OAKMONT, Pa. >> One year before Jordan Spieth was bo , Phil Mickelson made his professional debut with a 68 in the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and was two shots out of the lead. The next day, he shot 81 and missed the cut. All these years later, Mickelson is still chasing the one major he thought...

ANAHEIM >> The Angels activated Andrelton Simmons on Wednesday, just over five weeks removed from thumb surgery that was expected to keep him out for six to eight weeks. Simmons tore a ligament in his left thumb on May 8 and underwent surgery on May 10. He spent just over a week playing in minor lea...

ANAHEIM >> Sometimes baseball is just slap-your-forehead obvious. After Hector Santiago tossed six strong i ings in the Angels’ 10-2 victory over the Mi esota Twins, reversing the trend from his previous five sloppy starts, he was asked what he had lea ed. “I lea ed when I’m in the zone, commanding ...

ANAHEIM >> The Angels activated Andrelton Simmons on Wednesday, just over five weeks removed from thumb surgery that was expected to keep him out for six to eight weeks. Simmons tore a ligament in his left thumb on May 8 and underwent surgery on May 10. He spent just over a week playing in minor lea...

ANAHEIM >> The Angels welcomed back a good Hector Santiago on Wednesday night. Santiago, whose up and down season had been mostly down for a month, gave up one run in six i ings in the Angels’ 10-2 victory over the Mi esota Twins on Wednesday night. Santiago didn’t give up a hit until the fourth i i...

The first hole already has been described as “horrible,” the speed of the greens as “unreal” and the fairway bunkers as “the most penal ... I’ve entered.” And all that came before Oakmont Country Club officially claimed its first victim, caddie Bill Henaghan, who tumbled into a trap on Tuesday and i...

OAKMONT, Pa. >> One year before Jordan Spieth was bo , Phil Mickelson made his professional debut with a 68 in the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and was two shots out of the lead. The next day, he shot 81 and missed the cut. All these years later, Mickelson is still chasing the one major he thought...

PHOENIX — The lasers are working. Or something is. The Dodgers’ wholehearted embracing of advanced statistical analysis in defensive positioning — including laser range-finders to the a oyance of the New York Mets — has made them one of the most efficient defensive teams in baseball. Using metrics t...

SEATTLE >> Before the start of the Copa America, John Brooks likely was best known for coming off the United States bench to score the wi ing goal against Ghana in the 2014 World Cup. Two years later, Brooks seems set on becoming known more as a regular starting central defender for the Americans. T...

The French progressed to the second round of the European Championship they’re hosting with a 2-0 win over Albania, keeping their supporters and coach Didier Deschamps on edge right to the end on Wednesday. For the second successive match, France left it late to secure victory with Antoine Griezma g...

Long Beach State junior shortstop Garrett Hampson and sophomore pitcher Darren McCaughan were named to the American Baseball Coaches Association NCAA Division I All-Region first team on Wednesday. Hampson and McCaughan are the first Dirtbags to receive ABCA All-Region recognition and the first Long ...

Long Beach State and the Walter Pyramid are set to host a sendoff celebration of sorts when the USA women’s volleyball team comes to town for its final pre-Olympic matches on home soil during the FIVB World Grand Prix, the top a ual inte ational tou ament. Currently ranked No. 1 in the world, Team U...

GOLFER OF THE YEAR: Jericho Betts, Long Beach Poly, senior Timing is everything, and an unexpected growth spurt between his sophomore and junior years was timed perfectly to set Betts up for a memorable 2016 senior season. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Jackrabbit narrowly lost the Moore League individual...

PHOENIX — The lasers are working. Or something is. The Dodgers’ wholehearted embracing of advanced statistical analysis in defensive positioning — including laser range-finders to the a oyance of the New York Mets — has made them one of the most efficient defensive teams in baseball. Using metrics t...

Hundreds of (mainly) German soccer fans gathered to watch their nation play this week in Euro 2016 at Alpine Village, a restaurant/faux Bavarian beer hall near Torrance. Long owned by a group of German expats, the restaurant, bar and modest shopping center have for decades welcomed the Southe Califo...

The Kings, who haven’t won a playoff series since they lifted the Stanley Cup two years ago, would like to change captains. They would prefer Dustin Brown, captain since 2008, to surrender the title to Anze Kopitar, their highest-paid player and best forward. You would think this is a simple matter ...

OXNARD — The impetus for the bonds that co ect players and coaches sometimes have varied and blurry starting points. The one that will forever link Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and safety Maurice Alexander couldn’t be any clearer. Williams is the primary reason Alexander is with the Ram...

CLEVELAND — Craig Sager is going to work his first NBA Finals game. The longtime sideline reporter — known in large part for his colorful attire — has been added to ESPN’s broadcast team for Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. Sager, ...

CLEVELAND — Golden State center Andrew Bogut will need six to eight weeks to recover from a left knee injury, ruling him out for the remainder of the NBA Finals and almost certainly affecting his Olympic plans as well. The Warriors are calling it an “impaction injury” that resulted in serious bone b...

Nneka Ogwumike had 27 points and 12 rebounds for her sixth double-double, and the Los Angeles Sparks set a franchise record with their 10th straight season-opening win in a 98-85 victory over the Chicago Sky on Tuesday night. Ogwumike was 6 of 6 from the field in the first half to extend her WNBA re...