April 20, 2026

The Lakers surprised us all on Saturday by taking down the Rockets in game 1 of their best-of-seven, 1st round series. Lebron James, who is 105 years old, was out there playing a very cerebral game, finishing just 2 rebounds shy of a triple double. It sounded crazy before, but the Lakers have to believe they have a real chance to win this series. The Rockets are an athletic team, but with or without Kevin Durant, they are also a low IQ basketball team. When KD isn’t out there, they jack up shots like they are playing 5 pm pick up at LA Fitness. No structure at all, but they do offensive rebound very well. If the Lakers can clean up their turnovers, and continue to play smart, they definitely have a great chance to win the series. No, I don’t think that Luke Kennard is going to be shooting like Larry Bird every game, and I expect the Rockets to make their adjustments, but defense is supposed to travel. Houston is a good defensive team, and the Lakers found a way to be efficient offensively against them. I expect the Rockets to respond in game 2 and be desperate, but the longer this goes, the better chance the Lakers get Luka back, and then the series really shifts in their favor.

As for the Clippers, they were eliminated in the play-in tournament by the Golden State Warriors last week. The Clippers once again don’t have a whole lot to show for the Kawhi Leonard era. They haven’t been out of the 1st round of the playoffs since 2021. I don’t care what Ramona Shelburne or Lawrence Frank are saying publicly, the franchise is ready to move on from him. They tried, they went all-in which you can’t blame them for, and it didn’t work. Except now that the league may punish them for circumventing the cap, they could be like the guy playing poker that not only loses his chips, but is now losing the shirt off his back, and his car as well. It makes no sense to hold on to Kawhi with one year left on his deal. I’m just not sure how you can trade a guy who’s contract may be terminated by the league in the next few months.

I know what you are going to say about the LA Kings. They made it close against the Avalanche and should be commended for their effort. Ok, yes they made it close, but this isn’t the same tough team to play against as the Stanley Cup era Kings of 12 years ago. The Kings barely generated any offense, and outside of the first line, nobody really generated any dangerous scoring chances. This is where the Kings really need Quintin Byfield to step up and become the player we all think he’s capable of becoming. Of course it also would have helped if Drew Doughty could have shot the puck into an open net when he had the chance in the early going. Game 2 is on Tuesday, but so far, nothing I’m seeing has made me think this is going to be a very long series.

As for the Ducks, they will get their shot tonight against the Oilers in game 1 of their 1st round series. This could be a very high scoring series, but I don’t know what to make of Anaheim. For a stretch of time they looked like the best team in the league, and then two weeks later they looked like the worst team. I do also have slightly more confidence in Anaheim’s goaltending than Edmonton’s, but does it even matter when Connor McDavid is on the other team? That guy is still the best player in hockey, and he can be the difference in the Oilers winning the series by himself.

To baseball, where the Dodgers ran into trouble over the weekend against Colorado, losing their last two games to the Rockies. The Boys in Blue will try to salvage a series split today at Coors Field. You can chalk up Saturday’s loss to some poor execution with runners in scoring position, and yesterday’s loss due to less than stellar pitching. Roki Sasaki remains a work in progress, looked dominant for 4 innings before running into trouble that he couldn’t get out of. Blake Treinen was going to give up a run eventually, so glad he got that out of his system. However, Edwin Diaz is still a mess after sitting out about a week. He didn’t record an out, gave up 3 runs, and his fastball velocity was down to 95 mph, which was previously 97. For a team with the best record in baseball, they have time to work all this out, but Diaz might be this year’s Tanner Scott!

Then there’s the Angels, who lost 2 out of 3 over the weekend to the Padres, and now get the Blue Jays for the next 3 games at home. The Halos are hovering around .500 at 11-12, but nobody in the American League is killing it, and certainly not in the AL West. The Angels have given away at least 6 wins like a 501C3 charity, so I wouldn’t call them a good team per se, but they could easily be 12-7 if they had a decent closer. Of course they had a decent closer in Kenley Jansen, and let him walk for nothing, and simply replace him with a bunch of bullpen guys that will likely be delivering your Uber Eats order in a few months.

Finally, the NFL Draft will take place this week and the Rams are licking their chops with the 13th pick in the 1st round. At this point it’s all about depth. The team should be looking at adding depth at inside linebacker, wide receiver, offensive line, and cornerback. At one point I thought the Rams should be looking at drafting a successor to Matt Stafford, but I don’t think that player is in this draft. In fact Fernando Mendoza at #1 will probably be the only quarterback selected in the draft. I’m not gonna lie though and I’m sure it’s the Golden Domer in me writing this: I love the idea of the Rams somehow drafting Notre Dame running back Jeremiah Love. He was one of the best players in the country last year, and I’m salivating at the idea of what he could do in a Sean McVay offense!

April 13, 2026

The NBA regular season is in the books, and now it’s playoff time! What a bizarre situation the Lakers found themselves in yesterday, with an opportunity to get back to the #3 seed and play Minnesota rather than Houston, depending on what Denver did. In the end it didn’t matter because the Spurs decided to tank their game against the Nuggets. Think of it this way, the Lakers probably got the best possible 1st round matchup they can get, given that they are a walking infirmary. Do I think the Lakers can really beat the Rockets in a 7-game series without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves? No. Do I like the Lakers odds better against Houston than Denver or Minnesota? Absolutely. I’d rather buy a scratchers ticket knowing my odds are better than the Power Ball. That doesn’t mean my odds of winning either are all that great! You shouldn’t be concerning yourself with facing OKC in the second round. If the Lakers were to get there given how things are, it would be a minor miracle. Even though Lebron is 102 years old, I hope he can put his superman cape on and somehow lead this team to a series win against the Rockets.

As for the Clippers, they defeated the Warriors in their season finale, but they will still be relegated to the 9th seed and the play-in tournament. They will face the Warriors once again on Wednesday night. You never know with Kawhi, but assuming he is healthy, he can make any matchup interesting. Plus you know he’s going to be motivated to earn another max contract if his contract gets voided this summer, or when it’s up after next season. My expectation is they will beat the Warriors on Wednesday, and somehow get the 8th seed. However, for a team that began the season 6-21 and was also blindsided by James Harden’s contract demands, yet finished above .500, that’s impressive.

To baseball, where the Dodgers have jumped out to the best record in the big leagues in the early going at 11-4. It’s easy to talk about all the great things about this team. But since Dodger fans are hoping for a 3-peat, let’s focus on the areas of concern. I’m sure most fan bases would consider these critiques ridiculous first world problems, but the Dodgers still do have some. Roki Sasaki is incredibly talented, but he doesn’t have the command of his pitches. The question is how long they allow him to start and work through it, as opposed to letting him work things out in the minor leagues in Oklahoma City. For the time being, I think they can afford to start him in the Big Leagues without hurting themselves in the standings. Sasaki’s pitches these days are often as wild as Kyle Tucker’s swings, who is hitting just .246 on the season, and has really yet to get it going. For a guy that is making $60 million this year, I would hope he could do better than that, but at least he’s not Michael Conforto. I’m also a bit concerned about the velocity of some of the pitchers we’ve seen so far. Alex Vesia, Emmet Sheehan in later innings, and Edwin Diaz are all throwing at noticeably lower speeds. Whether that is due to too much usage last year or needing to build up arm strength remains to be seen. Nevertheless, this Dodger team is going to be fun to watch this summer, so for the time being, enjoy the ride!

Meanwhile, the Angels are 8-8 after taking 2 of 3 from the Reds. How seriously should we take this team? So far not too serious. There are only 5 teams in the league that have a worse team batting average than the Halos. Their pitching is right in the middle of the pack in terms of ERA, and they do hit a lot of home runs. However, if you struggle to put the ball in play, that’s going to catch up with you. I also question their overall depth. With that being said, not only the AL West, but the entire American League has been rather unimpressive so far, with everyone hovering around .500. If they haven’t fallen off a cliff 6 weeks from now, I’ll be a little more optimistic about this team’s chances.

Let’s go to the ice, where somehow, the Kings still have a chance to make the playoffs. Heck, it’s even crazier than that. As I type this, the Kings have a chance to win the division. They haven’t done that since 1991. I’m far more optimistic that the Kings will make the playoffs, despite the fact they are incredibly flawed, especially on defense. What’s even more bizarre is in the last month, we’ve seen this team go from a defensive identity, to an offensive identity, that can no longer defend. That doesn’t sound like a great recipe for long-term success. The division is weak as hell right now, so that’s giving them every opportunity to stay in the race. Their schedule is super weak, but that actually makes me nervous they could have a let down. I still wouldn’t trust this team with a cup of coffee. It would also be annoying as hell if they get to the playoffs just to face the Oilers again. I will say this though. If somehow the Kings can get Andrei Kuzmenko and Kevin Fiala back in the lineup, their top 6 forwards become much better than they have been in a long time. Hopefully the Kings can at least make the playoffs so Anze Kopitar can make the postseason in his final season.

Finally, congratulations to Rory McIlroy on winning his 2nd straight Masters! He is the first to go back-to-back since Tiger Woods, but the reality of it is, he isn’t Tiger Woods. In fact, for the longest time when he burst onto the PGA Tour, everyone thought he might be the next Tiger. No disrespect to everything he’s accomplished, including 6 major titles, he does not command the audience that Tiger does. Frankly every one of these major tournaments I find myself asking if and when we might be able to see Tiger again, and if he can capture the magic for just a weekend that made us watch golf when we didn’t before. That seems so far away at this point.

April 6, 2026

The Los Angeles Lakers are currently operating under the bold medical strategy of “Have you tried…Europe?” With both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves dealing with significant injuries, the franchise has apparently decided that crossing the Atlantic Ocean is the basketball equivalent of turning your phone off and back on again. Look, I respect the urgency. When your two primary creators are hurt, you don’t just need help—you need a miracle, a time machine, or at minimum, whatever fountain of youth Tom Brady has bottled somewhere in Switzerland. But even if Luka comes back speaking fluent Slovenian and Reaves returns with a European skincare routine, the bigger issue remains: this team goes as far as its stars can limp.Right now, the Lakers aren’t chasing a title—they’re chasing MRI results.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers have achieved the rare double milestone of being both locked into the play-in and spiritually bracing for a potential front-office plot twist involving Kawhi Leonard.On the court, this is a team that screams “just good enough to be dangerous” and whispers “but probably not.” Off the court…well, let’s just say everyone is still waiting for the NBA equivalent of a “We need to talk” text regarding alleged cap circumvention.The Clippers’ season feels like a suspense movie where nothing actually happens, but everyone insists something might.

Out in Chavez Ravine, the Los Angeles Dodgers are doing what they do best—hitting everything that moves and a few things that don’t. The offense is humming, which is great, because the pitching and health reports occasionally read like a WebMD warning page.Roki Sasaki is still a work in progress, which is a polite way of saying hitters are currently treating him like a batting practice intern. Meanwhile, Mookie Betts’ back injury is a not-so-subtle reminder that even superteams eventually meet Father Time…who apparently throws harder than anyone in the bullpen. The good news? The arrival of Hyesong Kim injects some youth and energy into a lineup that occasionally looks like it remembers dial-up internet. Next up: Toronto. The Toronto Blue Jays are coming in with revenge on their minds—for the World Series and, apparently, for hockey-related emotional damage. Nothing fuels interleague baseball like unresolved international sports grudges.

Over in Anaheim, the Los Angeles Angels are shocking the baseball world by not being eliminated from playoff contention by April 3rd. Let’s give credit where it’s due: Jo Adell made three home run–robbing catches in one game. Three. For a guy whose defense has historically been…let’s call it “theatrically adventurous,” this was like watching your friend who burns toast suddenly cook a Michelin-star meal. Is this sustainable? Probably not. Is it fun? Absolutely. The Angels may not be good yet, but at least they’re interesting—which is a huge upgrade from “mathematically eliminated with vibes.”

Huge congratulations to the UCLA Bruins women’s basketball for winning the National Championship. Dominant, deserved, and a reminder that Westwood still knows how to produce winners. But can we talk about the viewing experience? Playing championship games in massive domes might look great on TV, but for fans in the upper deck, it’s basically a live-action version of watching ants compete. You’re paying premium prices to watch elite athletes perform…on what feels like a distant planet. At some point, we have to ask: is this a sporting event or an eyesight exam?

Speaking of pricing absurdity, let’s discuss the 2028 Summer Olympics. Two years ago in Paris, you could attend multiple marquee events—opening ceremony, swimming, gymnastics, track finals—for under $500 a pop. Reasonable, accessible, and actually in the spirit of global sport. Now? For LA 2028, “decent seats” are being priced like they come with partial ownership of the stadium. Thousands of dollars…for track and field. Track. And. Field. At these prices, you’re not buying a ticket—you’re making a financial commitment. You might need a co-signer just to watch the 100-meter final. The Olympics are supposed to bring people together, not require them to refinance their homes.

March 30, 2026

Let’s start with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who opened the season by casually sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks like they were crumbs on a marble countertop in Beverly Hills. Yes, it’s early—but this team already looks like it has that annoying “we can beat you 12 different ways” energy. Bullpen shaky? Nope. Lights out. Offense cold? Doesn’t matter, pitching picks them up. Pitching off? Cool, lineup drops a 7-spot like it’s batting practice. Will Smith continues to be the most quietly terrifying clutch hitter in baseball—like a guy who apologizes after ruining your season. And the best news? Bill Plaschke predicted they won’t win the World Series. If Plaschke told me gravity still works, I’d do a quick test jump just to be safe. Dodger fans should feel incredible right now. Also, if you’ve never seen Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce react to Edwin Díaz entrances, do yourself a favor—it will permanently alter how you view a man jogging in from the bullpen with trumpets. You can find it below.

https://x.com/kg_certified/status/2036937669771411831

Meanwhile, over in Anaheim, the Los Angeles Angels briefly flirted with competence. Two games in, people were whispering, “Wait… are they… different?” Adorable. Fast forward 48 hours and they’re blowing leads to the Houston Astros like it’s part of a long-standing organizational tradition. This is who they are: a team that gives you just enough hope to make the disappointment sting more. But hey—Mike Trout looks fantastic. And if he stays healthy (pause for laughter), he might remind everyone he’s still one of the best players on the planet. The Angels don’t need a rebuild—they need a personality transplant.

Now to the hardwood, where the Los Angeles Lakers have quietly gone 14–2 in their last 16, which is impressive considering half the basketball world spent the season saying this roster belongs in a rec league. Yes, they’ve looked a little sluggish against bad teams lately, but that’s what happens when you play every other day and occasionally forget you’re supposed to try. The real strategy now? Lock in that 3-seed and pray for Houston Rockets or Minnesota Timberwolves—basically, anyone not named Denver Nuggets or Oklahoma City Thunder. Also, can we talk about how Luka Dončić isn’t getting serious MVP love? Or how JJ Redick isn’t a Coach of the Year frontrunner? Oh right, award voting isn’t about performance—it’s about voter fatigue and whichever storyline makes people feel smart on TV. You told me this roster stinks. Now they’re a 3-seed. At some point, someone has to admit they were just guessing.

Across the hall, the Los Angeles Clippers are locked into the NBA’s favorite purgatory: the play-in tournament. At this point, the league probably already knows the outcome of the Kawhi Leonard situation and is just waiting for a dramatic Friday news dump. Based on what Pablo Torre has hinted at, you half expect a plot twist involving a contract void and a Netflix documentary. And yet… Kawhi is hooping. Of course he is. Because nothing about this situation is allowed to make sense. Somewhere this summer, a team will absolutely convince itself giving him a max contract is a good idea. And honestly? They might not even be wrong. That’s the problem.

College hoops gave us absolute chaos—in other words, perfection. The Sweet 16 and Elite 8 delivered, capped by UConn Huskies men’s basketball pulling off a jaw-dropping comeback against Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball. Everyone wants to blame Cameron Boozer for the late turnover, because it’s easier to point at one moment than admit the game was lost when Duke coughed up a 19-point lead like it was optional. That wasn’t a choke—that was a full-system collapse. March Madness doesn’t build heroes—it exposes weaknesses, then puts them on a loop for the internet to dissect forever.

And then there’s Tiger Woods. At this point, it’s less about a comeback and more about whether he can go six months without making headlines for the wrong reasons. Another DUI, another incident, another reminder that the only thing more dangerous than his swing used to be his decision-making. He’s now collected more off-course issues in the last decade than major wins, which is a stat nobody thought we’d ever be tracking. At some point, the conversation stops being about redemption and starts being about reality.

Speaking of reality, the Los Angeles Kings appear to be taking the whole “No Kings” protest movement a bit too literally. This team is technically still in the playoff race, which says more about the division than it does about them. They’re one point out and somehow feel 20 points away. The bigger issue? An aging, expensive blue line that moves about as quickly as LA traffic at 5 p.m. The solution is obvious—blow it up and rebuild—but that requires admitting you’re not close. And no one in that building seems ready for that level of honesty.

Finally, the Los Angeles Rams flirted with the idea of trading for AJ Brown, which would’ve been the football equivalent of trading your reliable car for a sports car with a “check engine” light permanently on. Yes, he’s younger—but fit matters. Chemistry matters. Not reading Mark Twain on the sideline while your team is playing also probably matters. Moving Davante Adams for that experiment would’ve been a mistake. Sometimes the smarter move is the one you don’t make, and that’s definitely how I would characterize this one.

March 23, 2026

Let’s start in Westwood, where UCLA Men’s Basketball once again gave fans just enough hope to emotionally invest… before politely escorting them out of the tournament in the Round of 32 courtesy of UConn. At this point, the question isn’t what happened—it’s what are we doing here? Should UCLA be demanding more? Yes. This isn’t a plucky mid-major; this is a blue blood that hangs banners, not “competitive effort” certificates. As for Mick Cronin: good coach, absolutely. But “good” at UCLA can feel like ordering a filet mignon and being served a really solid burger. You’ll eat it, sure—but you know what you should be getting. Injuries didn’t help—Tyler Bilodeau’s knee giving out like a bad Wi-Fi signal is a brutal way to end a college career, and losing both him and Donovan Dent leaves a crater-sized hole in next year’s roster. Reload time. Again.

Meanwhile, let’s check in on your March Madness bracket. Be honest—did Florida ruin your life yet? Or are you still pretending you have a “path to winning the pool” like a delusional GM at the trade deadline? At this point, most brackets are either in the trash, on fire, or being repurposed as emergency household supplies. And let’s talk about the slow, quiet extinction of the Cinderella story. NIL has turned March Madness into something closer to “Power Conference Invitational Featuring Occasional Guests.” The days of a 12-seed accounting major from Southwest Directional State making a Final Four run are fading. And honestly? That’s okay. It’s fun for a weekend. Then suddenly you’re stuck watching a team you’ve never heard of brick 23 straight threes in a regional final while your bracket dies a slow, painful death. Nostalgia is nice—watchable basketball in April is nicer.

Now to the Lakers, who have apparently decided defense is… allowed? Nine straight wins, possibly ten by the time you read this, and suddenly Crypto.com Arena feels like a place where contenders live again. The biggest surprise isn’t just the winning—it’s how they’re doing it. LeBron James, in Year 47 (give or take), has evolved into this Draymond Green-esque Swiss Army knife who picks his spots, orchestrates the offense, and defends like he’s trying to prove a point to Twitter trolls. Luka is Luka—offensive wizardry with a side of “how did that go in?”—and the supporting cast has bought in. Most shocking of all? They’re defending. Like… actually defending. This team went from “they can’t stop a nosebleed” to “good luck scoring 100.” A deep playoff run still feels like threading a needle in a hurricane, but for the first time in a while, it doesn’t feel impossible.

Over in Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers are four days from opening the season against the D’Backs, and somehow the biggest storyline is… Alex Freeland making the roster over Hyeseong Kim? Look, I’m not a mathematician, but I’m pretty sure .116 is not greater than .438. Unless we’re grading on a curve that includes “vibes,” “defensive versatility,” or “Andrew Friedman knows something we don’t (again).” And to be fair, Friedman and Dave Roberts have earned the benefit of the doubt—they’ve basically turned roster decisions into a form of predictive art. Back-to-back World Series titles will buy you a lot of patience. Still, Dodger fans aren’t wrong to raise an eyebrow… or both.

Then there are the Angels, who released their starting rotation and somehow made fans nostalgic for… last year. José Soriano, Yusei Kikuchi, Reid Detmers, Jack Kochanowicz, and Ryan Johnson. That’s not a rotation—that’s a group project where nobody did the reading. And Grayson Rodriguez already has a “dead arm” before Opening Day? Incredible efficiency. This team might not lose 100 games, but 70 wins feels like the optimistic scenario you talk yourself into after your third cup of coffee. At least the weather will be nice.

And finally, the LA Kings, who are doing their best impression of a team actively trying to miss the playoffs while technically still being in the race. Losing to the Utah Mammoth—a team they’re chasing—is the hockey equivalent of tripping over your own skates at the finish line. The Pacific Division as a whole feels like it should come with a warning label: “Viewer discretion advised.” And if there’s a rocket ship available, please feel free to launch Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin into orbit. Not out of spite—out of mercy. For everyone involved.

In conclusion: UCLA is searching for answers, your bracket is searching for dignity, the Lakers are suddenly searching for June, the Dodgers are searching for logic (or hiding it), the Angels are searching for relevance, and the Kings are searching for the remote so they can watch someone else play meaningful hockey.

Just another week in LA sports.

March 16, 2026

Let’s begin with the outrage machine currently churning in Westwood. Some UCLA fans are upset about the Bruins drawing a tough road in the East as a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Tough path? Of course it’s a tough path. This is the NCAA Tournament, not the Big West Tournament where the scariest opponent might be a team that traveled by bus. UCLA actually looked pretty solid in the Big Ten Tournament and probably could’ve taken down Purdue if Donovan Dent and Tyler Bilodeau weren’t operating on half-health and ibuprofen. The good news: they’ll be healthy and rested next week, which is exactly the kind of thing that tends to make Mick Cronin teams annoying in March. If the bracket breaks the right way, don’t be shocked if the Bruins stumble into the Sweet 16… or even the Elite Eight… before inevitably losing a rock fight where both teams shoot 32%.

Speaking of the tournament, let’s address the March Madness bracket itself. Every year we pretend this is a puzzle that can be solved with careful analysis and spreadsheets. It’s not. It’s chaos with sneakers. But if we’re pretending to be rational adults for a moment, four teams look like they’re operating on a different level: Duke, Michigan State, Arizona, and Florida. They’ve been head and shoulders above the rest of the field. Of course, now that I’ve said that, one of them will probably lose to a No. 13 seed whose star player majors in agricultural science. That’s why everyone’s bracket—yours, mine, your coworker who claims he “studies mid-major efficiency metrics”—will be obliterated by Sunday and ceremoniously repurposed as toilet paper.

Meanwhile in the NBA, it turns out the Lakers can beat good teams after all. Who knew? In the past week they’ve knocked off the Knicks, Timberwolves, and Nuggets while climbing back to the No. 3 seed in the West. Even more shocking: they’re playing defense. Yes, defense. With Luka Dončić, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves on the floor together. Somewhere in basketball heaven, Red Auerbach just spit out his cigar. Deandre Ayton even managed to defend Nikola Jokić like a guy who remembered he’s seven feet tall. And Austin Reaves delivered one of the smartest plays of the season with the intentional free-throw miss and put-back to force overtime. If the media keeps telling us the Lakers roster is flawed, shouldn’t Luka be a stronger MVP candidate for dragging them up the standings? And can we stop acting surprised that LeBron can adjust his game? The man has been adapting his style since half the league was still in middle school. Credit where it’s due: LeBron’s doing the hustle stuff, JJ Redick has the team buying into roles, and Charles Barkley is somewhere on television looking emotionally exhausted by the whole thing.

Just down the freeway in Inglewood , the Clippers are once again experiencing their annual spin on the Injury Wheel of Fortune. Just when things looked stable, Kawhi Leonard went down with another ankle injury. And if that wasn’t enough cosmic trolling, their four-game win streak ended courtesy of the Sacramento Kings—featuring a revenge triple-double from Russell Westbrook. Yes, that Russell Westbrook. The one who occasionally shoots like the rim insulted his family. For one night, though, he looked like vintage Westbrook, carving up his former team while Clippers fans quietly contemplated the fragile nature of hope.

Over on the baseball diamond, the World Baseball Classic has once again proven that international baseball is wildly entertaining… and occasionally chaotic. Team USA manager Mark DeRosa nearly got eliminated early because he didn’t fully understand the tournament’s tie-breaking rules. That’s the kind of thing you’d expect from someone filling out their office pool, not managing the national team. Fortunately, someone eventually explained the math before disaster struck, and the U.S. is now headed to Tuesday night’s final. There’s probably extra motivation now after that close call. And yes, it would sting to see Shohei Ohtani disappointed—but considering he spent years playing for the Angels, disappointment is basically muscle memory at this point. From a Dodgers perspective, Japan exiting early might actually be a blessing. It means Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto get a little extra rest before the season begins.

Speaking of teams that actually look like they know what they’re doing, the Rams continue to treat roster construction like a home renovation show. Their latest upgrade: signing Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson to a three-year deal, further strengthening a secondary that was easily their weakest unit last year. Suddenly that problem looks… fixed. Just like that. The Rams now look like legitimate contenders again, which raises the obvious question: what do they do in the draft? The safest bet is reinforcing the offensive and defensive lines, because you can never have too many big humans whose job description is “push the other big humans backward.”

And finally, a stick tap to Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings, who became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer over the weekend, breaking a record that stood for 45 years. That’s the kind of longevity and excellence you almost never see in one uniform anymore. Unfortunately, the timing is bittersweet because the Kings look about as close to a Stanley Cup run as a Zamboni driver playing goalie again. But records like this force an interesting debate: is Kopitar the greatest LA King ever? Wayne Gretzky is unquestionably the greatest player who ever wore the jersey, but greatness within a franchise is different. Two Cups, nearly two decades of leadership, and now the scoring record? Yeah. It’s fair to say Anze Kopitar isn’t just a Kings legend—he’s the LA King.

March 9 , 2026

The Lakers finally beat a good team, knocking off the Knicks, which is the NBA equivalent of finally eating your vegetables after a week of living on dessert. For weeks the Lakers have been feasting on the Warriors and Kings like a team that only hunts wounded prey, then promptly folding when confronted by contenders. If they want anyone to believe this Knicks win means something, they’ll have to prove it against the Timberwolves, Nuggets, and Rockets — teams that don’t politely step aside when DeAndre Ayton remembers he’s seven feet tall. He has 5-7 minute stretches where he looks like prime Shaq, and most of the rest of the time he looks like Michael Olowokandi. Meanwhile, poor LeBron James has reached the strange late-career phase where every win without him sparks a national debate about how much better the Lakers are when he’s not playing. Imagine being a top-two player in the history of the sport and hearing talk shows argue that your team finally figured things out… by accident when you were in street clothes. The Lakers may not be better with Lebron on the floor, but it’s not necessarily a fault of his own. The Lakers three best players aren’t great defenders, so you simply cannot put enough defense around them as their roster is currently constructed. That makes JJ Redick’s job the rest of the year a challenge, because he has to figure out how to stagger his lineups to get enough defense around his 3 great players.

Over at Intuit Dome, the Clippers briefly flirted with tanking — or at least the basketball version of quietly drifting toward the lottery. Unfortunately for them, they suddenly realized the Jazz, Kings, and Grizzlies treat tanking like a professional craft. Those teams have years of experience losing with purpose. The Clippers, meanwhile, can’t even tank correctly; they accidentally win just enough games to land in the play-in tournament, where they’ll hope Kawhi Leonard morphs into 2019 Kawhi for two weeks. This version of Kawhi is great, but just maybe not championship level. Somewhere in the background, Kawhi is still waiting for his punishment for allegedly circumventing the salary cap, which is starting to feel like one of those parking tickets that gets lost in the mail for three years before suddenly showing up with interest.

UCLA men’s basketball looks destined for that very familiar NCAA Tournament address: the #9 or #10 seed line. Once upon a time conference tournaments felt like a dramatic last chance to impress the selection committee. Now they feel more like background noise while the bracketologists argue over decimal points in NET rankings. But if there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that the Bruins will follow the most Mick Cronin script imaginable: upset a #1 seed like Arizona in a gritty, defensive masterpiece… only to lose in the Sweet 16 to a team from the Missouri Valley Conference that shoots 58% from three for one inexplicable night.

The Rams, meanwhile, are behaving like a team that remembers it was about one half away from the Super Bowl. Trading for Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie and immediately making him the highest-paid corner in football is classic “we’re not rebuilding, we’re reloading” behavior. Cornerback was their biggest need, and they attacked it with the subtlety of Aaron Donald hitting a quarterback. Les Snead clearly looked at last season’s NFC Championship loss and decided the best response was to keep the pedal down and try to get back to February before everyone else finishes arguing about cap space spreadsheets.

The Dodgers, who otherwise treat roster construction like a luxury car dealership, suddenly have a reason to watch the World Baseball Classic with nervous energy. Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitching every four or five days instead of his preferred six is like forcing a Ferrari into stop-and-go traffic. It’ll probably survive, but nobody feels great about it. Add in the news that Gavin Stone has shoulder inflammation after looking sharp early in spring training, and suddenly the Dodgers’ otherwise flawless pitching machine has produced its annual “please not another injured arm” moment.

Then there are the Angels, who continue to exist mostly as a reminder that baseball has 30 teams. Vegas lists them at +4000 to win the division, which honestly feels generous given that oddsmakers typically prefer outcomes that have at least a passing relationship with reality. The roster looks like something assembled during a particularly slow afternoon of free agency, and unless several players simultaneously discover hidden superstar abilities, the Angels appear headed toward their annual tradition: finishing last while fans debate which former Angel will thrive somewhere else next year.

Finally, the LA Kings continue their slow slide out of playoff contention, which at least had one silver lining at the trade deadline. GM Ken Holland wisely resisted the classic desperate move of shipping out future assets for a rental player when the team clearly isn’t good enough to justify it. In Los Angeles sports, where teams often operate with the patience of someone stuck in freeway traffic, that kind of restraint almost feels revolutionary. Unfortunately for Kings fans, patience doesn’t show up in the standings.

March 2, 2026

The Los Angeles Lakers have mastered one very specific art form: beating up on teams that look like they’re one bad quarter away from a lottery simulator. The Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings get handled like preseason scrimmages, but roll out a legitimate contender like the Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic, or Phoenix Suns, and suddenly the Lakers look like they’re trying to assemble IKEA furniture without instructions. The latest front-office addition of Lon Rosen feels less about basketball strategy and more about copying the “grown-up organization” blueprint from the Los Angeles Dodgers. If you can’t beat Boston, at least you can reorganize like you’re about to negotiate a Shohei-level contract. There’s still way too much negativity around the Lakers, and probably unfairly, much of it revolves around Lebron. He’s got greats like Byron Scott telling him they don’t want him on the team next year. Why though? Just because Lebron thinks its tougher to play in this era? Agree or disagree, the Lebron criticism is a little unnecessary. He’s still a great player and not someone they should just kick to the curb. Just maybe not someone you pay a max salary for.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers heroically snapped a three-game losing streak against the New Orleans Pelicans, which is the NBA equivalent of finding $20 in your winter coat. Nice, but it doesn’t change your financial situation. The Clippers seem perfectly content hovering in play-in purgatory — not bad enough to rebuild, not good enough to intimidate anyone, just waiting for April and whispering, “Maybe this is the year chaos works in our favor.” It’s less “championship or bust” and more “participation ribbon, but laminated.”

Out in Arizona, the Los Angeles Dodgers are absolutely terrorizing spring training — which is impressive considering most of the opposing pitchers will be asking if you want extra napkins with that DoorDash order by mid-March. Still, you play who’s in front of you, and the bats are loud. Hyeseong Kim looks sharp and comfortable at the plate, showing the kind of approach that translates beyond cactus-league box scores. On the mound, River Ryan and Gavin Stone have been steady and efficient early, giving the Dodgers that familiar embarrassment-of-riches vibe. In March, hope springs eternal. In Los Angeles, it also apparently bats .340.

The Los Angeles Angels are off to a 3–7 start… allegedly. It’s hard to confirm because their games are broadcast with roughly the same accessibility as a secret CIA briefing. The most exciting part of Angels baseball right now is refreshing an app and hoping the score updates. Maybe they’re rebuilding. Maybe they’re retooling. Maybe they’re just operating in stealth mode so no one can criticize what they can’t see. It’s bold. Confusing. Mostly invisible.

Over at Pauley Pavilion, UCLA Bruins men’s basketball had a golden opportunity to firm up their NCAA Tournament résumé and instead chose stress. A winnable game against a struggling USC Trojans men’s basketball squad on the bubble? Missed opportunity. A matchup with a middle-of-the-pack Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s basketball team? Also missed. March is about building momentum, not building arguments for why “the metrics still like us.” The Bruins are flirting with Selection Sunday drama when they could’ve just locked the door and avoided it altogether.

And finally, the Los Angeles Kings fired Jim Hiller with 23 games left in the season — the sports equivalent of deciding to diet after dessert. If change was necessary, it probably should’ve happened when the warning signs first started flashing, not when the playoff math already requires a calculator and divine intervention. At this point, a simple coaching swap feels like rearranging deck chairs. If the Kings are serious about contending, it may require something more dramatic than a late-February shrug and a press release. Los Angeles: where the expectations are high, the patience is low, and hope renews itself every spring — even if the standings suggest otherwise.

February 23, 2026

The U.S. Olympic Hockey Team beating Canada was adorable. Not because it was unexpected — but because somewhere in Toronto a guy wearing three layers of flannel whispered, “This was our year.” Beating Canada in hockey is like beating Italy in pasta or France in complaining. It’s not just a loss; it’s a national identity crisis. For once, the Americans were faster, tougher, and slightly more polite about it. And you know it hurt because Canadian fans were calm. Too calm. Except for the guy Bartstool Sports posted about who chain sawed his TV. That’s when you know it stung.

Now that the Winter Olympics are over, we all return to pretending we never screamed at curling at 6 a.m. For two weeks, we became experts in luge aerodynamics and snow texture density. Then — poof — it’s gone. The Olympics are like that friend who visits, inspires you to “live boldly,” and then leaves you alone with NBA box scores. Still, there’s something beautiful about a sporting event where gold medals are decided by thousandths of a second and where people voluntarily ski uphill. I already have withdrawals from that Olympic music on NBC. However, I can’t wait until the 2028 Olympics in LA!

The Lakers losing to the Celtics yesterday was, of course, extremely calm and rational. Lakers fans handled it with maturity and perspective. No one suggested trading half the roster. No one questioned the coaching staff’s life choices. And absolutely no one brought up 2008. Losing to Boston is just another game, right? Completely normal. Definitely not something that reopens historical wounds dating back to black-and-white television. I’m sure it was perfectly normal for all those Laker fans to be jumping off the Santa Monica Pier last night after they were totally outclassed by the Celtics in every facet of the game. Of course they also had to do it on a night they honored Pat Riley. Then they proceeded to dishonor him by getting smoked by their biggest rivals.

Meanwhile, the NBA continues to bravely attempt to fix tanking, which is impressive considering tanking is just math wearing a hoodie. The league flattened lottery odds, added a play-in tournament, and still somehow teams wake up in March with “precautionary soreness.” It’s not losing — it’s “asset management.” If there were an Olympic sport for strategic underachievement, a few front offices would podium. This really isn’t even a top 5 issue in the NBA. However, clearly, Adam Silver cares more about his gambling and TV partners than the fans, who probably don’t mind tanking to a degree because it gives teams hope of competing and finding the next star.

UCLA upsetting Illinois was a lovely reminder that the Bruins still enjoy ruining someone else’s bracket before the bracket even exists. Illinois probably prepared for a competitive game. Instead, they got a UCLA team that looked like it had been quietly rehearsing for March in a dimly lit gym somewhere. West Coast basketball heard the doubters and politely responded with defense. It’s also a big relief for Mick Cronin, who had it rough earlier in the week when he through out one of his players from a game, then scolded a reporter for no good reason. His act is still wearing this with a lot of the Bruin faithful, but for the time being, UCLA is off the bubble in Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology. They are projected as the last 4 bye’s currently. I still have a hard time seeing them last long in the Tournament, but we’ll find out soon enough.

The Dodgers starting spring training 2–0 means the dynasty is clearly intact and baseball might as well skip to October. Every March, Dodgers fans convince themselves this is the deepest roster in human history. Every year, they’re not entirely wrong. The vibes are immaculate. The payroll is heroic. The optimism is irrational. It’s baseball season again. The Boys in Blue will need to find a way to limit the innings of their starting pitchers though, to preserve them for the postseason. Those guys threw a ton of critical innings late in the year, and were stretched to the max in 2025.

And then there are the Angels — who apparently believe spring training games are a private members-only experience. Not televising them is a bold content strategy. “You can’t criticize what you can’t see.” It’s like baseball’s version of disappearing texts. Maybe the idea is to protect fans from forming expectations. In that case, mission accompli. I would however really like to see this survey that Arte Moreno is talking about, where winning is apparently not in his fan bases top 5 priorities. The Halos are not exactly a data and analytics driven team, so pardon me if I’m somewhat skeptical of the interpretation of the data.

February 16, 2026

Happy Presidents’ Day everyone! We start with the NBA All-Star game that went down over the weekend at the Intuit Dome. Coming into it, everyone was really down on the NBA. However, yesterday’s new format in the All-Star game resulted in increased competition, and some entertaining basketball. We thought it would be the international team that would destroy everyone. Instead it motivated the younger USA stars to win and compete, especially after they saw Victor Wembanyama blocking shots early. Anthony Edward’s gets it, and that’s why he got MVP. Kawhi Leonard played like he was playing for another max contract yesterday. As for the rest of the weekend, it was great to see Dame Lillard with the 3-point contest after sitting out all season due to injury. The slam dunk contest was pretty underwhelming, but don’t tell me that everything has been done. I saw Mac McClung doing some practice dunks on Twitter that were phenomenal. They just need to get the right names in the contest, and this year they did not have them. I love the NBA, and it’s gotten it’s fair share of criticism, but since it’s moved to NBC this year, the ratings are the best we’ve seen since 2018. The tanking issue is hard to fix, but the irony of it is that we all know that the NBA draft lottery is rigged anyway, so all those tanking teams never get the #1 pick anyway. More than anything though, the league has a bit of a transactional relationship with its fans. The fans care more about where Giannis or Lebron will end up next, and are interested in the cool highlights on social. The product on the court is becoming less interesting due to style of play, and lack of player availability. That’s the part they need to figure out how to fix, and people will love the NBA like the 1990’s all over again.

I’ve heard a number of analysts take LeBron’s comments the other night about the Lakers not being a championship team and run with them, saying the Lakers season is pointless, and basically just to get Lebron off the team to reset. The problem with that take is that the Lakers have only played 10 games with Luka, Lebron, and Austin. They are 7-3 in those games. They were also 14-7 last year in games they played together. This is still a very good Lakers team, albeit in a conference with a lot of competition. The team may not be constructed in the most ideal way, needing more 3 and D wings and a better rim protector, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be formidable come playoff time.

Chris Paul was waived last week by the Toronto Raptors after being traded there by the Clippers before the deadline. Paul decided to officially announce his retirement on social media right after that. What a very unceremonious ending for a great player. CP3 is a great player, and easily among the best point guards to ever play basketball. However, he’s had an incredibly strange career. We all know he should have ended up on the Lakers in 2011, before David Stern vetoed the trade. He had an entertaining run with the Clippers for a few years and some success with the Rockets and Suns afterward, despite not winning a championship. He also had this very strange ending by getting kicked off the Clippers team for essentially being too vocal, and ultimately being forced to retire. It’s sad that nobody was willing to put up with him anymore, because he deserved a better ending than that. Nevertheless, it shouldn’t take away from how great of a player, competitor, and leader he was.

To baseball where the Dodgers re-signed Kike Hernandez and Evan Philips which was nice to see! Both are very important additions to the team in a year where they are trying to three-peat. Neither will be ready until about mid-season as they recover from injuries, but that’s ok. Kike will fortify the bench and the clubhouse leadership, and Philips is a high leverage reliever, who is capable of getting some big outs in the postseason. Unfortunately, Anthony Banda and Ben Rortvedt were casualties in the process. Banda was a talented lefty who helped the Dodgers in the postseason, and Rortvedt is a promising backup catcher who contributed in the playoffs as well. Banda had a very classy and heartfelt goodbye on social media, which all Dodger fans are going to love. Something tells me if Rortveldt goes back to waivers, the Dodgers will try to snag him again though.

Then there’s the Angels, who announced a couple of very Angels like moves the past few days. They re-signed former Dodger Chris Taylor to a one year deal. Taylor must really love baseball because he’s made about $80 million in his career, and is playing for $760K next season. They also announced the signing of infielder Adam Frazier to a minor league deal. He’s a left-handed hitting infielder who will likely make the team, since the Halos don’t have much talent to be quite blunt. Lastly, they announced that Mike Trout will be going back to center field this season. Hopefully they get more than 40 games out of him in that spot, because that just doesn’t seem like a good idea.

UCLA Basketball is going to have its work cut out for them before the season is over. The Bruins lost to arguably the best team in the country over the weekend in Michigan. However, they now currently sit on the bubble as the last 4 teams in the tournament, acccording to Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology. Considering they have to play Illinois, Nebraska, and Michigan State in their last 6 regular season games, that could be a really good thing or a really bad thing. If they lose any of those games, they could easily fall out of the tourney. However, if they win, they could be more likely to avoid a play-in tournament game scenario. They are going to need way more consistency though from Donovan Dent. This guy was supposed to be the best player in the transfer portal, and sometimes he just looks way in over his head with top Big Ten competition. Here’s to hoping he steps it up over the course of the next 6 games and beyond.

There’s a fierce debate going on in College Football between The Big Ten and The SEC for the number of teams in the playoff. The Big Ten wants 24, the SEC wants 12. The Big Ten event wants to get rid of the Conference Championship games. This all seems very radical, but all of College Football has been radical for the last 2 years. 16 Teams feels like the right amount. Once you get past 16, there is likely going to be a big drop off in competition, like we saw with James Madison and Tulane in this years CFP.

Finally, I have thoroughly enjoyed the Winter Olympics so far. There’s been some pain and some controversy though. The pain came when that Frenchman got nailed in the groin by that gate during the downhill skiing. Hopefully he’s recovered by now. There’s also been the ice dancing controversy, which resulted in the USA couple getting screwed, and settling for the silver medal, while the French somehow got the gold. It’s always the French and Russian judges that have to screw things up! The Canadian men’s hockey team looks incredible of course, and they look like they are on a collision course with the Team USA. Canada is going to be favored, but I assure you if they lose, you can count on endless trolling from President Trump. I also feel terrible for Kings forward Kevin Fiala, who fractured his leg in his first Olympic game for Sweden. Before many of you overreact to that though keep in mind that the LA Kings are likely screwed anyway and probably weren’t going to make the playoffs with or without him. Also, his injury probably won’t change anything with regard to NHL Players playing in the Olympics. Both the players and NHL Owners and executives want it to happen.