Sports
Shaikin: Why USC, college baseball’s most decorated team, plays home games over an hour from campus
“You ever played Mafia before?”
I had asked Connor Clift, a senior catcher for the USC baseball team, about the Trojans’ trying season.
“We play Mafia for hours,” Clift said.
It’s a video game.
“You have a sheriff, and you have townies, and the mafia tries to kill the townies, and the sheriff tries to catch the mafia,” he said. “Nobody knows who is who, and then you fight it out.”
The Trojans play for hours, because they ride the bus for hours. They are a team without a home.
They practice half an hour from campus — an hour, with traffic. They play most of their home games an hour from campus — two hours, with traffic.
“Beat the traffic,” sophomore outfielder Austin Overn said, “or else you’re screwed.”
The most distinguished team in college baseball history is homeless. The 12-time NCAA champion Trojans cannot play on campus because of construction that includes upgrades to Dedeaux Field and new facilities for the USC football team.
When USC hired Andy Stankiewicz as its new baseball coach two years ago, he said had been assured whatever construction would take place would displace the team for the 2028 season.
The Great Park in Irvine is a 1,300-seat facility the Trojans have used for the bulk of their home games this season. “This was the best option on short notice,” said Rock Hudgens, USC director of baseball operations.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“That’s it. One year,” he told The Times then. “When it’s over, we’re going to be in a gorgeous, brand new Dedeaux.”
That timeline changed last summer. The baseball team had to vacate last fall — and for two years, not one.
“That was a little bit of a surprise, honestly,” Stankiewicz said. “You have to learn to make the adjustment on the fly and keep going.”
Coaches and administrators scrambled. Baseball teams long have been barnstormers, but the Savannah Bananas do not have to worry about classes.
For fall practices, the Trojans bused to El Camino College in Torrance. The community college had priority for the baseball field in the afternoon, so the USC players shifted their classes to the afternoon and departed for El Camino as early as 7 a.m.
On occasion, Stankiewicz said, the Trojans would get there and the gates to the field would be locked, and the team would have to wait for campus security officers to come by and open up.
To leave El Camino at 11 a.m. and get to class at USC at noon, Overn said, could mean rushing to get in a shower and a couple bites of lunch in between.
Bobby and Blaire Burkitt, and their children Tre, 8, Nicholas, 6, watch USC warm up before a game at the Great Park in Irvine on May 3. Admission is free for the Trojans’ games in Irvine.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“It was,” he said with a smile, “a little fast for me.”
The Trojans already had their 2024 schedule. No school would displace its own team so USC could play there. And, as USC associate director of operations and event management Garrett D’Angelo said, “We wanted one spot that was home.”
In Irvine, on the site of the former El Toro Marine base, voters rejected a proposed international airport two decades ago. Since then, a community sports mecca dubbed the Great Park has blossomed there, surrounded by thousands of homes. The NHL’s Ducks built themselves a practice rink there, not far from a stadium used by a minor league soccer team.
That is where USC found its home away from home, at a sparkling 1,300-seat ballpark designed to host championship games of youth tournaments. The ballpark is surrounded not by campus landmarks, but by an iconic orange balloon on one side and a water park on another side.
No one expected students would show up, but USC has a robust alumni base in Orange County.
“This was the best option on short notice,” said Rock Hudgens, USC director of baseball operations.
The Trojans built their own locker room, because the one in Irvine had 12 lockers and USC needed 40. They rented an ice machine and arranged for regular deliveries of ice.
The ballpark did not include a batter’s eye. The Trojans contracted with an event production company to deliver one, and so the makeshift batter’s eye is framed in the same way a concert stage would be.
The Great Park in Irvine did not include a batter’s eye. The Trojans contracted with an event production company to deliver one, and so the makeshift batter’s eye is framed in the same way a concert stage would be.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
To make the place feel like home, they wrapped ballpark columns and draped railings with USC decor. They used Velcro, because the wraps and drapes come off when the stadium is used by others — including the weekends USC had to rent fields at Loyola Marymount and UC Irvine because the ballpark already had been reserved.
At the start of May, when USC had its finals week, players normally would have walked to class Thursday and Friday and taken their exams. Instead, because USC had a home game Friday night in Irvine, the players bused to Orange County Thursday afternoon and took finals in a hotel Friday morning.
The Trojans have fallen on hard times since the glory days of Tom Seaver and Fred Lynn, Mark McGwire and Randy Johnson, Barry Zito and Mark Prior. They have not won an NCAA championship in 26 years.
Over the past 18 seasons, they have posted three winning records and made one postseason appearance.
The Southland is not exactly a hotbed for college baseball — Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State aside — but the Trojans have not averaged even 1,000 fans for years. In 2015, the last time USC posted a winning record, the average attendance was 826.
Josh Boatright, 14, shows off his autographed baseball before the USC-Cal game on May 3. Boatright said he’s been to a few games this season but doubts he would go if the Trojans played on campus as opposed to his neighborhood.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
That is what makes this home-away-from-home season such a pleasant surprise. The students may not be here, but admission is free, and youngsters playing on adjacent diamonds stop by with their families.
Josh Boatright, 14, rode his bike past the ballpark one day and checked out a few innings. He has been back three times, although he admits he would not be as interested in the Trojans if the team played at Dedeaux Field instead of in his neighborhood.
“If I go all the way to L.A.,” he said, “I’d probably go for a Dodger game.”
The Trojans have averaged 740 fans at the Irvine ballpark this season, more than they averaged at Dedeaux Field last season, even for a team with a losing record. USC has three games left in Irvine this season.
“I feel like, as of now, it’s a home,” Overn said. “For the most part, I feel like we’re here all the time.
“It’s a home. It’s obviously not the home we were expecting this year.”
And, after we talked, Overn walked into the Friday night — not to a dorm room or an apartment or a fraternity, and not to a campus party, but to a bus that would take him to a Marriott hotel within walking distance of an outdoor mall that celebrates “life at its most stylish, delicious and exciting.”
Sports
Joey Chestnut reflects on return to hot dog eating contest after contract dispute, temporary ban
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest two years ago was unusual in that it was missing the greatest competitive eater of all time.
Joey Chestnut, a 16-time winner of the event, was not eligible to participate in 2024 after he signed a deal with Nathan’s rival Impossible Foods. Chestnut was still on the outs months before the 2025 competition when he announced that he and the organizers had found common ground on sponsorships.
That brought Chestnut, now a 17-time winner after taking the belt again last year, back to Coney Island.
Joey Chestnut wins the men’s competition at Nathan’s Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City on July 4, 2025. He returned to compete for a 17th win after missing the 2024 event due to a sponsorship dispute with Major League Eating. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
“It was great. The audience is awesome, it’s electric. It’s good to be back after mending some fences,” Chestnut recently told Fox News Digital. “I do what I love. I got the best job in the world. I get to eat, travel, beat the heck out of people, and meet happy people. So it was great to be back.”
Chestnut’s return to the grand stage was, well, grand. Credit is due to Patrick Bertoletti, who downed 58 dogs and buns in Chestnut’s absence to take home the title two years ago. But Chestnut hasn’t posted a number that “low” since 2010. And while the Coney Island Nathan’s still had a decent crowd, it doesn’t compare to when Chestnut is on stage.
For the greatest of all time, though, it was never about a comeback — just winning and celebrating Independence Day.
“It’s never about me. It’s not even about the hot dogs. It’s the Fourth of July. It’s an eating contest, but really, it’s a Fourth of July celebration, it’s a celebration in New York. And that contest, it’s hard to describe exactly,” Chestnut said.
Joey Chestnut prepares to compete in the men’s competition at Nathan’s Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City on July 4, 2025. He returns to compete for a 17th win after missing the 2024 event due to a sponsorship dispute with Major League Eating. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
JOEY CHESTNUT REVEALS FOODS HE WON’T EAT IN COMPETITION AS HE TOURS MINOR LEAGUE STADIUMS FOR LOCAL DELICACIES
“It’s an event, it’s more than just an eating contest. It’s part of the Fourth of July celebration for New York City, and I’m just a very little part of it. And when it comes to that celebration, I’m very happy that I was able to come back and be part of people’s Fourth of July.”
Chestnut won his first title in 2007, taking down the dynastic eater that was Takeru Kobayashi. Since then, he’s won 17 of the last 18 events he has competed in. Matt Stonie pulled off an upset in 2015.
In his return to Coney Island, Chestnut downed 70 hot dogs, an improvement from the 62 he ate in 2023. So clearly, there are no signs of slowing down. But Chestnut knows time is ticking, and he wants to make the most of it.
“When I was younger, I could gain weight and then lose it really quick. Now, it’s a lot more work, but I still love it. And I know my body,” Chestnut said. “But as long as I’m competitive, as long as it’s fine, and I’m healthy. I’m going to be involved. I was just talking to a guy who, he’s 58 years old and he’s been doing this since I got started. And so he’s still able to do it. I’m like, ‘All right, I can do this.’ I got a couple more years, and we’ll see.”
Joey Chestnut wins the men’s competition at Nathan’s Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City on July 4, 2025. He returned to compete for a 17th win after missing the 2024 event due to a sponsorship dispute with Major League Eating. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“It really is, like, I really feel like it’s one of the best gigs that there is. I get to travel, eat, and, dude, it’s the funniest thing,” Chestnut said. “After I do this eating, I’m all sweaty, greasy, messy, and then people want to take pictures with me. It’s the funnest thing in the world.”
“As long as I can, I’m gonna be doing it.”
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
OKLAHOMA CITY — The answer to the Lakers’ slumping offense sat hunched in a chair in the corner of the visitors’ locker room at Paycom Center. Luka Doncic, dressed in a black T-shirt and pants, scrolled on his phone, cornered off by a wall of reporters who all faced LeBron James looking for reasons behind a postseason dry spell.
“We have a guy that averages 37 [points] a game [out],” James said. “Thirty-three-and-a-half. … There’s the issue right there.”
Since Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in this arena on April 2, the Lakers used heroic performances from James, suddenly hot shooting and stout defense to paper over the absence of their leading scorer. But Tuesday’s 108-90 Game 1 loss against the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder showed just how much the Lakers miss Doncic.
On a night they limited Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a season-low 18 points and a season-high seven turnovers, the Lakers still never got closer than 11 points in the fourth quarter. The reigning most valuable player scored fewer than 20 points in a game for the first time since May 24, 2025.
The Lakers slugged their way through a defensive battle against the Houston Rockets in the first round, but their offense started lagging midway through the series. They’ve scored fewer than 100 points in four consecutive games, three of them losses. The team that shot a league-leading 50.2% during the regular season has dipped to 46.5%. Their 99.6 points per game in the playoffs is the lowest for any team still playing in the conference semifinals.
“When you play against great defense, you have to have guys that can attract multiple defenders on the floor at all times,” said James, who led the Lakers with 27 points on 12-for-17 shooting. “I feel like we had great shots. We got some great shots tonight, we missed them.”
The Lakers shot 10 for 30 from three-point range. In the first round, the Lakers shot better than 40% from three in all four of their wins compared to no better than 25.9% in their two losses.
The Thunder allowed the seventh-most three-pointers per game during the regular season. Hoping to exploit the weakness, the Lakers got up 30 three-pointers, a relative improvement from their first-round series average of 25.5 per game.
But forward Rui Hachimura, who shot three for six from three, said the team can afford to shoot even more.
Luke Kennard, who burst into the postseason with 50 combined points in Games 1 and 2 against the Houston Rockets, shot only one for three from three. Lakers coach JJ Redick lamented that the NBA’s best three-point shooter passed up some good shots.
The Lakers struggled to generate three-pointers in the aftermath of injuries to Doncic and Austin Reaves. Reaves’ return hasn’t fully jump-started the offense as the guard regains his rhythm after a left oblique strain that sidelined him for four weeks.
Reaves was 0 for five from three in his third game back. He is two-for-17 shooting from distance in the playoffs and had just eight points on three-for-16 shooting Tuesday.
Injured Lakers star Luka Doncic greets teammate Dalton Knecht during the second half of Game 1 on Tuesday night in Oklahoma City.
(Kyle Phillips / Associated Press)
“I got to get my spots multiple times and just missed a couple of easy shots,” Reaves said. “But for the most part, you got to limit the turnovers. They pressure the ball really well, just got to give us an opportunity to get a shot on goal every possession.”
The Lakers committed 18 turnovers that led to 20 Oklahoma City points, including 15 in the second half. Redick identified turnovers as the Lakers’ top priority against the most disruptive defense in the league, especially after the Lakers averaged 17.7 turnovers per game during the first round of the playoffs.
The Lakers miss Doncic’s 33.5 points a game, but against such an aggressive defense, they also ache for his ball handling that could ease the pressure on Reaves (four turnovers), Smart (two) and James (two).
“We decided we’re just going to be enough with what we have,” Hachimura said. “But I think those kinds of stuff [Doncic does] — the playmaking, especially against a team like these guys, they pressure the ball — Luka, with his size and his ball handling, everything, he could have been a good playmaker for sure.”
Doncic has increased some of his on-court work recently by incorporating movement into his shooting, but had not progressed to live contact by the time the series began. He posted a photo of himself lifting weights on his Instagram story on Monday, but Redick didn’t give any updates on the star guard’s status.
In the locker room after Tuesday’s game, teammates sat with their feet submerged in buckets of ice and ice packs wrapped around their joints. In his corner between the lockers for James and Reaves, Doncic turned to the side as reporters passed by.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
WWE star Chelsea Green revealed Monday she underwent a “heart procedure” as she shared photos of herself and husband Matt Cardona from her hospital bed.
Green said doctors caught her SVT. The Mayo Clinic says that SVT, or supraventricular tachycardia, is a “type of irregular heartbeat, also called an arrhythmia. It’s a very fast or erratic heartbeat that affects the heart’s upper chambers.”
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Chelsea Green enters the ring during Monday Night RAW at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., on July 28, 2025. (Rich Freeda/WWE)
The two-time WWE women’s United States champion said she had been dealing with the issue for 10 years.
“After 10 years, doctors finally caught my SVT and I was able to get a heart procedure done! 3 hours later and I’m on the mend,” she wrote on Instagram.
On Tuesday, she added on X: “My latest episode during WrestleMania pushed my resting heart rate to 228 for almost 15 minutes. Yesterday, Dr. Girgis spent 3 hours working on me… and I had to be awake for the last hour of the procedure!! “
Chelsea Green waves during SmackDown at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Nov. 28, 2025. (Michael Owens/WWE)
She said the procedure was minimally invasive and expected to be back to work soon.
Green has had her share of bad luck over the last few months. She suffered an ankle injury that has kept her sidelined for several months, keeping her off the WrestleMania 42 card.
In February, Green and Ethan Page dropped the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship to Mr. Iguana and Lola Vice.
Chelsea Green looks on during SmackDown at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla., on Feb. 20, 2026. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Pro wrestling fans are eagerly awaiting her return to the ring.
-
Maryland3 minutes agoMaryland State Fair celebrates America’s 250th anniversary across three weekends
-
Michigan9 minutes agoMichigan State Police request public’s help in locating missing woman out of Battle Creek
-
Massachusetts15 minutes agoWrong-way crash kills driver, state trooper in Lynnfield
-
Minnesota21 minutes agoFood relief efforts in Minnesota
-
Mississippi27 minutes agoMDWFP appoints first female wildlife bureau chief, others take new roles
-
Montana39 minutes agoBelgrade wins best tasting tap water in Montana
-
Nebraska45 minutes agoNebraska softball to host free NCAA selection show watch party Sunday
-
Nevada51 minutes agoNevada DETR ready to help laid-off Spirit Airlines employees