The Sports Report: It’s time for Shohei Ohtani to act like an adult

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

From Dylan Hernández: When most baseball players are on the field, they look the way most of us do at our jobs.

They clench their jaws. They don’t smile. They look like they’re working.

Shohei Ohtani is an exception.

He smiles. He laughs. He playfully gestures.

His talent affords him the luxury of treating the game like a game.

On the field, that is.

Off the field?

Ohtani has to grow up.

Longtime interpreter Ippei Mizuhara’s firing this week should be a warning to him.

Ohtani will be 30 in July. He has to start acting like it.

Continue reading here

Who is Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter fired amid gambling accusations?

Is Shohei Ohtani another Pete Rose? Dodgers star may be in legal trouble if he paid gambling debt

Yoshinobu Yamamoto battered by Padres in slugfest as Dodgers split series in Korea

Dodgers box score

NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT

From Ben Bolch: At some point, no matter how many one-liners he unleashed or smiles he created or tears he jerked, Dan Monson knew this magical March ride would end.

Oh, sure, the Long Beach State coach wanted to linger two more days, not to mention two more weeks on college basketball’s biggest stage after being told he was out of a job at season’s end.

He didn’t want it to end. Rolling through the Big West Conference tournament last week had made Monson a Cinderella with stubble, a Jim Valvano without the Italian accent. He seemingly had an answer — and a joke — for everything the cruel world of college basketball could throw at him.

Then came a beast that could not be slayed, a joke that elicited only silence.

Arizona was simply too much Thursday at the Delta Center. There was no game plan Monson could diagram, no fellowship he could create among his players that could overcome this mighty force during an 85-65 loss in the first round.

Continue reading here

Why LeBron James is rooting for a Pittsburgh Catholic school in NCAA tournament

10 players the Lakers will be scouting during NCAA tournament

Men’s bracket

Men’s schedule

All times Pacific

FIRST ROUND

EAST REGION
Thursday
No. 11 Duquesne 71, No. 6 Brigham Young 67

No. 3 Illinois 85, No. 14 Morehead State 69

No. 2 Iowa State 82, No. 15 South Dakota St. 65

No. 7 Washington State 66, No. 10 Drake 61

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. 14 Oakland (23-11) 79, No. 3 Kentucky 76

No. 11 North Carolina St. 80, No. 6 Texas Tech 67

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 Colorado (25-10), 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 77, No. 14 Akron 60

No. 11 Oregon 87, No. 6 South Carolina 73

No. 7 Texas 56, No. 10 Colorado State 44

No. 5 Gonzaga 86, No. 12 McNeese 65

No. 2 Tennessee 83, No. 15 Saint Peter’s 49

No. 4 Kansas 93, No. 13 Samford 89

Friday
No. 1 Purdue (29-4) vs. No. 16 Grambling State (21-14), 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. 9 Michigan State 69, No. 8 Mississippi State 51

No. 2 Arizona 85, No. 15 Long Beach State 65

No. 1 North Carolina 90, No. 16 Wagner 62

No. 7 Dayton 63, No. 10 Nevada 60

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
Times, TV TBA

West Region
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 9 Michigan State
No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 7 Dayton

Midwest Region
No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 7 Texas
No. 3 Creighton vs. No. 11 Oregon
No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 5 Gonzaga

East Region
No. 2 Iowa St. vs. No. 7 Washington St.
No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 11 Duquesne

South Region
No. 11 North Carolina St. vs. No. 14 Oakland

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 bracket

Women’s schedule
All times Pacific

FIRST FOUR

Thursday’s results
No. 11 Arizona 69, No. 11 Auburn 59

No. 16 Holy Cross 72, No. 16 Tennessee Martin 45

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 Presbyterian (21-14), 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 (21-12), 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 (23-9), 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 Arizona (18-15), 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)

CHARGERS

From Jeff Miller: The move was easily the most jarring of Joe Hortiz’s short stretch so far as Chargers general manager.

Trading the most productive wide receiver in franchise history also was something else in the context of the team’s sorely needed roster rebuild:

Inevitable.

When the Chargers and Keenan Allen failed to reach an agreement on a reworked contract last week, the six-time Pro Bowler was dealt to Chicago for a 2024 fourth-round pick.

“We kind of went down every path,” Hortiz said Thursday in his first public comments since the trade. “In the end, this is the one that fit us best and fit him best.”

Allen still could be a Charger today had he been willing to accept a 2024 pay cut or another option that would have afforded Hortiz the financial flexibility the rookie general manager considers vital to assembling a consistent contender.

Continue reading here

HORSE RACING

From John Cherwa: In a stunning rebuke of Santa Anita’s letter threatening to close or sell the track, the California Horse Racing Board voted to grant racing dates for a meeting at Pleasanton in Northern California at the end of this year.

Six commissioners were present to vote Thursday to grant the dates to Golden State Racing, which is essentially the same group that runs the fair circuit. The meet will last 10 weeks from Oct. 19 to Dec. 15.

But not all hurdles were crossed. The Northern California group will have to be granted a license, which means any major hiccups to get the track ready could derail the effort. This is true of any racetrack. The expectation, if things go well, is the track also will be issued a license for the winter and spring of next year. One huge disadvantage is that the Pleasanton track, located at the Alameda County Fair, does not have a turf course. The operators promised a grass course in one or two years.

Continue reading here

USC FOOTBALL

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Braylan Shelby starts his mornings with a five-egg scramble, waffles, Powerade and fruit. The USC defensive end especially likes parfaits and bananas. It’s just the first of up to five meals he’ll consume each day.

Each bite is a step toward transforming USC’s maligned defense.

The Trojans packed on the pounds during their offseason training program, hoping to carry out first-year defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn’s vision for a revamped unit that requires bigger bodies and more physicality up front. Coach Lincoln Riley called the offseason regimen a “philosophical change” for the program that will put its work to the test in the physical Big Ten conference next fall.

Even though the Trojans finished the year on a high note by dominating Louisville in the Holiday Bowl, they still went into the offseason understanding that the team’s lack of size, especially on the offensive and defensive fronts, was “the elephant in the room,” defensive end Jamil Muhammad said.

“I’ve heard here and there that I’m too small or I’m maybe too weak,” said Muhammad, who had 10.5 tackles for loss and a team-leading 6.5 sacks last year. “So I took that personally.”

Continue reading here

NBA

NBA scores

NBA standings

DUCKS

Rookie Lukas Dostal made 29 saves for his first NHL shutout, Alex Killorn had his second two-goal game of the season and the Ducks beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 on Thursday night to snap a seven-game losing streak.

Dostal became the third rookie goalie in franchise history to record a shutout, joining John Gibson (six) and Ilya Bryzgalov (one).

Frank Vatrano got his 30th goal of the season at 10:31 of the third period when the Ducks had a two-man advantage. He is the second undrafted player in franchise history to reach the 30-goal mark — joining Andy McDonald, who scored 34 in 2005-06.

Continue reading here

Ducks box score

NHL scores

NHL standings

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1932 — The blue lines are eliminated with the center red line used to determine offsides in an experiment by the NHL. With both teams out of playoff contention, the league tries it in the New York Americans’ 8-6 victory over Boston.

1953 — The United States beats host Chile, 49-36 to win the first FIBA World Championship for Women basketball tournament.

1958 — Vern Hatton and Johnny Cox combine for 54 points to give Kentucky an 84-72 victory over Seattle in the NCAA basketball championship.

1959 — Montreal Canadiens forward Dickie Moore sets an NHL record for most points in a season with 96. He scores a goal and an assist in a 4-2 win at New York.

1969 — Lew Alcindor scores 37 points to lead UCLA to the NCAA men’s basketball title with a 97-72 win over Purdue. Alcindor is chosen as MVP for the third straight year.

1969 — West Chester State beats Western Carolina 65-39 to win the first women’s collegiate national championship. The game is played using the six-player format.

1986 — Trevor Berbick wins a unanimous 15-round decision over Pinklon Thomas in Las Vegas for the WBC heavyweight title.

1994 — The NFL announces the addition of the 2-point conversion, the league’s first scoring change in 75 seasons.

1997 — Tara Lipinski’s jumps, the cleanest and the surest in women’s figure skating, lift the 14-year-old into history as the youngest women’s world champion.

2007 — Kobe Bryant becomes the fourth player in NBA history to score at least 50 points in three straight games. Bryant scores 60 points in the Lakers’ 121-119 win over Memphis. Bryant joins Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.

2011 — The NFL owners vote to make all scoring plays subject to review by the replay official and referee.

2013 — Florida Gulf Coast, a school so new it wasn’t eligible for the NCAA men’s tournament until last year, upsets second-seeded Georgetown 78-68 in the second round of the South Regional. The Eagles used a 21-2 second-half run to pull away from the Hoyas and hold on in the final minute to become the seventh No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2.

Compiled by the Associated Press