Tag: Fox Sport News

Tarik Skubal’s stint with Team USA at the World Baseball Classic will be short-lived.

The Detroit Tigers ace and reigning two-time Cy Young winner told reporters Monday that he’ll make one WBC start and then be done with the tournament. It sounds like the start will come in pool play, rather than in the knockout rounds.

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Skubal shared the plan from spring training in Florida and explained that he’ll prioritize getting ready for Detroit’s season after his start.

“I’m trying to do both things, trying to pitch for Team USA, but I understand the need to be here with these guys and get ready for the season,” Skubal said, per The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen. “I think it’s kind of the best of both worlds in that aspect, and I’m grateful they took me in that capacity.”

Skubal also said he’d ask the Tigers to rejoin Team USA as a spectator if it makes the finals, indicating that his start will come sometime early in pool play.

“If they go to the finals, I think I’m going to try and lobby to just go watch and be with the guys,” he added.

The WBC finals will be played in Miami, not far from Detroit’s spring training home in Lakeland, Florida.

Skenes plans to be available for multiple starts

Team USA’s other Cy Young ace, Paul Skenes, meanwhile, intends to make two starts and be available for the knockout round if the U.S advances. Skenes, who at 23 years old is six years younger than Skubal, confirmed his WBC plans on Tuesday in an interview with Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.

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“We win, we go as far as we should, I’ll pitch again in the tournament,” Skenes told Rosenthal.

Skenes is approaching his third MLB season playing with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Skubal’s absence after his planned start will leave the U.S. without one of its top two starters after pool play. USA has a deep roster of nine starting pitchers to choose from that features two-time All-Star Logan Webb and 2025 All-Star Joe Ryan in addition to Skenes.

The upgrade of its pitching staff from the previous WBC is expected to give USA a leg up in the tournament after it lost to Japan on the final at-bat of the championship game in 2023. Skubal’s limited availability is something of a blow to those plans and will leave Team USA without one of its top options on the mound in elimination games if it advances beyond pool play.

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[Get more Tigers news: Detroit team feed]

The decision appears to be a compromise from the Tigers, allowing Skubal to pitch for Team USA while limiting his exposure and injury risk. The Tigers are coming off a season in which they bounced back from a regular-season collapse that allowed the Cleveland Guardians to win the AL Central to clinch a wild-card berth and beat the Guardians in the wild-card round. They lost to the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS.

Detroit is projected to contend for the AL Central title in 2026, and Skubal’s health and performance will be a big part of those plans.

After exhibitions against the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies, Team USA will begin pool play in the WBC against Brazil on March 6. The WBC finals are scheduled for March 17.

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MLB’s full Opening Day slate, including Detroit’s season opener against the San Diego Padres, is scheduled for March 26.

The future of the Los Angeles Lakers front office apparently won’t be too different from the past, except for some additions from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Speaking with reporters Tuesday, Lon Rosen — the Lakers’ recently hired president of business operations — said the team’s plan is for general manager Rob Pelinka to continue running basketball operations, according Dan Woike of The Athletic.

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Pelinka signed an extension with the Lakers last April and also received the title of president of basketball operations.

Additionally, minority Dodgers owner and former Lakers star Magic Johnson will again be involved in the franchise’s operations, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Johnson, who previously worked as the Lakers’ president of basketball operations alongside Pelinka, will reportedly not have a title this time around, though.

Rosen, who was hired after a lengthy stint as the Dodgers’ chief marketing officer, also confirmed that Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and special adviser Farhan Zaidi will provide input for Pelinka. The moves are being made following the purchase of the Lakers by Dodgers principal owner Mark Walter.

Pelinka said earlier this month the Lakers front office will be expanded, with the Dodgers as something of a vision board via the California Post:

“When Mark bought the team, Jeanie and I did a deep dive with him on sort of the areas he wants to grow, move into and get aggressive,” Pelinka said to a handful of beat reporters ahead of Saturday’s home game against the Golden State Warriors. “And again, looking at the Dodgers and how they built it out has been a great sort of example and North Star. And so we’re still going through that process of how we’ll look in the offseason and what additions we’ll make. But there will be some positive changes and we will build things out, again, led by myself and Jeanie, and with Mark’s support.”

It’s not a surprise Walter is introducing some of his Dodgers brain trust to the Lakers after taking over. Under Friedman, the Dodgers have either won 100 games or reached the World Series in every season since 2017, with three titles to show for it. The Lakers have won a title under Pelinka too, in 2020, but they’ve only advanced past the first round once since then.

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Obviously, what works best in baseball won’t be 100% applicable to basketball, but there are probably some parts of organizational management that could translate.

All of this is coming in the run-up to what could be an eventful summer for the Lakers, with LeBron James hitting free agency and Giannis Antetokounmpo potentially being available for a trade.

The Chicago Bulls will be without new guard Anfernee Simons indefinitely.

Imaging on Simons’ left wrist revealed he had aggravated a previous fracture in the team’s loss to the Detroit Pistons on Saturday. It’s unclear how long Simons will now be sidelined.

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Simons left the Bulls’ 126-110 loss to the pistons on Saturday with what the team initially called a sprain, and he didn’t play in the second half. But imaging revealed the fracture, which Donovan said actually stemmed from an old injury he suffered when he was still with the Boston Celtics.

“The fracture hasn’t quite healed and I think him seeing a hand specialist, they felt like, you know, once the pain subsides that he’s fine to go back to play,” Donovan said, via The Associated Press. “The last time it happened to him, it was in training camp in Boston. It was like a week or 10 days.”

Simons was dealt to the Bulls in a deal ahead of the deadline earlier this month in exchange for center Nikola Vučević. He’s appeared in six games with the Bulls, and averaged 15.2 points and three assists per contest since landing in Chicago.

Simons is in his eighth season in the league. The Portland Trail Blazers first selected him with the No. 24 overall pick in 2018, and he spent his first seven seasons there before they sent him to Boston in a deal for Jrue Holiday last June.

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The Bulls entered Tuesday night’s game against the Charlotte Hornets with just a 24-34 record. They are on a nine-game win streak and have lost 12 of their last 13 games. They currently sit in 12th in the Eastern Conference standings with 23 games left in the regular season, and are on pace to miss the playoffs for a fourth straight year.

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Kevin O’Connor is joined by Jason Timpf to check in with unhappy fan bases across the NBA. They discuss whether the criticism of Karl Anthony-Towns is fair and offer solutions to the problems in New York. Then, they break down the root of Atlanta’s issues since the Trae Young trade. Plus, what’s going on in Los Angeles and can it even be fixed?

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Next, KOC shares why Collin Murray-Boyles could be the next Draymond Green and why the Celtics-Pistons matchup is the game of the week. Who should the Pistons target before the trade deadline? KOC gives his picks! Plus, is Ja Morant’s stock rising? Do the Timberwolves need to make a trade to find success this season?

Later, Justin Boone joins to discuss why the Buffalo Bills parted ways with Sean McDermott, recap the wild NFL divisional games and preview the upcoming championship weekend.

(0:15) Jason Timpf joins

(1:23) Unhappy fan bases: New York Knicks

(9:18) Unhappy fan bases: Atlanta Hawks

(15:49) Unhappy fan bases: Los Angeles Lakers

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(25:16)  Collin Murray-Boyles = Draymond Green

(29:13) Celtics vs. Pistons preview

(41:56) Is Ja Morant’s stock rising back up?

(49:19) Do Timberwolves need to make a trade?

(1:06:23) All-Star starters announced

(1:10:26) NFL 6 Points! with Justin Boone

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Nate Tice & Matt Harmon react to the latest NFL coaching hire news before determining what went wrong for playoff losers and what each team can do to get further next season. The duo start with their thoughts on the latest coaching hires, including the Miami Dolphins hiring Jeff Hafley, the Tennessee Titans getting Robert Saleh, the Detroit Lions hiring OC Drew Petzing and the Kansas City Chiefs hiring OC Eric Bieniemy.

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Next, Nate & Matt deep dive on the four Divisional Round losers, determining what direction each team needs to take to retool and get even closer to a Super Bowl next season. The duo cover the post-Sean McDermott Buffalo Bills and their need to nail the next coaching hire, the Chicago Bears and how they can fix their defense, the Houston Texans and next steps to fix C.J. Stroud and the San Francisco 49ers, who are entering a sketchier offseason than you may realize.

(5:00) – Titans hire Robert Saleh

(14:10) – Dolphins hire Jeff Hafley

(20:30) – Key OC hires: Petzing to Lions & Bieniemy to Chiefs

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(41:00) – Bills deep dive

(1:00:45) – Bears deep dive

(1:06:45) – Texans deep dive

(1:20:15) – 49ers deep dive

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The New York Mets struck big last year when they reeled in Juan Soto from the Bronx to headline an eventful winter. However, after a disappointing 2025 campaign, the Amazin’s have been on a mission to retool this offseason, and thanks to David Stearns, they’ll go into 2026 with plenty of new faces and hope for success.

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On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about the retooled lineup that the Mets have assembled, which includes signing Bo Bichette and trading for Luis Robert Jr. from the Chicago White Sox. In addition to the signings of Devin Williams and Jorge Polanco, the new-look Mets are looking forward to a redemption season in 2026.

Later, Jordan and Jake talk about Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, why the Houston Astros cheating scandal caused Beltrán to have to wait and the improbable climb for Jones to make it into the Hall. Then the guys discuss the Philadelphia Phillies bringing J.T. Realmuto back to the City of Brotherly Love, Elly De La Cruz rejecting a big contract extension from the Cincinnati Reds and take a look at the LIDOM Championship Series.

1:12 – The Opener: New-look Mets

22:09 – Luis Robert Jr. trade

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33:24 – Hall of Fame results

54:26 – Around the League: Phillies re-sign Realmuto

1:03:02 – Three-team trade

1:06:47 – Elly turns down extension

1:09:33 – LIDOM Championship Series

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Team USA revealed its ski and snowboard roster for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games on Thursday.

Leading figures include Olympic veterans Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin and Chloe Kim. Vonn, who won gold in the downhill at the 2010 Winter Olympics, returned to the sport in 2024 after retirement and a partial knee replacement. Three-time Olympian and two-time gold medalist in snowboard slopestyle Jamie Anderson was not on the 97-person list.

Shiffrin, the most decorated Alpine skier, will compete in her fourth Olympics. Kim, a three-time Olympian, aims to be the first snowboarder to win a third straight gold in halfpipe.

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“In many ways, making this team is even harder than the Olympics themselves,” snowboard program director Rick Bower explained in a statement. “The depth of our field is incredible, and selection truly came down to the wire.”

On the men’s side, the U.S. team will be led by three-time Olympian and 2018 slopestyle gold medalist Red Gerard, snowboard cross racer Nick Baumgartner, and 17-year-old Alessandro Barbieri, who’s seen as a medal contender in halfpipe.

Four-time Olympian Nick Goepper will head the freeski halfpipe squad, which also includes two-time Olympic medalist Alex Ferreira, Birk Irving and first-time Olympian Hunter Hess. Irving’s sister, Svea Irving, qualified for the women’s freeski halfpipe. Defending Olympic freeski slopestyle champ Alex Hall is also set to compete in his third Olympics.

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Olympic champion and three-time cross-country skiing medalist Jesse Diggins will participate in her fourth and final Olympics. Chris Lillis is returning for the aerials team. He took gold at the 2022 Games.

At the 2022 Beijing Games, skiers and snowboarders earned 15 of the 25 medals for Team USA. For the 2026 Winter Olympics, they’ll make up nearly half of all the athletes representing the U.S.

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When the New York Mets signed Bo Bichette and traded for Luis Robert Jr., many wondered if President of Baseball Ops David Stearns was finished making major moves this offseason. On Wednesday night though, Stearns had one more big surprise up his sleeve when he acquired someone from his past days in Milwaukee.

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On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman discuss the big trade that saw the Mets deal for Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers in exchange for a package of top prospects Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams. With Peralta now headlining the Mets’ starting rotation, does this addition make them a World Series contender again? Also, how will the new additions to the Brew Crew’s prospect pipeline help them in the immediate future?

Later, Jordan and Jake talk about the New York Yankees and Cody Bellinger reuniting after his impressive 2025 season in pinstripes on a five-year, $162.5 million contract. The move further solidifies the Yankees’ belief in their offense, essentially running it back from last season—but could Brian Cashman and company have one more front-page deal before Spring Training kicks off? The guys then close the show by making their picks for this week’s edition of The Good, The Bad & The Uggla.

2:03 – The Opener: Freddy Peralta to the Mets

29:43 – Jordan’s Prospect Hut: The Brewers’ return

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38:28 – Yankees re-sign Cody Bellinger

52:00 – Scott Boras Scoreboard update

54:37 – The Good

1:01:13 – The Bad

1:06:44 – The Uggla

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Christian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros react to a chaotic AFCON final and ask the uncomfortable question: was the spectacle a nightmare for the sport? The guys break down what went wrong, what it says about tournament organization, and why moments like this matter for global soccer’s credibility. Christian and Alexis dive into viral territory as iShowSpeed encounters his first ultra fans in Algeria — and quickly learns that not every football culture rolls out the red carpet.

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Next, Copa90 creative director Shawn Francis joins the show to talk World Cup 2026 coming to America, why he’s completely flipped his stance on MLS’s new schedule, and what the league needs to do to actually become “cool.”

The episode wraps with a look at Manchester City’s recent slump and whether Pep Guardiola has the answers to pull City out of their funk.

Timestamps:

(8:00) – Was the AFCON final an embarrassing moment for the sport?

(26:30) – IShowSpeed encounters Algerian ultras

(34:15) – Shawn Francis joins The Cooligans

(1:11:15) – Can Pep save Man City again or has he lost control?

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It is officially the offseason, unfortunately, but just because the confetti has been cleaned up does not mean the conversations about the CFP have stopped. In fact it is quite the opposite. The difference is these conversations are not about what is happening on the field. The debate continues to rage on as commissioners discuss potential expansion of the CFP. Andy Staples and Ross Dellenger discuss what happened in the meetings that were held in the week leading up to the National Championship. The Big Ten and the SEC seem to be at an impasse of how much they want the College Football Playoff to expand. With the deadline fast approaching, no decision appears in sight. Ross explains why these two commissioners hold all the power for this decision.

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Then, the guys shift from one hot button topic to the next. The transfer portal. Specifically one athlete. Darian Mensah. The Duke quarterback has officially entered the transfer portal even though he has a signed NIL contract with Duke. The Blue Devils are suing Mensah to prevent him from leaving. It is expected he will head to Miami to be their new quarterback. Andy and Ross discuss the differences between this situation and the one with Demond Williams and Washington. They share why it seems like Mensah has a good chance to win this case and how schools can prevent these situations in the future. Plus, they dive into Adidas’ potential impact in this situation and their overall aggressive handling of NIL. Also, Duke wide receiver Cooper Barkate has entered the portal as well, with Miami being a favorite to land him too.

Later, the big news in college athletics is no longer about football. It is over in the college basketball world as Charles Bediako has temporarily been granted the ability to return to Alabama basketball. There is a hearing next week that will determine whether or not he can return full-time. Bediako previously played at Alabama and entered the 2023 NBA Draft. Although he has never played in an NBA regular season game, he has played on multiple Summer League and G League teams. Andy and Ross discuss Bediako being allowed to play college basketball again and the impact this could have on college athletics.

The season is over but the news never stops with College Football Enquirer.

0:00:00 – Will the CFP expand further?

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15:40 – Why the Big Ten & SEC hold all the power

27:44 – Duke sues Darian Mensah

37:48 – Adidas’ impact in the NIL space

44:08 – Duke WR Cooper Barkate to transfer

49:23 – Charles Bediako returns to Alabama

53:43 – How Bediako could impact college sports

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Check out all the episodes of theCollege Football Enquirer and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family athttps://apple.co/3zEuTQj or atyahoosports.tv