Sports
Plaschke: With the help of Dodgers history, team historian Mark Langill battles brain cancer
He was struggling to walk, battling to talk, fighting to think.
But he never forgot the Dodgers. He couldn’t forget the Dodgers.
In the first days following surgery to remove two brain tumors, Dodgers team historian Mark Langill was having trouble recalling everything but the legacy that lives permanently in the deepest blue part of his soul.
“The strangest thing,” Langill said. “Ninety percent of my brain was temporarily affected, but the Dodger part never went away.”
During a walk around the Huntington Hospital hallway, an orderly asked him his room number and, thanks to the Dodgers, he remembered.
It was Ted Sizemore’s Dodger rookie number, combined with Sizemore’s number when he returned to the Dodgers seven seasons later.
4105
As he continued his recovery, every day melting into the next, nurses would try to keep him alert by writing each new date on a grease board.
Thanks to the Dodgers, he never lost track.
Somebody wrote, May 1, and Langill immediately said, “Brooklyn Robins against the Boston Braves, 26 innings in 1920, longest game in major league history.”
On May 5 he said, “Russell Martin’s debut in 2006.”
Dodgers historian Mark Langill was rushed to the hospital and had surgery to remove two brain tumors in late April after appearing unsteady at Dodger Stadium. He returned to work last week.
(Brian DeCloux / Spectrum SportsNet LA)
On May 7 he said, “Russell Martin’s first home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in 2006.”
Nearly two months later, Langill is out of the hospital and fighting to beat brain cancer with the staunchest of allies.
His sword is Dodger memories. His shield is Dodger highlights. He knows more about Dodger history than any living human, and that history is carrying him through the rocky ground where everything else is uncertain.
“All this obscure Dodger stuff stayed in my head,” said Langill, 59. “Whatever they cut out, they didn’t cut that.”
This reliance on Dodger landmarks actually began on April 25, the day he was rushed to the hospital after behaving unsteadily at Dodger Stadium.
As he lay in the speeding ambulance, all he could think about was, it was flag day!
“Who can forget that?” he said. “April 25, 1976, the most famous play in the history of Dodger Stadium was made by an opposing player, Rick Monday saving the American flag.”
Later that day, while being inserted into the MRI machine, he assured the technicians that he was being calmed by the memory of … Andy Etchebarren?
“The 1966 World Series, he played for the Baltimore Orioles, he was the last man to bat against Sandy Koufax, and…he won the starting job in the spring because Dick Brown had a brain tumor,” Langill explained. “I survived the MRI by playing baseball brain tumor trivia.”
And when he learned that his surgeon would be Dr. Celene Mulholland? He never again forgot that name because, of course, Terry Mulholland pitched for the Dodgers in 2001 and 2002.
Only Langill, it seems, would remember a celebrated neurosurgeon because of a pitcher who graced the Dodgers with a 1-1 record and 6.60 ERA.
“I can’t help it,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s who I am.”
It’s what he’s been for the last 30 years, a delightful human trove of information that constantly shares with players and fans alike. A former sports writer, Langill began working in the team’s publications department before spending the last 22 years as baseball’s first official team historian, a role which puts him at the forefront of the team’s powerful connection between its present and past.
“Mark can talk about something that happened in 1965 as easily as something that happened yesterday,” said Lon Rosen, Dodgers executive vice president and chief operating officer. “He brings great comfort to everyone because you can ask him anything and he always has the right answer.”
If a former player wants to relive glory days, he calls Langill, who derives joy from assisting Dodgers both famous and anonymous, from the day of their retirement until their death. He has provided memories and memorabilia for many memorial services and even served as an impromptu eulogizer at Willie Davis’ funeral.
“Mark has always been my number-one asset to continue to understand the greatness of the Dodgers,” said Orel Hershiser, former pitcher and current broadcaster. “He brings another level of expertise and passion with the details he remembers at a moment’s notice.”
If a fan wants to embrace a special memory, they are also directed to Langill, who loves to print out ancient remnants to remind folks of their happiest Dodger moments.
“He is everybody’s brother, father, cousin, a trusted family member who remembers everything and is happy to share this knowledge with everyone,” said Rosen.
In fact, in his last game at Dodger Stadium before falling ill, Langill hosted an 80-year-old woman whose first game was at Ebbets Field in 1954 when Don Newcombe was pitching.
Langill surprised her by printing out the box score from that actual game, handing it to her, then they both basked in her wonder at reliving her childhood.
“Suddenly she’s 10 years old again and sitting with her grandfather,” Langill recalled. “She said it was raining that day, and she talked about what it was like to be a 10-year-old at her first game and … to actually see her relive all that was priceless.”
A few days later Langill was spinning more great tales for new Dodger employees during a stadium tour when he became unsteady. He ended up at Huntington Hospital, where several days later Mulholland pitched a perfect game in removing two tumors the combined size of a lemon.
Before the surgery, Langill prepared himself by watching a laptop video of Game 2 of the 1974 World Series between the Dodgers and the Oakland Athletics.
“That’s the one game in that series that the Dodgers won, and it was won by my first favorite Dodgers team with my all-time favorite Dodger Jimmy Wynn,” Langill said. “I figured, if I’m going to go out, I’m going to go out my way.”
He also remembered that it was the World Series where manager Tom Lasorda wore two different cleats because he had two different shoe contracts.
“Those are the little stories that make Dodger history so special,” Langill said.
Eric Karros, left, with Steve Sax throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 1 of the 2022 NLDS at Dodger Stadium, considers Mark Langill “the caretaker of Dodger history.”
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
As the surgery approached and it came time to seek peace, Langill kept thinking about Gary Cooper’s quote while portraying Lou Gehrig, “All the arguing in the world can’t change the decision of the umpire.”
He explained, “Some people in that situation rely on Scripture. I also rely on ‘Pride of the Yankees’.”
Throughout the ordeal, his recovery buoyed by his longtime partner, Patty Hirata, and registered nurse nephew Michael Rayala, Langill quickly bonded with various hospital workers through the Dodgers. He doesn’t remember much about the physical details of his stay, but he remembers discussing Shohei Ohtani with one orderly and then traveling back down memory lane with his first physical therapist.
“Mark has always been my No. 1 asset to continue to understand the greatness of the Dodgers.”
— Orel Hershiser
“He said his earliest Dodger memory was when he was 4 years old and his mom took him to LAX and I knew exactly what he was talking about,” Langill said. “Oct. 23, 1957, Red Patterson arranged for a pep rally to welcome the team to Los Angeles.”
During his rehabilitation, while initially struggling with everything but his Dodger knowledge, Langill was strengthened by the way it connected him with his uncomfortable surroundings.
“It’s like knowing 100 languages,” he said. “You can talk to anybody at any age if it involves the Dodgers.”
During his many years with the Dodgers, he had made many of those unique connections, his constant outreach making him arguably the franchise’s most important public representative.
There was the longtime Brooklyn Dodgers fan who was on his deathbed and wanted to hear one more Dodger story before he passed. His daughter handed the phone to Langill, who proceeded to take the man on an audio tour of all the Brooklyn Dodger memorabilia spread around the stadium.
“I told him, ‘We’re here for you,’” Langill recalled.
Then there is his annual reminder to Eric Karros every May 23.
“Happy Stan Belinda Day,” he will tell him because, on that day in 1992, Karros established himself as a future star by hitting a three-run walk-off homer against the Pirates’ Stan Belinda.
You can look it up. Langill’s memory of Dodger history is bulletproof.
“With him, we never need a fact checker,” said Rosen. “He’s right every time.”
“He’s basically become the caretaker of Dodger history,” said Karros of Langill. “Anything you want to know, he’s your guy.”
Then there was the story of Roy Gleason, a former outfielder who doubled in his only major-league plate appearance for the Dodgers in 1963. After that season Gleason was sent to Vietnam and never played major league baseball again, ending his career with that one at-bat, always wondering if anybody on the Dodgers remembered.
Langill remembered. Langill always remembers. And when he heard that Gleason was feeling disconnected from an organization that indeed had seemingly forgotten him, Langill invited Gleason to Dodger Stadium in the summer of 2003.
Once there, Langill accompanied Gleason to a wall that contains most of the names on the Dodgers’ all-time roster. In a scene that brought both men to the verge of tears, Gleason’s name was there.
“I was surprised that anyone in the organization even remembered my name,” said Gleason recently. “But Mark took the time to go into the Dodger archives and research my history.”
Later that season, Gleason threw out the first pitch and was surprised with a 1963 World Series ring.
“The best night of my life…a night I will never forget,” said Gleason. ‘And it all happened because of Mark Langill.”
This season Dodger history will have a new entry, a new landmark, a new hero, the date of June 17.
“That’s the anniversary of the first regular season ‘Freeway Series’ game between Dodgers and Angels,” Langill recalled. “Dodgers won on Todd Zeile’s walk-off home run against Troy Percival.”
Well, yes, but this is about something bigger.
June 17 should be forever known as the day Mark Langill not only recorded Dodger history, but made it.
It is the day he returned to work.
Sports
Jordan Staal’s two-goal night lifts Hurricanes past Golden Knights, evening Stanley Cup Final series
Tyler Reddick Makes History! Inside His 3-Peat and Historic Start to the Season
Fresh off his victory at Circuit of the Americas, Tyler Reddick joins Kevin Harvick on this week’s Victory Lap to break down his historic third consecutive NASCAR Cup Series win to open the 2026 season. Reddick discusses how he and 23XI Racing have built early-season momentum, what has clicked across the organization, and how the team has elevated its performance to championship level. He details his intense battle with road course standout Shane van Gisbergen at COTA, the strategy and execution that helped him secure the win, and what it means to become the first Cup driver to win the first three races of a season. Reddick also reflects on his viral 3-peat photo tribute to team owner Michael Jordan, the confidence inside the garage, and how this dominant start shapes expectations for the rest of the year.
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The Carolina Hurricanes have evened up the Stanley Cup Final once more thanks to Jordan Staal’s two-goal night in Las Vegas to beat the Golden Knights in Game 4, 5-3.
The series now sits at 2-2 with Game 5 slated for a return back to Carolina’s Lenovo Center on Thursday to see who will have the edge in this pivotal clash on ice.
This game didn’t need overtime like the previous two, but it did need someone to break the 3-3 tie that went into the third period between these opponents.
Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates his power play goal with teammates against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period of Game Four of the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., on June 9, 2026. (Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
With 13:39 left in Game 4, Shea Theodore made a disastrous turnover in the Golden Knights’ own zone, and Hurricanes star Seth Jarvis picked it off right in front of the net.
Luckily for Vegas, Carter Harter stopped Jarvis’ backhand, but the threat wasn’t averted just yet. Jarvis battled to get the puck back out in front, and it ended up trickling to the stick of Nikolaj Ehlers, who tried flipping it to Staal.
SETH JARVIS SCORES OVERTIME GAME-WINNER AS HURRICANES STORM BACK FROM 2-0 DEFICIT TO EVEN STANLEY CUP FINAL
Staal lost his edge on his skate, but that didn’t stop him from swatting a back-handed shot of his own toward the net. It just trickled past Hart, and Staal celebrated while still down on the ice. He became the first player in 44 years to score a goal in each of the first four games of the Stanley Cup Final.
With the way these games have been going, though, a one-goal lead was not safe. This time, however, the Hurricanes had the defense and timely saves by Brandon Bussi, who head coach Rod Brind’Amour went with over Frederik Anderson, and the decision paid off.
The Golden Knights took 20 shots on goal, with Bussi saving 7 in his first time on ice for Carolina in this series. And Ehlers sealed victory when he cleverly banked the puck out of his own zone with an empty net on the other end that walked into the net for the 5-3 win.
Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes scores a first-period goal against Carter Hart of the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Four of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., on June 9, 2026. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Hurricanes came out roaring in the first period in this one as well, scoring three goals to the Golden Knights’ one by captain Mark Stone. Logan Stankoven notched his 11th of these playoffs just 1:06 into the game. Jackson Blake quickly followed on a goal assisted by Taylor Hall and Ehlers.
Then, Staal’s first goal of the game came 12:48 into the period on a power play. Shayne Gostisbehere ripped a shot on goal, and after Hart made the save, Staal was first to find the puck and a clear shot right in front of the goal.
With a 3-1 lead after the first 20 minutes, the Hurricanes had to feel good. But again, no lead is safe, and Vegas reminded them of that in the second period.
Logan Stankoven of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates after scoring a first-period goal against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Four of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 9, 2026. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
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William Karlsson got Vegas closer with his third goal of the playoffs, while Brett Howden, adding to his case for the Conn Smythe Trophy, scored his 14th to tie it all up at three.
In the end, Staal’s heroics for the Hurricanes is why he has a “C” on his sweater.
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The first serious legal challenge to the House settlement will come courtesy of a USC freshman linebacker.
Talanoa Ili, a top-100 recruit in the Trojans’ vaunted 2026 class, joins Stanford quarterback Charlie Mirer as one of two lead plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit that takes aim at the system implemented since the settlement ushered in a new era of direct payment from universities to athletes. The suit, which was filed Tuesday, accuses the NCAA, the Power Four conferences and the enforcement arm they created — the College Sports Commission — of participating in a “conspiracy” by creating a system of policies that have “direct anti-competitive effects, including the suppression of [name, image and likeness] compensation below competitive levels.”
Those policies, their attorneys argue, violate state laws in California that prohibit restrictions on NIL rights, as well as federal antitrust statutes. They’re seeking monetary damages, as well as an injunction that would upend the enforcement structure created to determine whether individual NIL deals over $2,500 meet criteria, including whether they have “a valid business purpose” or fall within a reasonable range of market value.
The clearinghouse, NIL Go, was created with the hope of eliminating an influx of booster-funded NIL deals that were basically direct payments from donors to the program. But since its inception, the system has been more restrictive and worked less efficiently than some schools and athletes might have hoped. As of last month, according to Yahoo Sports, more than $125 million worth of NIL compensation that had been promised to athletes had been rejected by the clearinghouse or was still under review.
In Ili’s case, the complaint states that he received a “substantial multi-year offer” from USC’s House of Victory collective in 2024 that led him to commit to the Trojans, only to have the offer disappear after approval of the House settlement.
“Absent the NIL Restrictions on Direct Pay NIL Compensation, Ili would have received more for his NIL rights than he now receives,” the complaint states. “The Agreement has thus injured Ili.”
Mirer, meanwhile, claims that he has received no NIL compensation from Stanford’s collective or revenue-sharing money from the university since 2024 as a result of the settlement.
Stanford quarterback Charlie Mirer during a game last season.
(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)
“The [CSC agreement] has suppressed, deterred, and effectively terminated the economic relationships that had produced his prior NIL compensation,” the lawsuit says.
Even the plaintiffs in the House settlement, which created the CSC, are in the process of challenging the current system. On Wednesday, plaintiff attorney Jeffrey Kessler will argue in a hearing that school-affiliated businesses such as multimedia rights holders or corporate sponsors, should not be subject to the CSC’s rigorous criteria for NIL deals. That decision could also open the floodgates, with schools using those entities to circumvent the cap.
Two U.S. senators are hoping to pass legislation they believe would bring more stability to college athletics and thwart legal challenges. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Texas) spoke with presidents and chancellors from the Big Ten Conference on Tuesday about a bipartisan bill, the Protect College Sports Act, which would codify some of the CSC’s policies into federal law.
Sports
Rob Gronkowski is ‘Team USA all the way’ despite being a soccer novice ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup
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It’s officially World Cup week around the globe, and for the U.S. men’s national team, it’s the quest to make a run on home soil.
While soccer isn’t remotely close to the national sport, the feeling of patriotism and support for the USMNT is expected in full force when kickoff comes on June 12 against Paraguay in Inglewood, California.
Just ask legendary NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski, who may still be learning the game he never played growing up, but is “Team USA all the way” as they gear up for the tournament.
Rob Gronkowski attends WrestleMania 42 Night 2 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 19, 2026. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
“No doubt about it. I’m Team USA all the way. How can you not be?” he told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “I mean, I think it’ll be the greatest thing for the sport of soccer if somehow a miracle Team USA wins the World Cup.”
Gronkowski understands it’s a long shot for the USMNT to capture its first World Cup title. But his understanding of the sport mirrors that of many Americans, who love their country and want to see the Stars and Stripes make a run.
USMNT CAPTAIN TYLER ADAMS READY TO BE IN ‘PATRIOTIC MOOD’ PLAYING ON HOME SOIL FOR 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP
Working alongside fellow NFL fan-favorite, New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston, Gronkowski has been building his soccer acumen and getting ready for the World Cup on Tubi’s “The Other Football.”
“I think it’s great for America to learn the game of soccer,” Gronkowski said about the show. “We got referees come on, we have players that come on. They’re teaching us the game of football and we’re asking questions because America’s a country that’s slacking behind in the game of soccer. There’s no doubt about that, and it’s great for the game of soccer that the World Cup is here because I feel like the whole entire world knows about soccer, knows the rules inside out and knows all the players. A good percentage of the USA is learning about the game of soccer. The game of soccer is expanding.
“I’m learning so much about it and I’m loving it.”
The U.S. Men’s National Team poses during the announcement of the 2026 World Cup roster in New York on May 26, 2026. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP)
Gronkowski and his brothers were multi-sport athletes growing up, but soccer didn’t fall into that regimen in West New York. That doesn’t mean Gronkowski didn’t share tremendous respect for what these elite athletes do on the pitch and will showcase for the next month.
“The cardio, the shape they’re in is absolutely incredible,” he explained. “I just never played growing up. I don’t think I would last that long. I’m a short sprit guy – 40 yards. Then, I need a little break. If I had to go that long, I don’t think I would’ve lasted on a soccer field. I truly love their athleticism. I wish I played a little bit because my footwork for the game of football and basketball would’ve been more phenomenal and more on point as well. They’re just complete athletes and I respect what they do. I’m learning more and more about the game, and that’s what’s great about the World Cup being here.”
Not only are Gronkowski and Winston learning about the rules, but also the expanded FIFA format that will debut this week. It will be 48 teams instead of the usual 32, where two teams from each group of four will make it to the knockout stages, as well as the best eight teams in third place across the 12 groupings.
LANDON DONOVAN RECALLS LIFE-CHANGING WORLD CUP MOMENT AMID PLAYERS’ ‘RESPONSIBILITY’ OF GROWING GAME IN USA
Gronkowski is looking forward to cheering on the U.S., and while it’s a longshot they win it all, he has a bar set for victory.
“If we get out of the tourney and into the knockout stages and at least win one of those games and get to the Round of 16, I think that’s a win,” he said. “That’s like the USA winning the World Cup. It’s not winning it all, but that just shows how special it would be if we got that far.”
Christian Pulisic poses with his jersey during the United States World Cup roster reveal in New York City on May 26, 2026. (Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
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The USMNT will face Paraguay on June 12, followed by matches against Australia on June 19 and Türkiye on June 25 to complete their group stage play.
And like many others simply watching to support the country and share their patriotism, Gronkowski now knows enough of the basics to get rowdy for a hopeful U.S. run.
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