Opening Day Is A Roaring Success For Dodgers

A awesome opening time for nan Dodgers

From Maddie Lee: In a quiet infinitesimal earlier nan pomp and condition of opening day, Dodgers 2nd baseman Miguel Rojas learned he’d beryllium starting successful nan last play opener of his agelong career.

He was connected nan chair for nan Freeway Series finale astatine Dodger Stadium earlier this week, erstwhile head Dave Roberts came complete to cheque successful and springiness Rojas nan news.

“I didn’t cognize if ‘Thank you’ was nan correct point to opportunity because it’s thing I earned,” Rojas recounted earlier nan Dodgers’ 8-2 win Thursday against nan Diamondbacks. “It’s not thing that I asked for arsenic a favor. So I was conscionable benignant of speechless.”

Rojas embraced Roberts.

“It was a gift to myself because of each nan difficult activity and nan mentation I put successful passim my full career,” Rojas said. “This measurement is nan champion measurement imaginable because I sewage up to nan large leagues arsenic a inferior protect replacement who tin play shortstop but couldn’t really deed much.”

Rojas, who intends to discontinue aft this year, wrapped up his last opening time arsenic a starter.

Opening time is simply a ceremony crossed baseball. But nan Dodgers made it a afloat production. The pregame programme Thursday included roster-introduction pyrotechnics, on pinch a shape and bluish carpet group up successful halfway field.

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Dodgers container people

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From Bill Plaschke: There were fireworks, location was a flyover, location was Will Ferrell screaming and Keith Williams Jr. crooning and 4 months of cheers unleashed by fans wearing title belts and howling grins.

But nan existent stars of Thursday’s Dodger opening day show ne'er made a sound.

They arrived silently astatine nan extremity of nan pregame ceremony, cautiously held by 2 of nan men who helped triumph them, lifted precocious for each those who truthful passionately longed for them.

They were nan past 2 Commissioner’s Trophies, nan back-to-back World Series title trophies, nan 2 symbols of nan Dodgers domination held broadside by broadside successful nan day sun.

Man, it was beautiful. Goodness, really they sparkled. Incredible, really they glowed.

It was almost arsenic if they were powered by immoderate electrical force, immoderate benignant of title existent moving betwixt them, lighting them up pinch a blinding powerfulness curated by nan battered fingers of nan 2 veterans who touched them.

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Shaikin: Dodgers proprietor Mark Walter: ‘We’ve sewage to person immoderate parity’

Mike Trout homers arsenic Angels win

Mike Trout homered to motorboat what he hopes will beryllium a bounce-back year, starring nan Angels to a season-opening 3-0 win complete nan Houston Astros connected Thursday.

Trout besides walked 3 times and played halfway section for nan first clip since April 2024. The three-time MVP played 130 games past season, his astir since 2019 because of various injuries.

Making his franchise-record 14th opening time start, nan 34-year-old Trout collapsed a scoreless necktie successful nan seventh inning erstwhile he sent a 96-mph fastball from reliever AJ Blubaugh (0-1) 403 feet onto nan train tracks successful near center. It was his 5th opening time homer, besides a nine record.

The Angels ended an eight-game roadworthy losing streak successful play openers, starting 1-0 connected nan roadworthy for nan first clip since 2013.

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Angels container score

UCLA fresh for adjacent tourney test

From Marisa Ingemi: The UCLA women’s hoops squad hasn’t mislaid a crippled successful 120 days. In that time, nan Bruins person outscored opponents by a full of 806 points and conscionable 1 different schoolhouse — Connecticut — has gone without a nonaccomplishment during nan aforesaid stretch.

Yet somehow, nan No. 1 seed successful nan Sacramento 2 region of nan NCAA tourney hasn’t captured nan aforesaid momentum and praise arsenic nan different 3 apical seeds who person muscled their measurement into nan Sweet 16.

UCLA (33-1) will play No. 4 Minnesota (24-8) astatine 4:30 p.m. Friday successful Sacramento. The crippled will aerial connected ESPN. Entering nan matchup, is UCLA’s little ascendant NCAA tourney tally a origin for concern? Or is simply a triumph a triumph erstwhile it comes to March?

“Each crippled is going to coming different adversity points,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “And I deliberation that we don’t look astatine it arsenic getting backmost to something. We look astatine it arsenic everything is simply a learning opportunity. ‘What does that thatch us? How does that make america better? What kinds of things do we request to tighten up?’”

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Kings unopen retired nan Canucks

Darcy Kuemper made 19 saves for his 3rd shutout of nan play and 39th of his profession to lead nan Kings to a 4-0 victory complete nan Vancouver Canucks connected Thursday night.

Trevor Moore had a extremity and an assistance for nan Kings, and Scott Laughton, Artemi Panarin and Quinton Byfield besides scored. Mikey Anderson had a brace of assists.

The triumph moved nan Kings wrong 1 constituent of nan Nashville Predators, who clasp nan 2nd wild-card spot successful nan Western Conference playoff race.

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Kings summary

NHL standings

Mikael Granlund’s chapeau instrumentality lifts Ducks

Mikael Granlund capped disconnected his chapeau instrumentality scoring connected nan powerfulness play pinch 1 2nd remaining successful overtime connected Thursday nighttime to springiness nan Ducks a 3-2 victory complete nan Calgary Flames.

Granlund has 7 goals during a four-game extremity streak that has him up to 19 connected nan play arsenic the Ducks extended their winning streak to 4 games.

The Pacific Division-leading Ducks opened nan nighttime pinch a five-point cushion connected nan Edmonton Oilers and a six-point lead connected nan Vegas Golden Knights.

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Ducks summary

NHL standings

IOC introduces norm banning transgender women

From Steve Henson: Transgender women athletes will beryllium excluded from nan Olympics opening pinch nan 2028 Los Angeles Games aft nan International Olympic Committee implemented a new eligibility policy connected Thursday.

Eligibility for women’s title will beryllium wished by a one-time mandatory genetics test, according to nan IOC. The trial requires screening done saliva, a feature swab aliases a humor sample.

No transgender female competed astatine nan 2024 Paris Summer Games, and it is unclear if immoderate trans women presently compete astatine an Olympic level. Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard of New Zealand was nan past to do so, competing successful nan 2021 Tokyo Olympics without winning a medal.

The caller eligibility argumentation is not retroactive and does not use to recreational sports programs. The IOC said successful a connection that it “protects fairness, information and integrity successful nan female category.”

“Eligibility for immoderate female class arena astatine nan Olympic Games aliases immoderate different IOC event, including individual and squad sports, is now constricted to biologic females.”

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This time successful sports history

1939 — Oregon thumps Ohio State 46-33 successful nan NCAA’s first nationalist hoops tournament.

1942 — Joe Louis knocks retired Abe Simon successful nan sixth information astatine Madison Square Garden to clasp his world heavyweight title.

1945 — Oklahoma A&M thumps New York University 49-45 for nan NCAA hoops championship.

1951 — Bill Spivey scores 22 points to lead Kentucky to a 68-58 triumph complete Kansas State for nan NCAA hoops title.

1960 — The Boston Celtics people a past NBA Finals grounds 76 points successful nan first half a 140-122 triumph complete nan St. Louis Hawks. Tom Heinsohn (24), Bill Sharman (23), Frank Ramsey (22) and Bob Cousy (20) each people 20-or-more points to triumph nan bid opener.

1971 — UCLA thumps Villanova 68-62 for its 5th NCAA hoops title.

1978 — Jack Givens scores 41 points to lead Kentucky to a 94-88 triumph complete Duke for nan NCAA hoops title.

1983 — Larry Holmes wins a unanimous 12-round determination complete Lucien Rodriguez to clasp his world heavyweight title successful his hometown of Scranton, Pa.

2005 — Annika Sorenstam shoots a final-round 68 to decorativeness astatine 15-under to triumph nan Nabisco Championship by 8 shots complete Rosie Jones. It’s he 59th triumph of nan Swedish star’s LPGA Tour profession — and her eighth awesome title win.

2010 — Long changeable Al Shemali wins nan $5 cardinal Dubai Duty Free, pulling distant from a crowded section to propulsion disconnected a amazingly easy triumph successful nan Dubai World Cup. Al Shemali, astatine 40-1, starts slow past duels it retired pinch Bankable earlier taking nan lead for good.

2011 — Jamie Skeen scores 26 points arsenic Virginia Commonwealth delivers nan biggest upset of nan NCAA tournament, a 71-61 triumph complete No. 1 seed Kansas successful nan Southwest Regional final.

2014 — The Philadelphia 76ers necktie nan NBA grounds for futility pinch their 26th consecutive loss, falling 120-98 to nan Houston Rockets. Philadelphia matches nan 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers for nan NBA’s worst skid.

2017 — UConn’s women’s hoops squad beforehand to its 10th consecutive Final Four pinch a 90-52 triumph against Oregon. The triumph moves coach Geno Auriemma past Pat Summitt for nan astir NCAA tourney victories astatine 113.

Compiled by nan Associated Press

Until adjacent time...

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