LAFC sent a loud message in their 3-0 dismantling of Inter Miami, and it wasn’t just about the scoreline. Los Angeles FC looked sharp, organized, and ruthless, while Inter Miami CF looked frustrated and overwhelmed. We break down what went wrong for Miami, what this result means long-term, and whether Lionel Messi’s heated postgame interaction with referees is a sign of deeper cracks. Plus, we recap the rest of MLS opening weekend and highlight the teams that set the tone early.
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Across the pond, the Premier League title race is heating up once again. Manchester City and Arsenal continue to push each other to the limit at the top of the table. Can City pull off another late surge, or is this finally Arsenal’s year? We examine the remaining fixtures, squad depth, and pressure points that could decide the title.
Off the pitch, concerns are growing around the 2026 tournament. With New Jersey canceling its World Cup fan zone and Gillette Stadium reportedly resisting FIFA licensing without additional funding, we ask whether the 2026 World Cup is starting to show serious organizational strain. Is this just early logistical turbulence—or a warning sign for what’s ahead?
Timestamps:
(7:00) – LAFC thrash Messi and Inter Miami
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(23:00) – MLS opening weekend recap
(32:00) – Arsenal and Man City continue to battle in PL title race
(47:45) – World Cup in danger of falling apart already?
It’s been more than a decade since Floyd Mathweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fought in 2015 — with Mayweather emerging victorious via easy unanimous decision — but the two former rivals announced this week they are set to fight again on Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The bout will be broadcast on Netflix.
Not surprisingly, Mayweather — 50-0 in his boxing career — opened as the -175 favorite at BetMGM sportsbooks, with Pacquiao the underdog at +125. Mayweather was up to a -190 favorite (implied probability of 65.5%), as of Tuesday afternoon, with Pacquiao at +140.
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Pacquiao retired in 2021 before coming out of retirement to post a draw against Mario Barrios last July. Mayweather retired in 2015 after a win against Andre Berto, before coming out of retirement in August 2017 to fight Conor McGregor.
The first fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao set a record with a staggering 4.6 million pay-per-view buys, although the fight itself was disappointing from an entertainment perspective.
Both fighters will have exhibition matches this year, with Pacquiao facing Ruslan Provodnikov on April 18, while Mayweather appears to be heading toward an April 25 fight against Mike Tyson.
Mayweather is currently 49 years old, while Pacquiao is 47.
Another high-profile college football quarterback is requesting additional eligibility.
Chandler Morris, the quarterback who helped Virginia to an 11-win season last year, filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in Charlottesville Circuit Court to regain a season of eligibility by asking a judge to prohibit the NCAA from enforcing its eligibility standards, according to court documents.
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Morris, who has played in six seasons for four different schools, argues in the complaint that the NCAA should have granted him a medical redshirt for the 2022 football season, citing both mental and physical ailments. As TCU’s starting quarterback that year, Morris suffered a knee injury in the season opener before playing in three more games in backup duty and suffering from mental health issues as a result of the injury. The NCAA denied an eligibility waiver from Morris in January, and an NCAA committee — made up of school administrators — rejected an appeal of the waiver by Virginia.
Morris and his attorneys are urging a judge to grant him a preliminary injunction that would make him eligible for the 2026 football season. His request is timely. Without an injunction, Morris would presumably enter the NFL Draft in April.
If ruled eligible, Morris, currently enrolled at Virginia, may have competition if he remains with the Cavaliers. UVA signed former Missouri starting quarterback Beau Pribula in January.
Morris, the son of former Arkansas and SMU coach Chad Morris, helped the Cavaliers to their most wins in school history and a spot in the ACC championship game last season. He led North Texas to a bowl game as the starter in 2024 and spent three years at TCU before beginning his career at Oklahoma in 2020.
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Morris is the latest power conference starting quarterback to attempt to regain a season of eligibility. His argument for a medical hardship is similar to that of Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who saw a Mississippi court rule in his favor for a sixth year of eligibility over a medical hardship for, as it turns out, the same season of competition.
Chambliss argued that a severe case of tonsillitis — plus lingering symptoms of mononucleosis and COVID — prevented him from playing the 2022 season. The NCAA denied his waiver and appeal, arguing that the quarterback did not submit good enough contemporaneous medical evidence of his affliction.
The NCAA ruled against Morris for similar reasons, citing that the quarterback and Virginia did not submit enough medical documents from 2022 to grant the request. In his lawsuit, Morris and his attorneys detail the 2022 season, when Morris sprained a ligament in his knee during the season opener before his backup, Max Duggan, replaced him as a starter for the rest of the year, leading TCU to a stunning appearance in the national championship game.
While he played in three more games that season in backup duty, Morris’ attorneys argue that his injury in the season opener impacted his mental health to a serious enough degree that he sought a therapist. Because of his mental situation, they contend, he should be granted relief for that season.
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Morris’ case vaults another legal battle over the lawfulness of NCAA eligibility rules into the spotlight. Since Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s successful eligibility case in December of 2024, nearly 60 lawsuits have been filed by athletes seeking additional eligibility. More than two-thirds of those cases ended in a dismissed case or an NCAA win in a preliminary injunction decision.
However, judges in 12 cases have granted athletes injunctions, resulting in a flood of more legal filings and an imbalance in the college sports ecosystem.
The issue is serious enough that the NCAA, in at least two cases, has threatened to use the “rule of restitution” to retroactively punish a school for knowingly using an NCAA-deemed ineligible player, even if a court rules them eligible. The NCAA’s rule of restitution is only applicable if the NCAA eventually wins an eligibility case, which would overturn a judge’s preliminary injunction.
The PGA Tour’s Florida swing is here, and Brooks Koepka is ready to make his third start of the year.
Koepka is in the field this week at PGA National, which marks his third start since he returned from LIV Golf earlier this year. Koepka missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open in his last time out, and just barely made the cut in his debut at the Farmers Insurance Open in January.
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Koepka has a relatively weak field to go up against, too. Several big names have withdrawn early this week, including Ben Griffin and Adam Scott. Last week’s winner at the Genesis Invitational, Jacob Bridgeman, withdrew as well. Ryan Gerard is the highest-ranked player in the field now, as he sits at No. 26 in the Official World Golf Rankings. Shane Lowry is close behind at No. 31.
Though this week is typically considered an off week for many on Tour — the tournament sits between four signature events, and will lead into the Arnold Palmer Invitational next week and The Players Championship in two weeks — it marks a great opportunity for Koepka and others looking to raise their stock on Tour.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Cognizant Classic this week in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
The 2026 Cognizant Classic Basics
Dates: Feb. 26 – March 1 Course: PGA National | Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 2025 Winner: Joe Highsmith FedExCup Points: 500 Purse: $9.6 million
“I have no idea,” Carlisle told reporters at the Pacers’ first post-All-Star break practice last Tuesday, according to Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “And really no comment on it.”
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On Tuesday, though, during an interview with Indianapolis radio station 107.5 The Fan, Carlisle offered more expansive comments, calling the process of the investigation that preceded the fine “shocking” and “ridiculous.”
“Yeah, you know, I didn’t agree with it,” Carlisle told hosts Kevin Bowen and James Boyd. “There was a league lawyer that was doing the interview that kind of unilaterally decided that Aaron Nesmith, who had been injured the night before and couldn’t hold the ball, should have played in the game, which just seems ridiculous.
“And during the interview process — I was not on it, but I heard details — we asked them if they wanted to talk to the doctors, our doctors, about it, because it’s something that was documented by our doctors and trainers. They said no, they didn’t need to, they talked to their doctors, who did not examine Aaron Nesmith. And we asked them if they wanted to talk to the kid, and they said no, they didn’t need to. So this was shocking. This was shocking to me.
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“And during the interview, they also asked if we considered medicating him to play in a game when we were 30 games under .500. So I was very surprised. You know, obviously didn’t agree with it.”
“Coach Carlisle’s description of the process that went into the decision to fine the Indiana Pacers is inaccurate,” a league spokesperson told Yahoo Sports on Tuesday. “An independent physician led the medical review. In addition, the Pacers’ General Manager and the team’s Senior Vice President, Sports Medicine and Performance were interviewed as part of the process. The Pacers confirmed that it had provided all of the information requested by the league and the team reported that an interview with Coach Carlisle or a team physician wasn’t necessary.”
The $100,000 fine stemmed from the Pacers’ Feb. 3 game against the Jazz. Indiana entered at 13-37, the worst record in the Eastern Conference, mired in a lost season after losing Tyrese Haliburton to a ruptured Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, seeing starting center Myles Turner leave for Milwaukee in free agency, and sustaining a string of significant injuries to other contributors early in the season. Utah came in at 15-35, in 13th place in the West, struggling through a fourth straight losing season as it continues to try to rebuild after trading away former franchise cornerstones Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.
In the second game of a five-game Eastern road trip, Utah ruled Jusuf Nurkić out for rest; sat Keyonte George with a left ankle sprain; and kept Lauri Markkanen on the bench for the final six minutes and 19 seconds. On the second night of a back-to-back, the Pacers held Pascal Siakam and Bennedict Mathurin out to rest; sat Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell to manage injuries to their lower back and left knee, respectively; and sidelined Nesmith with the left hand strain that Carlisle said on the radio on Tuesday he’d suffered in the previous night’s loss against Houston.
The Jazz went on to win, 131-122, with second-year guard Isaiah Collier playing the full 48 minutes, scoring 17 points and delivering a career-high 22 assists.
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In a Feb. 12 statement announcing the $100,000 fine, the NBA took issue with Indiana’s roster management on that particular night.
“Following an investigation, including review by an independent physician, the NBA determined that Pascal Siakam, a star player under the Policy, and two other Pacers starters, neither of whom participated in the game, could have played under the medical standard in the Policy, including by playing reduced minutes. Alternatively, the team could have held the players out of other games in a way that would have better promoted compliance with the Policy.”
Under the NBA’s Player Participation Policy, a “star” player is one who has made an All-Star or All-NBA team within the previous three seasons, and/or the All-Star Game in the current season. Siakam has earned consecutive All-Star selections.
The franchise tag salary for tight ends in 2026 is projected at roughly $16 million. Franchise tag values are calculated by averaging the top five salaries in the league at a given position.
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NFL teams have until March 3 to apply the franchise tag to a single player. Players under the franchise tag will then have until July 15 to negotiate a long-term contract. After that deadline passes, a player is required to play under the franchise tag, barring a holdout.
Pitts, 25, played in 2025 on the $10.9 million fifth-year team option of his four-year, $32.9 million rookie contract he signed as a first-round pick in 2021. He has totaled $43.9 million in career earnings.
After tallying 68 catches for 1,026 yards as a rookie, Pitts has failed to reach 1,000 yards again and has largely failed to meet the expectations that he arrived in the NFL with as the fourth overall pick. He entered the final year of his rookie deal without a contract extension.
In 2025, Pitts had his most productive campaign since his rookie season with 88 catches for 928 yards and five touchdowns. His yardage tally was the second-highest in the NFL for a tight end behind Trey McBride of the Arizona Cardinals. He reached that tally despite shaky production at quarterback from Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins.
It was enough for the Falcons to prioritize using the franchise tag on Pitts. Whether it turns into a long-term contract for Pitts is yet to be seen.
With the Winter Olympics in the rearview, it’s time for baseball’s international competition to move into the spotlight. That’s right: We’re a little more than a week away from the start of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, the sixth edition of the tournament.
Over the next few days, we’ll preview all 20 teams set to participate in the WBC. Let’s start with Pool A, which features Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Panama and Puerto Rico and begins play March 6 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Tournament history: Canada has appeared in all six previous editions of the WBC but has never advanced out of pool play.
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First game: March 7 vs. Colombia, 11 a.m. ET (12 p.m. local)
Key players: Canada probably has the best hitter and pitcher in this pool, so let’s focus on them. Josh Naylor, fresh off signing an extension with the Mariners, is a world-class hitter capable of pummeling lesser competition. The lineup around him is deep, but he’s Canada’s fulcrum. Jameson Taillon is the only hurler in this pool who started a postseason game in 2025. With Canada’s shallow pitching corps, he’ll need to cover as many innings as possible.
Guy you don’t know yet but should: Matt Wilkinson, more famously known as “Tugboat,” is a 6-foot-1, 250-pound southpaw in the Guardians’ system ready to steal your heart. He has a magic fastball and more grit than a construction site.
Biggest strength: Offensive firepower. Between Naylor, Tyler O’Neill and Owen Caissie, there’s some real lumber north of the border. But Canada has professionals up and down the order, with Otto Lopez, Abraham Toro and Liam Hicks. There’s not another team in this pool — and relatively few in the tournament — that can roll out a starting lineup of nine legitimate big-league position players. Canada’s offense could be a real separator in this tournament’s most even pool.
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Biggest weakness: Pitching depth. Jameson Taillon, Mike Soroka and Cal Quantrill are a really solid front three, but Canada doesn’t have much else. Only one other arm on this roster (Rob Zastryzny) appeared in a single MLB game last season. Not reeling in Guardians closer Cade Smith (he opted not to participate) could come back to haunt the Canadians. Delightfully, the Maple Leafs have pulled two Canadian baseball legends, James Paxton and Phillippe Aumont, out of retirement. Perhaps they can provide the requisite magic.
Tournament outlook: Canada is far and away the most accomplished baseball nation to have never reached the WBC knockout stage. And with none of the Western Hemisphere bigwigs (USA, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico) in Group A, this is a magnificent opportunity to right that wrong. Because even though Canada is missing some big pieces (Smith, Freddie Freeman, Nick Pivetta, Matt Brash, to name a few), this will be the most complete roster in Puerto Rico. Another pool-play exit would qualify as a massive, massive disappointment. Nathan MacKinnon, eat your heart out.
Tournament history: This is their third WBC, and while they’ve never emerged from the group stage, they managed a pool play victory in 2017 and 2023.
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First game: March 6 vs. Puerto Rico, 6 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local)
Key player: Gio Urshela, the most accomplished Colombian hitter of his generation, had a downright dreadful, 0-for-14 performance in 2023. The veteran infielder needs to be more productive at the dish if Colombia is going to advance from the group stage.
Guy you don’t know yet but should: Michael Arroyo, a 21-year-old infielder in Seattle’s system, is the highest regarded Colombian prospect in the sport right now. Despite his lack of size (5-foot-8, 160 pounds), Arroyo profiles like a legit, above-average big-league hitter. He doesn’t really have a defensive home, but that won’t matter if he rakes like he’s supposed to.
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Biggest strength: Experience. Colombia returns a whopping 17 players from the previous tournament, the biggest tally in Pool A and tied for the second-largest in the entire tournament. Remember, this group showed pretty well in 2023, with an upset win over semifinalists Mexico and a one-run loss to Team USA. Such familiarity with the big stage could pay dividends, particularly in what will surely be a hostile environment in the opener against host Puerto Rico.
Biggest weakness: Lack of star power. This team doesn’t have a single position player projected to be on an Opening Day MLB roster. That’s far from a death sentence — international play is a different beast — but Colombia managed just two homers in four games last time around. That’s a tough way to live.
Tournament outlook: Losing journeyman hurler Nabil Crismatt to an elbow injury looks like a heavy loss for this group. Thankfully, there’s José Quintana, the greatest Colombian pitcher ever by a country mile. He didn’t play in 2023 and should provide quite a shot in the arm. Colombia needs to win his start, keep scores low and try to string a few timely hits together.
Which two teams will advance from the most competitive pool in this year’s WBC?
(Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports)
Tournament history: Cuba finished second in the inaugural WBC in 2006, losing to Japan in the final. They’ve participated in every edition and most recently managed a surprise semifinal finish in 2023.
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First game: March 6 vs. Panama, 11 a.m. ET (12 p.m. local)
Key player: Livan Moinelo has been one of the best pitchers in NPB over the past decade and would slot into the middle of an MLB rotation, were he to come Stateside. The 30-year-old tossed 167 innings of 1.46 ERA ball with 172 strikeouts last season. He’s probably the only Cuban starter with top-shelf stuff and the skills to command it. Make sure you tune in for his start.
Guy you don’t know yet but should: Raidel Martinez led NPB with 46 saves last season and is widely considered the best closer in the league. It’s high-ride fuzz from a deceptive, over-the-top arm angle. He could be in an MLB ‘pen right now.
Biggest strength: Putting the ball in play. Shorter swings. Not looking to drive the ball.
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Biggest weakness: Position-player talent. Factors both political and baseball-related have turned the once fertile Cuban baseball pipeline dangerously dry. There aren’t many Yordan Alvarez’s and Luis Robert Jr.’s matriculating toward the bigs anymore. That unfortunate reality, in addition to ideological rifts within the Cuban baseball world that keep the best active big leaguers from playing, means this roster is almost entirely devoid of offensive talent. It’s mostly Mexican Leaguers, minor leaguers and has-beens. Alexei Ramirez making this roster at age 44 is both a very cool story and a sad indictment of the state of Cuban baseball in 2026.
Tournament outlook: It’s important to note that the Cubans’ unexpected semifinal run in 2023 was aided by a weak group and a fortunate quarterfinal matchup against Australia. That roster, as harsh as it sounds, did not have the talent of a semifinal team. And this squad is definitively worse. Cuba used to dominate the international baseball space, with three Olympic golds, 12 Pan American golds and 25 World Cup titles. Those days are long gone.
Tournament history: Panama made the first two tournaments in 2006 and ‘09 before failing to qualify in 2013 and ‘17. They returned in 2023 and went 2-2 but again failed to make it out of the group stage.
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First game: March 6 vs. Cuba, 11 a.m. ET (12 p.m. local)
Key players: The starters not named Logan Allen. Allen started 29 games for the AL Central champion Guardians last year, but he’s the only pitcher for Panama currently on an MLB 40-man roster. Ariel Jurado was one of the best starters in the Korean Baseball Organization last season, but he’s more deception than stuff. Guys such as Jaime Barría, Paolo Espino and Andy Otero have strong track records in Mexico and assorted winter leagues, but all are on the downswings of their careers.
Guy you don’t know yet but should: Enrique Bradfield Jr. was an Orioles first-rounder in 2023 out of Vanderbilt. He’s a true throwback, a low-power, high-contact center fielder with top-of-the-charts speed. If he gets on base in the WBC, he’s going.
Biggest strength: The infield. Former Met Rubén Tejada caught the headlines — because, oh my god, Rubén Tejada is still playing — but Edmundo Sosa (3B) and José Caballero (SS) should be the difference-makers. Both are luxury utilitymen for MLB contenders and have tons of big-game experience. Leo Jimenez (2B) was up and down with the Jays last year. Miguel Amaya (C) knows what he’s doing behind the dish. Johan Camargo (1B) has been around the block. This is a solid group.
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Biggest weakness: Probably the pitching depth. Panama has a ton of dudes scattered across the international baseball world, but few can be considered sure things.
Tournament outlook: It’s still unclear whether Cardinals DH Iván Herrera is going to play. Like many players in this pool, the hulking slugger has had trouble securing insurance. If he suits up, that’s a big deal, considering the dearth of home run juice on this roster. Either way, Panama has a sneaky-fun roster with tons of speed that could play tricks on opposing catchers.
Tournament history: Puerto Rico has appeared in every edition of the WBC. They’ve lost in the final twice: in 2013 to the Dominican and in 2017 to Team USA.
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First game: March 6 vs. Colombia, 6 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local)
Key player: With superstars Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa unable to secure insurance to participate, Nolan Arenado becomes Puerto Rico’s most important and most famous position player. Almost 35 years old, the 10-time Gold Glover isn’t the player he once was. Still, he’s one of the few every-day big leaguers in this lineup. This will be Arenado’s third time playing in the WBC; he suited up for Team USA in 2017 and ‘23.
Guy you don’t know yet but should: Bryan Torres has lived quite a baseball life. The 5-foot-7 lefty signed with the Brewers as an undrafted free agent in 2015 but ended up in independent ball with the Milwaukee Milkmen after stalling out in Double-A with the Giants. He proceeded to obliterate the American Association before winning back-to-back MVP awards in the Puerto Rican winter league. That pushed Torres back into affiliate ball with the Cardinals, who tossed him on the 40-man this past winter after he posted a .905 OPS in Triple-A in 2025. His well-earned inclusion on this roster is a silver lining of Puerto Rico’s unfortunate insurance saga.
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Biggest strength: Relief pitching. Edwin Díaz, whose high-profile injury in 2023 contributed to the more stringent insurance policies this time around, is the headliner here, as the sport’s top closer. But PR’s bullpen is more than just Eddie D. Fernando Cruz is slated to handle the eighth inning for the Yankees in 2026. José Espada, Rico Garcia, Jorge López and Jovani Morán all appeared in the bigs last season. This is easily the best bullpen in this group.
Biggest weakness: Offensive star power. Not having Lindor, Correa or Javier Báez — the three best Puerto Rican hitters of the past decade — is an enormous bummer and a huge blow to Puerto Rico’s chances. So too was losing George Springer to injury. Those omissions leave Team PR with a real power vacuum; Heliot Ramos is the only player on this roster who cranked more than 12 homers in MLB last season.
Tournament outlook: The atmosphere in San Juan was always going to be absolutely sensational, no matter who takes the diamond. This is the first time since 2013 that Puerto Rico is hosting WBC games, something that has been a double-edged sword for second-tier teams in recent history. In the past two editions, not a single non-USA/Japan host survived the group stage. Puerto Rico will need big starts from Seth Lugo and José De Leon to stop that trend and emerge from this very balanced group.
Trent Williams is one of the San Francisco 49ers’ most valuable players.
But the All-Pro left tackle carries a significant salary cap hit in 2026 as he enters the final year of his contract with no more guaranteed salary. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the two sides are “struggling to find a contractual solution” to reduce his scheduled $38.8 million salary cap hit for next season.
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If the two sides can’t reach a compromise, Williams could ultimately be headed for a release and free agency, per the report.
If so, the 49ers would lose a key player in their effort to return to Super Bowl contention. And Williams would become one of the most coveted free agents on the market for contenders seeking to upgrade their offensive line.
Neither Williams nor the 49ers had addressed his contract status for the 2026 season at the time of Tuesday’s report.
Trent Williams’ future with the 49ers is unclear.
(Cooper Neill via Getty Images)
Will 49ers let their OL anchor walk?
Williams is a 12-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro and arguably the best offensive lineman of his generation. Even at 37 years old last season, he remained one of the best left tackles in the game while earning second-team All-Pro honors.
In addition to protecting Brock Purdy’s blindside, Williams is the anchor of San Francisco’s run game and a key to All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey’s success. McCaffrey has previously said that Williams “might be the best player I’ve ever seen.”
The 49ers, meanwhile, are coming off a competitive season in which they finished 12-5 despite a litany of injuries to key players. They’re hoping to return several key players from injury, including All-Pro defenders Nick Bosa and Fred Warner next season, though tight George Kittle is looking at an extended absence and murky future after sustaining a late-season ruptured Achilles tendon.
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But the 49ers have their sights set on contending for a Super Bowl next season. They’d obviously like for Williams to be a part of those plans. But for now, the cost appears to be too much for the 49ers, and Williams’ future with the team is in doubt.
Konnor Griffin hit at least .325 in Low A, High A and then Double A last year. This year, as MLB’s top prospect, he’s already making major-league fireworks. Griffin, just 19 years old but standing an imposing 6-foot-4 and 220-plus pounds, launched a pair of Pittsburgh Pirates home runs during a 16-7 spring training win over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.
Both of the homers left JetBlue Park, otherwise known as “Fenway South,” in Fort Myers, Florida.
Griffin, playing shortstop and batting seventh for the Pirates, demolished Suárez’s second-inning curveball and deposited it over the second level of Monster seats.
That dinger traveled 374 feet and scored two. His next one went even farther.
The Mississippi native took a Seth Martinez sweeper for a 440-foot ride in the fourth inning. That solo shot also flew over the southern Green Monster.
“He’s obviously a freakish athlete,” Pirates pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski said afterward, per Tribune-Review Sports’ Kevin Gorman. “I haven’t been able to be around him a whole lot, other than just seeing him this spring and watching some videos from last year, but you can tell he’s definitely going to hit.
“There’s not a whole lot of swings that you see like that, especially for a teenager. I mean, the best way I can say it is that his bat is in the zone forever.”
Mlodzinski added: “It’s not fair to say it’s a long swing, but the bat path just looks like it’s going to be on the ball the whole way, and he was able to show that today.”
Less than two years after the Pirates selected Griffin No. 9 overall in the MLB Draft, he’s already turning heads this spring, but he’ll have to force the Pirates’ hand if he wants to be an Opening-Day starter.
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That kind of debut would be ahead of schedule; however, there’s no denying his five-tool talent.
In 122 minor-league games last year, Griffin posted 21 home runs, 94 RBI, 65 stolen bases and a .942 OPS. He is a name to know, and he has a bat to watch.
The Olympic men’s hockey gold-medal game between the U.S. and Canada was watched by 20.7 million viewers across NBC, Peacock and USA Network, NBC announced on Tuesday.
The average live audience was recorded at 18.6 million viewers on NBC and Peacock between 8:15 a.m.-11 a.m. ET. It is the second-most watched hockey game ever on NBC after the 2010 men’s gold medal game between the two countries, which Canada won in overtime and drew 27.6 million viewers.
The women’s gold medal game was part of a massive overall Olympics day for NBC. The network announced that it averaged about 26.7 million viewers in total on Thursday, which made it the largest Winter Games weekday audience since 2014.
The U.S. women’s dramatic victory resulted in the program’s third gold medal — all against Canada — and first since the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang.
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Milan Cortina Olympics earn biggest ratings since 2014
