Los Angeles Times - 04.10.2019

SPORTS

D FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2019:: LATIMES.COM/SPORTS

D3

NEW YORK — When
healthy, Kyle Blanks could
crush a baseball. In the final
32 games of 2009, his rookie
season with the San Diego
Padres, playing in a home
field so cavernous it was
known as Petco National
Park, Blanks hit 10 home
runs.
But he never hit that
many home runs in a season
again, his career deteriorat-
ed by a procession of injuries
and surgeries to his elbow,
leg and shoulder, and pro-
cedures on both feet. In 2017,
as he finished his profes-
sional career in the minor
leagues, the pain was so per-
sistent that Blanks said he
got relief from alcohol: a half-
bottle of rum some days, a
whole bottle on others.
It made no sense to him
that he could use marijuana
to ease his discomfort as a
major leaguer because there
was no testing, but not in the
minors, where there was.
And on one of his most ago-
nizing days, he said, the dis-
comfort in his heel was so ex-
cruciating that he popped
an opioid so he could finish a
game.
When Angels pitcher Ty-
ler Skaggs died in July, he
had the opioids fentanyl and
oxycodone as well as alcohol
in his bloodstream, accord-
ing to toxicology tests. Base-
ball does not test major
league players for opioids,
but after Skaggs’ death that
policy is under review by the
commissioner’s office and
players’ union.
The league would “abso-
lutely” like to add opioid
testing for next season, said
Dan Halem, the league’s
deputy commissioner. Tony
Clark, the executive director
of the players’ association,
said the union plans to work
with the league to assess “all
of our drug protocols relat-
ing to education, treatment
and prevention.”
The parties have dis-
cussed whether to loosen
baseball’s restrictions on
marijuana — not specifically
as a trade-off for opioid test-
ing, but as part of the annual
review of the sport’s drug
policy, according to three
people familiar with the
talks but not authorized to

MLB

mulls

how to

manage

the pain

Baseball wants to test

for opioids, while

possibly cutting out

marijuana penalties.

By Bill Shaikin

[SeeMLB, D12]

The Ducks

have under-

gone mas-

sive and

much-

needed

changes

since they

stumbled

and fumbled their way to a

non-playoff finish last sea-

son. They have a new coach,

Dallas Eakins, a commit-

ment to playing with a faster

pace, and a pronounced

emphasis on youth. They

felt invigorated as they

prepared to open the season

on Thursday against Arizo-

na, confident they had

rebuilt their self-esteem as

solidly as they had rebuilt

their roster.

“This is a group that I

feel can do good things that

HELENE ELLIOTT

Ducks are in a rush to get going

DUCKS 2

ARIZONA 1

NICK RITCHIE, right, defends against Arizona winger Conor Garland during

the first period Thursday as the Ducks began a new era in their season opener.

Kyusung GongAssociated Press

Up-tempo pace and confidence set tone in opener with Eakins

[SeeElliott,D10]

NFL WEEK 5 :: SEATTLE 30, RAMS 29

SEATTLE — The short turnaround

was supposed to be a good thing, a

chance to forget the mistake-filled de-

feat four days before.

Wipe the slate clean. Start anew.

But the Rams are now in a hole.

A 30-29 defeat by the Seattle Sea-

hawks on Thursday night at Centu-

ryLink Field dropped the Rams’ record

to 3-2.

The Rams were in position to win

when they drove from their seven-yard

line to the Seahawks’ 26 with 11 seconds

left, but Greg Zuerlein missed a 44-

yard field-goal attempt, causing the

crowd of 68,988 Seahawks die-hards to

breathe a sigh of relief.

The loss came only four days after

the Rams lost to the Tampa Bay Buc-

caneers 55-40 at the Coliseum.

All of a sudden, a Rams team re-

SEATTLE — Reality flashed like a

siren Thursday night, bright as Seat-

tle’s neon-green uniforms.

The days of the Rams rolling

through the NFC West are over.

The franchise that won the division

the last two seasons — going 6-0 in

those games last season — has a seri-

ous fight on its hands.

In losing to Seattle 30-29, the Rams

suffered their first meaningful division

defeat in nearly two years and ab-

sorbed an early setback in their quest

for three consecutive NFC West

crowns.

Seattle fans celebrated as though it

was an NFC title game, and for good

reason. The Rams had beaten their

team three times in a row, and holding

serve at home was a critical step in the

[SeeFarmer,D9]

After two heady

years, it won’t be

as easy claiming

NFC West crown

SAM FARMER

ON THE NFL

JARED GOFF is stopped on a try for a two-point conversion in the third quarter. He was originally ruled in until a replay review.

Photographs byAbbie ParrGetty Images

FOR RAMS, A REAL

KICK IN THE PADS

From a 3-0 start,

it’s two losses in

five days as rally

veers wide right

GREG ZUERLEIN reacts after his 44-yard field-goal

attempt sails wide right with 11 seconds left in Seattle.

By Gary Klein

[SeeRams,D8]

What seems like a life-
time ago, Dwight Howard
and LeBron James were the
two best players in the NBA.
They competed for MVP
nods, for defensive player of
the year and traded blows in
the playoffs.
These days Howard does
his best not to think about
that time.
“Back then I was always
focused on the future, and
now I don’t want to focus on
the past,” Howard said. “A
lot of times when we do that
we tend to forget the mo-
ment that we’re in.”
The moment in which
Howard finds himself in-
volves a battle with JaVale

Howard pushing

for a starting role

Healthy again, the

veteran center is said

to be ‘all business’ as

he battles McGee.

By Tania Ganguli

LAKERScenter Dwight

Howard says he’s just

focusing on the now.

Ringo H.W. ChiuAssociated Press

[SeeLakers, D5]

House that

Ballmer builds

Clippers owner insists

that he remains all in on

the Inglewood venue. D5