From Jack Harris: At this time last year, the pressure was palpable.
Up until last October, the Dodgers had a reputation as postseason failures.
It wasn’t an unwarranted distinction. In each of the previous two seasons, the team had been upset in the National League Division Series by lesser opponents in the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. The fall before that, their title defense flamed out against the underdog Atlanta Braves in the NL Championship Series. Yes, they won a World Series in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. But outside of that, it’d been more than three decades since they last triumphed under typical circumstances.
That checkered history weighed on them. Their urgency to change it in last year’s playoffs was fervent.
“That kind of sour taste that you have when you make an early exit from the postseason, our guys are tired of it,” manager Dave Roberts said on the eve of last year’s postseason. “So this is another opportunity. I do sense that edge.”
This week, of course, the Dodgers face a different kind of dynamic.
After their memorable run to a championship last year, the team has gotten the monkey of its full-season title drought off its back. And while expectations are still high, with the Dodgers and their record-setting $400-million roster set to begin the playoffs with a best-of-three wild-card round starting Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds, the questions about past October disappointments have dissipated.
So, does the pressure of this postseason feel different?
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‘That’s why I came here.’ Dodgers bet on Blake Snell’s potential as a postseason ace
MLB POSTSEASON SCHEDULE
National League
Cincinnati at Dodgers
Tuesday, 6 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday, 6 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday, 6 p.m., ESPN
San Diego at Chicago
Tuesday, noon, ABC
Wednesday, noon, ABC
*Thursday, noon, ABC
American League
Detroit at Cleveland
Tuesday, 10 a.m., ESPN
Wednesday, 10 a.m., ESPN
*Thursday, 10 a.m., ESPN
Boston at New York
Tuesday, 3 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday, 3 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday, 3 p.m., ESPN
*-if necessary
LAKERS
From Bill Plaschke: Of all the reams of words publicly spilled at Lakers media day Monday, only one really mattered.
When LeBron James was wrapping up his interview with the folks at Spectrum Sportsnet, host Chris McGee asked, “By the way, see you at next year’s media day?”
James’ laughing answer set the template for a season.
“Maybe.”
So the Lakers should treat the next eight months emptying their assets and foregoing their future and playing with the desperation of a team trying to earn one last piece of jewelry for arguably the greatest player ever?
Maybe.
So should the fans here and around the league show up in droves and line up around the block for their last live look at a living legend?
Maybe.
Or, if everything goes wrong and things get ugly, should the Lakers and James willingly part ways through a midseason buyout?
Maybe.
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‘I don’t know’: Lakers’ LeBron James unsure when it comes to future
CLIPPERS
From Steve Henson: Kawhi Leonard mumbled his way through a few answers to questions Monday about his endorsement deal with Aspiration Partners that has triggered an NBA investigation into whether the Clippers circumvented the league salary cap.
The Clippers allowed only two reporters to ask about the deal during media day at Intuit Dome, refusing to give the microphone to additional reporters — including one from The Times — who raised their hands to ask questions. Leonard was ushered off the dais and out of sight.
“The NBA is going to do their job,” Leonard said. “None of us did … wrongdoing and, yeah, that’s it. We invite the investigation.”
Asked about his understanding of the endorsement deal and whether he performed any services, Leonard replied, “I understand the full contract and services that I had to do. Like I said, I don’t deal with conspiracies or the click-bait analysts or journalism that’s going on.
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From Ben Bolch: They’re still together … for now.
UCLA’s football team appeared to have a full roster of players at its disposal Monday after the Bruins reached the four-game threshold for redshirting and the halfway point of the 30-day window for entering the transfer portal following the dismissal of coach DeShaun Foster.
Interim coach Tim Skipper said no player had informed him of an intention to redshirt or transfer, though there’s still time to mull those decisions before the Bruins (0-4 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) face No. 7 Penn State (3-1, 0-1) on Saturday afternoon at the Rose Bowl.
Once a player participates in a fifth game, he can no longer redshirt.
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RAMS
From Gary Klein: Sean McVay good naturedly put it on his late grandfather.
As a team executive, John McVay helped the San Francisco 49ers win five Super Bowl titles, excellence that created 49ers fans everywhere.
So when the Rams play the 49ers on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium, McVay fully expects the usual massive contingent of 49ers fans.
“They obviously have a great fan base,” Sean McVay said Monday during a videoconference with reporters before deadpanning. “I blame my grandpa for that.”
McVay could also blame former team ownership, which moved the Rams from Los Angeles to St. Louis after the 1994 season. That left Southern California without the Rams for more than two decades before they returned in 2016.
The departure to St. Louis created untold numbers of Southern California NFL fans who embraced the 49ers, the Los Angeles/Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers among other teams.
McVay, however, said he was “hopeful and optimistic” that the Rams on Thursday will feel the same vibes they got in their season-opening victory over the Houston Texans and on Sunday in their 27-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
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THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1939 — Fordham participates in the world’s first televised American football game. In front of the sport’s first live TV audience, the Rams defeats Waynesburg College, 34-7.
1984 — The Los Angeles Rams set an NFL record with three safeties in a 33-12 victory over the New York Giants. Two of the safeties are on blocked punts in the end zone.
1995 — Prairie View A&M sets the college football record for consecutive losses with a 64-0 loss to Grambling State. It is the team’s 51st straight defeat, an NCAA record for any level.
2007 — Osi Umenyiora has six of the New York Giants’ NFL record-tying 12 sacks in a 16-3 victory over Philadelphia.
2007 — Detroit scores an NFL-record, 34 points in the fourth quarter of a 37-27 victory over Chicago. The Lions combine with Bears for 48 points — also a league record.
2007 — Brett Favre passes Dan Marino to become the NFL leader in career touchdown passes, throwing Nos. 421 and 422 in Green Bay’s 23-16 victory over Minnesota.
2007 — Germany defeats Brazil 2-0 in the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup held in Shanghai, China.
2012 — New England beats Buffalo 52-28 to become the first team since the 1950 New York Giants (48 points) to score at least 45 second-half points in a game in which it trailed at halftime (14-7). The Patriots become the second team in NFL history with a 300-yard passer (Tom Brady, 340 Yards), two 100-yard rushers (Brandon Bolden, 137 and Steven Ridley, 106) and two 100-yard receivers (Wes Welker, 129 and Rob Gronkowski, 104). The only other team to accomplish the feat was the 2008 Packers on December 28.
2015 — The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agrees that the NCAA’s use of college athletes’ names, images and likenesses in video games and TV broadcasts violate antitrust laws but strikes down a plan to allow schools to pay players up to $5,000.
2017 — Troy’s defense forces four turnovers and the surging Trojans upset No. 25 LSU 24-21. Troy is the first team from outside the Southeastern Conference to win in LSU’s Death Valley since UAB in 2000.
2018 — The Ryder Cup is won by Europe 17½-10½ at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines, France. The home team secures the victory when Phil Mickelson knocks one in the water at the par-3 16th hole, conceding his match to Francesco Molinari right on the tee box. Molinari becomes the first European player to go 5-0 in the competition since the current format was adapted in 1979. Tiger Woods loses all four of his matches, capped by a 2-and-1 loss to 23-year-old Jon Rahm of Spain, the youngest player in the event.
2018 — Brittney Griner scores 15 points to help the United States beat Australia 73-56 and win the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1904 — Doc White of the Chicago White Sox pitched his fifth shutout in eighteen days, a 4-0 win over the New York Yankees.
1915 — The Boston Red Sox clinched the American League pennant when St. Louis beat Detroit 8-2, giving Boston a 2 1/2-game margin.
1916 — New York’s Rube Benton pitched a 4-0 one-hitter over the Boston Braves to give the Giants their record 26th straight win in the first game of a doubleheader.
1927 — Babe Ruth hit his 60th home run of the season in the eighth inning off Tom Zachary to lead the New York Yankees to a 4-2 victory over the Washington Senators.
1934 — Dizzy Dean beat the Cincinnati Reds, 9-0, for his 30th victory of the year as the St. Louis Cardinals clinched the NL pennant.
1934 — New York’s Babe Ruth played his final game as a Yankee, going 0 for 3 with a walk, in a 5-3 loss to the Washington Senators at Griffith Stadium.
1945 — Hank Greenberg’s grand slam in the top of the ninth inning gave the Detroit Tigers a 6-3 win over the St. Louis Browns and the American League pennant on the last day of the season.
1947 — In the first televised World Series, the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers, 5-3, in the opening game.
1951 — Jackie Robinson homered in the 14th inning to give the Brooklyn Dodgers a 9-8 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, tying the New York Giants for first place in the National League and forcing a playoff.
1962 — Willie Mays homered to give the San Francisco Giants a 2-1 victory over the Houston Colt 45s in the season’s final day. That, coupled with the Dodgers’ 1-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, forced a playoff for the NL pennant.
1972 — Roberto Clemente doubled off Jon Matlack during Pittsburgh’s 5-0 victory over the New York Mets. The hit was the 3,000th and last for the Pirates star, who was killed in a plane crash during the offseason.
1984 — Mike Witt of the Angels tossed 97 pitches in a perfect game against the Texas Rangers, winning 1-0.
1988 — Dave Stieb of the Toronto Blue Jays lost a no-hit bid with two outs in the ninth for the second consecutive start and finished with a 4-0 one-hitter over the Baltimore Orioles.
1992 — George Brett became the 18th player to get 3,000 hits in the Kansas City Royals’ 4-0 win over the Angels at Anaheim. Brett went 4-for-5 and got the milestone with a single in the seventh off rookie reliever Tim Fortugno.
2007 — The New York Mets missed the playoffs when Tom Glavine was tagged for seven runs during the first inning of a season-ending 8-1 loss to Florida. No major league team had owned a lead of seven games or more with 17 to play and failed to finish in first place. New York, which had that margin on Sept. 12, matched the largest lead blown in September.
2014 — The Kansas City Royals overcame a 7-3 lead to force extra innings and outlasted Oakland 9-8 in 12 innings in the AL wild-card playoff. This was the first wild card game to go extra innings.
2017 — Detroit’s Andrew Romine became the fifth player in baseball history to play all nine positions in one game, helping the Tigers to a 3-2 win over Minnesota.
2022 — Pinch-hitting for Luis Torrens with two out in the 9th, Cal Raleigh blasts a 406-foot homer against Domingo Acevedo to give Seattle a 2-1 win over Oakland and clinch a postseason spot for the first time since 2001, the longest active drought in the majors.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…