It's been a whirlwind over the last week or so for New York Islanders rookie Calum Ritchie. After the whole Raleigh fiasco, he's been able to settle in a bit more.
While we are still waiting for offense, with no points in his first four games of the season, Ritchie's defense is what's allowed him to remain as the second-line center -- for the most part.
In Friday's 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild, in which no one played well, head coach Patrick Roy altered his lines, demoting the 20-year-old to the fourth line before the end of the second period.
Ritchie has averaged 13:56 minutes per game, with his time on ice dropping in each game that he's played. Now, he and the team will try to redeem themselves when they battle the New York Rangers on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
"That'll be pretty cool," Ritchie told The Hockey News on battling his new cross-town rival. "Obviously, I played there in preseason, so I kind of got a taste of what Madison Square Garden is, and the rivalry between the two teams. But, yeah, that'd be pretty cool."
But for Ritchie, this isn't just his first Rangers-Islanders game. It will be a special moment for him and his brother
"I have some family coming down. My brother's coming down. It'll be his first time watching me play in the show. So that's pretty cool," Ritchie said.
Ethan Ritchie, 23, is a left-side defenseman who played three games for the Providence Bruins (2023-24), playing in the ECHL with the Maine Mariners (63 games in 2023-24). He played three games for the ECHL's Fort Wayne Comets in 2024-25.
"H's at school now in Halifax, SMU," Ritchie said. "So, he talked to his coach and asked him if he could fly down for a game. They had a game canceled this weekend, so he got the go-ahead."
Ritchie said his parents will be in attendance as well.
Puck drop is coming at 7 PM ET on MSGSN. We will talk to Roy at 5:45 PM ET.
A wild ride took everyone back where they had started. The one certainty arising from an affair of low quality and, from nowhere, scarcely credible drama was that only a fool would hang their hat on Tottenham or Manchester United right now. The ignominies of last season may be at some remove but it remains anyone’s guess what either of these scratchy, neurotic sides will produce on a given occasion.
It briefly seemed they had conspired to hand Spurs a first league win on home turf since the opening day. That would have been a head-scratcher of its own given they were going nowhere until Mathys Tel, who had only been on the pitch for five minutes, offered a moment of incision they had barely signposted. When Richarlison glanced in Wilson Odobert’s shot early in added time it felt like a potential lift-off: Thomas Frank, so embattled in defeat to Chelsea last week, must have sensed as much as a largely sullen venue erupted around him.
5th T20i: India, 52-0 (4.5), wash out. India win series 2-1
Storm scuppers final match to ruin Australia hopes
India have won the T20 international series against Australia 2-1 after the fifth and final match was washed out at the Gabba. The sold-out crowd will receive a full refund as the fixture did not reach the stipulated cut-off of six overs.
Lightning in the vicinity of the ground initially forced the players off after India made the most of shocking fielding by Australia to race to 0-52 in the opening 4.5 overs. A storm then rolled in, accompanied by steady rain, to ensure there was no further play.
Edwards poised for Molineux move after Pereira sacking
Middlesbrough have agreed to let Rob Edwards hold talks with Wolves over their managerial vacancy, with a deal for the Boro head coach expected to be completed within the next 48 hours.
Edwards had earlier been stood down from taking charge of Saturday’s match at home to Birmingham, with the 42-year-old now set for a return to Molineux.
(Los Angeles Times photo illustration; photographs by Los Angeles Times)
The road to becoming the first repeat World Series champion in 25 years was not a smooth one for the Dodgers, who captured their ninth championship in franchise history when they knocked off the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in 11 innings of a Game 7 for the ages.
After winning nine of their first 10 postseason contests, the Dodgers had to slog through a seven-game World Series that included two extra-inning wins — one in 18 innings — and consecutive losses at home that put their season on the brink.
But in the end, the Dodgers emerged with their second consecutive championship and third in six seasons. How did they make it happen? Here are some moments that galvanized the Dodgers' run to another World Series triumph.
A great escape, with a wheel man
Mookie Betts broached the idea of running the wheel play as the Dodgers tried to hang on for dear life in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Ballpark. In a tribute to executing the fundamentals, Max Muncy pounced on a bunt and Betts tagged out the lead runner at third base to help the Dodgers survive the ninth inning and grab a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
Ohtani's iconic performance
Based on the first inning alone, Shohei Ohtani would've produced an unforgettable performance in Game 4 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers, striking out three in a row following a leadoff walk as the Dodgers' starting pitcher and then homering as his team's leadoff batter to stake himself to an early lead. But Ohtani homered twice more — including a 469-foot blast over the right-field pavilion — and went on to strike out 10 in six innings to help the Dodgers secure their second consecutive NL pennant.
Another complete game by Yamamoto
Yoshinobu Yamamoto had already thrown a complete game in Game 2 of the NLCS, the first one by a Dodgers pitcher since José Lima in 2004. But Yamamoto went into more rarefied air when he threw another one in Game 2 of the World Series in a 5-1 win over the Blue Jays — becoming the first Dodger to throw consecutive postseason complete games since Orel Hershiser in 1988.
Kershaw's moment
The anguish and heartbreak of Clayton Kershaw's postseason history is well known, and the Dodger Stadium crowd braced itself when he entered Game 3 of the World Series with the bases loaded and two outs in the 12th inning. In an eight-pitch battle with the Jays' Nathan Lukes, Kershaw induced a soft grounder to second baseman Tommy Edman that he had to charge and scoop over with his glove to first baseman Freddie Freeman to escape the jam.
The Will Klein Game
As Game 3 of the World Series dragged into the 15th inning, the Dodgers turned to Will Klein, the last reliever in their bullpen — though Yamamoto was later warming for a potential 19th inning. Klein, acquired by the Dodgers in a minor trade on June 2, threw 72 pitches — the most he's thrown as a professional — over four scoreless innings to keep the Dodgers in it.
Left fielder Kiké Hernández added another chapter to his October legacy in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6 with the Dodgers trying to hang on to a 3-1 lead and keep their season alive. With runners on second and third and one out, Hernández played shallow and was in good position to catch a sinking line drive by Andrés Giménez before firing a throw to second baseman Miguel Rojas, who caught it on a bounce to double off the runner at second and force a Game 7.
Miguel Rojas ninth-inning hero
Rojas became the ninth-inning focal point in Game 7 as he came up to bat with the Dodgers trailing 4-3 and two outs away from losing the World Series. Rojas, who had one homer since the All-Star break, worked the count full before hammering a game-tying shot to left. In the bottom of the inning, with the bases loaded and the infield in with one out, Rojas fielded a grounder cleanly and came up firing to force the runner out at home and preserve the tie.
The Catch
One batter later and with the bases still loaded, it was Andy Pages' turn to be the defensive hero. Inserted mid-inning at center field for his strong arm, Pages found himself using his legs to cover a lot of ground on a deep fly ball to left-center that Hernández was trying to catch over his shoulder before colliding with Pages as the center fielder secured the ball to carry the game into extra innings.
Will Smith, home run hero
As Game 7 entered the 11th inning, it was catcher Will Smith who was in the right place at the right time. Smith, who'd worked his way back into the lineup after suffering a hairline fracture in his right hand in September, turned on a 2-0 slider for his second home run of the series to put the Dodgers in front for the first time in the game.
Yamamoto with the exclamation point
Entering Game 7 during that ninth-inning jam that Rojas and Pages helped him escape, Yamamoto retired the Jays in order in the 10th and then worked around a leadoff double in the 11th, fiedling a sacrifice bunt and then walking a batter before inducing a double play to seal the Dodgers' repeat championship. For Yamamoto in the World Series, the final tally was three wins, the last coming in relief after throwing 96 pitches the night before in Game 6, and the MVP award.
Matthijs de Ligt struck deep into stoppage time to rescue Manchester United a 2-2 draw after a dramatic finale at Tottenham
Members of the armed forces bring out wreaths and lay them on the centre circle. The crowd falls silent as a trumpeter plays The Last Post, filling the stadium with its mournful dignity.
The players are out there and the TNT director is zooming in on Micky van de Ven, understandably after his wonder goal. He has six goals this season, more than any United player.
The Pittsburgh Penguins visit Newark tonight to take on the New Jersey Devils in a matchup between two of the NHL’s hottest teams.
The Penguins enter the game at 9-4-2, while the Devils sit at 10-4-0.
New Jersey remains undefeated at home (6-0-0) this season after defeating the Montreal Canadiens 4–3 in overtime on November 6. The Penguins also played that night, earning a 5–3 win over the Washington Capitals.
The Devils currently rank second in the NHL standings with 20 points, while the Penguins sit fourth, also with 20 points.
Dillon on Facing Pittsburgh
At Friday’s practice, defenseman Brenden Dillon discussed the challenge of taking on a veteran Penguins team with The Hockey News’ Kristy Flannery.
“I think for tomorrow, a team that those guys have been together not just years, but decades — they know each other, they can read off one another,” Dillon said. “Year after year, they seem to always be near the top. First and foremost, staying out of the box is going to be our best bet — try to play five-on-five, and when they do get a power play, have good sticks and just be aware.”
This will be the first meeting of the season between the two clubs.
Players to Watch
Devils
Jack Hughes – 10 goals and 8 assists through 14 games.
Dawson Mercer – off to a career-best start with 6 goals and 4 assists.
Penguins
Bryan Rust – 5 goals and 9 assists so far this season.
Sidney Crosby – 9 goals and 5 assists in his last 10 games.
Injuries and Lineup Notes
Devils Defenseman Dougie Hamilton did not skate at practice on Friday after leaving Thursday’s game early. His status remains uncertain for tonight’s matchup.
Due to Hamilton’s absence, the lines at Friday morning’s skate were adjusted.
Colton White was recalled from the AHL’s Utica Comets and could draw into the lineup if Hamilton is ruled out.
“It’s really exciting,” White said to NHL.com. “It’s been a long time since I’ve played — a lot of hard work and a long wait. I’m just really excited and grateful for the opportunity.”
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET at Prudential Center, as the Devils look to remain perfect on home ice and extend their winning streak.
At some point in the near future, the Philadelphia Flyers are going to have to make some tough trade decisions. That time could arrive sooner if some players continue to put forth more of the same.
One name in particular that finds itself back in trade chatter is none other than Owen Tippett, who was mired in rumors at the start of the season, only to silence the crowd with a five-goal outburst across the span of five games.
Since then, though, Tippett, 26, has just one assist and no goals in his last eight games, and the Flyers are said to be getting worn out on these low points, according to a new report.
"While hot and cold stretches are to be expected of a shoot-first winger, the inconsistency in Tippett’s game has started to become tiresome from those within the organization, based on conversations I’ve had," Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reported Tuesday. "The Flyers do like Tippett’s game but feel like they may not have the right player(s) to properly complement his style."
Therein lies the problem: the Flyers have tried nearly everything to get Tippett going consistently in his four years in Philadelphia.
Names like Travis Konecny, Morgan Frost, Matvei Michkov, Trevor Zegras, and Sean Couturier come to mind.
Tippett will turn 27 in February, so there's little room left for true development at this stage of his career. Being a streaky scorer is inherently fine at the NHL level, but you also have to question the Flyers' patience level with that when they have younger, cheaper options like Matvei Michkov, Tyson Foerster, Porter Martone, and Bobby Brink at the same position.
"According to team sources, there are some internal questions as to where Tippett will fit long term with the Flyers," Di Marco added. "Marc Bergevin of the Los Angeles Kings front office has taken in several Flyers games recently, causing speculation on whether they could be looking at Tippett. While I have no doubt the Kings could be, they don’t have many assets the Flyers like, I’m told."
The obvious choice for many would be Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke, but the Flyers appear to be headed towards a more physical identity defensively to complement the presences of Cam York and Jamie Drysdale.
That said, the Flyers have done extremely well with reclamation projects over the last few seasons under GM Danny Briere, and that line of communication has been and still is open with the Kings.
The Kings were part of the three-team deal that sent Ivan Provorov to Columbus, and Andrei Kuzmenko left for Los Angeles and earned the Flyers a third-round pick for his short but solid tenure in Philadelphia.
Other options, if the Flyers won't add another winger to an already overcrowded pool, might include Kirill Kirsanov or 2025 first-round pick Henry Brzustewicz, a 6-foot-3 London Knights defenseman who was teammates with Flyers prospects Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk.
Perhaps Los Angeles may also be willing to part ways with out-of-favor center prospects like Akil Thomas and Alex Turcotte; the latter was drafted ahead of Zegras in 2019, and the two were teammates for parts of four seasons playing for the U.S. National Team Development Program.
Oh, and York and Brink were part of that group, too.
The Kings are quickly running out of time to make the most out of what's left of the careers of Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and Darcy Kuemper, and maybe one last move to jolt some life into the forward group would do them some good.
Di Marco noted that the Flyers are not actively shopping Tippett, but there should be no surprises these talks came back up with this ongoing two-week slump.
Down on one knee, William Nylander roofed a puck over Utah Mammoth goaltender Vitek Vanecek on Wednesday for his sixth goal of the season. He celebrated the goal and the fact that this is his best start to a season in his NHL career.
The 29-year-old has collected 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in his first 11 games, putting him in a six-way tie for second among NHL skaters. None of those six players — or the three with 21 points — have played less than 13 games.
"I think he's always scored lots of goals, but I think this year he's making more plays with the puck and getting assists," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said on Friday. "Like I said before, he's an underrated passer. I mean, he's a good playmaker, but he's always scored a lot of goals."
What stands out most about Nylander's start this season, beyond others, is the amount of primary assists he's racked up. Eleven of the Swede's 14 helpers this year are primary assists, tying him for the league lead with Evgeni Malkin in that department.
Within the Maple Leafs, only Matthew Knies — who's also gotten off to a wicked start — is near Nylander for primary assists with nine (four of his 13 helpers are secondary assists).
One of Nylander's best games this year came during a comeback win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night. Auston Matthews started the scoring early in the third period (with Nylander getting a secondary assist). Nylander followed up with two goals of his own to tie the game, and Bobby McMann scored the game-winner.
"For me, I just think it's his timely goal-scoring. The quality of goals in big spots, in big moments," Anthony Stolarz said of what he's noticed about Nylander's start to the year.
"He's stepped up in a big way and I think the guys have rallied around that."
Below is Nylander's production throughout the first 11 games of the season over his career:
"Just trying to play better hockey every year," Nylander said on Friday, "just trying to work on my game every year and try to get better, so it's nice to see that I'm getting rewarded for it."
Despite missing a couple of games early, Nylander's production has contributed to Toronto winning games. Fourteen of his 20 points to begin the season have come during Maple Leafs wins. And after a shaky start in October, the club has put together three straight wins to begin November.
What's been the key to that success?
"I don’t know, we had a great Halloween party in Philly," said Nylander, who went to the party dressed as Darth Vader.
As to why he chose Darth Vader, Nylander smiled: "We ordered the costumes day of, so I mean, we didn’t have much planning to do."
Nylander and the Maple Leafs will look to continue trending upwards on Saturday night, when they welcome the Boston Bruins and former Maple Leaf, Fraser Minten, into town. The Bruins are one point up on Toronto for third in the Atlantic Division with two more games played.
Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell, center, holds the World Series trophy as he and other team members are honored at a Lakers game. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
I have been a diehard baseball fan for more than 60 years, and this year’s Dodger team is the toughest, gutsiest and most resilient team I have ever seen. Toronto is an absolutely fabulous baseball team, and would’ve beaten anybody else in all of baseball without much stress.
And as for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, that young man ought to be on Mt. Rushmore.
Let’s go for a three-peat in ‘26!
Drew Pomerance Tarzana
No doubt about it. The best team won the World Series. The Dodgers found ways to win without great hitting. Their pitching and defensive skills exceeded our expectations. Thank you everyone for another amazing baseball season.
Cheryl Creek Anaheim
How wonderful to see grown men acting like little boys during their victory celebration. While I am not a fan of the gyrations on the bases after a hit (even when way behind), the pure joy emanating from the players at the end was to be cherished. How sports enables us to forget our problems is what has made me a lifelong sports fan.
Mark Kaiserman Santa Monica
Who would imagine that Games 6 and 7 would both end on double plays while the losing team had men in scoring position? One different swing of the bat would have reversed the outcome of the games and series. How suddenly agonizing and euphoric. How uniquely baseball!
Mel Spitz Beverly Hills
The Toronto Blue Jay fans taunted Shohei Othani early in the series, "We don't need you!" I guess they did!
Edward Jimenez Whittier
Consideration should be given to incorporating the Japanese flag into the design of the 2025 World Series ring.
Greg Thompson Chatsworth
It took until Games 6 and 7, but the 2025 World Series lineup needed to include Miguel Rojas.
Ken Feldman Tarzana
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts' haters and naysayers can take a seat. Whether it was confidence in the starting rotation, masterful management of the bullpen, being unafraid to tinker with the lineup or making brilliant defensive replacements, every lever Roberts pulled in Games 6 and 7 ultimately resulted in another championship.
Ron Yukelson San Luis Obispo
As my fellow Monday morning baseball critics always say, "Dave Roberts is a genius. Mookie is great at short. Last year no starting pitchers. This year no bullpen."
So many contributed big plays. Constant tension, excitement, tenacity and, ultimately, exhilaration. Thank you Dodgers for a playoffs and World Series for the ages. Encore!
Rafael Serna Hacienda Heights
While we bask in the euphoria of the Dodgers' World Series win, let's not overlook but sing the praises to the last man standing! Without the heroics of Will Klein, there might not have been a Game 6 or a Game 7.
Stan Shirai Torrance
The World Series finished on Dia de los Muertos, but our Dodgers lived to win again. Against all odds in Game 7, the Dodgers solidified a dynasty. What a game. What a series. What a team. So many clutch moments and players. This one will be enjoyed and cherished FOREVER.
Michael Lee Manous San Dimas
A phrase that will never be used in the same sentence with Yoshinobu Yamamoto: “load management.”
Dave Ring Manhattan Beach
Orel, meet Yoshi!
Brian Lipson Beverly Hills
Fanfest next time?
More than four million Dodger fans attended games this season. As a thank you, couldn’t the Dodgers have shown appreciation for the support by providing tickets to the celebration free of charge and offer parking at $10 per car?
Seems like a nice thank you for supporting the team!
Rob Parra Rowland Heights
On the flip side
I hope the amazing Blue Jays performance doesn't get lost in all the cheers for the Dodgers. I wish there was a place they could have received a silver trophy and basked in the well-earned cheers of the crowd. And I hope our fellow Angelenos and the media will show humility and recognize we just got the lucky flip of the coin toss.
Don McKinney San Fernando
Hats off to the Toronto Blue Jays for an incredible World Series. They gave the Dodgers a fierce run for the money. It took everything we had to come out on top and it could have gone the other way 100 times. I hope Toronto gave them a fabulous parade. They deserve it.
Sarah Tamor Santa Monica
Improve the product
UCLA should not relocate to SoFi Stadium. The Rose Bowl is the shrine of college football and a great place to tailgate and celebrate the Bruins.
The venue is not the problem, it’s the product on the field. It’s obviously the results, but also includes the opponents over the last several years — South Alabama, Coastal Carolina, North Carolina Central, Bowling Green and Alabama State.
William Morris Pasadena
High expectations
The Times' reporter wrote that the Lakers "stars slogged through" much of their win over the Miami Heat at Crypto this week. Slogged? Luka Doncic recorded a triple-double, Austin Reaves scored 26 and the team finished with 130 points. And I thought expectations for the baseball team in this town are high!
Hank Rosenfeld Santa Monica
The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used.
Miguel Rojas and Enrique Hernández of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate at Dodger Stadium on 9 August 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Photograph: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
For Natalia Molina, a lifelong fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers and a third-generation Mexican American, the crowning moment of baseball’s World Series didn’t come in last Saturday’s nail-biting finale, when her team performed one death-defying escape act after another before prevailing in extra innings over the Toronto Blue Jays.
It came a game earlier, when two of the team’s second-tier players, Kike Hernández, who is from Puerto Rico, and Miguel Rojas, from Venezuela, pulled off a thrilling, game-winning sequence that simultaneously upended the many negative stereotypes Donald Trump has been touting about Latinos since he first ran for president a decade ago.
The play itself was breathtaking: Hernández charged in from left field to snag a ball he initially lost in the stadium lights, then fired it to second base to chalk up another, game-winning out on the same play. Rojas, at second base, received the ball just a split second before a Blue Jays runner barreled into him, knocking him backwards.
This wasn’t just a great sporting moment, perhaps the decisive shift in momentum in the Dodgers’ favor after looking for much of the series like the weaker team. For Molina it was exhilarating, politically and culturally, a badly needed morale boost for Latinos, and for Los Angeles, after months of immigration raids, troops patrolling the streets, and a steady drumbeat of negativity from the White House.
“Kike and Miggy put forth this counter-narrative,” said Molina, a professor of American studies and ethnicity at the University of Southern California. “The world saw Latinos showing an infectious pride and joy in what they do, being leaders on the team, having a different kind of masculinity. They’re bombastic, they’re yelling, they’re taking off their shirts.
“It was such a juxtaposition with what we see on the news – ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] raids, Latinos thrown to the ground and chased down. It’s so easy to be demoralized right now.”
Not that it’s exactly simple to be a Dodgers fan these days – for Molina or for the legions of other Latinos who show up faithfully to home games and fill up as many as half of the stadium’s 50,000 seats each time.
When the Trump administration began conducting aggressive immigration raids in Los Angeles in early June and sent national guard troops and marines into the city to respond to the ensuing protests, two of the city’s soccer teams quickly put out statements of solidarity with immigrant families – but not the Dodgers.
The team president, Stan Kasten, has said the Dodgers want to steer clear of politics – a view colored, perhaps, by the fact that a sizable minority of the fans, including Latinos, are Trump supporters. (Under considerable public pressure, the team later pledged $1m in support for families directly affected by the raids but made no public criticism of Trump’s administration.)
Three months earlier, the team did not hesitate in accepting Trump’s invitation to celebrate their 2024 World Series victory at the White House – a move that the Los Angeles Times sports columnist Dylan Hernandez described as “pathetic … spineless … and hypocritical”, given the Dodgers’ pride in having been the first major league team to break the color barrier in the 1940s and the frequentinvocations of that legacy and the values it embodies by executives and present and former players. Several team members including the manager, Dave Roberts, had expressed unwillingness to go to the White House during Trump’s first term but either changed their minds or succumbed to pressure from team management.
A further complication for fans is that the Dodgers are owned by a corporate behemoth, Guggenheim Partners, whose equity holdings, according to media reports and its own published balance sheets, include a stake in the GEO Group, a private prison corporation that operates ICE detention centers. Guggenheim’s leadership has said many times that it wants to stay out of politics, but its critics say the silence – and the GEO investment – are their own form of acquiescence to Trump’s agenda.
All of that adds up to considerable mixed feelings among Latino fans in particular – feelings that surfaced even in the euphoria of this year’s hard-won World Series victory and the ensuing explosion of Dodgers pride across Los Angeles.
“Is it okay to root for the Dodgers?” local columnist Erick Galindo agonized at the start of the playoffs in an elegant essay ruminating on “Dodger blue in our veins, but doubt in our hearts”. Galindo couldn’t ultimately bring himself to watch the World Series, but he still cared deeply, to the point that he decided his one-man boycott must have brought the team the luck it needed to win.
Many fans who share Galindo’s misgivings appear to have decided that they can continue to support the team and its roster of international players, including the Japanese megastar Shohei Ohtani, while pouring scorn on the team’s corporate overlords. Nowhere was this more evident than at the victory celebration at Dodger Stadium on Monday, when the capacity crowd roared in approval of Roberts and his players but booed Kasten and Mark Walter, the chief executive of Guggenheim Partners.
“These men in suits don’t get to take our boys in blue from us,” Molina said. “We’ve been with the Dodgers longer than they have.”
The problem, though, runs deeper than just the team’s current owners. The deal that brought the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles in the late 1950s involved the city razing three working-class Latino neighborhoods on a hill above downtown and then selling the land to the team for a fraction of its market value. A song on Ry Cooder’s 2005 album Chavez Ravine, which chronicles the story, has an impoverished parking attendant at the stadium revealing that the home he lost to eviction is now third base.
Gustavo Arellano, perhaps southern California’s most widely followed Mexican American columnist and broadcaster, sees a darker side to the long, dysfunctional relationship between the team and its fanbase. He calls the Dodgers the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos of baseball, “a corporate entity with an undue, even unhealthy following by too many Latinos” that has been shortchanging its fans for decades.
“They’ve put one arm around Latino fans while picking their pockets with the other for so long because they have been able to get away with it,” Arellano wrote over the summer, when calls to boycott the team over its lack of response to the ICE raids were upended by the uncomfortable fact that attendance at home games did not dip, even at the height of the protests when downtown LA was subject to a nightly curfew.
Separating the team from its corporate owners is not a simple matter, not least because it was Guggenheim that committed more than a billion dollars last year to bring Ohtani and the dominant pitcher of the World Series, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, to Los Angeles. Guggenheim has been in the forefront of internationalizing the sport more generally, finding so many business opportunities through rights and merchandising that, according to some reports, it has already recouped the eye-popping $700m investment it made in Ohtani alone.
Indeed, there was talk across baseball, even before Los Angeles snagged its second World Series in a row, that the Dodgers were ruining the sport with their financial muscle, snapping up so many star players that it was unfair to everyone else. Perhaps the greatest gift of the brilliant, compulsively watchable series with the Blue Jays, though, was how vulnerable the Dodgers looked and how hard they had to scratch and claw to save themselves through both concluding, must-win games.
Karen Bass, LA’s mayor, is not alone in seeing parallels with a singularly rough year in the city’s history, starting with January’s devastating wildfires that destroyed entire neighborhoods and displaced tens of thousands of people. “The city has been on pins and needles,” she told the New York Times. “Given the year we’ve had, we can use this burst of adrenaline, this burst of good will.”
The players themselves, meanwhile, clearly see a connection between their performance on the field and the community at large, and the feeling is mutual. Hernández, the Puerto Rican left fielder who plays multiple other positions, endeared himself to many fans by making his own statement condemning the ICE raids over the summer. “I may not be [an Angeleno] born and raised,” he wrote, “but … I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart.”
Roki Sasaki, the youngest of the team’s Japanese superstars, won the hearts of Latino fans from the moment he chose a catchy Spanish-language dance number, Báilalo Rocky, as his walk-up music before he pitches. (The song, he explained, was suggested to him by Rojas.)
All this is grist to the conversations that Latino fans have with each other before, during and after games. Many say they would no sooner stop loving the team known in Spanish as “los Doyers” as they would stop loving the mothers and fathers who first brought them to games and gave them their taste for baseball.
“What do you do when you feel something, and it’s complicated?” Molina asked. “For many Latinos, the Dodgers are how they connect to an American identity. It’s the most American institution most immigrants in LA feel connected to.”
Ritchie To Play Alongside Barzal In Islanders' Debut vs. CapitalsCalum Ritchie will skate with Mathew Barzal and Kyle Palmieri for his Islanders debut against the Capitals.
Why Ritchie At 2C & Barzal With Horvat Is The Islanders’ Best FormulaThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders">New York Islanders</a> snapped their three-game skid last night, beating the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals">Washington Capitals</a> 3-1.
