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In an exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants, Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani belted a long two-run homer to right field in the third inning in his return to the Tokyo Dome.

The Denver Broncos came out the first wave of NFL free agency with most of their biggest needs checked off their to-do list.
Now there’s just one key position left to address: running back.
The Broncos let Javonte Williams walk (he joined the Dallas Cowboys in free agency) and the team is now down to Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estime, Tyler Badie and Blake Watson at the position. All four could be candidates for specific roles in 2024, but none of them are clear RB1 options, and coach Sean Payton clearly wants to add a dynamic running back.

Did the Oklahoma City Thunder prove that they are the better ball club than the Boston Celtics in their second win of the NBA’s 2024-25 regular season vs. the guys in green and white? The Thunder have bested Boston on their own home court and at TD Garden, and have done so convincingly in both instances.
But the 82-game season and the postseason are very different beasts, and the Celtics have the clear edge when it comes to experience on that stage.

The 49ers didn’t enter this offseason as one of the NFL teams with the most money to spend.
Instead, San Francisco has largely been content to either deal away, release or watch talented vets walk as the franchise looks to get younger. The 49ers also have a big contract extension looming this offseason for quarterback Brock Purdy and star tight end George Kittle is entering the final year of his current contract.
Still, the 49ers have made a few free agency additions. Pro Football Focus assigned a letter grade to every NFL team’s free agency additions thus far.

The New Orleans Saints recently re-united with an offensive lineman, but some are questioning if it will move the needle at all. Former LSU Tigers star and New Orleans native Will Clapp spent the first four of his seasons with the Saints, before jumping between the Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills in the years since. New Orleans agreed to terms on a one-year deal with him.
While it is hard to really knock a team for bringing back a familiar face for offensive line depth, it also isn’t a very inspiring move on the surface.

Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images
DJ Sackmann, who led Napheesa Collier and the Lunar Owls to a league-best 13-1 record, takes home the honors.
Unrivaled has named its Coach of the Year: Lunar Owls head coach DJ Sackmann, a world-renowned basketball skills coach who led his club to a league-best 13-1 record. The Owls, headlined by Napheesa Collier, Allisha Gray, and Skylar Diggins-Smith, dominated the league en route to a near-undefeated season and the top seed in the Unrivaled playoffs, which tip off Sunday.

UFC Fight Night 254 takes place Saturday, and you can join us for live round-by-round coverage and official results beginning at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT). UFC Fight Night 254 (ESPN+) takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Former middleweight title challenger Marvin Vettori (19-7-1 MMA, 9-5-1 UFC) takes on Roman Dolidze (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in a main event rematch. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (25-8-1 MMA, 11-4-1 UFC) and Chidi Njokuani (24-10 MMA, 4-3 UFC) fight in the welterweight co-feature.
Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results beginning at approximately 4 p.m.

There are a lot of crazy things we’ve seen over the years in college basketball. After Friday night, not being able to get into your own locker room has to be added to the list. For Clemson, they had to rest in the hallway of the Spectrum Center in Charlotte at halftime because of some very bad luck. 
After North Carolina and Duke came down to the final possession, with the Blue Devils winning 74-71, it was Louisville versus Clemson in the nightcap to decide who would play for the conference championship.

The hiring of Brandon Staley signifies a shift in defensive philosophy for the New Orleans Saints. They’re changing their base defense to a 3-4 after being a 4-3 under Dennis Allen, but Chase Young doesn’t see it as a big deal. Especially not for him because “an edge player is an edge player.”
Young discussed the biggest talking point on the defense after signing his new three-year contract: “At the end of the day, you’re playing on the edge most of the time it’s the same rules.

There has been a lot of discussion about the New Orleans Saints changing their base defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4, but it still won’t be their most frequently used defense. Brandon Staley laid out his defensive game plan, and it will primarily feature five defensive backs. This was the case with Dennis Allen and will remain true under Staley.
This is less of a personal philosophy and more of a requirement of modern defenses. “It’s a three receiver league. You got to be able to match up with five defensive backs.