Arrive Early, Leave Late

Host Beto Duran welcomes Bill Plaschke and Arash Markazi to the podcast to discuss the Lakers' recent coaching hires and team direction. Plaschke evaluates the Vogel and Kidd hires, Jeanie Buss' leadership perspective, and offers Lakers fans a path back to greatness. Recorded prior to the Draft Lottery where the Lakers received the 4th pick, Markazi discusses what is expected of the franchise and how their legacy should be used as leverage. Talking Dodgers, Plaschke also discusses Jamie Jarrin's loss this offseason. Jarrin has been the Dodgers Spanish-language Broadcaster for over 60 years, and Plaschke shares the poignant story on Jamie's wife, Bianca, passing away. Also discussed, how can the Dodgers step up to honor Fernando Valenzuela (and other Dodger greats) by retiring their jersey numbers when they have not been voted into the Hall of Fame? Plaschke has a direct answer that question. Markazi shares a surprising story late in the podcast.

Host Beto Duran welcomes Sports & Culture columnist LZ Granderson to discuss a wide range of topics. The conversation starts with Granderson's recent story on Alex Cora's White House snub. As LZ often explores the territory beyond the X's and O's of sports that impacts culture, the conversation goes on a natural progression to where Beto and LZ cover many topics of the day and explore the history that brought us here. Later in the show, LZ and Beto examine what motivates Granderson to strive to be the journalist he is, when there are clearly easier routes to take and not speak up on the issues that Granderson seeks to explore.

Host Beto Duran continues coverage for Canelo-Jacobs Fight Week in Las Vegas, welcoming boxing legends Oscar De La Hoya and Sugar Ray Leonard to the show for a session with Lance Pugmire, Dylan Hernandez, and Arash Markazi. Oscar discusses his earliest memories of being in the LA Times, and Sugar Ray discusses some of his greatest opponents. Later in the show, Tevin Farmer pops by to discuss what happened at the undercard press conference with Joseph Diaz, Jr. and discusses what he overcame early in his career to become the IBF super featherweight champion.

Host Beto Duran is in Las Vegas for this weekend's Canelo Alvarez-Daniel Jacobs matchup Saturday May 4th. The build-up to the big event is known as Fight Week. Recorded Wednesday during the Undercard Workout, Beto talks with boxing journalist Lance Pugmire and columnist Dylan Hernandez about the upcoming fight. Also featuring one-on-one interviews with undercard standouts Vergil Ortiz, Jr., Joseph Diaz, Jr., and Mauricio Herrera - all Southern California current residents. If you can't be here, Beto takes you there - up, close, and personal with these athletes preparing not only for this weekend, but their continued journey towards their goals of someday headlining a Cinco de Mayo boxing match in Las Vegas themselves.

The Kentucky Derby prides itself on being the longest-running sporting event in the United States.

But amid the mint juleps, the extravagant hats and sartorial finery, there is a history behind the Run for the Roses that’s hidden from the limelight.

Much in the way that the history of slavery, the Civil War and Reconstruction can get spun into an alternative narrative of genteel white Southern virtues, an important African American contribution to a key sports and cultural institution has been whitewashed.

For the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby, "Arrive Early, Leave Late" takes a different turn, as Beto Durán (@DuranSports) sits down with national correspondent Kurtis Lee (@kurtisalee) to talk about his Column One piece on the little known story of the African American jockeys who rode to victory in the early days of Churchill Downs.

Join host Beto Duran as he takes you into Staples Center prior to Game 3 of the 1st Round Playoff Series between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors. Maybe these Clippers were not on everyone's radar prior to their dramatic 31 point come from behind victory over Golden State in Game 2. So we set out to answer the question - who are these LA Clippers? We asked the coach (Doc Rivers), the starting center (Ivica Zubac), the broadcasters who cover them (Ralph Lawler, Jim Hill, Brian Sieman, and Don MacLean), and our sports journalists (Bill Plaschke, Brad 'BT' Turner, Andrew Greif, and Arash Markazi) to try and discover the answer.

Host Beto Duran welcomes Andy McCullough and Sam Farmer to discuss two athletes who attract a lot of attention - Yasiel Puig and Tiger Woods. Puig returns to Los Angeles this week after his off-season trade to the Cincinnati Reds. McCullough explored the effect Puig had on his former Dodger teammates in a story released this past Sunday. Andy discusses how he approached his story, what was important in the coverage, and what he thinks the story is lacking. Puig's return to LA including a late arrival and a home run off Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, thus helping craft the narrative that so many fans are tuning in to witness. Farmer was in Augusta covering the Masters golf tournament, and was in the right place at the right time as Tiger Woods return to glory happened this past weekend. Sam reveals the intricate oddities which make the Masters unique and discusses some of the amazing stories that he uncovered while there. Chairs, media technology, restrictions, and legendary caddies add to the tale of Tiger clawing back into the forefront of the golf world.

Host Beto Duran welcomes Lance Pugmire and Dylan Hernandez as they interview Ukranian champion boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko. A two-time Olympic gold medalist, current WBA & WBO World Lightweight champion, and considered by many to be in the Top 5 Pound for Pound boxers on the planet, Lomachenko sits down for an interview with us as he prepares for his fight tonight at Staples Center. He discusses his goals, moving up in weight classes, and what he perceives as his next steps as he seeks a place in the history books of boxing. Boxing enthusiasts getting ready for the Staples Center bout vs. Anthony Crolla will want to hear this interview, then listen to how Lance and Dylan view Vasiliy when they look back at the great boxers in history and how Lomachenko can join them.

For this special episode, host Beto Duran takes you to Staples Center on the final night of the Lakers regular season. What was due to be a season recap with our writers, former Lakers players, and various broadcasters took a dramatic turn when Magic Johnson, Lakers legend and President of Basketball Operations, resigned. This sent shockwaves throughout the Lakers universe and world of basketball, and the Arrive Early, Leave Late crew was there as it happened. We started with interviews with Bill Plaschke and Dan Woike. We joined a Luke Walton press conference, spoke to broadcaster Bill McDonald, and then Magic Johnson made his resignation announcement. After that announcement, we spoke with former Lakers Mychal Thompson and AC Green, broadcasters John Ireland, LA sports icon Jim Hill, and are later joined by Arash Markazi, Brad "BT" Turner, and former Laker Robert Horry. Join us on this podcast and go behind the scenes for a monumental night to be remembered in Lakers lore for a very long time.

Host Beto Duran welcomes Nathan Fenno and LZ Granderson to discuss a wide range of topics and people. Nathan starts the conversation with updates on Lynn Swann and USC before moving into the recent allegations surrounding high-profile attorney Michael Avenatti, NIKE, an Inglewood AAU team, and everything that comes with presence of big money in amateur sports. Then, LZ joins to discuss his recent story about the NZAA, replacing the C with a Z for Zion, another amateur athlete, who recently had a camera fixed on him the entire duration of an NCAA game. The tragic passing of LA rapper Nipsey Hussle has sent shockwaves through the local and hip hop communities, while also making a tremendous impact on athletes as well. We discuss how Nipsey was able to transcend his role as an artist into the lives of many athletes. Lastly, LeBron James' impact on Los Angeles (and vice versa) is discussed. All of these stories and discussions rise above the traditional X's and O's of sports discussions.