team

It was not just a nation of sports fans and media that became entranced when former Chargers great Philip Rivers, like a soldier, answered the call to duty and joined another one of his former teams, the Indianapolis Colts, at age 44, five years after his last game. (Five years after! No misprint). Former players, like me, were curious and envious.

This was a selfless, noble act by Phil. A player is not eligible for the Hall of Fame until five years after his last season. Thus, Phil has delayed his consideration as a candidate by another five years.

The winter is not merely a matter of age; it is long after the time when the pro football player lived a life at full throttle, doing what years of unromantic labor crafted his mind and body to do.

Jim Porter, the president and chief executive officer of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, reported that about 35 million males, from youth leagues to high schools to colleges, have played organized football. Of that total, only about 22,000 have played in a professional game. Shameful pride compels me to say there are only about 300 players in the Hall of Fame.

Colts quarterback Philip Rivers throws the ball during a game against the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 22 in Indianapolis.

(Zach Bolinger / Associated Press)

Now, at 88 years old, I am in that winter of life; a time long after leaving that locker room, a place that was alive with bravado and bonds with teammates, each knowing the devastating work it took to, not only get there, but to stay there, because each year the team would bring in a fresh group of draftees and players acquired by trade who wanted your spot. As teammates, we had an unspoken contract to do the drills to the extent that the movements become instinct, to do the work, to play injured, to show up.

The memories of teammates stay fresh. I will share a few stories that stick with me about players early Charger fans will recall:

Power of Alworth

San Diego Chargers wide receiver Lance Alworth poses for a photo in 1970.

(Associated Press)

Lance Alworth is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Our team in the ‘60s had many players that deserve to be called great; however, we all held Lance in special regard because he encompassed high levels of skill and character. He had speed, elusiveness, and he blocked (something of a dirty word to many wide receivers). The best way to describe how I felt about Lance is to relate an incident that took place when our plane was returning from an East Coast game. The plane hit a long stretch of weather so bad that it caused the plane to rise and drop and shake to such an extent that I knew it was going to crash and kill us all. I truly felt it was all over. Then I remembered that Lance was on board and I relaxed, thinking we are safe because God would not kill Lance. I am still amused that I actually thought that.

A formidable man

Ernie Ladd, seen here in action for the San Diego Chargers, on Oct. 29, 1963.

(Associated Press)

Ernie Ladd was a 6-foot-9, 325-pound defensive tackle who played the position with skill and fury and, for four seasons, before severe knee injuries reduced him from great to good, was as skilled as anyone who ever played the position. And strong. Ernie joined the Chargers in 1961. In 1963, coach Sid Gilman made the Chargers the first team in professional football to employ a strength coach and direct that all players begin a weight-training program. At that time, I was one of only a few players in professional football that lifted year-round because coaches, at all levels of football, discouraged weightlifting, believing it tied up an athlete’s muscles. Ernie had never lifted weights. During our first training session with our strength coach, Alvin Roy, Ernie lifted 300 pounds over his head. I had trained for years and my best lift at that time was a military press of 325 pounds.

He demonstrated strength and restraint when a dispute arose between him and a teammate, who I will refer to as X, a defensive lineman whose play fell far below expectations when he was a high draft choice. Ernie was given to fun-loving razzing of others in the locker room. X took offense and swung his fist at Ernie. Ernie caught the fist in his big right hand, then grabbed X’s forearm and bent the wrist up, forcing X to the ground. Ernie then said, “X, if I let you up, are we done?” X, red with embarrassment, said it was over and Ernie released him.

The reason this stuck with me was because it reminded of an incident in the John Steinbeck novel, “Of Mice and Men,” in which Lennie, a slow-witted worker on a ranch, was being repeatedly struck by the ranch foreman until Lennie caught the foreman’s fist in the air and crushed his hand. The reference is a bit strained because Ernie was extremely bright.

Ernie was the most joyful game participant I had ever seen, bright and quick-witted, laughing before a game, getting energy from the thrill of what was about to take place. Before one of our games, he said to me in a mockingly serious voice, “Ronnie Jack, I hope I don’t kill anyone out there today. If I do, I want you to represent me and plead self-defense.” At the time, I was going to law school at night.

Surprising Wright

Ernie Wright left college early and joined the team at age of 20, the same year I signed up for the Chargers — 1960. He played offensive left tackle, making All-Pro several times. He was extremely bright, great work ethic, and proved it by having a very successful post-football business career.

Different players have different game-day, pre-event routines. I tried to stay calm and collected no matter how big the moment. I believed that if I allowed myself to get charged up by adrenaline rushes before the game started, I would use up energy I needed for the entire game.

My pregame ritual became a curious thing for Ernie. After one of our games, Ernie approached me, and the following conversation took place:

Ernie: I have been watching you before games and seeing your lips moving and I thought you were praying. I finally decided today to get closer so that I could hear what you were praying for. Was it for a team to win, was it to kick butt. You were singing to yourself! You were singing “Fly Me to the Moon.” Is that what you have been doing before all these games?

Me: That’s it. It is my way of staying calm.

Ernie (laughing): And here I thought you were deeply religious, and I have been careful not to swear around you.

A mind for politics

Republican vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp accepts a jersey from football players at Fairfax High in 1996.

(John Hayes / Associated Press)

Jack Kemp was the Chargers’ first quarterback. After an injury in his third year, he played for the Buffalo Bills. After football, he became a congressman in the Buffalo area and, later, presidential candidate Bob Dole’s choice to join his Republican ticket as his vice presidential running mate. Jack and I were training camp roommates during our first year with the Chargers. We became close friends. Jack was constantly thinking about politics and the relationship between government and the public and how power and policy shape everyday life and collective freedom.

Jack’s early political beliefs embraced the John Birch Society, a movement that felt expansive federal power is a threat to individual liberty. Among the Birch beliefs that Jack embraced was that there should not be Social Security, that if it was absent, people would then accept the responsibility of regularly putting away funds for their retirement.

During the week before a game in San Diego, I told Jack that Social Security is earned insurance, not welfare, that it spreads the risks across society, and keeps seniors out of poverty. I gave as an example my mother, who was a first-generation American with only a fifth-grade education who, prior to my retiring her when I signed with the Chargers, held minimum wage jobs that barely covered monthly expenses of her raising my brother and me by herself. I told Jack that her, and likely millions like her, given the choice of setting aside a dollar a month for retirement or spending it to care for her family, would place family first.

The depth of Jack’s constant thinking of politics became clear to me the Sunday of that week. I have forgotten the name of our opponent, but I do remember that it was a brutally contested game on a very hot day and we were ahead by only three points. At halftime, our team was walking toward the locker room when I heard Jack call out to me: “Ron, Ron, wait up.” I thought he was going to ask my opinion on what run plays would be best to call. Nope. Jack said: “I’ve been thinking about what you said about Social Security and people like your mother. I agree with you. Social Security must stay.” Then he was back to football: “OK, then, let’s get ‘em.”

I was surprised. It was a, “Wait … did that just happen?” moment. We were in the middle of a football game!

Being a part of something special

Athletes, as a group, have always been ahead of the country in improving racial and religious relations among the population. I am reminded of my senior year at the University of Southern California in 1959 when Willie Wood and I were elected co-captains of the football team. That was done at a time when 99% of the fraternities at the school barred us from membership because Willie was Black and I was Jewish. That sentiment in America meant nothing to our predominately white Christian teammates who, true to the nature of sports, judged teammates only on their character, work ethic and production.

Missing the demands of the game

And then there were the opponents. How deeply they are missed, those men across the line who made excellence necessary. While it is true that some opponents were less skilled than others, the collisions with all of them were just as real.

Playing against greatness was a measurement of who you were. I had the, yes, the pleasure of playing directly against fellow Hall members such as Deacon Jones, Buck Buchanon, Bobby Bell and Claude Humphrey, and a slew of other notable defensive linemen. They, and others, were equally committed to stopping me from doing my job.

It has now been 54 years since I left the game and I still miss it.

Mix was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.

It’s midseason in high school baseball, so let’s look at players who are producing results at a high level. Forget about rankings, radar guns or who has scholarship offers. These are the players making an impact.

No one has been better than sophomore pitcher Tyler George of Santa Margarita. With a 7-0 record, 0.85 ERA and just two walks in 41 1/3 innings, the 6-foot-5, 190-pound 16-year-old has shown what a top pitcher is supposed to look like.

Few saw this coming — except for his freshman coach last season, Mike Hiserman, who said, “He was the most fundamentally sound all-around freshman baseball player I’ve ever coached. Was good at everything yet still immensely coachable. You tell him something once and he does it.”

George said he has focused on mixing up his pitches — fastball, curveball, slider, change-up.

“Just not overthrowing the ball, not throwing as hard as I can but hitting the spots and having a feel for my off-speed pitches,” he said.

He threw all nine innings during a 1-0 win over Mater Dei that was full of drama.

“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “The adrenaline was running. It was cool.”

His brother, Hayden, is a freshman pitcher at UCLA, and he said Bruins coach John Savage has been asking Hayden about him, which is a good sign when he becomes available to talk to recruiters in the summer.

Royal pitcher Dustin Dunwoody is 7-0 with an 0.18 ERA.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

• Dustin Dunwoody, Royal: Armed with an overpowering fastball, Dunwoody is 7-0, has an 0.18 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings.

Catcher Brady Murrietta of Orange Lutheran makes the tag at home plate against St. John Bosco.

(Nick Koza)

• Brady Murrietta, Orange Lutheran: The senior catcher keeps throwing out baserunners trying to challenge him. He’s also terrific on throws to the plate, picking up the hop and making the tag. And don’t forget his clutch hitting. He leads the team in RBIs with 12.
• Troy Randall, Corona Santiago: The junior third baseman is hitting .460 with 29 hits and also has given up just two hits in 12 innings in a relief pitching role.
• Jake Kim, Harvard-Westlake: The junior has displayed power and consistency, making him one of the toughest outs in the Wolverines’ lineup. He has 22 hits, a .500 batting average and four home runs.
• Malakye Matsumoto, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame: With 22 hits and 17 RBIs, the senior third baseman has been delivering for 14-3 Notre Dame.
• Tate Belfanti, Cypress: The junior left-hander has 53 strikeouts in 28 innings while going 5-0.
• Jake Ange, Thousand Oaks: The junior was a starter for the basketball team and has come out and hit seven home runs, including a game in which he hit two grand slams.
• Dylan Seward, Norco: The junior shortstop has been producing since he was a starter as a freshman. He has 26 hits, 16 RBIs and makes the plays when the ball is hit in his direction.
• James Tronstein, Harvard-Westlake: The senior shortstop has 26 hits, including four home runs, as the Wolverines’ leadoff hitter.
• Gary Morse, Orange Lutheran: The 6-foot-8 pitcher is 3-1 with a 1.40 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 30 innings for the No. 1 team in Southern California.
• Caleb Trugman, Ayala: The two-way player has 23 hits and is 6-0 pitchers and an 0.76 ERA.
• Xavier Cadena, El Dorado: The outfielder has hit five home runs, driven in 19 runs and is batting .373.
• Carson Sheffer, Oaks Christian: The senior catcher continues to be stellar behind the plate while also contributing 22 hits, including seven doubles.
• Landon Hovermale, Norco: A model of consistency, the left-handed Hovermale is 6-0 with an 0.95 ERA and has walked just four batters in 36 2/3 innings.
• Jackson Sellz, El Camino Real: The junior keeps throwing complete games for the defending City Section champs. He’s 6-0 with a 1.20 ERA and five complete games.
• Jayden Rojas, Bell: The senior third baseman is batting .466 with 27 hits for 17-2 Bell. As a pitcher, he’s 4-0 with a 1.04 ERA.

Berlin’s Eta becomes first female head coach of a top-tier European club after her appointment by the Bundesliga side.

German football club Union Berlin has made history by naming Marie-Louise Eta as manager, making her the first female head coach in Bundesliga history, following the sacking of Steffen Baumgart.

Eta, who was given the job on Sunday, becomes the first female top-flight coach of a men’s team in a major European league. The 34-year-old, who was the first female assistant coach in the Bundesliga, will take over for the remainder of the season.

“I am delighted the club has entrusted me with this challenging task,” Eta said in a statement.

She made history in 2023 as the first female assistant coach in the Bundesliga and across the top divisions of Europe’s “big five” football leagues. She had to step in for media duties for head coach Nenad Bjelica when he was suspended for three games in 2024.

Baumgart was sacked on Sunday morning after the club’s form flatlined in the second half of the season, with Saturday’s 3-1 defeat by last-placed Heidenheim the final straw.

“I’m delighted that Marie-Louise Eta has agreed to take on this role on an interim basis before she becomes head coach of the women’s first team as planned in the summer,” Union sporting director Horst Heldt said in a statement.

Union have won just two games since Christmas and sit seven points above the relegation playoff spot.

“We’ve had an absolutely disappointing second half of the season,” Heldt said.

“Our situation remains precarious, and we desperately need points to stay in the league.

“The performances in recent weeks don’t give us the confidence we could turn things around with the current set-up.”

As a player with Turbine Potsdam, Eta won the Champions League in 2010, along with three Bundesliga titles. She has already committed to taking over Union Berlin’s women’s Bundesliga team from the summer.

Women have managed men’s football teams in the lower divisions but never in the top flight.

German third-tier Ingolstadt FC are currently coached by Sabrina Wittmann, while French second-flight club Clermont were managed by Corinne Diacre for three seasons until 2017.

When the final horn sounded Saturday on the Kings’ 1-0 matinee win over the Edmonton Oilers, Anze Kopitar made his way to center ice, a microphone in his hand and his heart in pieces.

“Thank you very much,” he said to the fans, his voice cracking. “Thank you for being here.”

Kopitar then held his hands in front of him and folded his fingers into the shape of a heart before skating away — not quite into the sunset, but headed in that direction.

Kopitar announced in September that this season would be his last, so unless the Kings make the playoffs — a distinct possibility after the team’s fourth win a row and fifth in six games, its best streak of the season — Saturday marked the final home appearance of a brilliant 20-year career spent entirely in Los Angeles.

The Kings’ Anze Kopitar vies for position in front of the Oilers’ Darnell Nurse during the second period on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.

(Scott Strazzante/For The Times)

And the announced crowd of 18,145 at Crypto.com Arena made sure he knew that parting is such sweet sorrow, standing and cheering long after the game had ended.

“Eventually it was going to happen,” Kopitar, 38, reflected before the game. “Whether it was this year or two years from now, there was going to be a last day. And I’m very OK with my decision.”

Kopitar will leave having written his name all over the Kings’ record book. He’s the all-time franchise leader in points (1,314), assists (862), game-winning goals (79) and games played (1,518). He ranks third in goals (452) and power-play goals (129).

And most importantly, he played a starring role on the Kings’ only two Stanley Cup championships, leading both the 2011-12 and 2013-14 teams in goals, assists and points.

“Over 700 people have put the Kings’ uniform on,” said Daryl Evans, who was one of the 700 before retiring to become a broadcaster with the team. “He stands at the top of the mountain as one of the greatest — if not the greatest — to do so. He’s a great hockey player, as we can all see. But he’s a better person off the ice.”

It’s that second part, Evans said, that will make Kopitar difficult to replace.

“Records are made to be beaten. But the intangibles, the things that he did as the team’s captain, the leadership that he provided, the type of a player he was, very unselfish,” Evans said. “He’s one of those guys who’s a special player.”

The Kings got the only goal they would need Saturday 7:34 into the first period when Artemi Panarin stripped Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard of the puck at the Kings’ blue line and took off the other way, skating in alone on Oilers’ goalie Connor Ingram, then beating him on a wrist shot from between the circles.

Kings players react as Anze Kopitar speaks to fans after his final regular-season home game, a 1-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.

(Scott Strazzante/For The Times)

The goal was Panarin’s ninth in 23 games since joining the Kings just ahead of the Olympic break. Edmonton nearly pulled that back midway through the period when Curtis Lazar tipped the puck by Kings’ goalie Anton Forsberg, only to have defenseman Cody Ceci dive through the crease and swipe it away with a desperate one-handed wave of his stick.

Forsberg was brilliant the rest of the way, stopping 27 shots to post his 11^th career shutout and win his season-best fourth game in a row, preserving the Kings’ one-point lead over Nashville in the race for the Western Conference’s final wild-card playoff berth.

The son of a coach, Kopitar was born in the former Yugoslavia, in the mining town of Jesenice near the border with Austria, an area that became part of Slovenia when that country declared independence just before Kopitar’s fourth birthday.

At 16, he led the new country’s first-tier professional league in scoring, so he moved to Sweden in search of a challenge — and led that country’s top junior league with 49 points in 30 games. That drew the attention of the Kings, who took Kopitar with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 draft.

Fourteen months later he became the first Slovenian to play in the NHL, making his debut as a teenager and scoring two goals against the Ducks. He never looked back — nor looked to play elsewhere, twice signing contract extensions with the Kings rather than test the free-agent market. (Not that he needed to test the free-agent market since he made more than $140 million in his two decades with the Kings, becoming the best-paid player in team history.)

“I’ve always felt extremely comfortable in L.A.,” said Kopitar, whose two children were born here. “The organization has been world-class since I got here, so I had no desire to go anywhere else.”

Anze Kopitar celebrates with the Stanley Cup after the Kings’ win over the New Jersey Devils in 2012.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

As a result only six players in league history have played more games with a single organization, making Kopitar’s name synonymous with the franchise.

“The greatest to play for the Kings,” said Luc Robitaille, the franchise leader in goals (557) as a player and now the team’s president. “What’s he meant to this franchise — you know this franchise never won and he came along and we won two [Stanley Cups]. So he deserves all the credits and everything that’s coming his way.”

He’s also among the last of a dying breed: a two-way center who stood out on both ends of the ice, but was also gentlemanly enough to win the Lady Byng trophy three times. Only one player has won the NHL’s top sportsmanship award more often this century.

“Every coach would love to have him because he never cheats the game,” Evans said of Kopitar, who this month was also nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which recognizes the player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey.”

“He’s got a lot of pride and he doesn’t want to let his teammates down,” Evans said. “He’s been a student of the game from Day 1. He plays the game the right way. If you could tell a player ‘watch somebody,’ there’s a guy you want to watch.”

Kopitar’s numbers have declined this season, owing partly to a pair of lower-body injuries that caused him to miss significant time in both October and January. That’s left him on pace to finish with fewer than 16 goals in a full season for just the third time while his 24 assists and 36 points are career lows.

But he has the best plus/minus number on the team and he’s winning a career-best 57.7% of his faceoffs, including four crucial draws deep in the Kings’ end in the final minute Saturday.

“It’s been, obviously, an up-and-down season,” he said. “Some good, some bad, some ugly.”

Kopitar admits the goodbyes have been emotional at times. On his final visit to Madison Square Garden last month, for example, he and former teammate Jonathan Quick exchanged several hugs after the game.

“I’m enjoying it,” he added. “I’m not sad about it. I guess I’m staying in the moment and enjoying the moment.”

The Kings’ Anze Kopitar tries to flip a shot past Edmonton goaltender Connor Ingram Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.

(Scott Strazzante/For The Times)

The Kings can extend Kopitar’s farewell tour by at least a couple of weeks by making the playoffs, a task that’s looking much more likely than it did a week ago. After Saturday’s win the Kings not only lead Nashville in the wild-card race, holding a game in hand over the Predators, but they are just two points out of third place in the Pacific Division standings.

“He hopes he’s going to play here again,” Kings coach D.J. Smith said of Kopitar’s possible postseason encore.

Just where and when the team might open the postseason — if, indeed, it qualifies — is up in the air since the Kings could finish anywhere from first to fifth in the division, leaving them with more than a dozen possible playoff scenarios. So when the team leaves for its final three-game trip of the season Sunday, the players have been told to pack for 10 days.

Either way Kopitar isn’t changing his mind; when the Kings’ season ends — whenever that is — his career will end as well. So will his time in Los Angeles since Kopitar is selling his Manhattan Beach home and moving back to Slovenia to accept a new role as a full-time father.

“I’m going to be a dad,” he said. “I’m going to just relax and see how long it takes to get bored and then we’ll figure it out from there. Of course I’m going to miss this place. But it was a family decision, obviously, to move.

“As much as this place is super nice and the community was great to us, it’s time to slow down the tempo a little bit and enjoy life. But I’ll make it back here for sure.”

Four years ago, at the McDonald’s All-American game, future Bruins Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez stood side by side at the end of the contest, having been named co-MVPs. It was the first time the two MVPs of the annual event were headed to the same college program.

Now, as the only remaining members of UCLA’s 2022 No. 1 recruiting class, they have reached their ultimate goal: an NCAA championship. Their work ethic, their high character, their loyalty, and the pride they take in wearing the four letters on their jerseys will long be remembered and appreciated. With fellow senior and graduate-student teammates — Lauren Betts, Angela Dugalic, Charlisse Leger-Walker and Gianna Kneepkens, all transfers from former Pac-12 teams — they have put themselves into the Bruin record books.

To this awesome group of young women: Thanks for the memories and the joy you have brought to Westwood. You will be missed.

Sandy Siegel
Sherman Oaks

After witnessing their first-round victory in person, the UCLA women looked ready to make a run in the NCAA tournament. What we saw was a way to compete in any style of play. There was a little bit of everything. But clearly they were the best team. Congratulations on your first title. I can’t wait to see the banner hanging in the rafters. Being a lifelong fan of UCLA sports, it just looks right when you see it in lights. UCLA BRUINS, NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

David DeLong
Thousand Oaks

As a Trojan alum, it was awkward, but nonetheless, I was elated to see UCLA knock off USC. Party on!

David Marshall
Santa Monica

The UCLA women’s basketball team’s first NCAA national championship was especially sweet because they had to defeat USC in the title game!

Nick Rose
Newport Coast

Long live the Pac-12 Avengers!

Mark Ryan
Fullerton

What a great article on Gabriela [Jaquez] by Mirjam [Swanson.] I just so loved rooting for this UCLA women’s team because they’re such wonderful people as well as players. Having said that, Gabriela would have been my choice for MVP, but I’m fine with Lauren [Betts.]

Michael Reuben
Anaheim Hills

It was refreshing to watch the postgame after UCLA soundly defeated the University of South Carolina on Sunday. Everyone was crying — players, coaches, losers because they lost, winners because they won. This was so much nicer than the angry confrontation between coaches at the end of the South Carolina-UConn game on Friday, after which [Geno] Auriemma petulantly stalked off. As in politics, women seem to do it better without men.

Henry A. Hespenheide
Hermosa Beach

Remembering Lopes

Growing up in L.A. during the 1970s, the photo of Davey Lopes sliding into second against Dave Concepcion brought back memories of the Dodgers’ rivalry with the Big Red Machine during that decade. Being a huge fan of those Dodger teams, a large color photo of the Dodger infield of [Steve] Garvey, Lopes, [Bill] Russell and [Ron] Cey adorned my DTLA office for many years.

Davey Lopes was the most exciting of that great infield and the inspirational leader of the ‘74, ‘77, ‘78 and ‘81 World Series teams. Not only was he superior at stealing bases — he stole 47 at the age of 40 — but also hit for power, as exemplified by his team-leading three homers and seven RBIs in the ‘78 World Series. RIP, Davey.

Ken Feldman
Tarzana

Garvey, Cey, Russell and Lopes. What an infield! I grew up with that group, and they cemented my love for the Dodgers at a young age. Every spring you could count on those four as starters in the infield. Davey Lopes was just superb. A terrific base stealer who had over 500 steals in his career. Always reliable at second base and at the plate. He was an All-Star his last four years with the Dodgers, culminating with the World Series win in 1981 over the hated Yankees. Davey, we will miss you for sure.

Dave Ring
Manhattan Beach

Davey Lopes was the heartbeat of those great Dodgers teams — grit, intelligence, and pure excitement every time he reached base. For fans who grew up watching that legendary infield, his passing feels deeply personal, but his legacy will endure.

Steven Ross
Carmel

Championing fans

I had the privilege of attending Major League Baseball ownership meetings for a decade. Arte Moreno and his then team president, John Carpino, were the absolute leaders in advocating that MLB needed to be as financially fan friendly as possible. In my opinion, the Angels fully back their desire to have a sustainable and comfortable fan experience by offering a wonderful game-day fan experience.

When I am able to attend an Angels game, I do not hear gripes about parking costs, concession prices or ticket prices. The stadium staff at every level are simply wonderful and always so welcoming. And while I have no stats, the number of families and children in attendance appear significant.

Should the team ever come under different ownership, I hear that one of the under tapped values of owning the Angels is the ability to increase ticket and related revenues. The proven focus on having a sustainable fan game experience is the sole dictate of the owner.

Lew Wolff
Los Angeles

Sticker shock

After taking the time to sign up for LA28 with the hopes of getting an opportunity to purchase tickets for the Olympics, including tickets to the opening ceremony, I was gravely disappointed after receiving a time slot for purchases to learn that opening ceremony tickets were “currently unavailable.“ In further checking for other opportunities to purchase reasonably priced tickets, I also was disappointed to see that the cheapest tickets available for some of the high-interest sporting events were in the hundreds of dollars. It doesn’t look like the plan to have locals purchase tickets and fill the seats for the venues is going to work out the way LA28 thought it would. Shame on them.

Ruthanne Rozenek
Los Angeles

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Email: sports@latimes.com

Nneka Ogwumike is coming home in a strong endorsement of the Sparks’ vow to succeed during the upcoming season.

Ogwumike, a 10-time WNBA All-Star, spent the first 12 seasons of her career with the Sparks after she was drafted No. 1 overall by the franchise in 2012.

But Ogwumike left two seasons ago as the Sparks were struggling to win and signed with a Seattle Storm team with talent capable of pushing for a championship, a female coach and state-of-the-art facilities.

While she was gone, the Sparks replaced coach Curt Miller with Lynne Roberts, traded for All-Star guard Kelsey Plum and broke ground on a new practice facility in El Segundo.

Ogwumike posted a 45-second video on social media Friday morning that indicated her intention to return to the Sparks. Free agents are free to sign with new teams Saturday, when the Sparks are expected to officially announce her return.

“It was always ‘see you later,’ now I’ll see you soon,” Ogwumike wrote in the post.

She did not post any contract terms, and they have yet to be reported.

Chiney Ogwumike, an ESPN analyst, longtime Spark and Nneka’s sister, broke the news on X, posting: “10x WNBA All-Star and 2016 MVP Nneka Ogwumike intends to re-sign with the Los Angeles Sparks.

“She previously played 12 seasons in LA and ‘is looking forward to returning home.’”

The Sparks last made the playoffs in 2020, and while they showed some potential last year, going 21-23 but fizzling out in the second half of the season, adding the 35-year-old veteran bolsters their push to take a big step forward into the playoff mix.

Adding the appeal of some of the talent already on their roster and a new $150-million practice facility scheduled to open next year, the Sparks are positioning themselves for a return to their winning ways.

The Sparks are expected to trade 2024 first-round pick Rickea Jackson to Chicago this weekend for guard Ariel Atkins, according to reports. Atkins, who turns 30 in July, is a two-time All-Star and five-time all-defensive player who had an important role in the Washington Mystics’ 2019 championship.

Sparks players cheer as WNBA President Lisa Borders hands the championship trophy to team owner Magic Johnson in 2016. Nneka Ogwumike was on the team that won the Sparks’ most recent title.

(Hannah Foslien / Getty Images)

That leaves the Sparks with just three other players — Plum, who signed a core contract, Cameron Brink and Sania Feagin — under contract. The Sparks extended qualifying offers to Rae Burrell, Julie Vanloo and Alissa Pili this week, essentially retaining their rights.

But Ogwumike is the kind of player whom the Sparks could build a competitive campaign around, especially playing alongside Brink in a potent frontcourt. With Plum and likely Atkins in the fold, the Sparks could use an upgraded ball-handler, unless they go with Plum at point guard and focus on bringing in another forward.

Forward Azura Stevens announced on social media she is not returning. The Sparks also lost starting point guard Julie Allemand to Toronto in the expansion draft last week.

Forward Dearica Hamby remains unsigned. She started 84 games in the last two seasons and was an All-Star in 2024 but likely is behind Ogwumike and Brink on the Sparks’ depth chart and might push for a bigger role with another team.

The Sparks don’t have a first-round draft pick, so they will need to pursue talent on the robust free-agent market or make another trade to bolster their backcourt. If they elect to go with Plum at point guard, they could start Burrell as a small forward after her strong offseason in the Unrivaled three-on-three league, but they still need more depth.

During the next seven days, the Sparks will have a chance to make moves to support a veteran core of Ogwumike and Plum alongside a rising star in Brink as they push to build a team that can make the playoffs.

Last season in Seattle, Ogwumike averaged 18.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals. Her departure was somewhat expected after Noelle Quinn was fired as coach following the Storm’s first-round playoff exit.

The president of the players association, Ogwumike played an essential role in the historic collective bargaining agreement the league and players agreed to in March, which led to the salary cap being raised to $7 million per team.

Nneka Ogwumike, photographed in downtown Los Angeles in 2019, is returning to the Sparks after two seasons in Seattle.

(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)

On Wednesday, speculation was rampant that Ogwumike might end up in Minnesota after a balloon company shared a video of a balloon sign that read: “Welcome Nneka,” but the forward clarified on Instagram that it was just a greeting welcoming her to a meeting with the Lynx, not an indication she was signing there.

With the majority of the league’s players free agents, teams have an opportunity to reinvent themselves this offseason. It seems likely that Seattle, with Skylar Diggins-Smith and Gabby Williams as free agents, could take a step back.

The forecast for expansion clubs Portland and Toronto, meanwhile, won’t take shape until they finish building their rosters.

The Sparks gave up the most points per game last season, 88.2, a flaw they hope to address with Ogwumike, the expected addition of Atkins and a full season of Brink, who has been limited by injuries to 34 games in her first two seasons after being drafted No. 2 in 2024.

The Sparks promised fans they would complete their rebuild and become title contenders again. Ogwumike’s return suggests she believes in the plan.

SACRAMENTO — An attorney for Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading Democratic candidate for California governor, on Thursday sent a cease and desist letter to an unknown individual demanding that they stop accusing the congressman of sexual assault.

Swalwell’s attorney Elias Dabaie of the law firm Dabaie Kelley, in Los Angeles, confirmed Friday that he sent the cease and desist letter, which tells the recipient that they could be sued for defamation. A copy of the letter was posted online by a social media influencer on Friday, and Dabaie confirmed it was authentic.

Swalwell (D-Dublin) and his representatives earlier this week denied allegations made by social media influencers and repeated by political insiders in recent weeks that he behaved inappropriately toward young staffers and others.

Dabaie’s letter sent Thursday states that it “has come to our attention that you have made false statements accusing Mr. Swalwell of sexual assault and non-consensual sexual encounters…”

“We write to demand that you immediately and permanently cease and desist from continuing your wrongful conduct, including by stopping any further publication of such information or allowing it to be disseminated in any form, whether oral, written, electronic or otherwise,” the letter stated.

Dabaie confirmed to The Times that he sent the letter via text. He declined to say whether other cease and desist letters had been sent.

“I can tell you that there have been multiple baseless allegations made against the Congressman and we are attacking them on all fronts,” he said.

A spokesperson for Swalwell’s campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Cheyenne Hunt, a Laguna Hills attorney and executive director of a progressive advocacy group who has said she is helping organize a group of women who allege inappropriate behavior toward Swalwell, posted a screenshot of Dabaie’s letter online on Friday.

“This is the first page of the cease and desist letter from Swalwell’s team — it has has been shared with permission from the recipient,” she wrote on social media.

The name of the individual who received the letter was redacted.

Hunt told The Times on Friday that she was aware of two individuals who received cease and desist letters from Swalwell’s team.

Swalwell earlier in the week denied any inappropriate behavior, including allegations that his office required interns to sign nondisclosure agreements. “It’s false,” he told reporters.

Swalwell said he never behaved inappropriately with female staff members or had a sexual relationship with a staff member or an intern.

The ball is back in LeBron James’ hands, and he is thriving in his “new” role as the Lakers’ primary caretaker.

James is in this position in the wake of injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. He had been the third option behind Doncic and Reaves, and he shifted back to a role he has been very accustomed to playing over his 23-year career.

James has been a force over the last three games, with his latest standout performance coming Friday night in the Lakers’ 101-73 win over the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena.

James finished with 28 points, 12 assists and six rebounds helped the Lakers secured at least the No. 4 seed in the uber-tough Western Conference.

The Lakers still have a shot at the third seed if they beat the Utah Jazz at home on Sunday and if the third-place Denver Nuggets lose at San Antonio on Sunday, the final day of the regular season. Because the Lakers won the tiebreaker over the Nuggets, they would get the higher seed over Denver if the two teams finish with identical records.

Whomever the Lakers wind up facing in the playoffs, coach JJ Redick believes teams want to face his group because of their injuries. Doncic and Reaves are not expected back for the first-round of the postseason.

The Lakers, however, do still have James — and he has been masterful.

James was 10 for 16 from the field against the Suns and two for two from three-point range.

Over his last three games in this new role, James has averaged 24.6 points, 12.6 assists and 7.6 rebounds, shooting 60% from the field and 46% from three-point range.

Lakers guard Luke Kennard, center, controls the ball in front of Phoenix guards Amir Coffey, left, and Jamaree Bouyea during the first half Friday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

He was on point from the very beginning against the Suns.

James quickly went by a defender on a back-door cut, took a pass from Luke Kennard and threw down a two-handed, rim-rattling dunk. James stood and flexed in front of his teammates on the bench, who stood to give their approval. The Suns called time out with four minutes and 53 seconds left in the first quarter, giving the fans more time to appreciate what James was still able to do at 41 years old.

The Lakers are 52-29 and are confident they’ll be ready to face any opponent in the playoffs.

“I’m sure everybody wants to play us. Let’s get that out there, like, everybody wants to play us,” Redick said before the game. “Probably teams that are in a position where they can start looking forward to potential second-round matchups as well. … Again, I’ll say what I told the team yesterday, what I told you guys after the game, we have to figure out the formula and the belief for this group to be successful. And so that’s our focus for tonight and that’s going to be our focus on Sunday.”

Notes: Lakers backup center Jaxson Hayes missed his third straight game with left foot soreness, but he has been making progress. “Hope to have him back Sunday,” Redick said. “But yeah, he’s still day to day.” … The Lakers waived guard Kobe Bufkin. It means the Lakers have a roster spot available to sign another player for the playoffs. “We’re evaluating all the options we have,” Redick said. … Marcus Smart, who had missed nine straight games with a right ankle contusion, had six points in 18 minutes.

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Fans from New Zealand and Australia held signs toward the camera proclaiming they had traveled thousands of miles to watch Warriors star Stephen Curry play.

On one sign, “play” was crossed out and replaced with a frowning face.

LeBron James instead gave fans a glimpse at a generational star, leading the Lakers to a 119-103 win over the Warriors on Thursday with 26 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.

After missing the Lakers’ last game, the 21-time All-NBA player returned as the guiding force amid a season threatening to fall off the rails. The Lakers (51-29) ended a three-game losing streak and kept pace with the Houston Rockets in a tight race for home-court advantage in the Western Conference.

“We just had a sour taste in our mouths, obviously, for last week,” James said, referencing injuries to stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves and the recent skid. “… And just none of us wants to continue to lose, and then we hurt for our two main guns. So, just a mindset of just trying to figure out how we can be great as a team, how we can figure out how to play well on the road and try to get a win.”

Trying to avoid their longest losing streak of the season, the Lakers relied on James to steady the ship. After the Lakers gave up a 9-0 run to start the second quarter, he hit a contested three out of a timeout to get them back on track. He fed the ball to Deandre Ayton, keeping the big man engaged for 21 points on nine-of-11 shooting with five rebounds.

Luke Kennard had 14 points and eight assists. The sharp-shooting guard has 28 assists in the last three games, adapting into the team’s emergency point guard to compensate for the loss of Doncic and Reaves.

“Talking as a group this morning like this is what we have right now, and we gotta figure it out,” Kennard said. “We’re trying to win games. Worked this hard to get where we are, to be in the position that we’re in right now, and we don’t want to just throw it away.”

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Lakers-Warriors box score

NBA scores

NBA standings

L.A. officials raise alarm over Olympic costs

An aerial view of the Coliseum, which will host track and field events during the 2028 L.A. Olympic Games.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

From James Rainey: Los Angeles officials are expressing growing fears that taxpayers and the city treasury could be hit with a round of crippling costs to support the 2028 Olympic Games if the city doesn’t ink a rigorous deal to assure a “zero-cost” Games.

Some city officials have long been concerned that taxpayers could be left with massive bills if the Olympics don’t generate the income organizers have promised. Delays in finalizing a deal between City Hall and the Olympics committee have heightened those tensions.

The exact costs to L.A. and other local governments remain unknown, as officials wait to hear from LA28 and federal security agencies about exactly what services they will need. Recent controversy over the ties between Casey Wasserman, the head of the L.A. Olympics, and Jeffrey Epstein have added to the uncertainty over the finances in the minds of some city leaders.

City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto and Councilmember Monica Rodriguez both issued letters demanding a contract pledging that LA28 cover any of the city’s future costs that arise as the city plays host to hundreds of thousands of athletes and fans.

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UCLA women’s basketball lands first transfer since title

UCLA coach Cori Close addresses fans during an NCAA national title celebration at Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

From Marisa Ingemi: The UCLA women’s basketball program made its first move of the transfer portal season with the addition of Arkansas sophomore guard Bonnie Deas, who averaged nearly a double-double in her first season in the SEC.

The 5-foot-9 combo guard averaged 10.2 points and nine rebounds last season with the Razorbacks along with 1.5 steals per game. The Australian will have three years of eligibility remaining and could be in the Bruins’ starting lineup next season.

Coach Cori Close said before the team’s NCAA tournament championship win that she expected to bring in at least five transfers to replace the six senior and graduate students who exhausted their eligibility, including the full starting lineup.

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Rory McIlroy off to strong start at Masters

Rory McIlroy hits from the 16th tee during the first round of the Masters on Thursday.

(Andrew Redington / Getty Images)

From Sam Farmer: After the career grand slam, a grand entrance.

Rory McIlroy, who last year became the sixth man to win all four major championships, got off to a spectacular start at the Masters on Thursday to claim a share of the lead with a five-under-par 67.

In one sense, the pressure is off. No more wondering about winning a green jacket. Yet he was relieved to feel those familiar butterflies on the first tee.

“Look, we’re playing the first major of the year, it’s the Masters,” he said, having overcome a slightly wobbly start to collect five birdies in his final 11 holes. “If I felt absolutely nothing on that first tee, that’s not a good sign.

“So it was nice to feel my hand shaking a little bit when the tee went into the ground, and struggle to put the ball on top of the tee. So I knew I was feeling it. That’s a good thing. That’s why we want to be here. We want to be able to play our best golf when we’re feeling like that.”

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Masters leaderboard

Kings defeat Canucks, move back into playoff spot

Kings forward Adrian Kempe celebrates with teammates on the bench after scoring in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.

(Harry How / Getty Images)

From the Associated Press: Adrian Kempe had two goals, and the Kings moved into a playoff spot with a 4-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena

Joel Armia and Trevor Moore also scored, Anton Forsberg made 24 saves, and the Kings’ third straight win put them one point ahead of the Nashville Predators for the second Western Conference wild card with a game in hand.

The Kings came into the night already controlling its path to the postseason, and Nashville’s 4-1 loss at Utah on Thursday created breathing room.

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Kings-Canucks box score

NHL scores

NHL standings

John Carlson scores hat trick as Ducks end losing streak

Ducks defenseman John Carlson celebrates after scoring to complete a hat trick in the third period of a 6-1 win over the San José Sharks at Honda Center on Thursday night.

(Ryan Sun / Associated Press)

From the Associated Press: John Carlson scored three goals for the first hat trick of his 17-year NHL career, and the Ducks ended their six-game losing streak with an emphatic 6-1 victory over the San José Sharks on Thursday night at Honda Center.

Leo Carlsson, Alex Killorn and Frank Vatrano also scored and Beckett Sennecke had two assists for the Ducks, who jumped to a 4-0 lead and dominated their Pacific Division rivals for their first win since March 26.

Carlson scored two power-play goals in the third period, connecting with 5:57 left to secure the first hat trick of his 1,156-game career. The veteran defenseman has been exactly what the Ducks needed when they acquired him at the trade deadline, scoring 12 points in 13 games while steadying the back end for one of the NHL’s worst defensive teams.

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Ducks-Sharks box score

Dept. of Justice sets sights on NFL

(Chris Delmas / AFP / Getty Images)

From Stephen Battaglio: The Department of Justice is investigating the NFL’s media deals with streaming companies as more of its games go behind subscription pay walls.

The investigation first reported by the Wall Street Journal centers on the financial impact of live sports streaming on consumers and whether the league’s traditional broadcast partners are getting fair treatment.

The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment. A government official told NBC News the department’s investigation into the NFL is “about affordability for consumers and creating an even playing field for providers.”

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Shohei Ohtani continues to excel

Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani delivers during a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.

(Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images)

From Maddie Lee: Shohei Ohtani acknowledged he wasn’t feeling his best Wednesday.

In the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, it took him 22 pitches to navigate a scoreless first inning. But he escaped unscathed.

“Made some adjustments and finished strong at the end,” Ohtani said through Japanese interpreter Will Ireton, after pitching six innings and not giving up an earned run.

Regardless of the unearned run Toronto scored in the third inning, Ohtani holds the longest active streak of innings pitched (26⅔) without allowing an earned run in the majors, according to MLB.com and Elias Sports Bureau.

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MLB scores

MLB standings

This day in sports history

1934 — The Chicago Black Hawks edge the Detroit Red Wings 1-0 in overtime to win the Stanley Cup in 4 of the best-of-5 series. Charlie Gardiner gets the shutout and Mush March scores the winning goal at 30:05 of overtime. It’s the final NHL game for Gardiner, who dies of a brain hemorrhage two months later.

1947 — Jackie Robinson becomes first black player of the 20th century to sign an MLB contract.

1949 — Sam Snead wins the Masters, beating Lloyd Mangrum and Johnny Bulla by three strokes.

1953 — NBA Championship Finals, Minneapolis Auditorium, Minnesota, MN: Minneapolis Lakers beat NY Knicks, 91-84 for a 4-1 series victory; Lakers’ 5th title in 6 years.

1955 — Cary Middlecoff beats Ben Hogan by seven strokes to win the Masters.

1955 — 9th NBA Championship: Syracuse Nats beat Fort Wayne Pistons, 4 games to 3.

1956 — The Montreal Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 to win the Stanley Cup in five games.

1960 — 24th U.S. Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: 1958 champion Arnold Palmer birdies the final 2 holes to win by 1 stroke over runner-up Ken Venturi.

1961 — South Africa’s Gary Player becomes the first foreign player to win the Masters, edging Arnold Palmer and Charley Coe by one stroke.

1977 — Tom Watson pulls away in the final four holes to beat Jack Nicklaus by two strokes in the Masters.

1983 — Baltimore’s Eddie Murray hits his 1,000 career hit.

1988 — Scotland’s Sandy Lyle sinks a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a one-shot victory in the Masters, becoming the first British player to win the tournament.

1990 — Dave Taylor, Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato score three goals apiece as the Los Angeles Kings pound the Calgary Flames 12-4, marking the first time in NHL playoff history that three hat tricks are recorded in one game.

1991 — LA King Wayne Gretzky scores NHL record 93rd playoff goal.

1993 — Manon Rheaume, pro hockey’s only female goaltender, allows six goals in her first International Hockey League start for the Atlanta Knights, an 8-6 loss to Cincinnati.

1994 — Jose Maria Olazabal wins the Masters by two strokes over Tom Lehman. It’s the sixth time in seven years a non-American has prevailed.

1996 — Norm Duke sets a Professional Bowlers Association record with three consecutive 300s. Duke, who finished the first round with consecutive 300s, opens the second round with his third perfect game of the day.

2005 — Tiger Woods wins the Masters with a spectacular finish of birdies and bogeys. Woods turns back a surprising challenge Chris DiMarco with a 15-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole to capture his fourth green jacket.

2010 — The Boston Bruins clinch a playoff berth after scoring three short-handed goals in 64 seconds on the same penalty during a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. It’s the first time in NHL history that a team accomplishes the feat as Daniel Paille, Blake Wheeler and Steve Begin score the goals in the second period to make it 3-0.

2011 — 75th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Charl Schwartzel of South Africa birdies the final 4 holes to win his first major title, 2 strokes ahead of Australian pair Adam Scott and Jason Day.

2016 — Danny Willett wins the Masters after a stunning collapse by Jordan Spieth. Willett shoots a closing 67 for a 5-under 283 is assured his first major title when Spieth bogies the 17th hole. Spieth, nine holes away from another wire-to-wire victory, throws it away with a collapse around Amen Corner that is shocking even by Augusta National standards. Spieth was five shots ahead on the 10th tee and three shots behind when he walked to the 13th tee.

2016 — Chicago’s Patrick Kane wins the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer. He is the first American-born player in NHL history to capture the Ross since it has been awarded, dating back to 1947-48. Kane wins the scoring title with 106 points, which includes 46 goals and 60 assists, both of which were career highs.

2022 — 86th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: World #1 golfer Scottie Scheffler wins first career major title; beats Irishman Rory McIlroy by 3 strokes.

Compiled by the Associated Press.

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

SAN FRANCISCO — Fans from New Zealand and Australia held signs toward the camera. They had traveled thousands of miles to watch Warriors star Stephen Curry play.

One sign crossed out “play” and replaced it with a frowning face.

They were instead treated to a steady performance from LeBron James, who led the Lakers to a 119-103 win over the Warriors on Thursday, with 26 points and 11 rebounds. The Lakers kept pace with the Houston Rockets in a tight race for the No. 4 seed in the West.

Battling a chronic knee injury in the latter stages of the season, Curry watched from the sideline. His absence in the Warriors’ last home game of the season also put a damper on what could have been another enthralling matchup between the league’s two biggest stars.

Between the artistry of Curry and the physicality of James, they’ve been faces of the NBA, Lakers coach JJ Redick said. But with the 41-year-old James not under contract after this season, the generational stars may never compete on an NBA court against each other again. Redick called the idea “dark.”

“It’s been fun to watch as a fan,” Redick said of the rivalry between Curry and James, “and it’s been fun to be a part of it the last couple years.”

Curry greeted James before the game. Now a sneaker free agent after his high-profile departure from longtime sponsor Under Armour, Curry honored his contemporary with a blue and yellow version of the LeBron X iD sneakers.

Trying to avoid their longest losing streak of the season, the Lakers (51-29) relied on James to steady the ship. After the Lakers gave up a 9-0 run to start the second quarter, he hit a contested three out of a timeout to get the team back on track. He fed the ball to Deandre Ayton, keeping the big man engaged for 21 points on nine-of-11 shooting with five rebounds.

Losing James before Tuesday’s game against the Thunder added to an emotional week for the Lakers. They lost Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves in the same game in a blowout loss in Oklahoma City last week and had to face the Thunder again without James. Jaxson Hayes was a late scratch Tuesday and remains day-to-day after missing Thursday’s game as well.

Lakers star LeBron James shoots during a win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.

(David M. Barreda / Los Angeles Times)

Redick admitted the Lakers were not prepared to compete against the Thunder at home Tuesday. He recognized trying to inject some energy into his team by calling early timeouts and subbing out veterans such as Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt perhaps didn’t help, especially after a heated exchange with Vanderbilt was caught on camera.

“What I told the team today — I think this is important — is we have had a very disjointed season because of all the injuries and throughout the year, we, collectively, staff, players, we’ve had to figure out the best path forward with whatever group is available,” Redick said. “And that’s no different right now. We have to figure out over these next three games and over next week, the best path for this team to play winning basketball.”

Through the emotional ups-and-downs, Redick checks in with Reaves and Doncic daily. Doncic, currently in Spain receiving treatment on his injured hamstring, is in “relatively — relatively good spirits,” Redick said. Doncic is “attacking” his rehab, Redick said, but being away from the team has taken a toll on his psyche. Reaves, who is out with a Grade 2 left oblique strain that is expected to take four to six weeks to heal, has benefited from staying with the team.

“I think for both of those guys, there is, like, a carrot,” Redick said. “If we can get this season extended, they can come back and they can play. Those guys love playing basketball.”

The Lakers lost the No. 3 seed, and are fighting to maintain home-court advantage over Houston, which won its eighth straight game Thursday. Both teams have two games remaining and the Lakers have the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Barely a week ago, a charmed Lakers season screamed three words.

Deep playoff run.

Today, a jinxed Lakers season soberly whispers three very different words.

Shut it down.

With less than a month of games remaining, the Lakers season is done, finished, kaput.

Twisted and torn by the sudden same-day injuries to their two best players, the Lakers are broken beyond repair.

They can’t win without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and neither is coming back at full strength in time to save them.

They were wholly embarrassed in their first two shorthanded games and will wind up falling to a fourth or fifth seed with a first-round matchup looming against Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets.

They can’t beat the Rockets, they won’t beat the Rockets, and the season will officially and quickly and sadly end. It might end in something more palatable than a sweep — maybe they win a game? — but it’s going to end, and soon, and the Lakers need to reinforce their priorities before it does.

Shut it down.

Tell Doncic to stay in Spain for as long as it takes for that magic medicine to cure his strained hamstring. Tell Doncic his MVP-worthy season is DOA. Tell Doncic to begin getting ready for September.

The Lakers don’t need him showing up in three weeks trying to save this season on a limp and a prayer. They don’t need him risking a reinjuring of the hamstring that could affect his summer workouts and bleed into next season.

Lakers star Luka Doncic reacts to a play during a blowout loss to the Thunder in Oklahoma City last week.

(Cooper Neill / Getty Images)

Most experts agree it would be a miracle if Doncic would return at 100% in time to carry them through the first round of the playoffs, which start April 18. The Lakers don’t need him to be a miracle. They need him to be the cornerstone of a franchise that is being rebuilt in his image.

They don’t need him now, when he’s not going to save them anyway. They need him six months from now, to be healthy and in shape to lead them into their next era.

Shut it down.

The Lakers need to say the same thing to Reaves, who they’re going to give a boatload of money this summer to be their No. 2 star for the indefinite future.

They don’t need him to try to play with an injured oblique and make things worse. They don’t need him to gut it out. They need him to sit it out.

The fans aren’t going to like reading this. And the players aren’t going to like hearing it.

Just listen to Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks star who has been shut down since March 15 because the Bucks didn’t want his nagging injuries to worsen and affect either his trade value or his 2026-27 season.

“Like a slap in my face,” he told reporters recently. “I’m available to play today. Right now. I’m available. Do I look like I’m not available? … I don’t know what game is being played right here, I just don’t wanna be a part of it.”

There is no game with the Lakers. Their new Dodger ownership group doesn’t play games. Their goal is to build a franchise that has sustainable success. Pushing all their chips into the middle for a team that doesn’t have a chance in hell is not building sustainable success.

You’ve seen how the Dodgers rest their players for six months to prepare themselves for the postseason, right. Shutting down the Lakers now is sort of this, in reverse. They’re punting in the playoffs to prepare themselves for next season.

Certainly, Doncic would take the news of a shutdown about as well as Antetokounmpo.

“I think he’s, in my conversations with him, he’s motivated to do everything possible,” said coach JJ Redick to reporters. “And I know for him, it’s hard for him not to be on a basketball court. That’s his happy place. And he’s one of the handful of guys that really plays year round. And it’s not just international competition. But he likes to be in the gym. He likes to be working on his craft. And I think it’s hard for him. He wants to get back on the court.”

Lakers forward LeBron James reacts to a play during a win over the Kings last month at Crypto.com Arena.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

And no, LeBron James is not going to be happy either, trying to carry a team that seemingly isn’t trying. So what? Do you really believe he is going to take remarkably less money to stay on the Lakers next season? Do you really believe the Lakers want him back when they will have the cap space to trade for a player like, um, Antetokounmpo?

To leave James alone on a first-round island might be unfair, but the Lakers have kowtowed to him plenty in his eight years here. He’s just going to have to take one for the team, however briefly that team may be playing.

“It was a shot to the heart and the chest and the mainframe with Luka,” James told reporters. “I woke up from my nap and saw that [Reaves] news and was like, ‘S—.’”

You know who else wouldn’t easily accept the news of a shutdown? That would be Redick, who, barely one week after being lauded as the first Laker coach since Phil Jackson to manage consecutive 50-win seasons, now finds himself again fighting for credibility.

Remember last year when Redick took heat for playing his starters the entire second half of a playoff loss to Minnesota?

He’s taking heat again this spring for playing both Doncic and Reaves in the second half of a blowout loss to Oklahoma City that sent both players to the injured list.

Lakers coach JJ Redick directs players during a blowout loss to the Thunder on Tuesday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

When Doncic was hurt the Lakers trailed by 32 and he had already looked injured after grabbing his leg in the second quarter. Reaves, meanwhile, spent much of the first quarter grabbing at his back.

Redick said both players were medically cleared and that they both insisted on challenging the league-leading Thunder in the second half.

“The group wanted to go for it in the second half,” Redick told reporters. “There was nothing leading into that game that would suggest either those guys were ‘running hot.’’’

This was just the beginning of Redick’s bad week.

Jarred Vanderbilt was certainly running hot Tuesday night in a rematch against Oklahoma City after he was benched in the first moments of the second quarter. Vanderbilt accosted Redick on the court and had to be restrained. Redick ultimately responded by benching Vanderbilt the rest of the game and then not-so-subtly ripping him afterward.

“I think for all of us, you know, being undermanned, we’ve got to scrap and claw, we’ve got to all be on the same page, we got to be great teammates, we got to all play hard,” Redick told reporters. “Called a timeout to get him out of the game. And he reacted.”

One has to wonder about Redick’s connectivity with his players if one of them is unafraid to confront him on the court during the middle of a game.

One has to also wonder, again, about Redick’s big-game management style if he would allow his two best players to risk their health during a blowout.

Redick, who signed an extension in September that will keep him under contract until 2030, is not on the hot seat, not yet. But another spring meltdown will not endear himself to new owners who expect their coaches to be the calm face of the organization.

Then again, for everyone involved, there must be some grace granted in the wake of the incredible tension surrounding a team whose dream season just became a nightmare.

End the nightmare now. For the sake of the future of the franchise, shut it down.

If you’re able to get junior pitcher Tanner Brown of Huntington Beach High to crack a smile, you have to be the greatest comedian in the world

“He plays angry,” coach Benji Medure said.

He’s the “other” left-hander on the team. While Jared Grindlinger, a likely first-round draft pick, gets most of the attention, don’t forget about Brown, who had the save in a win over St. John Bosco at the Boras Classic on Wednesday.

He’s 2-0 with a 1.94 ERA.

“I like to play with fire,” he said.

Left-hander Tanner Brown of Huntington Beach.

(Nick Koza)

He wears his emotions on his sleeve. So if something bad happens, watch out. If something good happens, you can exhale.

Asked when he smiles, Brown said, “When the job is done.”

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

Former Galaxy forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, a three-time World Cup standout for Mexico, will return to the tournament this summer but in a new role as a studio analyst for Fox Sports. And he’s approaching his broadcast debut the same way he approached his playing career, with excitement not fear.

“It’s the same as our sport: if you do a mistake, you cannot change it,” he said. “I’ve always been a guy who sees opportunities, who sees the positives. I’m going to try to deliver my best point of view on each game, player, the tournament.

“I’m going to enjoy this opportunity.”

Hernández said he had other broadcast offers to do the World Cup in Spanish but chose to work in English instead.

“I’m not going to be speaking in my first language. And that’s something I think my Mexican fellows can be inspired by, right? That I don’t go to my comfort zone,” he said. “I want to make all of this an experience for myself. But as well I can show people that whatever you have in your mind, you can achieve it.”

Hernández, 37, is Mexico’s all-time leading scorer with 52 goals, including four in World Cup play. He started and ended his club career with his hometown team, Chivas de Guadalajara, but in between he played for five clubs in Europe and spent four injury-plagued seasons with the Galaxy, scoring 38 times and making two All-Star teams.

He made his final appearance for the Mexican national team in 2019, but he played with and against many of the players still on the team and he was chosen for his first World Cup roster by Javier Aguirre, who will be coaching El Tri again this summer. Hernández said those friendships won’t affect his commentary.

“Truth always needs to be there,” he said. “When someone needs to say hard truths, you have to say it. I’m going to see how I feel. Maybe I end up being the most critical person or the other way around. Maybe Mexico does amazingly and I don’t have to criticize.”

He’ll join four other former Galaxy players — Cobi Jones, Landon Donovan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexi Lalas — on the Fox broadcast team for the World Cup. Hernández, however, is the only one who hasn’t formally announced his retirement as a player.

“I will speak about that later on,” Hernández, who played his final club game last November, said Wednesday. “I just want to focus on this amazing opportunity.”

From Maddie Lee: Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas learned about 40 minutes before the Dodgers’ game against Blue Jays on Tuesday that his father, Miguel “Micky” Rojas, was being rushed to the hospital.

Just that afternoon, the elder Rojas had sent his son a photo of himself lying down in bed, ready to watch the game. He was excited to see him play, Micky wrote.

Then, as Rojas prepared to play, he started getting calls and texts from family members.

“There’s nothing I could do being this far,” Rojas said before Wednesday’s 4-3 series-finale loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. “Just support my family, and trying to understand a little bit of what’s going on. I found out that my dad, on the way to the hospital, passed away. He couldn’t live through the heart attack that he had. So it was suddenly that he passed away; he was feeling good. Really hard to understand. I’m still trying to process the whole thing.”

Micky Rojas’ funeral was scheduled for Wednesday. But being in Toronto complicated travel options back to Venezuela. Rojas would have had to fly back through the United States, on an extremely tight timeline.

“That’s how they do things in Venezuela,” Rojas said of the timing of the funeral. “It happens quick because they have to. They don’t have many places to hold these funerals.”

Rojas planned on returning to Los Angeles with the team, and then he might travel to Venezuela to be with his family.

“That hasn’t been decided yet,” Rojas said. “But the most important part for me today was showing up and playing, and then after that, I’ll be a family man on the off day and see what’s the best way to do things after that.”

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UCLA women celebrate national title

UCLA women’s basketball players (from left) Lauren Betts, Charlisse Leger-Walker and Gabriela Jaquez dance during the Bruins’ national championship victory celebration Wednesday at Pauley Pavilion.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

From the Associated Press: Lauren Betts and her UCLA teammates celebrated the Bruins’ first NCAA women’s basketball championship with their fans at Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday night.

Betts, Gabriela Jaquez and Charlisse Leger-Walker capped the party by hitting the court to perform their TikTok dance with the championship trophy in the background. Angela Dugalic made a snow angel in the blue-and-gold confetti littering the court.

“This group is so special,” Jaquez told the crowd that filled half the arena. “We’re all best friends.”

Jaquez led a spirited eight-clap, the band blared the school fight song, and mascots Joe Bruin and Josie Bruin danced.

It’s been a whirlwind for the Bruins since their 79-51 rout of South Carolina in the title game in Phoenix on Sunday. The game averaged 9.9 million viewers, the third most-viewed women’s championship game since 1996.

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Dodgers great Davey Lopes dies at age 80

Davey Lopes acknowledges the cheers of the crowd after hitting his second home run of the game against the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the 1978 World Series at Dodger Stadium.

(Associated Press)

From Steve Henson: Davey Lopes, the no-nonsense, base-swiping second baseman of a Dodgers infield that played together for an MLB-record 8½ seasons, died Wednesday at age 80, the team announced.

The first 10 years of Lopes’ 16-year major league career were spent with the Dodgers, and he returned to the organization in 2010 to serve as first-base coach for five years. Lopes was a four-time All-Star who won two stolen base titles and one Gold Glove and helped the Dodgers to four World Series, including the championship in 1981.

Taken in the second round of a 1968 Dodgers draft haul considered by many the most talented in baseball history, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Lopes rose from a rough-and-tumble Rhode Island upbringing to become the team’s everyday second baseman and leadoff batter.

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Olympic ticket sticker shot hits L.A.

The LA28 logo at Venice Beach.

(Emma McIntyre / Getty Images for LA28)

From Suhauna Hussain and Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Andie Pangan did not even conceive of the possibility she would fail to snag tickets for tennis or climbing events at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

She has been watching tennis since she was young and desperately wanted tickets for a chance to see Filipina breakout star Alex Eala, who she hopes will qualify and be a trailblazer for the Philippines in the Olympics.

But when she logged on the website at 10 a.m. Monday, the start of her ticket-buying time slot, all the events she had even remotely wanted had sold out, were unavailable or were well out of her price range, more than $1,000.

“I was shocked. Even climbing was all gone,” said Pangan, who lives 10 minutes from the Carson Stadium, which will serve as an Olympic venue. “I never really thought I would come out of this presale without getting anything.”

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Lakers great Michael Cooper coaching at Cal State L.A.

Lakers great Michael Cooper speaks during a news conference at Cal State L.A. on Wednesday after being introduced as the university’s men’s basketball coach.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

From Kara Carrell: Michael Cooper’s return to Cal State Los Angeles is more than just another coaching stop — it’s a homecoming.

The Lakers legend was introduced Wednesday as the program’s 14th men’s basketball head coach, bringing with him decades of experience and a clear vision: return the Golden Eagles to championship form.

The goal for Cooper is to reestablish what the men’s basketball program achieved two years ago, winning a championship.

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How a dependence on painkillers took down Tiger Woods

In this image from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office, golfer Tiger Woods is taken into custody following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., on March 27.

(Associated Press)

From Steve Henson: Reaction to Tiger Woods’ car crash and driving under the influence arrest last month ranged from sadness to dismay to exasperation. Few observers, however, expressed surprise.

Although widely recognized as perhaps the greatest golfer of all time, Woods, 50, has been in a downward spiral personally and professionally for years.

His struggles with prescription drugs became public in 2017 when police found him asleep at the wheel of his car with the engine running near his Jupiter, Fla., home. Multiple painkillers, sleep aids and THC were detected in his system. Woods checked into rehab shortly after that incident, saying his efforts to manage insomnia and pain from his staggering number of surgeries on his own was a mistake.

Now, though, he’s again in rehab, likely in Switzerland after his private jet landed in Zurich on Friday, according to reports. The latest crash is the fourth major incident involving Woods behind the wheel since 2009.

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Clippers can’t keep up with NBA-best Thunder

Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores over Clippers guard Jordan Miller in the first half Wednesday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

From the Associated Press: Chet Holmgren had 30 points and 14 rebounds, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 20 points and 11 assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder clinched the NBA’s best record with a 128-110 victory over the Clippers on Wednesday night.

Jalen Williams scored 18 points for the NBA champion Thunder (64-16), who will have home-court advantage throughout the postseason in their title defense after holding off San Antonio (61-19), which is on an 18-2 run since February. Oklahoma City has won seven straight and 19 of 20 to earn the West’s No. 1 seed for the third straight season.

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Reid Detmers runs into trouble early in Angels’ loss

Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers delivers against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.

(William Liang / Associated Press)

From the Associated Press: Matt Olson homered, Grant Holmes pitched into the seventh inning, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Angels 8-2 on Wednesday.

Atlanta broke a 2-2 tie in the third inning on Olson’s third homer of the season — a two-out, two-run shot to center field against Reid Detmers (0-1). Austin Riley followed with a double and scored on shortstop Zach Neto’s throwing error to make it 5-2.

Holmes (1-1) left with two on and two outs in the seventh and Mike Trout due up. Joel Payamps struck out Trout on a full-count fastball. Trout was 0 for 4 and just one for nine in the series, his hit a pop fly misplayed for a single, and is hitting .190.

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Angels-Braves box score

This day in sports history

1912 — First exhibition baseball game at Fenway Park.

1946 — The Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins 6-3 to win the Stanley Cup in five games.

1947 — Leo Durocher, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is suspended for one year by Commissioner A.B. “Happy” Chandler for “conduct detrimental to baseball.” Durocher is linked to gambling interests.

1950 — Jimmy Demaret wins his third Masters, by two strokes over Jim Ferrier.

1959 — Thirteenth NBA Championship: Boston Celtics sweep Minnesota Lakers in 4 games.

1960 — The Boston Celtics beat the St. Louis Hawks 122-103 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals for their third NBA title in the last four years. Frank Ramsey leads the Celtics with 24 points and Bill Russell scores 22 points and grabs 35 rebounds.

1962 — Arnold Palmer wins a three-way playoff, beating Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald in the Masters.

1966 — Anaheim Stadium for California Angels opens.

1972 — 36th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Jack Nicklaus leads wire-to-wire to win the 4th of his 6 Masters titles.

1978 — Gary Player shoots a final-round 64 to win his third Masters, edging Hubert Green, Rod Funseth and defending champion Tom Watson by a shot.

1978 — Denver’s David Thompson, battling San Antonio’s George Gervin for the NBA season scoring title, scores 73 points against the Detroit Pistons. It’s the third-highest output ever in an NBA game. Gervin, not to be outdone, later scores 63 against the New Orleans Jazz. It’s just enough to give Gervin the scoring crown, 27.22 points per game to Thompson’s 27.15, the tightest one-two finish ever.

1981 — Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela’s first start.

1987 — For 3rd time, Wayne Gretzky, scores 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists) in a Stanley Cup game and passes Jean Béliveau as all time playoff scoring champ.

1989 — Britain’s Nick Faldo makes a 25-foot birdie putt on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the Masters. Runner-up Scott Hoch missed a 2-foot putt for par on the first hole of the playoff that would have given him the title.

1995 — 59th Masters tournament, Augusta National GC: Ben Crenshaw wins his second Masters title.

1997 — Major League Soccer announces Miami & Chicago as expansion teams.

2000 — Fiji native Vijay Singh meets every challenge to win the Masters, closing with a 3-under 69 for a three-stroke victory over Ernie Els.

2001 — Australia sets a record for the most one-sided international win in FIFA history, beating Tonga 22-0 in an Oceania Group One qualifying match for the 2002 World Cup.

2005 — The United States beats Canada 3-1 in a penalty shootout after a scoreless regulation and 20-minute overtime to win the Women’s World Hockey Championship. The win ends the defending champions’ run of eight straight titles.

2006 — 70th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Phil Mickelson wins his 2nd green jacket.

2013 — 32nd NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Louisville, 93-60.

2016 — Manny Pacquiao returns from the biggest loss of his career with a bang, knocking down Timothy Bradley twice on his way to a unanimous 12-round decision in their welterweight showdown in Las Vegas.

2017 — Sergio Garcia overcomes a two-shot deficit with six holes to play and beats Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff at the Masters for his first major after nearly two decades of heartache. No one ever played more majors as a pro — 70 — before winning a major for the first time.

2017 — Russell Westbrook breaks Oscar Robertson’s 56-year-old record with his 42nd triple-double of the season, then he breaks the Denver Nuggets’ hearts with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for a 106-105 victory. Westbrook has 50 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in breaking Robertson’s record of 41 triple-doubles that stood since the 1961-62 season. With his triple-double in the books, Westbrook scores his team’s final 15 points, including a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounds after a timeout with 2.9 seconds left.

2021 — San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove no-hits the Texas Rangers.

Compiled by the Associated Press.

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

From Maddie Lee: As Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto came set on the Rogers Centre mound Tuesday, he didn’t let his mind drift to the last time he gazed from that exact spot.

He didn’t think of the snap of Alejandro Kirk’s bat as it splintered, or the fluidity of Mookie Betts’s movement as he started the double play, or the joy on Freddie Freeman’s face as his arms flew in the air.

He didn’t think of the relief as a back-and-forth World Series Game 7 finally ended, or the mayhem that ensued around him as he tilted his head back and smiled.

Yamamoto insisted he didn’t think about the final pitch of last year’s World Series during his start Tuesday. And in the Dodgers’ 4-1 win against the Blue Jays, his focus showed.

“No matter how important, how big the game is, I just treat every game as the same,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter the day before. “And in just normal games, I just pretend that that’s the biggest game.”

Tuesday was, by all measures, just a normal game. And Yamamoto held the Blue Jays to one run through six-plus innings.

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With Big 3 out, Lakers lose to Thunder

Lakers guard Bronny James dunks during a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: No Big Three. No surprise.

Without 80% of their starting lineup, the Lakers, predictably, got crushed by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, losing 123-87 to drop their third consecutive game and fall one game out of third place in the Western Conference.

Already without Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) for the rest of the regular season, the Lakers had to dig deep in their bench when LeBron James (left foot injury management) and Jaxson Hayes (left foot soreness) were ruled out.

With Marcus Smart (ankle) sidelined for his eighth consecutive game, the Lakers were without five of their top nine players. Even some veterans left from the rotation didn’t inspire confidence early.

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Jorge Soler, Reynaldo López get into benches-clearing fight

Angels batter Jorge Soler, left, fights Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López as the benches clear in the fifth inning at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night.

(Ethan Swope / Associated Press)

From the Associated Press: Ozzie Albies hit his third home run of the season, starter Reynaldo López struck out seven in 4⅔ innings before being ejected after a bench-clearing brawl, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Angels 7-2 on Tuesday night.

Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler went after López following a high-and-tight wild pitch in the fifth. There was a lengthy staredown before Soler took steps toward the mound and López held out his arms before the two exchanged punches. López was holding the baseball when he landed a punch on Soler’s batting helmet.

Soler homered in the first — the fifth of his career in 23 at-bats against López — and was hit by a pitch in the third.

Atlanta snapped a three-game skid and ended the Angels’ three-game winning streak.

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Aday Mara winning a national title exposes Mick Cronin’s failure

Michigan center Aday Mara celebrates during the Wolverines’ NCAA men’s basketball championship win over Connecticut on Monday night.

(Abbie Parr / Associated Press)

From Bill Plaschke: Was that really Aday Mara?

It was the most maddening part of March.

It was a Cinderella story that smelled like rotting pumpkin.

It was a big dance over the sensibilities of everything that is UCLA.

Seriously, was that really Aday Mara?

The biggest player on the giant national champion Michigan basketball team Monday night looked familiar, yet strange.

Familiar, because he once played for the Bruins.

Strange, because he wasn’t buried on the bench.

Meet Mick Cronin’s nightmare, a 7-foot-3 indictment of his embattled program, a monumental mistake that has spent three weeks eating at the heart of even the most dedicated Bruin loyalists.

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Kawhi Leonard leads Clippers past Mavericks

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, right, passes the ball in front of Dallas Mavericks forward Dwight Powell during the first half of the Clippers’ 116-103 win Tuesday at Intuit Dome.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

From the Associated Press: Kawhi Leonard scored 34 points, hitting six three-pointers, and the Clippers recovered after blowing a 23-point lead to beat rookie Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks 116-103 on Tuesday night.

It was Leonard’s 55th straight game with 20 or more points in the Clippers’ first win in three tries against the Mavericks this season.

Leonard played in his 62nd game, and he’ll have to appear in the final three games of the regular season to reach 65 and be eligible for postseason awards such as league MVP and All-NBA honors.

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Ducks shut out by Predators

Nashville goaltender Justus Annunen makes a save on a shot by Ducks forward Ryan Poehling in the first period of the Ducks’ 5-0 loss at Honda Center on Tuesday.

(Scott Strazzante / Associated Press)

From the Associated Press: Justus Annunen stopped 43 shots — one shy of his career high — for his third career shutout, and the Nashville Predators sent the Ducks to their sixth consecutive loss, 5-0 on Tuesday night.

Erick Haula, Filip Forsberg and Brady Skjei scored second-period goals, and Zachary L’Heureux and Fedor Svechkov scored in the third for the Predators. Joakim Kemmell and Ryan O’Reilly each had two assists.

The win pushed Nashville (84 points) one point ahead of the Kings for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Predators have four regular-season games left.

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Who UCLA could pursue in transfer portal

Iowa State center Audi Crooks, a prolific scorer, is in the transfer portal and is among the players UCLA could pursue.

(Jessica Hill / Associated Press)

From Marisa Ingemi: Women’s college basketball’s version of free agency is here. Less than six hours after UCLA won its first NCAA national title, the transfer portal opened, allowing teams to talk to players seeking new schools. And, like the past few seasons, it is already filled with star power.

UCLA coach Cori Close has to replace six seniors and graduate students who exhausted their eligibility after scoring every point in the national title game.

Close enters the derby with considerable momentum.

“The transfer portal just got easier,” she said with a smile with a championship net draped around her neck Sunday.

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Rory McIlroy learns something about winning

Rory McIlroy watches his tee shot on the 17th hole during a practice round ahead of the Masters on Tuesday.

(Eric Gay / Associated Press)

From Sam Farmer: Rory McIlroy, defending Masters champion, finally belongs.

That’s how he feels in the Augusta National clubhouse, at least, even though this week marks his 18th start in the historic golf tournament.

“I always felt like I knew the week of the tournament that the clubhouse is for participants and their families,” he said, “but I still felt like I had to earn the right to be there a little more often.”

A year ago, McIlroy beat Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff to become the sixth man to complete a career grand slam, winning all four major championships.

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This day in sports history

1935 — Gene Sarazen gets a double eagle on the 15th hole to erase Craig Wood’s three-stroke lead, then goes on to win the Masters.

1941 — In his 4th title defense in 9 weeks Joe Louis beats Tony Musto by TKO in the 9th round.

1943 — The Detroit Red Wings beat the Boston Bruins 2-0 to win the Stanley Cup with a four-game sweep.

1956 — Jack Burke, Jr. comes back from eight strokes behind to beat Ken Venturi by one and win the Masters.

1966 — American Football League votes in 36 year old Al Davis as commissioner after Joe Foss resigns. Appointment lasts 3 months when AFL merges with NFL.

1968 — Major League Baseball decides to postpone Opening Day because of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

1969 — MLB expansion teams Royals, Expos, Padres & Pilots win their 1st games

1971 — The first legal off-track betting (OTB) system in the United States opens in New York City.

1974 — In the home opener in Atlanta, Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth’s career record by hitting his 715th home run, connecting off Al Downing of Los Angeles in the fourth inning.

1975 — Frank Robinson, the first black manager in the majors, debuts as player-manager for the Cleveland Indians. Robinson hits a home run in his first at-bat — as a designated hitter — to help beat the New York Yankees 5-3.

1989 — Alex English scores 26 points to become the first player in NBA history to score 2,000 points in eight straight seasons, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Utah Jazz 110-106.

1989 — One-handed pitcher Jim Abbott makes MLB debut.

1990 — Nick Faldo becomes the second player to win consecutive Masters, beating Ray Floyd on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. Faldo joins Jack Nicklaus as the only repeat winner.

1991 — Major league umpires & baseball reach a 4-year agreement after strike.

1995 — Oliver McCall beats Larry Holmes in 12 for heavyweight boxing title.

2001 — Tiger Woods claims the greatest feat in modern golf by winning the Masters, giving him a clean sweep of the four professional majors in a span of 294 days. Woods, with his winning score of 16-under 272, sweeps the majors with a combined score of 65-under.

2003 — 22nd NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Tennessee, 73-68.

2007 — Zach Johnson hits three clutch birdies on the back nine of Augusta National, to close with a 69 for a two-shot victory over Tiger Woods at the Masters.

2008 — Candace Parker, playing with an injured left shoulder, scores 17 points and grabs nine rebounds to help Tennessee capture its eighth women’s NCAA championship with a 64-48 victory over Stanford.

2012 — 76th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Bubba Watson wins on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.

2013 — Luke Hancock makes all five of his 3-pointers and leads Louisville to its first NCAA men’s basketball championship since 1986 with a 82-76 victory over Michigan. Coach Rick Pitino adds this title to the one he won at Kentucky in 1996 and became the first coach to win a championship at two schools.

2014 — 33rd NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Notre Dame, 79-58.

2017 — Damian Lillard scores a franchise-record 59 points and matches his career high with nine 3-pointers to help the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Utah Jazz 101-86.

2018 — 82nd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Patrick Reed wins his first major title.

2019 — 81st NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Virginia beats Texas Tech, 85-77 OT.

Compiled by the Associated Press.

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Angel Reese has a message for Atlanta Dream fans: ATL Barbie is here to stay.

The two-time WNBA All-Star told People on Tuesday that she was excited when she learned she had been traded to the organization after spending her first two seasons with the Chicago Sky.

“The team has welcomed me so much, the atmosphere, the culture. … I’m so excited to be in A-Town,” Reese told the outlet. The two teams announced the trade Monday, the first day of free agency following the ratification of a new, historic collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and its players union in March.

The excitement appears to be mutual. Shortly after the trade was announced, the Dream online store had made Reese’s new jersey available for purchase. They sold out so quickly that Reese’s mother posted on social media that even she was unable to snag one in time. (Don’t worry, the Dream’s social media team has her covered).

Reese is a bonafide star on and off the court. A known fashion icon, the Dream forward was in New York on Tuesday to help launch Victoria Secret’s new “The Season of Strapless” campaign. It’s the first time the lingerie and loungewear brand has tapped a WNBA player to star in one of its campaigns.

The collaboration follows Reese’s runway debut at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in October, where she was the first professional athlete ever to walk the show. She’s also set to appear in the second season of “The Hunting Wives.”

At the Tuesday event, Reese had a message for Dream fans.

“Atlanta, what up? ATL barbie is in town and I am here to stay,” she told People.

Reese was selected seventh overall in the 2024 WNBA draft by the Sky after a standout college career that included winning the NCAA championship title with Louisiana State in 2023. She has led the WNBA in rebounding in both of her seasons so far and has averaged 14.1 points and 12.9 rebounds overall.

Reese also shared a message to Chicago fans on Instagram on Monday after her trade was announced.

“To the city of Chicago, you showed me real love from day one,” Reese says over a video montage of highlights of her time as a Sky player. “Thank you Chicago. Always, Chi-Town Barbie.”

The Sky went 23-61 after drafting Reese, including 10-34 last season (1-13 in games without Reese) and missing the playoffs for a second straight year.

Mauricio Pochettino said last month that he plans to take the U.S. national team to the semifinals of this summer’s World Cup. If that’s the case, he’d better buy tickets because there’s no way the Americans are getting to that game on the field.

In its two March friendlies, the U.S. was blitzed by Belgium 5-2 and Portugal 2-0. By way of comparison, Mexico played the same two teams, in reverse order, to draws.

But wait, it gets worse. Because from the smoldering ruins of that mess, Pochettino has less than two months to choose a roster for the World Cup, a tournament U.S. Soccer has been pointing to for eight years.

Yet the March friendlies raised more questions than they answered — and it’s too late to start over.

“Right now, it’s just not enough,” DaMarcus Beasley, a four-time World Cup player, told TNT Sports. “We want to see these players compet[ing] and creating chances and being hard to play against every single match. Right now, it’s not happening.”

Pochettino ran the March training camp like an audition rather than settling on a starting 11 and trying to win games. He experimented with Tim Weah at outside back, where he has played for his club teams, and tried unsuccessfully to shake Christian Pulisic out of a career-long scoreless streak by playing him as a striker.

But he seems unable to solve some of the core issues plaguing the team. The U.S., which hasn’t posted a clean sheet since September, has become an error-prone mess on defense, with Pochettino’s wide, attack-minded approach revealing a structural fragility that has left the Americans’ thin back line exposed.

Consider the two goals in the Portugal loss. The first came after a turnover at midfield that led to a lightning-quick counterattack and the second on a poorly defended corner in which the Americans kept seven players in the six-yard box, leaving João Félix all alone at the top of the penalty area.

Behind the defense, no one has stepped up to seize the starting job in goal. Matt Turner, so spectacular four years ago in Qatar, gave up as many goals as he made saves against Belgium. And while Matt Freese was markedly better against Portugal, that was just his 14th international start.

Those are just the lowlights of the myriad issues facing Pochettino’s team.

Pulisic, the talisman who was supposed to carry the U.S., has gone cold. He hasn’t scored for the U.S. since November 2024 and hasn’t scored for his club team, AC Milan, this year. So Pochettino used him as a No. 9 against Portugal, a role Pulisic has made clear he does not like.

Christian Pulisic, left, controls the ball during an international friendly against Portugal on March 31.

(Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)

It didn’t work, with Pulisic extending his goal-less streak to 15 games for club and country.

Tyler Adams, the captain in Qatar, has been saddled by injury and hasn’t played for the national team since September; right back Sergiño Dest, who started all four games in Qatar, is also hurt; center back Tim Ream, at 38, suddenly looks his age; and Gio Reyna, who has been unable to win a starting job on three teams in two countries since Qatar, nonetheless keeps getting called to the national team with little affect.

In the middle of it all is Pochettino, the highest-paid coach in U.S. Soccer history, who, despite a stellar resume as a club coach, has failed to find a consistent winning formula on the international level. In its 18 months under Pochettino, the national team has gone 11-2-1 against teams outside the FIFA top 25 and just 2-7-1 against teams ranked 25th or higher, according to ESPN. It has also lost eight consecutive games to European rivals.

Guess which kinds of teams the U.S. will have to beat to get to the semifinals of the World Cup?

It wasn’t supposed to be this way, of course. After failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the U.S. team was ripped down to its foundation and built anew. Interim manager Dave Sarachan was tasked with reconstructing a roster that had grown old and stagnant, and in his 12 months in charge he gave a record 23 players — including nine who made the team for the last World Cup — their international debuts. With an average age of 25, the squad in Qatar was the second-youngest World Cup team in U.S. history.

But Qatar was just a trial run. The real goal was to have a mature, experienced team ready for this summer when the World Cup would be played at home. A deep run could fuel the kind of transformation the 1994 tournament in the U.S. achieved.

Instead, the U.S. team has regressed.

“It feels like four years have gone down the drain,” said ESPN’s Herculez Gomez, another former World Cup player.

Fortunately, the U.S. was drawn into a soft group for the World Cup. And because the tournament’s expansion to 48 teams means just 16 countries will be eliminated in the first round, even a poorly built American team should advance.

But the semifinals? Not this team and not in this tournament. To do that the U.S. would have to be better than at least four teams on a list that includes England, France, Spain, Argentina, Germany, Morocco, Brazil and the Netherlands. We already know it’s not better than Belgium or Portugal.

It might not even win its group now that Turkey, a top 25 team which beat the U.S. 2-1 last June, has qualified. And a stumble early in the tournament would make the kind of deep run Pochettino promised that much more difficult.

“We are so close to the World Cup,” Pochettino said after the Portugal loss. “But I think we are intelligent enough to know what we need to do.”

Buy tickets was not supposed to be the answer.

⚽ You have read the latest installment of On Soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and shines a spotlight on unique stories. Listen to Baxter on this week’s episode of the “Corner of the Galaxy” podcast.

Welcome back to The Times’ Lakers newsletter, where life comes at you fast.

Only a week ago, the Lakers were winning games and flying high. Quite literally. Remember when Luka Doncic dunked?

Happier times.

Now Doncic and Austin Reaves are both sidelined at least for the rest of the regular season and likely through the first round of the playoffs. The injury updates that came on consecutive days following Thursday’s 43-point loss to Oklahoma City felt like a devastating series of gut punches. Coach JJ Redick often talks about “not letting go of the rope.” The Lakers will have to white-knuckle their way through the next few weeks without their two stars.

Why is Luka Doncic in Europe?

Lakers star Luka Doncic reacts after sustaining a hamstring injury against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2.

(Cooper Neill / Getty Images)

He knows magic. Now Luka Doncic needs medicine to help pull off his next stunning trick.

With the playoffs approaching, Doncic traveled to Europe to seek treatment for his strained left hamstring, his agent, Bill Duffy, confirmed to The Times’ Broderick Turner. The hope is that with specialized treatments, Doncic can speed up what is typically a four- to six-week recovery process and get back in time for at least part of the Lakers postseason, which begins April 18.

Ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections and stem cell injections are the most common treatments for injuries of this nature, said Kenton Fibel, a primary care sports medicine specialist at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics.

The biologic injections can speed up healing of injured tissue. PRP injections use the natural growth and anti-inflammatory factors in platelets to promote healing while stem cells harvested from a patient’s bone marrow or adipose tissue similarly help with the regeneration and turnover of the healing tissue into normal muscle tendon tissue, Fibel said.

Top U.S. athletes have gone to Europe to seek the treatments for decades. Kobe Bryant, former Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey are among those who’ve crossed the pond for solutions to chronic injuries. But similar treatments are also available in the United States.

In the U.S., only PRP and stem cell injections coming from a patient’s own body are allowed and the cells are not allowed to be manipulated, Fibel said. With looser regulations in Europe, doctors can attempt to increase the concentration of anti-inflammatory factors in a single PRP sample or culture stem cells over days to increase the number of them with hopes of speeding up healing even more.

Whether there is a significant increase in efficacy between the cutting-edge European treatments compared to the U.S. methods is unclear, Fibel said, but an athlete’s decision to pursue treatment often comes down to individual comfort level or prior experiences.

Lakers star Luka Doncic shoots over Brooklyn Nets guard Drake Powell during a Lakers win on March 27.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The ubiquity of degenerative conditions or recurring soft tissue injuries in sports have turned European countries, including Germany and Switzerland, into hot spots for top athletes searching for help.

“These are injuries that are not always that easy to completely prevent, and it’s also not the easiest to always prevent reaggravation,” Fibel said. “And so I think [the new treatments] also comes from a frustration of doing a lot of the treatments and modalities that were used in prior injuries and still having an issue afterwards [so] that they’re searching for something new and different.”

Doncic knows the routine when it comes to hamstring injuries. As a player who thrives on his shifty change of pace, Doncic’s quick start and stop motions put extra load on his hamstrings and put him at risk of reinjury. Another left hamstring strain sidelined him for four games earlier this season.

Now with a Grade 2 injury, Doncic’s timeline for recovery would typically be four to six weeks. A Grade 2 injury shows “true disruption” that involves about 50% of the tissue, Fibel said. The most severe Grade 3 is used to describe a more significant, if not complete, tear of the muscle or tendon. The Lakers have suffered several Grade 2 injuries this season, including Austin Reaves’ latest left oblique strain.

The timing of the injuries couldn’t be worse for the Lakers. Not only do the playoffs begin in less than two weeks, but the Lakers were playing their best basketball of the season before the injuries to Doncic and Reaves. They appeared to be legitimate contenders in the playoffs. Now they must wait to see if Doncic’s super serum turns him into a superhero capable of saving their postseason.

“[Doncic is] going to go through all the necessary things to be back at some point,” Redick said, “and it’s our job again to extend the season so both those guys can get back.”

Scoreboard watching

Lakers star LeBron James reacts during a game against the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 28.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

It’s true what they say: No lead is safe in the NBA.

Just when it looked like the Lakers were likely to finish third in the West, the Nuggets found a rhythm, the Lakers got bitten by the injury bug and the Rockets refused to relent.

Reeling from the loss of their two leading scorers, the Lakers have fallen to fourth in the West with Denver surging on a nine-game winning streak. After an overtime win against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, the Nuggets (51-28) have a half-game advantage over the Lakers for the No. 3 seed.

The good news: The Lakers can’t drop below the fifth seed, thanks to Minnesota’s recent slide. They also have an additional cushion from their exceptional March, which gave them head-to-head tiebreakers against Denver and Houston.

I won’t repeat the obvious injury-related bad news.

To drop to fifth, the Lakers have to be 2-2 (or worse) in their last four games, while the Nuggets, who have the head-to-head tiebreaker against Houston, go at least 2-1 and the Rockets (49-29) run the table. The Nuggets have the tougher schedule between the three teams, though, playing both Oklahoma City and San Antonio in the final three games.

Here’s a look at the remaining games for the teams fighting for third, fourth and fifth in the West:

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

On tap

Tuesday vs. Thunder (62-16) 7:30 p.m. PDT

The Lakers won’t be able to undo last week’s 43-point loss in Oklahoma City, but a competitive showing in the rematch could at least offer a much-needed confidence boost entering the postseason.

Thursday at Warriors (36-42), 7 p.m.

The Warriors are in position to eke into the play-in tournament as the 10th seed. Believe it or not, this could be the last meeting between LeBron James and Stephen Curry in their illustrious careers as the 41-year-old James enters unrestricted free agency this summer.

Friday vs. Suns (43-35), 7:30 p.m.

Phoenix is currently seventh in the West with a chance to chase down sixth-place Minnesota for a playoff berth. Dillon Brooks recently returned from a fractured left hand that kept him out for about six weeks. The Suns went 9-9 during his absence.

Sunday vs. Jazz (21-58), 5:30 p.m.

The Jazz and the Kings are in a heated race to the bottom of the conference. Losers of nine straight, the Jazz are primarily hoping to keep their top-eight protected draft pick, which was at risk of conveying to Oklahoma City.

Status report

Luka Doncic: left hamstring strain

The Lakers have ruled Doncic out for at least the remainder of the regular season. Doncic previously missed four games with another left hamstring strain, but that same timeline won’t apply because the absence rolled into All-Star weekend, when he made a token appearance in the All-Star Game.

Austin Reaves: left oblique strain

Reaves played through the injury he suffered in the first quarter against the Thunder last week, but was ruled out for the rest of the regular season and he likely will miss the first round of the playoffs. He was injured while reaching for a loose ball.

Marcus Smart: right ankle contusion

Smart will miss his eighth consecutive game Tuesday against the Thunder as his ankle injury has lingered for more than two weeks since he got tangled up with Orlando’s Goga Bitadze. While Smart has worked out with staff members on the court before games, he is still day-to-day for his return.

Favorite thing I ate this week

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

When in doubt, consult the L.A. Times. For all the news you need to know, yes, but also about your local food needs. This dinner was brought to you by the L.A. Times’ best 101 restaurants list, which recommended Lalibela on Fairfax for an Ethiopian feast. We started with the lentil sambusa (not pictured), which came with a perfectly spiced herb sauce, and shared the veggie utopia, which hits every note with the restaurant’s most popular vegetarian dishes.

In case you missed it

Injury-riddled Lakers lose to Dallas; Luka Doncic to have medical treatment in Europe

Lakers’ Austin Reaves out for rest of regular season with oblique strain

Luka Doncic’s hamstring strain will keep him out for remainder of the regular season

Lakers star Luka Doncic suffers hamstring injury in reality-check loss to Thunder

After a sizzling March, Lakers face a big playoff test against equally hot Oklahoma City

Luka Doncic matches Michael Jordan for the most magical March in NBA history

LeBron James achieves his 125th career triple-double in Lakers’ win over Wizards

Until next time…

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

From Maddie Lee: The teams were the same. The venues were the same. But the clash between the Dodgers and Blue Jays on Monday at Rogers Centre was far from the roller coaster of Game 7 of the World Series.

And the Dodgers’ most notable performance came from a young catcher who wasn’t on the World Series roster last year.

“These fans, sadly, didn’t want to see us come to town,” catcher Dalton Rushing said after hitting two home runs in the Dodgers’ 14-2 win. “And rightfully so, after what we did tonight. But yeah, I think we all just look forward to carrying it over to tomorrow and leave our mark in Toronto once again.”

Rushing, giving Game 7 hero Will Smith a day off, recorded the first multi-homer, four-hit game of his major league career.

It was Rushing’s third start of the season and first time playing on consecutive days. The 25-year-old also homered Sunday in Washington.

“I learned a lot from last year,” Rushing said. “Last year, mentally, I was in a tough spot playing the role that I was, and just kind of trying to figure out how you play that role. And this year, I have a little better understanding.

“You’re not going to show up and have a game like that tonight. You’re not going to show up and get two hits every game, whether you’re playing every day or you’re playing every three days. And that was maybe it was just a pill I had to swallow a little bit. I’m just glad I could see results tonight.”

Continue reading here

Dodgers-Blue Jays box score

MLB scores

MLB standings

Toronto fans love to hate Dodgers

Kyle Tucker singles in the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night.

(Mark Blinch / Getty Images)

From Bill Shaikin: Fans lined up before the game, waiting patiently for the chance to take a selfie with trophies that commemorated the back-to-back World Series championships.

Dodger Stadium is not the only place you can do this. The trophies were from 1992 and 1993, and they honored the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Dodgers matched that back-to-back feat over the past two years, including a classic Game 7 victory in Toronto in last year’s World Series, and returned here Monday to a noise pit packed with fans primed to boo, and to urge their team to exact vengeance on the evil mercenaries from America.

On this night, the mercenaries prevailed, in a pummeling so relentless and a silencing so rapid that a three-peat appeared all but inevitable: Dodgers 14, Blue Jays 2.

Continue reading here

More on the Dodgers:

Dodgers’ Andy Pages scorching start at the plate turning heads. ‘I really like his work’

Mookie Betts offers no specific timeline on when he’ll return from injury

Michigan wins NCAA men’s basketball championship

Michigan players celebrate after defeating Connecticut for the NCAA men’s basketball title on Monday night.

(Michael Conroy / Associated Press)

From the Associated Press: This title for Michigan’s newest Fab Five will look better in the trophy case than a time capsule.

Hard to be too picky — this new-age group of ballers in maize and blue showed they can win any which way.

The five fabulous transfers who make up coach Dusty May’s starting lineup got down and dirty with the rest of the Wolverines to dig out the national championship on Monday. Michigan made only two three-pointers all night but still muscled its way to a 69-63 victory over stingy, stubborn Connecticut.

Elliot Cadeau led the Wolverines with 19 points, including the team’s first three, which came 7:04 into the second half. The second, from freshman Trey McKenney, came with 1:50 left and felt like a dagger, giving May’s team — which had scored 90 points in five straight March Madness games leading to the final — a nine-point lead.

Continue reading here

Michigan-UConn box score

Final NCAA men’s basketball tournament bracket

Kings move back into wild-card spot

Kings forward Scott Laughton celebrates with goaltender Anton Forsberg after the Kings’ 3-2 shootout win over the Nashville Predators at Crypto.com Arena on Monday.

(Scott Strazzante / Associated Press)

From the Associated Press: Adrian Kempe scored the only goal of the shootout in the second round, and the Kings tightened the Western Conference playoff race with a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Monday night.

The Kings have played in overtime in seven of its last 10 games — and 32 this season.

Joel Armia opened the scoring for the Kings and Scott Laughton made it a 2-1 lead in the second period. Jared Wright has an assist in a career-best three straight games for L.A.

Continue reading here

Kings-Predators box score

NHL scores

NHL standings

José Soriano frustrates Braves’ batters

Angels starting pitcher José Soriano delivers in the second inning of a 6-2 win over the Atlanta Braves at Angel Stadium on Monday night.

(Caroline Brehman / Associated Press)

From the Associated Press: José Soriano pitched eight dominant innings and the Angels got home runs from Zach Neto and Jo Adell in a 6-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.

Neto launched a leadoff shot on Chris Sale’s first pitch, and Soriano (3-0) struck out 10 as the Angels won their third consecutive game. The right-hander gave up one run and three hits without issuing a walk, throwing 69 of his 96 pitches for strikes.

Soriano gave up a solo homer to Drake Baldwin and a single to Matt Olson in the first, then retired 19 straight batters before Mike Yastrzemski led off the eighth with a single.

Continue reading here

Angels-Braves box score

Golfers react to Tiger Woods not at Masters

Tiger Woods celebrates after winning the Masters in April 2019. Woods was arrested on a DUI charge in Florida last month and will not compete at the Masters this week.

(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

From Sam Farmer: Tiger Woods is everywhere and nowhere at Augusta National this week.

In the wake of last month’s rollover car accident and DUI charge, the five-time Masters winner has stepped away from golf indefinitely and reportedly could be receiving treatment in Switzerland for an addiction to painkillers.

“He’s not immune to it just because he can hit a golf ball really well,” fellow competitor Jason Day said. “He’s had 25 to 30-something surgeries, and when you’re going through that many procedures, it’s painful coming out of those procedures. I’ve had procedures done and I typically try and stay away from all that stuff because I just know that — painkillers, there can potentially be a downfall to it.”

Continue reading here

Angel Reese traded to Atlanta

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese was traded to the Atlanta Dream.

(AJ Mast / Associated Press)

From Chuck Schilken: Angel Reese has a new WNBA home.

After spending her first two seasons with the Chicago Sky, the two-time All Star has been traded to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for first-round picks in 2027 and 2028, the teams announced Monday morning. Atlanta also receives the option to swap second-round picks with Chicago in 2028.

“An Angel’s DREAM,” Reese posted on X. “ATL WHAT UP?!”

Reese was already a star before coming to the WNBA after helping Louisiana State win the national championship over Caitlin Clark and Iowa in 2023 and leading the Tigers back to the Elite Eight the following year.

Continue reading here

This day in sports history

1940 — Jimmy Demaret wins the Masters by four strokes over Lloyd Mangrum. Mangrum opens with a 64, a course record by two strokes that stands for 46 years.

1946 — Herman Keiser edges Ben Hogan by one stroke to win the Masters.

1951 — Ben Hogan takes the Masters by two strokes over Robert Riegel.

1956 — Joe Graboski scores 29 points and Paul Arizin 26 as the Philadelphia Warriors beat the Fort Wayne Pistons 99-88 to win the NBA championship in five games.

1963 — Jack Nicklaus becomes the youngest Masters winner at 23, beating Tony Lema by a stroke.

1969 — Ted Williams begins managing the Washington Senators.

1985 — New Jersey’s Herschel Walker rushes for a USFL-record 233 yards in leading the Generals to a 31-25 victory over the Houston Gamblers. Walker breaks his own USFL record for the longest run from scrimmage by going 89 yards on his second carry.

1995 — Baseball exhibition season begins late due to strike.

1996 — Dave Andreychuk scores a goal for his 1,000th career point, and the New Jersey Devils top the New York Rangers 4-2.

1998 — Al MacInnis has a goal and an assist in St. Louis’ 5-3 loss at Detroit to become the sixth NHL defenseman to reach 1,000 points.

2000 — 1st regular season MLB game at Enron Field (now Minute Maid Park) in Houston.

2003 — Syracuse wins the NCAA title with an 81-78 victory over Kansas.

2007 — Michigan State beats Boston College 3-1 for its first NCAA hockey title in 21 years.

2008 — Mario Chalmers hits a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, and Kansas goes on to defeat Memphis 75-68 for the NCAA title.

2009 — Tina Charles scores 25 points and grabs 19 rebounds and Connecticut routs Louisville 76-54 to capture its sixth women’s basketball title. UConn (39-0) wins every one of its 39 games by double digits, a first in college basketball.

2010 — Don Nelson sets the NBA career record for victories by a coach in the Golden State Warriors’ 116-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Nelson’s 1,333 wins surpass Lenny Wilkens’ total.

2014 — Shabazz Napier scores 22 points and Connecticut wins its second NCAA men’s title in four years, beating the freshmen-led Kentucky 60-54 in the championship game.

2015 — UConn’s women down Notre Dame 63-53 for their 10th NCAA championship. Coach Geno Auriemma ties UCLA’s John Wooden for the most titles in college basketball.

2016 — Ernie Els, winner of four major titles, opens with a 10 on the par-4 first hole at the Masters. After his first two shots, Els seven-putts from 2 feet. His sextuple bogey is the worst score on the first hole at the Masters, beating the old mark by two strokes.

2016 — The Golden State Warriors become the second team to win 70 games in a season by beating the San Antonio Spurs 112-101.

2018 — Vegas Golden Knights end regular season with most victories of any expansion team.

2019 — 38th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Baylor beats Notre Dame, 82-81.

2019 — Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki play final NBA games.

2019 — Magic Johnson quits as President of Basketball Operations of the Lakers.

Compiled by the Associated Press.

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

TORONTO — Fans lined up before the game, waiting patiently for the chance to take a selfie with trophies that commemorated the back-to-back World Series championships.

Dodger Stadium is not the only place you can do this. The trophies were from 1992 and 1993, and they honored the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Dodgers matched that back-to-back feat over the past two years, including a classic Game 7 victory in Toronto in last year’s World Series, and returned here Monday to a noise pit packed with fans primed to boo, and to urge their team to exact vengeance on the evil mercenaries from America.

On this night, the mercenaries prevailed, in a pummeling so relentless and a silencing so rapid that a three-peat appeared all but inevitable: Dodgers 14, Blue Jays 2.

Dalton Rushing celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting his second home run of the game in the eighth inning of a 14-2 win over Toronto on Monday.

(Mark Blinch / Getty Images)

“These fans, sadly, didn’t want to see us come to town,” Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing said, “and rightfully so, after what we did tonight.”

Those fans did want to see the Dodgers, but they did not want to see this. On a night the Dodgers fielded a lineup without Mookie Betts and Will Smith, the team hit five home runs — two by Rushing — and scored in every inning but the second and ninth. Of the six Toronto pitchers, the only one to hold the Dodgers scoreless was catcher Tyler Heineman.

To the Dodgers, well, it was another day on the job, if a bit louder than usual at the start. They had a game to win on the long road toward October and, as they often do, they won.

In Toronto, however, pitcher Kevin Gausman said, “It feels like we’re getting ready for Game 8.” The fans mercilessly booed Shohei Ohtani, who turned down $700 million from the Blue Jays to take $700 million from the Dodgers, and outfielder Kyle Tucker, who turned down $350 million (over 10 years) from the Blue Jays to take $240 million (over four years) from the Dodgers.

They even booed Justin Wrobleski, the Dodgers’ starting pitcher, and Miguel Rojas, usually an infielder but on Monday the Dodgers’ final pitcher. Wrobleski, who won his seventh major league game Monday, said he expected the boos.

“It was fun,” he said. “They care about baseball here. It’s a fun environment. If people weren’t a little upset and a little, I’d say, passionate about what happened last year in the World Series, maybe they’re not real fans.”

The boos could have been a sign of respect, or of a long memory: about the ninth most-memorable part of Game 7 was Wrobleski hitting Toronto infielder Andrés Gimenez, then shouting language so profane Wrobleski later said he apologized to his mother for using it. You cannot be a nobody if you can get the benches to clear in Game 7.

“They wouldn’t boo me,” Wrobleski said, “if they didn’t know who I was.”

Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski delivers during the first inning against the Blue Jays on Monday.

(Mark Blinch / Getty Images)

The Dodgers led 4-1, then 5-1, then 6-1, then 9-1, and that was before the sixth inning was done.

“When you score a lot of runs, you’re going to take the crowd out of it,” Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman said.

“I think the media and everyone else was more hyped up. It’s a new team, new year. We’ve got different guys on our team too. But we obviously understand it’s a World Series matchup.”

The Blue Jays were different: infielder Bo Bichette is in New York, catcher Alejandro Kirk is on the injured list, infielder-outfielder Addison Barger is hurt, and Toronto is borrowing a page from the Dodgers’ playbook with a rotation full of hurting pitchers: Shane Bieber, José Berrios, Cody Ponce and phenom Trey Yesavage all are on the injured list, and Max Scherzer left after two innings Monday because of tendinitis in his throwing arm.

The Dodgers are 8-2. The only defending World Series champion to get off to a better 10-game start in the last 100 years: last year’s Dodgers, at 9-1.

Last year worked out just fine. This is April, and no one is facing elimination any time soon. That explains how Roberts rated his anxiety level on Monday.

“It was probably a 10 in October and probably a one tonight,” he said.

Monday’s game offered yet another example of how the team that supposedly is ruining baseball is fattening the wallets of the league’s other 29 teams. The Dodgers have led the league in road attendance in each of Ohtani’s two previous seasons and almost certainly will do so again this season — and a fair number of those ticket buyers are Dodgers fans following their team here, there and everywhere.

In a 10-minute pregame walk around the main concourse, I saw plenty of fans in Dodgers jerseys: not only with the names of Ohtani, Betts and Freeman but with the names of Rojas, Kiké Hernández and Roki Sasaki.

As soon as the third inning, a “Let’s Go Dodgers” chant echoed through the stadium.

The Blue Jays are off to a 4-6 start, including series losses to the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox. The Jays should be good again, and soon. In the meantime, they are offering 77-cent hot dogs Tuesday.

For all the Dodgers fans here, that’s quite the trip: a rout that silenced a hostile crowd one day, hot dogs valued at 55 cents in U.S. currency the next. The fruits of victory, as Tommy Lasorda might have said, rarely are so cheap and filling.