The Sports Report: It was an emotional day for Freddie Freeman

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

From Mike DiGiovanna: Freddie Freeman walked into the interview room at Dodger Stadium on Monday afternoon with a towel in his hand. The veteran first baseman, who is highly emotional at the best of times, knew he wouldn’t have time to recount for a minute the brutal experience his 3-year-old son, Maximus, endured over the past two weeks without crying.

He was right — and he didn’t care. The tears flowed, and so did the gratitude of an eight-time All-Star who returned after an eight-game absence, with his son home from the hospital and on a long but hopeful road to recovery from Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disease in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves.

“Max is fine … but he has to relearn how to do almost everything,” Freeman said, pausing several times to rub his eyes and gather his thoughts. “It’s a terrible syndrome, Guillain-Barré syndrome … but it’s good that he’s here, because it means things are getting better. No one should have to go through this, especially with a 3-year-old.”

Freeman and his wife, Chelsea, noticed Max was walking with a limp on the morning of Monday, July 22, and by that evening, Max was no longer able to walk. The symptoms, based on visits to several doctors, were consistent with transient synovitis, which can cause hip pain after a viral infection.

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From Mike DiGiovanna: A crowd of 48,178 at Dodger Stadium rose to its feet when Freddie Freeman came to the plate in the first inning Monday night, the enthusiastic ovation marking the veteran first baseman’s return after an eight-game absence while his 3-year-old son, Maximus, battled a rare neurological disorder that temporarily paralyzed the boy.

Freeman had already fought back tears during a 30-minute pregame news conference in which he recounted Max’s ordeal, which included eight straight days in a pediatric intensive care unit, and now he could feel the emotions welling up in his chest again as the crowd showered him with admiration.

Freeman removed his batting helmet and tapped his heart in appreciation for the 45-second ovation, and thought he might be able to remain calm … until he saw his father, Fred, and stepmother, Alma, in the front row behind the backstop.

“My dad was… I don’t know if you could call it crying, but he was emotional and had tears in his eyes, and that’s what really motivated me,” Freeman said after the Dodgers’ 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

“I had a really tough time hitting that first at-bat, but that’s a good thing. I had no problems with that. It was one of the nicest strikeouts I’ve had in my major league career.”

Freeman, who had one single and two strikeouts in four at-bats, played little role in his team’s 5-3 victory over the NL East-leading Phillies, which extended the Dodgers’ lead in the NL West over Arizona and San Diego to five games.

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Dodgers face ‘sense of urgency and competition’ with roster for remainder of season

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Rams

From Gary Klein: Rams receiver Puka Nacua, who suffered a knee injury during a joint practice with the Chargers, is week to week, a person with knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly said Monday.

Nacua was injured Sunday at the Chargers’ facility during a practice that did not include tackles but did include instances of hard contact.

Nacua, who set rookie receptions records in 2023, fell hard to the turf while attempting to make a contested catch in the end zone. He also suffered contact while carrying the ball on a jet sweep and spent the final half of practice on the sideline with an ice pack on his right knee.

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CHARGERS

From Anthony De Leon: The first few weeks of training camp have been hectic for Jim Harbaugh, who has had to deal with an injury to quarterback Justin Herbert, revamp the receiving corps and implement a new defensive scheme. But on Monday, the Chargers coach had to address the alleged sign-stealing scandal from his time at the University of Michigan.

Harbaugh’s replacement as Wolverines head coach, Sherrone Moore, is being investigated as part of the scandal. Moore is one of seven staff members of the 2023 national championship team accused of violating NCAA rules.

In a prepared statement, Harbaugh addressed the situation:

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Chargers great Nick Hardwick excited about chance to help franchise again

LAKES

From Steve Henson: At some point, it might be easier to simply rename Crypto.com Arena.

Anyone wanna go to Kobe’s crib?

Two of three statues honoring the late Lakers player Kobe Bryant have been unveiled outside the stadium. The latest, on Friday, is an emotional tribute to Bryant and his daughter, Gianna. The two died along with seven others in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020.

Now, anyone heading to the stadium after admiring the statues can use the Kobe Bryant Entrance, formerly the 11th Street entrance.

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OLYMPIC GAMES SURVEY

For those of you who don’t read our special newsletter Sports Report, Olympics Edition, written by John Cherwa, he has an interesting poll you might like to take part in:

What sports do you want to get rid of?
We don’t have power, but we can pretend. So let’s get rid of some Olympic sports. Here are the options. You can vote for two.

3×3 Basketball: Do you want to expand to 2 X 2 or 4 X 4 or 6 X 6? Where does it end?

Artistic swimming: It used to be synchronized swimming, but it needed a new image. It reached its peak with Esther Williams.

Basketball: Poor competitive balance, especially with women.

Boxing: It’s getting more and more insignificant by the day. Bad scoring system. UFC gateway sport.

Golf: They are too elitist and players are judged by how many major tournaments they win, not their Olympic medals.

Modern Pentathlon: As old-fashioned as it sounds, what child doesn’t have a daily routine of fencing, swimming, horse riding, shooting and racing?

Rhythmic gymnastics: Ball, ribbon and hoop. Need I say more?

Tennis: Watch golf.

Trampoline: Extra deduction if it lands in the neighbor’s backyard.

Anything else: Self-explanatory.

(Note to readers: comments are for entertainment purposes only.)

You can vote here.

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1958 — Glen Davis of Columbus, Ohio, sets a world record in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 49.2 in Budapest, Hungary.

1966 — Muhammad Ali knocks out Brian London in the third round to retain his world heavyweight title.

1972 — South African Gary Player wins his second PGA golf championship with a two-stroke victory over Jim Jamieson and Tommy Aaron.

1978 — John Mahaffey defeats Tom Watson and Jerry Pate on the second playoff hole to win the PGA Championship.

1984 — American athlete Carl Lewis wins the long jump (8.54 m), his second of four gold medals at the Los Angeles Olympic Games.

1991 — Debbie Doom of the United States pitches her second consecutive perfect game in women’s softball at the Pan American Games. Doom pitches a perfect game in the Netherlands Antilles in the opening game and matches that performance against Nicaragua, winning 8-0.

1992 — Carl Lewis leads the United States to victory in the long jump at the Olympics with a mark of 8.5 meters on his first attempt. Mike Powell takes silver and Joe Greene bronze. Kevin Young shatters one of the track’s oldest records with a time of 46.78 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles. Bruce Baumgartner becomes the first American wrestler to win medals at three consecutive Olympics, taking gold in the 128-kilogram freestyle division.

1994: Jeff Gordon wins the Brickyard 400, the first stock car race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

1995 — Canada’s Donovan Bailey wins the 100 meters at the World Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, marking the first time since 1976 that an American has failed to medal in the event at a major tournament.

1999 — Tony Gwynn goes 4-for-5, singles in his first at-bat and becomes the 22nd major league player to reach 3,000 hits, as the San Diego Padres beat the Montreal Expos 12-10.

2006 — Tiger Woods (30) becomes the youngest player to compile 50 PGA Tour wins with a 3-stroke victory over Jim Furyk at the Buick Open.

2008 — Kim Terrell-Kearney wins the first professional championship match featuring two black players, beating Trisha Reid 216-189 at the US Women’s Open at the US Bowling Congress. Terrell-Kearney wins her second US Women’s Open title and third career major title.

2010 — Tyson Gay defeats reigning world and Olympic champion Usain Bolt in a race between the two fastest runners in history. Gay beats the Jamaican in the DN Galan competition by 9.84 seconds at the same stadium where Bolt last lost a race two years ago. Bolt finishes second in 9.97 seconds.

Compiled by Associated Press