SAN DIEGO — Ryan Hollingshead scored his first goal this season in the 14th minute of stoppage time and Denis Bouanga added a goal for LAFC on Saturday night in a 2-2 tie with San Diego FC.
Mathieu Choiniere’s soft header off a corner kick played to the back post by David Martinez bounced in front of the goal and Hollingshead slammed home the finish to cap the scoring.
Marcus Ingvartsen scored two goals — his first career multi-goal game in MLS — for San Diego.
Anders Dreyer played a corner kick to the near post and Ingvartsen headed home the finish to open the scoring in the seventh minute.
On the counter-attack, Dreyer played a cross from the right side to Ingvartsen, who knocked down the ball with his first touch and then blasted a shot from the center of the area inside the left post and into the side-net to make it 2-0 in the 71st minute.
Ingvartsen has seven goals and two assists this season. The 30-year-old had two goals and one assist in eight appearances, five starts, in 2025, his first season in MLS.
Denis Bouanga scored in the 82nd minute, LAFC’s first shot on goal. Bouanga, who has scored at least 20 goals in each of the last three seasons, has five goals this season.
LAFC (6-2-3) beat Minnesota 1-0 last time out to snap a three-game winless streak.
San Diego (3-5-3) snapped a five-game losing streak.
CJ Dos Santos made his season debut and had three saves for San Diego but left due to injury in stoppage time and was replaced by Duran Ferree. The 24-year-old Dos Santos, who had 10 shutouts last season, suffered a fractured cheekbone and orbital floor fracture in a playoff loss at Portland on Nov. 1.
For Blake Bowen and his JSerra High baseball teammates, their final week of the high school baseball season could not have gone any better.
The 6-foot-4 senior hit three home runs during a three-game sweep of Santa Margarita. But the Lions finished their season on Friday with an 11-17 record, which means there will be no postseason.
“Too little, too late,” coach Brett Kay said.
Bowen came on strong, finishing with nine home runs and a .360 batting average. His ability to hit the ball hard and far should make him a high draft pick this summer.
“It’s the best power I’ve ever seen for a high school player,” Kay said.
Bowen is a former football player who began focusing only on baseball after transferring to JSerra from Riverside King. He plays baseball like he did in football — with an aggressiveness.
“Once he comes into his own, he’s going to be special,” Kay said.
The Lions had a young team that was hurt by injuries. One of the impressive young players was freshman Joey Koenig, who showed he can hit and will get a chance to pitch in the future.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com
And perhaps a quartet of consecutive promotions was asking too much for even a club touched by Hollywood.
It is four years since the last time the final game of the season wasn’t one of jubilant scenes.
Those in red immediately fell to the turf after referee Oliver Langford blew his whistle to bring the contest with Middlesbrough to an end.
Amid the disappointment, there would still have been plenty to smile about for supporters making their way out of Stok Cae Ras.
After all, this was still the north Wales club’s highest-ever league finish in their history.
Co-chairman Ryan Reynolds’s summary was apt.
“I am completely gutted by today’s result but incredibly proud of our season,” he wrote on social media.
“We’ve come a long way in five years and this was the best result in our 150+ year history. More to do. But for now, we have so much to be proud of. Reds.”
It’s officially May, which means summer vacation season is upon us. If you’re planning a trip to the beach, just make sure it’s got cell service (don’t say we didn’t warn you).
This week, Apple TV released the first two episodes of “Widow’s Bay,” a horror comedy that takes a closer look at those cozy seaside vacation towns and what might be beneath the surface. Katie Dippold, the creator of the series, which stars Matthew Rhys, Stephen Root and Kate O’Flynn (Jeff Hiller, one of my faves, also has a nice supporting role), stopped by Guest Spot to talk more about the genesis of the show and why it bends genres — more on that below.
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Also in this week’s Screen Gab, we recommend a documentary film (and an animated short) that looks at the musical legacy of the King of Pop, and a recent docuseries about the FLDS community. — Maira Garcia
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Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times
Quincy Jones, left, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie in Netflix’s “The Greatest Night in Pop.”
(Netflix/Courtesy of Netflix)
‘The Greatest Night in Pop,’ ‘Sing: Thriller’ (Netflix)
I don’t know whether the release of “Michael,” the Michael Jackson biopic, had anything to do with “I Want You Back,” the greatest single of all time, playing in my dentist’s office today, but MJ is definitely in the air, posthumously pelleting us with his fantastic music and permanently controversial self. Somewhat in that spirit, I offer Bao Minh Nguyen‘s 2024 documentary “The Greatest Night in Pop,” about the recording of the 1985 super-duper star charity single “We Are the World,” co-written by Jackson and Lionel Richie and featuring the oddest assortment of singers ever to be gathered into a single studio — a congregation including Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, Steve Perry, Huey Lewis, Stevie Wonder, Willie Nelson, Dionne Warwick, Cyndi Lauper, Ray Charles, Bruce Springsteen and Harry Belafonte, among others. (Richie, Springsteen, Lauper, Lewis and Sheila E. sit for new interviews.) Jackson fans will get a glimpse of him at work like a normal musician, albeit one dressed as the General of Neverland. Dylan watchers will see a fish far out of water. Local historians will enjoy footage of L.A. in the ‘80s. On another, quite delightful note, “Sing: Thriller,” also from 2024, is a 10-minute cartoon take on Jackson’s video of the same name, starring the cast of the “Sing” movies, zombified and, naturally, dancing. — Robert Lloyd
Christine Marie in Netflix’s “Trust Me: The False Prophet.”
(Netflix)
‘Trust Me: The False Prophet’ (Netflix)
Mormonism has been under the spotlight lately, with reality series and documentaries taking a closer look at the religious group. But one particular sect, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has long come under scrutiny for its practices and allegations of cult-like behavior, child marriage and child sexual abuse. This four-part series from director Rachel Dretzin is a continuation of her work documenting the FLDS community (she previously directed 2022’s “Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey,” also for Netflix). It follows cult expert Christine Marie and her husband Tolga Katas, who moved to Short Creek, Utah, where the community previously led by Warren Jeffs, the former FLDS leader and convicted felon, is based. Marie befriends the women in the community, gaining their trust, only to find out that another man, Samuel Bateman, is claiming to be a prophet. What she uncovers is a web of abuse and crimes. The series is riveting and disturbing, culminating with Bateman’s arrest and eventual conviction. — M.G.
Guest Spot
A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching
Matthew Rhys and Stephen Root in Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay,” now streaming.
(Apple)
Have you ever taken a vacation to a nice place but then see or experience something that just feels off? Apple TV’s new series, “Widow’s Bay,” tries to capture some of that feeling, where a seemingly quaint town hides dark secrets.
Matthew Rhys plays Tom Loftis, the mayor of Widow’s Bay, an island 40 miles off the New England coast. He’s attempting to save the region from economic slump — there’s no WiFi, cell phone service is spotty, the streets need repaving — by trying to make it a tourist destination. He manages to get a New York Times travel writer to visit, who writes a story that seems to turn the town’s fortunes. But much to Tom’s chagrin, the locals — particularly Wyck, played by Stephen Root — say the island is cursed and it has been awakened to unleash a “haunt.”
Creator and showrunner Katie Dippold’s fascination with such places began at an early age, growing up in New Jersey, where her family would take trips to the shore. She began writing the series more than 10 years ago, and it’s evolved over the years. “Believe it or not, this was originally a ‘Parks and Recreation’ sample for me when I got that writing job,” says Dippold, whose writing credits also include “The Heat” and “Ghostbusters.” “But it was very different, it was more comedic.”
While the show incorporates some comedic elements, it very much has moments of horror and dread that might make you gasp when something unexpected happens. Some of that feeling is thanks to director Hiro Murai (“Atlanta,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”), who directed the first three episodes and the final two. “Sometimes it’s like a ‘blink and you miss it’ kind of moment, which I love for this show,” Dippold says, even if it meant losing some of the humor they’d written in the scripts.
The creator spoke over a video call to dissect the characters and series, and explained whether or not we would see Willy the clown from Episode 2 again. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. — M.G.
You’ve worked on a number of comedic projects, and this show has comedy elements. But horror is definitely a part of this show. Have you always been into horror, and why mash up these genres?
I’m a comedy writer, first and foremost, but I’m also the biggest horror fan. I like watching horror more than I like watching comedy. I just wanted to try to create a world where you could play with both of those things. But I should say that I actually don’t like most horror comedies. The ones that do it well are some of my favorite movies, like “American Werewolf in London,” “Cabin in the Woods” or “Shaun of the Dead,” and even the three of those are very, very different.
Especially in a TV show, I didn’t want it to feel like constant horror and dread. I like having those moments with a surprise laugh … or just something completely absurd. But, to that point, it was also a constant tonal tightrope walk from beginning to end because … I never wanted to undercut the tension. As a horror fan, I wanted to take it very seriously, and so that was a challenge from the scripts to production to casting to the edit to the score, just every step of the way.
The show is set in a small island town that’s trying to become the new “it” destination — comparable places like Bar Harbor, Maine, and Cape Cod are mentioned — except the townsfolk say it’s cursed. What about these communities intrigues you and why set the story in that location?
I grew up in New Jersey, and I always loved going to the Jersey Shore, and I always talk about this haunted house on the boardwalk that I used to always go to, and I just love that seaside haunted house vibe. I think I always romanticized it … that atmosphere is my dream. A couple years ago, I went to a diner in Marblehead, Mass., and it’s called the Driftwood, and it was just so perfect … in the sense that it was so cozy and lived in. You could see the ocean outside. It was a gray, cloudy day and there was a cemetery that was not that far away. There’s something about it that I found so special, and I never wanted to leave that place. And so I just wanted to get that feeling and get it on the screen.
Unique places have unique people like Wyck, who is trying to warn Tom about the fog that’s rolled in. Wyck is an oddball — every town seems to have one. Was that rooted in anyone or anything?
I was just trying to think of who would be the best thorn in Loftis’ side, and Stephen Root is so great at everything he does, and he’s so funny, but then so heartbreaking the next. When I was young, my dad had his drinking buddies, and Wyck doesn’t seem that far off from that kind of person, so I kind of relate to that. He represents the voice of the people of the islands, the real islanders, the real locals that take it all very seriously, and so he’s just the constant menace to Loftis.
And poor Tom is so practical. He’s worried about keeping the town afloat and literally keeping the lights on. But he also kind of believes the stories. How does this character and his contrasts help illustrate the story?
I think Loftis, in the beginning of the story, is at a place of determination and optimism. He cannot accept that this is his life and he cannot accept that this is the life of his teenage son [Evan, played by Kingston Rumi Southwick]. So he’s really trying to bring what he can to the island through tourism and what that would do for the town. But there’s some stuff that he needs to reckon with — he will throughout the season. I think I can be very optimistic, and so when you learn the hard truths of life, I always take that very hard myself.
Is this related to his wife being dead?
I think that’s a huge part of it. There’s a lot of what happened with his wife that he hasn’t fully reconciled. There’s stuff he needs to come to terms with … if he keeps repressing it, it’s just going to destroy him.
You set some ground rules or parameters of the world we’re in: First the quake, the fog and so forth. How did you come up with it?
In the writer’s room, we spent so much time thinking of the history of this town and different eras of leadership. …Because the more that we fleshed out this world since 1681, the funnier it was to us when something would pop out that’s ridiculous, you know what I mean? Like, then the ludicrous is more fun, if everything else feels real. It’s so important that you buy everything that’s happening, because it’s very easy to go off the rails. Once you start not buying it, it’s very hard to get back to ever feeling the tension.
The other thing I would say about the mythology, the rules … Loftis could dismiss it. Like the examples the [New York Times] reporter gives at the restaurant [of islanders going to the mainland and dying], those are weird. It’s weird that those things happen to people, but it’s also not like they all went on a boat and blew up. It’s just weird enough that I know I would take it seriously but still murky enough to give a little bit of room for Loftis to dismiss it and not be a complete lunatic.
They’re plausible enough to have happened.
But deep down, I think it scares him very much and that’s why he’s putting in all the effort.
In Episode 2, we see Willy, a creepy, fast-moving clown. Will we see him again?
Oh, possibly. Because I think for some things on the island, if you’ve heard about it before, it’s existed before and it’s come back, so it’s probably not completely gone.
Hiro Murai directed the first three episodes and he has a couple more at the end of the season. I feel like we see his stamp on the show. Was he someone you wanted to work with?How did he help bring your vision to life?
He was my dream director for it because I love “Atlanta” so much. I think Hiro is so fantastic at creating a very grounded world, a grounded scene and then still surprising the hell out of you with some absurd moment.
“Atlanta” was very inspiring to me. I had written this long before, and I was rewriting throughout the 10 years or so. But TV changed in the process, from the time I wrote the pilot to now, and that was very helpful. I think he’s so good with specifics and little nuances, and we have a very similar sense of humor. … I just knew this show would never be corny if [Hiro] was directing it.
Last thing, what are you watching right now that you’d recommend to others?
I’m rewatching “Game of Thrones” [HBO Max]. Me and my boyfriend … make breakfast every Saturday morning and rewatch an episode from the series. And it’s such a fun rewatch because the first time, I had not read the books. It’s so fascinating to rewatch again, now that you understand what the hell is happening.
I’m also watching “Hacks’” [HBO Max] final season, which I always love. In terms of movies … we were in production and then I was in post, so I didn’t get to see a ton of new stuff, but I loved “Weapons” [HBO Max]. I know it’s now a year old … but that’s my honest answer.
Wrexham’s dream of reaching the Premier League is over, for this season anyway.
And for Ryan Reynolds, it was tough to stomach.
“I am completely gutted by today’s result but incredibly proud of our season,” the actor wrote on X after the Welsh club he co-owns missed out on a place in the playoffs in the second-tier Championship by drawing 2-2 with Middlesbrough in a dramatic final round of the regular season on Saturday.
That allowed Hull to jump ahead of Wrexham and into sixth place — the fourth and final spot in the playoffs — courtesy of a 2-1 win over Norwich in a match played at the same time.
The winning goal for Hull, by Oli McBurnie in the 67th, appeared to be scored from an offside position but there are no video reviews in the English Football League.
It ended Wrexham’s unprecedented run of three straight promotions under its famous owners — a streak that began by getting out of the fifth tier in the 2022-23 season and has been documented in the globally popular, Emmy Award-winning “Welcome to Wrexham” series.
Still, seventh place marked the Wrexham’s highest finish in its history, bettering the 15th position it achieved in the second tier in the 1978–79 season.
“We’ve come a long way in five years and this was the best result in our 150+ year history,” Reynolds wrote alongside a graphic that showed how Wrexham has risen from the National League. “More to do. But for now, we have so much to be proud of, Reds.”
Elsewhere, Ipswich secured the second automatic promotion spot behind champion Coventry — and an immediate return to the Premier League — by beating Queens Park Rangers 3-0.
Ipswich is owned by U.S. investment group Gamechanger 20 Limited and counts pop star Ed Sheeran as a minority shareholder.
Joining Hull in the playoffs, which begin next week and are over two legs, are Millwall, Southampton and Middlesbrough.
Millwall will face Hull, and Southampton will meet Middlesbrough.
Best-ever finish by Wrexham
It was a memorable campaign by Wrexham in its first season in the second tier since the 1980s.
However, the short-term pain was acute, and Wrexham’s players sat on the ground and looked disconsolate after the final whistle — even though the Hull-Norwich match hadn’t finished.
Wrexham started the day in sixth place, ahead of Hull on goal difference, and conceded in the fourth minute to Middlesbrough, only to score through Josh Windass and Sam Smith for a 2-1 lead by the 41st.
Middlesbrough hit back immediately with a 43rd-minute equalizer but Wrexham finished the stronger, squandering a string of great late chances for a winner that would have secured a playoff place on goal difference.
Wrexham’s Josh Windass squats on the field and looks dejected following a draw with Middlesbrough on Saturday.
(Michael Steele / Getty Images)
In the end, Wrexham finished two points behind Hull.
“This squad as it stands, with a preseason together, will be even stronger next year,” said Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson, who oversaw a summer spend of around $40 million last year.
“Of course we’ll always look to add to that to try and give ourselves an even better chance … we know where we’d like to strengthen and what we need to improve on. We’ll do that and we’ll make this squad as strong as we possibly can to mount a challenge next year.”
ANAHEIM, Calif. — When Joel Quenneville took over the long-suffering Ducks nearly a year ago, the veteran head coach cautiously said he hoped to get his new team into contention this season for its first playoff spot since 2018.
His young, hungry Ducks made it to the playoffs, all right — and they’re clearly not just happy to be here.
After nearly winning the Pacific Division in a surprisingly strong regular season, these Ducks ended the franchise’s eight-year postseason drought — and now they’ve eliminated Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the two-time defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers with a six-game series victory in the first round.
Anaheim finished it off with a 5-2 victory in Game 6 on Thursday night, calmly dispatching its more experienced opponents with the poise and potency that this team has shown for long stretches this season. Quenneville could only applaud as his team took the next step on its journey.
Ducks center Leo Carlsson celebrates with left wing Chris Kreider after scoring an empty net goal during Game 6 of their Stanley Cup playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday in Anaheim.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
“It’s a huge win,” Quenneville said. “I’m happy for the players. I’m happy for the fans. And now we’ve got a taste of playoff hockey, and I think we can feel at this moment that it’s so much fun playing games that have the meaning, and the building being as loud and excited as it is. It seems to grow from this level on.”
The future has finally arrived in Orange County, and the raucous sellout crowds that have supported this team all season long are loving the return of playoff hockey for the team that won California’s first Stanley Cup in 2007.
The Ducks also had one of the NHL’s best teams while winning five straight division titles through the middle of the 2010s, but those teams twice lost in the Western Conference finals before Anaheim fell into a rut of seven straight years without a playoff berth.
Those years of high draft picks have led to a roster with impressive high-end talent in its young core, and general manager Pat Verbeek added a slate of veteran signees to bolster it. Quenneville was the next huge piece of the puzzle, and the three-time Stanley Cup winner as a head coach has guided the Ducks to a first-round postseason upset.
“We know that (at) our best is a really good team when we’re playing the right way,” said Troy Terry, the longest-serving Ducks player since 2018. “We proved it to ourselves that we can do it consistently in a series, and our group should have a lot of confidence going forward in what makes us a good team.”
After stumbling into a 2-6-2 slump down the stretch and blowing the division lead, the third-place Ducks drew the playoff-tested Oilers in the first round. It looked like a nightmare matchup for an inexperienced team — but the Ducks were ready.
Anaheim stormed to a 3-1 series lead while pumping 20 goals past the Oilers, who looked slower and creakier than the Ducks. Edmonton showed off its postseason poise in Game 5, throttling the Ducks in a 4-1 victory and putting the onus on their inexperienced opponents to finish off the series.
And that’s exactly what the Ducks did: They scored three goals in the first period, jumped to a 4-1 lead after two, and never allowed the Oilers to get up enough momentum to seriously threaten a comeback.
“I’m just proud with the maturity level of that game,” Terry said. “For how inexperienced and young our team is, it’s exciting moving forward.”
Anaheim also got a star-making performance from defenseman Jackson LaCombe, who led the team with nine points while also leading its defensive effort against McDavid and Draisaitl. LaCombe, a late addition to the U.S. Olympic team last winter, led the Ducks with a plus-6 rating while playing 22 1/2 minutes per game and taking just one penalty.
“A lot of us young guys are learning a lot as we go along, and I thought we got better throughout the series,” LaCombe said. “It means a lot for us.”
The Ducks have extended their breakthrough season for at least another couple of weeks, and they’re relatively healthy. Their next opponent will be the Vegas Golden Knights — another experienced playoff team loaded with veterans.
The Ducks and their fans are thrilled to take the next step on this unlikely journey.
“Now we get to experience another round, and I think this is healthy for us,” Quenneville said. “We’ve got a young group that … you don’t know how they’re going to play, but you’re certainly excited what the upside is.”
It has been quite the season for Declan Caddell as Crusaders manager, who has successfully secured the north Belfast side’s Premiership status for next season after a penalty shootout victory over Annagh United.
The Crues had a one goal lead after the first leg, but Philip Donnelly’s penalty levelled the aggregate score after just five minutes before Lee Upton edged Annagh ahead.
In the 71st minute Stewart Nixon equalised in the play-off and sent the game to extra time, but neither side were able to find a goal.
During the penalty shootout, Musa Dibaga saved two penalties as the Crues sealed their survival and avoided what would have been just their second relegation in the club’s history.
“Credit to Annagh, they put it up to us,” Caddell told BBC Sport NI.
“For me, that game summarised our whole season in terms of a wee bit of bad luck, not playing for a full 90 minutes, injuries, everything relying on a last gasp, last minute, and credit to Dibaga as well for stepping in and making a difference.
“I’m just relieved to get over the line because it’s been a difficult year. Who would be a football manager, eh?”
It has been reported that EastEnders legend Ross Kemp has ‘signed up’ for Celebrity Traitors season 2, following the huge success of last years show.
21:36, 01 May 2026Updated 22:05, 01 May 2026
(Image: BBC)
Ross Kemp has reportedly signed for The Celebrity Traitors and is set to join Claudia Winkleman in Ardross Castle in Scotland for filming this weekend.
The actor and documentary-maker, 61, is best known for playing Grant Mitchell in the East London soap and now has decided to set his sights on a new challenge.
This comes as a surprise move from the star who has refused other reality TV show competitions, but reports suggest he was intrigued by the “psychological” nature of The Traitors.
An insider told The Sun: “He loves Traitors and thinks it’s a programme on another level, which is why he really wanted to take part.
“Ross loved the mix of psychological intrigue paired with some of the very physical trials that the group have to complete – both suit him perfectly.
The source added that he wanted to take part as he’s at a “point in his life” where he “wants to try new things and continue to challenge himself.”
They also suggested that this could be an opportunity for the star to appeal to the younger generation, after a decades-long career and an older fanbase.
“Plus he knows The Celebrity Traitors won’t just be watched by people who are familiar with his work, but by younger viewers who may be less familiar with Ross, and this opens him up to a whole new audience. He’s also a very BBC name and this is another big BBC show.”
Last year, the first ever celebrity version of The Traitors was an enormous success and captivated the country. The show had huge UK names including; Stephen Fry, Jonathan Ross, Alan Carr, Celia Imrie, Cat Burns, Tom Daley, Charlotte Church, and comedian Nick Mohammed.
The BBC has remained tight-lipped about which celebrities are set to appear in the second season of the show, with a spokesperson for the broadcaster telling The Sun: “We are not commenting on speculation, and details for The Celebrity Traitors series 2 will be announced in due course.”
However, it has been reported that this years cast includes; actors Richard E Grant, Michael Sheen, comedians James Acaster and Joanne McNally, academic Hannah Fry, and University Challenge presenter Amol Rajan.
Filming is set to begin very soon and take place in the next two to three weeks. The show will likely broadcast later this year.
Here comes Bob Chesney’s rebuild. And Iamaleava’s redemption. An exceptional head coach and an exciting quarterback, with the wind at their backs, racing toward a relatively breezy schedule?
USC defensive tackle Carlon Jones grabs UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava during a game on Nov. 29.
(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
Sky’s the limit, man.
Watch them dip and dance and make defenders miss all the way to New York. Watch the cautionary tale about the perils of the transfer portal turn into a fairy-tale comeback.
No, that’s not me building castles in the sky.
Consider the unprecedented heights to which Chesney took tiny James Madison, and think of the places he can go with a junior QB whose trajectory had him headed toward Heisman Trophy hopefuldom before turbulence hit.
Iamaleava arrived in Knoxville, Tenn., with more hype than any quarterback since Peyton Manning. The 6-foot-6 Long Beach native, with an outside hitter’s rocket arm and the gazelle-like gait, was considered the nation’s No. 2 overall recruit out of Warren High in Downey. As a redshirt freshman in 2024, he won 10 games and led the Volunteers to the College Football Playoff.
Heisman buzz was building. Until it wasn’t, deadened last spring by the contract dispute that was debated ‘round the college football world. There was disagreement between Iamaleava’s camp and Tennessee — which was reportedly paying him more than $2 million per season, less than the going rate for some comparable quarterbacks and more than the Bruins reportedly offered.
UCLA — 3-9 last season and with only two bowl appearances in eight years — isn’t anyone’s idea of a shortcut back to glory. But there is this: The Bruins seem really to have Ted Lasso’d a certain energy these days. A can-do frequency. Joy and positivity are in.
UCLA coach Bob Chesney leads the Bruins through their first spring football practice at Spaulding Field on April 2.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Alysa Liu, the figure-skating psychology-student Olympic champion? She said there’s a new golden rule: Am I having a good time?
And mercy, the No. 6-ranked softball team — whose silly postgame interviews have gone viral — is having a record-smashing season.
Now we also have Chesney extra-cheesing out here, showing up with free pizzas at fraternities, outreach to get the bros out to the Bruins’ spring game Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
But how does Iamaleava fit into this bright motif?
Perfectly, actually. When I asked him last year what he was telling his teammates after head coach DeShaun Foster was fired three weeks into the season, sky falling, wheels falling off, Iamaleava smiled his easy smile: “Man, just keep the belief.”
If that reads like a cliché, imagine the coolest guy in school saying it, and meaning it.
Iamaleava has a Long Beach lean, laid back and comfortable in his skin. He’s super-tight with his seven siblings, and super-proud of their Samoan heritage. And even though he and his younger brother Madden, a backup UCLA quarterback, were always “the toughest dudes on the field,” former Warren coach Kevin Pearson said, “they are the nicest, sweetest off of it.”
But wasn’t Nico the villain? The bad guy? That disloyal, greedy kid at the center of college football’s first apparent holdout?
The criticism was so loud — and so wrong, Pearson said — it had the man stressing. “It made my stomach hurt,” he said, “what people were saying about Nico.”
Pan out and Nico is a face in a crowd. For example, of the top 600 football prospects in the class of 2021, more than 60% of them transferred at least once, and 42 of the top 50 quarterbacks changed schools, according to the Athletic.
And he was about the only thing that was good about last season’s Bruins.
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava passes the ball during an upset of Penn State at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 4.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
He was their leading passer and rusher. Of UCLA’s 24 touchdowns, he accounted for 17, including five in the Bruins’ 42-37 victory over No. 7 Penn State, which earned him a slew of national weekly honors, including Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
But the Bruins won only three games. The whole season was a hot mess, though you wouldn’t have known it, talking to Nico.
He seemed to get it. Not like he understood the assignment of rehabilitating his image, but with the sincerity of someone who appreciates what’s actually hard.
You might remember, his mom, Leinna, was diagnosed with breast cancer when he was 14.
“She definitely opened my eyes, just as a young kid growing up,” said Iamaleava, noting that she is OK now, busy traveling all over the country with his younger volleyball-playing sisters.
“She got diagnosed my freshman year and it was just kind of time to grow up and take care of the little ones. That changed my mindset and my perspective on life. Life’s short, you know? And we’re very blessed to be here and wake up every day.”
Nico could have been defensive in the face of criticism and failure, but he never was. Could have disappeared after defeats as some quarterbacks have, but he didn’t.
His mantra: “That’s on me, man.” Even when it wasn’t.
Despite everything, he was overly accountable, gracious under pressure, upbeat.
“Think about what he had to go through last year,” Chesney said. “He got the preseason, had a couple weeks with the guys, then he got into season, had a couple weeks with the guys, and then all hell broke loose, right?
UCLA offensive linemen Garrett Digiorgio, left, and Sam Yoon, right, help quarterback Nico Iamaleava up after he ran for extra yards against Penn State at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 4.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
“To be able to stick with it and stay through that, you’re just probably trying to keep your head above water. And a lot of our conversations are about that, ‘Hey, this is different this time around.’”
Way different. Chesney has revamped UCLA’s roster with 40-plus transfers, including several key contributors from the JMU team that made the College Football Playoff.
And then there’s Nico, looking like everybody’s big brother at spring practices, smack-talking and celebrating the guys, as engaged as Chesney but easier to spot because his golden helmet glistens above everyone else’s.
“We did a leadership vote,” Chesney said, “and it was undeniable, [Nico] was the No. 1 vote on this entire team to be the leader. And I wanted to just share that with him and make sure he didn’t have to wonder, ‘Do these guys respect me?’ They do. And not only by the position you play, but by the way you play it. By the way you handle it off the field.”
By smiling through it all, even in the immediate aftermath of the Bruins’ loss to New Mexico, their third loss in as many weeks, when it looked like UCLA might not win all season.
“This is a game that as a little kid you loved to play,” Nico said that night. “A lot of [us] are treating this like a job. We gotta get back to having fun.”
And now that Nico and the new-look Bruins have that kite in the air, watch them run with it.
In a hearing about competing protective order filings from reality TV star Taylor Frankie Paul and her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen, a Utah judge granted Thursday that both orders go into effect, though he delayed making a decision on a custody arrangement.
The orders, which were issued by third district court commissioner Russell Minas, are in place for three years and require Paul and Mortensen to stay at least 100 feet away from each other. He also warned that they both could be subjected to criminal charges if there’s a violation of the orders.
“I do think it’s important that there be mutual orders,” Minas said. “I am just concerned that if I don’t order both of them to stay away from each other, there’s going to be some additional problems.”
Addressing Paul and Mortensen, Minas said: “I’m hoping that you’re not people who just thrive on the drama and the conflict … I do want to work with both of you to try to restore some sense of normalcy. I just think right now, you two need to stay away from each other and there needs to be orders that will result in consequences if you attempt to try to engage each other because I still think you have this attraction to each other, physical or otherwise.”
“The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star, 31, and Mortensen, 33, both appeared in Utah court for the hearing, which was livestreamed, the first time they’ve been seen in the same room together since news broke last month that they were involved in domestic violence investigations involving multiple allegations.
In the weeks leading up to the ruling, the judge had granted Mortensen custody of their son, with up to eight hours per week of supervised visitation for Paul, known as one of the stars of Hulu’s “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” That arrangement will stay in place until the judge offers his recommendation on parent time on or before May 11.
Dakota Mortensen in the courtroom on Thursday.
(Bethany Baker / Associated Press)
A review hearing is set for June, once mental health and domestic violence assessments of Paul and Mortensen ordered as part of the safety plan by child protective services have been completed and processed.
Paul’s attorney, Eric M. Swinyard, described the hearing as a “significant step forward.”
“Taylor was incredibly candid with the Court that she is not perfect and owned her faults,” read part of his statement. “She looks forward to continuing to cooperate with the Court to make progress in the custody case.”
The Times also reached out to Mortensen for comment.
Paul and Mortensen had been under investigation by both the Draper City Police Department and West Jordan Police Department regarding a series of allegations each made that the other had acted violently during altercations in February, as well as an incident that took place in 2024. After the February allegations made headlines, a video of Paul in 2023 that led to her arrest was leaked; it showed the reality star throwing bar stools at Mortensen while her daughter was present. (Paul pleaded guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault following that incident and her probation in that case will be up in August.) Amid the investigation, Mortensen and Paul filed competing protective orders against each other.
The Salt Lake County district attorney’s office and the Draper City prosecutor both declined to file charges against Paul in April, citing insufficient evidence to prove allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.
The situation between the embattled exes also resulted in the pausing of filming of “Mormon Wives” Season 5. The show has documented the pair’s tumultuous relationship since it’s launch in 2024. It also led to the shelving of Season 22 of ABC’s “The Bachelorette,” which featured Paul as its heroine.
But Thursday’s ruling on the orders comes a week after reports surfaced that “Mormon Wives” has resumed production on its fifth season, without Paul and Mortensen’s involvement — though, Paul reportedly has the option to return. The fate of the unaired season of “The Bachelorette” remains unclear.
At Dos Pueblos High in Goleta, baseball coach George Hedricks needed no excuses to start freshman Mattias Di Maggio, considering last name of DiMaggio is one of the best baseball names in the history of the sport. Think of the legendary Joe DiMaggio.
Well, it turns out Mattias is pretty good and also a distant relative to Joe DiMaggio. He’s his great grandfather’s cousin.
As a player this season, Mattias has 34 hits, is batting .515 and has hit nine home runs. He’s also a left-handed pitcher with four saves so beware of him on the mound in the coming years. He’s 6 feet 3 and 191 pounds.
“The most impressive thing hitting is he has over 20 walks and one strikeout,” Hedricks said. “He’s a pretty physical kid who can hit to all fields.”
He also leads the team in stolen bases. His brother was a standout at Dos Pueblos and plays junior college baseball.
One college coach said, “He’s good good.”
Hedricks can’t wait to see Mattias develop over the next three years.
“He can beat you 100 different ways,” Hedricks said.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com
For Rutherford a spell in the Welsh leagues followed but time is now spent split between some coaching, taxi-ing two of his boys to football training and working in a showroom of a hardware store.
All a world away from the millions on the line for the internationals in Parkinson’s squad aiming for the Premier League, one that has been rebuilt season on season with £30m-plus spent last summer alone.
“But even though it’s very different, it’s also the same club,” he says, his middle son part of the club’s academy.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to go back now and then and you see some of the same faces, good people, people who gave up their time for free to keep the club afloat.
“It’s a global brand but the football club is still at the heart of it. It’s kept its soul.”
Rutherford is well-qualified to judge. Although the co-owners never reached out after his release, he was invited to sample the US adulation for his old club as part of an invitational Wrexham side in a tournament in North Carolina alongside the likes of Mark Howard, Lee Trundle and Andy Morrell.
“Honestly, it’s hard to put it into words how big it’s become unless you see it,” he says of Wrexham’s new fanbase. “It was just after the club got into League Two, and I actually said when I was out there that they would be in the Premier League in 11 years.
“I don’t know why I didn’t say 10, but I thought they would land in League One for a few years and then take five or six years to get out of the Championship.
“To think they could do it in four is just phenomenal. I don’t want to say it would be a Hollywood story, it’ll be more like something out of Football Manager.”
Either way, there is a final day to script, with Rutherford a reminder that not every ending is a happy one.
“It’s bittersweet that we couldn’t get that promotion to the league and what happened, but I can look back now and say I was one of those who played a small part in the story and be proud of that,” he says.
“It was difficult at the time but hindsight gives you that context and I hope people keep that context if it doesn’t happen this time.
“It would only be a tiny applying of the brakes on an unbelievable journey – they’re still on their way.”
CHICAGO — Rookie Sam Antonnaci hit a tying triple with two outs in the ninth inning and Colson Montgomery had a winning single in the 10th, lifting the Chicago White Sox to a 3-2 victory Wednesday for a three-game sweep that extended the Angels’ losing streak to six.
Mike Trout hit his 10th home run of the season for the Angels, who have lost 10 of 11 and dropped to 12-20. Additionally, Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi left after two innings with left shoulder tightness.
Kikuchi gave up no runs on two hits and a walk with one strikeout before exiting. His average fastball velocity dropped from 94.9 mph in the first inning to 92.8 mph in the second.
A 34-year-old from Japan, Kikuchi was an All-Star last season with the Angels. He is 0-3 with a 5.81 ERA in 31 innings over seven starts.
With the White Sox trailing 2-1, Tristan Peters was hit by a Ryan Zeferjahn pitch with one out in the ninth and scored on Antonacci’s triple.
Montgomery singled with one out in the 10th off Drew Pomeranz (0-3) for his first big league walk-off hit, giving the White Sox their second series sweep this season.
Seranthony Domínguez pitched a perfect 10th.
Former Dodger Miguel Vargas had an RBI single in the third off Mitch Farris, recalled from triple-A before the game, and Trout’s homer tied the score in the fourth.
Vaughn Grissom’s first big league homer since Sept. 7, 2022, for Atlanta gave the Angels a 2-1 lead in the seventh against Erick Fedde, who gave up five hits, struck out six and walked none in a season-high seven innings.
Up next
Angels: RHP Walbert Ureña (0-3, 4.77 ERA) takes the mound at home Friday against the New York Mets and RHP Christian Scott (0-0. 6.75).
White Sox: Rookie LHP Noah Schultz (1-1, 3.52) makes his fourth career start for the White Sox on Friday when they open a trip Friday at San Diego, which starts RHP Germán Márquez (3-1, 4.38).
Britain’s Jack Draper will miss the rest of the clay court season – including next month’s French Open – because of an ongoing knee injury.
The 24-year-old hopes to return for June’s grass court season but by then will almost certainly have fallen outside the world’s top 100.
Draper retired from his one and only clay court match of the season in Barcelona earlier this month because of the tendon issue in his right knee.
He then pulled out of back-to-back ATP 1000 tournaments in Madrid and Rome, but expressed optimism that he would be fit for the French Open.
“My knee is on the mend and I’ve started back hitting balls but unfortunately I have been advised not to play Roland Garros,” Draper posted on Instagram.
“As gutting as it is to miss another Slam, the advice is not to rush straight back into playing five set tennis on clay.”
The tournament in Barcelona was just the fourth event of Draper’s comeback from bone bruising in his serving arm, which – bar one match at the US Open – had kept him off the tour since Wimbledon last year.
“Off the back of the arm injury, I’ve been restricted with my training and by giving myself the time to heal and build, I can be the player I want to be out there once again,” Draper added.
Dylan Carter, a contestant on Season 24 of “The Voice,” died in a car accident on Saturday.
According to the NBC affiliate serving the Lowcountry region of South Carolina, the musician died in a single-vehicle crash on a rural road in Colleton County. He was 24.
Country music legend Reba McEntire, who was Carter’s coach on “The Voice,” posted a tribute on social media Monday morning, writing, “We will miss Dylan so much. He was a brilliant, kind and talented young man who brought a huge ray of sunshine to The Voice. Rest in peace, my dear friend.”
Moncks Corner Mayor Thomas Hamilton Jr. also memorialized the Lowcountry singer, writing on Facebook that his family was “heartbroken” to hear about the accident.
“As a gifted singer, he frequently entertained our community with his performances at Town events,” read the post. “His kindness and charm earned him immense respect, and his absence will be deeply felt.
“To the loved ones and acquaintances of Dylan, we offer our sincerest condolences during this difficult period. The Town of Moncks Corner, its Council, and entire staff extend their deepest sympathies. He was much more to our family than an entertainer he was our friend and we are deeply saddened.”
Carter was slated to perform Monday night at the town of Moncks Corner’s “Music on Main” event. The organizer posted that the event had been canceled, and the comments section was filled with an outpouring of shock and grief.
Carter competed on Season 24 of “The Voice” in 2023. During his blind audition, he sang Whitney Houston’s “I Look to You,” which he dedicated to his mother, who had died the year before. During his audition, all four judges turned their chairs for the contestant, with Gwen Stefani hitting her red button during the song’s first verse.
“You only get four chairs if you really move the room,” said judge Niall Horan, who called his performance spectacular.
McEntire was choked up and said she could feel and hear Carter’s emotion while he sang. “That’s when you know you’ve got a great song and a great singer,” she said. “When it touches your heart.”
“When I saw y’all turn around, I saw my mom,” Carter told the judges. “She passed back in October and she wanted me to sing it at her funeral, so I did it — I tried, but I couldn’t make it through it. This was the best second chance. I just made her so proud.”
After Carter was eliminated from the competition series, he posted on Instagram, reflecting on his experience: “Well last night did not go as we all were hoping, but I am proud to say that I went out there on that stage and gave it MY ALL.”
Carter admitted that he felt defeated when he was eliminated, adding, “but it did not take me long to realize that I actually didn’t lose anything, instead I gained EVERYTHING!”
“I came to The Voice unsure of myself, unsure of my future, and still grieving the loss of my mom. I left LA with confidence in myself and my future, with a sure purpose as to why I was put on this Earth, and with peace of mind moving on from my mom’s death. I’ve been afraid of moving on from my mom’s death because I thought moving on meant forgetting her. Boy was I wrong!!! I’m moving forward with her, as she shines through me! All she ever wanted was for me to find myself, to find my voice, and for me to be happy…. I left LA with all of that plus more!!! I even gained all of you guys.”
The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the accident.
Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is entering a residential treatment program for a gambling addiction and will be away from the team indefinitely, he and the Red Raiders announced Monday in a joint statement.
According to ESPN, Sorsby decided to seek treatment after it was discovered he made “thousands of online bets on a variety of sports via a gambling app.”
Multiple media outlets are reporting that Sorsby placed bets on Indiana football to win games during the 2022 season, when he was a redshirt freshman for the Hoosiers. He reportedly did not place bets on the one game in which he participated that season.
“We love Brendan and support his decision to seek professional help,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said in a statement. “Taking this step requires courage, and our primary focus is on him as a person. Our program is behind Brendan as he prioritizes his health.”
The team said it would have no further statement on Sorsby’s status or treatment progress at this time.
The NCAA is investigating Sorsby’s gambling, according to multiple media reports.
“Due to confidentiality rules put in place by NCAA member schools, the NCAA will not comment on current, pending or potential investigations,” the NCAA said Monday in a statement released to news organizations.
“However, the NCAA takes sports betting very seriously and is committed to the protection of student-athlete well-being and the integrity of competition. The Assn. works with integrity monitoring services, state regulators and other stakeholders to conduct appropriate due diligence whenever reports are received.”
The most recent NCAA guidelines about sports wagering state that student-athletes who bet on their own games or on other sports at their school could “potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility.” Betting on their sport in games not involving their school could result in “the loss of 50% of one season of eligibility will be considered.”
Other violations could also result in loss of eligibility with the amount of time missed based on the amount of money wagered.
Sorsby spent two seasons at Indiana and two at Cincinnati before transferring to Texas Tech this offseason for his final year of eligibility. He has completed 61.4% of his passes for 7,208 yards with 60 touchdowns and 18 interceptions, and rushed for 1,295 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Cincinnati has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio against Sorsby for allegedly breaching the name, image and likeness contract he signed in July that stated a $1-million buyout would be required within 30 days if he transferred.
On Monday, Sorsby’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss, stating that “the parties’ contractual intent to pay Mr. Sorsby for playing football was fully realized, and UC’s attempt to now unlawfully penalize Mr. Sorsby for exercising his transfer right under the NCAA’s rules and UC’s efforts to discourage and threaten other players from doing the same thing is invalid as a matter of law.”
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and how amazing is it that the Dodgers are 19-9, on pace to win 110 games, and are still just barely in first place?
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So the Dodgers’ bullpen imploded for a couple of days, costing the team. Most recently was Friday against the Cubs, when Alex Vesia, Blake Treinen and Tanner Scott coughed up a four-run lead in a game the Dodgers lost, 6-4.
This brought renewed pleas from fans on social media and some readers of this newsletter to move Roki Sasaki to the bullpen. After all, he has been no great shakes as a starter this season, while he was “lights out” as a closer at the end of last season. But was he, or are we remembering it a bit more fondly than it deserves, After all, the Dodgers were in no hurry to bring him in during Game 7 against the Blue Jays.
Let’s take a look at each of Sasaki’s relief outings at the end of last season and in the postseason.
Sept. 24 at Arizona Score when entering game: Dodgers, 3-1 Seventh inning James McCann grounds to third Tim Tawa strikes out Ildemaro Vargas strikes out
Sept. 26 at Seattle Score when entering game: Dodgers, 3-1 Seventh inning J.P Crawford grounds to third Cole Young strikes out Randy Arozarena doubles to left Cal Raleigh strikes out
Postseason
NL wild card Game 2 vs. Cincinnati Score when entering game: Dodgers, 8-4 Ninth inning Spencer Steer strikes out Gavin Lux strikes out Austin Hays lines to short
The game against the Reds was when fans got excited, because he looked dominant.
NLDS Game 1 at Philadelphia Score when entering game: Dodgers, 5-3 Ninth inning J.T. Realmuto strikes out Max Kepler doubles to right Nick Castellanos grounds to second Bryson Stott pops to third Sasaki gets the save
NLDS Game 2 at Philadelphia Score when entering game: Dodgers, 4-3 Ninth inning, two out, runners on first and third Trea Turner grounds to second Sasaki gets the save
NLDS Game 4 vs. Philadelphia Score when entering game: Tied, 1-1 Eighth inning Kyle Schwarber flies to right Bryce Harper pops to third Alec Bohm grounds to second Ninth inning Brandon Marsh grounds to second J.T. Realmuto strikes out Max Kepler pops to third 10th inning Nick Castellanos grounds to third Bryson Stott strikes out Trea Turner lines to right Dodgers win game, and series, in 11th inning
NLCS Game 1 at Milwaukee Score when entering game: Dodgers, 2-0 Ninth inning Caleb Durbin pops to third Isaac Collins walks Jake Bauers doubles to right Jackson Chourio sacrifice fly to center Christian Yelich walks Blake Treinen replaces Sasaki, gets final out, Dodgers win. First bad relief outing by Sasaki
NLCS Game 3 vs. Milwaukee Score when entering game: Dodgers, 3-1 Ninth inning Andrew Vaughn grounds to short Sal Frelich pops to short Caleb Durbin strikes out Sasaki gets the save
NLCS Game 4 vs. Milwaukee Score when entering game: Dodgers, 5-1 Ninth inning William Contreras singles to center Andrew Vaughn flies to deep right Sal Frelick grounds to second Caleb Durbin flies to deep right Dodgers win game and sweep NLCS
World Series Game 3 vs. Toronto Score when entering game: Tied 5-5 Eighth inning, men on first and second, one out Ty France grounds to third Nathan Lukes grounds to the pitcher
Ninth inning Vladimir Guerrero Jr. flies to right Isiah Kiner-Falefa walks Daulton Varsho singles off Freeman’s glove, Kiner-Falefa out trying to advance to third Alejando Kirk walks Myles Straw grounds to second Dodgers win game in 18th inning
World Series Game 6 at Toronto Score when entering game: Dodgers, 3-1 Eighth inning George Springer singles to right Nathan Lukes flies to center Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walks Bo Bichette pops to short Daulton Varsho grounds to second
Ninth inning Alejando Kirk hit by a pitch Addison Barger ground-rule double Sasaki replaced by Tyler Glasnow, who gets the final three outs
Sasaki wasn’t fooling anyone against Toronto
In the postseason, Sasaki pitched 10 2/3 innings, gave up six hits and walked five while striking out six. His ERA was 0.84. However, his big success came in the first two rounds. In the NLCS and World Series, his numbers were: 5 1/3 IP, five hits, five walks, one hit batter, one strikeouts, one run.
All of this is to say: Don’t expect Eric Gagne 2.0 if they move Sasaki to the bullpen. He won’t be a miracle cure.
Will Smith is day to day (aren’t we all?) with tightness in his lower back. He is not expected to go on the IL. Luckily, Dalton Rushing is hitting like he is.
Mookie Betts, sidelined by an oblique injury, is swinging the bat now. He could go on a rehab assignment in the next couple of weeks and be back soon after that.
Tommy Edman still has some soreness in his ankle and isn’t running the bases fully yet. Dave Roberts said he probably won’t return until the end of May or the beginning of June.
Reliever Brock Stewart is in a rehab assignment with Class-A Ontario, so he could be back in a couple of weeks.
When Betts returns, the Dodgers will have to decide what to do. It seems unlikely they send Hyeseong Kim down as long as he is playing this well, so that leaves either Alex Freeland or Santiago Espinal as the most likely candidates to be removed from the roster.
More complaints about Ohtani
It seems more people are getting on board the “Why do the Dodgers get to have an extra pitcher just because they have Shohei Ohtani” bandwagon. Teams can carry up to 13 pitchers on the roster. The Ohtani two-way player rule basically allows the Dodgers to carry 14 pitchers, since as a two-way player Ohtani only counts once on the roster.
And I respond with what I always say: Why didn’t these people complain when he was on the Angels and they did the same thing? Why is it now suddenly a problem?
The other complaint: Umpires allow extra time for Ohtani to get ready to pitch when he makes the last out of an inning, or is on base when the last out was made.
Response: Did these people never watch the NL before the DH rule was added? Umpires always gave the pitcher extra time to get ready when they made the last out or were on the bases when the last out was made. Quite often a pitcher would make the last out, walk over to the dugout, sit for a moment, towel off, grab their glove then make a leisurely stroll to the mound. This is nothing new. And I have a feeling if the Dodgers hadn’t won the last two World Series, no one would be complaining about either of these things.
Obscure stat of the week
All the recent talk about Davey Lopes had me wondering who were the best at stealing bases in Dodgers history. A look at the top 10 in stolen base %, minimum 50 stolen bases:
1. Eric Davis, 89.7% (52 for 58) 2. Shohei Ohtani, 89% (81 for 91) 3. Kirk Gibson, 88.5% (69 for 78) 4. Freddie Freeman, 86.4% (51 for 59) 5. Davey Lopes, 83.1% (418 for 503) 6. Dave Roberts, 82.5% (118 for 143) 7. Cody Bellinger, 81.6% (62 for 76) 8. Mookie Betts, 81.4% (70 for 86) 9. Chris Taylor, 81% (81 for 100) 10. Mariano Duncan, 80% (100 for 125) 21. Maury Wills, 74.1% (490 for 661)
The 10 worst:
Babe Herman, 54.3%, (69 for 127) John Roseboro, 55.7% (59 for 106) Steve Garvey, 57.5% (77 for 134) Duke Snider, 57.9% (99 for 171) Harvey Hendrick, 59.8% (61 for 102) Gil Hodges, 60% (63 for 105) José Offerman, 61% (61 for 100) César Izturis, 61.4% (51 for 85) Dusty Baker, 61.9% (73 for 118) Wes Parker, 63.8% (60 for 94)
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Nearly five years on from its premiere, every morsel of information about Mike White’s addictive HBO series is still met with feverish excitement. And its upcoming fourth season is no exception: After previous visits to Hawaii, Italy and Thailand, the Emmy-winning series is checking into digs on the French Riviera, with its backdrop none other than the Cannes Film Festival.
Just as closely watched has been the string of starry casting announcements — and one very high-profile departure, Helena Bonham Carter, who departed the show shortly after production began. According to an HBO spokesperson, “With filming just underway on Season 4 of ‘The White Lotus,’ it had become apparent that the character which Mike White created for Helena Bonham Carter did not align once on set. The role has subsequently been rethought, is being rewritten and will be recast in the coming weeks. HBO, the producers and Mike White are saddened that they won’t get to work with her, but remain ardent fans and very much hope to work with the legendary actress on another project soon.”
The road to a new “White Lotus” season is always a twisty one, as executive producer David Bernad recently told The Envelope. He also shared details on the season’s themes, other key cast members and how the production plans to maneuver around tourists. Here‘s what we gleaned from our chat.
A bad French hotel restaurant experience changed everything: Bernad and White spent a week scouting in France but weren’t sold until one fateful night. “Mike and I went to meet a friend for dinner at a hotel in the South, which will remain nameless. The maître d’ was so rude and they called security on us,” says Bernad. However, once inside, the staffer continued to be dismissive of them and the show. “The whole season crystallized in that moment, and as we were leaving, Mike’s like, ‘I know exactly what we’re going to do and we’re doing it in the South of France.’ It was the most productive dinner I’ve had,” he says.
Helena Bonham Carter, the first actor cast in Season 4, became the first to exit, HBO confirmed Friday. Her character will be reimagined and recast.
(Dave Benett / WireImage)
Other countries were in contention: Choosing each season’s swanky location is always a “conundrum,” says Bernad, who shared that he and White initially planned a multicountry European tour. “We were starting in France, then we were going to Spain, then Ireland. But once we had that moment in the South of France at that restaurant, Mike said, ‘I don’t want to see anymore.’ So the rest of the trip was canceled,” says Bernad.
Cannes and its history form the season’s backdrop: One of the show’s familiar sights during the first three seasons has been swelling waves dramatically crashing against rocks, but you’ll see something different in Season 4. “A lot of those shots will be replaced by Cannes, the city itself and the glamour of the festival,” says Bernad. Also, the focus won’t be confined to the present but also pay tribute to the past. “It’s also the storied history and glamour of the festival, and we’re going to be tipping our hat to French cinema throughout,” he adds.
Cast member Vincent Cassel at Cannes with “The Shrouds” in 2024.
(JB Lacroix / FilmMagic)
The season’s theme is “really intentional”: Bernad says he’s known the Season 4 theme since they realized the hit show would be ongoing. “We’ve always had an idea that this season would explore the arts and fame, celebrity and the spiritual journey of being an artist, so we focused on countries that had a long relationship with the arts,” he says. Fashion’s influence is also key as “Dior permeates through the entire season,” he says, adding that French designers and artists are doing pieces for the show that lean into “the painful, existential journey of what it means to be an artist.”
No Hollywood star cameos: With Cannes as the backdrop, you might think A-listers like George Clooney or Anne Hathaway will be wandering through a “White Lotus” scene. Nope. “The show lives in the universe of ‘White Lotus’ so we’re not doing cameos, we’re not doing celebrity,” says Bernad. “In that universe, there are references to real people, but everything is its own world.”
Kumail Nanjiani is among the Americans in the international cast.
(Michael Buckner / Variety via Getty Images)
The Season 4 cast is eclectic… and still evolving: Ironically, the exiting Bonham Carter was the first person cast for Year 4. “Mike always had her in mind as we started this process, and we built the cast around her,” says Bernad. While we wait for her revised character to be recast, an array of international artists are set to appear, including Brits (Steve Coogan and Dylan Ennis), Americans (Sandra Bernhard, Chris Messina, Kumail Nanjiani, Chloe Bennet, Ari Graynor, Heather Graham and Rosie Perez), French (Vincent Cassel, Corentin Fila, Nadia Tereszkiewicz and Laura Smet), Canadians (Alexander Ludwig), Norwegians (Tobias Santelmann), Swedes (Frida Gustavsson) and Australians (Caleb Jonte Edwards). It’s no surprise that multiple language interpreters will be on set, says Bernad.
One White Lotus hotel isn’t enough: “What’s cool and unique this season is there’s going to be two hotels so not everyone is staying at the same hotel,” says Bernad. In fact, while the White Lotus Cannes is a beautiful property — the Hotel Martinez in Cannes will be used for filming — the more coveted place to stay is the White Lotus du Cap, filmed at the Airelles Chateau de la Messardière in Saint-Tropez. “That starts to play into the theme and story about ego and narcissism and how we view ourselves as it relates to how the world views us,” explains Bernad, adding filming at Paris’ Mandarin Oriental Lutetia will also double for some of the Cannes action.
The Airelles Chateau de la Messardière in Saint-Tropez will stand in for the “White Lotus du Cap.”
(Jarry/Tripelon / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Filming in a high tourist area is a “Jenga tower”: Previous seasons were shot in more remote, secluded locations, but that’s not the case for the fourth season. “We’re shooting in the South of France during a very peak tourist time, and it has been the most challenging season so far,” says Bernad. “It’s like making a Jenga tower work with all the crazy dates in the South of France and things that are booked out.”
Production is the longest ever: Shooting at multiple hotels isn’t new for the show, but in previous seasons, “we would stay in a hotel and we would shoot it out and then we’d move on to the next hotel,” explains Bernad. This time, it’s more of a puzzle that will make Season 4 the longest production schedule ever for the show. “We’re going to be shooting, leaving and then returning [to properties]. We’ll shoot in the spring, and then we’re going to come back in the fall when high season’s over,” he says.
Besides a great hotel, another major factor exists in securing a location: Besides finding the perfect property that will look great on camera and lining up a variety of schedules, a “White Lotus” location “has to be a place we want to live for a year,” says Bernad. “Because it is a year and it is relentless work … I think Tanya [Jennifer Coolidge] says at one point, ‘At this age, you just want to feel comfortable,’ and that’s us.”
Vokes started his professional career with Bournemouth but joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2008.
He scored eight goals across all competitions in his debut campaign at Molineux as Wolves gained promotion to the Premier League.
The forward went on to have loan spells with Leeds United, Bristol City, Sheffield United, Norwich City, Burnley and Brighton & Hove Albion before securing a permanent switch to Burnley in 2012.
He was part of two promotion-winning squads at Turf Moor – helping Sean Dyche’s side reach the Premier League in 2014 and 2016.
The frontman spent seven years with the Clarets before having two campaigns with Stoke City in the Championship.
Vokes left the Potters to join Wycombe Wanderers in 2021 and then signed for Gillingham in the summer of 2025 – scoring three times in 35 appearances for the fourth tier side this season.
Vokes, a Southampton fan, added: “I remember watching my team, the Saints, down at The Dell, dreaming of one day making just one appearance in professional football.
“Never did I dream I would be fortunate enough to have played across all four divisions and represent some amazing clubs.”
Marco Reus scored two goals, the second one on a penalty kick in the 85th minute, to rally the Galaxy to a 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake on Sunday.
Reus scored from 21 yards out off a free kick to give the Galaxy a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute. The kick was awarded after Gabriel Pec was fouled by Real Salt Lake midfielder Stijn Spierings.
Galaxy goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski was charged with an own goal in the final minute of stoppage time, tying it 1-1 at halftime. The ball deflected off the post and into the net when he dove to make a save on Zavier Gozo’s shot.
Reus scored the winner on a PK after a foul on Sam Junqua for shoving Elijah Wynder in the back on a corner kick. It was the fourth goal this season for Reus and his 10th in 37 career appearances.
Marcinkowski saved nine shots for the Galaxy (3-4-3).
Rafael Cabral totaled four saves for Real Salt Lake (5-3-1).
Real Salt Lake went 5-0-1 in a six-match stretch before losing 2-0 to visiting Inter Miami on Wednesday. The club falls to 1-2-1 on the road.
The Galaxy were coming off a 1-1-1 road trip and improve to 2-2-1 at home.
Sophia Wilson scored in stoppage time for her first goal of the season and the Portland Thorns defeated Angel City 2-1 on Sunday.
After a scoreless first half at BMO Stadium, Pietra Tordin’s header opened up the scoring for the Thorns (4-1-1) in the 76th minute. In her professional soccer debut, rookie defender Carolyn Calzada provided the assist.
Wilson doubled the lead in stoppage time with a left-footed blast into the side netting. It was her first goal of the season after taking all of last year off for the birth of her daughter. Her last goal for the Thorns came on Nov. 1, 2024.
Second-half substitute, forward Prisca Chilufya trimmed the lead in half in the final minute of stoppage time for Angel City.
Japan International Jun Endo made her return from injury as a substitute in the 62nd minute for Angel City (3-2-0).
Eleven years have gone by since British crime thriller Prey was last airing on ITV and now fans can re-live both epic seasons which sees DS Susan Reinhart (played by Rosie Cavaliero) investigate criminal cases around Manchester.
While the first outing revolved around a police officer trying to clear his name after the murder of his family, series two sees a prison officer forced to help an inmate escape after his pregnant daughter is kidnapped.
As fans start binge-watching Prey, here’s everything there is to know about the cast of Prey season two.
Inside Prey season 2 cast
DS Susan Reinhardt – Rosie Cavaliero
DS Susan Reinhardt connects both seasons of Prey as she struggles to deal with her inner demons while investigating officers at the heart of each series.
She is brought to life by actress Rosie Cavaliero who was Marion Kelsey in ITV’s Unforgotten season two, Elizabeth Cordingley in Gentleman Jack and Edwina, Countess of Dunvale in Channel 5’s A Woman of Substance.
David Murdoch – Philip Glenister
David is a widowed prison officer whose life is turned upside down when his pregnant daughter is kidnapped and he is blackmailed into helping an inmate escape.
He is brought to life by actor Philip Glenister who is famed for starring in Life on Mars, its spin-off Ashes to Ashes, Belgravia, After the Flood and, most recently, ITV’s The Lady.
Jules Hope – MyAnna Buring
Actress MyAnna Buring will be best remembered for playing Tissaia in Netflix ’s The Witcher, but also starred in The Twilight Saga as Tanya and Unforgotten season six as Melinda Ricci.
She is behind Jules Hope, the prisoner that David is forced to help escape.
DC Richard Iddon – Nathan Stewart-Jarrett
Quick-witted rookie police officer DC Richard Iddon is partnered up with DS Reinhardt to try and track down David Murdoch.
He is played by actor Nathan Stewart-Jarrett who was Curtis Donovan in E4’s Misfits and Ian in the Channel 4 series Utopia.
Lucy Murdoch – Sammy Winward
Taking on the role of David’s kidnapped pregnant daughter Lucy Murdoch is actress Sammy Winward.
She is by far best known for starring as Katie Sugden, a role she took on as a teenager, in ITV’s iconic soap Emmerdale.
She has also had smaller roles in shows such as Fearless, The Long Shadow and Brassic.
DCI Mike Ward – Ralph Ineson
Rounding off the main cast of Prey season two is actor Ralph Ineson who plays Amycus Carrow in the Harry Potter franchise, Professor Krempe in Netflix’s Frankenstein and General Tarakanov in Chernobyl.
Ineson portrays DCI Mike Ward who is DS Susan Reindhardt’s superior officer.
