Los Angeles Times - 16.11.2019

D2 LATIMES.COM/SPORTS

PRO CALENDAR

SAT SUN MON TUE WED 16 17 18 19 20

LAKERS

ATLANTA 6:30 SpecSN

OKLAHOMA CITY 7:30 SpecSN

CLIPPERS

ATLANTA 7:30 Prime

OKLAHOMA CITY 7:30 Prime

BOSTON 7 Prime, ESPN

RAMS

CHICAGO 5:15 Ch. 4

CHARGERS

Kansas City at Mexico City 5:15 ESPN

KINGS

VEGAS 1 FSW

at Arizona 6 FSW

DUCKS

at St. Louis 5 FSW

at Washington 4 Prime

Shade denotes home game

TIME EVENT ON THE AIR AUTO RACING 7 a.m. Formula One, Grand Prix of Brazil, practice TV:ESPNU 9:30 a.m. NASCAR Xfinity, Ford EcoBoost 300, qualifying TV:NBCSN 10 a.m. Formula One, Grand Prix of Brazil, qualifying TV:ESPNews 11 a.m. NASCAR Monster Energy, Ford EcoBoost 400, qualifying

TV:NBCSN

12:30 p.m. NASCAR Xfinity, Ford EcoBoost 300 TV:NBCSN BASKETBALL 3 p.m. Brooklyn at Chicago TV:NBATV 7:30 p.m. Atlanta at Clippers TV:Prime R:570, 1330 COLLEGE BASKETBALL 9 a.m. Columbia at Virginia TV:ACC 9 a.m. Ohio at Villanova TV:FS2 10 a.m. Cornell at DePaul TV:FSW 11 a.m. Belmont at Boston College TV:ACC 11 a.m. St. Peter’s at Providence TV:FS2 1 p.m. Vermont at St. John’s TV:FS2 3 p.m. Louisiana Tech at Creighton TV:FS2 5 p.m. Troy at Indiana TV:Big Ten 5 p.m. Wofford at Butler TV:FS2 7 p.m. San Diego at Colorado TV:Pac-12 8 p.m. USC at Nevada TV:CBSSN R: 790 COLLEGE FOOTBALL 9 a.m. Florida at Missouri TV: 2 9 a.m. Indiana at Penn State TV: 7 9 a.m. Michigan State at Michigan TV: 11 9 a.m. Alabama at Mississippi State TV:ESPN 9 a.m. Texas Christian at Texas Tech TV:ESPN2 9 a.m. Alabama State at Florida State TV:Prime 9 a.m. Virginia Military Institute at Army TV:CBSSN 9 a.m. Tulane at Temple TV:ESPNU 9 a.m. Wisconsin at Nebraska TV:Big Ten 9 a.m. Kansas at Oklahoma State TV:FS1 11:30 a.m. Navy at Notre Dame TV: 4 12:30 p.m. Georgia at Auburn TV: 2 12:30 p.m. Wake Forest at Clemson TV: 7 12:30 p.m. West Virginia at Kansas State TV:ESPN 12:30 p.m. Memphis at Houston TV:ESPN2 12:30 p.m. Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech TV:Prime 12:30 p.m. Central Michigan at Ball State TV:CBSSN 12:30 p.m. Ohio State at Rutgers TV:Big Ten 12:30 p.m. Kentucky at Vanderbilt TV:SEC 12:30 p.m. Texas at Iowa State TV:FS1 1 p.m. Minnesota at Iowa TV: 11 1 p.m. Syracuse at Duke TV:ACC 1 p.m. Wyoming at Utah State TV:ESPNU 1:30 p.m. Stanford at Washington State TV:Pac-12 4 p.m. Louisiana State at Mississippi TV:ESPN 4 p.m. Air Force at Colorado State TV:ESPN2 4 p.m. Cincinnati at South Florida TV:CBSSN 4:30 p.m. Oklahoma at Baylor TV: 7 4:30 p.m. Louisville at North Carolina State TV:ACC 4:30 p.m. Appalachian State at Georgia State TV:ESPNU 4:30 p.m. South Carolina at Texas A&M TV:SEC 4:30 p.m. Arizona State at Oregon State TV:FS1 5 p.m. UCLA at Utah TV:11, FOXD 7:15 p.m. New Mexico at Boise State TV:ESPN2 7:30 p.m. Arizona at Oregon TV:ESPN 8 p.m. USC at California TV:FS1, FOXD R: 790 COLLEGE SOCCER 1 p.m. Women, NCAA tournament, Cal State Fullerton at USC

TV:Pac-12LA

GOLF 11 a.m. PGA Tour, Mayakoba Golf Classic, third round TV:Golf HOCKEY 1 p.m. Vegas at Kings TV:FSW R:iHeart 4 p.m. Toronto at Pittsburgh TV:NHL 5 p.m. Ducks at St. Louis TV:FSW R: 830 HORSE RACING Noon Trackside Live! Del Mar TV:TVG 3:30 p.m. Trackside Live! Bob Hope TV:TVG 4:30 p.m. Trackside Live! Del Mar TV:TVG 6 p.m. The Quarters Featuring Los Alamitos TV:TVG SOCCER 6 a.m. UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying, Cyprus vs. Scotland TV:TUDN 6:45 a.m. Spain, Extremadura vs. Coruna TV:beINES 9 a.m. UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying, Russia vs. Belgium TV:KFTR, TUDN, UniMas 9:30 a.m. Spain, Numancia vs. Rayo Vallecano TV:beINES 11 a.m. Africa Cup of Nations, Ivory Coast vs. Niger TV:beIN1 11:30 a.m. UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying, Germany vs. Belarus TV:TUDN, UniMas Noon Spain, Zaragoza vs. Albacete TV:beINES 2:45 p.m. Nations League, Santa Lucia vs. Dominican Republic

TV:TUDN

4:45 p.m. Friendly, America vs. Monterrey TV:TUDN 6:45 p.m. Nations League, El Salvador vs. Montserrat TV:TUDN TENNIS 6 a.m. ATP World Tour Finals singles semifinal TV:ESPNews, Tennis 10 a.m. Center Court, ATP World Tour Finals, doubles semifinal

TV:Tennis

Noon Center Court, ATP World Tour Finals, singles semifinalTV:Tennis

TODAY ON THE AIR

at M. Tennessee 141 ⁄ 2 (47^1 ⁄ 2 ) Rice Southern Miss. 161 ⁄ 2 (52) at UTSA Alabama 181 ⁄ 2 (60) at Mississippi St. Wisconsin 141 ⁄ 2 (50^1 ⁄ 2 ) at Nebraska Louisiana State 211 ⁄ 2 (66^1 ⁄ 2 ) at Mississippi at Washington St. 11 (64) Stanford College Basketball Favorite Line Underdog USC 2 at Nevada Appalachian St. 61 ⁄ 2 Tennessee Tech at NC Greensboro 161 ⁄^2 Montana State at Maryland 20 Oakland at Miami 161 ⁄ 2 Quinnipiac at Villanova 20 Ohio at Virginia 231 ⁄ 2 Columbia at N. Iowa 10 N. Colorado at DePaul 181 ⁄ 2 Cornell at Northeastern 4 Old Dominion at Davidson 171 ⁄ 2 UNC Wilmington Temple 4 at La Salle

College Football
Favorite Line (O/U) Underdog
at Utah 211 ⁄ 2 (51^1 ⁄ 2 ) UCLA
USC 51 ⁄ 2 (48) at California
at Kansas State 14 (46) West Virginia
Virginia Tech 61 ⁄ 2 (50) at Georgia Tech
Tulane 6 (53) at Temple
at Penn State 141 ⁄ 2 (55) Indiana
Cincinnati 14 (47) at South Florida
at Duke 101 ⁄ 2 (51) Syracuse
Ohio State 52 (62) at Rutgers
Louisville 31 ⁄ 2 (52^1 ⁄ 2 ) at N.C. State
at Iowa 3 (45) Minnesota
at Clemson 34 (59^1 ⁄ 2 ) Wake Forest
at Ball State 21 ⁄ 2 (60^1 ⁄ 2 ) Central Michigan
at Georgia South. 61 ⁄ 2 (57) Louisiana-Monroe
at Northwestern 411 ⁄ 2 (56^1 ⁄ 2 ) Massachusetts
Tr oy 61 ⁄ 2 (63^1 ⁄ 2 ) at Texas State
at Boise State 271 ⁄ 2 (58^1 ⁄ 2 ) New Mexico

Air Force 10 (64^1 ⁄ 2 ) at Colorado State at Utah State 41 ⁄ 2 (51) Wyoming Appalachian St. 17 (61^1 ⁄ 2 ) at Georgia State at Notre Dame 7 (54^1 ⁄ 2 )Navy Arizona State 21 ⁄ 2 (57) at Oregon State at Oregon 27 (67^1 ⁄ 2 ) Arizona at Arkansas State 121 ⁄ 2 (60) Coastal Carolina at Ala. Birm. 17 (44) Texas El Paso at Texas A&M 11 (49) South Carolina Georgia 3 (41) at Auburn La.-Lafayette 28 (53^1 ⁄^2 ) at South Alabama at Oklahoma St. 17 (68^1 ⁄ 2 ) Kansas at Iowa State 7 (65) Texas Texas Christian 3 (55) at Texas Tech Oklahoma 101 ⁄ 2 (68^1 ⁄ 2 ) at Baylor Memphis 101 ⁄ 2 (70) at Houston Kentucky 10 (42^1 ⁄ 2 ) at Vanderbilt at Michigan 131 ⁄ 2 (44^1 ⁄ 2 ) Michigan State Florida 7 (51) at Missouri Hawaii 61 ⁄ 2 (74) at UNLV

at Boston College 2 Belmont at Providence 271 ⁄ 2 St. Peter’s at George Mason 61 ⁄ 2 James Madison at Purdue 39 Chicago State at Indiana 24 Troy Harvard 1 Buffalo at Arkansas 161 ⁄ 2 Montana at Tulsa 91 ⁄ 2 Austin Peay at Wichita State 171 ⁄ 2 Tennessee Martin at Loyola Chicago 61 ⁄ 2 St. Joseph’s at UC S. Barbara 7 Rice at North Texas 8 E. Michigan Tennessee 21 ⁄ 2 Washington at Creighton 10 Louisiana Tech at Fordham 111 ⁄ 2 Marist at Syracuse 151 ⁄ 2 Seattle at Wright State 6 Kent State Rutgers 71 ⁄ 2 St. Bonaventure at Bradley 11 Illinois Chicago at Butler 11 Wofford

San Francisco 21 ⁄ 2 at S. Illinois Oregon State 111 ⁄ 2 at Wyoming at Colorado 181 ⁄ 2 San Diego at LMU 31 ⁄ 2 Colorado State at Stanford 71 ⁄ 2 Santa Clara NHL Favorite Underdog at KINGS OFF Vegas OFF at St. Louis OFF DUCKS OFF Carolina -115 at Minnesota +105 at Edmonton -127 Dallas +117 at Arizona -109 Calgary -101 at Tampa Bay -220 Winnipeg +200 at Florida -205 N.Y. Rangers +185 at Buffalo -185 Ottawa +170 at Montreal OFF New Jersey OFF at Boston -131 Washington +121 N.Y. Islanders -113 at Philadelphia +103 at Pittsburgh OFF Toronto OFF at Nashville -195 Chicago +180

at Vancouver OFF Colorado OFF at San Jose -200 Detroit +180 NFL Sunday Favorite Line (O/U) Underdog at RAMS 6 (40) Chicago Dallas 7 (47) at Detroit New Orleans 51 ⁄ 2 (49^1 ⁄ 2 ) at Tampa Bay at Carolina 4 (49) Atlanta at Indianapolis 21 ⁄ 2 (43^1 ⁄ 2 ) Jacksonville at Minnesota 10 (40^1 ⁄ 2 ) Denver at Washington 2 (38^1 ⁄ 2 ) N.Y. Jets Buffalo 61 ⁄^2 (40^1 ⁄^2 ) at Miami at Baltimore 4 (51^1 ⁄ 2 ) Houston at San Francisco 10 (45^1 ⁄ 2 ) Arizona New England 31 ⁄ 2 (45) at Philadelphia at Oakland 111 ⁄ 2 (49) Cincinnati Monday Favorite Line (O/U) Underdog Kansas City 31 ⁄ 2 (52) CHARGERS

ODDS

but recovered to post a 2.78 ERA in his 13 starts after the All-Star break. He acknowledged his World Series failures have bothered him the last two years, in particular because he could never make sense of what happened. In the immediate after- math, Astros players said Darvish was tipping his pitches. He was never satis- fied by the story. Alarmed by how the Astros reacted to his pitches in Game 3, the Dodgers carefully studied video of him and were un- able to come up with any definitive conclusions. Players on that Astros team later told him they watched how he brought the ball into his glove in the set position. With that in mind, Darvish rewatched Game 7. What he saw did not match up with what he heard. Darvish was surprised by the allegations that sur- faced this week in a story by the Athletic. Four people who were with the Astros in 2017, including pitcher Mike Fiers, said the team used a camera in the outfield to steal signs at home games. Darvish wondered about Game 7 of the World Series, which was at Dodger Sta- dium. “What’s been reported up to this point is that they used cameras at their home field, so I don’t know if there was anything like that,” Darvish said.

“But what they were doing was so high-level that I can’t honestly say there’s no chance they were also doing it on the road.” But Darvish didn’t want to overthink the possibil- ities. “If you ask me if I got hit in Game 7 because they stole signs, I don’t think so,” he said. “The Astros have great players who don’t have to do that. So I think that whether or not they stole signs, the results wouldn’t have changed.” The loss was especially devastating because he wanted to repay the Dod- gers by helping them win a championship. Before his trade from the Texas Rang- ers, he was considering retirement. The Dodgers reignited his passion for baseball. Overcoming the trauma marked one of the greatest triumphs of his career. Darvish pitched for the Cubs at Dodger Stadium in mid-June, his first game there since the World Series. He limited the Dodgers to one run over seven innings, striking out 10. This was in part what Darvish was referring to when he spoke of the World Series making him the person he is now. If not for the failure, there would be no redemption. “To return to the place where I had the worst mo- ment of my career, which

also happened to be a stadium I really liked, and to pitch as well as I did gave me a lot of confidence,” Darvish told The Times in a phone interview. In the same interview Friday morning, he said he always maintained warm feelings for Dodgers fans. It didn’t matter that they reviled him or sent him nasty social media messages. It didn’t matter how much they booed him. Some pitchers etch words or symbols into the mound before they pitch. Darvish isn’t one of them. He made an exception in his return to Dodger Stadium. Beneath the Dodgers logo, he wrote a secret message to the fans, whom he considered a valuable part of his Los Angeles experience. “Thanks,” he scribbled. In recent days, many of the same fans who blamed him for the World Series loss have sent him messages of apology. “I’m not looking for that,” he said in the video he posted on YouTube. “I don’t want them to change their minds.” Because he thinks their criticism has shaped who he is today. Nonetheless, Darvish acknowledged he was disap- pointed to learn of the allegations against the Astros. “The Houston Astros are an organization I really respect and they have a lot

of great players,” he said. He also shared concerns of how widespread the practice of sign-stealing might be. Darvish recalled a game this season in which he stepped off the mound multiple times because he noticed something unusual. Batters typically have their eyes set on the pitcher. In this particular game, he observed they were looking into left-center field. “I could have been mistaken, but maybe was placed in center field with a telescope or something who was sig- naling,” he said. In this country, stealing signs is considered a part of the game. The reason the Astros’ case has caused such uproar is because of the organization’s alleged use of high-tech equipment. Stealing signs in any form is much less tolerated in Japan. Darvish viewed the practice through that cul- tural lens. “What fun is [it] to hit a pitch that you know is com- ing?” said Darvish, who concluded his 14-minute video by calling on major league and Japanese teams to stop stealing signs. “As a pitcher, it feels weird. As a hitter, I wonder if it makes them happy. Houston won the World Series in 2017, but if they really did that in the World Series and hit like crazy and won ... I couldn’t do that.”

Criticism shaped who Darvish is now

[Hernandez, from D1]

McVay has a bunch of Lambs, their game is mighty slow, And every play that Coach Sean calls, the Lambs are sure to blow. The Super Bowl is out this year, as the Lambs run out of time, The team has now gone 5 and 4, and I must end this rhyme. Tom Stapleton Glendale

::

Given Jared Goff ’s foot- work in the pocket the last few weeks, he’s either audi- tioning for the “Happy Feet Live” production or to be part of the next “Dancing With the Stars” cast. Either way, it looks like his schedule will be open as of Jan. 4. Dave Eng Thousand Oaks

::

The Rams sit Todd Gur- ley for fear of injury and his not being able to play, or can play him and risk him being out due to injury. Seems to be six of one, half dozen of the other? Michael Gray Yorba Linda

Troy stories I’m honored to be one of only 5,000 letters you’ll receive this week lamenting USC’s decision not to retain Ed Orgeron. Bennett Tramer Santa Monica

::

Just wondering about the Trojans’ strength and conditioning program; do they have one? Jack Von Bulow Temple City

::

While I’m no Clay Helton apologist, it is fair to point out some undeniable facts. Injuries to the first- and second-string quarter- backs, loss of the entire running back corps and devastating injuries to key defenders made an already daunting schedule impos- sible. Anyone who seriously

believes Urban Meyer would have fared any better under these circumstances is simply delusional. Mark S. Roth Los Angeles

Let’s go Blue! Let me be the first to congratulate the Dodgers on their 2017 World Series victory. Since it is being reported that the Astros cheated in stealing signs during their home games I am sure it is only a matter of time before MLB vacates their championship and declares the Dodgers the winners. What a great op- portunity for baseball to teach a lesson about fair- ness and playing by the rules to our children. I can- not wait to buy my “2017 World Champion L.A. Dod- gers” T-shirts and cap. Larry Weiner Culver City

::

As the Dodgers compile their want list to improve their team, they should pay equally close attention to their fans’ wish checklist.

Increase security so
fans do not risk getting
beaten up in their parking
lots.

Reduce the cost of
parking. It should not cost

as much as the price of a meal to park at Dodger Stadium.

Increase public rela-
tions staff so that when
letters are written to owner-
ship, they respond rather
than ignoring them.

Renegotiate the $8.35-
billion TV deal to ensure
that the 70% now-disenfran-
chised fans can watch the
team on TV.
Odds of any of this actu-
ally happening? Less than
zero.
Bill Waxman
Simi Valley

A fan unloads Load management rules for the NBA to consider:

The maximum sit-out
for a non-verified medical or
other legitimate reason
(family emergency, birth of
child) is two games.

In those circum-
stances, the player forfeits
his salary for the non-played
games and the team is fined
an equivalent amount.

Any fan holding a
pre-purchased ticket for
those games — whether on
the road or at home — is
entitled to a full refund.

Any season-ticket
holder will be entitled to
“load manage” his or her
games and inform the team
that 10 to 20 games during
the season won’t be paid for

so that our finances will be strong come playoff time in order to comfortably handle the jacked-up prices. Jeff Berke Los Angeles

Valuable stuff So Mike Trout and Cody Bellinger each wins the MVP award and the best Bill Plaschke can muster is that, yeah, but neither of their teams won a title. He’s the kind of guy who would look for the manure in a room full of ponies. Thanks, Mike and Cody, for the many moments of great baseball you gave this year to all the fans who so love the game. Skip Nevell Los Angeles

::

The Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Mail:Sports Viewpoint Los Angeles Times 2300 E. Imperial Hwy. El Segundo, CA 90245 Email: [email protected]

LETTERS

Taking the Rams by the horns

Los Angeles Times - 16.11.2019

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