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Future Flyers Stars Honored in OHL Coaches Poll

Flyers prospect Oliver Bonk makes a hit on former Bruins captain Brad Marchand during a preseason game. (Photo: Brian Fluharty, Imagn Images)

Three top Philadelphia Flyers prospects, and, potentially, their future teammates, have been recognized by OHL coaches as some of the top players in different categories in this year’s annual OHL Coaches Poll.

Denver Barkey, Jett Luchanko, and Oliver Bonk all placed highly in at least one category, though Barkey, the captain of the London Knights, was the most prominently featured Flyers prospect in the poll.

Barkey, 19, earned 11 points for the Western Conference’s Smartest Player category, trailing potential 2025 No. 1 overall pick Michael Misa (32) and breakout star Ilya Protas (30).

The Flyers’ 2023 third-round pick again placed behind Misa (23) and Protas (36), picking up 21 points in polling for the Western Conference’s Best Playmaker.

As for the Best Stickhandler, Protas came out on top with 27 points, but Barkey was narrowly behind him with 19 points, which also put him level with top Calgary prospect Zayne Parekh.

Luchanko, who recently recorded his first professional point, only appeared as a finalist in one category, though it is the one you’d most expect from the Flyers’ 2024 first-round pick.

Defenseman Matthew Schaefer, contending with Misa and others for the right to be the top pick this summer, was named the Best Skater in the Western Conference with 34 points, though Luchanko was a very close second with his 30 points.

Bonk, Barkey’s teammate, fellow Flyers prospect, and draft classmate, was a finalist in two categories, but was not particularly close to winning either.

The 20-year-old defenseman placed third for the Best Shot Blocker in the Western Conference (13 points), but notably finished second for Best Defensive Defenseman (14 points) ahead of Schaefer (13 points). Ottawa’s Matthew Andonovski ran away with top honors with his 33 points.

Takeaways from the OHL Coaches Poll

As noted above, Barkey is the clear standout here, though the Flyers are assuredly happy to see any prospects recognized this way.

Due to an offseason bout with mono, Barkey was unable to participate in the Flyers’ development camp and training camp, and upon returning to the Knights, got off to a slow start offensively.

The 19-year-old exploded for 35 goals and 102 points for the Knights last season, and while his 25 goals and 82 points this season pale in comparison, he also played 14 fewer regular season games.

At the end of the day, 10 goals and 20 points in 14 games are nothing for a talented prospect like Barkey playing in the OHL in his D+2 season. Accounting for the slow start, Barkey would have easily shattered his career-highs in those categories.

Barkey and the Knights just made quick work of the Owen Sound Attack in the OHL playoffs, sweeping their opponents in four games and winning by no fewer than three goals in all four.

Quietly, Barkey has 16 points in his last five games and 24 points in his last 10. The Knights’ season might not end in time for Barkey to make his pro debut for the Flyers organization, but it’s now a matter of when, not if.

What the diminutive 5-foot-9 forward lacks in size, he makes up for in skill and a never-say-die attitude on the ice.

Some Flyers fans are concerned with the lack of offensive production from Bonk, who scored 13 fewer goals and 27 fewer points than last season despite only playing in eight fewer games.

The reality is that Bonk was never going to be a major point-producer at the NHL level, as nice as it would be. A lot of his production came from filling a niche role on the Knights’ power play (see: Bumper Bonk), and we know the Flyers’ power play is not exactly one that is prolific.

Placing highly in two defensive categories bodes well for Bonk’s future as an NHL player.

Luchanko had a strange season. The 18-year-old played four NHL games for the Flyers between Oct. 11 and Oct. 19, then returned to the Guelph Storm.

The issue is that Guelph was not a good team all season and traded away much of their talent aside from Luchanko.

The first-year Storm captain finished his third OHL season with 21 goals (career-high), 35 assists, and 56 points in 46 games.

Now that he’s made his debut for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Luchanko has played in the NHL, AHL, OHL, and World Junior Championships this season.

From personal experience talking to him and meeting him, Luchanko works hard, takes things easy, and never complains. But he’s had quite the busy season overall.

Coaches Poll notwithstanding, it would not at all be a surprise to see Luchanko rocking the Orange and Black again next season, just for more than a four-game trial.

All three of these Flyers prospects were drafted to be meaningful pieces for the future, and they all appear to be well on their way to becoming that.

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Watch Stephen Curry drop 37 on Lakers in Warriors win in potential first-round preview

NBA: Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers

Apr 3, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) moves to the basket agianst Los Angeles Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith (17) and guard Luka Doncic (77) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

We're only going to get so many more of these entertaining showdowns between Stephen Curry and LeBron James. We need to savor them.

Although we could get six or seven more in the first round of the West playoffs in a 4/5 matchup — and if Thursday night was any indication, it would be appointment viewing.

Stephen Curry dropped 37 points on the Lakers, outdueling LeBron James and his 33, giving the Warriors a 123-116 win on the road Thursday night.

This win was huge for Golden State, as it moved the No. 5 seed Warriors within a game of the No. 4 seed Lakers in a tight Western Conference. The Grizzlies and Timberwolves are tied for the 6/7 spots, just half a game back of the Warriors (one back of Golden State in the loss column). The Lakers are just half a game back of the Nuggets for the No. 3 seed, putting the Warriors 1.5 games back, and those teams face off Friday night in the Bay Area.

As great as Curry was, the Warriors won this game by winning the non-Curry minutes — Golden State was +8 with Curry off the court. The Warriors' other players also stepped up: Brandin Podziemski hit a career-high eight 3-pointers on his way to 28 points, while Jonathan Kuminga came off the bench with 18 points and nine rebounds, plus played fantastic defense at times on Luka Doncic, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Austin Reaves. Draymond Green also strengthened his case for Defensive Player of the Year with this performance.

On the other side, as J.J. Redick put it about Luka Doncic, "Wasn’t his night." Doncic finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and 7 assists but was 0-of-6 on 3-pointers and just did not control the game the way he has of late in Los Angeles. Austin Reaves had another strong offensive outing with 31 points.

The Warriors with Jimmy Butler in the lineup continue to look like a genuine threat to Oklahoma City in the playoffs. The Lakers do as well at points, but as Redick said, Los Angeles is still building its playoff mentality: "We're not there."

The Lakers will need to get there in a couple of weeks when the playoffs start, and they could see Curry and these Warriors in the first round.

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How Steph made NBA history in Warriors' huge win over Lakers

How Steph made NBA history in Warriors' huge win over Lakers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry made more NBA history in Thursday’s 123-116 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

With his 37-point outburst, the Warriors superstar became the oldest point guard to record back-to-back games of 35 points or more.

Curry’s stellar shooting from the free-throw line helped Golden State get a much-needed victory against Los Angeles. This followed his incredible 52-point performance in the previous game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

These two crucial wins have placed the Warriors in contention for a high playoff seed in the Western Conference.

Since trading for Jimmy Butler, the 37-year-old has experienced a scoring renaissance, averaging 29.2 points per game and ripping long-range shots like the good old days.

With six games left in the regular season, the Warriors are one game back of the Lakers for the fourth seed in the West.

Given Curry’s resurgent play and the continued development of the rest of Golden State’s lineup, the franchise heads into the postseason with plenty of positive momentum.

Still, the road to a favorable playoff seed won’t get any easier with two of the best teams in the Western Conference up next. Curry will need to channel more of his magical shot-making in the next two games if the Warriors want to beat the Denver Nuggets (47-30) and the Houston Rockets (50-27).

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Stevens details how Tatum and Brown's growth has reached a new level

Stevens details how Tatum and Brown's growth has reached a new level originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

From acquiring Derrick White in 2022 to swinging trades for Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in 2023, Brad Stevens made a number of masterful moves that helped the Boston Celtics win their 18th championship.

But the Celtics wouldn’t have raised Banner 18 last June without Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Tatum and Brown have blossomed into superstars in Boston. The former is a six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA First Team selection who’s one of the top five players in basketball, while the latter is a four-time All-Star who earned MVP honors in both the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals.

While the Jays have shown steady improvement since entering the league, they both took significant leaps last season — particularly in the playmaking department, where their assists per game shot up from 4.9 to 5.9 for Tatum and 3.6 to 4.6 for Brown.

In an exclusive interview with Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg, Stevens detailed how he’s seen Tatum and Brown evolve, especially over the last few seasons.

“Jayson’s been special from Day 1,” Stevens said. “I think the strength that he’s put on in the last few years has been really beneficial, not only in finishing or holding his spot — he doesn’t get knocked off his spot like he did maybe in his early years — and then also defensively in his ability to play anyone from the point guard to the center.

“A lot of times in this day and age, you’re not getting posted by centers, so you can be a little bit more creative defensively, but you still have to block them out and you still have to engage physically down in the paint, and he does a great job of that.”

That physicality has helped Tatum average 8.7 rebounds per game this season, his fourth consecutive season averaging at least eight rebounds per game after he averaged 5.0 boards per game as a rookie. Stevens also is impressed by how Tatum’s court vision has evolved.

“The experience that you go through being double-teamed, seeing different coverages — you get to the point where you’re 27 years old and you’ve pretty much seen it all,” Stevens said.

“You can see that he plays the game — we always like to say that he plays the game unconsciously competent. He doesn’t need to think about it. He sees it, he makes the right read, and he’s just gotten better and better and better.”

As for Brown, Stevens marveled at the athletic wing’s ability to guard Luka Doncic full-court during the 2024 NBA Finals, all while averaging 20.8 points per game on the offensive end.

“He’s had great growth all the way through,” Stevens said of Brown. “Again, I go back to, if you would have told me his first year that he would have been guarding the point guard in the Finals and picking up full (court) and being able to navigate and handle all those screens and everything else, I’d say that he’s capable of doing that, but there’s a lot that goes into that. And those are things that you gain from experience, too.”

Tatum and Brown are both very gifted scorers, but earlier in their careers, they’d occasionally struggle to set up their teammates and make the right passes out of defensive pressure. They’ve both made huge strides in that department over the last two seasons, however — aided in part by an excellent supporting cast built by Stevens.

“Offensively, you just continue to see the growth and the ability to, again, when those guys draw two, just make the right play,” Stevens said. “It’s such a critical part of the game, and it’s not as easy as everybody makes it out to be.”

“There’s different ways that they have to get used to reading all this when you’re ‘the guy.’ The amount of coverages that they see and the reads they have to make are different than everyone else sees, because they’re not guarded that way.”

Check out the video above for more from Stevens on Tatum and Brown’s growth.

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Why Windhorst claims Warriors are West's ‘secret No. 2 seed'

Why Windhorst claims Warriors are West's ‘secret No. 2 seed' originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors have skyrocketed up the Western Conference standings after acquiring star forward Jimmy Butler in a blockbuster trade on Feb. 5.

With six games remaining in the 2024-25 NBA regular season, Golden State (45-31) currently is the West’s No. 5 playoff seed, with a handful of teams, including the Memphis Grizzlies (45-32), Minnesota Timberwolves (45-32) and Los Angeles Clippers (44-32) chasing them in the rearview mirror.

With matchups against Western Conference foes like the Denver Nuggets (47-30), Houston Rockets (50-27), Phoenix Suns (35-41) and the Clippers still remaining on the schedule, the Warriors’ playoff positioning could change drastically in the next nine days, but ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes Golden State truly is one of the best teams in the West, regardless of where it finishes the regular season.

“The Warriors come out with, I think, their biggest win of the season,” Windhorst said Thursday night on “SportsCenter” after Golden State’s 123-116 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.

“… They are sort of the secret No. 2 seed here, because when Draymond Green, Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler play together, they’re now 19-2. The lineup that started tonight, which included Brandin Podziemski, who had one of the games of his career, they’re now 12-0. So when this team gets together, they are an absolute beast.”

It’s no secret who the West’s true No. 1 seed is, as the Oklahoma City Thunder (64-12) have held down the top spot for the entire season and will have home-court advantage throughout the postseason.

And regardless of where the Warriors finish in the conference standings, Windhorst believes they are capable of beating just about any team.

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Three Takeaways From Montreal's Dominant Win Over Boston

Nick Suzuki - Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

When the Boston Bruins turned up at the Bell Centre to face the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, only seven of their dressed players were with the team at the end of the last season. No more Brad Marchand, no Charlie McAvoy (due to injury), and no more Linus Ullmark who was traded to Ottawa last offseason. It’s been a tough season in Boston, but before this final tilt, the Bs had managed to win their first two games against the Canadiens this year.

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Rough Stuff

The actors of past memorable battles may not be there, but as long as those two teams face each other, there will be extracurricular activities after the whistle, as sure as the sky is blue. In the first frame, 23 hits were thrown, 13 by Boston and 10 by Montreal.

Juraj Slafkovsky had some words with David Pastrnak, and it looked like the Czech was asking him to dance, but nothing came of it. Still, shortly after that, the former first-overall pick had to handle a punishing hit from Nikita Zadorov. As the Canadiens led 2-0 in the middle frame, the youngster was enjoying poking fun at several Bruins, the Slovak isn’t scared to poke the sleeping bear apparently.

As for Josh Anderson, he was his usual wrecking ball self, throwing three hits, second only to Emil Heineman, who had four in the first frame. He was tied with Zadorov for the most hits across both teams. Anderson and Heineman finished the game with five hits each while Michael Pezzetta, who played 7:47 recorded seven hits.

By the end of the game, the Canadiens had 33 hits and the Bruins 29, which was the only aspect in which the Bruins weren’t manhandled.

A Dominant Second

In the first frame, the Canadiens didn’t look like they were playing a team that had lost its last six games in regulation and nine in a row; they looked like they were playing down to the competition. They looked nervous, and couldn't execute properly in the offensive zone. Someone must have said something during the break because the Habs dominated the middle frame.

Boston struggled to get out of its own end and could only muster three shots on net in that frame—full marks to Samuel Montembeault for not falling asleep out there.

The Tricolore had complete control of the puck in Boston’s territory and took 18 shots on goal. Had it not been for Swayman, it could have been 5-0 for the Canadiens after 40 minutes. We’ve seen this team dominate in the past but struggle to separate itself from the opponent, but on Thursday night, the goals were there.

The Veteran Line

While some may not have noticed, the third line formed by Brendan Gallagher, Christian Dvorak, and Anderson has a goal in nine of the last 10 games, including five goals for the pivot. Asked for his thoughts about that line, Martin St-Louis said:

I think those are three vets who understand how we want to play, the moments of the game, and the momentum; they’re all on the same page. They are dedicated; they shoot, shoot, and shoot again. It’s a line that’s a good example of how direct they are in their play. They don’t take too many risks in the neutral zone and are efficient on the forecheck.
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Gallagher was named the game's first star thanks to a goal and an assist, and he received a big ovation. There’s no doubt these fans are right there with the Canadiens’ biggest warrior as he navigates through the pain of losing his mother.

The Canadiens won the game 4-1 in the end and remain in the second wild card spot with seven games to go. It was a big night for Nick Suzuki, who reached the 80-point mark, the first Canadiens player to do so since Alex Kovalev. As for Cole Caufield, he recorded his 35th goal of the season. While the 40-goal mark is in sight, it may be out of reach for this season, but it feels like he will get there sooner rather than later.

You can see the excitement in the coach's eye in his post-game pressers, St-Louis the player was a competitor and the coach wants to be as well:

Learning's over at this stage, we have to execute and that's what we did tonight. 
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‘He’s seen as a pariah’: how Chansiri’s Sheffield Wednesday reign went sour

With delays in paying players and an owner who has lost the faith of fans, the Championship club urgently need a plan

It is highly unlikely a statement including the phrase “impacted on the club’s immediate cashflow” can result in anything positive. Sheffield Wednesday announced their latest financial issues on Monday after failing to pay their players on time at the end of March, putting the Championship side under a dark cloud.

This is the latest cause for concern among Owls supporters who have become increasingly frustrated by the ownership of Dejphon Chansiri, and the longer the players are not remunerated the greater the risk of punishment. An English Football League charge could come next week if the players remain unpaid. A fine, transfer ban or points deduction would then be among the options open to the league, which is in dialogue with Wednesday, if the matter is not resolved quickly, which the club is confident it will be.

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Shaikin: What's the future for aging Angel Stadium? It feels like an increasingly uncertain one

FILE - In this Monday, April 4, 2016 file photo, Fans line up outside Angel Stadium of Anaheim for an opening day baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Chicago Cubs in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Angels have opted out of their Angel Stadium lease with the city of Anaheim. The Angels informed the city of their decision Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
Fans line up outside Angel Stadium for opening day in 2016. Only three MLB ballparks — Dodger Stadium, Fenway Park and Wrigley Field — are older than Angel Stadium. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

The Angels play their home opener Friday, the dawn of their 60th season in Angel Stadium.

Only three major league ballparks are older: Dodger Stadium, Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, all of which have been refreshed and revitalized for new generations of fans.

Angel Stadium remains in limbo, with an increasingly uncertain future.

For the better part of two decades, the Angels and the city of Anaheim have discussed, debated and twice agreed upon plans to enhance the stadium and secure the team’s future there. The city walked away from both deals, and for now, Angels owner Arte Moreno has little interest in trying again.

Anaheim mayor Ashleigh Aitken still plans to pursue a new deal.

Read more:Iván Herrera homers three times as Cardinals snap Angels' four-game winning streak

“It will be an issue to, hopefully, sooner rather than later, bring to resolution,” she told me.

Among the city’s options: selling the stadium and surrounding property to a third party, then letting that party deal with Moreno.

That option appears unlikely, but the possibility could give the city a bit of leverage at a time Moreno has the upper hand.

A more likely option appears to be the course of least resistance: The Angels exercise the final two options on their stadium lease, giving them control over development on the stadium site through 2038, with the city continuing to get no stadium rent from the Angels and no tax revenue from the parking lots it has failed to develop for 60 years.

Any sale would be subject to the Surplus Land Act, a state law that prioritizes the sale of public land for affordable housing. In January, Anaheim invited Angels president John Carpino to a meeting in which three city attorneys, the city manager, five other city officials and the city’s real estate consultant briefed Carpino on how the law could be applied to a potential new deal with the Angels.

The Angels shrugged. Two weeks later they told the city they would exercise their initial option to extend their stadium lease through 2032. Two weeks after that Moreno told the team website: “Maybe we’ll get a new mayor and council that want us to stay.”

One month after that Aitken told me she could not respond to that remark because she had not heard about it.

“Of course we want to keep baseball in the city of Anaheim,” Aitken said at a park dedication. “But it is going to be something that is going to inure to the benefit of both of us, so we can build more parks like this, we can build bigger libraries, and we can make sure that our fire and public safety have all the assets they need.”

Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken walks into Pride night at Angels Stadium on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 in Anaheim, CA.
"Of course we want to keep baseball in the city of Anaheim," Anaheim mayor Ashleigh Aitken, above at an Angels game in 2023, said recently. "But it is going to be something that is going to inure to the benefit of both of us." (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

That was the promise behind the two previous versions of a deal: The Angels would pay to renovate the stadium and build a village around it, and the city would reap the tax dollars from development.

In 2013, then-mayor Tom Tait essentially torpedoed the deal that city staff and consultants had negotiated with Moreno, arguing that leasing the property to the Angels for $1 per year made no sense when the land was worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

In 2022, three years after the city council approved selling the land to Moreno at a cash value announced at $325 million and later disclosed to be $150 million, the council killed the deal. In the interim, an FBI affidavit revealed then-mayor Harry Sidhu, under investigation for public corruption, had passed confidential property appraisal information to the Angels as the city negotiated with them.

Last month before Sidhu was sentenced to two months in federal prison, prosecutors said a city document shared with the Angels outlined how the team could complete the deal and then “flip the land for millions more than they paid for it.”

Under the two proposals that collapsed, the city negotiated only with the Angels rather than put the property up for bid and see what developers might offer, with or without a stadium included. The city could take bids this time.

However, the Angels’ ability to veto development on the land through 2038 likely means a bidder would heavily discount an offer, to account for the cost of buying now and possibly not building for another decade.

“The number would be so low that the city would be better off waiting,” said Louis Tomaselli, the Irvine-based executive managing director of JLL, a real estate and investment management firm.

Read more:Former Anaheim mayor sentenced in Angel Stadium corruption probe

The Angels play rent-free under the current lease because, under Disney ownership in 1996, they paid $97 million toward a stadium renovation that cost $117 million.

The city planned to make back its $20 million and much more — “a slam dunk,” the city manager said then — by putting up restaurants, shops, hotels, offices and sports and entertainment venues on a 45-acre slice of the 150-acre Angel Stadium property.

These days teams routinely demand the right to develop the land around their stadium — and cash in. The Atlanta Braves, for instance, generated $67 million in revenue last year from the Battery, a neighborhood next to the ballpark where fans eat, shop, play, work and live.

In Anaheim, for three decades, the city has done nothing with the stadium-adjacent land it has the right to develop.

The city could build atop that land today. Perhaps Moreno would not care. Or perhaps he would consider a new bid for all the stadium land, rather than risk the rise of a half-built parking lot from which he would generate no revenue.

However, one expert downplayed the prospect of the city developing just that section of the land, suggesting Anaheim would be wary of opening the door for a patchwork village to sprout atop the sea of pavement.

“You don’t want 10 different developers owning that site with different visions,” said Kurt Strasmann, executive managing director at the Newport Beach office of real estate giant CBRE. “You need one central plan.”

The most logical man with the plan would be Moreno, likely in partnership with a real estate developer. The city could strike a deal with him that not only could secure the team in Anaheim but also eliminate the very real prospect of litigation over who should have been paying what to keep up the stadium in recent years.

The city could demand Moreno drop the Los Angeles name from his team and revert to the Anaheim name, but he rejected that request during the 2019 negotiations and almost certainly would do so again.

“That will be a fair part of the discussions,” Aitken said. “I have always been an advocate that the Angels should have the city’s name at the forefront, especially considering that [property] is our largest asset. That is something that is a high, high priority for me.”

That could leave the city with the option to put the land up for bid, then let the winning bidder negotiate with Moreno about the stadium. In the meantime, Anaheim could cash in on a nine-figure land sale, then generate property taxes and sales taxes from the stadium site. City staffers warned the council last week Anaheim faces a projected $41-million deficit in the 2026-27 fiscal year. Oakland sold its stadium last year and used the money to avoid cuts in its police and fire departments.

It is improbable that a developer would buy the land without some understanding with Moreno about the long-term future of the Angels, but it is not impossible.

Read more:State audit shows Angels have upheld their stadium lease obligations

It also is improbable, but not impossible, that a developer would buy the land, start building around the stadium while the Angels' lease runs its course, then demolish the stadium and build out the rest of the site. Moreno is 78. If the city wants out and a developer wants in, there may not be an assurance the team stays in Anaheim beyond the current lease.

In any bid scenario — for part of the property or all of it, with a stadium or without one — the city would not be obligated to accept a bid.

The city says there are no negotiations underway with the Angels, and the state housing agency — the one that administers the Surplus Land Act — says it has not worked with the city on any new stadium plan. Council members, however, have received individual briefings on the act.

The Angels have called Anaheim home since 1966. The last 10 seasons have been losing ones, and attendance has fallen 32% from its peak. Tomaselli, the commercial real estate executive from Irvine, said the city could maximize the land value without a stadium on the property.

“The Dodgers are the hit, anyway,” he said.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Arellano: The Dodgers should meet with Trump. In No. 42 Jackie Robinson jerseys

Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers Shohei Ohtani, center right, joins team members to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day before a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles on Monday, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Shohei Ohtani, center right, joins fellow Dodgers to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day before a game against the Washington Nationals at Dodgers Stadium on April 15, 2024. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

When news broke that the Dodgers planned to visit President Trump at the White House to commemorate last year’s World Series win, grumbles quickly spread across L.A.

Who in the front office or clubhouse thought it was smart to celebrate the Dodgers' incredible 2024 run — powered by talent homegrown and international that looks like the city on its logo — with someone who lost L.A. County to Kamala Harris by nearly 33 points?

Why would the Blue Crew want to be seen with the reddest member of this country's own Red Army?

How could the team of Jackie Robinson and Jaime Jarrín — with appreciation nights this season for seven ethnic groups, the LGBTQ+ community and labor unions — possibly want anything to do with a commander-in-chief who has declared all things DEI verboten and wants to gut labor rights?

Calls immediately came for the Dodgers to follow the lead of champions like the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia Eagles, who boycotted the White House during Trump’s first term as a rebuke of everything he stands for.

Read more:Hernández: Dodgers visiting Trump's White House goes against everything they represent

One of those voices was my fellow Times columnista Dylan Hernández, who wrote last week that if the Dodgers follow through on the invite, they will be “bending the knee to hateful forces similar to the ones they challenged when breaking their sport’s color barrier.”

But showing up doesn’t necessarily have to mean bowing down.

Boycotts are a time-honored tradition in sports. In 2020, the Milwaukee Bucks refused to play to protest the police shooting of a Black man in Wisconsin, leading to similar actions by teams across the NBA, Major League Soccer, baseball and the WNBA. College athletes have walked out of practices to protest racism on campuses. Countries forgo the Olympics for political reasons all the time.

But the most powerful and best-remembered political protests by athletes are when they take their actions to, well, where the action is. Think Tommie Smith and John Carlos standing in silence, shoeless, gloved fists raised in a Black Power salute, during the 200-meter medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympics. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the 2016 season while the national anthem played — a move that may have ultimately cost him his career. Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali criticizing the Vietnam War and anti-Black racism in the prime of his career.

Those sportsmen brought dissent where it needed to be heard: in the face of power, during their brightest moments, at risk to their livelihoods. And history has absolved them all.

Tigers Quarterback Joe Burrow gives President Trump a team jersey while the team looks on.
Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow gives President Trump a team jersey as they take part in an event honoring the 2019 College Football National Champions, the Louisiana State University Tigers, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., in 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

White House visits by championship teams are a silly affair, quickly forgotten. But they're now a tradition of American sports, so I get why Dodgers president Stan Kasten tried to justify the decision to Hernández by saying, “It’s what [the players] all come to associate with being world champions. Everyone wanted to go, and so we did.”

But for him to insist, as he did to Hernández, that there's nothing political about it is as laughable as the proposed Dodger Stadium gondola. That’s why the team should not only swing by the White House on Monday, they should do it with the weight of L.A. on their minds.

I don’t expect the Dodgers to lash out at Trump and his policies, which have been one giant middle finger to California and everything it stands for. But just being there can be a powerful rebuke, if they own it.

They should bring along part-owner Billie Jean King, the tennis legend who fought machismo in sports and was one of the first LGBTQ athletes to publicly come out. Let Venezuela-born Miguel Rojas stand by Trump so the internet can point out that the president wants to end deportation protections for 600,000 of his countrymen.

Have Shohei Ohtani, the reigning National League MVP and the greatest baseball player in the world, shake Trump's hand to allow headlines to bloom about Trump's 24% tariffs on Japan. What, will the president next crack down on foreign athletes in the name of fostering American talent?

Everyone should wear No. 42 jerseys in honor of Robinson, who famously broke baseball’s color line and also fought segregation in the military. The Department of Defense initially took down an article on its website about Robinson's military service — and his refusal to move to the back of an Army bus — until facing furious pushback from everyone with a sense of decency.

All of those gestures are simple and doable and speak volumes. Sometimes, merely showing up and not hiding who you are is how to fight back best.

Read more:Dodgers will visit President Trump and the White House to celebrate World Series title

Opponents of Trump can’t scream into the void, or among themselves, and think that’s resistance enough. They shouldn’t cede the traditions of this country, like the flag, the White House and democracy, to a tyrant like Trump just because he has wrapped himself in them.

Going to the White House does not normalize Trump — it’s a reminder that the place is ours, not his.

Besides, L.A. shouldn’t shut out Trump from our lives, especially while he’s in power. He needs to be dealt with in any way possible — and that includes meeting him in person.

That’s why when Trump visited the wreckage of the Palisades fire earlier this year, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger sat with him at a roundtable discussion, reminding the president in front of the press what L.A. is about and challenging him to help.

The Dodgers can't possibly think that just posing for photos and handing Trump a commemorative jersey qualifies as time well spent. Or maybe it's all wishful thinking on my part. For all the hype about being there for fans and reflecting L.A. at all times, the Dodgers have historically cared only about one thing: the Dodgers.

So my last argument for the team to do something significant with their visit makes it all about them.

Guys: Y'all pioneered the type of globalism and multiculturalism that Trump loathes, that L.A. now exemplifies and that continues to power the best franchise in baseball. It's time to stand tall for the Dodger Way at the moment it matters the most.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.