The Morning Column presented by The Sporting Tribune

Fourteen straight, and a record to share

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 11:34:51 GMT

Good morning. Two of the three baseball teams in our markets had a very good Thursday and the third had the best ending. The Dodgers clinched the West. The Padres scored seven in one inning at Coors and moved to within a weekend of clinching a playoff spot of their own. And at Angel Stadium, a man named Wade Meckler ended it in the last at-bat. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

⚾ The West is won. Dodgers 8, Reds 2, and a 14th straight October — Anthony Arroyo at Great American Ball Park.

⚾ Seven in the second. The Padres are four up on Arizona and could clinch Sunday — Armando Dueñas at Coors Field.

⚾ Miracle Meck. Wade Meckler walked it off against Minnesota — Jack Haslett at Angel Stadium.

🏀 Career best. Jackie Young carried her World Cup form into Seattle — Derek Hegna at Climate Pledge Arena.

🏒 The longtime desire. Drew Doughty on finally wearing the C — Alex Hutton at the Toyota Sports Performance Center.

🏀 A hard night in Dallas. The Sparks were blown out in Nneka Ogwumike’s last WNBA game in Texas — Rey Moralde at College Park Center.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — THURSDAY

⚾ MLB: Dodgers 8, Reds 2 (NL West clinched) · Padres 9, Rockies 2 · Angels 5, Twins 4

🏀 WNBA: Aces 114, Storm 77 · Wings 97, Sparks 77

⚾ THE NUMBER IS FOURTEEN

Anthony Arroyo has the clinch from Cincinnati, and the number worth holding onto is not 13 division titles since 2013, impressive as that is. It is 14 straight postseason appearances, which ties the all-time record — held, until Thursday, only by the Atlanta Braves from 1991 through 2005.

Kyle Tucker picked the right week. His season has not been what Los Angeles hoped for when they got him. Thursday he went 4-for-5 with a two-run homer in the first, an RBI double, a single, and then came up in the eighth needing a triple for the cycle and hit another double instead. Three weeks from October, that is the version the Dodgers have been waiting on.

Justin Wrobleski threw 32 pitches across three innings — no hits, no walks, three strikeouts — in what was effectively a bullpen game. The Dodgers moved him to relief earlier this month after he hit a career high in innings, the same role in which he was effective during the 2025 World Series run, and they were not going to stretch him out on a day like this.

Freddie Freeman added a sacrifice fly. Max Muncy doubled home two. Josue De Paula singled in a run for his third hit as a major-leaguer, with Andrew Friedman and Brandon Gomes watching from the stands — De Paula is the first player of the Friedman era called up straight from Double-A, which makes every at-bat a data point. Miguel Rojas homered in the ninth. Blake Treinen gave up a solo shot to Sal Stewart; Landon Knack covered three innings behind Wrobleski.

Tyler Glasnow (4-1, 3.50) opens the homestand against the Giants today.

GO DEEPER

› Anthony Arroyo: Dodgers clinch NL West with 8-2 win over Reds (The Sporting Tribune)

⚾ AND SAN DIEGO COULD BE NEXT

Armando Dueñas opens it plainly: the Padres are rolling. They could clinch their fifth postseason berth since 2020 as early as Sunday.

The second inning at Coors did it — seven runs, 11 men to the plate, Tanner Gordon chased. Xander Bogaerts hit a 441-foot home run and a triple in the same frame, finished 3-for-5 with two RBI, and, like Tucker in Cincinnati, fell a single short of the cycle. Two teams in our markets, same afternoon, both a single away.

“This was a big game for us,” Bogaerts said. “I mean, every game is big. Take one at a time, but this was definitely one that, knowing this ballpark, things can get tricky.”

Across the four games in Denver, San Diego scored 29 runs on 52 hits.

Michael King went six on two runs with six strikeouts, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the sixth by striking out Troy Johnson. “Offense put up nine,” King said. “Makes my job a lot easier.”

The quieter win: Craig Stammen got a third straight day of rest for Adrian Morejon and closer Mason Miller. Yuki Matsui threw a scoreless seventh, Griffin Canning covered the last two.

Where it leaves them. Four games clear of Arizona for the final NL wild card, one behind the Cubs for the No. 4 seed, magic number six. Miami comes to Petco tonight; Arizona hosts the Yankees.

“It’s not like we take a four-game lead for granted,” King said. “We still got to go take care of the Marlins now.”

GO DEEPER

› Armando Dueñas: Padres use seven-run second to drop Rockies; narrow gap in Wild Card race (The Sporting Tribune)

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🍔 THE DEALS BOARD

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🍟 McDonald’s (Dodgers) — free 6-piece Chicken McNuggets with a $2 purchase. Eight runs in the clincher; six is the bar. Rewards & Deals in the app.

🍔 Jack in the Box — free Jumbo Jack with a large drink. Eight strikeouts. Code GODODGERS26, through midnight.

🍟 McDonald’s (Angels) — free medium fries with a $2 purchase. The walk-off over Minnesota. Rewards & Deals in the app.

🌮 El Portal, Pasadena — $12 combination plates and $7 house margaritas. Dodgers win, home or away. Order online for pickup.

☕ Con Azúcar Café, Sylmar — free size upgrade and Dodgers latte art. Say “Dodgers win!” at the register.

🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-oz Baja Blast. Bogaerts’s 441-footer at Coors was the longest of four balls to clear 420 feet Thursday. Wallet pass at OTC Network stores.

Dark today: Panda Express, the Habit Burger Double Char, ampm and Sunright all need a Dodgers home game, and Thursday was still Cincinnati. That changes tonight — the Dodgers are home against the Giants for the first time in ten days, so a win at Chavez Ravine puts the full board back in play tomorrow morning.

⚾ MIRACLE MECK

Jack Haslett was at Angel Stadium for the ending. Wade Meckler walked it off, the Angels beat Minnesota 5-4, and a season that has mostly been about what the Angels can’t do produced a night about what one of them did.

It is the Angels’ third win in four games against Seattle and Minnesota, after they dropped three straight in Washington.

GO DEEPER

› Jack Haslett: Miracle Meck — Wade Meckler walks it off in Angels win (The Sporting Tribune)

🏀 A BIG WNBA NIGHT, TWO WAYS

In Seattle, Derek Hegna watched Jackie Young carry her FIBA World Cup form straight into the WNBA, turning in a career-best performance as the Aces beat the Storm at Climate Pledge Arena. Young spent the break in Berlin with the national team; whatever she found there came home with her.

In Arlington, Rey Moralde has the other side — the Sparks blown out by the Wings in their first game back from the World Cup break, and in what was Nneka Ogwumike’s last WNBA game in Texas.

Both games were on USA within two hours of each other. Two of our three markets, national television, same night.

GO DEEPER

› Derek Hegna: Jackie Young carries over World Cup effort with career-best performance against Storm (The Sporting Tribune)

› Rey Moralde: Sparks get blown out against Wings in Ogwumike’s last WNBA game in Texas (The Sporting Tribune)

📌 AROUND THE MARKETS.

The C, at last. Alex Hutton has Drew Doughty on what wearing the Kings’ captaincy means to him, a day after the announcement. It is not a letter he pretended not to want.

Camp, day two. Steve Carp writes that new Golden Knights coach Craig wasted no time getting his message across at City National Arena.

Camp roster. Carlos Yakimowich reports the Lakers have added Anton Watson ahead of training camp.

An investment in Inglewood. Yakimowich also has Savannah James joining LOVB Los Angeles as an investor — professional volleyball continuing to find money and attention in this market.

GO DEEPER

› Alex Hutton: Drew Doughty fulfilling longtime desire as new Kings captain (The Sporting Tribune)

› Steve Carp: Craig wastes no time getting his message across (The Sporting Tribune)

› Carlos Yakimowich: Lakers add Anton Watson to training camp roster (The Sporting Tribune)

› Carlos Yakimowich: Savannah James joins LOVB Los Angeles as investor (The Sporting Tribune)

📺 WATCHLIST — FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

⚾ MLB: Twins at Angels — Angel Stadium — 6:38 p.m. — ABTV

⚾ MLB: Marlins at Padres — Petco Park — 6:40 p.m. — Padres TV

⚽ NWSL: KC Current at San Diego Wave — Snapdragon Stadium — 7:00 p.m. — Prime Video

⚾ MLB: Giants at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — 7:15 p.m. — SNLA

Coming up: The Padres can clinch a postseason berth as early as Sunday. The Rams host the Giants on Monday night at SoFi. UNLV and Hawai’i return from bye on Sept. 26 — the Rebels at Akron, the Rainbow Warriors at Wyoming. Shohei Ohtani is eligible off the injured list on Sept. 23.

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

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⚾ Giants at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — $54

⚾ Marlins at Padres — Petco Park — $50

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🌴 TST TRIVIA

The Dodgers’ postseason berth Thursday was their 14th in a row, which ties the all-time major-league record. Which franchise set it, and over which years?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

The Sporting Tribune Today airs weekdays at 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. ET on SportsGrid, hosted by Grant Mona and John Browner and built on reporting from our staff across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawai’i. Our stories, photos and columns also run on SportsGrid’s website and app.

📺 Watch on television. SportsGrid TV is available on DIRECTV and MyFree DIRECTV (Channel 4105 HD), Samsung TV Plus (2362), Local Now (2024), Vizio WatchFree (640), LG Channels (469) and The Roku Channel (250). You can also search “SportsGrid” on YouTube TV, FuboTV, Sling TV, Plex and Amazon Prime Video.

📻 Listen on radio and podcast. The show airs on SportsGrid Radio, distributed through Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, iHeartRadio and TuneIn — and continues across our regional partners through Westwood One Sports.

Today’s episode: a Dodgers division title that ties a record set in Atlanta thirty-five years ago, a Padres team that could be in by Sunday, and a walk-off in Anaheim.

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: The Atlanta Braves, who reached the postseason in 14 consecutive seasons from 1991 through 2005.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

The Sporting Tribune’s Eric Lambkins II wins first-place PFWA column writing award

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 11:18:50 GMT

Good morning. We don’t usually lead with ourselves, and we won’t make a habit of it. But this one is worth the space. Then: the Dodgers needed one win to take the West and lost, and lost Blake Snell after 19 pitches, which is the larger problem. A 20-year-old catcher in Denver talked an umpire out of ball four and then hit the next pitch 426 feet. And three hockey teams in our markets opened camp this week. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

🏆 First place. Our very own Eric Lambkins wins the PFWA’s column writing award — The Sporting Tribune.

⚾ Nineteen pitches. Snell exits with groin tightness; the clinch waits — Fredo Cervantes at Great American Ball Park.

⚾ First two. Ethan Salas homered twice in a 9-3 Padres win at Coors — Eric Evelhoch at Coors Field.

🏒 The C. The Kings named Drew Doughty their captain — Jack Janes in Los Angeles.

🏀 Patience. Steve Carp on where the NBA’s Las Vegas expansion talk actually stands — Steve Carp in Las Vegas.

⚽ Ten, finally. Angel City beat Seattle 3-1 for the 10th win in club history — Michelle Chavez at BMO Stadium.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — WEDNESDAY

⚾ MLB: Reds 6, Dodgers 2 · Padres 9, Rockies 3 · Mariners 7, Angels 2

⚽ NWSL: Angel City 3, Seattle Reign 1

🏆 TST’S ERIC LAMBKINS WINS THE DAVE ANDERSON AWARD

The Professional Football Writers of America announced its 2026 Dick Connor Writing Awards on Wednesday. In the Dave Anderson Column Writing category, first place went to Eric Lambkins II of The Sporting Tribune, for his column “How petty voters in secret rooms tarnished Belichick’s moment.”

The numbers around it are the part worth sitting with. The competition drew 296 stories and 28 beat reporter portfolios. Nineteen PFWA members placed. Eight writers won a first place, and the other seven came from places like The Athletic — which took five — and ESPN.com.

In Lambkins’s category, second place went to Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer and third to Rob Reischel of Forbes.

The award carries the name of Dave Anderson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist. The competition carries the name of Dick Connor of the Denver Post, the PFWA’s ninth president. It was judged this year by the Dallas Morning News’s Amy Hollyfield and four journalism educators — Mark Hyman, Vicki Michaelis and Malcolm Moran among them — and covered work published between Super Bowl LIX and Super Bowl LX.

It is Lambkins’s first top writing honor from the organization. Congratulations to him, and thank you for reading work that is worth reading.

GO DEEPER

› The Sporting Tribune’s Eric Lambkins II wins first-place PFWA column writing award (The Sporting Tribune)

› Eric Lambkins II: How petty voters in secret rooms tarnished Belichick’s moment — the winning column (The Sporting Tribune)

⚾ THE GROIN, AND THE WAIT

Blake Snell felt it before he ever took the mound.

“I felt good all day and then the second to last pitch of the bullpen, I threw a slider and I felt a grab,” he said.

He went out and tried anyway. Nineteen pitches later he was done, and Dave Roberts was following him off the field after the first inning.

“I was gonna try to get through five, but I just knew I didn’t have a good shot of doing that and remaining healthy,” Snell said.

Fredo Cervantes reports Snell has had groin trouble before and says this one doesn’t feel as severe, and that the Dodgers had no lingering concern going in. He wants a couple of days to see how it responds. Roberts left the door open to another regular-season start but drew the line clearly.

“I like where his head is at, but he just can’t afford any more setbacks,” Roberts said.

Put it next to the week. Skubal threw seven scoreless Monday. Yamamoto gave up one hit over eight Tuesday. Wednesday the third man in that October trio lasted an inning. The Dodgers do not need Snell in September. They need to know in three weeks whether they have him at all.

The rest of it. Will Smith put Los Angeles ahead with an RBI double in the third; Elly De La Cruz answered with a two-run homer off Seth Halvorsen in the bottom half — the fourth time in five nights De La Cruz has done something consequential against Dodgers pitching, after home runs off Skubal, Yamamoto and Evan Phillips and the only hit against Yamamoto. Los Angeles went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 12 on. Mookie Betts went 3-for-4. Kris Bubic threw a scoreless eighth in his Dodgers debut.

They are 92-60 and still one win away. Justin Wrobleski starts this morning with Landon Knack behind him.

GO DEEPER

› Fredo Cervantes: Blake Snell exits early as Dodgers fall to Reds in Cincinnati (The Sporting Tribune)

⚾ HE ARGUED BALL FOUR, THEN HIT IT 426 FEET

The best half-inning of baseball in our markets this week belongs to a rookie catcher who had one big-league hit to his name on Sunday.

Eric Evelhoch has it: Ethan Salas came up in the second with the bases loaded and a full count. He took a pitch, the umpire called ball four, and Salas challenged it under the automated ball-strike system. The challenge won. Ball four was erased, the walk and the RBI with it.

Then he hit the next pitch — a middle-cut four-seamer — 426 feet to straight-away center.

He hit another one in the fifth, a 372-foot shot to right off an inside four-seamer, after Samad Taylor had already driven in two. Three RBI on the night, and the first two home runs of his career on the same evening.

The rest of a 9-3 win. San Diego scored in five of the first six innings and pushed across a first-inning run for the third straight game. Robbie Ray gave them six innings, three hits, three runs and six strikeouts for his 13th win, retiring 10 in a row from the second through the fifth. Dustin Harris tripled in a run in the fourth and scored in the sixth on a Ty France double. Manny Machado made a diving stop at third to rob a runner in the seventh.

The Padres are 83-69. Michael King (11-9, 3.03) closes the series this afternoon.

GO DEEPER

› Eric Evelhoch: Salas swats first two MLB home runs, Padres pour it on in win at Colorado (The Sporting Tribune)

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🍔 THE DEALS BOARD

🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-oz Baja Blast. Five balls cleared 420 feet Wednesday, and one of them was Ethan Salas’s 426-footer at Coors. Wallet pass at OTC Network stores.

Everything else is dark, and the reasons stack up. The Dodgers lost on the road, so Panda Express, Sunright, the Habit Burger Double Char and ampm all need a home game they didn’t play. They scored two, so the McDonald’s nuggets deal needed four more. They struck out five, so Jack in the Box needed two more. El Portal and Con Azúcar both need a win. The Angels lost 7-2, which closes the McDonald’s fries deal. And the Firehouse Subs window shut last night.

Friday changes it. The Dodgers are home against the Giants at 7:15, and a win at Chavez Ravine restarts nearly the whole board at once.

🏒 THREE CAMPS, ONE WEEK

Hockey came back to our markets this week, all at once.

The Kings named Drew Doughty captain. Jack Janes has it — the letter goes to a defenseman who has been in Los Angeles long enough to have earned it several times over.

The Knights are back on the ice, and Steve Carp’s framing from City National Arena is that the clock is ticking on this group. Vegas has spent the last two weeks extending Bowman and locking down Mark Stone; camp is where you find out whether that was enough.

And the Ducks open Thursday with Cutter Gauthier signed, one day after they beat the CBA deadline to get it done.

One more from Las Vegas. Carp also writes on where NBA expansion to Las Vegas actually stands, and the watchword in his headline is the right one: patience. Worth reading before the next round of speculation.

GO DEEPER

› Jack Janes: Kings name Drew Doughty as next captain (The Sporting Tribune)

› Steve Carp: Knights return to the ice with clock ticking (The Sporting Tribune)

› Steve Carp: Patience the watchword as NBA mulls expansion to Las Vegas (The Sporting Tribune)

📌 AROUND THE MARKETS.

The streak ends in Anaheim. Jack Haslett writes that missteps and errors ended the Angels’ winning ways in a 7-2 loss to Seattle, two nights after they’d taken the first two of the series.

Ten wins, and still alive. Angel City beat the Reign 3-1 at BMO Stadium to reach 10 victories for the first time in club history and keep a playoff push going. Denver Summit visits tonight — a chance to make it 11.

Cross-country. Holdenn Graff reports from the Bloom Football Performance Center as USC, 3-0, heads east for its Big Ten opener at Rutgers. The schedule gets real now.

Free at the Rose Bowl. Anthony Arroyo has UCLA making admission free for students against Purdue — a straightforward attempt to fix the thing everyone complains about at the Rose Bowl, which is that the students aren’t in it.

GO DEEPER

› Jack Haslett: Missteps and errors spell the end of Angels’ winning ways in loss to Mariners (The Sporting Tribune)

› Angel City reaches 10 wins for first time, keeps playoff hopes alive with 3-1 victory over Seattle (The Sporting Tribune)

› Holdenn Graff: USC heads cross-country for Big Ten opener at Rutgers (The Sporting Tribune)

› Anthony Arroyo: UCLA makes Rose Bowl admission free for students (The Sporting Tribune)

📺 WATCHLIST — THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

⚾ MLB: Dodgers at Reds — Great American Ball Park — 9:40 a.m. — SNLA

⚾ MLB: Padres at Rockies — Coors Field — 12:10 p.m. — Padres TV

🏀 WNBA: Sparks at Wings — Colle Park Center — 5:00 p.m. — USA

⚾ MLB: Twins at Angels — Angel Stadium — 6:38 p.m. — ABTV

🏀 WNBA: Aces at Storm — 7:00 p.m. — Climate Peldge Arena —USA

Coming up: The Dodgers open a homestand against the Giants on Friday and can clinch the NL West if they haven’t already. The Rams host the Giants on Monday night. Cruz-Bravo is Saturday at Pechanga Arena. UNLV and Hawai’i return from bye on Sept. 26, and Shohei Ohtani is eligible off the injured list on Sept. 23.

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

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⚾ Giants at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium (Friday) — $ 64

⚾ Twins at Angels — Angel Stadium — $4

🏈 Giants at Rams — SoFi Stadium (Monday) — $100

🌴 TST TRIVIA

Ethan Salas hit the first home run of his major-league career in the second inning Wednesday at Coors Field. The pitch before it, he did something that turned a run already on the board into no run at all. What was it?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

Today’s episode: Eric Lambkins II wins the PFWA’s column writing award, what Blake Snell’s groin means for a Dodgers rotation three weeks from October, a rookie catcher who challenged ball four and then hit it out, and three hockey teams opening camp across our markets.

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: With the bases loaded and a full count, Salas challenged the ball-four call under the automated ball-strike system and won — wiping out his own walk and the RBI that came with it. Then he homered on the next pitch.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

Ducks beat the buzzer

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:04:43 GMT

Good morning. Zach Cavanagh’s Ducks story this morning is a must-read, and the reason is that he explains why it happened Tuesday. Elsewhere: Yamamoto gave up one hit and the Dodgers’ magic number in the West is down to two. The Angels have won two in a row and Zach Neto got nominated for something that matters. And the Padres’ eight-game streak ended in Denver, where streaks go to die. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

🏒 Signed, sealed. Gauthier gets six years at $13.5 million per — Zach Cavanagh at Honda Center.

⚾ One hit. Yamamoto shut out the Reds over eight; the magic number is two — Fredo Cervantes at Great American Ball Park.

⚾ Two strikes, two runs. Lowe’s homer and Johnson’s start beat Seattle 2-1 — Jack Janes at Angel Stadium.

⚾ Streak over. Colorado evened the series and ended San Diego’s run at eight — Armando Dueñas at Coors Field.

🏅 Clemente nominee. Neto is the Angels’ nominee for the award, and Joyce is working through it — Jack Janes at Angel Stadium.

🥊 Back in San Diego. Pitbull Cruz defends his interim title Saturday at Pechanga Arena — Michael Huezo at Pechanga Arena.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — TUESDAY

⚾ MLB: Dodgers 4, Reds 0 · Angels 2, Mariners 1 · Rockies 9, Padres 3

🏒 WHY IT HAD TO BE TUESDAY

Zach Cavanagh’s story does the thing that separates a beat writer from a wire feed. Anyone can report that Anaheim signed its leading goal-scorer. He explains the clock.

Tuesday was the last day of the old CBA. Under the new rules that took effect Wednesday, signing bonuses are capped at 60 percent of a contract’s total value. Under the old ones, there was no such limit — and the Ducks used every inch of it.

Gauthier’s deal is six years and $81 million. About $69.5 million of it, roughly 86 percent, comes as signing bonuses, per PuckPedia, including an $18.65 million bonus in year one and a 10-team no-trade clause in the sixth year. Anaheim gets its value in the term and the cap hit. Gauthier gets his in the structure.

For scale: Leo Carlsson’s five-year deal, the one Anaheim matched after Philadelphia’s offer sheet in July, is about 95 percent signing bonus — $85.3 million of $90 million. Neither contract could be written that way today.

What Anaheim is paying for. Gauthier is 22 and scored a team-high 41 goals and 69 points last season, with four goals and 12 points in 12 playoff games. He’s signed through 2031-32. Pat Verbeek called him “a pure goal-scoring talent that will continue progressing into an elite NHL player.”

The summer it took to get here. Anaheim traded Mason McTavish and Olen Zellweger, then faced five restricted free agent negotiations. Philadelphia tendered Carlsson an offer sheet on July 3 that briefly made him the NHL’s highest-paid player at $18 million a year. Pavel Mintyukov signed July 5 under the reported threat of another one. The Ducks matched Carlsson on July 9. Then it was Gauthier — who, lacking service time, couldn’t be offer-sheeted, which gave Anaheim leverage and gave everyone else a reason to expect a holdout, as with McTavish, Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale before him.

What unlocked it was last week’s mutual termination of Chris Kreider’s contract via waivers, which freed $6.5 million. The Ducks now sit with $3.17 million in cap space and roughly $4 million more coming when Troy Terry goes on injured reserve.

“This is a very exciting day for my family and I,” Gauthier said.

Camp opens Thursday.

GO DEEPER

› Zach Cavanagh: Ducks sign Cutter Gauthier to 6-year deal, avoid training camp drama (The Sporting Tribune)

⚾ ONE HIT, AND THE NUMBER IS TWO

Two nights after Tarik Skubal threw seven scoreless, Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw eight and allowed one hit.

It was a third-inning double to Elly De La Cruz — who has now collected a home run off Skubal, a home run off Yamamoto, a home run off Evan Phillips and the only hit in this game, all inside a week. He is a one-man argument for why the Dodgers should not relax.

Yamamoto opened with back-to-back walks and then retired 21 of the last 22 he faced. He is 14-8 with a 2.51 ERA, sixth in baseball.

The 4-0 win was the Dodgers’ third straight and moved them to 92-59. The magic number to clinch the NL West is two.

Hunter Feduccia drove in the first run in the second. Kyle Tucker drew a two-out walk in the third for the second consecutive game, and Teoscar Hernández hit a two-run homer behind him — his third in seven games and his second off Cincinnati in as many nights. Alex Freeland added his fourth of the year in the seventh.

Two quieter things worth noting. Freddie Freeman went 3-for-5 with three singles, his first three-hit game in nearly a month after entering at 3-for-30 while managing a right knee injury; Tuesday was only his third game in a week. And Josue De Paula made his first career start as a major-league leadoff hitter, going 0-for-4 with the first strikeout of his five-game career — a 21-year-old who skipped Triple-A entirely, batting first for a team that has already clinched.

GO DEEPER

› Fredo Cervantes: Yamamoto leads the way with dominant outing against Reds (The Sporting Tribune)

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🍔 THE DEALS BOARD

🍔 Jack in the Box — free Jumbo Jack with a large drink. Eleven strikeouts in Cincinnati for the second night running. Code GODODGERS26, through midnight.

🍟 McDonald’s (Angels) — free medium fries with a $2 purchase. The 2-1 win over Seattle. Rewards & Deals in the app.

🌮 El Portal, Pasadena — $12 combination plates and $7 house margaritas. Dodgers win, home or away. Order online for pickup.

☕ Con Azúcar Café, Sylmar — free size upgrade and Dodgers latte art. Say “Dodgers win!” at the register.

🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-oz Baja Blast. Seven balls cleared 420 feet Tuesday. Bryce Eldridge’s went 461; Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a 455-footer in the first at Coors. Wallet pass at OTC Network stores.

🚒 Firehouse Subs — buy one medium sub, get one free. Code EXTRA, digital orders, Firehouse Rewards account. Today is the last day — the window closes tonight and does not reopen until next week’s extra-inning games.

Dark today: Panda Express, the Habit Burger Double Char, ampm and Sunright all need a Dodgers home game, and the club is in Cincinnati through this afternoon. The McDonald’s Dodgers nuggets deal needed six runs and they got four. The Dodgers are back at Dodger Stadium on Friday against the Giants, which restarts all of it.

📌 AROUND THE MARKETS

A 2-1 game in Anaheim. Jack Janes was at Angel Stadium as a two-strike home run from Lowe backed a strong start from Johnson, and the Angels made it two in a row over Seattle after dropping three straight in Washington.

And a nomination. Janes also reports that Zach Neto is the Angels’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, which recognizes community work as much as anything that happens between the lines. It is the best individual honor in the sport and worth more than a line in a notebook.

Eight, and then not nine. Armando Dueñas was at Coors Field as Cole Carrigg and the Rockies evened the series and ended the Padres’ eight-game winning streak. San Diego had been the hottest team in any of our markets.

Saturday in San Diego. Michael Huezo previews Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz defending his interim title against a taller, harder-hitting Néstor Bravo at Pechanga Arena — a week after Huezo filed from ringside in Las Vegas for Garcia-Benn.

GO DEEPER

› Jack Janes: Lowe’s two-strike homer capitalizes Johnson’s strong outing in win over Mariners (The Sporting Tribune)

› Jack Janes: Angels notebook — Joyce working through ups and downs and Neto nominated for Clemente Award (The Sporting Tribune)

› Armando Dueñas: Padres’ win streak snapped as Carrigg and Rox even series (The Sporting Tribune)

› Michael Huezo: Pitbull Cruz defends his interim title against a taller, harder-hitting Bravo (The Sporting Tribune)

📺 WATCHLIST — WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

⚾ MLB: Dodgers at Reds — Great American Ball Park — 3:40 p.m. — SNLA

⚾ MLB: Padres at Rockies — Coors Field — 5:40 p.m. — Padres TV

⚾ MLB: Mariners at Angels — Angel Stadium — 6:38 p.m. — ABTV

⚽ Soccer: Tijuana at San Diego FC — Snapdragon Stadium — 7:00 p.m. — Apple TV

⚽ NWSL: Reign FC at Angel City FC — BMO Stadium — 7:00 p.m. — NWSL+

Coming up: Ducks training camp opens Thursday. The Dodgers come home Friday to face the Giants and can clinch the West this week. The Rams host the Giants on Monday night. Cruz-Bravo is Saturday at Pechanga Arena. UNLV and Hawai’i return from bye on Sept. 26, and Ohtani is eligible off the IL on Sept. 23.

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

Get-in prices across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii— brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.

⚾ Mariners at Angels — Angel Stadium — $4

⚾ Giants at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium (Friday) — $64

🏈 Giants at Rams — SoFi Stadium (Monday) — $100

🌴 TST TRIVIA

The Ducks signed Cutter Gauthier on Tuesday night rather than Wednesday morning, and the timing was not an accident. What changed at the stroke of Wednesday that made Tuesday the deadline?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

Today’s episode: An inside look at the Clippers offseason, the Ducks beating a CBA deadline by hours to lock up their best goal-scorer, a Dodgers rotation that is rounding into something frightening, and a Clemente Award nomination in Anaheim.

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: The new collective bargaining agreement took effect, capping signing bonuses at 60 percent of a contract’s total value. Gauthier’s deal is roughly 86 percent signing bonus and could not have been written a day later.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

Ten weeks, and then it was done

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 09:37:27 GMT

Good morning. Seven seasons of Kawhi Leonard in Los Angeles ended Monday, and the timing tells you everything about the ten weeks that preceded it. Elsewhere: the Dodgers are going back to October for the 14th straight year, which ties a major-league record. The Padres have won eight in a row. The Angels finally won one. And Sean McVay explained why the Rams changed their minds about Myles Garrett. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

🏀 Seven seasons, over. Leonard goes back to the Raptors for Ingram, Dick and picks — Grant Mona in Los Angeles.

⚾ Fourteen straight. The Dodgers clinched in Cincinnati behind Skubal’s best start as a Dodger — Fredo Cervantes at Great American Ball Park.

🏈 “That wasn’t necessarily the case.” McVay on why the Rams reversed course on Garrett — Eric Lambkins at Rams Village.

⚾ Eight in a row. The Padres held off Colorado 8-7 at Coors — Eric Evelhoch at Coors Field.

⚾ Siri and Neto. The Angels snapped a three-game skid at home — Jack Haslett at Angel Stadium.

🏈 A different worry. Mykell Mathieu on the Rams’ lack of game-breaking speed — Mykell Mathieu at Rams Village.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — MONDAY

⚾ MLB: Dodgers 4, Reds 1 (clinch) · Angels 6, Mariners 4 · Padres 8, Rockies 7

🏀 THE TRADE THAT COULDN’T CLOSE

The sequence is the story. Toronto and Los Angeles agreed to this deal on June 30. It did not become official until Monday night — because in between, the NBA was investigating salary-cap circumvention involving Leonard and the Clippers, and the league’s findings produced the harshest penalty in its history.

The Clippers fought it. Their lawyer called it a witch hunt. On Sunday night, Ballmer reversed and accepted all of it: a one-year suspension, a $30 million fine, five first-round picks from 2029 through 2033.

Monday night, the trade cleared.

What comes back. Two first-round picks, a first-round swap and two seconds, alongside the players — which begins, barely, to replace what the league took.

Brandon Ingram, 29, is the centerpiece. A two-time All-Star, he averaged 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists while starting all 77 games he played for Toronto last season, shooting 47.7% from the field and 38.2% from three. This is a return to where he started — the Lakers drafted him second overall in 2016 — and he has averaged at least 20 a game in each of the last seven seasons.

Gradey Dick, 22, was the 13th pick in 2023 out of Kansas. He gave Toronto 6.0 points in 14 minutes across 76 games last season.

What leaves. Leonard is going back to the franchise he delivered a championship to in 2019 before signing with the Clippers that same summer. He departs on the best scoring season of his career — 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals in 65 games, All-NBA Second Team, his seventh All-Star selection.

Across seven seasons in Los Angeles: 25.1 points a game in 331 regular-season games, four All-Star selections, two All-Defensive honors, and a run to the franchise’s first Western Conference finals. He leaves sixth on the Clippers’ scoring list at 8,296 points, third in threes, fifth in steals, and holding a share of two franchise records.

GO DEEPER

› Clippers officially trade Kawhi Leonard to Raptors for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft picks (The Sporting Tribune)

› Grant Mona: Steve Ballmer breaks his silence and accepts the NBA’s punishment of the Clippers (The Sporting Tribune)

⚾ OCTOBER, FOR THE FOURTEENTH TIME

Fredo Cervantes’s lede does not need embellishing: the Dodgers are going back to October. Again.

The 4-1 win in Cincinnati moved them to 91-59 with 12 to play and locked up a postseason berth for the 14th consecutive season — tying the major-league record.

They did it with the thing that will decide their October. Tarik Skubal threw seven scoreless innings on three hits and a walk with nine strikeouts, needing only 90 pitches and generating 14 whiffs. He retired the side in order in the sixth on six pitches. Cervantes calls it his best start as a Dodger, and it is hard to argue.

“A postseason trio of Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell has the potential to be downright unfair,” Cervantes writes. The qualifier is the bullpen: Elly De La Cruz hit a 457-foot home run off Evan Phillips in the ninth, the third time in a week he has gone deep against Los Angeles pitching — Skubal, Yamamoto and now Phillips.

Kyle Tucker opened the scoring with his 15th, his third in five games. Teoscar Hernández added a two-run shot in the fourth. Kiké Hernández drove in the fourth run in the seventh.

Roster moves. Edgardo Henriquez went on the injured list with lower-back discomfort and will have a scan; Roberts said the club hopes he is available for the playoffs. Emmet Sheehan was optioned. Bobby Miller and Paul Gervase were recalled.

Shohei Ohtani remains eligible to return from the injured list on Sept. 23.

GO DEEPER

› Fredo Cervantes: Dodgers clinch 14th consecutive postseason berth in Cincinnati (The Sporting Tribune)

TOGETHER WITH BETONLINE

Today’s TST Best Bets are brought to you by BetOnline.ag. Join here — new players get a 50% welcome bonus and up to $250 in free bets.

🍔 THE DEALS BOARD

🍔 Jack in the Box — free Jumbo Jack with a large drink. Eleven strikeouts in Cincinnati; seven is the bar, and it counts on the road. Code GODODGERS26, through midnight.

🍟 McDonald’s (Angels) — free medium fries with a $2 purchase. The Angels beat Seattle 6-4 at home. Rewards & Deals in the app.

🌮 El Portal, Pasadena — $12 combination plates and $7 house margaritas. Dodgers win, home or away. Order online for pickup.

☕ Con Azúcar Café, Sylmar — free size upgrade and Dodgers latte art. Say “Dodgers win!” at the register.

🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-oz Baja Blast. De La Cruz’s 457-footer off Phillips was the longest of four balls to clear 420 feet Monday; Fernando Tatis Jr. went 449 at Coors. Wallet pass at OTC Network stores.

🚒 Firehouse Subs — buy one medium sub, get one free. Code EXTRA, digital orders, Firehouse Rewards account. Last day of the window is tomorrow.

Dark today: Panda Express, the Habit Burger Double Char, ampm and Sunright all need a Dodgers home game, and the club is in Cincinnati until Thursday. The McDonald’s Dodgers nuggets deal needed six runs and got four. The Dodgers return to Chavez Ravine on Friday against the Giants, which reopens the whole board.

🏈 “WE THOUGHT WE’D BE ABLE TO MANAGE IT”

McVay explained Monday in Woodland Hills how the Rams got here, and the answer is that they had a plan for Garrett’s knee and the plan did not survive the opener.

“We thought it was something that we’d be able to manage that wasn’t necessarily the case,” McVay said. “It was right after the game in terms of listening to how he felt, how he was able to impact the game, and even what you guys saw with how limited we had to be with him.”

That is a coach conceding that his own staff misjudged it — and it lines up with what Garrett told Arash Markazi in Melbourne, that he spent the game protecting himself rather than rushing the passer.

McVay would not set a timeline. “I think it’d be unfair to him without having the totality of all the information,” he said, allowing only that Garrett will be available in four weeks “potentially.”

Donald is still a question. McVay has not decided whether Aaron Donald plays Monday night against the Giants, and he pushed back on the idea that Garrett’s absence forces the issue. “They don’t have anything to do with one another.” Asked whether he expects Donald to be the player he was before retiring: “I do. That’s what my expectations are and my level of confidence in him.”

Josaiah Stewart gets the first crack at the snaps. Elsewhere on the injury report: Kam Curl (ankle) is doing well, Nate Landman (shoulder, thumb) is expected to play, Davis Allen returned in the opener, and Omar Speights has a hip pointer with swelling but is ahead of schedule.

The fix McVay named is the passing game. “The lack of efficiency and effectiveness in the pass game prevented us from getting any continuity. And like I told you, it always starts with me.”

He also had praise for Blake Corum in limited work and for Quentin Lake, who intercepted a pass and communicated well.

“Let’s not ignore the things that we can learn from, but we can’t lose twice to that,” McVay said.

GO DEEPER

› Rams change course with Myles Garrett as Sean McVay looks for response to opening loss (The Sporting Tribune)

› Mykell Mathieu: Rams’ lack of game-breaking speed could become a major concern (The Sporting Tribune)

📌 AROUND THE MARKETS

Eight straight for San Diego. The Padres held on 8-7 at Coors Field, where nothing is ever safe, and are playing the best baseball of anyone in our markets. Tatis hit a 449-foot home run in the second.

The Angels stopped the bleeding. Jack Haslett was at Angel Stadium as Jose Siri and Zach Neto carried a 6-4 win over Seattle, ending a three-game losing streak that had all come in Washington.

GO DEEPER

› Eric Evelhoch: Padres hold off Rockies 8-7 for eighth straight win (The Sporting Tribune)

› Jack Haslett: Jose Siri and Zach Neto go off in Angels win over Mariners (The Sporting Tribune)

📺 WATCHLIST — TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

⚾ MLB: Dodgers at Reds — Great American Ball Park — 3:40 p.m. — SNLA

⚾ MLB: Padres at Rockies — Coors Field — 5:40 p.m. — Padres TV

⚾ MLB: Mariners at Angels — Angel Stadium — 6:38 p.m. — ABTV

Coming up: The Rams host the Giants on Monday night at SoFi. The Dodgers come home Friday to face the Giants. UNLV and Hawai’i return from bye weeks on Sept. 26 — the Rebels at Akron, the Rainbow Warriors at Wyoming. Ohtani is eligible off the IL on Sept. 23.

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

Get-in prices across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii — brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.

⚾ Mariners at Angels — Angel Stadium — $4

⚾ Giants at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium (Friday) — $64

🏈 Giants at Rams — SoFi Stadium (Monday) — $100

🌴 TST TRIVIA

Kawhi Leonard leaves Los Angeles holding a share of two Clippers franchise records. One is most points in a game, with 55. What is the other?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

Today’s episode: the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, the end of the Kawhi Leonard era in Los Angeles and the ten weeks it took to close, a Dodgers clinch that ties a major-league record, and McVay admitting the Rams misread Myles Garrett’s knee.

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: Consecutive games scoring 20 or more points, with 57.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

Ballmer stops fighting

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 09:17:31 GMT

Good morning. A Sunday that went three ways in our markets. The Raiders opened the Klint Kubiak era with a win and a crowd that sounded like it meant it. The Chargers were favored by 8.5 at home and got run off their own field. The Dodgers lost again in Miami and the Angels lost for the third straight time. And late last night, the owner of the Clippers put down the legal pad and picked up an apology. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

🏀 He accepts it. Ballmer’s first public words since the penalties — Grant Mona in Los Angeles.

🏈 A reason to feel good. Raiders 27, Dolphins 13 at Allegiant — Steve Carp at Allegiant Stadium.

🏈 “Sloppy.” Cardinals 26, Chargers 14 at SoFi — Fredo Cervantes at SoFi Stadium.

🏈 Healthy again. Ashton Jeanty put the ankle questions away — Derek Hegna at Allegiant Stadium.

⚾ Three in a row. The Angels let another lead get away in Washington — Jack Haslett at Nationals Park.

⚽ Five-nil. Philadelphia embarrassed San Diego FC at Snapdragon — Angel Rodriguez at Snapdragon Stadium.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — SUNDAY

🏈 NFL: Raiders 27, Dolphins 13 · Cardinals 26, Chargers 14

⚾ MLB: Marlins 6, Dodgers 4 · Nationals 6, Angels 5 · Padres 6, Giants 4

⚽ MLS: Philadelphia Union 5, San Diego FC 0

🏀 THE LAWYERS LOSE

Grant Mona’s lede does the work: the Clippers spent two weeks fighting the biggest punishment in league history, and late Sunday night Ballmer ended the fight.

The organization’s posture until then had been combative. It called the league’s process a heavily biased investigation. Ballmer’s own lawyer called it a witch hunt. Sunday’s statement went the other direction entirely, and it started with the people in the building.

“I want to apologize to our fans, employees, and my fellow NBA team owners for the distraction and distress this matter has caused, for which I accept responsibility as principal owner,” Ballmer wrote.

Mona’s read on the best line in it is right — the shortest one, where Ballmer wrote that team owners should support, not distract.

What he is accepting. A one-year suspension for himself. A $30 million fine, already paid. Five first-round picks, 2029 through 2033.

Why it might matter. Mona goes to Minnesota for the precedent, and it is the correct one. In 2000 the Timberwolves were caught in a secret deal with Joe Smith. David Stern fined them $3.5 million and took five straight first-rounders, 2001 through 2005. Minnesota won 47 games the next season, fell in line, and the league eventually gave back the 2003 and 2005 picks. Ballmer’s decision to stop fighting is the same posture that got Minnesota two of them back.

What he’s stepping away from. A team that went 42-40 last season, finished ninth in the West and lost its play-in game to Golden State — the first year out of the playoffs since 2022. Kawhi Leonard averaged a career-high 27.9 points in 65 games. Darius Garland gave the offense 19.9 and 6.4 in his 19 appearances after arriving midseason.

The picks are gone and the suspension starts now. But as Mona puts it, Sunday night showed an owner choosing his fans over his lawyers.

GO DEEPER

› Grant Mona: Steve Ballmer breaks his silence and accepts the NBA’s punishment of the Clippers (The Sporting Tribune)

🏈 CHARGERS, RAIDERS OPEN SEASON IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS

Raiders 27, Dolphins 13. Steve Carp opens with a question — “So this is what success looks and feels like?” — and then answers it. An offense that moved. A defense that stopped people. A crowd of 62,541 that cheered for the home team, which at Allegiant has not always been a given.

Kirk Cousins threw three touchdowns and two interceptions and passed 300 for his career. Two of the three went to Ashton Jeanty, who finished with 147 yards from scrimmage and 102 on the ground and showed nothing of the ankle that ended his preseason. Maxx Crosby had 1.5 sacks in a five-sack afternoon against Malik Willis. Rookie safety Treydan Stukes had an interception and breakups. Dylan Laube kept returning kicks to midfield. Las Vegas took 29 yards in penalties; Miami took 81.

“It was a team win,” Cousins said. “That’s how it should be around here.”

Carp gives credit where it belongs — Tyler Linderbaum at center, a John Spytek signing, was the difference up front — and then delivers the caution that makes the column worth reading twice: the Raiders won their opener last year for Pete Carroll, then lost 14 of the next 16. Cousins had the line for it, borrowed from assistant Mario Jeberaeel: “Trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets.”

Carinals 26, Chargers 14. And then Inglewood, where Fredo Cervantes watched a very different afternoon. The Chargers were 8.5-point favorites at home in front of 70,540 against a team that won three games last year and opened with the longest Super Bowl odds in the league.

They scored 14 points.

Justin Herbert went 17-of-27 for 209 with a touchdown and an interception and was sacked three times. The Chargers were 2-for-8 on third down and 0-for-3 on fourth. There was a blocked punt. There were turnovers. There was a fourth-and-goal before halftime that Harbaugh took instead of the tying field goal — Herbert got sacked, and Arizona drove for a field goal to lead 13-7 at the break.

Harbaugh’s words afterward: “sloppy,” “uncharacteristic,” and on the offensive line, “lots to improve, lots to get better at.”

Ladd McConkey had five catches for 82 and the only touchdown before leaving injured. David Njoku had five for 58.

Daiyan Henley summed it up better than anyone: “No one can hurt us more than ourselves.”

Fernando Ramirez has the second story from SoFi, on a new-look team failing its first test.

GO DEEPER

› Steve Carp: Raiders gave fans a reason to feel good again (The Sporting Tribune)

› Derek Hegna: Ashton Jeanty puts injury concerns to rest in Raiders’ promising Week One win (The Sporting Tribune)

› Fredo Cervantes: Harbaugh calls Chargers’ loss to Cardinals “sloppy” and “uncharacteristic” (The Sporting Tribune)

› Fernando Ramirez: Harbaugh’s new-look Chargers fail first test in ugly loss to Cardinals (The Sporting Tribune)

TOGETHER WITH BETONLINE

Today’s TST Best Bets are brought to you by BetOnline.ag. Join here — new players get a 50% welcome bonus and up to $250 in free bets.

🍔 THE DEALS BOARD

🍔 Jack in the Box — free Jumbo Jack with a large drink. Dodgers pitchers struck out eight in Miami; the threshold is seven, and it applies on the road. Code GODODGERS26, through midnight.

🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-oz Baja Blast. Zach Neto’s 440-footer at Nationals Park was one of four balls to clear 420 feet Sunday — Corey Seager’s went 458. Wallet pass at OTC Network stores.

🚒 Firehouse Subs — buy one medium sub, get one free. Three games went extra over the weekend, including the Angels’ 10-inning loss Saturday. Code EXTRA, digital orders, Firehouse Rewards account, good through Wednesday.

🥞 Norms — free short stack of buttermilk hotcakes. From the Galaxy’s goal at home Saturday. NORMS Rewards, SoCal locations — but this one expires at 8:14 tonight, so it’s today or nothing.

Dark today: Panda Express, McDonald’s, Sunright, El Portal, Con Azúcar, the Habit Burger Double Char and ampm all need a Dodgers home game or a win, and Miami provided neither. The McDonald’s Angels fries needed a win in Washington. San Diego FC’s Carl’s Jr. offer needed a home win, and 5-0 was not it.

📌 AROUND THE MARKETS

A bad weekend in Miami. The Dodgers won Friday behind Josue De Paula’s debut and then dropped both ends, 4-3 and 6-4. The seven-game winning streak is over and they head to Cincinnati this afternoon.

And a worse one in Washington. Jack Haslett has the Angels letting another lead slip in a third straight loss — all three to the Nationals, one of them in 10 innings.

One bright spot. Eric Evelhoch was at Oracle Park as the Padres completed a sweep of the Giants behind another fast start, with Tatis getting three hits and two RBI, Machado homering, Merrill doubling home two and rookie catcher Ethan Salas collecting his first major-league hit.

Something to watch. Mykell Mathieu writes from Rams Village that the lack of game-breaking speed could become a real problem — a thought that reads differently now that Myles Garrett is headed for surgery and the opener ended 27-7.

GO DEEPER

› Eric Evelhoch: Padres fast start is enough once again to complete sweep, Salas gets first hit (The Sporting Tribune)

› Jack Haslett: Angels let another lead slip away in third-straight loss (The Sporting Tribune)

› Mykell Mathieu: Rams’ lack of game-breaking speed could become a major concern (The Sporting Tribune)

› Angel Rodriguez: SDFC handed heavy 5-0 defeat at home by Philadelphia Union (The Sporting Tribune)

📺 WATCHLIST — MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

⚾ MLB: Dodgers at Reds — Great American Ball Park — 3:40 p.m. — SNLA

⚾ MLB: Padres at Rockies — Coors Field — 5:40 p.m. — Padres TV

⚾ MLB: Mariners at Angels — Angel Stadium — 6:38 p.m. — ABTV

Coming up: The Rams host the Giants at SoFi next Monday night. The Dodgers return to Dodger Stadium on Friday against the Giants. UNLV and Hawai’i are both on bye until Sept. 26. Shohei Ohtani is eligible to come off the injured list Sept. 23.

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

Get-in prices across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawii— brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.

⚾ Mariners at Angels — Angel Stadium — $4

⚾ Giants at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium (Friday) — $64

🏈 Giants at Rams — SoFi Stadium (next Monday) — $101

🌴 TST TRIVIA

In writing about the Clippers’ penalty, Grant Mona points to the one franchise that has been through something similar — stripped of five straight first-round picks for a secret contract agreement, and later given two of them back. Which team, and which player was at the center of it?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

Today’s episode: Grant Mona on Steve Ballmer accepting the harshest penalty in NBA history, a Raiders win that felt like something, a Chargers loss that felt like something else, and where the Rams go without Myles Garrett.

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: The Minnesota Timberwolves, over their secret deal with Joe Smith in 2000.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

Humbled at the MCG

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 12:40:14 GMT

Good morning.The Rams opened their season on the other side of the world and got their doors blown off. The Dodgers land in Miami with a seven-game winning streak and no Shohei Ohtani. The Angels have quietly won three in a row. Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn fight at T-Mobile Arena tomorrow night. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

🏈 Deeper than jet lag. The Rams were beaten in every phase, and the travel is not the reason — Arash Markazi at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

🏈 “A humbling day.” McVay’s post-game accounting of a 27-7 loss — Muhammed Asif in Melbourne.

🥊 Saturday at T-Mobile. Garcia’s road back continues against Benn on Mexican Independence Day weekend — Will Despart at T-Mobile Arena.

🏒 Six more years. The Golden Knights extended Bowman — Steve Carp at City National Arena.

🏈 The first storm. Derek Hegna on Brock Bowers and what the Kubiak era has to weather — Derek Hegna at the Intermountain Health Performance Center.

⚾ The end of a first. Ontario’s inaugural season is over — Ernesto Madrigal-Rodriguez at ONT Field.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD

🏈 NFL (Thursday): 49ers 27, Rams 7 (at the Melbourne Cricket Ground)

⚾ MLB: The Dodgers and Angels were both off Thursday. Catching up from Wednesday — Angels 6, Red Sox 4.

⚽ MLS (Wednesday, catching up): San Jose 3, San Diego FC 2 · Vancouver 3, Galaxy 0

🏈 THE TRIP WASN’T THE PROBLEM

Arash Markazi’s column is the one to read this morning, and its argument is harder than the easy one available.

The Rams arrived with the reigning MVP, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and the heaviest Super Bowl odds in more than a decade. They landed a day before kickoff, played, and left. San Francisco had been in Melbourne a week. When you lose 27-7, that contrast becomes the story.

McVay took it head on. “I don’t believe that’s why we didn’t play well enough. I really don’t,” he said. “It’s easy in hindsight to say it was a miss. Those are responsibilities that I’ll take.”

Markazi’s verdict splits the difference and lands harder for it: the travel plan deserves scrutiny, and it is not the excuse. “Based on what these teams showed, I don’t believe arriving a week earlier would have changed the winner. The Rams could have spent a month in Melbourne and still needed to play substantially better to beat San Francisco.”

Kobie Turner reached for the London trip as precedent — “We took the same steps last year when we went to go play the Jaguars in London. We beat them.” Markazi’s rebuttal is the detail that makes the column: the Rams had already played in Baltimore and stayed on the East Coast for a week before a seven-hour hop to London. Leaving Los Angeles for Melbourne is not the same journey.

What the players actually described was worse than jet lag. Stafford: “We didn’t do the things that we are accustomed to doing. That’s just communicating, operating, being on the same page. Too many times we were on different pages.” And then: “That starts with me. I’m the guy that’s communicating all that stuff.”

He went 15-for-25 for 155 yards, no touchdowns, one interception. The sequence that decided it came from inside the 1 — Stafford stopped on a sneak, and San Francisco answering with a 99-yard touchdown drive. “Yeah, yeah,” Stafford said when asked if the sneak was called. “I just got to find a way to get it.”

Turner: “Anytime we let a team drive from the one and score a touchdown, we’re not going to win a lot of games that way.”

And then there is Myles Garrett, who finished his first game as a Ram with no tackles and said something the Rams will be living with for a while. Asked whether his knee was painful: “Yeah.” Asked whether he had felt fully healthy going in, he made clear he had not.

“This was the worst version of myself that I’ve put out there,” Garrett said. “I’ve got to be better. I’ve got to find a way to recover and to get back to the player I know I can be.”

Then the part that should worry Los Angeles most: “When I was out there, I was a little bit more focused on myself, trying to stay healthy, not what they were doing. That showed.”

McVay apologized to Australian fans and did not argue with any of it. “Sometimes sports can humble you and today was one of those days. I make no excuses. Whether you want to say it’s travel, whatever. We just weren’t good enough in that window.”

One game. But as Markazi closes it: they can fix the next itinerary with an earlier departure. Closing the distance between the team they were supposed to be and the one that showed up in Melbourne takes considerably more than that.

GO DEEPER

› Arash Markazi: Rams’ problems go deeper than jet lag after Melbourne humiliation (The Sporting Tribune)

› Muhammed Asif: Sean McVay speaks out after Rams’ crushing 27-7 loss to 49ers (The Sporting Tribune)

One more from Melbourne: San Francisco rookie receiver De’Zhaun Stribling went down with a non-contact ankle injury, and George Kittle played eight months after Achilles surgery without looking like himself. The 49ers fly home 1-0 in the division and paid something for it.

TOGETHER WITH BETONLINE

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🍔 THE DEALS BOARD

⭐ Carl’s Jr. — free Famous Star with cheese with a large drink after the Rams recorded an interception. Code RAMS7146 in the app.

🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-oz Baja Blast. Cam Smith’s 421-footer for Houston on Thursday keeps this one alive. Wallet pass at OTC Network stores. This is the rare deal that doesn’t need a Los Angeles team to play.

🎰 VEGAS, ON FIGHT WEEKEND

We have the fight covered from both sides. Will Despart writes from T-Mobile Arena on Ryan Garcia’s road to redemption continuing against Conor Benn on Mexican Independence Day weekend — the single biggest boxing weekend on the Las Vegas calendar. Michael Huezo breaks down what each man has to get right to win it. And earlier this week Despart had Benn saying he is ready for his championship moment.

Elsewhere in the desert: Steve Carp reports the Golden Knights have bet on Bowman with a six-year extension, and Derek Hegna writes that Brock Bowers has become the first real storm the Kubiak-era Raiders have to weather — two days before they open against Miami at Allegiant Stadium.

GO DEEPER

› Will Despart: Ryan Garcia’s road to redemption continues against Conor Benn on Mexican Independence Day weekend (The Sporting Tribune)

› Michael Huezo: What Garcia and Benn each need to get right at T-Mobile Arena (The Sporting Tribune)

› Steve Carp: Knights bet on Bowman with six-year extension (The Sporting Tribune)

› Derek Hegna: Brock Bowers has become the first storm to weather for the Kubiak-era Raiders (The Sporting Tribune)

📌 AROUND THE MARKETS

Ontario’s first season is over. Ernesto Madrigal-Rodriguez was at ONT Field for the end of the Tower Buzzers’ inaugural year, which finished in the Cal League playoffs. Not many outlets in Southern California staffed a first-year Single-A club start to finish. We did.

Mark your calendar. Carlos Yakimowich has the Lakers’ full 2026-27 promotional schedule — bobblehead nights, jersey giveaways and the rest. Useful if you buy tickets around that sort of thing, and most people do.

GO DEEPER

› Ernesto Madrigal-Rodriguez: Tower Buzzers’ historic first season comes to an end (The Sporting Tribune)

› Carlos Yakimowich: Lakers announce promotional schedule for 2026-27 season (The Sporting Tribune)

📺 WATCHLIST — FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

⚾ MLB: Angels at Nationals — Nationals Park — 3:45 p.m. — ABTV

⚾ MLB: Dodgers at Marlins — loanDepot Park — 4:10 p.m. — SNLA

⚽ NWSL: Summit FC at Angel City FC — BMO Stadium — 7:00 p.m. — Victory

⚾ MLB: Padres at Giants — Oracle Park — 7:15 p.m. — Apple TV

Watch for: Josue De Paula, 21 years old and called up straight from Double-A, is expected to make his major-league debut in Miami with Ohtani on the injured list until at least Sept. 23.

Coming up: Garcia-Benn at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday. USC hosts Louisiana, UNLV travels to North Texas and Hawai’i hosts New Mexico State on Saturday, and the Galaxy host Seattle. The Raiders open against Miami at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, and San Diego FC hosts Philadelphia.

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

Get-in prices across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii — brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.

🥊 Garcia vs. Benn — T-Mobile Arena (Saturday) — $145

🏈 Louisiana at USC — Coliseum (Saturday) — $15

🏈 San Diego State at UCLA — Rose Bowl (Saturday) — $30

🏈 Dolphins at Raiders — Allegiant Stadium (Sunday) — $205

🏈 Cardinals at Chargers — SoFi Stadium (Sunday) — $25

🌴 TST TRIVIA

The Rams and 49ers played the first NFL regular-season game ever held in Australia on Thursday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. How many people were in the building?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

Today’s episode: a 27-7 opener on the other side of the world, what Myles Garrett said about his knee, a Dodgers team arriving in Miami without Ohtani, and a big fight weekend in Las Vegas.

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: 100,021.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

The night the Dodgers scored 14 and nobody talked about it

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 13:36:11 GMT

Good morning. The Rams play a real football game today, on the other side of the world, without Aaron Donald and against a 49ers team that just got George Kittle back. The Dodgers are 89-57 and have won seven in a row and will spend today on a plane to Miami without their best player. LAFC won on the hottest night of the year. And Fredo Cervantes broke the biggest story in baseball last night and then wrote the sharpest thing anyone has written about it. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

⚾ To the IL. Ohtani is shut down; 21-year-old Josue De Paula comes up from Double-A — Fredo Cervantes at Dodger Stadium.

🏈 Kickoff. The Rams open in Melbourne with Kittle and Bosa back for San Francisco — Muhammed Asif in Melbourne.

⚽ 95 degrees at kickoff. LAFC beat the Red Bulls 2-0 — Jeff Kennedy at BMO Stadium.

⚽ Shut out in Vancouver. The Galaxy gave one away at BC Place — Sergio Gonzalez at BC Place.

🏈 Every day. Steve Carp on Klint Kubiak and the slow work of changing a culture — Steve Carp at the Intermountain Health Performance Center.

🥊 Saturday in Vegas. Conor Benn says he is ready for Ryan Garcia — Will Despart in Las Vegas.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — WEDNESDAY

⚾ MLB: Dodgers 14, Reds 1 (sweep)

⚽ MLS: LAFC 2, Red Bulls 0 · Vancouver 3, Galaxy 0

⚾ THE STORY WASN’T THE SCORE

Fredo Cervantes had it first on X, from Dave Roberts, and then wrote the column the situation deserved.

Ohtani has missed six of the Dodgers’ last seven games. The one he played was Monday, when he went 0-for-3 and felt something in his swing. He didn’t tell anyone that night. The training staff and Roberts found out Tuesday, when he was in the cage.

Because he is classified as a two-way player, the IL stint is 15 days. The earliest he can return is Sept. 23 — five regular-season games before the playoffs start.

Roberts made the reasoning plain. “Disappointed in the sense that he wants to play but he realizes it’s the best thing for him so he can be the player we all want him to be in October.” And then the line that settles the question of severity: “If it were a postseason game tomorrow, he’d be in the lineup.”

Cervantes doesn’t leave it there, and he shouldn’t. His own verdict on how this was handled: “I’m not convinced it was.” A player felt something Monday, the club learned Tuesday, the IL came Wednesday. With three weeks to the postseason, that gap matters.

The 14-1 part. Yamamoto went seven on three hits and one run with 10 strikeouts on 90 pitches. The one blemish was Elly De La Cruz, who has now homered off Tarik Skubal and Yamamoto on consecutive nights. Mookie Betts hit a two-run shot in the third, his 19th of the year and his 171st as a Dodger, tying Pedro Guerrero for 11th in franchise history. The fourth inning was six runs. Kiké Hernández doubled home two, Kyle Tucker doubled, Alex Freeland doubled him in. Max Muncy’s 27th made it 11-1. It was the Dodgers’ first double-digit game since Aug. 17.

Enter De Paula. Twenty-one years old, called up straight from Double-A, where he put up a .948 OPS with 27 home runs. He debuts Friday in Miami and gets the DH job while Ohtani is out. Roberts’s explanation: “You could argue the talent in Double-A is similar to Triple-A as far as pure arms and arm talent. We’ve seen him in camp for two or three years. He doesn’t run from velocity, this is a good opportunity for him.”

Betts, who has barely seen him: “I know he’s a good kid, and we’ll see. I’m excited to see him.”

GO DEEPER

› Fredo Cervantes: Dodgers place Shohei Ohtani on IL, call up Josue De Paula (The Sporting Tribune)

🏈 MELBOURNE, THIS EVENIN

The Rams open their season at the MCG this evening our time, and the injury news broke their way and then broke back.

San Francisco gets George Kittle. Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that the tight end — who ruptured his right Achilles on Jan. 11 and was listed as limited in practice this week — is off the injury report and will play. That is a seven-month return from an injury that usually takes nine to twelve. Nick Bosa is also back, for the first time since 2025 following an ACL tear, and Christian McCaffrey is fully healthy with no snap restrictions.

Kyle Shanahan is not planning to run either returning star into the ground. “We got to be smart with that,” he said Wednesday. “They both look great and stuff, but we also definitely have to be smart with that.”

Aaron Donald will not play. Sean McVay said Tuesday that Donald is staying home entirely — not because of a new injury, but because coming back from two years away is a gradual build. “He won’t play in this game. He’s doing a great job. I think he’ll be ready to go sooner rather than later, but we’re making a decision that we think is best for him and for our team.” McVay would not commit to Week 2.

Myles Garrett will play, and he has been saying all week that he is ready. The Rams’ interior line without Donald: Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Poona Ford, Tyler Davis and Ty Hamilton.

The two teams took opposite approaches to the trip — the 49ers have been in Australia a week, the Rams flew Tuesday night and land Thursday morning, roughly a day before kickoff, on a minute-by-minute sleep plan McVay called “very specific, strategic.” We are about to find out which theory was right.

GO DEEPER

› Muhammed Asif: Rams handed major setback hours before kickoff (The Sporting Tribune)

› Rams wrap up practice in Woodland Hills before long flight and quick turnaround in Melbourne (The Sporting Tribune)

TOGETHER WITH BETONLINE

Today’s TST Best Bets are brought to you by BetOnline.ag. Join here — new players get a 50% welcome bonus and up to $250 in free bets.

🍔 THE DEALS BOARD

🐼 Panda Express — $7 Panda Plate. Dodgers home win. Code DODGERSWIN, Panda Rewards account required, through 11:59 p.m.

🍟 McDonald’s — free 6-piece Chicken McNuggets with a $2 purchase. Fourteen runs, six required. Rewards & Deals in the app.

🍔 Jack in the Box — free Jumbo Jack with a large drink. Yamamoto struck out 10 by himself. Code GODODGERS26.

🍔 The Habit Burger Grill — free Double Char with an $8 minimum. The Dodgers completed two double plays. MyHabit, “My Offers,” code DODGERS26.

🍗 Ono Hawaiian BBQ — $5.99 Chicken Plate Lunch. LAFC scored first in the first half at home — Jude Terry in the 22nd minute. Code LAFCSCORES, online only, registered users. This one has triggered five times all season.

🛵 DoorDash — $10 off a $20+ order. LAFC won. The code drops on LAFC’s Instagram story rather than a terms page, so check there. LA County, delivery only.

🧋 Sunright Tea Studio — BOGO Blue Heaven Frostie. Home win. Code ILOVELA.

🌮 El Portal, Pasadena — $12 combination plates and $7 house margaritas. Order online for pickup.

☕ Con Azúcar Café, Sylmar — free size upgrade and Dodgers latte art. Say “Dodgers win!” at the register.

Very likely: the Mountain Dew Baja Blast pass needs one 420-foot home run anywhere in baseball, and it has hit in 159 of 164 games this season. Worth checking: the Habit Burger Double Char needs a double play, ampm needs a stolen base, and the McDonald’s Angels fries deal needs a Wednesday win at Fenway — none of which we could confirm this morning. Dark today: the Firehouse Subs window closed Wednesday, and the Norms hotcakes need a Galaxy goal, which Vancouver did not allow.

⚽ THE HOTTEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR

Jeff Kennedy’s lede is the right one: 95 degrees at kickoff, humidity that never broke, one of the oldest teams in MLS against one of the youngest, and experience winning it.

Marc Dos Santos doubled down on the counter-attacking identity that a section of the fanbase has been arguing about, and in that heat it worked. LAFC invited pressure. New York obliged and couldn’t finish. Every stoppage became a water break.

The opener came in the 22nd minute from the youngest player on the second-oldest team in the league — 17-year-old Jude Terry, side-footing home from the top of the box after Ethan Horvath parried a shot back into danger. Armando Sieb added a stoppage-time second. Denis Bouanga didn’t score but tormented Deylan Nealis all night, and Jacob Shaffelburg stretched the Red Bulls’ back line from the right.

By the final whistle players were on the ground. Dos Santos was candid about what it cost. “This league doesn’t allow you a lot of rest,” he said. “And when you have some older players, it’s hard for them to play Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday again.” Then: “At the end, the players were tired, but it shows what they achieved.”

Up in Vancouver, the Galaxy were shut out at BC Place.

GO DEEPER

› Jeff Kennedy: LAFC defeat RBNY in stifling SoCal heat (The Sporting Tribune)

› David Martinez: Terry and Sieb shine as LAFC dominate New York Red Bulls to end winless run (The Sporting Tribune)

› Sergio Gonzalez: Poor miscues cost LA Galaxy in shutout road loss to Vancouver (The Sporting Tribune)

🎰 FROM LAS VEGAS

The Raiders open Sunday. Steve Carp writes that for Klint Kubiak, changing the culture at the Intermountain Health Performance Center is daily work rather than a speech. Derek Hegna, meanwhile, asks the question the whole market wants answered: what exactly is the plan for Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick sitting behind Kirk Cousins?

Benn-Garcia on Saturday. Will Despart has Conor Benn saying he is ready for his championship moment against Ryan Garcia.

GO DEEPER

› Steve Carp: For Kubiak, changing the Raiders’ culture is a daily endeavor (The Sporting Tribune)

› Derek Hegna: What is the plan for Fernando Mendoza this season? (The Sporting Tribune)

› Will Despart: Conor Benn is ready for his championship moment against Ryan Garcia (The Sporting Tribune)

📺 WATCHLIST — THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

🏈 NFL: Rams vs. 49ers — Melbourne Cricket Ground — this evening our time (10:35 a.m. Friday in Australia)

⚾ MLB: The Dodgers are off, then fly to Miami. The Padres finished their homestand Wednesday.

Coming up: The Dodgers open at Miami on Friday at 4:10 p.m., with Josue De Paula expected to make his major-league debut. Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn fight in Las Vegas on Saturday. USC hosts Louisiana, UNLV travels to North Texas and Hawai’i hosts New Mexico State on Saturday. The Raiders open against Miami at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, and the Galaxy host Seattle.

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

Get-in prices across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii— brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.

🏈 Dolphins at Raiders — Allegiant Stadium (Sunday) — $204

🏈 Louisiana at USC — Coliseum (Saturday) — $23

⚽ Sounders at Galaxy — Dignity Health Sports Park (Saturday) — $42

🌴 TST TRIVIA

Mookie Betts hit his 171st home run as a Dodger on Wednesday night, tying him for 11th on the franchise’s all-time list. Whom did he tie?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

📻 Listen on radio and podcast. The show airs on SportsGrid Radio, distributed through Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, iHeartRadio and TuneIn.

Today’s episode: Ohtani to the injured list and what it means for October, a 14-1 sweep that got buried, the Rams opening a season in Australia without Aaron Donald, and a 17-year-old winning a game in 95-degree heat.

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: Pedro Guerrero.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

Aaron Donald will sit out opener

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:52:14 GMT

Good morning. Six games in Southern California on Wednesday and three of them kick off at 7:30. The Rams are somewhere over the Pacific. The Dodgers have won six in a row and cut their magic number to seven. The Padres are half a game out with 17 to play. And in Beverly Hills, a man who once sold hair clips off a folding table at UCLA is making the rings that champions put on their hands. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

🏈 Not this week. McVay says Aaron Donald stays home; Myles Garrett plays — The Sporting Tribune at Rams Village.

⚾ Six in a row. Skubal went into the eighth, Teoscar reached base four times — Fredo Cervantes at Dodger Stadium.

⚾ Again. Four in the eighth, and the Padres came all the way back — Eric Evelhoch at Petco Park.

⚾ Nobody has done this. Reid Detmers has a streak no Angels starter has ever had — Jack Janes at Fenway Park.

💍 The ring maker. Twenty championship teams, and it started with a $468 loan — Arash Markazi in Beverly Hills.

🏀 Number nine. Phil Jackson is getting a statue at Star Plaza — Carlos Yakimowich in Los Angeles.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — TUESDAY

⚾ MLB: Dodgers 3, Reds 2 · Padres 5, Nationals 4 · Angels 6, Red Sox 1

⚾ Minors: Ontario dropped Game 1 of the Cal League playoffs at ONT Field — Ernesto Madrigal-Rodriguez was there.

🏈 SIXTEEN HOURS, AND ONE MAN STAYING PUT

The Rams finished their last practice in Woodland Hills on Tuesday and got on a plane that night. They land in Melbourne on Thursday morning, roughly 24 hours before kickoff. The 49ers have been there a week.

“I’m just so excited about this 16-hour flight,” McVay joked.

The plan is to make the strange feel ordinary. The Rams will treat arrival day like a regular Saturday, right down to when players sleep and when they wake, ahead of a 10:35 a.m. local kickoff — Thursday evening here.

“Every minute is accounted for and we’ve got a very specific, strategic plan that’s been thought out,” McVay said. “Everything is geared towards one thing and one thing only, what’s going to be best for our players to be able to go play their best.”

Aaron Donald will not be on the trip.

“He won’t play in this game. He’s doing a great job,” McVay said. “I think he’ll be ready to go sooner rather than later, but we’re making a decision that we think is best for him and for our team.” He would not commit to Week 2 either.

Donald had described himself Monday as rusty. McVay disagreed with the word but not the caution — two years away is two years away, and the details of taking on a double team don’t come back on a schedule.

Myles Garrett will play. “He’s going to be ready to go. He’s looked great,” McVay said. “We’ve been smart with Myles, but his impact has been tremendous.” Garrett’s own version was shorter: “I feel ready for the season opener.”

He also said the thing that should worry the rest of the NFC West. Asked about working next to Donald, even with their first game together postponed: “It’s been special. He has his own way of doing things, physically as well as mentally. He speaks the game and being able to work off of him is truly a special thing.”

The interior for now: Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Poona Ford, Tyler Davis and Ty Hamilton.

GO DEEPER

› Rams wrap up practice in Woodland Hills before long flight and quick turnaround in Melbourne (The Sporting Tribune)

› Mykell Mathieu: Rams’ middle linebackers could be the key to an all-time great defense (The Sporting Tribune)

💍 $468, A FOLDING TABLE, AND TWENTY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Arash Markazi sat in Jason Arasheben’s Beverly Hills office this week surrounded by rings from 20 championship teams — Lakers, Rams, Warriors, Bucks, Buccaneers, Celtics, Nuggets, Aces, Golden Knights. The newest is the Seahawks’ Super Bowl LX ring: 20 carats of white diamonds and Seahawks blue sapphires, 50 diamonds around the logo for the franchise’s 50th season, and arches of Lumen Field that pop open at the press of a 12 Flag button to reveal the words WORLD CHAMPIONS. It is believed to be the largest Super Bowl ring ever made.

Arasheben does not look at that shelf and see stones.

“You look at these rings and, yes, they’re expensive and they’re all sitting in one place,” he said. “But all it does is remind me of how much we had to endure to be able to not only get the contract, but actually fulfill it.”

The endurance started with $28,000 in credit card debt his sophomore year at UCLA, and a $468 loan from a friend to buy plastic hair clips and cheap silver in the downtown wholesale district. He sold $800 worth the first day off a six-foot table on campus. Then tables at USC, UCSB, Cal State LA, Northridge, Irvine. Then display cases in more than 200 nail and hair salons between Los Angeles and San Diego. When he told his father he wasn’t going to law school, his father stopped speaking to him for two and a half years.

He talked his way into the jewelry business by introducing himself as a jeweler before he was one — hand-drawn designs, a homemade catalog of magazine clippings, and a fourth attempt at Anthony Mason that finally landed a $20,000 deposit on a piece he had no idea how to make.

The Lakers gave him the real chance. Jerry Buss handed a kid who had never made a championship ring the 2009 contract because, as Arasheben put it, “He wanted an L.A. person to make the L.A. ring.” His team slept on the factory floor. The last player ring was finished 20 minutes before the ceremony.

Then came 20 straight rejections over five years, and the Warriors’ 2015 title that broke them.

The full column is worth your morning. It is a Los Angeles story about the distance between wanting to be in the arena and finding your own way in.

GO DEEPER

› Arash Markazi: For Jason of Beverly Hills, every championship ring began with a chance (The Sporting Tribune)

› Carlos Yakimowich: Lakers announce Phil Jackson statue — the ninth figure honored at Star Plaza, unveiling April 9, 2027 (The Sporting Tribune)

› Arash Markazi: Derek Stevens built Circa for sports fans and then he gave them a reason to keep coming back (The Sporting Tribune)

TOGETHER WITH BETONLINE

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🍔 THE DEALS BOARD

🐼 Panda Express — $7 Panda Plate. Dodgers home win. Code DODGERSWIN, Panda Rewards account required, through 11:59 p.m.

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🍔 Jack in the Box — free Jumbo Jack with a large drink. The Dodgers had eight strikeouts. Code GODODGERS26.

🍟 McDonald’s (Angels) — free medium fries with a $2 purchase. Detmers and a 6-1 win at Fenway. Rewards & Deals in the app. First time this one has been live in over a week.

🧋 Sunright Tea Studio — BOGO Blue Heaven Frostie. Home win. Code ILOVELA.

🌮 El Portal, Pasadena — $12 combination plates and $7 house margaritas. Order online for pickup.

☕ Con Azúcar Café, Sylmar — free size upgrade and Dodgers latte art. Say “Dodgers win!” at the register.

🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-oz Baja Blast. Elly De La Cruz’s 444-foot shot into the left-field pavilion cleared the 420-foot bar by itself. Wallet pass at OTC Network stores.

🚒 Firehouse Subs — buy one medium sub, get one free. Code EXTRA, digital orders, Firehouse Rewards account. Today is the last day of the Monday-to-Wednesday window.

⚾ A WIN THAT WASN’T PRETTY, AND A THROW THAT WAS

Fredo Cervantes’s framing is the right one: the Dodgers have spent the year making the extraordinary look routine, and Tuesday they won the unglamorous way. Skubal went 7⅓ — the first time he has reached the eighth as a Dodger, and only the second time all season — on four hits, two runs, five strikeouts, 94 pitches.

“I don’t think I’ve thrown the ball as well as I know I’m capable of yet,” Skubal said. Which should terrify everyone else.

The one mistake was an 87-mph changeup on the first pitch to Elly De La Cruz, who hit it an estimated 444 feet into the left-field pavilion to tie it. Skubal didn’t allow another run.

Will Smith opened the scoring with his seventh homer, his first since May 29 and his first since coming off the IL. Tommy Edman was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for the second.

Then Teoscar Hernández, who has become impossible to ignore: 3-for-3 with two singles, a triple and a walk, the go-ahead RBI in the fifth, an RBI in six straight games and a .484 stretch over his last nine (15-for-31, 12 RBI). He very nearly had an inside-the-park home run, too, until De La Cruz threw a 105.5-mph strike to the plate.

“I think he’s the only one that can throw me out in that situation,” Hernández said. “I thought I was so close but then I watched the replay and I was not.” Then, laughing: “I wanted to stay in the dugout.”

Dave Roberts just enjoyed it. “To see a guy hit 400 feet and throw a ball 105.5 MPH, I put my fan cap on.”

Los Angeles is 88-57, six straight, magic number seven in the West, three up on Atlanta for the No. 2 seed.

GO DEEPER

› Fredo Cervantes: Teoscar, Skubal lead Dodgers to sixth straight win (The Sporting Tribune)

⚾ A BIG NIGHT FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BASEBALL

San Diego 5, Washington 4. Eric Evelhoch has the Padres down most of the night and facing a bullpen game, then scoring one in the seventh and four in the eighth. Luis Campusano fought off a fastball in on the hands and dumped a broken-bat single into shallow right-center for the winner. Manny Machado had tied it a batter earlier with a two-run single up the middle. It was San Diego’s 11th win this season after trailing by three or more; Washington has now blown a lead 45 times, the most in baseball. Casey Mize went 5⅔ with seven strikeouts. Adrian Morejon closed it for his third save.

Arizona won in 11 at Kansas City, so the Padres are still half a game back for the last wild card. Walker Buehler goes today at 1:10.

Los Angeles 6, Boston 1. Jack Janes writes that nobody in baseball has been better since the All-Star break than Reid Detmers — a major-league-best 1.37 ERA over 10 starts, 68 strikeouts in 59⅓ innings. Tuesday was six shutout innings and nine strikeouts at Fenway, his sixth straight start of at least six innings allowing one run or fewer. No Angels starter has ever done that. He allowed one hit, walked one, and never let a runner reach scoring position. He threw a career-high 112 pitches, mostly because Red Sox hitters kept fouling them off — seven at-bats went at least six pitches.

He is 2-2 over those 10 starts, which tells you everything about the offense behind him. Tuesday it showed up: Zach Neto went 4-for-5 and put his 24th homer over the Green Monster, and eight of the nine starters had a hit.

GO DEEPER

› Eric Evelhoch: Padres complete another multi-run comeback late, rally past Nationals (The Sporting Tribune)

› Jack Janes: Detmers adds to torrid stretch in Angels win (The Sporting Tribune)

📺 WATCHLIST — WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

⚾ MLB: Nationals at Padres — Petco Park — 1:10 p.m. — Padres TV

⚾ MLB: Angels at Red Sox — Fenway Park — 3:45 p.m. — ABTV

⚾ MLB: Reds at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — 7:10 p.m. — SNLA

⚽ MLS: Red Bulls at LAFC — BMO Stadium — 7:30 p.m. — Apple TV

⚽ MLS: Galaxy at Whitecaps — BC Place — 7:30 p.m. — Apple TV

⚽ MLS: Earthquakes at San Diego FC — Snapdragon Stadium — 7:30 p.m. — Apple TV

Coming up: The Rams open the season against San Francisco in Melbourne on Thursday evening in Los Angeles. USC hosts Louisiana, UNLV goes to North Texas and Hawai’i hosts New Mexico State on Saturday. The Raiders open against the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday while the Chargers take on the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium.

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

Get-in prices across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii— brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.

⚾ Reds at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — $44

⚾ Nationals at Padres — Petco Park — $5

⚽ Red Bulls at LAFC — BMO Stadium — $24

⚽ Earthquakes at San Diego FC — Snapdragon Stadium — $13

🌴 TST TRIVIA

Jason Arasheben has now designed championship rings for 20 title-winning teams, including the Lakers, Rams, Aces and Golden Knights. He started the business as a UCLA sophomore by borrowing money from a friend to buy hair clips and silver trinkets downtown. How much did he borrow?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

Today’s episode: Aaron Donald stays home while the Rams fly to Australia, a Dodgers winning streak that keeps finding new ways to continue, Reid Detmers doing something no Angel has done, and the man in Beverly Hills who makes the rings.

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: $468.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

Ohtani done pitching this season

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 11:22:07 GMT

Good morning. The Dodgers are 87-57 and playing their best baseball of the season, and the biggest thing that happened Monday night had nothing to do with the score. Down the freeway, Nick Pivetta pitched for the first time since April and the Padres stayed within half a game of a playoff spot. The Rams practice in Woodland Hills today and get on a plane to Australia tonight, with Aaron Donald still undecided. And in Las Vegas, Dan Mullen brought his dog to the podium. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

⚾ ‘Most likely no.’ Ohtani says he is likely finished pitching this season and will focus on hitting — Fredo Cervantes at Dodger Stadium.

🏈 Wheels up tonight. The Rams finish preparations at home; Donald’s status for Melbourne is still open — The Sporting Tribune at Rams Village.

⚾ Five months later. Nick Pivetta returned and the Padres held on 3-2 — Fernando Ramirez at Petco Park.

🏈 A dog and a pineapple. Steve Carp on the Rebels’ response in Honolulu — Steve Carp at the Fertitta Football Complex.

🏈 Two minutes, then he hangs up. John Spytek on what Klint Kubiak is like to work for — Muhammed Asif in Las Vegas.

🏈 The middle of it all. Mykell Mathieu on why the linebackers may decide how good this Rams defense gets — Mykell Mathieu at Rams Village.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — MONDAY

⚾ MLB: Dodgers 6, Reds 3 · Padres 3, Nationals 2 · Red Sox 5, Angels 2

⚾ THE DODGERS DON’T NEED HIM TO PITCH

Fredo Cervantes asked the question everyone in the building wanted answered: is Ohtani still working toward pitching this season?

“Most likely no,” Ohtani said. “I’m going to be focusing on hitting moving forward.”

Then he was asked how close he is to 100 percent. “During the season it’s hard to really feel one hundred percent at any time in the season,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I’m there. The concerns are the arm and knee.”

He called the decision disappointing, and then framed it the way he frames everything. “I think what I was more focused on was to make sure that the pitching wouldn’t cost the most worst scenario, which was for me not to be able to play at all.”

Cervantes’s argument is the right one: there is no reason to force this. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a frontline October starter. Tarik Skubal was added at the deadline. Blake Snell has two Cy Youngs and is rounding into form. Tyler Glasnow is there when healthy. The Dodgers do not need Shohei Ohtani to throw another pitch in 2026. They need him standing in the batter’s box in October, and he entered Monday hitting .277 with 30 home runs and 80 RBIs in 134 games.

Monday was also Emmet Sheehan’s night. Called up from Oklahoma City after Bobby Miller was optioned, he tied his career high with 10 strikeouts — 5.2 innings, three hits, one earned run, two walks, 82 pitches, 18 whiffs. He had been sent down Aug. 2 with a 5.29 ERA. He came back looking like a postseason weapon.

And Teoscar Hernández hit the ball that decided it, a three-run shot off Brandon Williamson in the sixth, his 13th of the year. Ohtani went 0-for-3 with a walk in his return after missing four games. The Dodgers went 4-0 without him. Make of that what you will — his words, more or less.

GO DEEPER

› Fredo Cervantes: Shohei Ohtani likely done pitching this season, will focus on hitting (The Sporting Tribune)

🏈 ONE MORE PRACTICE, THEN AUSTRALIA

San Francisco has been in Melbourne for nearly a week. The Rams are still in Woodland Hills, with one more workout Tuesday before flying out that night — and the biggest question travels with them.

Aaron Donald said Monday was a recovery day with a cardio workout, and that he would be back on the practice field Tuesday. He has been taking 11-on-11 reps since coming out of retirement, and he sounds surprised by how it has gone.

“It’s better than what I thought it would be, honestly. Things are clicking a little faster,” Donald said. “I’m feeling good, knocking the rust off. I thought I’d be a lot more rusty than I was, but taking it day by day.”

He would not commit to playing Thursday. Neither would his coordinator.

“Everything’s day-by-day,” Chris Shula said. “We’re ready for him if he does, ready for him if he doesn’t. We’ll have a plan for however many plays he feels like he can go and we’ll go from there.”

Donald’s own framing was that he does not have to carry it alone — not with Myles Garrett, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Poona Ford around him. “I don’t have to worry about playing 70, 60 snaps when you have a group like this.”

On offense, Puka Nacua said he feels great after the psoas injury that limited him, and that the continuity is showing up in the details — Davante Adams teaching daily, Matthew Stafford telling receivers exactly where to be. “I think there’s an understanding that the goal wasn’t completed last year,” Nacua said. “There’s only one team that gets to walk away from the season happy.”

Nacua, who has family in Australia, said his flight plan is to sleep as much as possible. Donald’s was simpler. “I just thought about playing ball, that’s it.”

GO DEEPER

› Rams finish preparations at home as Melbourne opener approaches (The Sporting Tribune)

› Mykell Mathieu: Rams’ middle linebackers could be the key to an all-time great defense (The Sporting Tribune)

› Rams bring floating football field to Melbourne ahead of historic Australia game (The Sporting Tribune)

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🍟 McDonald’s — free 6-piece Chicken McNuggets with a $2 purchase. Six runs, six required — right on the line. Rewards & Deals in the app.

🍔 Jack in the Box — free Jumbo Jack with a large drink. Sheehan struck out 10 by himself; the threshold is seven. Code GODODGERS26.

🧋 Sunright Tea Studio — BOGO Blue Heaven Frostie. Home win. Code ILOVELA.

🌮 El Portal, Pasadena — $12 combination plates and $7 house margaritas. Order online for pickup.

☕ Con Azúcar Café, Sylmar — free size upgrade and Dodgers latte art. Say “Dodgers win!” at the register.

🚒 Firehouse Subs — buy one medium sub, get one free. Five MLB games went to extra innings over the weekend. Code EXTRA, digital orders, Firehouse Rewards account, good through Wednesday.

⚾ PIVETTA, FIVE MONTHS LATER

The Padres had not seen Nick Pivetta since April 12. Fernando Ramirez writes that he picked up roughly where he left off: five innings, 63 pitches, two hits, two strikeouts, no runs.

“It was important day, exciting day, a lot of emotion,” Pivetta said. “But you know, I was just happy to go out there and contain emotions as best I can and get five strong enough.”

Craig Stammen was less restrained. “What a performance. I think he exceeded all expectations, maybe including himself also.”

Stammen started rookie catcher Ethan Salas — one week on the roster — over Freddy Fermin because Salas had caught Pivetta’s final rehab start in El Paso. That worked too.

The offense was three men. Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado went a combined 8-for-12 with three RBIs; the rest of the lineup managed one hit. Dylan Crews’s 416-foot homer in the sixth made it 3-2 and that is where it stayed.

San Diego is 76-68 and remains half a game behind Arizona for the last wild card. Casey Mize (6-9) goes tonight.

“That’s what we’re here for,” Tatis said. “Getting cleaner as a team, and obviously there are spots we need to keep improving. So now’s the time.”

GO DEEPER

› Fernando Ramirez: Nick Pivetta shines in return as Padres hold off Nationals 3-2 (The Sporting Tribune)

🐕 THE DOG AT THE PODIUM

Steve Carp went to Dan Mullen’s Monday news conference at the Fertitta Football Complex and found the UNLV coach had brought the family dog, Wells, who spent the session working the media row.

The mood was earned. UNLV is 1-1 after the 21-6 win in Honolulu, and Carp’s point is that the Rebels fixed, in one week, most of what went wrong against Memphis in the opener. Get into the end zone. Get Jet Thomas the ball. Tighten the defense. All three, checked off.

Paul Guenther’s defense held Hawai’i to six points — the fewest UNLV has allowed in a series that dates back to 1969.

“They came up with a really good scheme,” Mullen said of his staff. “The adjustments we made and our secondary did a great job matching all the different patterns they faced.”

Safety Tre Fulton had a dozen tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a pass breakup in the end zone, and was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week. Defensive end Kai-El Togafau took Freshman of the Week after two sacks. Jackson Arnold ran for 89 yards and two touchdowns behind an offensive line missing center Austin Boyd, who is out Saturday and probably for the Sept. 26 trip to Akron as well.

North Texas is next, at home, coming off a 52-16 loss to Indiana. Carp’s warning is the obvious one: a 1-1 team with a new coach and a home opener is exactly the kind of trap a 1-1 team on a plane can fall into.

GO DEEPER

› Steve Carp: Rebels responded the way Mullen hoped they would (The Sporting Tribune)

› Derek Hegna: Defense finds sweet redemption, UNLV avoids 0-2 start (The Sporting Tribune)

› Paul Brecht: Hawai’i’s offense stalls in 21-6 home-opening loss to UNLV (The Sporting Tribune)

📺 WATCHLIST — TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8

⚾ MLB: Angels at Red Sox — Fenway Park — 3:45 p.m. — ABTV

⚾ MLB: Nationals at Padres — Petco Park — 6:40 p.m. — Padres TV

⚾ MLB: Reds at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — 7:10 p.m. — SNLA

Coming up: LAFC hosts the Red Bulls and San Diego FC hosts San Jose on Wednesday. The Rams open the season against San Francisco in Melbourne on Thursday. USC hosts Louisiana and UNLV travels to North Texas on Saturday; Hawai’i hosts New Mexico State. The Raiders open against Miami at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday.

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

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⚾ Reds at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — $40

⚾ Nationals at Padres — Petco Park — $38

⚽ Red Bulls at LAFC — BMO Stadium (Wednesday) — $36

🌴 TST TRIVIA

UNLV held Hawai’i to six points in Honolulu on Saturday — the fewest the Rebels have ever allowed the Rainbow Warriors. How far back does that series go?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

Today’s episode: Ohtani closes the door on pitching, Sheehan opens one, the Rams get on a plane with Aaron Donald undecided, and Nick Pivetta pitches for the first time since April.

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: 1969.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

The Bob Chesney era starts with a run

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 12:09:41 GMT

Good morning, and happy Labor Day. It was a very good weekend to be a Southern California football team. USC shut out Fresno State on Friday, UCLA won a new coach’s debut in Berkeley on Saturday, and San Diego State put up 53. In Honolulu, UNLV and Hawai’i played the first game of the season between two of the three markets we cover — and we had a writer on each sideline. The Dodgers swept Washington, the Padres beat the Yankees, the Galaxy and Angel City won, and the Angels did not. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

🏈 New era, first win. UCLA 45, Cal 24 in Bob Chesney’s debut — Jack Haslett at California Memorial Stadium.

🏈 Both sidelines in Honolulu. UNLV 21, Hawai’i 6 — Derek Hegna on the Rebels and Paul Brecht on the Rainbow Warriors.

⚾ Sweep. Mookie Betts delivered as the Dodgers finished off the Nationals — Fredo Cervantes at Dodger Stadium.

⚾ He’s back today. Shohei Ohtani is expected in the lineup Monday against Cincinnati — Fredo Cervantes at Dodger Stadium.

🏈 Three days out. Dakayla Hawkins’s takeaways from Rams Village ahead of Melbourne — Dakayla Hawkins at Rams Village.

⚽ Winner on the road. Evelyn Shores decided it for Angel City in Louisville — Michelle Chavez at Lynn Family Stadium.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — Sunday, September 6

⚾ MLB: Dodgers 7, Nationals 5 · Padres 4, Yankees 3 · Pirates 1, Angels 0

⚽ MLS: Galaxy 2, Revolution 1 · LAFC 2, Real Salt Lake 2

⚽ NWSL: Reign FC 1, Wave FC 0

🏈 TWO PICKS IN TWO MINUTES

Jack Haslett writes that UCLA walked into California Memorial Stadium for the first time since 2022 carrying optimism the program has not felt in years, and then played like it. Cal scored on the opening drive. The Bruins answered on theirs and kept going — three rushing touchdowns and a Mateen Bhaghani field goal in the final seconds of the half, set up by a 43-yard Nico Iamaleava throw, for a 24-10 lead.

“I knew they was going to call a shot play for me,” Iamaleava said of a staff that has been in place since spring.

Then the third quarter arrived and so did the old habits. Penalties. Gaps in a defensive line that had been sealed. Cal sophomore Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele found something, the Golden Bears tied it at 24, and a road opener in a sold-out stadium became a real problem.

“We had a little bit of a downer in the third quarter,” senior running back Wayne Knight said. “We just got back to playing like the way that we do.”

What turned it was Ta’Shawn James. The senior defensive back intercepted two passes on back-to-back drives inside two minutes of the fourth quarter — the first two picks of his college career.

“It felt great because we truly needed it,” James said. “Just to be able to step up and be that guy to make the play is a feeling that I really can’t describe.”

Knight ran 31 yards for a touchdown after the first interception, scored again later, and finished with three. Anthony Woods added one inside the final minute, and UCLA went up 44-24 before the extra point made it 45-24.

“You felt it shift a little bit on the sideline at one point,” Chesney said. “And I think these guys never wavered.”

GO DEEPER

› Jack Haslett: UCLA rushes into Bob Chesney era with win over Cal (The Sporting Tribune)

🌺 HONOLULU, FROM BOTH SIDELINES

Two of the three markets we cover played each other Saturday night in Honolulu, and we staffed it the way it should be staffed: Derek Hegna with the Rebels, Paul Brecht with the Rainbow Warriors. Two stories, two sidelines, one game. Nobody else in either market did that.

What Hegna saw. UNLV’s defense did not let Hawai’i into the end zone. Kal-El Togafau, a redshirt freshman defensive lineman in his second college game, had a team-high two sacks. Tre Fulton, Elias Rudolph and Kenji Scanlan had one each; Lucas Conti added 1.5 tackles for loss. An offensive line that surrendered six sacks against Memphis in the opener gave up one, and did it without Austin Boyd. Jackson Arnold went 8-for-18 for 116 yards and ran for 89 and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas carried 20 times for 143 and put the game away with a 50-yard touchdown on the penultimate drive. The Rebels avoided an 0-2 start and go to North Texas next.

What Brecht saw. September sadness, and it arrived early. Hawai’i is 0-2 after a second straight stagnant offensive night. The Rainbow Warriors held the ball more than four minutes longer than UNLV, converted nine of 21 third downs, and came away with nothing on three trips inside the red zone — a missed 41-yard field goal, a touchdown overturned on review, and a fourth-and-1 from the UNLV 10 stopped behind the line of scrimmage with 9:53 left.

“I feel bad for the guys in the locker room,” coach Timmy Chang said. “They’re playing hard … but you know, just things haven’t gone our way right now.” Then, of the performance: “It really starts with me.”

Senior linebacker Jamih Otis had 12 tackles and would not let the defense off the hook. “At the end of the day, we could do better because, you know, if they didn’t score 21 points, we would have won,” he said. “If we’ve got to be on the field for 100 plays, so be it.”

The Las Vegas connection. Hawai’i’s quarterback is the story inside the story. Sophomore Micah Alejado — the Mountain West’s preseason offensive player of the year, a Las Vegas native and a Bishop Gorman product — went 17-for-41 for 176 yards with an interception and was sacked five times by the school he grew up 20 minutes from. Hawai’i hosts New Mexico State on Saturday at 6 p.m. Hawai’i time on K5 and MW+.

GO DEEPER

› Derek Hegna: Defense finds sweet redemption, UNLV avoids 0-2 start (The Sporting Tribune)

› Paul Brecht: Hawai’i’s offense stalls in 21-6 home-opening loss to UNLV (The Sporting Tribune)

🏈 THE REST OF THE WEEKEND

San Diego State 53, Portland State 20. Eric Evelhoch and Ardie Crenshaw were in San Diego as the Aztecs handled it at Snapdragon Stadium.

Miami 45, Stanford 6. Jack Haslett and Ric Tapia were in Palo Alto for that one on Friday.

⚾ A SWEEP AT CHAVEZ RAVINE — AND OHTANI IS BACK TODAY

The Dodgers took all three from Washington, closing it 7-5 on Sunday behind Mookie Betts, after Tommy Edman’s big Saturday. Blake Snell had opened the series Friday with another strong start. Fredo Cervantes had all three.

Edman has been the most reliable thing about this offense for two weeks — four hits Thursday, 9-for-15 in the Cardinals series, and then Saturday. Now the lineup gets deeper: Cervantes reports Shohei Ohtani is expected back Monday against Cincinnati.

In San Diego, the Padres beat the Yankees 4-3 at Petco, with Aaron Brenner shooting. In Pittsburgh, the Angels lost again. They have now dropped ten of twelve, and the road trip continues in Boston this morning.

GO DEEPER

› Fredo Cervantes: Mookie Betts delivers as Dodgers sweep Nationals (The Sporting Tribune)

› Fredo Cervantes: Shohei Ohtani expected back in Dodgers lineup on Monday (The Sporting Tribune)

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Dark today: ampm needed a stolen base and the Dodgers had none. The McDonald’s Angels deal needed a win in Pittsburgh.

⚽ A GOOD WEEKEND, AND A FAMILIAR ONE

Evelyn Shores won it for Angel City at Lynn Family Stadium, with Michelle Chavez there. The Galaxy beat New England 2-1 at Dignity Health Sports Park, John Panganiban shooting.

And LAFC drew again. David Martinez’s piece is the one to read, because the headline has now been true for weeks: the defensive lapses are costing points, and in September that stops being a pattern and starts being a standing.

GO DEEPER

› Michelle Chavez: Evelyn Shores wins it for Angel City on the road (The Sporting Tribune)

› David Martinez: LAFC’s defensive lapses continue to cost points in draw with Real Salt Lake (The Sporting Tribune)

📺 WATCHLIST — MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

⚾ MLB: Angels at Red Sox — Fenway Park — 10:35 a.m. — ABTV

⚾ MLB: Nationals at Padres — Petco Park — 2:10 p.m. — Padres TV

⚾ MLB: Reds at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — 6:10 p.m. — SNLA

Coming up: The Rams open the season against San Francisco in Melbourne on Thursday — Dakayla Hawkins has three takeaways from Rams Village. LAFC hosts the Red Bulls and San Diego FC hosts San Jose on Wednesday. USC hosts Louisiana on Saturday.

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

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🌴 TWO-MARKET TRIVIA

Hawai’i quarterback Micah Alejado threw 41 passes against UNLV on Saturday night in Honolulu. What makes that matchup a Las Vegas story too?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

Today’s episode: a weekend that went almost entirely right for college football in our markets, the Bob Chesney debut in Berkeley, both sidelines in Honolulu, a Dodgers sweep with Ohtani back Monday, and three days until the Rams kick off in Melbourne.

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: Alejado is a Las Vegas native and a Bishop Gorman product — the Mountain West’s preseason offensive player of the year, playing quarterback for Hawai’i against the school in his hometown.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

Shutout performance

Sat, 05 Sep 2026 16:30:45 GMT

Good morning! USC is 2-0 and has now allowed three points in two games. Blake Snell was dominant again at Chavez Ravine. Derek Hegna is filing from Berlin, where the Aces contingent is unbeaten at the FIBA World Cup. And tonight, for the first time this season, two of the three markets we cover play each other: UNLV at Hawai’i, 7 p.m. on CW. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

🏈 Shutout. USC 39, Fresno State 0, with two safeties — Holdenn Graff at the Coliseum.

🏈 The defense did it. Brady Charette on a unit that swarmed all night — Brady Charette at the Coliseum.

⚾ Snell again. Another dominant start as the Dodgers beat Washington 5-3 — Fredo Cervantes at Dodger Stadium.

🏀 From Berlin. Stephanie Talbot dominates as the Aces’ World Cup contingent stays unbeaten — Derek Hegna in Berlin.

🏈 Blowout at Stanford. A clash of California quarterbacks went one way — Jack Haslett at Stanford Stadium.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — FRIDAY

🏈 College: USC 39, Fresno State 0 · Miami 45, Stanford 6

⚾ MLB: Dodgers 5, Nationals 3 · Pirates 1, Angels 0

🏈 TWO SAFETIES AND A ZERO

“I’m really excited about the shutout, that’s hard to do,” Lincoln Riley said, and he is right about that: Friday was only the second time since 2012 that USC has held an opponent scoreless, and the first since September 2024.

Jayden Maiava was surgical again. Twenty-three completions on 25 attempts — 92 percent — for 349 yards and three touchdowns, a week after his 86.2 percent against San Jose State set a program record. Holdenn Graff notes the stat that captures it best: through two weeks, Maiava’s six total touchdowns match his total number of incompletions.

“I think it comes from the guys sitting next to me,” Maiava said. “The o-line, running backs, receivers — just all on the same page.”

The freshman receivers keep arriving. Trent Mosley had 104 yards and two touchdowns by halftime, including a 68-yarder in the second quarter and a nine-yard catch where he tiptoed the sideline and reached the ball over the pylon. Kayden Dixon-Wyatt led the team with six catches for 102, among them a 31-yard conversion on fourth-and-five on the opening drive. Waymond Jordan and Deshonne Redeaux scored on the ground.

But the story was Gary Patterson’s defense, which produced something you rarely see: two safeties.

Kennedy Urlacher got the first, coming off the edge on third-and-22 with Fresno State pinned at its own one and driving quarterback Jayden Mandal through the back of the end zone. “Coach sent me on a blitz,” Urlacher said. “I just went out there and executed the call.” Alex Graham got the second in the third quarter, slipping around the left side for another sack in the end zone. Jadyn Ramos sealed it with a fourth-down sack late.

Two games, three points allowed. Louisiana comes to the Coliseum next Saturday.

GO DEEPER

› Holdenn Graff: USC cruises to shutout victory over Fresno State (The Sporting Tribune)

› Brady Charette: USC’s relentless defense swarms Fresno State in shutout win (The Sporting Tribune)

⚾ SNELL, STILL

Blake Snell built on a run that now stretches back weeks, and the Dodgers beat Washington 5-3 to open the homestand’s second series. Fredo Cervantes has the details from Chavez Ravine.

It is worth remembering where this started. Two weeks ago Snell threw six shutout innings against Pittsburgh and told reporters he needed to be better. Since then Roki Sasaki has gone to the injured list with a blister, Tyler Glasnow has returned, Shohei Ohtani has been day-to-day, and Snell has kept getting sharper.

Los Angeles struck out 11 and leads the National League West by nine and a half.

GO DEEPER

› Fredo Cervantes: Blake Snell builds momentum with another dominant start (The Sporting Tribune)

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🌮 El Portal, Pasadena — $12 combination plates and $7 house margaritas. Order online for pickup.

☕ Con Azúcar Café, Sylmar — free size upgrade and Dodgers latte art. Say “Dodgers win!” at the register.

🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-oz Baja Blast. Seven homers cleared 420 feet Friday, led by Josh Bell at 460 — and Ben Rice’s 444-footer came at Petco. Wallet pass at OTC Network stores.

Dark today: ampm needed a stolen base and the Dodgers had none. The McNuggets deal needed six runs; they scored five. The McDonald’s Angels deal needed a win, and Anaheim was shut out.

⚾ SHUT OUT IN PITTSBURGH

The Angels lost 1-0 at PNC Park, which is a hard way to open a road trip and a familiar way to lose. Anaheim has now dropped nine of eleven, and the only night in that stretch worth keeping was Walbert Ureña’s ten-run Monday against the Yankees.

They go again this afternoon.

GO DEEPER

› Jack Janes: Angels get blanked by Pirates, waste Johnson’s strong outing (The Sporting Tribune)

🏈 A LONG NIGHT IN PALO ALTO

Jack Haslett was at Stanford Stadium, where Miami won 45-6 in what was billed as a clash of California quarterbacks and turned into one team’s evening. Ric Tapia shot it.

GO DEEPER

› Jack Haslett: Clash of California quarterbacks ends in blowout of Stanford (The Sporting Tribune)

📺 WATCHLIST — SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

⚽ NWSL: Angel City FC at Racing Louisville — 3:30 p.m. — Ion

⚾ MLB: Angels at Pirates — 3:40 p.m. — ABTV

⚾ MLB: Yankees at Padres — Petco Park — 4:10 p.m. — FOX

⚽ MLS: San Diego FC at Orlando City — 4:30 p.m. — Apple TV

⚾ MLB: Nationals at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — 6:10 p.m. — SNLA

⚽ MLS: LAFC at Real Salt Lake — 6:30 p.m. — Apple TV

⚽ MLS: Revolution at Galaxy — Dignity Health Sports Park — 6:30 p.m. — Apple TV

🏈 College: Portland State at San Diego State — 6:30 p.m. — USA

🏈 College: UNLV at Hawai’i — 7:00 p.m. — CW

🏈 College: UCLA at Cal — 7:30 p.m. — ESPN

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

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⚾ Nationals at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — $57

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🏈 UNLV at Hawai’i — Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex — $48

🌴 TST TRIVIA

USC scored 39 points against Fresno State, and two of them came without the offense on the field. How?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

Monday’s show: USC at 2-0 and a defense that has allowed three points, a Saturday that put two of our markets on the same field in Honolulu, and the Rams’ flight to Melbourne.

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: Two safeties — Kennedy Urlacher and Alex Graham each sacked the Fresno State quarterback in his own end zone.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

‘Usually, there’s a witch’

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 17:15:47 GMT

Good morning! The Clippers are not going quietly. Twenty-four hours after losing five first-round picks, $30 million and their owner for a year, the franchise announced it will contest all of it — and Eric Lambkins II responded with the best column anyone has written on this scandal. Elsewhere: Teoscar Hernández walked off the Cardinals to avoid a sweep, Shohei Ohtani is day-to-day, and the Rams are staying home while San Francisco flies to Melbourne early. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

🏀 They’re fighting it. The Clippers call the NBA investigation biased; Lambkins is unmoved — Eric Lambkins II at Intuit Dome.

⚾ Walk-off. Teoscar Hernández’s two-run double in the ninth beat St. Louis 3-2 — Fredo Cervantes at Dodger Stadium.

⚾ Day-to-day. The Dodgers say an IL stint for Ohtani is unlikely — Fredo Cervantes at Dodger Stadium.

🏈 Different flight plans. The 49ers left early for Melbourne. The Rams didn’t — The Sporting Tribune at Rams Village.

⚾ Farm report. Anthony Arroyo ranks the top 10 prospects in both Los Angeles organizations — Anthony Arroyo.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — THURSDAY

⚾ MLB: Dodgers 3, Cardinals 2

🏀 “USUALLY, THERE’S A WITCH”

The Clippers responded to the largest fine in NBA history by refusing to accept it. The franchise called Wachtell Lipton’s work “a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative” and said it will “vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available.” Ballmer’s attorney, David Kelley, called it a witch hunt.

Eric Lambkins II’s reply is the line of the week: “Here’s the thing about witch hunts: usually, there’s a witch.”

His column is the best thing published on this scandal, and the reason is that he refuses to treat it as a compliance story. He treats it as a Los Angeles story. Forty years as the constellation nobody could find. Blake Griffin over a Kia. Lob City. Surviving Donald Sterling. And then, desperate to finally matter, handing the franchise to a man who treated the regular season like a suggestion box.

The arithmetic he lands on is brutal: in seven seasons, Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers won four playoff series. Leonard won four in one season in Toronto. They never reached a Finals. In 2026 they lost in the Play-In.

Then there’s the number nobody had before: the Aspiration endorsement deal at the center of the case was worth $28 million, from a company that has since gone bankrupt.

Lambkins’s argument for what comes next is the part your group chat will fight about. Tank, build the best scouting and development pipeline money can buy, and then — in 2034, when the picks come back — weaponize the one asset no other franchise has. Forbes puts Ballmer at $126 billion, Bloomberg at $145 billion. The $30 million fine, Lambkins calculates, is the equivalent of a $41 ticket for the average American.

“The NBA has salary caps. The NBA has tax aprons. The NBA has penalties, fines and suspensions,” he writes. “But the NBA does not have a Steve Ballmer.”

GO DEEPER

› Eric Lambkins II: The Clippers wrote their own ransom note — and the NBA just collected (The Sporting Tribune)

⚾ EIGHT WALK-OFFS

The Dodgers had lost two straight at home and were an out from a sweep. Then Tommy Edman singled and stole second, Mookie Betts walked, and Teoscar Hernández drove a 3-2 pitch into center field for a two-run double that ended it, 3-2.

It was the Dodgers’ eighth walk-off win of the season and it salvaged a homestand that had been going badly since Tuesday. Fredo Cervantes was there.

Separately, Cervantes reports Shohei Ohtani remains day-to-day, with the club saying an injured list stint is unlikely. In a September where the rotation has already lost Roki Sasaki to a blister, “unlikely” is doing a lot of work.

The Nationals come in tonight.

GO DEEPER

› Fredo Cervantes: Teoscar Hernández’s walk-off hit lifts Dodgers over Cardinals (The Sporting Tribune)

› Fredo Cervantes: Shohei Ohtani remains day-to-day, Dodgers say IL stint unlikely (The Sporting Tribune)

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⛽ ampm — free Dodger Dog and 16-oz Coca-Cola. Tommy Edman stole second in the ninth, which is the trigger. Scan the barcode in the ampm app; Greater L.A. only.

🏈 TWO DIFFERENT FLIGHT PLANS

San Francisco left for Melbourne early. The Rams are staying home and flying later, and our staff reports the split thinking from Rams Village. It is one of the more interesting sub-plots of a genuinely strange Week 1: two teams, one 16-hour flight, opposite theories about how to arrive.

Kickoff in Australia is a week from today.

GO DEEPER

› The Sporting Tribune: Rams stay home while 49ers head Down Under early for historic Melbourne opener (The Sporting Tribune)

⚾ THE FARM, RANKED

With the Angels sold, the Padres promoting Ethan Salas and the Dodgers thin on arms, Anthony Arroyo picked a good week to rank the top 10 prospects in both Los Angeles systems. Anaheim’s farm has climbed from the bottom of the league to the middle of the pack since the deadline sell-off — which is now Stan Kroenke’s inheritance.

GO DEEPER

› Anthony Arroyo: Angels, Dodgers — ranking the top 10 prospects in each organization (The Sporting Tribune)

📺 WATCHLIST — FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

⚾ MLB: Angels at Pirates — 3:40 p.m. — ABTV

🏈 College: Fresno State at USC — Coliseum — 6:00 p.m. — FOX

⚾ MLB: Yankees at Padres — Petco Park — 6:40 p.m. — Padres TV

⚾ MLB: Nationals at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — 7:10 p.m. — SNLA

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🏈 Fresno State at USC — Coliseum — $26

⚾ Nationals at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — $55

⚾ Yankees at Padres — Petco Park — $57

🌴 TST TRIVIA

Kawhi Leonard won four playoff series in seven seasons with the Clippers. How many did he win in his single season in Toronto?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

Today’s episode: the Clippers fight the NBA’s ruling and what an appeal actually looks like, Teoscar Hernández’s eighth walk-off of the season, and a Rams team taking the long way to Australia.

› Read the full announcement

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: Four — the same number, in one season, on the way to a championship.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

Five first round picks, $30 million, and a year without Steve Ballmer

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 18:39:28 GMT

Good morning! The biggest story in sports broke in Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon, and it is ours. The NBA came down on the Clippers with penalties no franchise has ever absorbed — five first-round picks, a $30 million fine, a suspended owner, two suspended executives and five years of monitoring. It was the main topic on The Sporting Tribune Today. Elsewhere: Arte Moreno sold the Angels for a reported $4 billion, the Dodgers lost a second straight at home, and San Diego’s top prospect debuted in Cincinnati. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

🏀 Unprecedented. Five first-rounders, $30 million, a one-year ban for Ballmer — Grant Mona in Los Angeles.

💰 Sold. Moreno’s 23-year run ends in a reported $4 billion sale to Stan Kroenke — Jack Janes at Angel Stadium.

⚾ Another one away. A late-inning meltdown turned a winnable game into an 8-6 loss — Fredo Cervantes at Dodger Stadium.

⚾ Salas arrives. San Diego’s top prospect debuted at Great American Ball Park — Eric Evelhoch in Cincinnati.

🏀 A clean sweep. A’ja Wilson’s fourth Player of the Month award of the season — Arion Armeniakos in Las Vegas.

🏈 Logical all along. Why Cousins was always the Raiders’ Week 1 starter — Steve Carp in Las Vegas.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — WEDNESDAY

⚾ MLB: Cardinals 8, Dodgers 6 · Yankees 6, Angels 3

🏀 THE HARSHEST PENALTY THE NBA HAS EVER ISSUED

An independent investigation by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz concluded that the Clippers ran a pattern of misconduct designed to circumvent the salary cap. On Wednesday the NBA answered it.

The penalties:

› Five consecutive first-round draft picks forfeited — 2029 through 2033

› A $30 million fine

› Steve Ballmer suspended one year from all league and team activities

› Gillian Zucker, president of business operations, suspended one year without pay

› Lawrence Frank, president of basketball operations, suspended six months without pay

› A five-year compliance and monitoring program

› Kawhi Leonard ordered to pay the league $700,000

› Dennis Robertson, Leonard’s former business manager, banned five years from doing business with NBA teams

The mechanism, according to investigators, was endorsement money. The Clippers steered business to four companies — Aspiration Partners, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics and Lockton Insurance — and encouraged them to sign Leonard to endorsement deals in return. The team also paid personal expenses for Leonard and his representatives, and failed to report improper requests for additional income made on his behalf by Robertson.

Ballmer’s suspension rests on a specific finding: that he approved a business agreement he knew was a prerequisite for Aspiration to enter an endorsement deal with Leonard. Zucker was found “primarily and directly responsible” for the arrangements — and, the league said, gave investigators false and misleading statements.

The NBA also noted that the Clippers are a prior offender on salary-cap circumvention.

“I am deeply disappointed by the flagrant violations of our rules and by the Clippers’ institutional and leadership failures that led to this misconduct,” Adam Silver said. “The severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the violations.”

Leonard, through new agent Harrison Gaines, accepted responsibility for his circle without conceding he knew what was happening. “I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle,” he said, adding that he signed his contract and the endorsements in good faith.

He also confirmed where he is going. “As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate.”

The league and the players’ association agreed the penalties are final and binding. Wachtell Lipton is still receiving information, and the NBA left the door open to more discipline.

For a franchise that opened Intuit Dome two years ago and is already rebuilding without Leonard, losing five straight first-round picks is the part that lasts. It reaches into the next decade.

GO DEEPER

› Grant Mona: NBA strips Clippers of five first-round picks, issues $30 million fine, suspends Steve Ballmer one year (The Sporting Tribune)

💰 “YOUR DAY’S GOING TO CHANGE”

John Mozeliak found out the way everyone else did. “I was sitting in my office quietly,” the Angels’ interim general manager told Jack Janes. “And Molly came in and dropped a folder on my desk and said, ‘Your day’s going to change.’ And she was right.”

Arte Moreno has sold a majority stake to Stan Kroenke after 23 years. The Los Angeles Times’ Bill Shaikin reported the price exceeds the $3.9 billion the Padres brought nine days ago, which would make it the largest sale in the history of the sport — a record that stood less than two weeks.

Janes was in the clubhouse afterward, which is what separates his piece.

“Just a fresh start,” Mike Trout said. “It was needed, no hard feelings against Arte. But I’m super excited. There’s a good vibe around the clubhouse, vibe around the stadium.”

Trout is 35 with four years left, and has spent a decade deflecting questions about asking out. Tuesday didn’t move him. “No, it doesn’t change. I got four years left. The track record, it’s there.”

That track record: a Super Bowl and a Stanley Cup in 2022, an NBA title in 2023, a Premier League crown at Arsenal. Zach Neto had done the homework — “He’s won championships with all the teams he owns” — and said he and Trout texted a Rams player, whom they declined to name, to ask what Kroenke is like.

The backdrop is grim. The Angels are on pace for the first 100-loss season in franchise history, a 12th straight year out of the playoffs. Fans have protested outside the stadium all summer.

“He’s aware of the chants,” team president Molly Jolly said. “He knows about them.”

Nothing changes operationally until the sale closes in the first quarter of 2027.

GO DEEPER

› Jack Janes: Arte Moreno sells majority ownership of Angels to Stan Kroenke (The Sporting Tribune)

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⚾ TWO IN A ROW AT HOME

The Dodgers came home needing a week and have not had one. Wednesday was an 8-6 loss to St. Louis that Fredo Cervantes describes as another winnable game surrendered late — the second straight, after Tuesday’s 13-8.

There were signs of life: three stolen bases, from Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernández and Kyle Tucker, and six runs. It wasn’t enough, and the bullpen is the story two nights running. The Cardinals close the series tonight.

GO DEEPER

› Fredo Cervantes: Dodgers’ late-inning meltdown turns another winnable game into loss (The Sporting Tribune)

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🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-oz Baja Blast. Two homers cleared 420 feet Wednesday, the longer Justin Foscue’s 424-footer in Arlington. Wallet pass at OTC Network stores.

Dark today: Panda Express, El Portal, Con Azúcar and Sunright all need a Dodgers win, and there hasn’t been one at home since Aug. 23. The McDonald’s Angels deal needed a win over New York. Firehouse Subs resets Friday.

⚾ THE CATCHER ARRIVES

Ethan Salas, the most talked-about prospect in the San Diego system, made his major league debut Wednesday at Great American Ball Park, with Eric Evelhoch there for it. The timing matters: the Padres are holding the last National League wild card by a thread, so Salas arrives in a pennant race rather than at the end of a lost season.

GO DEEPER

› Eric Evelhoch: Padres top prospect Ethan Salas makes Majors debut at Cincinnati (The Sporting Tribune)

⚡ QUICK HITS

🏀 A month that wasn’t close. A’ja Wilson took Western Conference Player of the Month for a fourth time — Arion Armeniakos.

🏈 Cousins, all along. Steve Carp argues the Raiders’ quarterback call was never really a call — Steve Carp, with Derek Hegna on the rest of the Week 1 storylines.

⚾ Postseason in Ontario. The Tower Buzzers are in — Ernesto Madrigal-Rodriguez at ONT Field.

📺 WATCHLIST — THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

⚾ MLB: Cardinals at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — 7:10 p.m. — SNLA

The Angels are off; they open at Pittsburgh on Friday at 3:45 p.m.

Coming up: The Rams face San Francisco in Melbourne on Sept. 10, one week from today.

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

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⚾ Cardinals at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — $33

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⚽ Earthquakes at San Diego FC — Snapdragon Stadium (Sept. 9) — $19

🌴 TST TRIVIA

The NBA fined the Clippers $30 million and took five first-round picks. How much was Kawhi Leonard personally ordered to pay the league?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

📻 Listen on radio and podcast. The show airs on SportsGrid Radio, distributed through Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, iHeartRadio and TuneIn.

Wednesday’s show led with the Clippers ruling — the picks, the fine, the suspensions and what five lost first-rounders do to a franchise already rebuilding. Today: the fallout, a $4 billion sale in Anaheim, and two straight losses at Chavez Ravine.

› Read the full announcement

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: $700,000.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

The man who built SoFi is buying the Angels

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 18:11:06 GMT

Good morning! Nine days after the Padres sold for a record $3.9 billion, Southern California baseball changed hands again. Stan Kroenke is buying the Angels. Down the freeway, the Dodgers came home and gave up 13 runs to St. Louis, and Dave Roberts would like everyone to flush it. The Yankees evened things in Anaheim. And Mykell Mathieu asks whether the Rams just had the best offseason in the history of American sports — which, given who now also owns the baseball team down the road, is a question with a longer tail than it had on Monday. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

💰 Kroenke buys the Angels. A definitive agreement with the Moreno family, pending MLB approval — Jack Janes in Anaheim.

⚾ “Flush this one.” The Dodgers came home and lost 13-8 — Fredo Cervantes at Dodger Stadium.

🏈 The best ever? Mykell Mathieu makes the case for the Rams’ offseason — Mykell Mathieu at Rams Village.

🏈 Cousins is QB1. Derek Hegna on the Raiders’ Week 1 storylines — Derek Hegna in Las Vegas.

⚽ Five goals in Foxborough. Prisca Chilufya’s first NWSL brace led Angel City past Boston — Michelle Chavez at Gillette Stadium.

⚾ Right at home. The Ontario Tower Buzzers are headed to the postseason — Ernesto Madrigal-Rodriguez at ONT Field.

⚾ A shutout in Cincinnati. Michael King and four Machado hits ended the skid — Eric Evelhoch at Great American Ball Park.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — TUESDAY

⚾ MLB: Cardinals 13, Dodgers 8 · Yankees 7, Angels 3 · Reds 4, Padres 3

💰 ONE OWNER, TWO TEAMS, THIRTY MILES

Kroenke Sports & Entertainment announced Tuesday that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a controlling interest in the Los Angeles Angels from Arte Moreno and the Moreno family. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, subject to customary conditions and approval from Major League Baseball. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“The Angels are a storied franchise anchored in a great market,” Kroenke said in a statement. “We look forward to an exciting future with the Angels organization.”

Moreno bought the club from The Walt Disney Company in 2003, months after the only World Series title in franchise history. Twenty-three years later he is selling to a man who already owns most of the sports real estate in this region.

“The Moreno family has been honored to steward the Angels for 23 years,” Moreno said, “and we believe with KSE’s experience and success they are the best next owner for the franchise.”

The scale is the story. KSE owns the Rams, the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche, the Colorado Rapids, the Colorado Mammoth and Arsenal. It developed SoFi Stadium and the 300-acre Hollywood Park district in Inglewood, which will host events during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Adding the Angels would give one company franchises in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and the Premier League — a list almost nobody else in sports can claim.

It also closes a loop in Orange County. The Rams and Angels shared Anaheim Stadium from 1980 through 1994, until the Rams left for St. Louis. They came back in 2016, opened SoFi in 2020, and are now about to own the team that stayed. Angel Stadium sits roughly 30 miles southeast of the building Kroenke built.

There is a smaller detail worth holding onto. On Monday, Jack Janes reported the Angels had restructured baseball operations and now employ four assistant general managers. Twenty-four hours later the team was sold. Those two facts may be unrelated. They may not be.

GO DEEPER

› The Sporting Tribune: Stan Kroenke agrees to acquire controlling interest in Angels from Arte Moreno (The Sporting Tribune)

› Jack Janes: Angels make front office changes, now have four AGMs (The Sporting Tribune)

⚾ “FLUSH THIS ONE”

The Dodgers played at Chavez Ravine for the first time since Aug. 23 and gave up 13 runs to the Cardinals. They scored eight of their own and struck out ten, which tells you it was not a quiet night, only a losing one.

Dave Roberts’s instruction afterward, per Fredo Cervantes, was to flush it — the shortest possible version of a manager’s September message. Los Angeles has now had two very different weeks in a row: swept in Atlanta, a sweep of Detroit, and now this.

The same two teams go again tonight.

GO DEEPER

› Fredo Cervantes: Dave Roberts wants Dodgers to ‘flush this one’ after Cardinals loss (The Sporting Tribune)

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🍔 THE DEALS BOARD

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🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-oz Baja Blast. Three homers cleared 420 feet Tuesday, the longest Royce Lewis at 427. Wallet pass at OTC Network stores.

Dark today: Panda Express, Sunright, El Portal and Con Azúcar all needed a Dodgers win. Habit Burger needed a double play and ampm needed a stolen base; the Dodgers had neither. The McDonald’s Angels deal needed a win over New York.

🏈 A FEW FOOTBALL READS

Mykell Mathieu asks the question the rest of the league has been muttering since Sunday: did the Rams just put together the greatest offseason in the history of American sports? McDuffie, Watson, Garrett and then Aaron Donald walking back through the door — it is at minimum a serious argument, and it arrives in the same week the man who owns the team bought a baseball franchise.

In Las Vegas, Derek Hegna has Kirk Cousins as QB1 and the rest of the storylines the Raiders carry into Week 1, plus a look inside a hectic 48 hours in their front office.

GO DEEPER

› Mykell Mathieu: Did the Rams just have the greatest offseason in sports history? (The Sporting Tribune)

› Derek Hegna: Kirk Cousins as QB1 and other storylines for Raiders heading into Week One (The Sporting Tribune)

› Derek Hegna: Inside a busy 48 hours for the Raiders front office (The Sporting Tribune)

📺 WATCHLIST — WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2

⚾ MLB: Padres at Reds — 9:40 a.m. — Padres TV

⚾ MLB: Yankees at Angels — Angel Stadium — 6:38 p.m. — ABTV

⚾ MLB: Cardinals at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — 7:10 p.m. — SNLA

Coming up: The Rams face San Francisco in Melbourne on Sept. 10.

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

Get-in prices across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii — brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.

⚾ Cardinals at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — $52

⚾ Yankees at Angels — Angel Stadium — $6

🏈 Fresno State at USC — Coliseum (Friday) — $19

🌴 TST TRIVIA

The Rams and the Angels once shared a stadium. Which one — and for how many seasons?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

📻 Listen on radio and podcast. The show airs on SportsGrid Radio, distributed through Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, iHeartRadio and TuneIn.

Today’s episode: Stan Kroenke buys the Angels and what one owner across two leagues means for Southern California, a 13-8 night at Dodger Stadium, and the Rams’ offseason argument.

› Read the full announcement

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: Anaheim Stadium, from 1980 through 1994 — fifteen seasons, until the Rams left for St. Louis.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

‘That’s the sign of an ace’

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 15:21:29 GMT

Good morning! It is September, and both Southern California teams that spent last week getting swept woke up Monday and stopped it. Walbert Ureña carved up the Yankees in Anaheim while the Angels put together their best offensive night in a month. In Cincinnati, Manny Machado had four hits and the Padres shut out the Reds. Eric Lambkins II has a piece on the thing Sean McVay values that never shows up in a box score. And the Angels quietly reorganized their front office. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

⚾ Seven and none. Ureña’s best start yet ended a seven-game skid, 10-1 over New York — Jack Janes at Angel Stadium.

🏈 McVay’s secret weapon. The voices in the Rams’ huddle, and why they matter — Eric Lambkins II at the Rams’ practice facility.

⚾ Four AGMs. The Angels restructured the front office — Jack Janes at Angel Stadium.

🏈 Still reading. Aaron Donald’s return, one day later — Eric Lambkins II and Fredo Cervantes.

🏈 The Chargers’ 53. Fernando Ramirez on a roster he calls the deepest in recent memory — Fernando Ramirez at The Bolt.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — MONDAY

⚾ MLB: Angels 10, Yankees 1 · Padres 5, Reds 0

⚾ ELEVEN STRAIGHT FIRST-PITCH STRIKES

A week ago in this newsletter, Walbert Ureña walked five in three and two-thirds innings and Kurt Suzuki was talking about arm-side miss. Monday night he faced the Yankees and threw a first-pitch strike to the first eleven hitters he saw.

“When you face the Yankees and the Phillies and the Red Sox, there’s always a little bit of a sense of anxiety,” Suzuki said. “When you watch Walbert from pitch one, it was zero anxiety. That’s the sign of an ace.”

Seven innings. One run. Eight strikeouts. No walks. First-pitch strikes to 76 percent of the men he faced, and 72 percent strikes overall. The only mistake was a sinker that stayed middle to Spencer Jones, who hit it out.

Ureña knew exactly what he had fixed. “I’ve been working on my glove side,” he told Jack Janes. “Last time, I was opening too much. I’ve been working in my bullpen, my training program, and every time now, I stay on the line and I’m making pitches.”

The numbers around him are becoming remarkable. His ERA is down to 2.85 — second among American League rookies, behind only Cleveland’s Parker Messick, who beat this same Angels lineup a week ago. In franchise terms, 2.85 would be the second-best ERA by an Angels pitcher in his first big-league season with at least 20 starts; only Rickey Clark’s 2.59 in 1967 is better. And with 120 strikeouts, Ureña passed Jim Abbott on Monday for the second-most in a debut season in Angels history.

Suzuki’s read on him has less to do with stuff. “He’s not going to change because he has a bad start or whatever. This guy’s going to be the same guy every single day.”

The offense finally cooperated. Twelve hits, ten runs, four multi-hit games, and Vaughn Grissom 3-for-5 with four RBI — all of it without a home run, only the second time this season the Angels have scored ten that way.

“Not trying to hit a homer every time,” Suzuki said. “I thought it was just quality at-bats.”

GO DEEPER

› Jack Janes: Ureña continues dominant rookie campaign, offense finally wakes up (The Sporting Tribune)

🏈 THE VOICES IN THE HUDDLE

Eric Lambkins II filed from the Rams’ practice facility on something that does not appear in any box score: who talks in the huddle, and why Sean McVay treats that as an asset rather than an accident. It is a good companion to a week in which the Rams added the most decorated defensive player of his generation and cut fifty-something men who wanted to be in that huddle.

GO DEEPER

› Eric Lambkins II: Why the voices in the Rams’ huddle are McVay’s secret weapon (The Sporting Tribune)

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⚾ MACHADO’S FOUR HITS IN CINCINNATI

The Padres needed something after Tampa Bay swept them, and they got it in Ohio: Manny Machado went 4-for-4 at the plate, Michael King struck out six over six innings, and San Diego shut out the Reds 5-0.

It is one game, but it is the right one. The Padres came into the week holding the last National League wild card by a single game and spent the weekend finding new ways to lose. Monday they didn’t.

GO DEEPER

› Eric Evelhoch: King helps Padres snap losing skid with emphatic shutout win at Cincinnati (The Sporting Tribune)

⚾ FOUR ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGERS

Separately, Jack Janes reports the Angels have restructured their baseball operations department and now employ four assistant general managers. In a season that has produced a rookie starter this good and very little else, how the front office is organized is not a small story.

GO DEEPER

› Jack Janes: Angels make front office changes, now have four AGMs (The Sporting Tribune)

🍔 THE DEALS BOARD

🍟 McDonald’s — free medium fries with a $2 purchase. The Angels won, which is the whole trigger, and this one has not been live since Aug. 22. Rewards & Deals section of the app.

🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-oz Baja Blast, if any home run cleared 420 feet Monday. It has triggered on 97 percent of game days this season, so the odds are good, but we could not confirm Monday’s list at deadline. Wallet pass at OTC Network stores.

Dark today: every Dodgers deal. They were off Monday, so Panda Express, Jack in the Box, ampm, Sunright, El Portal, Con Azúcar, Habit Burger and Uber Eats all reset. The board refills tonight against St. Louis — and a home win puts the whole slate back in play tomorrow.

📺 WATCHLIST — TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

⚾ MLB: Padres at Reds — 3:40 p.m. — Padres TV

⚾ MLB: Yankees at Angels — Angel Stadium — 6:38 p.m. — ABTV

⚾ MLB: Cardinals at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — 7:10 p.m. — SNLA

Coming up: The Dodgers open a homestand tonight, their first game at Chavez Ravine since Aug. 23. The Rams face San Francisco in Melbourne on Sept. 10.

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

Get-in prices across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii — brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.

⚾ Cardinals at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — $35

⚾ Yankees at Angels — Angel Stadium — $5

🏈 Fresno State at USC — Coliseum (Friday) — $19

🌴 TST TRIVIA

Walbert Ureña passed Jim Abbott on Monday for the second-most strikeouts by a pitcher in his first major league season in Angels history. He needs 25 more to pass the franchise record holder. Who is it?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

📻 Listen on radio and podcast. The show airs on SportsGrid Radio, distributed through Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, iHeartRadio and TuneIn.

› Read the full announcement

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: Bo Belinsky.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

Two words, twenty million dollars, and eleven days

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 17:56:15 GMT

Good morning! The greatest defensive player of his generation is a Ram again. Fredo Cervantes was at Rams Village on Sunday when Donald walked back onto a practice field, and Eric Lambkins II has the story of the fourteen weeks that got him there. NFL rosters cut to 53, and we have all three: Rams, Chargers and Raiders. The Dodgers took two of three in Detroit. The Angels and Padres were swept by Philadelphia and Tampa Bay. And this newsletter has some news of its own at the bottom. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

🏈 “I’m back.” Donald returns on a one-year, $20 million deal after two seasons away — Fredo Cervantes at Rams Village.

🏈 Why now. Inside the fourteen-week grind, the family conversations and the Myles Garrett factor — Eric Lambkins II at the Rams’ practice facility.

🏈 Fifty-three. The Rams set their roster after the cutdown deadline — Mykell Mathieu at Rams Village.

🏈 Surprises at The Bolt. Fernando Ramirez breaks down the Chargers’ 53 — Fernando Ramirez at The Bolt.

🏈 And in Las Vegas. The Raiders’ initial 53 — Derek Hegna in Las Vegas.

⚾ Swept in Tampa. A tying home run on what should have been the final out — Eric Evelhoch at Tropicana Field.

⚾ A run for the ages. Steve Carp on what Paseo Verde Little League did this summer — Steve Carp in Henderson, Nev..

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — SUNDAY

⚾ MLB: Dodgers 6, Tigers 1 · Phillies 5, Angels 2 · Rays 5, Padres 4

🏈 “I’M BACK”

The Rams announced it Sunday. By the afternoon, Aaron Donald was on the practice field in Woodland Hills, greeting teammates, and Fredo Cervantes wrote that the air had the particular charge of something unexpected becoming real.

The terms: one year, $20 million, with another $10 million reachable through playoff incentives.

Donald was clear about why it took this long.

“You can’t be halfway in, you got to be all the way in it,” he said. “So, had to get to that point where I felt like I’m 100% committed to playing football again.”

He spent the offseason answering the only question that mattered — working with his longtime speed trainer, testing whether the body still did what it used to. The trainer’s verdict was that he hadn’t lost a step.

“I’ve kind of been in a football mindset the last 14 weeks,” Donald said. “Do I feel like I can still be myself? Hundred percent. If I didn’t feel like that, I wouldn’t be here.”

Sean McVay put it another way: “He’s earned the right where he doesn’t have to do this.”

He really didn’t. Donald last played in 2023, closing a ten-year run with a Pro Bowl in every season and eight First-Team All-Pro selections. He is one of three players ever to win Defensive Player of the Year three times, alongside Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt. He was one of three unanimous picks to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team, with Tom Brady and Watt. And on fourth down in Super Bowl LVI, in the building the Rams still call home, he pressured Joe Burrow into the incompletion that ended it.

The career line: 154 games, 543 tackles, 111 sacks, 176 tackles for loss, 256 quarterback hits, 24 forced fumbles. Two years off the field and he still ranks seventh among active players in sacks and second in both tackles for loss and quarterback hits.

McVay said the Rams will take it one day at a time before deciding whether Donald is ready for Week 1 against San Francisco in Melbourne — eleven days from now.

Eric Lambkins II has the longer version, including the Myles Garrett factor and the conversations at home that got Donald to two words.

GO DEEPER

› Fredo Cervantes: Aaron Donald ends retirement, returns to Rams after two seasons away (The Sporting Tribune)

› Eric Lambkins II: How Aaron Donald rewrote the Rams’ destiny in just two words (The Sporting Tribune)

🏈 THREE ROSTERS, ONE DEADLINE

Sunday was cutdown day, and we had reporters at all three buildings.

Mykell Mathieu has the Rams’ 53 from Rams Village — a list Sean McVay warned would involve twenty hard calls before Donald’s return complicated the math further. Fernando Ramirez worked The Bolt for the Chargers’ surprises, strengths and unanswered questions. And Derek Hegna, who published his projection Friday, has the Raiders’ initial 53 out of Las Vegas.

Three teams, three markets, three staff bylines on the same afternoon.

GO DEEPER

› Mykell Mathieu: Rams 53-man roster set after NFL’s cutdown deadline (The Sporting Tribune)

› Fernando Ramirez: Chargers 53-man roster — biggest surprises, strengths and remaining questions (The Sporting Tribune)

› Derek Hegna: Meet the initial 53-man roster for the Raiders (The Sporting Tribune)

TOGETHER WITH BETONLINE

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⚾ GOING AROUND THE DIAMOND

The Dodgers left Detroit with two wins in three days, closing it out 6-1 on Sunday behind a Teoscar Hernández home run that traveled 434 feet. It is a strange stretch to read: swept in Atlanta, then a sweep of their own, with the first two games in Detroit both decided 2-1.

Anaheim had the opposite weekend. Philadelphia took all three at Angel Stadium, finishing 5-2 on Sunday, and the Angels have now lost six in a row — three to Cleveland, three to the Phillies, most of them games they led.

And in Tampa, the Padres lost the finale and the series when a tying home run came off Mason Miller on what should have been the last out. It is the second time in a week Miller has given up the decisive swing, and San Diego’s hold on the last National League wild card is not the sort of thing that survives many more weeks like this one.

GO DEEPER

› Eric Evelhoch: Padres see series finale slip away, can’t hang on as Tampa Bay sweeps series (The Sporting Tribune)

🍔 THE DEALS BOARD

🍟 McDonald’s — free 6-piece Chicken McNuggets with a $2 purchase. The Dodgers scored exactly six, which is exactly the trigger. Rewards & Deals section of the app.

🍔 Jack in the Box — free Jumbo Jack with a large drink. Seven strikeouts, seven needed. Code GODODGERS26.

🌮 El Portal, Pasadena — $12 combination plates and $7 house margaritas. Dodgers win. Order online for pickup.

☕ Con Azúcar Café, Sylmar — free size upgrade and Dodgers latte art. Say “Dodgers win!” at the register.

🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-oz Baja Blast. Four homers cleared 420 feet Sunday, including Teoscar Hernández’s 434-footer in Detroit. Wallet pass at OTC Network stores.

Still dark: Panda Express, ampm, Sunright and Habit Burger need a Dodgers home game — that’s tomorrow, against St. Louis. The McDonald’s Angels deal needed a win, which has been hard to come by.

⚾ A SUMMER IN HENDERSON

Steve Carp went out to write about Paseo Verde Little League, whose run this summer was the kind southern Nevada will be telling stories about for a while. It is worth your Monday morning.

GO DEEPER

› Steve Carp: Paseo Verde LL had a run for the ages (The Sporting Tribune)

📺 WATCHLIST — MONDAY, AUGUST 31

⚾ MLB: Padres at Reds — 3:40 p.m. — Padres TV

⚽ NWSL: Angel City FC at Legacy FC — 5:00 p.m. — CBSSN

⚾ MLB: Yankees at Angels — Angel Stadium — 6:38 p.m. — ABTV

Coming up: The Dodgers open a homestand against St. Louis on Tuesday. The Rams face San Francisco in Melbourne on Sept. 10.

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

Get-in prices across Southern California and Las Vegas — brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.

⚾ Yankees at Angels — Angel Stadium — $5

⚾ Cardinals at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium (Tuesday) — $34

🏈 Fresno State at USC — Coliseum (Friday) — $19

🌴 TST TRIVIA

Aaron Donald is one of only three players in NFL history to win Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year three times. Who are the other two?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY — PREMIERING ON SPORTSGRID

The Sporting Tribune Today premieres this morning on SportsGrid, airing weekdays at 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. ET with hosts Grant Mona and John Browner, built on reporting from our staff across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawai’i. Our stories, photos and columns will also run on SportsGrid’s website and app.

📻 Listen on radio and podcast. The show airs on SportsGrid Radio, distributed through Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio and TuneIn.

Today’s episode: Aaron Donald is a Ram again, three 53-man rosters across three markets, and a Dodgers sweep in Detroit.

› Read the full announcement

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

Three openers, three markets, one good result

Sun, 30 Aug 2026 15:32:58 GMT

Good morning! College football came back Saturday and every market we cover was on the schedule. Jayden Maiava completed 86 percent of his throws at the Coliseum. Dan Mullen’s second season at UNLV opened with a home loss. And Hawai’i came up short at Stanford after a late push. Elsewhere: the Dodgers won 2-1 in Detroit for the second night in a row, the Angels lost in extras again, San Diego FC handled the Galaxy, and the Padres blew a three-run lead and lost Luis Rengifo. NFL rosters cut to 53 today. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

🏈 Trojans roll. Maiava went 25-of-29 and USC opened 42-26 — Brady Charette at the Coliseum.

🏈 Old problems in Vegas. UNLV’s opener exposed as much as it solved — Derek Hegna at Allegiant Stadium.

🏈 Hawai’i falls short. A late comeback died at Stanford — Paul Brecht at Stanford Stadium.

⚽ Not enough. Lozano’s homecoming goal couldn’t cover a Galaxy defensive collapse in San Diego — David Martinez at Snapdragon Stadium.

⚾ Another one lost late. Christopher Sanchez shut down the Angels in a 4-2 extra-inning defeat — Jack Haslett at Angel Stadium.

⚾ Three-run lead, gone. And San Diego lost Luis Rengifo to injury in Tampa — Eric Evelhoch at Tropicana Field.

🏀 Filling the void. The Aces made a significant pickup to replace NaLyssa Smith — Derek Hegna in Las Vegas.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — SATURDAY

🏈 College: USC 42, San Jose State 26 · Memphis 27, UNLV 21 · Stanford 37, Hawai’i 27

⚾ MLB: Dodgers 2, Tigers 1 · Phillies 4, Angels 2 (10) · Rays 7, Padres 6

⚽ MLS: San Diego FC 3, Galaxy 1

🏈 TWENTY-EIGHT BY HALFTIME

USC was the only ranked team playing in Week 0, and for two quarters it looked like it. The Trojans led 28-0 at the half with 312 yards to San Jose State’s 102, a 19-6 edge in first downs, and better than twenty minutes of possession. They converted nine of 13 third downs.

Jayden Maiava was surgical: 25-of-29 for 286 yards, two touchdown passes and a rushing score, with completions to ten different receivers. He led the country in QBR last season and opened this one by walking a quarterback sneak into the end zone.

“We put in the work all offseason,” Maiava said. “We put it on display today.”

The freshmen were the story underneath it. Four of USC’s six touchdowns came from first-year players — Trent Mosley and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt through the air, Riley Wormley and Shaun Alston on the ground. Mosley caught seven for 118 in his debut, which Holdenn Graff wrote about separately.

“He’s a consistent, explosive player,” Lincoln Riley said. “He attacked and didn’t play hesitant.”

Gary Patterson’s defense allowed three points through three quarters. Then the starters came off, San Jose State scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns with two-point conversions, and a rout became a two-possession game.

“He’s pissed about the fourth quarter,” Riley said of his new coordinator. “His standards are high.”

Defensive tackle Jide Abasiri, who had 2.5 tackles for loss including a fourth-down stuff at the USC 7, didn’t dress it up either: “We let our foot off the gas.”

Riley is now 10-0 in season openers as a head coach. Fresno State comes to the Coliseum Friday night.

GO DEEPER

› Brady Charette: Trojans kick off 2026 campaign with 42-26 win over Spartans (The Sporting Tribune)

› Holdenn Graff: Trent Mosley announces himself in USC’s Week 0 win (The Sporting Tribune)

🏈 ALLEGIANT AND PALO ALTO

Dan Mullen’s second season started the way plenty of second seasons do — with evidence for both arguments. Derek Hegna’s read from Allegiant is that UNLV showed new solutions and old problems in the same three hours of a 27-21 loss to Memphis. Steve Carp’s column is blunter: the Rebels under-delivered.

Both were in the building. Both are worth reading before you decide which UNLV you saw.

Up at Stanford, Hawai’i got close enough to make the last ten minutes matter and didn’t finish it. Paul Brecht filed for us from Stanford Stadium, with photography from the Hawai’i Sports Radio Network — the kind of coverage almost nobody outside the islands bothers to staff.

GO DEEPER

› Derek Hegna: New solutions and old problems emerge for UNLV in season opener loss (The Sporting Tribune)

› Steve Carp: Rebels under-delivered in loss to Memphis (The Sporting Tribune)

› Paul Brecht: Ford’s big day helps Stanford deny late Hawai’i comeback (The Sporting Tribune)

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⚽ A HOMECOMING THAT DIDN’T HOLD

Hirving Lozano scored against his old side at Snapdragon Stadium, and David Martinez writes that it will not be the part anyone in Carson remembers. San Diego FC beat the Galaxy 3-1 in front of a home crowd, and the goal difference came from a defensive collapse rather than anything Lozano could fix on his own.

San Diego keeps climbing. The Galaxy have now gone four straight matches without a win.

GO DEEPER

› David Martinez: Lozano’s homecoming goal won’t erase defensive collapse as LA Galaxy fall to San Diego (The Sporting Tribune)

🍔 THE DEALS BOARD

🍔 Jack in the Box — free Jumbo Jack with a large drink. Dodgers pitchers struck out 11 in Detroit for the second straight night. Code GODODGERS26, app or in-store.

🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-oz Baja Blast. Nine home runs cleared 420 feet Saturday, the longest being Jonathan Aranda’s 453-footer in the Padres-Rays game. Wallet pass at OTC Network stores.

⭐ Carl’s Jr. — free Western Bacon Cheeseburger with a large drink. San Diego FC won at home last night, which is the trigger. The code typically posts on SDFC’s Instagram and X accounts around 10 a.m. Worth checking. Works in the Carl’s Jr. app in LA County too.

Still dark: everything requiring a Dodgers home game — Panda Express, ampm, Sunright, Habit Burger — until Tuesday against St. Louis. The McDonald’s Angels deal needed a win. And the Rams’ Carl’s Jr. code RAMS7146 expires today.

⚾ TWO-ONE, AGAIN

The Dodgers beat Detroit 2-1 on Saturday, which is exactly what they did Friday, and their pitchers struck out 11 for the second night running. Two wins, four total runs. This is the version of this team that exists right now: elite arms, an offense that produces just enough, and almost every night decided by a single run.

In Anaheim, Christopher Sanchez shut the Angels down and Philadelphia won it 4-2 in extra innings — the fifth straight loss, and another one they were in late.

And in Tampa, the Padres blew a three-run lead and lost Luis Rengifo to injury on the same night, with Manny Machado and Ty France driving in runs that didn’t hold up. San Diego’s grip on the final National League wild card was already down to a game.

GO DEEPER

› Jack Haslett: Christopher Sanchez shuts down the Angels in extra-inning loss (The Sporting Tribune)

› Eric Evelhoch: Padres lose see-saw affair to Rays, as well as Luis Rengifo to injury (The Sporting Tribune)

🏀 ROSTER DAY IN THE WNBA, TOO

The Aces moved to replace NaLyssa Smith, whose season ended this week — Derek Hegna calls the pickup a significant one. In Los Angeles, the Sparks claimed Aaliyah Nye off waivers and released Kaitlyn Martin and Alissa Pili.

And Dakayla Hawkins has a piece worth your time on Nneka Ogwumike, who announced her retirement and then kept leading anyway.

GO DEEPER

› Derek Hegna: Aces make huge pickup to fill NaLyssa Smith-sized void (The Sporting Tribune)

› Dakayla Hawkins: For Nneka Ogwumike, leadership on the court does not stop following retirement announcement (The Sporting Tribune)

› Rey Moralde: Sparks claim Nye off waivers; let go of Martin, Pili (The Sporting Tribune)

📺 WATCHLIST — SUNDAY, AUGUST 30

⚾ MLB: Padres at Rays — 10:40 a.m. — Padres TV

⚾ MLB: Dodgers at Tigers — Comerica Park — 10:40 a.m. — SNLA

⚾ MLB: Phillies at Angels — Angel Stadium — 1:07 p.m. — ABTV

🏀 WNBA: Sparks at Storm — 2:00 p.m. — Spectrum

Coming up: NFL rosters cut to 53 today and The Sporting Tribune Today premieres tomorrow on SportsGrid, weekdays at 7 and 11 a.m. ET.

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

Get-in prices across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii — brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.

⚾ Phillies at Angels — Angel Stadium — $3

🏈 Fresno State at USC — Coliseum (Friday) — $19

⚾ Cardinals at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium (Tuesday) — $42

🌴 TST TRIVIA

Saturday’s win over San Jose State kept a perfect streak alive for Lincoln Riley. What is his career record in season openers as a head coach, going back to Oklahoma?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

Today’s episode: the first Saturday of college football across all three of our markets, USC’s 28-0 half and the freshmen who produced it, a UNLV opener that raised more questions than it answered, Hawai’i’s near-miss at Stanford, and a Dodgers team winning 2-1 every night. Hear it on the radio across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawai’i via Westwood One Sports, The Bet Las Vegas, Hawaii Sports Radio Network and KIRN in Los Angeles — and starting tomorrow, on television nationally via SportsGrid.

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: 10-0.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

Back in the park that made him, wearing the wrong colors

Sat, 29 Aug 2026 17:10:32 GMT

Good morning! Dave Roberts said before the game that the night might get emotional for Tarik Skubal. It did not, at least not on the mound. And it is the first Saturday — college football is back, and all three of our markets are on television: USC at noon, Hawai’i at Stanford at four, UNLV against Memphis at seven. In between, the Angels found a new way to lose, the Padres gave one away in Tampa, and both the Sparks and the Aces won. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

⚾ Homecoming. Skubal beat the team that drafted and developed him, 2-1 — Fredo Cervantes at Comerica Park.

⚾ Ninth-inning collapse. Wade Meckler came back and delivered; the bullpen didn’t — Jack Haslett at Angel Stadium.

⚾ Thrown away. A fourth-inning error decided the Padres’ series opener in Tampa — Eric Evelhoch at Tropicana Field.

🏀 Three in a row. The Aces roll into the FIBA World Cup break with momentum — Arion Armeniakos at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

⚽ Comeback in San Diego. Kenza Dali and Trinity Byars sparked a Wave FC rally past Louisville — Sebastian Sanchez at Snapdragon Stadium.

🏈 Who makes 53? Derek Hegna’s projection ahead of Sunday’s Raiders deadline — Derek Hegna in Las Vegas.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — FRIDAY

⚾ MLB: Dodgers 2, Tigers 1 · Phillies 5, Angels 3 · Rays 9, Padres 4

🏀 WNBA: Sparks 88, Mystics 82 · Aces 93, Tempo 73

⚽ NWSL: Wave FC 3, Racing Louisville 2

⚾ THE HOMECOMING

Detroit drafted him, developed him and turned him into one of the best pitchers alive. Then the Dodgers took him at the deadline. Friday was the first time Tarik Skubal walked onto that mound in a road uniform, and Fredo Cervantes writes that Dave Roberts expected the night to carry some weight.

The first batter doubled. Skubal then retired nine consecutive hitters, six by strikeout, including the side in the third. He finished with six innings, four hits, one run, no walks, seven strikeouts, 83 pitches.

The Dodgers made it hard on him anyway. They put nine runners on through five innings and scored none of them, and Max Clark’s two-out RBI triple in the fifth put Detroit ahead 1-0. That has been the pattern: all five of Skubal’s Dodgers starts have been one-run games when he left, and Friday he departed tied.

Roberts pinch-hit Miguel Rojas in the sixth against left-handed pitching, and Rojas lined the first pitch he saw for an RBI single — ending a scoring drought that had reached 16 innings.

The winning run came without a swing worth replaying. Teoscar Hernández opened the eighth with a jam-shot single, Ben Rortvedt laid down a two-strike sacrifice bunt, and Freddie Freeman singled him in. All nine Dodgers hits were singles. Tanner Scott closed it for his 20th save, three days after giving up walk-off runs on consecutive nights in Atlanta.

Los Angeles is 81-54, the three-game skid is over, and six of its last seven games have been decided by one run. Blake Snell goes this morning.

GO DEEPER

› Fredo Cervantes: Skubal shines in emotional return to Detroit as Dodgers edge Tigers (The Sporting Tribune)

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⚾ TWO MORE WAYS TO LOSE

Wade Meckler had not played since Aug. 20, when a pitch hit him in the head in Houston and put him in concussion protocol. He came back Friday night and, as Jack Haslett’s headline puts it, produced the heroics. The Angels lost anyway — a ninth-inning meltdown turned it into a 5-3 Philadelphia win. That is four straight for Anaheim, and the fourth in that stretch in which they held or shared a lead.

In Tampa, the Padres opened their series by giving one away. Eric Evelhoch’s account turns on a fourth-inning error that Tampa Bay converted into the difference, with a Jackson Merrill home run not enough to cover it. San Diego’s grip on the last National League wild card was already down to a single game before the night started.

GO DEEPER

› Jack Haslett: Ninth inning meltdown spells defeat for Angels despite Meckler’s heroics (The Sporting Tribune)

› Eric Evelhoch: Padres throw it away in fourth, Rays make error hurt in series opener loss (The Sporting Tribune)

🍔 THE DEALS BOARD

🛵 Uber Eats — $15 off a $20+ order. This is the rare one. It needs a Dodgers road game and a Dodgers save, and Friday delivered both: Detroit, and Tanner Scott’s 20th. Code SAVEAWAY, delivery only, LA area. One use per account, and it has only triggered 17 times all season.

🍔 Jack in the Box — free Jumbo Jack with a large drink. Skubal alone struck out seven, which clears the bar. Code GODODGERS26.

🌮 El Portal, Pasadena — $12 combination plates and $7 house margaritas. Dodgers win, home or away. Order online for pickup.

☕ Con Azúcar Café, Sylmar — free size upgrade and Dodgers latte art. Say “Dodgers win!” at the register.

Still dark: Panda Express, ampm, Sunright and Habit Burger all require a home game, and the Dodgers aren’t back at Chavez Ravine until Tuesday. The McDonald’s Angels deal needed a win over Philadelphia. And the Carl’s Jr. Rams code RAMS7146 expires tomorrow.

🏀 A GOOD FRIDAY IN BOTH ARENAS

The Sparks closed their four-game home stand by beating Washington 88-82 — the win Lynne Roberts said they wanted, since it took the season series from a playoff team. Rey Moralde had written that morning about the topping-out ceremony at the club’s new El Segundo facility, which Roberts called “state-of-the-art, best in show, best in the league.”

Three hundred miles east, the Aces handled Toronto 93-73 for their third straight win and headed into the FIBA World Cup break with momentum — and without NaLyssa Smith, whose season ended this week.

And at Snapdragon Stadium, Kenza Dali and Trinity Byars brought San Diego back to beat Racing Louisville 3-2.

GO DEEPER

› Arion Armeniakos: Aces win three straight, roll into FIBA World Cup break with momentum (The Sporting Tribune)

› Sebastian Sanchez: Kenza Dali, Trinity Byars spark Wave FC comeback against Louisville (The Sporting Tribune)

🏈 THE LIST GETS SHORT TOMORROW

NFL rosters cut to 53 on Sunday. Derek Hegna has published his projection of who survives in Las Vegas, which is the piece to read if you have spent August watching bubble players at Allegiant and wondering which ones you will see again.

Sean McVay put the same problem plainly Thursday night: 20 tough decisions, and some of the 53 will be difficult too.

GO DEEPER

› Derek Hegna: Who makes it onto the Raiders’ 53-man roster? (The Sporting Tribune)

🏈 THE FIRST SATURDAY

College football returns today, and for once every market we cover is on national television on the same afternoon.

USC opens at the Coliseum against San Jose State at noon on NBC — Holdenn Graff spent the week at the Bloom Performance Center and found a team that believes in itself. Hawai’i plays at Stanford at 4 p.m. on ACC Network. And UNLV hosts Memphis at 7 p.m. on FOX, opening Dan Mullen’s second season at Allegiant Stadium after a summer Steve Carp described as a coach considerably more comfortable than a year ago.

Three markets, three kickoffs, one Saturday.

GO DEEPER

› Holdenn Graff: USC believes in itself heading into San Jose State game (The Sporting Tribune)

📺 WATCHLIST — SATURDAY, AUGUST 29

⚾ MLB: Dodgers at Tigers — Comerica Park — 10:10 a.m. — SNLA

🏈 College: San Jose State at USC — Coliseum — 12:00 p.m. — NBC

⚾ MLB: Padres at Rays — 1:10 p.m. — Padres TV

🏈 College: Hawai’i at Stanford — 4:00 p.m. — ACC Network

⚽ MLS: LAFC at DC United — 4:30 p.m. — Apple TV

⚾ MLB: Phillies at Angels — Angel Stadium — 7:00 p.m. — ABTV

🏈 College: Memphis at UNLV — Allegiant Stadium — 7:00 p.m. — FOX

⚽ MLS: Galaxy at San Diego FC — Snapdragon Stadium — 7:30 p.m. — Apple TV

Coming up: NFL rosters cut to 53 on Sunday. The Sporting Tribune Today premieres Monday on SportsGrid, weekdays at 7 and 11 a.m. ET.

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

Get-in prices across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii— brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.

⚾ MLB: Phillies at Angels — Angel Stadium — $5

🏈 San Jose State at USC — Coliseum — $6

🏈 Memphis at UNLV — Allegiant Stadium — $42

⚽ Galaxy at San Diego FC — Snapdragon Stadium — $58

🌴 TST TRIVIA

Miguel Rojas’s pinch-hit single in the sixth inning Friday ended a Dodgers scoring drought. How many innings had it lasted?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

Today’s episode: Tarik Skubal’s return to Detroit and the win that ended the Dodgers’ skid, a ninth-inning collapse in Anaheim on the night Wade Meckler came back, an error that cost San Diego in Tampa, and the first Saturday of college football with USC, Hawai’i and UNLV all on television. Hear it on the radio across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawai’i via Westwood One Sports, The Bet Las Vegas, Hawaii Sports Radio Network and KIRN in Los Angeles.

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: Sixteen innings.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

Twenty tough decisions, and four they don’t have to make

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 18:47:22 GMT

Good morning! The preseason ended in both football markets Thursday night, which means the next 48 hours are the cruelest of the year for a few hundred men. Eric Lambkins II found four Rams at SoFi who looked entirely at peace with it. Derek Hegna found a Raiders roster where the quarterback question answered itself. In Atlanta, the Dodgers were shut out and swept. And in Las Vegas, the Aces confirmed the worst about NaLyssa Smith. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

🏈 Comfort in the chaos. Four Rams played Thursday like the decision had already been made — Eric Lambkins II at SoFi Stadium.

🏈 Clarity in Las Vegas. Kirk Cousins was “ruthlessly efficient,” the rookie was not, and the Raiders cut to 53 on Sunday — Derek Hegna at Allegiant Stadium.

🏈 The weight on Herbert. Fredo Cervantes on why the pressure on the Chargers quarterback has never been greater — Fredo Cervantes at SoFi Stadium.

⚾ Swept and shut out. The Dodgers lost 1-0 to finish a three-game sweep in Atlanta — Anthony Arroyo at Truist Park.

🏀 Season over. The Aces confirmed NaLyssa Smith will miss the rest of the year — Arion Armeniakos in Las Vegas.

🏈 Good, bad and ugly. Steve Carp’s ledger from the Raiders’ finale — Steve Carp at Allegiant Stadium.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — THURSDAY

🏈 NFL Preseason: Rams 20, Chargers 18 · 49ers 18, Raiders 12

⚾ MLB: Braves 1, Dodgers 0

🏈 COMFORT IN THE CHAOS

Sean McVay kept the starters out. Stetson Bennett watched in street clothes. Matthew Stafford’s arm rested. The stage belonged, as Eric Lambkins II writes, to the hungry and the hopeful — and referee Shawn Hochuli said the only thing that mattered at the coin toss: “Everyone stay healthy, please.”

Ty Simpson went 18-of-23 for 119 yards. Not numbers that scream. His first throw found CJ Daniels on a hitch, and in the second quarter, trailing 7-3, he felt pressure, escaped left and dropped an 11-yard touchdown to Brennan Presley where only Presley could reach it.

“It was a pressure look,” McVay said. “They lost contain. He escaped it, kept his eyes down the field.”

Daniels caught five for 42, finishing the preseason with 15 receptions. “He’s been a blanket for me,” Simpson said. Daniels’s version: “Best ability is availability.”

Dean Connors carried 18 times for 69 yards and caught an eight-yard touchdown from Matthew Caldwell in the fourth to make it 20-10 — three preseason touchdowns in all. Cam Lampkin, a captain Thursday, led the team in tackles and dropped the quarterback for a seven-yard loss.

The Chargers made it uncomfortable late. Gregory Desrosiers broke a 34-yard touchdown run and DJ Uiagalelei found Evan Svoboda for two, closing it to 20-18 before the clock ran out.

“The guys that have been playing have made it tough for us, and that’s a positive thing for the depth of our roster,” McVay said. “We got 20 tough decisions to make.”

Twenty. But not, Lambkins argues, for these four.

Los Angeles finished the preseason 3-0, traded for Tutu Atwell, and now flies to Australia in two weeks to open against San Francisco. The Super Bowl comes to SoFi in February.

GO DEEPER

› Eric Lambkins II: How four Rams found comfort and roster spots in preseason finale (The Sporting Tribune)

🏈 AND ACROSS THE HALLWAY

Justin Herbert threw a 65-yard touchdown against the Rams, and Fredo Cervantes filed a column arguing the pressure on him has never been heavier — a franchise quarterback in a shared building, in a season that ends with a Super Bowl in his own stadium.

GO DEEPER

› Fredo Cervantes: Justin Herbert’s pressure has never been greater (The Sporting Tribune)

› Fernando Ramirez: Justin Herbert throws 65-yard touchdown vs. Rams (The Sporting Tribune)

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🏈 THE QUARTERBACK QUESTION ANSWERED ITSELF

Klint Kubiak would not name a Week 1 starter. Thursday made the case anyway.

Kirk Cousins went 8-of-11 for 51 yards in what Fernando Mendoza himself called “ruthlessly efficient.” Mendoza, the first overall pick, was 7-of-14 for 57 with two sacks and an interception that bounced off Jalen Nailor’s hands to 49ers linebacker Tatum Bethune. Las Vegas lost 18-12 in what Derek Hegna described as a kicking battle.

Mendoza’s response was the most useful thing said all night: “I would love unlimited games for development. If there were three more preseason games that I could do, I would do them.”

Hegna’s read is that starting Cousins early is not a retreat — it is the reason the Raiders built the room they did. “Kirk’s been in this league for a while, so he knows the ins and outs,” Nailor said. “Fernando, he’s still learning.”

The other news is the backfield. Mike Washington, the fourth-round rookie, again led the Raiders in rushing with 49 yards on eight carries, and the conversation has shifted from replacing Ashton Jeanty to pairing with him. Washington credits Jeanty for the education: “Really slowing the game down. Play call, reading defenses. I could go on and on about what Ashton has taught me.”

Elsewhere on the bubble: Treydan Stukes started and finished with three tackles. Patrick Johnson, six years in the league, made another case with a tackle for loss on third-and-one. Seventh-rounder Brandon Cleveland had a team-high five tackles and two for loss. Third-round rookie Keyron Crawford left with an ankle injury.

Kubiak was blunt about the rest. “We didn’t score. Receivers, running backs, tight ends, all around, we got to find ways to get balls in the end zone.”

The 53-man deadline is Sunday.

GO DEEPER

› Derek Hegna: Raiders emerge from preseason finale with clarity and difficult decisions alike (The Sporting Tribune)

› Steve Carp: Some good, some bad and some ugly in Raiders’ final preseason game (The Sporting Tribune)

🍔 THE DEALS BOARD

🍔 Jack in the Box — free Jumbo Jack with a large drink. Dodgers pitchers struck out 11 in Atlanta, which is the one thing that went right. Code GODODGERS26, app or in-store.

🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-oz Baja Blast. Only two homers cleared 420 feet Thursday: Coby Mayo at 446 and Carter Jensen at 421. Wallet pass at OTC Network stores.

Dark today: every Dodgers home-game deal — Panda Express, ampm, Sunright, El Portal, Con Azúcar and Habit Burger — stays off until Sept. 1 against St. Louis. The Carl’s Jr. Rams code expires Sunday and the Rams didn’t record an interception Thursday, so no replacement yet. Firehouse Subs resets with this weekend’s slate.

⚾ SWEPT, AND SHUT OUT TO FINISH IT

A week that began with a sweep of Pittsburgh and a column about a historic rotation ended with the Dodgers scoring zero runs in Atlanta and losing three straight to a team they needed to beat. Thursday’s 1-0 loss completed the sweep. Los Angeles struck out 11 Braves and did not score.

Put the week in order: Glasnow returned and they lost. Sasaki went to the injured list with a blister and they lost on a walk-off. Then the bats went silent entirely. Since the All-Star break the Dodgers are now well under .500 against teams above .500, and that is the number that will follow them into September.

They open in Detroit this afternoon. The next home game is Tuesday against St. Louis.

GO DEEPER

› Anthony Arroyo: Dodgers shut out by Braves, suffer three-game sweep (The Sporting Tribune)

🏀 THE WORST NEWS, CONFIRMED

Sunday in Vancouver, NaLyssa Smith came down after catching a high pass and her left knee buckled. She left the floor unable to bear weight and the Aces said nothing that night. On Thursday they confirmed it: she is out for the rest of the season.

Las Vegas won that game and has kept winning — A’ja Wilson collected her fourth Western Conference Player of the Week award of the season this week — but a frontcourt loses a different amount depending on the month, and August is the wrong month.

The Aces host Toronto tonight.

GO DEEPER

› Arion Armeniakos: Aces confirm NaLyssa Smith to miss rest of season with injury (The Sporting Tribune)

📺 WATCHLIST — FRIDAY, AUGUST 28

⚾ MLB: Dodgers at Tigers — Comerica Park — 3:40 p.m. — SNLA

⚾ MLB: Padres at Rays — 4:10 p.m. — Padres TV

⚾ MLB: Phillies at Angels — Angel Stadium — 6:38 p.m. — ABTV

🏀 WNBA: Mystics at Sparks — Crypto.com Arena — 7:00 p.m. — Ion

🏀 WNBA: Tempo at Aces — Michelob ULTRA Arena — 7:00 p.m. — Ion

⚽ NWSL: Racing Louisville at San Diego Wave — 7:00 p.m. — NWSL+

Coming up: NFL rosters cut to 53 on Sunday. The Sporting Tribune Today premieres Monday on SportsGrid, weekdays at 7 and 11 a.m. ET.

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

Get-in prices across Southern California and Las Vegas — brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.

⚾ Phillies at Angels — Angel Stadium — $11

🏀 Mystics at Sparks — Crypto.com Arena — $10

🏀 Tempo at Aces — Michelob ULTRA Arena — $23

🌴 TST TRIVIA

The Rams finished the preseason 3-0 and open the regular season against the 49ers. In what country will that game be played?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

Today’s episode: the four Rams who looked like they had already made it, the Raiders quarterback race that answered itself, Justin Herbert and the weight of a Super Bowl season at home, a Dodgers sweep in Atlanta that ended with a shutout, and NaLyssa Smith’s season ending in Las Vegas. Hear it on the radio across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawai’i via Westwood One Sports, The Bet Las Vegas, Hawaii Sports Radio Network and KIRN in Los Angeles.

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: Australia — the Rams face San Francisco on Sept. 10 in Melbourne.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.

Five days ago this rotation looked historic

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 18:58:23 GMT

Good morning! On Sunday, Fredo Cervantes wrote from Dodger Stadium that the Dodgers were assembling something terrifying. Four days later he filed from Atlanta on a blister, a walk-off and a number that ought to worry Los Angeles more than either. The Angels were swept in Anaheim after leading in all three games. The Padres at least salvaged one behind five scoreless from Randy Vasquez. And tonight the preseason ends in both of our football markets, with cuts to follow. Let’s get into it.

🚨 HEADLINES

⚾ Sasaki to the IL. A blister on his throwing hand ended his night in the fourth; Eric Lauer likely takes his turn — Fredo Cervantes at Truist Park.

⚾ Swept. The Angels led in all three games against Cleveland and lost all three — Jack Haslett at Angel Stadium.

⚾ One salvaged. Jackson Merrill’s two extra-base hits and five scoreless from Vasquez gave San Diego a 3-0 win — Eric Evelhoch at Petco Park.

⚕️ Angels reshuffle. Campero to the IL with a hamstring strain; Teodosio and Trevor Martin recalled — Jack Haslett at Angel Stadium.

🏈 Week 0. USC opens Saturday against San Jose State, and believes in itself — Holdenn Graff at the Bloom Performance Center.

🏀 Topping out. The Sparks’ new El Segundo facility hit a construction milestone — Rey Moralde in El Segundo.

See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.

📋 SCOREBOARD — WEDNESDAY

⚾ MLB: Braves 6, Dodgers 5 · Guardians 4, Angels 3 · Padres 3, Pirates 0

⚽ NWSL: Courage 2, Angel City 0

⚾ A BLISTER, A WALK-OFF, AND A NUMBER

Roki Sasaki left Wednesday’s start with one out in the fourth, already at 66 pitches, with a blister on the middle finger of his throwing hand. He is headed to the injured list. Dave Roberts said Eric Lauer will likely take his next turn.

That is the story, and it lands five days after this newsletter carried Fredo Cervantes’s column arguing that the Dodgers were building a rotation the rest of baseball should lose sleep over. Glasnow is back. Ohtani is building up. Sasaki is out. The math keeps moving.

The game was its own kind of cruel. Tommy Edman did nearly all the damage — 2-for-4, a two-run homer, three RBI, two runs scored. Mookie Betts singled in a run in the seventh and Edman drew a bases-loaded walk to tie it 5-5, and then the Dodgers had the bases loaded with nobody out. Kyle Tucker lined out. Alek Thomas grounded into a double play.

They loaded them again in the eighth. Max Muncy saw seven straight fastballs in a nine-pitch at-bat and then waved at a splitter. Los Angeles left 11 men on base.

In the ninth, Tanner Scott got two outs, gave up a single to Lane Thomas, walked Austin Riley, and then Ha-Seong Kim — hitting .066 on the season — lined a full-count single to end it, 6-5. It was the second consecutive night Scott surrendered the winning run. “Just move on to the next day and put this one behind me,” he said.

Atlanta has the series. The Dodgers are 80-53. And the number Cervantes put in the middle of his story is the one that should travel: since the All-Star break, Los Angeles is 6-15 against teams above .500.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto goes this afternoon to avoid the sweep.

GO DEEPER

› Fredo Cervantes: Sasaki heads to IL after Dodgers’ walk-off loss in Atlanta (The Sporting Tribune)

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⚾ THREE GAMES, THREE LEADS, THREE LOSSES

Cleveland came to Anaheim and left with a sweep, and the pattern did not vary: the Angels held a lead in every game and did not hold one at the end of any. Monday it was 4-2. Tuesday they gave away 5-0 and then 6-5 in a 10-inning loss. Wednesday it was 4-3.

The roster churned around it. Gustavo Campero went on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain five games into his first stint of the season, having left Tuesday’s game early. With Wade Meckler still in concussion protocol after being hit in the head in Houston on Aug. 20 — he was due for a rehab start at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga — the Angels recalled Bryce Teodosio from Triple-A Salt Lake, where he hit .271 with a .782 OPS in 60 games. Kurt Suzuki said Teodosio got the call over higher-rated prospects for his outfield defense, which frees the Angels to use Mike Trout at designated hitter.

Right-hander Trevor Martin, claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay this month, came up with him. Suzuki said Martin throws five pitches and can go multiple innings — length the bullpen badly needs. Blake Weiman, the losing pitcher Tuesday, was optioned to Salt Lake.

Philadelphia comes to Anaheim on Friday.

GO DEEPER

› Jack Haslett: Angels let another lead slip away in series sweep to Guardians (The Sporting Tribune)

› Jack Haslett: Angels roster recap — Teodosio and Martin coming up, Campero to IL (The Sporting Tribune)

🍔 THE DEALS BOARD

🍔 Jack in the Box — free Jumbo Jack with a large drink. Dodgers pitchers struck out exactly seven in Atlanta, which is exactly the bar. Code GODODGERS26, app or in-store.

🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-oz Baja Blast. Six home runs cleared 420 feet Wednesday, led by Hunter Goodman at 435 and Kaelen Culpepper at 428. Wallet pass at OTC Network stores.

⭐ Carl’s Jr. — free Famous Star with Cheese with a large drink, code RAMS7146, listed through today after the Rams recorded an interception in their last game. The Rams play tonight, so a fresh code may replace it by Friday.

Dark today: Panda Express, ampm, Sunright, El Portal, Con Azúcar and Habit Burger all need a Dodgers home game — the next one is Sept. 1 against St. Louis. Firehouse Subs’ Monday-to-Wednesday window closed. The McDonald’s Angels deal needed a win.

⚾ SAN DIEGO GETS ONE BACK

After a 12-inning loss and a 1-0 loss, the Padres avoided the sweep with a 3-0 win Wednesday. Randy Vasquez allowed one hit over five scoreless innings and the bullpen worked around trouble the rest of the way. Jackson Merrill had two extra-base hits, including an RBI triple.

It was the first time in three days the offense converted anything — San Diego had gone 1-for-20 with runners in scoring position across the first two games of the series, with Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Merrill and Xander Bogaerts a combined 2-for-31.

Pittsburgh still took the series two games to one, which is not what a team clinging to the last National League wild card wants to say about a homestand.

GO DEEPER

› Eric Evelhoch: Merrill makes chances count, Padres pitchers survive choppy water in win over Pirates (The Sporting Tribune)

🏈 THE LAST NIGHT TO MAKE A TEAM

Two preseason finales tonight, one in each of our football markets, and then the part nobody enjoys.

At Allegiant Stadium, the Raiders host San Francisco at 5 p.m. with a roster question they did not have two weeks ago. Derek Hegna has written about the opportunity in front of the bubble players; Steve Carp has written about the competition to be the running back behind Ashton Jeanty, which became considerably more consequential after Jeanty left practice Sunday unable to put weight on his right leg.

At SoFi, the Rams face the Chargers at 7 p.m. — BZZR carries it, with The Sporting Tribune’s live postgame show to follow. For several dozen men in both buildings, this is the last tape they will produce before the 53-man deadline.

GO DEEPER

› Derek Hegna: Opportunity presenting itself for Raiders with final preseason game on deck (The Sporting Tribune)

› Steve Carp: Raiders have spirited competition to find No. 2 RB behind No. 2 (The Sporting Tribune)

⚡ QUICK HITS

🏈 Week 0 in Los Angeles. USC opens the season Saturday against San Jose State — Holdenn Graff at USC.

🏀 A home of their own. The Sparks held a topping-out ceremony at their El Segundo facility — Rey Moralde in El Segundo.

⚽ Streak over. Angel City’s four-match unbeaten run ended in a 2-0 loss at the North Carolina Courage, both goals from Ashley Sanchez, whose second was a league record-setting 15th of the season — The Sporting Tribune in North Carolina.

📺 WATCHLIST — THURSDAY, AUGUST 27

⚾ MLB: Dodgers at Braves — Truist Park — 4:15 p.m. — FS1 (Yamamoto, avoiding the sweep)

🏈 NFL Preseason: 49ers at Raiders — Allegiant Stadium — 5:00 p.m. — ESPN

🏈 NFL Preseason: Rams at Chargers — SoFi Stadium — 7:00 p.m. — NFL Network

Coming up: Roster cuts follow tonight’s finales. The Sporting Tribune Today premieres Monday on SportsGrid, weekdays at 7 and 11 a.m. ET.

🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?

Get-in prices across Southern California and Las Vegas — brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.

🏈 49ers at Raiders — Allegiant Stadium — $45

🏈 Rams at Chargers — SoFi Stadium — $7

🏈 San Jose State at USC — Coliseum (Saturday) — $11

🏈 Memphis at UNLV — Allegiant Stadium (Saturday) — $40

🌴 TST TRIVIA

Ha-Seong Kim’s full-count single walked off the Dodgers on Wednesday night. What was he hitting on the season when he came to the plate?

Answer at the bottom.

🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY

Today’s episode: The death of the Pri Bowl, Roki Sasaki to the injured list and what a blister does to a rotation that looked untouchable a week ago; the Angels swept at home after leading all three games; San Diego salvaging one behind Randy Vasquez; and two preseason finales tonight in Las Vegas and Inglewood with cuts to follow. Hear it on the radio across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawai’i via Westwood One Sports, The Bet Las Vegas, Hawaii Sports Radio Network and KIRN in Los Angeles.

› Listen to the latest episode

Trivia answer: .066.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.