Yes, spring training has just started. It's very early, but only a week in, the Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans have to be extremely happy with all of the money the team spent in the off season. In five practice games, the team hasn't lost yet, and the big expenditure, Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani hasn't even played yet. He's set to make his Cactus League debut on Tuesday.

Statistics count for nothing in the pre-season, but in five games, the Dodgers have outscored their opponents 38-15. Seven of those opposition runs came in one game, and the Dodgers had to settle for a tie, but scoring over seven runs a game could be the rule during the regular season, not the exception.

The Dodger coaches and players are having fun this spring, especially messing with the media. They refuse to disclose the order in which their three former Most Valuable Players will bat in the lineup. Mookie Betts is expected to lead off, followed by Freddie Freeman, and then Ohtani. In all the games Betts has played so far, he's batted first. In all the games Freeman has started so far, he's been the number two hitter. It stands to reason that Ohtani will occupy the three spot, but no one will confirm that. Just chalk that up to spring hijinx.

What will be even more interesting, is how manager Dave Roberts lines up the rest of his cavalcade of sluggers. Roberts like to alternate between left and right-handed hitters, but in his regular lineup, he'll have far more southpaws. Betts is a righty, and Freeman and Ohtani both bat from the left side. That means a right-hander will likely be in the four hole, either catcher Will Smith or left fielder Teoscar Hernandez. The one that doesn't bat fourth, may hit seventh. Right fielder Jason Heyward, center fielder James Outman, and shortstop Gavin Lux are all lefties, with Lux expected to bat ninth.

While Ohtani's debut will be the big story tomorrow (Tuesday), today's headlines feature a trade and a free agent signing. Outfielder Manuel Margot, who was acquired from Tampa Bay in the same deal that brought pitcher Tyler Glasnow from the Rays, was traded to Minnesota. Margot will probably get more playing time with the Twins than he would have with the Dodgers, but the move frees up a roster spot, and the Dodgers quickly used that spot to re-sign super-utility man Kike Hernandez. Hernandez, Chris Taylor, and Miguel Rojas all can play several positions and are all right-handed. They make up the bench along with catcher Austin Barnes, but all are expected to contribute, and get a lot of playing time.

This lineup is expected to score a lot of runs and win a lot of games. The pitching staff has been revamped, and is expected to dominate once again. Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start his first spring game Wednesday, and is likely to be the Opening Day starter in South Korea against the Padres on March 20. Glasnow is projected to start the second game of that two-game series. Bobby Miller, who made his debut last year, will make is spring debut tomorrow and is likely third in the rotation. Former Yankee and Mariner lefty James Paxton is likely to go next, followed by a second-year Dodger—either Emmett Sheehan, Michael Grove, or Gavin Stone. That is until Walker Buehler is ready to pitch, with Clayon Kershaw returning sometime later this summer.

It's been well chronicled that the Dodgers spent over a billion dollars on players this winter. Ohtani is getting 700-million for ten years, with most of it deferred. Yamamoto has never pitched in the United States, and got 325-million for 12 years. Glasnow was acquired in a trade, but signed a five-year, 136.5-million dollar extension. Teoscar Hernandez only got a one-year deal, but worth 23.5 million. Kike Hernandez signed for only one year and four million, quite a bit less than the ten or so million Margot was set to earn this year.

Spring training results mean nothing, but even before Ohtani takes his first swings in a game, and Yamamoto makes his first exhibition pitch, the Dodgers are winning their games by an average score of 8-3. If that can carry over into the regular season, and into the playoffs, that figures to be money well spent. This is why if the Dodgers fail to reach the World Series, the season will be a failure and Roberts could even get fired.

Of course, it's still very early.

Wild wild west: Teams in the NBA's Western Conference are bundled so tight, that one day's worth of games can completely jumble the standings. The Phoenix win over the Lakers Sunday moved them from eighth to fifth. When the Sacramento Kings beat the Clippers that night, they leapt into fourth place. Meanwhile, the Lakers are in ninth. LeBron James (ankle) played against the Suns, but skipped Thursday's game against San Antonio. James played in the All-Star game, but did not participate in the two regular season games surrounding it.

What the heck was that?: We've seen UCLA basketball coach get technical fouls, and even yell at his players, but he did not seem concerned last week when freshman Sebastian Mack was ejected for elbowing a Utah player in the throat. We don't know why Mack acted that way or what he was thinking, but he was not suspended for Saturday's game against USC, and probably should have been. If the NCAA didn't suspend him, Cronin should have. The Bruins lost the Utah game at the buzzer, and fell to USC, meaning their only chance at making the NCAA tournament is to get the Pac-12's automatic bid by winning the conference tournament in Las Vegas. Good luck with that.

Leap Day: February 29, the extra day on the calendar once every four years, is going to be a busy one for southern California sports teams. The UCLA and USC men's basketball teams are in action, the Lakers are home, both the Kings and Ducks have hockey games, and the Dodgers and Angels have spring training contests. Only the Clippers have the day off.