Angels pitch a no-hit, still lose (Sunday Links)

it's only happened five times, and last night was the fifth: the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim had two pitchers combine to throw a no-hitter - but they still lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 1-0.

How does this happen? Two errors, a steal and a sacrifice fly, that's how.

In the fifth inning, Dodgers Matt Kemp reached on a fielding error by Jared Weaver, stole second, advanced on a throwing error by Angels catcher Jeff Mathis and then scored from third on a Blake DeWhitt sac fly.

It's the first time this has happened since 1992, reported the Elias Sports Bureau, and the fifth time since 1900.

Predictably, this is the lead in most sports sections - but go with the AP recap of the game, which interviews everybody from the pitchers to the managers to even the official scorer.

Over in the opinion pages, the Kansas City Star's Jason Whitlock brings up Brandon Rush as an example why NCAA schools should have athletes - in particular, basketball players - major in the sport they play. It's an interesting point, and it's not one without it's merits.

"A kid who wants to be an architect can study architecture, a musician can study music. But a basketball player can’t study his discipline and receive academic credit for it. And we wonder why so many of these kids have no interest in school.

You can teach all the educational disciplines — math, English, science, etc. — through athletics. You can teach kids to think critically by properly teaching them the sports world. All the responsibility of preparing Chalmers and Arthur for the NBA (and life) should not have fallen on the overworked shoulders of Bill Self and his coaching staff."

William C Rhoden goes on a similar path in the New York Times with a column on Joe Dumar's return to and graduation from college and asks why more players don't do the same in a one-and-done era.

"One year in college isn’t the answer either, and a growing number of people inside the lawyer-run N.B.A. know it.

They know, as Dumars came to understand, that it’s fine to have photo ops in which players read books to young people. But how can you preach the value of an education if you don’t value it enough to return to college to finish what you began?"

Elsewhere, Mike Lupica joins the LeBron-is-headed-to-New-York party, over half a year since LeBron wore a Yankees hat to an Indians/Yankees playoff game. But here, he uses it - and one fan's reaction to the 2008 Draft - to show the state of that franchise.

"So now everybody plays Fantasy Basketball with LeBron. You want to know how far the Knicks have fallen? The pipe dream about LeBron - and that's all it is right now - is how far. The Knicks aren't just the worst team in town, they are the one furthest from being something."

But what if LeBron jumps to the Nets? What then, Lupica? Anyway.

Finally, the blogs: Deadspin's new editor starts on Monday, and it's a familiar face. But it's got nothing on the latest from the Stephen A Smith Hecking Society of Gentlemen, who are back and better then ever.