook,” said his grandfather, Bill Thomason, a former Loyola principal and basketball coach. Thomason once bought his grandson Omaha Steaks as a birthday gift.
“They were so good,” Taylor said.
He sometimes drives home on Sundays to cook steaks for family members. And he eats them, too.
In the competition for who cleans the room the best, Rosenthal wins in a landslide.
“He might be the cleanest guy in the country,” Taylor said. “He might be an All-American cleaner.”
Said Rosenthal: “I definitely feel like I’m the cleanest guy in the apartment.”
As for washing clothes, both said there are no irons in sight. They learned how to do laundry at home but it appears parents are always welcome to help.
Taylor is dating a girl who’s Jewish but Rosenthal gets no credit as a matchmaker since they’ve been seeing each other well before Rosenthal arrived. “There’s usually two Jews in the apartment,” Rosenthal said.
Taylor has become a key pass rusher for the 4-0 Bruins going into Saturday’s game against Oregon. Rosenthal, also a sophomore, has received playing time as a gunner on punts while being a backup receiver. He’s the state-record holder in high school football with 24 career interceptions, so tackling on special teams is something he does well while waiting for the opportunity to show his receiving skills.
Taylor has used weight training to build up his body and give himself an NFL-like stature. It started back during the pandemic when he was 13. He decided to walk down the street to the local fitness center that was allowing kids to use the equipment for free — as long as they were 15. Somehow, he convinced them he was 15. When the business started charging him, he got his mom’s credit card, became a paid member and the rest is history. He has the talent to be on par with former UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger.
He also possesses the ability to comfortably talk in public. He was the only UCLA player chosen to answer questions from the media after Bob Chesney was introduced as head coach last December. On Tuesday, Taylor welcomed a group of middle school students touring Spaulding Field with high-fives and fist-pumps.
Taylor remembers his first impression of Chesney addressing the team.
“He’s a great communicator to you guys,” Taylor said of Chesney. “He’s also a great communicator to us. Everything’s crystal clear about what we’re supposed to do, what our role is since Day 1. He showed up and said, ‘If you guys choose to stay here’ and … this is before the portal even opened. ‘If you guys choose to stay here, we’re gonna do something special, so if you choose to stay, be ready to work, be ready to compete.’”
Taylor said the foundation of strong relationships within the team is important.
“It’s really special the connection we have,” he said. “And I think that speaks to who we are as a team because it’s really easy to play hard for each other when we’re so close off the field.”
If Chesney ever decides to host a team barbecue, Taylor is ready to lend his steak-cooking skills, with Rosenthal at his side.
Coco Gauff said she had a “draining” few days after receiving racist abuse online before her fourth-round China Open exit.
The American received an “insane” amount of racist comments and direct messages following an incident in her third-round win over 16-year-old Sun Xinran on Monday.
China’s Sun thought she had hit a winner late in the first set, but Gauff raised her hand to halt play because of a flickering light in the side panels surrounding the court.
After a video review – which players are allowed to request – the point was replayed, with Gauff winning it and subsequently going on to clinch the match.
The 22-year-old posted a lengthy statement explaining what had happened and later condemned the racist abuse she received in response.
Gauff was beaten 6-3 6-3 in her next match against Elise Mertens on Wednesday.
Asked how she had felt over the past 36 hours, Gauff said: “It has been kind of draining, I’m not going to lie.
“I just turn off my phone and move on. I mean, there’s nothing you can do.”
A spokesperson for the Women’s Tennis Association said it was appalled by the abuse. It said it was in contact with Gauff “to offer our full support”.
A statement given to the news agency AFP said the governing body was “seeking action” against the abusive content.
Gauff, who won the title in Beijing in 2024, committed 34 unforced errors and eight double faults against Mertens.
“I was just a bit flat. That’s the main thing,” Gauff said.
“The level was there at some points, I just didn’t sustain it the whole match.”
Belgium’s Mertens will play former world number one Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals after the six-time major champion beat American teenager Iva Jovic 6-1 6-3.
Elsewhere, Britain’s Arthur Fery beat Marin Cilic 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 in the Shanghai Masters first round.
Fery came back from a break down in the first set before dominating the former US Open champion in the second to claim his first ATP Tour win since August.
The 24-year-old will face Russia’s 26th seed Karen Khachanov next.
A panel of BBC Sport correspondents explore what sanctions Manchester City could face after being found guilty of all charges related to breaches of Premier League financial rules between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.
From Maddie Lee: The Dodgers’ first few innings Tuesday night were riddled with strikeouts and missed opportunities. But the work they did racking up Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale‘s pitch count culminated in Kiké Hernández’s big fourth-inning moment in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.
“I felt hitting at the bottom of the lineup, my responsibility was to not chase him around, not give in to what he was trying to get me to do, which was roll over and hit into a double play,” Hernández said after the Dodgers’ 3-1 win against the Braves. “So my mentality was to grind out the at-bat, try to get a good pitch to hit. If not, just be patient so I could turn the lineup over to Mookie [Betts] at the top.”
Hernández let Sale’s first pitch, a changeup in and off the plate, go for a ball. Then, he recognized the pitch again, heading toward the inner third of the plate. And Hernández demolished it, taking three slow steps out of the batter’s box before dropping the bat.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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Hernández has too many big postseason moments — a three-homer game against the Cubs in Game 5 of the 2017 NL Championship Series, for example — for a single homer in a non-elimination game to rank at the top. It was his 17th career postseason home run, which accounts for 11% of his home runs over 13 years in the majors, putting him in a category of his own.
It was, however, the biggest offensive moment of the Dodgers’ postseason so far. As the series teetered, in a matchup of rotation aces, all tied up and in Atlanta for the first time, he got his first at-bats of the 2026 postseason and immediately delivered.
“We played tonight like an elimination game,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Collectively it was probably one of our better performances, certainly with the [opposing] starter, as far as 1 through 9.”
Kiké Hernández celebrates after hitting a two-run home run in the fourth inning of the Dodgers’ 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS at Truist Park on Tuesday.
Stepping warily into Atlanta’s Truist Park with their five-game division series tied at one game apiece and Braves’ ace Chris Sale waiting for them on the mound Tuesday, the Dodgers marched out three hours later on the verge of another champagne shower.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto was brilliant, showing everyone that they were focusing on the wrong ace.
The Dodger bats were reborn, showing everyone that they still know how to hit in October.
And, yes, the Dodgers finally have a closer, Edwin Díaz entering the ninth and allowing a leadoff double to Ozzie Albies before retiring the next three hitters for the biggest save of his brief Dodgers career.
The most forgotten hero in Dodger history stepped out of the shadows in 1987 as their instant general manager and created the miraculous monster that came to be in 1988.
The resuscitation of a Dodger brand during what was quite possibly its darkest moment? It all started with Fred Claire, the longtime Dodger executive who died Monday in his Pasadena home on his 91st birthday.
That is what UCLAcoach Bob Chesney told his team when he showed them their Associated Press Top 25 ranking during Sunday’s team meeting, reminding the Bruins what their priorities are as they come off their bye week and prepare for a showdown in Eugene, Ore., against the No. 13 Ducks.
“If you pay attention to this number it will go away,” Chesney said. “If you pay attention to what you did to get that number, and only focus on that and improve that, maybe the number even gets better. Who knows as time goes on, but that can’t be anything we talk about or worry about, and that’s why I wanted to bring it up one time and that was the end of it.”
The commitment to the process remains Chesney’s top priority as his team stares down its biggest test of the season to date.
Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper makes a glove save during the first period against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
From Kevin Baxter: Before the first home game of their upcoming 60th anniversary year Tuesday, the Kings honored their past by unveiling a modest Hall of Fame on the concourse of Crypto.com Arena.
An hour later, this season’s Kings took the ice and made some history of their own, though not the kind they had hoped for, falling to the Florida Panthers 2-1 to open a season with three consecutive losses for the first time since 2020.
For Peter Laviolette, the history was even more unwanted since the team’s 0-2-1 start makes him the first Kings coach to go winless in his first three games since Robbie Ftorek in 1987.
Laviolette was a 23-year-old defenseman with the U.S. national team then. He would go on to win 934 NHL games as a coach, the most ever for an American, but he has yet to add to that total with the Kings. It didn’t help that two of the first three games with his new franchise came against Colorado and Florida, popular picks to finish the season in the Stanley Cup Final.
Lakers forward Adou Thiero looks to pass around Golden State forward Yaxel Lendeborg during the Lakers’ 124-98 preseason loss Tuesday.
(Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: This was never going to be a game for the Lakers to remember. But with nearly half of the roster sidelined because of injuries or resting, Adou Thiero at least tried to inject some life into a sleepy preseason back-to-back.
Thiero’s towering one-handed dunk over two Golden State defenders provided a highlight in the Lakers’ otherwise forgettable 124-98 preseason loss to the Warriors at Chase Center on Tuesday. The Lakers leaned on their depth to get through their second short-handed preseason game in as many nights.
Guard Quentin Grimes, the only player starting a second consecutive game for the Lakers, had 12 points and three assists. Forward Sandro Mamukelashvili started at center and had 15 points and a trio of three-pointers. Thiero, getting a rare starting moment, scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds while Bronny James had four points and five assists in a starting role.
No. 2 Dodgers vs. No. 3 Atlanta at Dodgers 5, Atlanta 3 (box score) Atlanta 3, at Dodgers 2 (box score) Dodgers 3, at Atlanta 1 (box score) Wednesday at Atlanta, 3 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One *Friday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
No. 1 Milwaukee vs. No. 4 San Diego at Milwaukee 3, San Diego 2 (box score) at Milwaukee 4, San Diego 3 (box score) at San Diego 4, Milwaukee 3 (box score) Wednesday at San Diego, 7 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One *Friday at Milwaukee, 1:30 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
American League
No. 1 Tampa Bay vs. No. 4 New York at Tampa Bay 1, New York Yankees 0 (box score) at Tampa Bay 5, New York Yankees 2 (box score) Wednesday at New York, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max *Thursday at New York, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max *Saturday, Oct. 10 at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
No. 2 Cleveland vs. No. 6 Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox 3, at Cleveland 0 (box score) Chicago White Sox 4, at Cleveland 3 (box score) Wednesday at Chicago, 1 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max *Thursday at Chicago, 2 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max *Saturday, Oct. 10 at Cleveland, 2 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
* if necessary
NLCS starts Sunday, Oct. 11 ALCS starts Monday, Oct. 12 World Series starts Friday, Oct. 23
This Day in Sports History
1904 — Jack Chesbro registers his 41st victory of the season as New York defeats Boston 3-2.
1916 — Georgia Tech, coached by John Heisman, beats Cumberland 222-0 in the most lopsided college football game in history.
1933 — Baseball World Series: NY Giants beat Washington Senators, 4-3 at Griffith Stadium to clinch 4 games to 1 series victory.
1935 — Baseball World Series: Detroit Tigers beat Chicago Cubs, 4-3 at Navin Field for 4 games to 2 series win; Tigers win first championship in 5 WS appearances.
1945 — The Green Bay Packers score 41 points in the first quarter in a 57-21 win against the Detroit Lions.
1950 — Baseball World Series: New York Yankees beat Philadelphia Phillies, 5-2 at Yankee Stadium to sweep series, 4-0 for 13th WS title in team history; MVP: NY 2B Jerry Coleman.
1952 — Baseball World Series: NY Yankees beat Brooklyn Dodgers, 4-2 at Ebbets Field in Game 7 to tie own record 4th straight WS; MVP: NY 1B Johnny Mize.
1962 — Judy Kimball wins the LPGA championship with a four-stroke victory over Shirley Spork.
1967 — Tulsa wide receivers Ricky Eber and Harry Wood have the best day by a receiving duo in college football history. Eber has 20 receptions for 322 yards and three touchdowns, while Wood grabs 13 passes for 318 yards and three scores in Tulsa’s 58-0 win over Idaho State.
1970 — Willie Shoemaker wins his 6,033rd race to pass Johnny Longden as the winningest jockey. His first race was won on April 20, 1949.
1984 — Walter Payton breaks Jim Brown’s career rushing mark of 12,312 yards and Brown’s career mark of 58 100-yard rushing games in a 20-7 victory over New Orleans. Payton breaks the record on Chicago’s second play from scrimmage in the second half.
1985 — Lynette Woodard, captain of the women’s basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1984 Olympics, is chosen to be the first woman to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.
1995 — Coach Eddie Robinson gets his 400th victory as Grambling beats Mississippi Valley State 42-6.
2000 — Zamir Amin of Menlo College sets an NCAA all-divisions record, passing for 731 yards in the Division III school’s 37-32 loss to Cal Lutheran. Amin, 39-of-66 with four TDs and three interceptions, breaks the mark of 716 set by David Klingler of Division I-A Houston against Arizona State on Dec. 2, 1990.
2001 — San Diego’s Rickey Henderson becomes the 25th player with 3,000 hits with a bloop double in a 14-5 loss to Colorado.
2001 — Barry Bonds wraps up his record-breaking season with his 73rd homer and shatters the slugging percentage record that Babe Ruth had owned for 81 years. He finishes with a slugging percentage of .863, easily surpassing the mark of .847 that Ruth set in 1920.
2006 — Denis Hopovac’s fifth field goal of the game, in an NCAA record-tying seventh overtime, gives North Texas a 25-22 victory over Florida International. The other two seven-overtime games involved Arkansas — against Mississippi in 2001 and Kentucky in 2003.
2011 — Minnesota Lynx beat the Atlanta Dream 73-67 to complete a three-game sweep of the WNBA championship series.
2012 — Drew Brees finishes 29 for 45 for 370 yards with four TD passes and an interception in New Orleans’ 31-24 win over San Diego. Brees breaks the NFL record by throwing a touchdown pass in his 48th straight game. His 40-yard pass to Devery Henderson eclipses the mark of 47 consecutive games set by Johnny Unitas from 1956-60.
2017 — Jarvion Franklin runs in from the 12 to give Western Michigan a 71-68 victory over Buffalo in a record-tying seven overtimes with a record-breaking 139 total points.
2017 — Backup Khalil Tate rushes for 327 yards, an FBS record for a quarterback, and accounts for five touchdowns to help Arizona hold off Colorado 45-42.
2017 — Alex Ovechkin scores four goals to become the first player in 100 years with back-to-back hat tricks to open a season, and the Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 6-1.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
News of Arteta’s new deal at Arsenal won’t come as a shock.
The fact his previous deal expired at the end of the season did put a slightly greater emphasis on the speed of discussions than normal.
But Arteta has been transparent about his desire to stay at the club beyond the end of this campaign.
Dynasty building is what has driven Arteta’s decision. Winning Arsenal‘s first Premier League title in 20 years last season is viewed as just the start.
Coming within a penalty kick of winning their first Champions League trophy came as a gut-wrenching blow – but also a huge motivation.
“We share a special bond with Mikel. We are so proud of everything we have achieved since he returned to the club in 2019,” co-chairmen Stan and Josh Kroenke said.
“He has a deep understanding of Arsenal‘s values and carries them in his heart. He knows what this club means to everyone connected to it and is committed to building on everything we have achieved together.”
With that in mind, there was never a sense Arteta was preparing to walk away from the team he has built to become one of the best in European football.
So with a deal for their manager to stay now agreed, the foundation of Arsenal‘s recent revitalisation into a footballing force remains in place.
Does more history beckon? Arteta is committed to finding out.
When Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Skubal he would start the team’s playoff opener, Skubal responded with a question.
“Why?”
Skubal was honored with the assignment, but he also was worried.
“I was like, ‘Is Yoshi OK?’” Skubal said Tuesday.
He is, as the Atlanta Braves found out the hard way. Yamamoto pitched the Dodgers to within one game of the National League Championship Series, setting a postseason high with 10 strikeouts in a 3-1 victory.
In seven innings, Yamamoto gave up one run on four hits, all of them singles. In only one of those innings did Atlanta advance a runner beyond first base.
“I just have a lot of respect for him and for what he means here in L.A. and what he has accomplished here,” Skubal said. “I know we have a lot of good starting pitching, and I know there is a lot of thought that goes into it, but I just assumed he would be the Game 1 guy.”
You could say Yamamoto rises to the October occasion, but Mookie Betts would not say that, if only because Yamamoto rises to the occasion on just about every occasion.
“I don’t see it any different,” Betts said. “I think he does it all year, too.
“He just has so many weapons. He throws a lot of strikes with a lot of pitches. He’s hard to hit.”
Skubal, a two-time Cy Young winner, is brilliant in October.
In seven postseason appearances, he has a 1.97 earned-run average. He gave up five runs in one inning, and he has given up five runs in the other 44⅔ innings. The Dodgers’ grand prize from the trade deadline was hardly a reckless choice to start Game 1 of the division series.
Yamamoto has a 2.14 ERA in 11 playoff appearances, the fourth-lowest of any pitcher since 1903 to make at least 10 postseason starts. He drains the life out of an opposing crowd as well as anyone in major league history, with a 1.42 ERA in six road playoff outings.
“I’m a fan of this game as much as I am a player,” Skubal said. “So, when I watch guys do really impressive things and do great things, I understand what it takes because I also play the game.
“When he goes out and performs like he does, it’s almost like I expect it. And now, being a teammate of his, it’s not surprising at all why he goes and performs like he does, because the way he prepares is as good as anybody in this game. It’s just a ton of fun to be on the same side of it.”
Yamamoto admitted to feeling nervous, even if you would never sense it from watching him. That’s part of the way he prepares, too.
“During the preparation and before the game, then I do get nervous,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter, “but at that time, I personally think that’s very important.”
And then the game starts, the nerves dissipate, and the opponent is methodically slayed.
“He just has a way to just make pitches, calm his heartbeat,” Roberts said.
Highlights from the Dodgers’ 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS.
The Dodgers have played seven postseason series with Yamamoto, and they have won them all.
We’ll always cherish last October. In 76 regular-season starts with the Dodgers, he has one complete game. In back-to-back starts last October, he threw a complete game both times.
Of the Dodgers’ four victories in the World Series, Yamamoto earned three — including Game 6 as a starter and Game 7 as a reliever, with no day of rest in between.
“I got goosebumps watching that,” Skubal said. “I didn’t know how he was doing it. That’s what I was thinking: How is this going to work?
“His stuff looked even better than it did in Game 6, which is insane to say. But it did. When I was watching on TV, I was like, ‘Holy … he looks better today than he did yesterday, and he did pretty well the day before.’ It’s incredible.
“Hopefully, we’re not having to do that again to him.”
That is one big reason why the Dodgers acquired Skubal. If Tyler Glasnow wins Wednesday — and the Dodgers won in all six of Glasnow’s postseason appearances last October — they are off to the NLCS.
The Game 1 starter could be Skubal, followed in Game 2 by Yamamoto. That’s a tall order for opposing batters and, so far, a winning order for the Dodgers.
Flag football is now played by 20 million people in more than 100 countries and the rapid growth of the women’s game was key to it becoming one of five optional sports for LA28.
The decision is due before the end of 2026 so flag football could head into its Olympic debut knowing it will feature in back-to-back Games.
Participation has boomed in Australia and scores of athletes are switching from Australian rules football, netball and rugby, while the American team has recruited basketball players.
GB’s Brittany Botterill (football/softball), Phoebe Schecter (equestrian), Marta Mathews (football), Jochebed Frimpong (athletics), Jess Allen (badminton) and Angelica Tait (athletics/snowboarding) all competed in other sports before playing flag football.
US-born Emily Kemp even became an ultimate frisbee world champion last year, in the same summer she helped GB win the flag Euros.
“We are an elite team already, we’re a potential medal threat at LA28, but we’re really aspirational so we’re looking to widen our talent pool,” said Chad Ehlertsen, chief executive of the British American Football Association (Bafa).
“If you look at the top flag players around the world, they’ve generally come from certain sports. They have good hand-eye coordination, agility, speed, decision-making under pressure. These are the qualities we’re looking for.
“In many ways we’re not looking for elite flag players, we’re looking for elite athletes that have the potential [to transfer] and then our coaches will help them understand the game.”
Tom Pidcock wanted to “stop racing” after saying that two of his team-mates were hit by a police vehicle travelling the wrong way down the course at the Tre Valli Varesine in Italy.
Pidcock finished second at the one-day race in Varese but was left “mad” after Pinarello-Q36.5 team-mates Marcel Camprubi and Thomas Gloag were knocked off their bikes with six laps of the finishing circuit to go.
Spain’s Camprubi was able to continue in the race but Pidcock’s fellow Briton Gloag stopped and required stitches on his knee.
“First of all, I wanted to stop the race, stop racing myself,” Pidcock told Eurosport after the race, which was won by Belgium’s Jarno Widar in a sprint finish.
“I was mad. I had guys all riding in front of me, for me, and then two of them are on the floor.
“This shouldn’t happen. But we continued and got back into the race and I’m happy that I could be on the podium.”
BBC Sport has contacted race organisers and local police for comment.
In August, two-time Olympic mountain bike champion Pidcock won his second cross-country world title at the Mountain Bike World Championships.
He dedicated that win to British cyclist Finlay Tarling, 19, who died on 14 August during the Volta a Portugal following a high-speed collision with a van that had strayed on to the closed road.
Camprubi posted a picture of a broken bike on Instagram Stories, with a caption that read: “Sad that you have to risk your life to race, one month after a tragic accident.”
