The Sports Report: Angels will not rush search for new manager

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

From Sarah Valenzuela: Perry Minasian has insisted that, in his first offseason managerial search as a general manager, that he simply wants to get it right.

“We’ve been very active with discussions with different candidates and we’re not going to rush it. With that being said, when we find the right person, we find the right person,” Minasian said in a scrum with reporters during the general managers meetings at the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia on Tuesday. “I’m excited to see where we end up.”

In his conversations with candidates for the Angels job, none of whom he wanted to name, Minasian stressed the importance of that “right person” being someone who commands respect. He clarified that did not mean the person he will hire had to be someone with prior major league managerial experience. He also said he does not have a set timeline on when he would like to fill the position.

Minasian is in the final year of his contract with the Angels. Asked how many of the managerial candidates have voiced concern over Minasian’s situation, he downplayed its weight.

“It’s not about me. It’s about them,” Minasian said. “That would be something you’d have to ask them. For me, it’s all about the organization and finding the right person. This is not about me and my situation. This is about who the next person will be to lead the club.”

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RAMS

From Gary Klein: Seven years ago, after trading up a record 14 spots, the Rams considered selecting North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz as the first pick in the 2016 NFL draft.

The Rams ultimately opted to choose quarterback Jared Goff, and the Philadelphia Eagles took Wentz with the No. 2 pick.

On Tuesday, the Rams finally brought Wentz into the fold.

With quarterback Matthew Stafford working through a right thumb injury, the Rams agreed to terms with Wentz, said people with knowledge of the situation who could not speak publicly about the pending signing and requested anonymity.

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CLIPPERS

From Andrew Greif: Clippers backup center Mason Plumlee sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during Monday’s loss at New York and will return to Los Angeles to have the injury reevaluated, according to a person with knowledge of the plans but not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Plumlee suffered the injury in a 111-97 loss to the Knicks when New York’s Julius Randle ran into Plumlee while chasing a loose ball. Plumlee could not put weight on the leg and was carried to the locker room by two Clippers staff members. On Thursday, while the team travels to Dallas to close a three-game trip, Plumlee will return to Los Angeles.

The Clippers (3-3) have two available roster spots, and league rules require the team to fill one of them by next Wednesday. They are expected to consider outside options. Available free-agent centers include veterans Khem Birch and Nerlens Noel.

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Hernández: James Harden experiment could create a Big Four headache for Clippers

LAKERS

From Dan Woike: Injuries, officiating complaints and no regrets about some high-level looks that didn’t fall down the stretch — there was plenty to talk about Monday after the Lakers lost 108-107 to the Miami Heat.

“I think this is the adversity that we need as a group,” D’Angelo Russell said. “We still had a chance to win the game with guys out, with all the nonsense that was going on, we still had a chance. That’s all you can ask for.”

Here are the five key takeaways from the game:

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USC FOOTBALL

From Ryan Kartje: When Alex Grinch boarded a private plane bound for Los Angeles two years ago, Brian Odom was the man left holding the reins to Oklahoma’s defense. Odom had never been a coordinator, never led a defense, never called defensive plays. But as the Sooners prepped for the Alamo Bowl, Odom stayed in Norman in Grinch’s place, helping lead the Sooners to a bowl win, before eventually following to USC.

The experience leading Oklahoma’s defense would prove particularly valuable this week, when Odom was once again thrust into an interim role in relief of Grinch, who was fired as USC’s defensive coordinator on Sunday.

This time, Odom and fellow interim coordinator Shaun Nua won’t have weeks to help engineer a defensive turnaround. The nation’s top scoring offense awaits the Trojans in a matter of days, and USC’s slim Pac-12 title hopes hinge entirely on its reeling defense slowing down Oregon in Eugene, where the Ducks have averaged almost 56 points per game this season.

That’s a tall order, given how far USC’s defense had fallen before bottoming out last Saturday in a 52-42 loss to Washington. Neither Odom nor Nua are under any impression that they can make sweeping changes in such a short amount of time.

“You’re not going to reinvent the wheel in a matter of a week,” Odom said. “The goal of this week obviously is to win the game. But also to be able to put our guys in the situation to play fast, for things to be simple for them and go make a difference when they’re on the field.”

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RANKINGS

Team, Record, Last week

1. Ohio State, 9-0, 1
2. Georgia, 9-0, 2
3. Michigan, 9-0, 3
4. Florida State, 9-0, 4
5. Washington, 9-0, 5
6. Oregon, 8-1, 6
7. Texas, 8-1, 7
8. Alabama, 8-1, 8
9. Ole Miss, 8-1, 10
10. Penn State, 8-1, 11
11. Louisville, 8-1, 13
12. Oregon State, 7-2, 16
13. Tennessee, 7-2, 17
14. Missouri, 7-2, 12
15. Oklahoma State, 7-2, 22
16. Kansas, 7-2, 21
17. Oklahoma, 7-2, 9
18. Utah, 7-2, 18
19. LSU, 6-3, 14
20. Notre Dame, 7-3, 15
21. Arizona, 6-3, NR
22. Iowa, 7-2, NR
23. Tulane, 8-1, 24
24. North Carolina, 7-2, NR
25. Kansas State, 6-3, 23

Dropped from rankings: UCLA (19), USC (20), Air Force (25)

SOCCER

From Kevin Baxter: Emily Spreeman was born deaf, though her family was unaware of that until she was nearly 9 months old.

“My grandma was sitting next to my crib and my parents are like ‘I don’t think she can hear because the baby’s not waking to any loud noises’,” Spreeman remembered.

An audiologist quickly confirmed her parents’ hunch. But if Spreeman couldn’t hear, that’s all her parents believed she couldn’t do since her dad signed her up for a youth soccer team at age 4. Three years later she joined a club soccer program and proved good enough to be recruited by U.S. youth national teams and into the Olympic Development Program, where she played alongside Alex Morgan before going on to become a standout college player at Kansas.

“I’m a very competitive person. I just want to prove that I belong on the field,” said Spreeman, who was the Ventura County player of the year and all-CIF first-team selection at Buena High as a senior. “I’ve always been on a hearing team. That’s credit to my family, just showing that I deserve to be on the field and I belong with everyone.”

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DUCKS

Tristan Jarry and Magnus Hellberg combined on a 32-save shutout after Jarry left with an injury late in the second period, and the Pittsburgh Penguins snapped the Anaheim Ducks’ six-game winning streak with a 2-0 victory Tuesday night.

Radim Zohorna scored in the first period and Sidney Crosby added an empty-net goal for the Penguins, who avenged Anaheim’s spectacular 4-3 comeback victory in Pittsburgh eight days ago.

Jarry made 21 saves for Pittsburgh before leaving the game with a cut near his right eye. Jarry hit his head into Ducks forward Adam Henrique, who had his back turned to the goalie outside the crease, yet Jarry still inadvertently stopped the puck when Henrique attempted to fire a rebound shot underneath him.

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Ducks box score

NHL scores

NHL standings

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1942 — Parker Hall of the Cleveland Rams throws seven interceptions against the Green Bay Packers.

1952 — Maurice Richard of the Montreal Canadiens becomes the NHL’s leading goal scorer with his 325th in a 6-4 victory over the Chicago Black Hawks.

1959 — Elgin Baylor of the Minneapolis Lakers scores 64 points against the Boston Celtics.

1970 — Tom Dempsey of New Orleans kicks an NFL-record 63-yard field goal on the final play of the game to give the Saints a 19-17 victory over the Detroit Lions.

1980 — Dave Wilson of Illinois sets an NCAA record with 621 yards passing in a 49-42 victory over Ohio State.

1981 — Don Shula records his 200th NFL victory when the Miami Dolphins edge the New England Patriots 30-27 in overtime.

1986 — Tulsa’s Steve Gage is the first quarterback to rush and pass for 200 yards in a game. Gage rushes for 212 and passes for 209 in a 34-27 triumph over New Mexico.

1997 — Phil Housley becomes the second U.S.-born player in NHL history to score 1,000 points, tallying an assist as the Washington Capitals beat the Edmonton Oilers 2-1.

2003 — John Gagliardi becomes college football’s career victory leader when St. John’s rallies to beat Bethel 29-26. Gagliardi, in his 55th season and his 51st at the Minnesota school, gets his 409th victory, passing Eddie Robinson, who retired in 1997 after winning 408 games at Grambling.

2005 — Pierre Turgeon becomes the 34th player in NHL history to reach 500 goals, scoring in the third period of Colorado’s 5-2 win over San Jose.

2009 — Indianapolis becomes the fourth team in league history with 17 consecutive regular-season wins with a 20-17 victory over Houston. New England did it twice — winning a record 21 straight from 2006-08 and 18 in a row from 2003-04. Chicago won 17 straight from 1933-34.

2017 — Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa breaks the world record for surfing the biggest-ever wave at 24.4m at Nazara, Portugal.

Compiled by the Associated Press