INDIANAPOLIS – He’s the face of this upcoming NFL draft, the presumed No. 1 overall pick with a bullet. Caleb Williams surely looked and sounded like the part on Friday, when the NFL’s next can’t-miss quarterback prospect met with dozens of reporters during the league’s annual scouting combine and unleashed, well, a stream of consciousness. 

What if he’s not drafted with the top pick? 

Good, at least somebody asked the question. 

“It’s not a thought in my mind,” Williams responded. 

Go ahead, check the box for confidence on your draft scorecard. 

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“I don’t think I’m not going to be No. 1,” Williams continued. “I put in all the hard work. All of the time, effort, energy into being that. I don’t think of a Plan B. That’s kind of how I do things in my life. I don’t think of a Plan B. Stay on Plan A, and then when things don’t work out, find a way to make Plan A work.” 

Well then. 

Of course, the Chicago Bears still hold the option of officially crowning the dazzling star from Southern California as the top pick when the draft commences in Detroit on April 25. At this point, it seems like a formality – even if some team blows Chicago away with a trade offer it can’t refuse. 

As it stands now, the Bears would be crazy not to bank on Williams, who passed for 42 touchdowns when he won the Heisman Trophy in 2022. The real mystery is probably how much of a haul Bears GM Ryan Poles can fetch in unloading current quarterback Justin Fields that would be parlayed into more layers of support to provide the new quarterback. 

In other words, let the great expectations roll. 

Williams, 22, feels it and is hardly scrambling out of the pocket when considering the weight that will come as the centerpiece for a franchise that has a tradition of floundering quarterbacks. He envisions making such a mark that he’s delved deep into learning about two Windy City sports icons – Michael Jordan and Walter Payton. 

Nothing may say more about embracing expectations quite like that. 

Asked to ponder becoming the football version of Jordan in Chicago, Williams said, “I’d say anywhere I go, that is my standard. That is what I play for as you all saw. 

“I don’t play for fame. I don’t play for money. I don’t play for jewels and things like that. I want to go out there and win as many games as possible. Be the best that I can…I think I can reach certain points like that.” 

Williams, as expected, refused to participate in the combine workouts and quarterback drills. So, there will be no fresh comparisons to others in a loaded quarterback class, at least when it comes to the so-called “underwear Olympics.” That, too, reflects how it is often done with the top prospects in a draft (Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr., is another notable non-participant in drills). 

“I didn’t feel the need to go out and throw,” said Williams, who, in the fashion of two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, won’t hire an agent. 

“I played around 30-something games, I believe. Go ahead and watch real live ball of me and see how I am as a competitor.” 

It was more stunning, though, that Williams declined to engage in the extensive medical evaluations that are part of the combine process. The event was actually established during the 1980s as a cost-effective means for the medical staffs of every NFL team to assemble while examining the top prospects. The workouts and interviews came after that. 

Well, Williams has bucked that bit of history and provided another example of how some players, at least the star players, are flexing more leverage. 

It’s unclear whether he’s the first healthy prospect to refuse to undergo the battery of medical tests. But he’s surely not the first who might be annoyed by the poking and prodding from so many hands during the process. 

“I’ll be doing the medical stuff,” Williams said. “Just not here in Indy. I’ll be doing them at the team interviews. Not all 32 teams can draft me. There is only one of me. So, the teams that I go to for my visits, those teams will have the medical, and that’s it.” 

The showcase date for USC’s pro day is March 20. After that, Williams will undoubtedly visit and presumably work out for teams at the top of the draft – the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots currently hold the second and third choices after the Bears. 

While at the combine, Williams engaged in interviews with several teams, including those with the top three picks.  

Surely, his early impressions of the Bears’ brain trust, headed by Poles and coach Matt Eberflus, are significant enough. Even when the block of time for such combine interviews is in the 10-minute range.  

“They were awesome,’ Williams said. ‘I spoke more about all and things like that because the interviews are so short. So, it was more about them getting to know me, getting to test my mental, what I know, the base things of what it takes to be a quarterback in the NFL.’

The Bears will have a new offensive coordinator, with Shane Waldron lured from Seattle. That dynamics of that potential relationship will be crucial. Yet that, too, will have to wait and play out.

‘Ten minutes is difficult to figure out if they’re going to be able to develop you,’ Williams said. ‘I enjoyed the meeting. It was a good meeting, but 10 minutes or so, it’s pretty difficult.’

Pragmatic enough. Yet Williams doesn’t hesitate to share certain impressions of the team that landed the top pick from the woeful Carolina Panthers as part of a trade in 2023.

‘The Bears were a 7-10 team,’ he said, alluding to Chicago’s finish. ‘That is pretty good for a team that has the first pick. And they’ve got a good defense. They’ve got good players on offense, and it’s pretty exciting if you can go into a situation like that.’

Any message to the fans of Chicago?

‘I’d say the player and person they’d be getting is a person that cares for his teammates,’ Williams said. ‘Some of y’all may have seen…I try to take care of all my guys, no matter if you’re fourth on the depth chart or the star player. The other part is I’m a fierce competitor, as you may have seen after some games.’

He’d better be as the top pick in the draft. And as the ramp-up to the draft intensifies, Williams will brace himself for various forms of nitpicking, rumors and innuendos that, fair or not, have become part of the process.

Along the way, he wants to find out something about the Bears, too.

‘Just do you want to win,’ he said. ‘That is it.’

Spoken like a real No. 1.

Every regular-season game LeBron James has played in the past 13 months has brought a new benchmark.

Each point he has scored since breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA all-time career points record on Feb. 7, 2023 is a career point never before reached.

On Saturday night, he became the first player to score 40,000 career points, the milestone coming on a second-quarter layup against the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets.

This eye-popping number spurs two questions: How many points will James finish his career with? Is another player capable of reaching 40,000 points?

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He’s on pace this season to play 71 games (which would be the most he has played since 2017-18), score about 1,800 points and head into 2024-25 with about 40,500 career points. Playing 60 games a season for the next two seasons and scoring 23 points per game, James would surpass 43,000 points.

Let’s take a look at other players who have a chance to pass Abdul-Jabbar for No. 2 on the all-time scoring list and players who could top 30,000 career points and make a run at 40,000:

Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns

Headed into Thursday’s game against Houston, Durant has 28,318 points and will probably hit 30,000 next season. He is one of the game’s most talented scorers and remains so at 35 years old, averaging 28 points on 53% shooting from the field this season. Five years ago Durant was scoring around 1,800 points a season. It seemed likely he would pass Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387 points and even make a run at James. But the Achilles injury he sustained in the 2019 Finals forced him to miss all of 2019-20. He played in just 35 games in 2020-21, 55 in 2021-22 and 47 games last season. Injuries have prevented Durant, who is approaching No. 8 on the all-time points list, from scoring a lot more.

Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Earlier this season, Doncic became the sixth-youngest and seventh-fastest player to score 10,000 career points. Just 25 years old and in his sixth season, he has 10,855 career points after Wednesday’s game against Toronto. He is averaging a career-high and league-best 34.4 points and is shooting career-highs on 3s and from the free throw line. There’s no doubt Doncic is a scoring phenom (he’s also a wonderful passer) and has a career average of 28.5 points. How long can he keep scoring at least 30 a game and will his heavy workload eventually wear on him? He hasn’t played more than 72 games in a season and that was his rookie year. As prolific a scorer as Doncic is, consider the task in front of him just to get to 38,000 points: Playing in 66 games each season while scoring 30 points a game for the next 13 seasons still doesn’t get Doncic to 38,000. With more games played per season and a 20-year career, he has an outside chance of flirting with 40,000.

Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Wembanyama, the sensation rookie from France, averages 20.6 points and is off to a great start. His scoring average should increase season-by-season, but just like the Doncic example, it requires longevity and greatness for two decades. Averaging 28 points while playing 70 games a season for 20 years equals 39,200 points. In that equation, it makes 40,000 points seem almost impossible. And don’t forget, James entered the league at 18 when the age-eligibility rule was different. It’s 19 now with no indication it’s going to change soon.

James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers

Durant and James are the only two active players in the top 20 in all-time points. Harden is No. 22 with 25,600 points after Wednesday’s game against the Lakers. Another prolific scorer, Harden, 34, has a strong chance at 30,000 points, which would make him the ninth player to hit that mark, assuming Durant also gets there. Harden is averaging 17.3 points this season, his lowest since his third year in the league in 2011-12. His days of 25-plus are over but 30,000 makes him a top-10 all-time scorer. But getting to 33,000 and ahead of Michael Jordan’s 32,292, which is No. 5 all-time, illustrates just how difficult it is.

Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors

Like Durant, Curry, 35, is still getting it done at this stage of his career, averaging 27.5 points this season. And also like Durant, Curry had injuries. He played just five games in 2019-20. And for all Curry’s scoring, he’s No. 31 on the all-time list with 23,198 points. If he plays another four seasons and averages 25 points a game in 70 games a season, he will hit 30,000.

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NORTH PORT, Fla. – It remains one of baseball’s highly-respected traits, even if optimization has rendered it nearly obsolete.

After all, playing 162 games with few breaks in between can’t be sustainable, right? With a bottomless array of hard-throwing pitchers coming at you from every angle, playing the matchup game must occasionally benefit every player, no?

Aren’t loads meant to be managed, sleep tracked scientifically, all of it incongruent with a game scheduled nearly every day for more than half a year?

“We get paid a lot of money to play this game,” says the Atlanta Braves All-Star first baseman, entering the third year of a $168 million contract. “You owe it to the team and the fans and your teammates to go out there and be able to play every day.

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“Injuries and stuff willing, obviously.”

Olson is one of just two players to play all 162 games at least three times since 2018, bucking a trend more than two decades in the making. A modern stew of heavily platooning players to maximize matchups mixed with a dash of sports science has created a load management culture in Major League Baseball.

And while baseball rarely borrows from the NBA lexicon, the industry has largely adopted its stance that playing every game is detrimental to the bigger picture.

Yet a diminishing faction holds fast to the notion that posting – the silent act of availability – is actually the game’s sixth tool.

“It’s hard to win to begin with,” says Alex Anthopoulos, the Braves’ executive vice president and architect of a budding dynasty that’s won six consecutive National League East titles.

“And if your players aren’t available, your replacements aren’t going to be nearly as good.”

Acquire and retain excellent players – and then let them play. So simple, right?

Yet so few teams and players make it reality.

Platoon, or post?

In the quarter-century since Cal Ripken Jr. finally took a day off, ending his record streak of consecutive games at 2,632, one thing hasn’t changed: The ultimate iron men are extremely rare.

In 1998, five players played all 162 games, just one more than the four who went pole-to-pole in 2023. Drop the standard a bit, though, and there’s a large dropoff: Fifty-one players played at least 155 games in 1998, a workload that amounts to roughly one missed game per month.

In 2023, just 31 players hit the 155 mark, even in an era with the universal DH and four additional off days on the schedule beginning in 2018.

To post, or not to post? Talent, organizational mindset and clubhouse culture all answer that question.

Take Atlanta. The organization has assembled – and Anthopoulos, via frequent contract extensions, retained – significant talent. It makes sense to play stars like NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. and Olson – who finished fourth in MVP voting – as much as possible.

But it extends beyond the All-Star talents.

In 2023, eight Braves played at least 138 games. By contrast, just one San Francisco Giant reached that mark. Even when the Giants won 107 games in 2021, just three players played that many games, with club president Farhan Zaidi’s frequent platooning paying off with a franchise record in wins.

Yet retaining that formula can be elusive, and the Giants slipped to .500 and worse the past two seasons before firing manager Gabe Kapler.

Atlanta has had just three managers since 1991, when its streak of 14 consecutive division titles began an era of numbing consistency – forged by reliability. In his 12-year Braves career, Gold Glove center fielder Andruw Jones never played fewer than 153 games. Hall of Fame third baseman Chipper Jones played in 97% of Atlanta’s games from 1995-2003.

“It’s been like that for a long time,” says manager Brian Snitker, entering his 48th year as a player, coach or manager in the Braves system. “Andruw didn’t even come out of the blowouts. He wanted to play every inning of every game. (Catcher Brian) McCann would get pissed off when I wouldn’t play him on the Sunday afternoon games after the Saturday night ones.

“I talk to guys and try to give them days off and they want to play. I think that’s why they do well. I don’t buy the tired thing. I don’t buy the load management. They train for that.

“They’re going to stub their toe enough to where they need two or three days off, and in the end you’ve got about 158 games or so, which to me is what a normal major league workload should be.”

Acuña was coming off a subpar 2022 after recovering from ACL reconstruction surgery, and the Braves were wary of his workload in ’23. But Snitker said that only fed Acuña’s desire to play every day and he did – for 147 consecutive games, finally taking a breather in mid-September, on his way to a 41-homer, 73-steal barrage over 159 games.

“I love how we do it. We got our guys. Talented group,” says Olson. “And if you’re healthy, you’re going to be playing, whether you’re 30 for your last 40 or 0 for your last 40.

“It’s one of my favorite things about here.”

Opponents have noticed.

Crouch potato

Though their playoff dreams have died each of the past two seasons in four-game NLDS losses to Philadelphia, it’s safe to say the Braves have left an impression on the Phillies.

From the days of the Jones boys, through 162-game stalwarts Dansby Swanson and Freddie Freeman to this current group, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto has noticed how at year’s end, it’s expected that four or five Atlanta players will top the games played list.

He says the Phillies aim to infringe on that group.

“There’s something to posting, there’s something to being there for your teammates, even when you don’t feel your best, getting on the field and producing,” says Realmuto, traded to the Phillies before the 2019 season. “At the end of the day, this is an entertainment sport, fans come to watch us play. Some kid paid his money to come watch you play, because you’re his favorite player, and if you take a day off every single week, somebody’s going to be disappointed.

“In this locker room, there’s just a certain mentality where we enjoy being there with each other, we want to go to battle together and guys don’t like taking days off.”

Despite injuries to Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins last season, five Phillies played between 145 and 160 games last year, led by Kyle Schwarber (160) and Nick Castellanos (157). Realmuto, meanwhile, is carving out his own ironman niche behind the dish.

For the third time in the past four full seasons, he caught 133 games, tied for fifth-most since 2016 and the only catcher posting multiple seasons with that distinction.

“As a catcher, they’re always thinking of my load management,” says Realmuto, a three-time All-Star. “It’s a conversation every single year. They find it productive. But older-school players like myself don’t necessarily love it.”

Yet Realmuto isn’t just chewing glass and blindly crouching behind the plate; he leans heavily on the Phillies’ training staff to concoct workout and nutrition plans to maximize his ability to get out there.

Realmuto turns 33 this month yet feels knowing himself allows him to maintain this pace into the latter half of his career.

“It’s gotten less difficult, which is shocking to say,” he says. “But the last couple years, I’ve felt better in August and September than I have in years prior, only because I’m starting to learn my body more, and know how to train and how to keep my body at peak physical condition late in the season.”

‘Why would I not be playing?’

Baseball is filled with intangible beliefs that certain behavior is transmittable; how many times have we heard that hitting, for one, is contagious?

The same may apply to simply playing.

When Braves catcher Sean Murphy was a rookie, his teammates included Olson and shortstop Marcus Semien, who made the concept of a day off seem almost pointless.

“He would always say, ‘Look, I’m here. I’m playing. I’m at the ballpark. Why would I not be playing?” remembers Murphy.

And so the young catcher followed suit, playing in 148 games in his first full season and catching 116. Olson would outdo Semien in 2018, completing his first 162-game season to Semien’s 159.

Yet the master would go on to make history in 2023.

Now a Texas Ranger, Semien would play in all 162 regular season games and then, with the expanded playoffs, 17 more in the postseason. Batting leadoff, he racked up 835 plate appearances, most ever in a single season, regular and playoffs.

“You have a lineup, you think, ‘OK, so and so needs a day off.’ But never him,” says manager Bruce Bochy, who won his fourth World Series title in his first year in Arlington. “It’s one thing playing every day, but playing like he does every day.

“There’s no letup. How he runs the bases. His approach. The way he prepares. It never changes. Very few guys have the ability to do what he does.”

Semien is so routine-oriented that all his movements seem deliberate, in service of retaining energy for the three or so hours he’s to perform that night. It’s probably no coincidence that the least-productive seasons of his career – 2020 and 2022 – came after a global pandemic and an MLB lockout shattered his groove.

The lockout began days after Semien signed his seven-year, $175 million contract with the Rangers, which meant he had a professional home but was barred from visiting it all winter and spring. With a full offseason to reestablish his routine, Semien produced an MVP-caliber season in 2023, and led the Rangers to their first World Series championship.

“I just love playing. I play,” says Semien, who in 2019 played 162 games at shortstop before shifting to second base in Toronto and Texas. “You look at what Corey [Seager] did last year, how he accumulated his stats with less games, I need all I can get to get mine.’

Still, Semien produced a team-high 7.4 WAR, hitting 29 home runs and 40 doubles to Seager’s 33 and 42 in a 119-game campaign shortened by injury. Seager added six postseason home runs, producing a 1.133 OPS in 17 games.

“I do love the grit of players that like to play every day. I just think you may get a fresher player if he’s resting every now and then,” says Houston Astros GM Dana Brown. “The guy who goes out and grinds through it, sometimes they’re playing a little hurt, a little banged up, a little fatigued. If you could somehow get these guys some days off – I don’t think anyone’s going to break Cal Ripken’s record.

“Before you know it, you’re going to be fresher. And then your production might go up. After all, we’re not machines.”

Fair enough. Yet we ought not forget Semien’s 835th and final plate appearance of the year – a two-run, ninth-inning home run that iced the Rangers’ 5-0 victory in Game 5 of the World Series.

Perhaps the Rangers receive their championship rings even if Semien cashes in some PTO along the way. Yet there’s no denying Semien’s example leaves an impact.

“It’s why you play the game,” says Bochy. “We’ve lost a little bit of that, and I get it, because load management is an important part of the game – keeping guys fresh, cutting back risk of injury.

“But he’s awfully special.’

The NHL trade deadline is rapidly approaching.

So, the Dallas Stars’ acquisition of defenseman Chris Tanev from the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night could be a sign that things are starting to pick up again. There had been a relative lull following two significant deals by the Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets during the All-Star break.

Follow this tracker for news and analysis on deals that have happened this season in the months leading up to the NHL trade deadline. A separate live blog will be posted on the March 8 deadline day.

TRADE DEADLINE: What do playoff contenders need?

TRADE TARGETS: Which players could move before the deadline?

March 2: Washington Capitals waive longtime center Evgeny Kuznetsov

The Washington Capitals and longtime center Evgeny Kuznetsov appear to be heading for a divorce.

Washington waived Kuznetsov Saturday, just hours after the 2010 first-round pick was cleared by the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program to resume practicing.

It’s unlikely Kuznetsov will be claimed, given his cap hit ($7.8 million) and the real money he’s owed next season ($8 million) compared to his production (just 17 points in 43 games this season). Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said that if Kuznetsov clears waivers the 31-year-old will likely be assigned to the Capitals’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Hershey Bears.

But MacLellan seemed to indicate that Kuznetsov’s time in Washington is likely over.

“It’s about a fresh start for Kuzy,” MacLellan said. “He’s been looking for a change in an environment, and I think this might set the wheels in motion for that to be accomplished.”

March 2: Vancouver Canucks, star Elias Pettersson reach 8-year extension

Elias Pettersson and the Canucks put all the speculation about the star forward’s future to bed Saturday, announcing he had signed an eight-year contract extension. The deal, which runs through the end of the 2031-32 season, carries an $11.6 million cap hit. That cap number will rank fifth in the league starting next season — behind only Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid and Artemi Panarin.

But Pettersson is a player more than worthy of being included in that group. The 25-year-old entered Saturday with 398 points in 387 career games. He rang up 102 points last season and already has 75 points this year in 62 games.

March 1: New Jersey Devils acquire Kurtis MacDermid from Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche get back a 2024 seventh-round pick and the rights to Kontinental Hockey League forward Zakhar Bardakov. MacDermid, 29, who can play defense or forward, plays a physical game, though in limited ice time. The move also clears a little cap space to allow the Avalanche to make another move. MacDermid is a pending unrestricted free agent.

Feb. 29: Toronto Maple Leafs acquire Anaheim Ducks defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin in three-team trade

The Maple Leafs are bringing back a familiar face by acquiring Lyubushkin. They also traded for Lyubushkin midseason in 2022. The 29-year-old is not known for his offense — he has just five goals and 38 assists in 334 career games. He has no goals and just four assists this season while skating to a -13.

Lyubushkin kills penalties and is a decent depth option for a team looking to go on a deep postseason run. (Before the trade, the Leafs saw veteran defenseman Mark Giordano exit Thursday’s game early with an injury.) Plus, Lyubushkin is coming pretty cheap in both picks and actual cost.

The Ducks are retaining 50% of Lyubushkin’s salary and the Carolina Hurricanes have been brought into the deal to retain an additional 25%. His cap hit for the Leafs will be just $687,500. The Ducks will be getting a third-round pick (2025) and the Hurricanes will get a sixth-round pick (2024). The Leafs are also getting the rights to unsigned prospect Kirill Slepets in the deal. — Jace Evans

Feb. 28: Dallas Stars acquire Calgary Flames defenseman Chris Tanev in three-team trade

The Stars give up 20-year-old defense prospect Artem Grushnikov, a 2024 second-round pick and a conditional 2026 third-rounder for Chris Tanev and the rights to UMass goalie Cole Brady. Tanev, 34, a pending unrestricted free agent, is valued for his defensive play and ranks second in the league in blocked shots. He’ll help steady a Stars team that has given 23 goals during a 1-4-2 slide. He’s also a right-hand shot, important to the Stars, whose defense is filled with left-hand shots. Brady was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in 2019. The Stars sent a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Devils to retain half of Tanev’s $4.5 million salary. The Flames trade was the second in a month after they earlier sent Elias Lindholm to the Canucks.

Feb. 22: Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins make trade

The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward Emil Bemstrom from the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Alex Nylander and a conditional sixth-round pick. Both players are pending restricted free agents and likely could benefit from a new opportunity. Nylander, 25, whose brother William stars for the Toronto Maple Leafs, has spent most of the season in the American Hockey League. Bemstrom, 24, has played 32 games this season, recording 11 points. His career best was 22 points last season. Nylander’s career best was 26 points in 2019-20 with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Feb. 2: Winnipeg Jets acquire Sean Monahan from Montreal Canadiens

The Winnipeg Jets gave up a 2024 first-round draft pick and a 2027 conditional third-round pick for pending unrestricted free agent center Sean Monahan. The move came two days after the Vancouver Canucks acquired center Elias Lindholm.

Monahan, 29, healthy this season after recent injury-filled campaigns, had 35 points in 49 games – his best scoring pace since 2018-19. Those numbers included 16 power-play points and two short-handed goals. He had 11 points in his last seven games before the trade and had won 55% of his faceoffs.

Jan. 31: Vancouver Canucks acquire Elias Lindholm from Calgary Flames

The Vancouver Canucks showed they are going for it and the Calgary Flames showed they’ll be sellers. All-Star forward Elias Lindholm, a pending unrestricted free agent, is a strong, two-way center who will boost the No. 1 overall Canucks’ top six forward group and help their middle-ranked penalty kill.

The Flames get forward Andrei Kuzmenko, prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, a 2024 first-round pick and a conditional fourth-round pick. Kuzmenko, who has been a healthy scratch at times this season and had only eight goals, will benefit the Flames if he rediscovers his 39-goal form from last season.

The Flames still have to make decisions on pending unrestricted free agents Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev before the deadline.

Jan. 25: Minnesota Wild, Pittsburgh Penguins make minor trade

The Minnesota Wild acquired minor league defenseman Will Butcher from the Pittsburgh Penguins for minor league forward Maxim Cajkovic. Though Butcher has 275 games of NHL experience and Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon is out for the season, Butcher will stay in the American Hockey League.

Jan. 8: Anaheim Ducks, Philadelphia Flyers make trade

The rights to Cutter Gauthier, 19, voted the top forward at the world junior championships for gold-medal-winning USA, are heading to Anaheim for defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick. Both players were top-six draft picks. Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said the Boston College forward wasn’t interested in signing with Philadelphia, and he called Drysdale, 21, a ‘pretty special’ and ‘exciting’ player. Drysdale is in the first year of a three-year contract but missed all but eight games last season and had played only 10 games this season because of injuries. He had 32 points in his lone full season.

Dec. 15: Seattle Kraken acquire forward Tomas Tatar from Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche receive a fifth-round pick in the trade. The Kraken rank near the bottom of the league in scoring, and they’re hoping for the Tomas Tatar of previous seasons, not this season. He’s a seven-time 20-goal scorer who has just one goal this season after not getting a free agent contract until September. But he’s a veteran of 810 games with 212 career goals, including 50 on the power play. He’ll help Seattle deal with injuries among its forwards. The team placed Jaden Schwartz on long-term injured reserve.

In a depth trade, the San Jose Sharks acquired center Jack Studnicka from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for defenseman Nick Cicek and a sixth-round pick.

Dec. 8: New York Islanders acquire St. Louis Blues’ Robert Bortuzzo

The New York Islanders acquired defenseman Robert Bortuzzo from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a seventh-round pick. The trade was announced after the team said Ryan Pulock (lower body) was going on the injured list, joining fellow defensemen Adam Pelech and Sebastian Aho. Bortuzzo, 34, won a Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019 but had been limited to four games this season and often was a healthy scratch. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Dec. 6: Buffalo Sabres acquire Columbus Blue Jackets’ Eric Robinson

The Buffalo Sabres acquired winger Eric Robinson from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2025. The fourth-liner had 82 points in 266 career games, including one goal in seven games this season at the time of the trade.

Nov. 30: Vancouver Canucks acquire defenseman Nikita Zadorov

The Vancouver Canucks got stronger on defense by adding rugged 6-foot-6, 248-pound defenseman Nikita Zadorov from the Calgary Flames. The Canucks gave up the fifth-round pick they acquired a day earlier in the Anthony Beauvillier trade, plus a 2026 third-round pick. Calgary’s return doesn’t seem high for a player who led the Flames in hits and is going to a division rival, but Zadorov had requested a trade and is a pending unrestricted free agent. The Flames, who have pushed closer to a playoff position after a tough start, also have forward Elias Lindholm and defensemen Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev in the final years of their contracts.

Nov. 28: Chicago Blackhawks trade for Anthony Beauvillier after waiving Corey Perry

The Chicago Blackhawks placed Corey Perry on unconditional waivers in order to terminate his contract. The team said it determined that Perry ‘engaged in conduct that is unacceptable, and in violation of both the terms of his Standard Player’s Contract and the Blackhawks’ internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments.’ The Beauvillier trade happened later. The Vancouver Canucks, who acquired Beauvillier last season in the Bo Horvat trade, will receive a fifth-round draft pick. More important for Vancouver, the Blackhawks take on his entire $4.15 million cap hit, giving them flexibility before the trade deadline. Beauvillier, a winger like Perry, had two goals and six assists in 22 games this season.

Perry later issued an apology for his ‘inappropriate and wrong’ behavior.

Nov. 8: Minnesota Wild trade Calen Addison to San Jose Sharks, acquire Zach Bogosian from Tampa Bay Lightning

Addison was sent to the San Jose Sharks for forward Adam Raska and a 2026 fifth-round draft pick. The defenseman is a power play specialist, but he is unreliable in his own zone. That led to him being a healthy scratch often down the stretch last season. With the Wild getting Jared Spurgeon back soon from injury (he was activated from long-term injured reserve), the power play opportunities will dwindle. Addison will be more valuable to the Sharks, who dealt Erik Karlsson last summer. He will be a restricted free agent at season’s end.

Bogosian lacks Addison’s offense, but the veteran takes care of his end of the ice. He’s a right-handed shot, like Addison.

“He’s a big guy,’ Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin told reporters. ‘He still skates well. He brings heaviness. He brings some grit and we need that.”

The trade buys the Lightning a little bit of salary cap breathing room. Bogosian, in the final season of a three-year contract, has a $850,000 cap hit.

Oct. 10: Carolina Hurricanes acquire forward Callahan Burke from Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Caleb Jones

The Hurricanes loaded up on defense this offseason and Jones was the odd man out. Both players will play for the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi saw his close friend Luis Suárez nearly notch a hat trick in the first half.

So, Messi nearly notched his own after halftime.

Messi scored twice in the second half within five minutes, Suárez added two goals in the first 11 minutes with two assists, and Robert Taylor scored another as Inter Miami cruised to a 5-0 victory over in-state rival Orlando City on Saturday at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Inter Miami has seven points after three matches with two wins and a draw to begin the 2024 MLS season. It was the type of performance that made you think Messi and Suárez were still in the prime of their careers and not the twilight.

“We are good, we are enjoying, we are growing,” Messi said in a postgame interview with Apple TV. ‘Today was an important game to win to continue on that path of growth, and the truth is that this has to make us very strong for everything that is to come.’

Messi’s first goal was fluky and funny: He chest-bumped a rebound and tried to score a chip shot, standing in front of an empty net while Orlando City’s Rodrigo Schlegel tried to pull him away. Messi just laughed as the ball rolled into the net in the 57th minute.

Messi’s second was a beauty: He received a pass across the field from Suarez and used his head to find the lower, left corner of the net in the 62nd minute.

Messi had two free kicks in the match, including the 91st minute, but missed both opportunities to notch his third goal. He didn’t need to after the work Suárez provided early.

Suárez, the Uruguayan striker, scored from the right side on his first score in the fourth minute and from the left side on his second in the 11th minute.

Fellow newcomer Julian Gressel, who won two MLS Cups, assisted on both goals. Both players left the match after 67 minutes.

“It’s so difficult to start again because I changed my form, and how I play,’ Suárez said of playing with Messi and the first two goals of his Inter Miami career. ‘And I think he knows everything about myself.’

Taylor added to the lead with a goal, his second of the year, following an assist from Suárez in the 29th minute.

Suárez nearly had a hat trick before halftime, but an offside call ruled what could have been Inter Miami’s fourth goal off the board as Taylor was ruled offside.

Messi also had several attempts, missing a free kick off the left post in the 34th minute before the floodgates opened in the second half.

One day after the four-year anniversary of Inter Miami’s first match in Major League Soccer, the club secured its biggest win in team history with the former FC Barcelona stars showing they have plenty left in the tank.

‘Those guys aren’t here to put their feet up. And I think you’ve seen that from the last few weeks,’ Gressel said of Messi and Suárez. “They’ve been great. They want to win. And they’re trying to do everything for the team to win.”

The match was Inter Miami’s third of the season and came six days after their last. But the road gets arduous again with Inter Miami in a stretch of five matches in 14 days, while Messi could play seven matches in 21 days – his last two with Argentina for Copa America warmups later this month.

‘We have to be more careful with the recovery of the players,’ Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said.

Below the photo, see a recap of the game action and pre-match highlights:

Messi scores second goal with a header: Inter Miami 5, Orlando City 0

Lionel Messi has found the back of the net for the second time, scoring on a header in 62nd minute to give Inter Miami a 5-0 lead.

Messi ran down the right side and received a pass across the field from Suárez, and Messi drilled it perfectly into the left corner of the net.

Messi scores goal in second half: Inter Miami 4, Orlando City 0

Messi scored on a goal following a chest pass, while an Orlando City defender tried to pull him away from a chip shot into the net in the 56th minute, to give Inter Miami a 4-0 lead.

It was a funny sequence with the defender physically pulling Messi away as the easiest goal opportunity presented itself.

Jordi Alba kicked a shot into the net, but Orlando’s Robin Jansson kicked out of the net.

Messi came over to stop the ball with his chest, before Orlando’s Rodrigo Schlegel impeded his chip shot into the net.

Messi watched as the ball just slowly rolled into the back of the net.

Messi, Gressel miss shots on goal early in second half: Inter Miami 3, Orlando City 0

Messi had another chance to score during Inter Miami’s rout, but he was just wide right.

Messi’s miss came in the 54nd minute, just after a two misses by Julian Gressel.

Gressel’s second kick hit the top post and came back into play instead of the back of the net, while his first kick was too high.

Ojeda goal is no good: Inter Miami 3, Orlando City 0

Inter Miami nearly surrendered a goal to begin the second half, but the score remains 3-0.

Orlando City’s Martin Ojeda scored past Inter Miami goalie Drake Callendar, but referees ruled he was offside after the kick.

Suárez nearly gets hat trick: Inter Miami 3, Orlando City 0

Luis Suárez nearly had a hat trick before halftime, waving his finger in displeasure to the referee’s decision, but Robert Taylor was ruled offside.

Suárez dribbled past Orlando City goalie Pedro Gallese, who was too far away from the net, and kicked a goal that dribbled into the net.

It nearly was a hat trick for Suárez, and a 4-0 lead before halftime by Inter Miami.

Messi misses free kick goal: Inter Miami 3, Orlando City 0

Lionel Messi had a chance at a free kick toward the net, but was unable to convert.

Messi’s kick had the patented bend you’ve seen from him all his career, but his shot hit the left post outside the stretched hands of Orlando City goalie Pedro Gallese.

Robert Taylor goal: Inter Miami 3, Orlando City 0

Inter Miami is rolling in the first half against Orlando City, with Robert Taylor scoring his second goal of the season in the 29th minute.

Taylor received a pass from Luis Suárez, who scored the game’s first two goals. And Inter Miami fortunately stayed onside.

The Orlando City goalie Pedo Gallese played too close to Suárez, giving Taylor an open net.

Messi nearly has shot, but wows fans with dribbles: Inter Miami 2, Orlando City 0

Lionel Messi nearly had a shot on goal, before an Orlando City player stopped him in his tracks near the net in the 25th minute.

Still, Messi quickly captivated fans with two dribbling moves that got oohs and aahs from fans in attendance.

One dribble saw Messi just place a ball in front of a running defender. The other, Messi just toyed with the defender.

Luis Suárez goal: inter Miami 2, Orlando City 0

Two goals in 11 minutes for Luis Suárez.

This time, Suárez’s left boot from the left side of the pitch gives Inter Miami an early 2-0 lead against Orlando City.

It’s a brace for Suárez, who smiled brightly while hugging Lionel Messi and Robert Taylor after the score.

Luis Suárez goal: Inter Miami 1, Orlando City 0

One minute Luis Suárez was in pain. The next, he’s found the back of the net.

Suárez scored a goal in the 4th minute of the match, following a pass from Julian Gressel.

Suarez went down after a challenge from a defender, and seemed to favor his right leg in the third minute. He struggled in his first two Inter Miami matches. But a game-opening goal was an ideal start.

Messi warmup videos before Inter Miami vs. Orlando City

The vibes were high as Messi took the pitch for pregame warmups. He received a loud ovation, and quickly greeted fans seated in the stands. He also did some warmup drills with teammate Luis Luis Suárez, and even made a practice penalty kick.

Will Messi play vs. Orlando City? Here are the starting lineups

Messi is in the starting lineup for Inter Miami. Here are the lineups for both teams:

MLS pulls referee from game after photos surface wearing Inter Miami shirt

Major League Soccer’s referee lockout hit a major inflection point on Saturday, just hours before Lionel Messi and Inter Miami play in a nationally televised match.

“Referee Guiherme Ceretta was removed from the game due to a potential conflict,” the Professional Referee Organization (PRO) said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports before the match.

Does Messi speak English? Inter Miami teammate shares funny story

Messi’s reaction after speaking in English to Gressel: English, pretty good, no?

Messi dealing with fatigue before Inter Miami vs. Orlando City?

Inter Miami coach Tata Martino expressed concern about how hard Messi played in the first two matches of the season. Preserving Messi’s body is a major part about the long game, too.

“Of course, I’ve been discussing some things with him. What worries me the most is the day-to-day and how he is recovering game by game,” Martino said.

“I feel that in these first two matches, we have relied on him excessively in each encounter, which has caused him significant fatigue in both games.”

Messi has a game-tying goal and an assist in his first two games this season. Inter Miami enters with four of six possible points following a win over Real Salt Lake and a draw against the Galaxy.

What is Messi’s schedule with Inter Miami and Argentina in March?

Along with Inter Miami’s season, Messi is expected to join Argentina for this summer’s Copa America, which could be his last major international tournament after the 2022 World Cup. He’s 36.

Messi’s workload will be considerably high with five Inter Miami matches and two matches with the Argentine national team in the next three weeks of March.

Saturday’s Inter Miami home game against Orlando City begins a five-game stretch in two weeks. The second and fourth games of the stretch will be against Nashville SC in the round of 16 of the Concacaf Champions Cup.

If Messi plays in the friendlies, he would miss Inter Miami’s road game against the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on March 23. Inter Miami’s March 30 home game against New York FC could either be Messi’s return or a rest day after his March slate.

What is Argentina’s Copa America 2024 schedule?

Argentina will play in the tournament opener against Canada or Trinidad and Tobago on June 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. 

Argentina’s second match is against Chile on June 25 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. 

Argentina will also play Peru on June 29 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Copa America final will be held at the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins on July 14.

Before Argentina plays in Copa America, they will have two warmup matches: June 9 vs. Ecuador at Soldier Field in Chicago; June 14 vs. Guatemala at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.

Messi would miss at least five Inter Miami matches this summer if Argentina reaches the Copa América final again. The potential matches: June 15 at Philadelphia Union; June 19 vs. Columbus Crew; June 29 at Nashville; July 3 at Charlotte FC; and July 6 at FC Cincinnati.

Messi reaches 500 million followers on Instagram

Lionel Messi has achieved another milestone, this time on social media.

Messi, the 2022 World Cup champion and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner as the soccer’s best player, has reached 500 million followers on Instagram last weekend.

Check out his thank you post here.

Messi goes viral with dribbling move over injured player

Lionel Messi, with just one sequence in his season opener, showed why he’s seen by many as the best soccer player in the world.

Messi went viral after dribbling over an injured defender – Andrew Brody, who was laying on the field after getting his hand stepped on earlier in the sequence – during the first half of Inter Miami’s 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night.

When the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner is announced, don’t expect to see Johnny Manziel there.

At every Heisman ceremony, all past winners join the stage to welcome the next star to its elite fraternity. But the former Texas A&M sensation announced on social media Saturday he will not be joining the annual ceremony in New York because of Reggie Bush.

‘After careful thought and consideration I will be humbly removing myself from the Heisman trophy ceremony until @ReggieBush gets his trophy back. Doesn’t sit right with my morals and values that he can’t be on that stage with us every year. Reggie IS the Heisman trophy. Do the RIGHT thing,’ Manziel wrote. ‘@NCAA the ball is in your court.’

Manziel’s decision is a result of the former Southern California running back who forfeited the 2005 trophy he won after the NCAA found that he violated rules by him and his family receiving gifts while playing for the Trojans. As a result, Bush gave back the award to the Heisman Trust in 2010, and he hasn’t attended a trophy ceremony since the trophy was given back.

While Manziel has talked about his frustrations with the NCAA in recent years, it likely would have to come from the Heisman Trust to give Bush his trophy and recognition back.

Johnny Manziel’s defense of Reggie Bush

This isn’t the first time Manziel has publicly supported Bush.

Manziel admitted he made money in the Netflix documentary, ‘Johnny Football,’ but after he won the Heisman. Last year, he said on social media, ‘the only difference between my story and Reggie’s is that my ‘illegal activities’ did not start until after my Heisman season.’ He added what the NCAA did in the Bush situation was ‘absolute bull(expletive)’

‘He is one of the best college football players in history and deserves to be on that stage with us every year,’ Manziel said in 2023.

Bush himself has also pushed to get his trophy back. Last year, he planned to file a defamation lawsuit against the NCAA about the reasoning for its decision not to restore the Heisman Trophy winner’s records.

Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton plays a teenage drug dealer in HBO’s series ‘Euphoria,’ and he’s found a compelling role in real life, too.

On Saturday, the 17-year-old actor will fight in Puerto Rico on a boxing card that features Jake Paul and will be broadcast by DAZN. Walton (1-0, 1 KO) will be in ring with 32-year-old Joshua Torres (0-1-1).

“I’m excited to show the world what I can do,’’ Walton said.

Walton, who won his pro debut Dec. 20 in the Dominican Republic by first-round TKO, is already a commodity inside and outside of the ring. At 16, he signed an endorsement deal with Jordan Brand. Last summer, he joined the boxing stable at Most Valuable Promotions, co-founded by Paul.

“I think it was like three, four years ago I would see his (boxing) clips popping up on Instagram,” Paul told USA TODAY Sports. ‘But, man, he’s next up. He was the biggest unsigned prospect in boxing, and so of course we wanted him to be a part of our team.’’

But Walton, who has more than five million followers on Instagram, is moving too fast for some jurisdictions.

Most states, including New York and California, require boxers to be 18 before they can turn pro, said Andy Foster, executive director of the California State Athletic Commission.

“I don’t want to speak for state legislatures, but it probably seems reasonable that the public wants you to be a legal adult before you become a professional boxer,’’ Foster told USA TODAY Sports. “Because, you know, it’s reasonably dangerous.’’

But Walton, a 5-foot-8 southpaw who fights as a featherweight (126 pounds), said he felt ready to embark on a pro career rather than waiting until he turns 18 in July.

“I’ve been fighting since I was 4 years old, so I’ve had a very long career so far,’’ said Walton, who is trained by his father, DJ. “I just knew I had the experience to be able to excel in the pro game.’’

Concerns about head trauma

Coincidentally, Nico Ali Walsh, one of Muhammad Ali’s grandsons, is set to fight Saturday night in New York.

Ali Walsh, who made his pro debut at 20, is 8-1 with one no contest. His mother, Rasheda, said she did not allow Nico to box until he was in high school. Same for Nico’s brother, Biaggio, who made his pro debut in MMA last weekend.

Rasheda Ali said she put the age restrictions on her sons because head trauma from boxing is widely believed to have contributed to the Parkinson’s disease that plagued Muhammad Ali for decades before he died in 2016.

“Of course it concerns me,’’ Rasheda Ali told USA TODAY Sports. “I tried my best.’’

But Teddy Atlas, who trained championship boxers and worked with famed trainer Cus D’Amato, said it’s easier for young fighters to learn skills important to avoid getting hit.

‘Cus always told me, start them young because when they’re older and you tell them to slip a punch, they’re going to say, ‘Well, if I slip the punch I could get hit with that.’ ‘ Atlas said. ‘And that hinders their growth. When you start young, they’re not hindered by that thinking.’

He also said older fighters have a harder time mastering how to stay calm in the ring.

“And I know, because I’ve been training fighters for 50 years,’’ said Atlas, who co-hosts “The Fight with Teddy Atlas” podcast.

‘My little guy’s showing interest’

Walton’s father, DJ, said he trained as a boxer but never fought professionally.

“When Wanna showed interest, I kind of lit up,’’ said DJ Walton, who founded Onward Athletics in Georgia and served as the head boxing coach. “I was like, wow, my little guy’s showing interest in a sport I was so passionate about.’’

On letting his son start boxing at 4, DJ Walton said, “You know, the brain is still developing and even with the big gloves and headgear, we didn’t really start sparring until 7½ and then he didn’t start competing until 8.’’

At 8, Javon Walton began to flourish in the ring. He attracted attention outside of it, too – including an appearance on ‘The Steve Harvey Show’in 2017. 

After Walton dazzled Harvey with some lightning-quick punches, he did a handstand on Harvey’s desk and dismounted with a backflip. But he impressed in the ring, too.

As an amateur boxer, Walton was 20-9 and won 13 of his last 15 fights. But he said acting limited his time for boxing.

“But now I’m fully locked in on boxing for the next long period of time because that’s what I want to prioritize,’’ Walton said. “In the acting world, I’ve established my name, but it’s time to do that in the boxing world.’’

Jake Paul sees a lucrative angle

Trying to make the U.S. Olympic team in time for the 2024 Paris Games starting in July was not an option. Boxers must be at least 19 to compete in the Olympics, and Walton turns 18 in July.

Sure, DJ Walton said, his son could have continued to fight as an amateur, “but really, what’s the angle there?’’

Paul appears to see a lucrative angle – find a boxer who can convert a social media following into pay-per-view buys. (The fight card Saturday will be available on DAZN without a PPV charge but will require a subscription. But the pay-per-view pays are expected to come.)

Sitting next to Javon Walton at a press conference this week, Paul said. “To my right is the future of boxing, a superstar, millions and millions of followers already engaged.’’