From Jack Harris: Just weeks into the offseason, the Dodgers are already thinking 11 months ahead.
Having just finished yet another grueling October campaign, they are bracing for the long road required to get back.
The team’s central focus right now, of course, is on bolstering its roster and supplementing its star-studded core coming out of last week’s annual MLB general managers’ meetings in Las Vegas.
But as they go for a World Series three-peat in 2026, one of their primary challenges will be managing the returning talent — and ensuring the burdensome toll from their previous two title treks doesn’t become a roadblock in their pursuit of another ring.
Taking such a long view has become an annual practice for the Dodgers. Their collection of star talent and organizational depth means they are almost always in position to make the playoffs. It has afforded them leeway to manage players’ regular-season workloads and recovery from injuries with an eye toward having them at full strength come the fall.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto introduces his rescue dog to Dodgers fans
LAKERS
From Broderick Turner: LeBron James said his lungs felt like those of a “newborn baby” and his voice was “already gone” after his first Lakers practice Monday as he moved a step closer toward making his season debut after being sidelined by sciatica.
The Lakers listed James as questionable for Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena, and he sounded as if he was close to playing in his NBA-record 23rd season.
“We got a long time,” said James as he wiped sweat from his face while speaking to reporters. “I mean, we’ve been taking literally one minute, one hour, one step at a time throughout this whole process. So, see how I feel this afternoon, see how I feel tonight. When I wake up in the morning. … We’ll probably have [a] shootaround [Tuesday]. So, just gotta see how the body responds over the next 24 hours-plus.”
CLIPPERS
Tyrese Maxey scored 39 points, Paul George had nine points and seven rebounds in his season debut, and the Philadelphia 76ers rallied for a 110-108 victory over the short-handed Clippers on Monday night.
Quentin Grimes added 19 points and Andre Drummond had 14 points and 18 rebounds while filling in for Joel Embiid.
James Harden scored 28 points for the Clippers, who have lost eight of nine. Harden became the 11th player to eclipse 28,000 career points with a first-quarter layup.
RAMS
From Gary Klein: Rams safety Quentin Lake will be sidelined for an undetermined amount of time because of an elbow injury suffered during the Rams’ victory over the Seattle Seahawks, coach Sean McVay said Monday.
McVay said the Rams were awaiting results from an MRI exam and a consultation with team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache before deciding how long Lake might be out, whether he will be placed on injured reserve or if it is a season-ending injury that would require surgery.
“Not great for our captain and leader,” McVay said during a videoconference with reporters. “Bummed out for him.”
KINGS
Alex Ovechkin scored his 903rd career NHL goal and the Washington Capitals beat the Kings 2-1 on Monday night.
Matt Roy also scored for the Capitals, who ended a two-game losing skid to gain some traction in the standings.
Anze Kopitar scored for the Kings, who had won four straight. It was just their second regulation road loss of the season.
DUCKS
Olen Zellweger scored 1:50 into overtime after Troy Terry tied it with 4.1 seconds left in regulation, and the Ducks dramatically ended their skid at three games with a 3-2 victory over the Utah Mammoth on Monday night at Honda Center.
Terry forced overtime when he tapped in a rebound after Chris Kreider deflected Cutter Gauthier’s shot off the post with an extra attacker on the ice for the Ducks.
An unchecked Zellweger then scored his second goal of the season with ease after a ragged overtime rush left him all alone at Karel Vejmelka’s post.
2026 WORLD CUP
From Anthony Solorzano: FIFA and the White House announced on Monday a system that will speed up the visa process for ticket holders who hope to attend 2026 World Cup matches in the U.S.
FIFA’s Priority Appointment Scheduling System — or “FIFA PASS” — will help those with World Cup tickets get a prioritized visa interview.
“America welcomes the World,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement. “We have always said that this will be the greatest and most inclusive FIFA World Cup in history — and the FIFA pass service is a very concrete example of that.”
FIFA is encouraging fans who are traveling for soccer’s biggest event to immediately apply for interview appointments for visas on its website.
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1962 — Bill Wade of the Chicago Bears passes for 466 yards and two touchdowns to edge the Dallas Cowboys 34-33.
1970 — Joe Frazier knocks out Bob Foster in the second round to retain the world heavyweight title in Detroit.
1974 — Charley Johnson of the Denver Broncos passes for 445 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-34 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.
1978 — Vanderbilt’s Frank Mordica rushes for 321 yards and five touchdowns in a 41-27 victory over Air Force. Mordica scores on runs of 48, 30, 6, 70 and 77 yards.
1990 — Monica Seles captures the first five-set women’s match since 1901, defeating Gabriela Sabatini 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the Virginia Slims Championships.
1995 — Iowa State’s Troy Davis becomes the fifth player in NCAA Division I-A to rush for 2,000 yards, reaching that plateau in a 45-31 loss to Missouri.
1995 — Alex Van Dyke sets an NCAA record for most receiving yards in a season, catching 13 passes for 314 yards as Nevada beats San Jose State 45-28. Van Dyke raises his total to 1,874 yards, surpassing the record of 1,779 set in 1965 by Howard Twilley of Tulsa.
2000 — Indiana’s Antwaan Randle El becomes the second player in NCAA Division I-A history to rush for 200 points and pass for 200 points in a career in a 41-13 loss to Purdue.
2003 — American soccer phenom Freddy Adu, 14, signs a six-year deal with MLS.
2006 — Top-ranked Ohio State beats No. 2 Michigan 42-39 in Columbus in the regular-season finale. The Big Ten rivals had the top two spots in The AP football poll since Oct. 15.
2007 — Jimmie Johnson becomes the first driver to win consecutive Nextel Cup championships since Jeff Gordon in 1997 and ’98, wrapping up the title by finishing a trouble-free seventh in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
2007 — Top-ranked Roger Federer wins his fourth Masters Cup title in five years, overwhelming No. 6 David Ferrer 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.
2012 — Matt Schaub has a career-high five touchdown passes, completes a franchise-record 43 passes and finishes with 527 yards passing, second most in NFL history, to lead the Houston Texans to a 43-37 overtime win over Jacksonville. Norm Van Brocklin holds the record with 554 for the Rams in 1951.
2014 — The NFL suspends Adrian Peterson without pay for at least the rest of the season. The league informs the Minnesota Vikings running back he would not be considered for reinstatement before April 15 for violating the NFL personal conduct policy.
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 [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.