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With Ohtani gone, how are the Angels? Baseball isn't priority for Rendon. Trout may want out

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With Ohtani gone, how are the Angels? Baseball isn't priority for Rendon. Trout may want out

Media magnet Shohei Ohtani left Anaheim for Los Angeles, where he was greeted in Chavez Ravine as if he descended from above.

Angels owner Arte Moreno refused to match the Dodgers’ $700-million offer and Ohtani’s departure not only left huge holes in the lineup and starting rotation, but opened a lot of seats in the press box. Nearly 40 Japanese media members trailed Ohtani on the 5 Freeway from the “Big A” to Dodger Stadium.

Ohtani produced a staggering 34.7 wins above replacement in six seasons with the Angels, who nevertheless posted a losing record in all six seasons. Without the two-way star, what possibly could be of interest this spring?

Well, it hasn’t been as bereft of news as expected. Here is a brisk look at the Angels’ offseason and spring training bullet points.

Nov. 9: The unabashedly positive Ron Washington is hired to replace the fired Phil Nevin as manager, bringing the number of Black managers in MLB to two after Dusty Baker retired. The number of Black managers in Southern California? Two, with Washington joining the Dodgers’ Dave Roberts.

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Feb. 14: A year after Moreno changed his mind about selling the team and pulled the Angels off the market, he tells the Orange County Register, “I am here long term.” He does leave the door ajar, saying, “I’m a business person. If someone gets really stupid, then you have to go.” Moreno, who paid $183.5 million for the team in 2003, said a year ago he turned down an offer of more than $3 billion, so it’s difficult to imagine what would constitute a “really stupid” offer.

Feb. 19: Spring training begins and players exude excitement, part-time Angels employee Anthony Rendon excepted. The oft-injured third baseman, who has played in only 200 of the 546 Angels games since signing a seven-year, $245-million contract before the 2020 season, told reporters baseball has “never been a top priority for me. It’s a job. I do this to make a living.”

Not since J.D. Drew has a player with so much talent displayed such a lack of enthusiasm. Rendon’s comments weren’t a surprise, though. Days earlier on a podcast he said: “We gotta shorten the season, man. There’s too many dang games.”

Feb. 19: Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Angels clubhouse, superstar Mike Trout for the first time nudged the door open to a potential trade, saying “maybe down the road if things change.” Trout, 32, signed a 12-year, $426.5-million contract in 2019 and has spent his entire 13-year career with the Angels.

Feb. 19: Trout tries to convince Moreno to sign free agents, saying, “I’m going to keep pushing as long as I can, until the season starts or until those guys sign.” At this point, “those guys” are down to standout starting pitchers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, down-market starters Mike Clevinger and Michael Lorenzen, and extremely old starters Zack Grienke, Johnny Cueto and Rich Hill. Designated hitter J.D. Martinez also is available, although the Angels would prefer to keep the DH spot free for Rendon and Trout to rest their legs while still getting at-bats.

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The Angels’ free-agent signings so far are relievers Robert Stephenson, Matt Moore and Adam Kolarek, reclamation project starter Zach Plesac, and reserve outfielder Aaron Hicks.

March 5: First baseman Miguel Sanó stands out as the most promising of several minor league free agents signed by the Angels. Once one of the most feared power hitters in baseball, Sanó told the Athletic that he dropped 58 pounds and is attempting to resurrect his career at age 30.

Other former major league position players trying to win a roster spot include corner infielder/outfielder Hunter Dozier, whom the Kansas City Royals are paying $9 million after releasing him last May; veteran reserve outfielders Jake Marisnick and Willie Calhoun; and good-field, no-hit shortstop Richie Martin.

An intriguing bullpen piece could be left-hander Drew Pomeranz, who spent the last two seasons recovering from a torn flexor tendon. A starter early in his career, he was 17-6 for the Boston Red Sox in 2017 and posted a 1.62 earned-run average with the San Diego Padres in 2020 and 2021 after becoming a reliever.

All of which makes for a mixed bag less than a month from opening day. Yet despite the scars of eight consecutive losing seasons, Angels fans continue to believe. The Athletic’s annual “Hope-O-Meter” poll of fans is underway, and last year, 81.4% of Angels fans were optimistic about the team’s fortunes. Astonishingly, that was higher than Dodgers fans (75.6%).

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Last year, of course, the Angels had Ohtani and still went 73-89.

A bulk of the at-bats this spring have gone to a cadre of promising young players: shortstop Zach Neto, first baseman Nolan Schanuel, catcher Logan O’Hoppe and outfielders Mickey Moniak and Jo Adell. Any optimism from Angels faithful must bank on those players delivering, Trout and Rendon staying healthy and Rendon prioritizing his chosen profession.

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Recent UFC champion Carlos Ulberg says he lost title belt while celebrating the win

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Recent UFC champion Carlos Ulberg says he lost title belt while celebrating the win

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UFC champion Carlos Ulberg says he lost his championship belt that he just won after capturing the light heavyweight title at UCF 327.

He told Fox Sports Australia Monday he misplaced his golden title belt while celebrating his victory.

“I’ve lost the belt, bro,” Ulberg told FOX Sports. “Initially after winning, the plan was to not have a drink. But you know how these things go, right?” he said.

“First, someone gives you a champagne to celebrate. Then one thing leads to another, and you’re doing shots.”

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Carlos Ulberg of New Zealand celebrates his knockout victory over Jiri Prochazka in a light heavyweight title bout at UFC 327 in Miami, Fla., April 11, 2026. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

The 35-year-old from New Zealand fought through a knee injury to defeat Jiri Prochazka in the main event at UFC 327 by knockout this weekend in Miami to become the new champion of the light heavyweight division.

His injury could keep him sidelined for a year, meaning he will have to give up his champion status anyway, with UCF holding an interim title fight to take his place.

Carlos Ulberg of New Zealand celebrates his knockout victory over Jiri Prochazka in a light heavyweight title bout during UFC 327 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla., April 11, 2026. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

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But Ulberg said he’s fairly confident his belt will be found before he heads to Las Vegas to get further evaluation from doctors on his knee. He then plans to spend time at the UFC Performance Institute before returning to New Zealand to be with family.

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“I didn’t want to be carrying the belt around, so I think it’s still there at the apartment somewhere. One of the boys probably has it in bed with him,” Ulberg said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Lakers ‘elevate’ work for playoffs with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves injured

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Lakers ‘elevate’ work for playoffs with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves injured

The elephant in the room for the Lakers as they enter the playoffs has been, and will continue to be, the status of their starting backcourt, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

Both are out because of injuries — Doncic with a grade 2 left hamstring strain and Reaves with a grade 2 left oblique strain — and neither is expected to play in the best-of-seven, first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets that begins Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena.

After practice Friday, coach JJ Redick was quick to say “there’s not” when asked about an update on Doncic and Reaves.

After Doncic and Reaves were injured on April 2 at Oklahoma City, the Lakers said both would be out until the end of the regular season. According to people not authorized to speak on the matter, both are expected to be out four to six weeks.

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Doncic went to Spain to get treatment, and Reaves has been working diligently in L.A., with the hope that they can return sooner.

The Lakers miss their combined output of 56.8 points, 13.8 assists and 12.4 rebounds per game. Doncic led the NBA in scoring (33.5) and was third in assists (8.3); he was second on the Lakers in rebounding (7.7).

During the week of practice, Reaves was around his teammates and seen shooting after a few practices. He appeared to be in good spirits. Doncic was supposed to be back by Friday.

“We love having Austin here and we’re glad he is in a position to do his return-to-play [work], however long it takes with us,” Redick said. “Excited to get Luka back and be around the group. Austin and I talk just about every day about different things. So he’s … just being a part of this. …

“The mindset for our team and for those two guys, like we’re gonna try to make this season as long as possible so that we can get those guys back at some point. We don’t know what that is, and that’s just our job. And their job is to do everything they can to be in a position to come back at some point. It may not work, but that’s what we’re trying to do.”

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The theme of the Lakers’ week at practice was to “elevate” their work.

Yes, they won’t have Doncic and Reaves, but that didn’t mean the Lakers couldn’t work harder.

When they worked on box-out drills in preparation for the way the Rockets attack the offensive boards, the Lakers went hard. When they watched film and had practice sessions, the Lakers worked with a purpose.

“The word we’ve used all week is ‘elevate.’ I think that’s what it is,” Redick said. “We all know the playoffs are different. They’re harder. There’s no easy matchups, and you have to be able to elevate your play. But beyond that, it’s elevating your recovery, your attention to detail, your preparation.

“I talked about that with my coaches as we started this week on Monday morning. It was an off day for the guys, but we were in there for six hours and we’ve all collectively gotta elevate. And particularly when you’re missing two of your top guys, part of elevating is elevating each other and the belief that the group as a whole can be great.”

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The Rockets are a tough and rugged team that is good on defense and at rebounding.

They ranked fourth in the NBA in points given up (110.0) and sixth in opponents’ field-goal percentage (46.0). They were tops in rebounding (48.1) and offensive rebounds (15.0).

That has the Lakers’ attention and is why they worked so hard during practice.

“It’s been great. The level of focus and attention to detail, the communication, everything has been elevated,” forward Jarred Vanderbilt said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that’s been to the playoffs and know what it takes.

“Like you said, everything elevates around this time and having a veteran group that’s kind of been there and had a taste of the playoffs, we all know what it takes to win games in the playoffs. It’s everybody going out and doing their job and paying attention to the game plan.”

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WWE star Chelsea Green should be WrestleMania ‘headliner,’ Alba Fyre says

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WWE star Chelsea Green should be WrestleMania ‘headliner,’ Alba Fyre says

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Chelsea Green has been one of the hardest working pro wrestlers in WWE since she returned to the company in 2023 and has put together history-making moments.

Green was the first women’s United States champion in the belt’s history and the first to have multiple reigns. She’s been knocked off ladders and thrown in dumpsters, and yet, strings of bad luck have kept her off the WrestleMania card for the last three years.

Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre enter the ring during SmackDown at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, on Jan. 23, 2026. (Rich Wade/WWE)

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WWE star Alba Fyre, who is a part of Green’s Secret Hervice, told Fox News Digital she would have liked to have seen the Canadian star on the card.

“You know, we’re always rooting for Chelsea,” Fyre said. “Obviously, I’m a big fan of Chelsea, but I think it’s a shame that she’s not on the card this year. She should be the headliner.”

This year, it was a bit out of her hands.

Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre enter the ring during SmackDown at KFC YUM! Center in Louisville, Ky., on Feb. 27, 2026. (Craig Melvin/WWE)

WWE CHAMP JADE CARGILL VERY HOPEFUL TO MEET ‘STONE COLD’ STEVE AUSTIN AT HALL OF FAME CEREMONY

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Green suffered an ankle injury in the months leading up to WrestleMania 42. She hasn’t been in the ring in a few weeks, but still remained on screen. She was seen on “Friday Night SmackDown” as of late trying to be in the corner of Tiffany Stratton, who is eyeing the United States Championship herself in a battle with Giulia.

Green was off the card for WrestleMania 40 and 41. She last appeared at the event in a fatal four-way tag team match with Sonya Deville at WrestleMania 39.

Chelsea Green looks on during SmackDown at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla., on Feb. 20, 2026. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE)

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Pro wrestling fans will be interested to see how the next 12 months go for Green. She may work herself back up the ladder and get into contention for the women’s title once again. If so, she’ll either have to contend with Jade Cargill or Rhea Ripley.

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