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New Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer will make an average of $10.875 million per year, ranking him in the top five nationally among the highest-paid coaches in college football.
Former Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is retiring from the NFL after six seasons.
The 49ers have forfeited a 2025 draft choice and were penalized four spots for a selection in this year’s draft as a result of administrative payroll accounting errors.
Chase Young, who tied a career-high with 7.5 sacks with Washington and San Francisco, is signing a one-year, $13M contract with the Saints, sources told ESPN.
“Can I kick it?” No, you can’t.
NBA guard Evan Fournier went full “Ray Guy” when the Detroit Pistons lost to the Miami Heat on a buzzer-beater Sunday afternoon.
Fournier punted the basketball out of frustration following a 104-101 defeat.
Now, Fournier is answering to the league for his ‘misconduct.’
On Monday, Fournier was assigned a $25,000 fine for his kung-fu kick at Little Caesars Arena.
Detroit and the Miami Heat faced off Sunday in a tight contest between the 12-55 Pistons and the reigning Eastern Conference champs.
The NCAA Tournament Bracket is set and for many Americans, that means it’s time to start making picks for March Madness bracket pools. In case you missed it, I wrote a general tips & tricks piece with advice for filling out your own bracket as you attempt to win your office pool.
For this series, we’re going to go through each region and deliver an in-depth breakdown of each of the 16-team clusters, with some of my favorite picks and sleepers.
Former No. 1 NBA Draft pick Deandre Ayton once blamed icy conditions outside his place in Portland for not attending a game in January.
Now, the Trail Blazers center blames his poor performances from early this season on the air mattress he slept on.
Ayton, 25, doesn’t sound ready to be an adult.
READ: Trail Blazers’ Deandre Ayton Misses Game Due To ‘Icy Conditions’ That Stranded Him At Home
The King of Excuses is truly unmatched.
Taylor Moore smiles after winning the 2023 Valspar Championship. | Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images
The PGA Tour continues its Florida Swing on the West Coast, where the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook awaits.
A full field of 156 PGA Tour professionals will head to the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook for the Valspar Championship this week.
This tournament marks the fourth—and final—PGA Tour stop in Florida, with the “Snake Pit” taking center stage in the golf world.
Scottie Scheffler poses with the trophy after winning the 2024 Players Championship. | Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images
Scottie Scheffler won The Players, and SB Nation’s Playing Through called the pick. So, who’s next up at the Valspar Championship?
Scottie Scheffler won The Players in dramatic fashion, overcoming an ailing neck and a five-shot deficit on Sunday to win by one.
Only three Big East teams will be among the field of 68 at this year’s NCAA tournament after the surprising omission of Seton Hall, in addition to the absences of other hopefuls such as Providence and St. John’s.
On Monday, Red Storm coach Rick Pitino weighed in on the Big East’s lack of representation at the tournament and specifically mentioned the absence of Seton Hall as being particularly disappointing.
“I believe in getting better not bitter. I totally believe that six teams from the Big East belonged in the field.
The San Francisco 49ers are adding some depth to the quarterbacks room ahead of the 2024 season.
Veteran quarterback Josh Dobbs is reportedly in agreement on a one-year deal with the 49ers, according to his agent Mike McCartney.
Dobbs will make a fully-guaranteed $2.25 million, with the chance to earn additional $750,000 in playing time incentives, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
Dobbs, 29, spent last season with the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings, featuring in a total of 13 games and making 12 starts.
Former UFC fighter Mark Coleman made headlines last week for his heroism: running into his burning childhood home to save his parents.
Coleman saved his parents, running into the burning home three times, but landed in the hospital due to smoke inhalation and was “fighting for his life,” according to an update from his children.
One week of fighting in the hospital later, Coleman no longer requires medical attention — steadily recovering on his own.
Get two of the most self-important people in basketball, stick them in a room with microphones and you’ve got a new podcast featuring LeBron James and retired NBA player J.J. Redick hosting a podcast.
Yeah … so King James, who ‘hates’ the spotlight, announced his brand-new podcasting endeavor alongside Redick; the project is titled, “Mind the Game,” which promotes itself as a podcast for guys interested in the X’s and O’s of basketball.
The NCAA Tournament Bracket is set and for many Americans, that means it’s time to start making picks for March Madness bracket pools. In case you missed it, I wrote a general tips & tricks piece with advice for filling out your own bracket as you attempt to win your office pool.
For this series, we’re going to go through each region and deliver an in-depth breakdown of each of the 16-team clusters, with some of our favorite picks and sleepers. We start with the East region, headlined by the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, the reigning National Champion UConn Huskies.
The San Francisco 49ers are being docked a future draft pick after the NFL discovered inaccuracies in the team’s payroll accounting at the close of the 2022 league year, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero confirmed the Monday afternoon report shortly afterward.
A league investigation uncovered accounting errors indicating the 49ers misreported their cumulative player compensation in 2022.
After a 2023 season split between two teams, defensive end Chase Young reportedly will get another change of scenery in 2024.
Young intends to sign a one-year, $13 million contract with the New Orleans Saints, according to a Monday afternoon report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Should the deal become official, the Saints will become Young’s third team in his five-year pro career.
After a stellar collegiate tenure at Ohio State—including a fourth-place finish in the Heisman voting on the heels of a transcendent 2019—the Washington Commanders took Young with the No.
Remember when Caleb Love led the Tar Heels to the 2022 Final Four? Well, now he’s with Arizona trying to keep them out. Here’s what to know about the West region.
In 2018, recently appointed ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro told a sea of reporters during an on-campus media day that ESPN is “not a political organization.”
Pitaro’s initial approach to discussing politics differs considerably from his predecessor, John Skipper, who enabled certain personalities to express political positions.
Near the end of Skipper’s reign, during the same year, a Langer Research Associates poll found that 63% of viewers associated ESPN with a “liberal bias.
It wasn’t that long ago that Joe Torre was managing the New York Yankees. For instance, Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander pitched against his final Yankees teams, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw played for him from 2008-10, and so on.
However, in some respects, Torre’s reign as New York skipper from 1996-2007 might as well belong to another epoch. When he managed the Yankees, they were the most feared and glamorous franchise in North American professional sports. Austerity and losing were not in their vocabulary; four World Series titles and six pennants were.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins is going double-digits this season.
He might record double-digit touchdowns, or perhaps double-digit interceptions, but the one thing for certain that Cousins is getting is a double-digit jersey number.
The Falcons announced Cousins’s new number for the 2024 season, and it’s not No. 8.
It’s No. 18.
Atlanta Falcons QBKirk CousinsNo. 18 pic.twitter.com/LuD2ulR9yF
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) March 18, 2024
Cousins has worn No. 8 since his early playing days at Holland Christian High School in western Michigan and Michigan State.
In every NCAA men’s tournament, one team blows up everyone’s brackets with a run for the ages. Last year, the Florida Atlantic Owls went on a magical four-game run to the Final Four, going from a 31-win mid-major team few knew much about to the stars of March. Meanwhile, the No. 15 seed Princeton Tigers rolled to the Sweet 16. Is there another sleeper that might capture the hearts of men’s college basketball fans this March?
Here’s a look at the 10 most dangerous double-digit seeds that might just be this year’s Cinderella … and could help you win your office pool in the process.
Episode 9 of Apple TV+’s “The Dynasty” omitted a noticeable word from a call of the “Philly Special” play in its recap of Super Bowl LII.
Part of the episode centered around the epic title clash between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles. NFL fans everywhere will remember the famous (or infamous, depending on who you root for) “Philly Special” play on a 4th-and-1 just before half. The play would put the Eagles up 22-12 just before the first half ended and signify a huge momentum swing in the game.
Inside the Top Rank gym in Las Vegas last week, where Devin Haney is holding his training camp for April’s scheduled fight with Ryan Garcia, it was business as usual. Haney, the reigning 140-lbs. champion, was in the ring, snapping off punches as three sparring partners rotated in.
“Haney time!” shouted someone from the ring apron.
“Best in the world!” exclaimed another.
Only it isn’t business as usual. Garcia’s erratic behavior, which has been broadcast to his millions of followers on social media, has cast doubt on the fight moving forward.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey made a crucial mistake over the last week when he suggested, implicitly, that the NCAA men’s basketball tournament should at some point become the domain only of teams from power conferences.
It was a flagrantly incorrect reading of history that was rightly crushed. The NCAA men’s tournament is not solely the domain of blue bloods, or of mid- or low-major teams for that matter.
The NCAA men’s tournament is the domain of mascots.
That’s right. At no point in American sports do so many mascots get so much airtime in such a short window.
The Savannah Bananas baseball team is known for their extravagant and fun bits during games, and LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey joined in on the fun by throwing out the first pitch at a recent game.
The Bananas played a three-game series in Baton Rouge at LSU’s Alex Box Stadium last week, and Mulkey threw out the first pitch Saturday evening.
The home plate umpire called Mulkey’s toss a ball, but the outspoken coach engaged the ump to argue that the throw was a strike. The argument turned into a yelling match, and Mulkey kicked dirt at the ump to emphasize her point.
The Minnesota Vikings are showing apparent interest in Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the 2024 NFL draft, which begins on April 25, approaching.
Minnesota is slated to have quarterbacks coaches Josh McCown and Grant Udinski in Ann Arbor for McCarthy’s pro day on Friday, and the team also has arranged for a private workout with the Wolverines signal-caller next week. That workout will be attended by Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported Monday.
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch announced he’s retiring from football Monday, three days after the team released him due to a failed physical designation.
“I realize that I am no longer able to adhere to the unwavering standard of excellence that professional football demands,” Vander Esch wrote on Instagram. “I say this with a heavy heart: I am medically retiring from the NFL. I love the game of football so much, and my body won’t cooperate any longer.
Let’s agree that everything you’ve heard and continue to hear in the media about Kenny Pickett’s departure from the Pittsburgh Steelers – both good and bad – is second-hand stuff.
None of us overheard the conversations coach Mike Tomlin had with Pickett when the Steelers began to engage Russell Wilson and then signed him. None of us.
One person who was in that conversation, Pickett, on Monday talked about the scenario that led him to request a trade and, contrary to reports, he thinks he handled things pretty well.
“Yeah, I think the communication is what it is.
If you can’t stand today’s NBA product, don’t worry. Neither can John Wall.
The former Washington Wizard legend (who retired in 2023) knows a thing or two about how the NBA works. In addition to playing for the Wizards, he spent time with the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers over an 11-year span. Wall has seen the style of play change significantly since he started his career, and he doesn’t like it all.
Why? Even though NBA scoring is at an all-time high, teams rarely focus on the defensive side of the game.
“It’s hard to watch because nobody’s playing defense.
Scottie Scheffler showed everyone on Sunday why he’s the No. 1 player in the world when he stormed back at TPC Sawgrass to win his second straight Players Championship.
Scheffler fired a final round 8-under 64 and then had to wait to watch three players attempt birdie putts on the 18th hole that would have forced a playoff.
The last miss came from Wyndham Clark, and it was a heartbreaker, as the the ball circled the cup and somehow didn’t fall in the hole.
Every NCAA men’s basketball tournament has at least one double-digit seed springing upsets. Here are the best candidates in each region.
With teams like Stanford, NC State, Utah and Tennessee, as well as mid-major powers and No. 1 seed Texas, this region is set for chaos.
Virginia struggled this season but bettors aren’t worried about that.
Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
We’ve got a 15-seed for you to take a hard look at.
March Madness scholars may debate this, but it is widely accepted that there are two types of NCAA tournament Cinderellas: 1) The 13-16 seed that pulls off a first round stunner and occasionally makes it to a Sweet 16 or beyond, and 2) The 8-12 seed (especially from a mid-major conference) that makes a run all the way to a regional final or Final Four.
There are plenty of options in this year’s field that fit one of the two descriptions.
It’s that time of year again! You’ve watched the games, you know how each team qualified, you complained about the regions and seeding, and you’re ready to fill out your bracket. The irony, of course, is that Carol in Accounting – who hasn’t watched a single college basketball game all year – is going to win your office’s 2024 NCAA Tournament March Madness bracket pool for the fifth-straight year.
Or is she?
See, I find that people make a lot of mistakes when they enter bracket pools. How do I know that? I’ve run several pools and seen the mistakes.
More Weekly Read: Finally Talking to the PIF | Scottie’s Putting Fix
With the PGA Tour in Florida, it’s the time of year when players who are in the Masters field work out details to get to Augusta National for practice rounds.
One of the perks of an invite is the ability to line up tee times at the famed course any time it is open and not holding a special event. Recently, two players who have yet to play in the tournament got their first look.
Wyndham Clark, the reigning U.S.
The men’s NCAA Tournament officially begins Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio, when the first two games of the First Four get underway. Wagner and Howard are playing for the No. 16 seed in the West Region in the early slot and later on, Colorado State takes on Virginia for the No. 10 seed in the Midwest.
In the 2023 tournament, two First Four teams pulled off opening-round upsets after having to play their way into the Round of 64: No. 11 Pittsburgh beat No. 6 Iowa State and No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson took down No. 1 Purdue..
(Odds via FanDuel.)
No. 16 Wagner Seahawks vs. No.
Duquesne men’s basketball coach Keith Dambrot announced he will retiring after the 2024 NCAA tournament.
The school called the March Madness tournament his “last dance.” Duquesne earned a tournament bid for the first time in 47 years after the team won the A-10 Championship game on Sunday.
Dambrot is in his seventh season at Duquesne. He previously coached 13 seasons at Akron, and he famously coached NBA great LeBron James in high school.
James posted a congratulatory tweet after the Dukes won the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament title on Sunday afternoon.
Scottie Scheffler, Tiger Woods
Scottie Scheffler won The Players Championship for the second straight year, building upon his already impressive resume.
All day Sunday, Scottie Scheffler had that killer instinct in him.
Scheffler was a man on a mission, someone who wanted to win for the second straight week and, in this case, for the second straight year at The Players.
He also looked like Tiger Woods in his prime. He chased down another trophy with a disciplined, yet systematic style of play while others behind him caved under pressure.
The success of Ohtani’s throwing program could see him play in the field this season.
1. Conspiracies are all the rage these days. It doesn’t even matter what the topic is anymore; everything is a conspiracy.
So since everybody seems to love a good conspiracy, I thought I’d kick off this edition of Traina Thoughts with quite a doozy regarding the New England Patriots‘ series that is currently airing on Apple+.
USF AD Michael Kelly floated a truly dumb idea for NCAA Tournament expansion.
The Bulls didn’t make the NCAA Tournament field, despite going 24-7 and being the best AAC regular season team. They’re one of many bubble teams that will have to settle for the NIT.
Kelly isn’t overly pleased with how many teams were left out (most notably his own program, I’m sure), and he thinks he has a fix.
Just fold the NIT into the NCAA Tournament.
The Dallas Cowboys have restructured quarterback Dak Prescott’s contract to create space under the salary cap, according to the Dallas Morning News. The news was confirmed by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The team is converting Prescott’s $5 million roster bonus into a signing bonus, creating $4 million in 2024 salary cap space. The Cowboys also added two more voidable years onto the end of Prescott’s contract.
The signal-caller still will earn $29 million in 2024, and his salary cap number is $55.455 million, second to only Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns at $63.
At 3:40 p.m. local time Wednesday in Flowery Branch, Ga., an hour North of Buckhead, Kirk Cousins’s agent, Mike McCartney, was dropped off in front of the Atlanta Falcons’ facility. Twenty minutes later, the quarterback himself pulled in, timing his entrance for 4:01, and carrying a garment bag with a silver suit, white dress shirt, and shiny, solid red tie inside it.
Falcons coach Raheem Morris, flashing his trademark, 10,000-watt smile, was waiting, as was GM Terry Fontenot, and much of the Atlanta staff, to welcome their new franchise quarterback.
Wisconsin lost a hard-fought battle to Illinois in the Big Ten tournament championship game in Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon, but Badgers coach Greg Gard didn’t want his team to focus on negative feelings after the loss.
Gard wanted the Badgers (22–13) to shift the energy toward the upcoming NCAA tournament without dwelling on Sunday’s 93–87 loss to the Illini (26–8). The words he chose for his postgame speech in the locker room were sharp.
“I’ve been part of a lot of, almost 25 years, amazing battles, in this league, in this tournament, in the NCAA tournament.
More Weekly Read: Finally Talking to the PIF
Much has been made of Scottie Scheffler’s putting. To put it simply, it has undoubtedly cost him some tournaments over the past year, when he’s been the most consistent player in the world by far. Scheffler retained the No. 1 ranking through the end of last year and now despite going a year between victories.
The subject has become uncomfortable at times as Scheffler both anecdotally and statistically was missing too many putts. He experimented with technique.
Everyone is guessing that Caleb Williams will get selected number one overall by the Chicago Bears in the 2024 NFL Draft. But Robert Griffin III doesn’t think that’s a good scenario for Williams.
The former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst posted a rant of him explaining why Williams should want to play anywhere but Chicago. Most of his reasoning centered around how the Bears handled their most recent quarterback, Justin Fields.
The final round of The Players was, without question, the most enjoyable Sunday in non-major championship golf we’ve had in quite some time. The shots being hit, the leaderboard, the drama, and the setting itself were about as good as it gets, which is exactly how every week at TPC Sawgrass is supposed to feel. We need to tip our cap to The Players more emphatically for many reasons we’ll get into in this week’s edition of Par Talk.
Speaking of the players (pun absolutely intended) it’s Scottie Scheffler and then everyone else.
San Diego Padres pitcher Matt Waldron is part of a dying breed. When he made his big league debut last season, he was the MLB first pitcher since 2019 to have a knuckleball as part of his arsenal.
Because Waldron’s knuckleball is such a rarity, hitters often find themselves totally flummoxed by it. He had a chance on Sunday to torture some new victims when the Padres faced the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization in an exhibition game. In the fourth inning, Waldron struck out Austin Dean with a knuckleball that left the batter in knots.
Matt Waldron, Knuckleball. pic.twitter.
Kevin Long remembers the concern he heard on the telephone in the voice of New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. The Yankees were close to pulling off a December deal with the San Diego Padres to acquire outfielder Juan Soto. Long says Cashman called him as part of due diligence. He knew Long, a former Yankees hitting coach, was Soto’s hitting coach with the Washington Nationals from 2018–21, before Long joined the Philadelphia Phillies.
“He said, ‘We can’t be wrong about this one!’ ” Long says.