Los Angeles Times - 16.11.2019

SPORTS

D SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2019:: LATIMES.COM/SPORTS

D

He was like the Olympic
athlete who finished
fourth, only to learn years
later that one or more of
the medalists were on
steroids.
He was like the student
denied entry into a presti-
gious university because
his place went to the child
of parents who bribed school officials.
As reports surfaced this week detail-
ing how the Houston Astros used elec-
tronic equipment to steal signs in 2017,
however, Yu Darvish wasn’t upset.
He was conflicted.
“Because I had that experience, I was
able to work hard these last two years
and become the person I am now,”
Darvish said in Japanese in a video he
uploaded to his popular YouTube chan-
nel Thursday night.
As a starting pitcher for the Dodgers

that season, Darvish had a disastrous

World Series against the Astros. He was

charged with four runs and lasted only

12 ⁄ 3 innings in a Game 3 loss. His per-

formance in Game 7 was even worse, as

he gave up five runs in an equally short

start that delivered the Astros their first

championship.

“I feel that if I absolve myself and say

it was the Astros’ fault I was bad in

Game 7, in the World Series, I can’t

develop as a person,” he said. “In life, I

think huge failures are extremely impor-

tant. I’ve had a few up to this point. The

World Series was one of them. I think it

will remain a point of reference for me.

I’ve already learned a lot from it. So

regarding that, I can’t view myself chari-

tably. I think I have to continue to accept

the results.”

Darvish is two years into a six-year,

$126-million contract with the Chicago

Cubs. Injuries limited him to eight

games in 2018, and he started slowly

again this year

YU DARVISH, reacting to George Springer’s home run in the first inning of Game 7 of the 2017 World
Series against the Dodgers, says even if the Astros stole signs, it was a learning experience for him.

Gina FerazziLos Angeles Times

Darvish unsure about

signing crime report

‘If you ask me if

I got hit in

Game 7

because they

stole signs, I

don’t think so.

The Astros

have great

players who

don’t have to

do that.’

—YUDARVISH

DYLAN HERNANDEZ

[SeeHernandez, D2]

For a moment, the lane to

the basket was open. An-

thony Davis closed it

quickly.

The All-Star forward

stonewalled Harrison

Barnes’ drive for a potential

game-tying layup at the

buzzer as the Lakers held on

for a 99-97 win over the Sac-

ramento Kings at Staples

Center on Friday.

The Lakers (10-2) over-

came the loss of defensive

stalwart Avery Bradley, who

will miss the next week or

two with a hairline fracture

in his right leg, to hold the

Kings to fewer than 100

points for the first time since

Oct. 28. The Kings, who

started the season with five

straight losses, had won four

of five.

For the team that prides

itself on being the best de-

fense in the NBA, it was fit-

ting that Friday came down

to Davis’ defensive moment.

“AD’s as good as anybody

in the world at making that

play,” Lakers coach Frank

Vogel said.

Led by former Lakers

coach Luke Walton, the

Kings tied the score late on a

layup from Bogdan Bog-

danovic, who hit a game-

winning three against L.A.

last season. But LeBron

James drew a foul on Barnes

and hit the go-ahead free

throws with 5.5 seconds left.

The 34-year-old forward fin-

Davis reminds

Kings new kid

is on the block

He stuffs Barnes’ drive

at the end, after James

elevates his game and

turns back the clock.

LAKERS 99

SACRAMENTO 97

By Thuc Nhi Nguyen

LeBRON JAMES, driving on Nemanja Bjelica, had a

highlight-reel dunk over the Kings big man.

Alex GallardoAssociated Press

[SeeLakers,D6]

NEW ORLEANS — If

Thursday’s game was a loss

for the Clippers, it was also a

sigh of relief.

Paul George was back. So

was the team’s long-dor-

mant three-point shooting.

George, the All-Star for-

ward who missed the sea-

son’s first 11 games while re-

covering from offseason

shoulder surgeries, ab-

sorbed contact while bounc-

ing off defenders in the 132-

127 loss to the Pelicans in

New Orleans and felt no

worse for the wear while

scoring 33 points in 24 min-

utes, the fourth-highest-

scoring debut in Clippers

history.

Superstars could

align for Clippers

New addition George

came out of first game

fine and might play

with Leonard tonight.

By Andrew Greif

[SeeClippers,D6]

BATON ROUGE, La. —

Ed Orgeron can’t get enough

of the view. He leads a visitor

through a “war room” where

he and a few staff members

are watching film of an offen-

sive line drill from practice,

shuffles through his office

and opens the double doors

onto a balcony fit for a head

of state.

Orgeron takes a seat and

looks directly east toward

Tiger Stadium towering in

the distance. The old ce-

ment structure known for

withstanding the kind of

rousing support that results

in seismic activity on fall Sat-

urday nights sits in silence,

and a full moon hangs high

above, illuminating faint

white clouds against a dark

blue sky.

“You kiddin’ me?” Orge-

ron says. “How about this

place, huh?”

It is home, and yet he has

never seen it quite like this.

Two days have passed since

Louisiana State beat Ala-

bama in college football’s

latest “Game of the Cen-

tury,” a win that felt more

like a statewide exorcism.

Just like that, gone were the

eight long years of Nick Sa-

ban’s tyranny, and gone were

the fears that one of their

own would never rise up and

take down the one who got

away.

The party started as soon

as running back Clyde Ed-

wards-Helaire iced the game

with a late seven-yard touch-

down run Saturday and

raged through the holiday

weekend. It is finally dying

down now on this peaceful

Monday night, as the faithful

prepare to return to their

lives.

But how could there ever

be normality again? The 9-0

Tigers are No. 1 in every poll

in the land. This should be

Orgeron’s moment, but the

native son of Lafourche Par-

ish doesn’t claim it as his

own.

A TIGER’S TALE

With USC a memory, Orgeron at home with LSU

ED ORGERON has Louisiana State at the top of the

college football world after beating Alabama, but his

journey home to the bayou has had many twists.

Kevin C. CoxGetty Images

By J. Brady

McCollough

[SeeOrgeron,D4]

If Myles Garrett had
walked down the street,
grabbed a five-pound brick
— about the same weight as
an NFL helmet — and
bashed someone over the
head, the police would have
arrested him.
But the laws that apply to
normal life don’t always
translate to sports.
It remains unclear if the
Cleveland Browns defensive
end will be charged for
Thursday night’s brawl that
saw him rip the helmet off
Pittsburgh Steelers quarter-
back Mason Rudolph and
turn it into a weapon, clob-
bering Rudolph.
Though the NFL took
swift action Friday, sus-
pending Garrett without

Garrett

probably

faces just

NFL law

By David Wharton

[SeeGarrett, D8]

UCLA vs. 7 Utah

AT SALT LAKE CITY

Today, 5 p.m. PST

TV:Channel 11

Big game:Bruins excited

to be playing a meaningful

November game a month

after season looked lost. D3

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

WEEK 12

USC vs.

California

AT BERKELEY

Tonight, 8

TV:FS1

Center stage:Trojans not

worried about having

redshirt freshman Dedich

join the offensive line. D3

UCLA 71, NEVADA LAS VEGAS 54

The stoppin’ Bruins: UCLA relies on its defense again

and puts away Rebels early to remain unbeaten. D7