From Gary Klein: Sean McVay won’t have to worry about Matthew Stafford catching a twice-tipped pass and stumbling over the goal line during a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys.
That anxiety-inducing event occurred last year when the Rams practiced against the Cowboys.
On Tuesday, the Rams again travel to Oxnard to practice against the Cowboys before Saturday’s preseason game at SoFi Stadium.
But the back issue that sidelined Stafford throughout training camp will keep him off the field.
When the Rams go through a jog-through on Monday, Stafford will continue to work out on his own, McVay said Sunday after the final public workout at Loyola Marymount.
“He is able to do a little bit more, which is good, and things are progressing well,” McVay said. “But he won’t take part in the jog-through because he’ll be doing some other stuff during that time.”
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DODGERS
From Jack Harris: Scoring runs at Steinbrenner Field should not be as hard as the Dodgers made it look this weekend.
The spring training ballpark, which is doubling as the Tampa Bay Rays’ temporary home this season after Tropicana Field was shredded in an offseason hurricane, has small Yankee Stadium-inspired dimensions that played even shorter in this weekend’s sweltering Florida summer heat.
Yet, for 18 innings, from the top of the sixth on Friday night to the end of the fifth on Sunday afternoon, the Dodgers put nothing but zeros on the scoreboard.
They couldn’t capitalize on the short porch in right field. They didn’t run into any cheap home runs amid conditions that should have helped the ball fly.
During a 3-0 win over the Rays on Sunday, the Dodgers manufactured offense in different kinds of ways instead.
In the top of the sixth, third base coach Dino Ebel decided to wave his arm on an aggressive send of Freddie Freeman, who chugged to the plate and just beat out a tag to score on Andy Pages’ RBI single to left.
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Dodgers box score
MLB scores
MLB standings
ANGELS
Taylor Ward hit a game-ending three-run homer in the ninth inning, Zach Neto had a home run and three RBIs and the Angels beat the Chicago White Sox 8-5 on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep.
In a tie game, Nolan Schanuel doubled with one out in the ninth before Mike Trout was walked intentionally. Ward went deep against left-hander Tyler Alexander (4-10) to set a career high with 26 home runs.
Right-hander Kenley Jansen (4-2) pitched a scoreless ninth for the Angels (54-58).
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Dan Ardell did a rare feat in his brief Angels career. But it did not define his life
Angels box score
MLB scores
MLB standings
From Ben Bolch: Tino Sunseri is spending the next two weeks in Costa Mesa while a large chunk of his heart resides on the East Coast.
That’s where the new UCLA offensive coordinator’s wife and 3-month-old son are living with one set of grandparents, allowing Tino to focus the best he can on training camp with the Bruins.
The first-time father is buoyed both by what he’s seeing with his team and reports about his infant, who giggled for the first time the other day. Santino Michael Sunseri Jr. already has a nickname — “We’re calling him Sonny, like ‘The Godfather,’ ” Tino cracked, referring to Santino “Sonny” Corleone from the movie — and curiously studies his father in FaceTime sessions.
“Right now,” Tino said Saturday morning, “he’s kind of giving me that look, like, ‘Hey, I know your voice, but who are you right here?’”
There’s also plenty of getting to know you between Sunseri and his new quarterback.
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CHARGERS
From Anthony De Leon: For Chargers rookie Tre’ Harris, the opportunity to see the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, proved to be an eye-opening experience — a moment of validation for his budding NFL career.
“Being able to go to the Hall of Fame, seeing all of the busts, all the players and the history of the game, just tells you, ‘You made it to the NFL,’” Harris said.
Getting the chance to play in the Chargers’ 34-7 win over the Detroit Lions in the Hall of Fame Game fulfilled a childhood dream for the Lafayette, La., native. But the Hall of Fame week experience left him with a clearer understanding of what it takes to be a legend in the sport.
“Being able to see all those players, those legends who’ve done it at the very pinnacle of the game — it really shows how much work you have to put in to be as good as them, or even really sniff their sneakers,” Harris said.
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WNBA
From Ira Gorawara: With red welts scattered like landmarks of the war she’d just waged, Kelsey Plum let the microphone have it.
“I drive more than anyone in the league,” the Sparks guard said, voice taut. “So to shoot six free throws is f— absurd. And I got scratches on my face, I got scratches on my body, and these guards on the other teams get these ticky-tack fouls, and I’m sick of it.”
Plum played 41 minutes during an overtime loss to the Golden State Valkyries, during which she was awarded those six free throws. She is one of many WNBA players, coaches and fans who have vented frustration over what they see as inconsistent and unreliable officiating this season.
Yet, within the walls of the league’s officiating office, there is steadfast belief that referees are doing their jobs well.
“Overall, I’m very pleased with the work this year,” said Monty McCutchen, the head of referee training and development for all NBA leagues.
But McCutchen and Sue Blauch, who oversees WNBA referee performance and development, aren’t blind to the backlash — acknowledging “some high-profile misses that we need to own on our end.”
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GOLF
From Bill Dwyre: This is a story about a movie that saved a sport. OK, that’s a stretch, but only a little one.
Scottie Scheffler is the No. 1 golfer in the world. Has been for a couple of years. He has won two Masters titles, one PGA Championship and the recent British Open, as well as an Olympic gold medal. He is so good that somebody ought to check his golf balls for tiny magnets that hook up to the cups on the greens. So far this year, by slapping a little white dimpled ball around in the grass, he has won $19.2 million. He has yet to turn 30, but his overall income, just from golf tournaments, is around $90 million.
This guy is so good that his caddie, Ted Scott, is estimated, at the normal 10% of winnings, to have pocketed about $5 million. For carrying a bag.
So, what’s the problem?
Scheffler is so good that he might also be sparking a trend called remote remorse. You really want to watch, but once he gets ahead by a couple of shots, there is nothing left. No drama, no possible twist and turn, no chance of any excitement. Other players in those tense, title-on-the-line final holes, dunk a shot into the water or bury one so deep in the sand that their only choice of club is a shovel.
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THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1936 — American athlete Jesse Owens wins his 2nd gold medal at the Berlin Olympics; beats German Luz Long in the long jump final with an Olympic record.
1945 — Byron Nelson wins his 11th consecutive PGA Tour event, beating Herman Barron by four strokes. Nelson finishes the year with a record for most tournament wins (18) in a season.
1984 — Carl Lewis wins the 100-meter dash in 9.99 seconds at the Los Angeles Summer Games. US teammate Sam Graddy wins the silver in 10.19 and Canada’s Ben Johnson gets the bronze with a time of 10.22.
1996 — Laura Davies shoots a 6-under 66 for a two-stroke victory over Nancy Lopez and Karrie Webb in the du Maurier Classic.
1996 — The Atlanta Olympic Games end with U.S. boxer David Reid’s stunning gold-medal knockout, and the women Dream Team’s romp over Brazil. Reid captures America’s only boxing gold, knocking down Cuban Alfredo Duvergel, while the U.S. women roll to a 111-87 victory behind Lisa Leslie’s 29 points. A record 11,000 athletes from 197 countries make it the biggest Olympics.
2011 — Cappie Pondexter scores 15 points to lead New York past Chicago 59-49, and the Liberty hold the Sky to a WNBA-record one point in the fourth quarter.
2012 — Michael Phelps wins another gold medal as the United States wins the medley relay at the London Olympics. Phelps leaves the sport with a record 18 golds and 22 medals overall. At these games, he wins four golds and two silvers.
2012 — Serena Williams beats Maria Sharapova 6-0, 6-1 to join Steffi Graf as the only women to complete the Golden Slam — winning the Olympics and the four majors. In a men’s semifinal match, Roger Federer outlasts Juan Martin del Potro in a 19-17 final set and clinches his first Olympic singles medal. Canadian equestrian Ian Millar rides into Olympic history by competing in his 10th games — the most of any athlete.
2013 — Missy Franklin claims her record sixth gold medal on the final day of the world championships in Barcelona, becoming the most successful female swimmer ever at a world meet. Franklin eclipses the record shared by Tracy Caulkins — who won five times in 1978 — and Libby Trickett, who did it in 2007.
2013 — Stacy Lewis wins the Women’s British Open after a marathon final day. Lewis finishes with a pair of birdies on the Old Course at St. Andrews and closes with an even-par 72. It’s her second major on the LPGA Tour, and it ends a record streak of 10 straight majors won by Asian players. Forced to play 36 holes, Lewis is the only player at par or better from the last 21 groups that tee off.
2018 — British swimmer Adam Peaty improves his own world record in the 100-meter breaststroke to 57.1 seconds at the European Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.
2021 — Sydney McLaughlin sets a world record in in the women’s 400m hurdles, 51.46s, for a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
2024 — At the Paris Olympics Noah Lyles becomes the first American sprinter to win the 100m gold medal in 20 years; his time 9.784s edges Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by 0.005s
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1884 — Pud Galvin pitched the most lopsided no-hitter in major league history as the Buffalo Bisons routed the Detroit Wolverines 18-0. It is the second career no-hitter for Galvin.
1910 — Jack Coombs of the Philadelphia A’s and Ed Walsh of the Chicago White Sox hooked up in a 16-inning scoreless tie. Coombs struck out 18 and allowed three hits.
1945 — Bill Salkeld of Pittsburgh hit for the cycle in a 6-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Pirate catcher went 5 for 5 and drove in all five runs.
1945 — Boston’s Tom McBride became the third player to drive in six runs in an inning as the Red Sox pounded Washington 15-4. McBride had a bases-loaded double and triple during the Red Sox’s 12-run fourth inning.
1953 — New York’s Vic Raschi set a record for a pitcher by driving in seven runs in a 15-0 win over the Detroit Tigers.
1963 — New York’s Mickey Mantle, batting for the first time in two months after breaking his left foot, hit a pinch home run as the Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 11-10 for a split of a doubleheader.
1973 — John Briggs of the Milwaukee Brewers went 6-for-6 in a 9-4 win over the Cleveland Indians.
1979 — Atlanta knuckleballer Phil Niekro set modern major league records with four wild pitches in one inning (fifth) and six in one game. The Braves lost to Houston 6-2.
1982 — Joel Youngblood became the first player in major league history to play and get a base hit for two different teams in two different cities in the same day. In the afternoon, his hit drove in the winning run for the New York Mets in a 7-4 victory at Chicago. After the game, he was traded to the Montreal Expos and played that night in Philadelphia. He entered the game in right field in the fourth inning and later got a single.
1985 — Tom Seaver, 40, became the 17th 300-game winner in major league history with a six-hitter — all singles — as the Chicago White Sox defeated the New York Yankees 4-1 on Phil Rizzuto Day.
1985 — Rod Carew of the Angels got his 3,000th hit in a 6-5 win over the Minnesota Twins, his first major league team.
2006 — Chase Utley went 0-for-5 night in Philadelphia’s 5-3 victory over the New York Mets, ending a 35-game hitting streak that tied him for the 10th longest in major league history and the fourth longest in National League history.
2007 — In the 2nd inning of a 3-2 loss to the Padres, Barry Bonds hits his 755th career home run to tie Hank Aaron for the all-time record.
2007 — Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player in major league history to hit 500 home runs with a first-inning homer in a 16-8 victory over Kansas City.
2010 — Alex Rodriguez hit his 600th home run and became the youngest player to attain the milestone. His two-run, first-inning drive off Toronto’s Shaun Marcum put New York ahead, and the Yankees coasted to a 5-1 victory over the Blue Jays.
2021 — Japan moves into the gold medal game in the Tokyo Olympics.
2022 — The Angels tie a record by hitting seven homers but still losing the game, 8-7 to the A’s, also setting a record for most runs scored in a game, all on solo homers. Shohei Ohtani hits a pair, followed by Kurt Suzuki, Taylor Ward, Jo Adell, Jared Walsh and Mickey Moniak. However, Oakland scores six times in the 3rd and adds a two-run blast by Ramon Laureano in the 4th to negate the Angels’ long balls.
2024 — With a 13-7 loss to the Twins, the White Sox’s losing streak reaches historic proportion at 20 games. It is a new franchise record and tied for third all-time, trailing only the 21 losses by the 1988 Baltimore Orioles to start that season, and the 23 consecutive losses by the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.