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NBA’s new in-season tournament starts tonight: What you need to know

The eight-month marathon to determine the 2023-24 NBA champion has just begun, but starting today, the NBA tips off its first five-week sprint to determine another champion.

A new in-season tournament starts Friday night with a few weeks of pool play. That leads to an eight-team, single-elimination playoff where the last team standing wins the NBA Cup and a pile of cash.

‘Whether it’s international basketball, international soccer, individual sports here in the U.S., golf, tennis, fighting, racing – the idea of being able to win multiple things each year is a well-accepted practice. And, in fact, (it) creates very exciting competition throughout the calendar,” NBA executive vice president of basketball strategy and analytics Evan Wasch said.

With football filling sports viewing time in the fall, Christmas Day has been called the unofficial start of the NBA season for the casual fan. But this year the NBA can’t even avoid NFL on that day, either. Perhaps these new tournament games – scheduled on the NFL’s off days – will usher in an earlier unofficial start for the league.

NBA vs. NFL schedule on Christmas Day in 2023

How the NBA in-season tournament works

Each team plays the other four teams in their group (three groups of five teams in each conference) on Tuesdays and Fridays in November. The teams with the best records in their group plus a wildcard from each conference move to a one-week knockout round in December. The semifinals and final are Dec. 7 and Dec. 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

‘We think we can create another peak in the NBA calendar in December, another thing to celebrate, another thing for players, teams, fans to rally around,’ Wasch said.

Results from the in-season tournament games will count toward teams’ regular-season records. The teams that don’t make the knockout round will play on the evenings following the quarterfinal and semifinal games. That ensures all teams play at least the usual 82 regular-season games, although some teams will have an extra home or away game.

NBA in-season tournament prize

Players on all eight teams who make it to the knockout round are guaranteed at least $50,000 each. They can earn 10 times that if they bring home the NBA Cup. A tournament MVP and all-tournament honors will also be awarded.

How the in-season teams were placed in their groups

The teams were placed in their groups somewhat randomly with a couple of key qualifiers in the selection process:

The teams remained in their 15-team Eastern and Western conferences.Teams were distributed in their conferences in sets of three based on their 2022-23 records. For example, the top three teams in the East (Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers) are in different groups just as the teams with the worst records were dispersed (Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons).

Which teams are in each in-season tournament group

NBA in-season tournament schedule

The tournament does not add games to the 82-game schedule, but it adds extra incentive for players to compete in these early-season games. And maybe it will draw a few more viewers, too. Here’s an overview of the five weeks:

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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The 7 best games to watch during college football’s Week 10

November has arrived, and to college football fans that means the season is rounding the final turn and heading for home. Over the next four weeks, we’ll learn who will reach the final four-team playoff, who will get to take their fans to the most attractive bowl destinations, and in some cases which programs will be hitting the reset button.

The Week 10 slate features pivotal conference matchups from coast to coast and all points in between. We’ve ranked the seven most important ones in order of entertainment potential, with national relevance also factored in. We’ll lead off with a prime-time battle of high-flying offenses in the City of Angels.

No. 5 Washington at No. 22 Southern California

Time/TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Why watch: Buckle up. This one should be quite a ride, an aerial show that would make Bessie Coleman proud. The Huskies have to hope their bad games are behind them as they begin a challenging final month. The Trojans, coming off a narrow escape themselves against California, aren’t firing on all cylinders either but remain more than capable of putting up a big score. USC’s Caleb Williams and the Huskies’ Michael Penix Jr. have combined for 49 scoring throws. They’ve also both had to take some chances to compensate for defensive shortcomings, so we might see opportunities for picks as well for the likes of Trojans DB Calen Bullock or Washington CB Mishael Powell. The primary breakaway threats for Williams are WRs Tahj Washington and Brenden Rice, and Penix looks most often for WRs Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk.

Why it could disappoint: If you find poor defensive execution, well, offensive, then this might not be the game for you. But the explosive potential of both passing attacks should keep this one interesting well into the fourth quarter.

BAD OPTIONS: Michigan scandal puts Big Ten commish in bad spot

WEEKEND FORECAST: Picks for every Top 25 game in Week 10

No. 13 LSU at No. 8 Alabama

Time/TV: 7:45 p.m. ET, CBS

Why watch: Alabama, season-ending visit to Auburn notwithstanding, will effectively lock up the SEC West with a win here. An LSU victory would give the Tigers a share of the lead and leave open the possibility of a three-way finish, though that would require a colossal upset by Ole Miss next week at Georgia. For all intents and purposes then, this is for the division. The Bayou Bengals bring the conference’s most productive passing game to Tuscaloosa, triggered by QB Jayden Daniels with WRs Malik Nabers or Brian Thomas Jr. usually on the receiving end. There are yards to be had against the Tide secondary, but there are also takeaway threats like promising freshman DB Caleb Downs that must be accounted for. Alabama fans probably don’t want to see QB Jalen Milroe get caught up in a track meet, and he won’t have to if RBs Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams can take advantage of LSU’s occasionally leaky defensive front. If Milroe does need to air it out, he must beware of well-traveled Tigers DB Andre’ Sam.

Why it could disappoint: It rarely does, but there are a couple of possibilities. The Tide defense could crank up its pass rush and turn it into a long grinding affair, or the Tigers could explode early and force Alabama into catchup mode that would put Milroe’s long-ball accuracy to the test.

No. 14 Missouri at No. 1 Georgia

Time/TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS

Why watch: Over in the SEC’s other division, we find another set of Tigers sporting their highest ranking in nearly a decade. We’re about to find out if this is their ceiling or if they will smash through it by conquering the two-time defending champion Bulldogs. Georgia’s victory against archrival Florida last week was perhaps its most impressive of the season on a number of fronts, not the least of which is that the Bulldogs were missing standout TE Brock Bowers. In his absence, QB Carson Beck made excellent use of RB Daijun Edwards, and having WR Ladd McConkey back in the lineup also helped. Mizzou DE Darius Robinson and linemate Johnny Walker will do their best to disrupt things in the Bulldogs’ backfield. Tigers QB Brady Cook and WR Luther Burden III are capable of a lightning strike at any time, and RB Cody Schrader has provided steady ground support all season. But finding real estate against LB Smael Mondon and the top-10 Georgia defense is a tall order.

Why it could disappoint: Mizzou provided Georgia with its biggest scare of the regular season last year. That was in Columbia, of course, but even so the Bulldogs aren’t likely to be caught unawares by the Tigers again. We’ll probably know from the first few series if this will be another competitive affair or if the Bulldogs are rounding into championship form.

Kansas State at No. 6 Texas

Time/TV: Noon ET, Fox

Why watch: Just when you thought a Red River rematch was a foregone conclusion, the Big 12 race is suddenly wide open with five teams sitting atop the standings at 4-1. Three key contests on this week’s slate will shape the title hunt for the closing month, starting with this clash in Austin in the ‘Big Noon’ slot. The Longhorns were all business last week in dispatching Brigham Young, but the Wildcats were just as impressive in a 41-0 whitewash of Houston for their third consecutive double-digit win. Texas QB Quinn Ewers is likely to remain sidelined with a shoulder injury, meaning Maalik Murphy will again direct the attack. Having playmakers like WR Xavier Worthy and RB Jonathon Brooks helps, of course, but not much gets by DB Kobe Savage and the accomplished K-State secondary. Wildcats QB Will Howard can be a bit loose with the ball at times, but if RBs D.J. Giddens and Treshaun Ward can find room to operate they’ll make his job easier. Longhorns LB Jaylan Ford will spearhead the effort to keep them bottled up.

Why it could disappoint: There might not be a lot of flash, and it’s conceivable that either side could find itself unable to mount a rally should a multi-score deficit develop. Ball security will be the top priority for both squads in order to avoid such a scenario.

No. 11 Oklahoma at Oklahoma State

Time/TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Why watch: This might be the last Bedlam game, at least for the foreseeable future. But the series could go out with a bang as the Cowboys, winners of four in a row after a less-than-promising 2-2 start, hope to hand the Sooners a second consecutive setback as a farewell present and retain a share of the Big 12 lead in the process. The key to the Cowboys’ reversal of fortune has been the emergence of RB Ollie Gordon II, the nation’s rushing leader with 1,087 yards and 10 TDs. He’ll need a modicum of air cover from QB Alan Bowman to avoid too many encounters with hard-hitting Sooners LB Danny Stutsman. OU has more quick-strike capability with QB Dillon Gabriel, but he’ll want to steer clear of Cowboys LB Nickolas Martin.

Why it could disappoint: It couldn’t possibly, could it? As spectators, our hope is that the game will provide enough memorable moments so that officials at both institutions will recognize the value of keeping this rivalry alive after OU’s departure for the SEC.

No. 23 Kansas at Iowa State

Time/TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

Why watch: The Jayhawks can’t afford to enjoy last week’s huge triumph over Oklahoma for long as they face a dangerous trip to Ames, where the Cyclones are somehow among the group fighting for a spot in the Big 12 finale despite all the off-season  tumult. Freshman QB Rocco Becht has improved steadily since being pressed into service early in his collegiate career. His friends working in front of him must keep Jayhawks DE Austin Booker from bothering him. Kansas QB Jason Bean achieved legend status leading the game-winning drive against the Sooners, though he can still put the ball in harm’s way at times. Iowa State DB Jeremiah Cooper, who already has five picks this season, will be more than happy to snag any arrant tosses.

Why it could disappoint: No matter how much teams prepare for it, the possibility of a big-game hangover always exists. Kansas could use a fast start to prevent any such notions from popping into their own or their opponents’ heads.

No. 3 Ohio State at Rutgers

Time/TV: Noon ET, CBS

Why watch: The increasingly inevitable second annual battle of unbeatens between the Buckeyes and Michigan draws ever closer. But a few obstacles remain, including this somewhat unexpected one in the form of a vastly improved Scarlet Knights squad that is already bowl eligible. Rutgers did in fact briefly hold a lead at Michigan back in Week 4 but wasn’t able to generate much offense the rest of the way. The Knights will try to get more consistency from QB Gavin Wimsatt and RB Kyle Monangai, but sustaining drives against DT Tyleik Williams and the Buckeyes’ extremely active front will be difficult. The Rutgers defense is a top-10 unit in its own right, featuring LBs Tyreem Powell and Mohamed Toure. But the Ohio State offense is much more formidable with RB TreVeyon Henderson healthy again, and as always WR Marvin Harrison Jr. is capable of taking any ball the distance if QB Kyle McCord is on target.

Why it could disappoint: If this is the week when it all comes together for the Buckeyes’ offense, the Scarlet Knights are in for a long day. If it’s close at all after intermission, that would likely indicate a low-scoring type of game that wouldn’t be the most aesthetically pleasing, but a slog undoubtedly gives Rutgers its best chance to pull off the monumental upset.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Trump appeals reinstated gag order in DC federal election case

Former President Donald Trump’s legal team has filed an appeal to remove the partial gag order imposed on him by a federal judge in his Washington, D.C., 2020 election interference case.

‘No court in American history has imposed a gag order on a criminal defendant who is actively campaigning for public office — let alone the leading candidate for President of the United States,’ Trump’s attorneys wrote in the filing.

‘The Gag Order violates the First Amendment rights of President Trump and over 100 million Americans who listen to him,’ they added.

Trump’s attorneys also described the order as ‘muzzling President Trump’s core political speech during an historic Presidential campaign.’

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan first imposed the partial gag order Oct. 17, blocking Trump from making statements targeting Special Counsel Jack Smith, his staff, witnesses and court personnel. 

It was later put on hold pending a previous appeal from the former president before being reinstated by Chutkan Sunday.

The order does not prevent Trump from airing general complaints about the case against, and Chutkan has said the former president is still allowed to assert his claims of innocence and that the case is politically motivated.

Trump has continued to deny any wrongdoing in the case, and has argued that it’s part of an effort to prevent him winning the presidency in 2024. He has also sharply criticized those involved in the case, including Smith, who he often refers to as ‘deranged.’

Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brandon Gillespie is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter at @brandon_cg.

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Mike Johnson bucks trend of House speakers owning high-dollar assets: ‘Man of the people’

Newly elected GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson’s financial portfolio represents a substantial divergence from his predecessors who owned millions of dollars in assets and actively traded stocks.

According to Johnson’s most recent annual financial disclosure report filed in August, he doesn’t own any stocks and reported only liabilities — a 2013 home mortgage worth up to $500,000, a personal loan of up to $50,000 from 2016 and a home equity line of credit of up to $50,000 he secured in 2019. 

Johnson’s disclosures, though, were scrutinized, and a reporter raised questions about the new speaker’s financial health.

Jordan Libowitz, an ethics expert, was quoted recently saying Johnson’s disclosure was ‘strange’ and could make him ‘ripe for influence buying,’ while Brett Kappel, a government ethics expert at Harmon Curran, added it was ‘very unusual for a member not to have to disclose at least one bank account.’

But Johnson’s financial situation appears to closely mirror that of a large share of Americans, according to Federal Reserve survey data. Survey data from 2019 concluded that the median account balance for American households is $5,300, and data from 2020 showed just 64% of Americans had enough money readily available to pay for a $400 emergency.

‘For years, we’ve heard calls and demands for members of Congress to look more like the people they represent,’ Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., a close Johnson ally, told Fox News Digital. ‘Today, we have a speaker who is not independently wealthy, who does not own or trade stocks and, per House financial reporting disclosures rules, is not required to disclose his federal employee retirement funds.

‘It’s clear now with Speaker Johnson at the helm that the people’s House is run by just that — a man of the people,’ she continued. ‘I find it deeply hypocritical that Democrats and the leftist media are upset about Speaker Johnson when their own former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is a multimillionaire.’

A spokesperson for Johnson, R-La., shared social media posts from other GOP lawmakers defending Johnson in response to a Daily Beast article.

‘So, to extent accurate, he’s like a lot of Americans right now while also navigating raising a large family? What a monster,’ Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote.

‘The Daily Beast is furious that [Speaker Johnson] isn’t rich, corrupt or rich from being corrupt. He doesn’t have shady business deals. He doesn’t trade stocks as a congressman. Cry more, I guess?’ Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., added.

Johnson’s disclosure, meanwhile, greatly differs from those filed by recent House speakers. 

For example, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reported in his 2022 disclosure he owned up to $800,000 in various assets, including mutual funds traded on the market. He also reported liabilities worth up to $350,000 that include a mortgage and a student loan for one of his children.

McCarthy’s predecessor, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., reported in her most recent annual report owning millions of dollars in assets, including various individual stocks. For example, she owns as much as or more than $1 million in Google, Amazon, American Express, Apple, Comcast, Microsoft, Netflix, Salesforce and the Walt Disney Company.

Pelosi, whose net worth is estimated to exceed $100 million, according to Open Secrets, also reported multiple million-dollar financial transactions, activity that led to Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introducing the so-called Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments (PELOSI) Act, which would prohibit members of Congress and their spouses from holding or trading individual stocks.

‘For too long, politicians in Washington have taken advantage of the economic system they write the rules for, turning profits for themselves at the expense of the American people,’ Hawley said in January.

‘As members of Congress, both senators and representatives are tasked with providing oversight of the same companies they invest in, yet they continually buy and sell stocks, outperforming the market time and again,’ he added. ‘The solution is clear. We must immediately and permanently ban all members of Congress from trading stocks.’

Former Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who served as House speaker between October 2015 and January 2019, had an estimated net worth of $7.3 million as of 2017, according to Open Secrets. His 2017 disclosures revealed he owned millions in financial assets, which included real estate, mineral rights, mutual funds and individual stocks like Home Depot, Procter & Gamble and Wells Fargo.

Former Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, who was House speaker between January 2011 and October 2015, had an estimated net worth of $3.4 million as of 2015, Open Secrets data showed. Boehner reported in 2014 owning hundreds of thousands of dollars in individual stocks.

Thomas Catenacci is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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United Nations allowing Hamas to ‘literally get away with murder,’ expert says

The United Nations calling for a cease-fire after Hamas launched attacks on Israel last month shows the organization is an ‘abject failure,’ according to a policy expert and former U.N. speechwriter. 

‘The United Nations was founded in the wake of the Holocaust, for the purpose of preventing atrocities and to maintain international peace and security. By that standard of its own mission, the United Nations is an abject failure. Israel has just endured the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, the gruesome nature of the atrocities is unlike anything seen since the Holocaust,’ Aviva Klompas told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview this week. 

Klompas is co-founder and CEO of Boundless Israel, which is described as a ‘think-action tank that identifies and addresses system-wide challenges preventing organizations from educating about Israel,’ and previously served as director of speech writing for Israel’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York City.

She was responding to the United Nations’ Secretary-General António Guterres calling last week for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Palestinians, days after the terrorist organization Hamas launched shocking attacks on Israel on Oct. 7. 

‘To ease epic suffering, make the delivery of aid easier and safer, and facilitate the release of hostages. I reiterate my appeal for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire,’ he said. 

The U.N. chief said the attacks were ‘appalling,’ but ‘did not happen in a vacuum.’

‘The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation,’ he said. ‘They have seen their land steadily devoured by settlements and plagued by violence; their economy stifled; their people displaced and their homes demolished. Their hopes for a political solution to their plight have been vanishing.’

Klompas hit back, saying Guterres’ remarks on the Hamas attacks not happening in a vacuum were ‘one of the most embarrassing and contemptuous statements.’

‘For 15 years, the United Nations has watched what is taking place in Gaza. For 15 years, Israel has not had any presence inside of Gaza. It is not occupying because it is Hamas that has total control of the Gaza Strip. And for 15 years, the United Nations has stood by and watched as Hamas has stolen billions in international aid dollars, has built its headquarters inside of hospitals,’ she said. 

‘The U.N. has allowed Hamas to literally get away with murder,’ Klompas added. 

Klompas said Hamas is ‘torturing, murdering political opponents,’ is silencing free speech, and launching brutal attacks on Israeli citizens from Palestinian neighborhoods.

‘They’re committing countless human rights crimes against the Palestinian people. So there was a vacuum and the vacuum was created by the United Nations that watched and watched and watched and did nothing,’ she said.  

Guterres’ remarks have been slammed by U.S. leaders, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who said on Fox News last week that the U.N. is the ‘most antisemitic body on the planet.’

‘To ask Israel to have a cease-fire after their people were slaughtered more viciously than the Nazis, having children beheaded, women raped in front of their parents – the U.N. is wrong,’ he added.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations called on Guterres to resign last week over the remarks. 

‘The UN Secretary-General, who shows understanding for the campaign of mass murder of children, women, and the elderly, is not fit to lead the UN,’ Ambassador Gilad Erdan wrote on X. ‘I call on him to resign immediately.’

Guterres issued a follow-up statement clarifying his remarks to reiterate he condemns Hamas’ attacks on Israel. 

‘I am shocked by the misinterpretations by some of my statement yesterday in the Security Council – as if I was justifying acts of terror by Hamas. This is false. It was the opposite,’ he said, before pointing to previous statements condemning the terrorist organization. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for a cease-fire, arguing that would lead to Israel essentially surrendering to terrorism. 

Klompas continued that Iran looms large over the attacks, describing the nation as an exporter of terrorism that is working to defeat Israel and, ultimately, the United States. 

‘If you want to know what Iran’s number one export in the world is, it’s terrorism, and they are financing and supporting genocidal jihadi terrorist organizations. And in Iran’s eyes, Israel is the little Satan. It’s the small prize. And their eyes are set on the ‘Big Satan,’ and that is the United States. This is a war that Iran is waging with the West,’ she said. 

‘If we don’t understand that Israel is on the front line of this war, and if Israel falls, the war comes to us. It comes to American soil,’ she said.

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U.S. jury finds realtors liable for inflating commissions, awards $1.78 billion in damages

A U.S. jury on Tuesday found the National Association of Realtors and some residential brokerages, including units of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, liable to pay $1.78 billion in damages for conspiring to artificially inflate commissions for home sales.

The verdict by a federal jury in Kansas City, Missouri, could upend decades-old practices that have allowed real estate agents to boost commissions as home prices and mortgage rates rise, hurting consumers by making housing transactions more expensive.

Plaintiffs in the class action included sellers of more than 260,000 homes in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois between 2015 and 2022, who objected to the commissions they were obligated to pay buyers’ brokers.

The verdict followed a two-week trial, and the damages award can be tripled under U.S. antitrust law to more than $5.3 billion.

“Today was a day of accountability,” said Michael Ketchmark, the lead lawyer for the plaintiffs.

The defendants included Berkshire-owned HomeServices of America and two subsidiaries, as well as the realty Keller Williams.

NAR spokesperson Mantill Williams said the trade group plans to appeal, and seek reduced damages.

HomeServices said it was disappointed in the verdict and planned to appeal, while Keller Williams spokesperson Darryl Frost said the realty company would consider its options for an appeal. “This is not the end,” Frost said.

Broker compensation in the U.S. has typically been about 5% to 6% of a home’s sales price, with about half paid to a buyer’s broker.

Home sellers complained that this model suppressed competition by keeping commissions for buyer brokers in the 2-1/2 to 3% range despite the brokers’ diminishing role, with many buyers able to find homes independently online.

Sellers said the arrangement had “severe anticompetitive effects” and made “no economic sense, except for the buyer broker.”

The defendants denied wrongdoing, with the NAR saying there was no evidence agents were required to “make offers of compensation at all, let alone at amounts that stabilize, fix, or raise commissions.”

Re/Max and Anywhere Real Estate, whose brands include Century 21, Coldwell Banker and Corcoran, had been defendants but settled before trial, with Re/Max paying $55 million and Anywhere paying $83.5 million, without admitting liability.

Shares of real estate brokerages not involved in the verdict closed lower.

Re/Max fell 4.4% and Anywhere fell 2.7%, while online brokers Zillow Group and Redfin declined 6.9% and 5.7%, respectively.

The U.S. Department of Justice is separately asking a federal appeals court in Washington to let it revive an antitrust probe into the NAR’s practices.

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Homebuyers and sellers face an uncertain wait for billion-dollar verdict to hit their wallets

The historic $1.78 billion National Association of Realtors verdict in Kansas City, Missouri, this week could trigger a major disruption in the housing market, but it’s unclear when millions of people will know how the decision will affect residential real estate costs.

The case hinged on the commissions, usually of 6%, that sellers pay their agents, who then split them with the buyers’ agents. It has been a cornerstone of how the NAR — a powerful trade group of 1.5 million members — does business. But after just hours of deliberation, a jury found that this standard industry practice amounts to collusion to inflate real estate fees.

When Jerod Breit, a police officer, was selling his Missouri home a few years ago, he said, it was understandable that he’d need to pay a commission to his broker. But the buyer’s broker, too?

“It’s one of the things the system doesn’t tell you to think about — that’s just how it is,” he said. “It wasn’t until after I sold my house in 2017 that it really made me think about that other 3% I was paying to someone that I had never met, I will never meet and did nothing for me.”

Breit joined the class-action lawsuit led by attorney Michael Ketchmark, who called the traditional commission-sharing between agents who should be competitors an “unconscionable” conspiracy.

“It’s the only system, the only industry, in the United States where two competitors get together, they set the compensation and they split it,” he said, adding, “They’re running it like a cartel.”

“I’m from Kansas City, the home of the Kansas City Chiefs — we love Chiefs football here,” Ketchmark said. “When the Denver Broncos come to town, I don’t pay the coach’s salary. Why should you pay?”

Ketchmark vowed more suits to come, and the NAR still faces other scrutiny from authorities. In June, the Justice Department asked a federal judge’s permission to resume an antitrust probe into the association.

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Jury returns verdict in Sam Bankman-Fried fraud trial

A jury has found Sam Bankman-Fried Thursday guilty on all counts in the fraud trial against the former crypto billionaire.

CNBC reported at around 4:55 p.m. Pacific time that the jury found Bankman-Fried guilty. The verdict was reached around four hours after the jury began deliberations.

The co-founder of the digital currency exchange FTX was charged with seven counts of wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering that defrauded customers of his digital currency exchange, FTX, and lenders to its affiliated hedge fund, Alameda Research.

He faces up to 115 years in prison, according to CNBC.

FTX and Alameda quickly collapsed in November 2022 after some of their financial liabilities were exposed. The fact that Alameda had taken billions of dollars from FTX’s customers, and that much of Alameda’s balance sheet was comprised of digital currency assets it had created, was central to the case against Bankman-Fried.

Unnerved by disclosures about the firm’s financial position, many of FTX’s customers tried to get their money back. That set off the equivalent of a bank run. The value of Alameda’s investments crashed, and FTX couldn’t return much of that money because it had been given to Alameda. Some went to the fund’s lenders, and billions were spent on sponsorships, commercials, and loans to top executives. That, too, was a major part of the case against Bankman-Fried.

Much of FTX and Alameda’s leadership were also charged after the firms went under. Former Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison, FTX co-founder Gary Wang, and FTX technology chief Nishad Singh all pleaded guilty to the charges against them. They agreed to cooperate with the prosecution and testify against Bankman-Fried in exchange for lighter sentences.

Bankman-Fried’s lawyers contended that he did not intend to defraud anyone and that the government was looking for someone to blame after the failures of FTX and Alameda.

Forbes had once estimated that Bankman-Fried’s stakes in Alameda and FTX were worth $26 billion. He was 29 at the time. But after the bankruptcies, that was gone. Criminal charges followed weeks later.

He also faces another trial on charges of bribing foreign officials and other counts. That trial is scheduled to begin in March, and Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

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Bochy now only manager to win title with team he beat in World Series

In the history of Major League Baseball, only four managers have won a World Series with multiple teams:

Bucky Harris – 1924 Washington Senators, 1947 New York YankeesBill McKechnie – 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates, 1940 Cincinnati RedsSparky Anderson – 1975 & 1976 Cincinnati Reds, 1984 Detroit TigersTony La Russa – 1989 Oakland Athletics, 2006 & 2011 St. Louis Cardinals

Make it five!

Not only did Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy join this exclusive club, which includes four Hall of Famers, but he has the most World Series titles of any of them, having won three with the San Francisco Giants (2010, 2012, 2014) and this most recent one with Texas.

Many have had the opportunity to join this list, such as Terry Francona, who won two World Series with the Boston Red Sox and had an opportunity to win another with Cleveland in 2016, before falling to the Chicago Cubs in seven games. Or Al Dark, who won a World Series with the Oakland Athletics in 1974 and took the San Francisco Giants to the World Series in 1962, ultimately falling in seven games to the New York Yankees.

FOLLOW THE MONEY: MLB player salaries and payrolls for every major league team

Still, Bochy stands above them all.

How many World Series has Bruce Bochy won?

Of course, we just witnessed Bochy win a championship in his first season with Texas, but Bochy was an integral part of the early-2010s Giants dynasty. Bochy’s Bay Area boys won three World Series over the course of five years, most recently in 2014 against the Kansas City Royals, who won the World Series the following year. Two years prior, his Giants swept the Detroit Tigers.

Two years before that, the Giants took down the Texas Rangers, 4-1 in the series.

That’s right. Bochy has now won a World Series with the Texas Rangers and beaten them in a World Series.

Has this ever been done before?

In short, no. This is the first time a manager has ever beaten a team in the World Series and then gone on to manage that team to a title. None of the managers on that list above accomplished the feat Bochy has.

That said, there is someone who accomplished something similar.

Casey Stengel won seven World Series as the manager for the New York Yankees between 1949 and 1958. In that stretch, he took down the Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants, and Milwaukee Braves.

Coincidentally, Stengel won two Fall Classics as a player, in 1921 and 1922, as an outfielder for the New York Giants. Both of those came against the New York Yankees. So, not only was Stengel on both sides of a title with the Yankees (beating them as a Giants player; winning as Yankees manager), but he was also on both sides of a title with the Giants (beating them as Yankees manager; winning as a Giants player).

Where does Bruce Bochy rank all-time among MLB managers?

Bochy is a shoe-in for Cooperstown at this point in his career. Here is where he ranks all-time in several key managerial categories:

Games: 4,032 (7th all-time)Wins: 2,093 (10th)Playoff wins: 56 (4th)Pennants: 5 (T-9th)World Series Titles: 4 (T-4th)

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With Rangers’ World Series win, only five teams remain without a title

The long wait is finally over.

The Texas Rangers won their first World Series championship by defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games.

The Rangers, formerly the Washington Senators from 1961–1971, reached the World Series in back-to-back years in 2010 and 2011, but lost to the San Francisco Giants − led by manager Bruce Bochy − in five games in 2010 and in seven heartbreaking games to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. They were one strike away from a title in Game 6 – twice – before losing that game and Game 7.

They reached the postseason three of the next five seasons after that 2011 defeat, but never got past the Division Series, until this year.  

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Here are the five teams left that have never won a World Series championship (first season in parentheses): 

Milwaukee Brewers (1969)

The Brewers have reached the postseason in five of the last six seasons, only to lose. In 1982, ‘Harvey’s Wallbangers’ lost a memorable seven-game World Series against the Cardinals.

San Diego Padres (1969)

The Padres have reached the World Series twice, but both times faced a formidable foe. The 1984 club, led by Tony Gwynn and Steve Garvey, lost in five games to the powerful Detroit Tigers, who led the majors with 104 wins. In 1998, the Padres were swept by the 1998 New York Yankees, who won 114 games in the regular season. 

Seattle Mariners (1977)

Under manager Lou Piniella, the Mariners went to the ALCS three times, only to lose to Cleveland in 1995 and the Yankees in 2000 and 2001. Piniella opted out of his contract after the 2002 season and the franchise has only had one postseason appearance since (2022). Seattle remains the only team to never play in the Fall Classic.

Colorado Rockies (1993) 

In their only appearance in 2007, the Rockies were no match for the Boston Red Sox and were swept in four games. The Rockies have only reached the postseason three times since.

Tampa Bay Rays (1998)

The low-budget Rays never won more than 70 games until the 2008 season. Led by manager Joe Maddon, the Rays went from worst-to-first during a magical 2008 season but lost a five-game World Series to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Rays returned to the Fall Classic in 2020, only to fall short again. Rays manager Kevin Cash pulled ace Blake Snell with one out in the sixth despite the fact Snell was mowing down the Dodgers to start Game 6; Los Angeles promptly scored two runs to take the lead and went on to win the title.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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