Sports
Shaikin: Zach Neto proving to be the king of the Angels' infield, and the team's future
Zach Neto has four tattoos on his left arm. The one that really catches your eye is the collage toward the bottom of the arm, with a lion roaring atop its kingdom.
“This,” Neto said, pointing to the tattoo, “is just my journey.”
The Angels’ shortstop is a son of Miami, so the lion overlooks Miami Beach. The date of his major league debut is part of the tattoo, as is the Major League Baseball logo.
“For me finally making it,” he said.
The camel represents his college mascot. And the lion?
“I always see myself as a lion,” he said. “King of the jungle.”
For an Angels team that has been lost in the wilderness for a decade, Neto is anchoring himself as king of the infield.
Neto, 23, is in his second major league season, two years removed from his last game for the Fighting Camels of Campbell University. Of the 39 players selected in the first round of the 2022 draft, three have made the majors. One is back in the minors, one is on the injured list, and neither one has a positive WAR.
And then there is Neto, one among a pride of prospects trying to establish themselves as the Angels use this season to determine which young players can help them return to glory.
“No, no, no, no,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “He has established himself.”
The Angels’ bummer summer could get worse, if they trade veterans — including pitcher Tyler Anderson, their only healthy and effective starter, and outfielder Taylor Ward, their No. 3 batter — for desperately needed prospects.
But that would be in the service of their future, in which they hope to build around Neto and catcher Logan O’Hoppe.
Neto this season has become the second shortstop in franchise history to hit 10 home runs before the All-Star break, joining Jim Fregosi, who did it in 1970. With his next stolen base, Neto would become the first Angels infielder with 10 homers and 10 stolen bases before the break since All-Star third baseman Troy Glaus, in 2000.
Angels shortstop Zach Neto’s strong play has helped him earn plenty of favorable comparisons in only his second season in the majors.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
In their 64 seasons, only one Angels shortstop has hit more than 14 home runs in a season: Fregosi, who did it 56 years ago, 59 years ago, and 60 years ago.
Neto is batting .250 with a .732 OPS, in the same ballpark as Anthony Volpe of the New York Yankees, at .271 with six home runs and a .742 OPS. Volpe has more than four times as many All-Star votes primarily because (a) he plays for the Yankees and (b) he plays for the first-place Yankees.
But Volpe, a defending Gold Glove winner, also has a superior WAR because he gets on base more often and because he ranks, at least according to publicly available defensive metrics, as a premier defensive shortstop again this season. Those metrics do not love Neto.
“Day to day, I see him playing his butt off,” Washington said. “I don’t care about the metrics.”
Washington compared Neto to Dansby Swanson, a two-time All-Star he coached in Atlanta. In his second season, Swanson batted .232 with six home runs.
“Growing up, I have always looked up to Mike. Being able to share the same locker room and field and hear his thoughts, it’s a dream come true.”
— Zach Neto, on playing alongside Angels star Mike Trout
“Dansby wasn’t what Dansby is when he first got here,” Washington said. “It took some work.
“He reminds me of Dansby in the way he controls things out there.”
Mark Gubicza, the Angels’ broadcaster and 14-year major league pitcher, said Neto’s instincts and anticipation reminded him of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr.
Anderson compared Neto favorably to Trevor Story, his former teammate with the Colorado Rockies, who batted .239 and struck out 191 times in his second season. Story emerged as an All-Star, and Anderson believes Neto can too.
“I don’t care if he hits .195. You want him at shortstop every day,” Anderson said. “His defense is that good.”
ESPN last week considered the question of which shortstop a team would want over the next five years. The top two picks were the marquee youngsters: MVP contenders Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals and Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles. Volpe ranked eighth.
Angels shortstop Zach Neto throws to first base against the Dodgers on Friday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
“You could say it’s confidence. You could say it’s cockiness. Whatever you want to say. It’s just the way I carry myself every day. I just go out there and try to have fun.”
— Zach Neto, on his on-field demeanor
Of the 15 shortstops mentioned — three of which currently play in the minor leagues — Neto was not one of them.
The way Neto would tell it, that would be just the latest in the pile of chips atop his shoulder. You might not know it from watching him play, though.
“I like to have a lot of fun out there,” he said. “You could say it’s confidence. You could say it’s cockiness. Whatever you want to say. It’s just the way I carry myself every day. I just go out there and try to have fun.”
That is how they do it in the 305 area code.
“Being born and raised in Miami, it’s kind of a reputation down there,” Neto said.
The perennial high school powers courted him, he said, but only after he emerged as a prep star. He declined to transfer.
The big-time college programs wooed him, he said, but only after he emerged as a star at Campbell. He declined to transfer.
The big-time agents pursued him, he said, but only when it became evident he would be a million-dollar draft pick. He turned them down and stayed with the low-profile hometown agent who had helped place him in college summer leagues.
And, when he signed with the Angels, he reminded his parents he had promised to get his college degree and pledged he would get it done one day, no matter how long baseball might keep him away from the classroom.
“It’s more of a loyalty thing for me,” Neto said.
Zach Neto is confident he’ll be playing at shortstop when the Angels finally make the postseason again.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
That makes him appreciate Mike Trout all the more. The best player in franchise history twice passed up free agency to stay in Anaheim, where the home team last won a postseason game 15 years ago, the same year Trout was drafted.
“Growing up, I have always looked up to Mike,” Neto said. “Being able to share the same locker room and field and hear his thoughts, it’s a dream come true.
“He could have had the opportunity to go to any other team, and he stuck with his loyalty and his word in trying to build something here. That’s just what I’m all about. I really appreciate that from him. I am grateful to be able to join him for this ride to change something here.”
So, when the Angels finally return to the playoffs for the first time since 2014, you will be the shortstop?
“That’s right,” Neto said. “That’s right.”
Sports
Packers’ head-coaching situation thrust into spotlight after playoff loss
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The Green Bay Packers’ playoff exit on Saturday immediately put added focus on what the organization will do with head coach Matt LaFleur.
The NFL coaching cycle has been the wildest in recent memory, with veteran coaches like John Harbaugh and Pete Carroll being shown the door. Packers fans seemingly put LaFleur on the hot seat following their crushing defeat to the Chicago Bears.
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur reacts during the wild-card playoff game against the Bears Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Sunday that the Packers will have a major decision to make.
“The Green Bay Packers and their new president, Ed Policy, have a significant decision to make here in the coming days – and that is whether to extend Matt LaFleur’s contract. He’s currently got one year remaining, or to move on from him,” Schefter said. “If they moved on from him, he would automatically go near the top of coaches available and shakeup this current head-coaching cycle yet again.”
Schefter added that Harbaugh could be one of the names that would interest the Packers’ organization.
BEARS’ BEN JOHNSON GIVES FIERY MESSAGE TO TEAM AFTER PLAYOFF WIN: ‘F— THE PACKERS!’
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur talks after the playoff game, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
“Notice how we said this belongs to the Packers’ president, Ed Policy. Well, the Packers’ former president from the back in the day was a man by the name of Bob Harlan,” Schefter explained. “Bob Harlan’s son, Brian Harlan, represents John Harbaugh. John Harbaugh is a Midwestern guy, who has a home in the Upper Peninsula, and a lot of people around the league have been wondering if the Packers decide to go in a different direction, if all of a sudden the Green Bay Packers might fall to the top of John Harbaugh’s list as the top available choice for him.
“This has been a wild, crazy coaching cycle, and we may be just scratching the surface.”
Green Bay Packers’ Matthew Golden celebrates his touchdown against the Bears Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
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Green Bay finished 9-7-1 this season. LaFleur is 76-40-1 as the Packers’ head coach with a 3-6 record in the playoffs.
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Sports
Crossroads students begin push to make pickleball a varsity sport
For brothers Boone and Ford Casady, pickleball is more than just a game, it is a passion. The 16-year-old twins are among the top junior players on the planet, but more important to them than trophies and medals is a desire to spread the fastest-growing sport in America to high schools and colleges.
Their vision, combined with the persistence of fellow Crossroads sophomores Samantha Leeds and Hannah Carey, has birthed the L.A. High School Pickleball League, the first of its kind in California. The first match will be Jan. 24 at the Santa Monica Pickleball Center.
Teams from Crossroads, Brentwood, Windward, Palisades, Notre Dame and Santa Monica Pacifica Christian will participate, and possibly several more.
Matches will be biweekly with all schools competing at the same shared location. The match format is loosely based on high school tennis with three doubles lines, one singles line and “friendlies” — ensuring that beginners, alternates and developing players all get playing time. The season culminates with semifinals and a league championship.
“My brother and I grew up playing competitive tennis and baseball,” Boone said. “We’d been playing tennis since we were about 3 and in eighth grade we moved to Barcelona to train at the Emilio Sánchez Academy for tennis. We were first introduced to pickleball earlier while we were in Mexico playing with friends and we immediately fell in love with it. We entered our first tournament in Palm Springs and realized we’d found something special.
“We noticed that so many juniors were training and competing individually but there wasn’t a school-based structure like you have in other varsity sports. We decided to change that. We wanted girls to be involved from the start — it was important to us that the league be coed and inclusive to reflect how competitive girls pickleball already is. We’re also co-founders of the Crossroads Pickleball Club along with Samantha and Hannah and we’re working to grow participation on campus and across L.A.”
The four founders of the L.A. High School Pickleball League play mixed doubles.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Unlike most youth sports initiatives, the league was not created by adults or administrators, it was built entirely by students. Over the last two years they have coordinated with the Southern Section for recognition and guidance, worked with Crossroads administrators to establish pickleball as a school-sanctioned varsity sport, organized early intramural and inter-school tournaments, built communication networks among local high schools and helped other schools begin turning their club teams into varsity programs.
“In high school sports, students usually join a system that already exists,” Leeds said. “With pickleball, we had to build the system ourselves.”
Boone defeated Ford to earn the No. 1 seed at the 2024 Junior PPA National Championships, but they met again for the gold medal and this time Ford won. They also took the gold in doubles and finished No. 1 and No. 2 in the country in the 14s division.
At the 2025 Junior PPA National Championships, the brothers took silver and bronze in the Boys U16 singles and partnered for silver in doubles. They were also presented the Community Assist Award to acknowledge their initiative in starting the Los Angeles High School Pickleball League. They are straight-A students and play shortstop and third base on the varsity baseball team.
So far, their toughest competition in pickleball has been each other.
“Boone and I practice together all the time and we play against each other constantly,” Ford said. “Boone knows the part of my game to attack and I know what to do against him so we always have great matches. No matter who wins, we hug it out at the end.”
The siblings played in their first pro event of the year Saturday — the Masters Tournament in Palm Springs.
Leeds and Carey were introduced to pickleball in eighth grade.
“I remember leaving PE after playing pickleball, heading to soccer practice and honestly feeling kind of bored,” Leeds recalled. “All I wanted to do was keep playing pickleball.”
“Samantha and I got randomly paired to do pickleball in PE,” said Carey, who lost her home in the Palisades fire. “Most kids would sit out, look bored, or try to skip but as the pickleball nets went up our peers were engaged, exhilarated and connecting over their love of pickleball. So Samantha and I started making petitions to create a league.”
The girls, then 13, had a meeting with Anthony Locke, head of school at Crossroads, and made a pitch deck. Using her skills as a filmmaker Leeds created a short sizzle video to help show what pickleball could look like as a real school sport.
“We were told that forming school-based teams and leagues is a necessary first step towards eventual CIF recognition,” she said. “I created a Varsity Team Starter Kit, outlining the steps we used to establish pickleball as a school-sanctioned varsity sport. Leaders at other schools are actively using it to establish their own teams.”
Added Carey: “We connected with Boone and Ford, which was such an honor considering their talent and passion for the sport. We decided to join forces and use our resources together to further our process of creating a league.”
The inaugural season runs from January to March but beginning in the 2026-27 school year the plan is to move to the traditional winter sports window, November through January.
“Pickleball has the potential to become a true varsity sport at both the high school and college levels,” Boone said. “We’re so excited to help push it forward.”
Sports
US figure skating power couple makes history with record breaking seventh national championship
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U.S. figure skating stars Madison Chock and Evan Bates made history on Saturday with their record-setting seventh U.S. Figure Skating title in their final competition before the Milan Cortina Olympics.
The three-time reigning world champions, performing a flamenco-style dance to a version of the Rolling Stones hit “Paint It Black” from the dystopian sci-fi Western show “Westworld,” produced a season-best free skate and finished with 228.87 points.
“The feeling that we got from the audience today was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before,” Chock said.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates of United States perform during ISU World Figure Skating Championships – Boston, at TD Garden, on March 28, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Jurij Kodrun – International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images)
They’ll be the heavy favorites to win gold next month in Italy.
“I felt so much love and joy,” Chock continued, “and I’m so grateful for this moment.”
U.S. Figure Skating will announce its selections on Sunday.
Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik were second with 213.65 points and Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko were third with 206.95, making those two pairs the likely choices to join Chock and Bates on the American squad for the upcoming Winter Games.
The men’s medals also were to be decided on Saturday, though two-time world champion Ilia Malinin had built such a lead after his short program that the self-styled “Quad God” would have to stumble mightily to miss out on a fourth consecutive title.
The U.S. also has qualified the maximum of three men’s spots for the Winter Games, and competition is tight between second-place Tomoko Hiwatashi, fan favorite Jason Brown, Andrew Torgashev and Maxim Naumov to round out the nationals podium.
The last time Chock and Bates competed in the Olympics in 2022 in Beijing, they watched their gold initially go to an opponent who was later disqualified for doping violations.
Chock and Bates initially had to settle for team silver with their American teammates on the podium at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Team Russia and Kamila Valieva, who was 15 at the time, stood above them with their gold medals.
It wasn’t until the end of January 2024, when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) found Valieva guilty of an anti-doping rule violation, when Chock, Bates and the U.S. were declared the rightful 2022 gold medalists.
UN URGES COUNTRIES TO HONOR TRUCE DURING WINTER OLYMPICS, NOT DENY VISAS TO ANY NATION’S ATHLETES
Madison Chock and Evan Bates compete in championship ice dance at the U.S. figure skating championships Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned substance, during an anti-doping test at the Russian Figure Skating Championships in December 2021. She was suspended for four years and stripped of all competitive results since that date.
Chock and Bates spoke about what their message to Valieva would be today during an interview at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee media summit in October.
“It’s hard to, I think, imagine what a 15-year-old has gone through and under that kind of situation,” Bates said. “And I know how stressful it is, being an elite athlete as an adult, as a 36-year-old. And I think that grace should be given to humans across the board. And we can never really know the full situation, at least from our point of view. … I genuinely don’t know what I would say to her.”
Chock added, “I would just wish her well like as I would. I think life is short. And, at the end of the day, we’re all human just going through our own human experience together. And regardless of what someone has or hasn’t done and how it has affected you, I think it’s important to remember we’re humans as a collective, and we’re all here for this, our one moment on earth, at the same time. And I just wish people to have healthy, happy lives, full of people that love them.”
Chock and Bates had to wait more than two years after the initial Olympics to get their rightful gold medals, and they were finally presented with them during a ceremony at the Paris Olympics last summer.
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Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the USA perform in the Gala Exhibition during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final Nagoya at IG Arena on December 07, 2025 in Nagoya, Japan. (Atsushi Tomura – International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images)
Chock, Bates and teammates Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim and Vincent Zhou were given a specialized gold medal ceremony to receive the medals in front of more than 13,000 fans.
Chock and Bates became the first ice dancers to win three consecutive world championships in nearly three decades in March when they defeated Canadian rivals Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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