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.