los angeles times

Less than 48 hours following their latest playoff exit, the Chargers fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman and offensive line coach Mike Devlin on Tuesday.

Coach Jim Harbaugh was noticeably noncommittal about Roman’s future after the Chargers’ 16-3 loss in the AFC wild-card playoffs on Sunday night, saying the team was “going to look at that.”

The decision comes after two dreadful performances by the Chargers’ offense in consecutive one-and-done playoff losses. Last season, the Chargers lost to the Houston Texans 32-12 after Justin Herbert threw four interceptions.

Against the Patriots, the Chargers appeared even more listless as Herbert struggled to connect with his receivers, completing 19 of 31 passes for 159 yards. The Chargers’ final five possessions ended with three punts, a fumble and a turnover on downs. The Chargers had just 207 total yards of offense.

Herbert was sacked six times behind an injury-ravaged offensive line that proved to be the offense’s weak point after Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt were lost to season-ending injuries.

Adding to the difficulties was a running game that struggled for consistency after Najee Harris tore his Achilles tendon in Week 3. Rookie running back Omarion Hampton missed six games with a fractured left ankle and played sparingly against the Patriots after injuring his right ankle in Week 17.

Harbaugh and Roman have a long history. Harbaugh hired Roman to his Stanford staff in 2009 and he served as Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers a decade ago. Roman also worked under John Harbaugh as the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive coordinator from 2019-22.

This is a developing story. The Times will have more on Roman and Devlin soon.

Welcome back to The Times’ Lakers newsletter, where things are about to get extra busy.

The Lakers started a stretch of five games in seven days on Monday with a 124-112 loss to the Sacramento Kings. They’ve lost three games in a row and could have a tough time turning the tide during an incredibly difficult schedule this month. This week’s five-game sprint leads directly into an eight-game marathon trip that starts on Jan. 20 in Denver.

The Lakers (23-14) are in danger of letting their slump stretch further as LeBron James could be limited Tuesday against Atlanta. He has not played back-to-back games all year and already played 33 minutes against the Kings, scoring 22 points.

If James is out, the Lakers could at least still welcome someone else back.

Reinforcement on the way

Rui Hachimura was available against the Kings after missing two weeks with a calf injury, but didn’t play. He could be more valuable against the Hawks on Tuesday in the second game of a back-to-back.

Hachimura will begin on a minutes restriction and won’t immediately reprise his starting role. But the struggling Lakers know what they will need from him when he returns.

“He’s our best catch-and-shoot guy,” coach JJ Redick said of Hachimura. “He’s one of the best guys in the league. … This is the balance that we’ve been battling all years: We can play better defenders and our offense isn’t as good. We can play better offensive players and our defense isn’t as good. So we’re continuing to find that balance.”

Hachimura is shooting 43.6% on catch-and-shoot attempts, which ranks 23rd among players with 100 or more such attempts. He started the season on a Michael Jordan-esque shooting streak, but cooled off in recent games. He was four for 14 from three-point range in his last four games before the latest injury. Averaging 12.7 points per game, Hachimura is still shooting a team-best 44.5% from three. He’s the only player shooting better than 40% from beyond the arc on a team that is one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the league.

But Hachimura has never been known as a stout defender. He’s averaging 3.8 rebounds per game this year, which equals his career-low.

Meanwhile, Jake LaRavia, who has started in Hachimura’s place, has been the Lakers’ most consistent defender all season. He can be a scorer, too. Only last week, we dedicated this newsletter to LaRavia’s back-to-back 20-point games.

But Redick also said that the team won’t count on that from him every night. LaRavia’s job is to be a perimeter anchor on defense and he has delivered in that role.

Redick said he hasn’t made any decisions about the starting lineup going forward as the team gets healthier.

The Lakers were 11th in offensive rating and 24th in defensive rating before Monday’s game. They were getting outscored by 0.7 points per 100 possessions. They’re the only team with a negative net rating with a winning record.

All-Star voting winds down

Luka Doncic is on top of All-Star voting.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

It’s election season in the NBA. All-Star elections, that is.

Lakers star Luka Doncic led the league in fan All-Star voting after two reveals, the league announced last Tuesday. His 2,229,811 votes were more than 137,000 ahead of Eastern Conference leader Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has led the league in All-Star fan voting for the last two seasons.

“Honestly it’s pretty amazing,” Doncic said of the early voting results. “Just, I mean, a kid from Slovenia only can dream about that, can dream about being in the NBA.”

Fan voting ends Wednesday at 8:59 p.m. PST. Doncic is in line to earn his sixth All-Star honor.

It’s already been quite the year for Doncic. After signing a three-year contract extension with the Lakers in August, the 26-year-old superstar is leading the league in scoring with 33.6 points per game. He had a second child. He launched a new signature shoe.

And he’s become the unquestioned leader of the Lakers in his first full season in L.A. Even LeBron James called Doncic “the franchise.”

“One, I think, [Doncic has] established himself as a global superstar. He has for years now,” Redick said. “Certainly speaks to the popularity of the Lakers’ brand and the amount of fans that follow us and cheer for us and live and breathe with every shot in every game like everybody in that locker room does. And I think he’s a fantastic representative of this organization.”

James was eighth in Western Conference voting in the second fan returns and 14th overall. The superstar who led the league in voting for seven consecutive seasons from 2017 to 2023 may see his 21-year All-Star streak end this season.

He has appeared in just 20 games, averaging 22 points, 6.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds while managing sciatica and foot arthritis. James was named a starter last season, but was a late scratch from the event because of foot and ankle injuries. It was the first time James didn’t participate in the NBA’s midseason showcase event since his rookie season.

This could be Austin Reaves’ first All-Star honor but a recent calf injury has hurt his campaign. Reaves was 11th in the West in fan voting after two returns.

Reaves appeared to be a lock for the honor earlier this season. He is averaging 26.6 points, 6.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds a game, all career-highs. He scored 51 points in a game against Sacramento.

The All-Star game will be held at Intuit Dome on Feb. 15 with yet another unorthodox format that hopes to generate some legitimate competition at the exhibition that has seemingly lost its luster in recent years. Voting takes place in traditional East vs. West format to decide the five players from each conference that are named “starters.”

But the group may not actually play together during the game.

The format will instead have two, eight-man teams of U.S. players and one “world” team of international players. They will compete in a round-robin tournament of four, 12-minute games. If the voting doesn’t yield 16 U.S. players and eight international players, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will select additional players to reach the minimum required.

Voting for starters is determined by fan vote (50%), NBA players (25%) and media (25%). After the starters are announced on Monday, NBA coaches decide the seven reserves for each conference.

On tap

Tuesday, vs. Hawks (20-21), 7:30 p.m.

The Hawks have won three consecutive games, including two after trading star Trae Young to Washington on Jan. 9. While Young — who ended up in Atlanta after in a draft-day trade that sent Doncic to Dallas — was the unquestioned headliner in the organization, the Hawks were just 2-8 in games with him this season. They didn’t need Young to beat the Lakers by 20 points in November.

Thursday, vs. Hornets (14-26), 7:30 p.m.

LaMelo Ball has returned since the last time the Lakers faced the Hornets in Charlotte. The former Chino Hills High star is averaging 19.9 points and 7.8 assists per game while Kon Knueppel leads all rookies with 19.1 points per game.

Saturday at Trail Blazers (19-21), 7 p.m.

Deni Avdija (averaging 26.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.9 assists) left Sunday’s loss against the Knicks in the fourth quarter with a back injury. The loss ended a five-game winning streak for the Trail Blazers, who had won seven of eight. Point guard Jrue Holiday (calf) also returned from a nearly three-month absence.

Sunday, vs. Raptors (24-16), 6:30 p.m.

This is the second game of the Lakers’ second back-to-back in a week. The Lakers have five games in seven days. Brace yourself for some ugly basketball during this stretch.

Status report

Austin Reaves: left calf strain

There’s about two weeks left until Reaves is reevaluated for the calf injury he aggravated on Christmas Day.

Adou Thiero: right MCL sprain

The rookie won’t be reevaluated for at least another two and a half weeks.

Favorite thing I ate this week

Simpang Asia’s festival rice: A platter of turmeric rice, and, clockwise from bottom left: fried wonton sheets, steamed vegetables under peanut dressing, tumeric chicken under shredded egg, fried noodles, potatoes under sambal balado, a red chili sauce with red peppers and tomatoes.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

I’m an indecisive eater. Choosing a dish at a restaurant feels like a very high-stakes decision. So a variety platter always hates to see me coming.

When I don’t want to just settle for one thing, the festival rice (nasi kuning komplit) from Simpang Asia in Palms helps cover all the bases. The Indonesian feast has a little bit of everything. A tower of turmeric rice stands at the center of the plate and is surrounded by potatoes under sambal balado — a red chili sauce with red peppers and tomatoes — fried noodles, turmeric chicken under shredded egg, steamed vegetables under peanut dressing and fried wonton sheets.

We also ordered roti paratha, Bali sea bass, which is grilled in banana leaves, and kwetiau goreng, a wok-fried rice noodle dish with bean sprouts, Chinese greens and eggs. We even uncovered a secret menu item: They don’t list their croquettes — fried potato balls filled with chicken — on the menu but you can still ask for them. You should ask for them.

In case you missed it

Luka Doncic scores 42 points, but poor defense dooms Lakers in loss to Kings

Lakers’ Rui Hachimura getting closer to returning from injury

NBA suspends Kings’ Dennis Schroder for reported confrontation with Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic and LeBron James both falter at finish as Lakers lose to Bucks

Luka Doncic has a triple-double, but LeBron-less Lakers lose to Spurs

Luka and LeBron go 30-30 as Lakers defeat the Pelicans

Until next time…

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!

It was a big night at the Golden Globes for Warner Bros. Discovery, which won nine awards — the most of any studio.

But there was little time to celebrate before reality set in.

On Monday, David Ellison’s Paramount sued Warner, demanding the company and its chief executive, David Zaslav, release more information about how Netflix’s bid was chosen. The move came a little less than a week after Warner rejected Paramount’s latest offer, citing the massive debt load the Ellison-led studio would take on to finance its takeover.

Despite a strong lineup of film and TV contenders this awards season, the overarching story for Warner will continue to be its uncertain future.

Will the storied company’s studios be swallowed up by streaming giant Netflix, which theater owners fear will lead to fewer theatrical releases? Or will Paramount prevail, which would continue the consolidation of the industry?

On Sunday, Hollywood’s anxiety over that deal was on full display.

“Conglomerates are not a good thing,” actor Wanda Sykes told my colleagues Tom Carroll and Rebecca Castillo on the red carpet. “You don’t want a monopoly.”

“Shark Tank” staple Kevin O’Leary, who made his movie debut in A24’s pingpong drama “Marty Supreme,” predicted that Netflix would prevail in its quest to control Warner Bros.’ studios, HBO and HBO Max because investors want to see the best possible return in the next two years.

“I think if they control those franchises, and they have the distribution that’s global … it’s very, very hard to compete with that,” he told The Times.

Eagle-eyed observers zeroed in on a seemingly warm exchange between Zaslav and Netflix Chief Executive Ted Sarandos at the event. And host Nikki Glaser wasted no time in addressing the elephant in the room.

“Let’s get down to business, shall we?” the comedian said, less than a minute into her monologue. “We’ll start the bidding war for Warner Bros. at $5. Do I hear $5?”

Jokes aside, Warner’s strong showing at the Globes could mean a fruitful next few months for the company.

The Globes signify the start of Hollywood’s awards season. And while its status as an Academy Awards bellwether has been hit-or-miss over the years — particularly given the tumult surrounding the show and its members — recognition there can help boost a film’s prospects.

Leading the pack was Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” which collected four awards, including best motion picture for musical or comedy. The film, widely considered to be a top contender for the best picture Oscar, follows a onetime revolutionary played by Leonardo DiCaprio who must revisit his old life after his daughter is kidnapped by a former foe.

Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” was also recognized with Globe awards for cinematic and box office achievement as well as original score for a motion picture.

Acclaimed medical drama “The Pitt” picked up two awards, while HBO Max‘s “Hacks” notched one for female actor in a television series — musical or comedy.

The recognition for Warner highlights why the fight for its future has been so contentious — both Netflix and Paramount see the company and its successful franchises and film and TV slates as a major prize to be won.

Also noteworthy at the Globes, this year marked the first time podcasts were an awards category. The inclusion underscores the growing importance of podcasts to Hollywood — nearly every nominated podcast was hosted by an actor or well-known personality.

But Penske Media, which runs the Globes, came under fire when the Ankler reported that Penske-owned Variety solicited marketing partnerships from potential award winners. (“For Your Consideration” awards campaign ads are also sold by other publications, including The Times).

Penske owns the audio analytics firm, Luminate, that compiled a short list of podcast nominees.

Within the podcast industry, there were also questions about the selection criteria and how some popular shows didn’t make the cut.

Dick Clark Productions, which produces the Golden Globes and is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, declined to comment.

Of course, controversy is nothing new to the Globes.

A Times investigation in 2021 raised concerns about its ethics and financial practices. NBC later pulled the show off the air in 2022 and Netflix, Amazon and many publicity agencies cut ties with the Globes, which undertook a series of changes before returning to the air a year later.

In June 2023, Penske Media acquired the nonprofit group that formerly hosted the Golden Globes — the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. — and made its members paid employees of the new enterprise.

The Globes scrapped that practice a year ago, describing the change in policy as “an acknowledgment that continuing to pay members could add to a perception of bias in voting.”

Stuff We Wrote

Film shoots

Number of the week

So far, so good for domestic theaters in 2026. Box office revenue for the U.S. and Canada is about $327.5 million to date, up 23% compared with the same time period last year.

This January has been bolstered by strong, holdover performances from Disney-owned 20th Century Studios’ “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and the Mouse House’s animated sequel “Zootopia 2,” as well as Lionsgate’s “The Housemaid.” Paramount Pictures’ chimp horror flick “Primate” opened this past weekend to $11.3 million domestically and $13.4 million worldwide.

Finally …

My colleague Christie D’Zurilla wrote about the now-paused fundraising effort for Mickey Rourke. The Oscar-nominated actor, who was facing eviction, rejected more than $100,000 raised by fans and supporters.

From Broderick Turner: Luka Doncic scored 40 points through three quarters for the Lakers against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night, going 15 for 21 from the field. He had seven assists and six rebounds and had played more than 30 minutes.

But then Doncic got his left thigh wrapped.

He scored only two points in the fourth quarter, making one of four shots and missing both of his three-point attempts in the Lakers’ 124-112 loss to the hot-shooting Kings.

After the game, Doncic didn’t provide much clarity on what he might be dealing with, saying his ailment was “somewhere” in the inner thigh or groin area.

“Yeah, I was really uncertain. Before the game … I felt something,” said Doncic, who was unsure before the game if he would play. “But tomorrow, we’ll see how I wake up.”

Doncic finished with 42 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. He was two for nine from three-point range. He didn’t let the injury be an excuse for his fourth-quarter struggles.

Continue reading here

Lakers box score

NBA standings

James Harden passes Shaq

Kawhi Leonard scored 35 points and James Harden had 32 to move into ninth place on the NBA’s career scoring list, and the Clippers beat the Charlotte Hornets 117-109 on Monday night for their fourth win in five games.

Jordan Miller added 14 points and Ivica Zubac had nine points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers.

LaMelo Ball had 25 points and nine rebounds to lead the Hornets in their third loss in four games. Kon Knueppel scored 18 points, Moussa Diabaté had 13 points and 15 rebounds, Brandon Miller also scored 13 and Miles Bridges 11.

Harden, who began the night 14 points behind Shaquille O’Neal’s 28,596 points for ninth, had 13 in the first half and then moved ahead on a three-pointer early in the third quarter.

Continue reading here

Clippers box score

NBA standings

Matthew Stafford has a sprained finger

From Gary Klein: Matthew Stafford suffered a sprained right index finger in the Rams’ wild-card victory over the Carolina Panthers, but he will be ready for Sunday’s divisional-round game against the Bears in Chicago, coach Sean McVay said Monday.

“He’s as tough as it gets and will be good to go,” McVay said during a videoconference with reporters.

Stafford injured his finger Saturday when his hand hit the helmet of a Panthers player during the Rams’ 34-31 victory in Charlotte, N.C. He played through the injury and passed for 304 yards and three touchdowns, including a game-winner to tight end Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds left.

Continue reading here

Commentary: Why Stan Kroenke was the only NFL owner who could bring football back to L.A.

The 10 greatest moments in Rams history since their return to L.A.

Chargers discuss their loss

From Benjamin Royer: Ladd McConkey paused for a moment in front of his locker.

“I don’t know,” he said, less than 24 hours after another humbling Chargers playoff loss.

“To be honest with you, it’s like, I don’t know — but you gotta get that monkey off our back,” McConkey said.

A tormenting 16-3 defeat to the New England Patriots in the AFC wild-card round sent the Chargers’ season to an early finish Sunday for the second consecutive season. Little went right against the Patriots in coach Jim Harbaugh‘s second year in L.A., prompting questions about what needs to change to make the Chargers a Super Bowl contender.

Harbaugh, general manager Joe Hortiz and the rest of the team’s staff will have a full offseason to delve into went awry against the Patriots and a season that fell short of expectations.

Center Bradley Bozeman, often at the heart of public criticism over the Chargers’ offensive line, fought back tears when speaking about his struggles on the field. But the eighth-year veteran got choked up the most talking about Justin Herbert.

“It just sucks that we can’t get him there,” Bozeman said. “That’s what sucks. He’s one of my best friends — and it sucks, like it just sucks, because I want it bad for him. I want it bad for myself, I want it bad for everybody, but him especially.”

Continue reading here

NFL playoffs schedule

All times Pacific
Wild-card round
AFC
Monday
No. 5 Houston 30, No. 4 Pittsburgh 6 (summary)

Divisional round
NFC
Saturday
No. 6 San Francisco at No. 1 Seattle, 5 p.m., (FOX, FOX One, FOX Deportes)

Sunday
No. 5 Rams at No. 2 Chicago, 3:30 p.m. (NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, Universo)

AFC
Saturday
No. 6 Buffalo at No. 1 Denver, 1:30 p.m., (CBS, Paramount+)

Sunday
No. 5 Houston at No. 2 New England, noon (ESPN/ABC, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes)

Conference championships
Sunday, Jan. 25
AFC
Noon, (CBS, Paramount+)

NFC
3:30 p.m. (FOX, FOX One, FOX Deportes)
Noon

Super Bowl
Sunday, Feb. 8, NBC, Time TBA

Kings fall to Stars

Jason Robertson scored late in the third period, Wyatt Johnston scored his 25th goal of the season, and the Dallas Stars defeated the Kings 3-1 on Monday night.

Robertson looked to be trying a centering pass, but the wobbling puck deflected in off Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson with 3:46 remaining. Matt Duchene added an empty-net goal with 17.4 to go, and the Stars have won two of three after a season-worst six-game winless streak.

Jake Oettinger made 24 saves, and Esa Lindell and Sam Steel had two assists.

Quinton Byfield scored on the power play and Darcy Kuemper made 15 saves for the Kings, who have dropped three of four.

Continue reading here

Kings summary

NHL standings

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1962 — Wilt Chamberlain scores an NBA regulation-game record 73 points to lead the Philadelphia Warriors to a 135-117 triumph over the Chicago Packers.

1971 — Lenny Wilkens of the Seattle Supersonics, at 33, becomes the oldest All-Star MVP as he scores 21 points to give the West a 108-107 victory over the East.

1974 — The Miami Dolphins win their second straight Super Bowl in their third straight appearance with a 24-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Larry Csonka, the game’s MVP, gains 145 yards in 33 carries and scores a touchdown.

1986 — NCAA schools vote overwhelmingly in favor of adopting the controversial Proposition 48. The rule requires that incoming freshman maintain 2.0 grade point averages and score 700 or more on the Scholastic Aptitude Test or a 15 on the American College Testing program.

1987 — Lewis Lloyd and Mitchell Wiggins of the Houston Rockets become the third and fourth NBA players to be banned from the league for using cocaine.

1991 — Phil Mickelson overcomes an 8 on the 14th hole to become the second amateur since 1954 to win a PGA Tour event as he posts a one-shot victory over Bob Tway and Tom Purtzer in the Northern Telecom Open.

1995 — America3, the first all-women’s team in the 144-year history of America’s Cup, wins the first race of the America’s Cup defender trials, beating Team Dennis Conner by 1 minute, 9 seconds.

1999 — Basketball superstar Michael Jordan announces his second retirement just prior to start of lockout-shortened 1998-99 NBA season; returns in 2001 with Washington.

2003 — Jennifer Capriati becomes the first women’s Australian Open defending champion to lose in the first round in the Open era. Capriati, seeded third, loses 2-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4 to 90th-ranked Marlene Weingartner of Germany.

2006 — Larry Brown becomes the fourth coach in NBA history to win 1,000 regular-season games as New York beats Atlanta 105-94. Brown, 1,000-762 in 23 seasons in the NBA, joins Lenny Wilkens, Don Nelson and Pat Riley in the 1,000-win club.

2013 — Matt Bryant kicks a 49-yard field goal with 8 seconds left and the Atlanta Falcons bounce back after blowing a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter, defeating Seattle 30-28 in an NFC divisional playoff game. The Falcons lead 27-7 at the start of the final quarter before rookie quarterback Russell Wilson leads the Seahawks to three fourth-quarter touchdowns and a 28-27 lead with 31 seconds left.

2013 — Tom Brady becomes the winningest quarterback in postseason play, throwing for three touchdowns to beat Houston 41-28 and lift the New England Patriots into the AFC championship game. Brady gets his 17th victory, surpassing Joe Montana, by throwing for 344 yards.

2017 — Kelsey Plum scores 36 points to become the 12th player in women’s basketball history to top 3,000 career points and Washington routs Arizona 90-73.

2020 — Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow are fired by team owner Jim Crane for their roles in the sign-stealing scandal after MLB suspends both for one year

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.

Jason Robertson scored late in the third period, Wyatt Johnston scored his 25th goal of the season, and the Dallas Stars defeated the Kings 3-1 on Monday night.

Robertson looked to be trying a centering pass, but the wobbling puck deflected in off Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson with 3:46 remaining. Matt Duchene added an empty-net goal with 17.4 to go, and the Stars have won two of three after a season-worst six-game winless streak.

Jake Oettinger made 24 saves, and Esa Lindell and Sam Steel had two assists.

Quinton Byfield scored on the power play and Darcy Kuemper made 15 saves for the Kings, who have dropped three of four.

Johnston scored on a wrist shot from the slot 3:44 into the first period, reaching the 25-goal mark for the third straight season.

The Kings finally netted a response when Byfield tied it up at 8:42 of the third period, scoring from close range after Corey Perry set him up with a backhand pass through the paint. It was Perry’s 500th career assist, making him the first player in league history to reach the milestone at age 40.

Los Angeles has been held to one goal 12 times in 45 games.

The Stars got captain Jamie Benn back after missing three games because of a cut on his nose, which he sustained Jan. 4. Benn, a 17-year veteran, played with a visor for the first time in 1,216 career games, leaving Nashville center Ryan O’Reilly, Minnesota defenseman Zach Bogosian, and Sharks winger Ryan Reaves as the last three active players who have never worn a visor in an NHL game.

Train travel spurs stories and memories in a way that air travel just doesn’t. Maybe this is a simple result of traveling more slowly and closer to the ground. Or maybe it’s something else.

After publishing a story about my time on the 43-hour Southwest Chief from Los Angeles to Chicago, many wrote in to tell me their own favorite moments on trains. I’ve loved reading these tales. For a possible future story, I wanted to expand the invitation to keep on sharing your memories. In the form below, tell us where your favorite train trip took you, and what made it special.

To get you started, here are two of my favorite train moments:

One: Thirty years ago on VIA Rail’s cross-country Canadian train from Vancouver to Toronto, a snafu down the line forced us off of the train’s usual route through the Rockies. The detour took us on a historic route near Banff and Lake Louise that all the experts aboard (and there were many) said was even more scenic than the usual way. Jagged peaks! Green valleys! Ecstatic rail fans!

Two: Last year on the Southwest Chief, I woke up at dawn as we were rumbling through the Arizona desert. The sunrise turned the scene golden.

Now it’s your turn.

Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam scores on an interception return against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Rams’ 54-51 win at the Coliseum on Nov. 19, 2018.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

On Nov. 19, 2018, the Rams and Kansas City Chiefs were scheduled to play their Week 11 game in Mexico, but the game was moved to the Coliseum because of poor field conditions caused by a Shakira concert.

The Southland was mourning the victims of a mass shooting in Thousand Oaks and reeling from fires that ravaged much of the region.

With thousands of first responders in the crowd, the Rams and Chiefs put on a show, combining for 1,001 yards of offense. A long touchdown pass from Goff to tight end Gerald Everett with less than two minutes left gave the Rams a 54-51 victory.

From Sam Farmer: The MVP chants for the second-year quarterback of the New England Patriots rang throughout Gillette Stadium on Sunday night.

The Chargers, meanwhile, were haunted by their own echoes.

Another playoff game. Another one-and-done exit.

The gutty season of quarterback Justin Herbert again ended with a whimper, a 16-3 loss on a night when the Chargers defense provided ample opportunities.

“We have to do better than three points,” Herbert said. “As an offense, that’s not good enough. The quarterback play wasn’t good enough, and we let the defense down today.”

Three years ago was the nuclear meltdown at Jacksonville, when the Chargers blew a 27-0 lead to lose, 31-30.

Last year, the first under coach Jim Harbaugh, Herbert was picked off four times at Houston after making it through the regular season with just three interceptions.

Now, the Chargers have all offseason to ponder the fiasco at Foxborough, when they generated one field goal, 207 yards and converted one of 10 third downs.

The cover-your-eyes postseason scorecard under Harbaugh: Two games, 15 points on three field goals, one touchdown and a failed conversion.

Asked after the New England loss if the impending offseason changes could include changing out offensive coordinator Greg Roman, Harbaugh was notably noncommittal.

“Right now I don’t have the answers,” Harbaugh said. “We’re going to look at that.”

Continue reading here

Chargers summary

Should the Rams be worried?

From Bill Plaschke: Whew.

The best nearly went bust.

The heavy favorites nearly collapsed under their own weight.

The Rams were nearly toppled by the runts, barely surviving what should have been a blowout, profusely sweating through a wild-card playoff game that should have been a breeze, and now you wonder.

If their first step toward the Super Bowl is going to be this ungainly, how much longer can they stay upright?

At first sight, the final score is all that mattered, this 34-31 wild-card playoff victory over the Carolina Panthers at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium on Saturday proving to be a soul-testing triumph that will provide powerful preparation for the challenges ahead.

Upon further inspection, it was just a freaking mess.

The Rams skipped across the country as a historic 10½-point favorite — biggest postseason spread in modern history — yet trudged home requiring a last-second touchdown pass from the unsinkable Matthew Stafford to a leaping Colby Parkinson.

It was all so dramatic. It was all so unnecessary.

Continue reading here

Rams will play Caleb Williams and the Bears in the NFC divisional playoffs

NFL playoffs schedule

All times Pacific
Wild-card round
NFC
Saturday
No. 5 Rams 34, No. 4 Carolina 31 (summary)
No. 2 Chicago 31, No. 7 Green Bay 27 (summary)

Sunday
No. 6 San Francisco 23, No. 3 Philadelphia 19 (summary)

AFC
Sunday
No. 6 Buffalo 27, No. 3 Jacksonville 24 (summary)
No. 2 New England 16, No. 7 Chargers 3 (summary)

Monday
No. 5 Houston at No. 4 Pittsburgh, 5 p.m., ESPN, ABC, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes; ManningCast-ESPN2

Divisional round
NFC
Saturday
No. 6 San Francisco at No. 1 Seattle, TBA

Sunday
No. 5 Rams at No. 2 Chicago, TBA

AFC
Saturday
No. 6 Buffalo at No. 1 Denver, TBA

Sunday
Pittsburgh/Houston at No. 2 New England, TBA

Conference championships
Sunday, Jan. 25, TBA

Super Bowl
Sunday, Feb. 8, NBC, Time TBA

Lauren Betts leads UCLA over Nebraska

Lauren Betts scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds to help No. 4 UCLA to an 83-61 win over No. 25 Nebraska on Sunday.

Betts also added four blocks and five steals for the Bruins (15-1, 5-0 Big Ten).

UCLA used an 11-2 first quarter run to take control of the game and stretched its lead to 35-20 on Gianna Kneepkens’ three-pointer with 2:21 remaining in the first half.

Nebraska (14-3, 3-3) cut the deficit to 10 on Jessie Petrie’s layup that opened the second half scoring. But the Huskers could get no closer the rest of the way.

Continue reading here

UCLA box score

Big Ten standings

Kara Dunn’s late surge can’t avert USC’s loss

Grace Grocholski scored 25 points and Minnesota made just enough free throws in the fourth quarter to hold off No. 21 USC 63-62 on Sunday, the third straight loss for the Trojans and first win over a ranked team since 2019 for the Golden Gophers.

Minnesota made six of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter, four of eight in the last 73 seconds. But USC had seven turnovers in the final period, which the Golden Gophers turned into eight points as they built a seven-point lead with 41 seconds left.

Kara Dunn scored eight points in the final 31 seconds, including a three-pointer at the buzzer for the Trojans. Dunn finished with 27 points, including all 14 USC points in the fourth quarter.

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USC box score

Big Ten standings

Rui Hachimura’s return nears

From Broderick Turner: It appears Rui Hachimura is poised to return for the Lakers this week after missing six games because of right calf soreness.

The Lakers removed Hachimura from their injury report Sunday, meaning he will be available to play Monday night when the Lakers play at the Sacramento Kings.

Hachimura practiced Sunday and took extra shots after the session. “He was able to do everything in practice,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

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U.S. Olympic figure skating team announced

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Maxim Naumov glides across the ice alone, but during his chase for the 2026 Olympics, the 24-year-old figure skater rarely referred to his journey as a solo endeavor.

Wearing a new white U.S. figure skating jacket on stage at Enterprise Center, Naumov celebrated those that helped him reach his goals, even those who could not be present for the moment. He knew his parents, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, were still watching.

“We did it,” he said as a wide smile split his face. “We absolutely did it.”

Less than a year after his parents were two of the 67 people killed in a plane crash in Washington, D.C., Naumov completed a dream he and his family hatched together two decades ago by being named to the U.S. Olympic team on Sunday.

Naumov’s emotional selection highlighted what could be the country’s strongest roster in decades. Between the 16 athletes representing the team in Milan, there are three reigning world champions. With the Olympic team event that debuted in 2014, the United States has a chance to win the most Olympic medals for the country since four in 1960. The five medals in 1956 are the U.S. figure skating record for a single Olympic Games.

U.S. figure skating Olympic team

Men’s singles: Ilia Malinin, Andrew Torgashev, Maxim Naumov

Women’s singles: Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu, Isabeau Levito

Pairs: Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, Emily Chan and Spencer Howe

Ice dance: Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko

Continue reading here

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1951 — Ezzard Charles knocks out Lee Oma in the 10th round at Madison Square Garden in New York to retain the heavyweight title.

1958 — Dolph Schayes of the Syracuse Nationals sets an NBA record for career points in a 135-109 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Schayes scores 23 points to bring his career mark to 11,770, breaking the record of 11,764 held by George Mikan.

1958 — The NCAA rules committee makes the first change in football scoring rules since 1912 by adding the two-point conversion.

1960 — Syracuse’s Dolph Schayes becomes the first player in NBA history to score 15,000 career points.

1969 — New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath “guarantees” a victory before the game against the 17-point favorite Baltimore Colts, then leads the AFL to its first Super Bowl victory, a 16-7 triumph over a Baltimore team that had lost only once in 16 games all season.

1975 — The Pittsburgh Steelers totally shut down Minnesota’s offense, handing the Vikings their third Super Bowl defeat, 16-6. Franco Harris, the game’s MVP, sets a Super Bowl rushing record with 158 yards.

1986 — Chicago’s Denis Savard ties an NHL record for the fastest goal to start a period by scoring four seconds into the third period of the Blackhawks’ 4-2 victory over the Hartford Whalers.

1991 — Princeton beats Cornell 164-71 in an unusual swimming meet. The schools agree to compete by telephone due to a blizzard making transportation a problem to Ithaca, N.Y. Both teams swim in their owns pools and the results are exchanged by FAX.

2001 — Minnesota defenseman J.J. Daigneault ties an NHL record by playing for his 10th team when he appears in a 5-0 loss to the Avalanche.

2007 — Tadd Fujikawa, just shy of his 16th birthday, steals the show at the Sony Open. Fujikawa shoots a four-under 66, making him the youngest player in 50 years to make the cut on the PGA Tour.

2008 — Tom Brady completes all but two of his 28 passes to lead New England to its second straight AFC championship game with a 31-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Patriots improve to 17-0, matching the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only team to go unbeaten from the first game of the season through the Super Bowl.

2008 — The Green Bay Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks 42-20 to reach the NFC championship game. Ryan Grant recovers from two fumbles that put the Packers down 14-0 after only four minutes. Grant sets a team postseason record by running for 201 yards, and scores three times.

2012 — Dwight Howard breaks Wilt Chamberlain’s nearly 50-year-old NBA record for most free throw attempts in a game, making 21 of 39 in the Orlando Magic’s 117-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Chamberlain shot 34 for the Philadelphia Warriors against St. Louis on Feb. 22, 1962.

2013 — Colin Kaepernick rushes for a quarterback playoff-record 181 yards and two touchdowns and throws two scoring passes to Michael Crabtree in San Francisco’s 45-31 win over Green Bay.

2013 — Joe Flacco throws a 70-yard game-tying touchdown to Jacoby Jones with 31 seconds left in regulation, helping send it into overtime and Baltimore beats Denver in the second extra period, 38-35.

2014 — Jeremy Abbott wins his fourth U.S. figure skating title. Teenager Jason Brown finishes second and defending champion Max Aaron places third.

2015 — Ezekiel Elliott rushes for 246 yards and four touchdowns and Ohio State wins the first national title in college football’s playoff era, running over Oregon 42-20.

2017 — Justin Thomas (23) becomes the youngest player to shoot a sub-60 round of 59 in the opening round of the Sony Open at Waialae CC in Hawaii; he also goes on to win the tournament.

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.

The idea of an on-campus football stadium was floated again last week, like it has been so many times over the years at UCLA.

It hasn’t mattered if the Bruins were playing home games at the Coliseum or the Rose Bowl, the pitch has always been the same — the school needs to follow the example of almost every other team in the country and move back onto campus.

The latest proposal came from L. Carlos Simental, a lawyer and UCLA alumnus. Simental wrote an editorial in the Daily Bruin contending that the school should construct a donor-funded, 45,000-seat stadium on the site of the Drake Stadium track and field facility.

Such a move, Simental wrote, would capitalize on the excitement created by the hiring of coach Bob Chesney while also helping UCLA reclaim its athletic identity and compete in the Big Ten. Furthermore, Simental argued, the usual excuses about wealthy neighbors quashing such a move over noise and traffic concerns don’t hold sway because it’s ultimately up to the UC Regents.

This all sounded like a plausible plan, so I contacted someone with a comprehensive understanding of UCLA’s history and operations on the westside of Los Angeles to have a breakfast meeting.

What that person went on to say should probably put this idea to rest for at least the next quarter century, saving everybody from getting excited over nothing — particularly with the school apparently intent on a move to SoFi Stadium unless it’s blocked by the courts.

“It just ain’t going to happen,” said John Sandbrook, who was a UCLA assistant chancellor under Charles Young and a central figure in the school’s move from the Coliseum to the Rose Bowl before the 1982 season.

Among other things, Sandbrook said, the practical realities from an architectural standpoint make an on-campus stadium nearly impossible. Construction would necessitate losing a major portion of the underground Parking Structure 7 and at least one-third of the recreational fields, not to mention cutting into the tennis stadium and Bruin Walk to accommodate the southern part of a new, expanded football stadium.

There would have to be a new service tunnel into the stadium from Charles Young Drive north and a new entryway into Parking Structure 7. A dedicated access lane to nearby Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, the primary trauma center on the westside, would have to be created, further snarling traffic.

“You are basically blowing up things and having to rebuild it,” Sandbrook said. “You don’t say for the sake of six football games a year, ‘We’re going to do all these things.’ ”

Enhanced stadium lighting would be a potential nuisance to the campus and the surrounding neighborhood. And those neighbors that Simental dismissed as powerless could rally behind the California Environmental Quality Act, which does apply to UCLA. There’s also the matter of a proposed Metropolitan Transit Authority subway line that could run under campus, with a stop near the Luskin Center. Might that make the excavations needed to construct a football stadium impossible?

The list of potential issues doesn’t stop there. Space constraints could curtail the installation of a comfortably sized concourse, and who’s going to pay for stadium maintenance?

(For argument’s sake, Sandbrook said it was far more plausible to construct a stadium on the site of the Federal Building and Westwood Park, should that area ever go up for sale.)

Sandbrook conceded that the UC Regents could overturn a 1965 decree forbidding both a proposed football stadium on campus and any future possibility of a stadium exceeding the size of what became Drake Stadium, the school’s 11,700-seat track and field facility.

“I’ve seen other resolutions undone,” Sandbrook said, noting the removal of UCLA co-founder Edward Dickson’s name from the art building in favor of Eli Broad after the regents once ruled the building would permanently be named after Dickinson.

But there’s never been significant momentum for an on-campus stadium since the idea was revisited in the late 1970s and school administrators dismissed it as unrealistic. Given everything that’s been built around the proposed site since then, it seems all the more implausible.

Perhaps Sandbrook put it best in his initial response when I emailed him asking about the idea.

“Fantasy land,” he wrote.

Vibe check

There weren’t a lot of fans watching Tyler Bilodeau during this game earlier this season.

(Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

Something feels off about UCLA men’s basketball.

It’s not just that the Bruins are losing more games than they should and the home crowds are small and lifeless.

There’s sort of a demoralized aura around the program these days.

Coach Mick Cronin’s repeated player misevaluations, recruiting struggles and roster construction issues have compounded into the current malaise.

His initial four seasons at UCLA were awesome. The first team was humming by season’s end, the second went to the Final Four and the next two were among the best in the nation.

But the Bruins’ fortunes have plummeted as the landscape changed. As transfers have increasingly filled his roster, Cronin hasn’t been able to land enough relentless, high-motor athletes who fit his defense-first style. He also hasn’t had the time to develop players who are only on campus for a year or two. Can Cronin win in the new climate of constant transfer portal upheaval and bloated player salaries?

Barring a midseason turnaround, these Bruins (11-5 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) are headed for either a terrible NCAA tournament seeding or will be left out of the thing altogether.

This is what can happen when your fortunes are essentially decided in a short spring window based on which transfers you bring in. Cronin can’t be blamed for betting on Donovan Dent, the top transfer point guard who has fallen far short of expectations.

What really changed the trajectory of this season was the loss of center Aday Mara, whose late move to Michigan forced Cronin to pivot to Xavier Booker and Steven Jamerson II. While Mara has starred for the Wolverines, Booker has been almost unplayable in recent weeks in terms of defense, rebounding and hustle. Jamerson is, at best, a quality backup.

There figures to be another roster overhaul this spring, which will be Cronin’s fourth in as many seasons. The coach spoke wistfully this week of Maryland counterpart Buzz Williams having a veteran team filled with seniors in his final season at Texas A&M that he had been allowed to coach over multiple years.

Does that make Cronin want to get transfers with as many years of eligibility left as possible?

“Yeah, but you’re assuming they’re going to stay,” Cronin said, alluding to the new reality of yearly free agency in college basketball. “So when you’re saying get a guy that’s got three years left, you’re assuming he’s going to stay for the next two. I think the answer might be more of, get somebody that comes in with the right habits defensively, toughness-wise, competitiveness-wise, because you can’t change them in six months.”

The problem is that Cronin hasn’t been able to bring in enough of those guys recently. He explained that roster construction isn’t as simple as picking who you want — coaches need the right players available and the financial resources necessary to land them.

“It’s not like you’re at the grocery store — we need this to fit with that,” Cronin said. “It goes to who’s available and how much money you have when it comes to roster building. Every coach, guys, would love to go back to being able to recruit high school guys and at least limit it to a one-time transfer. Every guy would like to be able to build a team, build relationships with guys.

“Times have changed, you’ve just got to keep trying to figure it out and change with the times because I think that ship has sailed.”

This is where Max Feldman comes in. UCLA’s new assistant general manager was hired to help scout and evaluate transfers and high school recruits, giving Cronin a head start on his options once the transfer portal opens.

If Feldman does his job well, he could be the most valuable player of Bruins basketball operations, helping to restore a brand fading like those championship banners hanging from the rafters of their home arena.

Opinion time

Bob Chesney has brought in a slew of transfers, including a bunch who have agreed to follow their coach across the country from James Madison. Which transfer excites you the most?

Running back Wayne Knight

Edge rusher Sahir West

Defensive lineman Maxwell Roy

Offensive lineman Riley Robell

Wide receiver Aiden Mizell

Somebody else

Click here to vote in our survey.

Poll results

We asked “Where do you think UCLA finds itself on Selection Sunday?”

After 541 votes, the results:

The Bruins just barely make it into the tournament, 56.3%

A solid Big Ten run puts it in Nos. 5-7 range, 22.5%

They’re left out of the tournament for the second time in three years, 19.4%

An elite finish leads to a protected seed, 1.8%

In case you missed it

Eric Dailey Jr. and Trent Perry lead UCLA defensive explosion during win over Maryland

Jordan Chiles shines but UCLA finishes third in competitive Collegiate Quad meet

Emails reveal UCLA and SoFi Stadium discussed the Bruins leaving the Rose Bowl in 2024

Fans aren’t flipping to see UCLA basketball based on sagging home attendance

Five fixes needed to get UCLA men’s basketball on track amid dismaying stretch

UCLA lands a top transfer in James Madison running back Wayne Knight

‘Going to bode well.’ UCLA gymnastics freshmen learn from Jordan Chiles, and competition

Have something Bruin?

Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email me at ben.bolch@latimes.com, and follow me on X @latbbolch. To order an autographed copy of my book, “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die,” send me an email. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. Let’s examine some surprise teams in high school basketball.

Exceeding expectations

There’s plenty of teams exceeding expectations in high school basketball teams.

How about Chino Hills at 21-4? Yes, the school that went unbeaten 10 years ago led by the Ball brothers is more than holding its own this season. The Huskies are 2-0 in the Baseline League and face tough games this week against Etiwanda and Damien.

Corona Santiago is 20-3 under third-year coach Carlos Castillo, who was an assistant to Josh Giles at Corona Centennial for eight years. The Sharks knocked off defending state champion Eastvale Roosevelt on Friday night 70-63. Two 5-foot-10 guards, Ethan Wadman and Evan Nayback, have been leading the success, along with sophomore guard Matt Bernal. Wadman was MVP of a division at the Tarkanian Classic.

Chaminade is 19-2 and took down Loyola on Friday, the team that beat Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. Temi Olafisoye, a 6-foot-9 senior, is averaging 17 points. He had 22 points and 20 rebounds against Loyola.

Oaks Christian is 17-3 and 2-0 in the Marmonte League. Sophomore Brady Sullivan is averaging 16.1 points.

Bishop Amat is 20-3 under coach Brandon Ertle, who won his 400th game as the Lancers’ coach. Sophomore Aiden Shaw is averaging 22.9 points.

Unbeaten Elsinore has run off 18 consecutive victories. Junior Kamrynn Nathan is averaging 24.6 points.

Triumph Charter is Sylmar is having its best season with a 15-2 record. The City Section school has been led by Antonio Garcia, averaging 19.4 points.

Boys’ basketball

Christian Collins of St. John Bosco celebrates overtime victory over Santa Margarita as Kaiden Bailey experiences defeat. Collins had the tying basket in regulation and game-clinching basket in overtime.

(Nick Koza)

St. John Bosco served notice with a 74-73 double overtime win over Santa Margarita in a Trinity League opener. The Braves now own wins over the Eagles and Harvard-Westlake, two of the top five teams in the Southland. Christian Collins came through at key moments. Here’s the report.

No. 1-ranked Sierra Canyon wasn’t dominant last week but came away with close wins over St. Francis and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in Mission League play. Here’s the report. The Trailblazers are 15-1 and headed toward a title showdown game with Harvard-Westlake on Jan. 21 that will be a tough ticket to get at Sierra Canyon.

Damien became the Baseline League title favorite by going on the road to defeat Etiwanda. The Spartans scored the game’s first 24 points. Here’s the report.

Palisades is making progress, improving to 5-10 and remains the team to beat in the Western League and in the City Section.

Coach Harvey Kitani of Rolling Hills Prep is four wins away from win No. 1,000 in his coaching career.

Calabasas is surging with 12 wins in its last 13 games. Here’s the report.

Crossroads came up with a key win in its Gold Coast League opener beating Brentwood. Former Brentwood star Shalen Sheppard led Crossroads.

Big games this week include Mira Costa at Redondo Union on Friday and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at St. Francis on Thursday.

Also the State Preview Classic is set for Saturday at North Torrance.

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

Freshman standouts

Freshman guard Will Conroy Jr. of Village Christian.

(Craig Weston)

It’s been a good year for freshmen to contribute at the varsity level.

The best one so far has been Will Conroy Jr. of Village Christian.

Here’s a report on freshmen making an impact.

Girls basketball

Kaleena Smith drives the lane for two of her game-high 50 points.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

On Saturday, Kaleena Smith of Ontario Christian turned in a performance for the ages, scoring 50 points and rallying her unbeaten team to a double overtime victory over Archbishop Mitty at Mater Dei. Here’s the report.

Smith, a junior, has become the most sought-after girls basketball player by college recruiters since JuJu Watkins.

JSerra has risen to No. 3 in the Southern California top 20 rankings. The Lions are 16-2 after holding off Flintridge Prep 75-73. They have wins over Sierra Canyon, Oak Park and Corona Centennial. They open Trinity League play against Santa Margarita on Thursday and face Windward on Saturday.

In the City Section, Westchester is 13-3 and has Western League games on Wednesday against Fairfax and Friday against Palisades.

Soccer

Goalie Ben Buchler of Oak Park has recorded 10 shutouts this season.

(Sharon Levy)

It’s been a quite a soccer season for Oak Park goalie Ben Buchler, who has set a school record with 10 shutouts this season.

Oak Park is 14-1-1 and 2-0 in league.

Palos Verdes holds down the No. 1 spot in Southern Section rankings.

Palos Verdes came through with a 2-1 double overtime win over Mira Costa. Here’s the report.

El Camino Real made a big move to become the favorite in the West Valley League with a 3-0 win over Cleveland and a 2-1 win over Birmingham.

In girls soccer, Santa Margarita is 12-0 and ranked No. 1 in Southern California.

Lessons to learn

A long plane ride helped a sportswriter put together some standards to strive for in 2026 for high school athletes, coaches and parents.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

While flying at 35,000 feet on a vacation, I wrote some lessons to live by for the 2026 high school sports season for parents, players and coaches.

Here’s the report.

Transfer portal

This should be a big week for the announcements of high school football players transferring with the spring semester starting at lots of schools.

Here’s the link to the current list of transfers.

One person to watch is All-City receiver and standout sprinter Demare Dezeurn of Palisades. Coach Dylen Smith said he’s heard the rumors like everyone else: Dezeurn to Sierra Canyon. School resumes at Palisades this week.

Dezeurn is one of the top track and field performers in the state, so where he ends up will be important for this spring whether he’s competing in the City Section or the Southern Section.

Notes . . .

Carson quarterback Chris Fields III takes off against San Pedro. He ran for two touchdowns and passed for three.

(Craig Weston)

Quarterback Chris Fields III of Carson has been selected the City Section player of the year in football. Here’s the All-City team. . . .

Trent Mosley and Dash Fifita of Santa Margarita top the All-CIF Southern Section Division 1 football team. Here’s the link to the All-CIF team. . . .

St. John Bosco, Harvard-Westlake, Orange Lutheran and Aquinas will participate in the National High School Baseball Invitational March 25-28 in Cary, N.C. . . . .

Zack Stein from Santa Margarita has committed to Whittier College for baseball. . . .

Layli Ostovar of Mater Dei has been selected the Gatorade state player of the year in girls’ volleyball. She’s committed to USC. . . .

Junior defensive back Aaryn Washington from Mater Dei has committed to USC. . . .

Former Loyola goalie Cabral Carter (class of 2022) has signed with LAFC in the MLS. . . .

Junior linebacker Taven Epps of Tustin has committed to Oklahoma. . . .

Noah Darnell, a pitcher at Santa Margarita, went from losing a scholarship to attending Harvard. Here’s his story. . . .

The Trinity League wrestling championships will be held Wednesday at St. John Bosco. . . .

Verbum Dei will hold a ceremony at halftime its basketball game against Gardena Serra on Friday at 7 p.m. retiring the jersey of the late David Greenwood. . . .

From the archives: Colton Joseph

Newport Harbor’s Colton Joseph throws a short pass in 2022.

(Drew A. Kelley / Contributing photographer)

Former Newport Harbor quarterback Colton Joseph has gone from starting quarterback at Old Dominion to one of Wisconsin’s biggest signees from the college transfer portal. He was the Sun Belt offensive player of the year.

He passed for 2,624 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for 1,007 yards this season at Old Dominion. As a senior at Newport Harbor in 2022, he passed for 2,749 yards and 30 touchdowns and rushed for seven touchdowns.

Here’s a story from 2022 when he passed for five touchdowns in the first half of a game in Hawaii.

Recommendations

From SI.com, a story on a high school basketball team ending a 120-game league losing streak.

From the Sacramento Bee, a story on a 6-8 high school basketball player known as “Mad Max.”

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on Crossroads students starting a high school pickleball league.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

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

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

Oak Park’s boys’ soccer team is proving very stingy when it comes to giving up goals.

Led by goalkeeper Ben Buchler, the Eagles (14-1-1) have recorded 10 shutouts this season, a school record.

Noah Zweig celebrates after scoring for Oak Park.

(Sharon Levy)

Their latest shutout came in a 3-0 Coastal Canyon League win over Royal. Cole Mitchell has been supplying the offense. He had three goals in a win over Newbury Park.

Next up is a showdown match with Moorpark (7-2-2) on Tuesday.

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

Ever since Donald J. Trump descended from a gold escalator at his eponymous Manhattan tower in 2015, he has sworn that a scorched-earth campaign against “illegal immigrants” would make life safer for Americans and that citizens had nothing to worry about.

Well.

In 2025, Trump’s campaign vow to target “the worst of the worst” was set aside in the name of not just going after all undocumented immigrants and limiting legal migration but even the goal of remigration — the idea that immigrants of any status should return to their home countries. Now, U.S. citizens Keith Porter Jr., shot at a Northridge apartment complex, and Renee Nicole Good, whose shooting sparked large protests in Minneapolis, are dead.

ICE is about to storm American streets and neighborhoods with thousands of new recruits who received just eight weeks of training instead of what used to be five months. The Fourth Amendment bans the government from subjecting Americans from “unreasonable searches and seizures” yet we now have a vice president promising that they’re forthcoming across the country.

“I think … we’re [going] to see those deportation numbers ramp up,” JD Vance told Fox News’ Jesse Watters, “as we get more and more people online working for ICE going from door-to-door.”

He repeated his boast the following day during a news conference while adding that the killing of Good — shot while trying to drive away from an agent who stood in front of her SUV during an immigration enforcement operation — was justified, adding that the 37-year-old mother of three was “brainwashed” and “radicalized in a very, very sad way.”

The beginning of 2026 now shows even those in the United States legally are targets for for the too often Keystone Kops-like, eager beaver, trigger happy federal immigration enforcement force I like to call la migra.

This isn’t anything new, of course. Since June, when ICE, Border Patrol and their sister agencies used Los Angeles as a testing ground for what they have inflicted on the rest of the country, the government has treated citizens who dare oppose mass-scale deportations — veterans, Democrats or Republicans, old and young, Latino and not — as an enemy of the “homeland.” Citizens have had their front doors blown out, been hit with pepper balls for praying outside government facilities, been wrongfully charged with assaulting agents, and have seen their identification papers dismissed as fake and thus grounds for detainment.

With the Trump administration’s accelerated recruitment drive for immigration officers and rhetorical bloodlust, don’t be surprised if these masked Bizarro Barney Fifes knock on your door or demand to see your papers. In fact, expect it.

The MAGA excuse for those caught up in la migra‘s crackdown — the way to stay out of trouble is by avoiding it — doesn’t work when the trouble comes to you.

That’s why it seems that the deaths of Porter and Good in the last week, coupled with Vance’s authoritarian promise, seems to be waking up Americans into resisting the deportation Leviathan like never before.

A woman is taken into custody by Border Patrol agents after she was accused of using her vehicle to block their vehicles while they were patrolling in a shopping center in December in Niles, Ill.

(Scott Olson / Getty Images)

Anti-ICE protests are happening across the country this weekend. On social media, conservatives and libertarians who largely stayed silent on Trump throughout 2025 are criticizing him over Good’s death and his administration’s insults against her. Trump’s approval rating has slipped since the start of his presidency, even among supporters — and ICE’s out-of-control conduct is becoming a bigger and bigger factor.

A YouGov poll conducted on the day of Good’s killing found 52% of Americans surveyed don’t like how ICE is operating, while the agency’s approval rating has gone from plus-16% to negative 14% in a year. While the poll unsurprisingly splits on partisan lines — Democrats overwhelmingly oppose ICE, Republicans still think they’re Trump’s Hardy Boys — the independents who delivered the 2024 election to Trump oppose ICE’s actions by a healthy majority.

If he’s losing the middle, he’s losing America.

Unless, of course, Trump goes full banana republic dictator and decides his regime isn’t leaving office — no matter what. And honestly, would you be shocked if this administration tried to make its wet dream a reality?

Every movement needs martyrs, and if the deaths of Porter and Good prove to American citizens and permanent residents once and for all that they’re not safe from ICE, then their deaths weren’t in vain. That’s why the Trump administration and its lackeys are straining so hard to slime Good’s name — because they know the public isn’t having its lies.

Their smears don’t have the same effect they used to, thankfully. Just look at what happened recently with Grok, Elon Musk’s AI creation on X.

You have to take what it digitally blurts out with a grain of salt — Grok once started calling itself “MechaHitler” and spewed anti-semitic conspiracies after an update that Musk swore “improved [it] significantly.”

But consider what Grok did when the billionaire Trump enabler “tweeted” of Good: “She tried to run people over.”

When asked whether it “would have authorized lethal forced based solely on this video evidence” even Musk’s creation, even Grok, replied (while noting that “ICE claims differ”):

“Based on descriptions from multiple sources… it shows the vehicle moving slowly backward and forward without clear evidence of attempting to ram officers. Under objective standards like [the Supreme Court decision] Graham v. Connor, which require an imminent threat for deadly force, I would not authorize lethal force solely on this footage.”

I guess even Grok is capable of calling out Trumpworld’s BS when it “sees” what millions of other people across the U.S. have seen with their own eyes.

Just days after the fatal shooting of a Minnesota woman by a federal immigration agent, the Trump administration’s immigration policy was a top focus of California gubernatorial candidates at two forums Saturday in Southern California.

The death of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, inflamed the nation’s deep political divide and led to widespread protests in Los Angeles and across the country about President Trump’s combative immigration policies.

Former Assembly majority leader Ian Calderon, speaking at a labor forum featuring Democratic candidates in Los Angeles, said that federal agents aren’t above the law.

“You come into our state and you break one of our … laws, you’re going to be criminally charged. That’s it,” he said.

Federal officials said the deadly shooting was an act of self defense.

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) noted that the president of the labor union that organized the candidate forum, David Huerta, was injured and arrested during the Trump administration’s raids on undocumented people in Los Angeles in June.

“Ms. Good should be alive today. David, that could have been you, the way they’re conducting themselves,” he said to Huerta, who was moderating the event. “You’re now lucky if all they did was drag you by the hair or throw you in an unmarked van, or deport a 6-year-old U.S. citizen battling stage four cancer.”

Roughly 40 miles south at a separate candidate forum featuring the top two Republicans in the race, GOP candidate and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said politicians who support so-called “sanctuary state” policies should be voted out of office.

“I wish it was the 1960s, 70s, and 80s — we’d take them behind the shed and beat … them,” he said.

“We’re in a church!” an audience member was heard yelling during a livestream of the event.

California Democratic leaders in 2017 passed a landmark “sanctuary state” law that limits cooperation between local and federal immigration officers, a policy that was a reaction to the first Trump administration’s efforts to ramp up deportations.

After the campaign to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom was largely obscured last year by natural disasters, immigration raids and the special election to redraw California’s congressional districts, the 2026 governor’s race is now in the spotlight.

Eight Democratic candidates appeared at a forum sponsored by SEIU United Service Workers West, which represents more than 45,000 janitors, security officers, airport service employees and other workers in California.

Many of the union’s members are immigrants, and a number of the candidates referred to their familial roots as they addressed the audience of about 250 people — with an additional 8,000 watching online.

“As the son of immigrants, thank you for everything you did for your children, your grandchildren, to give them that chance,” former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told two airport workers who asked the candidates questions about cuts to state services for immigrants.

“I will make sure you have the right to access the doctor you and your family need. I will make sure you have a right to have a home that will keep you safe and off the streets. I will make sure that I treat you the way I would treat my parents, because you worked hard the way they did.”

The Democrats broadly agreed on most of the pressing issues facing California, so they tried to differentiate themselves based on their records and their priorities.

Candidates for California’s next governor including Tony Thurmond, speaking at left, participate in the 2026 Gubernatorial Candidate Forum in Los Angeles on Saturday.

(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)

“I firmly believe that your campaign says something about who you will be when you lead. The fact that I don’t take corporate contributions is a point of pride for me, but it’s also my chance to tell you something about who I am and who I will fight for,” said former Rep. Katie Porter.

“Look, we’ve had celebrity governors. We’ve had governors who are kids of other governors, and we’ve had governors who look hot with slicked back hair and barn jackets. You know what? We haven’t had a governor in a skirt. I think it’s just about … time.”

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, seated next to Porter, deadpanned, “If you vote for me, I’ll wear a skirt, I promise.”

Villaraigosa frequently spoke about his roots in the labor movement, including a farmworker boycott when he was 15 years old.

“I’ve been fighting for immigrants my entire life. I have fought for you the entire time I’ve been in public life,” he said. “I know [you] are doing the work, working in our buildings, working at the airport, working at the stadiums. I’ve talked to you. I’ve worked with you. I’ve fought for you my entire life. I’m not a Johnny-come-lately to this unit.”

The candidates were not asked about a proposed ballot measure to tax the assets of billionaires that one of SEIU-USWW’s sister unions is trying to put on the November ballot. The controversial proposal has divided Democrats and prompted some of the state’s wealthiest residents to move out of the state, or at least threaten to do so.

But several of the candidates talked about closing tax loopholes and making sure the wealthy and businesses pay their fair share of taxes.

“We’re going to hold corporations and billionaires accountable. We’re going to be sure that we are returning power to the workers who know how to grow this economy,” said former state Controller Betty Yee.

State Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond highlighted his proposal to tax billionaires to fund affordable housing, healthcare and education.

“And then I’m going to give you, everyone in this room and California working people, a tax credit so you have more money in your pocket, a couple hundred dollars a month, every month, for the rising cost of gas and groceries,” he said.

Billionaire hedge fund founder Tom Steyer said closing corporate tax loopholes would result in $15 billion to $20 billion in new annual state revenue that he would spend on education and healthcare programs.

“When we look at where we’re going, it’s not about caring, because everyone on this stage cares. It’s not about values. It’s about results,” he said, pointing to his backing of successful ballot measures to close a corporate tax loophole, raise tobacco taxes, and stop oil-industry-backed efforts to roll back environmental law.

“I have beaten these special interests, every single time with the SEIU,” he said. “We’ve done it. We’ve been winning. We need to keep fighting together. We need to keep winning together.”

Republican gubernatorial candidates were not invited to the labor gathering. But two of the state’s top GOP contenders were among the five candidates who appeared Saturday afternoon at a “Patriots for Freedom” gubernatorial forum at Calvary Chapel WestGrove in Orange County. Immigration, federal enforcement and homelessness were also among the hot topics there.

Days after Bianco met with unhoused people on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles and Newsom touted a 9% decrease in the number of unsheltered homeless people during his final state of the state address, Bianco said that he would make it a “crime” for anyone to utter the word “homeless,” arguing that those on the street are suffering from drug- and alcohol-induced psychosis, not a lack of shelter.

Former Fox News commentator Steve Hilton criticized the “attacks on our law enforcement offices, on our ICE agents who are doing their job protecting our country.”

“We are sick of it,” he said at the Garden Grove church while he also questioned the state’s decision to spend billions of dollars for healthcare for low-income undocumented individuals. State Democrats voted last year to halt the enrollment of additional undocumented adults in the state’s Medi-Cal program starting this year.

Noah Darnell, a senior pitcher at Santa Margarita High, got to experience something that is becoming too common in the world of the college transfer portal and changing NIL rules.

He was committed to Tulane for about five months. Then a week before his senior year was to begin, he received a phone call.

“They didn’t have a spot for me,” he said of Tulane. “We’re going in another direction.”

A week later, Darnell went to an Ivy League showcase and informed coaches he was back on the market. Harvard coaches saw him, knew he had a 4.4 grade-point average and told him they wanted him.

“Harvard was No. 1 from the get-go,” Darnell said. “I’m so happy.”

These last-minute phone calls by schools telling commits there’s no longer a spot have become more frequent, especially because college baseball has changing roster rules. Luckily for Darnell, everything worked out.

“I felt a little bit angry,” he said of his initial reaction. “I was frustrated. I wanted to work twice as hard to get another offer.”

As for lessons learned in this sometimes uncertain environment, Darnell said, “The main lesson I learned was God has a plan and you have to trust it.”

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

CHICAGO — Caleb Williams came through in his playoff debut, throwing a go-ahead, 25-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore with 1:43 remaining, and the Chicago Bears rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the rival Green Bay Packers 31-27 in a wild-card playoff game on Saturday night.

The NFC North champion Bears extended their resurgent first season under coach Ben Johnson with their seventh fourth-quarter comeback victory. They split two down-to-the-wire games with Green Bay in the regular season, and this one turned out to be a thriller when it looked like it would be a breeze for the Packers.

Chicago trailed 21-3 at halftime and 21-6 through three quarters, only to outscore Green Bay 25-6 in the fourth on the way to its first playoff win in 15 years.

Williams found a wide-open Moore along the left sideline to give Chicago a 31-27 lead with 1:43 remaining.

Jordan Love then led Green Bay into Chicago territory. But on third down at the 28, Jaquan Brisker broke up a pass in the end zone as time expired, setting off a wild celebration — and a curt handshake between Johnson and Packers coach Matt LaFleur.

The Bears will host a divisional-round game next weekend.

In his postgame interviews analyzing the play of his basketball team, UCLA coach Mick Cronin is spot on. The problem is that as the coach, his prime duty is to fix these identified shortcomings, not to blame his players for the mounting problems.

If NIL funds are lacking, discuss this with the wealthy donors. If the offense is to generate more points, he needs to devise a new scheme. Quality coaches are able to change their approaches on the fly. If Cronin is unable to get the Bruins back on the winning track, his status in Westwood needs to be reassessed. But I guess Martin Jarmond performed an assessment when he secretly extended Cronin’s contract.

Neal Rakov
Santa Fe, N.M.

The great John Wooden passed almost 16 years ago but he still watches UCLA from heaven. After Tuesday’s bad loss to Wisconsin he turned to his first Bruins athletic director, Wilbur Johns, and asked “Did we really give Mick Cronin a five-year extension?”

Fred Wallin
Westlake Village

Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s Noah Goldberg giving you the latest on city and county government.

For a long time, Spencer Pratt refused to be put into a political box.

The reality-television-personality-turned-national-figure-turned-mayoral-candidate told the New York Times in October that he hated politics and didn’t identify with either major party. He “demurred” when asked by the Hollywood Reporter about his personal politics.

But the supporters who are beginning to line up behind Pratt have made one thing clear: MAGA has entered the Los Angeles mayoral race, just one day after “The Hills” alumnus announced he’s running.

Despite his nonpartisan statements, Pratt has become a darling of the right wing, meeting with influential Republicans across the country who have latched onto his sharp criticism of Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom over their handling of the Palisades fire.

On Thursday, Pratt, who lost his home in the fire, finally commented on his political affiliation, saying he has been a registered Republican since 2020.

“I wasn’t going to change it now just to check a different box,” he wrote on X. “This is a non-partisan race — there will be no D or R next to my name. As Mayor, I will not serve either party. I will work with anyone who wants to help the city. No labels necessary.”

The confirmation of Pratt’s political affiliation came as endorsements flowed in from across the country — and not from Democrats, for the most part.

Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who has launched a congressional investigation into the response to the Palisades fire, posted on X that he was “glad” Pratt decided to run for mayor. Scott has toured the Palisades with Pratt, and the two met in Washington, D.C., after Scott announced the investigation.

Pratt was also endorsed by Richard Grenell, who is President Trump’s Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions.

“I endorse Spencer Pratt for Mayor of Los Angeles and will help raise money for him. Transparency is what we need. Spencer has the passion and the drive to make positive change for Los Angeles,” Grenell wrote on X.

Closer to home, Pratt picked up an endorsement from Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Trump supporter and a Republican candidate for governor.

“LA needs him, California needs him. He’s got integrity and the backbone we need,” Bianco posted on X.

Roxanne Hoge, chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, said the group welcomes into the mayoral race “every common sense voice who stands for good governance and stands for representing the people over public sector unions and developers and NGOs.”

Hoge said she has a “great affinity” for Pratt, whom she called a personal friend.

“I support his willingness to speak up and be a voice for the voiceless,” she said.

Hoge said the county organization has not endorsed in the race.

Former City Councilmember Mike Bonin, who represented Pacific Palisades until 2024, said Pratt and Trump have many similarities.

“If you look at the model of who he is as candidate, it’s similar to Trump: the reality television background; his most visible communication presence is on Twitter, just as Trump’s was. And he’s sort of developing a candidacy around frustration and blowing the system up, just like Trump did,” Bonin said.

Bonin said Pratt’s entry into the race could be “perilous” for Bass.

The mayor has also tried to tie Pratt to Trump, seeking to position herself as the anti-MAGA candidate in a deep blue city.

“Donald Trump and Spencer Pratt are cut from the same cloth — two Republican, reality star villains running with MAGA backing, spewing disinformation and misinformation to create profit and division. Good luck with that in Los Angeles,” said Doug Herman, a spokesperson for Bass’ campaign.

Candidates will be judged by the people they associate with, Bonin added.

“Show me who you walk with and I’ll tell you who you are,” said Bonin, who is executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State Los Angeles.

Rick Caruso, a former Republican who registered as a Democrat when he ran against Bass in 2022, has tried to distance himself from Trump. Caruso said during his mayoral campaign that he never supported Trump for president or donated to his campaigns.

Caruso, a billionaire developer who is considering a run for either mayor or governor, said he hadn’t spoken with Pratt in months but that he was glad the social media influencer was joining the race.

“I think it’s great [that Pratt is running],” Caruso said. “I think the more people that actively get in government service the better.”

Pratt did not respond to multiple texts requesting comment. A member of his team said he is “currently embargoed from doing interviews because of other projects that were previously in play before he announced.”

A campaign staffer did not specify what the other projects were and said Pratt would be able to speak in early February.

State of play

— A YEAR OF FIRES: A year after two of the most destructive wildfires in California history erupted just hours apart, survivors marked the day in Altadena and Pacific Palisades with a mixture of anger and somber remembrance.

— ENTER PRATT: Spencer Pratt announced his candidacy for mayor of Los Angeles on the anniversary of the Palisades fire. Pratt and his wife, Heidi Montag, lost their home in the fire. Since then, the reality TV personality has become a vocal critic of Bass and Newsom.

— WATERED DOWN: LAFD Chief Jaime Moore admitted Tuesday that his department’s after-action report on the Palisades fire was watered down to shield top brass from scrutiny.

— REPORT AND REFINE: The head of the Los Angeles Fire Commission said Tuesday that a “working draft” of the after-action report was sent to the mayor’s office for “refinements” before it was published last October. She added that in her long career in civic roles, she had learned that words like “refinements” could mean troubling changes to a government report, made for the purpose of hiding facts.

— FINAL ADDRESS: In his final State of the State address, Newsom shifted from the problem-solving posture that defined his early years in office to a more declarative accounting of California’s achievements, casting the state as a counterweight to dysfunction in Washington.

— KILLINGS PLUMMET: There were 230 homicides in Los Angeles in 2025, according to the LAPD. That was a 19% drop from 2024 and the fewest the city has seen since 1966, when the population was 30% smaller.

— MAYORAL MOVES: Bass spokesperson Clara Karger is leaving the mayor’s office and heading to public affairs firm Fiona Hutton & Associates. Karger was with Bass’ team for nearly three years. Her departure comes months after Bass’ deputy mayor for communications Zach Seidl left. Seidl was replaced by Amanda Crumley.

— LA|DC|NYC: Anna Bahr, who worked as a deputy press secretary for former Mayor Eric Garcetti and then ran communications for Sen. Bernie Sanders, is headed to the Big Apple to run communications for newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

QUICK HITS

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s signature program brought Angelenos inside in Skid Row and South Los Angeles this week. The program also partnered with Project Street Vet to provide veterinary care — including vaccines, medications and check ups — to nearly 30 pets belonging to Inside Safe participants, the mayor’s office said.
• On the docket next week: The City Council’s Committee on Public Works will get updates on the city’s graffiti abatement program as well as the city’s efforts to address illegal dumping and to repair pot holes.

Stay in touch

That’s it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to LAontheRecord@latimes.com. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.

Maybe it’s the leather seats or the free parking. But out of every movie theater in the U.S. and Canada, AMC Burbank 30 had the most lucrative box office in 2025.

The combined efforts of the three theater locations, less than a mile apart (AMC Burbank 16 and Town Centers 6 and 8), brought in the highest box office numbers, according to Comscore. The AMC in New York’s Lincoln Square came in second place. Overall, the theater chain holds seven of the top 10 highest-grossing box offices in the U.S. and Canada, with four locations in L.A., two in New York and one in Florida.

The L.A. AMC locations at The Grove, Century City and CityWalk ranked at numbers five, six and eight, respectively.

“AMC’s longstanding success in Los Angeles is driven by several factors, including the size of the market, the enthusiasm of the Hollywood community and local audiences for seeing films on the big screen, and AMC’s focus on delivering a high-quality moviegoing experience,” said a spokesperson for the theater chain in a statement to The Times.

“Across the region, AMC locations regularly offer a diverse film slate that spans major studio releases, independent titles, and AMC Artisan Films.”

AMC has had a presence in Southern California since 1969, when it opened its first West Coast location in La Habra. By the mid-1980s, the theater chain grew significantly, opening multiplexes in Burbank and Century City. There are now 36 locations in the greater Los Angeles market.

Daniel Loria, the senior vice president at the Box Office Company, a cinema data analytics firm, said Los Angeles and New York being the most profitable cities isn’t shocking. Many studios and theaters typically use the two largest metros to gauge which markets to expand to and how long a movie will be playing in theaters.

“This industry really relies on the power of those two cities for the entire world to function,” Loria said, referring to the film business.

“These are the capitals of cinema. You see this concentration within that top 10 because of the indexing performance they have, not only on a local level, but on a global level as well.”

The number of movies showing in larger cities also plays a key role in box office gross. Loria said that in some regions of the country, local theaters will only get three or four movies showing at a time. Whereas in bigger markets, there is more diversity in showings and more opportunities to go see a movie, as the theaters are usually bigger and have more screens. Beyond the number of screens, a film‘s visual format is also a major factor in profit and ticket pricing.

When seeing a movie in a premium format, like IMAX or Dolby Cinema 3D, at an AMC, an adult ticket can range between $25 and $30 on a weekend, whereas a standard format would cost around $18. Many movie theaters in Los Angeles have these high-quality screens, which can boost box office gross sales more than other theaters that do not offer a premium viewing experience.

Paul Dergarabedian, the head of marketplace trends at Comscore, said major theater chains usually have more drawing power when their locations have high-quality screenings available.

“What’s striking is how premium formats are driving impressive box office [sales] even in an age of price sensitivity among consumers,” said Dergarabedian. “Savvy moviegoers understand that the upcharge is worth the investment, particularly with films that are epic in scope and are best viewed in the grandest format on offer at their local cinema.”

In recent years, movie membership passes have helped bring audiences into theaters more consistently . AMC’s A-list membership allows subscribers to see up to four movies a week, for the monthly price of $27.99. There are nearly 1 million A-listers.

“The greater Los Angeles area is also home to a highly engaged AMC Stubs A-List membership base that makes theatrical moviegoing a priority,” wrote an AMC spokesperson. “The connection between AMC, Hollywood, and Los Angeles moviegoers continues to benefit our studio partners, filmmakers, and audiences.”

One of the most important political stories in American history — one that is particularly germane to our current, tumultuous time — unfolded in Los Angeles some 65 years ago.

Sen. John F. Kennedy, a Catholic, had just received his party’s nomination for president and in turn he shunned the desires of his most liberal supporters by choosing a conservative out of Texas as his running mate. He did so in large part to address concerns that his faith would somehow usurp his oath to uphold the Constitution. The last time the Democrats nominated a Catholic — New York Gov. Al Smith in 1928 — he lost in a landslide, so folks were more than a little jittery about Kennedy’s chances.

“I am fully aware of the fact that the Democratic Party, by nominating someone of my faith, has taken on what many regard as a new and hazardous risk,” Kennedy told the crowd at the Memorial Coliseum. “But I look at it this way: The Democratic Party has once again placed its confidence in the American people, and in their ability to render a free, fair judgment.”

The most important part of the story is what happened before Kennedy gave that acceptance speech.

While his faith made party leaders nervous, they were downright afraid of the impact a civil rights protest during the Democratic National Convention could have on November’s election. This was 1960. The year began with Black college students challenging segregation with lunch counter sit-ins across the Deep South, and by spring the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee had formed. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was not the organizer of the protest at the convention, but he planned to be there, guaranteeing media attention. To try to prevent this whole scene, the most powerful Black man in Congress was sent to stop him.

The Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. was also a warrior for civil rights, but the House representative preferred the legislative approach, where backroom deals were quietly made and his power most concentrated. He and King wanted the same things for Black people. But Powell — who was first elected to Congress in 1944, the same year King enrolled at Morehouse College at the age of 15 — was threatened by the younger man’s growing influence. He was also concerned that his inability to stop the protest at the convention would harm his chance to become chairman of a House committee.

And so Powell — the son of a preacher, and himself a Baptist preacher in Harlem — told King that if he didn’t cancel, Powell would tell journalists a lie that King was having a homosexual affair with his mentor, Bayard Rustin. King stuck to his plan and led a protest — even though such a rumor would not only have harmed King, but also would have undermined the credibility of the entire civil rights movement. Remember, this was 1960. Before the March on Washington, before passage of the Voting Rights Act, before the dismantling of the very Jim Crow laws Powell had vowed to dismantle when first running for office.

That threat, my friends, is the most important part of the story.

It’s not that Powell didn’t want the best for the country. It’s just that he wanted to be seen as the one doing it and was willing to derail the good stemming from the civil rights movement to secure his own place in power. There have always been people willing to make such trade-offs. Sometimes they dress up their intentions with scriptures to make it more palatable; other times they play on our darkest fears. They do not care how many people get hurt in the process, even if it’s the same people they profess to care for.

That was true in Los Angeles in 1960.

That was true in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021.

That is true in the streets of America today.

Whether we are talking about an older pastor who is threatened by the growing influence of a younger voice or a president clinging to office after losing an election: To remain king, some men are willing to burn the entire kingdom down.

YouTube: @LZGrandersonShow

GUATIRE, Venezuela — The United States and Venezuelan governments said Friday that they were exploring the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations between the two countries, and that a delegation from the Trump administration arrived in the South American nation Friday.

The small team of U.S. diplomats and diplomatic security officials traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement.

Venezuela’s government on Friday acknowledged that U.S. diplomats had traveled to the country and announced that it will send a delegation to Washington, but it did not say when.

In a statement, Delcy Rodríguez’s government said it “has decided to initiate an exploratory process of a diplomatic nature with the Government of the United States of America, aimed at the re-establishment of diplomatic missions in both countries.”

President Trump has placed pressure on Rodriguez and other former Maduro loyalists now in power to advance his vision for the future of the nation — a major aspect of which would be reinvigorating the role of U.S. oil companies in a country with the worlds’ largest proven reserves of crude oil.

The U.S. and Venezuela cut off ties in 2019, after the first Trump administration said opposition leader Juan Guaidó was the rightful president of Venezuela, spiking tensions. Despite the assertions, Maduro maintained his firm grip on power.

The Trump administration shuttered the embassy in Caracas and moved diplomats to nearby Bogotá, Colombia. U.S. officials have traveled to Caracas a handful of times since then. The latest visit came last February when Trump’s envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell met with Maduro. The visit resulted in six detained Americans being freed by the government.

Garcia Cano and Lee write for the Associated Press. Lee reported from Washington. AP reporter Megan Janetsky contributed to this report from Mexico City.

CBS News named veteran anchor and correspondent Adriana Diaz and business journalist Kelly O’Grady as the new co-hosts for “CBS Saturday Morning.”

The duo will officially start this week, the division announced Friday. The previous long-time co-hosts, Michelle Miller and Dana Jacobson, were let go in a wave of company-wide staff reductions in October.

The cuts and changes at the weekend program were in the works before Bari Weiss arrived to begin her role as editor-in-chief of CBS News earlier that month.

Weiss has generated controversy and bad publicity for the network with her last-minute decision to pull a “60 Minutes” story on the Trump administration’s treatment of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants who were deported to El Salvador. Critics have also been less than impressed with the revamp of “CBS Evening News” which began this week with new anchor Tony Dokoupil.

Diaz and O’Grady will also alternate as co-hosts of “CBS Mornings 24/7,” the daily program on the CBS News streaming platform, working alongside featured host Vladimir Duthiers.

Diaz has been with CBS News since 2012. She has served as a China-based correspondent covering Asia, and later reported from Chicago. Her last anchor role was on “CBS Mornings Plus,” a short-lived one-hour program that followed “CBS Mornings” in several markets, including Los Angeles.

Diaz, 42, also had a stint as anchor of “CBS Weekend News.” She is a frequent fill-in for “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King. Internally, Diaz is considered a possible successor to King who is in the final year of her contract with CBS News.

O’Grady, 34, is a recent addition to CBS joined the network in 2024 as a correspondent for its MoneyWatch unit where she reported on the economy. She had been a correspondent and fill-in anchor at Fox Business.

In addition to her co-host role, O’Grady will continue to cover business, technology and the economy for the network.

JuJu Watkins is returning to Sierra Canyon High on Friday, the place where she was a high school basketball All-American.

The school will hold a ceremony retiring her jersey at halftime of the boys’ basketball game between Sierra Canyon and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

She will be presented with a framed jersey.

Watkins is sitting out this season at USC while recovering from a knee injury.

Sierra Canyon girls’ basketball coach Alicia Komaki said, “She raised our standards, which was hard to do because we had won four state championships. She was an incredibly talented player.”

Watkins was also making a huge impact in the college game until her injury last season during the NCAA playoffs.

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