Seager was named the 2023 World Series MVP for the second time in his career after he lifted the Rangers to a World Series title as Texas defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games. The Rangers also beat the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros en route to their first title in franchise history, but the Astros, specifically, provided bulletin-board material that Seager revisited during the Rangers’ championship parade in Arlington.

‘I just got one thing to say. Everybody was wondering what would happen if the Rangers didn’t win the World Series? I guess we’ll never know,’ Seager said Friday as he teammates and fans applauded.

‘BACKBONE OF RANGERS’: Corey Seager, Marcus Semien showed why in World Series win

Seager is directly quoting Astros third baseman Alex Bregman, who directed the same dig at the Rangers after Houston clinched their third straight American League West division title on the last day of the regular season, due in part to the Rangers’ losing three of four games on the final weekend.

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‘A lot of people were wondering what it was going to be like if the ‘Stros didn’t win the division. I guess we’ll never know,’ Bregman said as he popped a bottle of champagne in celebration.

Musician/entrepreneur Kanye West actually said it first while accepting the Best Rap Album Grammy Award in 2005: ‘Everybody wanted to know what I would do if I didn’t win… I guess we’ll never know.’

Well, Bregman’s words came back to bite him. The Rangers eliminated the defending champion Astros 11-4 in a decisive Game 7 win on the road in Minute Maid Park to advance to the World Series. Seager was named the World Series MVP after batting .286 with three home runs, six hits, six RBI and six runs scored in five games of the Fall Classic.

Seager also won World Series MVP honors in 2020, when the Los Angeles Dodgers won it all during the COVID-19 bubble season, but the team didn’t have a championship parade due to the coronavirus pandemic.

‘This will be my first time too, so we are all really excited about it,’ Seager said ahead of the parade.

The rumored romance between Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and pop megastar Taylor Swift has been one of the biggest stories of the NFL season, but are they in love?

Don’t expect Kelce to tell you.

Ahead of the Chiefs game against the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany on Sunday, Kelce was asked if there were any updates in the love life between the two, which drew chuckles from reporters and Kelce’s teammates.

‘The latest status is, I got to see her last week,’ Kelce said.

He was then asked if he’s in love, which he shut down.

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‘I’m going to keep my personal relationship personal,’ Kelce said.

Will Taylor Swift be in Germany to watch Chiefs vs. Dolphins?

Ever since she showed up at Kansas City’s home win over the Chicago Bears in Week 3, football and music fans have tuned into whether Swift would be at any of Kelce’s remaining games during the 2023 season. So far, she’s been at four games, all of which were Kansas City wins and games where Kelce had a big boost in his stats.

When asked if Swift would be Deutsche Bank Park on Sunday, Kelce declined to answer because of the boost he’s gotten when she’s seen him play in-person.

‘When I mention or everybody knows that she’s at the game, the Vegas, the over under on my catches kind of goes up and down, the spread goes up and down,’ Kelce joked. ‘I don’t want to mess with any of that stuff, so I’m just going to keep it to myself.’

Even though Kelce didn’t confirm or deny Swift’s appearance, it’s unlikely she will travel to Europe for the game. Swift is scheduled to resume her Eras Tour on Nov. 9 in Argentina. It’s likely the reason she was not at the Week 8 loss against the Denver Broncos.

Travis Kelce stats when Taylor Swift is at the game

Kelce will hope he can have a big game against the Dolphins without Swift there. When Swift is at the game, the Chiefs are 4-0 while Kelce has 34 catches for 432 yards − a 108 yard average − and two touchdowns. When Swift isn’t there and Kelce is playing, Kansas City is 2-1 while Kelce has 20 catches for 151 yards − a 50.3 yard average − and two touchdowns.

His two lowest yards gained games, Week 9 against the Broncos and Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, were games Swift was not at.

Tommy Tuberville’s incompetence would be laughable if it wasn’t so dangerous. And, now, offensive.

Not content with hamstringing the military by holding up promotions, the Republican senator from Alabama has stooped to insulting high-ranking officers, too, having the audacity to liken the stress a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff faces with what he endured as a college football coach.

You read that right. Tuberville thinks working 18 hours a day drawing up defensive schemes and mucking up his offensive coordinator’s game plan is comparable to the 18-plus hours a day Gen. Eric Smith was working to protect the United States, our allies and, most importantly, the young men and women who serve.

Smith, who is both the No. 1 and No. 2 person at the U.S. Marine Corps because of Tuberville’s performative antics, was hospitalized Sunday after an apparent heart attack.

“He’s got 2,000 people who work for him, OK? And somebody said he’s working 18 hours a day. Jack Reed blamed me for his heart attack,” Tuberville said Thursday, referring to the Rhode Island senator who, unlike Tuberville, knows a little about the demands of military service after being a platoon leader, company commander and battalion officer during eight years of active duty in the U.S. Army.

“Come on, give me a break,” Tuberville continued. “This guy’s going to work 18, 20 hours a day no matter what. That’s what we do. You know, I did that for years because you’ve got to get the job done.”

Ah yes. The life-and-death decisions Smith has to make are exactly the same as what Tuberville faced when he had third-and-eight in the red zone and was trailing by five. Or needed to hire a new running backs coach.

Yep. Exactly the same.

Tuberville’s arrogance in comparing his former job to that of Smith’s doesn’t come as a surprise, sadly. This is someone who had the hubris to think he was up to the task of being a U.S. Senator despite no previous record of public service. And no, being a football coach at a public university doesn’t count, even in SEC country.

It was obvious Tuberville neither understood the gravity of his new position nor cared to try when, shortly after he was elected, he described the three branches of government as “the House, the Senate and the executive.” They are, as any third-grader can tell you, the legislative, judicial and executive.

Had Tuberville simply cast the occasional vote and collected his $174,000 salary — “every dime” of which he once promised to donate to veterans, mind you, but apparently has not — his presence in the Senate still would have been an embarrassment. But it wouldn’t have been catastrophic.

Which is what it’s become.

Since February, Tuberville has blocked almost all officer promotions to protest the Pentagon’s policy of allowing service members to receive reimbursement if they travel out-of-state for abortion care. Aside from his “pro-life” status being a farce — he’s on-record as being against Medicare for all and supporting the death penalty, among other things — Tuberville’s histrionics are the equivalent of using a blowtorch to light a campfire.

The officers he is blocking are not the authors of this policy, the White House is. If Tuberville has a problem with it, he should take it up with the Biden Administration.

But that wouldn’t get him the headlines and MAGA adulation he craves.

‘I cannot simply sit idly by while the Biden Administration injects politics in our military,” Tuberville said Wednesday night, the irony of his statement apparently lost on him.

By blocking appointments, both as a group and individually, the man who likes to claim ‘there is no one more military’ is actively undermining the readiness of our armed forces at a time when wars are raging in both Ukraine and Israel. 

Don’t take my word for it. In an op-ed in the Washington Post in September, the secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force said the United States’ traditional military superiority was being “actively eroded” by Tuberville’s stunt.

“It is putting our national security at risk,” the secretaries wrote.

“These jobs — and dozens of others across the force — are being performed by acting officials without the full range of legal authorities necessary to make the decisions that will sustain the United States’ military edge,” they added.

Even Tuberville’s fellow GOP senators are fed up with his clown show.

In stunning condemnations on the Senate floor on Wednesday night, Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, blasted Tuberville and his holds, telling him in no uncertain terms that he was damaging the military.

“Again my colleague, ‘Oh, no readiness problem.’ That’s such baloney. Baloney. And everybody knows it. You spend one day in the military, you know it,” said Sullivan, who has been on either active or reserve duty with the U.S. Marine Corps since 1993.

As a Marine Corps Reserve colonel, Sullivan is one of those “2,000 people” who works for Smith, the Marine Corps Commandant. Seems he would know better than Tuberville how difficult, and important, these jobs are.

“We are going to look back at this episode and just be stunned at what a national-security suicide mission this became,” Sullivan said.

That’s what you get, though, when you elect someone who doesn’t understand the military and respects it even less. That’s what you get when you elect a football coach to do a Senator’s job.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

Some of the world’s best elite runners are back to tackle the 52nd edition of the five-borough New York City Marathon.

Competitors on the women’s side include Boston Marathon winner Hellen Obiri, former world record holder and Olympic silver medalist Brigid Kosgei, and Olympic gold medalist Peres Jepchirchir, who are all seeking to dethrone defending champion Sharon Lokedi.

A new champion on the men’s side will be crowned as defending champ Evans Chebet will not participate. Two-time champion Geoffrey Kamworor and two-time world championships silver medalist Mosinet Geremew are also scratched from the race.

There are 38 Americans competing in the professional runners and wheelchair division. The last American to win the men’s division was Meb Keflezighi in 2009. Shalane Flanagan, in 2017, was the last American woman to cross the finish line first.

When does the New York City Marathon start?

The 2023 TCS York City Marathon starts at 8 a.m. ET on Nov. 5.

What are the start times for the New York City Marathon?

8:00 a.m. — Men’s Professional Wheelchair Division

8:02 a.m. — Women’s Professional Wheelchair Division

8:22 a.m. — Pushrim and Handcycle AWD Category I

8:22 a.m. — Pushrim and Handcycle AWD Category II and Select Ambulatory AWD Guide/Support

8:25 a.m. — Mastercard Priceless Start

8:40 a.m. — Professional Women

9:05 a.m. — Professional Men

9:10 a.m. — Wave Start 1

9:45 a.m. — Wave Start 2

10:20 a.m. — Wave Start 3

10:55 a.m. — Wave Start 4

11:30 a.m. — Wave Start 5

How long is the New York City Marathon expected to last?

Usually, the last runners complete the course around 8:30 p.m. ET, but finish-line scoring stays in place until 8. Live-track any runner by going to the TCS New York City Marathon App here.

How can you watch the New York City Marathon?

For those who want to watch the race in person, most of the course is open from mile 3 to mile 26 and spectators can buy tickets for the Grandstand Seating, located at West 62nd Street and Broadway. There are other places to watch from the sidewalks.

The national broadcast will air on ESPN2 beginning at 8 a.m. ET and can be streamed on the ESPN App and ESPN.com. Pre-race and continuing coverage will be streamed live nationally on ESPN3 starting at 7 a.m. The Spanish language broadcast will be shown on ESPN3, starting at 8 a.m.

In the New York tri-state area, WABC-TV, Channel 7 will start its pre-race coverage at 7 a.m., with the races starting at 8 a.m. Live streaming is available on the ABC 7 New York App and ABC7NY.com. An encore presentation of the race broadcast will air on ABC affiliates at 3 p.m.

What’s the route of the New York City Marathon?

Who are the defending champions of the New York City Marathon?

Kenya’s Evans Chebet and Sharon Lokedi won the 2022 New York City Marathon men’s and women’s professional races. Switzerland’s Marcel Hug, and American Susannah Scaroni, a gold medalist who won the 5,000 meters T54 event at the Tokyo Paralympics, took home titles in the men’s and women’s wheelchair race, while also breaking course records.

What is the prize money for the New York City Marathon?

To be eligible for prize money, runners must finish in 3 hours, 10 minutes, or less. If a participant sets a course record in an event, that athlete will receive an additional $50,000. The prize money is the same for the men and women, and top American finishers in the men’s and women’s races will receive $25,000.

1st — $100,000

2nd — $60,000

3rd — $40,000

4th — $25,000

5th — $15,000

6th — $10,000

7th — $7,500

8th — $5,000

9th — $2,500

10th — $2,000

What are the NYC Marathon Course records?

OPEN DIVISION

Men — 2:05:06 (Geoffrey Mutai, 2011)

Women — 2:22:31 (Margaret Okayo, 2003)

WHEELCHAIR DIVISION

Men — 1:25:26 (Marcel Hug, 2022)

Women — 1:42:43 (Susannah Scaroni, 2022)

BOULDER, Colo. – Several items that were stolen from Colorado football players at the Rose Bowl last week have been returned to them as police in Pasadena, California, continue to investigate the alleged theft that occurred in the Buffaloes’ locker room during their 28-16 loss against UCLA.

Pasadena police confirmed that some stolen items have been returned to theft victims and said additional items of interest have been identified and are being pursued.

“The suspects in the case are juveniles,” the police said in a statement. “Search warrants were executed, and additional information will be provided soon as the investigation progresses.”

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders previously called on the Rose Bowl stadium to reimburse his players for their stolen items and said the NCAA should do something about it. He said players and staff reported missing jewelry and cash.

After returning to Boulder, the Buffs (4-4) now host No. 19 Oregon State (6-2) in a homecoming game Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.

“The Pasadena Police Department would like to thank those who reported leads to our tip line,” the police said in a statement. “The information and support are invaluable and play a crucial role in helping us ensure safety and security in our community. Our detectives worked diligently to follow up on all leads which resulted in the quick execution of search warrants.”

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

BLOOMINGTON − As Bob Knight became softer in his old age, his memory sometimes failing, the twilight years looming and the good old days of Indiana University basketball far behind him, he started doing unthinkable things. He started saying unrecognizable things.

They were things that didn’t match the fierce, raucous, cursing, red-sweater-wearing IU coach the college basketball world was used to.

Knight went from a looming, fiery, seemingly cold-hearted, sometimes out-of-control personality who threw chairs, mocked reporters, and made players uncomfortable, to an elderly, still towering, feeble figure who would stand up in front of crowds and endear them.

He would make those fans laugh, then he would make them cry. Knight cried, too.

American fencer Curtis McDowald, who competed at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has been temporarily suspended for allegations of misconduct, according to the U.S. Center for SafeSport website.

The suspension took effect Friday, according to the website, and there was no additional information immediately available about the allegations.

SafeSport is an independent body tasked by Congress with protecting athletes in the Olympic movement.

“Once we became aware of the allegations, we immediately informed the U.S. Center for SafeSport, who exercised their ability to take jurisdictional control of the case and upheld our temporary measures’’ related to the suspension, USA Fencing said in a statement. “We take the safety and integrity of our sport seriously and will cooperate fully with the inquiry while maintaining the confidentiality of the involved parties. We also encourage anyone who has been harmed in sport to come forward, and we will support them to the fullest extent of our abilities.’’

McDowald, 27, competed in the ongoing Pan American Games in Chile as a member of the U.S. men’s épée team that won the gold medal. He was required to stay in a separate hotel away from the Athlete Village because of an unrelated prior incident, according to Bryan Wendell, Director of Communications for USA Fencing.

Wendell said he could not provide information about the prior incident because USA Fencing learned about it through SafeSport.

McDowald did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY Sports made by phone with his mother.

In June, McDowald kicked and damaged a free-standing banner following a loss at the Pan American Senior Championships, leading to the disqualification of the U.S. men’s épée team.

U.S. fencer Andrew Doddo is under investigation by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, USA Fencing confirmed to USA TODAY Sports in July. SafeSport has declined to provide information about the matter.

In June, Alen Hadzic, the U.S. fencer who went to the Tokyo Olympics as an alternate despite being under investigation for sexual misconduct, was declared permanently ineligible by SafeSport.

As part of McDowald’s suspension, he is prohibited from being present at any USA Fencing sanctioned event, club, meeting, facility, education session, or otherwise, according to USA Fencing.

Wherever the Cincinnati Reds’ youth movement takes them in 2024, they’ll get there without Joey Votto.

The Reds declined the franchise icon’s $20 million contract option for next season, making Votto a free agent and ending a 22-year relationship with the six-time All-Star and 2010 MVP with a Saturday morning announcement minutes ahead of the day’s first college football kickoffs.

They elect instead to pay the $7 million buyout on the franchise-record 10-year, $225 million contract.

“For 17 seasons, Joey has been the heart of Reds baseball as a Most Valuable Player, All-Star and respected clubhouse leader,” team president Nick Krall said in a statement released with Saturday’s announcement. “His contributions to our team and his extraordinary generosity toward those in need, throughout our region and beyond, cannot be measured.

“At this point of the off-season, based on our current roster and projected plans for 2024, as an organization we cannot commit to the playing time Joey deserves. He forever will be part of the Reds’ family, and at the appropriate time we will thank and honor him as one of the greatest baseball players of this or any generation.”

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Votto, who returned this season from a 10-month shoulder injury, said early last month he wanted to play next season.

His hometown Toronto Blue Jays could be a possible destination after the retirement of left-handed first baseman/designated hitter Brandon Belt following the season.

Only four other players have spent their entire careers, for that many seasons, with the Reds: Dave Concepcion (19 seasons), Barry Larkin (19), Bid McPhee (18) and Johnny Bench (17).

“Being from the area, he’s the first player who comes to mind as somebody who’s represented the franchise throughout my life,” said Reds catcher Luke Maile, who graduated from Covington Catholic two years after Votto debuted with the Reds.

Votto, a second-round draft pick of the Reds in 2002 out of Toronto, a few months after teammate Elly De La Cruz was born, was part of four Reds playoff teams during his career.

After returning from the injury this season, he hit .202 with 14 homers — including 13 in his first 39 games back — and a .747 OPS.

He later spent another two weeks on the injured list to strengthen the shoulder and returned to hit his final home run as a Red on his 40th birthday, Sept. 10.

On the Reds career leaderboards, the franchise’s all-time leader in walks (1,365) also ranks:

Second to Joe Morgan (.415) in on-base percentage at .409.Second to Pete Rose (4,645) in total bases at 3,706.Second to Johnny Bench (389) in home runs at 356.Second to Frank Robinson (.943) in OPS at .920.Fourth in WAR (baseball-reference.com) at 64.4, behind Rose, Bench and Larkin.Sixth in slugging at .511, behind Robinson, Adam Dunn, George Foster, Ken Griffey Jr. and Ted Kluszewski.Sixth in games, with 2,056, behind Rose, Concepcion, Larkin, Bench and McPhee.Also fifth in plate appearances (8,746), fifth in hits (2,135), fourth in runs (1,171), third in RBIs (1,144).

And perhaps first in the hearts of teammates.

Young Reds players from infielders Jonathan India and Matt McLain to starting pitcher Hunter Greene lined up to tell stories about Votto’s influence behind the scenes on a group that found itself in contention for a playoff spot until the second-to-last game of the season.

“He brings a lot of value to this team. And this clubhouse,” said Greene, the only player who ended the season under contract for next year ($3.3 million).

‘I want him back,’ McLain said.

Votto’s value to the Reds’ bottom-line has been apparent from the time he gained popularity as an intriguing young All-Star and MVP all the way through 2023, when sales of his replica jerseys ranked 13th in the majors, higher than any other Reds player — despite spending the first 11 weeks on the injured list returning from shoulder surgery.

“The economics are there,” said Karen Forgus, the Reds’ senior vice-president for business operations.

And without Votto in the organization, the loss of that part of the team’s brand is just as real.

“Absolutely. There will be change,” Forgus said during a conversation last month with the Enquirer. “If he wasn’t with us in ’23, there wouldn’t be a Votto City Connect jersey. The minute he leaves your arsenal, you lose your ability to offer that reason for people to come to the ballpark.”

Votto’s esteem and value has reached far beyond the Reds’ fan base and clubhouse during his 17 years in Cincinnati.

“He’s a great baseball player. He’s a great human being,” Hall of Fame-bound hitter Miguel Cabrera said in September. “I’m glad I played a lot of years against him. And I see a lot of greatness about him. He’s got my admiration. I respect him a lot.”

Cabrera, who announced his retirement before the 2023 season began, also seemed to view the Reds decision on Votto’s contract as an easy call once Votto decided he wanted to play next season.

“I hope if he wants to play for a couple years, they say, ‘OK, let him play,’ because he does so much for Cincinnati, for the city,” Cabrera said. “People have to appreciate what he did for a lot of years in Cincinnati.”