Get the latest updates on your favorite sports, from thrilling matches and championship events to player transfers and team rivalries. Dive into insightful analysis, expert opinions, and behind-the-scenes stories that bring you closer to the world of sports.
Brandt Clarke scored a power-play goal with 6:10 to play to lift the Kings to a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Clarke’s slap shot from just inside the blue line came with just two seconds left on the man advantage and ended the Kings’ losing streak at three games.
Foegele opened the scoring 5:31 into the third period when he tapped in a pass from Joel Armia, who skated the puck down the right wing. Armia has points in three straight games.
Fabian Zetterlund tied it at 1-1 with 9:11 to play in the third with his third goal of the season and second in two games, but the Senators went scoreless on three power-play opportunities.
Leevi Merilainen made 20 saves for Ottawa, which was coming off wins over Anaheim and San José, the first two games of a seven-game road trip.
Up next for the Kings: vs. the Ducks at Honda Center on Friday night.
The 13 Welsh players based in England and France initially named in Tandy’s autumn squad are not available for Wales this weekend.
Lock Adam Beard is based in France, while there are 12 players who ply their trade in England with Rhys Carre, Olly Cracknell, Archie Griffin, Nicky Smith, Dafydd Jenkins, Freddie Thomas, Tomos Williams, Jarrod Evans, Louie Hennessey, Max Llewellyn, Nick Tompkins and Louis Rees-Zammit unavailable.
In contrast, Wales have a long-term deal with their own sides to release players for the national side, so Ospreys, Cardiff, Scarlets and Dragons names make up the 30-strong squad this weekend.
The Springboks will also have a limited selection because some of their players have returned to English, French and Japanese clubs, while head coach Rassie Erasmus has also released players back to South African sides for URC action.
South Africa will be without world player of the year Malcolm Marx, Thomas du Toit, Boan Venter, Lood de Jager, RG Snyman, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Grant Williams, Handre Pollard, Manie Libbok, Jesse Kriel, Cheslin Kolbe and Edwill van der Merwe, who have returned to their provincial unions and clubs.
Whether or not he pitches in the international tournament, however, remains unclear.
On Monday, Ohtani announced on Instagram he is planning to participate in the WBC for the second time in his career.
In the 2023 WBC, he won tournament MVP with a .435 batting average and 1.86 pitching ERA, helping Japan to that year’s title. He punctuated the event with his memorable strikeout of Mike Trout for the final out in the championship game.
“I’m happy to play again representing Japan,” Ohtani wrote in Japanese on Monday.
The question now is whether Ohtani will pitch in the event, which takes place in March, just five months removed from his heavy postseason workload during the Dodgers’ run to a second-consecutive World Series title.
At this point, no decision on that front has seemingly been made.
After spending the first half of the 2025 season limited only to designated hitting duties while completing his recovery from a 2023 Tommy John procedure, the 31-year-old Ohtani resumed his two-way role over the second half, making 14 pitching starts for the Dodgers from June to September while increasing his workload one inning at a time.
By the postseason, he was fully built up for full-length starts, and went on to throw 20⅓ innings over four playoff outings — including a 2⅓ inning appearance on shortened three days’ rest in Game 7 of the World Series.
Oftentimes, pitchers who are that heavily taxed during a deep playoff run will consider sitting out a WBC the following year because of the early ramp-up required to throw in the tournament takes place during spring training.
However, the WBC is of supreme importance in the Japanese baseball community; more significant even than the World Series. And Ohtani is the face of the county’s iconic Samurai Japan national team, which will be trying to win its fourth WBC title.
Shohei Ohtani celebrates with his teammates after striking out Mike Trout to secure Japan’s World Baseball Classic championship win over the United States in 2023.
(Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press)
Ohtani is expected to hit in the event, coming off a career-high 55-homer season that helped him earn a third-consecutive MVP Award and the fourth of his MLB career.
But there remains no indication about whether he will pitch, nor if such a decision has been made between him and the Dodgers (who can’t block Ohtani from participating in the event, but could request he either not pitch or follow strict usage rules given he missed the first half of last season on the mound).
It is unlikely that decision will be made until closer to the tournament.
The Dodgers’ two other Japanese pitchers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, face a similar dynamic leading into next year’s WBC.
Yamamoto made 30 starts in the 2025 regular season, the most of his MLB or Japanese career, then threw 37⅓ more innings in six outings during the playoffs — including his heroic back-to-back victories in Games 6 and 7 of the World Series.
Sasaki missed most of his rookie MLB season with a shoulder injury, but returned late in the year and became the team’s de facto closer in the playoffs. Next year, he is slated to return to the starting rotation.
Like Ohtani, they are both key cogs in the Dodgers’ 2026 pitching plans, which, as manager Dave Roberts alluded to during a promotional tour in Japan last week, could make the WBC something of a potential complication.
“We’ll support them,” Roberts told the Japanese media. “But I do think that the pitching, it’s a lot on the body, the arm. The rest will be beneficial for next year, for our season. But we understand how important the WBC is for these individual players and for the country of Japan.”
The Dodgers could choose to block Sasaki’s participation in the WBC, since he spent much of last year on the 60-day injured list, but have not yet given any indication about whether they would do so.
The club can’t do the same with Yamamoto, but could still try advocating for him to be used more conservatively in the tournament coming off his especially burdensome October performance.
For now, at least, what is known is that Ohtani will participate in some capacity.
But whether he, or his Japanese Dodgers teammates, will pitch in the tournament will remain a subplot as the offseason progresses.
In February 2024, Sheffield United team-mates Jack Robinson and Vinicius Souza had to be separated as tempers flared during their 1-0 defeat at Wolves.
The bizarre spat between the Blades duo led to the video assistant referee checking for a possible red card, but no action was taken.
Manager Chris Wilder said his players did not “overstep the mark” and dismissed the incident as something that happens “at every club up and down the country, three or four times a year”.
LAHAINA, Hawaii — Rodney Rice scored a season-high 27 points and Chad Baker-Mazara had 11 points and eight rebounds as USC beat Boise State 70-67 on Monday in the Southwest Maui Invitational.
USC (5-0) will play on Tuesday against Seton Hall, which beat North Carolina State earlier.
Rice split two defenders at the top of the key to get into the paint for a runner while being fouled with 14.8 seconds left in the game. He made the basket and free throw to give USC the lead at 68-65.
After the teams traded free throws, Boise State inbounded it with 4.2 seconds left and quickly got down the court for Javan Buchanan’s good look from three-point range that came up just short at the buzzer.
Rice made four of USC’s 11 three-pointers, while Boise State went five for 25.
Buchanan led Boise State (4-2) with 18 points. Pearson Carmichael added 14 points and Aginaldo Neto 10.
Boise State trailed for 25-plus minutes, with its last lead at 59-58 at 2:57.
What followed backed up Amorim’s pre-game view his side is “far from perfection”.
For 77 minutes the United head coach watched his players toil.
He watched young defenders Patrick Dorgu and Leny Yoro needlessly give the ball away under no pressure as the home side were building attacking momentum.
He watched Amad Diallo take the wrong option as he tried to cause a nuisance, first as a number 10 replacement for Matheus Cunha – who was badly missed due to the injury that initially forced him to forgo switching on Altrincham’s Christmas lights on Saturday evening.
He watched as the normally reliable Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes failed to execute correctly as chances went begging.
He watched as Joshua Zirkzee, given his first start of the season, and Kobbie Mainoo, given an extended run as a second-half replacement for Casemiro, failed to press their claims for more game time as is being demanded to maintain their respective World Cup hopes.
He also watched as goalkeeper Senne Lammens made a questionable attempt to save Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s first-half effort that ultimately proved decisive.
Zirkzee did force Jordan Pickford into a full length save with a header near the end.
But there was nothing more.
As Amorim said on Friday, what had been a five-match unbeaten run could quickly turn into a three-game one without a win with a trip to Crystal Palace to follow on Sunday.
“I know which point we are in,” he said. “I have that feeling during this run. I always talk about that.
“We are not there, not even near the point we should be to fight for the best positions in the league.
“We have a lot to do and we need to be perfect to win games. We were not perfect today.”
It is worth recapping United’s last three games.
At both Nottingham Forest and Tottenham, they led. If they had maintained the advantage, United would have been second in the ‘as it stands’ table. On both occasions, they failed the test and actually needed late equalisers to salvage anything after falling behind.
This time round, completing the Premier League match round, United knew a win would take them fifth. If they had matched last season’s result, it would have lifted them to fourth.
NEW YORK — Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, pleaded not guilty Monday to charges he profited from rigged poker games involving several Mafia figures and at least one other ex-NBA player.
Billups, a five-time All Star and onetime Clippers player and assistant coach who won a championship with the Detroit Pistons, was arraigned in a federal court in Brooklyn on money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy charges involving a scheme to rig mob-backed illegal poker games in Manhattan, Las Vegas, Miami and the Hamptons.
Both charges carry a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison. Others implicated face charges of running an illegal gambling business, robbery conspiracy and extortion conspiracy.
Prosecutors said Monday that plea negotiations have begun with some defendants, though they didn’t name them.
U.S. District Court Judge Ramon Reyes said he hoped to bring the sprawling case to trial by next September, urging lawyers in the courtroom to “do what you have to do.”
Billups, who wore a dark gray suit during Monday’s brief arraignment, spoke only to answer the judge’s yes or no questions. His lawyer, Marc Mukasey, entered his not guilty plea.
They declined to comment to reporters afterward, but one of Billups’ lawyers has called him a “man of integrity” and said he denies the charges.
“To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his Hall of Fame legacy, his reputation and his freedom. He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game,” Chris Heywood said after Billups appeared in federal court in Portland, Ore., when prosecutors first announced the indictment on Oct. 23.
Billups, 49, was released on a $5-million bond secured by his family’s Colorado home. He must refrain from gambling and can have no contact with other defendants or alleged victims. He has surrendered his passport and can only travel to seven states, including Oregon and New York, and Washington, D.C.
Inducted last year into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, Billups was arguably the most prominent among more than 30 people charged in last month’s sprawling federal takedown of illegal gambling operations linked to professional sports.
In addition to his arraignment, Billups and his co-defendants, including ex-NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones, appeared for a status conference on Monday and are due back in court on March 4.
Prosecutors say the poker-rigging scheme utilized sophisticated technology such as altered card-shuffling machines, hidden cameras in chip trays, special sunglasses and X-ray equipment built into the table to read cards.
Jones, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and others are also charged with allegedly scheming to allow gamblers to exploit insider information about players to win NBA bets.
Prosecutors say the poker scheme Billups was involved in defrauded victims of an estimated $7 million starting in at least 2019.
They say he served as a celebrity “face card” that could draw wealthy, unsuspecting players to the games. Prosecutors said during one game, the scheme’s organizers exchanged messages saying one of the victims “acted like he wanted Chauncey to have his money” because he was “star struck.”
Prosecutors say Billups, who earned about $106 million from his playing days, received a portion of the ill-gotten gains. After one rigged game in October 2020, for example, they say he was directly wired $50,000.
The scheme organizers also had to share a portion of their proceeds with the Gambino, Genovese and Bonanno mob families for operating within the illegal poker games run by the New York criminal enterprises, prosecutors said.
Mafia members, in turn, helped commit violent acts, including assault, extortion and robbery, to ensure repayment of debts and the continued success of the operation, they said.
Billups was selected as the third overall pick in the 1997 draft by the Boston Celtics after starring in college for the Colorado Buffaloes. He played 17 years in the NBA, with stints with the Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and Clippers.
But he is perhaps most beloved in the Motor City, where he earned the nickname “Mr. Big Shot” for his knack of making clutch shots.
Billups was named the NBA Finals MVP during the Pistons’ title run in 2004 and had his No. 1 jersey retired by the team.
After retiring in 2014, Billups embarked on a career as a TV analyst before pivoting to coaching.
He was hired as Portland’s coach in 2021 and signed a multiyear extension with the Trail Blazers earlier this year after the team missed out on the playoffs for the fourth straight season in 2024. Billups previously served as an assistant coach for the Clippers.
After his arrest, he was placed on unpaid leave and the Trail Blazers named assistant coach and former NBA player Tiago Splitter as interim coach.
Marcelo writes for the Associated Press. Associated Press reporter Michael R. Sisask contributed to this story.
Vinicius Junior will not sign a new deal at Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool will keep an eye on his situation, while Liverpool have held concrete talks over a move for Antoine Semenyo.
Brazil forward Vinicius Junior, 25, has told Real Madrid he does not intend to renew his contract which expires in the summer of 2027, because of a strained relationship with manager Xabi Alonso. (Athletic – subscription required), external
Liverpool, Manchester United and several other Premier League clubs are keeping a keen eye on Vinicius’ situation. (Mirror), external
Liverpool have already held concrete talks over a move for Bournemouth and Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo, 25, and are aware of his £65m release clause. (Florian Plettenberg), external
Marseille want to hold talks with Brighton about signing Denmark midfielder Matt O’Riley, 25, permanently in January. (Sky Sports), external
European giants AC Milan are plotting a spectacular move for Crystal Palace and France striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, 28. (Teamtalk), external
Premier League clubs are expected to queue up to sign Atletico Madrid and England midfielder Conor Gallagher in January, provided the Spanish club agree to sell or loan out the 25-year-old former Chelsea player. (Sky Sports), external
Paris St-Germain have joined Real Madrid in the race for Bayern Munich and France defender Dayot Upamecano, 27, who looks set to become a free agent at the end of the season. (Sky Sports Germany – in German), external
Wolves and Brazil midfielder Joao Gomes, 24, has had his head turned by Manchester United’s interest in him and would be keen on a January move. (Teamtalk), external
Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva, 31, is likely to leave Manchester City when his contract expires at the end of the season. (Fabrizio Romano), external
Chelsea and Arsenal will fight to sign Marseille’s French striker Robinio Vaz, 18, who is valued between 20 and 30m euros (£17.6m to £25.5m). (Caught Offside), external
Atletico Madrid are considering a move for Marseille forward Mason Greenwood, 24, with the Englishman valued at about £70m. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external
Former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker will attend a tryout forthe New Orleans Saints on Tuesday, the team has confirmed with The Times.
It is said to be the first tryout for the six-time Pro Bowl player since serving a 10-game suspension at the start of this season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
Tucker spent the first 13 years of his career with the Ravens but was released in May after reports of multiple massage therapists accusing him of inappropriate sexual behavior first surfaced in January. The 36-year-old player has denied any inappropriate behavior.
After conducting its own investigation, the NFL announced its suspension of Tucker in June, citing a violation of the league’s personal conduct policy. He was eligible for reinstatement Nov. 11 but had been permitted to try out and sign with a team before that.
A Super Bowl champion following the 2012 season, Tucker is one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history, having made 89% of his field goal attempts (fourth best all-time). In 2021, he connected on a 66-yard field goal that stood as an NFL record until Jacksonville’s Cam Little broke it with a 68-yarder earlier this season.
In 2022, Tucker agreed to a four-year contract extension, including $17.5 million guaranteed, through the 2027 season. Last year, however, Tucker had his worst NFL season, making a career-low 73.3% of his field goal attempts. The Ravens drafted kicker Tyler Loop out of Arizona in April.
The Saints are auditioning kickers after third-year player Blake Grupe missed two field goal attempts Sunday during a loss to the Atlanta Falcons, bringing his total of misses this season to eight. Cade York, who previously kicked for the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Commanders, also reportedly was slated for a tryout in New Orleans.
Everton’s Idrissa Gueye was sent off for clashing with team-mate Michael Keane during the Premier League match at Manchester United.
United’s Bruno Fernandes had just gone close to scoring when Gueye and Keane began arguing with one another in the 13th minute at Old Trafford, with the game goalless.
Defender Keane appeared to twice push Gueye away before the midfielder appeared to put his hand in Keane’s face.
Everton’s England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had to pull the pair apart before referee Tony Harrington showed Gueye a straight red card for violent conduct.
The Premier League Match Centre later posted on X:, external “The referee’s call of red card to Gueye for violent conduct was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the action deemed to be a clear strike to the face of Keane.”
The law for violent conduct defines a sending off offence as striking an opponent or any other person, on the head or face with their hand or arm, unless the force used was negligible.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, former Manchester City and England goalkeeper Joe Hart said “something must have been brewing” between the two players before the red card.
“The referee wasn’t even close enough to hear what Idrissa Gueye was saying but he was in Michael Keane’s face, who is considerably bigger than him and shoved him off with one arm,” added Hart.
“When he came over to continue the argument, the referee just casually walked over and sent him off. Jordan Pickford did very well in the situation.
“If that’s all that happened though, it isn’t a red card. Something must’ve been brewing between them two.”
Despite being reduced to 10 men, Everton took the lead through Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s 29th-minute goal.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. It’s championship week in high school football. It’s also the 10-year anniversary of one of best and most entertaining high school basketball teams in history — the unbeaten 2015-16 Chino Hills Huskies, led by the Ball brothers
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
LiAngelo Ball, center, is flanked by his brothers Lonzo, second from left, and LaMelo in 2016.
(Los Angeles Times)
High school basketball fans, sportswriters and coaches had the time of their lives watching the creation of Chino Hills’ 35-0 team from 2015, with brothers Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball in starring roles. They helped entertain and draw so many Oohs and Aahs that they became nationally recognized, along with their always talkative father, LaVar.
The tales of showing up with a lawn chair two hours before a game to make sure you got a seat before the gym sold out are legendary. The talent and chemistry of the Balls, along with Onyeka Okongwu and Eli Scott, was something to behold all the way to Chino Hills winning the state championship in March of 2016 in Sacramento.
Keawe Browne (2) celebrates after a blocked Mater Dei field-goal attempt gives Corona Centennial 28-27 win.
(Craig Weston)
Who had Santa Margarita facing Corona Centennial in Friday’s Southern Section Division 1 final at the Rose Bowl? Both teams earned the spot, the first time St. John Bosco or Mater Dei have failed to participate in the championship game since 2012.
Another one-handed catch of the year for Ty Plinski of Corona Centennial. Catalano scores on two-yard run. Centennial 21, Mater Dei 16 pic.twitter.com/SIcAOkcV34
Santa Margarita took care of business in the other semifinal to defeat Orange Lutheran. The Eagles are surging because of their terrific defense and the threat Trent Mosley offers any time he touches the ball. Here’s the report.
Crenshaw pulled off the win that few expected when the City Section season began last August. The Cougars handed Birmingham its first defeat after 55 consecutive wins over City opponents 12-7 in the City Open Division semifinals. What a coaching job by interim coach Terrence Whitehead. His team will face Carson for the City title on Saturday at L.A. Southwest College. Here’s a look at Crenshaw’s journey this season.
Carson first-year coach William Lowe has his team trying for a 12th City title.
(Nick Koza)
Carson is playing like a No. 1 seed after dominating Garfield in the semifinals. With quarterback Chris Fields’ ability to run or pass, the Colts will have an advantage against a Crenshaw team that hasn’t faced many teams with balanced offenses.
South Gate quarterback Michael Gonzalez tries to console William Smith of Dorsey in an act of sportsmanship after South Gate win.
City Section football championships: Friday at Birmingham Division II: Santee vs. Hawkins, 2 p.m. Division III: Cleveland vs. San Fernando, 6 p.m. Saturday at L.A. Southwest College Division I: South Gate vs. Marquez, 2 p.m Open Division: Crenshaw vs. Carson, 6 pm
In Division II, Cleveland rallied for a win over Fairfax and will face San Fernando. Here’s a report. In Division III, Hawkins will play Santee.
Basketball
Brandon McCoy of Sierra Canyon had nine dunks and 25 points in win over JSerra.
(Craig Weston)
The Trinity-Mission League Challenge at Pauley Pavilion produced lots of dunks and competitive games. The best game ended up being the last, with St. John Bosco beating Harvard-Westlake 57-55. Santa Margarita rallied for a 77-73 win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame behind 28 points from Brayden Kyman. Brandon McCoy had nine dunks in his Sierra Canyon debut, a win over JSerra.
We knew it would only take one game. JCrowe Jr (Inglewood) broke previous CIFSS record of 3,356 set in 2019 by Jarod Lucas (Los Altos, HH). Now has 3,374 pts. Also moves to third in state history. Next up will be No. 2 DeMarcus Nelson of Sac Sheldon at 3,462 pts https://t.co/zB8IkpKxyh
In girls basketball, defending Southern Section Open Division champion Ontarior Christian started with two wins and Kaleena Smith scoring 45 and 35 points.
Redondo Union is hosting a tournament beginning Monday that includes Etiwanda.
Harvard-Westlake unveiled freshman Lucia Khamenia, the sister of Nikolas. Here’s a report.
Legacy of the Kymans
Brayden Kyman of Santa Margarita.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
The Kymans have been a sports family for years. Bernie Kyman was a coach and athletic direct. Son Coley starred in football and volleyball at Reseda and Cal State Northridge. His son Jake won a CIF title at Santa Margarita before playing for UCLA basketball.
The Calabasas High girls tennis team won the Southern Section Division 2 championship.
(Courtesy Calabasas High)
Corona del Mar completed an unbeaten Southern Section girls tennis season with a victory over Portola in the Division 1 championship match. Here’s a report.
Calabasas defeated Harvard-Westlake for the Division 2 title. Here’s a report.
Alexa Guerrero holds the championship plaque as she and her Marshall teammates celebrate their City Section Open Division flag football championship win over Eagle Rock.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Marshall has climbed to the top in City Section flag football with a 20-0 win over Eagle Rock in the Open Division final.
Irvine senior Summer Wilson won the Southern Section Division 2 cross-country title.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
On the rain course at Mount San Antonio College, Summer Wilson ran away with the Division 2 championship at the Southern Section cross-country championships. Here’s the report.
The City championships were held at Elysian Park, and Palisades won boys and girls titles. Here’s the report.
Justin Utupo is out after one season as football coach at Long Beach Poly. The Jackrabbits (5-5) lost six players to ineligibility by the Southern Section and the school administration refused to allow the team to participate in the playoffs. The program has won 20 Southern Section football championships but last won a Division 1 title in 2012 under Raul Lara. Here’s the report. . . .
Aaron Huerta has resigned after one season as football coach at Bishop Alemany. . ..
The CIF state championship football games will be played Dec. 11-12 at Buena Park High, Fullerton High and Saddleback College. . . .
Bo Beatty, the co-head football coach at Bonita, has resigned to return to Azusa Pacific where he was a long-time assistant coach. Steve Bogan is the co-head coach. . . .
Defensive lineman James Moffat of Crespi has committed to UCLA. . . .
Santa Margarita won its third state title in girls golf at Poppy Hills Golf Course. . . .
It was the year of Newport Harbor in boys water polo. The team lost one match all season and avenged its only defeat with a win over Cathedral Catholic in the regional final. . . .
Kacey Norwood has been named interim girls’ lacrosse coach at St. Margaret’s. . . .
JD Hill, a defensive lineman at Mission Viejo, has committed to Washington. . . .
Cooper Javorsky, a lineman from San Juan Hills who decommitted as a UCLA recruit after the firing of DeShaun Foster, has recommitted to the Bruins. . . .
Former Oaks Christian and UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger.
(Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)
Former Oaks Christian and UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger is having a successful rookie season for the Cleveland Browns. After being selected No. 33 overall in the NFL draft, he’s been starting and earning rave reviews.
From NFHS.org, a story of sportsmanship across the country in high school sports.
From the Las Vegas Review Journal, a story on changes in Nevada’s football playoff system that will allow Bishop Gorman only one nonleague game starting in 2026.
Tweets you might have missed
Here’s Joe Sterling’s three for Harvard-Westlake’s win over San Gabriel Academy at the buzzer. The announcers got a little excited. https://t.co/RcE82ZepiN
There are now 58 schools working with Southern Section in student media projects ranging from live streaming to photography. So many teenagers learning on-the-job lessons, from play by play to directing to using a camera to what an ethernet cable does.
South Gate wants to play its semifinal playoff game on Saturday so badly at home that it’s broken out a tarp so the City Section officials can’t deem it unplayable after expected rain Thursday night. I thought only baseball coaches knew about tarps. pic.twitter.com/tKBsdyrDRR
What a debut for 7-foot-4 Cherif Millogo of St. Francis. He made all 13 of his shots, including seven dunks. Finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists in win over Arleta. You’re watching a future NBA player.
It’s the 20th anniversary of the most unlikely Division 1 final: Loyola vs. Esperanza. Unlikely to ever see again at the highest level. So much has changed in 20 years. https://t.co/3yRINjNXkZ
From the Twilight Zone. Ten years ago QB Anthony Catalano stats in Corona Centennial semifinal win over Mater Dei. 19/31, 291 yards. On Friday brother Dominick Catalano stats in win over Mater Dei; 18/30 289 yards. Amazing.
Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.
Did you get this newsletter forwarded to you? To sign up and get it in your inbox, click here.
Defenders: Georgia Brown (Sporting Club Jacksonville), Jenna Clark (Liverpool), Nicola Docherty (Rangers), Leah Eddie (Rangers), Sophie Howard (Como), Emma Lawton (Celtic), Rachel McLauchlan (Brighton & Hove Albion), Amy Muir (Glasgow City).
Midfielders: Erin Cuthbert (Chelsea), Freya Gregory (Newcastle United), Sam Kerr (Liverpool), Kirsty MacLean (Liverpool), Maria McAneny (Celtic), Miri Taylor (Aston Villa), Caroline Weir (Real Madrid).
Turns out that retreating from head coach to offensive coordinator wasn’t a great fit for Chip Kelly. At least not in the NFL.
The Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday fired the former UCLA coach moments after they were defeated by the Cleveland Browns, 24-10, falling to a 2-9 record. Kelly’s stint as offensive coordinator was an abject failure: Among 32 NFL teams, Las Vegas is tied for last at 15.0 points per game and is 30th with 268.9 in total yards per game.
Kelly bolted from UCLA in 2023 after six overwhelmingly mediocre seasons as head coach to become offensive coordinator at Ohio State, which won the NCAA national championship in 2024.
Another opportunity arose immediately thereafter when Pete Carroll became the Raiders’ head coach and invited Kelly to run the offense.
Although Kelly’s NFL experience was limited to failed head coaching stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, he jumped at the opportunity, saying on a podcast that “the one thing about the NFL that I love is it’s the ultimate level of competition. It’s football at the highest level.”
Carroll, who is struggling to find traction with the Raiders at age 74 after a decorated career as coach of the Seattle Seahawks and USC, swiftly learned that Kelly wasn’t up to the task despite being paid $6 million this season, double any other offensive coordinator in the NFL.
“I spoke with Chip Kelly earlier this evening and informed him of his release as offensive coordinator of the Raiders,” Carroll said in a statement. “I would like to thank Chip for his service and wish him all the best in the future.”
Carroll became enamored by Kelly’s ability to put points on the scoreboard 16 years ago. USC was handed its worst loss in Carroll’s nine-year tenure when Oregon — coached by Kelly — pounded the Trojans, 47-20.
If Carroll wondered if he’d ever get payback, it came Sunday. But the dismal state of the Raiders falls on him as head coach.
“I am grateful for the opportunity with the Raiders, bottom line in this league you have to win,” Kelly told NFL reporter Jay Glazer. “I really loved those players, But hey, we gotta win. I get it.”
It’s difficult to see where Kelly will turn next. A return to the college ranks as a head coach seems a stretch. His abrupt departure from UCLA in February of 2024 put the Bruins in a difficult position. Most high school recruits had been signed and top transfers gone.
The Times’ Bill Plaschke wrote that Kelly was clearly uncomfortable with the way college football was evolving, with NIL player pay, the transfer portal creating roster uncertainty and cozying up to 17-year-old high school players as important as ever.
And the timing and manner in which he left made him appear selfish. “With him, it was Chip first, Chip all day, Chip every day, and he didn’t care who knew it,” Plaschke wrote.
New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston’s candidate for play of the year and a spectacular catch from Dallas Cowboys receiver George Pickens top the best of the plays from week 12 of the NFL season.
Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter, where USC’s loss to Oregon on Saturday has left me grappling with what it means to have a successful season in this day and age of college football.
USC will not be going to the College Football Playoff. It’ll be the fourth straight year under Lincoln Riley that USC is left out of the field. In that time, Indiana — which last won a conference title in 1967 — will have twice been a Playoff team. Assuming Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon all make this year’s field as expected, the Big Ten’s current membership will have accounted for 19 bids to the Playoff since it began in 2014 … none from USC.
There’s no getting around these facts. USC expects to compete for national titles every year, but in four seasons with Riley as coach, it hasn’t even made it to the dance floor. That’s not what USC was promised when it handed Riley a massive $110-million contract.
Fight on! Are you a true Trojans fan?
If USC beats UCLA next week, as expected, it will finish this season 9-3. That’s better than most rational observers would have expected — myself included. Oddsmakers had USC’s win total set at 7 1/2. I wrote in this space that I thought USC would win eight regular season games, but the best case was 10 and a Playoff bid. USC was within striking distance of that scenario. It fell just short.
Riley would like for you to focus on how narrow that gap is.
“We’re right there,” the coach said again Saturday. But no matter how many plays away USC might be from a Playoff bid in 2025 or four straight national titles in his tenure, Riley’s repeated assurances that this is the case have ceased to mean much to those he thinks he’s assuring. At some point, USC needs to stop being close and actually break through.
It took a step closer to that this season. There’s no shame in losing to three teams ranked in the top 21 of the CFP rankings. USC beat all the teams it was supposed to beat. It won on the road at Nebraska, Riley’s first road win over a .500 team since 2022. And it blew just one fourth-quarter lead, not five like last season.
In the 16 years since Pete Carroll left USC, the Trojans have reached the nine-win mark in the regular season just five times. With a win next week, Riley will have reached that mark twice in four years.
But without a Playoff bid, does a nine-win season really mean anything anymore? Is it possible for USC — or any Power Four team, for that matter — to miss the field and still view its season as a success?
If you thought that USC was going to make the College Football Playoff, you are no doubt disappointed. Most people, though, didn’t. And perhaps the fact that no one is surprised at the way this went is why it’s hard for anyone to feel excited about a 9-3 finish and a second-rate bowl game.
USC took a step forward this season. It wasn’t the leap many fans were hoping for. But it was a step. The reality is this was never a team that was going to seriously compete for a national title. It didn’t have enough talent.
Riley didn’t necessarily do USC any favors in that regard. Progress aside, he simply hasn’t done enough to make anyone, his bosses included, feel good about where next season might go.
There are reasons for optimism. Riley will have the No. 1 recruiting class at his disposal, along with several young returners USC will be counting on to make a leap. But he’ll also have to contend with a schedule that includes Ohio State, Oregon, Washington, Indiana and Penn State.
The road to the Playoff will be as difficult as it has ever been. But that is the bar that Riley must now clear. And by this time next season, we should have a pretty good idea of whether Riley is capable of clearing it.
Going polling
I want to hear what you think about this season as a whole. Do you consider USC’s season to be a success, even without a Playoff bid?
Tanook Hines catches a pass thrown by third-string quarterback Sam Huard on a fake punt against Northwestern.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
—The leaping penalty was a major turning point in the loss to Oregon. But should it have been a penalty? The flag on linebacker Desman Stephens negated what would’ve been a key missed field goal by Oregon, and afterward, Riley explained that Stephens “panicked” and did something they don’t teach. But NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay, who you may remember from his disdain for USC’s fake punt ploy, posited on social media that it was actually a totally legal play. McAulay wrote that Stephens “leaps into the gap” on the play and “the fact that part of his body is over part of an opponent does not violate the rule,” which states that a player cannot leap into the plane directly above the frame of an opponent. We should note USC lost this game by two touchdowns, so reversing that one wouldn’t have made the difference. That said, I will be curious to ask Riley for his take on Tuesday.
—The offensive line injuries finally caught up to USC. When center Kilian O’Connor went down with what appeared to be another knee injury Saturday and returned to the sideline on crutches, with his leg mobilized, it felt like a foreboding sign. A hobbled J’Onre Reed struggled in his place. Up against a stout Oregon front seven, the Trojans’ line was facing an uphill battle, and it never made much headway. USC ran for just 52 yards, its worst mark in two years. Oregon barely had to blitz — it rushed with four on 27 of 31 dropbacks. This was simply a better defensive line beating up on a more limited offensive line. But USC’s offensive line showed a lot of heart over the course of the last six weeks, and there are plenty of reasons to feel optimistic. USC returns everyone in the room except for Reed and has several freshmen whose progress has impressed the staff this season.
—Tanook Hines can be a star as soon as next season. You saw once again what Hines is capable of as he leaped into the air to reel in Makai Lemon’s pass and tapped his toes in the end zone on the way down. The raw ability is apparent, and his propensity for big plays has been terrific for a freshman. The question now is whether he can emerge as a more consistent threat that’s leaned on to do more than just make highlight catches in traffic. Lemon is leaving for the NFL after this season, and while USC will surely try to convince Ja’Kobi Lane to stay, my guess is he’ll be ready to go, too, depending on his draft grade. That leaves Hines and whichever star transfer wideout(s) general manager Chad Bowden unearths in the portal to lead the receiving corps. Hines should be a big part of those plans, no matter what, and if he makes the leap, he could be in for a huge sophomore season.
—USC won’t be going to the Playoff, but there will be a consolation bowl appearance. Assuming the Trojans can win next week against UCLA, they’re most likely headed to the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on Dec. 30. The Holiday Bowl on Jan. 2 is also in play. USC has played in the Holiday Bowl four times in the last 12 years. It has never appeared in the Alamo Bowl.
—After a brutal loss to Notre Dame, USC women’s basketball faces a critical stretch ahead. The Trojans had a chance to win in South Bend with a layup after a frustrating fourth quarter, but missed it, and Hannah Hidalgo ended the game on the other end. They have four games between now and a Dec. 13 matchup with Connecticut at Galen Center, and they’ll need that time to iron things out. Kennedy Smith needs to be more consistent on offense, and the frontcourt remains a mystery. The next two weeks should help answer some pertinent questions.
Olympic sports spotlight
With two games left in its regular season slate, USC’s women’s volleyball team matched its season-high for wins under coach Brad Keller with its 24th victory on Saturday. It should surpass that mark this week.
It’s been a stellar season so far for the Trojans, who are tied for fourth in the Big Ten. The question now is just how far they can go in the postseason. Right now, according to ESPN’s college volleyball bracketology, USC is predicted to be a fourth seed.
Will (Noah Schnapp) and Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) come face to face in Season 5 of “Stranger Things.”
(Netflix)
We’ve waited over three years, if you can believe it, for a new season of “Stranger Things.” So long that none of the kids in the show are even kids anymore. (Two of them have actually become rock stars in the meantime.)
But I’m one of those who have been eagerly awaiting the series conclusion, and finally, that day has come. We still only get Volume 1 from Netflix on Wednesday. But that should be enough to hold us off until late December, when the remaining episodes drop.
Until next time …
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected], and follow me on X at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
At what point is the threshold crossed for a player making a clear impact on the goalkeeper? The only way you could end these discussions is to make a decision objective, but we should be wary of unintended consequences.
Would we get more consistent decisions? No doubt, but as we have seen with the handball law if you add more absolutes that simply results in more disallowed goals.
How about saying that a player being offside in the six-yard box always has to be impacting a goalkeeper? You would still have shades of grey and potentially goals disallowed which are against the spirit of the law.
If the offside player is at the opposite side of the goal to the keeper, would we really want a goal to be ruled out? If you are being objective, it would have to be.
That does not feel like a road we would want to go down, which leaves us still with a subjective conundrum.
VARs are told not to get involved in subjective offside unless a clear error has been made either way. This is why interventions are quite rare, and the borderline decisions like Andy Robertson at Manchester City cause most controversy.
Last season, there were only two VAR interventions on line of vision, and they both resulted in disallowed goals being awarded: Bernardo Silva for Manchester City at Wolves and Jamie Vardy for Leicester at Fulham.
In 2023-24, four goals were disallowed for the offence: Rasmus Hojlund for Manchester United at Burnley, Mohamed Salah for Liverpool at Burnley, Lorenz Assignon for Burnley at Crystal Palace and Tawanda Chirewa for Wolves against West Ham.
Supporters will understandably use these for comparison but while two decisions can be similar they will never be exactly the same. For that reason, we will always have perceived inconsistencies.
Claire Rothman, a trailblazing sports and entertainment industry executive indelibly tied to the Los Angeles Lakers during their 1980s heyday, has died.
Family members confirmed her death, on Saturday, was due to complications from a fall. She was 97.
As the president and general manager of the “Fabulous Forum,” Rothman was pivotal in bringing big-name musicians to the Inglewood venue and had deep ties to the Lakers when it was the team’s home during the “Showtime” era, when the Lakers won five championships in a decade.
Jeanie Buss, the daughter of former Lakers owner Jerry Buss — who after the recent sale of the team acts as its governor in NBA meetings — lamented the loss of Rothman, a woman she said shaped her career.
“Claire paved the way for women working in live entertainment. She was tenacious, creative and indomitable. My father always described her as the MVP who championed the Fabulous Forum as the West Coast concert rival to the legendary Madison Square Garden,” Buss said Sunday evening.
“For me personally, she was a mentor and a guide, helping me learn and navigate an industry that had never been very open to women in leadership,” Buss said. “I learned an incredible amount from her as an executive and consider her one of the major influences in my life.”
Rothman, hired in 1975 by Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke, became the vivacious president and general manager of the Forum during a pivotal moment in the Lakers’ history. She was frequently seen around town wearing the many championship rings that the team won during her tenure. Rothman was a prominent character in the HBO series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” played by actor Gaby Hoffmann.
“Claire Rothman is a f— legend,” Rebecca Bertuch, a writer for the show, told The Times in 2022. “I mean, she broke barriers that people didn’t think would ever be broken and she kicked ass and was notorious and well-known in her line of work for being that girl.”
Rothman has been recognized for her role in professional sports at a time when women were not commonplace or were treated poorly.
“I’m not exactly quiet,” Rothman is quoted as saying during a speech in a 1985 profile in The Times. “I am the only woman in the United States who runs a major sports arena. I have a variety of duties. I book the building. I schedule the sports. The box office answers to me, all the staffing answers to me, and at night I get to play hostess.”
She brought big-name acts such as Prince to the Forum and developed relationships with entertainers including Linda Ronstadt, Neil Diamond and Lionel Richie.
“Many building managers will not meet artists in their entire lives,” Larry Vallon, then-vice president of the Universal Amphitheatre, told The Times in 1985. “In Claire’s case, artists go out of their way to meet her. She has an incredible reputation in the industry.”
It was a remarkable position for a woman whose family had humble beginnings in this country.
Rothman’s family fled Romanian pogroms against Jewish people at the turn of the 20th century, immigrating to Philadelphia, according to Magda Peck, a cousin of Rothman’s mother.
“What I remember about Claire was how important family was to her and how close she was with my mother and the other cousins,” Peck said. “There was something about modeling how women support each other, how cousins are there for each other across generations.”
Peck, a public health expert, last saw Rothman a couple of weeks ago.
“She said, ‘Promise me that you’ll stay close to the cousins,’” Peck said. “Before she’s famous, before she’s the mother of the Lakers family, [she prioritized] the value of extended family.”
Rothman died in Las Vegas, where she had moved after leaving Southern California. She is survived by a son and a daughter, and multiple grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Jockey Dylan Kitts has been given a nine-year ban in a racing corruption case.
The rider and associate John Higgins conspired together to commit a corrupt practice by agreeing to stop a horse achieving its best possible position, it was found.
Kitts, 24, admitted to a disciplinary hearing he prevented his mount Hillsin from running on his merits when finishing third in a handicap hurdle at Worcester in July 2023.
Higgins, who has been banned from racing for 12 years, was deemed to be the mastemind behind the plan to stop Hillsin winning.
He is the father-in-law of Premier League footballer Ashley Barnes and is an associate of the horse’s owner Alan Clegg, who was not charged by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA).
Trainer Chris Honour was judged not to be part of the conspiracy but was found to have misled stewards and was fined £750.
