The TD was Lacy's third carry of the game.
USC quarterback Husan Longstreet announces he’s entering transfer portal
USC backup quarterback Husan Longstreet, a five-star prospect out of high school, announces he is leaving the school in the wake of Jayden Maiava's return.
Kewan Lacy injury update: Ole Miss RB hurts hamstring in Fiesta Bowl, returns
Kewan Lacy appeared to hurt his right hamstring on a long touchdown run vs. Miami in the CFP Fiesta Bowl semifinal. Latest injury updates here:
Ole Miss S Nick Cull’s targeting call reversed vs Miami in Peach Bowl
Ole Miss safety had his targeting penalty on Malachi Toney overturned against Miami in the CFP Fiesta Bowl semifinal on Jan. 8.
Anthony Banda, Alex Call, Brock Stewart agree to terms with Dodgers, avoiding arbitration
The Dodgers won’t be heading to an arbitration hearing after all.
Outfielder Alex Call (one-year, $1.6 million) and relief pitchers Anthony Banda (one-year, $1.625 million) and Brock Stewart (one-year, $1.3 million) each avoided arbitration, coming to an agreement with the Dodgers before Thursday’s MLB arbitration deadline, people familiar with the situation but unauthorized to speak publicly confirmed to The Times.
Call, the 31-year-old contact-first hitter that joined the team from the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline, hit .267 with five home runs and 31 RBIs during the 2025 season across 110 games, recording a career-high 1.5 wins-above-replacement.
After arriving in Los Angeles, Call played a reserve role behind Andy Pages and Kiké Hernández, appearing in 38 regular-season games as a Dodger. The former third-round pick is set for an increased role in 2026, with utilityman Tommy Edman recovering from ankle surgery.
Read more:Dodgers and Brusdar Graterol reportedly agree to terms, avoid arbitration
Banda, 32, is coming off his second season with the Dodgers — continuing to appear in a middle-relief role with relative success. The southpaw appeared in a career-high 75 games in 2025, recording a 3.18 earned-run average, 61 strikeouts and 34 walks. The two-time MLB champion also had a career-low .197 batting average against last season.
The 34-year-old Stewart, who began his career with the Dodgers before turning into a middle reliever for the Minnesota Twins from 2023-25, was expected to play a role post-trade deadline, but made just four appearances with the Dodgers before undergoing surgery on his right shoulder in September.
Stewart is expected to miss at least part of the 2026 season.
The Dodgers last went to an arbitration hearing in 2020, when the team headed into court with outfielder Joc Pederson and relief pitcher Pedro Baez. Since then, the team has mostly avoided arbitration dramatics.
Last year, after not being able to come to terms with relief pitcher Alex Vesia by the deadline, the southpaw and the team came to an agreement a few weeks later, avoiding a hearing altogether.
That contract included a 2026 club option for Vesia, which the Dodgers picked up.
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
FA Cup third round: 10 things to look out for this weekend
Macclesfield and Weston-super-Mare carry the non-league hopes while fringe players need to seize their chances
Silly goals conceded, chances missed, a lead surrendered and points squandered against relegation fodder. On the face of things, Manchester United have changed manager but nothing else. The reality is different. They started slowly at Burnley, settling into a 4-2-3-1 formation that suits them – and pretty much every other team – far better than Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 before, midway through the first half, they started to play. The deployment of Bruno Fernandes close to the opposition goal, along with a wide player, Patrick Dorgu, playing on his natural side, meant Benjamin Sesko was, for the first time, provided with decent service. Then, following Jaidon Anthony’s equaliser, Darren Fletcher’s side risked defeat by going all out for the win – one nearly achieved through the timely introduction of Shea Lacey, a richly talented 18-year-old. Brighton will present far stiffer opposition but, for the first time in a long time, United are doing what United are meant to do. Daniel Harris
Manchester United v Brighton, Sunday 4.30pm (all GMT)
Macclesfield v Crystal Palace, Saturday 12.15pm
Grimsby v Weston-super-Mare, Saturday 5.45pm
Manchester City v Exeter, Saturday 3pm
Continue reading...Yankees avoid arbitration with David Bednar, Camilo Doval for 2026 MLB season
The Yankees have avoided arbitration with relievers David Bednar and Camilo Doval.
According to multiple reports, the Yankees' new closer will earn $9 million this upcoming season, with Doval taking home $6.1 million.
There are five other arbitration-eligible players who reportedly settled their cases Thursday: infielders Jazz Chisholm Jr. ($10.2 million), Anthony Volpe ($3.4 million), and Jose Caballero ($2 million), starter Luis Gil ($2.1 million), and relievers Fernando Cruz ($1.4 million), and Jake Bird (TBD).
Chisholm, who's been mentioned in base-level trade rumors this offseason, is slated to become a free agent after the 2026 campaign.
Volpe, Gil, Cruz, and Bird still have three years of team control, while Caballero is the lone player with two-plus years of MLB service logged.
The Yankees avoided arbitration with two players back in November, signing right-hander Clarke Schmidt and utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera to one-year contracts worth $4.5 million and $1.2 million, respectively.
Arsenal 0-0 Liverpool: Premier League – as it happened
Arsenal moved six points clear after a goalless game of two halves against the reigning champions
“Arsenal have been annoyingly composed and consistent over the winter holidays and into the new year,” writes Peter Oh, “but I’m an optimist and haven’t given up hope of an imminent ‘Oh Arsenal!’ extended dip in form.
“Preferably starting today.”
Commentating on the Brugge v Arsenal game, Martin Keown reckoned that Arsenal were benefitting from having three quarters of the Spanish midfield with Merino and Zubimendi, which immediately impressed on me the importance of ruthless precision and accidental comedy for those hoping to make it at the business end of the #punditry game.
Niche, but somehow I thought you’d appreciate it. If you’re explaining, etc.
Continue reading...Isiah Thomas jumps into GOAT debate, says Jordan gets players' backing because he 'gave you some shoes'
LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan.
The easiest way to start a heated debate among NBA fans is to ask who is the Greatest of All Time, the GOAT, LeBron or MJ. This debate usually breaks down along generational lines, but that changed on today's episode of Run It Back on FanDuel TV, where guest Isiah Thomas called out co-hosts Michelle Beadle, DeMarcus Cousins, and Chandler Parsons.
Isiah Thomas doesn't understand why Michael Jordan is still in GOAT convos with LeBron
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 8, 2026
"Y'all treat LeBron like he ain't noting...when y'all talk about the greatest, y'all talk about the guy that gave you some shoes."@MichelleDBeadle | @boogiecousins | @ChandlerParsonspic.twitter.com/tcaFT0lGJc
"I know we talk about Jordan, but he leads in no statistical basketball category. But yet there's an argument about him being the best. But then you look at Kareem and you look at LeBron, those guys lead in several statistical categories. But yet we say somebody else is better and I'm just giving you the evidence...
"This is what I don't understand about your era. You guys are playing with arguably the greatest player to ever play, and excuse me when I say this, but y'all treat him like he's nothing," Thomas said. "Instead of pumping your era up, y'all go back and say our era was the greatest. You know, 'Michael Jordan was the greatest, nobody could ever be greater than Michael Jordan,' right? Ok, and then you turn around, and in your era, LeBron James is sitting there holding every single basketball record. I mean, every single one of them. And, you're looking at a Kevin Durant and you're looking at a Steph Curry, but then when y'all talk about the greatest, y'all talk about the guy that gave you some shoes."
The shoe thing is a great dig because it has enough truth to sting. Also, shout out to Thomas for mentioning Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who is constantly cut out of a debate he deserves to be in the middle of.
It should be noted that Thomas has a history with Jordan. Thomas and the Bad Boy Pistons invented the "Jordan Rules" and had many physical and emotional battles with Jordan's Bulls in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Those Pistons were the better team in the late 1980s, keeping Jordan and the Bulls out of the Finals and forcing them to improve to reach their peak (one GOAT argument for Jordan, that he never lost in the Finals, falls apart because of the Pistons — Jordan wasn't good enough to get his team to the Finals until the Pistons faded a little, saving him some of the Finals losses LeBron had lifting lesser teams to the biggest stage).
Report: Sabres In The Running To Host Decentralized 2026 Draft
The Buffalo Sabres has served as host of the annual NHL Draft Combine for over a decade and has hosted three NHL Drafts in the last 35 years. According to a report from Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, the club is putting in a bid to host the draft again.
The Sabres last hosted the NHL Draft in 2016, when the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Auston Matthews with the first overall selection, and hosted the annual event twice in the 90’s; at the Marine Midland Arena (KeyBank Center) in 1998, and at the Memorial Auditorium in 1991, when Hall-of-Famer Eric Lindros was selected by the Quebec Nordiques and refused to put on their jersey.
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The decentralized 2025 Draft last June in Los Angeles was widely considered a fiasco by fans, media, and reportedly by some in the NHL hierarchy, but National Hockey League GM’s pushed back on the criticism and doubled-down on the format that has team representatives staying at their home cities– similar to the structure of the NBA and NFL – instead of the 32 clubs sending their management to the host city to serve as a yearly convention.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported last month that a host city, which is normally announced right after the previous draft, had yet to be decided, but that three or four cities were in the mix, including Montreal, which hosted every draft from 1963 to 1984, and five times from 1986 to 2022.
Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo
Flyers fall to Leafs in OT, lose Konecny to upper-body injury
Flyers fall to Leafs in OT, lose Konecny to upper-body injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Flyers lost Travis Konecny for the third period Thursday night and then lost their lead as they fell to the Maple Leafs, 2-1, in overtime at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Old friend Scott Laughton was fired up after he tied the game for Toronto at 1-1 in the final stanza with a shorthanded goal.
The Flyers came up empty on back-to-back power play opportunities, a golden chance to cushion their advantage and pretty much put the Maple Leafs away.
“That’s the biggest thing right now, is just execution,” Travis Sanheim said. “I think we’ll start to get better if we can continue to get working on it.”
Easton Cowan won the game for Toronto in OT after Matvei Michkov hit the post at the other end.
“Who converts wins,” Rick Tocchet said. “We had, what, three or four chances, we didn’t convert. They had the one, they score. That’s it.”
Konecny provided the Flyers’ lone goal. The Flyers dropped to 7-4-8 in games decided by one goal.
“Could have gone either way,” Owen Tippett said. “I think we’ve just got to capitalize a bit more on our chances.”
The Flyers (22-12-8) missed out on a chance to win their third straight. But Tocchet’s club has earned at least a point in 23 of its last 30 games (16-7-7).
The Flyers are 0-1-1 against the Maple Leafs (21-15-7) this season with one more matchup to go March 2 in Toronto.
• Konecny missed the final 20 minutes because of an upper-body injury.
The 28-year-old alternate captain was on the ice when the second period ended and appeared to be fine.
“Something was bugging him, I guess, early on, I think he fell or something,” Tocchet said. “I don’t know the whole details.”
The Flyers really can’t afford to lose Konecny for any period of time. He’s too important for them.
• Dan Vladar dropped to 16-6-4. The 28-year-old made 21 saves on 23 shots.
The Flyers did a good job killing off back-to-back penalties in the second period to maintain their 1-0 lead.
But no Konecny hurt in the third period and Laughton jumped on the opportunity to tie it against his former club.
Maple Leafs netminder Dennis Hildeby stopped 22 of the Flyers’ 23 shots. He denied a Trevor Zegras breakaway in overtime.
• With an assist on Konecny’s 14th goal of the season, Christian Dvorak picked up his 27th point (nine goals, 18 assists).
The 29-year-old center came in on pace for 52 points, which would have him blow past his career high of 38.
“I’ve just loved my time being here,” Dvorak said this week after signing a five-year contract extension. “It’s a great group of guys, we have a lot of fun and it has been a good fit for me. I just like where the team’s headed, we’ve been playing some good hockey this year and I think we’re headed in a good direction here. That’s really important to me.”
• The Flyers were without Bobby Brink and Jamie Drysdale after they each took a big hit in the Flyers’ 5-2 win Tuesday night over the Ducks.
There hasn’t been an update on the timeline for their upper-body injuries.
Michkov was Brink’s replacement. The 21-year-old winger was back in the lineup after missing his first game of the season because of a foot injury.
Noah Juulsen entered the lineup for Drysdale and gave the Flyers solid third-pair minutes.
“T.K. going down, we had a short bench, Brinker out, Drysy out, I think you’ve got to give guys credit,” Tocchet said. “They hung in there. I will take the positive of that, for sure.”
• Laughton played his first game in Philadelphia as a visiting player. Not only did he score the game-tying goal with 5:56 minutes to go, but he also won 19 of his 20 faceoffs.
The 31-year-old was dealt to Toronto at last season’s trade deadline after spending 12 years with the Flyers. He was heavily involved in the community here and developed into one of the Flyers’ leaders.
“I’ve got some people coming to the game from some of the charities that I worked with, got some family here in town,” Laughton said after the Maple Leafs’ morning skate. “Just some relationships that I built throughout the years here, those people are coming down. It’ll be nice to see the crowd again and be a part of it.”
• The Flyers are back in action Saturday when they host the Lightning (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
Red Sox pinching pennies while AL East foes spend big in free agency
Red Sox pinching pennies while AL East foes spend big in free agency originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
With each day that passes in the 2025-26 MLB offseason, the Boston Red Sox are losing ground in the competitive American League East.
The Red Sox are the only MLB club that hasn’t signed a big-league free agent this winter. They’ve sat back and watched as two AL East rivals — the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles — spent big on some of the best players on the open market.
Coming off its first World Series appearance since 1993, Toronto has shelled out a whopping $336 million so far in free agency. Baltimore, looking to bounce back after a last-place finish in the division, has spent $195.1 million.
The Blue Jays bolstered their starting rotation with the additions of ace right-hander Dylan Cease (seven years, $210M) and KBO League standout righty Cody Ponce (three years, $30M). They signed one of the top relievers available in Tyler Rogers (three years, $36M) and took a chance on Japanese star corner infielder Kazuma Okamoto (four years, $60M).
The O’s invested heavily in slugging first baseman Pete Alonso (five years, $155M), who had met with Boston before opting for Baltimore. They also reunited with RHP Zach Eflin (one year, $10M), after adding All-Star reliever Ryan Helsley (two years, $28M), and switch-hitting outfielder Leody Taveras (one year, $2.10M).
The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays have spent $29 million and $25.5 million on MLB free agents, respectively. New York has prioritized retaining talent after a 94-win campaign, while small-market Tampa has made its typical cost-effective moves to improve on the margins.
Although they haven’t spent a cent in free agency, the Red Sox have been active on the trade market. They started their offseason by acquiring veteran right-hander Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals and RHP Johan Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates. They swapped pitching prospects with the Washington Nationals (RHP Luis Perales for LHP Jake Bennett), then traded for first baseman Willson Contreras in another deal with St. Louis.
Credit to chief baseball officer Craig Breslow for getting creative, but it’s time to start getting aggressive in free agency. Not reinvesting the roughly $250 million saved by trading Rafael Devers in June would be inexcusable.
Alex Bregman, who replaced Devers at third base last season, remains unsigned after opting out of the final two years of his Red Sox deal. ESPN’s Buster Olney recently reported that Boston made an “aggressive offer” to re-sign the three-time All-Star, but if he signs elsewhere, it would leave a massive void at the hot corner. He is reportedly looking for a five- or six-year contract worth somewhere in the $150M-$170M range.
If Bregman returns, the Red Sox can shift their focus to other needs on the roster, such as left-handed relief pitching. Longtime Blue Jays slugger Bo Bichette is the best fallback option if Bregman leaves. The 27-year-old is projected to earn a deal worth around $200 million.
It would be a massive disappointment if Boston’s free-agency spending isn’t at least on par with Baltimore’s by the end of the offseason. There’s still plenty of time for Breslow & Co. to catch up, but it’ll be tough to take Boston seriously as long as there’s a goose egg in the spending category. It doesn’t get much more embarrassing than being in the same conversation as the lowly Colorado Rockies, who finally signed their first big-league free agent (righty Michael Lorenzen) on Tuesday.
The Red Sox will continue to be a punchline until John Henry shows a willingness to open his wallet. It’s an all-too-familiar refrain for Sox fans, who have listened to Boston brass downplay spending restrictions despite acting as a small-market club for the last half-decade.
Former Oilers Goalie Traded To Division Rival
Former Edmonton Oilers goalie Laurent Brossoit is on the move.
The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that they have traded Brossoit, Nolan Allan, and a 2028 seventh-round pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Jake Furlong, a 2028 fourth-round pick, and Ryan Ellis' contract.
Seeing Brossoit get traded is not surprising. With the Blackhawks having goaltenders Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom on their NHL roster, it was known that the Original Six club was looking to find Brossoit a new home. Now, he has gotten just that and will give the Sharks another veteran goalie.
The Sharks currently have Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic as their two NHL goaltenders. While this is the case, having a goalie with good experience like Brossoit for insurance is certainly not a bad thing for a Sharks club that is right in the playoff race.
Brossoit played in six games for the Blackhawks' AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, this season, where he had a 3-3-0 record, a .901 save percentage, and a 3.38 goals-against average. This was his first action since the 2023-24 season, as he missed all of this past season due to injury.
Brossoit played his first four NHL seasons with the Oilers from 2014-15 to 2017-18. In 28 games with the Oilers over that span, he had a 7-13-2 record, a .897 save percentage, and a 2.98 goals-against average.
What does B2A mean? Explaining Ole Miss, Miami college football celebration
What does B2A mean, and why do Miami and Ole Miss football use it? Here's what to know ahead of the CFP Fiesta Bowl semifinal.
'There's Some Instances Where I Could Be Better': How Morgan Rielly Views His Game So Far With Maple Leafs This Season
PHILADELPHIA --- Morgan Rielly has learned over the years to keep things in perspective. Following a difficult 4-3 overtime loss against the New York Islanders on Saturday, in which the Toronto Maple Leafs' longest-tenured player was a minus-4, the magnifying glass intensified on the defenseman's individual performance.
But head coach Craig Berube defended the veteran defenseman, saying he's been satisfied with the player's game as of late.
"Tonight was a tough one. I know that, but he's played some really good hockey for us this year. I'm not worried about it," Berube said. "I think he'll get back to the level he was at. I do believe that. So, you know, that's kind of where I'm at with it".
The very next game, the Leafs were able to get veteran defenseman Brandon Carlo back into the lineup. As the Maple Leafs wrapped up their morning skate ahead of their game against the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Thursday, I had the chance to ask Rielly about where he feels his game is at.
"When I reflect on it, I feel good. I feel like there's been some instances where I could be better, but I think that there's been a lot of good things, and I feel like I try not to focus too much on any one game or one instance," Rielly told The Hockey News on Thursday. "But generally speaking, I feel like I'm in a good position with my game".
The Maple Leafs Are In A Difficult Spot When It Comes To Morgan Rielly’s Most Recent PerformanceAuston Matthews' historic milestone was overshadowed by Morgan Rielly's recent defensive struggles and a mounting injury crisis, leaving the Maple Leafs in a difficult spot.What has allowed Rielly and the Maple Leafs to take a positive approach lately is the fact that they have picked up 12 out of a possible 14 points in their last seven games as they try to stay alive in the race for a playoff spot. Earlier in the season, when the Leafs weren't getting the results, Rielly was playing some of his best hockey. For example, Rielly's season-high six-game points streak, in which he accumulated eight points, came during a middling 3-3-0 stretch that saw the club suffer a pair of losses to the Boston Bruins.
Despite his personal struggles, the team's success has allowed the 31-year-old to focus on the big picture.
That's really all that matters," Rielly said. "I feel like earlier in the year I was playing really well and I felt really good about my game and we weren't getting results. Even when that's happening, all you care about is winning. You can't lose track of that when you're trying to get your game going and you're getting wins; you've got to take care of your own game and prepare. But ultimately, when the team turns the corner and starts playing well, that's all that matters".
'Just A Weird Situation': Maple Leafs' Brandon Carlo Opens Up About Injury That Forced Him To Miss Nearly Two MonthsCarlo revealed that, after blocking a shot, he got an infection in his ankle, where he's had a plate for eight years, which led to surgery.The Leafs also feel that Brandon Carlo's return from an ankle injury has provided a boost. Both players' ratings were a plus-two in their 4-1 victory against the two-time Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers earlier in the week.
"He's a stabilizer," Berube said of Carlo. "He does such a good job of breaking plays up and defending in his own zone, and you know he's going to be back there. And it gives Morgan a little bit more freedom to be able to do his thing up the ice".
The Leafs also feel as though Brandon Carlo's return from an ankle injury on Wednesday helps both players rating a plus-two in their 4-1 victory against the two-time Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers on Tuesday.
"He's a stabilizer," Berube said of Carlo. "He does such a good job of breaking plays up and defending in his own zone, and you know he's going to be back there. And it gives Morgan a little bit more freedom to be able to do his thing up the ice."