The Sports Report: All is calm ahead of Lakers training camp

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

From Dan Woike: The music coming through the speakers inside the Lakers’ facility was upbeat. The men about to sit in front of the team backdrop, Rob Pelinka and Darvin Ham, were smiling and joking as they sat down to unofficially start their team’s upcoming season.

Questions about their roster were minimal. There was no foundational trade on the horizon, the ripples from the Damian Lillard-Jrue Holiday trade shaking up the league around them.

Instead, the Lakers’ leaders were here Thursday, in some ways, to celebrate their summer plans, ones they executed relatively swiftly and drama-free.

Training camp opens Tuesday, one day after players will take their turns at the microphone during Monday’s media day. The team will enter the season not as the favorites in the league, but certainly among them after reaching the Western Conference finals.

“If you don’t have any expectations around you, you’re just existing,” Ham said. “I want to live. I came here for those expectations”

The excitement inside the Lakers’ practice gym has been building behind closed doors over the last month as the team has gathered for offseason workouts. Last weekend, LeBron James organized a minicamp in San Diego that had perfect attendance throughout the roster.

For James, the build to the season comes after his last public appearance as a Laker had him openly questioning his basketball mortality following the Lakers’ 4-0 loss to Denver in the West finals.

Pelinka, though, said he’s seen James’ fire re-lit this offseason.

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Magic Johnson ‘just giddy’ that Rob Pelinka has made Lakers a title contender

DODGERS

From Jack Harris: The Dodgers made franchise history in the first inning Thursday night.

They did little else of note after that.

In a 14-5 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, the only silver lining was a first-inning home run from J.D. Martinez. The two-run blast not only opened the scoring, but it gave Martinez 100 RBIs on the season.

Along with Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers now have four players with 100-plus RBIs this year — the most the team has ever had in a single season.

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Dodgers plan to let fans watch pre-playoff workout at Dodger Stadium

Dodgers box score

All MLB box scores

NL WEST STANDINGS

x-Dodgers, 98-61
Arizona, 84-75, 14 GB
San Diego, 79-80, 19 GB
San Francisco, 78-81, 20 GB
Colorado, 58-101, 40 GB

x-clinched division

WILD-CARD STANDINGS
top three teams qualify

y-Philadelphia, 89-70
Arizona, 84-75
Miami, 82-76

Chicago, 82-77, 0.5 GB
Cincinnati, 81-78, 1.5 GB
San Diego, 79-80, 3.5 GB

y-clinched wild-card berth

Note: Miami has the tiebreaker edge over Chicago.

Note that when this newsletter was written late Thursday, Miami was leading at New York 2-1 in the top of theninth inning, but were in the middle of a lengthy rain delay.

For full standings, go here

AL WEST STANDINGS

Texas, 89-70
Houston, 87-72, 2 GB
Seattle, 86-73, 3 GB
Angels, 71-88, 18 GB
Oakland, 49-110, 40 GB

WILD-CARD STANDINGS
top three teams qualify

y-Tampa Bay, 97-62
Toronto, 88-71
Houston, 87-72

Seattle, 86-73, 1 GB

y-clinched wild-card berth

Note: The Angels have been eliminated from postseason contention.

For full standings, go here

UCLA FOOTBALL

From Ben Bolch: With the pocket collapsing around Dante Moore and the pressure building on the sideline for his coach to do something about it, UCLA employed a few countermeasures against Utah.

The Bruins increasingly used their maximum protection package, which involved having the tight end and running back assist in blocking, and shuffled through different rotations in their offensive line in search of the best combination. Most notably, Khadere Kounta subbed in for Bruno Fina at left tackle in the second half.

None of it could save the day. Moore was sacked on three of his final four plays and the Bruins were left with a deflating 14-7 loss that included a season-worst seven sacks.

After having nearly a week to digest the defeat, UCLA coach Chip Kelly offered a few suggestions about how his team might better protect its true freshman quarterback.

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CHARGERS

From Jeff Miller: J.C. Jackson said he expects to play Sunday when the Chargers take on Las Vegas at SoFi Stadium.

The veteran cornerback was inactive last weekend in Minnesota despite being healthy enough to play, coach Brandon Staley explaining that he made the decision based on what he felt gave the Chargers their best chance to win.

“Yes, absolutely,” Jackson said Thursday. “I expect to play.”

BOXING

From Jorge Castillo: Three days before the biggest fight of his life, Jermell Charlo, normally a braggadocious, high-energy personality in the public eye, was measured.

He didn’t downplay Canelo Álvarez’s accomplishments during Wednesday’s news conference before the two undisputed champions meet in the ring Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. He didn’t suggest, as many observers have, that Álvarez’s skills are on the decline. He didn’t predict pummeling Álvarez.

But Charlo made one thing clear: Underestimate him at your own peril.

HORSE RACING

From John Cherwa: Santa Anita opens its fall meeting Friday with higher than normal anticipation because it closes with the Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 3-4. What that means is a mad dash to get in as many big races as possible in the first two weekends of its 19-day meeting. This gives the horses enough time to recover and run in the million-dollar races the first weekend of November that signal the unofficial end of the racing year.

Starting Friday there are nine stakes this weekend, including the Grade 1 $300,000 Awesome Again race that features Preakness Stakes winner National Treasure among a field of nine.

Next weekend there are six stakes over a three-day weekend that ends Monday with three races where the winners are automatically entered, all expenses paid, into a Breeders’ Cup race. Of course, when you are racing at this year’s Breeders Cup track, the expenses for the sanctioning group are a whole lot less.

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THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1920 — Yankees slugger Babe Ruth sets then-MLB home run season record at 54.

1923 — Gene Sarazen beats Walter Hagen 1 up to capture the PGA championship.

1941 — Joe Louis knocks out Lou Nova in the sixth round at the Polo Grounds in New York to retain the world heavyweight title.

1954 — Willie Mays makes his over-the-shoulder catch of Vic Wertz’ long drive to center field and pinch-hitter Dusty Rhodes homers off Bob Lemon in the 10th inning to lead the New York Giants to a 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians in Game 1 of the World Series.

1976 — Tommy Lasorda replaces Walter Alston as Dodgers manager.

1977 — Muhammad Ali wins a unanimous 15-round decision over Earnie Shavers at Madison Square Garden in New York to retain his world heavyweight title.

1988 — American athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee wins her second gold medal of the Seoul Olympics by taking the long jump with an Olympic record leap of 7.40m; previously won the heptathlon.

1988 — American sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner sets women’s 200m world record 21.34; completes sprint double at the Seoul Olympics.

1988 — U.S. men’s basketball team beats Australia 78-49 to take the bronze medal at the Seoul Olympics; last time US represented by a team that doesn’t feature NBA players.

1988 — U.S. retain women’s basketball title at he Seoul Olympics with a 77-70 win over Yugoslavia; star guard Teresa Edwards top scores for the Americans with 18 points.

1991 — Pat Bradley wins the MBS LPGA Classic by one shot over Michelle Estill for her 30th career victory, qualifying her for the LPGA Hall of Fame.

2000 — At the Sydney Olympics, the U.S. men’s basketball team escapes the humiliation of playing for a bronze medal with an 85-83 victory over Lithuania in the semifinals. It’s the closest victory and biggest scare for a U.S. Olympic team since NBA players started competing in 1992.

2002 — After losing to Iowa State, Nebraska drops out of the Associated Press Top 25 football poll after being ranked for 348 consecutive weeks. The last time Nebraska was missing from the poll was Oct. 5, 1981.

2004 — Major League Baseball announces the Montreal Expos will move to Washington to begin play at RFK Stadium in the 2005 season.

2012 — Geno Smith throws for 656 yards and ties a Big 12 record with eight touchdown passes to lead No. 9 West Virginia to a 70-63 win over No. 25 Baylor.

2018 — Seventeen-year-old Hailie Deegan uses a bump-and-run on her teammate to become the first female winner of a NASCAR K&N West Series race. Her last-lap shove of Cole Rouse at Meridian Speedway in Idaho gives her the victory.

—Compiled by the Associated Press

And finally...

Willie Mays. Vic Wertz. The Catch. Watch and listen here.