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)
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🍔 THE DEALS BOARD
Active today across Southern California — brought to you by Ike’s Sandwiches, home of the world famous Arash Markazi sandwich, which has fried chicken, purple slaw, wasabi mayo, honey mustard, and cheddar on a Dutch Crunch roll. Just ask for the 500 at any Ike’s location. Both baseball teams lost again, so the board stays thin — four live.
🍔 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?
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⚾ 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
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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.
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