Worldwide Sports News

So as well all know now, the Atlanta Braves “are well on [their] way towards launching a new era in Braves broadcasting.” That quote came directly from the team itself via a publicly released statement but there have also been rumors that the Braves wouldn’t be the only team on this particular network. The Atlanta Hawks of the NBA were rumored to be a partner before and now we’re learning that they wouldn’t be the only partner, either.

According to a report from Tom Friend of the Sports Business Journal, the Braves have been in talks with multiple cable distributors and Multichannel Video Programming Distributors (MVPDs for short) when it comes to distribution deals and reportedly the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA and the Nashville Predators of the NHL may be looped in on this as well.

Here’s a quote from the article:

The sources indicated the Braves are in talks on distribution deals with Comcast, Charter and DirecTV and possibly with virtual MVPDs such as YouTube TV and Hulu. IN the near term, the team is partnering with Gray Media to broadcast 15 spring training games across 26 Southern markets, including Atlanta’s Peachtree TV, but is ideating an altogether different blueprint for the regular season.

The Braves, with or withut the other three teams, intend to launch their network in time for the regular season, the sources said, and have already begun hiring sales personnel.

So the quote here aligns with what the Braves have been saying all the way at the top of this article: That they are prepared to launch this network in time for the actual games that count. It was also interesting to note that none of these other teams are guaranteed to join up with the Braves on this venture — the article noted that the Hawks and Grizzlies are being encouraged by the NBA to wait for that league to start its own “centralized streaming RSN” in the next couple of seasons and the CMO of the Predators Bill Wickett reportedly said that they haven’t spoken to the Braves about this venture, either.

With that being said, the one thing that ties all of these teams together is that they will all need to figure out their TV situation sooner rather than later since all four of these teams either used to or currently call FanDuel Sports South their TV home. That connection alone would’ve been enough to justify these teams linking up together for a network and then also Tom Friend mentioned that the owner of the Predators does have experience working with Liberty Media.

So the big news here is that the Braves aren’t trying to have this be a Braves-only network but they also seem to be fully ready to have that be the case if it comes down to it. There are still more questions than answers at this point but it does seem like we’re starting to get an idea of how the Braves want this to work out going forward. We’ll see what happens.

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Is this the year Ronny Mauricio breaks through?

From the moment he was first called up in September 2023 and immediately hit a ball 117 mph, the Mets have been waiting for the performance to match the potential.

He was slowed by a torn ACL suffered while playing winter ball in late ’23, which cost him all of ’24 and part of ’25.

Now, Mauricio is healthy and trying to make sure he has a role this year after spending much of last September on the bench.

“I use that as a source of motivation,” Mauricio said, through an interpreter, of spending much of the stretch run on the bench last season. “Last year, when I wasn’t playing, I was able to step back and see things I needed to improve in my game if I want to be on the field and be able to help the team.”

According to Mauricio, who turns 25 in April, there were plenty of areas on which to focus.

“I want to control the strike zone and work on my defense,” Mauricio said.

More than anything, though, he wants to make sure he remains in one piece.

“I have to stay healthy,” Mauricio said. “I’m hitting the gym as much as possible to stay fresh for the whole season. I feel more stable now.”

The knee injury cost Mauricio plenty.

He’s eager to put it behind him, which he’s confident he’ll be able to do this spring.

“I want to maintain my speed and be the type of player I know I’m capable of being,” Mauricio said. “I want to return to the type of player I was before the injury.”

Carlos Mendoza wants to see that from Mauricio, as well, noting that his biggest takeaway from the young player this spring is that he’s back in good form physically.

“He’s healthy,” the Mets manager said. “When you watch him take ground balls [and] the way he’s moving around, there’s no limitations there now. He’s free. He’s happy to finally be a full-time player for us without any restriction.”

In Monday’s 4-3 win over Toronto, Mauricio started at third, walked, and ran the bases with abandon.

With Francisco Lindor out due to a hamate-bone fracture, there’s even more of an opportunity for Mauricio to contribute and show the Mets he belongs not just on the roster but on the field.

That might be tougher when they are at full strength and have Lindor back at shortstop, with Jorge Polanco at first base, Marcus Semien at second and Bo Bichette at third.

Mauricio nonetheless wants to give them something to think about.

“The last two years, I haven’t been able to have a real spring training because [of the injury],” Mauricio said. “I want to show I can play wherever the team needs me: second, third or short.”

The Athletics continued their rough start to spring training, losing 6-2 to the San Francisco Giants. The A’s stopped scoring after the first inning, while the Giants scored six unanswered runs. Good thing spring stats and records don’t matter!

Looking to avoid a third straight loss to begin preseason action, the A’s started the game strongly. The first three batters reached base against Giants starting pitcher JT Brubaker. Max Muncy, one of the A’s vying to start at third base, came up to bat with the bases loaded, no outs and a chance to do some damage. However, he grounded into a double play, foreshadowing things to come. With a run in, a runner on third and two outs, second baseman Andy Ibàñez doubled to left field, bringing in the A’s second and final run of the game.

Taking the mound with a two-run lead, A’s starting pitcher J.T. Ginn turned in an impressive first spring training performance. He struck out the side in the first inning beginning with Luis Arraez, who is one of the hardest MLB players to strike out. Ginn proceeded to complete a clean second inning, this time inducing three groundouts.

Given how well Ginn pitched in this two-inning stint, it might not be a bad idea for the A’s to deploy him in this role out of the bullpen this season. However, he has also had success as a starting pitcher, which makes him one of the most interesting A’s pitchers to watch this spring. More performances like that this spring and Ginn may very well be in the A’s rotation to open the season.

The third inning was where the game’s momentum shifted. In the top of the inning, the A’s had a chance to extend the lead. Unfortunately, Muncy was thrown out trying to go from second base to home on Darell Hernaiz’s double to right field and then Henry Bolte grounded out with the bases loaded. In the bottom of that frame, the Giants broke through against A’s top pitching prospect Gage Jump. San Francisco got three straight singles before Jump induced a double play grounder to escape a bases loaded jam and keep the A’s ahead by one.

The following inning, the Giants tied it. Then, they proceeded to score once an inning from the fifth to the eighth off a mix of returning relievers like Elvis Alvarado and non-roster relievers. Meanwhile, the A’s offense was shut down by multiple Giants minor league pitchers. Once the Giants took the lead, the A’s did not come close to scoring again until the eighth inning. They got two baserunners with one out, only for the next two batters to not come through. The A’s finished the game with ten hits, although only two were extra-base hits.

Ginn’s strong performance was the highlight of today’s game as the A’s need improvement from him and the other young pitchers if the team wants to return to playoff contention. Speaking of young pitchers, both Jump and fellow pitching prospect Braden Nett showed promise, even though they each allowed a run in their respective innings.

The A’s will try again tomorrow to get that elusive first spring training win vs the also winless Milwaukee Brewers. Mason Barnett, another of the team’s young starting pitchers, will start with relievers Justin Sterner and Hogan Harris lined up to follow him. Will the team’s offense shake off its rust tomorrow or will it be another low-scoring day for the A’s?

Notes:

• Nick Kurtz showcased his on-base ability today, drawing two walks as the A’s leadoff hitter.
• Andy Ibàñez had a good day as he drew a walk in addition to his double.
• Darell Hernaiz looks ready to play for Puerto Rico in the WBC. He got two hits and played a clean game at shortstop
• Polarizing prospect Henry Bolte struck out twice, further proof that his ability to make contact is still a concern.
• Max Muncy made a throwing error on a slow ground ball hit his way at third base. His defense was erratic last year. Is third base the best fit for him defensively?
• Infield prospect Joshua Kuroda-Grauer got two hits. His hitting ability is not in question, but will that be enough to get him to MLB at least in a utility role given his lack of power.

PHOENIX –– On the scoresheet, Monday might’ve only gone down as one inning, 17 pitches and three inconsequential spring training outs for Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia.

But for the still-grieving pitcher, who just four months ago missed the World Series following the loss of his newborn daughter, his official return to game action couldn’t have been any more meaningful.

“We’ve been waiting for that one,” Vesia said afterward, before adding with a gracious smile: “It was a little overwhelming … just trying to take it all in.”

Indeed, in the Dodgers’ 3-0 win over the Seattle Mariners, Vesia’s outing was emotionally charged throughout. He received a rousing ovation from the crowd as he entered the game at the start of the fifth inning. He was greeted by a line of high-fives and handshakes as he returned to the dugout after his 1-2-3 frame.

Mostly, though, he rediscovered a feeling he had missed during the hardship of his heartbreaking winter –– getting to pitch, compete and exude his typically energetic demeanor from back atop a big-league mound.

“I just want to have fun on the mound,” he said. “I just want to be able to spazz out and be myself out there. Because right now, I feel really good out there. It’s just me and myself and baseball.”

Ever since arriving at Dodgers camp this spring, Vesia has been chasing that sense of normalcy.

He is grateful for all the support he and his wife, Kayla, received in the wake of last year’s tragedy, noting how on even the first day of spring, “we walk out the doors, and (there was) cheers and lots of love. It means a lot.”

But, the 29-year-old left-hander is also ready to fall back into familiar, comforting routines. 

And compartmentalizing it all, he acknowledged, “has been hard, (but) hard in a good way, because I want to interact with the fans and all that, but I know I have a job to do.”

Vesia began preparing for this coming season back in November. He spent more time than usual bulking up in the gym, a place where he said he rediscovered “mental clarity” amid his personal grief.

So far, that work has helped him get off to a quick start in Dodgers camp.

Vesia was not only one of the team’s first pitchers to begin facing batters in workouts in recent weeks, but also had two of the biggest highlights from the club’s live BP action: Striking out Shohei Ohtani not once, but twice, after getting some good-natured ribbing from his superstar teammate.

“Shohei was like, ‘Hey, I want a little piece of that,’” Vesia recalled with a laugh. “So I was like, ‘OK, come on.’”

After each Ohtani strikeout, Vesia celebrated by strutting around the mound and unleashing one of his familiar celebratory shrieks. He did the same thing on Monday afternoon, as the crowd roared again for his strikeout of Mariners infielder Cole Young on a full-counter slider. 

“To see him get back out here in a baseball game, in a big league game, and have a clean inning and be received by the fans, I know it meant a lot to him,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And obviously, his teammates feel for him and want to support him. So today was a really good day for Alex.”

Dodger teammates, Vesia said, have been among his biggest supporters as he has navigated this spring.

While he has only once spoken publicly about the death of his daughter –– in a prepared statement he read to reporters on the first day of camp earlier this month –– he said he has found comfort in discussions he’s had around the clubhouse.

“That’s honestly been a blessing,” he said. “I do like talking about it with the guys. I don’t want them to feel like they can’t, because to share those important moments and whatnot – these guys are my brothers. I truly do love all of them. It’s meant a lot.”

Nothing has meant more, though, than getting back to pitching.

After all he has endured, it’s his way to keep moving forward.