rookie

Ty Simpson listens to himself in the evening before he falls asleep. And also when he gets up in the morning and heads to work at the Rams’ practice facility.

The rookie quarterback hears his own voice on audio recordings as he recites the team’s play calls.

“I want to make sure it’s the last thing I think about when I go to bed,” he said recently, “and the first thing that I wake up to.”

The Rams ended their offseason program last week. But Simpson, a Tennessee native, said he would remain in Southern California and continue to study in preparation for training camp at Loyola Marymount in late July.

Simpson began the practice of recording himself at Alabama, where he was the starter in the last of his four seasons with the Crimson Tide.

Now he is the heir apparent to Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, the reigning NFL most valuable player.

The Rams surprised many when they used the 13th pick in the draft to select Simpson, who started only 15 games. But Simpson is doing everything he can to fit into a position group that includes Stafford, 38, fourth-year signal-caller Stetson Bennett and undrafted free agent Matthew Caldwell.

“Feel like I’m a freshman again — drinking from a fire hydrant,” he said, adding that he knows and is comfortable with high expectations. “The quarterback runs the show here, just how I like it.”

Stafford, entering his 18th season, has said that Simpson has not been shy about asking questions.

“I hope I’m not annoying him,” Simpson said, “but I really appreciate the big brother kind of role he’s playing in my development.”

Stafford is “the MVP for a reason,” Simpson said. “Everything he does, he’s so just aware of everything, aware of how everything works. … I really appreciate him and Stetson taking me in and answering all the questions I have.”

Bennett got limited reps during the offseason program. But his opportunities are expected to increase during training camp as the Rams manage Stafford’s workload.

When asked about Bennett, coach Sean McVay and offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase seemingly have gone out of their way to speak generally about rookies.

“They’re way behind in terms of just the overall teaching progression but they’re learning,” McVay said. “Ty, like the rest of the rookies, are doing a really nice job.”

Scheelhaase, who went through several head coach interviews during the offseason, is in his first season as the Rams’ coordinator.

“I’ve been encouraged with all of our rookies, including Ty,” Scheelhaase said. “First things first, you want to see, do they come in? Are they coachable? Are they willing to work? And you’ve seen that from Ty from Day 1.”

Simpson said that, so far, the jump from college to the NFL has not been daunting. Quarterback coach Dave Ragone and teammates have helped ease the transition.

“The biggest thing is just how detail-oriented everybody is,” Simpson said, adding, “It’s really, really cool because, coming from Alabama in the SEC, that’s how pro-ready I felt.”

With Stafford under contract through the 2027 season, Simpson might not play for a few years. But if Stafford were to suffer an injury, his time could come sooner.

Simpson is expected to play extensively during preseason games later this summer.

To make sure he’s prepared, Simpson recites and listens to his play calls.

“So when I get in the game and hear a play call, I can just imagine it and see it,” he said. “That’s a big thing, just knowing the terminology and being detail-oriented just like Matthew and Stetson.”

Victor Wembanyama is making news these days as a third-year player who has led the San Antonio Spurs to a 2-2 series tie with the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals.

A sports card from the 7-foot-4 French star’s rookie season has also made headlines. Wembanyama’s 2023-24 Panini Prizm one-of-one Black parallel card recently sold for $5.11 million in a private deal brokered by Fanatics Collect.

It’s the highest known price paid for a non-autographed NBA card and the fourth-highest for any NBA card, according to price guide website Card Ladder. The buyer told the Athletic that he believes it will remain the best card for a player whose superstar potential is practically unlimited.

“There’s a sort of obvious ceiling for him, just as an athlete, that I think is higher than most people that are like the ordained superstars, like the next guy that we anticipate them being pantheon people,” said the buyer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “… If you take all these players and you say, ‘What’s their ceiling?’
I think Victor Wembanyama’s [ceiling] is substantially higher.”

Professional Sports Authenticator graded the card a Gem Mint 10, which the PSA site says is reserved for “virtually perfect” cards.

The previous record amount spent on a Wembanyama card was $860,100 paid for his rookie Panini Prism Nebula Choice one-of-one card in early 2025, according to Fanatics Collect. That card had a PSA 9 grade.

The grade for the recently purchased card came with controversy. Collector Cavelle McDonald pulled the card from a pack he purchased at NorCal Sports Cards in Roseville, Calif. A video posted to the store’s YouTube account in 2024 shows McDonald and NorCal Sports Cards owner Thomas Lindenthal getting the card graded.

After learning the card’s grade, Lindenthal gave “a huge shout-out” to Kurt’s Card Care. “Your product is phenomenal,” he said.

According to its website, Kurt’s Card Care makes “100% handmade Cleaning sprays and polishes free of artificial colors and scents. Perfect for cleaning and restoring your card collection.” PSA says on its website that it “will not grade cards that bear evidence of trimming, re-coloring, restoration, or any other forms of tampering” and lists “evidence of cleaning” as a factor in the company returning a card without a numeric grade.

Some people in the video’s comment section speculated that Lindenthal’s shout-out may have indicated that the Wemby card had been tampered with in a way that should have disqualified it from being graded. NorCal Sports Cards did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Times.

McDonald told the Athletic that “Kurt’s Card Care has nothing to do with me or the card.” The new buyer told the publication that he was unaware of the situation before purchasing the card, but said it wouldn’t have made any difference if he had known.

The largest amount known to be spent on any sports card is the $12.932 million paid last year for the 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs card featuring Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.

Wembanyama had 41 points and 24 rebounds in the Spurs’ double-overtime victory against the Thunder in Game 1 of the conference finals and 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots in San Antonio’s Game 4 victory on Sunday. Game 5 is Tuesday in Oklahoma City, with the winner of the best-of-seven series advancing to play the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.

1 of 5 | Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan jams for two of his game-high 50 points during fourth-quarter action November 21, 1997, to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers 111-102 in two overtimes. On May 16, 1985, the NBA named Jordan rookie of the year after he led all players in points. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

On this date in history:

In 1804, the French Senate declared Napoleon Bonaparte emperor.

In 1871, U.S. Marines landed in Korea in an attempt to open the country to foreign trade.

In 1920, Joan of Arc was canonized as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church.

In 1929, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had its first Academy Awards ceremony. Wings was named Best Picture in the event at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

In 1932, following the assassination of Premier Inukai Tsuyoshi, fears began to spread that a militarist “super-party” was beginning to take shape in Japan.

In 1969, the unmanned Soviet spacecraft Venera 5 landed on Venus.

In 1985, the NBA named the Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan rookie of the year after he led all players in points.

In 1988, U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop said nicotine was as addictive as heroin or cocaine and called for the licensing of tobacco product vendors.

In 1991, Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to address a joint session of Congress.

In 1997, Mobutu Sese Seko — who ruled Zaire for more than 30 years, allegedly looting it of billions of dollars — fled the capital as rebel forces advanced. He died in exile less than four months later.

In 2012, Vermont became the first state to ban hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to extract gas from underground deposits.

In 2013, Britain’s David Beckham announced he would retire from soccer.

In 2014, election results in India gave Narenda Modi and his opposition Bharatiya Janata Party a major victory elevating him to prime minister.

In 2019, the final episode of The Big Bang Theory aired after a 12-season run. The comedy series starred Jim Parsons (Sheldon), Johnny Galecki (Leonard), Kaley Cuoco (Penny), Simon Helberg (Howard), Kunal Nayyar (Raj), Melissa Rauch (Bernadette) and Mayim Bialik (Amy).

Kobe Bryant rookie trading cards aren’t particularly rare. And because rarity equates to value, standard issue 1997 cards featuring the late Lakers great retail for a pedestrian $100 to $300.

Then there are 1997 Kobe Bryant Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Green cards, which just by typing that highfalutin name can give even the most savvy collector goose bumps.

The key word is green. Most Bryant rookie Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems cards have a red background and fetch around $300,000. Only 10 were made with a metallic green background and only three have been graded by respected grading firm Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA).

So green translates to greenbacks. Alt, a company that enables users to sell, buy and securely store collectible cards, announced Thursday it purchased one of those — take a breath first — 1997 Kobe Bryant Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Green cards in a private transaction for $3.15 million.

The company said on Instagram that the purchase makes it the most expensive Bryant card ever sold, eclipsing the previous record of $2.4 million set in September. Another copy of the same card sold for $2 million in 2022.

“It was on every collector’s wall, in every price guide, at the top of every wish list,” Alt CEO Leore Avidar Avidar said on Alt’s Instagram page. “Acquiring it for our fund is personal, but it’s also a reflection of where this market has gone.”

The image of Bryant in midair passing — not shooting! — highlights the card, which earned a PSA 5 grade.

The card adds to Alt’s impressive collection. The fund set price records at time of purchase for LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo cards in addition to the one of Bryant.

The most paid for a sports trading card was $12.932 million for a 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs signed card featuring Bryant and Michael Jordan last fall. The purchase was made by investor and “Shark Tank” personality Kevin O’Leary along with veteran collectors Matt Allen and Paul Warshaw and surpassed the previous record of $12.6 million held by a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card.

The Bryant/Jordan card is the second-most expensive sports collectible of all time behind Babe Ruth’s 1932 World Series “called shot” jersey, which sold for $24.12 million in 2024.

High-end Bryant cards remain coveted by collectors. Allen, well known in the industry as Shyne150, privately spent $4 million on two Bryant 1-of-1 signed Panini Flawless Logoman cards.