With the settlement of three athlete-compensation antitrust cases against the NCAA and the Power Five conferences having received final approval from a federal district judge on June 6, members of the U.S. House of Representatives have moved into action with new legislative proposals regarding national rules for college sports.

On Wednesday, June 10, Reps. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., and Janelle Bynum, D-Ore., introduced a bill that comes shortly after Reps. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., and Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., circulated a discussion draft of a bill that would largely put into federal law the terms and new rules-making structure of the settlement. The McClain-Bynum bill would have the same basic impact.

The discussion draft is set to be the centerpiece of a hearing June 11 by a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Bilirakis, who has been involved in previous college-sports bill efforts, chairs the subcommittee. Guthrie chairs the full committee.

The bill – in addition to being a bi-partisan presentation – continues recent work related to college sports from McClain, who is the current House Republican Conference chair. That makes her the GOP’s No. 4-ranking member in the House.

In April, McClain introduced a bill that would prevent college athletes from being employees of their schools, conferences or an athletic association. That concept has been included in the new bill with Bynum, a signal that at least some Democrats are willing to accept this. The discussion draft also would bar athletes from becoming school employees. However, the employment issue already is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit in a federal district court in Pennsylvania.

The bill and the discussion draft both include language that specifically would allow the NCAA, and potentially the new Collegiate Sports Commission, to make operational rules affecting schools and athletes in areas that have come into legal dispute in recent years and in areas that the NCAA wants to shield from future legal dispute.

To back up that authority, the bill has specific provisions designed to shield the NCAA, the Commission, conferences and schools protection from lawsuits that could come from rules they adopt that are ‘reasonably contemplated’ under the bill. The discussion draft includes a “placeholder” section for language that likely would be connected to providing antitrust or other legal protection for various provisions.

Both proposals also include language that would require most Division I schools to provide a series of benefits for athletes that are currently called for under NCAA and some conferences’ rules, but do not have the force of federal law.

Disagreements about the types of benefits for athletes that would be required under a federal law have stalled college-sports legislative efforts over the past few years in the Senate by Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Cory Booker, D-N.J. and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. Cruz now chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, and he has publicly expressed his interest in getting a bill put together this year that can pass in that chamber.

According both the bill and the discussion draft, an “interstate collegiate athletic association” would be able to “establish and enforce rules relating to’ the manner in which athletes may be recruited to play sports and “the transfer of a student athlete between institutions.’

The discussion draft also would let an association have rules about “the number of seasons or length of time for which a student athlete is eligible to compete, academic standards, and code of conduct”.

The NCAA’s rules regarding when recruits can be offered money in exchange for the use of their name, image and likeness; athletes’ ability to freely transfer; and the number of seasons in which they are eligible to compete all have been – or currently are being – addressed in federal and state courts across the country. That has raised concerns for NCAA officials about the future of rules such as those concerning academic eligibility requirements.

On the athlete-benefit side:

Both proposals would include medical coverage for athletically related injuries after the conclusion of an athlete’s career (the bill would provide coverage for four years, the discusssion draft at least two).

Both proposals mandate guaranteed financial aid that would allow an athlete to complete an undergraduate degree (the bill allows a 10-year period for completion, the discussion draft is open-ended).

Under the discussion draft, most Division I schools would be required to create “an administrative structure that provides independent medical care and affirms the unchallengeable autonomous authority of primary athletics health care providers (team physicians and athletic trainers) to determine medical management and return-to-play decisions related to student athletes.”

Also under the discussion draft, most Division I schools also would be required to cover athletes’ out-of-pocket expenses for medical care of athletically related injuries and to provid mental health services.  

With Major League Baseball’s draft looming in a little more than a month, it’s evident that selection Sunday will be volatile right up to the point commissioner Rob Manfred officially marries player with team from the dais of Atlanta’s Roxy Theater.

While the lack of a consensus No. 1 – let alone a top 5, 10, 20 – will rob the proceedings of a Paul Skenes-like anointment, the Choose Your Own Adventure element of this selection meeting should be evident throughout the first round.

With only the College World Series remaining among amateur competition and MLB’s Draft League revving up, USA TODAY Sports takes aim its second mock draft:

1. Washington Nationals: Ethan Holliday, INF, Stillwater (Okla.) HS

He’s not No. 1 with a bullet. Yet it’s difficult to justify moving Holliday off here even as there’s plenty of smoke around 1/1 alternatives. The crop of majors-ready arms did little to harm their stock in the postseason. Seth Hernandez may possess the dudeliest arm out there. Eli Willits visited Nationals Park last week. But we’re not yet prepared to envision a world where someone other than Holliday kicks off this chain reaction. Stay tuned.

2. Los Angeles Angels: Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State

In the name of consistency, we’re keeping Arnold at 2, even as fellow college lefties Liam Doyle and Kade Anderson lurk. While both may possess greater upside and miss more bats, Arnold has shown an ability to get deep in games against elite competition, and better fits the “now” ethos of the Angels’ recent draft history.

3. Seattle Mariners: Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State

At the risk of getting too static, it’s nonetheless tough to move this 6-foot-5, 220-pound shortstop specimen out of the three hole, particularly with plenty of elite college arms the Mariners develop so well available. But it’s also tough to pass on a potential 10-year cog in a lineup that needs one.

4. Colorado Rockies: Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton (Okla.) HS

Kinda wild that two legacy players who squared off throughout high school will affect the other’s fate so much. It’s not that the Rockies face a Holliday/Willits binary when they’re on the clock, but in this simulation, taking a potential cornerstone who doesn’t turn 18 until December will be too tough for the need-everything Rockies to bypass.

5. St. Louis Cardinals: Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU

The Cardinals are almost guaranteed to get one of the elite college lefties and in this universe, it’s Anderson, who has sparred with Doyle for the NCAA strikeout lead all year and will take his 163 punchouts in 103 innings into at least one more start, in Omaha.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates: Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona (Calif.) HS

Volatility, thy name is Seth. Who wouldn’t want a 6-foot-4 high schooler whose fastball sits in the high 90s with advanced secondary offerings and has dominated against elite prep competition? Yet the trepidation of “high school right-hander draft history” may be a headwind all the way up to Manfred’s stroll to the podium. Still, this figures to be the floor, or close to it, for a fireballer on the periphery of the 1/1 conversation.

7. Miami Marlins: Billy Carlson, SS, Corona (Calif.) HS

It’s the 909’s time to shine, with a pair of Panthers popped in succession. The Marlins stumble upon a nice building block here, as Carlson’s elite arm and bat speed will get him to Miami’s infield quicker than most prep draftees.

8. Toronto Blue Jays: Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee

While there are a few spoilers out there, this looks like the top eight, in one order or another. In this scenario, Doyle tumbles a bit; like Hernandez, his wait could be much shorter on July 13.

9. Cincinnati Reds: Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma

Rhett Lowder, Chase Burns… Witherspoon? Sounds like the makings of a nice rotation thanks to draft capital spent on advanced college arms. The math checks out that an arm of that ilk will be available. Witherspoon cut his walk rate nearly in half – from 14.2% to 7.2% – making his high-upside and unpredictive repertoire even more effective.

10. Chicago White Sox: Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M

From 1/1 favorite to who knows, LaViolette’s slide stops with the White Sox, whose revamped hitting program could be the panacea for a slugger whose platform junior year fizzled. LaViolette regressed from .305, 29 homers, 1.175 OPS to .257, 18 and 1.003, and his K rate nudged upward, to 25.2.

11. Athletics: Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest

The glut of prep shortstops are all still on this board, but the Athletics opt for a guy who can impact their lineup before they depart Yolo County for Las Vegas. A nice infield complement to shoo-in Rookie of the Year Jacob Wilson.

12. Texas Rangers: Kayson Cunningham, SS, Johnson (Texas) HS

The Rangers amble down I-35 for their choice, a mature high school bat with solid Team USA bona fides and a commitment to Texas. Let the run on prep shortstops begin.

13. San Francisco Giants: JoJo Parker, SS, Purvis (Miss.) HS

Parker could easily be gone by now, but his power from a premier position at a young age is too much for the Giants to bypass here in the first draft overseen by the Buster Posey regime.

14. Tampa Bay Rays: Steele Hall, SS, Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) HS

He doesn’t turn 18 until a week after the draft and has significant power potential and all-around athletic ability that guarantees he’ll play somewhere up the middle, a versatile skill set the Rays value.

15. Boston Red Sox: Gavin Kilen, INF, Tennessee

A 13th-round Red Sox draftee out of high school, Kilen leveled up at Louisville and then with the Vols, with whom he slugged 15 homers with a 1.112 OPS this season. Struck out just 27 times in 245 plate appearances, a solid K rate given the elite level of pitching in the SEC.

16. Minnesota Twins: Tyler Bremner, LHP, UC Santa Barbara

Bremner probably shouldn’t be slept on to this extent; a consensus top five pick a few months ago, he started slowly but posted double-digit strikeout games in six of his final seven starts, and is a nice value here.

17. Chicago Cubs: Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Arkansas

Sure, Arquette owns the title of “Best Hawaiian Shortstop In the College World Series,” but Aloy looks up to few of his peers. The SEC player of the year slugged 20 home runs and is sound enough defensively to stick at shortstop.

18. Arizona Diamondbacks: Daniel Pierce, SS, Mill Creek (Ga.) HS

The Georgia commit is advanced in both age – he turns 19 in August – and acumen, though there remains some power upside.

19. Baltimore Orioles: Ethan Conrad, OF, Wake Forest

Until proven otherwise, the Orioles stick with their advanced college bat template in the first round, with Conrad flying under the radar thanks to season-ending shoulder injury after an outfield dive. Before he got hurt, Conrad was raking (.372/.495/.744 in 97 plate appearances) for the Demon Deacons.

20. Milwaukee Brewers: Ike Irish, C/OF, Auburn

Another club that tends to lean college bat, the Brewers get a nice piece in Irish, whose .364, 19-homer platform season looks even better if he sticks at catcher professionally. But Irish caught just 12 games for the Tigers this year, spending 45 games in the outfield.

21. Houston Astros: Andrew Fischer, INF, Tennessee

This is perhaps too much helium for Fischer, whose physical profile may not support the sort of power to slug as a first baseman might be expected at the big league level. But there’s still onramp for Fischer to establish himself at another infield position and the Astros can figure that out as he builds off his exuberant 25-homer, 1.205 OPS platform year on Rocky Top.

22. Atlanta Braves: Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP, Sunset (Ore.) HS

A lefty with Schoolcraft’s big arm should slot much higher, but the current industry lean toward collegiate talent in the top of the first round drops him in Atlanta’s lap. At 6-8 and with a 97-mph fastball, Schoolcraft has a significant floor that the Braves can work with.

23. Kansas City Royals: Gavin Fien, INF, Great Oak (Calif.) HS

A Texas commit whose future position is subject to change, Fien’s bat stands up against the prep shortstops projected to go ahead of him.

24. Detroit Tigers: Xavier Neyens, INF, Mt. Vernon (Wash.) HS

We’ll keep Neyens right here, even as his tantalizing upside and 6-foot-4, 205-pound frame could inspire clubs to jump sooner. There are worse players to dream on than a potential left-handed swinging Austin Riley.

25. San Diego Padres: Sean Gamble, INF/OF, IMG (Fla.) Academy

Should add plenty of power and could end up playing anywhere on the diamond – in a good way. Gamble took his talents from Iowa to Bradenton and developed a strong baseball IQ at IMG, and possesses several traits the Padres value.

26. Philadelphia Phillies: Luke Stevenson, C, North Carolina

Does not possess the current offensive profile that Irish offers, but Stevenson is a pure catcher, with an athletic 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame that hit 19 homers for the Tar Heels this season.

27. Cleveland Guardians: Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona

A nice value this deep in the first round, Summerhill offers the ability to play all three outfield positions and takes a .358/.477/.585 line into the CWS.

28. Kansas City Royals*: Anthony Eyanson, RHP, LSU

You came to Baton Rouge for Kade Anderson, but stick around for Eyanson, who transferred from UC San Diego and struck out 135 in 93 ⅔ innings with a 2.50 ERA in his only season in the SEC. Not an overwhelming repertoire but would benefit in the Royals’ burgeoning pitching program.

29. Arizona Diamondbacks**: Alex Lodise, SS, Florida State

More glue guy than toolbox, Lodise nonetheless produced a .394/.462/.705 line in his second year in Tallahassee, earning ACC player of the year honors. Hit 17 homers and has potential to add more power, but has value with his ability to play virtually anywhere.

30. Baltimore Orioles**: Cam Cannarella, OF, Clemson

We’ll keep slotting ACC outfielders to Camden Yards until they tell us differently. Yet with his superior defensive ability, speed and extra-base pop, Cannarella fits the Orioles ethos, and a .453 career OBP doesn’t hurt.

31. Baltimore Orioles**: Dean Curley, INF, Tennessee

Lots of power potential packed into a versatile infielder, Curley produced nearly as many walks (45) as strikeouts (47) this season. Concerns about defense.

32. Milwaukee Brewers: Mason Neville, OF, Oregon

Should be a first-day selection and perhaps hits the outskirts of the first round if things break his way. Neville offers 30-homer power in a 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame that for now has stuck in center field.

*- Prospect promotion incentive pick

**-Free agent compensation pick. Note: The Dodgers, Mets and Yankees each received a 10-pick penalty on their first picks for exceeding the second threshold of the competitive balance tax.

There was a player who retired from the NFL recently, and he isn’t one of those blockbuster names you’ll know. He is still important and he’s important because he’s a reminder of the cruel reality of the sport so many of us love.

Terron Armstead played 12 seasons in the NFL, most recently for the Miami Dolphins. Armstead was only 33 years old when he retired. In many “normal” jobs, you’re just getting started at 33. Not the NFL.

Armstead recently appeared on the “Nightcap” show and said his career is at the point where he could only play in games if he used painkilling medication. Then he described something stunning. He originally injured his knee in 2015, but it never fully healed.

Meaning, he’s been playing with significant knee pain as an NFL player for about a decade.

“I’ve been dealing with a knee (issue) since my third year in the league,” Armstead said. “I didn’t see a practice field at all, and not because I didn’t want to, or the Dolphins just wanted me to rest. It’s like I literally couldn’t walk.

“After a game on Sunday, I wouldn’t be able to walk on my own, under my own power, until Wednesday, Thursday. So I was only able to play under the pain meds. I couldn’t put any pressure on my knee, so it was like, I can’t keep doing that to myself.”

It’s far from uncommon for NFL players to deal with chronic pain, even when extreme. I’ve heard numerous examples of this (interestingly the stories almost always come after the player retires).

We know about this part of the NFL but none of us should forget it. Sure, no one forces them to do it. Yes, they get tons of cash. It’s prestigious.

The problem is we continue to shift away from recognizing the human part of what players do. We are traversing further away from acknowledging them as human beings, like we’re on a starship, and the helm is taking us away from our home world.

It’s not just fantasy football that’s doing this. Gambling is dehumanizing players in worse ways than fantasy football or anything else ever will.

Eric Winston, a former NFL offensive lineman and union executive, when once addressing the dangers of legalized gambling, spoke of the possible consequences, one of them being the further demeaning of athletes.

‘A lot of people look at us as — I don’t know if it’s subhuman — but not necessarily human, not necessarily having those feelings, those issues that everyone else is having,’ Winston said.That was 2018.

It’s so much worse now.

Why we sometimes need to take a breath, pause for a minute, just a minute, and remember what these NFL players go through. Players like Frank Ragnow.

Ragnow played through ankle injuries (2019 and 2023), a concussion (2019), a fractured throat (2020), turf toe (2021 and 2022), a groin injury (2022), a calf injury (2022), a back injury (2022), a knee injury (2022), and a partially torn pec (2024).

One more time: a fractured throat. (For the record a fractured throat does not sound great.)

But beyond the catastrophic injuries are the ones that prevent players from having normal lives. Doing things like just walking around. Bending down. Standing. Driving.

Ragnow once missed 13 games in 2021 because of what he called ‘the most severe degree of turf toe.’ He had a different injury to that same toe the following season and called that year one of the toughest of his career. He told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, two years ago that surgery wouldn’t help and he would just have to play through for the rest of his career. It’s difficult to believe it didn’t play a part in his decision to retire. Again, at just 29.

‘These past couple of months have been very trying as I’ve come to the realization that my football journey is ending and I’m officially retiring from the NFL,” Ragnow announced. “I’ve tried to convince myself that I’m feeling good but I’m not and it’s time to prioritize my health and my families future.

“I have given this team everything I have and I thought I had more to give, but the reality is I simply don’t. I have to listen to my body and this has been one of the hardest decisions of my life. The Lions organization has been absolutely incredible throughout this process and I can’t emphasize this enough how grateful I am for this team and all the fans. It was an absolute honor going to battle for you all.’

He did battle. All the time. A lot of NFL players do. Most do, in fact.

And as we watch them battle, don’t forget what they are: human beings. 

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The Indiana Fever have stayed afloat without Caitlin Clark, going 2-2 during her absence to date and winning back-to-back games against the Washington Mystics and Chicago Sky.

On Tuesday, Indiana will look to extend its winning streak to three games as it takes on the Atlanta Dream.

The Dream and Fever have met twice during the 2025 WNBA season. They split those two games, with Atlanta earning a 91-90 victory in the first meeting despite a 27-point outburst from Clark, while Indiana bounced back for an 81-76 victory thanks to a 26-point showing by Natasha Howard.

If Clark can’t play as she continues to nurse a quad injury, the Fever will continue to rely on Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell as their top offensive threats. The duo have averaged a combined 29 points per game in the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year’s absence.

Meanwhile, the Dream has one of the most balanced lineups in the WNBA. Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard form a dynamic scoring backcourt. Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones provide a strong frontcourt scoring punch while also being one of the league’s best rebounding duos.

The size of Griner (6-9) will provide a particularly tough matchup for Boston (6-5) that could be key to deciding this game. The third-year pro has averaged 14 points and 8.5 rebounds in the Fever’s two games against the Dream. She has averaged 15.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game during the 2025 season as a whole.

Here’s what to know about the Fever vs. Dream matchup, including when it is and how to watch it.

What time is Fever vs. Dream?

The Indiana Fever vs. Atlanta Dream game will tip off at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 10 at Gateway Center in Atlanta.

How to watch Fever vs. Dream WNBA game: TV, stream

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT)
Location: Gateway Center in Atlanta, Georgia
TV (national): WNBA League Pass
TV (local): MeTV (Indiana) | PeachtreeTV (Atlanta)
Stream: Fubo

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has been away at his estate in Texas dealing with an unspecified health issue even as CU’s annual slate of summer football camps got underway last week in Boulder.

Sanders appeared at his CU summer camps in 2023 and 2024. Operating them is listed as one of the official duties in his employment contract with CU. His picture also is used by the university to advertise them.

But it’s unclear when Sanders is returning to Boulder. On Sunday, his eldest son Deion Jr. appeared on a YouTube livestream from the family estate in Canyon, Texas, where he said his father was in his room and “feeling well.”

“He’ll tell y’all soon enough what he going through, what he went through,” Deion Jr. said on the livestream.

He suggested that when they return to Boulder was open-ended.

“When we get back in Boulder, I don’t know,” Deion Jr. said June 8. “I’m waiting until my dad leaves. When he leaves, then I’ll go. Until then, I’m gonna sit here with him.”

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Sanders, 57, also canceled a scheduled speaking engagement scheduled for June 8 in Florida. He canceled because of an ‘unavoidable last-minute scheduling change,’ according to The Foundation for Sickle Cell Research, whose symposium had advertised Sanders as its keynote speaker. The foundation instead replaced him with NBA legend Magic Johnson.

In 2023, issues related to blood clots in Deion Sanders’ legs led him to miss a Pac-12 Conference media event in Las Vegas. He has been accompanied in Texas by CU athletic trainer Lauren Askevold, who has helped him with his legs since the issue got serious in 2021, including the amputation of two of his toes and the removal of the sides of his left calf.

Sanders has been out of the media spotlight since the NFL draft in April and suggested it was related to a health issue but didn’t say what exactly. He mentioned it on a podcast with former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel in late May.

“I hope you’re feeling better,” Samuel said to Sanders. Samuel then asked him if he ever tried fasting.

Sanders responded by saying “what I’m dealing with right now is at whole nother level” but said he’s coming back after losing about 14 pounds.

Last week, CU hosted separate camps for high school football players and eligible high school graduates. CU also is scheduled to host a youth football camp this week before a women’s football clinic on Thursday.

The university didn’t immediately respond to a message asking if Sanders would be appearing at this week’s camp activities.

His Buffaloes team opens the season on Aug. 29 at home against Georgia Tech.

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

The trophy is awarded annually ‘to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League.’ The award is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Hutson earned 165 of a possible 191 first-place votes and totaled 1,832 points, finishing well ahead of Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf (15, 1,169) and San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (11, 1,104).

The 21-year-old Hutson received the trophy at a surprise party his family had organized to celebrate his selection as a finalist.

Hutson led all rookies with 66 points, and his 60 assists tied the single-season NHL record for most by a rookie defenseman alongside Larry Murphy.

Celebrini, 18, played 70 games and scored 25 goals — second among rookies behind the Philadelphia Flyers’ Matvei Michkov — and his 63 points tied with Michkov for second.

Wolf, 24, was 29-16-8 with a 2.64 goals-against average, .910 save percentage and three shutouts for the Flames, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2019 draft.

Other NHL awards winners

Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player): Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning

Jack Adams Award (coach): Spencer Carbery, Washington Capitals.

Mark Messier Leadership Award: Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

One day after losing to Murray State in the Durham Super Regional of the NCAA baseball tournament, Duke baseball is losing its coach to an ACC rival.

Virginia announced the hiring of Chris Pollard on Tuesday, stealing the coach away from their ACC rival. Pollard coached Duke for the last 12 seasons and guided the program to four NCAA super regional appearances.

Pollard led the Blue Devils to a 41-21 record during the 2025 season. While they did not earn a national seed, Duke went into the Athens Regional and knocked out No. 7 Georgia to earn a home super regional after Murray State upset No. 10 Ole Miss in the Oxford Regional.

The Blue Devils defeated the Racers 7-4 in the super regional opener on June 7, moving them one win away from the program’s first College World Series appearance since 1961. However, Murray State pulled off 19-9 and 5-4 wins on June 8 and 9, respectively, to advance instead.

With 357 career wins with Duke, Pollard departs as the all-time wins leader with the Blue Devils. He led the program to seven regionals and four super regionals. Pollard helped guide the program to its first regional since 1961 in 2016. The program won its first-ever regional in 2018.

Virginia’s coaching job came open when 22-year coach Brian O’Connor left for the coaching position with Mississippi State on June 1. O’Connor led the Cavaliers to 18 NCAA Tournament appearances and seven CWS trips. Virginia won the 2015 CWS national championship. The Cavaliers went 32-18 overall and 16-11 in ACC play in 2025.

Bill Plaschke, the award-winning Los Angeles Times columnist and longtime ‘Around the Horn’ panelist on ESPN, revealed this week that he has Parkinson’s disease. He made the announcement as part of an LA Times column about a boxing program he attends for those trying to slow the effects of the condition.

‘I’ve got Parkinson’s, and it hurts to even say it,’ Plaschke wrote. ‘I’m still mobile, still active, I don’t have the trademark tremors that distinguish the famously afflicted Michael J. Fox or the late Muhammed Ali but, damn it, I’ve got it.’

Plaschke, 66, noted that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s four years ago after feeling weakness in his right arm, but had only told his family until now. The neurodegenerative disease has no cure and progressively impacts how a person moves and speaks.

Plaschke wrote that it’s a struggle for him to get dressed and ‘my pills come in gallon jugs and I spend entire Dodger games trying to discreetly swallow them in the press box.’

‘I don’t smile as much now,’ he added. ‘It’s harder to smile when afflicted with the trademark Parkinson’s masked face. When I FaceTime with my darlin Daisy, I worry she won’t see past my dour expression and never know how much her granddaddy loves her.’

He was also one of the original panelists on ‘Around the Horn,’ beginning in 2002, and remained a regular contributor to the show until its 23-year run ended last month.

Plaschke sounded a hopeful note at the end of his column, citing the inspiration provided by Kaizen Kinetics and everyone else dealing with Parkinson’s disease through its boxing program.

‘I have Parkinson’s,’ Plaschke wrote, ‘But, by God, it doesn’t have me.’