Tag: Fox Sport News

MLB owners want to make it harder for teams to engage in pitch-stealing tactics on the field. Team owners reportedly voted Thursday to enforce a rule that prevents first- and third-base coaches from leaving their coaches’ boxes on the field until after a pitcher throws a pitch, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.

MLB owners wanted to crack down on the tactic due to concern about first- and third-base coaches moving up and down the foul lines to try to get betters view of the pitcher, per ESPN. If those coaches discovered what pitch was coming, they would reportedly relay that information directly to the batter or to a runner on second base, who could signal to the hitter what pitch was coming.

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The league attempted to curb the tactic during the 2025 World Series, when it told both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays to make sure their first- and third-base coaches stayed in their designated coaches’ boxes on the field.

With the creation of PitchCom, the art of stealing catcher signs is essentially extinct around the league. Because MLB teams will try to exploit any advantage possible, teams and coaches have turned to extensive film study ahead of games, trying to find tells from the pitcher or catcher to determine what pitch is coming. Unlike the pitch-stealing scandal the Houston Astros engaged in during the 2017 MLB season, this version of pitch stealing is legal since it doesn’t rely on the in-game use of technology.

In 2017, the Astros were accused of using cameras and video monitors to steal signs from their opponents. After MLB conducted an investigation into those claims, commissioner Rob Manfred announced one-year suspensions for then-Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and then-manager A.J. Hinch. Shortly after those suspensions were announced, the Astros fired both men.

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Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora was later suspended for a year for his involvement in the scandal. Cora coached with the Astros before being hired by the Red Sox in 2018. The Red Sox fired Cora ahead of the 2020 season but brought him back for the 2021 MLB season.

Players and coaches are allowed to steal signs from pitchers or catchers during games without the use of technology, but MLB owners reportedly believed first- and third-base coaches were getting too brazen with their tactics, per ESPN.

The MLB rulebook states that first- and third-base coaches must remain in the coaches’ boxes from the time the pitcher steps on the pitching rubber to the time the ball is caught by the catcher or put in play. Coaches, however, are allowed to leave the coaches’ box for safety reasons.

Under the new rule enforcement, first- and third-base coaches will receive a warning for their first violation. After that, coaches could be ejected from games for leaving the coaches’ box too early, per ESPN.

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In a special edition of the pod, we share the best of the best from Matt Harmon’s radio row interviews with the likes of Trevor Lawrence, Trey McBride and other massive fantasy stars from the 2025 season. Harmon walks through all the interviews and shares his fantasy football takeaways from all of them.

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(2:45) – Harmon’s conversation with Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence
(11:50) – Fantasy takeaways from Lawrence interview
(17:15) – Harmon’s conversation with Cardinals TE Trey McBride
(26:25) – Fantasy takeaways from McBride interview
(32:35) – Harmon’s conversation with Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan
(39:25) – Fantasy takeaways from McMillan interview
(43:05) – Harmon’s conversation with Colts WR Michael Pittman
(51:30) – Fantasy takeaways from Pittman interview
(54:50) – Harmon’s conversation with Bears WR Rome Odunze
(1:06:55) – Fantasy takeaways from Odunze interview
(1:10:35) – Harmon’s conversation with Bears WR DJ Moore
(1:20:30) – Fantasy takeaways from Moore interview
(1:23:30) – Harmons’ conversation and takeaways with Chargers WR Ladd McConkey + Keenan Allen

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

Former lottery pick and All-Rookie team selection Jeremy Sochan has decided to sign with the New York Knicks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.

Sochan will join the Knicks once he clears waivers. He reached a buyout agreement with the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.

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Sochan had interest from 10 teams before deciding on the Knicks, who are contenders in the Eastern Conference, ESPN reported. New York has enough room to sign Sochan to veteran’s minimum contract, prorated for the remainder of the season, and stay below the second apron.

The Spurs selected Sochan with the No. 9 pick out of Baylor in the 2022 NBA Draft. He immediately secured a starting position for San Antonio and earned second-team All-Rookie honors after averaging 11 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

Sochan started 73 games for the Spurs in his second season with similar production. He was a part-time starter in his third season with 23 starts in 54 games, but fell out of the rotation this season on an improved Spurs roster with more competition for playing time.

Sochan averaged 4.1 points while playing 12.8 minutes per game in 28 of San Antonio’s 53 games prior to the news of his release. He played in 11 of San Antonio’s previous 30 games in limited action.

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Sochan was on the trade block prior to last week’s NBA trade deadline. But the Spurs didn’t find a trade partner and have opted to release Sochan while providing him an opportunity to find a larger role with another team.

After missing the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons, the Spurs are championship contenders this year with Victor Wembanyama leading the team. San Antonio enters its last game before the All-Star break Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors at 37-16, good for second place in the Western Conference, 3.5 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Going into the 2026 MLB season, the contract of Philadelphia Phillies slugger Nick Castellanos was not what you would describe as a prime asset. As expected, the team announced Thursday that Castellanos had been released.

Castellanos had one year and $20 million left on a $100 million deal that once helped to herald a new era of Phillies baseball, yet Philadelphia made clear that it had no plans for Castellanos to spend that year on its active roster. It was reported in October that the club planned to either trade or release Castellanos before the 2026 season.

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With pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training this week, the outfielder was still technically part of the Phillies organization. But according to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, there was no locker for Castellanos at the Phillies’ spring training complex in Clearwater, Florida, and the club reportedly told him not to report to the complex this week.

[More Phillies news: Philadelphia team feed]

The writing had been on the wall all offseason that Castellanos had already played his last game for the Phillies, including when the team signed new right fielder Adolis García. Castellanos earned All-Star honors as recently as 2023, but he was below replacement level in 2025, slashing 250/.294/.400 with the second-worst defense in right field by Baseball Savant’s Fielding Run Value.

At 33 years old, he’s hardly expected to be better this season, so the Phillies are moving on. A trade would’ve almost certainly seen them eating the vast majority of Castellanos’ 2026 money because this is an area where they have zero leverage, barring multiple teams viewing him as an unlikely bounce-back candidate.

Meanwhile, the Phillies seem set to roll out an outfield of García in right, Brandon Marsh in left and rookie Justin Crawford in center for 2026.

Following its run in Thursday’s luge relay competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Team Ukraine showed support for skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, with each member kneeling and raising their helmets.

Heraskevych was barred from competing in the Milan Cortina Games on Thursday after the International Olympic Committee disqualified him for wearing a helmet honoring Ukrainian athletes who had been killed during Russia’s invasion of the country.

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The IOC cited article 50.2 of the Olympic charter, stating “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”

IOC officials urged Heraskevych to wear a black armband or ribbon instead of the helmet during competition, but he declined. (Armbands and ribbons also are not allowed, but an exception was going to be made in this instance as a compromise.)

“U.S. figure skater, Canadian freeskier, Israeli skeleton athlete who is also here today, they didn’t face the same things,” Heraskevych told reporters after meeting with IOC president Kirsty Coventry. “So suddenly, just a Ukrainian athlete in this Olympic Games will be disqualified for this helmet.”

Ukrainian freestyle skier Kateryna Kotsar was also told she could not wear a helmet bearing the message, “Be brave like Ukrainians.”

Ukraine finished sixth in the team luge relay competition. Germany won gold in the event, followed by Austria earning silver and home country Italy taking bronze.

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Prior to Thursday’s relay, the head of the German Olympic Sports Confederation encouraged Heraskevych to comply with IOC rules and wear an armband instead.

Additionally, Ukrainian luger Olena Smaha displayed a message taped to the palm of her glove that read, “Remembrance is not a violation” to support her fellow countrymen during the women’s singles luge competition on Tuesday.

Smaha finished 20th in the event and presumably could face a penalty as well.

Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks has been suspended one game by the NBA following his 16th technical foul of the season, which happened in the second quarter of Wednesday night’s loss to the Thunder. After the game, Brooks doubled down with comments on the officiating.

“Yeah. He said I’m playing victim all the time,” Brooks said. “And when I don’t play victim, I’m the bad guy. Choose one. … If you’re going to be consistently bad, then be consistently bad throughout the whole game. Don’t try to fix it during the game. Don’t trying to be doing any of that or try to even out foul calls or whatever it may be. If you’re going to be bad, be bad the whole game.”

Brooks has built a reputation and thrives on playing the villain, dating back to his time with the Memphis Grizzlies. His 16th technical comes with an automatic one-game suspension plus a $5,000 fine based on league rules regarding technical fouls.

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Despite the excessive number of technical fouls Brooks has drawn thus far, statistically, he’s having the best year of his NBA career, especially in the scoring category. Brooks is averaging a career-best 21.2 points in 49 games. The Suns finished last season 10 games under .500 (36-46). More than halfway through this year, Phoenix is nine games over .500 (32-23) and currently one game back of the Los Angeles Lakers for the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

Much of the team’s turnaround can be attributed to the season Brooks is having. Brooks takes on the role of the player who gets in his opponents’ heads on whatever team he’s played for and does it well. This has almost become routine for Brooks — it wasn’t his first suspension, and likely won’t be his last.

The Milwaukee Bucks announced Thursday that Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t play in this year’s NBA All-Star Game due to the right calf strain that he suffered Jan. 23 and is still recovering from. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has picked San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox to replace Antetokounmpo in the midseason exhibition, the league then revealed.

While Antetokounmpo, a 10-time All-Star, was originally selected to play for Team World, Fox, now a two-time All-Star, will join one of the two United States teams for the three-team, USA vs. World round-robin tournament.

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Fox will be part of USA Stripes’ roster. A spot was freed up there once the NBA moved Miami Heat wing Norman Powell — who has ties to Jamaica — to Team World. Taking the place of Antetokounmpo, Powell will play alongside a bunch of the game’s top international stars.

As for Antetokounmpo, the two-time NBA MVP has been dealing with calf issues throughout a drama-filled 2025-26 campaign, which has seen the Bucks fall down the Eastern Conference standings and the “Greek Freak” stay put in Milwaukee despite more trade rumors.

Although Milwaukee has made the playoffs nine seasons in a row, it’s in danger of missing out on the postseason this time around. The Bucks are just 22-30 and are 12th in the East.

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Antetokounmpo first sustained a right calf strain on Dec. 3. That injury cost him eight games. But his latest setback came with a four-to-six week projected recovery.

When he’s been on the court, though, he’s delivered his usual entertainment. The 31-year-old is averaging 28 points, 10 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game while shooting a career-high 64.5% from the field, including a personal-best 39.5% from 3.

Despite his adversity-worn season, Antetokounmpo was one of the top vote-getters for this year’s All-Star Game. He’ll still help coach the All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday.

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His replacement on Sunday, Fox, will share the stage with Spurs teammate Victor Wembanyama, albeit on a different team.

Fox’s USA Stripes squad, though, is notably led by Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson.

The No. 5 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Fox has averaged 19.4 points, 6.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game during his ninth season in the league, and his second in San Antonio.

Golf legend Gary Player has quite the history at Augusta National. Over his lengthy career, Player won the Masters three times — the first of which proved to be a historic win. He’s spent plenty of time teeing off at Augusta, playing in the Masters a record 52 times.

But when Player wanted to get in one more round on the course, he was denied. Player, 90, said Augusta National denied his request to play fourball with his grandsons on the Masters’ course. Player said he accepted the decision, but was sad about it, per Golf Monthly.

“All the golf courses that have hosted the Open, the US Open and the PGA would oblige, but they won’t do it at Augusta.

“It is just this current management there, but these are the times we live in and I accept it, but I accept it with sadness.”

Player said he was hoping to tell his grandsons more about his playing days on the course. Player turned in a handful of excellent performances at Augusta National. He first won the Masters in 1961, becoming the first international player to win the event. Player was born in South Africa. He then won the Masters again in 1974 and 1978. In addition to those wins, he has 12 other top-10 finishes at the event. In 1998, Player became the oldest golfer to make the cut at the Masters. He was 62 at the time.

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Player’s success in golf wasn’t just limited to the Masters. He won the PGA Championship twice, the U.S. Open once and The Open Championship three times. Those accomplishments made him — along with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus — “The Big Three” of golf. In 2011, Augusta invited Player to join Palmer and Nicklaus as honorary starters at the Masters. Player has continued to serve in that role and was an honorary starter at the 2025 Masters.

Augusta National, however, has strict rules on who can play at the course outside of the Masters. In order to play a round at Augusta, you need to be a member at the club. Player is not a member, and it’s fairly rare for tour golfers to join Augusta.

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Palmer was a member and Nicklaus is a member, however, so there’s precedent for legendary players to get an invite to join the club. That’s the only way to become a member at Augusta. You need to be invited or recommended by a current member.

Unless that happens, Player seems unlikely to have his request granted. While it was assumed Player would serve as an honorary starter at the 2026 Masters in April, that could be up in the air depending on whether there’s any animosity between Player and Augusta following the decision.

The rosters are finalized, and the uniforms are out for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, which will feature a new format with three teams in a round-robin tournament: Two teams will consist of players from the United States and a third will be comprised of players from the rest of the world.

The midseason exhibition will be played in Inglewood, California, at the Los Angeles Clippers’ Intuit Dome on Sunday.

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The NBA first moved New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns to Team World last week, opening a 16th and final spot in the Team USA pool for this year’s All-Star Game.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver filled that vacancy with Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, now a seven-time All-Star who is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career and previously headlined a list of snubs for the event.

Since, Silver has also picked Houston Rockets center Alperen Şengün to replace Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram to replace Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox to replace Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Gilgeous-Alexander, Curry and Antetokounmpo are all dealing with injuries.

Additionally, after Antetokounmpo was ruled out Thursday, the NBA moved Miami Heat wing Norman Powell — who has ties to Jamaica — to Team World.

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Here’s the roster breakdown:

USA Stars

Head coach: J.B. Bickerstaff (Detroit Pistons)

• Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors

• Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns

• Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

• Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons

• Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

• Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder

• Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks

• Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers

USA Stripes

Head coach: Mitch Johnson (San Antonio Spurs)

• Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

• Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks

• Brandon Ingram, Toronto Raptors

• Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets

• LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

• Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers

• Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers

• De’Aaron Fox, San Antonio Spurs

• Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors*

World

Head coach: Darko Rajaković (Toronto Raptors)

• Deni Avdija, Portland Trail Blazers

• Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers

• Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

• Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets

• Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers

• Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets

• Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks

• Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

• Norman Powell, Miami Heat

• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks*

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder*

“*” denotes unable to play because of injury

How this year’s All-Stars were selected

Fans were responsible for 50% of the vote that picked each conference’s five starters. NBA players (25%) and a media panel (25%) accounted for the other slices of the vote.

NBA head coaches selected 14 reserves, namely James, who’s on an All-Star team for the 22nd consecutive season.

There were no positional requirements for this year’s All-Star lineups. That’s a first for the exhibition, which will soon be played in its 75th iteration.

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Why are there 9 participating players on Team World?

Towns, who is Dominican through his late mother, was the first player shifted over to Team World. As a result, there were only 15 players in the Team USA pool. A minimum of 16 was required, hence the addition of Leonard.

When the format was rolled out, it was announced that Silver would have the ability to select additional All-Stars so that each group hit its number.

So that’s how Team World ended up with nine players initially, whereas USA Stars and USA Stripes both started with eight players. The additions of Şengün and Powell gave Team World 11 players, but only nine of them will be participating. Likewise, while USA Stripes will technically have nine All-Stars, only eight of them will play, including Ingram and Fox.

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How this year’s All-Star Game will be played

In terms of the game itself, there will still technically be four 12-minute quarters — although each will be its own game. Each of the three teams will play twice during round-robin action. The fourth “quarter” will pit the two teams with the best records to decide a champion.

Point differential will be the post-round-robin tiebreaker if all three teams have 1-1 records.

A look at this year’s All-Star Game uniforms, court

The Clippers are hosting this year’s All-Star Game, so it’s fitting the hardwood honors their colorway, as well as the architectural design of the Intuit Dome, which opened ahead of the 2024-25 season and will be used during the 2028 L.A. Olympics.

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The All-Star Game jerseys sport an L.A.-inspired script, and there are seven stars orbiting the wordmarks, representing the seven previous All-Star games the city has hosted.

The men’s ice hockey competition at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games has begun, and Team USA will play their first game in the group stage on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 3:10 p.m. ET, airing live on Peacock and USA. The U.S. will play Latvia, and while the majority of Team USA consists of professional players in the NHL, keep an eye out for a few familiar players on Team Latvia, too, including Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins, and forwards Zemgus Girgensons of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Teddy Blueger of the Vancouver Canucks.

Read on for a complete schedule of every U.S. men’s hockey game at this year’s games, a rundown of who is playing for Team USA, and how to watch all the action. And if you want to learn even more about every event at this year’s Winter Games, here’s a guide to everything you need to know about the Milan Cortina Games.

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How to watch Team USA vs. Latvia ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics

Date: Thursday, Feb. 12

Time: 3:10 p.m. ET, re-air at 11 p.m. ET

Location: Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena

TV channel: USA

Streaming: Peacock, DirecTV, and more

Where can I stream ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics?

Parks and Recreation and The Office, every Bravo show and much more.

For $17/month, you can upgrade to an ad-free Premium Plus subscription, which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.

Where to watch ice hockey on TV:

The Team USA men ice hockey game against Latvia airs on USA at 3:10 p.m. ET, which you can stream on DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV and more. A re-air will also be broadcast on USA at 11 p.m. ET.

How to watch Olympic ice hockey free without cable:

Who is on the Team USA men’s hockey team?

These are the athletes on Team USA’s men’s team, including their hometowns and professional teams:

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• Jake Sanderson (Whitefish, Mont./Ottawa Senators)

• Brock Faber (Maple Grove, Minn./Minnesota Wild)

• Matt Boldy (Millis, Mass./Minnesota Wild)

• Kyle Connor (Shelby Township, Mich./Winnipeg Jets)

• Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass./Vegas Golden Knights)

• Jake Guentzel (Woodbury, Minn./Tampa Bay Lightning)

• Noah Hanifin (Northwood, Mass./Vegas Golden Knights)

• Connor Hellebuyck (Commerce, Mich./Winnipeg Jets)

• Jack Hughes (Canton, Mich./New Jersey Devils)

• Quinn Hughes (Canton, Mich./Minnesota Wild)

• Clayton Keller (St. Louis/Utah Mammoth)

• Jackson LaCombe (Eden Prairie, Minn./Anaheim Ducks)

• Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich./Detroit Red Wings)

• Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Ariz./Toronto Maple Leafs)

• Charlie McAvoy (Long Beach, N.Y./Boston Bruins)

• J.T. Miller (East Palestine, Ohio/New York Rangers)

• Brock Nelson (Warroad, Minn./Colorado Avalanche)

• Jake Oettinger (Lakeville, Minn./Dallas Stars)

• Jaccob Slavin (Erie, Colo./Carolina Hurricanes)

• Jeremy Swayman (Anchorage, Alaska/Boston Bruins)

• Tage Thompson (Orange, Conn./Buffalo Sabres)

• Brady Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo./Ottawa Senators)

• Matthew Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo./Florida Panthers)

• Vincent Trocheck (Pittsburgh, Pa./New York Rangers)

• Zach Werenski (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./Columbus Blue Jackets).

2026 Team USA Olympic men’s ice hockey Schedule:

Thursday, February 12

• Group C: Team USA vs. Latvia: 3 p.m. (Peacock, USA), re-air at 11 p.m (USA)

Saturday, February 14

• Group C: Denmark vs. Team USA: 3:10 p.m. (USA, Peacock), re-air at 11 p.m. (USA)

Sunday, February 15

• Group C: Germany vs. Team USA: 3:10 p.m. (USA, Peacock), re-air at 11 p.m. (USA)

Tuesday, February 17

• Teams TBD – Qualification Playoff Round

Wednesday, February 18

• Teams TBD – Men’s Quarterfinals

Friday, February 20

• Teams TBD – Men’s Semifinals

Saturday, February 21

• Teams TBD – Bronze Medal Game

Sunday, February 22

• Teams TBD – Gold Medal Game

February 22, 2026