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Mets Morning News for January 24, 2026

Meet the Mets

SNY broadcasts will look a little different moving forward, as John DeMarsico announced his departure from the network after seventeen years of directing Mets games.

The Mets have completely revamped their roster this offseason. Have they succeeded in improving upon the 2025 squad?

Carlos Beltrán has a lot to contemplate as he decides which hat to wear on his Hall of Fame plaque.

It’s never too early to start making predictions for what the Mets’ 26-man roster will look like on opening day.

After designating Cooper Criswell for assignment earlier this week, the Mets have dealt him to the Mariners for cash considerations.

Around the National League East

The Phillies have revealed their list of non-roster invitees to spring training, which includes top prospects Justin Crawford and Aidan Miller.

The Nationals reportedly rejected a trade proposal from the Giants that would have sent All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams to San Francisco.

Washington has added some depth by signing former Mets reliever Bryce Montes de Oca and catcher Tres Barrera to minor league deals.

Around Major League Baseball

MLB Pipeline released their updated list of the top 100 prospects in baseball last night.

One of the better remaining free agent relievers is now off the board, as the White Sox have inked Seranthony Domínguez to a two-year, $20 million deal.

ESPN’s baseball writers made some bold predictions for how the rest of the offseason will unfold.

It may still take some time for us to get used to Pete Alonso news belonging in this section of Mets Morning News, but the Polar Bear remains excited to be a Baltimore Oriole.

Max Scherzer still plans to pitch in 2026, but it’s possible he may wait and sign with a team mid-season.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Vasilis Drimalitis examined the state of the Mets’ rotation now that they’ve added Freddy Peralta.

The Amazin’ Avenue minor league crew ranked Will Watson as the ninth best prospect in the Mets’ farm system entering the 2026 season.

This Date in Mets History

Controlling shares of the Mets were sold to Doubleday & Company—with Fred Wilpon also coming on as a minority owner—on this date in 1980.

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‘Calm down, you jerk’: Djokovic admits to losing cool in Australian Open battle

  • Djokovic beats Van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4)

  • Serb apologises after wild shot almost hits ball girl

Novak Djokovic chalked up his 400th grand slam victory with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) defeat of Botic van de Zandschulp to reach the fourth round on Saturday, but the Serb was fortunate not to receive a code violation after losing his cool.

An incident in the second set might have proved very costly, with Djokovic carelessly sending a ball flying close to the head of a ball girl at the net.

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Which Team Hits The Post Or Crossbar The Most Often?

It’s never fun for fans to see their favourite team hit the post of the crossbar; in fact, whichever level you play hockey at, you hate posts. Just think about Gordon Bombay’s fantastic minor hockey career coming to a grinding halt after his triple deke hit the post on a penalty shot in the Mighty Ducks. It’s drama nobody likes, but nobody escapes it.

Each fanbase feels like their team is hard done by and is undoubtedly the one who’s hitting the most posts and/or crossbars, but who’s actually hitting the most? Where do the Montreal Canadiens rank in that category?

Well, the team that has fallen victim to iron the most so far this season is the Carolina Hurricanes, with 80 occurrences as of January 23, 2026, followed by the Washington Capitals at 72, the Buffalo Sabres and the Anaheim Ducks with 69, and, in fifth place, the Canadiens with 64, just like the Detroit Red Wings.

Canadiens: Laine Is On The Trading Block
Canadiens Dug A Big Hole They Couldn’t Get Out Of
Canadiens’ Defence Corps Having Big Impact

At the other end of the spectrum, the San Jose Sharks have only been robbed by iron 29 times this season, that’s twelve fewer times than the St. Louis Blues, who have suffered that fate 41 times, and 14 fewer times than the Philadelphia Flyers, who are 30th in the category with 43 times.

Why have the Hurricanes hit the post so much? Well, they have taken the second most shots in the league so far this season, with 1649 shots, meaning that they’ve been frustrated by the goal on just five percent of their shots. As for the Capitals, they’ve taken 1487 shots, meaning they struck iron on five percent of their shots as well. The Sabres? Their percentage is five percent as well, while the Red Wings’ is also five percent. The Canadiens? Well, with 64 posts/crossbars on 1339 shots, they’ve also fallen victim to the net on five percent of their shots.

Meanwhile, with just 29 misfortunes on 1239 shots, the Sharks have only hit iron on two percent of their shots, while the Blues have done the same on three percent of theirs and the Flyers on three percent of theirs.

In other words, those who shoot less, hit iron less, and those who hit the post most often all do it 5% of the time; no one is jinxed or plagued by players with sub-par accuracy. Oh, and no, the Bell Centre ghosts can’t move the goal posts…

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.

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Flyers Playoff Odds Spike with Sensational Win vs. Avalanche

The Philadelphia Flyers might have just saved their season with a sensational road trip punctuated by a 7-3 thrashing of the NHL's best team, the Colorado Avalanche.

Going 2-0-1 in their three-game trip without starting goalie Dan Vladar, the Flyers found a way to stay afloat in the playoff race.

They're still 3-5-2 in their last 10 games and remain three points back of the Boston Bruins for the second wildcard spot in the East, but the five points they just earned in the standings are the difference between being ninth in the Conference and 15th.

To be clear, with 57 points, the Flyers are still going to face stiff competition from the surging New Jersey Devils (56), Toronto Maple Leafs (57), Washington Capitals (56), and Florida Panthers (55) for a playoff spot, but a few bounces and different results this week would've had them down for the count.

Instead, the Flyers saw their playoff odds jump up a rather significant 7.2% with their regulation win over the Avalanche, which now sits them at a respectable 35.9% chance of reaching the postseason, according to Moneypuck.

The Flyers remain much more likely to miss the playoffs than make them, and perhaps some of that is a fair assessment by the model.

After all, we all saw the self-immolation against the Utah Mammoth that spoiled what would have otherwise been the perfect three-game road trip for a struggling club that appeared to be on its last legs.

It's still too early to tell if the Flyers are willing to pull off some type of trade for a center like Shane Wright, Elias Pettersson, or Robert Thomas to really give themselves an opportunity, but that's likely what it will take if the results stay middling, more or less, for the next four weeks.

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Sixers host Knicks in weekend matinee

Before the big snowstorm of 2026 hits us here on the East Coast, the Sixers will look to turn up the heat at Xfinity Mobile Arena as they host the New York Knicks. While the Knickerbockers have generally had Philadelphia’s number in recent years, the Sixers have turned the tide this season, securing a pair of wins at the Garden in December and earlier this month. With the great Bo Bichette debacle this baseball offseason, Philadelphia sports fans will take our wins over New Yorkers where we can get them.

Head coach Nick Nurse may have his full complement of players to work with, as only Joel Embiid and Paul George were on the injury report, both probable to play. On the opposing sideline, New York just has Karl-Anthony Towns lists as questionable (back).

Despite their third-place position in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks have been in something of a freefall lately. Prior to their comical 120-66 win over the Brooklyn Nets earlier this week (winning by 54 points is good, so credit where it’s due there), New York had lost nine of 11 games. It seems like Towns is being scapegoated here, with all sorts of media and blogosphere types coming up with trade proposals in recent weeks to ship him out of the Big Apple. Sourced reporting has indicated, though, that the Knicks have no plans to trade him before the deadline in February. I would agree that the Jalen Brunson-Towns pairing is not viable defensively, something the Sixers have greatly taken advantage of in the meetings this season. Brunson is certainly more of the favored son in NYC, so moving Towns makes sense from that perspective.

The Sixers will have their own decisions to make at the trade deadline, but for now, they’ll hope to see what sort of team they have with everyone available. Tyrese Maxey is an All-Star starter for the first time. Joel Embiid just played 46 minutes and put up a 32-point triple double. VJ Edgecombe will be in the Rookie of the Year conversation. Paul George is having an excellent defensive campaign and settling in as a third or fourth offensive option. Kelly Oubre Jr. is playing the best ball of his career. Dominick Barlow will be getting a well-deserved standard contract any week now. The East is a strange kettle of fish, and this Sixers group deserves to see where they fall in the pecking order.

Zooming back into this afternoon, my main focus will be on VJ Edgecombe vs. Jalen Brunson Chapter III. The rookie did an outstanding job slowing down the All-Star guard in the first two meetings, and I’m eager to see how Brunson responds without the “we were on a back-to-back” excuse Knicks fans threw out after the games in New York. The Joel Embiid vs. Mitchell Robinson matchup is also interesting given the history of that feud(?) and how Robinson’s relentless attacking of the glass falls under a weaker area of Joel’s game.

Make sure you have your groceries stocked up and settle in for what should be a fun afternoon of basketball before the skies open up and blanket us in a foot-plus of powder.

Game Details

When: Saturday, January 24, 3:00 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: ABC
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers

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From Suns’ resilience to wreckage in one night

I’m still shell-shocked. As I type this, I’m still trying to process what Friday night actually was. What it was supposed to be was simple. The end of a road trip. The last stop before coming home for five games, a chance for the home crowd to applaud the effort, the grit, the survival of a long six-game slog away from Phoenix. What it was supposed to be was an exorcism in Atlanta. Instead, the demons won.

Jalen Green, injured. Devin Booker, injured, leaving the building on crutches. Sit with that for a second. What the fuck just happened?

Injuries have been everywhere across the NBA this season, like a creeping fog that eventually finds everyone. For the most part, the Suns had avoided it. They ducked. They weaved. They stayed upright. Then Friday night arrived, and the bullet did not miss. It caught them square in the chest, center mass, no warning.

Now comes the waiting. Waiting for updates. Waiting for timelines. Waiting to understand what the next phase of this season even looks like, and how long these guys might be gone. Waiting while wondering why there always seems to be a tax for loving a team that dons purple and orange.

The irony stings. I spent most of the night before the game writing about my favorite Suns teams I’ve ever watched. A love letter, really. A piece I’ll probably publish later today once I finish sanding down the edges. And like every Suns story I’ve ever told, there’s a familiar thread running through it. No matter how bright the vibes feel in the moment, no matter how hopeful the setup, it always bends toward disappointment. Not immediately. Not gently. Eventually, and violently.

So yeah, I’m sitting in the doom tonight. I’m swimming in frustration. I’m carrying that heavy, familiar depression that only comes with the very specific experience of being a Phoenix Suns fan. None of this is their fault. Nobody asked for this. And yet somehow, every time, we’re the ones left paying for it in emotional damage.

Bright Side Baller Season Standings

You ain’t stopping J Good! His energy is infectious, and it infected the second team unit in the Suns’ win over the 76ers. Make it 4 BSB’s for the Dogg.

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Game 45 against the Hawks. Here are your nominees:

Devin Booker
31 points (12-of-21, 5-of-9 3PT), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, +5 +/-

Grayson Allen
16 points (7-of-12, 1-of-5 3PT), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 2 turnovers, +8 +/-

Collin Gillespie
16 points (6-of-12, 3-of-6 3PT), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, -2 +/-

Oso Ighodaro
8 points (4-of-7), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, +3 +/-

Dillon Brooks
11 points (4-of-18, 1-of-5 3PT), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, -11 +/-

Mark Williams
6 points (3-of-8), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 0 turnovers, -10 +/-

Who gets some love for their efforts in ATL?

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A First Look at the Cardinals’ 2026 Season Through ZiPS

On Friday morning Dan Szymborski released the long-awaited Cardinals 2026 ZiPS projections and gave us all a short break from refreshing MLB Trade Rumors to see the latest on Brendan Donovan. ZiPS is the gold standard for publicly available projection systems and has been continuously refined to improve accuracy since Szymborski originally developed it in the early 2000s. If you haven’t yet, make sure to check out the full set of projections. 

The first sneak peek was originally tweeted out on Thursday.

At first glance this looks better than expected! It is important to note that the graphic above is based on the ZiPS projected rate stats, but the playing time allocation is based on the FanGraphs Depth Chart page, so the WAR totals in the graphic are not meant to line up with the ZiPS projection tables in the article. This also means that we cannot just add up the WAR totals to get a projected win total. The team projections will come out closer to the start of the season and are based on millions of simulations that account for much more variability and nuance than midpoint projections. With that lengthy caveat out of the way, I do think it is still worthwhile to see how the team’s projections stack up with the projections going into last year as well as the actual results in 2025.

Pitching

The Cardinals rotation was sneakily horrible last year thanks to the 250 innings given to Miles Mikolas and Erick Fedde, so even with the loss of Sonny Gray, the group as a whole won’t have to do much to improve.  Despite lacking a true standout, ZiPS sees enough depth to piece together a reasonable staff. While it may be deep, the rotation is also lacking upside. Dustin May is the only starting pitcher expected to open in the rotation with a projected strikeout rate over 20%. The Cardinals bullpen performed exceptionally well in 2025, so there is a lot of regression baked into the 2026 outlook. Getting a few breakout performances and/or starters moving to the pen and seeing their stuff play up will be a huge factor in the team’s 2026 storyline. Overall, I didn’t see too many surprises in the projections, but a few that stood out to me were:

Hunter Dobbins is given a projection a little too close to Aaron Wilkerson for my liking. He will probably always be a pitch to contact guy, but he is going to need to strike out more than 15.8% of batters to make much of an impact. 

Michael McGreevy projects as the staff ace as the only starting pitcher with an ERA+ greater than 100 and is given a 20% chance of putting up a 3+ WAR season. 

JoJo Romero is projected for almost half the bullpen WAR at 0.9. Hopefully some general manager saw the ZiPS release and decided to increase the prospect value they are willing to offer…

Hitters

On the position player side of things, you can see the hole at first base left by the Willson Contreras departure. The rest of the infield projects slightly better than last year’s projections and results. One thing to note here is that the Depth Charts page is only giving Wetherholt 371 plate appearances, so there is some upside there if he performs in line with his ZiPS projections and earns a full season’s worth of plate appearances. The outfield was projected to be terrible going into last season and was able to meaningfully underperform even from that baseline. Nootbaar and Scott get solid projections in left and center field. Walker is projected for 518 plate appearances, which surely will not happen if he struggles as much as last year. 

Looking a bit deeper at the individual player projections, Donovan, Nootbaar, Winn, and Burleson project about as expected. Winn’s offense backing up a bit in 2025 hurt his outlook, but that is made up for by his improved defensive projection. His 80th percentile outcome of a 4.5 WAR season seems a little light given that he was on track to eclipse that for most of last year before fading late while dealing with the knee injury. 

While the pitching projections didn’t offer many surprises, there were a bunch of position player projections that jumped out to me. 

JJ Wetherholt is projected for 2.9 WAR with a 100 OPS+ and above-average defense. While not flashy, this is an incredibly positive projection for a player with one full minor league season under his belt. ZiPS incorporates exit velocity data into the model, so it is good to see that Wetherholt was not knocked too much for his average performance on those metrics. 

Ivan Herrera is projected for a 125 OPS+. Going into last season he was projected at 103, so it is good to see that the computer believes in his offensive breakout. The model does incorporate injury data, but I am assuming it is not aware of the saga around Herrera’s arm problems and his impassioned pursuit of the starting catcher role. If he is able to catch 80-100 games, I think he would easily surpass his 80th percentile WAR projection of 3.5. 

Jordan Walker maybe shouldn’t be classified as a surprise, but you still hate to see a below replacement projection. The Cardinals still seem to believe in his upside and I am inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt as they try to sort through Walker’s issues. 

Nolan Gorman projecting for 1.9 WAR and above-average defense was one of the biggest surprises for me. It will be interesting to see how much leeway he is given early in the year. 

Jimmy Crooks is given a 2 WAR projection with an 89 OPS+. This was similar to the projection he received going into 2025. It is good to see that the computer still believes in him after a relatively lackluster AAA performance. 

Nathan Church didn’t convince the computer that his 2025 breakout was for real, as he still projects below average offensively and defensively. 

Bryan Torres has a steadily growing fan club and can now count ZiPS among his admirers with a 105 OPS+. His -8 defensive rating hurts his overall value projection and will be something to keep an eye on if he breaks camp with the Cardinals. 

Finally, a few prospects that don’t project to open in St. Louis but that had encouraging projections were:

Joshua Baez getting a 94 OPS+ projection is super exciting. I was worried the computer would hold his high strikeout rate in the lower minors against him. He is projected for a 29% strikeout rate, so it is still a risky profile, but it also means there is more upside if he keeps the swing and miss in check as he moves up. 

Deniel Ortiz was one of the breakout offensive prospects of the 2025 season. A projected OPS+ of 81 is incredibly solid for a player who has not yet reached Double-A. It is good to see ZiPS is not overly concerned with his high strikeout rate. 

Leonardo Bernal continues to get love with a league average WAR projection. It is hard to see him getting much time this year, but he is still moving in the right direction. 

All things considered, I am encouraged by where the projections landed. These aren’t the Cardinals from the last several decades that pump out 88+ win projections, but they still have the underlying attribute of depth that made those teams successful. Szymborski himself mentioned that this looks like a .500 team, which would surpass most fans’ expectations. I do think in all the talk of the rebuild, some fans are overlooking the importance of winning games in 2026. The Cardinals have a good farm system, but it is not the kind of system that can take a true-talent 70 win team and turn it into a World Series contender in a couple of years. If the 2026 team can meet or exceed the ZiPS expectations, the Cardinals will be primed for a competitive window moving forward.

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Phillies news: J.T. Realmuto, starting rotation, MacKenzie Gore

As the tri-state area hunkers down for the impending snowstorm, let’s take this opportunity to enjoy a Phillies video from the past. Here’s a game from 1989.

You’re welcome.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

MLB news:

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Orioles news: As season nears, available pitching upgrades dwindle

Good morning Birdland,

The Orioles’ search for another rotation upgrade probably feels a lot like going to the grocery store ahead of the big snow storm about to tear through half the country. Many of the shelves are barren.

If you poke around, you can probably find that last gallon of milk or loaf of bread, but then you see that it’s past its “Best By” date. That’s Justin Verlander. It could be fine. Those dates are just suggestions anyway. It doesn’t mean that the food has spoiled. And let’s be honest, you’ve bought questionable things like this before when you were desperate. But do you want to take the chance this time? Maybe if you can get a discount.

The fresh meat section has been picked through, but there is one package left. And it’s a steak! Framber Valdez! Maybe you’ll treat yourself. If you’re gonna be snowed in, you might as well make something special. But the price of beef is out of control right now, and it’s not even your favorite cut. Let’s do a loop and see if we can find something else.

As you’re shopping you peek in the carts of a few other folks in the store. It feels like they all already have their essentials. They must have gotten here earlier. The Red Sox got eggs AND toilet paper. How? No one is getting both!

It feels like a good time to pull your cart over, look at your list, and do a mental inventory of what you already have at home. Do you want pitching? Yes. But do you absolutely need it? What you have at home might be plenty to get through the storm. It might not make for the most luxurious 48 hours stuck inside, but you’ll survive. Once you’ve dug out and the roads have cleared, you can head back out and get what you need without as much stress.

The Orioles rotation is in better shape than it was at the end of the 2025 season, and it is worlds better than 12 months ago. They could use more, another playoff-caliber arm that you can depend on for both innings and quality. But you don’t have to settle for something you don’t actually want. You aren’t desperate. If Valdez fits what the front office is after, they should go get him. If they prefer someone else, and are OK to pay in prospects sometime mid-season, then they should do that. That one pitcher probably won’t change the team’s overall trajectory for the season. But it will matter in the second half, and especially if they get in the playoffs. So the time for panic may come, but it is not now.

Links

As a newbie, Alonso embraces ‘New Oriole Way’ | Orioles.com
I have trepidations about how the Pete Alonso contract will age, but the guy has said everything you could want him to since signing his deal back in mid-December. He comes off as genuine and excited to be a part of the Orioles organization. That’s all you can really ask for.

Basallo and Beavers give Orioles a pair of prospects who should contribute in 2026 | Roch Kubatko
It has felt like the public perception of the Orioles minor league system has diminished the last year or two. But that way of thinking might be getting crushed in 2026. The organization is back to having a handful of “Top 100” types in the minors, including the duo of Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers, who both have a chance to win Rookie of the Year.

White Sox To Sign Seranthony Domínguez | MLB Trade Rumors
There was some theorizing that Domínguez would fit right back into the Orioles bullpen. He was solid here, and it seemed like he and the organization really liked one another. But the Orioles were never going to give him the two-year, $20 million he just got from the White Sox. The hard-throwing righty will close games for the South Siders, which could set him up for an even bigger pay day two years from now. Good for him!

Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson looking forward to healthy season after dealing with shoulder impingement | The Baltimore Banner
Make no mistake, Henderson was still very good last year. But he was lacking some of his normal power. It sounds like both his shoulder and the intercostal strain played a part in that. The Orioles will need him back closer to an MVP level in 2026 if they are going to storm back into the playoffs. A side note in this one pertains to Heston Kjerstad. He is going to be a full participant in the spring, which is great to hear. He faces quite a battle to get in the lineup though.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

  • Ashur Tolliver turns 38 today. The lefty pitched in five games out of the Orioles bullpen in 2016.
  • Tim Stoddard celebrates his 73rd birthday. From 1978 through ‘83, the 6-foot-7 hurler tossed 313 total innings for the Orioles, all of which came in relief. Although he did not pitch in the 1983 World Series, he was still part of the team that won it, making him the first player to win both a World Series and an NCAA basketball championship. Stoddard was a starting forward on the 1973-74 NC State team that took home the national title.

This day in O’s history

1961 – The Orioles and the Kansas City Athletics agree to a six-player trade. Outfielders Whitey Herzog and Russ Snyder head to Baltimore in exchange for infielder Wayne Causey, pitcher Jim Archer, and outfielders Bob Boyd and Al Pilarcik.

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Letters to Sports: Readers debate whether the Dodgers are ruining baseball

Los Angeles , CA - January 21: Outfielder Kyle Tucker smiles during a press conference at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026 in Los Angeles , CA. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)
All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker is all smiles during his introductory news conference at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

The fury over the Dodgers signing Kyle Tucker makes me wonder who's shouting the loudest?

Could it be desperate, unfortunate fans whose beloved teams are owned by inheritors, nepo families, or private equity bros who celebrate their glamorous assets?

So how about a new metric in the sports page to accompany the ranking of teams and players: ownership. Not simply by wealth, but wisdom, brains and commitment. And for fun let's call it the McCourt-Moreno Index.

It's time we hold the Marge Schotts of pro sports accountable for the franchises they mismanage.

Bob Collector
Santa Barbara

There are some alarming implications to Bill Plaschke's "If it blows up baseball, so be it." Perhaps he means that MLB should be reduced to a burning garbage heap with three teams atop — Yankees, Cubs and Dodgers — because they were the only ones who went into the TV business and peddled their services for billions in the three largest TV markets.

Maybe he yearns to transform MLB into the NHL of my childhood, with six teams. That was OK if you lived in a shallow arc extending between New York and Chicago — not so good for everyone else.

"So be it," as Plaschke would say, but I can guarantee I won't be the only one who isn't watching anymore.

Thomas Bailey
Long Beach

Naturally Dodger fans are all excited about the signing of the $60-million-a-year All-Star right fielder, Kyle Tucker. But we're not going to be happy when Dodger Stadium becomes the first MLB ballpark with a two-drink minimum.

Joe Kevany
Mount Washington

As everyone seems to be raving about the Dodgers' acquisition of Kyle Tucker, I note the following: There is another player who was recently signed by the Yankees for less money and less signing bonus than Tucker who had higher numbers last year in average, home runs and WAR. He also plays more positions. Hadn’t the Dodgers heard of Cody Bellinger? Bellinger as a Yankee will never feel right to me.

Larry Macedo
West Hills

Ask a Major League Baseball owner like Arte Moreno, who sells out his ballpark whenever the Dodgers come to Anaheim, and sees Angel broadcast ratings surge whenever his team plays the Dodgers, if he thinks the Dodgers are ruining the game.

Marc Gerber
Encino

Even the poets know it

The Rams won the battle of which team gets to lose to Seattle.

That rhymes!

Vaughn Hardenberg
Westwood

Throwing the flag on PI

The NFL needs to clarify exactly what does and doesn’t constitute pass interference. There is no consistency as to how it's called with each official seeming to have their own definition of what constitutes pass interference. It has gotten to the point where it’s worse than major league umpires and their own definition of the strike zone. NFL, you need to clean this up because these are major calls that are ruining games.

Doug Vikser
Manhattan Beach

An offer they can refuse

Bill Plaschke finally wrote a column about the Lakers with which I agree. LeBron James is the past, Austin Reaves is the future, and $50 million will help the Lakers rebuild. Yes, it's really as simple as that.

Richard Raffalow
Valley Glen

With the Lakers defense costing them multiple games, reminiscent of the coach Mike (no D)'Antoni days, the only real interesting Laker news last week were the alleged Jeanie Buss comments about the King. They sounded like they were lines taken from a scene in "The Godfather" .... "What have I done to make you treat me so disrespectfully." My opinion is that it "was not personal and strictly business."

Mike Anderson
Sherman Oaks

Cheers to Indiana

When asked after each game how he'd celebrate another victory, Indiana's Curt Cignetti would say, "With a beer." After guiding his team to an undefeated season, and then winning the national championship, I doubt the Hoosiers' coach will ever have to buy another beer again.

Denny Freidenrich
Laguna Beach

Lincoln Riley is officially on the clock. In two years Curt Cignetti took a woebegone college team, with nary a five-star player, to an undefeated national championship. Cignetti has proven that, even in the NIL era, coaching matters. Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick …

Mark S. Roth
Playa Vista

Curt Cignetti and Indiana football playing in and winning the national championship was a modern-day version of the movie "Hoosiers" and would have made coach Norman Dale (actor Gene Hackman) proud. Now the question is, can new UCLA football coach Bob Chesney and his 40-plus transfers be the second coming of Indiana? Only time will tell.

Chris Sorce
Fountain Valley

Making a not-so-good point

Kings president Luc Robitaille appears to be happy with the Kings' status quo that appears to be getting one point every game in an overtime or shootout loss. Should we start referring to him as Luc RobitailleandthenloseinOT?

Nick Rose
Newport Coast

The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used.

Email: sports@latimes.com

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Rockets rebound with 111-104 victory over Pistons

The Houston Rockets were struggling on the road and on the second night of a back-to-back, but they went into Detroit and beat one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference anyway, downing the Pistons 111-104 behind a total team effort.

Kevin Durant once again led the way, scoring 32 points on 11-for-19 shooting, including 5-for-11 from deep. He also pitched in 7 boards. 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. He also played pretty good defense all night, and the middie game was working.

Alperen Sengun had 19 points and 5 assists on 6-for-11 shooting. He had a lovely poster dunk, but he also doesn’t look completely healthy, which he has been open about. Reed Sheppard had 18 off of the bench, and though his three-ball wasn’t there, going just 1-for-7, he contributed down the stretch, hitting Cade Cunningham with a nasty hesi to take him to the cup for a bucket.

He also played 25 minutes, and Ime Udoka must finally be listening to us, as Reed closed the game and was an essential component of the victory.

Amen Thompson pitched in 15 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and a block, while Jabari Smith Jr. had 11 points, 10 boards, 2 steals and a block and played the Dillon Brooks role by picking fights and being the emotional backbone on the court. He was also 5-for-9 shooting, the kind of side role we need to see from Jabari every night. Again, the man is just 22, one of the youngest on the team. High-end role player is still the ceiling with some more consistency.

Clint Capela had 5 points, 9 boards and 3 blocks as the backup center, and these type of performances will be needed to weather the storm with Steven Adams potentially out all year now.

This was one of the best team wins we’ve seen in a while, and especially with Houston’s road struggles, it meant much more. The Rockets move to 27-16 and are on roughly a 52-win pace, the same as last season. They currently sit in the four-seed and will be back in action Monday versus the Memphis Grizzlies.

Hope you’re all staying warm out there. Here in Pennsylvania, it’s current -7 degrees outside, and we’re waiting on a storm later today that’s dropping 12-16 inches of snow. A total of 45 states are currently under weather emergencies this weekend. Wherever you are, we hope you’re staying safe.

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I’m struggling to understand how the Celtics beat the Nets

I am going to try my hardest to remain calm during this. To keep things relaxed, I’ll start with a simple list of things that happened during that Celtics win:

Late substitution, choreographed Hugo Gonzalez game tying three with .4 seconds left in overtime… ok? All that after a comeback to take a big lead before blowing said lead and almost losing however not losing and reversing a dead-to-rights situation because of two of the nastiest plays you’ve ever seen to get two clutch threes and of course only winning in double OT because of massive AMARI WILLIAMS minutes in BOTH OVERTIMES because both Luka Garza and Neemias Queta fouled out?! 

We also had Ron Harper Jr. minutes? Baylor Scheierman second on the team in rebounds? Did I mention Hugo Gonzalez had a few plays where he looked like LeBron? And Payton Pritchard had a few where he looked like Curry? Do we have Steph and LeBron at home? Am I freaking out?

More conventionally, we had a Jaylen Brown triple-double (sure), 32 from Pritchard (yep), and the Celtics have played a quadrillion combined minutes without Derrick White on the first night of a back-to-back during a home game against the Brooklyn Nets. Of course, it was in Brooklyn, but it was a home game. Jaylen was getting MVP chants in OT, it was sick.

Yes, the Celtics were playing the Nets, not exactly your idea of a monstrous juggernaut. But come on man… no Tatum, no DWhite, both centers fouled out, not much from Simons, Jaylen Brown is just John Snow standing there alone drawing his sword against charging horses in that one Game of Thrones scene… and we get it done? I mean that’s just a ridiculous win. Ridiculous!

Look, I don’t have any profound thoughts about this other than what I’ve already said about this team: I don’t really understand it, parts of me refuse to accept it, and yet it clearly, unmistakably works. It is the ultimate example of how, in sports, you really just have to judge the results because we really can’t understand what’s up and what’s down. I had no idea any of these guys were going to be playable, let alone half as good as they actually are. 

So, in judging the results, we need to decide if the lunacy that just won us that game is a glorious flash in the pan or if there’s real stuff to build on. For Amari Williams, his performance in a position of dire need is the stuff of Greek myths, like both centers foul out and he has to come in and make some ad-hoc home run touch pass to Pritchard while standing on deaths door? And the game-sealing and-one into the block in OT? Though he obviously has a long way to go, that will stick in my head for a while.

And Hugo, my goodness gracious, I do not know what to think of this man. His effort level is breaking the scale; he’s not actually scoring that much, and every game, it feels like he has 20 more points than he actually does. But it’s all well and good because his play is completely additive. Not sure I’d want him playing 30 mins in a playoff series, but he’s like a hot potato to throw at the other team and force them to juggle it for 10-20 minutes per contest. He creates situations to capitalize on.

He also has one “so that might be something” play per night. He had a step-through in transition that, I kid you not, kind of looked like LeBron. He used his physicality to create space in a way that is generally the bag of much more mature players. I’m not saying he’s going to be LeBron, but I’m officially not not saying that. Deal with it.

This might be bad for tomorrow’s result, given that Jaylen Brown just played 46 minutes and now they have to fly to Chicago where it’s like -652 degrees outside. If the snow storm/extreme cold forces the NBA to move the game from 8 p.m. to noon like they did for the Hornets game tomorrow… well then, just pack it up we’ll get ‘em next time. I imagine they would have already announced that, but I just wanted to mark it in case it was still possible.

I know the Celtics are on a serious Boston fan backburner this week with the Patriots playing in the AFC Championship, but I hope you all spent your Friday night watching that absurdity. It was well worth our time.

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Warriors’ Kuminga to miss Saturday Timberwolves game

After leaving Thursday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks early with an injury to his knee and ankle, Jonathan Kuminga will miss Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with knee soreness. That will halt his consecutive games streak at two.

Kuminga came back from 16 straight DNP-CDs with 30 points in 30 minutes of play Tuesday and Thursday. Jimmy Butler’s injury opened up a spot for Kuminga in Steve Kerr’s very expansive rotation, and the 23-year-old forward took advantage by providing instant and ample offense off the bench.

(Note: Not a windmill dunk.)

It would have been exciting to see Jimmy Butler play against his old team in a nationally-televised game Saturday afternoon. Failing that, it would have been interesting to see if Kuminga could continue his scoring binge, after averaging 24.3 points in the last four game’s of last spring’s playoff series with the Wolves. Now, America will get to watch Gui Santos and Will Richard try to slow down Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards.

Kuminga mildly hyperextended his knee Thursday, so the team is holding him out. It does not sound like his twisted ankle was serious. There’s an immediate rematch with the T-Wolves Monday, so the Warriors could see Kuminga back on the floor, if only to feature him for their rumored acquisition of Andrew Wiggins.

The fear is that Kuminga aggravates his knee issue and is once again injured at the trade deadline, happening Feb. 5. And then we have to keep writing about Kuminga trade rumors for eight more months. Perish the thought.

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How is ex-G League player Charles Bediako back at Alabama? What to know

Two years after playing in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament South Region, Charles Bediako will be back on the hardwood for Alabama men's basketball.

The 7-foot center's return to the Crimson Tide is one of the biggest storylines in college basketball, as he was recently granted a temporary restraining order to return to Nate Oats' program after playing in the G-League after going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft.

He's the latest player to re-enter college basketball after being in the NBA draft and playing in the G-League, a growing laundry list of players that started with Thierry Darlan and London Johnson committing to Santa Clara and Louisville, respectively.

Here's what to know about Bediako and his situation at Alabama ahead of the 17th-ranked Crimson Tide's SEC clash against Tennessee on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 8:30 p.m. ET inside Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama:

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Is Charles Bediako playing for Alabama today?

Yes, the expectation is that Bediako will play for the Crimson Tide on Saturday against Tennessee. Alabama added Bediako to its official roster on Friday, Jan. 23, and he will wear No. 14.

"First of all, the system is clearly broken and I'm all for figuring out a way to fix it, but since the NCAA has already allowed professionals to play virtually every team we've played this year or will play as a former professional player on their roster, you tell me how I'm supposed to tell Charles and the team that we're not going to support them when he's been deemed legally eligible to play. So Charles is still within his five-year window. He's 23 years old. He's pursuing his degree here at Alabama," Alabama coach Nate Oats said on Jan. 23 during a media availability.

"We've got our roster spot open so this is not taking any opportunities away from a high school recruit or anybody else. Charles shouldn't be punished for choosing to go the academic route out of high school rather than the professional route like the international players did. So again, my personal opinion on all this is we need a uniform and transparent system that doesn't punish the Americans, that takes the hypocrisy out of it, that gives equal treatment to Americans and international players both, while also allowing high school players the opportunities they need coming out of school.

"So someone should be able to come up with a system that checks all those boxes, but for now we're going to continue to support Charles, our team, and we're working closely with our administration, our compliance department on all of this. So that's what I've got on that. Now for the Tennessee game, listen, and I know Charles will draw a lot of attention for this game, but yeah, we are planning to play him. He's eligible to play. We're going to follow the court orders."

Charles Bediako in action for Alabama during an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game against San Diego State on March 24, 2023.

REQUIRED READING: Nate Oats takes America First stance on Charles Bediako

Latest on Charles Bediako situation at Alabama

The Crimson Tide forward declared for the NBA Draft following his sophomore season with the Crimson Tide in 2023 but was not selected by one of the NBA's 30 franchises. A veteran G-League player, Bediako most recently was playing for the Detroit Pistons' G-League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise. He had four points and three rebounds in the Cruise's 127-103 win against the Birmingham Squadron on Jan. 17.

As noted by the Tuscaloosa News — part of the USA TODAY Network — the NCAA denied Alabama's initial request to restore the 23-year-old's eligibility to return to the Crimson Tide. In a countermove, Bediako filed a lawsuit against the NCAA with the Tuscaloosa Circuit Court on Tuesday, Jan. 20 to use the remainder of his eligibility. He's enrolled in classes at Alabama as well.

On Wednesday, Jan. 21, Judge James Roberts Jr. granted Bediako a temporary restraining order to return to the Crimson Tide as a collegiate student-athlete until his next injunction hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

The NCAA shared its displeasure with the judge's decision in a statement on Jan. 21.

"These attempts to sidestep NCAA rules and recruit individuals who have finished their time in college or signed NBA contracts are taking away opportunities from high school students," the NCAA said in a statement. "A judge ordering the NCAA let a former NBA player take the court Saturday against actual college student-athletes is exactly why Congress must step in and empower college sports to enforce our eligibility rules."

An added layer to the headlines that this situation has created is that Judge Roberts is a frequent guest lecturer at Alabama and is listed by the Crimson Tide Foundation as an active "Circle" level donor in the Lifetime Giving Society.

In a statement shared on Jan. 23, NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt spoke on the pre- and -post NBA Draft eligibility rules that the NCAA has and the NCAA's withdrawal deadline.

"If these rules surrounding the NCAA pre- and post-draft rules cannot be enforced, it would create an unstable environment for the student-athletes, schools building a roster for the following season and the NBA," Gavitt wrote. "The NCAA membership has a set of rules in place regarding the pre- and post-NBA draft eligibility that have clearly been in place and supported by all parties until these recent court challenges."

Charles Bediako stats

Since leaving Alabama, Bediako appeared in 82 G League games across three seasons with the Austin Spurs, Grand Rapids Gold and Motor City Cruise.

Here’s a look at his stats from his professional career:

  • 2023-24 (Austin): 5.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 14.6 minutes per game
  • 2024-25 (Grand Rapids): 9.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 24.5 minutes per game
  • 2025-26 (Motor City): 4.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 15.1 minutes per game

Charles Bediako college stats

In two seasons at Alabama, Bediako averaged 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 19.4 minutes per game while shooting 67.3% from the field and 48.8% from the free-throw line.

Here's a year-by-year breakdown of Bediako's stats at Alabama:

  • 2021-2022: 6.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 0.7 assists per game while shooting 69.2% from the field
  • 2022-2023: 6.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 0.6 assists per game while shooting 65.9% from the field

How old is Charles Bediako?

Born on March 10, 2002, Bediako is 23 years old.

Charles Bediako draft

Bediako entered the 2023 NBA Draft following his sophomore season at Alabama, but went undrafted. He instead signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs and joined their G League affiliate in Austin, Texas.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Charles Bediako, ex-G League player, set to play for Alabama today