Author: rb809rb

Denny Hamlin is going to race injured in 2026.

Hamlin, 45, told reporters on Wednesday ahead of the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium that he re-injured his right shoulder but will put off surgery until after the season because of the lengthy recovery timeline. Hamlin had surgery on his right rotator cuff after the 2023 season and dealt with the injury in the latter weeks of that season.

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He said that he found out the muscle in his shoulder was re-torn after he fell going through debris at his parents’ house. Hamlin’s father Dennis died from injuries sustained in the fire on Dec. 28 in Stanley, North Carolina, and his mother, Mary Lou, was seriously injured. Hamlin said Wednesday that his mother’s condition was improving.

Dennis Hamlin had been in declining health before the fire. Denny Hamlin had said during the 2025 playoffs that he believed that it was his dad’s last opportunity to see him win a championship.

Hamlin did not get that title despite dominating the final race of the season at Phoenix. He led 208 of the race’s 319 laps, but a late caution for William Byron’s tire failure set up a green-white-checkered finish and Hamlin’s team’s four-tire pit stop strategy backfired as Kyle Larson finished ahead of Hamlin for the title.

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It was a tumultuous end to 2025 — to put it mildly — for Hamlin. His 23XI Racing team also settled its lawsuit with NASCAR in December over the sanctioning body’s charter system. The settlement was a win for 23XI and Front Row Motorsports, the plaintiffs in the suit, as NASCAR relented on its previous stance and granted teams permanent charters.

Hamlin, who is arguably the best NASCAR driver to not win a title, finished fifth in 2023 as he dealt with his shoulder injury. A crash at Homestead effectively ended his hopes for a championship in the 34th race of that season.

This season, the title format will be much different. NASCAR has re-implemented the cumulative 10-race Chase after using a multi-round elimination format since 2014. The winner-take-all title race is gone, as the driver who has the most points at the end of the playoffs will win the title.

Mickey Lolich, the left-handed pitcher who helped the Detroit Tigers become World Series champions in 1968, has died at the age of 85.

“The Tigers are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Mickey Lolich and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones,” the Tigers said in a statement.

“One of the finest pitchers in franchise history, Lolich was a three-time All-Star who pitched for Detroit for 13 seasons and holds several Tigers team records. He was a member of the 1968 World Series Champion Tigers team, earning World Series MVP honors after posting a 3-0 record with a 1.67 ERA. Lolich will be remembered as one of the most durable and dominant left-handed pitchers of his era and a cornerstone of Detroit’s pitching staff for more than a decade.”

Lolich joined the Tigers in 1958 after being signed as a free agent at 17 years old out of Portland, Ore. After several years in the minor leagues, he reached the majors in 1963 and made 33 appearances. Beginning with the 1964 season, he began a 12-year run where he won at least 10 games.

In 1968, 23 years after they last finished in first place, the Tigers made the postseason and won the World Series. After posting a 17-9 record during the regular season, Lolich shined in that October’s Fall Classic against the St. Louis Cardinals, the reigning champions.

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Lolich helped the Tigers even the series in Game 2 with a nine-strikeout, complete-game victory. But Detroit would fall behind 3-1 in the series with St. Louis being led by NL Cy Young Award winner Bob Gibson.

The Tigers would trail for only six innings over the final three games, with Lolich earning complete-game victories in Games 5 and 7 to help Detroit become champions. Lolich’s three wins, 21 strikeouts and 1.67 ERA over 27 innings helped earn him series MVP honors.

[Get more Tigers news: Detroit team feed]

Lolich had several more strong seasons in Detroit, including 1971 and 1972 when he won 25 and 22 games, respectively, and finished in the top three in AL Cy Young Award voting. That 1971 season also saw him strikeout a career-high 308 batters in 376 innings and finish fifth in the AL MVP race.

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Lolich’s time in Detroit came to an end when he was traded to the New York Mets ahead of the 1976 season. He would retire the following year, but returned to playing in 1978 when he joined the San Diego Padres where he was mainly used as a reliever, starting seven games over two seasons.

Following the 1979 season, Lolich announced his retirement at the age of 39.

“Lolich was a great pitcher, teammate and champion, but he was more than that to me,” said Willie Horton, Lolich’s teammate in Detroit, in a statement. “He was like a brother for over 60 years. I will keep the memories close to my heart and will never forget the close bond that we shared. My condolences to Joyce and their family and to everyone who loved him.”

The Oklahoma City Thunder easily defeated the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, but the win came with a potentially significant cost. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sustained an abdominal injury during the contest, and will be out at least through the All-Star break due to the issue, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The severity of the injury is not known at the moment. The team plans to reevaluate Gilgeous-Alexander after the break, meaning he’ll miss — at minimum — five games before a possible return.

It’s unclear when Gilgeous-Alexander sustained the injury. The 27-year-old turned in a strong performance during the Thunder’s 128-92 win over the Magic on Tuesday, scoring 20 points and dishing out nine assists in nearly 28 minutes on the court.

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While Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged roughly 33 minutes per game this season, his lower playing time Tuesday was more likely due to the Thunder’s big lead, and not the result of an injury.

[Get more Thunder news: OKC team feed]

Gilgeous-Alexander is in the midst of yet another strong season, and is averaging 31.8 points, 6.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds in his follow-up after winning the MVP award last year. Gilgeous-Alexander has the Thunder in a tremendous spot at the trade deadline, with the Thunder sitting at 40-11 entering play Wednesday. If the regular season ended Wednesday, the Thunder would hold the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

As a possible response to Gilgeous-Alexander’s injury, the Thunder acquired guard Jared McCain from the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. The team could look to make other additions ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline depending on how long it expects Gilgeous-Alexander to be sidelined.

The Anthony Davis era in Dallas is now over.

The Mavericks struck a deal to send Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum to the Washington Wizards for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III and five draft picks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The Mavericks will reportedly receive a 2026 first-round pick from the Thunder and a 2030 protected first-round pick from the Warriors, plus second-round picks in 2026 (via Phoenix), 2027 (via Chicago) and 2029 (via Houston).

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Davis was acquired in a blockbuster trade by the Mavericks along with Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick last season in exchange for Luka Dončić, Markieff Morris and Maxi Kleber, who were traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Davis’ time with the Mavericks ended after he appeared in just 29 games, despite being with the team since last February. His latest setback occurred after he injured his hand on January 8 against the Utah Jazz. Although hand surgery is not required, as initially reported, Davis was still expected to miss extended time with the injury. The team opened trade talks shortly after.

In his home debut with the Mavericks last year, Davis suffered a left adductor strain after posting 26 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks. The strain sidelined him for 18 games before he returned in late March. Davis played in nine games during his first stretch with the team, and averaged 20 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists.

With injuries to Davis and point guard Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks eventually lost in the play-in tournament before winning the No. 1 overall pick in the draft lottery, which they used to select then-18-year-old Duke phenom Cooper Flagg.

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This season, Davis has also been sidelined for most of the year, playing in only 20 games while dealing with a left calf strain and a right groin spasm as the Mavericks have largely struggled. When he has played, Davis is averaging 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists, while the team has hovered near the bottom of the Western Conference standings. The team fired general manager Nico Harrison earlier this season, too, after immense backlash from fans in response to the Dončić trade.

When healthy, Davis remains one of the top bigs in the league. But in Dallas, that just wasn’t the case.

The Mavericks will now attempt to rebuild around Flagg and Irving, who has yet to return this season while recovering from a torn ACL injury. But with Dončić’s run in Dallas now behind him, and the return from the Dončić deal now out the door, too, it may take a while. The team seems to be headed for a much longer rebuild than initially planned.

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This breaking news story will be updated.

The 2026 NASCAR season will begin this week with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, rescheduled for Feb. 4, 2026 (that is, assuming severe winter weather doesn’t continue to impact the track). The new NASCAR season brings with it a new(ish) format, The Chase, replacing the multi-round playoff format that’s been used since 2014. The Chase reconsiders how the top drivers in the regular season are evaluated and eligible for postseason eligibility; the top 16 drivers in the points standings after the first 26 races of the season will make the playoff field, regardless of how many wins each has. This format has been used before and will certainly make this season interesting. Are you ready for the first race?

Here’s everything you need to know about the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium and how to watch every other 2026 NASCAR Cup Series race this season.

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How to watch the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium:

Date: Feb. 4, 2026

Time: 6 p.m. ET

Location: Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem, NC

Channel: Fox, qualifying races on FS2

Streaming: DirecTV, Fox One, HBO Max (Driver-cam), and more

When is the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium?

The Cook Out Clash was originally scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 1. Due to the weather, all on-track events have been rescheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 4.

What channel is NASCAR’s Cook Out Clash on?

The Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium is the first NASCAR race of the season. The race will be available live on Fox. You can also watch qualifying races on Saturday on FS1, and an alternate driver-cam will also be available to stream live on HBO Max.

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NASCAR Cook Out Clash TV schedule:

Wednesday, February 4, 2026 (Postponed from Feb. 1 due to snow)

All times are ET.

• 1:30 p.m. Practice & Qualifying (FS2)

• 4:30 p.m. Last Chance Qualifier Race (FOX)

• 6:00 p.m. Cook Out Clash (Main Exhibition Race) — 200 laps (FOX)

How to watch NASCAR in 2026 without cable:

To watch every single race of the 2026 NASCAR season, you’ll need a couple of different streaming services. You can stream channels like NBC, USA, Fox, FS1, TNT, and truTV on streaming platforms like DirecTV and Hulu + Live TV, which will get you access to the majority of this year’s races, but you’ll also need a Prime Video subscription if you want to catch the Coca Cola 600, the Cracker Barrel 400, FireKeepers Casino 400, NASCAR Cup Series Race at Pocono and the Anduril 250. Races airing on NBC and USA will also be available to stream on Peacock, and races airing on Fox and FS1 will be streaming on Fox One. And once again, HBO Max will also be showing alternate driver-cam angles at every race this season.

It’s time for the 2026 Super Bowl! This Sunday, the New England Patriots will face the Seattle Seahawks in Levi’s Stadium for Super Bowl LX. The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Are you ready to watch some football? This season, NFL games aired across 10+ channels and streaming platforms — including the new Fox One service and ESPN’s recently revamped streaming platform. If you’re not sure how to tune into this weekend’s Super Bowl, here’s a breakdown of where to watch football.

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How to watch 2026 NFL Conference Championship games:

Date: Sunday, Feb. 8

Time: 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT

Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA

TV channel: NBC

Streaming: DirecTV, Peacock, and more

NFL postseason TV/streaming schedule:

All times Eastern.

Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026

• Super Bowl LX: New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks, 6:30 p.m. (NBC)

Watch via Peacock

Watch NBC via DirecTV

How to watch NFL games in 2026:

Many NFL games are broadcast on local channels, so if you’re looking to catch an in-market game, it may be as simple as turning on your TV (or setting up a digital TV antenna) or finding a live TV streaming service that carries the correct RSN (Regional Sports Network). If you want to watch out-of-market games, a $7 monthly subscription to NFL+ will let you watch every out-of-market local and primetime game in the season on your phone — but only a select few regular-season games on your TV. You could also spring for the uber-expensive NFL Sunday Ticket package to get every out-of-market Sunday game of the season.

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When it comes to nationally broadcast games, NFL games typically air across ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC and NFL Network. Thursday Night Football games stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, select football games will stream exclusively on Peacock, games on CBS will stream live on Paramount+, and Monday Night Football games will air on ESPN or ABC and stream on the newly revamped ESPN+ this season. That’s six channels and four streaming platforms to keep up with this season — and that’s not counting your local RSN’s for in-market games and an NFL+ or NFL Sunday Ticket subscription for out-of-market games. Plus, Netflix is once again hosting at least two Christmas Day matches, so add that subscription into the mix. And we can’t forget about Fox One, Fox’s first streaming service, a place where you can also stream games airing on FOX (if you don’t already have access to it).

Confused? You’re not alone. Here’s a breakdown of the platforms we recommend checking out ahead of the 2025 NFL season, so that come game time, tuning into your favorite team’s games will be as easy as simply turning on the TV.

To recap, here are all the ways you can watch NFL games in 2026.

This past season didn’t end well between the Las Vegas Raiders and star pass rusher Maxx Crosby.

The team and player reportedly had a disagreement over Crosby being placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury, which reportedly led to Crosby leaving the team facility after being told the Raiders were shutting him down before the second-to-last game of the regular season against the New York Giants.

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The optics weren’t great for the organization, with the Raiders and Giants both in contention for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft — a pick Crosby said in December he “[doesn’t] give a s*** about.”

Just this week, Crosby sent out a cryptic tweet that read, “Ships that wait for the perfect winds never sail.”

It sure feels like the two-time All-Pro’s tenure with the Raiders might be done. Does Fox NFL Insider Jay Glazer think so?

“I do,” he told Yahoo Sports Daily as a guest on Wednesday in San Francisco.

“Before the draft?” asked co-host Jason Fitz.

“Yeah, probably. Yeah,” Glazer answered.

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Glazer added that Crosby doesn’t want to go through another rebuild, and that “no less than 20 teams” called him after news broke of Crosby’s discontent. The NFL saw a star pass rusher traded very recently, with the Dallas Cowboys sending Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers right before the 2025 season kicked off in exchange for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.

Glazer said on Yahoo Sports Daily a potential trade haul for Crosby would land “probably more than Micah.”

Glazer: ‘I think people are gonna go after’ Joe Burrow

When asked by Fitz and Daily co-host Caroline Fenton what other storylines he’s keeping an eye on this offseason, Glazer mentioned Joe Burrow’s future with the Cincinnati Bengals.

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“I wanna see what happens with Joe Burrow,” he said.

Burrow hinted late this season he wasn’t having “fun” anymore amid all the injuries and losses that have piled up with the Bengals the past three years. Burrow led Cincinnati to the Super Bowl in just the second year of his career and another AFC title game berth the following season, but the franchise has underwhelmed for various reasons ever since.

Burrow later said he expects to be with the Bengals in 2026, but didn’t deny thinking about opportunities elsewhere down the line.

“You think that’s real? You think that Joe could end up somewhere else?” Fitz asked Glazer Wednesday.

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“I just … I wanna keep my eye on it,” Glazer said. “I think people are gonna go after it. Doesn’t mean [the Bengals] are gonna be willing to do it, but I think people are gonna go after it.”

Aaron Rodgers has talked with Mike McCarthy since Steelers hired him

Glazer also offered some insight into where things stand between Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy, who spent 13 seasons coaching Rodgers in Green Bay and was just hired as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ new head coach.

“Him and Mike McCarthy have talked,” Glazer said. “I think it’s more an appreciation for Mike now than he had, by a lot. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

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McCarthy said he wants Rodgers back at QB for a second season with the Steelers and 22nd in the NFL overall.

Does that mean Rodgers will return? That remains to be seen. But an early hurdle has been cleared.

In a stunning turn of events, the Dallas Mavericks have not only succeeded in trading Anthony Davis — to the Washington Wizards, nonetheless — but they even managed to get assets in return.

The deal is as follows:

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Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum to the Washington Wizards for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two first-round picks and three second-rounders.

The quality of the picks aren’t great (a 2026 first from Oklahoma City Thunder, and a 2030 protected selection via Golden State), but the fact the Mavericks didn’t end up relinquishing picks in order to get out of Davis’ contract is a win on its own.

Let’s get into some the grades immediately.

Dallas Mavericks: A

There’s no other way around this: The Mavs lost the Luka Dončić trade by the size of Mt. Everest, but at least they won this one.

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The aging Davis, who can’t seem to stay healthy and who remains one of the most expensive deals in the NBA, simply shouldn’t have had any positive trade value, and yet, here we are.

The Mavericks also found a new home for D’Angelo Russell, a player who never fit and who has declined mightily in recent years.

They now gain a ton of salary flexibility to build around Cooper Flagg, which is what the plan should have been since he was drafted first overall last summer.

Washington Wizards: D

Oooooof, guys.

While the Wizards didn’t give up juicy firsts, they did relinquish draft equity, which seems odd given that they took on a lot of money for a soon-to-be 33-year-old who is declining rapidly and constantly in and out of the lineup.

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Look, I get the vision. Trae Young and Anthony Davis as the main pillars, with a bunch of young players as the supporting cast. That’s fine if both of them are healthy, but since that’s not something you can bank on, the risk is considerable here.

Furthermore, Davis and Alexandre Sarr have each voiced displeasure about playing center, preferring to play power forward. So, uh, you know, good luck with that.

The Dallas Mavericks have had a wild couple of seasons when it comes to making trades. After shipping out superstar Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers last season for Anthony Davis, the Mavericks are sending AD to the Washington Wizards in an eight-player deal that also involves multiple draft picks. Here’s the full breakdown of the trade below:

Mavericks receive

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Wizards receive

Dallas gets a 2026 first-rounder from the Thunder as part of the deal and a 2030 protected first-round pick from the Warriors. AD has three years remaining on his current contract with a player option for 2027-28. He joins PG Trae Young, who was dealt to Washington from Atlanta on Jan. 9.

Both Davis and Young are currently sidelined with injuries. AD has been sidelined since early January due to a finger injury and should be reevaluated in a few weeks. Young is expected to be reevaluated after the All-Star break.

Below Yahoo analyst Dan Titus provides his fantasy basketball take on the Davis trade for both sides.

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Fantasy basketball analysis

Anthony Davis – Washington Wizards

If you’re near the top of your league and have space to stash, play for the upside. However, I’m likely dropping AD everywhere because, as we’re seeing with Young, the Wizards are positioning themselves for a top pick, and AD (along with Trae) will get them closer to winning than not. He was already trending down because of his injured hand, forcing him to be on injured list and this move gives zero incentive to return before or after he’s cleared to play. It’s a bad landing spot for this season, but next year could be a lot of fun in D.C.

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Waiver wire options to consider

Daniel Gafford – Dallas Mavericks

The starting spot was already Gafford’s with AD injured, but he and Moussa Cisse (currently on a two-way deal) are the main frontcourt options left in Dallas. I’d add Gafford in 12-team, 9-category leagues, as he can still be a good source for FG%, blocks and rebounds. Points leagues? I’ll pass.

Naji Marshall – Dallas Mavericks

The Mavs are reportedly not interested in including Marshall in any deals, and he continues to play a pivotal role in their rotation, seeing 30 minutes a night since December. He has a versatile fantasy skillset that warrants being rostered in 12-team leagues for the rest of the season. Max Christie is also marked safe from this trade and though his performances have been volatile, he’s a streamable player given the underwhelming return from this trade.

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The Wizards’ young core

The trio of Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly and Tre Johnson are all players to consider adding as the season wears on. Carrington is locked into the starting PG spot for as long as Young is out, while Coulibaly just got a nice bump in playing time now that Khris Middleton is on his way to Dallas. Once Johnson gets over his ankle injury, he’ll be another asset in play for fantasy managers needing points and 3s. I like the Wizards’ potential as viable fantasy options across formats.

The 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics are officially underway. Play started Wednesday, with curling mixed doubles kicking off the Games.

Eight countries took the ice during round-robin play, including two medal winners from the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. Silver medalists Norway took on Great Britain, while Sweden, which took home the mixed doubles bronze in 2022, faced off against South Korea. The two other matches featured Canada vs. the Czech Republic, and Estonia vs. Switzerland.

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Sweden looked motivated in its first match at the 2026 Olympics on Wednesday. The 2022 bronze medalists turned in a dominant performance, beating South Korea 10-3 in just six ends. Following the sixth end, Seonyeong Kim and Yeongseok Jeong offered a handshake to Sweden, which was accepted. That was, perhaps, a surprising outcome considering how the match started. South Korea picked up points in both the first and third end, jumping out to a 3-2 lead before Sweden got rolling.

Team Canada also forced an early handshake during its win over the Czech Republic on Wednesday. With Canada up 10-5 after the seventh end, the Czech Republic opted to go for the handshake.

Canada got off to a tremendous start in the match, taking a point in the first end and then four points in the second end to go up 5-0. The Czech Republic managed three points in the third end, but couldn’t keep up the pace with Canada from there.

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The 2022 silver medalists, meanwhile, picked up a loss in their first match. Norway kept it close with Great Britain early, with both teams sitting at four points through five ends. But a strong sixth end by Great Britain, in which the team scored three points, proved to be the difference. Norway tried to battle back, picking up two points in the seventh end, but Great Britain was able to put things away in the eighth end, winning 8-6.

The final match may have been the most exciting of the day. With Switzerland leading the entire match, Estonia needed a miraculous four points in the final end to tie things up. Somehow, it got the job done. After a four-point eighth end, Estonia forced an extra end. But the team couldn’t hold that momentum, eventually falling to Switzerland 9-7.

Olympic curling rules, explained

If you didn’t grow up in Canada — where curling is most popular — you might be unfamiliar with the rules of the sport.

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The basic gist of it involves players trying to guide granite stones across ice toward a target area known as a “house.” Teams take turns trying to land their stones on the house, with the goal being to get them as close to the bull’s-eye as possible. The team closest to the bull’s-eye gets a point for every stone it gets closer than its opponent’s closest stone. After 10 “ends,” which you can think of as an inning in baseball, the team with the higher score wins. Each team gets eight stones per end, so it’s possible, though unlikely for a team to go 8-0 in an end. That’s called a snowman, and is the equivalent of an immaculate inning in baseball.

There are some slight deviations from those rules during mixed doubles. Mixed doubles has only eight ends, not 10. And teams throw five stones per end.

The round-robin portion of mixed doubles curling will take place Wednesday through Monday. The four teams with the best records at that point will advance to the semi-final round. Those games will also be played Monday.

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From there, the mixed doubles bronze and gold-medal games will take place Tuesday.

Once the mixed doubles event is complete, men’s and women’s curling will start up, with the men beginning their round-robin stage Wednesday, Feb. 11 and the women taking the ice Thursday, Feb. 12.