August 31, 2026

Aaron Donald is officially returning to the Los Angeles Rams.

I still can’t believe I’m typing that sentence.

Aaron Donald — future Hall of Famer, three-time Defensive Player of the Year and one of the most terrifying human beings ever to line up across from an offensive guard — has decided retirement has gone on long enough.

Apparently spending Sundays at home watching other people play defensive tackle eventually becomes irritating when you know you’re still better than 98% of them.

And suddenly the Rams’ defensive outlook changes dramatically.

Donald doesn’t have to be 2018 Aaron Donald anymore. He doesn’t even have to play 70 snaps a game. Put him into a defensive front with Myles Garrett, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Byron Young and just let offensive coordinators spend Tuesday nights staring at the ceiling.

“So…who exactly are we doubling?”

Correct.

All of them.

And quietly, the Rams should also feel pretty damn good about their quarterback room.

Matthew Stafford is still Matthew Stafford, but the preseason gave us something we haven’t had much of during the Stafford era:

Confidence that if QB1 misses a game, civilization doesn’t immediately collapse.

Between Stetson Bennett and Ty Simpson, the Rams appear to have legitimate options behind Stafford.

That’s important because Stafford is 38 years old and has accumulated enough NFL injuries to qualify for his own medical residency.

You hope you never need the backup.

For once, you don’t have to be terrified if you do.

Coffee Verdict: The Rams entered camp looking like contenders. They leave it with Aaron freaking Donald.

Expectations have officially changed.

 CHARGERS: PLEASE WRAP EVERYONE IN BUBBLE WRAP

I like the Chargers this year.

I really do.

Unfortunately, I’ve also watched the Chargers before.

Their schedule is difficult, their margin for error isn’t enormous, and their annual battle against the most formidable opponent in franchise history has already begun:

The injury report.

If this team stays reasonably healthy, however, there’s a lot to like.

And let me throw one prediction onto the table:

Omarion Hampton can win the NFL rushing title.

Not eventually.

This year.

Jim Harbaugh wants to run the football. Hampton is built like someone created a running back in Madden and moved the strength slider slightly too far to the right.

The biggest question is whether the offensive line stays intact.

Give Hampton healthy blocking for 17 games and he’s going to get the volume. And if he gets the volume, 1,400-1,500 yards isn’t some ridiculous fantasy.

Of course, we’re discussing the Chargers, so I probably just pulled three hamstrings by writing that paragraph.

Coffee Verdict: The Chargers can be very good.

Just bubble-wrap the offensive line until kickoff.

 DODGERS: TWO OUT OF THREE…AND SOMEHOW I’M STILL ANNOYED

The Dodgers took two of three from Detroit.

That’s good!

Now let’s discuss the offense.

That’s bad!

Actually, let me clarify.

It’s been bad for nearly two months.

For a lineup with this much talent, watching the Dodgers manufacture runs lately has occasionally felt like watching someone attempt to assemble IKEA furniture without the instructions.

There are enough good players that eventually somebody hits a home run and everyone celebrates.

But sustained rallies?

Timely hitting?

Putting together quality at-bats for nine innings?

Apparently those features require a software update.

This isn’t a two-week slump anymore. We’re approaching the point where you have to acknowledge this is an actual trend.

And that’s concerning because October doesn’t care what your payroll is.

Nobody awards postseason runs because Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are printed at the top of the lineup card.

You actually have to score them.

The good news is that the pitching continues getting healthier and the Dodgers still possess enough talent to win the World Series.

The bad news?

If this offense shows up in October, we’re going to spend four hours watching a 2-1 playoff game while Dave Roberts makes 17 pitching changes and all of Los Angeles screams at its television.

Coffee Verdict: Winning two of three against Detroit is nice.

Now somebody please locate the offense.

 ANGELS: COME FOR THE $5 TICKETS, STAY FOR THE RODENTS

Seven straight losses.

Worst team in baseball.

Ladies and gentlemen, your Los Angeles Angels.

But I refuse to focus entirely on the negative.

Because the Angels are providing something incredibly rare in Southern California:

Affordable family entertainment.

You can apparently get into the Diamond Club for around $5.

Five dollars!

Do you understand how remarkable that is?

You can’t park at Disneyland for $5.

You can’t buy a beer at a Dodgers game for $5.

You can barely buy a large coffee for $5.

But apparently you can sit in premium seats at Angel Stadium and watch Major League Baseball.

Well…

one Major League Baseball team.

The opponent.

And as an added bonus, you may even encounter some of the local wildlife reportedly inhabiting the aging ballpark.

Nothing says family night quite like:

“Dad, is that Mickey Mouse?”

“No, son. That’s an actual rat. Don’t touch it.”

This franchise has reached the fascinating stage where losing isn’t even upsetting anymore.

It’s performance art.

Coffee Verdict: Seven straight losses and the worst record in baseball.

But $5 Diamond Club tickets?

Arte Moreno has finally discovered dynamic pricing.

 USC: GOOD NEWS — EVERYONE SURVIVED

USC opened its season Saturday at the Coliseum against San Jose State and won.

That’s the important part.

The second-most important part?

Nobody in attendance died of heat stroke.

Watching an afternoon football game at the Coliseum in August remains one of America’s great endurance competitions.

“Welcome to USC football. Your complimentary sunscreen and IV bag are underneath your seat.”

As for the actual football?

There was plenty to like.

But I still have questions about the defense.

Yes, USC eventually pulled starters.

Yes, you’re going to play backups with a comfortable lead.

I understand all of that.

But I’ve spent the entire offseason hearing about USC’s newfound depth.

This recruiting class is supposedly different.

The roster is deeper.

The talent level has been upgraded.

USC can finally rotate players without the defense turning into a Big 12 game from 2018.

Great.

Then I would like to see it.

Because if your backups are supposedly talented enough to contribute this season, I don’t want the defense becoming optional whenever the starters leave.

Against San Jose State, you can survive it.

Against Penn State, Oregon, Ohio State or whichever collection of enormous Midwestern humans eventually appears on the schedule?

Different conversation.

Coffee Verdict: A win is a win.

But Lincoln Riley’s biggest question remains exactly where it was eight months ago:

Can USC actually play championship-caliber defense?

We’ll find out soon enough.

 LAKERS: THE KUMINGA HOSTAGE CRISIS IS FINALLY OVER

Jonathan Kuminga signed with Minnesota.

And while I’m disappointed he isn’t a Laker, I would like to celebrate something far more important:

WE NEVER HAVE TO READ ANOTHER JONATHAN KUMINGA-TO-THE-LAKERS RUMOR.

It’s over.

Finished.

Done.

No more anonymous executives.

No more “Lakers monitoring the situation.”

No more fake trade proposals where Los Angeles somehow acquires Kuminga for Gabe Vincent, a 2041 second-round pick and the rights to Jack Nicholson’s courtside seat.

Minnesota got him.

Good for them.

Now let’s talk about the opportunity this creates.

Because I think Adou Thiero and Cameron Carr are going to matter.

The Lakers spent the summer flirting with the idea of adding another young wing.

Maybe the answer was already sitting on the roster.

Thiero brings physicality, athleticism and defensive versatility.

Carr brings length, shooting upside and a fascinating offensive skill set.

Are they finished products?

Of course not.

But young players don’t develop because you repeatedly tell everyone how promising they are while they watch veterans play 38 minutes.

They develop by playing.

And now there are minutes available.

Something tells me one — and potentially both — of these guys is going to make the Lakers look pretty smart for not panicking.

Sometimes the best move isn’t the blockbuster you make.

It’s the unnecessary one you don’t.

Coffee Verdict: Kuminga would have been fun.

But I’m buying stock in Thiero and Carr.

Ask me again in February.

MARK WALTER: WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?

For years, Mark Walter occupied perhaps the most comfortable position in Los Angeles sports.

He was the billionaire who saved the Dodgers from Frank McCourt, hired smart people, spent absurd amounts of money and generally stayed out of everyone’s way.

That’s basically the perfect owner.

Now federal investigators are reportedly examining complicated financial transactions involving insurance companies Walter controlled and loans involving businesses connected to him. The Wall Street Journal reports the web involves roughly $20 billion in loans and transactions that investigators are scrutinizing for transparency and potential fraud issues. (The Wall Street Journal⁠)

And the fallout has apparently reached well beyond Walter himself.

Which brings us to the uncomfortable conclusion:

Mark Walter appears to have screwed a lot of people.

We don’t know where the investigation ultimately goes, and being investigated is obviously not the same thing as being convicted of anything. But when the guy who owns half the sports teams on your television suddenly starts unloading assets while federal prosecutors and the SEC are asking questions, it’s probably fair to say this isn’t a routine accounting disagreement.

For Dodgers fans, it’s especially bizarre.

We spent more than a decade thinking Walter was the quiet adult in the room.

Turns out the quiet guy might have simply had the most complicated room.

DODGERS: EVERYBODY CAN COME BACK INSIDE NOW

Six straight wins.

SIX.

The Dodgers completed a sweep of Pittsburgh Sunday behind six scoreless innings from Blake Snell and have now gone 10-3 since August 10. (Reuters⁠)

Amazing how quickly baseball changes.

Two weeks ago, half of Los Angeles wanted to fire the bullpen into the sun.

Now?

“You know, this roster is actually pretty deep.”

That’s baseball.

More importantly, the Dodgers finally look stabilized.

Snell is starting to look like Blake Snell again. The bullpen has stopped behaving like every inherited runner is legally entitled to score. The offense isn’t requiring Shohei Ohtani to hit a ball 480 feet every night to win.

And there are still reinforcements coming.

That’s why I never understood the panic.

The Dodgers didn’t need to play .750 baseball in August. They needed to survive August and get their pitching staff healthy enough to construct something resembling an October rotation.

If they can do that?

Good luck.

The rest of baseball spent the last month watching the wounded version of the Dodgers.

The healthier version may be arriving just in time.

RAMS: WE MIGHT ACTUALLY HAVE TWO BACKUP QUARTERBACKS

Here’s a sentence I wasn’t expecting to write:

Stetson Bennett and Ty Simpson both look pretty good.

Simpson has completed 78.4% of his preseason passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns, while Bennett has completed 62.2% for 219 yards and two scores. (Turf Show Times⁠)

And after Saturday’s 34-0 demolition of New Orleans, Bennett seems to have regained the inside track for QB2. (Dawn of the Dawg⁠)

This is a fantastic problem to have.

Matthew Stafford is obviously the quarterback.

But Stafford is also approximately 147 years old in NFL quarterback years, so having someone behind him who can competently operate Sean McVay’s offense is somewhat important.

Bennett has experience in the system.

Simpson has the superior physical tools and looks like the long-term developmental play.

Which means McVay has gone from:

“Dear God, please don’t let Stafford get hurt.”

to:

“Dear God, please don’t let Stafford get hurt…but if he misses two games we probably won’t have to cancel the season.”

Progress!

CHARGERS: OF COURSE SOMEONE ELSE GOT HURT

If you wanted to explain Chargers football to someone who had never watched the NFL, you could simply tell them this:

They signed Pro Bowl center Tyler Biadasz to a three-year, $30 million contract this offseason to stabilize an offensive line that allowed Justin Herbert to be sacked 54 times last season.

Excellent signing.

Smart roster construction.

Exactly what they needed.

Naturally, Biadasz suffered a serious knee injury during a joint practice and has now been placed on season-ending injured reserve. (Los Angeles Chargers⁠)

Because Chargers.

At this point the Chargers’ medical tent should have naming rights.

“Welcome back to the Cedars-Sinai Chargers Injury Report, presented by Advil.”

Second-round rookie Jake Slaughter now becomes an extremely important player before he’s taken a single regular-season NFL snap.

Could he be good?

Absolutely.

Would it have been preferable to let the rookie center develop behind an 80-start veteran rather than telling him, “Congratulations, kid. Here’s Justin Herbert. Please keep him alive”?

Also yes.

LAKERS: PLEASE STOP REPORTING ON JONATHAN KUMINGA

I am begging everyone.

Please.

STOP.

Nobody has any new Jonathan Kuminga information.

The Lakers are interested.

Kuminga is interested.

The money hasn’t worked.

A sign-and-trade hasn’t worked.

The situation has reportedly been stalled for weeks. (SI⁠)

That’s the update.

Yet every morning my phone tells me:

“LAKERS EMERGE AS FAVORITE FOR KUMINGA.”

Four hours later:

“KUMINGA DEAL WITH LAKERS NOW UNLIKELY.”

Dinner:

“NEW DEVELOPMENT COULD SEND KUMINGA TO LOS ANGELES.”

The new development?

Somebody on a podcast said, “You never know.”

We’re now reporting rumors about rumors that originated from people discussing previous rumors.

Wake me up when he signs something.

Meanwhile, the actual Lakers story is considerably sadder.

The Buss family is fighting again.

Five of Jeanie Buss’ siblings are supporting the sale of the family’s remaining 17.8% stake in the Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger. Jeanie is contesting the transaction, and her attorney argues the sale can’t happen without approval from the trust’s co-trustees. (AP News⁠)

This feels personal because it probably is.

There have been years of Buss family disputes, including Jeanie removing Jim Buss from basketball operations and Joey and Jesse Buss later being dismissed from their Lakers roles. (AP News⁠)

Now the siblings are effectively telling Jeanie:

“Remember when you wanted to sell the Lakers?”

“Cool. We’re selling the rest.”

It’s sad.

Jerry Buss built the Lakers into arguably the greatest family-owned franchise in American sports.

Now his children are fighting over the remnants of the family’s ownership through lawyers.

Somewhere Dr. Buss is probably ordering another martini.

CLIPPERS: STILL WAITING…

Is Kawhi Leonard getting traded?

Probably.

Maybe.

Eventually.

Could be tomorrow.

Could be September.

Could be when Intuit Dome needs its first roof replacement.

The reported trade sending Kawhi to Toronto was agreed upon in late June and still isn’t official, while the NBA’s investigation into the Clippers remains unresolved. (BasketNews⁠)

Meanwhile, we still don’t know whether the Clippers will actually be punished.

One report said the NBA had found no evidence that Steve Ballmer funneled money to Leonard through sponsors. Then the NBA publicly disputed aspects of that reporting and said the investigation remained active. (ESPN.com⁠)

Perfect.

So to summarize:

Kawhi may be traded.

But hasn’t been traded.

The Clippers may be punished.

But haven’t been punished.

The investigation may be nearing completion.

But isn’t completed.

This is the most Kawhi Leonard transaction imaginable.

Even his trade is load managing.

USC: IS 8-4 GOOD ENOUGH?

This is the question I keep coming back to.

What happens if USC goes 8-4?

Because under normal circumstances, 8-4 in the Big Ten isn’t embarrassing.

But this isn’t Year 1 of Lincoln Riley.

It’s Year 5.

USC just brought in a 35-player recruiting class ranked No. 1 in the country. Riley says this is the deepest roster he’s had at USC. They’ve opened a spectacular new football facility. Gary Patterson has arrived to run the defense. Jayden Maiava is entering his third season as the starting quarterback. (Los Angeles Times⁠)

At some point, the infrastructure has to become wins.

And apparently I’m not alone in thinking that, because the Los Angeles Times is already calling 2026 a “make-or-break” season for Riley. (Los Angeles Times⁠)

So is 8-4 enough?

I don’t think so.

Not anymore.

If USC goes 8-4 but beats Notre Dame, wins a bowl game, plays meaningful football in November and you can clearly see the freshman class developing?

Maybe you can sell that.

But another season where USC beats the teams it’s supposed to beat, loses every toss-up game and finishes somewhere between the Holiday Bowl and whatever bowl is currently sponsored by a lawn mower company?

That’s going to be a difficult pitch.

Lincoln Riley doesn’t need to win the national championship this season.

He probably doesn’t even need to make the College Football Playoff.

But USC needs to look like USC again.

Nine wins should probably be the floor.

Ten wins changes the conversation completely.

A playoff appearance ends it.

Because Riley finally has everything coaches spend years asking administrators for:

The facility.

The NIL resources.

The recruiting class.

The quarterback.

The defensive coordinator.

The institutional commitment.

There aren’t many excuses left.

And if the No. 1 recruiting class in America is really the beginning of USC’s return to national prominence, fantastic.

But eventually recruiting rankings need to turn into football rankings.

Put up or shut up.

August 17, 2026

The Dodgers just lost three of four to the Brewers, which is irritating enough on its own. But Thursday’s loss was particularly painful because Edwin Díaz blew the save, and the resulting swing effectively cost the Dodgers three games in the standings.

Three!

At some point, this stops being about Edwin Díaz and starts being about the Dodgers.

If the guy isn’t right, LET HIM GET RIGHT.

Put him in lower-leverage situations. Give him a few appearances where the entire National League West isn’t hanging on every pitch. Let him rediscover whatever it is that makes Edwin Díaz look like Edwin Díaz.

Because using playoff-race games as his personal rehabilitation assignment seems like an unnecessarily expensive experiment.

And the bigger issue remains the offense.

It is just way too inconsistent.

One night the Dodgers look like they could score 14 runs against the 1998 Yankees. The next night they look like somebody introduced the entire lineup to baseball five minutes before first pitch.

This becomes an even bigger problem when your pitching staff requires the offense to outslug everybody.

You cannot enter October with a postseason strategy of:

“Hopefully Shohei, Freddie and Mookie hit three home runs before the bullpen gets involved.”

Well, technically you can.

I just wouldn’t recommend it.

The talent is obviously there. The reinforcements are there. The Dodgers can absolutely win the World Series.

But October tends to expose your weaknesses rather than politely ignore them.

Right now, inconsistency and late-inning pitching are giant flashing weaknesses.

 THE ANGELS: YES, CLEARLY MIKE MADDUX WAS THE PROBLEM

The Angels fired pitching coach Mike Maddux.

Excellent.

Problem solved!

I assume the parade down Katella Avenue is scheduled for Tuesday.

The Angels have a 4.53 ERA, 24th in baseball. They lead the majors in walks. They’ve blown 20 of 36 save opportunities.

Last season they posted a 4.89 ERA, which ranked 28th.

So obviously the pitching coach had to go.

Except I have one minor question:

WHAT EXACTLY WAS MIKE MADDUX SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS ROSTER?

This is like giving someone a 1987 Yugo with 240,000 miles on it, watching the transmission fall onto the freeway and firing the mechanic.

The Angels have the worst record in baseball because the roster is terrible.

Their player development has been terrible.

Their organizational infrastructure has been terrible.

And eventually somebody has to acknowledge that constantly changing coaches, managers and front-office personnel doesn’t magically fix an organization that isn’t consistently acquiring and developing enough good baseball players.

There are absolutely situations where firing a pitching coach is justified.

But if you hand a chef a bag of expired hot dogs, three packets of ketchup and a broken microwave, you probably shouldn’t fire him because dinner wasn’t Nobu.

 THE LAKERS: SOLD AGAIN?!

I cannot believe the Lakers have been sold again.

My immediate reaction?

I’m concerned.

Because if Mark Walter is stepping away from the Lakers this quickly, my first question is what exactly is going on with Walter.

And from a basketball perspective, Bob Iger and Josh Kushner simply don’t have Walter’s financial resources.

That matters because what excited me about Walter wasn’t just having a billionaire owner.

It was the possibility of the Lakers finally adopting the Dodgers model.

Massive investment in scouting.

Massive investment in analytics.

Massive investment in player development.

Massive investment in facilities, medical infrastructure, technology and every little competitive advantage money can buy.

Basically: stop operating the Lakers like a family business with a famous logo and start operating them like the most sophisticated basketball organization on Earth.

Can Iger and Kushner still do that?

Absolutely.

But we don’t know yet.

And spare me the left-wing/right-wing political analysis surrounding the ownership group.

I don’t care.

I have exactly one political affiliation when it comes to Lakers ownership:

THE CHAMPIONSHIP PARTY.

Are you competent?

Will you spend?

Will you hire smart people?

Will you stay out of their way?

Will you build an organization capable of winning championships after LeBron James is gone?

Great. You have my vote.

But perhaps the funniest part of this entire story has been watching the media reaction.

Apparently Bob Iger acquiring the Lakers has magically transformed the Lakers offseason into a masterpiece.

What a coincidence!

ESPN personalities who spent the last several months telling us the Lakers were reckless, desperate and destroying their future suddenly sound like they’re narrating a Lakers championship DVD.

Amazing what happens when your former boss buys the team.

Nothing to see here!

THE CLIPPERS: KAWHI LEONARD & BRADLEY BEAL…

The Clippers are off the hook for the Kawhi Leonard cap circumvention investigation. I don’t for a second believe they didn’t circumvent the cap. However, the politics of nailing Steve Balmer for this investigation are too messy to make it a reality. The same goes for Kawhi. In any case, the parties can now move on with their lives.

The Clippers are also bringing back Bradley Beal.

I have a simple question.

Why?

Bradley Beal will be 33.

He’s constantly injured.

The Clippers are rebuilding.

And every minute you give him is potentially a minute you’re taking away from a younger player who might actually be part of your future.

But don’t worry.

I’m sure Lawrence Frank has a plan.

Because apparently we’re all legally required to describe the Clippers as “well run.”

I’ve been hearing this for years.

Lawrence Frank makes a move:

“Smart.”

Lawrence Frank makes another move:

“Savvy.”

The Clippers don’t win anything:

“Still one of the league’s best-run organizations.”

Perhaps someday someone can explain to me exactly what qualifies an NBA franchise as “well run.”

Because apparently actually winning is optional.

 THE RAMS: TY SIMPSON TIME

Preseason football is officially underway, which means it’s time to draw enormous conclusions from football games featuring approximately seven players who will matter by Thanksgiving.

But I did like what I saw from Ty Simpson.

Simpson looked pretty good in his first appearance, and the most important thing for him right now is simply playing football.

Lots of it.

Remember, this is a quarterback who didn’t even accumulate a massive amount of experience in college.

He needs snaps.

He needs to see different coverages.

He needs to make mistakes.

He needs to learn how quickly NFL windows disappear.

Because if the Rams are going to trust him as their backup quarterback, you want him getting every possible rep now rather than learning on the fly when the games actually matter.

My bigger concern?

We’re already seeing injuries.

Myles Garrett looks banged up.

Puka Nacua looks banged up.

Can we please bubble-wrap everybody important until September?

And Puka…

I love Puka Nacua the football player.

Love him.

Puka Nacua the person giving interviews and making decisions away from the football field?

Let’s just say I occasionally wish someone would confiscate his microphone.

The guy is an unbelievable football player who somehow keeps finding creative ways to say or do something ridiculous.

Catch football.

Run with football.

Score touchdown.

Repeat.

It’s a beautiful formula, Puka. Don’t overcomplicate it.

 THE CHARGERS: WAIT…COULD THIS ACTUALLY BE THEIR YEAR?

The Chargers dominated the Texans in their preseason opener.

And yes, I understand the first rule of preseason football:

None of this matters.

But there’s something interesting happening with the Chargers.

Nobody seems particularly excited about them.

A few years ago, Justin Herbert was treated like the inevitable next great NFL quarterback.

Now?

It feels like people have moved on.

Mahomes.

Allen.

Burrow.

Lamar.

Maye.

Everybody has their guy, while Herbert has somehow become the quarterback people acknowledge is really good before immediately discussing somebody else.

But look around the AFC West.

The Chiefs aren’t invincible anymore.

The Broncos are talented, but they’re still unproven.

And the Chargers have a legitimate roster.

Maybe being overlooked is exactly what this franchise needs.

Because historically, the Chargers’ biggest problem has been expectations.

The moment you start believing in them, a punt hits somebody in the helmet, three offensive linemen simultaneously pull hamstrings and they lose 27-26 because the game-winning field goal somehow ricochets off both uprights and the mascot.

So here’s my proposal:

Nobody believe in the Chargers.

Don’t pick them.

Don’t hype them.

Don’t put them on magazine covers.

Don’t tell Justin Herbert this could finally be the year.

Just quietly let them play football.

And maybe — just maybe — this is finally the season they surprise everyone.

Although merely writing that sentence probably guarantees they’ll lose Week 1 on a blocked extra point.

Sorry, Chargers fans.

August 10, 2026

THE DODGERS: EVERYBODY CALM DOWN

Yes, the Dodgers are losing.

Yes, they look terrible.

Yes, approximately nine guys appear to approach every at-bat with the enthusiasm of someone waiting for their number to be called at the DMV.

And no, I’m not panicking.

Welcome to the dog days of summer.

The Dodgers look exhausted and disinterested. The bullpen has been worked like an Amazon distribution center in December, and right now every reliever who jogs through that bullpen door looks like he just received a text saying, “Hey, can you cover another shift?”

This isn’t ideal.

It’s also August.

The cavalry is coming. Blake Snell should provide another major arm for the rotation this week, and eventually Tyler Glasnow should be back as well. That matters because suddenly you aren’t asking the bullpen to record 14 outs every night while simultaneously wondering why everybody’s arm looks like it’s about to detach from their body.

The Dodgers don’t need to win 12 straight games right now.

They need to get healthy.

They need to get their pitching lined up.

And they need to start playing their best baseball sometime around late September.

And while we’re here, can we address everyone complaining about the Dodgers’ spending and how their dominance is “bad for baseball”?

Please.

Cry me the Pacific Ocean.

Where was all this concern for competitive balance when the Dodgers were getting bounced out of the playoffs every year?

Where was the national outrage when other organizations were laughing at them?

Now they’ve built a monster, spent money, developed players, attracted stars and figured out how to operate like the Death Star with a scouting department.

Suddenly everybody wants regulations.

Funny how that works.

THE ANGELS: WAIT… ARE THEY ACTUALLY GETTING SOLD?

I have absolutely no inside information suggesting Arte Moreno is selling the Angels.

But I have eyes.

And this organization is starting to look suspiciously like a house that’s been professionally staged for an open house.

Think about it.

Interim GM.

Manager on a one-year deal.

Pieces being moved at the deadline.

Minimal long-term organizational commitments.

That’s an awful lot of flexibility for whoever might theoretically walk through the door next.

I’m just saying.

If you wanted to sell a baseball franchise, wouldn’t you want the new owner to have the ability to install their own president, general manager, manager and organizational philosophy without spending two years cleaning out the previous regime?

Because that’s basically what the Angels are creating.

Maybe it’s coincidence.

Maybe it’s organizational restructuring.

Or maybe one glorious morning we’re all going to wake up to the headline Angels fans have been waiting years to see:

ARTE MORENO AGREES TO SELL TEAM.

At which point there may be a parade down Katella Avenue before the new owner has even been identified.

In the meantime, there’s another fascinating development:

Angels tickets are disgustingly cheap.

You can practically attend a Major League Baseball game right now for the price of parking at a Major League Baseball game.

So if you’ve been looking for an inexpensive summer night out, congratulations.

The Angels have finally discovered their competitive advantage.

Affordability.

THE LAKERS: APPARENTLY WALKER KESSLER COST THEM THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE

I cannot take another segment of national NBA analysts explaining how the Lakers have MORTGAGED THEIR FUTURE for Walker Kessler.

Enough.

They traded two first-round picks and two swaps that, barring some spectacular organizational apocalypse, may never even convey.

And somehow this transaction is being discussed like Rob Pelinka drove to Utah, handed over the deed to Crypto.com Arena, surrendered every draft pick through 2047 and tossed in Magic Johnson’s statue.

Meanwhile, other teams make enormous trades and everybody suddenly becomes a Rhodes Scholar explaining roster construction.

The Pacers make a major move?

“Aggressive. They identified their window.”

The Knicks?

“You have to pay for talent.”

The Magic?

“I love that they’re pushing their chips in.”

The Lakers?

“THIS IS FINANCIAL MALPRACTICE. WHAT ABOUT THE 2032 DRAFT?!”

Please.

Hating the Lakers has become the NBA hipster position.

And here’s the inconvenient part:

They won 53 games last season.

That happened despite Luka Doncic missing roughly a quarter of the season and Austin Reaves missing about a third of it.

Now they’re younger.

They’re deeper.

They’re more athletic.

And they addressed several of the exact weaknesses everybody spent last season screaming about.

Do they still need wings?

Absolutely.

I’m not pretending this is the 1996 Bulls.

But can we stop analyzing this roster like it’s frozen in carbonite for the next five years?

This isn’t necessarily the team they’ll have in February.

It certainly isn’t necessarily the team they’ll have two summers from now.

They have Luka Doncic.

They have Austin Reaves.

They have Walker Kessler.

They have flexibility to keep changing the roster.

But apparently because they’re the Lakers, every transaction must be evaluated as though it’s the final move the franchise will ever be allowed to make.

THE CLIPPERS: THE KAWHI STORY SOMEHOW KEEPS GETTING WEIRDER

Every time I think the Kawhi Leonard situation can’t sound worse…

It sounds worse.

Now we’re hearing about another sponsorship arrangement raising questions about potential salary-cap circumvention.

Wonderful.

Because apparently the Clippers weren’t satisfied with merely having one bizarre Kawhi financial controversy.

They needed a cinematic universe.

If the NBA ultimately determines rules were violated, the league should come down hard on everyone involved.

Will it?

We’ll see.

There are enormous personalities, enormous money and enormous politics involved here.

But let’s appreciate the absurdity of the larger Clippers story.

This franchise finally convinced a legitimate superstar to voluntarily sign with them.

That alone was historic.

And what did it take?

They had to mortgage a gigantic portion of their future to acquire Paul George because Kawhi wanted another star.

They endured years of injury uncertainty.

And now we’re discussing multiple financial arrangements that have raised cap-circumvention questions.

All to get one superstar to choose the Clippers.

Do you understand how incredible that is?

The Clippers found someone weird enough to voluntarily say:

“Yes. This is where I want to spend the prime of my career.”

And apparently even THAT wasn’t straightforward.

Now their future is murky, the Kawhi situation is increasingly uncomfortable, and the organization that was supposed to take over Los Angeles is once again generating headlines for everything except actually taking over Los Angeles.

This franchise is screwed.

But hey.

Intuit Dome is beautiful.

USC FOOTBALL: ARE WE DOING THIS AGAIN?

USC enters the season ranked No. 14 in the preseason Coaches Poll, and I have no idea what to do with this information.

Because we’ve seen this movie.

USC has talent.

USC can score.

USC has athletes.

Lincoln Riley can design an offense.

Wonderful.

Now can they line up against a gigantic Big Ten offensive line in November and stop somebody on 3rd-and-2?

Because that’s the question.

USC doesn’t play in the Pac-12 anymore.

This is the Big Ten.

You occasionally have to travel halfway across the country in weather that feels like you’re playing football inside a Costco freezer and try to tackle a 238-pound running back who has been consuming whole milk since birth.

Are the Trojans tough enough?

That’s what I want to know.

Especially defensively.

Especially along the lines.

Because until USC proves otherwise, this still feels like a talented team trying to prove it has the physicality necessary to consistently win in a conference filled with enormous human beings.

But I’ll give Lincoln Riley this:

The opportunity is there.

People aren’t expecting USC to win the national championship.

They’re No. 14.

They’re relevant without carrying ridiculous expectations.

Go prove everybody wrong.

Because if USC can combine Riley’s offensive creativity with a legitimately physical football team?

Now you’ve got something.

UCLA FOOTBALL: WAIT A SECOND… WHAT IS BOB CHESNEY COOKING?

Meanwhile, across town, something interesting is happening.

Very quietly.

Bob Chesney is building something at UCLA.

Recruiting momentum has picked up considerably, talent is coming in, and suddenly UCLA doesn’t feel like the Big Ten program everyone circles on the schedule and writes a W next to in permanent marker.

Will the full impact show up in 2026?

Probably not.

Building a college football program takes time.

But I’m fascinated to see what Chesney can squeeze out of this roster immediately.

Because sometimes a coaching change doesn’t instantly produce a championship contender.

Sometimes it simply produces something much more important:

Competence.

Organization.

Development.

Players believing they’re supposed to win.

And UCLA has enough talent that if Chesney can get them playing disciplined, physical football, this could become one of those annoying teams nobody wants to play.

I’m not saying UCLA is winning the Big Ten.

I’m saying don’t be shocked if sometime in October you’re watching them knock off a ranked team and thinking:

“Wait… UCLA is actually good?”

That would be progress.

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON: GOOD. NOT GREAT. DEFINITELY NOT THRONES.

And finally, because Monday Morning recognizes that sometimes dragons are more entertaining than middle relief pitching…

House of the Dragon wrapped its season Sunday night.

My grade:

B.

It’s good.

I watch every episode.

I’m entertained.

The production is spectacular.

The dragons are awesome.

And yet…

It’s just not Game of Thrones.

And I finally figured out why.

The characters aren’t nearly as interesting.

Game of Thrones could give you 15 minutes of Tyrion drinking wine with Bronn and somehow it was more entertaining than half the television shows ever created.

Tywin could have a conversation at a dinner table and you’d be terrified.

Littlefinger could say three sentences and you’d spend the next week wondering which kingdom he was secretly trying to overthrow.

Varys was hilarious.

The Hound was hilarious.

Tormund was hilarious.

Even characters who hated each other were funny.

House of the Dragon?

Everybody is miserable.

All. The. Time.

Nobody tells jokes.

Nobody seems to enjoy dinner.

Nobody appears to have hobbies.

It’s essentially two families spending several decades angrily discussing succession planning.

Which, admittedly, becomes more entertaining when succession planning occasionally involves a 200-foot dragon incinerating a castle.

We know there’s only one season left.

And those of us familiar with the source material have a pretty good idea where this is headed.

So now the challenge is simple:

Stick the landing.

Give us the battles.

Give us the betrayals.

Give us the dragons.

Give us the chaos.

And maybe—just maybe—allow one person in Westeros to make a joke.

August 3, 2026

The MLB Trade Deadline is this afternoon, but the Dodgers have already done their work and acquired the best pitcher in the American League over the weekend. Tarik Skubal is now a Dodger, and their rotation is as stacked as ever! I’m hear to tell you that we do not care about all the complaining going on around baseball. The Dodgers are so much better run than every other organization, and the rest of baseball is just mad about it and wants the rules of the sport changed. We don’t care because these same complainers were laughing at the Dodgers 10 years ago when they were in bankruptcy, and just a couple of years ago when they were losing in the 1st round of the playoffs. Those laughs have now turned into tears. Skubal wasn’t signed by the Dodgers. They traded for him. Anybody could have traded for him. But Milwaukee and Tampa decided not to. As for the Dodgers play on the field, they had a rough weekend against Boston, but they’ll look to turn it around against the Cubs this week. I personally see no reason why Shohei Ohtani should be pitching for the time being. His bat is too valuable to be risked, but I don’t see him or the Dodgers giving up that part of his game. If you’re a Dodger fan you should be ecstatic and enjoy the ride, while everyone else thinks the Dodgers are “ruining baseball”.

The Angels actually made some moves as well at the trade deadline, and they were sensible. They traded Jose Soriano this morning to Toronto for 3 promising prospects. They also traded Logan O’Hoppe and Chase Silseth to the Rangers for a prospect 3rd baseman. Earlier this morning they even traded Jo Adell to Cleveland for a catching prospect. Congrats to John Mozeliak for being able to convince Arte Moreno to let him make some trades that are sensible for the organization. The real question however, is if he can convince him to invest in some scouting and player development. Otherwise, the Halos need to hope that somehow the prospects they acquired can just naturally figure it out on their own.

While I was gone, something else important happened. Lebron James finally made a decision and signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. I hold absolutely no ill will toward the man and neither should you. Lebron brought a championship to the Lakers, and turned the franchise around after one of the darkest times in the history of the franchise. With that being said, I wish him well, as should you, and both sides, the Lakers and Lebron, probably got what they want. The Sixers are going to be a good team, but the Eastern Conference is also loaded so it’s going to be fiercely competitive. As for the Lakers, to me, they have improved, but they still need another wing. Jonathan Kuminga and Peyton Watson are still out there, so I’m still not ruling out one of them being a Laker. Even if that doesn’t happen, the likes of Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero make the possibilities on this team extremely exciting.

Meanwhile, the Clippers still have not executed the Kawhi Leonard trade with the Raptors. This situation has been so poorly managed by Adam Silver. He needs to create some urgency here and start negotiating punishments directly with Kawhi and the Clippers through an arbitrator. Otherwise, the situation is unfairly punishing the Toronto Raptors, and anybody else trying to do business with these two teams. The Clips are downplaying the idea that its a big deal if Kawhi is still on their roster. They are lying though. Having him would still be awkward for all parties involved.

The Rams are back…but one phone call could change everything

Training camp has officially opened.

Matthew Stafford looks healthy.

Sean McVay looks like he drank six espressos before every press conference.

The defense looks fast.

Everything feels normal.

Except…

Everyone is still waiting to see whether Aaron Donald decides retirement was overrated.

Every few weeks someone reports he’s working out.

Someone else reports he looks incredible.

Breaking news.

Aaron Donald has always looked incredible.

The Rams don’t need him to have a successful season.

But if No. 99 suddenly walked back through those doors?

Every offensive coordinator in the NFC West would immediately begin updating their résumé.

USC and Notre Dame finally put the nonsense to bed.

The rivalry will continue in 2030.

Excellent.

Now can everyone stop pretending one school desperately needed the other?

Every time this discussion came up, social media sounded like two people arguing over who did whom a favor by agreeing to go to dinner.

“Notre Dame needs USC.”

“No, USC needs Notre Dame.”

Actually…

College football needs USC-Notre Dame.

Some rivalries are bigger than conference realignment.

They’re bigger than television contracts.

They’re bigger than whatever scheduling spreadsheet someone in a corporate office came up with.

Besides, I have a sneaking suspicion this won’t be the last meeting before 2030 anyway.

With the expanded College Football Playoff, don’t be surprised if these two collide in December long before they line up in South Bend or Los Angeles again.

And honestly?

That would only make the rivalry even better.