The Sports Report: Lakers coach JJ Redick learns a lot on the first day of training camp

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

From Broderick Turner: JJ Redick was given advice on how to deal with his first day of practice as a new coach with the Lakers.

So on Tuesday, when Redick held his first day of training camp after leaving the television and podcast space to become the leading man of the historic franchise, he knew just what to do.

“When I first took the Lakers job, all of my friends that are coaches in the league told me to ‘delegate,’” Redick said, smiling.

So, the voices of assistant coaches Bob Beyers and Greg St. Jean were prominent throughout the session. Before that, Redick took charge, holding a team meeting Monday night in Beverly Hills to discuss the team’s “identity” for this season.

“One of the things that I’m big on is using time efficiently,” Redick said.. “I haven’t been around LeBron [James] a ton, but I know that’s big for him as well and I think as any NBA player will tell you, like, they really value their time. And I did not want to take time today to have some long meetings. So, I used last night as a meeting to just set the tone for who we are going to be on both ends of the floor and the things that we’re going to value as a group.”

James and Anthony Davis spent much of their summer with Team USA, including winning gold in the Paris Olympics, so they didn’t join the Lakers’ offseason workouts until mid-September. Both got occasional texts from Redick checking in with his stars.

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DODGERS

From Jack Harris: The question was simple.

The responses were strikingly alike.

How well have the Dodgers gotten to know Shohei Ohtani this year?

Well enough for several of his new teammates to draw a similar conclusion about the superstar’s personality, noticing an unexpected dichotomy at the heart of the 30-year-old’s success.

“[He can] be goofy and playful and look like he’s really having fun playing the game,” said veteran utilityman Chris Taylor. “But then also at the same time be super focused and locked in.”

“He’s pretty serious,” catcher Austin Barnes echoed. “But he can joke and mess around, too. He makes me laugh.”

“He’s almost like a little kid, trapped in a giant body,” Kiké Hernández explained. “He doesn’t necessarily always show it. But I was surprised by how much personality he has.

Indeed, for as much as Ohtani has surpassed expectations on the field this season — he’s all but to certain to win a third career most valuable player award with 54 home runs, 59 stolen bases, a .310 batting average and 130 RBIs on a first-place Dodgers team that begins its postseason on Saturday — his acclimation behind the scenes has been equally noteworthy to people around the team.

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From Mike DiGiovanna: If Andrew Friedman donned a white coat and protective goggles and went into a lab to create the perfect position-playing depth piece for the Dodgers, he would walk out with Tommy Edman.

The team’s president of baseball operations has long placed a premium on versatility, and Edman is a Swiss Army Knife of a utility man, one who can play three outfield and three infield positions and excels at the all-important up-the-middle spots — shortstop, second base and center field.

In addition to his defensive dexterity, Edman, 29, is a switch-hitter who has historically been equally productive from both sides of the plate, giving manager Dave Roberts maximum flexibility for daily lineup decisions and in-game moves.

“To be able to play so many different positions and do so at such a high level, with the switch-hitting ability, the contact skills, the foot speed … there are just so many aspects that can help you win a game,” Friedman said. “He’s a guy who has been on our radar a long time.”

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MLB POSTSEASON SCHEDULE

Wild-card round
All times Pacific

National League
No. 6 NY Mets at No. 3 Milwaukee
New York 8, at Milwaukee 4
Wed. at Milwaukee, 4:30 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday at Milwaukee, 5:30 p.m., ESPN2

No. 5 Atlanta at No. 4 San Diego
at San Diego 4, Atlanta 0
Wed. at San Diego, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday at San Diego, 4 p.m., ESPN

American League
No. 6 Detroit at No. 3 Houston
Detroit 3, at Houston 1
Wed. at Houston, 11:30 a.m., ABC
*Thursday at Houston, 11:30 a.m., AND

No. 5 Kansas City at No. 4 Baltimore
Kansas City 1, at Baltimore 0
Wed. at Baltimore, 1:30 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday at Baltimore, 1 p.m., ESPN

*- if necessary

Note: Thursday’s game times are subject to change if other series end early.

From Ben Bolch: Already nearly four-touchdown underdogs against Penn State, UCLA might not have liked where oddsmakers moved the betting line had they watched the team’s first practice of the week.

Starting quarterback Ethan Garbers was not on the field for the beginning of the Monday evening session. The only quarterbacks in non-scout team jerseys were backups Justyn Martin and Nick Billoups, who have combined to throw five passes at the college level.

But there could be a comeback story developing before the Bruins (1-3 overall, 0-2 Big Ten) kick off against the seventh-ranked Nittany Lions (4-0, 1-0) on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

UCLA coach DeShaun Foster said that Garbers, who was sidelined for the final nine minutes of the Bruins’ loss to Oregon last weekend with an unspecified injury, told him that he expected to play against Penn State.

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From Ryan Kartje: When Raesjon Davis arrived in 2021, during the last gasps of the Clay Helton era at USC, the four-star linebacker from Santa Ana Mater Dei looked like he could make an immediate impact at a position where USC desperately needed it.

Those stars never quite aligned. But as other members of that last Helton class would depart in droves — 14 of 23 ended up transferring — Davis continued to bide his time, bouncing from one linebacker coach, one defensive coordinator to another … and another, hoping it would be different.

As a senior this season, Davis still wasn’t making the impact he hoped. So this week, he met with Lincoln Riley to discuss sitting out the rest of the season, in hopes that he’d preserve his final season of eligibility and play as a redshirt senior.

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MLS

From Kevin Baxter: No expansion team in MLS history had a more successful launch than LAFC, which played in two MLS Cup finals, two CONCACAF Champions League finals and won two Supporters’ Shields and a U.S. Open Cup in its first six-plus seasons. And some of the credit for that goes to Tom Penn who, as a founding owner and the team’s first president, laid the foundation for that success.

So when Penn migrated south three years ago and began laying the foundation for another expansion club, this time in San Diego, it was assumed he’d simply dust off the same blueprints.

In reality, however, the two experiences couldn’t be more dissimilar.

When LAFC launched it had no stadium, no academy and no training complex. By the time San Diego FC plays its first MLS game next winter, it will have all of those things. When LAFC launched, it was entering a crowded sports market that had 10 professional teams and two major college programs. San Diego FC will have only baseball’s San Diego Padres, the NWSL’s San Diego Wave and San Diego State as competition for attention and ticket sales.

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2028 OLYMPICS

From David Wharton: Santa Monica officials say they are “very close” to reaching an agreement to host beach volleyball during the 2028 Summer Olympics, even though it might end up costing the city more than $12 million.

That worst-case scenario is outlined in a 36-page report issued Tuesday night, a week ahead of an Oct. 8 City Council meeting that will include the opportunity for public comment.

The report also notes that Santa Monica could recoup most or all of its costs if the Games are successful.

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WNBA PLAYOFFS

Semifinals
All times Pacific

No. 1 New York (32-8) vs. No. 4 Las Vegas (27-13)
at New York 87, Las Vegas 77
at New York 88, Las Vegas 84
Friday at Las Vegas, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2
*Sunday at Las Vegas, TBD
*Tuesday at New York, TBD, ESPN2

No. 2 Minnesota (30-10) vs. No. 3 Connecticut (28-12)
Connecticut 73, at Minnesota 70
at Minnesota 77, Connecticut 70
Friday at Connecticut, 4:30 p.m., ESPN2
Sunday at Connecticut, TBD
*Tuesday at Minnesota, TBD, ESPN2

*-if necessary

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1906 — Canadian world heavyweight boxing champion Tommy Burns KOs American challenger ‘Fireman’ Jim Flynn in 15 rounds to retain his title in Los Angeles.

1969 — Seattle Pilots’ last game in Seattle; crash to 98th season loss, 3-1 to Oakland in front of just 5,473; move to Milwaukee as the Brewers next season.

1970 — Fourteen members of the Wichita State football team are killed in a plane crash in the Rocky Mountains.

1980 — Larry Holmes registers a technical knockout in the 11th round against Muhammad Ali to win the world heavyweight title in Las Vegas.

1983 — The Green Bay Packers score 49 points in the first half, including 35 in the second quarter, in a 55-14 rout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

1988 — Future world heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis, representing Canada, wins super-heavyweight gold medal at the Seoul Olympics; beats American Riddick Bowe by 2nd round TKO.

1991 — Steffi Graf becomes the youngest woman to win 500 matches as a professional when she beats Petra Langrova of Czechoslovakia 6-0, 6-1 in the Leipzig International Tournament.

1993 — In the first all-British world heavyweight title fight, Lennox Lewis retains his WBC heavyweight title with a seven-round knockout of Frank Bruno in Cardiff, Wales.

1993 — California rallies from a 30-0 deficit to beat Oregon 42-41. Dave Barr throws three second-half touchdowns, including a 26-yarder to Iheanyi Uwaezuoke with 1:17 left in the game.

1994 — North Carolina’s 92-game winning streak in women’s soccer ends with a scoreless tie in overtime against Notre Dame.

1994 — Don Shula’s Miami Dolphins beat son Dave’s Cincinnati Bengals 23-7 in the first meeting between father and son coaches in pro sports.

2001 — Sammy Sosa becomes the first player in major league history with three 60-homer seasons, but the Reds hold on for a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Sosa’s solo shot comes in the first inning.

2004 — Rice and San Jose State play in the highest-scoring regulation game in Division I-A history, with the Spartans winning 70-63. The 133 points surpass the total from Middle Tennessee’s 70-58 victory over Idaho on Oct. 6, 2001. The schools combine for 19 touchdowns to break the Division I-A record of 18.

2004 — Jeff Kent becomes all-time home run leader for MLB 2nd basemen when he hits 2 in Astros’ 9-3 win v Rockies; 302 overall HR to break Ryne Sandberg’s major league record established in 1997.

2004 — Montreal Expos earn the last win in the franchise’s MLB history, beating New York Mets, 6-3 at Shea Stadium; Brad Wilkerson hits the Expos’ final home run in 9th inning, his 32nd of the year.

2006 — Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is given a five-game suspension — the longest for on-field behavior in NFL history — for stomping on Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode’s head and kicking him in the face.

2009 — Ninth-grader Alexis Thompson shoots a 3-under 69 for a share of the lead with top-ranked Lorena Ochoa and three others after the second round of the Navistar LPGA Classic.

2011 — Dallas has its largest lead blown in a loss in franchise history, frittering away a 24-point third-quarter cushion in a 34-30 loss to Detroit. The Lions turned a 20-point halftime deficit into an overtime win at Minnesota the previous week.

2016 — The United States wins the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2008. Ryan Moore two-putts on No. 18 for a 1-up victory over Lee Westwood, giving the Americans a 15-10 lead that seals the win over Europe. The 17-11 victory over Europe is their biggest rout in 35 years at the Ryder Cup.

2016 — Atlanta’s Matt Ryan passes for 503 yards and four touchdowns, while wide receiver Julio Jones has 12 catches for 300 yards and a touchdown in Atlanta’s 48-33 win over Carolina.

2016 — Veteran broadcaster Vin Scully called his final Dodgers game after a record 67 MLB Seasons.

Compiled by the Associated Press