Sparks start new season with loss to Atlanta Dream
The Sporting Tribune's Rey Moralde was in Long Beach for the Sparks' first game of the season, a 92-81 loss to the Atlanta Dream.
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1. Sparks start new season with loss to Atlanta Dream
The Sporting Tribune's Rey Moralde was in Long Beach for the Sparks' first game of the season, a 92-81 loss to the Atlanta Dream.
The Sparks opened up their season in the Walter Pyramid at Long Beach. But they couldn’t get a W against the rough Atlanta Dream as they lost, 92-81.
It was a close game for the first three quarters before the Sparks went on an untimely drought (which happened quite a bit last season) to start the fourth period. Atlanta went on an 11-0 stampede to begin the fourth. The Sparks did cut it down to six points with a minute and a half to go but a five-second violation not too long after pretty much ended all hope.
Still, the moxie of the Sparks endeared them to the crowd, which was electrifying all game at the Pyramid. The grit and tenacity of a Curt Miller-led team was on display, going for loose balls and dives on the floor. At the end, it wasn’t enough as the Dream overwhelmed them in that aforementioned early part of the fourth.
2. McVay jokes about ‘depressing’ office after Rams reveal 2024 schedule
The Rams will get four primetime games but McVay is hoping for a primetime office with windows at the team's new facility.
The Rams are scheduled to move into their new training facility in Woodland Hills later this year and that can’t come soon enough for Rams coach Sean McVay.
As he was discussing the release of the team’s schedule on Wednesday on ESPN, McVay commented about his “pretty depressing” office which is void of windows and sunlight.
“I’m in the same temporary office that I’ve been for eight years here,” said McVay. “When I was hired in ’17, they said this would be a temporary facility.
“We’re going on Year 9 in this thing. We’ll see if we make it over to Woodland Hills. I’m trapped like a prisoner in this thing, man. I’m just fighting, scratching, and clawing for a window in this thing.”
3. NFL schedule: Chargers, Harbaugh have 3 prime-time games
The Sporting Tribune's Fernando Ramirez reports on the Los Angeles Chargers' schedule, which was released on Wednesday and begins at home.
The Chargers released their schedule on Wednesday. At first glance, they have only three prime-time games, which was unexpected with former University of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh taking the Chargers’ reins.
Those prime-time games are Oct. 21 at Arizona (Monday night) streaming on ESPN+, Nov. 25 vs. Baltimore (Monday night) on ESPN and Dec. 12 at Kansas City (Sunday night) on NBC.
The schedule release is the Super Bowl of social media teams. The last two years the Chargers have used anime to announce their schedule release. They used the popular video game “The Sims” to announce it this season.
4. Raiders kept to one prime-time game in 2024 schedule
The Raiders 2024 schedule was released by the team on social media on Wednesday, setting the stage for the team's fifth season in Las Vegas, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Will Despart.
The Raiders will have one prime-time game, according to this season’s NFL schedule, which was released Wednesday night.
The prime-time game will be Dec. 16 on Monday Night Football against Kirk Cousins and the new-look Atlanta Falcons. However, that game could be changed in favor of a matchup with deeper playoff implications as it falls in the NFL’s late-season flexing window.
The Raiders have a Week 10 bye, sandwiched between trips to Baltimore and Miami. The Week 13 game against the Chiefs is going to be held on Black Friday and streamed live on Prime Video.
The Week 18 home game against the Chargers will be played either Jan. 4 or 5 depending on the playoff positions going into the final week.
Yet it couldn’t be schedule-release day without the requisite video productions. The Raiders were among the teams rolling out the ever-so-elaborate schedule release videos that have taken social media by storm over the last few years.
5. Angels end homestand in style with win over Cardinals
The Angels avoid the sweep by beating the Cardinals 7-2 Wednesday, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Michael Huntley.
Prior to Wednesday’s game against the Cardinals, Angels manager Ron Washington said he would like to see more wins a the team progresses.
The Angels gave him his wish and beat the Cardinals 7-2 to finish the homestand with a 2-5 record.
It was one of the more complete wins of the season where the hitting and pitching both delivered in the same game.
Griffin Canning had his third consecutive solid outing and notched his first win since April 23. He allowed just one run in six innings with five hits, three walks and five strikeouts.
“Just trying to focus on being on the attack, me vs. the hitter,” Canning said. “Just trying to force contact and not shy away from it.”
6. Dodgers’ bats go cold in series finale against Giants
Late rally comes up short as Dodgers head back home after successful road trip, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Grant Mona.
After rapping 24 hits the previous two nights combined, the Dodgers were held to seven hits in a 4-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night at Oracle
The Nos. 1-4 spots in the Dodgers batting order got the only hits and they left 11 runners on base (0 for 5 with runners in scoring position). Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman had two hits each, but rest of the order was unproductive.
Dodgers right-hander Elieser Hernandez made his first start and kept them within striking distance. He went six innings and gave up three runs as the team used two pitchers in the game (Eduardo Salazar threw the seventh and eight innings).
The Dodgers fell to 29-16 on the season and first in the National League West.
7. Video of the Day
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8. Ticket Time
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today:
7:00 p.m. – Reds at Dodgers– $138
9. On the Air
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today:
7:00 p.m. – Reds at Dodgers – SportsNet LA
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