Hello, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get straight to the news.

From Broderick Turner: The show started Wednesday night with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer standing with fans on the east side of his palace called Intuit Dome in an area known as “The Wall.” Ballmer did a frantic dance with the fans in his $2 billion venue before taking the microphone.

“Welcome home, Clippers Nation,” Ballmer roared.

Indeed, this is the Clippers’ new home after 25 years at Staples Center/Crypto.com Arena, where they shared it with the Lakers and the NHL’s Kings.

It was the Clippers’ first game in Inglewood and it came without their biggest star, Kawhi Leonard, who missed the game due to recurring inflammation in his right knee. They were also missing their second-best player in Paul George, who left for the Philadelphia 76ers this summer.

So it was up to Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, star forward James Harden and a defense they’ve boasted all preseason to matter most.

The curtain fell for good on the Clippers after they were unable to perform in the clutch, dropping a 116-113 game to the Suns in overtime in front of a large, roaring crowd.

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DEVELOPERS

From Anthony De Leon: Lifelong Dodger fans Manny Acosta, 59, and his brother, Jose Acosta, 60, sit on Vin Scully Avenue, just steps from the shrine at the Dodger Stadium sign dedicated to the life of Fernando Valenzuela .

The siblings are parked in their ‘Dodger Dodge’ – a truck dressed in Dodger blue with an image of Valenzuela jumping on the side.

Wearing their World Series gear, they parked around noon and sat for hours watching hundreds of mourners arrive throughout the day to drop off flowers, Mexican flags and other gifts while paying their respects to a Dodger legend.

The Acostas were born in Sonora, Mexico, the same state where Valenzuela was born, and came to Boyle Heights in 1972.

“I’m an immigrant like he was,” Manny Acosta said of Valenzuela. “He came here and exceeded the American dream. He was such an icon and literally changed the game of baseball and its connection with Hispanics.”

He heard false rumors that Valenzuela died a few weeks ago, making his death Tuesday less sensational. But it still had a huge impact.

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Robert Vargas started the mural of Fernando Valenzuela the day the great Dodgers died. It has become an altar

Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball sells for a record $4.4 million. Who gets the money?

Are you going to Dodger Stadium for the World Series? Five ways to avoid parking and traffic problems

WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE

Always Pacific
All games on Fox
All games at 5:08 PM

Dodgers vs. NY Yankees
Friday at Dodgers
Saturday at Dodgers
Monday in New York
Tuesday in New York
*Wednesday in New York
*Friday, November 1 at Dodgers
*Saturday, November 2 at Dodgers

*-if necessary

LAKERS

From Dan Woike: JJ Redick has always fought.

He battled the mocking Atlantic Coast Conference crowds that descended on him as he became one of the best – and most hated – players in college basketball history.

He fought the idea that his play wouldn’t translate to the pros, that the early struggles weren’t indicative of who he could become. He fought to become one of the best role players in the NBA and then fought against time and an aging body to stay there.

When he retired, he fought against complacency. He stayed busy as a podcaster, entrepreneur and broadcaster.

But early last spring, Redick decided it was time to stop fighting. It was time to give in.

“At some point you just have to listen to your soul and not be afraid of the consequences of what happens next,” Redick told The Times. “You just have to go for it, I think.”

And so Redick made a decision. He started listening to his soul. He didn’t just want to coach in the NBA. That was necessary.

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CHARGERS

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: The Chargers haven’t scored a second-half touchdown since Week 1. They rushed for 59 yards in 22 carries against an Arizona defense that allowed 153 yards per game on the ground. They failed to secure a one-point lead on the final possession and gave up the winning field goal as time expired.

While there was a chorus of concerns following the team’s 17-15 loss on “Monday Night Football,” coach Jim Harbaugh is singing a different tune.

“You could sing with the choir ‘what would have, could have and should have’. Like this, like that,” the Chargers coach said Wednesday. “But it took three, four looks at the band, all sides of the ball, to convert the songbook to ‘we were better.’ We were better. We have gotten better.”

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THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1943 – The Green Bay Packers grab nine interceptions, seven off Frank Sinkwich, in a 27-6 win over the Detroit Lions.

1959 – Wilt Chamberlain plays his first NBA game with the Philadelphia Warriors. Chamberlain has played his entire career – 1,045 consecutive matches – without disqualification.

1965 – Fran Tarkenton of the Minnesota Vikings passes for 407 yards and three touchdowns in a thrilling 42-41 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

1976 — The New York Marathon is run through the streets of the five boroughs for the first time. Bill Rodgers wins the race in 2:10:10, beating Olympic gold and silver medalist Frank Shorter. Miki Gorman wins the women’s division in 2:39:11, the 70th fastest time of all time.

1992 – The Toronto Blue Jays win the baseball championship outside the United States for the first time, defeating the Atlanta Braves 4-3 in 11 innings in Game 6 of the World Series.

1998 – Texas’ Ricky Williams becomes the leading scorer in NCAA Division I history with 428 career points and scores two touchdowns in a 30-20 win over Baylor.

2003 – Se Ri Pak becomes the first woman to reach two rounds in a men’s golf tournament since Babe Zaharias in 1945. Pak shoots a 2-over 74 on the Korean tour for a 2-over 146 at the midway point of the $250,000 SBS Super Tournament. Pak finishes in shared 29th place.

2008 — Make it 9 out of 9 for the unstoppable Zenyatta. The four-year-old filly, ridden by Mike Smith, remains perfect in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic at Santa Anita, roaring from last to first around the corner to win the race.

2010 – Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall ties an NFL single-game record with four interceptions, including a 92-yard interception-return touchdown, in the Redskins’ 17–14 win at Chicago.

2012 – Pablo Sandoval becomes the fourth player to hit three home runs in a World Series game, leading the San Francisco Giants 8-3 against the Detroit Tigers in the series opener.

2013 – A mostly female team works a college football game in an apparent first. The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference considers it the first time this has happened in an NCAA game. Head linesman Yvonda Lewis, line judge Tangela Mitchell, field judge Sebrina Brunson and back judge Krystle Apellaniz are part of the seven-man squad for the Division II match between Miles and Lane. Miles wins 38-26.

2015 – Montreal defeats the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 to extend their season-opening winning streak to nine games. The Candiens break the NHL record for most consecutive regular season wins to start a season, set by Buffalo in 1975–76.

2015 – Lance Austin returns a blocked field goal 78 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the game, giving Georgia Tech a stunning 22-16 loss to No. 9 Florida State.

2021 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady becomes the first quarterback in NFL history to score 600 touchdowns in a 38-3 win over the Chicago Bears.

Compiled by the Associated Press