MLB Opening Day 2.0 has arrived
A packed newsletter awaits. On the docket: MLB Opening Day 2.0, March Madness action, and the push for a tush push ban.
––Peter & Kyle
⏱️ On the clock: Today’s newsletter takes ~4.51 minutes to read (1,200 words).
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⚾ Baseball
MLB Opening Day 2.0 has arrived
The sun has risen (or is about to rise) on America’s 150th MLB Opening Day. Nearly every team takes the field today––and with ~2,400 total games left in the season, hope springs eternal and possibilities are as endless as Don McLean’s “American Pie.”
Storylines to watch this year
Will the Dodgers go 162-0? Obviously not. But many think the defending World Series champs could challenge the single-season win record of 116 games held by the 1906 Cubs and 2001 Mariners. Shohei Ohtani is set to return to the mound, plus the team this offseason added two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell, high-upside international pitcher Rōki Sasaki, and Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates, two stud relievers.
Will the White Sox go 0-162? Maybe Again, probably not. But Chicago’s South Side team is coming off a record 121-loss season, and didn’t get too much better this offseason.
The new dynamic in the Big Apple: The Yankees are fresh off a World Series appearance, and OF Aaron Judge off an MVP year. But SP Gerrit Cole is out this season––and the franchise also lost Juan Soto to the crosstown rival Mets, who, following the signing, have the fourth-best odds of winning the World Series. But the power dynamic may not have shifted too much: The ole’ pinstripe-wearing Bronx Bombers have the third-best odds.
The remake of Little Big League: The A's and Rays will spend this season playing in minor league ballparks about one-third the size of a standard MLB stadium––uncharted territory for the league, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports.
NL > AL? The NL has five teams––the Dodgers, Braves, Phillies, Mets, and D-backs––projected by FanGraphs to win 85 games or more. The AL has just three (the Yankees, at 85.8, Mariners, at 85, and Red Sox, at 85).
Young stars are on the rise: Keep an eye on the Pirates’ Paul Skenes (22 years old; he’s the team’s Opening Day starter this year) and Reds SS Elly De La Cruz (23; he’s coming off a 25-homer, 67-steal season). Also: Orioles SS Gunnar Henderson (23) and Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr. (24), who both finished in the top-four in the MVP race last year (4th and 2nd, respectively).
Potential marquee trade targets: Blue Jays four-time All-Star 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is entering the final season of his contract and reportedly isn't close to signing an extension. Angels OF Mike Trout could also find himself on the trading block, should he waive his no-trade clause. The three-time AL MVP has missed 59% of Angels games since 2021 due to injury, and, with the team probably not in a position to contend for a title, would pose an attractive trade piece as the deadline approaches, according to insiders.
In the mood for more MLB reading? Take a peek at a full season preview + rankings for each team.
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📰 Catch Up Quick
Headlines
The men’s Sweet Sixteen tips this afternoon. All four #1 seeds (Auburn, Duke, Houston, Florida) are still alive in the bracket, with three #2 seeds (Alabama, Tennessee, Michigan State) also gunning for spots in the Elite Eight. The story of the tournament thus far has been a lack of Cinderellas—for the first time since the 64-team expansion in 1985, the Sweet 16 contains only power conference teams (covering the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, and SEC). But that hasn’t affected viewership: the first weekend was the most-watched since 1993, averaging 9.4 million viewers/game.
Women’s Sweet Sixteen action begins tomorrow. All #1, #2, and #3 seeds advanced past the first two rounds, with betting odds ranking #2 UConn (~37%), #1 South Carolina (~33%), and #1 UCLA (~13%) as the current favorites. Similar to the men’s side, the Sweet Sixteen features 15 power conference teams plus UConn, the most decorated program in women’s CBB history. And in another similarity, this year is also seeing higher viewership—the first two rounds drew ~600,000 viewers/game, the second-highest mark since 2009 (behind last year’s Caitlin Clark-boosted figure).
Does college basketball have a gambling problem? Four DI men’s college basketball teams—Eastern Michigan, Mississippi Valley State, the University of New Orleans, and North Carolina A&T—had games flagged this season for unusual betting activity, up from three teams in 2023-24. All four schools were bet against by people connected to a gambling ring that conspired with now-banned NBA player Jontay Porter to manipulate his in-game performance, per multiple reports. The suspicious games in 2024-25 reportedly follow the same pattern, involving two relatively obscure schools and large wagers on the first-half point spread.
🏈 FOOTBALL
Could the tush push actually get banned?
The “tush push” could soon join the chop block on the NFL’s chopping block. Owners are gathering from March 30–April 1 for the league’s annual meeting, where voting on rule changes is set to take place––including a proposal to get rid of the popular short-yardage play perfected by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Why ban the booty bump? The Packers, who proposed the change, say the tush push needs to be eliminated due to "[p]layer safety; pace of play." Another reason cited by Green Bay (potentially the quiet part out loud): "There is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less."
Not just the Packers: Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said at the combine he's not a fan of it either, while Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said he believes there's an injury risk associated with the play.
However…The league's internal data on the tush push revealed a 0% injury rate, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports.
Other rules up for a vote: Changing where touchbacks are spotted on kickoffs, altering regular-season OT rules to match the playoffs, and no automatic first down on defensive holding or illegal contact.
Big picture: Proposals must be approved by 75% (24) of the clubs to be adopted.
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💬 Overheard
“It’s literally like training a dog with a clicker, ‘Good job, good job brain.’”
This time last year, figure skater Amber Glenn was headed for a disappointing 10th-place finish at the world championships.
- The 25-year-old American is known for her immense skating talent—and a tendency to underperform in high-pressure situations.
But this week, Glenn took the ice as a favorite to win the world title following a dominant season where she won every single competition she entered.
Behind the turnaround: Glenn attributes her recent success to neurotherapy, a treatment involving visits to a clinic where she’s hooked up to a range of sensors and listens to music from her routine, or watches videos of herself skating. The idea is to get used to feeling the heat of competition until it becomes commonplace, and to practice staying in control of breathing and heart rate.
📰 What Else is Happening
- Filipina teenager Alexandra Eala topped five-time major champion Iga Swiatek to reach the Miami Open semifinals.
- Road to the Frozen Four begins: The puck drops today on the 2025 men’s NCAA ice hockey tourney.
- Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard is out indefinitely with deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot) in his calf; the same condition ended Victor Wembanyama's season.
- Steph Curry and Michelle Obama have partnered to launch a new sports drink called Plezi.
- TGL final: The Atlanta Drive GC bested the New York Golf Club to take home the league’s inaugural championship––and its $9M prize.
✅ Cool Things to Click
Today junior: There have been nearly three full games’ worth of replays thus far in men’s March Madness––many taking place in the final minutes. The Wall Street Journal has the numbers crunched.
Watch: LeBron James’ unfiltered interview with Pat McAfee.
Whoa: The fastest softball pitch ever was just recorded by Tennessee's Karlyn Pickens (78.2 mph from 43 feet = 110+ mph in baseball).
semi-No-le way: Florida State’s Alex Lodise hit a walk-off grand-slam to complete the cycle against rival Florida.
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🤔 Trivia
In honor of MLB Opening Day
Can you name the seven ways a batter can reach first base?
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🤔 Answer
Hit, error, walk, hit-by-pitch, fielder’s choice, dropped third strike, and catcher’s interference
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