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.

February 9, 2028

What a terrible Super Bowl that was. Congratulations to the Seahawks for coming away with a well deserved championship. I’m happy for Sam Darnold as well, who is a really good guy from my hometown, and a great redemption story. Other than that though, the game was tough to watch. Neither offense did much. The Seahawks defense felt incredible dominant, but for a game with 100 million people watching, that’s not going to do much for entertainment value. Kenneth Walker was the MVP, but it was hilarious listening to Chris Collinsworth say he does nothing well except run. The Rams have to be kicking themselves watching that last night, because what a missed opportunity they had not making it to the Super Bowl. They were one of the few teams in the league that could put up points on that Seattle defense. The NFC Championship game was really the Super Bowl two weeks ago.

As for the rest of the broadcast, I was not as down on the halftime show as everyone else. Bad Bunny was always going to have a segment of people that weren’t going to like his music no matter how great the performance was. However, the choreography was great, and you have to appreciate the artistry behind it from the Taco guy, to the couple that actually got married, and the little kid that received his Grammy Award at the end. He was very intentional with his messaging. I’m sure some people will view it as political, but I don’t politicize everything the way a lot of people do these days. As for the commercials, there were too many that were just sad and serious, and not enough that were there to make us laugh and entertain us. That’s supposed to be the point of the commercials. If I had to pick a couple, I would say the Xfinity Jurassic Park commercial was creative, and the Bud Weiser “Free Bird” commercial as well. It was pretty underwhelming beyond that.

The NBA trade deadline came and went last week, and it was not very eventful for the Lakers. They did make a trade to improve on the margins, sending Gabe Vincent to Atlanta for sharp shooting forward Luke Kennard. Kennard will improve the Lakers dismal shooting, but might not be so effective on the defensive end. Then again, Gabe Vincent wasn’t exactly locking people up either. I was a little disappointed the Lakers burned their open roster spot on Kobe Bufkin. He was lighting up the G-League, but he’s not going to crack their rotation right now. A player like Hayward Highsmith along with Cam Thomas would have added some scoring dynamics to their bench and perimeter defense they don’t have. Now I can’t see them waiving anybody else to open another roster spot. The Lakers entered Saturday tied for 4th in the West, and just a game out of 3rd place. Lebron, Luka, an Austin haven’t even played 10 games together this season. Say what you will about the flawed roster construction, but they haven’t had much time on the floor together to see just how good the team can be unfortunately. With that being said, the Lakers clearly got what they wanted with Giannis staying in Milwaukee. However, don’t be surprised if he’s going to do the same stupid dance he did over the summer and stay for another year with the Bucks, then hit the free agent market in 2027. That’s too long for the Lakers to wait when they have Lebron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves on the roster now. The free agent class in 2026 is so dismal, I can easily see the Lakers running it back with the same team on one year deals, with or without Lebron. I sure hope they plan on using the cap space and their picks to make some trades for quality 3 and D wings. Otherwise, that’s not a great way to optimize a generational talent in his prime that you just acquired.

The Clippers on the other hand surprised us all with their wheeling and dealing last week. After completely turning their season around and becoming one of the hottest teams in the NBA, the Clippers traded James Harden to Cleveland for Darius Garland, and Ivica Zubac to Indiana for Benedict Mathurin and picks. What they did isn’t actually all that surprising, it’s just the timing of it. They were on their way to the play in tournament. Then they did what I told you they should have done months ago, and not let public perception dictate their immediate future. To their credit, they did not. This was clearly prompted by James Harden requesting a trade after being denied an extension. I can’t blame Harden for trying to recoup all the money he has lost over the years requesting trades, so it was wise for both sides to move on. Then they figured they might as well trade Zu to get some draft capital back. I’ve gotta think come this summer Kawhi’s days as a Clipper are numbered, and he’s going to be traded next. He is the last tree standing! (Sorry I couldn’t help myself) The question is what kind of market he has given the history of his knees, and what comes out of this NBA investigation about cap circumvention. On the bright side for the Clips, at least Kawhi will represent them in the All-Star game the are hosting.

Speaking of trades, in the NHL, the Kings made a big trade last week, acquiring winger Artemi Panarin from the Rangers. You guys know I have been as critical of the Kings as anyone, but this actually is a solid trade. The Kings had to give up their best prospect in Liam Greentree, but the Kings stink at developing young NHL players, so they might actually be better off with Panarin. He’s 34 years old, he can score, and they only had to extend him for 2 more years. That’s not too bad. With that being said, the Kings are not an Artemi Panarin away from winning the Stanley Cup. They might be an Artemi Panarin away from making the playoffs, but even that’s in question when you look at the standings. The Kings have the 2nd fewest regulation + overtime wins in the league, despite being 3 points out of the playoffs. They have 26 games left and are going to have to win about 20 of those games in regulation or OT to make it. That sounds like a tall task for team that is horribly coached, struggling to score, and limited mobility on defense.

The Rams may not have played in the Super Bowl, but the week leading up to it was still a good one. They signed Les Snead and Sean McVay to extensions, they added Cliff Kingsbury to their staff, and then Matt Stafford won the MVP and announced he’s coming back for another season. Stafford absolutely earned that MVP over Drake Maye, and I can’t believe it was that close considering it was such a soft schedule for Maye. I’m not surprised he decided to come back, but thankfully he is because it would have changed the entire outlook on the Rams season next year. Stafford should be a Hall of Famer after winning that MVP, to go along with his gaudy stats and Super Bowl victory in 2021. As for Les Snead and McVay, they are instrumental to the Rams success, and keeping them in the fold is also a great thing. I’m still not sure what was up with McVay thinking about retiring early after the last Super Bowl win, but he’s signed a couple of extensions since then, and makes great money, so it doesn’t sound like burnout is an issue for him right now. He might not coach another 10 years, but he should be part of the Rams future for another good stretch here. I’m not sure about Cliff Kingsbury though. I mean he’s a great football mind, but with McVay calling the plays, what is he going to do? Be the clock manager? I’m sure they’ll figure it out though.

In the College ranks, UCLA basketball held of Washington for another win over the weekend. They remain in 6th in the Big Ten, but every team in front of them is ranked in the Top 12 in the Nation. The rest of their regular season conference schedule is going to be tough. Watching that win and hearing Mick Cronin criticize their defense afterward, all I could think about is that the Bruins have to play hard all the time to win. Their talent alone can’t get them by. As for football, I have a very hard time seeing a scenario where UCLA is going to play at SOFI Stadium next year, or anywhere that isn’t the Rose Bowl. Last Tuesday, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge denied a request by the University of California Regents, on behalf of UCLA, to force arbitration in an ongoing lawsuit with the City and the Rose Bowl Operating Company over the Bruins’ long-term stadium agreement. UCLA however, is already benefiting from moving to the Big Ten. They received an extra $40 million than had they stayed in the Pac-12, except they still have a deficit of $21 million for other reasons of fiscal mismanagement. It’s going to take the University a while to get out of this mess, but they do seem like they are slowly on the right track to doing so. It just might take College Football conferences evolving to further help them do that.

I am a huge fan of the Olympics, and I’m excited that the Winter Olympics are now underway in Milan. What a beautiful opening ceremony it was on Friday night. Don’t be hating on Mariah Carey because you thought she sang over a track. The fact she was there and part of the song was sung in Italian is big enough! So much Italian style, and was so inclusive of the athletes who were at the other 3 venues. They looked like they were coming out of a Stargate, all with personality! The fact JD Vance was booed when the Team USA was showed walking out is just an example of how much Europe and the rest of the world is hating our leaders and that’s sad on a stage like the Olympics. I feel awful for Lindsey Vonn, who was skiing with no ACL, a replaced knee, and then fractured her leg in the downhill finals. While it’s a heroic effort to train and come this far, it’s probably also not very safe to be skiing at this level of competition without an ACL. I’m looking forward to some men’s hockey beginning on Wednesday, which is always intense. I’m also looking forward to seeing some of these more obscure sports we don’t always get to see like Super G, Bobsled, and Skeleton. These sports are so intense, I assume if you don’t die in the training that you automatically qualify for the Olympics.

February 2nd, 2026

It’s that time of year again! The time where you’ll get to hear all these bogus trade rumors around the NBA with the trade deadline this coming Thursday. In case you needed more evidence, even Shams doesn’t really have any great insider Laker sources. We heard the Lakers were interested in DeAndre Hunter and Keon Ellis, but then they were traded for each other. I don’t think the Lakers are going to do much between now and Thursday unfortunately. They have a bunch of expiring contracts, but they aren’t interested in taking back any money long term beyond this season. They also aren’t interested in giving up any draft capital because they think they might have a shot to trade for Giannis this summer with 3 1st rounders and 2 draft swaps. I don’t think this is a wise strategy though. Giannis seems interested in staying in the East, the Lakers don’t have great contracts to match salaries, and they have Lebron and Austin Reaves on their team now they can try to optimize, along with Luka. In my opinion, their best shot at getting a star is in the summer of 2027 if the Joker or Giannis make it to free agency then. Until then however, they should be willing to take on contracts through next year to try to make the most of Luka’s prime years. The Lakers are always star hunting first and foremost though, and although I think their mentality should be more about role player team building and culture developing, they could care less what I think and seem to still be focused on the stars. On a different note, congratulations to Lebron on being selected for his 22nd straight All-Star game. I think he did earn it and it’s a good thing he’s there, however, I’d like to see some better effort from him and a lot other guys, rather than the embarrassment we’ve seen the last couple of years during All-Star Weekend.

Meanwhile, the Clippers are unlikely to do anything at the deadline either. The way they are looking at is as though they are back in the mix for the play-in tournament after a rough start to the season. They are old, but if they get healthy and peak at the right time, they believe they can make a run to make the best of their roster. I do think the Clips would have some interest in a player like Ja Morant or LaMelo Ball if the price is right, but so far, the Grizzlies and Hornets don’t seem like they want to unload those players for penny’s on the dollar. As for the All-Star game, it’s both surprising and embarrassing that Kawhi Leonard isn’t an All-Star, considering the game is at Intuit Dome.

We are on the verge of starting the World Baseball Classic, as well as the Spring Training. This is one of those years where as a Dodger fan, you really aren’t excited about the WBC. The teams biggest star players don’t need to throw more innings or play more baseball after their very long championship season If anything I don’t mind if guys like Shohei, Mookie, Freddie, and the majority of the starting pitching staff get as light a work load as possible between now and August. That should definitely be the case for Blake Snell, who reportedly may not be ready for opening day, and indicated he will need some ramp up time because his shoulder is still a little fatigued from throwing so much in October. See you in the fall Blake! Rest up!

It looked like UCLA Basketball was really regaining momentum there until their loss against Indiana over the weekend. The Hoosiers are a tournament team as well, but UCLA really needs to pad their tournament resume with more quality wins. I realize they defeated Purdue, but it’s going to take more than that. The loss on Saturday included an impressive comeback before losing in double overtime. You can even argue that UCLA got a little screwed by the refs, but they were also lucky to be in that position in the first place, and had plenty of chances to put the game away before that. On a different note, this idea of Amari Bailey coming back to college for eligibility is insane. I know college sports is turning into the wild west with NIL, but you can’t allow guys to come back after turning pro. This would be a horrible precedence to set.

The LA Kings lost yesterday to the Carolina Hurricanes, but that’s not the story. The real news is their pursuit of Rangers winger Arti Panarin, a 34 year old high scoring Russian, who is on the trade block. Memo to the Kings however: You are a lot closer to a rebuild than a cup. Panarin might help you so score some goals, but he won’t fix all your problems. Just because they have the cap space and the draft capital to make the trade doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.

Finally, The Grammy’s went down last night at Crypto.com Arena. There were some entertaining performances. Lady Gaga, Olivia Dean, and Alex Warren were fantastic. Normally I don’t like it when anything gets political because nobody is tuning in to hear the politics. However, in this case I didn’t mind the voicing displeasure against ICE. It’s not really political at this point, it’s just plain human decency. If you missed SNL over the weekend, they actually had a great skit making fun of ICE and the stupidity of those it employees. After hearing from Bad Bunny, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing his performance in the Super Bowl next week! My only complaint about the show is that why can’t any of these people dress normal? Trevor Noah was probably the only guy dressed normally, and he was also really funny. Everyone else was dressed like a complete lunatic.

January 26, 2026

What a disappointing end to the season last night for the Rams in Seattle. The offense was spectacular against a very good Seattle defense. However, in reality these games are won and lost on the margins. You can’t drop a punt inside your 10 yard line, and when you have a chance to score at the 7-yard line to take the lead in the 4th quarter, you have to come away with a touchdown. It also didn’t help that they lost the home field advantage in Seattle a couple of weeks before the playoffs started. The Rams played a great team, they were right there, but they came up short. They should be kicking themselves for all the missed opportunities throughout the season. The good news though? The Rams have boat loads of cap space, tons of draft capital, and Matt Stafford wants to come back. Their first priority needs to be re-signing Sean McVay and Les Snead, because they are cornerstones for the franchise. Once they do that, no reason they can’t contend for a Super Bowl next year as well.

Elsewhere around Championship Sunday, the Patriots took down the Broncos is a very snowy game. That game was very boring and the only interesting thing about it was the weather. Drake Maye actually reached a Super Bowl before Josh Allen. If that doesn’t tell you that wins is a meaningless quarterback stat, I don’t know what else could. The Titans fired Mike Vrabel and in his first year coaching a new team, he take them to the Super Bowl. That is the most Titans result possible. On the other side, going for it on 4th down in the 1st half instead of taking the points to go up 2 possessions with your backup QB is one of the more moronic things I’ve seen a coach do.

What a horrible article that we had to read by Baxter Holmes last week about the Lakers and the Buss Family. That article wasn’t good for anybody. It makes Jeanie look like a selfish tyrant, and makes Jesse and Joey look like they just have an ax to grind with her. I’m sure Jerry would be very disappointed to see what happened to the relationship with all his kids. However, what probably goes unnoticed is that Jeanie took very good care of everyone in her family with the sale, as they each pocketed generational wealth of $500 million. It’s hard for the average person to read that and feel bad for them. It’s actually remarkable the Lakers have had the success they’ve had with the dysfunction they’ve endured internally. Hopefully now that they’ve sold the team, that dysfunction within the organization ends, and maybe she will even have a better relationship with all her siblings in the long run.

As for Lebron and Jeanie’s alleged feelings about him, you can tell he is a bit bothered. James and his agent, Rich Paul, have both said that they have had an excellent partnership. However, he did indicate that you never know if she has really felt that way about him at times. At the end of the day, I’m not really sure that it matters, even if they clear the air. Lebron isn’t going anywhere right now. Whether or not he continues playing for the Lakers after this year depends on if he is willing to play for less money or not, and his relationship with Mark Walter, their new owner.

The Clippers are still surging. They are now 15-3 since December 20th after beating the Nets. When they were 6-21, their goal was to get back to the play-in tournament, and now they are well in position to do that with the pace they are on. They are playing much better defense, and have much more urgency and connectivity than they did earlier in the season. The real question is if they can now continue to surge into the top 6 of the West, which is where I thought they would be when the season started. It looks like a big jump, but with injuries coming into play for a lot of teams ahead of them, I wouldn’t rule it out.

To baseball, where the Dodgers introduced Kyle Tucker last week, but you always have to ask the question: are the Dodgers done making moves this off-season? They lost out on Freddy Peralta to the Mets, but if there’s one thing they still need to do it’s a couple of fringe moves. Those include bringing back Kike Hernandez to solidify the bench, and Evan Philips to solidify the bullpen. Both of those guys are recovering from offseason surgery, but are poised to make a positive impact on the team for another World Series run. Of course you still have to keep an eye on the Dodgers for the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes, but it doesn’t sound like at the moment he’s going to be traded.

Finally, the UCLA Basketball team probably saved their season last week with a win against Purdue. The Boilermakers were the #4 team in the country, and UCLA really lacked a signature win. The Bruins are still ranked 7th in the Big 10, and there are 5 teams in the Top 11 that are ranked in front of them. However, when you see how well UCLA played against #1 Arizona and Gonzaga, and how they knocked off Purdue, it makes you more frustrated than anything else. These guys can play with anybody when they are playing great defense, and when Donovan Dent and Tyler Bilodeau are playing like the best players. I’ve talked extensively about whether or not Mick Cronin is the right guy for this, but hopefully he can prove me wrong over the course of the next 3 months.