With a lot of the top positional talent in the system under 20 years of age, it’s no surprise that the two players that land in the Top 100 are both pitchers. That said, 19 year old left handed pitcher Cam Caminiti leads the charge for the Braves coming in at No. 53 overall. Cam had a fantastic 2025 season that saw him pitch a combined 70 innings across two levels (FCL & Low-A) finishing the season on an absolute tear for Augusta – posting a 2.08 ERA, 11.98 K/9, and 4.15 BB/9. It’s been well documented here that Cam was mainly a two pitch pitcher last year, focusing on his fastball command and sweeper, occasionally throwing in a changeup. 2026 is a big season, as it is expected that the Braves fully unleash Cam and his talented arsenal.
Also coming up with a strong season, and coming in at No. 84 overall, is JR Ritchie. JR pitched across three levels last season (A+, AA, AAA) where he threw a combined 140 innings, had a 2.64 ERA, while maintaining a 9.0 K/9, and 3.47 BB/9. At 22 years of age, JR will be pushing the Braves to include him in Atlanta plans during the spring where he may be a potential addition to the rotation should he show continued strong play. If not, he is likely one of the first arms up should/when the Braves need an additional starting pitcher.
While the Braves landed just two this season, there is a chance that number increases as a number of the positional prospects showcased strong seasons last year in Low-A and A-ball.
Evonne Goolagong Cawley Day is a welcome initiative but meaningful change will only come with a structural approach
The riverside walk to the Australian Open courts is a scenic joy for the sporting pilgrim. Rowing crews train up and down the water, framed by the city’s sun-flecked skyline. The Melbourne Cricket Ground floodlights signal distantly ahead. Beneath the feet of the crowds hurrying to ticket barriers, the concrete path transforms into an artwork: a twisting confluence of eels honouring their Yarra River migration, which once provided abundant food for the Wurundjeri people.
On Wednesday the celebration of country continued inside the precinct. This was Evonne Goolagong Cawley Day, when the tournament celebrates First Nations people and culture. A packed schedule of entertainment included a smoking ceremony on the steps of Margaret Court Arena, a Q&A with Cathy Freeman, and a performance from the Coodjinburra pop star Budjerah. There were taster sessions and weaving workshops, and all the ball kids were from tennis programmes for Indigenous peoples.
Good afternoon everyone, it’s time to dive back into the mailbag and answer some of your questions. Remember to send in your questions for our bi-weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
The idiot that said, “Harper is coming” asks:Now that Bellinger is officially back, what’s next?A) Nothing of note.B) Trade of Dominguez or Jones to clear the deck a little.C) Trade not involving those two to better the team.D) Signing another free agent.E) Some combination of these choices — please specify.
I think my answer at this point in the offseason would be E. I don’t think they’ll trade Domínguez or Jones in the next month or so, but rather hold onto them as insurance until the deadline where they can outline their needs more and perhaps have better targets to go after. Could you argue there were solid additions they could’ve made over the offseason by trading one of them earlier instead of letting other teams load up on starting pitchers? Certainly, but they played their waiting game with Cody Bellinger, and while it worked out in terms of getting a deal done without going past a fifth year it did carry an opportunity cost of needing to hold onto them in case they did walk away from Bellinger and needed to have them on hand for a spring training competition.
As for the remaining needs the team has, there’s always room for a reliever and the lineup could use another right-handed bat with a focus on their catching tandem. Both Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra hit from the lefty’s batter box, and Ben Rice hits lefty as well so his occasional forays behind the plate can’t solve that issue. Flipping Escarra for a righty might be something the Yankees explore, and I trust the Yankees brass to find effective targets from other organizations to replenish the bullpen. They could also just end up signing a random reliever, which is the only reason I’m going with E instead of outright answering C, but given how late we are in the winter I think if there were arms they thought could get mileage out of with some tweaks they would’ve gotten them already. There could be a gem hidden on another roster that becomes available for a decent price, however, and if there’s any avenue of roster building I’ll give my full faith to Brian Cashman and company on it’s this one.
Hector asks: Should the Yanks create more playing time for Dominguez by NOT carrying a traditional BUC? Instead, let Rice be the primary 1B and the BUC. When Rice catches, Belli can play 1B, and Jasson plays LF. I prefer Jasson’s good bat/bad glove to Escarra’s bad bat/good glove.
As we just talked about, there’s reason to believe they do want a traditional backup catcher in the mix but also want to add another right-handed bat into the mix. Should they fail to find that, however, I wouldn’t mind this arrangement too much — part of Bellinger’s appeal is his defensive versatility, and I like giving Rice more consistent playing time behind the plate to ensure that he can hold it down. On top of that, if Domínguez is going to be on the roster he needs to find regular playing time or else they’d honestly be wasting him at this point in his development.
The only downside is that it limit’s Aaron Boone’s ability to utilize his bench late in the game if he wanted to, because if he commits to a swap and then an injury happens at any of those relevant positions there’s suddenly not enough bodies to fill the field properly. The team has an abundance of options for the middle infield with José Caballero and Amed Rosario in the mix, and in a pinch could shift one of them there, but over the course of 162 games its safer to have insurance across the field.
OLDY MOLDY asks:Does Beltran’s entry into HOF absolve the taint of the cheating scandals?
It doesn’t surprise me that the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal was treated differently than the steroid era players in the eyes of the writers, namely because one was a case of a team-organized offense versus individuals from across the league making the choice to utilize steroids. You could argue that didn’t save the players in the Black Sox scandal, but clearly throwing games/gambling is put in a higher tier of sin than the sign-stealing operations that were prolific in the 2010s but done to excess by Houston after the league had warned clubs against continued scheming. So the penalty that Beltrán, the first big name of the Astros’ championship roster to find himself up for election into the Hall and with a more than reasonable shot at it? Opening on less than half the ballots and waiting out another year of incremental gain before shooting up to success in his third year of eligibility.
There’s also something to the fact that the upset party in the respective cases were complete opposites. The league was the one that brought the hammer down on the players for the crime of using substances that they tacitly approved of until the Mitchell Report and congressional hearings forced them to change their tune, but the outrage over the Astros’ scheme was in large part stoked by their fellow competitors. That grudge carried over for a number of years, perhaps even still quietly harbored to this day but pushed aside as the core responsible aged and other playoff runs proved Houston a routine contender, but the league itself fumbled their investigation so badly that Beltrán was the only player that could even face punishment of any kind for it, and he was an aged vet on his last pursuit of a ring when it occurred.
It’d be reasonable to assume that the immunity the commissioner offered Houston’s active players for their testimonies will shield them here as well — the voting base has come down extremely harsher on players that faced actual suspensions and league punishment versus speculation. Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez are facing an even tougher uphill battle than Roger Clemens or Barry Bonds faced in their still-unsuccessful bids, so what would the equivalent of an acquittal do for them? It’s mainly a question for Jose Altuve’s candidacy whenever he hangs up his cleats, as he’s the member of Houston’s core most likely to make it and also the one that his teammates were most adamant didn’t contribute to the scheme. Will the denial of being a first-ballot Hall of Famer be punishment enough in the electorate’s eyes, will they come down harder because he’s a career Astro more attached to the franchise and thus the scandal, or will they gloss over it? It all remains to be seen, and Altuve’s career is far from over to make a full judgement on it now, but the litmus test for how the scandal has aged in the eyes of the Hall is very favorable.
The San Antonio Spurs have exceeded expectations this season and fans are clamoring to get in on the action. On Sunday, February 1st the Spurs are hosting the Orlando Magic. For one night only, they are offering a Sesame Street Fan Experience.
PTR Offer Includes:
Your game ticket comes with a limited edition Sesame Street Spurs shirt (while supplies last) and the Courtside Experience.
Join the Sesame Street Pre-Game Party at 1:00 p.m. Then at 2:00 p.m., head into the Frost Bank Center’s lower bowl for the Courtside Experience. Get up close and personal with members of the Spurs as the warm up.
Activties include:
Kid DJ: The AM Project, a local nonprofit, teaches kids how to DJ.
Butcher Paper Coloring Activity.
Sesame Street X NBA coloring books.
Bubble artists Fiesta Magic and more brings family-friendly activities to the party.
Photo area with a Sesame Street backdrop and character standees.
If you can’t make it on the 1st (or even if you can), there is a second PTR night in February. On February 4th, the Spurs play the Oklahoma City Thuder for the fifth time this season. The Spurs have all ready clinched the regular season series, but beating the champs a fourth time could be the icing on the cake.
If you get your ticket HERE, you’ll receive a food voucher (Chicken Fingers/Fries or Hot Dog or Nachos and Fries). Additionally, you’ll get to step down to the court and take a post game free throw. Don’t miss this chance to see the Spurts live.
The Cubs had played a bit better after the All-Star break in 2022, but were still far out of first place, or indeed, any contention.
They had picked up Franmil Reyes on waivers from the Guardians in early August. Just one year earlier, Reyes had a 30-homer season for Cleveland (and had hit 37 for the Padres in 2019), but his offense had trailed off badly and he was let go.
The Cubs got him and figured, “Why not take a chance?” But it didn’t really work. In 48 games for the Cubs, Reyes hit .234/.301/.389 with five home runs and departed as a free agent after the season.
But not before he took the mound for the Cubs!
The Cubs played six doubleheaders in 2022, many of them forced by rescheduling after the lockout. The last of those was Tuesday, Aug. 23 against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. They actually won the first game 2-0, a combined five-hit shutout by Javier Assad (making his MLB debut!), Michael Rucker, Sean Newcomb, Erich Uelmen and Brandon Hughes.
But the Cardinals teed off on Adrian Sampson, Nicholas Padilla and Anderson Espinoza and led 7-3 when Steven Brault entered with the bases loaded and nobody out in the ninth. He wasn’t any better, allowing a walk, double and triple that made it 12-3.
That brought David Ross out, and Reyes took the mound. He had been the DH that day, so no other lineup changes were needed.
Reyes played for the Royals in 2023 and has played the last two years for NPB’s Nippon Ham Fighters. In 2025 he batted .277/.347/.515 with 32 home runs in 132 games, and he’s under contract with the Fighters for 2026.. He’s only 30. The Cubs don’t need him, but I could see a MLB team taking a chance on him in the future.
Three months after their baby’s death, Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia and his wife, Kayla, paid tribute to the little girl with a touching social media post.
The Vesias shared a snap of them on Tuesday embracing in front of a sunset with the caption, “Sterlings mom and dad .”
In the picture, the two had smiles on their faces.
It’s the first time Kayla has put anything on her Instagram grid since Nov. 7, when she and Alex announced they had lost their daughter on Oct. 26, just two days after the Dodgers and Blue Jays began the World Series.
Alex Vesia and his wife, Kayla, have been dating for years. @babyy_vesia/Instagram
Alex was left off the roster for the championship games with what the Dodgers called “a deeply personal family matter.”
In the Vesias’ announcement of Sterling’s passing, they wrote, “There are no words to describe the pain we’re going through but we hold her in our hearts and cherish every second we had with her.”
They also penned a thank you message to the Dodgers, the Blue Jays and all their fans for their support.
“Our little angel,” they added in the caption of the post that showed them holding hands with their little girl, “we love you forever & you’re with us always.”
Alex and Kayla Vesia shared a photo of them holding their daughter’s hand when they announced her tragic passing. Alex Vesia
Vesia, 29, made his MLB debut in 2020 for the Marlins and then made his Dodgers debut in 2021 following a trade from Miami.
On Wednesday, the New Jersey Devils called up Colton White from the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Earning four assists, White has contributed in over 23 games with the Devils this season.
Drafted 97th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Devils, the 28-year-old is now back with the team.
Over six seasons, White played 107 NHL games: first with the Devils, then with the Anaheim Ducks after signing as a free agent in July 2022, before returning to New Jersey in July 2024. He has earned 14 points, all assists.
White, a defenseman, spent his first four NHL seasons with the Devils, then joined Anaheim as a free agent on July 14, 2022.
On July 1, 2024, he rejoined the Devils as a free agent.
Meeting the Devils in Vancouver, the defenseman prepares for Friday’s match-up against the Canucks.
Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
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Fox Sports unveiled the bulk of their 2026 schedule on Friday, which includes six planned exclusive Saturday games on Fox and two more games on FS1.
Saturday games on Fox are exclusive broadcasts, which means no local telecast for those games, no SportsNet LA broadcast for the Dodgers games. The Dodgers’ six games exclusively on Fox include facing each of their last two National League Championship Series opponents as well as a 2024 World Series rematch against the Yankees in The Bronx. All of these Saturday games starting at 4:15 p.m. PT, except for July 18 against the Yankees:
April 25 vs. Chicago Cubs
May 2 at St. Louis Cardinals
May 23 at Milwaukee Brewers
July 18 at New York Yankees (5:08 p.m. PT)
July 25 at New York Mets
August 15 vs. Brewers
The Dodgers also had exactly six games exclusively on Fox each season dating back to 2022, the first four years of the network’s seven-year contract with Major League Baseball that runs through 2028.
Two other Dodgers games in 2026 will be on FS1, which are non-exclusive broadcasts and available locally, offering the rare dual-broadcast option for folks in the home markets for these games. Both of the FS1 Dodgers telecasts are road games — Monday, April 6 at the Toronto Blue Jays, and Thursday, August 27 at the Atlanta Braves.
Blistering knocks by skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan led India to a crushing seven-wicket win over New Zealand on Friday, giving them a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20 series.
Here are all the Los Angeles Dodgers games during the 2026 season that will be available to watch on television or streaming nationally.
NBC Sports is the newcomer among Major League Baseball’s broadcast partners this season, signing a three-year deal to take over the former ESPN ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ slate as well as Sunday leadoff games on NBC, NBC Sports Network, and Peacock. ESPN will still have exclusive games this season and through 2028, but those will now be during the week.
Other national broadcasters are Fox Sports, Apple TV+, and TBS.
Six Dodgers Saturday games will be exclusively televised by Fox this season, beginning on April 25 against the Chicago Cubs. Two more games will be on FS1, though those games aren’t exclusive, which means the Dodgers’ own telecast on SportsNet LA will be available locally as well.
Apple TV+ has not yet announced any of its exclusive Friday Night Baseball broadcasts. Typically, Apple TV+ announces the first half of its schedule before the season, then announces each successive month over the course of the season.
Seranthony Dominguez, the long time Baltimore Orioles reliever whom the Blue Jays acquired at this past season’s trade deadline, has signed a deal with the Chicago White Sox. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the deal is for two years and $20 million. Dominguez has been a steady performer throughout his career, with an ERA between 10 and 30% better than league average in all but one season and a 3.50 mark overall in 306.0 innings. Since missing 2020 and most of 2021 with injury, he’s managed at least 54 appearances and 50 innings in four straight seasons. His 10.5% career walk rate and very good but not elite 27.9% K rate aren’t quite high end closer material, but he has consistently limited hard contact and fits as a high quality setup man in a contender’s bullpen.
After being traded to Toronto in exchange for Juaron Watts-Brown, the Jays’ 2023 third round pick, he posted a 3.00 ERA in 24 appearances with 12 hits, 12 walks and 25 strikeouts in 21.0 innings. He also appeared in a dozen games during Toronto’s playoff run, allowing four runs over 11.1 innings.
This winter, he entered free agency in the second tier of the relief market, behind elite closer Edwin Diaz. His contract is 10th in AAV and seventh in total value among relievers who have signed.
The White Sox seem like an unlikely landing spot for an expensive 31 year old reliever. They project as one of the three worst teams in the league and solidly the worst in the American League. They have money to spend, though, with only four players making over a million dollars. The signing will push their payroll up from 30th in the league to 28th, ahead of the Miami Marlins and roughly tied with the Cleveland Guardians. They’ll also likely be able to flip him at either this deadline or the next, especially if they’re willing to keep some money. That’ll secure some prospect capital to continue their never ending rebuild. From Dominguez’s point of view, he lands a solid payday and a closer job, and while he isn’t going to get a chance for a ring in Chicago he might wherever they inevitably deal him.
For the Jays, this further reinforces that they’re probably done on the free agent market. The position player market is all but barren, with arguably no one left who would crack the starting lineup. Barring a shocking move for Framber Valdez, the same is true of the rotation. Dominguez coming off the board also means that there’s no remaining reliever who would move the needle. Any additions at this point will have to come from trades, if they don’t feel like they’re ready with the roster they currently have.
This would be a significant change on the trade winds rumor front.
According to former Fox 26 Houston Sports Director Will Kunkel, the Astros are not currently in trade discussions with the Boston Red Sox for OF Jarren Duran:
The Houston Astros are NOT in trade talks for Red Sox OF Jarren Duran , per source.
Now, trade talks and rumors are a fickle entity, as not currently being in trade talks doesn’t mean they weren’t previously in trade talks, nor does it mean they cannot be involved in future trade talks. However, at the current time, it would appear these trade talks have stalled/ceased.
The Astros have also been linked to another Red Sox player, OF Wilyer Abreu. While not possessing Duran’s offensive upside, Abreu is also a lefthanded hitter, is younger, and has won 2 consecutive Gold Gloves in the outfield. Abreu is not arbitration eligible until 2027, making him far cheaper than Duran.
As posted on Crawfish Boxes yesterday, the Red Sox may be transitioning off of Isaac Paredes and looking for a more defensive-minded player for 2B instead. You can see that information here:
The Astros are still considered likely to clear up their current logjam in the infield by trading either Isaac Paredes or Christian Walker. Paredes has far more value, and a Walker trade would be more of a salary dump.
Though it has been no secret that the Senators’ goaltending has left a lot to be desired this season, statistics have come to the fore to highlight exactly how bad.
Not since the Ottawa Senators' second season in the league, when they won 14 games out of 84, have the Senators had a lower combined team save percentage than they had a few days ago (.865).
One could hardly compare the lineup that suited up that season to the 2025-26 team that currently sits 8th in the Atlantic with a 23-20-7 record through 50 games.
The Senators have not had a great track record as an organization with drafting goaltenders.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss why James Reimer has been so quickly embraced in Ottawa.
In fact, they have never drafted a goaltender who has occupied the status of #1 starter for the Ottawa Senators. Robin Lehner in the second round in 2009 and Joey Daccord in round seven in 2015 both went on to start elsewhere but played very little for the Senators.
No sense crying over spilled milk. It’s time to examine the pipeline and see if help is on the way. For argument’s sake, Leevi Merilainen will not be part of this evaluation.
Mads Sogaard, Age 25, Belleville Senators – Selected in 2nd round of 2019 NHL Draft
Though Sogaard is on a one-way deal, he has never shown the ability to stay healthy at any level, nor has his play been consistent at the NHL level.
He has moved from the status of prospect to suspect, and unless he can seize the reins and put the B-Sens on his back for a nice playoff run, his future with the Senators could be coming to an end.
As it stands right now, his numbers in the AHL this season are very pedestrian, though injuries have limited Sogaard to only 15 starts. There is still time to make something of this season, but the sands in Sogaard’s hourglass are running out quickly.
Jackson Parsons, Age 21, Belleville Senators/Allen Americans – 2025 free agent signing
Parsons has only played 12 games thus far this season and is currently back in Allen, Texas, where he can start more regularly. He spelled Sogaard during his injury absence and acquitted himself nicely.
Parsons is something of a late bloomer who was never drafted, yet he won goalie and overage player of the year for the 2024-25 OHL season.
For a rookie season, he got on the radar in a good way, and now that Hunter Shephard is back in the AHL, Parsons can continue his development with regular work. The 21-year-old Embrun native is a work in progress, but his trajectory is headed in the right direction. His numbers have been very respectable, and at 6’2” and 200 lbs, he has the frame of an NHL goalie.
The real issue is that the Senators need an NHL goalie, and right now, Parsons is still proving himself as an ECHL starter.
Definitely a prospect, but a starter prospect? Time will tell.
Kevin Reidler, Age 21, Penn State University – Selected in 5th round of 2022 NHL Draft
The 6-foot-6 Swedish netminder has never had a save percentage below .900 since being drafted. But except for his time in Dubuque (USHL), he hasn't been a starter.
Last year at the University of Nebraska/Omaha appears to have been a write off with only eight starts due to some issues with his back. But he did post a .920 save percentage in those games.
Through the transfer portal, Reidler is now at Penn State, playing with the presumptive number one overall selection in 2026, Gavin McKenna. Reidler has also played more than half the games with some impressive results (9-3, 2.92, .910).
Again, until he proves himself capable of being a number one goalie in the NCAA, it’s hard to view him as more than a B-level prospect.
Reidler's height is intriguing, assuming he has the athletic ability to leverage it. But if the 6-foot-7 Mads Sogaard is any indication, Reidler may need extra time to adjust to his height before becoming a goalie who could suit up for the parent club.
More to follow on this one.
Vladimir Nikitin, Age 21, New Hampshire Mountain Kings (NAHL) – Selected in 7th round of 2023 NHL Draft
To say that Nikitin has taken the scenic route since being drafted would be an understatement.
The Kazakh goaltender has played in the BCHL (2023-24), RUS-MHL (2024-25 top junior league in Russia), back to the BCHL with the Nanaimo Clippers (2024-25), USHL (2025-26) and moving yet again to the NAHL (2025-26) where he currently resides.
He also represented Kazakhstan at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Ottawa in 2025.
Changing teams in two of the three seasons since being drafted does not scream prospect and his numbers are just okay.
His WJHC appearance revealed a vulnerable trapper.
Not writing him off, but like the Senators in the current NHL standings, Nikitin doesn’t just need to improve his play, but he also has other people ahead of him that he needs to catch.
Lucas Beckman, Age 18, Chicoutimi Sageneens, Selected in 4th round of 2025 NHL Draft
This one is a little intriguing. Up until recently, Beckman was playing for the worst team in the QMJHL, Baie Comeau, where he was getting shelled almost every night as their starting goalie.
Somehow, he still managed to post a .905 save percentage.
Beckman has now been traded to Chicoutimi, the best team in the league, and after missing some time with injury, he's now returned to the lineup. The Senators are hoping he can go on a long playoff run and get some valuable experience.
Still just 18, with a good run the rest of the season, Beckman could end up as part of Canada's World Junior conversation. He represented Canada at the World U18s last year.
The key point here is that Beckman has a starting goaltender pedigree and a potential championship QMJHL team thought enough of him to acquire him for their run.
It’s too early to ordain Beckman as the future but it seems clear that he has one.
Andrei Trofinov, Age 19, Magnitigorsk RUS-MHL, Selected in 7th round of 2025 draft
With the likes of Bobrovsky, Vasilevskiy, Shesterkin, Sorokin and even Askarov all starting in the NHL with pretty impressive starting goalie resumes, it’s hard to blame the Senators for wanting to see if they could strike gold in Russia as well.
That said, two of them were first round selections and none were chosen in the seventh round after being passed over in their first year of eligibility.
It’s early with this one and if the Russian Federation starts to take note of him, Sens Nation should as well, but not before then.
The Senators have not drafted a goalie in the first round since Mathieu Chouinard in 1998, and they drafted him twice.
Things could change, but looking at this stable of goalies, other than Beckman, it’s hard to see anyone who is currently tracking to be a potential starting goalie in the NHL. Regardless, their help is still years away, and barring a trade, the Senators have no choice but to rely on their current group to hold the fort.
Pat Maguire The Hockey News - Ottawa
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Charles Barkley said he’s “complained” to ESPN over scheduling of “Inside the NBA.”
During a Wednesday appearance on “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz,” Barkley didn’t mince words while discussing his move from TNT to the Worldwide Leader — after both companies agreed to distribute “Inside the NBA” exclusively on ESPN and ABC for 11 years, starting with the 2025-26 season.
“We’ve complained, we’ve only been on ESPN four times in three months,” Barkley said referring to co-hosts Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson. “I don’t like that at all.
Charles Barkley in attendance for the Phoenix Suns-Minnesota Timberwolves game during an NBA Cup game at Mortgage Matchup Center November 21, 2025. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
“What I was talking about working all the time, because I love watching basketball – I’m not going to do all these damn shows … I’m not gonna be on ESPN One, Two, Three, Deportes, Nacho, Echo, whatever they call it. I’m not gonna be doing all that. But I wish we had been on more during the first half of the season.”
Barkley added that “Inside the NBA” is scheduled to air this Saturday (Jan. 24), next Wednesday (Jan. 28) and Saturday (Jan. 31).
“So they’re gonna start making up some of the days,” Barkley said. “But we only worked one day in December, that was Christmas Day… I wish we had worked more. The guys at ESPN have been great but we will know more when we get schedule heavy the last half of the season.”
Barkley also joked that ESPN will have to pay him for the seven years left on his contract if they fire him for calling his coworkers “idiots, punks, fools and jackasses.”
“I’m 100 percent retired, but if I can do something just a little bit stupid so they have to fire me, they’ll have to pay me for the whole seven years,” he said.
(L-R) Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, Jalen Rose, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley talk before the Knicks-Pacers Game 6 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals on May 31, 2025 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NBAE via Getty Images
“Inside the NBA” will appear on ESPN and ABC surrounding high-profile live events, including pregame, halftime and postgame coverage of the NBA Finals on ABC, conference finals and NBA playoffs.
TNT Sports will continue to independently produce “Inside the NBA” from its Atlanta-based studios over the term of the agreement.
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