In leaked audio, L.A. council members make racist remarks, mock colleagues  —  Three Latino members of the Los Angeles City Council and a top county labor official held a conversation last fall that included racist remarks, derisive statements about their colleagues and council President Nury Martinez saying …

Poof!  Cardinals' ‘magic’ season vanishes in sweep.  Their next trick is up to new core  —  As he walked to the plate with a chance to push the game one hit deeper into the night, the season one game further into the weekend, and his career one day longer into October, Yadier Molina paused and whispered a prayer.

Nightengale's Notebook: Aaron Judge is the AL MVP.  Who else deserves 2022 MLB awards?  —  ST. LOUIS — It was a season where teams were either really, really good, or were really, really bad.  —  There were four 100-victory teams this season, tying a major-league record.

Oscar-worthy ending in 15th puts Guardians in ALDS  —  CLEVELAND — It was the game that seemed like it never was going to end.  Guardians Game 1 starter Shane Bieber decided to go grab a cup of chicken broth to keep him warm in the dugout as Cleveland went to the bottom of the 15th inning.

Legacy Runners return to Long Beach Marathon again and again — and again  —  The Legacy Runners may be slowing down, but there's no stopping this premier group from giving their best in the grueling marathon.  —  Call them crazy or call them inspirational, the Legacy Runners …

Aroldis Chapman left off Yankees' roster for missing workout  —  NEW YORK — Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman has been ruled out for the American League Division Series after he skipped a mandatory workout, leading to a fine and likely ending the All-Star's seven-year tenure with New York.

4 things we learned from MLB playoff openers: It's on Jacob deGrom to save the Mets' season  —  Blink, and it could be over.  —  For all the talk that Major League Baseball's best-of-three wild-card weekend would somehow be fairer than the one-game playoff that preceded it …

Detroit Tigers fire scouting director Scott Pleis after 15 seasons, per sources  —  Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris has started the restructuring of his front office.  —  Amateur scouting director Scott Pleis was fired after 15 seasons with the organization …

Mater Dei football knocks off St. John Bosco with big lift from defense  —  Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.  Subscribe now  —  SANTA ANA — Mater Dei's football team claimed a state championship last season despite swirling controversy.

How hot is Matt Rhule's seat?  —  As the Panthers face the strong possibility of 1-3 start becoming a 1-6 hole (the 49ers, Rams, and Bucs are the next three opponents), it's time to pay close attention to the tenure of coach Matt Rhule.  —  Rhule was arguably saved by his buyout after a substandard second season.

Bullpen, right-handed bat, rotation help all high on Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen's to-do list  —  The Diamondbacks won 22 more games this year than the previous year, but it was clear from General Manager Mike Hazen's end-of-year session with reporters that fact did not mean much to him.