sport world

There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who brush their teeth at the gym, and those who don’t. Likewise, there are two kinds of people in the world of sports: Those who play fantasy football, and those who choose to act like adults. As you probably just guessed, I’m not a fantasy owner, and that goes for real life, as well. My most significant investment to date has been my current car, which I purchased without hesitation despite an odometer that read in excess of 100,000 and an engine light that, to this day, shines as nonstop as the sun does. Now, I’m not against fantasy football...

There is plenty of time to join a fantasy football league and prepare a draft strategy before the start of the NFL’s 2017 regular season. Whether it is your first time playing fantasy football or you consider yourself a fantasy expert, here are 10 potential sleeper picks to consider as your upcoming draft. Quarterback Eli Maing (Giants): The Giants QB will have plenty of options to spread the ball around to this season, including Odell Beckham Jr. and new red-zone target Brandon Marshall. Average draft position: 120.0 Carson Wentz (Eagles): He shouldn’t be drafted as the first quarterback i...

LOS ANGELES >>The pass rush is bearing down. Josh Rosen’s blue eyes glance at it. He steps up in the pocket and zips the ball through what seems like an impossibly small window. Somehow it misses a tangle of hands from defensive backs and lands in the waiting arms of a receiver at the back of the end zone. Rosen pumps his fist. The real Rosen is back. Although he’s been throwing for months since his season-ending shoulder surgery, the junior quarterback said Tuesday that he’s finally felt like his old self on the field during the past few days.Since a terrible practice on Aug. 8, which...

ANAHEIM >> The jouey from prospect to player in the NHL often can be a winding one, few paths remaining as straight and uninterrupted as the blue line. For every Cam Fowler, who was a draftee one day and - three months later - a Duck, there are scores of players who go from Point A to Point ...

ANAHEIM >> The jouey from prospect to player in the NHL often can be a winding one, few paths remaining as straight and uninterrupted as the blue line. For every Cam Fowler, who was a draftee one day and three months later a Duck, there are scores of players who go from Point A to Point B on...

There were no surprises for the Ducks when it came to the players they protected from the upcoming NHL expansion draft and those who were left exposed for the incoming Vegas Golden Knights to consider adding when it comes to building their roster. Protected lists were revealed Sunday and the Ducks w...

The parity in the Pac-12 can be a curse for the conference as it tries to break into the College Football Playoff, but the wild weekends on the West Coast continue to fuel the UCLA football team’s hopes for a chance at the conference championship. The Bruins (3-3, 1-2 Pac-12) say they are down but not out of the Pac-12 race, entering Saturday’s game at Washington State at 7:30 p.m. The unpredictability in the Pac-12 South gives them hope, but they can’t afford many more missteps. The Bruins could easily leave Pullman, Wash., at 1-3 in Pac-12 play for the first time under head coach Jim Mora. Their starting quarterback’s health is still a question. They haven’t had a ruing threat in nearly a ...

For the first time in my 15 years of playing fantasy football, I found myself last season at the bottom of a downward spiral. It was a cold, dark place, the kind of nightmare sequence where Blake Bortles and Kirk Cousins were top-eight quarterbacks and Devonta Freeman, left for dead by most analyst circles, led all ruing backs in scoring. In the grips of this fantasy melancholia, Sundays tued a dreary, meaningless gray. The hum of Redzone in the background was cause to shudder. The prospect of watching my star wideout catch passes from Matt Cassel just hurt too much to bear. Perhaps you’ve been there before, watching helplessly as your fantasy team comes apart at the seams. Maybe like me, y...

LOS ANGELES >> Prior to Wednesday, Josh Reddick had occupied two spots in the Dodgers’ batting order without much success. He batted cleanup on five occasions, batted sixth twice, and had two hits to show for it. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts speculated that his new right fielder might have been pressing at the plate, so he moved Reddick up to second in the batting order to give him “a different visual in the lineup.” On paper, the move appeared to work. Reddick finished 2 for 5 and scored the first run in a 6-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Only Reddick doesn’t think he was pressing. Mostly he saw it as bad luck — luck that finally tued in his favor. “To get your first multi-hit ...

As of early Monday afteoon, Josh Rosen had yet to see his face splashed on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He was otherwise accounted for that moing. He had practice. UCLA opened camp Monday with what head coach Jim Mora called one of the best first days of training camp since his arrival on campus — and a lot of that can be attributed to the retu of Rosen. Unlike last year, there’s no uncertainty at the quarterback position. This is Rosen’s show, and the true sophomore is growing into the spotlight despite a few pains along the way. To be on the cover of Sports Illustrated is something “every kid dreams about,” Rosen said. But the Manhattan Beach native grabbed headlines for many reasons ...

LOS ANGELES >> When David Ortiz was chosen to participate in the All-Star Game in July, a representative from the Major League Baseball Players’ Association asked him to say a few words to his American League teammates before the game. Ortiz is 40 years old. He’s plaing to retire after the season. So he agreed. “At some point, when younger players can hear what you have to say,” Ortiz said that day in San Diego, “it’s something that stays in their minds for their career. It’s important and they will appreciate that.” Eight years ago, when Ortiz was at the peak of his career, he was assigned to rehab an injury with the Portland Sea Dogs, Boston’s Double-A affiliate. No one asked Ortiz ...

Farhan Zaidi said the Dodgers were in the market for an everyday hitter and a starting pitcher before the non-waiver trade deadline. The general manager wasn’t keen on giving up his top position player prospects. In that regard, Monday had to be considered a success. In three separate trades the Dodgers acquired left-handed pitcher Rich Hill and right fielder Josh Reddick from the Oakland A’s, along with Toronto Blue Jays reliever Jesse Chavez and Houston Astros reliever Josh Fields. “What we were looking for more than anything,” Zaidi said, “were guys who can come in and help us in the division race.” The trades the Dodgers did not make were more telling. Yasiel Puig is still on the roster...

The Dodgers logged three transactions in the hours before baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline Monday, headlined by the acquisition of pitcher Rich Hill and right fielder Josh Reddick from the Oakland A’s. The trades they did not make were just as big. Yasiel Puig is still a Dodger, though he did not fly with the Dodgers to Colorado for today’s game. Chris Archer is still a Tampa Bay Ray. Chris Sale and Jose Quintana are still in Chicago. Jay Bruce (New York Mets), Matt Moore (San Francisco), Jeremy Jeffress and Jonathan Lucroy (Texas) all switched teams without the Dodgers’ involvement. “What we were looking for more than anything,” Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi said, “were guys who...

The Dodgers logged three transactions in the hours before baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline Monday, headlined by the acquisition of pitcher Rich Hill and right fielder Josh Reddick from the Oakland A’s. The trades they did not make were just as big. Yasiel Puig is still a Dodger, though he did not fly with the Dodgers to Colorado for today’s game. Chris Archer is still a Tampa Bay Ray. Chris Sale and Jose Quintana are still in Chicago. Jay Bruce (New York Mets), Matt Moore (San Francisco), Jeremy Jeffress and Jonathan Lucroy (Texas) all switched teams without the Dodgers’ involvement. “What we were looking for more than anything,” Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi said, “were guys who...

With two hours before the major-league trade deadline, the Dodgers made their big move Monday. The Dodgers acquired starting pitcher Rich Hill and outfielder Josh Reddick from the Oakland A’s for a trio of pitching prospects. Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal first reported the trade, which was confirmed by the Dodgers an hour and 10 minutes later. As part of the deal, the Dodgers will be trading minor-leaguers Frankie Montas, Grant Holmes and Jharel Cotton. Hill, 36, hasn’t pitched since mid-July because of a blister and is currently on the disabled list. In 14 starts, the left-hander is 9-3 with a 2.25 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a 90/28 K/BB ratio. He is eligible to be activated from the disabled list as...

NEW YORK — At the start of the most crucial week of the fantasy sports industry’s past eight tempestuous months, the fourth-floor lobby of the Crowne Plaza Times Square is full of nervous tension. In a frenetic loop of handshakes and business-card collecting, lanyard-ogling entrepreneurs in fantasy company polos peddle their elevator pitches between sips of free Heineken. A year ago in the same hotel, the Fantasy Sports Trade Association’s summer event was more celebration than trade conference. It was effectively a victory lap for DraftKings and FanDuel, the industry’s two breadwiers, who together had raised nearly $1 billion in venture capital investments. Fueled by their success, project...

NEW YORK — At the start of the most crucial week of the fantasy sports industry’s past eight tempestuous months, the fourth-floor lobby of the Crowne Plaza Times Square is full of nervous tension. In a frenetic loop of handshakes and business-card collecting, lanyard-ogling entrepreneurs in fantasy company polos peddle their elevator pitches between sips of free Heineken. A year ago in the same hotel, the Fantasy Sports Trade Association’s summer event was more celebration than trade conference. It was effectively a victory lap for DraftKings and FanDuel, the industry’s two breadwiers, who together had raised nearly $1 billion in venture capital investments. Fueled by their success, project...

NEW YORK — At the start of the most crucial week of the fantasy sports industry’s past eight tempestuous months, the fourth-floor lobby of the Crowne Plaza Times Square is full of nervous tension. In a frenetic loop of handshakes and business-card collecting, lanyard-ogling entrepreneurs in fantasy company polos peddle their elevator pitches between sips of free Heineken. A year ago in the same hotel, the Fantasy Sports Trade Association’s summer event was more celebration than trade conference. It was effectively a victory lap for DraftKings and FanDuel, the industry’s two breadwiers, who together had raised nearly $1 billion in venture capital investments. Fueled by their success, project...

It was Jan. 23 at Staples Center. Dominic Breazeale of Alhambra was tangling with Amir Mansour, who could crack, but was 43 years old. Down went Breazeale in the third round. It appeared that Breazeale’s dream of becoming heavyweight world champion after not doing the gloves until he was 23 was crumbling. After all, a loss to a middle-aged fighter would do a lot more than give Breazeale his first loss. Undaunted, Breazeale weathered the storm and eventually took a fifth-round TKO when Mansour couldn’t answer the bell for the sixth. This is what makes a champion, and that’s why Anthony Joshua (16-0, 16 KOs) seems convinced Breazeale will be a worthy challenger when they square off Saturday f...

It was Jan. 23 at Staples Center. Dominic Breazeale of Alhambra was tangling with Amir Mansour, who could crack, but was 43 years old. Down went Breazeale in the third round. It appeared that Breazeale’s dream of becoming heavyweight world champion after not doing the gloves until he was 23 was crumbling. After all, a loss to a middle-aged fighter would do a lot more than give Breazeale his first loss. Undaunted, Breazeale weathered the storm and eventually took a fifth-round TKO when Mansour couldn’t answer the bell for the sixth. This is what makes a champion, and that’s why Anthony Joshua (16-0, 16 KOs) seems convinced Breazeale will be a worthy challenger when they square off Saturday f...