Sports

7:00 AM ET As the NHL’s 32 teams all work their way back from the holiday break — and various postponements due to COVID-19 — it’s time for another round of the power rankings. And this week, we’re also laying out the most pivotal situations for every club by identifying one big question for 2022.

7:00 AM ET $615 million. On three players. By two teams. In one day. It began at about 4 p.m. in Dallas on Nov. 28, when a Texas Rangers team coming off a 102-loss season agreed to terms on a seven-year, $175 million contract with Marcus Semien, a top-three finisher in MVP voting after two

4:00 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent MANCHESTER, England — It says everything about Manchester United‘s opening game of 2022 that Phil Jones returned for his first appearance in 708 days and was, by some distance, their best player. It’s no disrespect to Jones, without a game since January 2020 as he battled back from a serious

9:47 PM ET Associated Press REDDICK, Fla. — Billy Turner, who trained Seattle Slew to a Triple Crown sweep of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont stakes in 1977, has died. He was 81. Turner died Friday at his home here where he had been in hospice care after battling prostate cancer for two years,

1:00 AM ET Associated Press SYDNEY — Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman and Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut led their respective teams to comfortable victories Saturday on the opening day of the 16-team ATP Cup tournament. Argentina beat Georgia 3-0, while Spain easily accounted for Chile by the same margin in the opening ties of the team-based tournament

11:20 AM ET The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to trade Denzel Valentine to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Rajon Rondo, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday. The Lakers are expected to waive Valentine’s partially guaranteed deal and create an open roster spot. Rondo is eager for the chance to play a bigger

8:28 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim The shiny brass-and-leather belts worn by UFC champions do not merely signify achievement and ascendance. For the select few fighters who earn them, these esteemed titles can bestow an aura of invincibility. Yet nothing is forever. Among the 12 weight classes in the UFC, seven fighters now wear championship belts

1:00 PM ET Ryan Hockensmith ON CHRISTMAS DAY, John Madden gathered his close family members and friends around his TV at 2 p.m. A documentary about him and his tall-tale life, “All Madden,” was airing on Fox, and he wanted to watch it with the people he loved the most. Many of the people in

2:55 PM GMT England trio Owen Farrell, Jamie George and Manu Tuilagi are expected to be fit for selection for the Six Nations which starts on Feb. 5. Both Farrell and George were injured in England’s 32-15 win over Australia on Nov. 13, with the fly-half requiring surgery on his ankle. Tuilagi was forced off

11:40 AM ET While Alabama might have taken a little longer to get on track this season than coach Nick Saban would have preferred, he said Thursday his patience wasn’t necessarily tested. “I don’t have any patience, so anything that happens is a test of my patience, including sitting in this chair right now,” Saban

8:30 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN After 2020 significantly cut down the volume of fights and memorable moments fans are accustomed to in boxing, 2021 delivered in a major way. Looking back at the last 12 months, the year could best be described as “the year of the upset,” with several key title fights that going

7:00 AM ET The Winter Classic has been the NHL’s signature outdoor event since 2008, when the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres played through picturesque snow and launched an institution. The game between the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild scheduled for Target Field on Jan. 1, 2022, will be the 13th edition of the

7:00 AM ET Once upon a time (just two years ago!), Cody Bellinger was one of the best players in baseball on one of the best teams in baseball. Through the Dodgers outfielder/first baseman’s age-23 season, he had posted 15.0 WAR, with a 2019 figure of 7.7 WAR leading to a National League MVP. It

10:13 PM ET EDITOR’S NOTE: This story originally published on Dec. 24, 2020. Since then, Bubba Wallace earned his first career Cup win — making him the first Black driver to win a Cup Series race since 1963. That win came on Oct. 4, 2021, at Talladega, the same track that what was believed to

6:36 AM ET The 38th edition of the Breeders’ Cup will kick off two days of action Friday afternoon at Keeneland. A lot of eyes will be on the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and with so many high-profile races in the mix, there are numerous opportunities to wager on horses that offer significant value. Chris “The