September 28, 2026

Blown leads, blown seasons, blown franchises…and somehow UCLA is the stable organization in town.

Good morning, Southern California.

Pour yourself a cup of coffee, grab something stronger if you’re a Chargers fan, and if you’re a Clippers fan, maybe just go back to bed.

It was quite a weekend.

The Rams blew a 16-point lead. The Chargers fell to 0-3. USC reminded everyone that tackling remains an elective course at the university. UCLA won by 51 points. The Dodgers won 100 games, which historically is apparently their preferred method of terrifying their own fan base. The Angels lost 100 games, which is much more on brand.

And Kawhi Leonard somehow managed to leave Los Angeles, get $115 million from Toronto and still make Clippers fans angry from another country.

Let’s have some coffee.

THE RAMS: ROBBED…BUT ALSO MAYBE DON’T BLOW A 16-0 LEAD

Yes, the Rams got hosed.

There should have been a defensive pass-interference call at the end of Sunday night’s 30-26 loss in Denver. Instead, the officials apparently decided that the final two minutes of an NFL game are governed by rules normally reserved for a prison yard.

But here’s the problem with blaming the officials:

You were winning 16-0.

At halftime.

If you blow a 16-point lead and allow 30 second-half points, complaining about one missed call is a little like blaming the valet because your restaurant went bankrupt. (The Sporting Tribune⁠)

The Rams clearly missed Puka Nacua and Myles Garrett. Without Puka, the offense loses a completely different dimension. Without Garrett, the defense loses the guy capable of ruining an opposing quarterback’s evening by himself. (Yahoo Sports⁠)

And Aaron Donald?

He’s still Aaron Donald.

He’s just not yet AARON DONALD.

Which is understandable. The guy came back after significant time away. Expecting vintage AD immediately is like pulling Michael Jordan out of retirement and getting upset because he doesn’t score 50 in the first quarter.

Give him time.

Unfortunately, time is one thing the Rams don’t have much of.

Philadelphia and Buffalo are coming.

So congratulations on surviving Denver. Your reward is basically the football equivalent of completing a root canal and being informed your colonoscopy starts in 20 minutes.

At 1-2, there’s no reason to panic.

But perhaps locate the panic button and make sure the batteries work.

THE CHARGERS: JUST WHEN, BABY?

Meanwhile, the Chargers are 0-3.

0-3.

They forced five Buffalo turnovers Sunday…and still lost 24-16.

Do you realize how difficult that is?

According to the Los Angeles Times, NFL teams since 2013 that finished a game with five-plus takeaways and a turnover margin of at least plus-four were 3-81-1 entering Sunday.

The Chargers became loss No. 81.

That might be the most Chargers statistic ever recorded. (Los Angeles Times⁠)

At some point you have to admire the consistency.

New coaches. New coordinators. New players. Same experience.

The Chargers are basically the Law & Order of NFL disappointment. Different cast, same plot every week.

Naturally, the Jim Harbaugh questions are coming.

The Justin Herbert questions are coming.

And I’m not ready to run either guy out of town.

But 0-3 is 0-3, and the schedule ahead includes Seattle, Denver, Kansas City, the Rams, Houston and Baltimore. (Los Angeles Times⁠)

So finishing third in the AFC West might soon qualify as an aspirational goal.

Harbaugh said afterward that losing was “painful.”

Chargers fans everywhere responded:

First time?

USC: SAME MOVIE, BIGGER BUDGET

That was a game USC had to win.

They didn’t.

Oregon beat them 41-27 at the Coliseum, scoring 14 unanswered points late and reminding Trojan fans that whenever they begin feeling optimistic, USC football is legally required to intervene. (247Sports⁠)

Gary Patterson was supposed to fix the defense.

So far, the defense looks less like Gary Patterson and more like Gary Busey.

When the game was on the line, Oregon moved the football. USC couldn’t answer. And the Trojans now sit at 4-1 and No. 18 with the difficult portion of the schedule still ahead.

Then there was the Desman Stephens incident.

Stephens was ejected for targeting after the late hit that concussed Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, then drew even more criticism for his reaction afterward. USC subsequently suspended Stephens for the Washington game; Stephens apologized, saying his reaction was “completely inappropriate and inexcusable.” (ABC News⁠)

And that matters because USC already has a discipline perception problem.

You can’t spend years looking undisciplined and then respond to an injured opponent like you just recovered a fumble.

As for Lincoln Riley?

You can already hear it coming.

If USC finishes 8-4 and misses the playoff, there will be Trojan fans demanding Riley be fired approximately 11 seconds after the final whistle.

And honestly, 8-4 feels increasingly plausible.

Which at USC is basically the football equivalent of being given a C-minus after your parents donated the science building.

UCLA: WAIT…ARE THE BRUINS ACTUALLY FUN?

UCLA beat Maryland 54-3.

I’m sorry.

Let me type that again because I enjoyed it.

UCLA 54, Maryland 3.

The Bruins are 4-0. They’re ranked No. 23. They rushed for 266 yards, intercepted Maryland four times and returned two of them for touchdowns. They’ve now scored 50-plus points in consecutive games for the first time since 1993. (UCLA Bruins⁠)

What exactly is happening here?

Bob Chesney has UCLA playing competent, aggressive, entertaining football.

At UCLA.

This is like walking into a DMV and discovering bottle service.

I’m still not ready to call this a playoff team. There’s a long way to go, and after the bye the Bruins go to Oregon on Oct. 10. (UCLA Bruins⁠)

That’s different.

Oregon with a backup quarterback is still Oregon.

Autzen Stadium is still Autzen Stadium.

But UCLA suddenly looks like a team that belongs in these games instead of one hoping the opponent’s bus gets lost.

And maybe the most encouraging part?

The future actually feels bright.

Imagine saying that about UCLA football six months ago without immediately being tested for narcotics.

THE DODGERS: 100 WINS — WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

The Dodgers won 100 games.

Great!

Everyone celebrate!

Actually, wait.

This is the Dodgers.

Maybe everyone remain perfectly still.

The Dodgers have earned the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye, and they’ll face either Philadelphia or Atlanta in the NLDS. (MLB.com⁠)

Neither option sounds particularly relaxing.

Atlanta is excellent but banged up.

Philadelphia is inconsistent but talented enough that you’d rather somebody else discover which version shows up.

The pitching should be there.

The question, as always, is the offense.

It sounds ridiculous to worry about an offense with this much talent, but the Dodgers can become incredibly dependent on home runs. And now they get several days off before playing meaningful baseball again.

Which means Dodgers fans will spend the bye doing what Dodgers fans do best:

Turning a 100-win season into an anxiety disorder.

If Shohei Ohtani and company are hitting, nobody wants to see this team.

If they aren’t?

Get ready for 47 runners left on base, nine fly balls to the warning track and Dave Roberts explaining after Game 4 that he “liked the process.”

October has arrived.

Blood pressure medication is available at CVS.

THE ANGELS: THEY CAN’T HURT US ANYMORE

The Angels season is over.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is everything that happened before that.

The Angels finished with 100 losses for the first time in franchise history. (MLB.com⁠)

Congratulations, everybody.

History!

On the bright side, Mike Trout played his most games since 2016. At this point, an Angels season in which Trout remains mostly healthy qualifies as the franchise’s equivalent of winning the pennant. (MLB.com⁠)

Now comes the important part.

When Stan Kroenke’s purchase closes — expected in the first quarter of 2027, pending MLB approval — blow it up. (FOX Sports⁠)

The roster.

The organization.

The infrastructure.

The stadium.

The nacho cheese dispenser.

Everything.

Keep Trout if he wants to be part of it, keep the young players worth developing and start building a modern Major League Baseball organization from scratch.

Kroenke reportedly agreed to pay $4 billion for the franchise. (CBS Sports⁠)

Which sounds insane until you remember Southern California real estate prices.

He basically bought 26 acres in Anaheim and Mike Trout came with it.

THE LAKERS: STAY IN SCHOOL, MARCUS

NBA media week gave us one of my favorite quotes of the offseason.

Marcus Smart says he felt “disrespected” by the Lakers’ contract offer.

So naturally he responded by…

taking less money to play for Houston.

Outstanding.

The Lakers reportedly offered Smart more, but he preferred Houston for several reasons, including contract structure, family connections in Texas and his relationship with Ime Udoka. (Yahoo Sports⁠)

Fine.

All perfectly legitimate reasons.

But if your argument is, “Your financial offer insulted me, therefore I accepted a smaller financial offer,” you have officially turned contract negotiations into a standardized-test question.

Stay in school, kids.

As for the actual Lakers, people are trashing the roster.

I’m not.

JJ Redick believes the pieces fit together better than they have in recent seasons, and I agree.

Fit matters.

Basketball isn’t fantasy basketball. You don’t simply collect the 15 highest-rated players on NBA 2K and assume somebody will figure out who guards anybody.

And finally, something much more important.

Longtime Lakers public-address announcer Lawrence Tanter died last week at 76.

Tanter was the Lakers’ PA voice for 43 seasons, beginning in 1982, and called games during 10 Lakers championships. (NBA⁠)

For generations of Lakers fans, his voice wasn’t simply part of going to a game.

It was going to a Lakers game.

Smooth. Distinctive. Understated. Iconic.

My deepest condolences to his family and everyone in the Lakers organization.

Lakers games simply will not sound the same without him.

THE CLIPPERS: THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, KAWHI

And then there’s Kawhi Leonard.

The Clippers traded Kawhi back to Toronto.

Then Toronto gave him a two-year extension worth up to $115 million. (NBA⁠)

Of course they did.

Kawhi’s six-year Clippers experience really was remarkable.

The Clippers detonated their future to build the team around him, including the Paul George trade.

He spent significant stretches unavailable.

The championship never arrived.

Then the NBA investigated improper compensation connected to Leonard’s Clippers deal and hammered the organization with a $30 million fine, five forfeited first-round picks and multiple suspensions. Leonard himself was fined $700,000. (Reuters⁠)

Then Kawhi left.

And immediately got another $115 million.

That is not an NBA career.

That is an Ocean’s Eleven sequel.

Kawhi walked into Los Angeles in 2019, watched the Clippers mortgage their future, never reached the Finals, left behind an NCAA-style sanctions package and then returned to Toronto.

Thank you for your service, Mr. Leonard.

Your jersey retirement ceremony will be held at the nearest IRS office.

THE KINGS: 2014 CALLED. IT WANTS ITS ROSTER BACK.

And finally, hockey is back.

The Kings begin the regular season Wednesday against Colorado in Denver. (Los Angeles Times⁠)

New coach.

New system.

New season.

Naturally, the organization decided the best way to symbolize this fresh beginning was to make 36-year-old Drew Doughty captain.

Because nothing says new era quite like 2012.

Look, Doughty is one of the greatest Kings ever.

That is not debatable.

Two Stanley Cups. Franchise records all over the place. Nearly two decades in one sweater. He deserves a statue someday.

But honoring the past and building the future are two different things.

The Kings haven’t won a playoff series since 2014. (Los Angeles Times⁠)

At some point, 2014 has to stop being the organizational North Star.

There are also rumors of another extension for Doughty. Until something is actually signed, fine, they’re rumors.

But the larger concern remains.

This organization desperately needs its younger core to establish ownership of the room. It needs accountability. It needs discipline. It needs a new identity.

Instead, Luc Robitaille and Ken Holland occasionally give the impression that if they stare at the 2014 Stanley Cup banner long enough, Anze Kopitar will become 26 again and Jonathan Quick will come walking through the tunnel.

He isn’t.

Neither is Dustin Brown.

Neither is Justin Williams.

It’s 2026.

The Kings have some talented young players, Adrian Kempe in his prime, Artemi Panarin, a new coach and an opportunity to build something different.

Let them.

Because nostalgia is wonderful.

It belongs in the rafters.

Not in the organizational blueprint.

LAST CALL

So where does that leave Southern California sports on this Monday morning?

The Rams are 1-2 but salvageable.

The Chargers are 0-3 and rapidly approaching a wellness check.

USC is 4-1 and somehow already feels disappointing.

UCLA is 4-0 and somehow appears to be the most emotionally stable football program in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers won 100 games, so naturally their fans are terrified.

The Angels lost 100 games, so naturally their fans are optimistic.

The Lakers think their roster finally fits.

The Clippers are rebuilding after Kawhi Leonard apparently completed the most expensive hit-and-run in NBA history.

And the Kings are beginning a new era by handing the captaincy to a guy who was drafted when George W. Bush was president.

Everything is normal.

See you next Monday.

I’ll bring the coffee.

Southern California sports will provide the trauma.