Leicester City’s legal battle with the Premier League continues to rumble on as both parties formally lodged appeals related to this month’s decision by an independent commission to deduct the club six points.
It is understood the league believes Leicester should be punished additionally for the late submission of their annual accounts for 2023-24, to avoid setting a precedent, and said an appeal board will “urgently” hear the case to ensure it is resolved before the end of the English Football League season in May.
BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 14: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on December 14, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, it’s Thursday, February 19th. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 34-21 and finally play basketball again for the first time since last Wednesday.
A lot has happened since we last previewed a Cavs game. I totaled my car. Jaylon Tyson and Donovan Mitchell competed in All-Star weekend. And, Cleveland went a few days in a row without snowing or dipping below freezing. All in all, not too bad.
The Cavs will host the Brooklyn Nets tonight at 7 PM. Cleveland is 1-0 against the Nets this season.
Today’s Game of the Day
Detroit Pistons at New York Knicks – 7:30 PM, Prime Video
There’s a power vacuum in the East this season. And even with the best record in basketball, the Pistons are still trying to prove that they belong at the top of the conference. A showdown with the Knicks could help them earn some more goodwill.
But, as Cavs fans know, the only way to beat the ‘regular season merchant’ accusations is to prove it in the playoffs. A win tonight won’t cement the Pistons. But it could be a fun statement game regardless.
Those mean coaches and players, fresh off a high-intensity game where their very financial livelihood is dependent, are bullying the poor, misunderstood clowns from the stands just trying to post their latest TikTok and chase social cred, that’s all.
Or as we like to say in these most wonderful United States, storming the (insert your playing surface).
Here’s what I call it: a world of no rules.
Not to mention reckless, dangerous and a false sense of security.
Yet with all of that, and even after another dolt from the stands shoved a phone in the face of Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg seconds after a loss to rival Iowa, and screamed at him; even after Hoiberg tried to knock the phone from said dolt, missed and his swing connected with an Iowa staffer in the handshake line, we refuse to end this nonsense with clear and unambiguous rules.
Instead, university presidents have decided to fine each other. The ACC fined North Carolina $50,000 earlier this month when its fans stormed the court after beating rival Duke, and the Big Ten will no doubt fine Iowa for its latest breach of rules.
The same North Carolina that is currently fueling its football NIL to the tune of $20 million. That 50K might be a bridge too far, baby.
But as the NCAA (also, collection of university presidents) has shown decade after decade, having rules and enforcing them are two distinctly different things.
This isn’t a matter of want, it’s a mater of will.
Know why the NFL doesn’t have problems with field storming? Because the most successful sport in the history of the planet doesn’t put up with it.
There’s a police presence, and there are rules. There’s no gray area about what happens when you enter the field of play at an NFL stadium.
You’ll spend the next few hours in the local lockup, for starters. And just might get a shoulder pad to the solar plexus by one of 100-plus players on the field before the cops toss you in the back of a wagon.
College sports has decided to fine the universities, not the actual perpetrators. College sports has decided to fine each other, and move more fungible money between schools within the conference, instead of targeting the offenders.
I’m shocked, absolutely shocked, something much worse hasn’t happened on one of the many court and field stormings. Because the law of averages says it will, and when it does, college sports will do what it does best.
Feign disbelief, and reactively make sweeping changes at the horror of it all.
Here’s a novel idea: Try proactive steps to eliminate the problem. Not a dopey fine, or an announcement over the PA system.
This isn’t about the “tradition” of storming the field, or running on the court at a buzzer-beater. This is a few hundred students on the field with phones lifted high, recording for prosperity.
Or Instagram. Whichever comes first.
This isn’t about eliminating what makes college sports special, or the purity of college sports over homogenized professional sports. No one is taking away your precious look-at-me moment.
Just making you wait three minutes so players and officials can exit the joint. Hell, we’ll throw a countdown clock with a horn into the equation, so everyone can run on the field or floor and get stupid at the same time.
TikTok to your heart’s content, everybody.
Or we can keep doing dumb, and the next incident won’t be so simple and eventually forgettable.
The next incident might be much closer to what happened three years ago, when Alabama wideout Jermaine Burton took a swing at a coed who ran by and yelled something at him after Tennessee beat the Tide in overtime.
Some player or coach somewhere will directly connect at some point, and when the clown holding the phone hits the deck and is seriously injured, we’ll scream and yell about it for weeks, post about it on social media and demand change.
When we knew the answer all along.
There are rules, and there are consequences for those who don’t follow rules. Despite what you may have heard, that’s not a foreign concept.
Coaches ask players to compete like a pack of wild dogs on the court and field, expending every ounce of energy like you’re livelihood depended on it. Because now, in the new era of NIL, it does.
But don’t mind clowns with their phones, picking at the fresh wound during your lowest moment of the week or year.
They’re just kids, and it’s tradition.
There are no rules.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.
CHONBURI, Thailand (AP) — Nasa Hataoka shot a 7-under 65 Thursday on the Siam Country Club Old Course and was tied for the lead after the opening round at the LPGA Thailand, the first of three tournaments in Asia in consecutive weeks.
Hataoka, who was runner-up at the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open, has won five individual LPGA tournaments and two in the International Crown team event.
She was tied Thursday with Thailand's Chanettee Wannasaen. Gemma Dryburgh, who opened her round with an eagle and three birdies, was a stroke behind with a 66 and level with Somi Lee and Hye-Jin Choi.
“I think my tee shots and iron shots were pretty good today, and that’s why I was able to create so many birdie chances,” said the 27-year-old Hatoaka.
The 22-year-old Thitikul first played her home LPGA tournament in Thailand when she was 14.
“I couldn’t believe like time flies so fast," she said. “I mean, yesterday I just sitting on the coach in the hotel room and imagine I couldn’t believe how far that I have been come from 14 to now.”
Nelly Korda won for the first time in 14 months without having to hit a shot when the LPGA's season-opening Tournament of Champions was reduced to 54 holes on Feb. 1 because of wind and cold that made the Lake Nona course in Florida unsuitable for a final round.
World second-ranked Korda is not in Thailand and won't be at the next two tournament stops in Singapore and China — she's skipping the early Asia swing for the third consecutive year.
Test star Scott Boland ripped through the Western Australian top order as Victoria romped to a 348-run victory at the WACA against the cellar dwellers.
Ireland’s pack was rocked by Italy in their Six Nations meeting and England have taken note
Two snapshots will be nagging away in Irish minds before Saturday’s visit to south-west London. The first is the sobering sight of Tadhg Furlong and Dan Sheehan, both distinguished British & Irish Lions, being rocketed skywards by Italy’s power in the set scrums last Saturday. The second dates back 14 years to another Anglo-Irish contest that epitomised the “no scrum, no win” ethos that remains non-negotiable at the highest level.
The airborne Furlong footage has certainly caught the eye of England’s front-rowers and a quick dip into the archives will also remind both teams of what can happen when things up front go pear-shaped. In 2012, Ireland were left badly exposed when Mike Ross injured his neck at the first scrum and ended up conceding a penalty try, six scrum penalties and three scrums against the head as they subsided to a humbling 30-9 defeat.
BOTTOM LINE: Minnesota hosts the Dallas Mavericks after Julius Randle scored 41 points in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 133-109 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Timberwolves are 19-17 in conference matchups. Minnesota is 4-4 in one-possession games.
The Mavericks are 11-25 against Western Conference opponents. Dallas ranks sixth in the Western Conference with 44.7 rebounds per game led by P.J. Washington averaging 7.0.
The Timberwolves average 14.3 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.2 more made shots on average than the 12.1 per game the Mavericks give up. The Mavericks are shooting 47.1% from the field, 0.9% higher than the 46.2% the Timberwolves' opponents have shot this season.
The teams square off for the third time this season. The Timberwolves won the last meeting 118-105 on Jan. 29, with Randle scoring 31 points in the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: Randle is averaging 22.3 points, seven rebounds and 5.4 assists for the Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards is averaging 25.0 points over the last 10 games.
Naji Marshall is averaging 15.1 points for the Mavericks. Max Christie is averaging 14.9 points over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Timberwolves: 7-3, averaging 121.8 points, 44.7 rebounds, 26.0 assists, 10.2 steals and 6.4 blocks per game while shooting 49.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.5 points per game.
Mavericks: 1-9, averaging 112.9 points, 44.6 rebounds, 23.3 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 45.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 121.0 points.
INJURIES: Timberwolves: Terrence Shannon Jr.: out (foot).
Mavericks: Dereck Lively II: out for season (foot), Kyrie Irving: out for season (knee), Cooper Flagg: out (foot), Caleb Martin: day to day (ankle), Daniel Gafford: day to day (ankle), Naji Marshall: day to day (foot).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
BOTTOM LINE: Memphis will try to break its four-game slide when the Grizzlies play Utah.
The Grizzlies have gone 16-21 against Western Conference opponents. Memphis is sixth in the league with 28.7 assists per game. Cam Spencer leads the Grizzlies averaging 5.6.
The Jazz are 10-25 in Western Conference play. Utah allows 125.9 points to opponents and has been outscored by 7.6 points per game.
The Grizzlies average 13.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.0 fewer makes per game than the Jazz allow (15.5). The Jazz average 118.3 points per game, 0.8 more than the 117.5 the Grizzlies allow.
The teams square off for the third time this season. The Grizzlies won the last matchup 137-128 on Dec. 24, with Santi Aldama scoring 37 points in the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: Aldama is shooting 47.9% and averaging 14.0 points for the Grizzlies. GG Jackson is averaging 13.1 points over the last 10 games.
Keyonte George is averaging 23.8 points and 6.5 assists for the Jazz. Brice Sensabaugh is averaging 2.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Grizzlies: 2-8, averaging 114.1 points, 39.8 rebounds, 27.0 assists, 10.6 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 46.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 121.1 points per game.
Jazz: 3-7, averaging 114.8 points, 45.5 rebounds, 29.0 assists, 10.1 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 47.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.3 points.
INJURIES: Grizzlies: Ja Morant: out (elbow), Walter Clayton Jr.: day to day (calf), Zach Edey: out (ankle), Cedric Coward: day to day (knee), Santi Aldama: day to day (knee), Brandon Clarke: out (calf).
Jazz: Keyonte George: day to day (ankle), Oscar Tshiebwe: day to day (concussion), Walker Kessler: out for season (shoulder), Jaren Jackson Jr.: out for season (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
BOTTOM LINE: The Milwaukee Bucks take on the New Orleans Pelicans in non-conference play.
The Pelicans have gone 9-20 in home games. New Orleans is 6-18 in games decided by 10 or more points.
The Bucks are 11-18 on the road. Milwaukee is sixth in the Eastern Conference with 32.5 defensive rebounds per game led by Giannis Antetokounmpo averaging 7.2.
The Pelicans are shooting 46.2% from the field this season, 0.2 percentage points lower than the 46.4% the Bucks allow to opponents. The Bucks are shooting 48.1% from the field, 0.3% higher than the 47.8% the Pelicans' opponents have shot this season.
The teams play for the second time this season. The Bucks won the last matchup 141-137 in overtime on Feb. 5, with Ryan Rollins scoring 27 points in the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Trey Murphy III is averaging 22.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals for the Pelicans. Saddiq Bey is averaging 21.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists over the last 10 games.
Rollins is averaging 16.9 points, 5.5 assists and 1.5 steals for the Bucks. AJ Green is averaging 2.9 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pelicans: 5-5, averaging 114.2 points, 44.5 rebounds, 26.5 assists, 8.4 steals and 5.6 blocks per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.1 points per game.
Bucks: 5-5, averaging 110.2 points, 44.7 rebounds, 25.4 assists, 5.8 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 47.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.7 points.
INJURIES: Pelicans: Yves Missi: day to day (calf), Trey Murphy III: day to day (shoulder), Micah Peavy: day to day (toe), Dejounte Murray: out (achilles).
Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo: day to day (calf), Myles Turner: day to day (calf), Taurean Prince: out (neck), Ryan Rollins: day to day (foot).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Graham Ike had 22 points and No. 11 Gonzaga cruised to an 80-59 victory over San Francisco on Wednesday night.
Ike, the leading scorer in the West Coast Conference, has scored 20 or more in eight consecutive games. That matches the school record shared by Adam Morrison and Derek Raivio, both in 2006.
Mario Saint-Supery added 14 points and six assists for Gonzaga (26-2, 14-1), which holds a one-game lead in the league standings over Saint Mary's and Santa Clara. Emmanuel Innocenti had 12 points and eight rebounds, while Jalen Warely scored 11.
The Bulldogs beat the Dons for the 35th straight time, dating to 2012.
Tyrone Riley IV had 16 points for San Francisco (15-14, 7-9) in the final regular-season matchup between the programs before Gonzaga moves to the revamped Pac-12 next season.
Ike, the reigning WCC player of the week, sputtered with his shot most of the night and had to score nine points over the final five minutes to keep his streak going.
The game was played at Chase Center, home of the NBA's Golden State Warriors.
Both teams got off to a slow start.
San Francisco missed 11 of its first 15 shots and committed seven turnovers in the opening 10 minutes but still led 17-14 because of its rebounding and defense.
The Bulldogs went scoreless for five minutes late in the first half before Davis Fogle got them back on track. The freshman guard scored five points, including an emphatic dunk that led to a three-point play, as part of a big run that helped Gonzaga to a 41-29 lead at halftime.
Despite multiple additions early in Spring Training, the San Diego Padres took a step back in 2026 projections according to both FanGraphs and PECOTA (Baseball Prospectus). In January, the numbers projected significant steps back for multiple players on the team but the lack of adding any higher tier talent seems to have negatively affected how the analytics view the Padres for the upcoming season.
At this point, FanGraphs projects a 79-83 record and fourth place finish in the NL West for the Friars. PECOTA is only slightly better at 80-82. While noting the loss of Dylan Cease, Luis Arraez, Yu Darvish and Robert Suarez, the poor projections for the remaining team from last year drags down any possible upside their additions could give the rankings.
Last season’s lack of power continues
The only player projected to have a better season than last year is Jackson Merrill. Every other position player is worse or about the same in assessing their performance. While projecting Luis Campusano, Nick Castellanos, Sung-Mun Song and Bryce Johnson as the bench players, none of them have an fWAR above 0.8.
Miguel Andujar is the platoon partner for Gavin Sheets or the DH and his fWAR is 0.6. No Padre position player has an fWAR above 5.4 (Fernando Tatis Jr.) while many are between 0.5 and 1.5. Tatis Jr. is projected to lead the team with 30 homers.
Pitching woes
The starting pitchers fair no better. Michael King will only get 161 innings with a 3.68 ERA. Nick Pivetta takes a big step back with a 3.92 ERA and Joe Musgrove gets a 3.89 ERA projection. There is no belief in Randy Vasquez at 4.79 and Germán Márquez is the projected fifth starter with a 5.03 ERA.
The bullpen also gets very little love with lefty Adrian Morejon, who is widely considered a top reliever and was recently listed by MLB Network as a top 10 reliever in baseball, given an fWAR of 1.1 and a 3.40 ERA. Only Mason Miller gets any respect with a 2.44 ERA and fWAR of 2.3.
Playoff miss
The Los Angeles Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians, Athletics and Cincinnati Reds are all listed as having better odds of making the playoffs than the Padres. With the Dodgers listed at 94% to win the division and 99% to make the playoffs, the Padres come in at 1.2% to win the division and 22.1% to make the playoffs.
The San Francisco Giants come in at 37.4% to make the playoffs and the Arizona Diamondbacks are at 32% to make the playoffs. The Padres got the benefit of the doubt for much of the offseason with multiple projections listing them as the second or third best team in the NL West. That is no longer the case.
The only way to get national respect for this team in 2026 was if A.J. Preller agreed with the media around the league and traded away Tatis Jr. in order to acquire a power bat and top-tier starter. Trading the organization’s best player doesn’t seem like a good way to improve a team that finished with 90 wins last season. Preller made it clear early on that was not an option and he recently stated that shedding salary was not a priority.
Adding in the margins
While Preller has backloaded the team with starters returning from injury to compete for the fifth spot in the rotation, Randy Vasquez is facing a pivotal season in his career. Vasquez is out of options and must make the staff or be off-loaded at the end of spring. Reports from pitching coach Ruben Niebla and manager Craig Stammen has reflected that Vasquez has made the effort to take that step forward and has held onto the advances made at the end of last season.
The bats added, Castellanos and Andujar as 1B/DH options and Ty France as more of a defensive option, don’t deliver the power that fans had hoped. This puts the burden on the current roster to step up their game.
Heart and character matter
None of this goes into the projections seen on FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus. They use algorithms and underlying metrics as well as aging statistics to determine their estimates. As fans who watch this team and know the players character and motivation, we can argue the numbers listed in these projections are devoid of the determination that we know these players exhibit.
Will the heart and character of the players play a role in helping the Padres outperform these numbers?
Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado can’t avoid the inevitability of aging. But not every player ages the same way and there are plenty of examples of good performances well into some athletes 30s. It is true that neither of them will play their pivotal positions for much longer, but the math used for these numbers doesn’t take into account the uniqueness of each player.
Proving them wrong
If just a few of the players play to the same level they did last season; if Tatis Jr. finds more power and Merrill stays healthy and takes another step forward; if Machado and Bogaerts stay relatively healthy and don’t regress as much as expected; then the offense should be fine. No matter if Andujar and Castellano aren’t big power hitters, both are improvements over Jason Heyward and Yuli Gurriel.
The Padres won’t have as many singles with Luis Arraez gone but Tatis Jr. will have better lineup protection with Merrill (or Bogaerts?) hitting behind him. The bottom of the lineup has little power as it presently stands unless Castellanos breaks out, Gavin Sheets plays above last year or another bat is added. But all of these issues were much worse last year and somehow this team finished three games behind the Dodgers.
Preller may not be done, there is lots of time left for more moves and still plenty of decent players looking for jobs. The trade market will still be busy for another few weeks and I don’t know that we have ever seen Preller go a whole offseason without a trade.
With just a little luck, maybe the Padres can surprise some people. A snake-in-the-grass isn’t always a bad thing.
KOLKATA, India (AP) — West Indies completed the T20 World Cup group stage undefeated after dismissing Italy for 123 and winning by 42 runs on Thursday.
Italy finished its maiden World Cup appearance with plaudits after stunning Nepal and losing to England narrowly, Scotland and the West Indies.
Both teams struggled on what appeared to be a good batting pitch at Eden Gardens.
West Indies captain Shai Hope starred with 75 off 46 balls, his second straight World Cup half-century, and the next best score was Ben Manenti's 26 for Italy.
West Indies defended a sub-par 165. Italy lost three wickets in the powerplay thanks to medium-pacer Matthew Forde, and pacer Shamar Joseph limited Italy in the middle and death overs with 4-30. Joseph also took four catches.
Hope kept the West Indies from floundering, opening the batting and hitting four sixes and six boundaries until he was bowled by Crishan Kalugamage in the 16th over.
In the Super Eights, the West Indies will face 2024 champion India, 2024 runner-up South Africa, and Zimbabwe, which knocked out Australia.
"We'll have to find ways to be more forceful when the crunch time comes,” Hope said. “We have batting depth but we need to be smart. Need to be clinical with strokeplay. Need to capitalize on deliveries. (We're) in good shape going into the Super Eights.”
Italy captain Harry Manenti said he was proud of their ability to stay in the fight, notably against full members England and the West Indies.
“We haven't played the perfect game despite showing promise in moments,” Manenti said. “It's important for all associate nations to be funded and well looked after, which is tough. If we keep getting support from the ICC, if we get more cricket, we'll get more competitive. Lack of games have hurt us (but) the more we play the higher are the chances to close out games like this.”
Later Thursday
Sri Lanka chose to bat first against Zimbabwe in the day's second match in Colombo.
Afghanistan, which made the semifinals in 2024 and lost a thrilling double super over against South Africa this week, will meet Canada in its last Group D match.
May 14, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Colin Rea (48) holds a PitchCom during the first inning of their game against the Kansas City Royals at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman-Imagn Images
It’s Wednesday night here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad you decided to stop by tonight. It’s always good to see a friendly face. There’s no cover charge. If you have anything to check, let us know. The hostess will seat you know. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last night I asked you to pick your favorite bobblehead among the Cubs promotional giveaways in 2026. It came as no surprise to me that the Ryne Sandberg bobblehead was your favorite with 34 percent of the vote. It’s probably not a surprise either that the Ron Santo version finished second with 20 percent.
Sorry there’s a guy in a Brewers uniform up there. But it’s Colin Rea, so you know it’s one of the good guys.
Here’s the part where we talk movies and listen to music and tonight we’re finishing up our BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic. So you don’t want to miss that. But if you do, you can skip ahead to the baseball stuff now.
There’s a new Bill Evans biopic out that I’m sure will land at some small arthouse theater near you before going to streaming where I’m sure 95 percent of us will see it. So in honor of that, I thought I’d play you some Bill Evans. This is arguably Evans’ signature tune “Waltz for Debby.”
So that sets up our final match for the title between Terminator 2 and 2001: A Space Odyssey. But before we get to that, let’s take a look back at the entire tournament.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Starring Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood.
And here’s a trailer for the restored re-release of Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
I feel like I should say something about this matchup, but I’ve tried very hard not to put my finger on the scale when I present the polls. In any case, doing so might very well backfire on me, since I’ve made it clear that even though I don’t think it’s a bad film, I didn’t think that Back to the Future had any business being in this tournament and you folks ended up putting it in the final eight. Some of you are going to vote against me just to torment the teacher.
But I will say that T2 is a terrific action/adventure film with heart and humor. It’s not anywhere near my favorite, but there was never any question that it was going to be in the tournament. (Well, never any question after I decided to include it rather than the first The Terminator film, now known as T1.) It’s special effects are top-notch and hold up nicely 35 years later. In fact, the film may be more timely today than it was in 1991 with the menace of artificial intelligence.
2001: A Space Odyssey, on the other hand, was the film that I immediately decided was the number-one seed when we agreed to do a science fiction tournament. This is a film that redefined what a film could be. Even though it’s nearly sixty years old now and had no access to computer graphics, it still looks fantastic today. I get some of the criticism that it’s too artsy and esoteric. But one sign of a great film is when you leave with more questions than you walked in with. When the answer to one question just raises two more. There’s a reason that in the most recent BFI Sight and Sound critics poll of the greatest films of all-time, 2001 finished sixth.
But you get your say now. Which film should win the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic?
Welcome back to everyone who skips the non-baseball stuff.
The Giants did some big outside-the-box thinking this past winter when they hired Tony Vitello to be their new manager. It was shocking because Vitello had been the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. He had no experience as a professional coach. Heck, he had no experience as a professional player. While it is quite common in football or basketball to hire out of the college ranks, no team in the history of the sport has ever hired a college coach to manage with no previous professional experience.
To be clear, Vitello was a very successful college coach. He took an ordinary mid-table SEC program and turned it into a powerhouse in his seven years as the Volunteers head coach. He won the school’s first College World Series title in 2024. So he knows the game.
But there are real cultural differences between the college and professional ranks in baseball. There were some worried Giants fans this week when, in the first week of Spring Training, Vitello criticized the media for reporting that he had been offered the Giants job before he had a chance to talk with his players at Tennessee. Or, according to him, even make up his mind to take it. Publicly picking a fight with the media is rarely a good call in MLB. Our brothers and sisters at McCovey Chronicles called it “an unforced error.” I’d add that if you can’t go a week without fighting with the relatively-tame Bay Area sports media (at least compared to the national writers and those in New York, Boston, Philly and even Chicago), you may not be ready for the Show.
But Vitello can learn from that and move on. And besides, it’s not even what I’m asking about tonight. Many of the cultural differences between the professional and college game come on the field. We all know about metal bats. But tonight’s topic is pitching or, more specifically, who decides what pitch is thrown? We all know how this works in the majors. The pitcher, catcher and coaching staff come up with a plan before the game, but once the game starts, the catcher puts down a finger (or he used to, more on that in a minute) and the pitcher either shakes him off or throws what the catcher asked for.
But in the college game, the catcher looks over at either the head coach, the pitching coach or someone else designated to relay the signal. The catcher then gets that signal from the coaching staff and signals it to the pitcher. The pitcher then throws that pitch. There isn’t much, if any, “shaking the catcher off.” At least not if the pitcher wants to remain a pitcher for long. You throw what the coaches tell you to throw.
Vitello has been asked about that change in the way pitching works and he said he’s “open” to the idea that MLB pitches should be called from the dugout. (The Athletic sub. req.) To be clear, Vitello hasn’t said he’s going to do it. For one, he’s got one of the best defensive catchers in the game with Patrick Bailey and there may not be any need to take pitch calling duties away from him. He seems to be doing a good enough job on his own. But he’s leaving open the possibility that he may do it sometime in the future, maybe when someone other than Bailey is behind the plate.
The argument for having coaches call the pitches is clear. For one, the coaches have all the charts right in front of them and don’t have to remember them in the heat of an at-bat. (Or check a chart on their wrist.) Also, catchers have a heck of a lot on their plate as it is. Even if you take pitch-calling duties away, they still have to set a target, block pitches, field the position and keep an eye on the pitcher to see if they’re losing their edge. On top of that, this year MLB is adding in that catchers have to be able to decide when to challenge a pitch that’s been called a ball. With a limited number of misses per team, that’s an important task.
(Yes, pitchers are also allowed to challenge a pitch with the ABS system, but I’m guessing that, like in the minors, most teams will forbid their pitchers from challenging a call. The biggest reason is that pitchers have traditionally been bad at it. One reason is that most pitchers think every borderline pitch they throw is a strike.)
The biggest reason against letting coaches call pitches is that it simply isn’t done in the pros. It’s tradition. Of course, there may be an argument that some catchers have a much better feel for their pitchers than the coaches have and can call a better game bases on how that pitcher’s stuff is working that day. I have no doubt that may be true for some catchers, but is it true for every catcher? There’s no way.
To be clear, the linked-to article above notes that the Giants aren’t the only team considering this. The Rockies plan to call some pitches from the dugout this year and if you’re the Rockies, I don’t see how trying something different could hurt. And for the final week of last season, the Marlins called all of their pitches from the dugout and that’s an experiment that they intend to continue this year, although I don’t think they’re planning to do it in every game.
Right now, the biggest barrier to having coaches call pitches is the pitch clock. Relaying signs doesn’t take much time, but it does take some time. And every second counts when you’re trying to avoid getting an automatic ball called. But as I noted above, catchers don’t stick their fingers down anymore, except in rare situations. The PitchCom system is now universally accepted. There’s no reason that coaches couldn’t signal the pitches from the dugout with PitchCom.
Except that there is a reason. It’s against the rules. As it stands now, only on-field personnel are allowed to use the PitchCom. So it’s OK for the shortstop to know what pitch is coming, but the manager is kept in the dark.
But should it be? Should managers be allowed to use the PitchCom system to call pitches? If one of the points of PitchCom is to speed up the game, then having the manager or pitching coach call the pitches from the dugout would probably help. They could get that call in much faster than the catcher, who may have to re-adjust his cup after a foul ball. (OK, they get time out for that. But you get my point)
So should the coaching staff be allowed to call pitches with PitchCom from the dugout? To be clear, no one is saying that a manager has to call pitches from the dugout with the PitchCom system. Only that they be given the opportunity should they choose to. Maybe some managers would call the pitches when a rookie catcher is out there but not when their two-time All-Star is behind the plate. Maybe some coaches would call all the pitches. And maybe some would call none. But putting a PitchCom in the dugout makes it easier and would likely make it smoother for teams that want to.
Thank you for stopping by tonight and all week. It’s good to get together again as baseball gets underway again. Please get home safely. The season starts soon and we want you around for it. Recycle and cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again next week for more BCB After Dark.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 17: Hurston Waldrep #64 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well barring a last minute blockbuster trade, it really seems like the Opening Day rotation will look like Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez, Grant Holmes, and the winner of the competition between Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz, and perhaps some other options, if they can all make it there healthy. You will note that Sale has had an extensive injury history, Strider is still looking to fully recover from his UCL internal brace surgery, Lopez missed most of last season, and Holmes rehabbed a partial UCL tear this offseason. Projecting productivity and health for those four to last until at least mid-season until we could perhaps see returns from young arms like Schwellenbach, Waldrep, and AJ Smith-Shawver is a risky proposition, though perhaps some farmhands can also play a role, such as top prospects Didier Fuentes, JR Ritchie, Owen Murphy, and others. It is really not good to be this deep into your starting pitching depth in mid-February.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 05: Jabari Smith Jr. #10 of the Houston Rockets drives to the basket against Kon Knueppel #7 of the Charlotte Hornets in the first half at Toyota Center on February 05, 2026 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Since the last time these teams met, the Houston Rockets actually won a couple of games and looked like a real basketball team before the All-Star break came and, well…you know. The Charlotte Hornets finally lost a game while getting into a big fight with the Detroit Pistons. Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate are suspended for tonight’s contest due to the dustup.
Still, these teams were heading in opposite directions when the break happened. For the eternally optimistic, that should be a boon for the Rockets and trouble for the Hornets. What I remember from the first matchup between these teams was the clear difference in confidence and energy. Charlotte was playing like a team that was excited to be in the building and the Rockets looked like they just got off a 9-to-5 shift at the quarry and couldn’t wait to go home and take their shoes off.
With a win tonight, the Hornets could be the first (and maybe only?) team to sweep the Rockets this season. I expect Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball, and Kon Kneuppel to each drop 20 tonight.
