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  • FIFA slashes price of some World Cup tickets to $60 after fan backlash

    FIFA slashes price of some World Cup tickets to $60 after fan backlash

    MIAMI — FIFA slashed the price of some World Cup tickets for teams’ most loyal fans following a global backlash and some will get $60 seats for the final instead of being asked to pay $4,185.

    FIFA said Tuesday that $60 tickets will be made available for every game at the tournament in North America, going to the national federations whose teams are playing. Those federations decide how to distribute them to loyal fans who have attended previous games at home and on the road.

    Among the 72 World Cup group stage matches scheduled to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico this summer, five will take place at Lincoln Financial Field, with the Ivory Coast and Ecuador kicking off Philly’s slate of matches on June 14.

    Here’s what ticket prices are looking like for World Cup games in Philly following FIFA’s latest presale

    The number of $60 tickets for each game is likely to be in the hundreds, rather than thousands, in what FIFA is now calling a “Supporter Entry Tier” price category.

    FIFA did not specify exactly why it so dramatically changed strategy, but said the lower prices are “designed to further support traveling fans following their national teams across the tournament.”

    The World Cup in North America will be the first edition that features 48 teams — up from 32 — and is expected to earn FIFA at least $10 billion in revenue. But fans worldwide reacted with shock and anger last week on seeing FIFA’s ticketing plans that gave participating teams no tickets in the lowest-priced category.

    Dan Mayk, 27, of South Philadelphia, wearing a FIFA Philadelphia 2026 scarf at the FIFA World Cup drawing at Stateside Live! on Dec. 5.

    The cheapest prices ranged from $120 to $265 for group-stage games that did not involve the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

    FIFA had set those prices despite the co-hosts having pledged eight years ago — when they were bidding for the tournament — that hundreds of thousands of $21 tickets would be made available.

    Criticism from fans, especially in Europe, had been increasing for several months over plans for “dynamic pricing” plus extra fees on a FIFA-run resale platform — both features that are common in the U.S. entertainment industry but not to soccer fans worldwide.

    Fan anger intensified last week when it became clear loyal supporters would have no access to the cheapest category tickets and that fans who wanted to reserve a ticket for all of their team’s potential games — through the final — would not get refunded until after the tournament.

    In another change Tuesday, FIFA said it would waive its administrative fees when refunds are made after the July 19 final.

  • Penn State’s Kaytron Allen and Olaivavega Ioane named to AP All-American teams

    Penn State’s Kaytron Allen and Olaivavega Ioane named to AP All-American teams

    Four players from Ohio State are among 10 first-team picks from the Big Ten on The Associated Press All-America team released Monday, a group headed by repeat selection Caleb Downs of the Buckeyes and AP Player of the Year Fernando Mendoza of Indiana.

    The AP has named an All-America team every year since 1925, and Notre Dame’s two first-team picks this season increased its all-time lead to 87.

    Downs, the Big Ten defensive player of the year, has made the first team each of his two seasons at Ohio State after landing on the second team as a freshman at Alabama in 2023. He is one of 12 players on the 27-man first team who did not start their careers at their current school. Downs is joined on the first team by fellow Buckeyes Jeremiah Smith, Kayden McDonald and Arvell Reese.

    Mendoza, who won the Heisman Trophy over the weekend, led the top-ranked Hoosiers to a 13-0 record and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff after transferring from California. He has thrown a nation-leading 33 touchdown passes and is the catalyst of one of the most productive offenses in the country.

    A total of 18 schools are represented on the first team, including seven of the 12 in the CFP.

    Iowa has had at least one first-team player seven straight years and in 10 of the last 12. This is the fourth year in a row Miami, Notre Dame and Ohio State have had at least one.

    Punter Cole Maynard gave Western Kentucky its first-ever first-team pick. Defensive lineman Landon Robinson is Navy’s first since 1975 and kicker Kansei Matsuzawa is Hawaii’s first since 1986.

    First-team All-Americans (by conference)

    Big Ten — 10

    SEC — 6

    Big 12 — 3

    ACC — 1

    Independent — 3

    Conference USA — 2

    American — 1

    Mountain West — 1

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    The AP All-America team was selected by a panel of 52 college Top 25 poll voters.

    First-team offense

    Wide receiver — Makai Lemon, Southern California, junior, 5-11, 195, Los Angeles.

    Wide receiver — Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State, sophomore, 6-3, 223, Miami Gardens, Fla.

    Wide receiver — Skyler Bell, Connecticut, senior, 6-0, 185, New York, N.Y.

    Tackle — Francis Mauigoa, Miami, junior, 6-6, 335, Ili’ili, American Samoa.

    Tackle — Spencer Fano, Utah, junior, 6-6, 308, Spanish Fork, Utah.

    Guard — Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon, senior, 6-5, 318, Denver.

    Guard — Beau Stephens, Iowa, senior, 6-5, 315, Blue Springs, Mo.

    Center — Logan Jones, Iowa, graduate, 6-3, 202, Council Bluffs, Iowa.

    Tight end — Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt, graduate, 6-4, 235, Denton, Texas.

    Quarterback — Fernando Mendoza, Indiana, junior, 6-5, 225, Miami.

    Running back — Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame, junior, 6-0, 214, St. Louis.

    Running back — Ahmad Hardy, Missouri, sophomore, 5-10, 210, Oma, Miss.

    Kicker — Kansei Matsuzawa, Hawaii, senior, 6-2, 200, Tokyo.

    All-purpose — KC Concepcion, Texas A&M, junior, 5-11, 190, Charlotte, N.C.

    First-team defense

    Edge rusher — David Bailey, Texas Tech, senior, 6-3, 250, Irvine, Calif.

    Edge rusher — Cashius Howell, Texas A&M, senior, 6-2, 248, Kansas City, Mo.

    Interior lineman — Kayden McDonald, Ohio State, junior, 6-3, 326, Suwanee, Ga.

    Interior lineman — Landon Robinson, Navy, senior, 6-0, 287, Fairlawn, Ohio.

    Linebacker — Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech, senior, 6-1, 235, Wichita Falls, Texas.

    Linebacker — Arvell Reese, Ohio State, junior, 6-4, 243, Cleveland.

    Linebacker — CJ Allen, Georgia, junior, 6-1, 235, Barnesville, Ga.

    Cornerback — Leonard Moore, Notre Dame, sophomore, 6-2, 195, Round Rock, Texas.

    Cornerback — Mansoor Delane, LSU, senior, 6-0, 190, Silver Spring, Md.

    Safety — Caleb Downs, Ohio State, junior, 6-0, 205, Hoschton, Ga.

    Safety — Bishop Fitzgerald, Southern California, senior, 5-11, 205, Woodbridge, Va.

    Defensive back — Jakari Foster, Louisiana Tech, senior, 6-0, 211, Piedmont, Ala.

    Punter — Cole Maynard, Western Kentucky, senior, 6-1, 180, Mooresville, N.C.

    Second-team offense

    Wide receiver — Carnell Tate, Ohio State, junior, 6-3, 195, Chicago.

    Wide receiver — Malachi Toney, Miami, freshman, 5-11, 188, Liberty City, Fla.

    Wide receiver — Danny Scudero, San Jose State, sophomore, 5-9, 174, San Jose, Calif.

    Tackle — Kadyn Proctor, Alabama, junior, 6-7, 366, Des Moines, Iowa.

    Tackle — Carter Smith, Indiana, junior, 6-5, 313, Powell, Ohio.

    Guard — Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State, junior, 6-4, 323, Graham, Wash.

    Guard — Ar’maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M, graduate, 6-5, 325, Dallas.

    Center — Jake Slaughter, Florida, senior, 6-4, 303, Sparr, Fla.

    Tight end — Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon, junior, 6-3, 245, Idaho Falls, Idaho.

    Quarterback — Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt, graduate, 6-0, 207, Albuquerque, N.M.

    Running back — Emmett Johnson, Nebraska, junior, 5-11, 200, Minneapolis.

    Running back — Kewan Lacy, Mississippi, sophomore, 5-11, 210, Dallas.

    Kicker — Tate Sandell, Oklahoma, junior, 5-9, 182, Port Neches, Texas.

    All-purpose — Wayne Knight, James Madison, junior, 5-7, 190, Smyrna, Del.

    Second-team defense

    Edge rusher — Rueben Bain Jr., Miami, junior, 6-3, 270, Miami.

    Edge rusher — John Henry Daley, Utah, sophomore, 6-4, 255, Alpine, Utah.

    Interior lineman — A.J. Holmes Jr., Texas Tech, junior, 6-3, 300, Houston.

    Interior lineman — Peter Woods, Clemson, junior, 6-3, 310, Alabaster, Ala.

    Linebacker — Sonny Syles, Ohio State, senior, 6-5, 243, Pickerington, Ohio.

    Linebacker — Anthony Hill Jr., Texas, junior, 6-3, 238, Denton, Texas.

    Linebacker — Red Murdock, Buffalo, graduate, 6-1, 240, Petersburg, Va.

    Cornerback — D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana, junior, 5-9, 173, Miami.

    Cornerback — Chris Johnson, San Diego State, senior, 6-0, 195, Eastvale, Calif.

    Safety — Dillon Thieneman, Oregon, junior, 6-0, 205, Westfield, Indiana.

    Safety — Louis Moore, Indiana, senior, 5-11, 200, Mesquite, Texas.

    Defensive back — Hezekiah Masses, California, senior, 6-1, 185, Deerfield Beach, Fla.

    Punter — Brett Thorson, Georgia, senior, 6-2, 235, Melbourne, Australia.

    Third-team offense

    Wide receiver — Eric McAlister, TCU, senior, 6-3, 205, Azle, Texas.

    Wide receiver — Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee, junior, 6-5, 200, Midland, Texas.

    Wide receiver — Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State, junior, 6-2, 200, Allen, Texas.

    Tackle — Keagen Trost, Missouri, graduate, 6-4, 316, Kankakee, Ill.

    Tackle — Brian Parker II, Duke, junior, 6-5, 305, Cincinnati.

    Guard — Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech, senior, 6-4, 330, Royston, Ga.

    Guard — Evan Tengesdahl, Cincinnati, sophomore, 6-3, 320, Dayton, Ohio.

    Center — Iapani Laloulu, Oregon, junior, 6-2, 329, Honolulu.

    Tight end — Michael Trigg, Baylor, senior, 6-4, 240, Tampa, Fla.

    Quarterback — Julian Sayin, Ohio State, redshirt freshman, 6-1, 208, Carlsbad, Calif.

    Running back — Cam Cook, Jacksonville State, junior, 5-11, 200, Round Rock, Texas.

    Running back — Kaytron Allen, Penn State, senior, 5-11, 219, Norfolk, Va.

    Kicker — Aidan Birr, Georgia Tech, junior, 6-1, 205, Kennedale, Texas.

    All-purpose — Jadarian Price, Notre Dame, junior, 5-11, 210, Denison, Texas.

    Third-team defense

    Edge rusher — Caden Curry, Ohio State, senior, 6-3, 260, Greenwood, Ind.

    Edge rusher — Nadame Tucker, Western Michigan, senior, 6-3, 250, New York.

    Interior lineman — Tyrique Tucker, Indiana, junior, 6-0, 302, Norfolk, Va.

    Interior lineman — Lee Hunter, Texas Tech, senior, 6-4, 330, Mobile, Alabama.

    Linebacker — Aiden Fisher, Indiana, senior, 6-1, 231, Fredericksburg, Va.

    Linebacker — Caden Fordham, North Carolina State, graduate, 6-1, 230, Ponte Vedra, Fla.

    Linebacker — Owen Long, Colorado State, sophomore, 6-2, 230, Whittier, Calif.

    Cornerback — Avieon Terrell, Clemson, junior, 5-11, 180, Atlanta.

    Cornerback — Treydan Stukes, Arizona, senior, 6-2, 200, Litchfield Park, Ariz.

    Safety — Michael Taaffe, Texas, senior, 6-0, 189, Austin, Texas.

    Safety — Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo, senior, 6-2, 202, Tampa, Fla.

    Defensive back — Bray Hubbard, Alabama, junior, 6-2, 213, Ocean Springs, Miss.

    Punter — Ryan Eckley, Michigan State, junior, 6-2, 207, Lithia, Fla.

  • Joel Embiid scores season-high 39 points to lead Sixers to 115-105 win against Pacers

    Joel Embiid scores season-high 39 points to lead Sixers to 115-105 win against Pacers

    PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid scored a season-high 39 points, Paul George had 23 and the 76ers beat the Indiana Pacers 115-105 on Friday night.

    VJ Edgecombe added 22 points for the 76ers, who played without Tyrese Maxey — the NBA’s third-leading scorer (31.5 points per game) sat out with an illness.

    Pascal Siakam had 20 points for the defending Eastern Conference champion Pacers, who dropped to 6-19.

    Siakham’s jumper with 8:24 remaining gave Indiana a 100-95 lead, but the Pacers missed nine consecutive shots — including three 3-pointers — after that as the 76ers went on a 13-2 run. The spurt was capped with Embiid’s offensive rebound and follow basket. The 2023 MVP was fouled on the play and made the free throw to push Philadelphia’s lead to 108-102.

    Embiid, the seven-time All-Star who has been beset with injuries the last 1 1/2 seasons, came in averaging 18.2 points while playing in just nine of Philadelphia’s 23 contests due to left and right knee issues. However, he looked more like himself on Friday, hitting a step-back 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer to give him 14 points inn the second quarter.

    Philadelphia improved to 6-4 with Embiid in the lineup.

    The 76ers had four days off since losing 112-108 at home to LeBron James and the Lakers on Sunday night, giving Embiid plenty of time for rest and recovery. He was upgraded after being probable on the pregame injury report.

    George, who was drafted by Indiana and played there from 2010–2017, also looked more like the nine-time All-Star that he is by finishing with a season high in points following offseason knee surgery.

    Philadelphia was 33 for 43 on free throws while Indiana was 16 for 19. Indiana’s frustration with the disparity in attempts was apparent in the final minutes, as head coach Rick Carlisle received a technical foul with just over three minutes left and Siakham was assessed with one with 1:41 remaining.

  • Penguins send two-time All-Star goalie Tristan Jarry to Edmonton in goaltender swap

    Penguins send two-time All-Star goalie Tristan Jarry to Edmonton in goaltender swap

    PITTSBURGH — Tristan Jarry is going “home” with the hope of helping the Edmonton Oilers get over the top.

    The two-time defending Western Conference champions acquired Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday in hopes of shoring up a position that has cost them during their deep playoff runs in recent years.

    Jarry, a two-time All-Star with Pittsburgh in 2020 and 2022, starred for the Edmonton Oil Kings as a junior. Now he heads back to Edmonton with a chance to help the Oilers try to win their first Stanley Cup in more than 35 years.

    Edmonton sent goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak and a second-round pick in the 2029 draft to Pittsburgh in exchange for Jarry and forward Sam Poulin.

    “I just felt it was time for something different,” Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said. “It’s not so much a comment on Stuart Skinner. It’s just maybe time for something different here.”

    The move closes an eventful 10 years in Pittsburgh for Jarry, who was signed to a five-year contract in 2023 but struggled so badly last season that the Penguins took the unorthodox approach of demoting him to the minors multiple times.

    The 30-year-old Jarry has bounced back this season under first-year Penguins coach Dan Muse. Jarry went 9-3-1 with a 2.66 goals against average and a .909 save percentage for surprising Pittsburgh.

    Bowman said the team has been tracking Jarry for a while and that the metrics surrounding his play have been good for an extended period. The fact that Jarry is also signed through 2027-28 also gives the Oilers some stability. Skinner is scheduled to become a free agent next summer.

    “It’s a (salary) number that we’re going to be able to manage well in our salary cap over the coming seasons, so I think those factors did play a role,” Bowman said. “When you add it all up, it wasn’t just about a couple of games here or there. It was about a career sample size and the fact that he’s going to be with us for three playoff rounds.”

    Even if Jarry isn’t exactly a proven commodity in the postseason. He holds a career playoff record of just 2-6 with a 3.00 goals against and a .891 save percentage. His shaky play in the opening round against the New York Islanders in the 2021 playoffs played a major factor in the Penguins losing the series in six games.

    Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas praised Jarry for the way he responded to being sent to the minors, and allowed at times the team’s play in front of him didn’t put Jarry in the best position for success.

    “I think Tristan is extremely talented,” Dubas said. “It’ll be a great opportunity for him in Edmonton.”

    The Oilers’ problems in net in recent years have played an outsized role in keeping Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and company from getting over the hump and winning the Stanley Cup, especially in the final the past two years against Florida.

    Skinner allowed 19 goals on 137 shots, an .861 save percentage, in the 2025 final, and Calvin Pickard was not much better at .878. Skinner also allowed a soft goal in Game 7 in 2024.

    Edmonton this season had the fourth-worst team save percentage in the NHL. And while Skinner ranks 38th in the league among goalies who have appeared in nine or more games, Calvin Pickard — who remains on the roster in tandem with Jarry — is last at .851.

    Jarry is expected to join the Oilers in Toronto on Saturday. Edmonton’s current road swing includes a stop in Pittsburgh next Tuesday.

    The Penguins were able to move on from Jarry thanks in part to a deep prospect pool in net, led by 21-year-old Sergey Murashov, who played well during a brief stint in Pittsburgh earlier this season. The Penguins also have 23-year-old Joel Blomqvist at their American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and 24-year-old Artur Silovs has been solid if not spectacular this year while splitting time with Jarry in Pittsburgh.

    Dubas said there is no firm plan to call up Murashov or Blomqvist in the short term, but that both will have the opportunity to establish themselves as the club’s top goaltender at some point in the future, perhaps as early as next season.

    Skinner is 11-8-4 with a 2.83 goals against average, though his save percentage is just .891.

    The 31-year-old Kulak gives the Penguins an experienced and dependable defenseman who posted career highs in goals (seven), assists (18) and points (25) last season for Edmonton. Kulak has two assists this year for the Oilers.

    Poulin was Pittsburgh’s first-round pick in 2019 but has been unable to find his footing at the NHL level. Poulin has only two points in 15 games for Pittsburgh.

    The move wasn’t the only one made by the Oilers on Friday. Edmonton also sent a third-round pick in the 2027 draft to Nashville for defenseman Spencer Stastney. The 25-year-old Stastney has one goal and eight assists in nine games for the Predators this season.

    “He’s a great skater, a lot of quickness, and he’s been very effective in the penalty kill,” Bowman said of Stastney. “And he’s got some offense to his game as well. I think he hasn’t really reached his true potential yet.”

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    AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.

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    AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

  • Wild acquire Quinn Hughes from the Canucks in a blockbuster NHL trade

    Wild acquire Quinn Hughes from the Canucks in a blockbuster NHL trade

    The Minnesota Wild have acquired Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in the biggest blockbuster trade of the NHL season.

    The teams announced the seismic move Friday night, after the 2024 Norris Trophy winner as the league’s top defenseman had been the most talked-about trade candidate over the past couple of weeks.

    Minnesota sent center Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, winger Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick in the 2026 draft to suddenly rebounding Vancouver to complete the deal. Rossi at 24, Ohgren at 21 and Buium at 20 fit the young players the Canucks were speculated to be targeting if they were to trade Hughes.

    Only 26 and considered the best at the position behind Colorado’s Cale Makar, Hughes has one season left on his contract after this one before he can become an unrestricted free agent. There has been plenty of buzz about Quinn wanting to play with brothers Jack and Luke with the New Jersey Devils.

    They could potentially be teammates on the U.S. Olympic team, either in February in Milan or in 2030. Wild general manager Bill Guerin runs USA Hockey’s management team.

    Hughes has two goals and 21 assists for 23 points in 23 games this season with the last-in-the-NHL Canucks. He was their captain since 2023, and his abrupt exit paves the way for more change in Vancouver 11 months since the trade of J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers and in the aftermath of coach Rick Tocchet’s departure rather than remain behind the bench there.

    “With the circumstances surrounding JT and now Quinn, we are fortunate to acquire these very good young players from Minnesota,” Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said. “They will be a key part of the rebuild that we are currently in, giving us a bright future moving forward. The hockey club will continue to build with talented young players using that as a blueprint to become a contender sooner rather than later.”

    Minnesota cannot extend Hughes until July 1, and it’s unclear if he would entertain signing another contract. He had nothing in the way of trade protection on his current deal, paying him an average of $7.85 million annually, that would have allowed him to block a trade anywhere.

    The Wild are taking a shot at challenging the two top teams in the NHL, Colorado and Dallas, in the Central Division, which also includes reigning Presidents’ Trophy-winning Winnipeg. Hughes vastly upgrades their blue line, which already included captain Jared Spurgeon and smooth-skating Swede Jonas Brodin, and winger Kirill Kaprizov only this past fall signed the richest deal in hockey history to stay in the “State of Hockey” for eight more years.”

    It was the second major trade of the day after two-time Stanley Cup Final runner-up Edmonton finally made a move for a goaltender, acquiring Tristan Jarry from Pittsburgh.

  • Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore is jailed, hours after he was fired due to an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with a staff member

    Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore is jailed, hours after he was fired due to an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with a staff member

    ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore was jailed on Wednesday, according to court records, hours after he was fired for what the university said was an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”

    According to the Washtenaw County Jail, the 39-year-old Moore had been booked into the facility as of Wednesday evening. The jail’s records did not provide any information about why Moore was detained or whether any court appearances were scheduled.

    In response to media inquires about Moore, the Pittsfield Township Police Department issued a statement that did not mention anyone by name. According to the statement, police were called to investigate an alleged assault in Pittsfield Township, a couple of miles south of Michigan Stadium, and took a person into custody.

    The incident was not random and there was no ongoing threat to public safety, police said, and the person was jailed pending a review of charges by prosecutors.

    “Given the nature of the allegations, the need to maintain the integrity of the investigation, and its current status at this time, we are prohibited from releasing additional details,” the statement said.

    Michigan said it fired Moore for cause after finding evidence of his relationship with the staffer, ending an up-and-down, two-year tenure that saw the Wolverines take a step back on the field after winning the national championship and getting punished by the NCAA.

    “This conduct constitutes a clear violation of university policy, and UM maintains zero tolerance for such behavior,” athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement.

    The announcement did not include details of the alleged relationship. Moore, who is married with three young daughters, did not return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

    Moore was 9-3 this year after going 8-5 in his debut season.

    He signed a five-year contract with a base annual salary of $5.5 million last year. According to the terms of his deal, the university will not have to buy out the remaining years of Moore’s contract because he was fired for cause.

    College football’s winningest program is suddenly looking for a third coach in four years, shortly after a busy cycle that included Lane Kiffin leaving playoff-bound Mississippi for LSU.

    Moore, the team’s former offensive coordinator, was promoted to the lead the Wolverines after they won the 2023 national title. He succeeded Jim Harbaugh, who returned to the NFL to lead the Los Angeles Chargers.

    The 18th-ranked Wolverines (9-3, 7-2 Big Ten) are set to play No. 14 Texas on Dec. 31 in the Citrus Bowl.

    Biff Poggi, who filled in for Moore when he was suspended earlier this season, will serve as interim coach.

    Moore, in his second season, was suspended for two games this year as part of self-imposed sanctions for NCAA violations related to a sign-stealing scandal. The NCAA added a third game to the suspension, which would have kept Moore off the sideline for next year’s opener against Western Michigan.

    Moore previously deleted an entire 52-message text thread on his personal phone with former staffer Connor Stalions, who led the team’s sign-sealing operation. The texts were later recovered and shared with the NCAA.

    Just a few years ago, Moore was Harbaugh’s top assistant and regarded as a rising star.

    Moore, who is from Derby, Kansas, didn’t start playing football until his junior year of high school. He played for Butler County Community College in Kansas and as an offensive lineman for coach Bob Stoops at Oklahoma during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

    His coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Louisville before moving on to Central Michigan, where he caught Harbaugh’s attention. Harbaugh hired him in 2018 as tight ends coach.

    Moore was promoted to offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator in 2021, when the Wolverines bounced back from a 2-4, pandemic-shortened season and began a three-year run of excellence that culminated in the school’s first national title in 26 years.

    He worked his way up within the Wolverines’ staff and filled in as interim coach for four games during the 2023 championship season while Harbaugh served two suspensions for potential NCAA rules violations.

    Moore also served a one-game suspension during that year related to a recruiting infractions NCAA case.

    Earlier in the 2023 season, Michigan State fired coach Mel Tucker for cause after he engaged in what he described as consensual phone sex with an activist and rape survivor. In 2012, Arkansas fired coach Bobby Petrino due to a sordid scandal that involved a motorcycle crash, an affair with a woman who worked for him and being untruthful to his bosses.

  • Source: Orioles agree to $155 million, 5-year deal with Pete Alonso

    Source: Orioles agree to $155 million, 5-year deal with Pete Alonso

    BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles agreed to a $155 million, five-year deal with slugger Pete Alonso, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

    The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical.

    It’s a major move for a Baltimore team that vowed to be aggressive following a last-place finish. Alonso hit .272 with 38 home runs and 126 RBIs this year for the New York Mets, posting an .871 OPS that was his highest since he hit 53 home runs as a rookie in 2019.

    Phillies opt to stretch their competitive window with Kyle Schwarber and Co., and baseball seems to agree

    Alonso, who turned 31 on Sunday, hit 264 homers over seven seasons with the Mets. He’s earned All-Star honors five times, including each of the past four years.

    Nicknamed the Polar Bear, Alonso became a Citi Field fan favorite as a home-grown member of the Mets. He was NL Rookie of the Year in 2019, when he hit .260 with a major league-high 53 homers — a rookie record — and 120 RBIs. He had a career-high 131 RBIs in 2022.

    Alonso batted a career-low .217 in 2023 while hitting 46 homers and driving in 118 runs and hit .240 with 34 homers and 88 RBIs in 2024.

    After a slow free agent market last winter, Alonso signed a $54 million, two-year contract to stay with the Mets, but he opted out of the final year of the deal.

  • Mavericks center Dereck Lively II to have season-ending foot surgery

    Mavericks center Dereck Lively II to have season-ending foot surgery

    DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II is set for season-ending surgery on his ailing right foot.

    The team said Wednesday the surgery will be performed by Dr. James Calder in London. The Mavericks previously said Lively was seeking multiple medical opinions as discomfort in the foot lingered.

    He had a procedure on the same foot in the offseason.

    Lively’s final game of the season was a 118-115 victory over New Orleans on Nov. 21. He then sat the second night of a back-to-back after missing 10 of the previous 14 games because of a knee injury. The foot issue arose after his return.

    Rising standout Dereck Lively II, once the kid who couldn’t ‘walk and chew gum,’ has come a long way

    The 21-year-old Lively, a former Westtown School standout, will have missed 148 of a possible 246 games by the end of his third season.

    Lively missed 27 games as a rookie but was healthy for the postseason as the Mavericks made their first trip to the NBA Finals since winning the franchise’s only championship in 2011. Dallas lost to Boston in five games.

    Injuries sidelined Lively for 46 games last season. The former Duke star and 2023 first-round pick ended up missing 75 games in 2024-25.

    When he’s healthy, Lively has been productive. At 7-foot-1, he was a strong pick-and-roll partner with Luka Dončić before the Mavericks traded their young superstar last season.

    Dereck Lively II, a Westtown graduate, has risen into national stardom. His mother steered that path.

    Lively has barely had a chance to play with fellow big man Anthony Davis, former general manager Nico Harrison’s target in the Dončić trade. Harrison was fired last month with the Mavericks off to a slow start in their first full season without Dončić, and the oft-injured Davis was sidelined at the time.

    Lively also didn’t get to share much of fellow Duke alum Cooper Flagg’s rookie season after the Mavericks won the draft lottery and the right to take Flagg No. 1 overall.

    Lively has averaged 8.4 points and 7.0 rebounds in 98 games.

  • Dodgers signing Mets closer Edwin Díaz to a three-year deal, source says

    Dodgers signing Mets closer Edwin Díaz to a three-year deal, source says

    ORLANDO — Closer Edwin Díaz has agreed to a $69 million, three-year contract with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press during baseball’s winter meetings.

    The person spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the agreement was subject to a successful physical. Díaz’s agreement includes deferred payments by the Dodgers, who already owed $1.051 billion in deferred pay to eight players from 2028-46.

    Source: Phillies, Kyle Schwarber agree to five-year, $150 million contract

    A three-time All-Star who turns 32 on March 22, Díaz joins a Dodgers bullpen that struggled last season, causing the team to shift rookie starter Roki Sasaki to closer in the postseason. Los Angeles relievers had a 4.27 ERA, 21st among the 30 teams,

    Relying on a 97-98 mph fastball and slider, Díaz became a fan favorite at Citi Field, where horns blared and fans danced when he entered games to “Narco” by Blasterjaxx & Timmy Trumpet.

    New York prepared for his possible departure by agreeing to a $51 million, three-year contract with Devin Williams, who left the crosstown Yankees after one season.

    A three-time All-Star, reliever Edwin Díaz will turn 32 in March.

    Díaz joins a Dodgers bullpen that includes left-hander Tanner Scott, who was bothered by elbow inflammation in his first season after signing a $72 million, four-year contract. Jack Dreyer, Anthony Banda, and Alex Vesia also are in the bullpen.

    Díaz had 28 saves in 31 chances last season with a 6-3 record and a 1.63 ERA for a disappointing Mets team that failed to reach the playoffs despite ranking second in payroll behind the Dodgers. He struck out 98 in 66⅓ innings.

    He has 253 saves in 294 chances over nine seasons with Seattle (2016-18) and the Mets, who acquired him along with second baseman Robinson Canó for five players, including Jarred Kelenic and Anthony Swarzak. Díaz missed the 2023 season after tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee during a postgame celebration with Puerto Rico at the World Baseball Classic.

    Díaz agreed to a $102 million, five-year contract with the Mets after the 2022 season, a deal that included deferred money payable through 2042. He had the right to opt out after three years and $64 million to become a free agent again. Of that $64 million, $15.5 million is deferred and payable through July 1, 2039.

  • Notre Dame, left out of playoff while Alabama and Miami get in, opts out of bowl consideration

    Notre Dame, left out of playoff while Alabama and Miami get in, opts out of bowl consideration

    Snubbed by the College Football Playoff, Notre Dame snubbed its nose at a second-tier bowl game.

    The ninth-ranked Fighting Irish responded to getting dropped in the CFP rankings for the second consecutive week by turning down an invitation to play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Florida.

    “As a team, we’ve decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season,” Notre Dame wrote in a statement posted to its official X account. “We appreciate all the support from our families and fans, and we’re hoping to bring the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026.”

    Alabama and Miami are in the College Football Playoff; Notre Dame is out

    Although it might be the exact reaction that many Notre Dame fans wanted, it’s far from ideal for the long-term viability of non-playoff bowl games.

    The decision also denies Notre Dame’s seniors a chance for one final game, denies underclassmen from a few extra weeks of practice and denies a legion of fans — is there a bigger brand in college football? — from watching this team play again.

    Sep 13, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman looks at the scoreboard during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

    Unlike Iowa State and Kansas State, which each got fined $500,000 by the Big 12 for opting out of a bowl game because of coaching changes, Notre Dame won’t get punished because it’s not a full-fledged member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

    Despite winning every game for nearly three months, Notre Dame dropped behind Miami in the final CFP rankings and was left out of the 12-team bracket entirely.

    The Fighting Irish, who won their last 10 games by an average of nearly 30 points, watched championship weekend from afar, idle as an independent with no options to impress the selection committee one last time in a league title game.

    Athletic director Pete Bevacqua and coach Marcus Freeman had taken the high road in recent weeks, avoiding too much lobbying and believing their winning streak would be enough to earn a berth over Alabama.

    Miami (10-2) ended up knocking the Irish (10-2) out.

    With BYU losing to Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game, the committee ranked Miami and Notre Dame next to each other and turned to the head-to-head metric to determine which one would get the No. 10 seed.

    It was Miami, which beat Notre Dame 27-24 in Week 1 of the regular season.

    Hunter Yurachek, the chair of the selection committee, said members rewatched the game and were struck by Miami’s shutting down of a Notre Dame running game in a way nobody else did this season.

    “Then there was observation from the coaches in the room where Notre Dame did a lot of chasing of some of the athletic receivers, especially on the Miami side,” Yurachek said. “And it just felt like there was a little bit more athleticism on the side of Miami versus Notre Dame.”

    The Hurricanes will play at Texas A&M in the opening round of the playoff.

    No. 12 BYU, No. 13 Vanderbilt and No. 14 Texas — and, to a lesser extent, Atlantic Coast Conference champion Duke — are sure to have issues with the final CFP standings, too.

    “We are not entitled to anything and we’re not victimized by any process or any committee,” Vandy coach Clark Lea said. ”This is about ownership over what we’ve created, and the opportunity we created for ourselves is to go and know exactly when our season is going to be finished.”

    But no one has a bigger gripe than Notre Dame, which dropped one spot after beating Stanford 49-20 and then fell another while not playing.

    Fans online had demanded the Irish boycott their bowl game, cancel their scheduling agreement with the ACC and reassess future slates. Some called for Bevacqua to be fired.

    Notre Dame lost consecutive games to open the season against teams that made the playoff — Miami and Texas A&M, by a combined four points — and has been as good as anyone in the country since.

    Alabama, meanwhile, became the first three-loss team to make the CFP field. Yurachek explained the logic after the Crimson Tide lost 28-7 to Georgia in the SEC championship game.

    “Their strength of schedule was the highest in the top 11, and (it) felt like in spite of their performance yesterday in the conference championship, they deserve to stay within that nine spot,” Yurachek said.