Sports

7:00 AM ET It’s possible Oklahoma State was just “inches short” of the College Football Playoff last fall — but it’s also a rather grand assumption that had Dezmon Jackson managed to grow a few inches on a desperate fourth-down dive against Baylor in the Big 12 title game, the selection committee would have chosen

5:43 PM ET It was rumored for weeks, and finally happened: The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Seattle Kraken defenseman Mark Giordano in a trade Sunday, one day before the NHL’s deadline. Forward Colin Blackwell was also part of the package heading to Toronto, and Seattle is retaining half of Giordano’s $6.75 million salary. In return,

1:37 PM ET Seems as if everybody in baseball was working through the weekend. Starting late Friday night, the last few big dominoes in this year’s free-agent market fell in a final sprint, with Nick Castellanos landing with the Phillies, Carlos Correa stunningly signing with the Twins and, finally, the last shortstop standing, Trevor Story

9:05 AM ET The path to the Champions League final in Paris on May 28 is now clear following the draw for the last eight and semifinals of the competition and the prospect of a heavyweight clash at the Stade de France remains alive with favourites Liverpool and Manchester City, and Real Madrid and Bayern

4:54 PM BST Six Scotland players including captain Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell have been disciplined after they breached team protocols following their Six Nations victory over Italy last weekend. Scotland beat Italy 33-22 for a bonus-point win at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Upon their return to Edinburgh, the players left the team hotel

2:59 AM ET NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Jesse Iwuji credits his Nigerian parents for his discipline and success, which has seen him play D1 college football, serve in the US Navy for seven years, and become co-owner of Jesse Iwuji Motorsports. Lieutenant Commander Iwuji, who will race in the Emmett Smith-co-owned number 34 Chevrolet at

2:33 PM ET Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. — Attorneys for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert argued in a Kentucky court Thursday that a 90-day suspension imposed by the state’s racing commission would essentially end his career. Baffert is asking a judge to delay the suspension for a failed postrace drug test by Medina Spirit

7:49 AM ET Saturday’s fight card at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden could provide a glimpse of future world champions (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET, with prelims on ESPN+ at 7:10 p.m. ET). The Top Rank card inside one of boxing’s most historic venues features two of the promotional company’s most interesting prospects —

9:00 AM ET Tom Aspinall is a young star in the making in the UFC’s heavyweight division. At age 28, he is 4-0 in the Octagon, 11-2 overall in his MMA career. On Saturday, the fighter from Manchester, England, who now fights out of Liverpool, will be competing on home turf when he headlines UFC

9:30 PM ET Kyrie Irving might have just had the game of his life. The 29-year-old Brooklyn Nets guard dropped 60 points en route to his team’s 150-108 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night. Irving shot exceptionally well, going 20-for-31 from the field and 8-for-12 from beyond the arc. He scored 41 in

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff NFL free agency officially starts at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, which coincides with the start of the new league year. But first, we have two days of legal negotiations, when teams and free agents can agree to terms on new deals (and then officially sign them on Wednesday). We’ve already

7:29 AM ET Australian Open champion Rafa Nadal said he felt sorry for Naomi Osaka after she was rattled by a heckler during her second-round loss on Saturday night at Indian Wells, but added that tennis players needed to be ready to deal with adversities. Osaka, who sparked a conversation about mental health in sports

7:43 PM ET PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Around 4 p.m. ET on Monday, after rain started falling again at the Players at TPC Sawgrass, Sepp Straka was the leader in the clubhouse with a 72-hole total of 7 under. For a tournament that stopped and started more than the traffic on state highway A1A,

7:00 AM ET College football’s 2022 recruiting classes have been signed, and more of these prospects have enrolled early in school. That translates to more first-year players providing an immediate impact, which in turn gives teams the opportunity to win sooner on Saturdays. How will this recruiting cycle affect the 2022 College Football Playoff? For

7:00 AM ET The NHL trade deadline is a chance for teams to look deeply into their souls — or, perhaps, into their internal budgets — to discover who they are now and what they want to become in the future. That’s easier said than done. Sure, there are some teams that know they’re in

9:45 PM ET Associated Press AVONDALE, Ariz. — Chase Briscoe jumped out of his car and was obviously emotional, kneeling by his No. 14 for a few seconds before a couple of voice cracks during his postrace television interview. The 27-year-old Briscoe took his lumps last season as a NASCAR Cup Series rookie. Now, he’s

5:00 PM ET The trade: The Minnesota Twins acquire RHP Sonny Gray from the Cincinnati Reds for RHPs Francis Peguero and Chase Petty On Sunday, a trade was completed between a club that finished in the cellar last season (Minnesota) and a team that finished over .500 but just outside of the wild-card chase (Cincinnati).

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10:44 PM GMT France were not at their flamboyant best but a try from flanker Anthony Jelonch helped the Six Nations leaders to a 13-9 victory over a Wales side full of fight at the Principality Stadium on Friday, a seventh win in a row for Fabien Galthie’s team. France stay on course for their

7:56 AM ET LAS VEGAS — Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event is a light heavyweight bout between onetime title challenger Thiago Santos and rising contender Magomed Ankalaev. There is a lot of intrigue around this 205-pound matchup, as the division is wide open at the moment. Santos (22-9) is rebuilding from a rough stretch