From Gary Klein: Nate Landman punched in as a Ram on Sunday.
And the team’s new linebacker and team captain punched out the Houston Texans.
With the Texans threatening to score in the final minutes of the opener, Landman showed an artisan’s touch by separating the ball from a Texan running back’s grip and forcing a fumble that was recovered by lineman Braden Fiske.
The play all but sealed the Rams’ 14-9 season-opening victory before 71,346 at SoFi Stadium.
“It means so much,” said Landman, who played three seasons for the Atlanta Falcons before signing a one-year contract with the Rams. “You work, you work, you work, for that moment to happen there, and for that moment to come to fruition and expose itself is really great.”
Landman was one of several key players for a defense that limited the Texans to three field goals.
Cornerback Cobie Durant intercepted a pass, edge rusher Byron Young, lineman Tyler Davis and safety Jaylen McCollough recorded sacks and Fiske made a spectacular play to recover Dare Ogunbowale’s fumble after Landman punched it out.
Those efforts made it easier for an offense that will need some fine-tuning to live up to its hype.
“Landman making that punch out was so cool,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said.
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DODGERS
From Jack Harris: The day started with a couple of Shohei Ohtani home runs. It continued with a strong 5 ⅔ inning start from Clayton Kershaw. And it ended with the Dodgers in a celebratory postgame line, trading victorious high-fives near the mound.
After five consecutive losses, several weeks of mounting frustration, and the most painful collapse imaginable the night before, the Dodgers took a crucial first step toward righting their sinking ship on Sunday.
They beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-2, finally finding a way to hold on to a late-game lead.
They ended an otherwise disastrous road trip on a sorely needed high note, avoiding what would have been a second-consecutive series sweep to a last-place opponent.
ANGELS
Jo Adell hit his 35th homer, Travis d’Arnaud hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the eighth inning, and the Angels avoided a three-game sweep with a 4-3 victory over the Athletics on Sunday.
Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe departed in the seventh when A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson accidentally hit the Angels catcher’s chin with his bat on the back swing of a warm-up swing.
Chris Taylor sparked the winning rally with a one-out walk off A’s reliever Osvaldo Bido (2-5) in the eighth. Oswald Peraza was hit by a pitch — the fifth Angels hit batter of the game, a franchise record.
From Ben Bolch: UCLA backup quarterback Pierce Clarkson was arrested Friday on unspecified felony charges and has been suspended indefinitely from the team pending the outcome of legal proceedings.
The arresting agency was the Los Angeles Police Department’s Southwest Division and bail was set at $30,000, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department website. Clarkson’s first court hearing is set for Oct. 3.
“We are aware of the charges against Pierce Clarkson,” a UCLA athletic department spokesperson said in a statement. “He has been indefinitely suspended from all team activity pending the outcome of the legal process. This situation will be evaluated by the UCLA Office of Student Conduct and any further action taken will be in accordance with that evaluation and University policy.”
From Dylan Hernández: I don’t care whom you’re playing.
Seven-hundred fifty-five yards are a lot of yards.
That’s how much USC gained during its 59-20 victory over Georgia Southern on Saturday.
One-hundred thirty-two points are a lot of points.
That’s how much USC has scored in its two games this season, including its blowout victory over Missouri State the week before.
If you want to believe the Trojans are better than they were in their previous two seasons, there are developments that could further convince you that you’re right. If you want to believe Lincoln Riley has elevated his team from mediocrity, there are statistics you could cite to support your observations.
There is also evidence to the contrary, of course.
ANGEL CITY
Rose Lavelle scored her first goal of the season and Gotham FC defeated Angel City 3-1 on Sunday.
Kennedy Fuller put Angel City in front 1-0 less than two minutes into the match. The Angel City midfielder stuck the ball on the edge of the box on the half-volley.
Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amoros made two significant substitutions at the break: Midge Purce replaced Josephine Hasbo and Lavelle came on for Sarah Schupansky.
SPARKS
From Kara Alexander: The Sparks defeated the Dallas Wings 91-77 on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena to keep their faint playoff hopes alive heading into the final week of the regular season.
Julie Allemand finished with 21 points, a career-high five steals and four assists, and Rae Burrell had 13 points as the Sparks went on a 16-0 run in the fourth quarter.
“I think we stayed strong defensively, we got some steals, and then we were just running and played as a team,” Allemand said. “When we play like that, I think we are unstoppable.”
U.S. OPEN
So maybe the first U.S. Open final between young, elite rivals Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner wasn’t as long, riveting and dramatic as their matchup to decide the championship at the French Open. Perhaps it wasn’t as seemingly meaningful and plot-driven as their showdown for the Wimbledon trophy.
Still, what the No. 2-seeded Alcaraz’s 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over No. 1 Sinner on Sunday did do was significant. Alcaraz reasserted his superiority over the defending champion, wrested away the top spot in the ATP rankings and left tennis fans eager for whenever their next clash will come.
They are the first two men in the sport’s history to face each other in three consecutive Grand Slam finals within a single season.
“I’m seeing you more than my family,” Alcaraz joked during the trophy ceremony, eliciting a grin from Sinner. “It’s great to share the court, to share the locker rooms, everything.”
BILL CHRISTINE
From John Cherwa: Williard (Bill) Christine Jr., a multiple award-winning journalist who spent 23 years covering horse racing for the Los Angeles Times, died on Monday (Aug. 25) after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia three years ago. He died at his home in Hermosa Beach, with family by his side. He was 87.
While Christine was known in Southern California as the Times’ voice of horse racing, it was really just the end of a storied career that saw him at seven different newspapers over 42 years that also contained a stopover in racing pubic relations.
Former Los Angeles Times reporter Bill Christine. (Christine family)
He was the author of three books, one on Roberto Clemente, another on jockey Bill Hartack and one on a pair of songwriters. After leaving newspapers, he liked to investigate and write about true crime, especially in his hometown of East St. Louis.
Christine won Eclipse Awards for outstanding writing about horse racing, in 1984 and 2004. In 2000, he was given Walter Haight Award for career excellence in turf writing. He won the David F. Woods Memorial Award in 1991 and 1992 for his coverage of the Preakness Stakes.
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1946 — Jack Kramer wins his first U.S. men’s singles titles with a 9-7, 6-3, 6-0 win over Tom Brown.
1957 — Althea Gibson becomes the first Black person to win the U.S. Open, beating Louise Brough, 6-3, 6-2. Australia’s Malcolm Anderson defeats countryman Ashley Cooper in three sets to become the first unseeded player to win the U.S. Open.
1968 — Virginia Wade wins the first official U.S. Open (formerly known as U.S National Championships). Wade upsets Billie Jean King, 6-4, 6-2 and Arthur Ashe beats Tom Okker, 14-12, 5-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 for the men’s title.
1969 — Australia Rod Laver wins the U.S. Open and the grand slam of tennis for the second time in his career with a four-set victory over Tony Roche. Laver wins 7-9, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.
1973 — Australia’s Margaret Court Smith wins the U.S. Open for the fifth time with a 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Evonne Goolagong.
1974 — Billie Jean King wins her fourth U.S. Open with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 triumph over Evonne Goolagong.
1985 — Ivan Lendl wins his first U.S. Open title defeating John McEnroe 7-6, 6-3, 6-4.
1990 — Gabriela Sabatini prevents Steffi Graf from winning her third consecutive Grand Slam title with a 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) victory in the U.S. Open.
1991 — Stefan Edberg wins his first U.S. Open men’s singles title with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 win over Jim Courier.
1996 — Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf win the men’s and women’s singles titles, respectively, in the last U.S. Open championship matches played in Louis Armstrong Stadium.
2001 — Venus Williams wins her second consecutive U.S. Open title by beating her sister, Serena, 6-2, 6-4 in the first prime-time women’s Grand Slam final.
2002 — Pete Sampras beats Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to win his 14th Grand Slam title and the U.S. Open for the fifth time. At 31, Sampras is the Open’s oldest champion since 1970.
2002 — Rookie quarterback David Carr throws for 2 TDs as the Houston Texans beat Dallas Cowboys 19-10 to become only the 2nd expansion team (1961 Minnesota Vikings) to win their inaugural game.
2008 — Roger Federer salvages the 2008 season by easily beating Andy Murray 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 to win his fifth consecutive U.S. Open championship and 13th major title overall.
2013 — Riquna Williams sets a WNBA record with 51 points to help the Tulsa Shock rout the San Antonio Silver Stars 98-65. The second-year guard surpasses the previous record of 47 points set by Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi and matched by Seattle’s Lauren Jackson.
2013 — Top-seeded Serena Williams wins her fifth U.S. Open championship and 17th Grand Slam title overall by beating No. 2 Victoria Azarenka 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-1 in a windy final.
2017 — David Benavidez becomes boxing’s youngest world champion and the youngest ever in the super middleweight division with a split decision victory over Ronald Gavril at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. At 20 years, 9 months old, Benavidez (19-0, 17 KOs) won the vacant WBC super middleweight title over the 31-year-old Gavril (18-2, 14 KOs).
2018 — Naomi Osaka becomes the first Japanese female to win a Grand Slam singles title as she defeats Serena Williams 6-2, 6-4 at the US Open.
2019 — U.S. Open Men’s Tennis: Rafael Nadal defeats Daniil Medvedev of Russia 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 to win his 19th Grand Slam singles title, and 4th U.S. crown.
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1905 — The Pittsburgh Pirates stranded 18 runners in an 8-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds to set a National League record for men left on base.
1939 — With his 12-1 victory over the Browns in St. Louis, 20-year-old Bob Feller became the youngest modern-era player to win 20 games.
1940 — Joe Gordon of the New York Yankees hit for the cycle in a 9-4 win over the Boston Red Sox.
1940 — Johnny Mize of St. Louis hit three homers and drove in six runs in a 16-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first game of a doubleheader. Mize became the first player to hit three homers in one game four times in a career.
1955 — The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Braves 10-2 to clinch the National League pennant with a 17-game lead.
1958 — Roberto Clemente tied a major league record by hitting three triples in a 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
1965 — Bert Campaneris of the Kansas City A’s played all nine positions but had to leave after a ninth-inning collision with Ed Kirkpatrick of the Angels. The Angels won 5-3 in 13 innings.
1972 — Ferguson Jenkins of the Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3, for his 20th victory of the season. It marked the sixth straight year Jenkins had won 20 or more games.
1985 — Cincinnati’s Pete Rose inserted himself into the lineup when the Chicago Cubs named right-hander Reggie Patterson as the starting pitcher. Rose singled in the first inning and again in the fifth inning to tie Ty Cobb with 4,191 career hits. Rose was retired in his other at-bats and the game was called because of darkness after nine innings with the score tied 5-5.
1988 — National League president Bart Giamatti was unanimously elected to succeed Peter Ueberroth as the commissioner of baseball.
1992 — New York’s Danny Tartabull drove in nine runs as the Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 16-4. Tartabull went 5-for-5 with two homers and a double.
1993 — Darryl Kile pitched baseball’s second no-hitter in five days, leading the Houston Astros to a 7-1 win over the New York Mets. Kile struck out nine and walked one.
1996 — Todd Hundley of the New York Mets became the ninth player to hit 40 home runs this season, breaking the major league record set in 1961.
1998 — Mark McGwire broke Roger Maris’ 37-year-old home run record, lining historic No. 62 just over the wall in left field with two outs in the fourth inning. McGwire’s shot off the Chicago Cubs’ Steve Trachsel set off a wild celebration in Busch Stadium.
2008 — Pinch-hitting for Houston, Mark Saccomanno homered on the first pitch he saw in the major leagues to help the Astros beat Pittsburgh. Saccomanno hit a solo shot in the fifth inning.
2015 — Alex Rodriguez ties Hank Aaron record of 15 seasons with 30 or more home runs.
2022 — By making their 324th start as a battery, pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina of the Cardinals tie the all-time mark set by Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan of the Tigers in the 1960s and 1970s. Molina marks the occasion by going deep twice, his first long balls since May, but the Cardinals lose to the Nationals, 11-6. The pair will set the new record on the 14th.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.