The Sports Report: How to watch Dodgers games this season, for free
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From Bill Shaikin: You are a Dodgers fan. You would happily pay to stream Dodgers games from SportsNet LA, but you do not want to buy a cable or satellite subscription.
You could not do that last year. You can do that this year — but not without paying the company that operates SportsNet LA for separate services you might not want or need.
With the Dodgers about to open a highly anticipated season — the team is a World Series favorite and could set a franchise attendance record, with excitement stirred largely by the billion-dollar signings of Japanese-born stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — Spectrum announced Tuesday that streaming subscriptions would be available for SportsNet LA this year.
The price: Free.
The catch: You no longer need to buy television service from Spectrum. If you do not, however, you must buy internet and mobile telephone service from Spectrum. The SportsNet LA streaming service will be up and running for the Dodgers’ opener Wednesday.
Hernández: These Dodgers could be historic, or another October disaster in the making
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CLIPPERS
From Broderick Turner: Norman Powell leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin when he was asked to name the Clippers who have won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
“Lou Will, Montrezl, JCrawford,” Powell said. “Am I missing somebody else?”
He paused for about 10 seconds to gather his thoughts, wanting to make sure he hadn’t left anyone out.
“Lou Will, JCrawford, Montrezl,” Powell repeated. “Go through the years. Go through the years.”
Powell squinted his eyes and shook his head, his mind still racing.
The Clippers have five Sixth Man of the Year Award trophies they can boast about, Powell was told.
RAMS
From Gary Klein: During six seasons as the San Francisco 49ers’ starting quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo mostly foiled the Rams.
He was 8-0 against them in the regular season. Those victories and the 2,023 yards passing against the Rams were his most against any NFL opponent during his 10-year NFL career.
Garoppolo’s only defeat to the Rams came in the 2021 season’s NFC championship game at SoFi Stadium.
Now, the 32-year-old Garoppolo will play for the Rams.
On Tuesday, Garoppolo signed a one-year contract. Terms were not disclosed but after serving a two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, he will be Matthew Stafford’s backup.
How was Garoppolo so successful against the Rams?
CHARGERS
From Jeff Miller: The Chargers announced Tuesday that they’ve signed Denzel Perryman, who was a second-round pick of the franchise in 2015.
The linebacker spent six years with the Chargers before departing in free agency and joining Las Vegas, where he played for two seasons. Perryman, 31, was with Houston in 2023.
He has started 88 of 108 career games and is expected to provide the Chargers with a run-stopping presence in the middle.
NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT
The NCAA tournament bracket is set and the games are set to begin Tuesday with the start of the First Four.
Here’s a rundown of the players to watch, potential Cinderella teams and game previews for every region in the 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Men’s schedule
All times Pacific
FIRST FOUR
Tuesday’s results
No. 16 Wagner 71, No. 16 Howard 68
No. 10 Colorado State 67, No. 10 Virginia 42
Wednesday
No. 16 Grambling State (20-14) vs. No. 16 Montana State (17-17), 3:40 p.m., TruTV
No. 10 Colorado (24-10) vs. No. 10 Boise State (22-10), 6:10 p.m., TruTV
FIRST ROUND
EAST REGION
Thursday
No. 6 Brigham Young (23-10) vs. No. 11 Duquesne (24-11), 9:40 a.m., TruTV
No. 3 Illinois (26-8) vs. No. 14 Morehead State (26-8), 12:10 p.m., TruTV
No. 2 Iowa State (27-7) vs. No. 15 South Dakota State (22-12), 4:35 p.m., TruTV
No. 7 Washington State (24-9) vs. No. 10 Drake (28-6), 7:05 p.m., TruTV
Friday
No. 8 Florida Atlantic (25-8) vs. No. 9 Northwestern (21-11), 9:15 a.m., CBS
No. 5 San Diego State (24-10) vs. No. 12 Alabama Birmingham (23-11), 10:45 a.m., TNT
No. 1 Connecticut (31-3) vs. No. 16 Stetson (22-12), 11:45 a.m., CBS
No. 4 Auburn (27-7) vs. No. 13 Yale (22-9), 1:15 p.m., TNT
SOUTH REGION
Thursday
No. 3 Kentucky (23-9) vs. No. 14 Oakland (23-11), 4:10 p.m., CBS
No. 6 Texas Tech (23-10) vs. No. 11 North Carolina State (22-14), 6:40 p.m., CBS
Friday
No. 2 Marquette (25-9) vs. No. 15 Western Kentucky (22-11), 11 a.m., TBS
No. 7 Florida (24-11) vs. No. 10 Boise State (22-10) / Colorado (24-10), 1:30 p.m., TBS
No. 8 Nebraska (23-10) vs. No. 9 Texas A&M (20-14), 3:50 p.m., TNT
No. 4 Duke (24-8) vs. No. 13 Vermont (28-6), 4:10 p.m., CBS
No. 1 Houston (30-4) vs. No. 16 Longwood (21-13), 6:20 p.m., TNT
No. 5 Wisconsin (22-13) vs. No. 12 James Madison (31-3), 6:40 p.m., CBS
MIDWEST REGION
Thursday
No. 3 Creighton (23-9) vs. No. 14 Akron (24-10), 10:30 a.m., TNT
No. 6 South Carolina (26-7) vs. No. 11 Oregon (23-11), 1 p.m., TNT
No. 7 Texas (20-12) vs. No. 10 Colorado State (25-10), 3:50 p.m., TNT
No. 5 Gonzaga (25-7) vs. No. 12 McNeese (30-3), 4:25 p.m., TBS
No. 2 Tennessee (24-8) vs. No. 15 Saint Peter’s (19-13), 6:20 p.m., TNT
No. 4 Kansas (22-10) vs. No. 13 Samford (29-5), 6:55 p.m., TBS
Friday
No. 1 Purdue (29-4) vs. No. 16 Montana State (17-17) / Grambling State (20-14), 4:25 p.m., TBS
No. 8 Utah State (27-6) vs. No. 9 Texas Christian (21-12), 6:55 p.m., TBS
WEST REGION
Thursday
No. 8 Mississippi State (21-13), No. 9 Michigan State (19-14), 9:15 a.m., CBS
No. 2 Arizona (25-8) vs. No. 15 Long Beach State (21-14), 11 a.m., TBS
No. 1 North Carolina (27-7) vs. No. 16 Wagner (17-15), 11:45 a.m., CBS
No. 7 Dayton (24-7) vs. No. 10 Nevada (26-7), 1:30 p.m., TBS
Friday
No. 3 Baylor (23-10) vs. No. 14 Colgate (25-9), 9:40 a.m., TruTV
No. 6 Clemson (21-11) vs. No. 11 New Mexico (26-9), 12:10 p.m., TruTV
No. 4 Alabama (21-11) vs. No. 13 Charleston (27-7), 4:35 p.m., TruTV
No. 5 Saint Mary’s (26-7) vs. No. 12 Grand Canyon (29-4), 7:05 p.m., TruTV
Second round: Saturday-Sunday
Sweet 16: March 28-29
Elite Eight: March 30-31
Final Four: April 6 (Glendale, Ariz.)
Championship: April 8 (Glendale, Ariz.)
NCAA WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT
Women’s schedule
All times Pacific
FIRST FOUR
Wednesday
No. 16 Presbyterian (20-14) vs. No. 16 Sacred Heart (24-9), 4 p.m., ESPNU
No. 12 Columbia (23-6) vs. No. 12 Vanderbilt (22-9), Wednesday, 6 p.m., ESPNU
Thursday
No. 11 Arizona (17-15) vs. No. 11 Auburn (20-11), 4 p.m. | ESPN2
No. 16 Tennessee Martin (16-16) vs. No. 16 Holy Cross (20-12), 6 p.m. | ESPN2
REGIONAL 1
Friday
No. 8 North Carolina (19-12) vs. No. 9 Michigan State (22-8), 8:30 a.m., ESPN2
No. 1 South Carolina (32-0) vs. No. 16 Sacred Heart (24-9) / Presbyterian (20-14), 11 a.m., ESPN
No. 3 Oregon State (24-7) vs. No. 14 Eastern Washington (29-5), 5 p.m., ESPNU
No. 6 Nebraska (22-11) vs. No. 11 Texas A&M (19-12), 7:30 p.m., ESPNU
Saturday
No. 4 Indiana (24-5) vs. No. 13 Fairfield (31-1), 10:30 a.m., ESPN2
No. 2 Notre Dame (26-6) vs. No. 15 Kent State (21-10), 11:15 a.m., ESPN
No. 5 Oklahoma (22-9) vs. No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast (29-4), 1 p.m., ESPNews
No. 7 Mississippi (23-8) vs. No. 10 Marquette (23-8), 1:45 p.m., ESPNU
REGIONAL 2
Friday
No. 6 Louisville (24-9) vs. No. 11 Middle Tennessee (29-4), 10:30 a.m., ESPN2
No. 4 Kansas State (25-7) vs. No. 13 Portland (21-12), 1:30 p.m., ESPNews
No. 3 LSU (28-5) vs. No. 14 Rice (19-14), 1 p.m. | ESPN
No. 5 Colorado (22-9) vs. No. 12 Drake (29-5), 4 p.m., ESPNews
Saturday
No. 1 Iowa (29-4) vs. No. 16 Holy Cross (20-12) / Tennessee Martin (16-16), Noon, ABC
No. 8 West Virginia (24-7) vs. No. 9 Princeton (25-4), 2:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 7 Creighton (25-5) vs. Nevada Las Vegas (30-2), 4 p.m., ESPNews
No. 2 UCLA (25-6) vs. No. 15 California Baptist (28-3), 6:30 p.m., ESPN2
REGIONAL 3
Friday
No. 2 Ohio State (25-5) vs. No. 15 Maine (24-9), 9 a.m., ESPN
No. 7 Duke (20-11) vs. No. 10 Richmond (29-5), 11:30 a.m., ESPNews
No. 4 Virginia Tech (24-7) vs. No. 13 Marshall (26-6), 12:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 5 Baylor vs. No. 12 Vanderbilt (22-9) / Columbia (23-6), 6 p.m., ESPNU
Saturday
No. 3 Connecticut (29-5) vs. No. 14 Jackson State (26-6), 10 a.m., ABC
No. 8 Kansas (19-12) vs. No. 9 Michigan (20-13), 11 a.m., ESPNews
No. 6 Syracuse (23-7) vs. No. 11 Auburn (20-11) / Arizona (17-15), 12:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 1 USC (26-5) vs. No. 16 Texas A&M Corpus Christi (23-8), 1:30 p.m., ESPN
REGIONAL 4
Friday
No. 1 Texas (30-4) vs. No. 16 Drexel (19-14), noon, ESPNU
No. 8 Alabama (23-9) vs. No. 9 Florida State (23-10), 2:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 7 Iowa State (20-11) vs. No. 10 Maryland (19-13), 4:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 2 Stanford (28-5) vs. No. 15 Norfolk State (27-5), 7 p.m., ESPN2
Saturday
No. 6 Tennessee (19-12) vs. No. 11 Green Bay (27-6), 9 a.m., ESPN
No. 3 North Carolina State (27-6) vs. No. 14 Chattanooga (28-4), 11:30 a.m., ESPNU
No. 4 Gonzaga (30-3) vs. No. 13 UC Irvine (23-8), 4:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 5 Utah (22-10) vs. South Dakota State (27-5), 7 p.m., ESPNU
Second round: Sunday-Monday
Sweet 16: March 29-30
Elite Eight: March 31-April 1
Final Four: April 5 (Cleveland)
Championship: April 7 (Cleveland)
HORSE RACING
From John Cherwa: As a critical California Horse Racing Board vote on Thursday approaches, 1/ST Racing, a subsidiary of the Stronach Group, made a not-so-veiled threat to consider selling or closing Santa Anita if the board authorizes racing in Northern California this year.
It’s unclear if it’s a serious threat or just gamesmanship, but in a three-page letter sent Tuesday from Craig Fravel, executive vice-chairman of 1/ST Racing and Gaming, to CHRB board members, he said “An analysis of alternative uses for Santa Anita and San Luis Rey will be undertaken in short order [if racing is allocated to the north].
“The current financial model and required capital expense make no sense and the consolidation of operations as discussed last year and at the January Board meeting is the only alternative that has been presented.”
MLS
From Kevin Baxter: Major League Soccer deserves a straight red card for its handling of the officials’ lockout, which will enter its second month this weekend. At a time when Lionel Messi’s presence means more of the world will be sampling MLS than ever before, the league has put its games in the hands of referees who are clearly overwhelmed and underqualified.
The results have been embarrassing, yet the league continues to gamble its reputation — not to mention millions of dollars in potential sponsorships and global recognition — to save the $95,000 per team it would take to bring the regular referees back this season.
In the first month, calls made by the replacement officials are being overturned on video review at a much higher rate then they were a year ago, according to the Athletic, and multiple games have been marred by glaringly missed or incorrect calls that changed the outcome of the match.
USC FOOTBALL
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: He’s the quarterback whisperer. The Heisman maker. The offensive mastermind. But on Tuesday, when USC opened spring practice, Lincoln Riley was the defensive observer.
The head coach who built his career as a quarterback maestro watched every defensive drill intently during the brief media viewing period of Tuesday’s practice, signaling a new era for USC quarterbacks that goes beyond just the field.
While replacing Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, USC is also making a change in the meeting room, where, for the first time since 2010 when he got his first coordinator job, Riley is not coaching quarterbacks. He shifted Luke Huard to quarterbacks coach after the third-year assistant coached inside receivers for the previous two seasons.
KINGS
Anze Kopitar had two goals and an assist, Cam Talbot made 22 saves and the Kings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 6-2 on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Alex Laferriere, Vladislav Gavrikov, Phillip Danault and Trevor Lewis also scored. Adrian Kempe had three assists and the Kings followed up their 5-0 win in Chicago on Friday with another big victory.
Nick Foligno and Kevin Korchinski scored, and Petr Mrazek made 18 saves for the Blackhawks, who have lost 24 of their last 25 road games.
DUCKS
Filip Gustavsson recorded his third shutout this season, Kirill Kaprizov extended his point streak to eight games with the 150th goal of his NHL career and the Minnesota Wild beat the Ducks for the second time in six days, 4-0 on Tuesday night.
Minnesota has won four of its last five and picked up a point in its eighth straight game, going 6-0-2.
John Gibson made 28 saves as Anaheim dropped its seventh straight and was blanked for the third time in four games, including a 2-0 loss at Minnesota on March 14.
It is the first time in the Ducks 30-year franchise history they have had two losing streaks of at least seven games in the same season. Anaheim had an eight-game skid in November after starting the campaign with nine wins in its first 15 games.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1897 — Yale beats Penn 32-10 in New Haven, Conn., in the first men’s intercollegiate basketball game.
1954 — In the first televised NCAA championship game, La Salle defeats Bradley 92-76 and sets a record for most points in the title game.
1965 — Gail Goodrich’s 42 points lead UCLA to a 91-80 victory over Michigan in the NCAA basketball championship.
1965 — St. John’s sends Joe Lapchick out a winner, as the Redmen beat Villanova 55-51 to win their fifth National Invitation Tournament championship.
1965 — Bill Bradley scores 58 points to lead Princeton to a 118-82 rout of Wichita State in the NCAA third-place game. UCLA beats Michigan 91-80 to win its second National championship.
1968 — Dave Bing of the Detroit Pistons finishes the season with a league-leading 27.1 average, becoming the first guard in 20 years to lead the NBA in scoring.
1969 — Less than two months after she becomes the first woman to ride in a pari-mutuel race in America, Diane Crump rides her first winner at Gulfstream Park.
1976 — Boston’s John Havlicek becomes the first NBA player to score more than 1,000 points per season for 14 consecutive years.
1988 — Mike Tyson knocks out Tony Tubbs in the second round to retain his world heavyweight title in Tokyo.
2005 — Liz Johnson becomes the first woman to advance to the championship match of a Professional Bowlers Assn. tour event, but loses by 27 pins to Tommy Jones in the final of the PBA Banquet Open.
2005 — LeBron James, 20, becomes the youngest player to score 50 points in an NBA game, when he scores 56 in the Cavaliers’ 105-98 loss to the Raptors.
2006 — Japan beats Cuba 10-6 in the title game of the inaugural World Baseball Classic.
2010 — Northern Iowa pulls off one of the biggest NCAA upsets in years by knocking No. 1 overall seed Kansas with a 69-67 win. Ali Farokhmanesh buries an open 3-pointer with the shot clock still in the 30s to give the Panthers a four-point lead with 35 seconds left.
2014 — Bernard Tomic loses the shortest completed ATP match on record, lasting only 28 minutes at the Sony Open in his first tournament since having surgery on both hips. Ending a two-month layoff, Tomic wins just 13 points and loses to Jarkko Nieminen 6-0, 6-1. It’s the quickest match since the ATP started keeping such records in 1991.
2020 — After 20 years with the New England Patriots, six-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady officially agrees to move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time...
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
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