Ballmer was added this week as a defendant in an existing civil lawsuit against Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg and several others associated with the now-defunct company. Ballmer and the other defendants are accused of fraud and aiding and abetting fraud, with the plaintiffs seeking at least $50 million in damages.
“This is an action to recover millions of dollars that Plaintiffs were defrauded into investing, directly or indirectly, in CTN Holdings, Inc. (‘Catona’), previously known as Aspiration Partners, Inc,” reads the lawsuit, which was initially filed July 9 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Central District.
Attorney Skip Miller said his firm, Miller Barondess LLP, filed an amended complaint Monday that added the billionaire team owner and his investment company, Ballmer Group, as defendants in light of recent allegations that a $28-million deal between Aspiration and Clippers star Kawhi Leonard helped the team circumvent the NBA’s salary cap.
“Ballmer was the perfect deep-pocket partner to fund Catona’s flagging operations and lend legitimacy to Catona’s carbon credit business,” says the amended complaint, which has been viewed by The Times. “Since Ballmer had publicly promoted himself as an advocate for sustainability, Catona was an ideal vehicle for Ballmer to secretly circumvent the NBA salary cap while purporting to support the company as a legitimate environmentalist investor.”
Although Ballmer did invest millions in Aspiration, it is not known whether he was aware of or played a role in facilitating the company’s deal with Leonard. The Times reached out to the Clippers for a comment from Ballmer or a team representative but did not receive an immediate response.
CTN Holdings filed for bankruptcy in March and, according to the lawsuit, is no longer in operation.
In late August, Sanberg agreed to plead guilty in federal court to a scheme to defraud investors and lenders of more than $248 million. On Sept. 3, investigative journalist Pablo Torre reported on his podcast that after reviewing numerous documents and conducting interviews with former employees of the now-defunct firm, he did not find evidence of any marketing or endorsement work done by Leonard for the company.
That was news to the plaintiffs, according to their amended lawsuit.
“Ballmer’s purported status as a legitimate investor in Catona was material to Plaintiffs’ decision to invest in and/or keep their investments with Catona,” the complaint states.
It also says that “Sanberg and Ballmer never disclosed to Plaintiffs that the millions of dollars Ballmer injected into Catona were meant to allow Ballmer to funnel compensation to Leonard in violation of NBA rules and keep Catona’s failing business afloat financially. Sanberg and Ballmer’s scheme to pay Leonard through Catona to evade the NBA’s salary cap was only later revealed in 2025, by journalist Pablo Torre.”
Miller said in a statement to The Times: “A lot of people including our clients got hurt badly in this case. This lawsuit is being brought to make them whole for their losses. I look forward to our day in court for justice.”
The NBA announced an investigation into the matter in early September. Speaking at a forum that month hosted by the Sports Business Journal, Ballmer said that he felt “quite confident … that we abided [by] the rules. So, I welcome the investigation that the NBA is doing.”
The Clippers said in a statement at the time: “Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration. Any contrary assertion is provably false: The team ended its relationship with Aspiration years ago, during the 2022-23 season, when Aspiration defaulted on its obligations.
“Neither the Clippers nor Mr. Ballmer was aware of any improper activity by Aspiration or its co-founder until after the government instituted its investigation.”
Leonard also has denied being involved in any wrongdoing associated with his deal with the now-defunct firm. Asked about the matter Sept. 29 during Clippers media day to open training camp, Leonard said, “I don’t think it’s accurate” that he provided no endorsement services to the company. He added that he hadn’t been paid all the money due to him from the deal.
Wales are playing a week later than other nations, with all last weekend’s games played outside World Rugby’s international window.
The window is a designated three-week period, which starts this weekend, where international matches take precedence over club fixtures and all players are made available.
The likes of Ireland, Scotland and England chose to stage matches a week before the window opened.
The extra games are organised to raise revenue for governing bodies with the success of the fixture depending on how many tickets are sold.
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has opted to play their extra match on the weekend after the window closes. They take on the Springboks on Saturday, 29 November when no other international matches are taking place.
The match in Cardiff clashes with league fixtures in the United Rugby Championship (URC) which will involve sides from Wales and South Africa.
Both Test teams are set to also be without players who play for clubs in England and France, while the Springboks also have players involved with sides in Japan.
COMEDIAN Steve Coogan will pay substantial damages to a university boss for portraying him as a film’s sexist bully.
The actor, 60, co-wrote and starred in 2022’s The Lost King, about the quest to uncover the remains of Richard III.
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Last year, a judge found Coogan and two production companies ‘knowingly misrepresented facts’ in in The Lost King, starring Sally Hawkins and Harry LloydRichard Taylor, chief operating officer at Loughborough University, sued for libel after being characterised as ‘smug, unduly dismissive and patronising’Credit: PA
Richard Taylor was part of the Leicester University team which located the grave of the king — often portrayed as having a hunched back — beneath a car park in the city.
Yesterday, lawyers for Mr Taylor told London’s High Court the parties had settled out of court and that he was being paid “substantial damages”.
Producers will also make changes to the film.
Mr Taylor called it vindication after “a long and gruelling battle”.
Mrs Justice Collins Rice said: “These were momentous historical events and finding yourself represented in a feature film about them must be an unsettling experience, even in the best of circumstances.
“I hope that this very clear statement and the settlement… will help Mr Taylor put this particular experience behind him. ”
Coogan, his production company Baby Cow, and Pathe Productions were not represented in court and did not attend.
However, the star said he was consulting lawyers over remarks made by Mr Taylor — and insisted of his film: “It is the story I wanted to tell, and I am happy I did.”
Richard Taylor was part of the Leicester University team which located the grave of the king — often portrayed as having a hunched back — beneath a car park in the cityCredit: AP:Associated Press
Tandy has returned to Wales after leaving in 2018 at the end of a six-year stint as Ospreys head coach.
He took up a defence coach position with the Waratahs in Sydney before moving on to Scotland in 2019.
Tandy also spent a summer with the British and Irish Lions in 2021 as part of Warren Gatland’s backroom staff.
In July Tandy opted to return home to Wales and has already met up with some familiar faces in his new role, such as former Ospreys team-mate and current Dragons boss Filo Tiatia.
“I can only speak highly of Tandy, he’s a beautiful man,” said Tiatia, who played with the 45-year-old former flanker for five years.
“He’s a very uplifting coach, very caring, but also very demanding when he needs to be.
“He can only be good for Wales and I wish him all the best with all this success. He’s got four tough Tests, they will need support.”
Tiatia believes Tandy’s decision to move around to develop his coaching skills will stand him in good stead.
“He’s a big learner,” added Tiatia. “He’s done a lot in a short space of time. He wants to keep improving but also improve the people who he is around.
“You look at Steve’s journey as the Ospreys coach, he got moved on, there was an opportunity in Australia and he took himself out of his comfort zone.
“He moved to Scotland and embraced the challenge there also, where he did a great job as a defence coach.”
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish says talks have taken place with Oliver Glasner about extending the contract of the Eagles manager as the two parties look to “align their interests”.
Glasner will be out of contract at the end of the season and there is uncertainty about the 51-year-old’s future at the club.
Sources have told BBC Sport the Austrian was offered a new deal earlier this summer, but he has yet to sign the contract.
“We’ve had some early conversations,” Parish told Talksport. “We would love to keep Oliver, we’re building something. I think for Oliver it’s about the conditions being right.”
Glasner took over as Palace boss in February 2024 and guided them to victory in last season’s FA Cup – the club’s first major trophy.
Their triumph meant they qualified for the Europa League, but they were demoted to the Conference League for breaching multi-club ownership rules – American businessman John Textor owns a stake in the Eagles and is the majority owner of French club Lyon, who had also qualified for the Europa League.
Glasner also led Palace to victory against Liverpool in the Community Shield in August and has steered them to sixth in the Premier League following a promising start to the season – four points off top spot.
“It’s about everything being in a way that he enjoys his work and he finds the conditions favourable to achieve,” added Parish.
“Oliver wants to win things, he makes no secret of that. That’s what he’s in football for.
“So if we can align those interests then hopefully we can make something happen.”
Jake Connor’s receipt of the Man of Steel award in 2025 is somewhat fitting given the mental toughness he has shown in particular to put himself back among Super League’s best players since joining Leeds.
The 30-year-old has never lacked talent, but at times application and discipline have been his downfall. However, that is no longer the case, as an initial mix of tough words from boss Brad Arthur and a supportive environment since then have allowed Connor to thrive.
He was pivotal in Rhinos’ return to the play-offs with his creativity and kicking game, and his mercurial abilities also drew the best from team-mates Lachie Miller and Brodie Croft.
Back-rower Eva Hunter deserves her award following a stellar season with treble-winning Wigan in the women’s game.
Pound for pound, few players run and hit as hard as Hunter, who is a constant source of tries with her driving runs on the Wigan edge. She is box-office.
London Roosters contributed plenty to the 2025 wheelchair season and England’s Joe Coyd was key to that, despite defeats by Halifax Panthers in both finals.
His consistency helped set the standard for team-mates such as Mason Billington and new England captain Lewis King, and he will hope to impress further on England’s tour of Australia this autumn.
Insolent schoolkids and educators with the stamina and sensitivity to reach them is a sentimental formula so familiar, it could stand a pantsing in the hallway between classes.
Which makes it a good thing that “Steve,” starring Cillian Murphy as a dedicated, troubled head teacher at a struggling reform school for chaos-inclined teenage boys, brings a raucously corrective attitude to bear.
Teachers are sorely undervalued in this world, and a more thorny, realistic view of the profession’s challenges has made its way into the culture of late, between the Oscar-nominated German film “The Teachers’ Lounge,” Hirokazu Kore-ada’s “Monster” and Netflix’s Emmys-gobbling hit “Adolescence.” And while “Steve,” which takes place over a day, is ultimately too messy itself to measure up to those more tightly coiled efforts, its energy makes a statement, as if the legacy of the late, system-smashing British director Alan Clarke were close at hand.
“Steve” marks the second feature collaboration between Murphy and Belgian director Tim Mielants, following their excellent 2024 adaptation of Claire Keegan’s story “Small Things Like These.” This one, too, derives from a book — “Shy” by Max Porter. In adapting his own work, Porter shifts focus from his novella’s title adolescent, a disturbed soul in mid-tumble, who in the film is still a central figure (vividly rendered by Jay Lycurgo), to the teacher character for whom the movie is named, which the Oscar-winning Murphy turns into another immersive portrayal of dark-hued, guilt-flecked intensity.
Steve’s compassion is the beating heart of Stanton Wood, a privately bankrolled school in an old manor in the English countryside, whose core staff — including Steve’s plain-talking deputy, Amanda (Tracey Ullman), and unflappable therapist Jenny (Emily Watson) — are committed to its last-chance ethos of pulling unhappy delinquents from the brink. But this is Britain in 1996 and these hot-headed young men (played by a lively mix of first-timers and experienced actors) prefer the numbing tempo of drum and bass or a well-timed punch or thrown object.
Stopping fights is a full-time a job, and Steve’s chummy de-escalation style attests to how much he cares. But on top of the day’s regular behavior management, there’s also a prying documentary crew, a visit from a local MP (a perfectly pompous Roger Allam) that goes south and what turns out to be a bad-news report from the school’s wealthy backers. When Steve explodes on them, one senses his volatile students have been teaching him something too.
And yet “Steve,” sincere in its hardcore concern, believably acted, is too scattered and schematically plotted to fully pull us into the emotional toll and scruffy joys of this work. Its social realist roots are kept from growing the more it relies on visual/sonic turbulence (hallucinatory images, a flashy drone shot) and narrative shorthands (the overdone documentary framing).
But when “Steve” zeroes in on its characters — Shy on a disturbing call with his fed-up mum, Steve fighting his own demons or in the zone — the movie captures the electric hum of unpredictability and vulnerability. At its best, we understand why these people want to keep the lights on in a dark, unforgiving world.
‘Steve’
Rated: R, for pervasive language, substance abuse and some sexual material
Clarke is not the only one looking ahead, with the Tartan Army now dreaming of returning to football’s biggest show next summer.
After a difficult time in the spring and summer, the draw in Copenhagen set Scotland up nicely, and though the performance in beating Belarus was far from flashy, it was professional and delivered a critical result.
Che Adams’ goal just before half-time calmed the nerves, and his lovely pass helped force an own goal which saw Scotland over the line in a game played in Hungary behind closed doors.
Although Belarus did not offer a great deal, goalkeeper Angus Gunn only made one meaningful save, a third clean sheet in a row was welcomed by Clarke.
It is a sign of Scotland returning to the more form which helped them qualify for two European Championships.
“Clean sheets are what we have to build our campaign on,” the Scotland head coach said.
“If we can keep the ball out the net we’ve always got enough to score one or two goals.”
Scotland have rarely put any team to the sword under Clarke’s tenure, but overall they have been effective in building on a solid base and being clinical in key moments.
“It’s going to give the whole team a lot of confidence,” former Scotland captain Scott Brown said on Sportscene.
“There were four changes as well, which shows you he can manipulate the squad well too.
“That’s credit to Steve. He’s not going to 4-3-3, full throttle, he’s always been about making sure his defensive unit is there, having structure in midfield, and when they do get opportunities take them.”
Allan: I am once again proved wrong. Asking why Ryan Christie is playing, then he puts in a man of the match performance. Scotland battled hard and deserved a point after a shaky start where they continually failed to keep the ball. Eventually, Scotland grew into the game and could have sneaked it. The last 15 minutes it was all hands to the pump in defence and holding out for the point.
G A Simpson: Same old conservative approach from Clarke. Dykes and Adams up front might seem adventurous, but there is no pace there. Dykes and Doak would have exposed the Danes to more risk and may have created more clear cut chances, given the fact that they seemed jittery at the back. Nevertheless a good defensive performance. A decent point taken.
Keith: Good point to start us off. Yes we didn’t play exciting attacking football but we played to our strengths against a top ranked team. Big difference with Hickey and Dykes in the team. Everyone played their part, just need three points against Belarus to make it an acceptable double header.
Martin: Seems to be with some folks that Clarke can’t do right, I for one was expecting a thrashing tonight but proved wrong, decent performance, good result.
Stuart: Same old stagnant line-up with a plethora of exciting and in form players on the bench that did not get a sniff, personally I am left frustrated with a point because I think with a fresh perspective we could have won that tonight. Although, credit is due to the back line tonight, they were solid.
Mandel increased his Amazon stake by a sizable amount.
Billionaire Steve Mandel and his hedge fund Lone Pine Capital have been a great one to follow for individual investors. Although some hedge funds have a poor record of underperforming the broader market, Mandel has substantially outperformed the market over the past three years. So, when he makes a move in his portfolio, investors should pay attention.
One thing Mandel did during Q2 was sell off some of his Microsoft shares. Although it wasn’t a massive move, the hedge fund reduced its position by about 5%. Then, Mandel used some of those funds to invest in another promising AI stock that has increased in value by nearly 800% over the past decade.
AWS is the best reason to invest in Amazon right now
Amazon may not be the first company that comes to mind when you think about AI. Instead, it probably seems more like an e-commerce investment. While that sentiment is true for the consumer-facing portion, the reality is that a large chunk of Amazon’s profits comes from AI-related revenue streams.
The biggest is from Amazon Web Services (AWS), its cloud computing arm. Cloud computing firms are having a strong year, thanks to the massive demand generated by AI workloads. Because more companies can’t justify spending millions (or even billions) of dollars on a data center dedicated to training AI models, it’s far more reasonable to rent computing power from a firm that already has the capacity. That’s the idea behind cloud computing, and it has translated into strong growth for the business unit.
In Q2, AWS’s sales rose 17% to $30.9 billion. That’s strong growth, but it is a bit slower than its peers, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud, which each grew revenue by more than 30% in Q2. However, AWS is much larger than both of these units, so it shouldn’t surprise investors that AWS is growing at a slower rate. AWS accounted for about 18% of Amazon’s total revenue in Q2, but it made up 53% of its operating profit. That’s because AWS has far superior margins compared to its commerce business units, making AWS a critical part of the Amazon investment thesis.
AWS is experiencing a significant boost from AI, making it a strong stock pick in this space.
But Microsoft is also a solid AI pick, so why is Mandel moving from Microsoft to Amazon?
Amazon’s stock looks more promising over the long term
From a valuation perspective, both companies trade at fairly expensive levels for their growth. However, they’re both priced about the same from a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) standpoint.
One thing Amazon has going for it that Microsoft doesn’t is the steady upward pressure on Amazon’s margins. Thanks to AWS and its advertising service business units being the fastest growing in Amazon, its margins are steadily improving. Although Amazon’s revenue growth rate appears to be somewhat slow, its operating income growth rate is actually quite rapid.
This trend still has years to unfold, which is a solid reason to transition from Microsoft to Amazon. I believe this will be a winning trade over the long term, as Amazon’s profits are expected to grow at a significantly faster rate than Microsoft’s, resulting in the stock outperforming its peer over the long term due to their similar valuations.
However, both stocks are still solid AI picks, and you can’t go wrong with either one.
Keithen Drury has positions in Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and Microsoft. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Scotland head coach Steve Clarke has conceded he “feels the pressure” to get the nation to their first World Cup finals in 28 years.
Under Clarke’s guidance the Scots have reached two European Championships, but have failed to emulate the achievement of Craig Brown’s group in 1998.
The country’s latest qualification campaign, this time for next summer’s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico, commences away to the formidable Danes on 5 September.
“I feel the pressure,” the stoic and normally unshakable Clarke told BBC Sport.
“I think there is a pressure because we do want to get there, the whole country wants to get there, and obviously as a head coach a little bit of that comes back on me.
“But I’m looking forward to it.”
The Scotland boss was speaking to Match of the Day’s Kelly Cates as he prepares for what potentially could be his last campaign.
The 61-year-old, who is due to name his squad next week, has previously said he is 75% sure his time in charge of his country will come to a close after this World Cup campaign ends.
It is a journey which started just over six years ago, with Scotland having not qualified for a major finals since that French sojourn back under Brown.
A summer fling has been flung twice at the Euros, albeit with the Scots falling flat in their attempts to make it out of a group for the first time.
In World Cup qualifying, a glorious chance to make it to Qatar was passed up in a home play-off to Ukraine.
Baker is also a prolific note-maker, something he puts down to his education.
At the time of his first stress fracture he was targeting a place to study biology at the University of Oxford and now he records analysis on opposition batters in a little book, along with plans and hopes for the future.
“I’ve just found it keeps me involved in the analysis stuff and then really remember it,” Baker says.
“It would be an absolute nightmare if you’re not really sure whether you’re meant to bowl wide or straight and then you pick the wrong one.
“You can’t really justify that to yourself at the end of the game.”
The Hundred means there is already a page in Baker’s notebook titled with the name of an Australian great.
Of the 12 balls Baker bowled to Steve Smith when Welsh Fire hosted Manchester Originals last Monday, three were hit for four and another three resulted in a false shot.
“It has been surreal, writing notes on Steve Smith thinking ‘am I actually going to be opening the bowling at him?'” Baker says.
This is the company Baker now keeps, however and, having rehabbed in Sydney after his most recent back injury, he has spent the past two winters in Australia.
Another will likely come this year with the young quick expected to be part of the Lions squad shadowing the Test team around the Ashes series.
From there anything can happen.
Far more unlikely names have been plucked by England to make a Test debut down under.
“I mean, that would be good fun, wouldn’t it?” Baker says.
“I’ll refer back to notes on any matters and Steve Smith is one of the red-ball GOATs [greatest of all-time] so I’d definitely be coming back to that analysis if I end up needing it.
“But let’s just worry about the next few games first. Let’s not get too far out of ourselves.
“We’ve got a Hundred to try and win and then South Africa series to try and win and then Ireland series try and win way before we think about any of all of that stuff.”
The Steve Miller Band has pulled the plug on its 2025 tour a month before it was set to kick off. Why? In the band’s words: “Blame it on the weather.”
The California rock group announced Wednesday that it has called off the remainder of its 2025 tour, including several shows in New York and concerts in Southern California, citing several extreme weather conditions.
“The combination of extreme heat, unpredictable flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes and massive forest fires makes these risks for you our audience, the band and the crew unacceptable,” the “Fly Like an Eagle” group said in a statement shared on its social media pages.
The Steve Miller Band announced its tour in March. In May, the group revealed that the slate of live shows would take its members across North America, starting with the East Coast in August. Shows in San Diego, Inglewood and Anaheim were set for November. While the announcement comes amid climate crises, including the fatal floods in the Northeast and Texas, the band did not specify which areas or weather events posed a risk to its tour plans.
Wednesday’s statement also left the possibility of future live performances pretty open-ended: “Don’t know where, don’t know when…We hope to see you all again.”
Though the group concluded its statement by wishing fans “peace, love and happiness,” it was met with division in the comments section. On Instagram, several followers said that they understood the rock band’s decision to call off the tour, while others wrote that they found the justification “odd” and speculated on reasons for the abrupt cancellation.
A representative for the rock group did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for additional information.
Just a day before its sudden announcement, the group continued to promote the tour on social media. On Tuesday, the band’s X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram pages published a photo of Miller, 81, receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1987.
“Catch him and the band on tour starting next month,” said the caption accompanying the photo. The post at the time directed followers to the band’s website to purchase tickets.
Fans visiting the website are now met with the cancellation notice.
The Steve Miller Band was founded in the 1960s and is led by its namesake Grammy-winning vocalist and guitarist. It is also known for songs such as “Jungle Love,” “Abracadabra,” “Take the Money and Run” and “Space Cowboy.”
Trump aide says Washington ‘hopeful’ a 60-day truce between Israel and Hamas can be reached by the end of the week.
An aide to United President Donald Trump has suggested a Gaza ceasefire is close, saying Washington hopes to see an agreement finalised by the end of the week.
“We’re in proximity talks now, and we had four issues, and now we’re down to one after two days of proximity talks,” special US envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.
“So we are hopeful that by the end of this week, we will have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day ceasefire.”
Witkoff said the deal would see the release of 10 Israeli captives and the bodies of nine. He added that the Trump administration thinks the deal “will lead to a lasting peace in Gaza”.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters in Washington, DC, that while Israel “still has to finish the job in Gaza”, negotiators are “certainly working” on a ceasefire.
Trump and Netanyahu dined together on Monday at the White House during the Israeli leader’s third US visit since the president began his second term on January 20.
The two leaders are to meet again later on Tuesday.
“He’s coming over later. We’re going to be talking about, I would say, almost exclusively Gaza. We’ve got to get that solved,” the US president told reporters at a cabinet meeting in the White House on Tuesday.
“It’s a tragedy, and he wants to get it solved, and I want to get it solved, and I think the other side wants to.”
Qatar confirmed on Tuesday that Hamas and Israeli delegations are in Doha to discuss the ceasefire proposal.
“There is a positive engagement right now. The mediation teams – the Qataris and the Egyptians – are working around the clock to make sure that there is some consensus built on the framework towards the talks,” Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 57,500 Palestinians, internally displaced nearly the entire population of the enclave and placed hundreds of thousands of people on the verge of starvation.
United Nations experts and rights group have described Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as a genocide.
Netanyahu suggested on Monday that the US and Israel are working to ensure the mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza – an idea first proposed by Trump in February.
Israeli officials have been framing the push to remove all Palestinians from Gaza Gaza as an effort to encourage “voluntary migration” from the territory.
“If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave. It shouldn’t be a prison. It should be an open place and give people a free choice,” Netanyahu told reporters.
Rights advocates said the removal of Palestinians from Gaza, which would amount to ethnic cleansing, cannot be considered voluntary.
Prominent legal expert Ralph Wilde said that with the widespread destruction, siege and daily attacks in Gaza, the concept of free choice to stay there or leave “is a lie”.
“It’s forced displacement because that isn’t a choice that is made freely,” Wilde told Al Jazeera.
Nathaniel was shy in our first encounter a few months ago, if not a little wary. He took a step back when I approached to say I liked the way his violin music turned the clatter around downtown L.A.’s Pershing Square into an urban symphony.
“Oh, thank you very much,” he said politely, apologizing for his appearance. He had gone through a couple of recent setbacks, Nathaniel said, but he intended to be whole again soon and playing at a higher level.
Next time I saw him, he had relocated to the mouth of the 2nd Street tunnel near Hill Street.
“Well, first of all, it’s beautiful here,” said Nathaniel, 54, who told me he had been diagnosed many years ago with schizophrenia. “And right there is the Los Angeles Times building. New York, Cleveland, Los Angeles. All I have to do is look up at that building and I know where I am.”
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Nathaniel had an orange shopping cart that contained all of his belongings, including a huge plastic water gun, a single black boot and his violin case. We were practically in the shadow of the new Disney Concert Hall, and although Nathaniel said he wasn’t sure where it was, he had written the following on the side of his shopping cart:
“Little Walt Disney Concert Hall — Beethoven.”
Nathaniel plays classical music, some of it recognizable to me, some of it not. One day, I asked if he could play jazz, and he tucked the violin under his chin, closed his eyes in anticipation of the ecstasy that music brings him and began to play “Summertime.”
He doesn’t always hit every note, but it’s abundantly clear that Nathaniel has been a student of music for many years.
Ayers drags his belongings in a shopping cart he calls “Little Walt Disney Concert Hall” on the streets of Los Angeles’ skid row.
(Los Angeles Times)
“That was Ernest Bloch,” he casually told me after one piece, spelling out Ernest and then Bloch. “Opus 18, No. 1.”
I was more than a little impressed, especially when it occurred to me that Nathaniel’s grimy, smudged violin was missing two of the four strings.
“Yeah,” he said, frustration rising in his brown eyes. “This one’s gone, that one’s gone and this little guy’s almost out of commission. You see where it’s coming apart right here?”
Playing with two strings wasn’t that hard, he said, because he began his music education in the Cleveland public schools, where the instruments were often a challenge.
“If you got one with one or two strings,” he said, “you were happy to have it.”
I noticed an empty bag from Studio City Music in Nathaniel’s violin case and gave the store a call to ask if they had a homeless customer.
“Black man?” asked Hans Benning, a violin maker. “We do have a guy who plays with a badly beaten-up fiddle. He comes here every so often. He’s very kind, very gentle and very proper. He’s a delight.”
I told Benning his name is Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, and he seems to know a thing or two about music.
“Yes, he does,” Benning said. “He talks about the Beethoven sonatas and then slips back into another world.”
The reason he used to hang around Pershing Square, Nathaniel told me, was so he could study the Beethoven statue for inspiration.
“I’ve never seen anything in my life that great,” he said. “I’m flabbergasted by that statue because I can’t imagine how he’s there. I don’t know how God is operating.”
When I asked more about his training, Nathaniel told me he had gone to Ohio University and Ohio State University. He also said he’d played many times at the Aspen Music Festival, and he’d gone to Juilliard for two years in the early ‘70s.
Juilliard? I asked.
“I was there for a couple of years,” he said, as if it were nothing.
While waiting for a callback from Juilliard, I called Motter’s Music House in Lyndhurst, Ohio. Nathaniel told me he had bought many instruments there over the years, including the Glaesel violin he now owns.
“He’s an outstanding player,” said Ron Guzzo, a manager at Motter’s. He saw a lot of Nathaniel over a span of 20 years, because Nathaniel’s instruments were often stolen from him on the streets. He would work at a Wendy’s or shovel snow to save up for another.
“As I understand it, he was at Juilliard and got sick, so he came back home. He’d sit out in our parking lot on a nice day playing the cello, and we’d wonder where the heck that was coming from. It was Tony,” Guzzo said, using Nathaniel’s nickname.
Cello? Yes, it turns out Nathaniel started on the bass, switched to cello and has never had any training on the violin. He switched to the latter after ending up on the streets, because it fits more neatly into his shopping cart.
Everything he had told me about his life was checking out, so I figured Juilliard must be for real too.
Sure enough.
Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, who sleeps on the streets of the city, takes his meals at the Midnight Mission and plays a two-string violin, attended the acclaimed New York City music school on a scholarship.
Ayers looks at the calendar outside Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles.
(Los Angeles Times)
Nathaniel told me a bass player named Homer Mensch was one of his mentors at Juilliard. Mensch, 91, is still teaching, and he immediately recalled Nathaniel.
“He had the talent, that was for sure,” said Mensch, who remembered that Nathaniel had suddenly disappeared, never to return. I told him Nathaniel’s illness had begun while he was at Juilliard and he was now a homeless violinist in downtown L.A.
“Give him my very best,” said Mensch. “I would certainly like to hear from him.”
Nathaniel has memorized the phone numbers of the people who inspired him. To recall the numbers, he writes them in mid-air with his index finger. One day he gave me the home phone number of Harry Barnoff, a bass player and former teacher who recently retired after 46 years with the Cleveland Orchestra.
Barnoff was in tears at the memory of Nathaniel.
“Please,” Barnoff pleaded, “you have got to go tell him how much I think of him and that I still remember what a wonderful musician he was.”
Barnoff says Nathaniel was a bit of a slacker when he was in junior high and taking lessons at the Cleveland Music School Settlement. But with encouragement, Nathaniel set the highest possible goals for himself.
“During the riots, he was in the music building, practicing. He really worked at it and got to where he knew I had gone to Juilliard, and he wanted to go, too. … Next thing I knew, he got a scholarship.”
Nathaniel had the potential to play with any of the major orchestras in the United States, Barnoff said. He tried to help Nathaniel through his most difficult times, offering him work around his house and taking Nathaniel’s calls from mental hospitals and the streets.
Nathaniel was often in a state of distress, Barnoff says of his former student, until they began talking about music. And then everything was right with the world.
“He once sent me a card saying he would give his left hand for me,” Barnoff said.
I got hold of Nathaniel’s sister, Jennifer Ayers-Moore, at her home in Fayetteville, Ga. She was relieved to hear that her older brother is OK but disturbed to know he’s on the streets — again.
He was never the same after he got back from New York, Ayers-Moore said, and he has been in and out of hospitals and group homes for three decades. Time after time, he has tested the patience of the people who love him.
“It got to the point where he didn’t want to talk to anybody and didn’t want to be in reality. I couldn’t watch the movie ‘A Beautiful Mind,’ because every stitch of it reminded me of Nathaniel.”
As do so many schizophrenics, Ayers-Moore says, her brother would improve with medication but then refuse to take it and slip back into his tortured world.
“It was very difficult for my mother, because he would curse her out, call her names, threaten her. When we went to visit her in the nursing home on her birthday, she looked at me and said, ‘I miss Tony.’ He was her pride and joy, and she did everything she possibly could to help him.”
Nathaniel talks often of his mother, expressing his love in his own way.
“She was a beautician,” he said. “That’s beauty. And music is beauty, so I guess that’s why I started playing.”
Nathaniel came west after his mother’s death five years ago. He hooked up with his estranged father and other relatives but soon found the streets.
“It’s an absolute dream here, and I notice that everyone is smiling,” Nathaniel said at 2nd and Hill, where he sometimes steps into the tunnel to hear the echo of his violin. “The sun is out all day, and the nights are cool and serene.”
“All I want is to play music”
— Nathaniel Anthony Ayers
Nathaniel often takes a rock and scrawls names on the sidewalk.
“Oh, those,” he said. “A lot of those are the names of my classmates at Juilliard.”
One day I asked about his hopes and dreams.
“Oh, that’s easy,” he said. “I need to get these other two strings, but I don’t have the money right now.”
He had no use for a house, he said, or a car or anything else.
“All I want is to play music, and the crisis I’m having is right here,” Nathaniel said, pointing to the missing strings and calling out the names of Itzhak Perlman and Jascha Heifetz, as if the renowned violinists might hear his plea and send along the strings.
Nathaniel refused to accept money from me or freebies from Studio City Music. I suggested he go back to Pershing Square, where passersby often dropped money in his violin case, but it didn’t seem logical to him.
When I brought him a new set of strings from Studio City Music, I had to insist that he not pay me for them. He had trouble attaching the strings because his violin is in such bad shape. But by the next day, he had jury-rigged them and was happy to give me a show at his Little Walt Disney Concert Hall.
I had invited two staffers from Lamp Community, a service agency for homeless, mentally ill men and women. Maybe they could get his trust, I figured, and determine whether they could help him at some point.
But as Nathaniel began to play, I doubted there was anyone or anything that could deliver the same peace that music brings him. He was in his sanctuary, eyes half-mast in tribute to the masters.
As cars roared by and trash flew off a dump truck, Nathaniel was oblivious. He played a Mendelssohn concerto, a Beethoven concerto and the Brahms double concerto for violin and cello, his bow gliding effortlessly as it sliced through the madness.
He’s had just 12 fights but operates with the publicity machine of a 30-year veteran. That’s the reality.
This next one – against Mexican Chavez – is another masterstroke. Win, and Paul can truthfully say he’s beaten a former world champion. Never mind that Chavez has been unmotivated and underwhelming for years.
This is elite matchmaking, the kind Mickey Duff or Frank Warren would have admired in the 1980s. Find a guy with a belt in the past, a name the public still knows and has just enough miles on the clock. Time it right, get the win, build the brand.
In fact, smart matchmaking has always been Paul’s strategy. Even the Mike Tyson fight was cold, calculated business. It may have counted to both their records but it was just a glorious payday for Tyson, who didn’t really let his hands go and nor did Paul either. There was a degree of benevolence in that ring.
Paul upsets the purists when he fights UFC guys and then starts calling out the likes of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez or Joshua. His mouth is his crime, not his commitment to boxing. I’ve seen him in the gym – Paul trains like a world champion.
He’s raw, his footwork clunky, his technique mechanical, but his commitment is real. He trains like he’s going 15 rounds at Madison Square Garden.
As for Chavez, this could be redemption. If a motivated, fit Chavez – the kind we haven’t seen in years – shows up, he could give Paul a real fight.
And if he wins, he’ll become a folk hero for those traditionalists eager to see the Paul machine slowed down.
BBC and ITV sports presenting icon Steve Ryder gave his last broadcast on Sunday as he presented the British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park for ITV4
22:47, 22 Jun 2025Updated 22:53, 22 Jun 2025
Steve Ryder has retired from TV sport presenting(Image: Aaron Lupton/Prosports/Shutterstock)
Sports presenter Steve Ryder has announced his retirement from broadcasting after an impressive 48-year career. The 75-year-old covered major sporting fixtures for both the BBC and ITV over the course of his time on the air.
On Sunday, the star was broadcasting from the British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park in Cheshire when he revealed he would be hanging up his microphone. He was covering the event for ITV4 when he announced the news of his departure from the screen.
A montage of clips was then shared showing drivers including Lando Norris, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Jenson Button and David Coulthard all bidding farewell to the broadcaster. Over the years, he has hosted Sportsnight and Sports Personality of the Year, as well as the BBC’s coverage of every Olympic Games between 1988 and 2004.
He departed the BBC in 2005 and joined ITV where he presented coverage of Formula One, as well as the football and rugby World Cups. His final appearance proved to be a muted exit, but he has previously explained why he decided the time had come to quit.
He told the Daily Mail: “The biggest emotion as you get into the last two minutes of something like that is, ‘For God’s sake, don’t c**k it up.’
He hosted his last show for ITV on Sunday(Image: Getty Images)
“Because you’d be thinking about that for the next 20 years. I’ve probably outstayed my welcome. I’ve been hugely lucky with the places that the career has taken me. But it’s close to 50 years now, so the cracks are showing.”
Steve famously used to present Match of the Day and was left miffed when he was replaced by Gary Lineker as the main host – admitting he had cut the former footballer out of his life.
The beef began when Gary said in 2015 that he though the R&A as ‘pompous’ and accused them of feeling like ‘superior beings’. This, in turn, provoked a furious reaction from Steve.
He told the Golf Paper: “I hold Gary Lineker in the highest regard as a football presenter, but his reflections on his experiences as a golf presenter need a huge reality check. For four years, the R&A and most other observers knew that Gary was the wrong man in the wrong job. Hazel Irvine has just delivered once again at the Open presentation skills of the highest quality. Not many people can do that and Gary certainly came up short.
“Roger Mosey, the head of sport, knew Gary was a golf fanatic and was further encouraged by Gary apparently volunteering for the Masters vacancy within a few minutes of my exit from Television Centre.
The star decided it was time to take a step out from the spotlight(Image: FILE)
“But if Mosey thought long and hard before offering Gary the golf job, it’s even more baffling. Match of the Day is scripted and rehearsed. Golf presentation, especially at Augusta, is seat of the pants, unpredictable and demanding.”
Away from sport, Steve also won praise for being open about a battle against prostate cancer after he was diagnosed with the disease in October 2023.
He underwent emergency surgery which stopped the cancer from spreading. He previously told BBC Breakfast: “They took one look and said, ‘We’re going to operate in two weeks’.
“No messing around. We did Brands Hatch for ITV on the Sunday and I had the operation on the Thursday. So it slotted into the schedule quite nicely!”
Australia have dropped Marnus Labuschagne for their opening Test against the West Indies with Steve Smith also missing through injury.
In their places, teenage opener Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis come in for the series opener in Barbados, which starts on 25 June.
Labuschagne opened the batting for Australia in their World Test Championship final defeat by South Africa last week but finished with scores of 17 and 22 to continue his lean spell.
The 30-year-old has not made a Test hundred since the fourth Ashes Test of 2023.
“Marnus at his best can be a really important member of this team. He understands his output hasn’t been at the level we, or he, expects,” said selection chair George Bailey.
“We will continue working with him on the areas of his game we feel he needs to rediscover. We continue to value his skill and expect him to work through the challenge positively.”
Smith, meanwhile, dislocated his right little finger on day three of the final at Lord’s.
Though he has avoided surgery and travelled to the Caribbean, he must wear a splint for up to eight weeks but could return for the second Test in Grenada in July.
“Steve needs more time for the wound to heal so we’ll give him another week’s rest and assess his functionality after that,” Bailey said.
“We have made the decision to give Josh and Sam the opportunity to replace Steve and Marnus. We are excited to see them get the chance to further their fledgling Test careers.
“In his only opportunity in Test cricket to date, Josh was outstanding in Sri Lanka, showing great intent and ability to put pressure on the opposition.”
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Shohei Ohtani pitched! We will have more on that in Friday’s newsletter.
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Top 10 first basemen
Here are my picks for the top 10 first basemen in Dodgers history, followed by how all of you voted. Numbers listed are with the Dodgers only. Click on the player’s name to be taken to the baseball-reference.com page with all their stats.
1. Gil Hodges (1943, 1947-61, .273/.369/.487, 120 OPS+, 8-time All Star, 3 Gold Gloves)
Hodges made his debut with the Dodgers in the final game of the 1943 season. And it could have been his final game ever, as he joined the Marines after the season ended and was a gunner for the 16th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion. In April 1945, Hodges and his battalion stormed the beaches of Okinawa and were involved in heavy fighting. He was awarded a Bronze Star for heroic service in a combat zone. In a letter to his family, Hodges wrote about the experience.
“We arrived here [Okinawa] the first of April and things really cut loose. We were always having air attacks and the ships were really knocking down the planes. It’s just like being tied down when you’re on board a ship because you can’t do a thing but just stand there and wait for something to happen. One Japanese plane, a Zero, came circling around where we were anchored and when everyone saw it they really cut loose. I don’t see how it was possible for him to escape with so much firing being done at that time. He was the plane that really gave all of us a scare. He started to pull away from the firing and then he got hit and started circling around, then into a suicide dive. He started coming down and boy he was really moving. He crashed on the bow of another LST not very far from our ship and exploded. I don’t know how many got hurt but I’m sure there were quite a few. Well, that’s just one incident and I don’t want to go into any other at the present time because I could probably sit here and write all day and still not be through.”
Hodges was discharged before the 1946 season and returned to the Dodgers. He spent 1946 in the minors, but came up to the majors in 1947 to stay. He broke in as a catcher, but with the Dodgers wanting to get his bat in the lineup and realizing he would never be better behind the plate than Roy Campanella, they converted him to first base before the 1948 season. As manager Leo Durocher said, “I put a first baseman’s glove on our other rookie catcher, Gil Hodges. Three days later I’m looking at the best first baseman I’d seen since Dolph Camilli.”
Hodges hit at least 20 homers in 11 consecutive seasons and drove in at least 100 runs in seven consecutive seasons.
After never being voted into the Hall of Fame in his 15 years on the regular ballot, Hodges was elected by the Golden Era Committee in 2021. “It’s a great thing that happened for our family,” Gil Hodges Jr. said. “We are all thrilled that Mom got to see it, being 95. We’ve all waited a long time, and we are just grateful and thankful that it’s finally come to fruition.”
2. Steve Garvey (1969-82, .301/.337/.459, 122 OPS+, 1 NL MVP award, 8-time All Star, 4 Gold Gloves)
One of the most beloved Dodgers while he was playing, Garvey was an integral part of the longest-lasting infield in baseball history, the Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey infield.
Garvey was drafted by the Dodgers in 1968 and made it to the big leagues one year later. He had a hard time sticking there, however, because he was a terrible third baseman. He had a weak arm and little range. He played 85 games at third in 1972, making 28 errors, mostly on throws.
It was more of the same in 1973, with Garvey mainly riding the bench as a pinch-hitter. On June 23 of that year, both left fielders, Von Joshua and Manny Mota, were injured. Bill Buckner, the regular first baseman, went to manager Walter Alston and suggested they put him in left and Garvey at first base (Buckner and Garvey were teammates in the minors and Buckner remembered that Garvey had played well in a few games there).
As Buckner later recounted, “I never played first base for the Dodgers again.”
Garvey had an off year, for him, in 1982, hitting .282 with 16 homers, good for a 101 OPS+. He was a free agent after the season, but there’s no way they would let Mr. Dodger leave, right? Wrong.
“Final offers had to be made,” Garvey recounted in his book. “Peter O’Malley said his final offer was $5 million for four years, no incentives. We drew the line at $6 million for four years.” Garvey signed with the San Diego Padres for five years, $6.6 million.
A lot of Dodger fans believe Garvey should be in the Hall of Fame. With 75% needed for induction, Garvey never got higher than 42.6% of votes on the Hall of Fame ballot, back in 1995. Some fans mistakenly believe he is already in the Hall.
Although the Dodgers usually only retire the numbers of people who make the Hall of Fame as Dodgers, they did not hand out Garvey’s No. 6 after he signed with the San Diego Padres before the 1983 season until Jolbert Cabrera was given the number in 2003.
3. Freddie Freeman (2022-current, .316/.399/.524, 143 OPS+, 3-time All Star)
You could put the Nos. 2-4 guys in almost any order and be fine. If Freeman continues to play like he has so far with the Dodgers, then he’ll be No. 1 one day. There’s not much to write about Freeman that I haven’t covered the last few seasons, so let’s just watch his World Series grand slam again.
Camilli was an offensive machine with the Dodgers, leading the league in homers (34) and RBIs (120) in 1941, and leading in walks in 1938 (119) and 1939 (110).
He immediately made the Dodgers better and led them to the NL pennant in 1941, their first since 1920.
While playing for the Dodgers, he developed a real hatred for the Giants. This was during an era that featured a lot of dirty play, such as the sharpening of spikes and stepping on first basemen. The Giants targeted Camilli often because he was the best player on the Dodgers.
When the Dodgers traded him to the Giants in July 1943, he refused to report to his new team, instead going home and spending the rest of the season on his ranch. “I hated the Giants,” Camilli told the New York Times. “This was real serious; this was no put-on stuff. Their fans hated us, and our fans hated them. I said nuts to them, and I quit.”
Many consider Parker to be the best fielding first baseman in history. He’s certainly the best one in Dodgers history.
In 2007 he was voted by fans as the best defensive first baseman since the Gold Glove award was established in 1957 and was named to the all-time Gold Glove team. He is the only member of that team not in the Hall of Fame. He never even appeared on the ballot since he played only nine seasons, leaving him one short of the 10 needed for eligibility.
His numbers on offense are also better than they appear because he played in one of the greatest pitchers’ eras in baseball history. He drove in 111 runs in 1970 despite hitting only 10 homers. He led the league that season with 47 doubles and also hit .319. Parker has been criminally underrated by many because of the era he played in and the fact he retired young, quitting after the 1972 season when he was only 32.
“By the time I retired, we had winning records, but we weren’t winning pennants,” Parker told biographer David Krell. “My friends were gone. Tommy Davis was traded. Maury Wills was released. Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, Wally Moon, and Jim Gilliam had retired. The game was changing. It was becoming more individualized. Plus, I got tired of the traveling.”
Daubert was named NL MVP in 1913 when he led the league with a .350 average. He also led the league with a .329 average in 1914 and led the Dodgers to their first World Series appearance in 1916.
Daubert is probably the second-best fielding first baseman in Dodgers history and was considered one of the best fielders of his era.
He was also ahead of his time, wanting players to form a union, which is one of the reasons the Dodgers traded him to Cincinnati after the 1918 season. He led the Reds to the World Series title in 1919 (the infamous Black Sox scandal Series).
He was still with the Reds in 1924 when he left to have an appendectomy. He died one week after the operation.
González was acquired on Aug. 25, 2012, along with Josh Beckett, Nick Punto and Carl Crawford from the Boston Red Sox for James Loney, Iván DeJesús Jr., Allen Webster, Jerry Sands and Rubby De La Rosa. In his first at-bat with the Dodgers that same day, he hit a three-run home run against the Miami Marlins, which was apropos because he was one of the Dodgers’ best clutch hitters for four seasons.
In his final at-bat as a Dodger, González homered, making him the rare player who has homered in his first and last at-bat with a team. He was traded after the 2017 season along with Charlie Culberson, Scott Kazmir and Brandon McCarthy to Atlanta for Matt Kemp.
González was a very popular Dodger who led the majors in RBIs in 2014 with 116. He was the heart of the Dodger offense for several seasons until age, injuries and the infield shift all seemed to catch up to him at the same time.
8. Eric Karros (1991-2002, .268/.325/.454, 109 OPS+, Rookie of the Year)
The Dodgers finished 63-99 in 1992, their worst season since moving to L.A., and the biggest bright spot to the season was Karros, who in 149 games hit 30 doubles, 20 homers and was named NL Rookie of the Year.
Over the next six seasons, Karros seldom drew the headlines on a team that had Mike Piazza and Raul Mondesi, but you knew what you were going to get from him every season: Around 145 games played, a batting average around .270, 25 homers, 25 doubles and 100 RBIs. One of the secrets to having a good team over a long period of time is finding guys who can produce consistently. Karros was that for the Dodgers.
He still holds the L.A. record for most career homers, and you can probably win a few bets with that knowledge.
He was also one of the slowest Dodgers in history. And he had a fielding quirk at first base. When there were two outs and he took a throw from another infielder, he pulled his foot off the bag and started running toward the dugout at almost the same exact second he caught the ball, even before the ump could make a call. I’m convinced he stole a few outs for the Dodgers during his career by doing this. The ump would see him running full speed off the field and on a call that could go either way, say “Well, I guess he was out then.”
9. Jack Fournier (1923-26, .337/.421/.552, 157 OPS+)
One of the best hitters the Dodgers have ever had, Fournier led the NL in homers in 1924 with 27 and drove in 130 runs in 1925.
If you are just going by offensive numbers, then Fournier should be in the top three. However, Fournier was really bad defensively. He was born about 50 years too soon to be a designated hitter.
For what it’s worth, in his “Historical Baseball Abstract,” Bill James has Fournier listed as the 35th-greatest first baseman of all time, just behind Camilli (29th), Hodges (30th) and Garvey (31st). That, of course, counts their time with other teams as well.
Fournier has ties to Los Angeles: He played for the Los Angeles Angels minor league team for three seasons and he also coached UCLA’s baseball team from 1934 to 1936.
10. Tim Jordan (1906-10, .263/.356/.384, 139 OPS+)
Only one Dodger has led the National League in home runs twice, and it’s not Duke Snider or Mike Piazza. It’s Jordan, who led the NL in 1906 and 1908 with 12 home runs, which was a lot in the dead-ball era.
Jordan got the Dodgers’ first base job in an unusual way. Acquired from Baltimore before the 1906 season, he was set to become the backup to regular first baseman Don Gessler. On April 18, a devastating earthquake hit San Francisco, and several major league teams held benefit exhibition games, with proceeds going to relief help. Jordan started the game held in Brooklyn, went three for three with a double, and manager Patsy Donovan decided to make him the starter.
Jordan was one of the best power hitters in the league, and he was fast. Four of his 12 homers in 1906 were inside-the-park homers. It also helped that ballparks back then were much more spacious. The wall in center field at Pittsburgh’s Exposition Park was 515 feet away.
Jordan held out for more money after the 1909 season, but Brooklyn had Jake Daubert (sixth on this list) and were in no hurry to give Jordan more money. He hurt his knee and finally reported, but his knee injury pretty much ended his career in the majors. He was released in May, and played in the minors until 1920. He worked as a security guard, opened his own restaurant, and died in 1949 at the age of 70.
The next five: Dan Brouthers, Del Bissonette, James Loney, Eddie Murray, Greg Brock.
The readers’ top 10
1,352 ballots were sent in. First place received 12 points, second place nine, all the way down to one point for 10th place. Here are your choices:
1. Gil Hodges, 825 first-place votes, 14,475 points
3. Steve Garvey, 147 first-place votes, 11,483 points
4. Eric Karros, 13 first-place votes, 8,471 points
5. Wes Parker, 7,402 points
6. Adrián González, 5,802 points
7. Dolph Camilli, 4,433 points
8. Eddie Murray, 3,123 points
9. Jake Daubert, 1,845 points
10. James Loney, 1,462 points
The next five: Nomar Garciaparra, Jack Fournier, Albert Pujols, Norm Larker, Greg Brock.
Top 10 second basemen
Who are your top 10 Dodgers first basemen of all time (including Brooklyn)? Email your list to [email protected] and let me know.
Many of you have asked for a list of players to consider for each position. Here are the strongest second baseman candidates, in alphabetical order.
Hub Collins, Álex Cora, Tony Cuccinello, George Cutshaw, Tom Daly, Delino DeShields, Mark Ellis, Jim Gilliam, Mark Grudzielanek, Billy Herman, Orlando Hudson, Jon Hummel, Jim Lefebvre, Howie Kendrick, Jeff Kent, Pete Kilduff, Lee Lacy, Davey Lopes, Gavin Lux, Bill McLellan, Charlie Neal, Willie Randolph, Jody Reed, Jackie Robinson, Juan Samuel, Steve Sax, Ted Sizemore, Eddie Stanky, Chase Utley, John Ward, Eric Young.
A reminder that players are listed at the position in which they played the most games for the Dodgers, which is why Gilliam and Robinson are listed here and not at other positions they played.
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
South Africa’s Marco Jansen juggles the ball before successfully completing the catch at slip to dismiss Australia’s Steve Smith for 66 runs on day one of the ICC Test Championship final at Lord’s.
