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Mets Morning News: Play Ball!

A general view of Citi Field on Opening Day in 2025

Meet the Mets

It’s Opening Day, Mets fans! After a long, cold winter baseball is finally back, and it’s time for another season of Mets baseball.

Ahead of Opening Day, the team finalized its roster with Richard Lovelady and Jared Young grabbing the final two spots.

Freddy Peralta gets the honor of starting Opening Day, and the ace is ready for the challenge of facing Cy Young winner Paul Skenes.

Skenes will be no easy task for both the new Mets and the returning vets who want to put the disappoint of last season in the rear view mirror.

David Stearns worked hard this offseason to overhaul the team, and he’s confident the moves he made will help them withstand the grind of a 162-game season.

Carson Benge will be starting in right field, and he has the potential to be a solid contributer for this team.

There will be no Gary, Keith, and Ron for Opening Day since the game will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.

The staff at The Athletic made their predictions for the 2026 season.

The Mets are one of the teams interested in signing old friend Drew Smith, who was recently released by the Nationals.

Around the National League East

The Braves had the best record in Grapefruit League action, but historically that has had little bearing on how the regular season will go.

The Marlins signed veteran outfielder Austin Slater to a one-year deal to complete their roster.

Phillies owner John Middleton defended the decision to rename a stadium bar that had honored beloved broadcaster Harry Kalas. It is now named for an energy drink company after the naming rights were sold.

The Nationals surprisingly named Miles Mikolas as their number two starter behind Cade Cavalli, who will start Opening Day.

Around Major League Baseball

The Yankees opened the 2026 season with a 7-0 win over the Giants.

The Opening Day game was broadcast on Netflix, making it the latest streaming service fans need if they want to watch baseball.

The .300 hitter is a dying breed in baseball due in part to both tougher pitching and better defense around the league.

Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores is one of the bidders interested in buying the Padres.

Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday will start the season on the IL to give him more time to rehab after suffering a broken hamate bone in his hand.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

It’s to vote on this year’s King of Spring Training!

The championship round of Linus Lawrence’s Mets Madness tournament is in the books.

Lukas Vlahos gave David Stearns a final grade on his offseason moves.

Brian Salvatore previewed Juan Soto’s season.

This Date in Mets History

On this date in 1988, the Mets acquired Mackey Sasser from the Pirates.

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Mikko Rantanen Won’t Play vs. Islanders In First Meeting Since Injuring Alexander Romanov

On Thursday, the New York Islanders continue their playoff push when they welcome the Dallas Stars to town. 

It's the first time they'll face Dallas since Nov. 18, when Stars forward Mikko Rantanen ended Alexander Romanov's season in the dying seconds of the third of what ended as a 3-2 win for Long Island. 

Rantanen failed to control himself as he pursued a puck on the forecheck. His skate clinked with Scott Mayfield's, then Rantanen shoved Romanov at full speed from behind straight into the boards.

Romanov suffered a season-ending upper-body injury, though if the Islanders make the playoffs, there is a chance he's ready for round one.

After the hit, Islanders' head coach Patrick Roy went ballistic on Rantanen, in perhaps the single fieriest moment for Roy behind the bench thus far.

"You're not gonna f---ing finish that game [on Long Island]," Roy yelled to Rantanen. 

Postgame, Roy continued to blast Rantanen's lack of control.

Rantanen faced no supplemental discipline from the NHL for that hit, but within the next week, Rantanen had gotten himself into two more highly dangerous plays that resulted in a fine and another ejection.

After Injuring Islanders’ Alexander Romanov, Mikko Rantanen Faces More Scrutiny For Dangerous PlaysAfter Injuring Islanders’ Alexander Romanov, Mikko Rantanen Faces More Scrutiny For Dangerous PlaysRantanen's questionable plays ignite controversy, leaving opponents injured and drawing league scrutiny. Another hit from behind sparks a bloody scene and further review.

The Islanders did not get a chance to make Rantanen answer for his play that hurt Romanov that night, and they won't get a chance to on Thursday, either.

Rantanen suffered an injury while playing for Team Finland at the Olympics and has yet to play for Dallas since the Olympic Break ended.

Rantanen joined the team for their upcoming four-game road trip in full-contact mode, but Dallas has already ruled him out for Thursday's game against the Islanders.

As a result, the Islanders will not see the Finnish superstar until next season. 

The Islanders haven't truly been able to fill the role that Romanov left behind.  During his absence, the Islanders have tried five internal options before general manager Mathieu Darche acquired Carson Soucy from the New York Rangers in exchange for the New Jersey Devils' 2026 third-round selection. 

We'll see if the Islanders can qualify for the postseason and if Romanov can get back by then, because he's surely been missed. 

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The budding chemistry between Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOVEMBER 08: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics high-fives Neemias Queta #88 after scoring against the Brooklyn Nets during the third quarter at the TD Garden on November 08, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) | Getty Images

After missing an abundance of practice time and 63 games on the court, the connection between Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta looks like it hasn’t been affected.  

Following his return from injury, Tatum offered insight into the conversations he and Queta shared. 

“Me and Neemi had a little talk during the game,” he said. “We were just like, ‘man, this is our first day really playing together.’” While the two logged 385 minutes together last season, there is still, as he noted, “some things we got to work on.”  

And if Tatum’s first game back against the Dallas Mavericks was any indication of a starting point, there is ample reason for excitement about what lies ahead.  

The most common action for this tandem features Queta setting an on-ball screen, creating scoring opportunities for Tatum. As I noted before this season, Queta utilizes his body exceptionally well in these situations. 

At his best he’s leveraging his full frame with a low, wide base to effectively shield on-ball defenders.  

Even in situations where Tatum doesn’t convert, you can see just how much space he has to work with thanks to Queta.  

Tatum even praised Queta, saying he has “really turned into an excellent screener” following the Celtics’ 111–100 win over the Washington Wizards. 

That same game also marked Queta’s second-highest scoring output of the season, as he poured in 24 points on 11-of-13 shooting, with Tatum’s precise passing playing a key role in setting him up.  

Since Tatum’s return, he has nine assists to Queta which is tied for the most to a teammate with Derrick White. Tatum’s passing variety and pass placement adds another layer to an already really good offense.  These skills have already enhanced Queta’s opportunities as a scorer.  

Coach Joe Mazzulla was also asked what he has seen from the duo following the win over the Wizards. He pointed to Queta’s growth, noting that his “ability as a connector, his ability to set screens, his ability to get guys open, his ability to read the floor in transition and create those two-on-ones early in the shot clock is something that he’s gotten better at. And with JT back, it just takes it to another level.” 

The Celtics bigs have thrived setting those early offense screens this year which consist of “Flare” screens, “Veer” screens, and “Wide” action screens. I went very deep into detailing each of these screens in my Luka Garza spotlight.

When it pertains to Queta and Tatum though, the Flare screen has dominated their early offense connection.  

A Flare screen is an off-ball screen set in between the passer and the recipient.  

Queta has been able to set these really effectively giving Tatum room to score, attack, and pass to others.  

Tatum also has the ability to set those Flare screens and allow Queta to pass.  

Looking more into Queta’s passing, he has had his fair share of dimes to Tatum as well.  

Queta’s screening and improved ability as a handoff passer also allows him to be compatible in “Blind Pig” actions.  

Here’s a detailed look at what Blind Pig is and how it works for the Celtics.  

Another area where Queta has thrived since Tatum’s return is passing from the short roll. After the Celtics’ 120–99 win over the Golden State Warriors, Tatum continued to sing Queta’s praises, saying, “He’s really turned into a guy that we can trust throwing the ball in the seam, finishing at the rim and finding the open man. It’s just been really cool to see his development over the last few years.” 

“He’s exceeded expectations.”  

We really see both parties work together in these situations as they can create advantages for one another and do a great job capitalizing on it.  

Here Queta sets the screen on Stephon Castle, getting him off Tatum. That gets Tatum going downhill at Luke Kornet, who is Queta’s defender, opening the pocket for the pass. Dylan. Harper, younger brother of Celtics guard Ron Harper Jr., was also attracted to the Tatum drive. So, when the pass goes to the short roll and hits Queta, he spots Baylor Scheierman drifting to the corner away from Harper getting the Celtics an open look.  

Here Queta creates an advantage for Tatum with a pin-down screen, and the attention Tatum gets afterwards opens the short roll to Queta.  

Queta was asked about his chemistry with Tatum in the pick-and-roll in a postgame interview and said, “Yeah, it’s been getting better. I’ve been figuring out how to get him open looks, how to get him space to attack certain mismatches and it’s a work in progress and I feel like we’re trending in the right direction.”  

Tatum added that this connection has continued to grow because of the constant communication between the two. They “talk it out during the game, timeouts, after the game and as we get more reps, we’ll get more comfortable just knowing where each other is supposed to be.”  

Following the Celtics most recent 119–109 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Tatum spoke highly of his developing connection with Queta again, noting that their connection is “just growing each game.” He went on to praise Queta’s instincts and approach, adding, “Neemi’s a very smart player. He has a great feel for the game, he’s coachable, he listens, and he cares more than anything.”

The evolving chemistry between Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta is more than just impressive; it’s a glimpse of the Celtics’ offensive potential when precision passing meets smart, physical play. From seamless on-ball screens to short-roll connections, Queta’s growth as a scorer and facilitator, combined with Tatum’s vision and scoring, is already adding to the team’s dynamic.  

And if this is only the beginning, the rest of the league better take notice. 

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Columbus Blue Jackets (87 pts) vs. Montréal Canadiens (88 pts) Game Preview

The Columbus Blue Jackets are back on the road for the final game of three away from Nationwide Arena. This game features the Montréal Canadiens.

Montréal Canadiens - 39-21-10 - 88 Points - 6-3-1 in the last 10 - Won 2 - 3rd in the Atlantic

Columbus Blue Jackets - 38-22-11 - 87 Points - 6-1-3 in the last 10 - Won 1 - 2nd in the Metro  

Team Notes Per CBJ PR

  • The Blue Jackets won for the fifth time in the last six games with a 3-2 victory at Philadelphia on Tuesday.
  • The club has earned points in 24 of its last 27 contests (20-3-4, 44 pts) to lead the league in wins (tied), points, points pct. (.815) and goals-against per game (2.44) as well as posting the fewest regulation losses since Jan. 11. They also rank seventh-T in penalty kill pct. (81.4) and eighth in goals-for per game (3.59).
  • CBJ are also 9-2-1 in 12 road contests since Jan. 11, ranking second in the league in points pct. (.792) and third in goals against per game (2.17) and penalty kill pct. (87.1) as well as fifth in power play pct. (30.4).
  • Columbus has allowed two goals or less in seven of the last eight games since Mar. 10 (1.75 GA/GP, 2nd).
  • The Blue Jackets have 11 games remaining in the regular season with seven against teams currently holding a playoff spot, and all 11 contests against teams within seven points of a playoff spot.

Player Notes Per CBJ PR

  • Adam Fantilli has registered points in seven out of the last eight games (3-6-9) and 13 of the last 16 contests (8-10-18). He sits two points (21-32-53, 71 GP) from setting a single-season career high.
  • Jet Greaves has earned points in 14 of his last 15 starts since Jan. 11 (12-1-2, 2.24 GAA, .915 SV% in 16 GP), while G Elvis Merzlikins has recorded points in 10 of his past 12 starts over that span (8-2-2, 2.50 GAA in 13 GP).
  • Mason Marchment notched 1-1-2, including the third period game winner on Tuesday and has totaled 13-10-23 in 29 contests with the Blue Jackets.
  • Mathieu Olivier has posted 3-1-4 in the past five games and ranks seventh in the NHL in goals since Jan. 28 (11 in 20 GP).
  • Damon Severson collected two assists at Philadelphia and has registered 3-7-10 in 13 games in March.
  • Zach Werenski has recorded multiple points in three of the last four games (1-7-8) and tied Artemi Panarin's single-season club record with his 25th multi-point effort on Tuesday (1-1-2). He has notched 21-56-77 in 64 games in 2025-26 to lead NHL blueliners in points-per-game (1.20), multi-point efforts and shots on goal (225) and sit second in points and third in goals.

Blue Jackets Stats

  • Power Play - 20.1% - 17th in the NHL
  • Penalty Kill - 77.9% - 22nd in the NHL
  • Goals For - 225 - 13th in the NHL
  • Goals Against - 216 - 18th in the NHL  

Canadiens Stats

  • Power Play - 25.0% - 3rd in the NHL
  • Penalty Kill - 76.3% - 25th in the NHL
  • Goals For - 247 - 5th in the NHL
  • Goals Against - 225 - 25th in the NHL

Series History vs. TheCanadiens

  • Columbus is 22-17-1-5 all-time, and 10-10-1-3 on the road vs. Montréal.
  • Columbus has recorded points in three-straight meetings overall (2-0-1) and 12 of the last 17 dating back to Mar. 28, 2019 (9-5-3).
  • The club has collected points in five of last eight games at Montreal (3-3-2) but the Canadiens have won the last four home games in the series (CBJ; 0-3-1).
  • Each of the last three games have been decided by a single goal. Prior to that, 7-of-8 were decided by multiple goals.
  • The winning team has scored four-plus goals in 11 of the past 15 games since Nov. 19, 2019 (including SO goals).
  • The teams have combined for six or more goals in four-straight meetings and nine of the past 11.
  • CBJ have scored a power play goal in two-straight games of the series (2-of-5; 40.0 pct.).
  • The teams have combined for 60 shots or less in six of the past nine meetings (58.2 avg.).

Who To Watch For TheCanadiens

  • Cole Caufield leads the Habs with 44 goals.
  • Captain Nick Suzuki leads the team with 62 assists and 86 points. 
  • Jakub Dobeš is 23-8-4 with a SV% of .896.
  • Jacob Folwer is 6-5-2 with a SV% of .899.

CBJ Player Notes vsCanadiens

  • Charlie Coyle has 9 goals 21 points in 29 games against Montréal.
  • Zach Werenski has 18 career points in 22 games against the Habs
  • Boone Jenner has 13 points in 25 games against the Canadiens.

Injured Reserve

  • Brendan Smith - Lower Body - Missed 33 Games IR - Out for the rest of the regular season.

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 179

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FanDuel Sports Network. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play. 

* Simulcasted on CW Columbus, WUAB in Cleveland, WXIX in Cincinnati, WZCD in Dayton, WQCW in Charleston/Huntington, WV, WKYT in Lexington, KY and WAVE in Louisville, KY

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Brown and Tatum prove they are still the best duo in the NBA vs. OKC

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 25: Jayson Tatum #0 and Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics react during the game after the game on March 25, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have been together for nine NBA seasons. They have played 610 regular season games, 121 playoff games, 11 NBA Finals games, and of course, won the 2024 NBA championship together in 2024.

With all of this success, some people will still tell you with a straight face that they aren’t the best duo in the NBA right now — that is blasphemy. While only playing 9 games together this season, we have seen the chemistry build back up and this win against the Oklahoma City Thunder was the catalyst for me to say they have reclaimed their title as best duo in the NBA.

Jaylen Brown finished with his 33rd 30+ point game of the season with 31 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals on 9-17 shooting and 12-14 from free throw line. Jayson Tatum had another double-double, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block while shooting 5-12 from the field and 3-6 from three.

I asked Brown in the postgame press conference his thoughts on playing alongside Tatum when both of them are dominating on the floor together. He said: “I felt like that was a great, encouraging game for JT, like high level intensity, physical team, and it felt like that was a step in the right direction. We still encourage them to get back to that level of aggression that we know and are used to. But I think today was a great game, and making the right plays, making the right reads, being physical and being Jayson Tatum, and I think it’s a step in the right direction.”

Jays Chemistry Together

If we’re talking chemistry, nothing was more apparent than this play at the 5:34 mark of the second quarter. All five players on the Thunder defense were watching Tatum in the right corner and he was still able to make an incredible pass to Brown who knocked down the three over a late Luguentz Dort contest.

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When it came to the Jays contributing to the team together, we can look at the 11-0 run that Boston went on late in the second quarter. In this short burst, both Brown and Tatum were able to use their gravity to find wide open shooters for three and give the Celtics their first lead of the night with 1:15 left in the first half.

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Takeover Mode

The best part about have two Top 10 players in the NBA is that at any given time they can takeover a game and we saw that the Thunder had no answer when it came to stopping the Jays.

Jayson Tatum went first, dominating the first half with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block on 4-7 shooting from the field and 2-4 from three. The second quarter specifically might have been the best he looked all season on both sides of the ball.

On offense, Tatum looked more aggressive in this quarter than in almost any other we have seen so far since he has come back. The threes he was able to make after going one-on-one with the defender and the drive he had against Chet Holmgren were great signs. His passing ability also looked sharp after some tough turnovers in the first quarter.

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On defense, Tatum was active in the passing lanes, finishing with two steals on some poor offensive execution from the Thunder. I would say his block was the most impressive, coming out of no where to send back a shot from Dort. After the Celtics scored only 20 points in the first quarter, Tatum’s play led to Boston outscoring OKC 29-22 in the second quarter.

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After Tatum set the stage in the first half, Jaylen Brown took the baton in the second half. Brown finished the second half with 24 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds on 6-7 shooting from the field and 12-14 from the free throw line.

Brown scored 14 points in the third quarter alone and did a great job of getting to the free throw line, taking 9 attempts. He affected the game with his scoring and facilitating as well. Brown just bullied any defender that was in his way to the basket with none better coming when he put three Thunder players on a poster.

His passing was huge when it came to kicking out to his open teammate after the defense decided to collapse and focus on him. Brown’s play led to the Celtics outscoring the Thunder 39-30 in the third quarter.

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Brown continued his big second half in the fourth quarter to close the game, scoring 10 points on 3-3 shooting. He attacked the basket with aggression and even gave Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a taste of his own medicine, drawing a foul on a pump fake and finished the midrange jumper with a smile. Boston finished the game dominating OKC in the fourth quarter, outscoring them 31-26.

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Final Verdict

You can go through the NBA right now and see a ton of great duos but none of them can compare to the level of Brown and Tatum when they are both at their best on the same night. This game against the Thunder showed that it doesn’t matter who the 1A or 1B is when it comes to talking about the Jays.

Instead, we saw both of them takeover the game to beat the number 1 team in the league who was riding a 12 game winning streak. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are the best duo in the NBA right now and the rest of the basketball world should be terrified that both of them are together again.

BOSTON, MA – MARCH 25: Jayson Tatum #0 and Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics react during the game after the game on March 25, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
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Tommy Lloyd: Arizona coach by day, aspiring DJ on the side

SAN JOSE, CA — Being a DJ is no easy job.

In front of thousands of people, you have to craft a setlist that flows smoothly and effortlessly while maintaining the atmosphere, keeping the crowd engaged and vibing to the environment they crave. 

The tough part is the perfection needed for it. You have to understand the moment while building the next one. One minor slip up can derail it all, killing the vibe and destroying all the work built toward that moment. You cannot afford it.

It’s quite the skill. Maybe that’s why Tommy Lloyd enjoys it.

“I can talk about that all day,” he said.

Leading Arizona in its quest of breaking its Final Four drought, Lloyd’s sidequest includes spinning it on the turntables in becoming a DJ.

He may not strike you as one you’d see mixing songs or making the beat drop, but Lloyd is quite the music lover. And this hobby he’s picked up has come with a masterful teacher, “one of the best DJs of all time” in Mix Master Mike.

“My sport is the art of turntables and hip hop. His sport is basketball. We just decided to collide into those two professions, and now we're here,” Mike told USA TODAY Sports. “It's just an amazing thing.”

Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd (left) presents Mix Master Mike with a custom jersey.

It all starts with Lloyd being a big fan of the Beastie Boys, who toured with Mike, regarded as one of the greatest DJs to exist as a three-time world champion. Lloyd had seen him several times in-concert, and one day, decided he wanted to do more than listen to the music.

“He was just fascinated by the art. He's totally into music. He was, ‘yeah, I want to DJ with Mike,’” he said.

So, Mike invited him and his wife to his studio and decided to show Lloyd the ropes, which he said was “really cool to see them explain to you the process a little bit.” Since then, it’s been more than a DJ guru and student, but also a tight friendship between the two.

Mike also noticed how this fun side gig has helped Lloyd take his mind off the pressures of being a coach, a healthy balance when you can easily get consumed by work. 

All the learning and training led to the Red-Blue Showcase ahead of the season. In addition to being the introduction of the 2025-26 season, afterward was an afterparty outside of the arena.

It was headlined by Mike, Shaquille O’Neal — aka DJ Diesel — and Lloyd. 

Or, DJ Tomm-EE.

When he told the team about what he’d do, it seemed random. But also, not really.

“Honestly, kind of seems on brand,” said forward Tobe Awaka. “He's kind of a guy that likes to explore and do different things.”

So, how is DJ Tomm-EE?

“He did pretty good,” said guard Brayden Burries. “He got a little work to do, but he's pretty good. 

“I think he's still growing,” Awaka said. “For a beginner, they were solid.”

“He’s getting a lot better,” Mike said. “He has an ear for music.”

So could you see Lloyd at EDC, the club or your next rave? 

Don’t bet on it. Lloyd insists his DJ career is “more of a joke” than his next profession, but he may be selling himself short. Mike insists he’s better than he likely thinks he is. You just don’t show your team samples of your mixes for nothing.

Plus, there are plenty of parallels between DJing and coaching. Just like on the sidelines, Mike noted Lloyd doesn’t get rattled when he’s in the zone. Lloyd himself may not be serious, but Mike said he’ll teach him “as far as he wants to go,” fulfilling an actual dream for him.

“It's been a little bit of a — I guess — I don't know if a childhood fantasy, but probably a manhood fantasy for me that's come true,” Lloyd said. “It's been awesome to have that relationship.”

The relationship has allowed Mike to join the Wildcat family, DJing for them during ESPN’s “College GameDay” and joining in on this successful season. Mike also made arrangements with his schedule to make sure he’s in San Jose for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, hoping to see Arizona make the Final Four for the first time since 2001.

It’s a stage the Wildcats have been at several times before, but have yet to break through. Maybe getting a world class DJ on your side could be the secret sauce.

Mike knows plenty about winning. He’s done it on the global stage. Now inspired and bought into Lloyd’s pursuit of excellence, he hopes he can see his good friend create the perfect setlist that trades dropping the bass for cutting down the nets.

“Me and coach are really tight with the music and just the sport of it. I mean, coming from a three-time world champion, a championship team needs a soundtrack, especially a victory soundtrack,” Mike said. “Whatever we have our sight on, we just don't stop until we win at it.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tommy Lloyd crafting perfect mix for Arizona basketball — and as a DJ

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Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson Is Seeing Incredible Success With First Round Picks

The Chicago Blackhawks have not made the playoffs in a long time, but the rebuild, as it is known today, started when Kyle Davidson took over on a full-time basis. He tore it down to the studs and let drafting and developing take over as the main focus.

Davidson has made a handful of small free agent signings and trades to fill out the NHL roster, but players on entry-level deals have been his primary focus from the start.  Stockpiling high-end draft picks has been a part of that process. 

There have been four drafts since Davidson took over. In that time, he made eleven first-round picks. Remarkably, six of them are going to be in the lineup on Thursday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Sacha Boisvert, the 18th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, is set to make his NHL debut. He signed with the Blackhawks after completing his 2025-26 season at Boston University. There were some work visa issues to work out, but he’s ready to go. 

Boisvert’s debut comes one game after Anton Frondell made his against the New York Islanders on Tuesday. Frondell, the third overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, is the top prospect in the organization and one of the top five across the entire league. 

Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Sam Rinzel, and Artyom Levshunov are the other four top round picks in the lineup. If Oliver Moore were not injured, he’d be in the mix as well, which would make it 7 out of 11 first-round picks by Davidson playing. 

Kevin Korchinski, Marek Vanacker, Vaclav Nestrasil, and Mason West are the four first-rounders not playing in the NHL yet. The only one of them who is eligible right now is Kevin Korchinski, meaning that almost every first-round pick that Davidson has made from 2022-2024 (three drafts) is already contributing or about to contribute at the NHL level. 

The jury is still out on Korchinski. He has dominated at times in the AHL but has yet to stick in the NHL when given opportunities. All of the things he does well are skills that Rinzel and Levshunov also do well, while being much more sound defensively. 

Vanacker just finished a regular season campaign in the OHL that saw him lead the league in goal scoring. After some AHL seasoning, he has an NHL future. 

Vaclav Nestrasil just won a Silver Medal at the World Juniors and was strong in his freshman season at UMass. Another year of college will do him good. 

As for Mason West, he completed his goal of winning a high school state football championship. He is now with the Fargo Force of the USHL and will play for Michigan State next year. 

Most of the first round picks being hits with the potential for there to be more on the way makes the Blackhawks a dangerous organization going forward. High-end talent put in the proper position is a key to winning the Stanley Cup. 

The Blackhawks will have another top 5-10 pick in the NHL draft this June. They are hoping that this is the last one that they have for a while, because it will mean that they have started winning.

Whether the first-round pick from the Florida Panthers comes in 2026 or 2027 remains to be seen. They also have the first round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2027, but that could also become a 2028 pick, depending on Edmonton’s finish next year. 

Every single one of these first-round players is unlikely to dress for the Blackhawks for any sustained period. Some will not make it, some will be traded, but they are all valuable to Davidson right now.

Their future depends on wise choices for their development from this day forward, with six of them already in the NHL lineup.

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Open Thread: Wembanyama’s stats evoke Tim Duncan and David Robinson in the same game

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - MARCH 19: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs is surrounded by teammates after he scored the game-winning basket against the Phoenix Suns at Frost Bank Center on March 19, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Last night in Memphis Victor Wembanyama tallied seven more blocks. That is his most blocks in game this season since tallying 9 in their October 24th overtime win against the New Orleans Pelicans, the second game of their season.

With a grand total of 610 blocks, Wemby elevates to 230th all-time moving past Jamaal Magloire, Armen Gilliam, and Nic Claxton.

Two nights prior in Miami, Wemby recorded his fourth game this season with 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks. That’s the most by any player in a single season since Tim Duncan had five in 2001-02.

But Victor isn’t limited only to comparisons to Tim Duncan. Miami is also where Wemby landed on his 4000th career point and 600th career block in the early moments of the second quarter. Those milestone elicited another Spurs legend.

Only David Robinson and Victor Wembanyama have scored 4000 points and accumulated 600 blocks in their first 175 games.

Throughout this stat-stacking run of games, Wemby has been making a case for his MVP campaign. He’s not shy about demanding what he feels is rightfully his, and the MVP is one of the them.

Spurs have a couple of days off before wrapping up this road stint in Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon.

Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.

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Recap: Zacha’s OT goal lifts Bruins to 4-3 win over Buffalo

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - MARCH 25: The Boston Bruins celebrate after winning an NHL game in overtime against the Buffalo Sabres on March 25, 2026 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bjorn Franke/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

Former Sabre Casey Mittelstadt tied the game late in the third period and Pavel Zacha scored just 38 seconds into overtime to give the Bruins a 4-3 win over the Sabres in Buffalo.

Zacha’s goal, his 24th of the season, capped a back-and-forth game and gave the B’s a much needed win after a disappointing effort against Toronto on Tuesday.

David Pastrnak and Viktor Arvidsson scored the other goals for the Bruins, while Pastrnak also added two assists.

Joonas Korpisalo made 22 saves in the win.

After a slow start to the first period for both teams, Pastrnak got the scoring started 11 minutes in off of a great pass from Fraser Minten. 1-0 Bruins.

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The lead wouldn’t last long, as Jason Zucker scored on the power play just four minutes later to make it a 1-1 game.

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Arvidsson got on the board with a “right place, right time” goal midway through the second period, making it 2-1 Bruins.

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The B’s would take that lead into the third period, when a nightmare sequence from Mason Lohrei tilted things in Buffalo’s favor.

First, Lohrei lost a puck in the neutral zone, leading to a breakaway for Zach Benson, who cashed in to make it a 2-2 game.

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To make matters worse, he was given a penalty for that cross-check on Benson after the goal, leading to a Buffalo power play.

Zucker would get his second of the game, making it 3-2 Buffalo via two goals in 33 seconds.

Mittelstadt would take advantage of a loose puck in the slot with just six minutes left in the third period, making it a 3-3 game.

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That set the stage for Zacha, who took a nice pass from Pastrnak and beat Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen five-hole to end the game.

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Bruins win, 4-3!

Game notes

  • Mittelstadt spent the majority of his NHL career in Buffalo, so it was fitting that his big, game-tying goal came in a milestone game: last night’s was the 500th of his NHL career.
  • We all remember the earlier days of the season, when penalties seemed to sink the Bruins on a nightly basis, and that was nearly the case again tonight. Buffalo went 2-for-3 on the man advantage, and two of those three penalties were tripping calls.
  • It’s probably silly to harp on Lohrei at this point, but that really was a brutal sequence in the third period. Mistakes/giveaways happen, but to compound it with a cross-checking penalty just can’t happen.
  • The Bruins deserve a lot of credit for sticking with it after Zucker’s go-ahead goal. Playing your second game in two night’s in a hostile building isn’t easy regardless, and it would have been relatively easy to pack it in after giving up two goals in 30 seconds in the third period.
  • Pastrnak is up to 3G-6A-9PTS totals in his last five games, as he continues to shoulder the load for the Bruins. His assist on Zacha’s goal was his 60th of the season. That’s two off of his career high of 63, which he has reached for the past two seasons.
  • To make Wednesday night even bright, the Maple Leafs won again last night, so it was an all-around good night for the Bruins.

The B’s will now enjoy a rarity this season (aside from the Olympic break): three consecutive days without a game, as they’re off until hosting Minnesota on Saturday night.

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Game Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Ottawa Senators 3/26/2026

OTTAWA, CANADA - DECEMBER 18: Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins battles for position against Artem Zub #2 of the Ottawa Senators in front of goalie Linus Ullmark #35 during the second period on December 18, 2025 at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tim Austen/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

Who:Pittsburgh Penguins (35-20-16, 86 points, 3rd place Metropolitan Division) @ Ottawa Seantors (38-24-9, 85 points, 5th place Atlantic Division)

When: 7:00 p.m. eastern

How to Watch: Locally broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh, TSN5 and RDS2 up in Canada, streaming on ESPN+

Pens’ Path Ahead: The games keep on coming, the Pens head back to Pittsburgh to face Dallas on Saturday (clock the unusual 5:00pm eastern start). Then next week comes a pair of massive games against the Islanders on Monday on the road, followed by a home game against Detroit on Tuesday.

Opponent Track: Hot opponent alert! The Sens have won four-straight games, six of their last seven and eight of their last 10. Ottawa defeated Detroit 3-2 on Tuesday night in their most recent game, a huge victory to propel them above the Red Wings in the standings.

Season Series: Ottawa is 2-0 against Pittsburgh this year, winning 4-0 back on December 18th and then 3-2 in regulation in Steel City back on February 2nd.

Hidden Stat: The Pens have lost nine out of their last 11 games against Ottawa (2-5-4) since the start of the 2022-23 season. Pittsburgh is also 1-5-3 since March 2023 and lost their last five games (0-1-4) on the road in Ottawa.

Getting to know the Senators

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Drake Batherson – Tim Stutzle – Claude Giroux

Brady Tkachuk – Dylan Cozens – Ridly Greig

Nick Cousins – Shane Pinto – Michael Amadio

Warren Foegele – Lars Eller – Fabian Zetterlund

DEFENSEMEN

Tyler Kleven / Artem Zub

Nicolas Matinpalo / Jordan Spence

Jorian Donovan / Carter Yakemchuk

Goalies: Linus Ullmark and James Reimer

Potential scratches: Thomas Chabot (injured), Kurtis MacDermid, Stephen Halliday, Lassi Thomson, Dennis Gilbert

Injured Reserve: Jake Sanderson, Nick Jensen

  • Ottawa’s recent run has been all the more impressive considering the injuries they’re dealing with on the blueline. USA Olympian Sanderson has been out since March 7th (he’s expected back next week). Chabot just went down with injury over the weekend. It looks bare bones on paper with an assortment of names but they’ve been making it work.
  • As a result of the injuries, 21-year old Jorian Donovan and 20-year old Carter Yakemchuk both made their NHL debuts last game. Donovan, a fifth round pick in 2023, is the son of former Penguin (and Senator) Shean Donovan. Yakemchuk was the seventh overall pick in 2024, scoring a goal and adding an assist to have a part in two of the three goals the Senators scored on Tuesday.
  • Foegele (4G+1A in his last six games) has found some scoring touch lately. He doesn’t get paid by the hour, averaging only 11:25 per game in this stretch but has been able to step up and chip in key goals for the team.

Season stats
via hockeydb

  • Goaltending has been a major issue for Ottawa and huge reason that they underperformed in the first half of the season. That led the club to add 38-year old James Reimer as a free agent in a desperation move to patch things up. Results are mixed (that 2.32 GAA will sure take care of business) and he’s been a moderate upgrade over Leevi Merilainen who couldn’t keep the puck out of the net this season.
  • Ullmark has been all over the place but is starting to get the arrow pointed in the right direction. He’s 9-2-2 with a .902 save% and 2.31 GAA since the turn of the calendar year, compared to being 14-8-5 with a .881 save% and 2.95 GAA in the 2025 portion of the 2025-26 season. Even more recently, Ullmark has a .908% and 2.20 GAA in his last six outings. Nothing dominant but certainly an improvement from the start of the year and the Sens are finding ways to keep the goals against down.
  • Claude Giroux will keep on annoying the Penguins until he retires. Giroux has 12 points (2G+10A) in eight career games against Pittsburgh as a member of the Senators, including the go-ahead goal with 5:08 to play in the third period last game.
  • Tim Stutzle usually confounds the Pens as well (three points in the first two meetings this season) but by his standards he’s been quiet lately with just three points (2G+1A) in his last seven games.

Key Matchup: A strong test for the Penguin defense

The Senators have been a solid team process-wise, they generate a lot of shot attempts, which helps on the other end where they are also No. 1 in the league in xGA due to staying out of their own end and keeping puck control. They also have shown an ability to finish well on all these shots and have a decent power play.

Ottawa is 10-2-2 since the Olympic break, outscoring their opponents on aggregate by a 48-32 margin. The split between shots per game (6th in NHL at a 30.9 average) to shots allowed (2nd in NHL at 22.1) is very impressive.

On the other side, the Penguins have had their share of significant struggles at limiting the opposition recently. Coach Dan Muse summed up the issues after the 6-2 loss to Colorado:

“The quality is too high,” Muse said of opposing scoring chances lately. “It’s just too loud.”

“It’s not chances where it’s to the outside,” Muse said. “It’s plays into the slot. Guys are open there. Some of them are odd-man rushes, whether it’s a breakaway, or some of the other ones that we’re giving. We’ve got to do a better job there in terms of cleaning that up.”

That better job is going to have to start tonight against a very capable opponent who plays in an uptempo style that has given them fits in recent matchups.

And now for the Pens

Projected lines 

FORWARDS

Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust

Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Anthony Mantha*

Ville Koivunen – Ben Kindel – Justin Brazeau

Elmer Soderblom – Connor Dewar – Noel Acciari

DEFENSEMEN

Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson

Sam Girard / Kris Letang

Ryan Shea / Connor Clifton

Goalies:  Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs

Potential Scratches: Evgeni Malkin (injured), Ilya Solovyov, Blake Lizotte (injured), Kevin Hayes, Ryan Graves

IR: Filip Hallander, Jack St. Ivany

  • No sign of Malkin on the ice for the Pens at practice yesterday, which afterwards Muse confirmed Malkin won’t travel with the team on their quick trip to Ottawa. Even worse Mantha was out with a day-to-day injury, but will at least be with the team and seemingly have a chance to play today.
  • Mantha’s performance bonus adds an additional $250,000 for every 10-games played. He hasn’t missed a game all season so far. He could only miss two games over the course of the year to still pick up the full bonus money by getting to 80 total games, so here’s betting whatever injury he has will be one that he won’t let keep him out of the lineup for too long, or if it does you know it will be painful in more ways than one if Mantha has to be out for three games over the rest of the season. Whether or not that first absence will happen tonight remains to be seen, Kevin Hayes took Mantha’s spot in practice yesterday in perhaps a hopeful sign that lines weren’t disrupted for early plans to adjust.
  • In the FWIW category, Pens PR points out that Stuart Skinner has a 6-1-0 record in seven games played against Ottawa and he has a .903 save percentage and 2.71 goals against average. 
  • Also, somewhat interestingly, Erik Karlsson has no goals and only seven points in 15 career games against the Ottawa franchise where he played from 2009-18.

Crosby nearing 1,100 assists

Sidney Crosby has 1,098 career assists and figures to become the third fastest player via games played to get to the 1,100 mark once he gets two more helpers. There’s more history is soon to come, with 1,751 points Crosby enters the night four points behind Steve Yzerman’s 1,755. Yzerman currently sits seventh place in all-time league scoring and sixth place Marcel Dionne (1,771) isn’t too far ahead either.

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Malkin to miss second straight game with upper-body injury

Mar 22, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) skates up ice with the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Evgeni Malkin will not be in the lineup tonight when the Pittsburgh Penguins face the Ottawa Senators.

The veteran Penguins center will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury after head coach Dan Muse said that Malkin wouldn’t be traveling with the team to face Ottawa.

Malkin missed the Penguins’ game earlier this week against the Colorado Avalanche and it remains unclear how long he might be sidelined.

The injury was considered ‘day-to-day’ earlier in the week and the specific nature of his injury hasn’t been divulged by the team.

Malkin returned to the lineup earlier this month, scoring two goals and three assists in four games after being suspended for five games for slashing Rasmus Dahlin during a game against the Buffalo Sabres.

The Penguins will take the ice tonight in Ottawa with playoff implications at stake.

Heading into tonight’s game, the Penguins sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 86 points and the Senators sit in the Eastern Conference’s second wild card spot with 85 points.

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Orioles news: It’s Opening Day!

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MARCH 31: The Baltimore Orioles are introduced before playing against the Boston Red Sox play during their Opening Day game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on March 31, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

Does it feel like the air is a little bit sweeter today? That there’s an extra pep in your step? Of course it does. Because IT’S OPENING DAY, y’all!

The 2026 Orioles season has arrived at last. This afternoon a huge, raucous crowd of O’s fans will converge at the newly renovated Camden Yards to welcome a new-look — and hopefully vastly improved — Orioles team.

Prize offseason signing Pete Alonso will debut in the orange and black and, with any luck, will sock a dinger or two. Surprise 2025 breakout hurler Trevor Rogers, who last year at this time was an injured afterthought, will take the mound for the Opening Day assignment. Rookie slugger Samuel Basallo and six other Orioles will be experiencing Opening Day for the first time. And rookie skipper Craig Albernaz will manage his first major league game that counts. Of course, plenty of familiar faces will be there too, as Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and other fan favorites will hope to lead a bounceback from that dud of a 2025 season.

It’s going to be fun times at Oriole Park today. The pre-game introductions begin at 2:30, with first pitch scheduled for 3:05. The weather is supposed to be beautiful — a high of 77 degrees around game time and no rain in the forecast. For my money, Opening Day is the best holiday of the year. Don’t miss it!

So how are you feeling about the season to come, Camden Chatters? Are you excited to see how it all plays out, or do you have an uneasy feeling in your stomach? Feel free to give your predictions for the season, and while you’re at it, let us know your thoughts about the Orioles’ Opening Day roster.

For better or worse, we’ve got 162 games ahead of us, folks. It all starts today.

Links

Opening Day FAQ: Twins vs. Orioles (Thurs., 3 p.m. ET) – MLB.com

Here’s everything you need to know about the Orioles’ opener. The biggest question, of course, is: will Tyler O’Neill hit another Opening Day homer? It’s kind of his thing.

Get sprayed by the new Ravens head coach, and more opening day festivities – The Baltimore Banner

Albernaz isn’t the only new head coach in Baltimore who will be on site today, as Jesse Minter will serve as guest splasher in the second inning. I like this guy already.

Orioles Opening Day workout notes on Nunez and Jackson making the club, Suárez staying in organization, Beavers avoiding IL and more – School of Roch

Anthony Nunez definitely qualifies as the most surprising inclusion in the Opening Day bullpen, considering he was sent to the minors two weeks ago. Not to mention that he was an infielder two years ago.

All-new Truist Club, redesigned club level, massive video board and new sound system highlight what’s new at Camden Yards – Steve Melewski

It’s hard not to be excited about the upgrades to the ballpark. Look at that scoreboard!

2026 MLB season predictions: Forecasting the division races and postseason results – The Athletic

Keith Law not only picks the Orioles to grab the top wild card spot, but even has them winning a postseason series. I did not expect Keith Law to be the pie-in-the-sky Orioles optimist, but here we are.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! And happy 26th to Jeremiah Jackson, who got a wonderful birthday gift by making the first Opening Day roster of his career. He’ll be a bench guy, likely making starts at second and third and perhaps occasionally in the outfield, and hopefully swinging the bat as well as he did last year. Former Orioles born on March 26 include outfielders Jesús Tavárez (55) and Jarvis Brown (59), right-hander Mickey Weston (65), and lefty Dan Morogiello (71).

On this date in 1979, the Orioles released catcher Elrod Hendricks, who had spent a decade playing with the Birds over three different stints. The O’s brought Hendricks back that September to get one final MLB at-bat, but it was far from the end of his time in Baltimore. He became the Orioles’ bullpen coach and served in that role for 28 years, making him the longest tenured coach in O’s history.

And on this day two years ago, the O’s made a last-minute signing of veteran second baseman Tony Kemp to complete their Opening Day roster. Giving $1 million to Kemp was a curious decision at the time, made even more so by the fact that he lasted only five games in Baltimore before the O’s released him to make room for Jackson Holliday. It was the end of Kemp’s nine-year MLB career.

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MLB Predictions 2026: Who will win pennants, World Series and awards

The Detroit Tigers open up their 2026 campaign on Thursday in San Diego against the Padres, and the excitement for the team’s opening day can be felt from Lakeland all the way to the Motor City.

AJ Hinch’s roster looks like a beefed-up version of last year’s — one that started hot, bringing the best record in baseball into the All-Star break, only to go ice-cold in the second half. The Tigers still made it to the playoffs, but their epic collapse allowed the Cleveland Indians to snatch the American League Central crown from them in embarrassing fashion.

Detroit fell in the wild-card round to the Seattle Mariners in a series that took all five games, ultimately succumbing in a 15-inning affair. That elimination game was the longest winner-take-all game in MLB history.

Now, it is a new season with a few new — and one notably old — faces, and as they say, hope springs eternal before the first pitch is thrown. As is our custom, the Bless You Boys staff came together in roundtable fashion to discuss our predictions for the boys of summer, using the following format.

  • AL Division Winners
  • NL Division Winners
  • World Series
  • League MVP
  • League ROY
  • League Cy Young

Many of our responses are pretty much what you would expect from this group, but as always, there were a few spicy submissions as well. Take a look at what we have to offer ahead of the first pitch on Thursday.

Patrick O’Kennedy:

  • AL ROY- McGonigle
  • AL Cy Young- Skubal
  • AL MVP- Witt Jr
  • AL MOY- Hinch
  • NL ROY- Konor Griffin
  • NL MVP- Ohtani
  • NL Cy Young- Yamomoto
  • NL MOY- Don Kelly

Playoffs

  • NL East- Phillies
  • NL Central- Cubs
  • NL West- Dodgers
  • NL Wild Card- Padres, Pirates  (okay, just kidding, Padres and Mets)
  • AL Pennant- Tigers over Jays
  • NL Pennant- Dodgers over Phillies
  • WS- Dodgers over Tigers

Ashley MacLennan:

AL Division Winners: Detroit Tigers. Why not? Let’s go optimistic. Otherwise, I’d have to pick the Blue Jays and people will think I’m doing it because I’m Canadian.

NL Division Winners: Sigh. The Dodgers.

World Series: I have to pick the Tigers because — historically speaking — when I say anything else I curse the team.

League MVP: Nothing is new or fun under the sun, so it’ll be Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, unless someone gets hurt or Bobby Witt Jr makes another wish on his monkey paw.

League ROY: Kevin McGonigle AL/Konnor Griffin NL

League Cy Young: Tarik Skubal threepete! and Paul Skenes. Nothing inventive here, friends.

Cannon at the Hot Corner: I’m pretty sure you get to pick a winner for each division (AL/NL West, Central, East), not just an AL/NL champion if you’d like.

MacLennan: No, I’m tired and lazy. (Tigers, Blue Jays, Mariners… Dodgers, Cubs, Phillies, I guess. Battle Royale for who wins what)

Cannon:

Division winners:

  • AL: Tigers, Red Sox, Mariners
  • NL: Brewers, Mets, Dodgers
  • WS: Red Sox over Dodgers. Them some freaky good pitching staffs, folks
  • MVPs: Bobby Witt Jr and Juan Soto
  • Cy Youngs: Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes
  • ROYs: Kevin McGonigle and Nolan McLean

Zane Harding:

  • AL Division Winners —
    • AL East: Red Sox
    • AL Central: Tigers
    • AL West: Mariners
  • NL Division Winners —
    • NL East: Phillies
    • NL Central: Ohhh, I don’t know, the Brewers seem to know what they’re doing (I seriously considered the Pirates; this division feels weaker than usual!)
    • NL West: Dodgers
  • World Series: I imagine we hear a lot of Dodgers and a lot of Tigers. The last time the Tigers won, my 63-year-old father was younger than I am today… by a good margin. Dodgers
  • League MVPs — gets easier every year
    • AL: Judge
    • NL: Ohtani
  • League ROY —
    • AL: Kevin McGonigle
    • NL: Konnor Griffin
  • League Cy Young —
    • AL: TARIK SKUBAL (three trophy emojis) BOTTOM TEXT
    • NL: Paul Skenes. Skenes is the best, Webb is about equal because he gets more IP, but we vote FLASHY

Peter Kwasniak:

I’m just throwing things at the wall:

 AL Division Winners

  •  AL East: Skankees
  •  AL Central: Tigers
  •  AL West: Mariners

 NL Division Winners

  • NL East: Phillies
  • NL Central: Reds
  • NL West: Dodgers
  • World Series: Dodgers

 League MVPs (BORING)

  • AL: Judge
  • NL: Ohtani

 League ROY

  •  AL: Kevin McGonigle
  •  NL: Konnor Griffin

 League Cy Young (EXCITING BUT BORING)

  •  AL: Tarik Skubal
  •  NL: Paul Skenes

Cam Kaiser:

AL Division Winners

  • AL East: Red Sox
  • AL Central: Guardians
  • AL West: Mariners

NL Division Winners

  • NL East: Phillies
  • NL Central: Cubs
  • NL West: Dodgers

World Series: Dodgers

League MVPs

  • AL: Julio Rodriguez
  • NL: Shohei Ohtani

League ROY

  • AL: Chase DeLauter
  • NL: Sal Stewart

League Cy Young

  • AL: Garrett Crochet
  • NL: Paul Skenes

The Tigers are better than Cleveland on paper, but paper didn’t seem to matter at all last year, considering the Guardians, despite a paltry Pythagorean record, pulled off the largest comeback in AL division history to win the Central.

Until I see the Guardians falter, I’m going to continue to believe that the horseshoe the size of the moon stuck up their bum will propel them and any player they touch to success when it matters.

Jay Markle:

  • AL East winner: New York Yankees
  • AL Central winner: Detroit
  • AL West winner: Seattle
  • NL East winner: Philadelphia
  • NL Central winner: Chicago Cubs
  • NL West winner: Los Angeles Dodgers
  • World Series: Philadelphia
  • AL MVP: Aaron Judge
  • NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani
  • AL ROY: Kevin McGonigle
  • NL ROY: JJ Wetherholt
  • AL Cy: Tarik Skubal
  • NL Cy: Paul Skenes

Brandon Day:

  • AL East winner: Boston Red Sox
  • AL Central winner: Detroit Tigers
  • AL West winner: Seattle Mariners
  • NL East winner: New York Mets
  • NL Central winner: Milwaukee Brewers
  • NL West winner: Los Angeles Dodgers
  • World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers
  • AL MVP: Bobby Witt Jr.
  • NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani
  • AL ROY: Kevin McGonigle
  • NL ROY: Nolan McLean
  • AL Cy: Garrett Crochet
  • NL Cy: Paul Skenes

Mr. Sunshine: Uh, Tigers win World Series, MVP is Gleyber Torres, ROY is McG, CY is Skubal.

That’s right, I’m on the feel-good meds at the moment. NL stuff, who cares?

Fielder’s Choice:

  • AL East: Blue Jays
  • AL Central: Tigers
  • AL West: Astros
  • NL East: Marlins YEAH I SAID IT
  • NL Central: Cubs
  • NL West: Dodgers
  • World Series: Not The Dodgers
  • AL MVP: Nick Kurtz
  • NL MVP: Corbin Carroll
  • AL ROY: Carter Jensen
  • NL ROY: Carson Benge
  • AL CY: Hunter Brown
  • NL CY: Eury Perez

David Rosenberg:

  • AL East winner: New York Yankees
  • AL Central winner: Detroit Tigers
  • AL West winner: Seattle Mariners
  • NL East winner: New York Mets
  • NL Central winner: Milwaukee Brewers
  • NL West winner: Los Angeles Dodgers
  • World Series: Detroit Tigers (YOLO)
  • AL MVP: Roman Anthony
  • NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani
  • AL ROY: Kevin McGonigle
  • NL ROY: Nolan McLean
  • AL Cy: Tarik Skubal
  • NL Cy: Paul Skenes

Adam Dubbin:

  • AL East: Rays
  • AL Central: Kansas City
  • AL West: Astros
  • NL East: Mets
  • NL Central: Cubs
  • NL West: Dodgers
  • World Series: Tigers
  • AL MVP: Bobby Witt Jr.
  • NL MVP: Juan Soto
  • AL ROY: Tatsuya Imai
  • NL ROY: Bubba Chandler
  • AL CY: Garrett Crochet
  • NL CY: Logan Webb

The Tigers once again fail to secure the AL Central title after some significant regular-season underperformances, but make a 2006-esque run to the World Series, where they finish the job that the previous teams since 1984 could not.

Now that you know where the Bless You Boys staff stands entering the 2026 campaign, give us your takes in the comments below!

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Opening Day: Shohei Ohtani and the numbers that really matter

Opening Day is more than a designation on a calendar. It is a feeling, a mantra, a phrase you can repeat during meditation to promote relaxation and shift mindset. Summer is coming. Baseball is back.

The experience of becoming a baseball fan hasn’t changed much over generations. People care about their teams, their players, and classic stats like home runs. Fans love their local announcers. They love going to their home ballpark, and when traveling, going to a stadium that a different set of fans calls home.

There are certain aspects that have changed considerably. I’m old enough to have become a baseball fan when no one knew or cared how much any of the players earned.

Salaries and payrolls weren’t public knowledge, and even MLB players didn’t know what other players earned. Not saying it was a good thing for players to be unaware. It wasn’t. It was just different for media covering the sport and fans that enjoy the game.

Now, young fans who have zero knowledge of banking and financial terms can rattle off their favorite team’s players whose contracts have a mutual or vesting option. They probably know how much of Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million contract is deferred.

They know that Framber Valdez and Bo Bichette turned down qualifying offers in the offseason, while Trent Grisham accepted his Q.O. and returned to the Yankees.

Is it just one more aspect of the game for rabid fans to know? There’s an endless supply of information available to baseball fans today. I understand the appeal of learning analytics. Having data to show Max Fried not allowing hard contact, or Paul Skenes’ fastball velocity, makes perfect sense. But knowing and caring how much they earn?

When I was growing up, there was little or no attention to the general manager, which has morphed into a department headed by the “president of baseball operations.” Now, young fans want to work in front offices as their dream job.

Does knowing about the salaries enhance the fan experience, or take away from it? Does the fact that the Dodgers have a payroll of around $400 million lessen their achievement of winning the World Series?

The salary information just isn’t why I love baseball. I love baseball numbers. Here are the numbers that just sing to me.

Shohei Ohtani scored 146 runs last season.

a)    Ohtani scored 146, and no one else in the National League scored more than 120 (Juan Soto).

b)    Those 146 runs mean Ohtani scored 146 of the Dodgers’ 825 runs. Since the start of baseball’s integration in 1947, of players with 140+ runs scored in a season, only two player seasons have scored a higher percentage of their team’s runs than Ohtani’s 2025 season of 17.7% (Craig Biggio in 1997 and Sammy Sosa in 2001 both scored 146, each accounting for 18.8% of their teams’ 777 total runs).

c)     Ohtani’s 146 runs in a season are the third most since 2000 (Jeff Bagwell scored 152 runs in 2000, Ronald Acuña, Jr. scored 149 runs in 2023).

d)    Ohtani has scored 280 runs in the last two seasons. In the last 80 years (since 1946) only one player has scored more (Bagwell scored 295 runs in 1999 and 2000 seasons).

e)     Ohtani scored 159 runs last season (including postseason) and only Aaron Judge (142) scored more than 120 besides the great Ohtani when you count playoffs.

f)     The only players in the modern era of baseball history (since 1900) to score more than 159 runs in one season (regular plus postseason) are Babe Ruth (3 times), Lou Gehrig (2 times), and Rogers Hornsby (160 runs in 1929).

g)    Shohei Ohtani led the majors in 2024 with 134 runs scored (next most: 128 by Soto), and 148 runs including postseason. Ohtani scored 14 runs in 16 playoff games.

h)    Shohei Ohtani has scored 307 runs the last two years including postseason. Do you have any idea how outrageous that is?

Most Runs in Two Consecutive Seasons including postseason

1.     338    Babe Ruth (1920,21)
2.     314    Lou Gehrig (1936,37)
3.     307    Shohei Ohtani (2024, 25)

Now, I know that Ohtani plays in an era which allowed him to accumulate 33 postseason games in the last two years. And Ruth and Gehrig played in the era with 154 games, not 162. Ohtani scored those 307 runs in 350 games, more than Ruth (300 games) and Gehrig (314). But no one else in history -- not DiMaggio or Williams or Pujols or Bagwell or Jeter -- no other player scored 300 times in consecutive seasons.

Ohtani’s run-scoring ability makes him one of the greatest leadoff batters ever. He’s a natural in the No. 1 spot in the order, but it wasn’t always the case. In his six seasons with the Angels, he batted in the No. 1 spot just 63 times. In his first year with the Dodgers, Mookie Betts batted in the No. 1 spot in 72 of the first 73 games. Beginning on June 17, 2024, it became Shohei at the top of the order and Dave Roberts’ easiest decision.

That sent me down a rabbit hole wondering how and why Ohtani didn’t bat leadoff for, say, the 2023 Angels. Ohtani batted leadoff just five (of the 135 games he played) in 2023. Who did the Angels’ manager Phil Nevin bat leadoff that season? The answer is: NOT Mike Trout.

Most games out of leadoff spot for the 2023 Angels (73-89)

52 starts           Taylor Ward
28 starts           Nolan Schanuel
27 starts           Mickey Moniak
25 starts           Luis Rengifo
17 starts           Zach Neto
7 starts            Randal Grichuk

Should I say it was Goofyto bat Mickey (Moniak) ahead of Ohtani and Trout in all those games in Anaheim? Maybe. But the real issue is this: You want to give as many chances to your best hitters as possible.

Moniak batted .250/.277/.509 and scored 12 runs out of the leadoff spot in 2023. Taylor Ward batted .236/.308/.373 in 55 games (52 starts) hitting leadoff.

I know that over a season, it’s only about 15-18 more plate appearances that the No. 1 spot gets over the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Still, you want to load up as many plate appearances as possible for the MVP. Seems simple enough, but as you can see, it hasn’t always played out that way.

There are so many numbers that get thrown around when people discuss Ohtani. They are entranced by the home runs, the stolen bases, his strikeouts and velocity on the mound, and so much more. They discuss aspects of his massive and historic contract. I prefer looking at his runs total. In the end, baseball is a game made up of which side can score the most runs.

Editors' Note: Elliott Kalb - dubbed "Mr. Stats" decades ago by Marv Albert and Bob Costas - is the former Senior Editorial Director at MLB Network and a longtime contributor of research and information to NBC Sports' telecasts.

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Phillies News: Opening Day, roster, ABS system

Mar 31, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Opening Day ceremonies before game between Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

We’ve finally made it to Opening Day everyone. No, we’re not counting whatever happened on Netflix last night. Sit back and get ready for a full slate of games today and for baseball to be on your television every day (except the All-Star break) until early November.

On to the links.

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