Rams put Puka Nacua on IR
From Gary Klein: The Rams on Thursday placed Puka Nacua on injured reserve, meaning the star receiver must sit out at least four games.
Nacua was injured last Sunday on the Rams’ final play of their 20-13 victory over the Washington Commanders. Nacua, who had 14 receptions for 150 yards and a touchdown, was hit while carrying the ball on a jet sweep.
The Rams have experienced a flurry of injuries, and NFL rules limit teams from activating more than eight players a year from injured reserve.
On Wednesday, McVay said Nacua would not be placed on injured reserve because of “semantics with the roster and things like that,” but that he “still is going to be out for an extended period of time.”
NFL Week 10 picks: Packers prevail over Vikings; Steelers beat Bengals
Shohei Ohtani finishes second for NL MVP
From Maddie Lee: When the Dodgers and Cubs met at the beginning of August, it was notable that Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was even challenging Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani for National League most valuable player.
Ohtani was on a streak of three straight MVP seasons and working to return to the mound after what was expected to be a temporary shutdown around the All-Star break. So even as Ohtani and Crow-Armstrong traded leadoff home runs, it felt like a peak in a race that could tilt in Ohtani’s favor in the final months of the season.
Tilt it did — the other way.
Ohtani never did return to the mound, and his offense suffered as injuries mounted down the stretch. Crow-Armstrong never cooled off and ran away with the MVP, officially claiming the award Thursday in a unanimous vote. He was the 11th unanimous NL MVP in the history of the award. Ohtani finished second.
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s journey from Harvard-Westlake to National League MVP
Relief pitcher Evan Phillips signs three-year deal to return to Atlanta Braves
Jim Harbaugh unhappy over canceled trade
From Austin Knoblauch: The Chargers’ only move at the NFL trade deadline was called off Wednesday — and coach Jim Harbaugh accused the Denver Broncos of acting in bad faith.
A day after the Broncos announced that a proposed trade for Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley “will not be finalized,” Harbaugh said the Broncos tried to renegotiate terms after failing Henley’s physical, which is allowed under NFL rules when limited to draft-pick compensation. Ultimately, the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement.
“The Broncos based a pass/fail on a medical grade, based on whether we would take less compensation. And we wouldn’t, and we didn’t,” Harbaugh said. “It’s one of those loopholes that the league should really look into because it sets a bad precedent and continues to set a bad precedent.”
Sportscaster Dan Hicks dies
From Steve Henson: The three pillars of Dan Hicks’ career as an NBC Sports broadcaster were golf, the Olympics and Notre Dame football, in no particular order. Yet the towering pillars in his life were his wife of 32 years, ESPN broadcaster Hannah Storm, and their three daughters.
Storm broke the news Thursday that Hicks died suddenly a day earlier at 64, triggering an outpouring of grief, heartfelt condolences and tributes.
“Our family is heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected passing of Dan following an acute illness,” Storm wrote on social media. “He was a devoted husband of over 30 years, loving father to our three daughters, and cherished friend to so many. His loss is immeasurable.”
Hicks was a familiar, authoritative voice during NBC coverage of 26 years of the PGA Tour, 16 Olympics beginning with the 1992 Barcelona Games and seven seasons of Notre Dame football. He was scheduled to call Saturday’s game between the Irish and Boston College.
UCLA women rout Arizona
Addy Brown had 18 points and eight rebounds, Sienna Betts had 11 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks and No. 10 UCLA never trailed Thursday night in a 76-44 win over Arizona on Thursday.
Timea Gardiner added 16 points, KK Bransford scored 13 and Somto Okafor 10 for UCLA (3-0).
Makayla Presser-Palmer and Aliyahna Morris led Arizona (2-1) with eight points apiece.
Kings fall to Islanders
Brayden Schenn had a goal and two assists, Victor Eklund scored for the fourth straight game, and the New York Islanders ended a four-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Kings on Thursday night.
Matthew Schaefer scored in his 100th NHL game, Simon Holmstrom had a goal and an assist, Bo Horvat scored a late empty-netter, and the Islanders picked up at least a point for the third straight game. Ilya Sorokin made 26 saves.
Trevor Moore and Quinton Byfield scored, and Kevin Fiala had an assist in his season debut as the Kings lost their third straight game. Playing in his 500th career game, Darcy Kuemper made 16 saves.
This day in sports history
1934 — Ralph Bowman of the St. Louis Eagles scores the first penalty-shot goal in NHL history. Bowman’s goal comes on the second penalty shot attempt in league history and is the only goal for the Eagles, who lose to the Montreal Maroons 2-1.
1949 — Chicago’s Bob Nussbaumer intercepts four passes, and the Cardinals set an NFL record for points in a regular-season game with a 65-20 victory over the New York Bulldogs.
1955 — Goalies Glenn Hall and Terry Sawchuk play to a 0-0 tie at Boston Garden. Hall, a rookie goalie with the Detroit Red Wings, and Terry Sawchuk of the Bruins, played to a 0-0 tie on Oct. 22 at the Olympia in Detroit. The shutout is the 61st for Sawchuk and the fourth for Hall.
1964 — St. Louis Hawks forward Bob Pettit becomes the first NBA player to score 20,000 points, with 29 in a 123-106 loss to the Cincinnati Royals.
1971 — Colorado’s Charlie Davis sets an NCAA record for a sophomore by rushing for 342 yards in a 40-6 victory over Oklahoma State.
1982 — Southern Miss beats Alabama 38-29 for the Tide’s first loss in Tuscaloosa since 1963, breaking a 57-game winning streak in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
1982 — Chicago’s Tony Esposito becomes the fourth NHL goaltender with 400 victories. Esposito makes 34 saves to help the Black Hawks beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 at Joe Louis Arena.
1984 — Bernie Nicholls of the Kings becomes the first NHL player to get a goal in all four periods of a game. Nicholls scores once in each period and again at 2:57 of overtime to give the Kings a 5-4 victory over the Quebec Nordiques.
1992 — Riddick Bowe wins the world heavyweight championship with a unanimous decision over Evander Holyfield.
1993 — No. 2 Notre Dame runs out to a 17-point lead and hangs on to beat top-ranked Florida State 31-24 when Charlie Ward’s desperation pass is knocked down on the goal line as time expires.
1999 — Lennox Lewis becomes the undisputed heavyweight champion with a unanimous decision over Evander Holyfield in Las Vegas.
2005 — In the longest play in NFL history, Chicago defensive back Nathan Vasher returns a missed field goal 108 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half in a 17-9 win against the 49ers.
2009 — McKendree basketball coach Harry Statham wins his 1,000th game with a 79-49 victory over East-West University. The 72-year-old Statham is 1,000-381 at the NAIA school.
2015 — Candance Brown makes a layup with 1.2 seconds left and Gardner-Webb rallies to shock No. 22 North Carolina 66-65 in the opener for both teams. Gardner-Webb had trailed by 15 points entering the fourth quarter.
2015 — Russia’s track federation is suspended by the sport’s international governing body and its athletes are barred from international competition for a widespread and state-sanctioned doping program. It’s the first time the IAAF bans a country for doping.
2018 — Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer becomes the fifth Division I women’s basketball coach to win 1,000 games when the Scarlet Knights beat Central Connecticut State 73-44. Stringer joins Pat Summitt, Geno Auriemma, Tara VanDerveer and Sylvia Hatchell.
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.