LOS ANGELES >> Canelo Alvarez on Monday was asked what a victory over middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin would mean to him, and to his native Mexico. Alvarez pulled no punches. “It’s very important for me, it’s very important for Mexico - for my people, for my country,” said Alvarez, who Sept. 1...

ANAHEIM >> Mike Trout’s stiff neck provided the Angels an opportunity to give their slumping star his first day off since the All-Star break. Manager Mike Scioscia said Trout was not in the Angels lineup on Monday night because of a stiff neck, the result of hitting the wall trying to make a game-sa...

Ranked No. 4 in the CIF Southe Section’s Division 4 poll, the Downey High football team expected a better start to the season than what it got against Santa Margarita. The Vikings were totally overmatched against a Trinity League opponent in a 56-0 loss last Friday night. Particularly uncharacterist...

SoCal Prep Legends Boys Athlete of the Week: Matt Corral Name: Matt Corral School: Poly Sport: Football Year: Senior Noteworthy: In his first game as a Jackrabbit, Corral threw for over 400 yards and two touchdowns in Poly’s 28-10 victory over Los Alamitos on Friday. The Florida commit completed 20 ...

LOS ANGELES >> The Santa Ana Valley High School football team was about to play its second game of the season. It could have been any Saturday in September – Curtis Granderson wasn’t sure the year – but this game happened to be on Sept. 10, 2011. Granderson was in town because his New York Yankees w...

ANAHEIM — Andrew Heaney’s brilliant performance in the Angels’ 3-1 victory over the Oakland A’s on Monday night could be summed up in two pitches, one at the beginning of his night and one at the end. With command of his breaking ball, which he demonstrated on the game’s first pitch, and the confide...

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants have waived third-year defensive end Owa Odighizuwa a day after the NFL suspended him for the first four games of the regular season for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. The Giants announced the move Tuesday. “It is unfort...

Despite Noel Mazzone’s departure to Texas A&M, UCLA head coach Jim Mora continues to keep in touch with his former offensive coordinator. They texted regularly this spring and summer, but that communication has stopped this week. It’s game week. “As good of friends as we are, I want to kick his tail...

In his new position as Pac-12 Network president, Mark Shuken can shake things up. Or, he could simply try to appease those getting a little stir-crazy. The conference-owned media business has achieved measurable success in elevating exposure for the member schools, but when compared to the millions ...

The Galaxy coaching staff gained even more experience Tuesday with the official hiring of Dominic Kinnear as assistant coach. Kinnear, 50, has won two MLS Cups (2006 and 2007) and recorded 166 career victories, second behind current Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid and former Galaxy coach Bruce Arena. Kinne...

ANAHEIM >> The Angels seem to be intent on proving their resilience, over and over and over again. Within games and within the season, the Angels have had plenty of opportunities to show they can bounce back from bad innings and tough losses, and they are going to have to do so again. After overcomi...

A’S at ANGELS When: Monday 7 p.m. TV: Fox Sports West Where: Angel Stadium THE PITCHERS ANGELS LHP ANDREW HEANEY (0-0, 8.10) vs. A’s: 1-1, 4.85 At Angel Stadium: 3-3, 4.29 Hates to face: None Loves to face: None A’S RHP DANIEL GOSSETT (3-6, 5.49) vs. Angels: First game At Angel Stadium: First game H...

ANAHEIM >> Mike Trout is now finding out how everyone else in the majors lives. Trout, seemingly immune to the slumps that define his sport, has gone hitless in his past 17 at-bats, the second longest such drought in his career. He took an 0 for 18 in August 2014, the year he won his first MVP, by t...

Jeremy Clements battled Matt Tifft down the stretch at Road America before pulling away to the finish line after the two leaders spun out near the end of the second-to-last lap for his first career Xfinity Series victory at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Working with fresh tires down the stretch, Clements...

Can a team that starts three slot receivers win a national championship? USC apparently believes it can based on the depth chart released Sunday night, the Trojans’ first in nine months. Quarterback Sam Da old’s first options are Rose Bowl hero Deontay Bu ett, converted quarterback Jalen Greene and ...

LOS ANGELES >> Sparks coach Brian Agler has maintained all year that he coaches a defensive team. While the offensive fireworks of Candace Parker and Nneke Ogwumike — both among the WNBA’s top 10 scorers — might distract from that fact, it’s still defense that the Sparks rely on in big games. It was...

LOS ANGELES >> Afterward, Coach Brian Agler said the Sparks can probably expect to see Minnesota again. Nothing else would make sense. The Sparks won the WNBA championship in the final minute of the fifth and final game, at Minnesota. They squared up against the Lynx again Sunday at Staples Center. ...

ANAHEIM >> Annie Drews was getting ready for bed in her Anaheim apartment at the end of her first day in Orange County this past June when she was jolted by an explosion outside. “What in the world of this?” Drews, the U.S. national team opposite, recalled thinking that night. “You assume (the worst...

CARSON >> The bad news continues to pour down on the Galaxy. The Galaxy allowed a late goal in the first half, setting the tone for another long day at home, eventually leading to a 3-0 loss to San Jose in front of a crowd of 19,237 Sunday at StubHub Center. The loss extends the Galaxy’s winless str...

Ranking the top 10 sports events Aug. 28 to Sept. 3 you won’t want to miss: NO. 1: COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON OPENERS USC vs. WESTERN MICHIGAN Details/TV: At the Coliseum, Saturday at 2:15 p.m., Pac-12 Network UCLA vs. TEXAS A&M Details/TV: At the Rose Bowl, Sunday at 4:30 p.m., Channel 11 Admire Sam D...