by Paul Teetor
Story of the Year: A no-brainer. This was the year of the Dodgers. Everything else in the Los Angeles sports world fades into the background compared to the Dodgers historic achievement of finally winning back-to-back World Series titles. Although the Dodgers won the World Series in 1955, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1981, 1988 and 2020, they had never before won back-to-back titles. Not only was it the first repeat title for the franchise that goes all the way back to Brooklyn, New York in 1890, but it was the first back-to-back titles for any franchise since the New York Yankees won three, straight from 1998 to 2000 – a quarter of a century ago.
That sets up a perfect goal for the Dodgers next season: a three-peat.
Play of the Year: Game seven is the most exciting phrase in all of sports. It means there’s going to be one overjoyed winner, and one devastated loser, all to be decided by one final climatic game. There were a lot of candidates for this highly coveted award, almost all of them from the Dodgers dramatic seven game series in which they came back from a 3-2 deficit to win game six and then game seven in an 11-inning thriller, 5-4. The Blue Jays could have won it – indeed, they should have won it – if not for two clutch fielding plays that had to be seen to be believed. That they happened on consecutive ninth inning plays of game seven only added to the tension and the drama.
First came a most unlikely ninth inning home run by good fielding, no-hit utility infielder Miguel Rojas in the top of the ninth inning that tied the seventh game at 4-4. In the bottom of the ninth, Bo Bichette singled with one out, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa entered the game as a pinch runner while Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sent in outfielder Andy Pages as a defensive substitute for good-hit, no-field outfielder Teoscar Hernandez. Addison Barger walked, and Alejandro Kirk was hit by a pitch, loading the bases with one out. The Blue Jays just needed a walk, a bunt, a seeing-eye single, a batter hit by pitch – anything – to drive Kiner-Falefa home from third and the World Series crown would be theirs. The home crowd was going nuts in anticipation of the Jays scoring the winning run.
With the Dodgers playing the infield in – they had no choice, really – Daulton Varsho hit a laser-beam two-hopper right at Rojas, playing second base. The ball was on him so fast that it literally knocked him backwards and he stumbled before he could gather himself and gun the ball home, trying for a force out. Catcher Will Smith – the Fresh Prince of Chavez Ravine — lifted his right foot off the plate as he caught the ball, then pushed his spike back down on the plate a milli-second before the runner touched home plate. Plate umpire Jordan Baker signaled that the runner was out, but of course the call was challenged. After a 70-second video review – it was so close you could make a case either way — the call was upheld, and the Dodgers let out a huge sigh of relief. They were still alive, albeit with the bases still loaded. The very next batter, Ernie Clement, hit a 100-mph screamer to left center that both Pages and left fielder Kike Hernandez started running for at the crack of the bat. Hernandez lost the trajectory of the ball and appeared to be about to miss the catch on the warning track when Pages showed up, ran him over like Le Bron James boxing out for a tough rebound, leaped and made a miraculous catch. The Dodgers went on to win game 7 in the 11 inning 5 to 4. Toronto manager John Schneider put both amazing plays in perspective: “I’ll think about them every day until the day I leave this earth,” he said. So will Dodgers fans.
Winner: Miguel Rojas for his catch and throw to the plate, and also because of his game tying homer.
Runner Up: Pages for his miracle catch. And he’s second only because without Rojas’ catch-and-throw home the game is over and there is no opportunity for a miracle catch.
Player of the Year: Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers designated hitter, starting pitcher and $700 million man.
After a historic 54 homer, 50 stolen base season as a hitter only in 2024, Ohtani returned to the mound in 2025 after recovery from arm surgery. He punctuated his season with an all-time postseason performance, including a three-homer, 10-strikeout game against the Brewers that was the best game ever played in the history of baseball.
Retiree of the Year: Clayton Kershaw, who announced before the World Series that this would be his last season. The second greatest pitcher in Dodger history – behind only Sandy Koufax – made a brief but crucial relief appearance in game 3. He will be a first ballot Hall of Famer when he’s eligible in five years.
Trade of the Year: The Lakers dealt 32-year-old Anthony “Street Clothes” Davis to Dallas for superstar point guard Luka Doncic, who has made the All-NBA first team every year he has been in the league. The Lakers now have a 26-year-old generational talent to lead them into the post-LeBron era. This season he is leading the league in scoring at 35 points per game and the Lakers are second in the West behind only the scary good Oklahoma City Thunder. And Nico Harrison, the Dallas general manager who made the trade? He was fired last month. Irony alert: Harrison said the reason they dumped Luka was he was fat and out of shape. It was an exaggeration, but he was a bit chunky and easily winded. But he was still one of the five best players in the world. The trade was such a shock to his system that he dedicated his summer to getting in the best shape of his life – which is why he is now the best player in the league. The basketball gods work in mysterious ways.
Worst trend of the year: Betting has taken over sports – amateur and pro. Already there are betting scandals in the NBA and MLB. With players providing inside info to professional bettors, it’s only going to get worse. And everyone involved is to blame: the leagues for going into partnerships with “gaming companies” – what an upgrade from their real names, which should be “legalized bookies” – and sports media like ESPN for promoting betting on their programming 24/7. It’s going to blow up in their faces sooner rather than later.
Best trend of the year: Pickleball continued to build up momentum and for the fourth year in a row was named the fastest growing sport in America. Locally, the California Smash club in El Segundo has been a, well, smash hit, modeled on the Top Golf model of selling food and drink – lots of drinks – while promoting the athletic angle. “Hey, honey, I’m going to play some pickleball at the club. See you in a few hours.” Works every time – for men or women.
Scariest trend of the year: The emerging dominance of Artificial Intelligence. The machines are taking over the information business much faster than anyone could have imagined even two years ago. For further detail, see the Easy Reader story that ran last month: the Easy Reader’s Gutenberg Moment. But one thing AI can’t do: write sports stories with an attitude.
Intuit Dome Grand Opening: The Los Angeles Clippers officially moved into their new $2 billion home, the Intuit Dome, in Inglewood. The high-tech arena hosted the 2025 NBA All-Star Game in February, marking a new era for the franchise.
UCLA Women’s Basketball Final Four Run: The Bruins’ women’s basketball team achieved a program-record 34 wins and secured their first-ever trip to the NCAA Final Four after winning the Big Ten conference title.
Happy trails to Robert Redford: The finest American actor of his generation died at age 89 in September. He starred in the best baseball movie ever – The Natural – the best newspaper film ever — All the President’s Men — and the best western ever — Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
That’s a triple play that will never be matched.
Contact: teetor.paul@gmail.com. ER
