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️ Griffin gets the call: Pirates SS Konnor Griffin, the No. 1 prospect in baseball, was called up for today's home opener, where he'll make his MLB debut against the Orioles. And he'll do so with a full bank account after reportedly agreeing to a nine-year, $140 million extension.
Raiders sign Cousins: Kirk Cousins is heading to Las Vegas on what is essentially a one-year, fully-guaranteed $20 million contract. The idea, it seems, is that he'll open the season as the starter to give presumptive No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza some time to get his feet wet.
Brutal night for the Lakers: Things couldn't have gone much worse for the Purple and Gold on Thursday. The Thunder handed LeBron James the second-worst loss of his career (139-96) and Luka Dončić went down with a hamstring injury.
️ End of an era: Phil Mickelson will not take part in next week's Masters due to a "personal health matter" in his family. With Lefty out, it marks the first time since 1994 that the Masters will not feature Mickelson or Tiger Woods.
"Fab Five" reunite: Michigan's iconic "Fab Five" of Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson will reunite for an alternate broadcast during tomorrow's Final Four game between Arizona and the Wolverines. Their watch-along will air on truTV.
See what else is trending on Yahoo Sports.
(Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports)
Jeff Eisenberg, Yahoo Sports:
Steve Pikiell used to hate it when someone approached him and his teammates at the airport and asked what school they played for.
The stranger would hear the name UConn, notice the Husky logo emblazoned on Pikiell's clothes and inevitably ask, "Is that in Alaska?" "No," the former point guard would have to explain. "It's UConn with a U, not Yukon with a Y."
That was an easy mistake to make back in the late 1980s, before a former agricultural college surrounded by nothing but livestock and farmland became an unlikely destination for some of the nation's most decorated basketball prospects.
Now UConn is the center of the college hoops universe, home to twin dynasties that have combined for 33 Final Four appearances and 18 national championships.
UConn has been the women's basketball standard-bearer for more than three decades, deftly adapting to the changing landscape of college sports to keep racking up trophies and pumping out superstars.
The men have emerged as a modern-day blue blood, climbing to a tie for third behind UCLA and Kentucky for the most national titles despite not capturing their first one until 1999.
Geno Auriemma relaxes behind his desk at Gampel Pavilion in 1995. (Bob Stowell/Getty Images)
Braylon Mullins' dramatic last-second 40 footer against Duke last Sunday ensured that this would be the sixth time that UConn's men's and women's teams reached the Final Four in the same season.
No other school has achieved that feat more than once since the women's NCAA tournament began in 1982. And no other school besides UConn has ever won men's and women's basketball national titles in the same year.
How did the UConn men emerge as one of the nation's elite programs barely a decade after some within the newly formed Big East questioned why Dave Gavitt even let the Huskies into the league?
And how did the UConn women launch a dynasty only a few years after frustrated players accused the school's administration of being indifferent whether the program won or lost?
Says former UConn women's basketball player Chris Gedney, "If someone tried to tell me what UConn men's and women's basketball would become, I would have recommended they go to a mental health professional."
Keep reading.
(Davis Long/Yahoo Sports)
Men's Final Four
The semifinals tip off tomorrow at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, where the Huskies, Illini, Wildcats and Wolverines will play for spots in Monday's title game.
Game of the decade? Michigan and Arizona are pretty clearly the two best teams in the field — and KenPom has them as the third- and fourth-best teams ever. Not sold yet? This is just the fifth matchup in Final Four history between 35-win teams, and the second since the tournament expanded in 1985 between teams who won each of their first four games by double digits.
(Josh Heim/Yahoo Sports)
Women's Final Four
The women get things started tonight in Phoenix, where the same four teams that made it to last year's Final Four are running it back.
Looking ahead: The winners will meet on Sunday afternoon in the national championship game (3:30pm, ABC).
More to watch:
Got plans this weekend? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. Get tickets now!
(Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
A former college football player is among the four astronauts on NASA's Artemis II mission that will send its crew to the moon and back during a 10-day operation.
Going to the moon: Victor Glover, 49, wrestled and played defensive back at Cal Poly during the 1996 season before graduating in 1999 with a degree in general engineering.
What they're saying: "He may not have been the fastest guy out there or the most athletic guy out there, but he was going to succeed since he was the best technician out there," former Cal Poly head coach Andre Patterson told NYT. "That's who he is at his core."
P.S. My cousin captured the Artemis takeoff from his commercial flight earlier this week. Pretty incredible stuff.
An aerial view of the Stanford University campus. (Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
Simon O. (Palo Alto, CA):
I grew up in a house with two parents completely uninterested in sports. I remember saying the sports section made the best packing paper — because it would never be used for anything else.
But by the mid-90s, Stanford men's basketball was becoming harder to ignore in my hometown of Palo Alto. A program that hadn't made the NCAA Tournament from 1942 to 1988 suddenly found life, reaching the second round in back-to-back seasons.
Even in our non-sports household, my mom started watching. My breakthrough came in 1997, when underdog Stanford ended Tim Duncan's Wake Forest career to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in 55 years.
Watching one of the greatest college players ever walk off the court after losing to my hometown program flipped a switch. I didn't fully understand it then, but I was hooked. I had my team.
Stanford returned nearly everyone the following season (1997-98) and added twin superstars Jason and Jarron Collins. The hype felt real. In the most unlikely twist, my mom and I bought season tickets.
Simon during he and his mom's trip to St. Louis.
The team didn't disappoint. They finished 26-4 and earned a No. 3 seed in the Midwest Regional. Next thing I knew, we were staring down a Sweet 16 matchup against No. 2 seed Purdue.
The day before that game, my eighth-grade teacher told me my mom was waiting in the front office and that I needed to go meet her. Being pulled out of class midweek rarely signals good news.
She told me to grab my things. We were leaving. Not because anything was wrong — but because we were going to the airport. She had decided we were flying to St. Louis to watch Stanford play in the Sweet 16.
At 14 years old, it felt like winning the lottery. And it got even better when the Cardinal beat the Boilermakers, meaning we'd get to stay for their Elite Eight game against Rhode Island, too.
That game ended up being a classic. With 57 seconds left, Stanford trailed 71-65. It felt over. But March Madness never really ends until the clock hits zero.
A few plays later, a three-point play cut the lead to one. Stanford still needed a stop. Then it happened: Arthur Lee jumped the inbound pass, deflected it to Mark Madsen, who dunked it and then celebrated in a way generously described as "dancing."
I remember sitting next to my mom while all of this unfolded, trying to process how lucky I was to witness it. That play sent Stanford to its first (and still only) Final Four.
Mark Madsen and Arthur Lee celebrate during Stanford's win over Rhode Island. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
A few years later, I attended the University of Arizona. It wasn't the only reason, but being around high-level college basketball had become something I valued.
Now, at 42, I see that weekend differently. Moments like that are rare. You can go years — decades even — without something truly transcendent. When it happens, you just take it in.
Even now, my mom and I text constantly during Arizona games. For someone who once claimed not to like sports, it's a shared language neither of us saw coming.
And as luck would have it, Arizona has now returned to its first Final Four since 2001, one year before I arrived on campus. The Wildcats are set to face Michigan this Saturday with a chance to reach the national title game.
This time, my mom and I will be catching separate Midwest flights to Indianapolis, hoping to recreate a little St. Louis magic. Because you never know when you'll get another moment like that.
Submit your story: Do you have a fondest sports memory? Or an example of sports having a profound impact on your life? If you'd like to share, email me at [email protected]. We'll keep sharing your stories until they run out!
(Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
With Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods both out, just three multi-time Masters champions are left in this year's field.
Question: Can you name them?
Hint: 1994, 1999, 2012, 2014, 2022, 2024
Answer at the bottom.
Carlos Alcaraz during a practice session as he prepares for the clay court season and to defend his Monte-Carlo Masters title. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Clay season is upon us.
Trivia answer: José María Olazábal, Bubba Watson, Scottie Scheffler
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Continue reading...
HEADLINES
️ Griffin gets the call: Pirates SS Konnor Griffin, the No. 1 prospect in baseball, was called up for today's home opener, where he'll make his MLB debut against the Orioles. And he'll do so with a full bank account after reportedly agreeing to a nine-year, $140 million extension.Raiders sign Cousins: Kirk Cousins is heading to Las Vegas on what is essentially a one-year, fully-guaranteed $20 million contract. The idea, it seems, is that he'll open the season as the starter to give presumptive No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza some time to get his feet wet.
Brutal night for the Lakers: Things couldn't have gone much worse for the Purple and Gold on Thursday. The Thunder handed LeBron James the second-worst loss of his career (139-96) and Luka Dončić went down with a hamstring injury.
️ End of an era: Phil Mickelson will not take part in next week's Masters due to a "personal health matter" in his family. With Lefty out, it marks the first time since 1994 that the Masters will not feature Mickelson or Tiger Woods."Fab Five" reunite: Michigan's iconic "Fab Five" of Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson will reunite for an alternate broadcast during tomorrow's Final Four game between Arizona and the Wolverines. Their watch-along will air on truTV.
See what else is trending on Yahoo Sports.
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HOW UCONN TOOK OVER COLLEGE HOOPS
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(Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports)
Jeff Eisenberg, Yahoo Sports:
Steve Pikiell used to hate it when someone approached him and his teammates at the airport and asked what school they played for.
The stranger would hear the name UConn, notice the Husky logo emblazoned on Pikiell's clothes and inevitably ask, "Is that in Alaska?" "No," the former point guard would have to explain. "It's UConn with a U, not Yukon with a Y."
That was an easy mistake to make back in the late 1980s, before a former agricultural college surrounded by nothing but livestock and farmland became an unlikely destination for some of the nation's most decorated basketball prospects.
Now UConn is the center of the college hoops universe, home to twin dynasties that have combined for 33 Final Four appearances and 18 national championships.
UConn has been the women's basketball standard-bearer for more than three decades, deftly adapting to the changing landscape of college sports to keep racking up trophies and pumping out superstars.
The men have emerged as a modern-day blue blood, climbing to a tie for third behind UCLA and Kentucky for the most national titles despite not capturing their first one until 1999.
You must be registered for see images attach
Geno Auriemma relaxes behind his desk at Gampel Pavilion in 1995. (Bob Stowell/Getty Images)
Braylon Mullins' dramatic last-second 40 footer against Duke last Sunday ensured that this would be the sixth time that UConn's men's and women's teams reached the Final Four in the same season.
No other school has achieved that feat more than once since the women's NCAA tournament began in 1982. And no other school besides UConn has ever won men's and women's basketball national titles in the same year.
How did the UConn men emerge as one of the nation's elite programs barely a decade after some within the newly formed Big East questioned why Dave Gavitt even let the Huskies into the league?
And how did the UConn women launch a dynasty only a few years after frustrated players accused the school's administration of being indifferent whether the program won or lost?
Says former UConn women's basketball player Chris Gedney, "If someone tried to tell me what UConn men's and women's basketball would become, I would have recommended they go to a mental health professional."
Keep reading.
WEEKEND WATCHLIST
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(Davis Long/Yahoo Sports)
Men's Final Four
The semifinals tip off tomorrow at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, where the Huskies, Illini, Wildcats and Wolverines will play for spots in Monday's title game.
- Game 1: No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 UConn (6:09pm ET, TBS)
- Game 2: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 1 Arizona (8:49pm, TBS)
Game of the decade? Michigan and Arizona are pretty clearly the two best teams in the field — and KenPom has them as the third- and fourth-best teams ever. Not sold yet? This is just the fifth matchup in Final Four history between 35-win teams, and the second since the tournament expanded in 1985 between teams who won each of their first four games by double digits.
You must be registered for see images attach
(Josh Heim/Yahoo Sports)
Women's Final Four
The women get things started tonight in Phoenix, where the same four teams that made it to last year's Final Four are running it back.
- Game 1: No. 1 UConn vs. No. 1 South Carolina (7pm, ESPN)
- Game 2: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 1 UCLA (9pm, ESPN)
Looking ahead: The winners will meet on Sunday afternoon in the national championship game (3:30pm, ABC).
More to watch:
- NBA: Spurs at Nuggets (Sat. 3pm, Prime); Pistons at 76ers (Sat. 7pm, NBA); Rockets at Warriors (Sun. 10pm, NBC)
- NHL: Avalanche at Stars (Sat. 3pm, ABC); Wild at Red Wings (Sun. 1pm, TNT); Bruins at Flyers (Sun. 3:30pm, TNT)
- ️ MLB: Brewers at Royals (Fri. 7:40pm, Apple); Cubs at Guardians (Sat. 7:15pm, Fox); Cardinals at Tigers (Sun. 7:20pm, Peacock)
- WNBA: Expansion Draft (Fri. 3:30pm, ESPN) … The Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire will fill out their rosters from the league's other 13 teams.
️ MLS: Chicago vs. Nashville (Sat. 8:30pm, Apple); LAFC vs. Orlando (Sat. 9:30pm, Apple) … Nashville and LAFC sit atop their respective conferences.- ️ NWSL: Orlando vs. Angel City (Fri. 8pm, Prime); Kansas City vs. Gotham (Sat. 4pm, CBS); Bay vs. Washington (Sun. 5pm, ESPN2)
- ️ FA Cup: Man City vs. Liverpool (Sat. 7:45am, ESPN) … One of four quarterfinal matches this weekend.
- ️ PGA: Texas Open (Fri-Sun, ESPN+/Golf/NBC) … Mark Hubbard (-7) leads by one stroke in San Antonio.
- ️ LPGA: Aramco Championship (Fri-Sun, Golf) … Three golfers are tied for the lead at 5-under in Las Vegas.
- ️ Augusta National Women's Amateur: Final Round (Sat. 12pm, NBC) … American Asterisk Talley (-11) holds the lead as the tournament shifts to Augusta for the final 18 holes.
- NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships: Second Round and Regional Finals (Fri-Sun, ESPN+) … Top-seeded Oklahoma looks to win its second straight title, and fourth in five years. Schedule.
Got plans this weekend? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. Get tickets now!
FROM FOOTBALL TO THE MOON
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(Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
A former college football player is among the four astronauts on NASA's Artemis II mission that will send its crew to the moon and back during a 10-day operation.
Going to the moon: Victor Glover, 49, wrestled and played defensive back at Cal Poly during the 1996 season before graduating in 1999 with a degree in general engineering.
What they're saying: "He may not have been the fastest guy out there or the most athletic guy out there, but he was going to succeed since he was the best technician out there," former Cal Poly head coach Andre Patterson told NYT. "That's who he is at his core."
P.S. My cousin captured the Artemis takeoff from his commercial flight earlier this week. Pretty incredible stuff.
WHY WE LOVE SPORTS
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An aerial view of the Stanford University campus. (Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
Simon O. (Palo Alto, CA):
I grew up in a house with two parents completely uninterested in sports. I remember saying the sports section made the best packing paper — because it would never be used for anything else.
But by the mid-90s, Stanford men's basketball was becoming harder to ignore in my hometown of Palo Alto. A program that hadn't made the NCAA Tournament from 1942 to 1988 suddenly found life, reaching the second round in back-to-back seasons.
Even in our non-sports household, my mom started watching. My breakthrough came in 1997, when underdog Stanford ended Tim Duncan's Wake Forest career to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in 55 years.
Watching one of the greatest college players ever walk off the court after losing to my hometown program flipped a switch. I didn't fully understand it then, but I was hooked. I had my team.
Stanford returned nearly everyone the following season (1997-98) and added twin superstars Jason and Jarron Collins. The hype felt real. In the most unlikely twist, my mom and I bought season tickets.
You must be registered for see images attach
Simon during he and his mom's trip to St. Louis.
The team didn't disappoint. They finished 26-4 and earned a No. 3 seed in the Midwest Regional. Next thing I knew, we were staring down a Sweet 16 matchup against No. 2 seed Purdue.
The day before that game, my eighth-grade teacher told me my mom was waiting in the front office and that I needed to go meet her. Being pulled out of class midweek rarely signals good news.
She told me to grab my things. We were leaving. Not because anything was wrong — but because we were going to the airport. She had decided we were flying to St. Louis to watch Stanford play in the Sweet 16.
At 14 years old, it felt like winning the lottery. And it got even better when the Cardinal beat the Boilermakers, meaning we'd get to stay for their Elite Eight game against Rhode Island, too.
That game ended up being a classic. With 57 seconds left, Stanford trailed 71-65. It felt over. But March Madness never really ends until the clock hits zero.
A few plays later, a three-point play cut the lead to one. Stanford still needed a stop. Then it happened: Arthur Lee jumped the inbound pass, deflected it to Mark Madsen, who dunked it and then celebrated in a way generously described as "dancing."
I remember sitting next to my mom while all of this unfolded, trying to process how lucky I was to witness it. That play sent Stanford to its first (and still only) Final Four.
You must be registered for see images attach
Mark Madsen and Arthur Lee celebrate during Stanford's win over Rhode Island. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
A few years later, I attended the University of Arizona. It wasn't the only reason, but being around high-level college basketball had become something I valued.
Now, at 42, I see that weekend differently. Moments like that are rare. You can go years — decades even — without something truly transcendent. When it happens, you just take it in.
Even now, my mom and I text constantly during Arizona games. For someone who once claimed not to like sports, it's a shared language neither of us saw coming.
And as luck would have it, Arizona has now returned to its first Final Four since 2001, one year before I arrived on campus. The Wildcats are set to face Michigan this Saturday with a chance to reach the national title game.
This time, my mom and I will be catching separate Midwest flights to Indianapolis, hoping to recreate a little St. Louis magic. Because you never know when you'll get another moment like that.
Submit your story: Do you have a fondest sports memory? Or an example of sports having a profound impact on your life? If you'd like to share, email me at [email protected]. We'll keep sharing your stories until they run out!️ MASTERS TRIVIA
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(Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
With Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods both out, just three multi-time Masters champions are left in this year's field.
Question: Can you name them?
Hint: 1994, 1999, 2012, 2014, 2022, 2024
Answer at the bottom.
PHOTO FINISH
You must be registered for see images attach
Carlos Alcaraz during a practice session as he prepares for the clay court season and to defend his Monte-Carlo Masters title. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Clay season is upon us.
Trivia answer: José María Olazábal, Bubba Watson, Scottie Scheffler
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Continue reading...
