Athletes who missed out on the NIL revolution will receive back pay, the door will open for current athletes to share in college sports’ profits legally and honestly, and – assuming plaintiffs don’t object – the association is going to avoid what would have been a far greater liability had it lost in court as expected.

But from another angle, it brings to mind the famous quote from the late Jerry Tarkanian when he was coaching at UNLV: “The N-C-two-A is so mad at Kentucky, they’re going to give Cleveland State an extra year’s probation.”

Now, as then, the little guys – i.e., the majority of the NCAA’s Division I membership – will be experiencing most of the pain, in this case footing a good portion of a bill that many of them can’t afford.

The settlement was crafted and approved by members of the five autonomous conferences (including the Pac-12 in its previous form), who rightfully feared massive damages. But the effects will be most severely felt by the non-power conference schools, and particularly by the non-football schools and conferences whose lean budgets depend heavily on disbursements from the NCAA basketball tournament.

And, may we add, those are schools and conferences who never could have recruited the former players who stand to benefit most.

To fund the settlement, those tournament money disbursements will be reduced. Big West commissioner Dan Butterly estimated that each school in his conference would receive $250,000 less per year for 10 years, given a split in which the non-power conference schools are responsible for 60% of the payout. UC Riverside athletic director Wes Mallette added the phrase “more or less,” suggesting that it might be as much as $300,000 per school per year.

At first glance, the 60/40 ratio might seem reasonable, given that we’re talking about 67 schools in what now are four power conferences (plus Washington State and Oregon State, the survivors in the stripped-for-parts Pac-12) and 269 others that belong to the Group of 5, the Football Championship Series classification or what is considered Division I-AAA (no football).

Again, look closer.

The big schools, the schools with athletic budgets like USC’s ($212 million in 2022-23, according to the most recent figures) or Michigan’s ($202.5 million) can better absorb the cost. But the schools with far less room for error – the vast majority of the 269 – will feel it like a gut punch.

That annual loss of revenue for the next decade will be particularly felt at UCR (a $15.792 million ’22-23 budget, according to the EADA figures) and fellow Big West programs Cal State Northridge ($19.8 million), Cal State Fullerton ($21.899 million), Long Beach State ($26.4 million) and UC Irvine ($25.2 million). And it will be felt just as significantly at Pepperdine ($28 million) and Loyola Marymount ($35 million) of the West Coast Conference and California Baptist ($32.7 million) of the WAC.

“You’re talking $250,000 to $300,000 a year projected right now without (including) those other cases, because there’s more to come,” Mallette said. “We don’t know what that’s going to look like.

“For the well-resourced programs, the issue is probably going to be more of a spending issue, in terms of what do you not spend, and how do you figure that piece out. For the lower resourced programs, primarily at the mid-major level, it’s going to be how we figure out how we’re going to make up for those losses. Because all of our costs are continuing to rise.”

Not in the room where it happened

The worst part? Schools from the 27 non-power conferences effectively had no voice in shaping this settlement.

“We found out about this proposed settlement 23 days ago,” Butterly said in a phone conversation this past week. “The rumor has been that they (the autonomous five conferences in concert with the NCAA and commissioner Charlie Baker) have been working on this behind the scenes over the last year. It just got sprung upon us.”

The Big West has had even less of a voice, because non-power conference presidents and chancellors serve on a rotating basis on the NCAA board of directors, and the Big West was out of the rotation the last four years. It will rejoin the rotation this August, .

Too late. Talk about taxation without representation.

“Don’t get me started on my ‘Hamilton’ quotes,” Butterly quipped.

And this is absolutely worth noting: While the proceeds from men’s basketball’s March Madness will fund this settlement, media rights money from football and particularly the College Football Playoff – which is a non-NCAA event – will not be touched, according to Butterly.

All of this means that college sports are educational in more ways than you might suspect. Today’s lesson in Economics 101: The excessively wealthy have the power and the means to bend the rules in their favor.

And they’re not done yet. Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey is still on his soapbox insisting that (i.e., avoid running further afoul of antitrust laws).

“I mean, talk about it like your savior is the most dysfunctional body in the country, right?” Arizona State professor and sports historian Victoria Jackson said in a phone conversation. “I don’t think that’s going to work out.”

There has been pushback. Big East commissioner Val Ackerman told her conference’s members, that she is seeking ways to “alter the plan that the NCAA and A5 have orchestrated.” That conference’s members will be on the hook for a reported $600,000 to $700,000 per school per year.

Ackerman – whose conference is also among those not represented on the Board of Directors – suggested in the email that “the primary beneficiaries” of back pay likely will be FBS football players. If you are a non-football school, even one with as much basketball success as the Big East has had historically – which helps explain that conference’s higher tariff – being assessed the bill for someone else’s responsibilities doesn’t seem right or fair.

(Again, see: “excessively wealthy,” “power” and “bend the rules,” above.)

A line of demarcation

At the lower end of the college athletics food chain, this could be about survival, period.

Consider UCR, which came . The university faced a $32 million university-wide shortfall coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its Budget Advisory Committee put athletics at the top of the list of programs recommended for elimination.

The program but part of the arrangement was that and its operating budget would be pruned as far as it could be without hitting bone.

“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve done and what we’re doing,” Mallette said. “And this is not going to stop us. We’ll figure out how to navigate through this. … We had to save a program from being eliminated. We can figure this piece out.”

The direct player compensation mechanism coming out of the NCAA’s settlement discussions is the right thing to do, particularly at universities with sufficient revenue to compensate the labor force. But it’s also a line of demarcation between the bigs and everyone else, and it leads to the obvious question: At some point, do the power conferences and schools break away?

As recently as two years ago that seemed an empty threat. But with the total revamp of the college sports map – guided, of course, by Fox and ESPN – the idea of the four remaining power conferences making up a Super League and leaving everyone else behind in a separate, lesser division seems less far-fetched.

“I don’t see a future in which the schools with the very small budgets in Division I, football team or no football team, are in the same category as the schools at the top,” said ASU’s Jackson. “We have a vision for a future of football that is stand-alone or spun off or whatever it ends up being. And I see a future for Olympic sports, or the rest of the sports that aren’t football and basketball. But basketball is a tricky one.

“I don’t know if the NBA needs to get more involved, if USA Basketball needs to get more involved … what does the basketball ecosystem look like going forward, and what is the collegiate space’s relationship with that ecosystem?”

The ultimate fear? The big schools make March Madness their own, and Cinderella is left at the side of the road surrounded by torn-up brackets.

jalexander@scng.com

• So can we assume that a large portion of Southern California’s basketball fans will be rooting fervently for Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks over the next few weeks? …

• If you are a Lakers fan of any vintage at all, you know where I’m going with this. The Boston Celtics are pursuing a record NBA championship No. 18, which is their organization’s Holy Grail just as much as it is that of the Lakers. …

• We will remind you, by the way, that since Bill Russell retired after the 1969 Finals, the Lakers have won 12 titles while the Celtics have six – and just one in the last 37 seasons – so there are bragging rights already in place. Still, 18 is 18, the top of the leaderboard. And since the Lakers can’t get to it yet – and in truth seem to be going backward – if you root for them, the choice in the NBA Finals that begin Thursday should be easy. …

• The Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy suggested in his notes column last week that the 1986 Celtics, who were 67-15 in the regular season, lost only once at home all season and postseason and lost just three games in four playoff series, were

You’re on, Dan. I can think of at least five Lakers teams that could have beaten those Celtics. …

• The ’87 Lakers finished 65-17, also lost just three games in the playoffs, vanquished Boston in six in the Finals – – and boasted both the regular-season MVP in Johnson and the Defensive Player of the Year in Michael Cooper. The ’85 Lakers were 62-20 in the regular season and beat the Celtics in six in the Finals, becoming the first visiting team ever to clinch in Boston Garden and avenging the previous year’s loss. …

• Or how about the first Phil Jackson-coached Lakers team in 1999-2000? The first of the Shaq-Kobe three-peat teams broke in Staples Center with a 67-15 record and a victory over Larry Bird-coached Indiana in the Finals, with O’Neal winning both the scoring title and regular-season MVP. (Where were the Celtics that year? Oh, right: 35-47 and watching the playoffs from home.)

You can also throw in the 2008-09 Lakers. Still smarting from a Finals loss the previous June to Boston, they were 65-17 in the regular season and knocked off Orlando in the Finals with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol leading the way. (And the core of that group avenged the ’08 loss to Boston in ’10.) …

• Oh, wait. There’s one more. The ’71-72 Lakers of Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain, L.A.’s first champs, broke the NBA record for regular-season victories at 69-13 and knocked off the Bucks (and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and the Knicks in back-to-back playoff rounds. And they set a professional sports record that still stands more than a half century later.

When you find a team that wins more than 33 in a row, get back to us. …

• All of this is a reminder of Laker Exceptionalism, or at least what it used to look like. It can also be interpreted as a sad commentary on the present condition of a franchise that has become a regular participant in the play-in round and is about to hire its seventh coach in 14 seasons. …

• Worth noting: The Lakers coach with the best record since Jackson left the room in 2011? Bernie Bickerstaff, the interim leader between Mike Brown and Mike D’Antoni in 2012-13, at 4-1. …

• As for the disclosures of interviewees in the current Great Laker Coach Search? I get the impression that they’re all in town interviewing for assistant positions. If JJ Redick truly is going to be the guy, as seems to be the consensus in the rumor mill, he’s going to need all the high-powered help on the bench he can get. …

• Regarding what appears to be the NCAA’s New Normal (and we will have plenty more to say about it in Sunday’s paper), a couple of thoughts:

Athletes being compensated for the value they bring to an athletic program is a good thing, for sure. But one reason we advocated – i.e., boosters and businessmen being allowed to help players financially – years before State Sens. (D-Berkeley) and Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood) introduced the legislation that ultimately spawned NIL, is that it would have allowed the schools to maintain their levels of athletics funding without having to directly dip into the till to pay the players.

Now that the schools themselves – at least the big-time programs – will be budgeting revenue-sharing payments to their athletes as part of the how long will it be until track or swimming or water polo or other Olympic sports start to disappear from various campuses? …

• A possible alternative, evidently, is private equity investment in college athletic programs. Given how private equity has impacted other industries, that’s a scary thought. …

• Anyone see the (supposedly leaked) photos on social media of what presumably are the Dodgers’ new City Connect uniforms? This is another reminder: The people at Nike in charge of designing these clown suits, and the people in the MLB offices who consider this a good idea, have no respect for or interest in the heritage of the teams and cities they’re supposedly connecting to.

Plus, funfetti is for birthday cakes, not baseball uniforms. …

Update, the guy gave us his jersey to take pictures of it.

— uɐʎɹ (@_RF30)

• Following Sunday’s column where we published (and, not incidentally, the noise level in our local sports venues), the responses kept coming. And at least one team reached out, with Ducks’ director of publications and digital content Adam Brady noting that there is a place on the team website – – where comments, be they praise or complaints, are welcome.

Any other organizations want to chime in? …

• And maybe the overriding sentiment in all of the, um, noise about noise was expressed best by Ira J. Waldman, a past contributor to This Space, who said he’s not renewing his Kings’ season tickets after 40 years – “Do the owners care? Doubt it,” he wrote – and is afraid of what the volume will be for Clippers games at the new Intuit Dome.

“What is really disappointing about the noise level is that you can’t have a conversation with your season ticket cohort (those who sit near you and have become friends with) either before or during the games,” he wrote, adding: “If the fans can’t get the noise level up on their own, ��Dz�’t bother.”

Then again, he also suggested he’d prefer a “Sweet Caroline” singalong. Ira, I’m not sure I’m with you there.

jalexander@scng.com

Maybe my biggest takeaway was this: We are all multi-faceted creatures. He was just more willing than most of us to embrace all of those facets of his life, vibrantly and with gusto – and if you, the observer, didn’t get it, too bad. He truly did live his best life.

Mirjam, you who called his games as a Clipper and later worked with him as a broadcaster. I’ve gotta believe he had some stories no one else had.

Mirjam Swanson: Plenty. From whitewater rafting with Walton to helping him break into broadcasting, they were tight. My heart really goes out to Ralph – and everyone who knew Walton personally. What a loss for them, and for us all.

One thing Ralph and I talked about that I’ve been thinking a lot about since: How unusual Walton was. Not only for his talent and success and that multi-faceted zest for life you’ve mentioned, but for his disposition.

This guy’s athletic prowess put him on a pedestal from his earliest days and he wasn’t a jerk. On the contrary, he was a nice guy, aware and positive-minded.

We’re in proximity to lots of powerful athletic figures and few are so generous with their time and thoughts and beings. And, to be honest, regular folks without any such skill or prestige aren’t always so well meaning, either.

Here’s what Lawler had to say about that: “He was extraordinary from his early childhood. It was obvious he was going to be a great basketball player, and he was held on a special perch by all around him for all those years – and you have to credit his beloved mom and dad, they raised him right, and didn’t let him get things out of balance.

“He just had a view of the world that few people are fortunate to have. I wish I had it, I wish more of us had it.”

Jim: That’s what impressed me most –

I made a reference a few years ago to the idea that his basketball commentary might drive some viewers – mostly the partisans – nuts, not only because he refused to be bogged down by X’s and O’s but But he was a purist, and he believed in honoring the game. That, too, was impressive.

And now … usually we come into this with a rough idea of what we’re going to discuss, but here’s some breaking news: to a “new, long-term” contract. No length or dollars disclosed, of course, and while this might have been considered a mere formality in the Clippers’ offices, it is now one piece solidly in place.

Also one less option for the Lakers to pursue, although the NBA’s gossip machinery seemingly has them fixated on JJ Redick. We’ll get to that another time, but your thoughts on Ty’s new deal?

Mirjam: Looks like he’ll be making $70 million for five years,

He can’t say the Lakers didn’t take care of him, eh?

I remember talking to people with the Clippers when they first hired Lue to replace Doc Rivers following the bubble collapse in 2020. What they told me was that they thought he’d be their Gregg Popovich or Erik Spoelstra – a long-term coach. At the time, you take that with a grain of salt – of course you’re saying that when you hire the guy, but let’s see what you say in four years when you haven’t gotten past the Western Conference finals?

This is their answer.

I like it. There are few NBA coaches better than Lue; it would be a nightmare to have to try to replace him. But also, with how fast the coaching carousel spins these days, and how all-powerful star players tend to be, a team with a leader with actual cachet goes a long way.

Or could. And in this era of parity in the NBA, could is good – including for the star-crossed Clippers franchise.

Jim: This is another reminder of how professionally run this franchise has been over the past decade. And we’re about to get yet another reminder with the FX series “Clipped,” which begins streaming on Hulu on Tuesday. It’s a recounting/dramatization of the events 10 years ago that drove Donald Sterling out of NBA ownership and ushered in a new era for the Clippers with Steve Ballmer’s purchase.

Along those lines, I’m going back and listening to Ramona Shelburne’s “30 for 30” podcast from 2019, “The Sterling Affairs,” a four-part deep dive into Sterling’s eccentric (to be kind) ownership of the team on which this miniseries is based. Ramona, a former Daily ɫ����̳ sports columnist and now a regular on ESPN’s weekday “NBA Today” show, is also an executive producer of this series.

Going back and recalling that mess is a reminder of how far the organization has come, and how loyal the fans who have stuck with the Clippers all this way must be. Someday there will be a psychic payoff, right?

Right??

Next … the segment of Dodger fans who can’t resist piling on Dave Roberts was at it again the other day. This was after Roberts walked to the mound in the eighth inning Sunday, after reliever Yohan Ramirez had hit two Cincinnati Reds and was just about to unravel. Roberts pulled the reliever in, and – after Ramirez got out of the inning with the very next pitch – noted that sometimes the best course is not to yell and scream at a player.

That was posted on Instagram, and the responses that included the words “soft” and “participation trophies” and the sentiment that Tommy Lasorda sure wouldn’t have done it that way. Could Lasorda have dealt with today’s player? Maybe, maybe not.

But I find it stunning that the manager behind three Negro League managers (two of them in the Hall of Fame), and who has won a World Series – regardless of how much people try to devalue the championship in the 2020 bubble, it happened and every other team had the same opportunity to win it – gets so little respect from so much of his own team’s fan base.

Mirjam: Unfortunately, I’m not nearly so stunned.

The same folks who

The same folks who probably haven’t been around sports people who are that kind of incredibly invested. How emotional sport is. How people work.

The same folks who talk a lot of nonsense on social media but couldn’t handle a fraction of the pressure as the people they’re critiquing do daily.

I bet Roberts cares much less about what those folks are typing and more about what his players are thinking and feeling. That’s how he’s found as much success as he has so far, and how he’ll find whatever more comes the Dodgers’ way going forward.

Keep doing you, Dave.

Jim: There’s a reason why the job title is “manager.” It’s not just about managing a game but about managing people, an incredibly important facet of guiding a team through 162 games. Roberts does it as well as anybody.

I understand some of the criticism he gets about pitching decisions – – but you’ve got to keep in mind that he can only work with the personnel he has. Not every reliever is available every day unless you want to burn out their arms and shoulders, and at some point the front office has to be held accountable for selecting the pitchers he has to choose from. The idea that the player fails and therefore the manager deserves the blame? That’s lazy reasoning.

And I wonder sometimes if the criticism goes deeper than mere strategic disagreement. (Remember, in the hours prior to the Dodgers’ Game 6 victory over Tampa Bay in that 2020 World Series some blogger threw up a post In that case, “threw up” is the correct term.)

Maybe it was that five-game losing streak last week that addled people’s brains. People forget it’s a long season.

Maybe devoted Angel fans have gotten most of their rants out of the way in previous correspondence, or else some are reluctant to pile on in the early stages of what figures to be another season in the depths of the American League West.

The Angels and Moreno drew multiple mentions. But so did the Lakers, who have one championship in the last 14 seasons, are in the midst of another coaching search (subtitle: “What did LeBron Know and When Did He Know It?”) but still have a firm grip on the emotions of this market’s fan base.

And excessive stadium noise – which has become pervasive at all levels of sports, though it seems more incessant and more grating at Dodger Stadium – was also mentioned multiple times. The consensus? Turn down the speakers!

(I’m not sure all of the latter responses originated from the “get off my lawn” generation, either, although the din probably bothers us more. You can tell it’s bad when your overwhelmed Apple Watch just stops issuing loud environment warnings.)

I am surprised, though. I was expecting more responses. If you respond now, it’s too late to get your rant published (unless it’s a really, really good one).

Anyway, here are some of the public’s reactions, with comments edited for clarity:

“Arturo Moreno is far and away the worst,” wrote Andy J. Mariani of San Pedro, who described himself as an Angel fan since 1967. He cited Moreno’s “ability to hide and avoid conflict sneaking behind ‘no comment’ and putting shills and cronies like his president (John) Carpino out front when something must be said. … Oh, those days of a senile Cowboy with wife Jackie and Disney’s cheerleaders dancing on top of dugouts was bad, yet Angel fans now realize we never had it so good.”

Steve Keller of Mission Viejo defended Arte, calling him a “very good owner” and saying, “Arte has spent the money and the players have let him down.” He suggested General Manager Perry Minasian and the rest of the front office should bear responsibility. But it must be noted, as other respondents at other times have pointed out, that the Angels ��Dz�’t have a president of baseball operations to supervise the general manager or be a buffer and talk Arte off the ledge (or out of pulling out his checkbook) when needed.

Keller defended Joe Maddon, who was fired early in the 2022 season. So did Blake Kidd, who made this observation: “Just love Arte telling us he wanted this year’s (manager) to have experience. Didn’t Joe Maddon have experience? Until Arte sells the team and we get rid of (chairman Dennis) Kuhl and Carpino, nothing will change.”

Jim Frear, who says his Angel fan bona fides date to 1961 and the franchise’s inception, wrote that Moreno “doesn’t get the concept that pitching and defense wins championships. He spends tons of money for hitters but zero on pitching. Please update me on the ’21 draft where Angels took a pitcher with every pick. Have they ‘coached’ anyone up to the majors?”

Matt Quint of Irvine was one of those who celebrated when Moreno said he was exploring a sale of the team two years ago, the elation of course being short-lived. “This man has (singlehandedly) destroyed an MLB franchise trying to play land games for real estate schemes,” he wrote. “Disgusting, dishonest, fraud, joke, need I go on? These are the terms I associate with this charlatan of an owner. ‘Hey look at me! I lowered beer prices, please ��Dz�’t look at how I decimated our farm system and wasted valuable payroll funds on washed up players at my behest.’”

Quint did have kudos for the Rams and owner Stan Kroenke. He’s one of many in this market who turned their backs when Georgia Frontiere moved the team to St. Louis in 1995 but returned to the fold when the Rams returned in 2016. “I am proud to be a Rams fan, not for just the play on the field, but for (how) our team is run day to day,” he wrote.

As for the Lakers, another of his favorite teams? “Oh, how the mighty have fallen,” he wrote. “I love Jeanie (Buss) & what she is trying to do, but she arguably has the least capital to work with of ALL the NBA owners, making us a poor franchise in a rich market. … I ��Dz�’t know if Jeanie truly has it in her to do what is needed to bring this franchise back to greatness? I hope she proves me wrong.”

Carl and Lori Linnecke laid the blame for Lakers issues at the feet of VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and the rest of the front office, citing not only the Anthony Davis trade – “A.D. is a great player. But he does not always come to play” –  but also the deal that sent Ivica Zubac to the Clippers early in 2019. And then there’s this:

“LeBron James should stay out (of) making decisions about players. Maybe he should retire instead of talking about playing with his son Bronny. James was a great player. One of the greatest. His time has come and gone. They will never win a championship as long as he is on the team.”

Edward Sussman wrote that the Lakers should cut ties with James, saying that “he is a great player, but a coach killer” and that “the Lakers were a better team with Darvin Ham as their coach.” And he added a prediction: “The problem here is that the Lakers will draft Bronny and whoever becomes the coach of the Lakers will experience LeBron’s pressure to play him.”

Steve Benoff of Beaumont responded to the suggestions – – that James should be player-coach: “LeBron would never accept the role of coach, because, true to form, in a year he’d have to fire himself.”

(Rimshot!)

As for the other apparent pressing issue among those fans who responded: Try finding a sports venue where you ��Dz�’t have to deal with ear-splitting music, screamers at the public address mic and recorded pleas for even more noise.

“Finally someone who knows baseball has mentioned the excruciating noise level at Dodger Stadium,” wrote Tom Kaczmarek of Los Alamitos. “It hits you from the moment you pass through security and only ends when you leave. There was a time when baseball at the ballpark was a time to catch up with family or friends … (or to) discuss baseball statistics and strategies. Apparently, those days have been replaced by non-stop forced hilarity.”

Mike Reuben of Anaheim Hills wrote that the speakers “are so damn loud that I had to give up my Ducks tickets, and even the Angels seats are exposed to excessive noise.”

So is there a point when lost business from potential fans turned off by the noise assault overrides the idea of the high-energy environment the marketing folks seem to crave?

Judy Kent described her experience at Dodger Stadium: “I had the good fortune to be invited to one of the BofA suites a few weeks ago and was shocked at the noise pollution (haven’t been to the stadium in a few years). It was almost impossible to have a conversation with anyone when sitting in the outdoor seats and not much better when we’d go back inside the suite!

“Where do I send my complaint?”

The on the Dodgers’ website lists a fanfeedback@ladodgers.com email address, and I’d imagine – or would at least hope – that other teams have similar ways to register a complaint or a suggestion.

But they may not always listen. I will.

jalexander@scng.com

Gavin Stone and Michael Grove, two of the Dodgers’ early-season surprises, both dealt with the harsh parts of a rookie’s education on Tuesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Stone, who has been a solid part of the rotation for a month, was cuffed around – eight hits and four runs, including a booming home run by Christian Walker, in his six innings of work. Grove, who has emerged as a leverage reliever in recent weeks, entered the game in the seventh trailing 4-3 and left it down 7-3, with a leadoff walk to No. 9 hitter Kevin Newman eventually leading to a three-run shot by Joc Pederson that put the game out of reach for Arizona.

“It’s a situation where he just can’t walk that leadoff guy,” Roberts said. “And then obviously that brings Joc to the plate and, you know, (Grove) left a slider out over (the plate) and he does what he does to right-handed pitchers.

“Michael’s been on a good run. And so hopefully he can learn from it but continue to build on that momentum he’s had.”

Stuff happens and you learn from it, right?

In the big picture, it was one night, a temporary setback maybe but also a night that allowed Manager Dave Roberts to save his bullpen. Stone making it through six innings and 93 pitches was a definite plus, with the Dodgers nearing the end of a string of 13 consecutive games and leverage guys Alex Vesia, Blake Treinen and Daniel Hudson able to rest.

Stone “did a good job of competing, keeping us in the ballgame, getting through six innings,” Roberts said afterward. “I thought those guys had a pretty good game plan against him.”

Stone gave up four straight hits and two runs in the second, with Eugenio Suarez going the other way on a slider for an RBI single and catcher Gabriel Moreno ripping another slider up the middle for Arizona’s second run. Newman singled with one out in the fifth, moving to third on Corbin Carroll’s double to left off a sinker and scoring on Ketel Marte’s infield out. And Walker hit his ninth home run of the year in the sixth for a 4-1 lead, a drive deep into the box seats down the left field line on a 3-and-2 changeup.

“Probably just with the changeup, it didn’t really feel the best,” Stone said. “But I really did feel good with everything else, though.”

The key to Stone’s success is fastball command, as Roberts pointed out in his pre-game briefing.

“He has a couple different breaking balls (to lefties and to right-handed hitters),” Roberts said. “But if he can get ahead with the fastball and command it, then, it puts those guys more on their heels. And to be honest, he’s been very good with that this year. His results are a byproduct of getting ahead and commanding of the fastball. So, you know, if he can get that fastball on the plate with some late movement, there’s induction of soft contact, getting ahead in the count, swing and miss with other pitches.

“He’s been fantastic. He’s weathered some big-stress innings, minimized damage, which shows growth. I think it’s just kind of, the low dart getting ahead of hitters. It’s very telling for me because then everything else plays off of that.”

According to the , Stone started seven Arizona hitters with first pitch strikes Tuesday night and got outs on six of them. Five others swung at the first pitch, and two got hits, Suarez’s RBI single in the second and Carroll’s double in the fifth. He was out of the zone with the first pitch to 13 hitters, and five of them got hits.

“Every outing is a learning experience, no matter how old you are,” Stone said. “Just learn from it and grow.”

He’ll get the ball again in a few days, in a rotation that is very much a work in progress.

Hours before Stone took the mound under the lights, Bobby Miller pitched a three-inning, 51-pitch simulated game. Miller went on the injured list April 13, retroactive to the 10th, with shoulder inflammation. and probably a couple more rehab starts after that.

Beyond that, Clayton Kershaw and Dustin May have thrown bullpens recently with an eye toward the second half of the schedule. Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, James Paxton and Walker Buehler are part of the current rotation along with Stone. Landon Knack came up for a spot start the other day. There are, undeniably, more starting pitchers than there is roster room when all are healthy.

So, when SCNG colleague Bill Plunkett brought up the possibility Roberts replied, “Uhh, I think we’re open to anything.” And then he noted his biggest misgiving, which is that a six-man rotation would trim the bullpen from eight to seven pitchers, and in this era of baseball that brings considerable risk.

Tuesday aside, Grove has demonstrated he could ultimately be one of those leverage relievers, though it’s a bullpen that will become even more crowded when Evan Phillips, Ryan Brasier, Joe Kelly and Brusdar Graterol are again ready to pitch.

Eventually, the pitching situation will sort itself out. With a big division lead already, and the realization that this organization is playing for October, there’s time.

jalexander@scng.com

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  Ontario Reign’s Tyler Madden react after losing to Coachella Valley Firebirds in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  LA Kings mascot, Bailey, waves a towel during Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series between Ontario Reign and Coachella Valley Firebird at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Coachella Valley Firebirds fans celebrate after defeating Ontario Reign in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Ontario Reign’s Joe Hicketts and Kim Nousiainen show dejection after losing to Coachella Valley Firebirds in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Ontario Reign’s goalie Erik Portillo enters the ice arena before the Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series against Coachella Valley Firebirds at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Coachella Valley Firebirds fans celebrate a goal against Ontario Reign in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Coachella Valley Firebirds team celebrates after defeating Ontario Reign 3-2 in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  A Coachella Valley Firebirds fan cheers during Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series against Ontario Reign at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Ontario Reign fans during Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series against Coachella Valley Firebirds at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Ontario Reign fsans react after a goal against Coachella Valley Firebirds in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Kingston, the Ontario Reign mascot attends Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series against Coachella Valley Firebirds at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  An Ontario Reign fan cheers during Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series against Coachella Valley Firebirds at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Logan Morrison dribbles the puck pressured by Ontario Reign’s Akil Thomas in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Ontario Reign’s Joe Hicketts enters the ice arena before Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series against Coachella Valley Firebirds at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Cameron Hughes dribbles the puck pressured by Ontario Reign’s Kevin Connauton in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Coachella Valley Firebirds’ John Hayden dribbles the puck pressured by Ontario Reign’s Joe Hicketts in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Devin Shore takes a shot guarded by Ontario Reign’s Brandt Clarke in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Ontario Reign’s Steven Santini dribbles the puck pressured by Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Devin shore in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Ontario Reign’s Brandt Clarke dribbles the puck guarded by Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Jimmy Schuldt in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Ontario Reign’s Charles Hudon looks to pass guarded by Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Ryker Evans in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Ontario Reign’s Akil Thomas is pressured by Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Jimmy Schuldt in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Ontario Reign’s Steven Santini dribbles the puck pressured by Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Devin shore in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Ontario Reign’s Brandt Clarke looks for a pass guarded by Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Marian Studenic in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Luke Henman dribbles the puck between Ontario Reign’s Kevin Connauton and Martin Chromiak during Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Ontario Reign’s Joe Hicketts dribbles the puck pressured by Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Devin Shore in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Luke Henman and Ontario Reign’s Brandt Clarke battle for the puck during Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Andrew Poturalski and Ontario Reign’s Joe Hicketts battle for the puck during Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Ontario Reign’s Bramdt Clarke and Jacob Doty shield the puck from Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Ryker Evans in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Devin Shore and Ontario Reign’s Akil Thomas battle for the puck during Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Ryan Winterton driblles guarded by Ontario Reign’s Kim Nousiainen in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Luke Henman and Ontario Reign’s Francesco Pinelli face-off during Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Ontario Reign’s Brandt Clarke looks for a pass guarded by Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Marian Studenic in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Ontario Reign’s Akil Thomas tries to control the puck between Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Marian Studenic and Gustav Olofsson in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Jacob Melanson driblles guarded by Ontario Reign’s Martin Chromiak in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Luke Henman and Ontario Reign’s Kim Nousiainen battle for the puck in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Luke Henman and Ontario Reign’s Kim Nousiainen battle for the puck in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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  Ontario Reign’s Brandt Clarke takes a shot guarded by Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Marian Studenic in Game 3 of the AHL Calder Cup playoff series at Toyota Arena on Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

ONTARIO — If you’re a Kings fan, the scene inside Toyota Arena on Sunday night looked uncomfortably familiar: The team in black was on the wrong end of the season-ending handshake line.

This time it was the Ontario Reign congratulating a victorious opponent, after a 3-2 loss to the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the Seattle Kraken’s affiliate, to complete a sweep in the best-of-five AHL Pacific Division series. The difference here is that the Reign had won two rounds previously in the Calder Cup playoffs, which is two more rounds than the parent club has won in a decade since it had last hoisted the Stanley Cup.

So, the Players Who Would Be Kings have experienced both the joy of victory and the pain of defeat this spring. If that well-rounded experience turns out to be a motivator of sorts, why, maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

“I really wanted to win with these guys,” forward Alex Turcotte said late Sunday night. “We have a really tight team, and that’s all I really cared about. It’s not a great feeling, going out this way, especially because we’re better than that. We let a couple games slip, too. So, it’s just tough how fast it ends.”

The season itself turned out to be a pretty solid comeback story for the Reign, which went through a 2-8-0-2 stretch from Jan. 20 through Feb. 21 (overtime and shootout losses are computed separately in the AHL, though each are worth a pity point in the standings). Ontario rallied to go 19-4-0-1 to the end of the season and finish third in the Pacific at 42-23-3-4.

The hot streak might have been spurred by a team meeting that included some reminders about the way they should be playing. Afterward, according to head coach Marco Sturm, “We had a lot of guys out. Guys were with the Kings, and (yet) it didn’t matter who was in and who was out of the lineup, how good we were. That train was still going, and we played the right way, the way I wanted them to play.”

The trick now, from the big club’s perspective, is how many of these players will ultimately be full-time Kings. There are three prospects who seem to be pretty sure things.

Turcotte, the team’s first-round draft pick in 2019, amassed 10 goals and 19 assists in 35 regular-season AHL games this season and two goals and two assists in eight playoff games, and he seemed to flourish when paired with fellow prospect Akil Thomas (second-rounder, 2018) in the team’s three playoff series. Each had a game-winning goal in the first two series, and both drew a good amount of praise from Sturm, the Reign’s second-year head coach.

“We were happy with (Turcotte’s) game, but he was on a wing,” Sturm said. “When he plays center, he’s a motor, right? He goes up and down. He plays the way we actually want him to play. … He did everything I was asking for, but I do think he’s a better centerman, yeah.”

Turcotte played 20 games with the big club, entailing the final two games of Todd McLellan’s tenure as coach in late January and 18 games with interim coach Jim Hiller, before returning to the minors. He had a goal and three assists in the NHL, and the goal and an assist came in his second game, a victory in Nashville on Jan. 31 which was also McLellan’s last game as coach. Under Hiller his ice time fluctuated.

Thomas made his NHL debut in April, seven games in which he had three goals and four assists, including a game-winner in his second game, April 4 at San Jose. His first taste of the NHL seemed to have an effect when he came back to Ontario.

“He was very excited to be a King for a short time, but also he knew he had to put the same effort and the same game (that) he did up there, with us,” Sturm said. “And that’s what he does. He doesn’t cheat (from an effort standpoint) and he wants to get better, and he definitely did this year.”

The third prospect to watch, and maybe the closest to being NHL-ready, is defenseman Brandt Clarke. He played 50 regular-season games in Ontario (10 goals, 36 assists) and 16 in L.A. (2 goals, including a game-winner, and four assists but a minus-6 in five-on-five situations).

“He’s a special player,” Sturm said. “He does a lot of things nobody else can do, and we know that. I think the one thing we always refocus on (with) him is playing good defense, because that’s what he needs to do to play for the Kings. And there’s still times he wants to gamble at the wrong time. That’s something, again, he has to learn as well.”

He’ll need to add some weight, too, his coach said. Clarke is listed on the Reign roster at 6-foot-2 and 187 pounds.

Among the Reign’s other potential prospects – emphasis on potential – is Swedish left wing Samuel Fagemo, who scored 43 goals in 50 games in his fourth season in Ontario and added two goals and three assists in the playoffs. He’s scored 103 AHL regular season goals and has had four brief stints in the NHL, three with the Kings (two goals in 17 games) and one at the start of the 2023-24 season with Nashville (one goal in four games) before the Kings reacquired him on waivers from the Predators on Nov. 11.

“A guy like that, you just try to get him the puck and almost get out of the way at times,” Reign captain T.J. Tynan said. “He’s such a lethal shooter, and a lot of people ��Dz�’t have that.”

The waning moments of Sunday night’s Game 3, with Ontario down a goal but with a 6-on-4 advantage inside the final two minutes, were an illustration. Fagemo set up in the left circle during the power play, his teammates fed him and he kept blasting away, four times in all plus a try from in front of the net. It didn’t result in the tying goal, but why not give your best scorer as many chances as possible?

Fagemo was a plus-10 this season, after being a minus-24 the year before. But, as John Hoven of the website pointed out, his chances of sticking in the NHL might depend on having a coach that believes in his overall game.

Will that be in L.A.? Hard to judge. As far as anyone knows Hiller still carries the “interim” tag, and there has been no announcement otherwise.

Meanwhile, Sturm – a Kings assistant for four seasons, dating back to the John Stevens/Willie Desjardins mess of 2018-19, and Ontario’s head coach the last two – feels he’s ready to be a head coach somewhere.

“I think I’m ready to take the next step,” he said. “I love what I do. I think I’m a really good head coach. … If nothing works out (in the NHL) I’m going to be here, and that’s where I want to be. That’s not my goal to be an (NHL) assistant. I think I am a better head coach than an assistant.”

Put it this way: A lot could happen between now and July, when the Kings gather their prospects in El Segundo for their annual development camp.

jalexander@scng.com

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  Kristen Nuss takes a shot against Marine Kinna during a match against Devanne Sours and Marine Kinna during the AVP Huntington Beach Open on Friday in Huntington Beach. Taryn Kloth and Nuss won in two sets. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Taryn Kloth, left, and Kristen Nuss celebrate a point during a match against Devanne Sours and Marine Kinna during the AVP Huntington Beach Open on Friday in Huntington Beach. Kloth and Nuss won in two sets. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Kristen Nuss, left, and Taryn Kloth go after the ball during a match against Devanne Sours and Marine Kinna during the AVP Huntington Beach Open on Friday in Huntington Beach. Kloth and Nuss won in two sets. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Taryn Kloth goes up against Marine Kinna during the AVP Huntington Beach Open in Huntington Beach, CA, on Friday, May 17, 2024. Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nussn defeated Devanne Sours and Marine Kinna in two sets. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Taryn Kloth goes after the ball against Devanne Sours and Marine Kinna during the AVP Huntington Beach Open in Huntington Beach, CA, on Friday, May 17, 2024. Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nussn defeated Devanne Sours and Marine Kinna in two sets. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Taryn Kloth goes up against Devanne Sours during the AVP Huntington Beach Open in Huntington Beach, CA, on Friday, May 17, 2024. Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nussn defeated Devanne Sours and Marine Kinna in two sets. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Taryn Kloth hits the ball past against Devanne Sours during the AVP Huntington Beach Open in Huntington Beach, CA, on Friday, May 17, 2024. Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nussn defeated Devanne Sours and Marine Kinna in two sets. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

HUNTINGTON BEACH — If you are a fan of beach volleyball, you’ve likely heard of Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth. And if you haven’t … well, by the end of the summer you could be quite familiar with them, thanks to NBC.

Nuss and Kloth, seeded No. 1 in the women’s bracket going into this weekend’s AVP Huntington Beach Open, are the second-ranked women’s team in the world behind Brazilians Ana Patricia and Duda. They have an enticing back story – a couple of them, actually, with the pairing of the 5-foot-6 Louisiana native Nuss and the 6-4 South Dakotan Kloth as well as their status as one of the few teams on the AVP tour that doesn’t use Southern California as its base of operations.

And they are headed for Paris, as the first to qualify for this summer’s U.S. Olympic team. If all goes as they hope, they should get plenty of time on NBC’s coverage with their performance and their stories and their personalities, and who knows what kind of commercial opportunities might follow.

“That,” Kloth said, “would be amazing.”

“Yeah,” Nuss added. “That’s something I ��Dz�’t think either one of us has fully thought about.”

This is not an out-of-nowhere story, not any more. The 26-year-olds began playing together at LSU in 2020, “in the darkness of COVID,” Kloth said. Nuss was a Louisiana native, while Kloth had played indoor volleyball at Creighton and migrated to LSU as a graduate transfer in January of 2019.

Since they became a partnership, at the beginning of the 2021 college season, the results have been magic. They finished 36-0 in their final season at LSU. As professionals they’ve won six tournaments on the domestic AVP tour and five in FIVB, or international, competition. In 2023 they won five times between the two, and winning the World Tour finals in Doha, Qatar in December secured their Olympic berth.

They didn’t realize it until a USA Volleyball official told them in January, but Nuss said it didn’t really sink in until “three weeks ago, two weeks ago.”

The combination of tall and short might be a conversation piece, but they’ve made it work. Nuss, who will be the shortest U.S. beach volleyball Olympian since 5-6 Barbra Fontana in 1996 in Atlanta, succeeds with a mixture of pace, guile and scrappiness.

One story the Hall of Fame pitcher who lacked velocity but changed speeds and used pin-point location to get people out. Watching Nuss on the court here Friday, you could see similar characteristics in the balls that she put in just the right places, out of her opponents’ reach.

Nuss said her aunt texts her before every tournament with the same instructions: “Hit it where they’re not.”

“And that pretty much is our sport, and that’s my job,” she said. “But I give all credit to my coach (at LSU), Drew Hamilton, from the beginning. I mean, yes, I am undersized, so you’re not going to see me outpowering anyone. So it is just all about placement and … court vision and then just being a scrappy as possible on defense, just making it difficult for the other team to score. But yeah, I give all credit to Drew Hamilton for basically turning me into the player that I am.”

Kloth, who had been an indoor All-American at Creighton, had to figure out what transferred to the sand and what didn’t, and she said it took her “probably like a year and a half” to adjust.

“Definitely got thrown into the deep end,” she said. “It was a big challenge. You have to deal with all of the elements. … Yes, it does have volleyball in it, but it is completely different from the normal.”

They didn’t play together initially at LSU, but when they convinced Hamilton to put them together something clicked. Nuss   Both were beach All-Americans in their final season.

“We were just friends,” Nuss said. “And then it kind of turned into a beach volleyball partnership. I think the fact that we started as friends, that’s just how it all began. And now she’s my sister, she’s an adopted Louisianan, she’s adopted into my family.”

How inseparable are they?

“We show up at family events, it’s Christmas and people are like, ‘Where’s Kristen?’” Kloth said. “I’m like, ‘With her family.’”

So, is there an initiation process necessary to be an adopted Louisianan?

“She had to try crawfish,” Nuss said. “However, I peeled it for her.”

“The little eyeballs look at you,” Kloth said.

“She did go to Mardi Gras,” Nuss said. “She experienced a hurricane. She’s been through it all.”

They represent the state on their caps, and they train at a Baton Rouge beach volleyball facility, eschewing the SoCal beach volleyball scene.

“We stayed in Louisiana for a reason,” Kloth said. “We felt like we had a very good support system there. That’s where our coach was. And like Kristen always says, we wanted to rewrite the script, that you ��Dz�’t have to come out to Southern California in order to make it in the professional world of beach volleyball.”

Nuss acknowledged that there’s a reason SoCal is considered the epicenter of beach volleyball – “The stands are packed and it’s a Friday: This is awesome for the sport” – but she expressed the sentiment that demonstrating you ��Dz�’t have to be in California to play the sport could be enticing for other athletes from other regions.

“And,” she added, “it’s nice to just kind of be away from everyone.”

If one interview is any indication, their personalities are ideal for the type of featurized coverage NBC is expected to emphasize from Paris. But the competitive half of the equation plays just as well.

Nuss and Kloth ripped through their first matches Friday in the shadow of the Huntington Beach pier, sweeping qualifiers Devanne Sours and Marine Kinna, 21-11, 21-11, shortly after noon and then knocking off Toni Rodriguez and Geena Urango, 21-9, 21-15, in the afternoon. They’ll face Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson Saturday at 2 p.m.

“We think it’s important to refine our game and have people point out the weaknesses, and then we go back to practice and we train and we work on those weaknesses that are exploited,” Kloth said.

The fewer the weaknesses to exploit, the better the chance you’ll remember them after the Olympics have ended.

jalexander@scng.com

The other good part, The place was rocking. The bad part: This should have been on a larger stage. The paid attendance was 3,847 in the 4,000-or-so capacity Pyramid at Long Beach State. This is the WNBA’s moment, and the league’s individual teams have to figure out a way to take advantage of it.

Also a tease for the column: Layshia Clarendon, pride of San Bernardino’s Cajon High and one who absolutely gets it, had some pretty pertinent things to say about where the league is now and, in response to my question, where it will be in another 27 years or so.

There’s some veteran leadership on the roster, with Clarendon, Dearica Hamby and Kia Nurse, who had a triple-double (11 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists for Clarendon), a double-double (20 points, 14 rebounds for Hamby) and an 8-for-16 shooting night with 5-for 11 from behind the arc (Nurse, with a team-high 23 points). That leadership will pay dividends as the season continues. Whether it will bring a playoff spot with it remains to be seen, but I think this team is in good hands beyond this year.

Mirjam Swanson: Dearica told me the other day that the Sparks won’t be a lottery team this year – and I’d love to believe her, because I like when L.A. gets fired up about women’s hoops, like folks did this past college basketball season.

But I ��Dz�’t know.

Miller, however, is someone who certainly does know what he’s talking about, and he’s right: The priority this season should absolutely be developing Brink (who had several highlights to write home about!) and Jackson, and second- and third-year talents like Zia Cooke and Rae Burrell. And, sure, part of that development is learning how to win in the WNBA – which isn’t easy.

I’m glad the Sparks put on a good show in their opener against Atlanta, but – like the Sparks – not a ton is expected this season from the Dream.

I’m looking forward to seeing how the Sparks fare against the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces on Saturday. If they can make that a competitive ballgame, well! Then the Sparks might really be up to something. And Dearica can be like: Told ya.

We’ll see!

Jim: Meanwhile, the Great Lakers Coach Search continues (and yes, that title is an homage to the late Herald-Examiner sports editor and columnist, Bud Furillo). And sure enough, JJ Redick seems to be the favorite to get the job. This baffles me. You just fired a guy, Darvin Ham, in part because he wasn’t the finished product in terms of strategy and managing a game. (Those were the public reasons, anyway.) And now you’re going to hire a guy with no – none, zip, zero, nada – coaching experience to lead a franchise with enormous pressure and enormous expectations.

Sorry, but this makes no sense.

And as I suggested last week when I wrote a column about the (misguided) notion that LeBron James could be a player-coach (he can’t, according to the collective bargaining agreement), bringing in Redick would be about the same thing as giving the reins to LeBron. As Marc Stein – which I recommend subscribing to, if you haven’t already – this could divide the locker room. Stein quoted Udonis Haslem on ESPN’s NBA Today thusly:

“If it’s JJ [Redick], it’s going to be a cynical locker room. You’re gonna see guys that are gonna say, ‘Is Coach gonna do a podcast after the game with LeBron?’ You gonna have a cynical locker room of guys that are gonna side-eye everything JJ says, cause they’re gonna wonder, ‘Is it JJ’s message or LeBron’s message?’”

And there’s this from Tim Hardaway Sr. – you know, the Run TMC Golden State Warriors’ Tim Hardaway – who was one of those who originally floated a player-coach role for LeBron:

“If you’re just going to hire JJ Redick … LeBron is going to run everything, going to run practice, going to run games; he’s just going to run everything.”

I’d like to believe that Rob Pelinka – after, of course, consulting with Jeanie Buss and her kitchen cabinet – decides that someone with more experience should be in charge. And in fact the Lakers do seem to be doing their due diligence, although it’s also been suggested that they’re stalling for time until after the NBA Finals and after Redick’s broadcast commitment to ESPN runs out.

What do you think, Mirjam? Will the folks in the Laker building come to their senses on this one?

Mirjam: I saw that segment with Haslem live. Austin Rivers was on that episode too, echoing similar thoughts. Of course, not to be cynical, but I had to wonder what their motivations were.

Because Haslem advocated for the hiring of Chris Quinn, the longest-tenured assistant coach on the Miami Heat’s coaching staff. Though Haslem made sure to point out: “I’m not just saying this ’cause Chris Quinn is my guy …”

And Rivers voiced his support for Sam Cassell, a longtime assistant of Doc Rivers (Austin’s dad) at different stops, including with the Clippers.

That said, the next Lakers coach will have to check a ton of boxes, foremost among them: Does LeBron respect you?

Think back to 2016, when the Cleveland Cavaliers excused David Blatt and hired Tyronn Lue (even though they had the Eastern Conference’s best record – 30-11 – at the time).

There were all these stories back then about how Blatt hadn’t been able to control the huddle or keep LeBron’s attention in those moments. (Sound familiar, Lakers fans?) But remember what happened when Ty took over? What he reportedly, famously told LeBron when LeBron tried to override him, and how that helped establish his gravitas in that setting? “Shut the [expletive] up. I got this.”

Is JJ a guy to do that (probably) and get away with it/make it work (maybe)?

I ��Dz�’t actually think hiring a coach with none, zip, zero, nada coaching experience for THIS job is the right call. But it’s hard to predict which basketball mind will meld successfully with LeBron’s.

Jim: Two more NBA thoughts: You think Austin might have been influenced by the idea

And here’s one more LeBron-related item. Now he’s backing away from the idea that he’d want to play for the same NBA team that his son Bronny would go to. (I can’t possibly imagine Bronny is ready yet, but that’s beside the point). But could you imagine them playing against each other in the NBA? What happens the first time Bronny steals the ball from his old man and goes to the other end for a layup? Would that be the chase-down block to end all chase-down blocks?

(Kids these days!)

OK, last subject of the day: Chris Taylor. He has been the worst hitter in the big leagues this spring (4 for 56, .071, minus 0.7 WAR), and after Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had proclaimed that he wanted to give Taylor some “runway” to get right, Taylor hasn’t played since May 7.

And now Jason Heyward is getting ready to come off the injured list, and someone needs to make room. You’ve got James Outman, who isn’t hitting much better (.151, minus-0.5 WAR) but has minor-league options left. Is it that tough a choice? Outman can get himself straightened out by going to the minor leagues, but if he stays he can still provide outfield defense. Taylor still has two years and $30 million left (minus what he’s already been paid this year) on his contract, two years at $13 million and a $4 million buyout if his option isn’t picked up for 2026. (Outman is signed for this year at $770,000.)

Or, to put it another way, which one do you assign a phantom injury to in order to activate Heyward? (Not that that’s ever done in the big leagues, of course.)

Mirjam: Oh, man. Taylor is having such a rough go of it. He has to be the odd man out, if you’re going the phantom injury route. But overall, long term, what to do with him if he can’t get it going? And how can he get it going if he’s not playing? And how can you play him when he’s not hitting, like, at all?

Taylor has been a Dodger for almost a decade, come through in the clutch in the postseason, and was rewarded with a four-year, $60 million deal after the 2021 season – which limits what the Dodgers will want to do with him, right?

But he’s become less versatile (just two innings at second base, otherwise, he’s played exclusively in left field) and obviously, .071 is .071. Yeesh.

But I just read a suggestion from that might help, if Dodger fans are so obliged: Clap for CT3.

No, really. Think about the Philadelphia Phillies’ fans treatment of Trea Turner last season.

How they’d booed him (naturally, it’s Philly) after he got off to a poor start before a local radio producer had an idea before Turner’s first at-bat during an August homestand, suggesting, as Michael Elizondo recounted: “That the fans of Citizens Bank Park should try to bolster Turner’s feelings by giving him a standing ovation.”

Seem hokey?

“Maybe a little,” Elizondo wrote, “but here’s the strange thing: it helped … correlation is not causation but Turner was a far different and better player after the standing ovation for the rest of the season than before it, slashing .337/.389/.668 in his final 48 games.”

And by Turner’s own admission: “I owe you guys a thank you. I’ve heard that you guys were responsible, so I want to say thank you for you guys. I started playing a lot better, and it was thanks to you guys and the crowd.”

These athletes are human, after all, and what Taylor is going through is so very human. So … what could it hurt, at this point?

Jim: My suspicion was that this would be taken out of the fans’ hands. But … a bulletin: Taylor’s in the lineup tonight against the Cincinnati Reds, hitting seventh (right in front of Outman, in fact). So let’s see how the fans react.

Consider, as this country’s premier women’s basketball league enters its 28th season, where the big brother NBA was in its 28th season in 1973-74. Players still flew commercial, and often in coach. (which would be $635,570 today), the highest in pro sports at the time, but that was mainly because of the battle for players between the NBA and ABA. The top salary was $500,000 (or $3.5 million today), paid to Ernie DiGregorio of the Buffalo Braves, who you might know now as the Los Angeles Clippers.

Consider this, as well: The Lakers, then two seasons removed from their first NBA championship and starting to grab hold of the hearts of Southern Californians, still weren’t the most popular basketball team in town. UCLA was, in the waning years of the John Wooden dynasty, as none other than Jerry West told Scott Howard-Cooper “They far overshadowed us, and they overshadowed a lot of professional teams because of their excellence.”

All of which is a way of saying that the proud and outspoken women who make up WNBA rosters in 2024 are only starting to see the fruits of their labor. And while making the place better for those who follow doesn’t always pay the bills, the seeds are being planted today.

Yes, the excitement was palpable Wednesday night in Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid, when the rebuilding Sparks stayed with Atlanta in their season opener for most of the evening , after head coach Curt Miller talked about the excitement league-wide and the entry of a rookie class headed by Indiana’s Caitlin Clark.

“I had anxiety watching those other four games (Tuesday) night,” Miller said. “You know, it was just fun to see. And it should be a really special year for the WNBA.”

But there was also this nagging thought: What is one of the league’s legacy franchises, in its second-largest market, doing playing in the Pyramid, capacity 4,000, on opening night?

We know. The Sparks had to farm out early-season games both because of continuing renovations to their regular home in downtown L.A. and because the other three main tenants of that building all had the potential for deep playoff runs. The flops of the Lakers, Kings and Clippers in their first-round series freed up dates for the Sparks – including next Friday’s visit by Clark and Indiana – but surely there could have been a way to get at least the opener into Pauley Pavilion or the Galen Center, or maybe Honda Center, or even the larger Long Beach Arena with its 13,500 seats, couldn’t there?

Those of us who were there felt the excitement and enthusiasm, much of it whipped up by DJ Mal-Ski (as annoying as his schtick sometimes must be to those of us over a certain age). But people who weren’t there – i.e., potential future customers – probably saw the night’s attendance figure of 3,847 and yawned.

But, then, we shouldn’t be piling on the Sparks here. The WNBA has a chance to think big and act big in this of all seasons, and yet … the Washington Mystics opened at home against New York and drew 4,200, the capacity of their tiny home arena.

Clark and Indiana didn’t sell out Connecticut’s 10,000-seat Mohegan Sun Arena, drawing 8,910. The defending champ Las Vegas Aces drew 10,419 (against a capacity of 12,000) to their opener Tuesday against Phoenix in the Michelob ULTRA arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort. Minnesota and Seattle drew 8,508 to Climate Pledge Arena, which is configured for 13,500 for Storm games. Wednesday night, Chicago and Dallas drew 6,251 for Angel Reese’s debut, played in a 7,000-capacity building in Arlington, Texas.

Is it possible that some of the league’s teams, at a crucial moment with more attention focused on the WNBA than ever before, might fumble the moment?

Yet in another sense, as Sparks guard Layshia Clarendon noted Wednesday night, the progress is obvious. Lifting the ban on charter flights, as announced by Commissioner Cathy Engelbert recently, is but one step. There seems to be more, and more serious, investment in women’s basketball and women’s sports in general than ever before. The increased scrutiny over and particularly – much of that from people who probably hadn’t paid much attention to the league before – isn’t a bad thing, either.

There’s improvement in endorsement deals, Clarendon said, noting that No. 2 draft pick Cameron Brink was among those selected to participate in an ad campaign co-founded by Kim Kardashian (who was among those in attendance Wednesday night).

“A lot of these players in college got NIL deals that are carrying over, so that’s (a benefit) in a very tangible way,” Clarendon said. “Marketing dollars being spent on women athletes in the WNBA right now is putting money in people’s pockets, which is awesome. And I would think kind of building off that last (collective bargaining agreement), it’s just the dignity and respect of being a professional athlete.

“Like … we should have this amount of media before games, people covering us, putting us on ESPN, having pre- and postgame shows. So it feels good as an athlete to be like, yeah, I’ve been busting my (tail) for years and now we’re getting that level of respect of being a professional athlete.”

So, I asked, what might a crystal ball show the WNBA looking like another 27 years down the road?

“I’d say there’s 30 teams, right?” Clarendon said. “We’re all over the country, definitely flying private. I think there’s $1 million contracts where players are coming out, making the level of money where we just ��Dz�’t have to go overseas anymore. I would say we have some kind of feeder league to develop the talent of younger players. You’re seeing more of that investment in players who are good (enough) to come out of college but just need some development. And you see guys get the chance to do that in the G-League.

“So I think that would be the beautiful thing coming in 30 years from now. It’s just like it’s a big running machine … women are getting paid and they can retire. That can be their one job. We have a pension for players. They ��Dz�’t have to worry about that second career afterwards if they’ve taken care of their money.”

Clarendon is more optimistic than I am. But it’s absolutely something to shoot for.

jalexander@scng.com

There will be 21 such entrants in this week’s PGA Championship, the second of the year’s four majors, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Their existence, as day-to-day representatives of their sport, differs greatly from that of the Scottie Schefflers and Rory McIlroys of the world.

Case in point: Michael Block, the pro from Arroyo Trabuco in Mission Viejo who at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York. Block, 47, not only made the cut last year but , finished tied for 15th, won $288,333.33 and as a top-15 finisher automatically qualified for this year’s PGA.

And yet, as he told reporters Tuesday morning in Louisville, when he got back to his, um, day job, he had to give up his golf teaching duties.

“And then my door has to stay shut in my office, which is a bummer,” he said. “Usually it’s open. I can say hi to the assistants and everyone that’s been walking through. But it’s just been such an onslaught of people and things like that, I can’t keep my door open. It’s crazy.”

Plenty of others would take their chances with those kind of problems.

Kyle Mendoza, the pro at Hacienda Golf Club in La Habra Heights, will be playing in his second PGA Championship this week, having qualified as one of the 20 low scorers at the PGA club pro earlier this month in Frisco, Texas. Mendoza, 36, was one of the top 11 from the Southern California section to qualify for that tournament, and with his performance in Frisco advanced to his second appearance at the PGA Championship; he played in the 2022 event at Southern Hills CC in Tulsa, missing the cut at 7-over.

He noted in a phone interview that he didn’t give himself enough practice rounds to see the course beforehand, but did we say that the life of the club pro is 180 degrees removed from the life of the touring pro? Actually playing golf is just a small part of the job.

“You get creative with your time,” Mendoza said.

“My title is head golf pro, so I run our golf operations. The way our club is structured is that you have a general manager, and then you have the head pro underneath him, and then you have a golf course superintendent. So the three of us are basically making sure that the club is functioning the way it should function, day in and day out.”

It is in many ways an office job, though he does have far greater opportunity to sneak out to the golf course than the rest of us do.  He’ll spend his mornings answering emails and dealing with administrative matters, things like payroll and budgets. Sometimes, a club member about to go on a trip will ask about getting a tee time at a club at his destination, and Mendoza will help facilitate that.

And sometimes it’s quiet enough that Mendoza can join a twosome or threesome on the course, which serves two purposes. It helps his game, and it definitely helps keep members happy. The club has “about 360 golf members,” Mendoza said, playing around 35,000 rounds per year.

Mendoza said he tries to play once or twice a week, and he’ll also drive a cart around the course in the afternoons to “say hi to people, chat with them for a minute, just be visible all the time and be available to talk to the members and guests if they’re out there.

“That’s kind of an overlooked thing in our profession,” he added. “Some guys get caught up in being in the office all the time, or not wanting to engage with people. But having those touching points is very important, I think, just because you gotta be visible and create relationships.

“The bottom line is that the head golf professional or director of golf, however they have it structured, they’re the face of the club, right? They’re overseeing the main asset at that place, which is the golf course and the golf operation. But also, you’re creating an experience by what you do on a daily basis.”

And it’s safe to assume that the members of his club are pumped about their guy being part of a major tournament. When Mendoza qualified for the PGA Championship two years ago, he was the “director of performance” at The Farms golf club at Rancho Santa Fe. He said that while he had no numbers to indicate whether it helped increase membership or business, “if they saw my name somewhere or saw me somewhere playing a tournament, they knew where I was from. (They’d say) ‘Hey, how’re things going at The Farms?’

“For example, last year with Michael Block, I ��Dz�’t think anyone knew what Arroyo Trabuco was outside of Southern California. But they sure as hell know now. Whether they get more play or not, who knows? Maybe. But people definitely know where that place is and what it is, so that’s kind of the important thing.”

So yes, in a sense, Kyle Mendoza will very much be putting Hacienda Golf Club on the map when he steps to the tee at Valhalla on Thursday at 6:27 a.m. (PDT).

jalexander@scng.com