In February for Black History Month, USA TODAY Sports is publishing the series ’29 Black Stories in 29 Days.’ We examine the issues, challenges and opportunities Black athletes and sports officials continue to face after the nation’s reckoning on race following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. This is the fourth installment of the series.

It may not seem like piloting, a racist commentator and sports have much in common, but they actually do. Let me explain.

So much of sports is about dreams and possibility. Athletes look at a football field, basketball court or rink and dream of being a professional. Or maybe they just want to be the best high school player or best shooter at the local gym. Sports is about comradery and challenge but again, it’s about possibility.

This is the same with flying.

I first read about the Tuskegee Airmen when I was about 10. They were the first Black military aviators in what was then the equivalent of the Air Force. They fought during World War II and might be the most brilliant aviators in the history of combat flying. They were nicknamed the ‘red tails’ because of the red markings on the tail of their fighter craft.

Flying is one of the greatest examples of the power of possibilities. The sky is literally one big, blue dream. That’s what makes Charlie Kirk’s racist lie so problematic.

Most of it is the usual anti-Black stuff, but Kirk went to a far uglier place when he said: ‘If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified.”

One of the more sinister things about white supremacy is that it constantly tries to snuff out the dreams of non-white people. Cast doubt on us. Tell us that we’re not good enough.

What’s important to remember is that people like Kirk will always be there. In the background. Lying. Or trying to crush dreams. When that happens, remember that he can’t. Remember that the Tuskegee Airmen fought far worse racism and were still the best pilots in the world.

They never forgot something: the power of a dream.

The center of the baseball universe these days is the Caribbean Series in Miami, the first time in its glorious history that tournament is being played in a Major League Stadium at loanDepot Park. 

Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez is there. Former All-Stars Robinson Cano and Neftali Feliz are playing for the powerful Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Republic. Curacao is led by several MLB veterans in Jurickson Profar, Didi Gregorius, Jonathan Schoop and Andrelton Simmons.

Former World Series champion manager Ozzie Guilen is managing Tiburones de la Guaira of Venezuela while future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina is managing Criollos of Puerto Rico. Nicaragua is making its first Caribbean appearance with former San Francisco Giants outfielder Marvin Benard managing the Gigantes de Rivas. 

Yet, one man who should be basking in the limelight as the godfather of this celebration of baseball is not there. 

He may be more responsible than anyone for the dominance of Latino ballplayers across the MLB landscape. 

HOT STOVE UPDATES: MLB free agency: Ranking and tracking the top players available.

His name is Ralph Avila. 

Avila, who engineered the rich pipeline of Caribbean baseball talent and was baseball’s inaugural international scout of the year, died a year ago at this time at the age of 92. 

But, oh, what a legacy he left, and is being demonstrated throughout this Caribbean Series. 

“My dad would have loved being here,’ said Ralph’s son, Al Avila, the former executive vice president and GM of the Detroit Tigers, only the third Latino GM in baseball history. “He loved the Caribbean Series. It meant so much to him.’

Ralph Avila was a living legend for 55 years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, signing Hall of Famers Pedro Martinez and Adrian Beltre. Martinez was so indebted to Avila that he personally brought him to his Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2015 and Beltre shared what he meant to him following his election last week. 

“Right away I have to thank Rafael Avila, the man with the biggest history as far as ballplayers coming out of the Dominican Republic,” Martinez said during his Hall of Fame speech. “Just if you didn’t know, that’s Rafael Avila over here, my first mentor and my papaito that signed more than 50 players that have made it to the big leagues. Rafael Avila, an icon of Latin America, and a symbol of baseball in the Dominican Republic.” 

Las Avila was instrumental in more than 25 players reaching the big leagues alone from the Dodgers’ historic Dominican Republic academy, Campo Las Palmas, and hundreds of others going advancing thanks to Avila’s academy. He also helped establish the Dominican Summer League. 

“Not everyone made the big leagues, but my dad’s belief was that if you teach them, and educate them,’ Al Avila said, “they can get jobs whether in baseball or something else, living a productive everyday life. My dad and Manny Mota had to teach everything, not just the game, but everything, I mean how to use the bathroom, hygiene, and all the very basics in life. It was really phenomenal. 

“He taught them the English language, the difference in culture, and really how to survive in the United States.’

Those same former players and professionals would stop by Avila’s Miami-area home when he was struggling with dementia, and spent the entire day with him, talking baseball, and letting Avila know what he meant to him. 

Really, Avila is as responsible as anyone for the Dodgers’ rich success, hired originally by Al Campanis as a scout, only to become Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda’s right-hand man, a valued confidant to owner Peter O’Malley, and the man who personally planned and helped build the Dodgers’ legendary academy. It was the first academy built in the Dominican Republic. Now, every team has an academy. 

“He literally found the land, cleared the sugar cane, planted the trees and dragged the infield in the camp’s early days,’ Dodgers CEO Stan Kasten said when they spent $8 million to renovate the complex in 2017. 

Said Al Avila: “I remember going to the camp with him at the very beginning. We built the bullpens. We built the warning tracks. The pitching mounds. He brought in and planted a lot of trees himself. It was unbelievable. 

“Look at the impact it made.’ 

There were only 24 Dominican players in major league baseball before Avila became a scout. There were 103 Dominican-born players on opening-day rosters alone last year, and 269 players born internationally. 

Avila was so instrumental in the Dominican that he was even knighted by the Dominican president for his role in advancing baseball in the country. 

Avila — born in 1930 in Cuba, where he was a semi-pro baseball player — certainly had quite the fascinating life. He was a revolutionary in Cuba where he was part of a militant workers group that sought to overtake Fulgencio Batista, and then an anti-revolutionary when Fidel Castro was leading the charge. He fled to the United States in 1961, and participated in the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion in 1962.  

With no relatives left in Cuba, Ralph Avila never returned.

“He refused to go back to Cuba,’’ Al Avila said. “You would have had to kill my dad to go back to Cuba. Once he learned the truth that [Fidel] Castro was a communist dictator, he knew he had to leave. 

“It was really hard for him to talk about.’ 

Now this proud family hopes that folks remember just what Avila meant with the Caribbean Series being played in his hometown. Al Avila was instrumental in the Florida Marlins’ World Series championship run in 1997 as Dave Dombrowski’s assistant GM, and his son, Alex, had a 13-year career as an All-Star catcher. 

I’ll never forget the 2011 All-Star gala with Ralph Avila, Al Avila and Alex Avila together when Alex was an All-Star with the Tigers, finishing 12th in the MVP race. 

And Al Avila says he’ll never forget the night he got the phone call that Alex was being promoted to the big leagues for his major-league debut. Ralph and his wife happened to be visiting in Detroit at the same time, but were headed to the airport when Al got word about Alex’s debut. 

“I was so excited, I called them in the car to come back,’ Al Avila said. “But my dad, he couldn’t do it. He was shaking. He was scared. The emotion that came over him was too much. So they flew home.’ 

No matter. 

The memories are still vivid, with Al Avila still relishing the days he would be driving with his dad and Lasorda in the car together, talking about everything that is right and wrong with the game. 

“We always talked about the game, but to be in the car with those two, with every other word an F-bomb, talking about this player or that game,’ Avila said, “was something I’ll never forget. Oh, and the arguments that would ensue. They were legendary, really. 

“This is a special time with the Caribbean Series being in Miami, but more than anything, I’m hoping my dad will be remembered for just what he meant to so many people.’

Willie Mays Day celebrates ‘Say Hey Kid’ on 2/4/24

On Feb. 4, the city of San Francisco and the Giants are celebrating the great Willie Mays. 

The numerical anomaly was simply too good to pass up: 2/4/24, Mays’ former number. 

City Hall will be illuminated in orange and black and the Oracle Park scoreboard will commemorate the occasion. 

“I am honored by Mayor Breed’s proclamation, and would like to thank the City of San Francisco and the Giants for this day,” Mays, 92, said in a statement.

“The game of baseball has been great to me, and not only was I given the opportunity to play, but I was also given the opportunity to help kids all around the world. To me, this day means I am loved. This is as much my day as it is for everyone who loves the game.” 

It will be quite the year for Mays with the Giants scheduled to play the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field in June, honoring the history of the Negro Leagues. Mays played at Rickwood Field for the Birmingham Black Barons before the Giants signed him out of high school in 1950. 

“Our National Pastime always welcomes the opportunity to celebrate the game’s greatest living player, Willie Mays,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said. “Major League Baseball applauds the San Francisco Giants and the City of San Francisco for honoring the best number 24 of all in grand fashion. To this day, Willie remains an inspiration to sports fans and baseball players everywhere. We look forward to highlighting Willie’s legacy at the MLB at Rickwood Field Game in his hometown of Birmingham this June 20th.” 

Around the basepaths

– Several executives think the Philadelphia Phillies could be a sleeper for one of the remaining marquee free agents in starter Jordan Montgomery or center fielder Cody Bellinger. Their lone big move has been re-signing Aaron Nola, and Bellinger certainly would provide Gold Glove-caliber defense and another bat to balance the lineup. Montgomery would strengthen the top of the rotation.

Yet, unless their price-tags drop, the Phillies plan to remain patient.

– Several MLB owners say they were stunned the Orioles were sold for only $1.72 billion, believing the Angelos family would have received much more if they had opened the bidding to other bidders. The sale was a major surprise to most MLB executives.

– The perfect fit for DH J.D. Martinez, GMs say, are the Cleveland Guardians, who have spent just $1.1 million this winter.

– GMs say that no team improved its offense more this winter than the Seattle Mariners with the acquisitions of Jorge Polanco, Mitch Garver, Mitch Haniger and Luke Raley.

– The Chicago White Sox believe that the Milwaukee Brewers’ return of young lefty D.L. Hall and shortstop Joey Ortiz for Corbin Burnes should be the floor in what they should receive in return for ace Dylan Cease.

The Orioles offered basically the same package for Cease, along with another player. Cease, who is earning $8 million this season, however has two years of control compared to Burnes’ one season.

– Now that spring training is beginning this week in Arizona with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, executives and agents believe there will be an absolute flurry of free-agent activity.

It’s unlikely that Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, Matt Chapman and Jordan Montgomery will sign this week, but there should be dozens of others who are getting antsy and need to quickly find a home.

There have been fewer than 80 players who have signed major-league free agent contracts this winter in this slow market.

The Dodgers still have spent almost as much money this winter ($1.073 billion) than the rest of the 29 teams ($1.25 billion).

There are eight teams who have spent less than $10 million in free agency while just four teams have spent more than $100 million: the Dodgers ($1.073 billion), the Phillies ($173 million), the Giants ($165 million) and the Astros ($107 million).

– Now that the Giants have cleared $9.25 million in payroll by trading starter Ross Stripling to the Oakland A’s (paying $3.25 million of Stripling’s $12.5 million salary), it certainly could help land third baseman Matt Chapman or another marquee free agent.

– The Minnesota Twins, after saving $5.5 million in the Polanco trade with Seattle, look set to sign first baseman Carlos Santana on a one-year, $5.25 million contract.

– While the Orioles hated to part with their 2024 Competitive Balance Round A pick, No. 34 overall, in the Corbin Burnes trade, remember they will recoup the loss when they make a qualifying offer to Burnes after the season and receive a 2025 draft pick. The Orioles also already have the No. 22 and No. 32 selections this summer.

– The Milwaukee Brewers are letting teams know that shortstop Willy Adames is available now that they have acquired defensive whiz Joey Ortiz from the Orioles. They could also trade Adames at the deadline or simply let him walk as a free agent next winter.

“It’s hard to say,’ Brewers GM Matt Arnold said. “As we’ve discussed in the past, sometimes these deals come together very quickly and in other cases, they take a long time. I’m certainly open to more conversations. I certainly wouldn’t shut any conversations down at this point in the offseason.’’

– The Los Angeles Dodgers knocked $4 million off starter James Paxton’s guarantee after getting the results of his physical. Paxton, who originally was guaranteed $11 million, now is guaranteed $7 million. He can still make a total of $13 million with incentives.

– Kudos to Major League Baseball for stepping up and helping replace the stolen and dismantled Jackie Robinson statue that was erected in 2021 in Wichita, Kansas, at their local youth baseball league. MLB also has agreed to provide funding to League 42 programming to support its on-field and academic goals.

The bronze statue was stolen, dismantled, and then burned in the disgusting hate crime.

– The New York Mets have had a quiet offseason, but wound up spending less than $12 million for three relievers in Adam Ottavino, Jake Diekman and Shintaro Fujinami simply by staying patient.

Ottavino actually cost himself more than $2 million by rejecting his $6.75 million player option and signing for $4.5 million.

– The Orioles tried to re-sign outfielder Aaron Hicks before he chose the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels have to pay him just the league minimum of $740,000 while the Yankees are responsible for $8.76 million this year, and $9.5 million in 2025.

– It was no surprise that Adrian Beltre chose to wear the Texas Rangers logo as he’s inducted this summer into the Hall of Fame while manager Jim Leyland is going without a team logo, knowing he could not offend either the Detroit Tigers or Pittsburgh Pirates. He also won a World Series with the Florida Marlins.

“I will always appreciate the team that gave me the opportunity to be their major league manager,’’ said Leyland, who also managed the Colorado Rockies. “We had some great moments with every one of those ballclubs, and I’m proud that they will be mentioned on my Hall of Fame plaque. I want to make sure I show each of thise teams respect, and this does that.’’

Beltre on his decision: “Looking back, I played more years in Texas than anywhere else and I believe my time with the Rangers represents the peak of my career, individually and from a team standpoint. But I could not have made this journey to Cooperstown without the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and their fans, and I am proud that each of the teams I played with will be listed on my Hall of Fame plaque.’’

– The Oakland A’s are clearing their way for their new $1.5 billion ballpark in Las Vegas with the Tropicana Hotel now scheduled to shut down on April 2 before being demolished. The Tropicana opened 66 years ago.

– Atlanta center fielder Michael Harris says that Dodgers All-Star Mookie Betts has become a mentor for him, telling The Athletic: “He’s been good to me. He’s been a real good leader to me, just trying to keep my head on straight and teach me some different ways to go about life and stuff.’’

– Now that Theo Epstein has joined the Boston Red Sox’s ownership group, maybe he can convince them to start using some of their top draft picks on pitchers.

The Red Sox haven’t drafted a pitcher with one of their first two picks since 2017, or selected a pitcher higher than 99th since Tanner Houck seven years ago.

– Quote of the week, courtesy of Detroit Tigers rookie infielder Colt Keith after getting his six-year, $28.6425 million contract that includes three option years worth another $38 million: “There are positives and negatives and risks on both sides. Worst case for both of us, the organization and myself, is I don’t pan out and I end up with security, financially, for me and my family for the rest of our lives.

“Best case for both of us is all of the option years are exercised, we win a couple of World Series, I make myself a boatload of money and I’m still a free agent at 31.’

– The Texas Rangers may have sewn up the best midseason acquisitions award with Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle each expected back before the All-Star break. Scherzer, 39, underwent surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back six weeks ago while deGrom is seven months removed from elbow surgery and Mahle 10 months from Tommy John surgery.

– Since the retirement of Dustin Pedroia, the Red Sox are about to deploy their sixth different opening-day second baseman in the last six years: Eduardo Nunez (2019), Jose Peraza (2020), Enrique Hernandez (2021), Trevor Story (2022), Christian Arroyo (2023) and likely Vaughn Grissom (2024).

– Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa says he’s coming to camp feeling like a new man after dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot for most of the 2023 season. He struggled offensively, hitting just .230 with a .312 on-base percentage and .399 slugging percentage.

‘You know me, I’m not going to blame my offensive struggles on that,’ Correa told reporters during the team’s TwinsFest celebration. “It was more than that. But this year, I’m going to show up healthy, ready to go. My swing feels great. I want to have a big year. That’s what I’m preparing for. … You guys will see. It’s really good.”

– Perfect Game and commissioner Dennis Gilbert donated equipment to the Show Baseball travel program on Chicago’s South Side after their coach, Ernest Radcliffe, was the victim of a car-jacking, losing all of their baseball equipment.

Perfect Game delivered 28 boxes of baseballs, 10 baseball buckets with lids, and two fungo bats.

Perfect Game also recently partnered with the Beyond Sports Lab, a minority-owned indoor baseball facility in Little Rock, Arkansas, to provide baseball development to underserved children. They will have a Black History Baseball and Softball camp on Sunday.

“One of our stated goals at Perfect Game is to get as many children playing baseball and softball as possible,’ Gilbert said, “and the volunteers with Beyond Sports Lab share that vision of not only, molding elite athletes but elite people, as well.’

– RIP Tom “Otis’’ Hellman, the beloved Cubs 67-year-old clubhouse manager who passed away this past week from a fall.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

The hype continues to build for Super Bowl Sunday and the big game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. Would it be even more fun if the day after the big game was a day off?

This isn’t a new concept. The idea of the Monday after the Super Bowl becoming a national holiday has been around for a while, but it hasn’t gathered enough momentum to advance. This year, ice cream treat maker Drumstick is promoting a petition to make post-Super Bowl Monday a national holiday.

Since 2017, Change.org has hosted more than two dozen petitions asking Congress, the president or the NFL to make the Monday after the Super Bowl a national holiday. One suggests moving Presidents Day to the day after the Super Bowl and others suggest no school the day after the game. Some schools have canceled classes the day after the Super Bowl when a local NFL team was involved.

Super Bowl Monday already an unofficial holiday

Since none of these petitions have paid off, many just unilaterally make the Monday after the Super Bowl a holiday. An estimated 16.1 million employees across the U.S. plan to miss work Monday, Feb. 12, the day after Super Bowl 58 is played, according to a survey of 1,192 Americans, conducted Jan. 10-12, 2024 by The Harris Poll for The Workforce Institute at UKG.

SUPER BOWL CENTRAL: Latest Super Bowl 58 news, stats, odds, matchups and more.

The expected absences – ‘Super Bowl flu’ as the workplace management company calls it – are down from last year when 18.8 million employees said they planned to miss work on Monday after the Super Bowl, according to UKG. And in more good news for managers, an estimated 10 million workers have already requested the day off.

As many as 14.5 million employed U.S. adults have called in sick to work when they weren’t actually sick on the Monday after the Super Bowl, the survey found. An estimated 28% of employees say they will be less productive on that day. In the past, outplacement company Challenger, Gray & Christmas has estimated lost productivity from absent and distracted workers on Super Bowl Monday at $6.5 billion.

More than one-third (37%) of employees said the day after the Super Bowl should be a national holiday. ‘It’s a national cultural phenomenon, for sure, and it’s a day when people are with family and friends and neighbors and groups (and) in bars, for hours. And on the East Coast, in particular, the game ends really late,’ said Chris Todd, CEO if UKG.

So the next day, ‘everyone treats it like a holiday, even though it’s not a holiday,’ he said.

Good managers will treat the Monday after the Super Bowl ‘like a holiday, even if it’s not a holiday,’ and begin discussing ‘the impact that’s going to have’ on the workplace ahead of time, Todd said.

Some offices may start work a few hours late or allow some to take the day off. ‘We actually think if you manage this well, this is an opportunity for businesses to make themselves better … (with) an open conversation with employees about the fact that we all have lives outside of work,’ he said.

Super Bowl Monday: Ice cream maker starts petition to make it a national holiday

This year, Drumstick has created its own new Change.org petition to, uh, change things. ‘Our vision for the future after every Big Game is a Monday where the whole country hits pause on the grind,’ the petition reads. ‘But if we don’t speak up, the day after Big Game is just another morning alarm, another day lost to the same ol’ routine.’

So far, nearly 5,000 have signed the petition. By signing, you can also enter a sweepstakes to win your ideal Monday ever. (Examples: Want to learn to surf? Helicopter over the Grand Canyon? Dogsled in Alaska?)

Once, you’ve signed the petition, go to Drumstick’s Instagram and find the #DrumstickMonday sweepstakes post, and comment with your ideal #DrumstickMonday.

What would it take to make Super Bowl Monday a holiday?

Congress would have to pass a bill in order to make Super Bowl Monday a reality.

The last time that happened was in June 2021 when Juneteenth (June 19) become a federal holiday commemorating the symbolic end of slavery in the United States. President Joe Biden signed the bill.

It was the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983. Over the years, Congress and the president have enacted 12 federal holidays, including New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Christmas.

Federal holidays, however, are not ‘national holidays,’ and only apply to federal employees and the District of Columbia, notes a Congressional Research Service report updated in July 2021. Each state gets to determine its legal holidays, the report states.

For instance, at least 28 states and the District of Columbia recognized Juneteenth as a public holiday in 2023, according to the Pew Research Center. Some other states may observe the date, but not have a day off.

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. – They came from Maryland, Washington, D.C., and neighboring states like Virginia and Pennsylvania, but also states at least as far away as North Carolina, Georgia and, of course, Iowa.

They were lined up outside Xfinity Center on the campus of the University of Maryland up to three hours before Saturday’s opening tipoff, many of them wearing Iowa black and yellow, a number of girls wearing No. 22 Hawkeyes jerseys.

As always, Caitlin Clark didn’t disappoint them, powering home 38 points in front of a sellout crowd of 17,950 as she continued to sail toward Kelsey Plum’s women’s scoring record (3,527), set in 2017, as No. 4 Iowa beat Maryland 93-85.

Clark, the Hawkeyes’ 6-foot senior point guard, now has 3,462 career points, 66 from becoming the all-time scoring leader in women’s NCAA basketball. The men’s scoring record, set by Pete Maravich in 1970 (3,667 points), remains within reach. The record chase continues Thursday in Iowa City against Penn State.

Early and late in the game, the Maryland side of the Xfinity Center crowd booed Clark when she got the ball but then saw firsthand how the nation’s most exhilarating player can quickly change the momentum for Iowa (21-2, 10-1 Big Ten). She does it with her scoring, of course – she hit three 3-pointers in a flash in the first quarter to quell an early Maryland run – but also by whipping or bouncing passes to teammates all over the court for their own scores.

Clark, who entered the game leading the nation in scoring (32.1 ppg) and assists (7.7 apg), finished with a season-high 12 assists as Maryland players did their best to front and swarm her, leaving Clark’s teammates open for layups and some big 3s of their own.

“I take it in everywhere I go and I think I’m just very grateful and obviously it’s changed my life in some ways more than others, just being aware of my surroundings and stuff like that, but people spend a lot of time, money and resources to come see us play,” Clark says. “Whenever I step on the court, I just want to have a lot of fun and I’ve been able to find a lot of joy and calmness in that. I don’t get nervous for these games, honestly. It is what it is, it’s basketball.

“One game is not gonna make or break our season and I just find a calming presence in like, being around my teammates and having fun playing this game.”

Iowa fans waiting outside before the arena opened its doors broke into “Let’s Go Hawks!” chants that continued throughout the game, including while Maryland players were introduced.

Clark hit a step-back 3 from the left wing. But she traveled on the ensuing possession, which uplifted the Maryland fans. Then the Terrapins roared ahead 11-3, their players flying off the bench to greet Shyanne Sellers after her jumper before a timeout during the sequence.

By the end of the quarter, though, Clark had three more 3s, including two more step-backs and one of her “logo 3s” from deep on the left wing. The show was on.

“Shootin’-from-the-logo 3, that’s not just luck,” Dickson Jensen, Clark’s former AAU coach for the All Iowa Attack, told USA TODAY Sports ahead of the game. “I mean, she shoots hundreds of those, hundreds, every day, and has for 6-7 years. I don’t care if you’re 6-6 or not. It doesn’t matter when (she’s) shooting from out here.”

Iowa plays at a fast pace and always had an answer for Maryland’s runs, whether it be a Clark buzzer-beating 3 to end the first quarter or driving layup to close the second.

“That game felt like March,” said Maryland coach Brenda Frese, whose team fell to 12-10 (4-7 Big Ten) while faced with one of the toughest strengths of schedule in the country.

Clark finished 7 of 17 from 3-point range. But something else happened, too, an aspect of her game that makes her especially deadly and Iowa look unbeatable at times. From the start of the game, she was shooting passes around – short, medium and long – and finding open teammates, even if they didn’t convert on baskets.

They eventually did, and Clark finding teammates for backdoor cuts helped end a Maryland run that erased an 18-point deficit in the third quarter. After back and forth play, the score was tied 76-76 with 6:17 left in the fourth.

At that point, Clark hit another big 3 then found Sydney Affolter underneath from the top of the key and later for a 3-pointer that helped seal the game.

“I thought we did a really good job of backdoor-cutting tonight and looking for scores around the rim,” Clark said. “We know Maryland plays out, they’re in passing lanes, so look to go backdoor and people are ready to finish the ball.”

Two other Iowa scorers (Molly Davis, 17; Kate Martin, 15) finished in double figures. Meanwhile, Clark’s passes came with one and two hands, her drives from the right and left. She delivered for everyone who came out.

“All last season, we had 10,000-plus at home, and then we go on the magical run (to the women’s NCAA title game) that we go on and we’re playing in front of sold-out crowds every single step of the way,” Clark says. “Yeah, it’s changed whether we are on the road or at home, there’s always huge crowds, but I think our team has just become just used to it. I mean, that’s the biggest thing, is like nobody shies away from these moments, whether you’re coming off the bench or you’re in the starting five, it’s just what you’re used to at this point and you don’t have much say in it, so you better embrace it.”

“And really, more than anything, it’s really good for women’s basketball so just enjoy every single moment.”

She walked off the court to cheers and her arms raised in appreciation.

Before it began, one fan lining up outside quipped out loud that half of Iowa was there. Another, Erin Pryce of Baltimore, admitted she bought season tickets just to go to this game.

“We’re bandwagon,” she said.

So is a large slice of America as Clark moves perhaps a couple games from the women’s scoring record.

The NHL All-Star Game weekend is over and the stretch drive starts on Monday night, but first there will be a legal update involving four of the league’s players.

Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote and Dillon Dube, all on leave from their NHL teams, and former NHL player Alex Formenton have been charged with sexual assault, their lawyers told the Associated Press. The alleged incident occurred in 2018 after a Hockey Canada gala in London, Ontario, that honored members of the gold-medal-winning world junior championship team.

Police will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. ET Monday to offer details of their investigation.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman addressed the issue Friday, saying the ‘alleged behavior’ was ‘abhorrent.’ But he said the league would let the judicial proceedings play out before deciding a response. He and deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league would not release the findings of an independent 12-month investigation while the case is ongoing.

Here are pressing questions for the NHL stretch drive:

Will the Edmonton Oilers set the record for consecutive wins?

What’s more surprising: that the Oilers are on a 16-game winning streak or that they opened the season 2-9-1? A coaching change from Jay Woodcroft to Kris Knoblauch and the addition of Hall of Famer Paul Coffey to coach the defense has made the difference. The Oilers have given up only 24 goals during the streak.

The Oilers can tie the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins’ record winning streak on Tuesday at the Vegas Golden Knights, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season. If they get past the defending champions, they can break the record on Friday at Anaheim. They’ve outscored the Ducks 15-4 over two games this season.

The last time the Oilers made a midseason coaching change (to Woodcroft), they reached the conference final.

Who will win the scoring race?

It certainly has been exciting with current leader Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, one point behind, seemingly trying to top each other every night. One will have a big game and be matched by the other. MacKinnon is working on a 13-game point streak (28 points) and Kucherov averaged two points a game in January. MacKinnon is much better at home and his team is going on a six-game road trip. Kucherov has similar numbers at home and on the road. This could go to the end of the regular season. They’ll face each other on Feb. 15 in Tampa.

Who could be moved before the trade deadline?

The deadline is March 8. Calgary’s Elias Lindholm and Montreal’s Sean Monahan just got traded. Calgary’s Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev could move as well. Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas is sizing up his team. If he decides to sell, pending unrestricted free agent Jake Guentzel would fetch a good price. The Ducks, Sharks, Blackhawks, Senators and rebuilding Flyers could also be sellers.

Can Alex Ovechkin get back on track in Wayne Gretzky goal record chase?

The Washington Capitals star needs to score 24.3 goals a season to pass Gretzky’s record in the remaining two-plus seasons of his contract but is on pace for about 16. He had a career-worst 14-game drought and had another eight-game drought surrounding a three-game injury absence. He did score his ninth goal right before the break and will be rested, but in his career, his goals-per-game numbers have dropped slightly after the All-Star break.

Can Connor Bedard win rookie of the year?

The Chicago Blackhawks 2023 No. 1 overall pick was a front-runner before suffering a broken jaw on Jan. 5. He still holds the rookie scoring lead but Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber is closing in while playing big minutes. Bedard made a surprise appearance at All-Star weekend, passing pucks for the one-timer contest. He told Sportsnet he was feeling better but still needs time to heal. His timeline for returning is late February to early March. If he returns then and goes back to his pre-injury pace, he should be able to finish the season as the top-scoring rookie.

Which 2022-23 non-playoff teams can make 2024 postseason?

The Vancouver Canucks are tied for the league’s best record. The St. Louis Blues hold the final spot in the West and the Nashville Predators and Arizona Coyotes are five points back. In the East, the Philadelphia Flyers hold a spot but lost five in a row heading into the break. The Detroit Red Wings have played better this season and sit in the final wild-card spot. Outside the Canucks, none of them are a sure thing.

There is a certain degree of naivete that every runner brings to the starting line of their very first marathon.

And it sure served Fiona O’Keeffe well Saturday morning.

O’Keeffe turned in a stunning and blistering performance at the U.S. Olympic marathon trials in Orlando, crossing the finish line in 2:22:10 to not only win her marathon debut but break the event record. She finished nearly 32 seconds ahead of runner-up Emily Sisson, effectively pulverizing a deep and talented field of American distance runners and booking her ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer.

She also became the first woman to win the U.S. Olympic marathon trials in her first race at the distance.

‘The past couple years, I’ve been kind of clawing my way through things,’ O’Keeffe told NBC after her win. ‘I was not expecting this performance. I had to pinch myself with eight miles to go and say ‘stay calm, don’t freak out.”

Sisson, who entered Saturday’s race as one of the favorites, joined O’Keeffe in qualifying for the Paris Games on Saturday, as did little-known Dakotah Lindwurm, who started out as a walk-on athlete at her DIvision II school in South Dakota.

On the men’s side, training partners and former BYU teammates Conner Mantz and Clayton Young secured the two guaranteed U.S. spots in Paris. While they ran shoulder-to-shoulder down the home stretch, it was Mantz who crossed the finish line first in a time of 2:09:05, with Young just one second behind him.

The 2024 Paris Olympic start July 26, with the men’s and women’s marathons slated for Aug. 10 and Aug. 11, respectively.

Who is Fiona O’Keeffe?

O’Keeffe, 25, didn’t arrive in Orlando on Saturday as one of the favorites, but she wasn’t a complete unknown either.

O’Keeffe grew up in Davis, California and won the 5,000-meter race at the 2016 U.S. junior nationals. She was a six-time all-American at Stanford before turning pro in 2021, and she’s been in the mix on the track at various points during her brief pro career. O’Keeffe finished sixth in the 5,000 meters at the 2022 outdoor track and field national championships.

After missing part of last year with an ankle injury, O’Keeffe set her sights on the marathon − and perhaps a shot at qualifying for the Paris Olympics.

For the first half of Saturday’s race, she was at or near the front of a 10-woman lead pack, looking comfortable alongside some of the more recognizable faces in the race, Keira D’Amato and Sara Hall. Then, at Mile 19, O’Keeffe started turning the proverbial screws, putting a little bit of distance between herself and the rest of the field.

By Mile 24, she had opened up a whopping 40-second lead over Sisson, effectively putting the race away with two-plus miles to go and the temperature in Orlando creeping closer to 70 degrees.

‘I just tried to stay focused on the running, go back to the feeling of workouts that I’ve done,’ O’Keeffe said.

Her performance drew immediate praise from NBC analyst and former marathoner Kara Goucher, who said on the television broadcast: ‘The future has arrived.’

BYU teammates go 1-2 in men’s race

Nearly three quarters of the way through the men’s race Mantz and Young exchanged a quick high five as they passed a water station. It was a sign of agreement that it was time to lock down their Olympic spots.

Mantz and Young entered Saturday’s race as the only two men who had met the Olympic standard, so it wasn’t entirely surprising to see the former BYU teammates cross the finish line well ahead of the rest of the field.

A hard-charging Leonard Korir finished third in 2:09:57 but will have to wait and see if he is able to compete at the 2024 Games; The U.S. only has two guaranteed spots in the men’s race but could add a third in the coming months if an American man besides Mantz or Young finishes a major marathon in 2:08:10 or faster.

Mantz, 27, and Young, 30, both competed collegiately at BYU and have emerged in recent years as Team USA’s top contenders in the marathon, an event in which the U.S. men have won just two Olympic medals since 1980. Mantz entered Saturday with the fastest personal best of anyone in the field, a 2:07:47 in a sixth-place finish at the Chicago Marathon last fall. Young finished seventh in that race with a time of 2:08.

Mantz told NBC that he considers Young to be both a mentor and close friend.

‘We train together, we worked out together, we run together almost every day,’ he said on the television broadcast after his win.

‘The last two miles, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to finish. But Clayton just kept saying ‘hey, just run behind me, we’ve got this, just stay together.’ It meant a lot (and allowed me) to say, ‘OK, I can run with Clayton.’ ‘

While Mantz and Young were always near the front of the pack, it was Grand Valley State product Zach Panning, who led for roughly 17 of the 26.2 miles and set the pace for the majority of the race. He finished sixth.

Tough day for some big names in Olympic marathon trials

Galen Rupp, who won the 2020 Olympic marathon trials and placed eighth in Tokyo, started strong but fell off the lead pack around Mile 17. He ultimately came in 16th and will miss out on the chance to win a second Olympic marathon medal; He took bronze in 2016.

Abdi Abdirahman, a five-time Olympian who is 47 years old, and 2021 Olympian Jake Riley were among the notable names who did not finish the men’s race, while 2021 Olympic qualifier Aliphine Tuliamuk was among those who recorded a DNF on the women’s side.

Molly Seidel, who was the only American to win a marthon medal at the Tokyo Games, had been scheduled to compete Saturday but announced 48 hours beforehand that she was withdrawing because of a knee injury.

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad.

The NHL wanted a more competitive and entertaining All-Star Game weekend and got it.

Both semifinals went to a shootout before Team Matthews pulled away to beat Team McDavid 7-4 in Saturday’s championship to split the $1 million team prize.

Defense was non-existent as usual, but the goaltending was solid, given the circumstances, and the players’ skill was evident with three goals scored in 18 seconds in the final.

Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews scored twice in the final to win the MVP trophy. He had four points for the day, and his All-Star teammates Mathew Barzal (New York Islanders) and Alex DeBrincat (Detroit Red Wings) had six points each.

Team McDavid overcame a 3-1 deficit in the final minute to force a shootout in the first semifinal. Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid tied the game in the final seconds and he and the Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak scored in the shootout for a 4-3 win.

The second game was a back-and-forth affair with DeBrincat scoring twice in regulation and in the shootout for a 6-5 win. Frank Vatrano (Anaheim Ducks) and Filip Forsberg (Nashville Predators) each had two goals.

Throw in an entertaining revamped skills competition, and the league accomplished its goal.

Here are the winners and losers for the NHL All-Star Game weekend at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena:

WINNERS

Connor McDavid doubly good at the skills competition

The NHL consulted the Oilers star on how to make the event more interesting and the collaboration worked. The skills competition had become too gimmicky — witness the dunk tank in Florida and the game of 21 with oversized cards on the Las Vegas Strip. Even the breakaway contest with costumes had become stale. Friday was a return to the basics. Having only 12 participants and having players eliminated after the sixth and seventh events were good touches. The winner-take-all $1 million prize added to the stakes. And for good measure, McDavid won four events and got the check.

Player draft made for interesting combinations in All-Star Game

Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon chose buddy and fellow Nova Scotian Sidney Crosby for his team, and Crosby assisted on MacKinnon’s two goals. They normally wouldn’t have played together because they’re in different divisions. Bruins teammates Pastrnak and Jeremy Swayman went against each other in the first game. The goalie robbed Pastrnak on a breakaway, but the forward beat his teammate with 31 seconds left and also in the shootout.

NHL going back to the Olympics

The NHL went five times from 1998 to 2014 and didn’t go the last two times. The Olympics are better with the best players participating, especially with stars McDavid, the Tkachuk brothers and others finally getting a chance to go. The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off featuring the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden sounds like a good appetizer and the idea of having an international tournament every other year will satisfy players’ desire to suit up for their countries.

Goaltenders put on a show

The All-Star weekend is supposed to be rough on goalies, but there were outstanding performances. Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev got the $100,000 prize in the skills competition by making nine saves against McDavid in the one-on-one contest. He stopped nine of 10 shots in the first game for Team MacKinnon. Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (Team McDavid) had the save of the day, sliding over to rob Team Matthews’ Mitch Marner in the final seconds of the first half of the championship game to keep the score at 3-3. Marner, whose Maple Leafs lost to Bobrovsky in the second round last season, playfully tossed his glove at the goalie.

Connor Bedard makes a surprise appearance

The Chicago Blackhawks rookie suffered a broken jaw the day after he was named to the All-Star Game. But he went to Toronto and took part in the skills competition as a passer in the one-timer contest. ‘I feel good and I feel ready, so if it were up to me, I would’ve been back,’ he told Sportsnet on Saturday. ‘But of course, I’ve got to make sure it’s healed and make sure you’re not risking anything out there.’ He’s still the NHL’s top-scoring rookie, but it remains to be seen if he still is when he returns.

Professional Women’s Hockey League’s Savannah Harmon

She had a hat trick and five points as the upstart women’s league got a showcase 3-on-3 game during All-Star Thursday. Unfortunately, the event was only shown on streaming services in the United States.

LOSERS

Nikita Kucherov booed at the skills competition

The Tampa Bay Lightning forward was among the four players eliminated after six events on Friday. He finished last with half a point and fans booed his effort. He waved to fans after finishing last in the stickhandling with a time of 44.178, nearly six seconds slower than Boston’s David Pastrnak, who missed the net and had to retrieve the puck. He did score in his first shift in the All-Star Game before being booed in his shootout attempt.

Mathew Barzal’s bad luck in the final skills event

The speedy New York Islanders forward got off to a good start in the obstacle course in his bid for the grand prize. But when he got to the tiny nets, he kept missing and missing and missing. Only 1.5 points behind McDavid heading into the event, he finished last in the obstacle course and fifth overall. But he made up for it with a goal and five assists during Saturday’s game.

Thursday’s All-Star player draft

Even with celebrity captains and the best players participating, it was kind of dull. The earlier versions in 2011, 2012 and 2015 were more interesting, maybe because there were plenty of liquid refreshments.

Phil Kessel had to sweat it out as the last pick in 2011 but was rewarded with a car. Team captains in 2015 denied Alex Ovechkin his lobbying to be picked last so he could win a car (to give to a charity, it turns out). In this year’s event, the final four unchosen players learned their teams by being handed an envelope. And there was no car.

The passing contest at the skills competition

The league might want to rethink this one. There were a lot of misses and probably for a good reason. In a game, when players pass, their teammates are moving. In this contest, the targets were stationary.

Hockey Canada scandal dominates Gary Bettman’s news conference

The NHL addressed the Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal on Friday, three days before London (Ontario) Police are to hold a news conference about the case involving four NHL players and a former NHL player. They’re accused of sexually assaulting a woman after a Hockey Canada gala honoring the gold-medal world junior team in 2018.

Commissioner Gary Bettman said the ‘alleged behavior’ was ‘abhorrent,’ but he and deputy commissioner Bill Daly are lawyers and elected to be careful about what they said. They didn’t reveal the findings of a 12-month independent investigation. Bettman put off any talk of the league’s response about the allegations, noting the players are on leave from their teams and are free agents after the season.

‘The most responsible and prudent thing for us to do is await the conclusion of the judicial proceedings, at which point, we will respond as appropriate at the time,’ he said.