#Los Angeles Times

Nothing has gone the Los Angeles Lakers way this season, from poor results to difficulties remaining healthy. However, according to Darvin Ham, the Lakers are slowly heading toward a healthy roster, with Anthony Davis, Lonnie Walker IV, and Austin Reaves all trending in a positive direction with their respective recoveries. "Lonnie is trending in…

The NFL playoffs 2023 begin on Saturday, with the nightcap set for TIAA Bank Field in primetime. The Jacksonville Jaguars will host the Los Angeles Chargers in the first ever playoff meeting between the two franchises. It is also a rematch of a Week 3 tilt in which Jacksonville won by a lopsided margin in Los Angeles. The No. 5 seed Chargers are…

It's never too early to think about next year as one college football season ends and the next one becomes the conversation. So, who is No. 1? The very early top-25 rankings are now starting to roll in 235 days before Alabama opens the 2023 season against Middle Tennessee State. There's a consensus with Georgia at No. 1 in the three-peat bid, but…

The annual Dec. 26 start of the Santa Anita season has a natural, anticipatory, turn-the-page vibe to it. But this mark-your-calendar Opening Day mainstay hasn't always been a post-holiday tradition. Although Santa Anita has kicked off its winter/spring meet on the day after Christmas every year since 1977, the track originally opened in 1934 on…

AFC teams fighting to get in the 2022 NFL playoffs collide when the New York Jets host the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Week 16 Thursday Night Football game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Jets (7-7) are one game behind Miami (8-6) for the third and final wild card spot in the conference. New York is coming off a crushing 20-17 loss…

After Aaron Judge spurned his hometown San Francisco Giants in MLB free agency, the team shifted its focus on 28-year-old shortstop Carlos Correa the former Houston Astros shortstop involved in the cheating and sign-stealing scandal that rocked the baseball world following the 2017 World Series. ESPN's Jeff Passan broke the news yesterday that the…

What a gutsy performance by Caleb Williams, but USC goes down again against a tough physical Utah football team. Williams proved he is a strong Heisman Trophy contender because without him healthy USC is just an average, poor-tackling team with a porous defense. All season long Williams kept USC in games by extending play after play but not this…

Yasiel Puig has withdrawn a guilty plea in connection with charges of lying to federal investigators probing an illegal gambling ring in Southern California, attorneys for the former Major League Baseball outfielder said in a statement Wednesday. Puig, a former MLB All-Star with the Los Angeles Dodgers, reached an agreement with the U.S. Justice…

Chinese legend Ma Long and world No. 1 Fan Zhendong will square off Friday morning in what should be a thrilling men's table tennis final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Ma is the reigning gold medalist, while Fan is the world's top-ranked player, and it is a rematch of the 2020 World cup final, a nail-biter won by Fan. Ma is widely considered the best…

The Golden State Warriors are eying a second consecutive NBA title - and the franchise's fifth since 2015 - as the season tips off on Tuesday, bidding to cement its era-defining legacy with yet more success. The reigning champions face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in their opening game at Chase Center in San Francisco and will look to…

The name Phil Thomas does not appear in present-day past performances. The last race on his training record was run more than three years ago. His last winner was at the end of the summer of 2013. But something he said resonates to this day with horseplayers handicapping the Kentucky Derby. "I bet if you looked at it," he said, "horses that won the…

The annual MLB general manager meetings were held last week in Las Vegas, and the event is traditionally the rumor-filled calm before the storm. (It's also not to be confused with the winter meetings, which will take place in San Diego from Dec. 4-7 and is when a ton of wheeling and dealing goes down.) Free agents couldn't sign with new teams until…

A Washington Commanders franchise dealing with multiple off-the-field controversies will turn its attention to the field when the team takes on the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football. On Monday, Commanders coach Ron Rivera cited "quarterback" as the reason why the team's rebuild lagged behind the rebuilding projects by…

Miami (4-5, 2-3 ACC) at Georgia Tech (4-5, 3-3), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. EST (ACC Regional) Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Juventus could end the year in the top four in Serie A despite a bad start to the season. Moise Kean's goal…

Through the years, we've seen some memorable performances in the historic Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park. Sham clocking 1 1/8 miles in the stakes-record time of 1:47 flat in 1973… future Triple Crown winner Affirmed cruising by eight lengths in 1978… the filly Winning Colors leading all the way to dominate in 1988… I'll Have Another battling…

The Baltimore Ravens will face the New Orleans Saints in the Big Easy on Monday Night Football. The Ravens lead the AFC with a 5-3 record through eight games, which includes a 3-1 mark in road games and a two-game winning streak. The Saints are 3-5 this season, including a 2-3 record at home and a 24-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week…

It showed up like clockwork last week in my email. Remember email? About 240 of us voters for the Eclipse Awards received our annual packets of digital information, complete with the usual advice to tamp an eagerness we may have to cast an early ballot. "It is strongly encouraged," the instructions said, "that you consider waiting to vote until…

Tom Brady will try to avoid losing three straight games for just the second time in his decorated career when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Baltimore Ravens in the Thursday Night Football game at Raymond James Stadium. The only time that Brady lost at least three starts in a row came in 2002 when, as quarterback of the Patriots, he lost four…

Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will try to get back into the win column when they host Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football. The Buccaneers (3-4) have lost two in a row and four of their last five. Despite that slump, they still are tied for first place in the NFC South with the Falcons. The Ravens (4-3) are…

Trading for an NBA superstar is more expensive than ever. Not long ago, teams could deal for All-Stars without giving up any future draft picks, or just one at the most. Now, every major transaction involves a pick bonanza. But NBA teams are limited in their creativity when trading picks. They can't trade conditional picks like NFL teams. They…

Two NFC teams on losing streaks will get a chance to turn their season around when the Chicago Bears host the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football. The Bears (2-3) have lost back-to-back games and sit in third place in the NFC North standings. They are coming off a 29-22 loss to Minnesota. The Commanders (1-4) have lost four in a row…

Week 5 of the 2022 NFL regular season is chock-full of storylines. Daniel Jones and Co. are in London, as the Giants will look to register an upset victory over Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, Patriots rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe gets a chance to wow home fans in his first career start against a porous Lions defense and Cooper Rush and the…

He is one of the best pitchers in baseball, but Julio Urías' road to success hasn't been easy. The Los Angeles Dodgers own the best record in baseball. The playoffs are underway, and it is World Series or bust for the boys in blue. Urías leads the pitching staff in several statistical categories. Los Angeles Times' Jorge Castillo wrote about why…

An AFC North battle will take place on Sunday Night Football as Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens (2-2) host Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals (2-2). The Ravens were narrowly defeated by the Buffalo Bills in Week 4, while Cincinnati heads into SNF on a two-game winning streak after starting the year off 0-2. Last Thursday, the Bengals beat…

You've seen the political ads on your television. You've heard them on the radio. You may have even seen a billboard or two. There's been no shortage of money spent on Proposition 27. But what exactly is Prop 27, and who supports and opposes it? Let's start with the "what." If you ever tune into a sports broadcast or listen to a sports podcast, the…

A new poll released by the Los Angeles Times and UC-Berkeley forecasts defeat for both of California's potential sports betting bills, Propositions 26 and 27. The major online sportsbooks appear to be headed for a decisive defeat in their attempt to make California sports betting a reality. But they may not be alone in suffering defeat when it…

They say money can't buy you happiness - and that was likely true Tuesday for the proponents of two dueling initiatives on California's Nov. 8 ballot to legalize sports betting. After all the money raised by the four campaigns on both sides of Propositions 26 and 27 - nearly $441 million so far, nearly double the previous record of $226 million set…

A new Los Angeles Times /UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll further crushed the spirit of anyone hoping to be able to place a sports bet in California in the near future. According to the poll results released on Tuesday, the tribal-backed retail-only Proposition 26 has the support of 31% of voters while the commercial-backed,…

Proposition 26 and Proposition 27, two pro-sports betting measures set to appear on the upcoming California ballot, could be facing a dismal future. the likelihood that voters approve either measure is minute According to a study by UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies co-commissioned by The Los Angeles Times, the likelihood that voters…

The South Carolina Gamecocks look to remain perfect in the all-time series when they host the South Carolina State Bulldogs on Thursday. This game was originally scheduled for Saturday but it was moved to Thursday evening due to concerns surrounding Hurricane Ian. South Carolina (2-2) won both of the previous meetings between the schools at home,…

The South Carolina Gamecocks conclude their string of three consecutive home games when they host the South Carolina State Bulldogs on Thursday. This game was moved from Saturday due to concerns surrounding Hurricane Ian. South Carolina (2-2) began the homestand with a 48-7 loss to No. 1 Georgia but followed with a 56-20 romp over Charlotte this…

legalized some form of sports betting since a Supreme Court decision struck down a federal ban in 2018. California still has not, but a pair of dueling initiatives on the November ballot may bring about change. In the style of California politics, it's all a gigantic, expensive mess of competing interests. Proposition 26 and Proposition 27 will…

Last year, I pleaded with Bill Plaschke to stop making predictions. Now he says that the Trojans might be the nation's best team. Here are my predictions for him: Sometime during the next month, he will predict that the Trojans will win the College Football Playoff. After their first loss, he will declare that their season is effectively over. At…

A plan to legalize appears doomed for defeat on the November ballot. Statewide, 54% of likely voters would vote "no" on Proposition 27, which would allow the use of mobile apps for sports wagering. Only 34% would vote "yes," according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Of those polled, 12% were undecided. The survey of 1060 likely voters…

The Breeders' Cup is a glorious two days of. Fourteen championship races, top horses from around the globe, mostly full fields and a chance for a profitable day with just a few exotic wagering scores. The 2021 edition will be run Friday and Saturday at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. The "Future Stars Friday'' card will feature five races restricted to…

The former New York Yankees slugger went deep Tuesday to help the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-3. It was Gallo's fourth home run since the trade deadline deal which sent him across the country. But it was his first home run since Aug. 16. "It's good to see him smile," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Gallo, according to…