On Nov. 5, the NFL world will have its own decision day – albeit with much lower stakes than the election.

Hours before polling places close, the league’s annual trading deadline will reach its cutoff, which marks the last opportunity for teams to make a marquee roster addition. A few teams opted not to wait before swinging a significant deal, as the New York Jets acquired wide receiver Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders last Tuesday before the Buffalo Bills landed Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns. And on Wednesday, the Kansas City Chiefs followed up by securing wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans.

But who else could join in before the movement is shut down in 13 days? Parting with top talent – even those set to become free agents after the season – can be difficult for any decision-maker without firm job security. And in a league known for its postseason parity, front offices are often inclined to stick things out while clinging to the notion of a late-season rally. But the NFL this year pushed the deadline back one week, affording franchises a bit more clarity on just how close – or far – those playoff aspirations might be.

While it’s too early to tell exactly which teams will be sellers at the trade deadline, here are five who should be.

2024 NFL trade deadline sellers

Cleveland Browns

Anchored to Deshaun Watson – at least financially – for two more seasons, Cleveland is in the unenviable spot of needing to undergo a rebuild without fully being able to launch one in earnest. But selling off Cooper even prior to Watson suffering a torn Achilles reinforced that the next six months likely will feature a number of tough decisions.

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Reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett is probably untouchable at the trade deadline, as could be cornerback Denzel Ward and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, both in their mid-20s coming off Pro Bowl campaigns. But the Browns’ roster has been sapped of young talent after going the last three years without a first-round draft pick due to the Watson trade, and the salary-cap outlook is even more inauspicious. At some point, Cleveland shoulder consider whether moving one of its cornerstones could help accelerate the revitalization efforts.

In the short term, there are still solid options to sell off. Defensive end Za’Darius Smith, 32, might be the most valuable piece given the market’s shortage of edge rushers for contenders in need. Elijah Moore could follow Cooper out the door after coach Kevin Stefanski refused to reveal why the receiver was benched for the first two series of Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite his injury history, offensive tackle Jack Conklin has allure as a rental given that he has no guaranteed money on his contract beyond this season. And cornerback Greg Newsome II and defensive tackles Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris also could draw interest.

New England Patriots

Even though he later walked it back, coach Jerod Mayo’s claim that New England is ‘a soft football team across the board’ seems like a harbinger for a shake-up. Personnel changes are no doubt coming this spring, when the Patriots again are set to have a sizable amount of cap space with which to play. But it would be wise to ramp up those efforts early by casting off any players who are superfluous to a franchise taking the long view in addressing its abundant roster deficiencies.

In his ninth season with the team, cornerback Jonathan Jones is one of the longest-tenured Patriots, as well as one of the club’s most dependable starters. Sending him to a playoff-caliber outfit searching for assistance in the secondary would be a win for all parties. Sub rusher Josh Uche doesn’t seem to fit the hard-nosed approach Mayo wants from his defense at the moment, and there should be at least a few teams drawn to a low-cost spark off the edge. And while wide receiver Kendrick Bourne re-signed on a three-year deal in March and is still working his way back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered last December, the veteran’s reliability might be better suited elsewhere given New England’s widespread youth movement on offense.

Carolina Panthers

Shouldn’t the teardown process be nearly over for a franchise that seemingly has so little left? Somehow the reboot effort under the first-year regime of coach Dave Canales and general manager Dan Morgan has stalled out, with former No. 1 pick Bryce Young benched after two games in 2024 and the defense on pace to surrender the most points of any team in NFL history. With no major payoff yet from the past three draft classes, accruing more picks remains one of the most vital steps steps for Carolina.

There’s no Brian Burns-level figure to spark a bidding war, but the Panthers still has players of interest for contenders. Diontae Johnson has been the focal point of the offense with 30 catches for 357 yards and three touchdowns, but he bemoaned Sunday that he ‘can’t play every position on the field and make every play.’ That doesn’t sound like someone eager to re-sign once his deal is up in March, so Carolina should see what it could secure for a target many teams would be eager to have as a high-level No. 2 option. Adam Thielen could also fit the bill of a complementary piece in a receiving corps, though the 34-year-old has been out since Week 3 with a hamstring injury. While Carolina has resisted the idea of moving Young, the lack of urgency in plotting his course back to the lineup indicates it’s time to pursue a split. On defense, edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney can still provide a jolt, and safety Xavier Woods also might draw inquiries as a multitalented asset on the back end.

New York Giants

Much as general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll might like to hold out for hope a midseason resurgence, Sunday’s 28-3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was a pale horse for this campaign. Not even a pass rush with a league-leading 31 sacks is enough to compensate for the rudderless, Daniel Jones-led offense, which bests only the injury-ravaged Miami Dolphins in points per game (14.1).

The most significant changes likely won’t come until the offseason, at which point the organization can fully investigate its options for replacing Daboll and/or Jones. For now, the Giants should take a more active role in drumming up interest for at least two players with expiring contracts.

Darius Slayton stepped up while Malik Nabers was in concussion protocol, but the go-to rookie’s return has once again made the veteran extraneous. His big-play potential as both a deep target and run-after-catch threat make him a solid second-tier consideration for teams eyeing a boost to their passing attack. Elsewhere, outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari doesn’t seem likely to be back next season given the investments made in Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns on the edge. Yet after two injury-riddled years, Ojulari has again shown flashes of being a highly efficient pass rusher, notching three sacks in his last two games. Selling high is the right call.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Embracing a fire sale might be a non-starter given that owner Shad Khan has declared this group ‘the best team assembled by the Jacksonville Jaguars ever.’ But there’s no guarantee that either coach Doug Pederson or general manager Trent Baalke are safe beyond a week-to-week basis, and the 2-5 Jaguars are staring down a forthcoming five-game stretch against opponents that all have winning records. If there’s time to cut bait and recoup some draft capital, it’s now.

Assuming tight end Evan Engram is off limits as one of Trevor Lawrence’s favorite targets, the most consequential figure potentially on the block for Jacksonville could be wide receiver Christian Kirk. The slot target seems to have shrinking relevance next to Engram and breakout rookie Brian Thomas Jr., so offloading him – and his nearly $24.4 million cap hit for 2025 – would be wise so long as the return is right. Cam Robinson and Walker Little are both set to become free agents and could assist a team looking for someone to step in at left tackle. And playmaking safety Andre Cisco, also on the last year of his deal, sounds ready for a change of scenery after saying the Jaguars exhibited ‘a lot of quit’ in their first London outing.

(This story was updated to change a gallery.)

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Among the biggest moves in the leadup was the Boston Bruins and No. 1 goalie Jeremy Swayman reaching an eight-year, $66 million contract a day earlier and ending an impasse that looked like it could stretch into the season.

Transactions are continuing during the regular season as teams build toward a Stanley Cup or make moves for their long-term future. There are key dates to watch: the holiday roster freeze in December, the league’s break for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February and the trade deadline in early March.

Follow along here this season for signings, trades, transactions and other news from the NHL:

Oct. 23: Utah’s Sean Durzi, John Marino out long-term after surgery

The Utah Hockey Club, who beefed up their defense in the offseason, will be without two key blueliners long-term after they had surgery.

Sean Durzi, who was injured in an Oct. 15 game, will miss four to six months after shoulder surgery. John Marino, who has yet to play this season, is out three to four months after back surgery.

Utah added defensemen Mikhail Sergachev, Marino and Ian Cole in the offseason. Durzi, acquired last season when the team was in Arizona, signed a four-year, $24 million contract during the summer.

In other injury news, St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas has a fractured ankle and will be evaluated in six weeks.

Oct. 22: Panthers give coach Paul Maurice contract extension

Maurice, who joined the Panthers in 2022-23, went to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season and won it last year. His 29 playoff wins are a franchise record.

He has 98 regular-season wins with Florida and his 873 career wins rank fourth all time in NHL history.

Also: The Blues signed forward Jake Neighbours to a two-year, $7.5 million contract extension.

Oct. 17: Stars’ Jake Oettinger signs eight-year contract extension

The Dallas Stars signed goalie Jake Oettinger to an eight-year, $66 million contract extension that kicks in next season. The $8.25 million cap hit matches the deals recently signed by the Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman and Senators’ Linus Ullmark.

Oettinger has led the Stars to the Western Conference final the past two seasons.

Oct. 14: Matthew Tkachuk’s illness to keep him out a week

Already down one star, the Panthers will be without another one.

Coach Paul Maurice said Matthew Tkachuk’s illness will keep him out more than a week. The team is targeting an Oct. 22 return.

Tkachuk missed Saturday’s game. So did captain Aleksander Barkov, who injured his leg in the second game of the season and is expected to miss two to three weeks.

Oct. 12: Aleksander Barkov, Macklin Celebrini are injured

The NHL season is young, but two prominent players are already out with injuries.

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov will miss two to three weeks after crashing leg first into the boards while trying to prevent an empty net goal on Thursday. His stick had broken but he couldn’t stop Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle from scoring. The time frame should allow Barkov to participate in the two Global Series games against the Dallas Stars in Tampere, Finland, on Nov. 1-2. Barkov is the first Finnish NHL captain to win the Stanley Cup. He won the Selke Trophy last season for the second time as top defensive forward.

Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks placed No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. Coach Ryan Warsofsky said Celebrini is week-to-week. He had been dealing with an injury in training camp but played in this week’s season opener, scoring a goal and an assist.

Oct. 11: Avalanche claim goalie Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers

In a busy day for goalie transactions, the Colorado Avalanche claimed Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets. Colorado lost 8-4 in the opener, with Alexandar Georgiev giving up five goals and backup Justus Annunen giving up two goals on four shots. The Avalanche are Kahkonen’s fourth team in a year. He split time last season between the San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils.

In other moves, the Minnesota Wild called up Jesper Wallstedt, their goalie of future, who will join Game 1 winner Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury. The Nashville Predators sent down Matt Murray, who backed up Scott Wedgewood on Thursday with injured No. 1 goalie Juuse Saros unable to play.

Oct. 10: Hurricanes-Lightning game postponed because of Milton

Saturday’s game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning has been postponed as the Tampa Bay area recovers from Hurricane Milton. The league said a makeup date would be announced as soon as it can be confirmed.

The Lightning are playing their season opener in Carolina on Friday. Saturday’s game was to be the start of a three-game homestand (also Tuesday and Thursday).

Amalie Arena got through the storm fine, though Tropicana Field, home of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Florida, suffered major damage to its roof.

Oct. 10: Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner has surgery

Jenner had shoulder surgery to repair an injury he suffered during training camp and could miss up to six months.

‘Our hope is he can return before the end of the season,’ said Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Waddell. ‘His loss will be felt by our club, but we have a strong leadership group in place and players will be given an opportunity to take on greater roles on and off the ice.’

Boone, who finished second on the Blue Jackets last season with 22 goals and is the franchise leader in games played, has been the team’s captain since 2021-22.

Oct. 9: Linus Ullmark, Joey Daccord get contract extensions

Ullmark, who won the Vezina Trophy with the Bruins in 2022-03, was traded to the Ottawa Senators this offseason so Boston had the room to re-sign Swayman. Ullmark will get four years, $33 million from the Senators and have the same $8.25 million cap as Swayman.

Meanwhile, Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord received a five-year, $25 million extension. He filled in for Philipp Grubauer after that goalie’s injury last season and got the NHL’s first shutout in the Winter Classic. Both contracts will take effect next season.

Oct. 8: Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin turns down extension offer

ESPN’s Kevin Weekes posted on social media Tuesday that the New York Rangers offered Shesterkin an eight-year, $88 million contract, with an $11 million average annual value that would have eclipsed Carey Price’s high-water mark of $10.5 million. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed those numbers to lohud.com, part of the USA TODAY Network.

It’s not a huge surprise that the 28-year-old Russian would reject it on the eve of New York’s season-opener in Pittsburgh. Another person familiar with the situation recently indicated the two sides have been far apart in negotiations, and that the chances of striking a deal before the start of the new season weren’t looking very promising. That could always change if Rangers team president Chris Drury decides to up the ante, but Shesterkin seems content to bet on himself and wait it out. – Vincent Z. Mercogliano, lohud.com

Also: The defending champion Florida Panthers announced after their opening victory that forward Carter Verhaeghe had agreed to an eight-year extension. It’s worth a reported $56 million.

It has always been the most inconvenient and disturbing truth about a Dodgers franchise that decamped from Brooklyn and bloomed anew in this gorgeous nook of Los Angeles called Chavez Ravine: That to build what became Dodger Stadium, arguably the greatest diamond of them all, nearly 2,000 families, most of them of Mexican-American descent, were strong-armed and coerced and eminent-domained out of their homes.

It was the ugliest bait-and-switch: Public housing, ostensibly hosting even more families, was set to emerge from the Palo Verde, La Loma and Bishop communities, but instead, it was set aside for a sports team, turbocharging an era when public subsidies and land grabs would enrich owners and boost their franchise values.

Less tangible: The mountains of generational wealth wiped away with those homes, and this year, California legislators aimed to pass the Chavez Ravine Accountability Act, a bill that would seek to provide reparations to displaced families. It was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month.

Yet the baseball gods, such as they are, work in the strangest ways, equally cool and cruel.

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Less than two decades after Dodger Stadium opened in 1962, 22 years after the club landed from Brooklyn, Fernando Valenzuela blessed the land with his arrival from Mexico. Just 20 years old, born in that between time of 1960 when the Dodgers played their games at the Coliseum, he was a baseball comet, landing at the tail end of 1980 and producing the greatest, or at least most notorious, rookie season for a pitcher in baseball history.

Fernandomania cannot be replicated, neither in the stunning first five weeks of the 1981 season when he started eight games, completed seven of them, posted a 0.50 ERA, tossed five shutouts and ignited a new era of runaway prosperity for the Dodgers.

Nor will we likely see a rookie season finished in the manner Fernando did it: A 147-pitch complete game to stifle the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the World Series to take a commanding 3-1 lead – just a week before his 21st birthday.

The Dodgers would close out those Yankees in six games, sweetening part of the bad taste from losing consecutive Series to them in 1977-78.

And with Fernando on the mound and an increasingly diverse audience watching from the Dodger Stadium seats, or listening to the sweet tones of Vin Scully or Jaime Jarrin on a transistor radio, the Dodgers became the behemoth franchise they are today.

Funny thing about displacement, borders, and odious xenophobia: They can’t stop progress, nor prosperity.

And goodness, did the post-Fernando Dodgers prosper.

Their 1978 run to the NL pennant drew a franchise-record 3.3 million fans to Dodger Stadium, but attendance dropped below 3 million two years later. The year of Fernandomania was sullied by a work stoppage, limiting the season to 110 games.

Strike years tend to have a dampening effect, sometimes lasting decades, on disgruntled fans. But the year-after bump from a World Series title and a young lefty looking toward the heavens lured a record 3.6 million fans through the Dodger Stadium gates in 1982.

L.A. was changing and so, too, was the Dodger fan base: If the smiling visage of ostensibly All-American first baseman Steve Garvey was the face of the 1970s Dodgers, it was eventually complemented by Latino stars such as Valenzuela, Pedro Guerrero, and eventually Ramon and Pedro Martinez.

And in Fernando, a Mexican-American community often confined to L.A.’s shadows had a hero to celebrate. Los Angeles, a company town whose machinations would not be possible without the contributions of immigrants coming from Mexico for a better life or fleeing the strife of Central America, was suddenly, truly reflected among its fan base.

That growth at the turnstiles? It hasn’t stopped. Certainly, it was slowed by the incompetent ownership stint of News Corp. and the utter pillaging of the franchise by Bostonian Frank McCourt, but the Dodgers have not drawn less than 3.7 million fans since 2013.

The Dodgers’ new ownership group certainly understands investment and growth, and the $700 million investment in Shohei Ohtani maxed out the ancient ballyard’s capacity: Nearly 4 million fans, tops in the majors, and rolling some 50,000 deep even for the proverbial midweek night in April against the Diamondbacks.

And oh, what a team: Shohei and Yoshi and Teo and Mookie and Kiké and Freddie, 98-game winners, NL champions, playing to packed houses every night.

It might be too loud for some, but it’s undoubtedly a damn party for a fan base that could not celebrate a championship during the pandemic year of 2020. They roar to the cues of organist Dieter Ruehle and groove to the unsparing tones of favorite son Kendrick Lamar, just like their melting pot of a clubhouse.

Friday night, it will all coalesce with baseball’s ultimate matchup: Yankees-Dodgers, Game 1 of the World Series, an undeniable SoCal tint to it all. Jack Flaherty will face off against Gerrit Cole, a biracial kid from the Valley vs. a white dude from Orange County, 818 vs. 714 in the 323, a composition not unlike the 50,000-plus paying a lot of money to witness it.

And this is where the baseball gods, such as they are, flex their occasional abject cruelty.

Valenzuela, whose number was finally retired two seasons ago, whose voice and image lent regality to the Dodgers’ Spanish-language TV and radio broadcasts, will not be there. His death at 63 Tuesday night comes at the cruelest moment, the West Coast’s solemn version of Willie Mays’ tragic passing just days before Major League Baseball honored him at Birmingham’s historic Rickwood Field.

Now, Game 1 will be a makeshift memorial, not unlike Rickwood, a time to mourn a loss but also appreciate that an extended family will be together to do so.

There likely won’t be any odes to the families that once occupied that land, and those seeking to make them whole are now back to the drawing board. The Dodgers have won five World Series titles there, but they’re simply ballplayers, unable to correct such heavy injustices.

And Fernando was just a pitcher. But what he built in Chavez Ravine will last forever.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s fiancé will miss the upcoming ski season after experiencing another setback in his recovery from a brutal downhill crash.

Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, the 2020 overall champion and a two-time Olympic medalist from Norway, said Wednesday he needs to have reconstructive surgery on his shoulder after a persistent infection destroyed some of the bone. He’ll need three to four months of rehab after the surgery before he’ll be able to put weight on the joint.

“That kind of speaks for itself,” Kilde said in an Instagram video that included photos of him in the hospital and scans of his injuries. “We will keep fighting. Now I think this is the last step until we’re hopefully back skiing again.”

Kilde needed emergency surgery after crashing into a safety net at full speed during a downhill race in January in Wengen, Switzerland. He suffered a nasty gash in his leg that also damaged a nerve, and he tore ligaments and dislocated his shoulder.

Though the recovery was arduous, Kilde said by June his leg and shoulder were feeling good and “I was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.” Within a few weeks, however, his shoulder wasn’t feeling right and tests showed he’d developed a massive infection.

Kilde had two surgeries in Vail, Colo., where Shiffrin has an off-season home, and antibiotics seemed to be working. But the infection soon returned, and he’s had another two surgeries since returning to his home base in Europe.

“(It) was the toughest part so far,” he said. “Mentally tough, not just because it then takes longer for me to go back skiing, but also I was asking myself, `Am I going to be able to really use my shoulder ever again?’”

But Kilde said the infection now appears to be gone after another six weeks of antibiotics.

“The issue here is the infection was so aggressive and was there in my shoulder for a long time, so it was eating on my bone,” he said. “All the hardware and everything that was in my shoulder needed to go out.”

Kilde, 32, is considered one of the best downhill skiers in the world, winning the season title in the two years prior to his crash. He insisted he’s not retiring, and said he plans to be involved in skiing this season — beginning with being in Soelden, Austria, this weekend for the start of Shiffrin’s season.

The couple, who’ve been together for about four years, got engaged in April.

“This season, we’re just going to take it in stride and take it as it comes,” said Shiffrin, whose 97 World Cup wins are the most by any skier, male or female.

It has always been the most inconvenient and disturbing truth about a Dodgers franchise that decamped from Brooklyn and bloomed anew in this gorgeous nook of Los Angeles called Chavez Ravine: That to build what became Dodger Stadium, arguably the greatest diamond of them all, nearly 2,000 families, most of them of Mexican-American descent, were strong-armed and coerced and eminent-domained out of their homes.

It was the ugliest bait-and-switch: Public housing, ostensibly hosting even more families, was set to emerge from the Palo Verde, La Loma and Bishop communities, but instead, it was set aside for a sports team, turbocharging an era when public subsidies and land grabs would enrich owners and boost their franchise values.

Less tangible: The mountains of generational wealth wiped away with those homes, and this year, California legislators aimed to pass the Chavez Ravine Accountability Act, a bill that would seek to provide reparations to displaced families. It was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month.

Yet the baseball gods, such as they are, work in the strangest ways, equally cool and cruel.

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

Less than two decades after Dodger Stadium opened in 1962, 22 years after the club landed from Brooklyn, Fernando Valenzuela blessed the land with his arrival from Mexico. Just 20 years old, born in that between time of 1960 when the Dodgers played their games at the Coliseum, he was a baseball comet, landing at the tail end of 1980 and producing the greatest, or at least most notorious, rookie season for a pitcher in baseball history.

Fernandomania cannot be replicated, neither in the stunning first five weeks of the 1981 season when he started eight games, completed seven of them, posted a 0.50 ERA, tossed five shutouts and ignited a new era of runaway prosperity for the Dodgers.

Nor will we likely see a rookie season finished in the manner Fernando did it: A 147-pitch complete game to stifle the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the World Series to take a commanding 3-1 lead – just a week before his 21st birthday.

The Dodgers would close out those Yankees in six games, sweetening part of the bad taste from losing consecutive Series to them in 1977-78.

And with Fernando on the mound and an increasingly diverse audience watching from the Dodger Stadium seats, or listening to the sweet tones of Vin Scully or Jaime Jarrin on a transistor radio, the Dodgers became the behemoth franchise they are today.

Funny thing about displacement, borders, and odious xenophobia: They can’t stop progress, nor prosperity.

And goodness, did the post-Fernando Dodgers prosper.

Their 1978 run to the NL pennant drew a franchise-record 3.3 million fans to Dodger Stadium, but attendance dropped below 3 million two years later. The year of Fernandomania was sullied by a work stoppage, limiting the season to 110 games.

Strike years tend to have a dampening effect, sometimes lasting decades, on disgruntled fans. But the year-after bump from a World Series title and a young lefty looking toward the heavens lured a record 3.6 million fans through the Dodger Stadium gates in 1982.

L.A. was changing and so, too, was the Dodger fan base: If the smiling visage of ostensibly All-American first baseman Steve Garvey was the face of the 1970s Dodgers, it was eventually complemented by Latino stars such as Valenzuela, Pedro Guerrero, and eventually Ramon and Pedro Martinez.

And in Fernando, a Mexican-American community often confined to L.A.’s shadows had a hero to celebrate. Los Angeles, a company town whose machinations would not be possible without the contributions of immigrants coming from Mexico for a better life or fleeing the strife of Central America, was suddenly, truly reflected among its fan base.

That growth at the turnstiles? It hasn’t stopped. Certainly, it was slowed by the incompetent ownership stint of News Corp. and the utter pillaging of the franchise by Bostonian Frank McCourt, but the Dodgers have not drawn less than 3.7 million fans since 2013.

The Dodgers’ new ownership group certainly understands investment and growth, and the $700 million investment in Shohei Ohtani maxed out the ancient ballyard’s capacity: Nearly 4 million fans, tops in the majors, and rolling some 50,000 deep even for the proverbial midweek night in April against the Diamondbacks.

And oh, what a team: Shohei and Yoshi and Teo and Mookie and Kiké and Freddie, 98-game winners, NL champions, playing to packed houses every night.

It might be too loud for some, but it’s undoubtedly a damn party for a fan base that could not celebrate a championship during the pandemic year of 2020. They roar to the cues of organist Dieter Ruehle and groove to the unsparing tones of favorite son Kendrick Lamar, just like their melting pot of a clubhouse.

Friday night, it will all coalesce with baseball’s ultimate matchup: Yankees-Dodgers, Game 1 of the World Series, an undeniable SoCal tint to it all. Jack Flaherty will face off against Gerrit Cole, a biracial kid from the Valley vs. a white dude from Orange County, 818 vs. 714 in the 323, a composition not unlike the 50,000-plus paying a lot of money to witness it.

And this is where the baseball gods, such as they are, flex their occasional abject cruelty.

Valenzuela, whose number was finally retired two seasons ago, whose voice and image lent regality to the Dodgers’ Spanish-language TV and radio broadcasts, will not be there. His death at 63 Tuesday night comes at the cruelest moment, the West Coast’s solemn version of Willie Mays’ tragic passing just days before Major League Baseball honored him at Birmingham’s historic Rickwood Field.

Now, Game 1 will be a makeshift memorial, not unlike Rickwood, a time to mourn a loss but also appreciate that an extended family will be together to do so.

There likely won’t be any odes to the families that once occupied that land, and those seeking to make them whole are now back to the drawing board. The Dodgers have won five World Series titles there, but they’re simply ballplayers, unable to correct such heavy injustices.

And Fernando was just a pitcher. But what he built in Chavez Ravine will last forever.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

The preseason men’s basketball poll is out after the 31 coaches on the voting panel submitted their ballots. The ranking is dominated by teams from the Power Four conferences and has traditional powerhouse programs occupying most of the top positions.

Like previous seasons since the advent of the transfer portal, there has been a tremendous amount of roster turnover with players in new places, and it may be be hard to get up to speed on what these teams look like. That’s why we’re here to help with our annual outlook for every team in the USA TODAY Sports preseason men’s basketball coaches poll.

1. Kansas (23-11)

Points: 743 (15 first-place votes). Last year’s final ranking: 21.

Entering the campaign with the highest ranking didn’t work out so well for the Jayhawks a season ago. But there’s a lot of production back in Lawrence, and coach Bill Self and his staff hope the depth issues that led to KU’s atypical second-round NCAA tournament exit have been addressed. The returning nucleus of center Hunter Dickinson (18.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg), forward KJ Adams (17.9 ppg, 10.9 rpg) and guard Dajuan Harris (9.0 ppg) will be joined by reinforcements from the portal. Those include sharpshooter Rylan Griffen from Alabama and swingman AJ Storr from Wisconsin.

ROCK CHALK: Kansas starts preseason men’s basketball poll at No. 1

SNUBBED: Five teams left out that belonged among preseason Top 25

2. Alabama (25-12)

Points: 718 (6 first-place votes). Last year’s final ranking: 4.

The program’s first Final Four squad returns a number of experienced hands, as well as an infusion of new talent that could lead to the ultimate prize. The cornerstone will again be high-scoring guard Mark Sears (21.5 ppg), a national player of the year candidate. Also back in Tuscaloosa will be forward Grant Nelson (11.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and guard Latrell Wrightsell (8.9 ppg). A pair of highly-rated freshmen, Aiden Sherrell and Derrion Reid, add even more depth to the interior.

3. Connecticut (37-3)

Points: 717 (6 first-place votes). Last year’s final ranking: 1.

The two-time defending champion Huskies once again needed a roster overhaul with four starters gone, but Dan Hurley’s track record in team construction speaks for itself. Building around Alex Karaban (13.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg), a starter on both national title squads, is a good beginning point. Guard Hassan Diarra and center Samson Johnson, key reserves last year, should see their minutes increase. Newcomers include touted freshman Liam McNeeley and Saint Mary’s transfer Aidan Mahaney.

4. Houston (32-5)

Points: 698 (4 first-place votes). Last year’s final ranking: 3.

The Cougars’ first season in the Big 12 was a success, though they ran into some tough injury luck in March bowing out to Duke in the Sweet 16. Standout guard Jamal Shead is gone, but a pair of double-digit scorers are back, and Kelvin Sampson’s group will still play a tough brand of defense. L.J. Cryer (15.5 ppg) and Emanuel Sharp (12.6) are the top returnees in the backcourt, and numerous role players who saw significant minutes figure to contribute more.

5. Duke (27-9)

Points: 625. Last year’s final ranking: 9.

The recruiting train keeps rolling in Durham, North Carolina, as the Blue Devils, fresh off a trip to the Elite Eight, welcome the next future No.-1 draft pick candidate to town. Cooper Flagg is a 6-9 talent who can do it all at both ends of the floor. He won’t have to carry the team himself, however, as the Blue Devils also have guard Tyrese Proctor (10.5 ppg, 3.7 apg) back and also pick up experienced Purdue transfer Mason Gillis to help facilitate. The freshman class also includes 6-7 wingman Isaiah Evans and 7-1 center Khaman Maluach, who was part of the South Sudan Olympic team that became an international sensation in Paris.

6. Iowa State (29-8)

Points: 591. Last year’s final ranking: 8.

The Cyclones more than held their own in the hyper-competitive Big 12 mounting a Sweet 16 campaign. They won’t surprise anyone this year, but a veteran lineup should be ready for lofty expectations. The leaders will again be guard Keshon Gilbert (13.7 ppg, 4.2 apg) and Tamin Lipsey (12.4 ppg, 4.9 apg). Another player to watch is sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic (10.9 ppg), who will now be the veteran in a largely new-look frontcourt.

7. Gonzaga (27-8)

Points: 575. Last year’s final ranking: 16.

Despite having what was perceived to be a down year for the perennial West Coast Conference power, the Bulldogs kept their string of Sweet 16 appearances intact. A lot of experienced parts are back for Mark Few’s squad, led by the inside-out tandem of Graham Ike (16.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and Ryan Nembhard (12.6 ppg, 6.9 apg). Shooting guard Nolan Hickman (14.0 ppg), a 41.3% marksman from three-point range, and forward Ben Gregg, a key reserve last season, also return. They’ll be joined by Michael Ajayi, who averaged 17.9 points and 9.9 boards at Pepperdine last year and could help replace the production of Boston Celtics’ draftee Anton Watson.

8. Baylor (24-11)

Points: 545. Last year’s final ranking: 14.

Last year’s second-round departure was early by recent program standards, but Scott Drew’s Bears should again be in the upper tier of the crowded Big 12. One reason for optimism is the arrival of VJ Edgecombe, a likely one-year collegian who could put up big numbers. The two key returnees, double-digit scorers Langston Love and Jayden Nunn, will also be joined by a couple of transfers from ACC territory, Point guard Jeremy Roach from Duke and big man Norchad Omier from Miami.

9. Arizona (27-9)

Points: 510. Last year’s final ranking: 12.

After a last ride in the Pac-12 ended in the round of 16, the Wildcats now make the loaded Big 12 even more of a nightly challenge. Prolific shooter Caleb Love (18.0 ppg) is back for his final year in Tucson. The rest of the starting lineup will look different, but seven-footer Motiejus Krivas should step into the middle and Jaden Bradley will join Love in the backcourt. A loaded transfer class includes Trey Townsend, the leader of that Oakland team that sent Kentucky packing last March.

10. North Carolina (29-8)

Points: 498. Last year’s final ranking: 6.

A No.-1 regional seed didn’t mean a free pass to the Final Four last March as the Tar Heels ran into a red-hot Alabama squad. But they should again be in the mix in the ACC with one of the nation’s most accomplished guard groups. RJ Davis (21.2 ppg) should again provide the scoring punch with Elliot Cadeau expected to be more comfortable in his second year running point. Seth Trimble is another experienced perimeter scorer, but there’s a gaping hole in UNC’s interior with long-time mainstay Armando Bacot off to the next level.

11. Auburn (27-8)

Points: 465. Last year’s final ranking: 17.

Point guard duties will go to Furman transfer JP Pegues (18.4 ppg), potentially one of the most impactful offseason additions in the SEC. Auburn will continue to look to reigning All-America forward Johni Broome (16.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg) to do the heavy lifting in terms of scoring and rim protection. In terms of offensive production, Broome will be helped by the addition of Georgia Tech guard Miles Kelly (13.9 ppg), a two-year starter for the Yellow Jackets.

12. Tennessee (27-9)

Points: 437. Last year’s final ranking: 5.

After a bit of a breakthrough under coach Rick Barnes, the Volunteers will look to advance deeper into the tournament without star forward Dalton Knecht. While holdovers such as senior guard Zakai Zeigler (11.8 ppg, 6.1 apg) will help replace that lost production, Tennessee is also banking on an immediate boost from North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier (19.7 ppg) and Hofstra transfer Darlinstone Dubar (17.8 ppg).

13. Purdue (34-5)

Points: 390. Last year’s final ranking: 2.

There are some big changes underway for Purdue, with emphasis on big: Zach Edey is gone after putting together one of the most decorated careers in college basketball history. But the cupboard isn’t bare. The Boilermakers have an extremely experienced backcourt duo of Fletcher Loyer (10.6 ppg) and Braden Smith (12.2 ppg) and are banking on a big step forward from junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn.

14. Creighton (25-10)

Points: 342. Last year’s final ranking: 10.

Creighton will build around likely All-America center Ryan Kalkbrenner (17.3 ppg, 3.1 bpg) and senior guard Steven Ashworth (11.1 ppg) without last year’s two leading scorers, including all-conference forward Baylor Scheierman. After finishing second in the Big East last season, the Bluejays will look to dethrone UConn with help from high-profile transfers Pop Isaac (15.8 ppg) from Texas Tech and Jamiya Neal (11 ppg, 5.4 rpg) from Arizona State.

15. Texas A&M (21-15)

Points: 332. Last year’s final ranking: Not ranked.

Texas A&M and coach Buzz Williams return the most experienced roster in the SEC and one of the most veteran groups across the entire major-conference landscape. That group of returning players includes guard Wade Taylor IV (19.1 ppg) and forward Henry Coleman (8.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg). Joining an established rotation are some plug-and-play transfers in former SMU guard Zhuric Phelps (14.8 ppg) and former Minnesota forward Pharrel Payne (10 ppg, 6.1 rpg) as well as a solid bench addition in former Nebraska sixth man C.J. Wilcher.

16. Arkansas (16-17)

Points: 272. Last year’s final ranking: Not ranked.

The biggest coaching change of the offseason brought John Calipari to Arkansas after his long run at Kentucky. Calipari inherits a team that missed last year’s tournament in the Razorbacks’ first losing finish since 2009-10. Help is on the way via former Kentucky guard D.J. Wagner (9.9 ppg) and former Florida Atlantic guard and tournament veteran Johnell Davis (18.2 ppg). Calipari also added former Kentucky center Zvonimir Ivišić and added three recruits who were originally committed to the Wildcats.

17. Marquette (27-10)

Points: 268. Last year’s final ranking: 11.

With Tyler Kolek no longer around, the major focus of Marquette’s offense will be senior guard Kam Jones (17.2 ppg). Jones is one of several key cogs behind last year’s Sweet 16 run, along with fellow guard Stevie Mitchell (8.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and forward David Joplin (10.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg). Look for Joplin’s numbers to improve as he moves from sixth-man duties into the starting lineup. How far the Golden Eagles go may depend on the development of a highly recruited crop of redshirt and true freshmen. There are enough bodies at Shaka Smart’s disposal that Marquette did not any players in the transfer portal.

18. Indiana (19-14)

Points: 208. Last year’s final ranking: Not ranked.

The Hoosiers missed the tournament for the first time in three seasons under Mike Woodson, but looked poised to have a nice blend of holdovers and transfers that can get them back in the field. Malik  Reneau (15.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and Mackenzie Mgbako (12.2 ppg) are back in the frontcourt with support from center Oumar Ballo arriving from Arizona. The backcourt will rely on Trey Galloway (10.6) being aided by former Pac-12 players Myles Rice (Washington State) and Kanaan Carlyle (Stanford).

19. Texas (21-13)

Points: 166. Last year’s final ranking: Not ranked.

With several key pieces gone from last season, Rodney Terry hit the portal to reload. Jordan Pope (Oregon State), Tramon Mark (Arkansas), Jayson Kent (Indiana State) and Arthur Kaluma (Kansas State) all were productive players for their respective schools. Incoming freshman Tre Johnson should have an immediate impact for the backcourt. How quickly Terry can get the talent to blend will be important as the Longhorns hope to make a run in their first season in the SEC.

20. Cincinnati (22-15)

Points: 163. Last year’s final ranking: Not ranked.

It’s taken time for Wes Miller to build the Bearcats into a tournament team. In his fourth season, they look to be in good shape to make the field for the first time since 2019. Dan Skillings Jr. and Simas Lukosius were double-digit scorers for last season’s team. Day Day Lewis and Jizzle James provide depth and experience at point guard. The frontcourt will have help from Texas transfer Dillon Mitchell, who was a top recruit and could be ready for a breakout season.

21. Florida (24-12)

Points: 130. Last year’s final ranking: Not ranked.

The high hopes for the Gators start with Walter Clayton Jr. (17.6 ppg), a preseason first-team all-SEC pick, and Will Richard both returning to the backcourt after exploring the possibility of entering the NBA draft. Optimism is high that sophomore center Alex Condon will blossom into a force, giving Florida a potent inside threat. Clayton and Richard should get some scoring help from Florida Atlantic transfer Alijah Martin, who helped the Owls reach the Final Four in 2023.

22. UCLA (16-17)

Points: 123. Last year’s final ranking: Not ranked.

Last year was an anomaly for Mick Cronin as the coach missed the tournament for the first time since 2010. The Bruins were hurt by personnel losses and injuries and ended up with a losing record. The outlook is better this. Dylan Andrews and Sebastian Mack return in the backcourt. Portal additions Kobe Johnson (Southern California), Tyler Bilodeau (Oregon State) and William Kyle III (South Dakota State) and some talented freshmen make this a deep roster that should be able to handle the transition and travel challenges of UCLA’s first season in the Big Ten.

23. Kentucky (23-10)

Points: 95. Last year’s final ranking: 19.

The Wildcats will have a new look without John Calipari roaming the sidelines after 15 seasons and some recent tournament disappointments. Former Kentucky player Mark Pope takes over after his five-year stint at Brigham Young and brings with him transfer Jaxson Robinson. Pope, however, won’t have any scholarship players from last year’s Wildcats after the program had a complete overhaul. Among the other key additions are Andrew Carr (Wake Forest), Lamont Butler (San Diego State) Koby Brea (Dayton) and coveted in-state recruits Trent Noah and Travis Perry.

24. Illinois (29-9)

Points: 87. Last year’s final ranking: 7.

There’s major turnover for the Fighting Illini with the loss of Terrence Shannon, who led the team to the Elite Eight last year, and host of departures to the transfer portal. But Brad Underwood has been here before and found success in bringing in impact players. The backcourt added Kylan Boswell (Arizona) and Tre White (Louisville). Ty Rodgers is a veteran holdover in the frontcourt. There is also a standout freshman class that features Morez Johnson and Will Riley – both rated among the top domestic players, They’re joined by international additions Kasparas Jakucionis and Tomislav Ivišić.

25. Mississippi (20-12)

Points: 66. Last year’s final ranking: Not ranked.

Chris Beard didn’t make the tournament in his first season with the Rebels, but the showed improvement winning their 13 first games and joining the Top 25 before a tough second half. Now, Ole Miss makes the preseason poll for the first time. The optimism comes from a veteran roster assembled with 10 seniors. Seton Hall transfer Dre Davis is among the newcomers bringing versatility and last year’s leading scorer Matthew Murrell returns to the backcourt.