We are pretty sure Albert Pujols can catch and throw a ball, and sometimes hit it, too … and is ready to take the field, if he gets the chance. Which suddenly makes him attractive to the injury-ravaged Los Angeles Dodgers. Pujols was released by the Angels 10 days ago, and most of us figured […]

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At this moment, only one story commands the attention of European sports fans. And that would be the misguided attempt by a dozen of the continent’s best-known clubs to break away from the European Champions League and form their own elite competition — which they plan to call the Super League. Twelve clubs have announced […]

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I have never worn a ring. I rarely look at them on the fingers of other people. Occasionally I am asked, “what did you think of that ring?” someone is wearing out in public, and people are sometimes annoyed I was looking at something other than the ring, and have nothing to contribute to the […]

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After a few decades during which Major League Baseball actively made its product less interesting, we may be seeing changes in game-thinking. MLB is tinkering with the ball, with the goal of “deadening” it a wee bit — and presumably making it slightly harder to hit home runs. The glut of home runs slugged the […]

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I have loathed the designated hitter rule from the start — which was in 1973, when Major League Baseball’s American League chose to make the DH baseball law. To its longstanding credit, the National League refused to follow the AL’s move, which was in keeping with the more traditional league’s status that has for a […]

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The Lakers, kingpins of the National Basketball Association. The Dodgers, top of the heap in Major League baseball. The Rams, still in competition for the Super Bowl. Thus, it is possible, if still improbable, that the champs of the three most popular American professional sports leagues could all be found in Los Angeles.

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Everyone who covered the Los Angeles Dodgers for any amount of time during Tommy Lasorda’s 20 years as the club’s manager has a Lasorda story. Probably dozens and dozens of them. My Lasorda moment happens to rank as one of the best-known. I was one of a couple of dozen people in his office, post-game, […]

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In late December of last year — 2019, that is; so long ago — a columnist for The New York Times made a compelling case that 2019 was the “best year” in the history of the human race. Longer lifespans, fewer neonatal deaths, less starvation, more money trickling down to the poorest, more internet access, […]

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Fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers will long remember the World Series victory of 2020; it ended 32 years of waiting since the club’s previous triumph. However, the selfish post-game behavior of one of the team leaders may be what sticks in the minds of neutral observers, in years to come. Especially if it leads […]

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Honestly, I do not enjoy dwelling on the failures of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They were the first sports team I followed, as a first- or second-grader. I have been watching them ever since, even from my six years in Abu Dhabi and our five years in France. That devotion may stem from growing up […]

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