League One club took pity and let him watch their game
A Barcelona fan’s navigation mishap turned into an unexpected adventure when he arrived at the wrong St James’ Park on Tuesday for a Champions League clash, ending up 366 miles from where his team were playing.
The Spanish fan, who had travelled from London expecting to watch Barcelona take on Newcastle in the first leg of the last-16 tie, instead found himself at the turnstiles of third-tier Exeter’s St James Park.
Charlotte Caslick epitomises the term code agnostic. The 31-year-old has clocked up 328 appearances for Australia in rugby sevens, winning Olympic gold, Commonwealth gold and a Sevens World Cup along the way; she’s played rugby union for her state and country; and rugby league in the world’s biggest women’s club competition in any code, the NRLW. So, why is she – and so many other players from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific – good enough to switch between codes – and why do they want to?
“It probably comes down to the way we grow up,” says Caslick. “We play so many different sports all year round, changing between them. Boys will play school rugby on Saturday then club rugby league on Sunday for as long as they can. More girls are starting to do that as well. Throw in touch or oztag, and we have so many opportunities. It challenges athletes to find where they are best suited. Until you get exposed to different formats, you don’t know which one is for you.”
First-leg scorer senses self-belief to reach last eight
‘In the Champions League we have hit our top form’
Harvey Barnes believes Newcastle are primed for historic success against Barcelona after showing they are more than capable of living with them in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
Barnes’s 86th-minute goal for 1-0 at St James’ Park on Tuesday was cancelled out by Lamine Yamal’s penalty with the last kick of stoppage time. But Newcastle will travel to the Camp Nou for next Wednesday’s return with confidence, Barnes’s assertion that they were the better team brooking little argument and reflecting the mood inside their dressing room.
Free of charge for the discerning reader.Happy birthday, Rich Hill* and other stories.
Today in baseball history:
1901 – The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Baltimore OriolesmanagerJohn McGraw has signed a Cherokee Indian named “Tokohama” to play second base. In reality, Tokohama isn’t a Native American; he is an African-American whose actual name is Charlie Grant, who McGraw is trying to pass off as an Indian, but the ruse does not work. Baseball’s color line will prevent Grant from ever playing a game for the Orioles.
1957 – New York Representative Emanuel Celler, whose committee investigated baseball, calls Ford Frick a “czar” who wishes to “gag” officials; Frick had cautioned Major League Baseball owners about commenting on the recent Supreme Court decision on professional American football coming under antitrust rules.
1974 – CommissionerBowie Kuhn orders the Atlanta Braves to play Hank Aaron in at least two of the team’s season-opening three games in Cincinnati. The Braves had planned to bench Aaron on the road in order to increase his chances of hitting his record-breaking 715thhome run at home.
2018 – One of the few remaining first-rung free agents left unsigned, P Jake Arrieta, inks a three-year deal with the Phillies worth $75 million. Alex Cobb is now the last pitcher still looking for a team.
2021 – Major League Baseball announces that it will be testing out some potential rules changes when the minor league season gets under way. In Triple-A, the games will be played with bases 18 inches in length, instead of the usual 15, and made of a material that performs better in wet conditions, both in order to limit injuries; in Double-A, there will be limits on defensive shifts, forcing all infielders to be placed within the infield dirt boundary when play starts; in High-A, pitchers will be required to step off the mound to attempt a pick-off throw; in Low-A, they will be limited to two such throws per plate appearance, and there will also be either a 15-second pitch clock or a robot umpire to call balls and strikes, depending on the league. The objective is for some of these rule change to make their way to the major leagues if they prove successful, which will happen within two years (except for the robot umpire).
1669 – Mt Etna in Sicily erupts in its largest recorded eruption, killing 15,000.
1779 – US Army Corps of Engineers established (first time).
1824 – US War Department creates the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
1918 – US Army mess cook Private Albert Gitchell of Fort Riley, Kansas becomes the first documented case of Spanish flu; start of worldwide pandemic killing 50-100 million.
1941 – Bronko Nagurski beats Ray Steele in Minn, to become wrestling champ.
1958 – American B-47 accidentally drops unarmed nuclear bomb 15,000 ft on a family home in Mars Bluff, South Carolina; creates crater 75 ft across.
2020 – COVID-19 declared a pandemic by the head of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, with 121,564 cases worldwide and 4,373 deaths.
Mar 4, 2026; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes (86) and Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) look for the puck during the second period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
“The Devils rank dead last in goals scored above expectation and Timo Meier might be the poster boy for their struggles. He is scoring at a pace of 23.6 goals per 82 games. That’s not a bad total but certainly not $8.8 million worthy – and the worst of any full season in his NHL career.” [Infernal Access ($)]
On Simon Nemec: “Whether another team swoops in and tries to steal the Slovak defenseman remains to be seen. However, a source tells New Jersey Hockey Now that the Nemec camp may start negotiations with Luke Hughes‘ number on his new contract. That’s noteworthy given Nemec switched agents recently and is now represented by Craig Oster of Newport Sports Management.” [New Jersey Hockey Now]
Our guy Jack:
Some insight from #NJDevils Keefe on how Jack Hughes has evolved since the Olympics:
"There’s been a significant increase in Jack speaking up both on the bench and in the locker room (…) to me he’s come back and really taken charge of a lot of different areas for our team." pic.twitter.com/ZHpt884hnG
“The 2026 NHL trade deadline didn’t produce the type of fireworks hockey fans wanted to see — and maybe even some NHL front offices. It might, though, be a precursor to an offseason that delivers some rather explosive moves.” [The Athletic ($)]
“The Colorado Avalanche were not happy after superstar Nathan MacKinnon was ejected from Tuesday’s loss to the Edmonton Oilers. MacKinnon received a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct after colliding with Edmonton Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram.” [Sportsnet]
“The Florida Panthers aren’t expecting to see Brad Marchand play again anytime soon, and with the team’s playoff hopes dwindling it’s possible that the two-time Stanley Cup winner and Olympic silver medalist’s season could be over.” [Associated Press]
Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 7: Manager Mark Deosa of the United States stands for the national anthem before a World Baseball Classic Pool B game between Great Britain and the United States at Daikin Park on March 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning Birdland,
The baseball world is looking at Team USA manager Mark DeRosa with a raised eyebrow right now. His club lost to Italy on Tuesday night, 8-6, in their final game of pool play. Italy now leads Pool B with a 3-0 record, USA is second at 3-1, and Mexico is in third at 2-1. Italy and Mexico will play each other tonight at 7 p.m. ET with a berth in the knockout rounds on the line. Team USA needs some help if they are going to advance.
The top two teams advance from each pool. If Italy beats Mexico, then Italy would advance as the winners of the pool, and USA would advance as the runner up, regardless of the score. If Mexico wins, it all comes down to the tiebreaker, which is a calculation of number of runs allowed divided by number of outs recorded. You can read the exact tiebreaker rules on the WBC website. But in short, USA is going to be rooting for an Italy win outright OR a relatively high-scoring game in which Mexico plates at least five runs.
Appearing on MLB Network, DeRosa said “It’s weird. We want to win this game even though our ticket’s punched to the quarterfinals.”
Obviously, that was not true. What’s worse, it doesn’t sound like DeRosa was alone in his interpretation because he went on to say that “there’s some guys dragging today” due to the team’s prolonged celebration after beating Mexico on Monday. Clearly, the entire team thought that beating Mexico clinched them a spot in the next round, and they did not take Italy seriously.
It makes the entire team look incompetent, and it’s a stain on the World Baseball Classic as a whole. It will be made even worse if Mexico pulls off an entirely possible win over Italy while scoring four or fewer runs.
On the Orioles front, they lost 7-6 to the Astros. but Coby Mayo had himself a day! The third baseman went 4-for-4 with a home run and five RBI. He is going to be the team’s Opening Day third baseman, and it is well deserved. The pitching side of things was not as enjoyable, but none of the pitchers used are expected to part of the big league picture to begin 2026, so let’s not fret.
The O’s will host the Pirates today. First pitch is at 1 p.m. ET.
Orioles 1st base coach Jason Bourgeois on his experience: ‘I can relate’ | Baltimore Baseball We have a whole new coaching staff to get to know this year, well almost. Some of the old guard remained in place as Albernaz stepped in, but many others are fresh. That includes Bourgeois, who is hoping to connect with players that are standing right where he did a decade or so earlier.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
Frank Mata turns 42 today. He pitched in 15 games for the 2010 Orioles, his only big league experience.
Rich Hill is 46 years old. The journeyman southpaw played for 14 different teams during his career. That included 14 games with the O’s way back in 2009.
Steve Reed is 61 today. A longtime reliever in MLB, Reed wrapped up his 14-season career in 2005 as a member of the Orioles bullpen.
Phil Bradley turns 67. He spent parts of two seasons with the Orioles from 1989-90, accumulating 3.6 bWAR and a 116 OPS+ in that time. The Orioles dealt him to the White Sox at the 1990 trade deadline in exchange for Ron Kittle
This day in O’s history
1991 – Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, attempting to make a comeback as a non-roster player in Orioles camp, gives up five hits and two runs over two innings against the Red Sox. The very next day he retires for the second time (he had originally retired in 1984), citing a hamstring injury.
Oct 9, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jesus Luzardo (44) reacts after the tenth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game four of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
At this point in two weeks, the Grapefruit League of 2026 will be but a memory. We usually wish these games are over as soon as possible, looking forward to the regular season commencing as quickly as possible, but the lingering question is hovering over baseball. Will these be the last spring training games we see for a while?
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 22: Bryan Reynolds #10 celebrates with Oneil Cruz #15 of the Pittsburgh Pirates after scoring during the fifth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on August 22, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Pirates fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The Pittsburgh Pirates made some moves this offseason to address their offense. And at least so far this Spring, things are looking up in the hitting department. The Bucs sit at 12-5 in Spring Training play, and their 98 runs scored lead the Grapefruit League. What we want to know, is who do you think will the Pirates best hitter this season? Will it be one of their newcomers? Or will it be a veteran?
We thought about adding Konnor Griffin, but according to Ben Cherington, it doesn’t sound like they’re going to run him out there to start the season. So without a clear timeline on when to expect him, we left him off the list.
Cast your vote, tell us in the comments, and we’ll be back soon with the results.
JUPITER, FLORIDA - MARCH 09: Matthew Liberatore #32 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning of a spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium on March 09, 2026 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last week I used creative accounting measures on the projections systems to come up with a scorching hot take taken from the end of days (of the hot stove season): the Cardinals could win over 80 games. I have predicted 85! Several players will outdo their best projections.
As winter is winding down and spring arises, the Cardinals have already illustrated several stories worth of baseball experiences. Two of the Cardinals best spring training hitters have already been sent out of camp, Josh Baez with 3 home runs (4 leads spring training currently) and Chase Davis with 2. Ok it’s a stretch to say Chase Davis is one of our best hitters, but a 113 wRC+ while being second in home runs on the team with Gorman is at least somewhat encouraging. I’m not saying that Chase has turned the corner into being a good player, just not to give up on the guy yet. Baez in particular, has looked superb, leaving spring training with a wRC+ just under 200. He did so well that many fans are mad that he isn’t in our starting outfield. Do you know who is hitting at a Baez level during spring training?
Yohel Pozo! Also barely under 200 wRC+, lol. Go Pozo! So with Baez gone, who is the Cardinals second best hitter for the rest of this spring training? It is exciting to say that JJ Wetherholt currently has a 184 wRC+! Hopefully his spring training success translates into regular season success. Similar to JJ, Nolan Gorman has 2 home runs… the similarity ends there because Gorman is batting below .200. Sigh. His OBP is definitely better, but not really passable. Are there any other bright spots on offense in Spring Training for the Cardinals? Nelson Velasquez and Alec Burleson are both over 150 wRC+! Prettayyy, prettayyyy, prettaaaayyyyy good.
The good stories don’t end there on the topic of spring training offense: Nathan Church is hitting at 137 wRC+. Does he somehow steal Victor Scott II’s starting center field job? Or is he playing himself into a starting corner position with Nootbaar still recovering? That outfield defense would be nearly impenetrable, or at least 2/3 of it.
After that it don’t look so good, with Gorman a below average hitter, Walker even worse, while Fermin and Scott II have been terrible. Blaze Jordan takes the crown of worst Spring Training position player though! Small sample size and whatnot. Who has the most plate appearances so far? Fermin and Jordan. But the Cardinals have given Gorman, Walker, Wetherholt, and Velasquez plenty of looks at the plate as well.
How about Church vs Victor Scott II? VSii only has two more plate appearances, so it could definitely be a competition for starting center fielder. Or maybe they will share a lot of time playing center.
Looking around MLB during spring training, Paul Goldschmidt has a fun batting line of 7 RBI and 2 HR in 14 AB. Konor Griffin has an .894 OPS and Matt McLain of Cincinnati is utterly destroying baseball. Ely de la Cruz is also hitting well this spring, which is good news so far for Reds fans, because those two will need to carry the team with Hunter Greene out. Or whoever ends up hitting better than McLain, heh.
Who are the St Louis Cardinal standouts pitching wise during spring training over halfway through? Matthew Liberatore, similar to his 2025 spring training, seems like a definitive ace. He has 14 K and a rather zen-like WHIP of 1.0. Quinn Mathews was a spring training success story, being close to the MLB lead in strikeouts at 12 (Liberatore is 2nd in MLB) while holding batters to a .185 BA. Perhaps Matthews could be a factor in the rotation this very season. Or maybe they’ll work him into the bullpen somehow as longman or 6th starter.
There are so many possibilities right now, it is rather uncanny. You know who else has been awesome: Kyle Leahy. He’s thrown 9 K and held batters to a .167 batting average! 3.67 xFIP. Pallante is also doing well, outside of his FIP numbers. And McGreevy? He’s doing just fine! 3.24 ERA and safe FIP numbers, while walking very few.
Success out of the bullpen? Yep. Stanek, O’Brien, Soriano, Naughton, Roycroft, Cijntje, Rajcic, Blewett, Svanson, Gastelum, all with a light’s out spring. May and Mautz both have looked really good as well, so far. Fitts throwing really hard, also encouraging.
Game Reviews with Statcast
March 10th: Jared Shuster and Austin Love got hit the hardest today, 2 Cardinal prospects I have never heard of. Yohel Pozo hit a ball the hardest on the Cardinals. Who is this guy? Blaze Jordan and… Victor Scott II? also hit scorchers on this date! 104.2 mph for Victor. Every once in a while he really gets into one. It was a double. Other Cardinals pitchers who got hit hard today? Matt Pushard and Packy Naughton. Who was dialing it up into the upper 90s for Cardinals pitchers? Riley O’Brien and Scott Blewett. Nelson Velazquez hit a home run for the Cardinals.
March 9th: Velasquez hit a 111.9 mph single on this date. Richard Fitts got hit hard by the Astros. Jordan Walker scorched a 109.8 mph single. Fitts was throwing 96.3 to 98.7 mph fastballs. In fact, Fitts threw 17 of the top 20 fastest pitches in this game. Max Rajcic had the highest spin rate for the Cards with his curve, while throwing a 95 mph 4 seam fastball.
March 8th: Pedro Pages hit a double really hard! 110.3 exit velocity! Another catcher of ours, Yohel Pozo, hit a 105.5 mph single. Ryne Stanek was throwing in the upper 90s, 98 to 99.5 mph 4 seam fastballs. Pallante peaked at a 95.9 mph sinker. The Marlins had several pitchers with high spin rates. This game was a low scoring tie with the Marlins.
March 7th: Mautz got hit hard a few times in this game but was able to mostly avoid damage. Riley O’Brien throwing in the upper 90s with a sinker. The spin rate on Kyle Leahy’s sweeper the best of the Cardinals pitchers. I’m so far really glad they stuck with the Kyle Leahy as a starter plan because both horizontal and vertical break on his sweeper has been very good and overall his mix of pitches seems to be working out.
Thanks for reading!
and now for the music…
1981
In 1981, the big time box office movies that I loved as a kid were Raiders of the Lost Ark, On Golden Pond, Superman II, and just cracking the top 10, Time Bandits. Saw all of those in the theater. Outside of the higher grossing movies, Excalibur was another good one. Werewolf movies were definitely “in” back in 1981, and American Werewolf in London and The Howling were my cool older sister’s favorites. Evil Dead was also released but I saw it years later, another classic!
In baseball, a minor league game went almost 8 and a half hours, the longest professional baseball game in history! It was the Rochester Redwings vs the Pawtucket Red Sox in Rhode Island. At the MLB level, there was a player’s strike from June 12 to July 31! This resulted in one of the only split seasons in baseball history. The champs in each division of the first half made it to the playoffs, as did all the champs in the second half of the season. Somehow, the Cardinals missed the playoffs despite having the best winning percentage at the end of the season. They finished in 2nd place during both halves. Especially aggravating was that during the 2nd half of 1981, the Cardinals finished 1/2 a game out of first place. And they were only 1 1/2 out during the first half of the season. The Phillies ended up winning the first half of 1981, and the Expos won the 2nd half.
The Dodgers ended up defeating the Yankees that year, so it was sort of anticlimactic. The bigger news was that Bob Gibson was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility! Fernando Valenzuela won both the Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award! Rollie Fingers one-upped him by winning the MVP and the Cy Young Award in the AL. Mike Schmidt was the NL MVP.
The Tribune bought the Cubs from the Wrigley family.
The first sampler made, the E-mu Emulator was released mid-1981, changing the music world with sampling capabilities. Stevie Wonder was given serial No. 1. High speed rail between Paris and Lyon, France, began.
Top Album Picks for 1981
We will all have our top albums for any given year, but I am hoping to uncover some undiscovered early 80’s gems. Some will be more well-known, but I found some obscure heavy metal releases to round out the end of the playlist.
#1 This Heat – ‘Deceit’ Even better than their first album, This Heat perfects their sound then pretty much disbands not long after. Super influential underground classic, inspiring experimental approaches to rock music, new alt punk sounds. Quoting this reviewer because he said it better than I can say myself, “James Joyce once said that “History is a nightmare from which we are trying to awaken” and this album is a graphic evocation of that nightmare.“”
#2 King Crimson – ‘Discipline’ King Crimson reinvent themselves and prog rock in the process by bringing in Adrien Belew to be frontman, another guitar virtuoso to complement Robert Fripp’s complex guitar lines, plus Frippertronics pushing the envelope of music performance push this instant prog rock classic over the top.
#3 Rush – ‘Moving Pictures’ it was tough to decide between KC and Rush here, especially with the epic huge guitar and bass on this album, the musicianship every bit as good but with more synthesizers. Neil Peart’s drumming is at its most musical and subtle here as he drives this music ship into alternate dimensions and parallel futures.
#4 Eskaton – ‘4 Visions’ how do you top the epic bass playing on Discipline and Moving Pictures? Listen to this! A totally surreal, beautiful dream of an album. Speaking of parallel dimensions, I think this is from one. Beautiful vocals soar above it all, singing their own language. More Zeuhl mastery, for fans of Magma.
#5 Dün – ‘Eros’ this is one of my big unheard of finds this week! For fans of Magma and Eskaton or mad prog rock. Fantastic sounding album!
#6 Brian Eno and David Byrne – ‘My Life in the Bush of Ghosts’ my favorite thing that either Brian Eno or David Byrne did! A masterclass in sampling to the point where you don’t even realize what’s happening, you’re just floating in a sea of sounds as well as music genres and it just keeps changing. I have been very into this album since reading ‘Ocean of Sound’ by David Toop.
#7 Glenn Branca – ‘The Ascension’ is this huge sounding, incredibly recorded album of beautifully epic guitar sounds and occasionally drums. 20th century classical music in guitar form. For fans of drone, ambient, experimental punk, avant garde, art rock.
#8 Gang of Four – ‘Solid Gold’ super catchy way ahead of its time punk you just have to hear it. Genius heady party music.
#9 Fred Frith – ‘Speechless’ another big find, if you love guitarists on the more creative side of things, this is for you! The variety of cool songs here is highly impressive.
#10 Takeo Moriyama – ‘Smile’ I feel a little guilty placing this absolutely stunning jazz masterpiece this low, but it was a reallllyyyyyy good year for music.
#11 Eider Stellaire – ‘Eider Stellaire’ another top tier Zeuhl album, 1981 was the year of Zeuhl masterpieces!
#12 Frank Zappa – ‘You Are What You Is’ acerbic comedy music with tons of relatable content to today’s world, but written 45 years ago! Including hits like “Drafted Again”! “Dumb All Over” is my favorite song though. Zappa shows off both his advanced prog side and his unforgiving observational “comedy” which for me at times is a bit cringe but overall, this album is an important chapter in rock music.
#13 Chick Corea – ‘The Three Quartets’ Chick Corea: piano; Eddie Gómez: bass; Steve Gadd: drums; Michael Brecker: saxophone. Perhaps my favorite Chick Corea album.
#14 Hawkwind – ‘Sonic Attack’ one of my favorite Hawkwind albums and now we are getting into the truly epicly cheesy album covers too! This is where it gets fun.
#15 Prince – ‘Controversy’ Prince really hits his stride here and his production job on this 1981 album is so good! Perhaps his most underrated album.
#17 Holocaust – ‘The Nightcomers’ if you’re a fan of early Metallica, you have to hear this!
#18 Riot – ‘Fire Down Under’ omfg that album cover! The music rules too, super tight Australian metal.
#19 Venom – ‘Welcome To Hell’ how this album sounds was super influential to early metal in its most extreme forms. Another one for fans of early Metallica, but even more for fans of early Slayer! Included because it was freakin’ 1981.
#20 Gaskin – ‘End of the World’ that album cover is ridiculous. But the music is ridiculously awesome and the bassist is mixed super loud for a metal album. Unique stuff.
The Montreal Canadiens were back in action at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night, hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs for one last time this season. Jakub Dobes got the start following his outstanding outing against the Los Angeles Kings, and the talk of the town in the run-up to the game was whether he should be playing both games of this important back-to-back.
Meanwhile, the Leafs showed up riding a seven-game losing streak, with a captain who hadn’t found the back of the net in 11 games. For a player like Auston Matthews, who has won multiple Rocket Richard trophies and just captained Team USA to the gold medal in Milano-Cortina, that’s worrying. Before the game, he had just 26 goals in 58 games.
If we’ve seen the Canadiens be dominated in the first frame at times this season, what we saw from the Leafs on Tuesday night was even worse. Toronto looked like it was simply going through the motions; they had no spring in their step and no emotion whatsoever, looking as active as a piece of agonizing roadkill on a highway.
At the end of the first frame, shots were 18-5 Montreal, and the score was 2-0. It almost felt like Toronto wanted Dobes to be fresh and ready to go for Tuesday’s game in Ottawa.
That was until Brendan Gallagher hit Easton Cowan while the youngster didn’t have the puck. Veteran blueliner Jake McCabe took exception and immediately came for Gallagher. The alternate captain had no intention of fighting, nor should he with the number of injuries he’s had on his hands, but McCabe wouldn’t let it go, so he dropped the mitts.
Toronto came out much stronger in the second period, with two power plays, which helped them gain some momentum. They managed to cut the lead in half through William Nylander, after two cross-zone passes, Dobes had no chance.
Dobes’ Confidence
Meanwhile, Dobes looked as confident as can be in the net, stopping 10 of the 11 shots he faced in the second frame. He made quite a few glove saves, adding some mustard, a bit like Patrick Roy used to in the good old days. I’m not comparing him to Roy but just saying that his demeanour in net and his attitude remind me of Roy’s. It’s a stark contrast with what Montembeault looks like when he’s in the net, and that plays on the team’s confidence as well.
The Czech netminder only surrendered a goal on 18 shots, finishing his night with a .944 save percentage. Since he wasn’t particularly busy, it will be interesting to see if Martin St-Louis will give him the nod for Wednesday’s game or if he’ll stick to his alternating policy on back-to-backs.
The Alex Newhook, Oliver Kapanen, and Ivan Demidov line hadn’t been impressive in its first two games back together, but tonight, they were much better. Kapanen, who scored the first goal, had seven attempts on net tonight, three of his shots made it to the goalie, and he looked like he was just everywhere.
As for Demidov, he only had one shot on net, but his combativity along the boards was the key factor in the Canadiens’ first goal. He was knocked down in a battle but managed to shake it off, jump back up, and make the play that led to Kapanen’s goal. That was his 20th goal of the season, meaning he'll be getting a $250,000 bonus.
Cole Caufield started the game on the top line, as he always does, but then, in the second period, he had his last shift at 14:23 and was stapled to the bench until the Canadiens had a power play in the third.
There was much speculation about why he wasn’t playing since nobody had seen an injury, and no one could remember a bad play that could have warranted benching him. Then, he was back on the ice for the two power plays. After the game, Martin St-Louis confirmed the winger wasn’t feeling well; that he was a bit sick, but he does believe he’ll be available for Wednesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators.
In the end, given how the Leafs looked for much of the game tonight, this game should have been easier for the Canadiens, but if you have a glass-half-full approach, the Habs managed to win a tight hockey game and protect a lead, even at five-on-six, a rare feat. The coach praised his team’s decision-making in the neutral zone tonight; they didn’t take any unnecessary risks. The coach summed it up by saying his charges took what the Leafs gave them.
Montreal kept its effort level high right up to the end. Mike Matheson made a very good play, diving to clear the puck and send it to Jake Evans, who outskated Easton Cowan to score the third goal and put the final nail in the Leafs’ coffin.
Oct 2, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan (38) hits a double in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers during game three of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Over the last month of the men’s college basketball regular season, there’ve seemingly been safe spots in the NCAA tournament at-large pool available for the taking. Most teams, however, haven’t taken them.
As a result, more than a handful of teams enter tournament week with work to do to push their way to the right side of the proverbial bubble. For some such squads, the quest might already be over – better luck next year, Stanford.
Here are five games to watch involving other bubble dwellers hoping to avoid the same fate on the Wednesday schedule. All four power conferences are represented on this list, but we’ll start with a couple more matchups in the afore-mentioned ACC.
North Carolina State vs. Pittsburgh
Time/TV: noon ET, ESPN2.
The Wolfpack have been a wildly inconsistent bunch, having won just once in their last seven outings. That victory was a blowout over rival North Carolina, but some of the losses have been downright unsightly. They’re probably still safe given the chaos on the rest of the bubble over the last few weeks, but a setback here to the Panthers, who are outside the top 100 in the NCAA’s NET ranking, would be more damaging than a result against Stanford would have been.
SMU vs. Louisville
Time/TV: 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN.
The Mustangs were able to avoid a resume-killer against Syracuse in the first round of the ACC tournament, and now they have an opportunity to boost their cause. The Cardinals are in much safer territory, thanks to a solid road win at Miami to conclude the regular season, but would like to turn in a good performance nevertheless on the eve of March Madness.
Cincinnati vs. Central Florida
Time/TV: 3 p.m. ET, ESPNU.
The 8-9 pairing in the Big 12 second round isn’t an bubble-elimination game per se. The Knights have a few more quality results on their resume and would probably still be in with a loss, though they might be shuffled closer to the First Four. The Bearcats spent much of the conference campaign trying to erase some bad outcomes from November and early December. They've won six of eight entering the postseason. A victory won’t clinch a berth, but it would keep them in the conversation.
Auburn vs. Mississippi State
Time/TV: 3 p.m. ET, SECN.
Hardwood pundits from just about every locale in the nation outside of Auburn, Alabama, cite the Tigers, just a game above .500 entering the SEC tournament, as Exhibit A in the case against NCAA expansion. Through sheer volume they’ve amassed numerous Quad 1 victories, but the number in the loss column, especially if it came against the sub-.500 Bulldogs, would become too large to dismiss. Just advancing isn't enough for Steven Pearl's team but it gives them a chance to fight another day.
Indiana vs. Northwestern
Time/TV: 5:30 p.m. ET, BTN.
Exhibit B is Indiana, although most bracketologists have the Hoosiers on the outside anyway. IU enters the Big Ten tournament needing a deep run. Beating the Wildcats won’t move the needle on its own, but a loss would end chance to add more quality wins.
Last season was a dream for SEC men's basketball with a record 14 teams in the NCAA field and Florida winning the national title. There's been an expected regression from that historic campaign, but the league is still expected to have double-digit teams participating in March Madness and the postseason tournament shaping up to another balanced competition with several contenders to take home the crown in Nashville, Tennessee.
Florida - after a slow start - has emerged as one of the nation's top teams with its rebuilt backcourt hitting its stride in the second half. Alabama and Arkansas also finished strongly to end up in a tie for second in the conference race.
There were also some surprising success stories with Vanderbilt reaching 24 wins in Mark Bylington's second season and first-year coach Bucky McMillian leading Texas A&M to a top half finish after a strong first half.
Among the disappointments have been Kentucky - with the Wildcats ending up as a No. 9 seed with some inconsistent play that led to 10 wins in 18 league games - and Auburn managing just seven conference wins due to a difficult run the final two months.
SEC tournament schedule, bracket, scores
All times Eastern.
First round
Wednesday, March 11
Game 1: No. 9 Kentucky vs. No. 16 LSU, 12:30 p.m., SECN
Game 2: No. 12 Auburn vs. No. 13 Mississippi State, 3 p.m., SECN
Game 3: No. 10 Texas vs. No. 15 Mississippi, 7 p.m., SECN
Game 4: No. 11 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 South Carolina, 9:30 p.m., SECN
Second round
Thursday, March 12
Game 5: No. 8 Missouri vs. Game 1 winner, 12:30 p.m., SECN
Game 6: No. 5 Tennessee vs. Game 2 winner, 3 p.m., SECN
Game 7: No. 7 Georgia vs. Game 3 winner, 7 p.m., SECN
Game 8: No. 6 Texas A&M vs. Game 4 winner, 9:30 p.m., SECN
Quarterfinals
Friday, March 13
Game 9: No. 1 Florida vs. Game 5 winner, 1 p.m., ESPN
Game 10: No. 4 Vanderbilt vs. Game 6 winner, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
Game 11: No. 2 Arkansas vs. Game 7 winner, 7 p.m., SECN
Game 12: No. 3 Alabama vs. Game 8 winner, 9:30 p.m., SECN
Semifinals
Saturday, March 14
Game 13: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 1 p.m., ESPN
Game 14: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
The SEC tournament first round and second round will be aired on the SEC Network and streamed exclusively on ESPN+. The quarterfinals will be shared between ESPN and the SEC Network. The semifinals and championship game will be aired on ESPN.
SEC tournament favorites
The title defense for Florida seemed a long way away at the turn of the year with the Gators losing four non-conference games and then dropping the SEC opener against Missouri. But Todd Golden got more solidity from the backcourt of Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee to assist the frontcourt. They won their last 11 league games are the overwhelming favorite to win the title and possibly lock up a No. 1 seed. Another team on a strong second half run has been Alabama with the Tide winning eight of 10 entering the postseason. The backcourt of Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon give them the firepower to make some noise. Arkansas, which finished tied for second in the league with Alabama, has freshman Darius Acuff and other options that make the Razorbacks dangerous.
SEC tournament top players
Darius Acuff, G, Arkansas: The freshman has lived up to his billing, leading the conference in scoring (22.2 ppg) and assists (6.4 apg) in helping the Razorbacks earn the No. 3 seed. He can take over any game as evidenced by his 49-point effort at Alabama.
Labaron Philon Jr., G, Alabama: The sophomore has made massive improvements in his second season, raising his scoring and shooting efficiency while being the spark behind the Crimson Tide's second-half surge.
Ja'Kobi Gillespie, G, Tennessee: The Maryland transfer has made an instant impact, leading the rebuilt Volunteers in scoring (18.0 ppg) and assists (5.6 apg). His play will dictate how fare they go in the bracket.
Thomas Haugh, F, Florida: The emergence of Haugh, the team's leading scorer at 17.1 ppg, has been huge for the Gators after losing key pieces from last year's title team. He's joined by Rueben Chinyelu and Alex Condon to create one of the top frontcourts in country.
Tyler Tanner, G, Vanderbilt: The Commodores were picked 11th in the conference's preseason poll, but they have been one of the top teams in the league with Tanner leading the way in scoring (19.0 ppg) and assists (5.3 apg).
NCAA tournament bubble storylines for SEC
The situation on the bubble is less cloudy than last year when 14 teams made the tournament. It appears 10 are locks with Missouri and Texas still in solid shake after a few stumbles at the end of the regular season. A first-round win would take away all the mystery. Auburn looked to be in good shape entering February, but the Tigers have fall apart with just two wins in 10 games and sit at 16-15. They're likely in need of a couple wins to earn their place. One team that is going the opposite direction is Oklahoma. The Sooners lost nine in a row and weren't anywhere near the bubble conversation before a strong finish that saw them win six of eight, including the last four of the regular season. A pair of victories might push Oklahoma into the field.
In the seven NBA seasons since he was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans, Zion Williamson’s career has been filled with twists and turns. From his promising rookie year to multiple injuries and now at the center of another Pelicans rebuild, Williamson is the subject of much frustration and speculation.
And now, it’s made him the subject of a high school science course.
Students at one New York City high school are using Williamson’s injury history, body composition and career trajectory to learn nutrition, psychology and kinesiology.
The Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School, a five-year-old public charter school in the Bronx named after the NBA legend, builds its curriculum around the business of basketball and prepares students for careers off the court in sports medicine, broadcasting, analytics and more.
A list of science courses on the school’s website includes typical subjects like biology, chemistry, physics. The Zion Williamson course, introduced two years ago, has quickly become a student favorite.
School faculty could have decided to base the course on any professional athlete. They chose Williamson intentionally, said Dr. Santiago Vazquez, an academic director who supervises EMNR’s math and science department.
“He’s had that elite recognition pretty much at every level, from dominating in high school – the McDonald’s All-American recognition, Mr. Basketball – to the sweeping national awards that he got in college,” Vazquez said. “You look at his athleticism and you start thinking around things like physique and things where he doesn’t fit the typical mold, and it created an interesting entry point to have conversations. And so whether the students are huge fans of Zion or not, what it did allow them to do is to apply those critical thinking skills and make parallels to other players, to look at data and analyze.”
Zion Williamson class opening students' eyes to sports careers
Students in the class are sophomores, juniors and seniors who were still in elementary school when Williamson was selected No. 1 overall in the 2019 NBA draft after his standout freshman season at Duke. Some of the students are basketball fans, while others admit they didn’t know who Williamson was prior to enrolling in the course bearing his name.
When she saw the course on her class schedule, 10th-grader Alani Rodriguez didn’t know what to expect. The 15-year-old said she’d always thought she would pursue a law career, until the Zion Williamson class sparked a new interest.
“I didn’t even know he was a basketball player. I walked in completely blind,” Rodriguez said. “I’m an athlete myself, but I never saw myself going down the path of wanting to study athletes, their injuries and stuff like that. … Stepping into that Zion Williamson class was really an eye opener for me. It made me realize that I definitely see myself going down the future where I want to do sports broadcasting.”
The class inspired Rodriguez to talk to her school counselor, who arranged for her to attend a sports broadcasting camp this summer.
Xavier Rivera, an 18-year-old senior in the class, was intrigued to learn that Williamson is more injury prone because he lands on one foot instead of two feet. Rivera, who also completed a project on athletes’ oxygen intake, said he now plans to major in kinesiology at St. John’s University next year with the goal of becoming an athletic trainer.
“Instead of just us gaining the knowledge and knowing about the body, we took an example of a player most people would know and you get to apply the knowledge,” Rivera said. “It allows us to imagine what he’s going through.”
As any Pelicans fan knows by now, the science of Zion Williamson is not an exact one.
Lesson plans often correlate directly with Williamson’s experiences. After learning about Williamson’s upbringing in South Carolina, teachers and students compared nutrition in the southeast United States to other parts of the country. They also studied the weight requirement clause in Williamson’s contract with the Pelicans and designed fitness regimens that would help him lose or maintain weight.
Most importantly, Williamson is not the sole focus; he serves as a jumping-off point for discussion and projects. Students have designed workout programs for the elderly and examined the prevalence of ACL injuries in the NBA and WNBA. A physical therapist taught the kids how to apply kinesiology tape, and a psychologist visited to talk about athlete discipline and mental health.
“It is Zion but it is very much a conversation that lends itself to larger topics as well,” Vazquez said.
Williamson declined to speak with USA TODAY Sports for this story.
Taking a wider view allows students to connect with the material by relating it to their personal experiences. Rivera, whose stepdad suffered a torn ACL, said that after learning in class about ACL tears, he had a conversation with his stepdad about the injury. Another student, 16-year-old Christian Estevez, said that seeing how the Pelicans continue to bet on Williamson’s upside reminded him of when his school baseball coach identified his potential.
“I feel like everybody has a story that connects somehow with the class, whether it be about nutrition, sports psychology, the injuries, muscle tears and bones that we learn about,” Rodriguez said. “I feel like other people should kind of take inspiration of like, it’s always better for students to be involved in things that they feel connected to.”
'Why shouldn't school be fun?' School uses basketball as springboard
The school’s founder, Dan Klores, said that student engagement drives the school’s mission. Beyond its core curriculum, EMNR also offers specialized classes in sports team management, arena entertainment and sports law (the latter cleverly titled, “From the Court to the Courts.”)
The school’s total enrollment is more than 400 students – and yes, they do have boys’ and girls’ basketball teams, though as a public school they do not recruit. The priority is academics.
EMNR’s first graduating class in 2025 consisted of 89 seniors who were all accepted to college. The school is preparing for its second graduating class this spring. Although not every student is interested in basketball, Klores said that EMNR’s curriculum provides a stepping stone for students to explore their passions.
“Why shouldn’t school be fun?” Klores said. “I always say that basketball is a global common denominator. And that’s kind of the beauty of the game, you know – it’s filled with all of us.”
When it comes to the Zion Williamson class, Estevez said the greatest benefit is helping students expand their worldview.
“That doesn’t only impact our learning here at Earl Monroe, but outside,” Estevez said. “Whether that’s helping our family members or one day looking at ourselves being a doctor. The way that we’re put into these environments, it really shapes our mindset into seeing ourselves working with what we might want to do in our future careers.”
One guest speaker who has yet to visit the class is Williamson himself. Vazquez said the school doesn’t know if Williamson is aware of EMNR but added that the NBA star is welcome any time.
Rodriguez, a softball infielder, wants to ask Williamson how he mentally overcame his injuries. Rivera can see himself someday working for Williamson as an athletic trainer or physical therapist and is curious about how to make that happen.
Estevez said his dream meeting with Williamson is simple.
“I would want him to come to Earl Monroe and have a day learning with us about his class,” Estevez said, “and maybe help him learn something new about himself.”
