Jim Alexander

Alexander: Dodgers’ 2-way star Shohei Ohtani is true phenomenon We’ve never witnessed what we’re seeing from Ohtani, and we might never see it again.

Watching Shohei Ohtani flourish as the two-way player he always insisted he could be, it’s a reminder: This is unprecedented, and we may never see his like again.

www.ocregister.com/2025/08/06/a...

Alexander: No failure to communicate in Rams camp Offensive and defensive linemen compare notes and alert each other to tipoffs, even between plays on the practice field.

Guys on the Rams' offensive line and defensive front do quite a bit of talking back and forth during practice ... but it's not what you might think.

www.ocregister.com/2025/08/04/a...

Alexander: These are Luka’s Lakers now And the criticism from the Dallas Mavericks, who traded him to LA six months ago, might have helped motivate Doncic to become the best version of himself.

Saturday's events confirmed it: Luka Doncic is not only the Lakers' future, he's the No. 1 guy right now.

www.ocregister.com/2025/08/02/a...

Alexander: Has sports’ embrace of the betting industry backfired? In retrospect, the vigilance of the past in avoiding all contact with gambling was wisdom, not paranoia.

In today's bucket o' notes, we wonder if the pendulum has swung too far the other way in the relationship between sports, particularly baseball, and gambling.

Also, that patch of dirt John Fisher had his eye on in Las Vegas is ... still a patch of dirt. And more.

www.ocregister.com/2025/08/01/a...

Alexander: A disappointing MLB trade deadline for local fans The Dodgers think small while the Padres dream big, and the Angels add relievers but otherwise stay the course.

When you snooze, you … oh, you know the rest of the saying.

And for the Dodgers and Angels, Trade Deadline 2025 might as well have been one long afternoon nap.

www.ocregister.com/2025/07/31/a...

Alexander: Rose Veldman is an inspiration on the golf course She lost both legs during a 7.0 earthquake in Haiti at the age of 10, but has discovered a talent as well as a passion.

You may not have heard of Rose Veldman. But she is inspirational on the golf course.

www.ocregister.com/2025/07/21/a...

Alexander: Dodgers’ struggle continues Another sweep by Milwaukee sends the Dodgers to their 10th loss in 12 games as the NL West lead continues to shrink.

The Dodgers finally figured out how to score runs this weekend. But the struggle continues.

www.ocregister.com/2025/07/20/a...

Alexander: Angel City’s Hannah Seabert grateful to be home The team’s new goalkeeper, a star at Riverside’s Woodcrest Christian High and at Pepperdine, returns to Southern California after playing in Europe since 2018.

New Angel City FC goalkeeper Hannah Seabert learned a lot during her seasons in Europe, but it is so, so good to be home.

www.ocregister.com/2025/07/19/a...

Alexander: The NFL is here … who’s paying attention? Compared to many cities, the start of training camp is far less of a big deal in Los Angeles despite two teams.

Leading off this week's bucket o' notes: Yes, the NFL is again seeking our attention - when is it ever not - but in SoCal, we need time to ease into the pro football season. (A month and a half should do it.)

And much more ...

www.ocregister.com/2025/07/18/a...

The Audible: Monitoring LeBron, waiting for JuJu, watching the long ball Columnists Jim Alexander and Mirjam Swanson discuss some of the week’s sports issues.

Today in The Audible, Mirjam and I discuss all those LeBron rumors, the potential face of the WNBA, and what to do to get the true stars back into the Home Run Derby.

Join us.

www.ocregister.com/2025/07/17/t...

Alexander: Is there really reason to panic, Dodger fans? Don’t let that recent seven-game losing streak throw you off. Instead, think of the long game for the reigning World Series champs, whose roster likely will look substantially different by Oc…

No need to panic, Dodger fans. There are plenty of games to play, a healthy division lead, and maybe the worst is behind them.

Of course, when the bullpen gate opens ... are you thinking of additional options?

www.ocregister.com/2025/07/14/a...

Alexander: Good sand and loud crowd, but is AVP concept missing something? The league format, seen at the Intuit Dome, sidelines some of the sport’s best players in any given week.

Beach volleyball’s L.A. event this weekend spotlights the Intuit Dome (and the guy who orchestrates the delivery of 300 tons of sand).

But with its league format replacing weekly tournaments, has the AVP lost some of its soul?

www.ocregister.com/2025/07/12/a...

Swanson: Some heroes play pickleball – ask Eaton Fire survivors Word of the wildfire spread through a WhatsApp group that has evolved into a go-to hub for Altadenans navigating life in the fire’s aftermath.

How pickleball - and a players' WhatApp group - helped save lives during the Eaton Fire.

An awesome column by my friend and colleague, @mirjamswanson.bsky.social

www.ocregister.com/2025/07/11/s...

Alexander: Readers reply to our list of all-time teams Not surprisingly, the columnist’s ranking of the 15 best in Southern California history received some objections.

The readers reply - and lodge their objections - to last week’s ranking of the top 15 seasons in SoCal sports history.

Of course, as always, the columnist gets the last word.

www.pressenterprise.com/2025/07/11/a...

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The Audible: On the Lakers’ and Clippers’ moves and baseball’s trade deadline Southern California News Group columnists Jim Alexander and Mirjam Swanson discuss some of the week’s sports issues.

The NBA's transaction season is almost over shortly after it began. Meanwhile, baseball's runup to the July 31 trade deadline starts now.

@mirjamswanson.bsky.social and I discuss what that means for the local teams in this week's Audible.

www.ocregister.com/2025/07/10/t...

Alexander: Alona Avery set to blaze her own fairway Coming off Big West Freshman of the Year honors at UC Irvine, the younger sister of former USC golfer Amari Avery will play in next month’s US Women’s Amateur.

Amari Avery made news as a young golf prodigy, before going to USC and turning pro. Now her younger sister, Alona, is proceeding down a similar path.

www.ocregister.com/2025/07/09/a...

Still baffled that the big story in college athletics has been about a tiny number of trans women competing and not the massive changes echoing from NIL and “the settlement.” We haven’t yet seen massive cuts to smaller sports, but there’s a pretty good chance we will.

Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw calls Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski ‘super impressive’ After being dismissive when asked about Misiorowski ahead of Tuesday’s game, Kershaw praises the hard-throwing Brewers right-hander’s performance against the Dodgers.

Dodgers notebook

www.ocregister.com/2025/07/08/d...

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How Zyhir Hope Quickly Became One Of The Dodgers’ Top Prospects A look at why the Dodgers targeted Zyhir Hope in a trade, then helped him become one of the best outfield prospects in baseball.

Zyhir Hope is having another monster season.

Among Midwest League hitters, the Dodgers OF ranks...

- Second in doubles (21)
- Third in RBI (54)
- Fifth in OPS (.876)
- Sixth in hits (84)
- Seventh in slugging percentage (.481)

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Alexander: Which Southern California teams had the best seasons? Here are the two key requirements in determining our region’s best local pro and college squads: Establish dominance and end with a championship.

Time to stir things up, right?

So here's the question: Which teams, in the history of sports in L.A./Orange County, have had the best, most dominant seasons? (And to be even be considered, they have to have won a championship.)

Who, if any, might I have missed?

www.ocregister.com/2025/07/05/a...

Alexander: A manifesto, centers, salary cap quirks, and the letter ‘K’ What do NBA player agent Rich Paul, new Lakers big man Deandre Ayton and Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw have in common? They’re all in this column.

In this week’s bucket o’ notes: How would you have responded to Rich Paul’s statement/suggestion on LeBron’s behalf?

Also: Deandre Ayton, the new Michael Olowokandi? And the particular significance this week of the letter K.

www.ocregister.com/2025/07/04/a...

Alexander: Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw joins distinguished list with 3,000th strikeout On a night that said plenty about the 18-year relationship between Kershaw and the Dodgers and Kershaw and the fan base, the left-hander showed why he stands alone among the 20 names on the list.

At 7:08 Wednesday night, Clayton Kershaw went up the steps of the Dodgers dugout and to the mound to begin his night’s work.

At around 8:42 p.m., July 2, 2025, he made history.

www.ocregister.com/2025/07/03/a...

Alexander: Sparks honor Candace Parker’s legacy Her number is retired in a halftime ceremony, but the current team isn’t exactly living up to that standard in a loss to the Sky.

When the present isn’t anything to brag about, honor your past.

Obviously, the Sparks scheduled the retirement of Candace Parker’s No. 3 well before they knew they’d be so far under .500 at the end of June. Still, it’s a pleasant distraction.

www.ocregister.com/2025/06/29/a...

Alexander: The curse of the uncooperative Achilles tendon Seven such injuries in the NBA this year, when the normal average is 1.3 – is it a fluke, or a trend?

Take care of those Achilles tendons, folks. The way things are going these days ...

www.ocregister.com/2025/06/27/a...

The Audible: On Alex Caruso, NCAA idiocy and Lakers/Clippers offseasons Columnists Jim Alexander and Mirjam Swanson discuss some of this week’s sports issues.

Is Alex Caruso now on Laker fans' naughty list? Plus, @mirjamswanson.bsky.social and I discuss NCAA administrators' weird stance on gambling, and what to expect from the Lakers and Clippers as transaction season begins.

Join us.

www.ocregister.com/2025/06/26/t...