(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Two prominent Los Angeles Times sports reporters have urged the world-champion Dodgers to skip the customary trip to the White House, with veteran columnist Bill Plaschke saying it is necessary after President Donald Trump has “declared war on its fan base.”

Plaschke made his case in the Friday edition of the paper. He argued in his column — titled “Just say no! Dodgers players should decline White House visit” — that this was an issue that went beyond politics.

“This is about asking them to be people,” he said.

And the Dodgers cannot be good people if they go to the White House while Trump carries out his raids on illegal immigrants, Plaschke said.

He argued the organization should say, “No, they will not support the ICE raids that are taking place daily just outside their clubhouse doors.”

Plaschke said it was already an issue last year when the Dodgers opted to visit the president following their World Series win in late 2024. Things have only gotten worse since then, he said — and would make a White House trip look terrible.

He wrote:

Since then, the landscape has dramatically changed in light of the ICE raids that ramped up during the middle of the season.

This is no longer simply about the rebuke of a president. This is about a fight against a system that has consistently terrorized southern California streets and recently, in Minneapolis, resulted in the deaths of two American citizens at the hands of agents of the American government.

Plaschke’s column was published less than a week after fellow LAT sports columnist Bill Shaikin made the plea in a February 1 article.

Shaikin wrote it would be a cruel irony for the team that once had Jackie Robinson — who broke the color barrier and became the first Black American to play in the major leagues in 1947 — to stand alongside Trump.

He pointed to the recent shooting deaths of Minneapolis citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti as two obvious reasons the Dodgers should not make the trip.

Shaikin wrote:

This is not something the Dodgers can dismiss as an out-of-town issue. Federal immigration agents operate in Los Angeles too.

And, since Dodger Stadium has become a must-see Japanese tourist attraction in the Shohei Ohtani era, how much might tourism drop if Japanese citizens could be forbidden from entering the United States without sharing their social media history from the preceding five years and every personal and business email address from the preceding 10 years, as federal officials have proposed?

Towards the end of his story, Shaikin noted it could be “uncomfortable” to skip the trip, but “the Dodgers would not have to stand on a Washington street in protest, or issue a blistering statement. All they would need to do is decline a photo opportunity.”

While the two writers made it clear they do not support heading to the White House, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he plans on going. Shaikin quoted Roberts in his story as saying his job is to be a baseball manager, not a political pundit.

“I was raised — by a man who served our country for 30 years — to respect the highest office in our country,” Roberts told him. “For me, it doesn’t matter who is in the office, I’m going to go to the White House. I’ve never tried to be political. … For me, I am going to continue to try to do what tradition says and not try to make political statements, because I am not a politician.”

The post LA Times Sports Writers Urge Dodgers to Ditch White House Visit: Trump Has ‘Declared War on Its Fan Base’ first appeared on Mediaite.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani spoke about his relationship with his dog, Decoy, while promoting his new book.

Ohtani is the biggest star in baseball, transcending the typical bounds of an athlete and becoming an icon internationally.

Despite his unprecedented hitting statistics and pitching feats, Ohtani is a reserved character who keeps much of his life private.

However, he has recently revealed aspects of his personal life, including his wife and dog, Decoy, who has become a star in his own right.

Ohtani, in fact, released a book about Decoy titled “Decoy Saves Opening Day,” which is available at every major book retailer and came out on Feb. 3.

While promoting his new book, Ohtani has been on a media tour, and his most recent stop was an interview with Access Hollywood, where he described how he views the dynamic between him and Decoy.

“I don’t look at Decoy like I’m his owner, he’s just we’re friends, me and Decoy are friends, we’re family,” Ohtani said about him.

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What is Shohei Ohtani’s new book about?

Ohtani, Decoy, and author Michael Blank collaborated on “Decoy Saves Opening Day,” a children’s book that tells the story of a fictionalized Decoy.

“Decoy can’t wait to throw the first pitch on Opening Day of the new baseball season! The stadium has hot dogs, the biggest backyard he’s ever seen, and thousands of his best human friends,” the book’s description reads.

“It’s going to be the best day ever, but—oh, no!—Decoy forgot his lucky baseball at home! Can he get his ball and make it back to the stadium before it’s too late?

“Shohei Ohtani is the biggest name in baseball and a proud sponsor of animal rescue organizations. Shohei and Decoy hope to use the publication of DECOY SAVES OPENING DAY to support the work these amazing nonprofits do helping dogs find their forever homes.

“While their fictional counterparts are saving opening day, Shohei and Decoy are working to help real-life animals in need.”

Will you be checking out the new book?