brian.martin@langnews.com @TheBMartin on Twitter LAS VEGAS >> To no one’s surprise, the press conference for UFC 196 had its moments of insults, hilarity and tension. That escalated to nearly catastrophic heights Thursday when main-event fighters Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz tussled during their pos...

GLENDALE, Ariz. >> The future is now for one lucky pitcher who will get a crack at joining the Dodgers’ starting rotation. For unlucky left-hander Brett Anderson, Thursday’s surgery on a bulging disk in his lower back was an unpleasant reminder of the past. Anderson is expected to miss approximately...

Leave it to Doc Rivers to get in a fun dig at longtime Clippers voice Ralph Lawler, who Thursday received the 2,575th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Rivers, head coach and president of basketball operations, said he was impressed with a lot of things about Lawler, who has been calling Clippers ...

SUNNYVALE — A high school wrestler who believes he contracted a highly contagious virus known as “mat herpes” during a recent tou ament at San Jose’s Independence High came forward Wednesday to plead that officials postpone this weekend’s state wrestling championships because other Bay Area wrestler...

The long-range quarterback answer for the Rams might have been among the 300 or so prospects at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last week. Armed with the 15th pick over all in next April’s draft - and two high picks in the second round – they are well positioned to come away with Paxton Lyn...

DENVER – With the outcome in question as the clock ticked away, that usually marked the time when Kobe Bryant would perform a few things. He would take over a game. He would make a clutch shot. He would lead the Lakers to victory. But in the Lakers’ 117-107 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday at...

Brandi Chastain, whose penalty kick gave the United States the 1999 Women’s World Cup title, has pledged her brain for concussion research. The 47-year-old Chastain a ounced her donation to the Massachusetts-based Concussion Legacy Foundation on Thursday. Upon her death, her brain will go to the VA-...

LOS ANGELES — From a crumpled paper bag in a dilapidated house came a baseball-card find of a lifetime. Seven of them actually. Card experts in Southe Califo ia said Wednesday that they have verified the legitimacy — and seven-figure total value — of seven identical Ty Cobb cards from the printing p...

LONG BEACH >> “Survive and advance” is a mantra often adopted by teams once the postseason rolls around, and the ability to do so is exactly what the Irvine Valley’s women’s basketball team exhibited Wednesday night in a 45-39 victory over Long Beach City in the third round of the CCCAA SoCal Region...

USC athletic director Pat Haden attended Wednesday night’s basketball game against Oregon State, his first appearance at the Galen Center since he was hospitalized nearly a month ago after collapsing on campus. Haden appeared in good spirits and attended the game with his family. USC regroups After ...

March could be the most important month of the regular season for the L.A. Clippers. They play 16 games — six against elite teams with better records than the Clippers — and several more against playoff-bound teams. The Clippers will get Blake Griffin back, which will be a big deal moving toward the...

USC finally resembled the team Wednesday night that caught many observers by surprise this season. After a three-week hiatus, the Trojans rediscovered themselves with an 81-70 victory over Oregon State before 4,588 at the Galen Center. “We were having fun,” USC guard Julian Jacobs said. “Guys were l...

L.A. Clippers forward Jeff Green in 2007-08 was a rookie on the Seattle SuperSonics - the season before the team relocated to Oklahoma City - as was current Thunder forward Kevin Durant. OKC guard Russell Westbrook began his career with the Thunder in 2008-09 and forward Serge Ibaka in 2009-10. Gree...

March could be the most important month of the regular season for the L.A. Clippers. They play 16 games - six against elite teams with better records than the Clippers - and several more against playoff-bound teams. The Clippers will get Blake Griffin back, which will be a big deal moving toward the...

Game Report Key play: Jakob Silfverberg scored the only goal in a shootout as the Ducks extended their wi ing streak to nine consecutive games with a 3-2 victory Wednesday over the Montreal Canadiens at the Honda Center. The Ducks also tied the first-place Kings with 78 points. Pivotal performer: Ca...

LONG BEACH >> Long Beach State senior Michael Chen used a 1-under par round of 69 in Tuesday’s final round of the 20th Del Walker Intercollegiate Golf Classic at Virginia Country Club to capture individual medalist honors and lead the host 49ers to a second-place finish. Chen carded an eagle, two bi...

On the surface, there isn’t much in common between the Press-Telegram area’s two boys basketball teams playing for a Southe Section championship this Saturday at the Honda Center. When Lynwood tips off against Santa Barbara at noon, the Knights will be seeking the program’s second division champions...

This was supposed to be the year of the redwood at Long Beach Poly, not the year of the shrub. When September rolled around, girls basketball head coach Carl Buggs was looking at a roster that would sport three NCAA Division 1-level post players, all 6-foot-1 or taller. However, headed into this Sat...

The Colorado Rockies began their exhibition schedule Wednesday facing the possibility they’ll be without starting shortstop Jose Reyes for a large portion of the season. New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman agreed Tuesday to a 30-game suspension, discipline stemming from an October incident invol...

The National Football League Scouting Combine is over and done with in Indianapolis, and as the teams and athletes head home to prepare for further tests, individual visits and tons and tons of film study, let’s take a quick look at who helped and hurt themselves last week in Indiana. WHO HELPED THE...