The Sports Report: Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford looks good in scrimmage

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

From Gary Klein: Short passes were crisp. Mid-range throws consistently on target. And long passes catchable.

By the time the Rams completed a 60-play intrasquad scrimmage on Tuesday, quarterback Matthew Stafford appeared to have answered more of the lingering questions about the condition of his right elbow.

Stafford completed 23 of 34 passes, and he would have been more efficient if not for four dropped passes.

“Great command all day,” coach Sean McVay said after the workout in Thousand Oaks. “He threw the ball incredibly accurately in all parts of the field.”

Stafford was not made available to local reporters on Tuesday. He is scheduled to speak with the media on Wednesday, a team official said.

Stafford, 34, is playing through tendinitis. During training camp at UC Irvine, McVay described Stafford’s elbow issue as “abnormal for a quarterback.”

During two weeks of training camp workouts at UC Irvine, the Rams managed Stafford’s workload as part of a strategy to ensure the 14-year pro would be ready for the Sept. 8 opener against the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium.

DODGERS

From Jack Harris: The door to Dave Roberts’ office stayed shut a little longer than usual after Monday night’s game.

Inside, the Dodgers’ manager had sat down Cody Bellinger, the former most-valuable-player center fielder who, amid another up-and-down season, had started slumping again over the last week.

There was no reprimanding Bellinger’s effort. No admonishing his attitude or work ethic.

But there was an acknowledgement that, with the slugger’s numbers dipping again, Roberts believed it was time to give the 27-year-old a midseason “reset,” telling Bellinger he would sit for the next couple of games.

“He’s been, I guess we all use the word ‘grinding’ a lot,” Roberts said Tuesday afternoon after he had indeed left Bellinger out of the lineup for the second game of the Dodgers’ series against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.

“We had a good conversation, and this is more kind of playing the short-term and the long-term view to best serve him,” Roberts added. “This is a chance to give him one last chance to reset, get away from things, not worry about getting hits, cheering for his teammates and then get back in there and finish strong.”

————

Brewers get walkoff win against Craig Kimbrel and Dodgers

ANGELS

From Sarah Valenzuela: August had started off as a particularly exciting month for José Suarez.

The Angels starter, who had not given up an earned run before Tuesday, took a perfect game through five innings. Following him on the other side of the ball through those innings was Luis Rengifo, whose bat powered two runs of support and a 2-0 Angels lead.

In the sixth, however, Suarez lost his momentum and after four-straight singles and one lead given up, his night was done.

The Angels went on to lose to the Seattle Mariners 8-2.

————

Despite a few bumps, Phil Nevin believes Angels are currently playing sound baseball

CHARGERS

From Jeff Miller: The Chargers remain in prolonged contract extension talks with Derwin James Jr., one of their defensive stars.

After a 14th consecutive missed training-camp practice Tuesday, James’ head coach offered a glowing endorsement of the two-time Pro Bowl player and perhaps a glimpse into the negotiations.

“I don’t look at Derwin as a safety,” Brandon Staley said. “I look at Derwin as an impact player. If you were just looking at him as a safety, that wouldn’t be doing Derwin justice. For me, I look at him as a defensive back.”

Staley then went into detail, explaining that James can play either safety position, outside cornerback, slot corner or linebacker in the Chargers’ dime package.

He also noted that James can rush the quarterback as a blitzer and affect the game in either zone or man-to-man coverage.

UCLA FOOTBALL

From Ben Bolch: Mike Martinez, UCLA’s most experienced and best blocking tight end, is no longer with the program.

Bruins coach Chip Kelly confirmed Martinez’s departure Tuesday as his team entered the second half of preseason training camp but did not specify a reason for the exit. Martinez had not participated in practice since the spring, when he returned from the leg injury that had sidelined him for most of the 2021 season.

Martinez appeared to remain slightly hobbled by the injury when he last appeared on the practice field, moving somewhat awkwardly. But his value to the team transcended his modest statistics. In three seasons, the 6-foot-7, 266-pound Martinez caught six passes for 70 yards with one touchdown while emerging as the top blocker among the tight ends.

“You’ve got to compensate,” Kelly said. “We feel good about our tight end room — they’re working extremely hard and I think it’s a really, really good group. … It may be our deepest position on both sides of the ball.”

GALAXY

From Kevin Baxter: The Galaxy have reached agreement with Herbalife Nutrition on a multi-million-dollar, multi-year sponsorship renewal that will keep the dietary supplement company on the front of the team’s jersey. According to the Sports Business Journal, the five-year extension is worth more than $7 million a season, up from the $4.4 million annual value of the 10-year deal which expires this season.

The Galaxy’s partnership with Herbalife dates to 2005, making it the longest-running jersey sponsorship deal in the history of U.S. pro team sports.

JURISPRUDENCE

From Hannah Fry: A well-known youth sports coach was charged Monday with molesting a 15-year-old girl, and investigators are asking for the public’s help finding possible additional victims.

Chris Flores, 37, who goes by the nickname Coach Frogg, pleaded not guilty Monday to four felony counts of committing a lewd act on a child and two counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object. He faces a maximum sentence of six years and four months in state prison if convicted.

Prosecutors allege that Flores molested the girl four times last year. Flores had coached her at STARS academy, which provides sports performance training to middle school athletes.

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1933 — Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees plays his 1,308th straight game to break Everett Scott’s record of 1,307.

1938 — Henry Armstrong wins the lightweight title with a 15-round decision over Lou Ambers and becomes the only boxer to hold world championship titles in three weight divisions simultaneously. Armstrong won the featherweight (126-pound) title by knocking out Petey Sarron in six rounds on Oct. 29, 1937. On May 31, 1938, he won the welterweight (147-pound) championship from Barney Ross by a decision.

1960 — Flash Elorde knocks out Harold Gomes at 1:20 in the first round to win the world junior lightweight title.

1969 — Ray Floyd beats Gary Player by one stroke to win the PGA championship.

1995 — John Roethlisberger wins the U.S. National Gymnastics Championships’ all-around title in New Orleans, becoming the first gymnast in 28 years to win four titles.

1997 — Davis Love III shoots a 66 at Winged Foot to win the PGA Championship in Mamaroneck, N.Y., his first major title, by five strokes over Justin Leonard with a 72-hole total of 11-under 269.

2001 — Shingo Katayama shoots a 6-under 64, and David Toms shoots a 65 to share the second-round lead in the PGA Championship. Katayama and Toms at 9-under 131, tie the PGA record for 36 holes last set by Ernie Els at Riviera in 1995.

2005 — The NCAA purchases the rights to the preseason and postseason National Invitation Tournaments as part of a settlement ending a four-year legal fight between the two parties. The 40-team postseason NIT, which is a year older and was once the bigger event, will be run by the NCAA.

2008 — At the Summer Olympics in Beijing, Michael Phelps and three teammates win the 400-meter medley relay for Phelps’ eighth gold medal, eclipsing Mark Spitz’s seven-gold performance at the 1972 Munich Games. Of his five individual races and three relays, Phelps sets world records in seven and an Olympic record in the eighth.

2008 — Jesus Sauceda of Matamoros, Mexico, pitches the fifth perfect game in Little League World Series history and the first in 29 years for a 12-0 win over Emilia, Italy. Sauceda also stars at the plate, going 3-for-3 with six RBIs, including a grand slam in the third.

2013 — Nick Davilla throws six touchdown passes and the Arizona Rattlers defeat the Philadelphia Soul 48-39 in the Arena Bowl. The Rattlers win the championship for the second straight year, beating the Soul in both championship games.

2014 — Inbee Park successfully defends her title in the LPGA Championship, beating Brittany Lincicome with a par on the first hole of a playoff to end the United States’ major streak at three.

2014 — The Phoenix Mercury sets a WNBA record with their 29th win, beating the Seattle Storm 78-65 in the season finale. Phoenix (29-5) tops the previous mark set by the Sparks (28-4 in 2000 and 2001) and Seattle (28-6 in 2010).

2015 — The National Labor Relations Board dismisses a historic ruling that Northwestern University football players are school employees who are entitled to form what would be the nation’s first union of college athletes.

2016 — Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson completes the first 100-200 women’s Olympic double since 1988. Thompson wins the 200 in 21.78 seconds to become the first woman since Marion Jones in 2000 to win both Olympic sprints. Jones’ records have since been stripped, so Thompson goes in the record book along with Florence Griffith-Joyner, who starred in the 1988 Seoul Games.

Compiled by the Associated Press

And finally

The U.S. wins an amazing 400-meter relay at the 2008 Olympics. Watch and listen here.