Two outs. Bases loaded. The next pitch could determine whether you win or lose.

As a baseball parent, you know the feeling. Your insides are twisting around as the ball is delivered. You might close your eyes.

Last October, Chelsea Freeman even heard her own words in her head.

Just please don’t strike out.

Chelsea is the wife of a major league player, and she is often the one living these at-bats at youth baseball games with their oldest son, Charlie. But this time, she was talking about her husband, Freddie, during his most famous World Series at-bat.

“I was freaking out,” she tells USA TODAY Sports, “because I know how injured he was, where a lot of people didn’t really know. He’s having trouble getting out of bed in the morning – I’m pulling him out of bed – and limping to the bathroom. So I was more nervous, because it’s not the normal Freddie.”

Then he swung and parked Nestor Cortes’ first pitch into the right field pavilion to win Game 1 of the World Series.

“Luckily, it was one pitch, and everyone went nuts,” Chelsea says. “I kind of blacked out after that.”

It was an emotional release for a family that, just about three months earlier, was enduring their 3-year-old son’s sudden and scary illness that took Freeman away from the Dodgers.

“There was a point, like, if Max didn’t get better, I don’t know if Freddie would have gone back to playing,” Chelsea Freeman says. “So Max getting better in itself is a miracle and then for Freddie to be able to finish the way that he did … I feel like we needed that.”

Like us, the Freemans throw themselves into these moments where the strains of life and sports converge. They laugh. They cry. And they wonder what is going to happen next.

They contemplate whether Maximus, now recovering from Guillain-Barré syndrome, is ready to play Little League with his twin brother, Brandon, or if Charlie, 8, is too young to play all the games stacked up on his schedule.

“It just seems like it’s so intense, but everyone else is doing it,” Chelsea Freeman says. “So it’s kind of a whole new thing. … We’re kind of the same as every other parent. We’re trying to navigate the travel baseball.”

USA TODAY Sports spoke with Freeman, 33, through her association with OFF! Mosquito and Tick Repellant and Little League, about her family’s sports journey.  

It’s one that began under a single dad who guided his son to the majors, and it is rooted in a shared love for the time they spend together through sports we all can appreciate.

‘An outlet to escape real life’: How baseball, like sports, can hold your family together

Los Angeles seized Game 1 – and the World Series, really – over the New York Yankees on Freeman’s 10th-inning grand slam. After he lumbered around the bases and crossed home plate at Dodger Stadium, he went right to his father, Fred, who was sitting behind home plate.

A net got in the way of a hug, but, as they touched hands and arms, all they needed was a shared moment of recognition.

“My swing is because of him, my approach is because of him, I am who I am because of him,” Freeman would say later, his thoughts drifting back to the baseball fields and batting cages of nearby Orange County.

Fred’s goal wasn’t for his youngest son to make the major leagues, but for him to experience the bus rides with teammates, to make lasting friends, to perhaps have a shot at playing in college. Most importantly, he wanted him to feel a love for a sport flow through him and make everything better.

Freddie just wanted to be with his dad, especially after his mom, Rosemary, died of melanoma when the boy was 10.

“They already played baseball,” Chelsea Freeman says, “but that was something that was kind an outlet for them to escape real life and just enjoy time together and get their mind off of everything. So I feel like Freddie said that when his mom passed away, him and his dad bonded so much over baseball and really went all in. And they are like, so close, like, best friends.”

Those times took on added significance last summer, when they all were at a hospital. Max had been rushed there and was fighting for his life with a rare neurological condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves.

“We weren’t sure if he was gonna make it that one night,” Fred Freeman told Fox last year. “And Freddie was there and was able to keep everything together. What I’ve seen in him, with Max, what’s happened to him, he’s a lot better father than I was. He’s really special.”

Don’t underestimate the value of the quality time we spend together through sports

Freddie, now 35, had seen how his dad managed three boys’ lives during the most difficult time of his own. “I don’t know how he balanced it,” Chelsea says.

Freddie only played Little League. Until he was 12, he didn’t play travel ball. His father told him he could only manage to get him to a travel tournament a month with two brothers, Edward and Phillip, who also played baseball.

“But we were working at home,” Chelsea recalls Fred telling her. “He was playing with his brothers. It wasn’t like we weren’t doing baseball.”

Baseball is a game in which endless repetitions give you muscle memory and confidence. It’s also about the conversations you have, and the relationship a parent and child can build through positive reinforcement, during those reps. In an era of farming our kids out to private trainers and coaches, perhaps it’s a point of emphasis we forget.

Freddie got in the habit of calling his dad on the way home from every game. He wants Fred’s opinion on his stance, his swing, his timing. It’s still the most important opinion on them, Chelsea says.

“It’s pretty cool to hear their conversations,” Chelsea says. “Both my parents are English, so I never grew up watching baseball, so I feel like I learned so much from even just listening to his conversations with his dad. And it’s crazy how in tune they are and how well his dad knows Freddie in and out. His dad knows exactly his swing and how to help get him back on track.”

Whatever level you play, you always need a strong support system

Sometimes those conversations reach Chelsea, after Freddie has gone 0-for-3. About 99% of the major leagues, she says, is not glamorous. It’s figuring out how to move on from failure, how to do just enough to succeed three out of 10 times. Her husband has exactly a .300 career average over 15 seasons.

“Freddie is the most dedicated person I know,” his wife says. ‘He takes it so seriously, which is a blessing and a curse. If he’s 0-for-3, he’s probably not gonna talk that night very much. He’s redoing every pitch in his brain, what he should have done differently and how to improve for next time. He has, like, a photographic memory, so he remembers pitches. But I feel that’s what makes him so good, is that he makes adjustments in his head, even when he fails to know how to be better for the next at-bat.

“He wants to be perfection. So it’s always just keep going. You need good support at home, because mentally, it’s a draining sport. So there’s always, like, a couple times a year where I’ll have to kind of give him a pep talk because you need someone. Everyone, if you’re the best in the world, you need someone. Sometimes you doubt yourself. And sometimes, all it is, is in your brain. Get a little motivation in your brain, and then things click.”

She wonders sometimes if it’s all too much for 8-year-old Charlie. He has three practices a week and two to five games per weekend in Southern California.

COACH STEVE: Is it worth it? 10 questions athletes should consider if they play on a travel team

She thinks about a day that’s fast approaching when, with her husband away, she’ll have to manage three sons’ games like Fred did. When we are in a similar situation, we can check ourselves to make sure we are still getting that time with our kids.

It’s what can help sustain our relationships when the sports path ends.

“We’re traveling nonstop,” Chelsea says. “We’re not super strict. If he misses practices, he misses practices. Charlie doesn’t have a normal life. Freddie will take him to the field and work with him in the cage. That one-on-one time, even just with your dad, is probably more important sometimes than spending all this time on like, crazy schedules of travel.

“Like Freddie always says, like, he’s so good because his dad invested so much time with him throwing him batting practice. … Right now, Charlie’s having fun, so it’s great, but I think if it gets to a point where it’s not fun anymore, that’s where you kind of have to re-evaluate. … I think as long as we give them every opportunity to be the best player that they could be (but) there’s no like, you have to be a baseball player … Charlie, I mean, it’s trending. It looks good right now.”

‘You remember how your parents were at games’

She is laughing now. We all get this twinge of hopefulness for the future when we see our kids succeed at sports.

Before Max got sick, she remembers how he was “hitting bombs” off Freddie when father pitched to son.

Then in July, he was paralyzed from the neck down, and he has had to relearn everything.

“He has incredible hand-eye coordination,” she says. “He’s slowly coming back. He’s actually into golf right now. (The) baseball swing’s a little tricky, but I think on T-ball, he’d be fine.”

They are celebrating that they are all out there, that she and her father-in-law can sit and watch Charlie play, and look forward to doing so with his brothers soon.

A goal this spring was to get her youngest two sons off their iPads. Perhaps through the energy she draws from her new initiative to get more kids outside, she has succeeded.

But there is something else that fuels the Freemans in their sports.

It’s what motivated Freddie to get back to his team after Max pulled through last season and to push through his own ankle and rib injuries. It’s what pushes him to play maybe another five years, which Chelsea says is his goal.

It’s knowing that whatever they do, and whatever happens, they’ll all be experiencing it together.

“You remember how your parents were at your games and all of that,’ Chelsea says. ‘Parents also have to remember that … most likely they’re not gonna be a professional athlete. You know, the 1% does, but not all of them. So it’s just support them and just give them every opportunity they can to thrive, but it’s OK if they don’t.”

Steve Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high schoolers. His column is posted weekly. For his past columns, click here.

Already missing one MVP in their lineup, the Los Angeles Dodgers don’t have a second one either as they open the MLB season in Japan.

First baseman Freddie Freeman was scratched just before first pitch against the Chicago Cubs due to what the team said was left rib discomfort.

Freeman, the 2020 NL Most Valuable Player, was hobbling the last time the Dodgers played – as he was slowed by an ankle injury during last year’s World Series, though he still won MVP honors.

Freeman underwent surgery on the ankle after the World Series and was still limited early in the exhibition season. However, he was able to play in four consecutive Cactus League games before the Dodgers left for Japan.

The team is also missing 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts, who will not play in either Japan Series game against the Cubs because of illness.

In the Dodgers’ revamped lineup on Tuesday, Kike Hernandez moved from left field to replace Freeman at first base in the Dodgers lineup against Cubs starter Shōta Imanaga. Michael Conforto, who wasn’t in the original lineup, took Hernandez’s place in left.

Sometimes, a new product needs just a bit more preparation before it’s ready for rollout.

You might say that’s the case with USA TODAY Sports’ annual list of 100 Names to Know in Major League Baseball this year. Five of the top 10 players have had significant stints at the game’s highest level already, only to return to the minor leagues for a little more shine.

This year, they should be ready to sparkle on the diamond.

The list is topped by Tampa Bay Rays infielder Junior Caminero, who received big league looks each of the past two seasons yet remains eligible under our criteria – that he received more minor league plate appearances or innings pitched last year than his major league career total.

That’s why this list isn’t necessarily the top 100 prospects in the game, although dozens are on here. Rather, it’s a combination of both current role in the organization and future impact on the game.

That’s why a top prospect buried deep on this list may be heading it up in 2026. They are ranked in order of anticipated impact this season:

1. INF Junior Caminero, Rays

The Rays have meticulously integrated Caminero, 21, into their lineup and this season, it’s all systems go. A seven-game 2023 debut and 43-game cameo in 2024 mixed with trips to finishing school in Class AAA created a ready-made star with a .921 career minor league OPS set to bat in the middle of Tampa Bay’s lineup.

2. 2B Jackson Holliday, Orioles

After a much-anticipated debut fizzled into a 2-for-34 showing with 18 strikeouts, Holliday showed much better in his second stint with Baltimore, hitting five homers in 172 plate appearances and making better contact. At 21, he’s now stronger and steadier and seems primed for the big season many anticipated for him one year ago. 

3. RHP Rōki Sasaki, Dodgers

It wasn’t a surprise that the Japanese phenom chose to sign with Los Angeles, but it’s left to be seen how the Dodgers will manage Sasaki’s workload in his first year stateside. ​​Sasaki, 23, had a 2.10 ERA with 505 strikeouts in 64 NPB games since 2021, making his debut as a 19-year-old for the Chiba Lotte Marines.

4. INF Kristian Campbell, Red Sox

The minors’ fastest-rising prospect, Campbell began his first full season of pro ball in High-A and finished as USA TODAY Sports’ Minor League Player of the Year. Over 115 games at three minor league levels, Campbell, 22, hit a combined .330/.439/.558 with 20 homers and 24 stolen bases. He did all that while playing second base, shortstop, third base and all three outfield spots. Versatility could provide him a pathway the majors, perhaps for opening day. He’s split his time this spring between left field and second base, but he could easily force his way into everyday at-bats.

5. OF Dylan Crews, Nationals

After two seasons in the minors in which he played at every level, Crews, the second overall pick in 2023, looks ready to be a mainstay in the majors. He made his MLB debut last season and batted just .218 in 31 games, but the 23-year-old’s overall skill set is hard to match. Hitting the ball harder – he did so just 45% of the time last year – and in the air (56.4% groundball rate) would thrust him toward NL Rookie of the Year frontrunner status.

6. OF Jasson Dominguez, Yankees

“The sky’s the limit for him,’’ said captain Aaron Judge. We’ll get a chance to see him from opening day as the long-heralded Yankees prospect, 22, enters 2025 as the Yankees’ starting right fielder. The power and speed (.816 OPS, 102 steals in 353 minor league games) are apparent. He also has the plate discipline the Yankees covet.

7. OF Heston Kjerstad, Orioles

The loss of outfielder Anthony Santander to free agency is a big win for Kjerstad’s opportunity this season. He will compete for at-bats in the outfield and at DH and has a .351 OBP in 147 career major league plate appearances. Over his three seasons in the minors, over four levels, he hit .304 with 42 home runs, 153 RBI.

8. OF Roman Anthony, Red Sox

Just 20, Anthony is knocking on the door to the majors and could begin the season in Boston if starting right fielder Wilyer Abreu isn’t 100% healthy. Anthony finished last season at Class AAA Worcester (Mass.), hitting .344/.463/.519 in 35 games and making a strong case that he’s ready for the next level.

9. 3B Matt Shaw, Cubs

The Cubs’ trade of Isaac Paredes created an opportunity for Shaw – the 13th overall pick in the 2023 draft – to be the Cubs’ opening day third baseman. He’s shown steady improvement throughout his rise through the minors, posting a .395 on-base percentage and .534 slugging in 35 games last season after being promoted to Class AAA.

10. SS Jacob Wilson, Athletics

The sixth overall pick in 2023, Wilson, 22, hit .433 in 208 at-bats in the minors last season, flying through the minors to the Athletics lineup. He’s the opening day shortstop for the club’s first year in Sacramento.

11. C Drake Baldwin, Braves

Incumbent Sean Murphy suffered a cracked rib on a hit-by-pitch last month, so Baldwin, barring any late-spring signing of a veteran, is projected to be Atlanta’s opening day catcher. The arrival might certainly be accelerated but the pedigree is there, as Baldwin is a consensus top-50 prospect. The 23-year-old is coming off a strong 2024 season where he batted .298 with 12 home runs and an .891 OPS in Class AAA.

12. RHP Rhett Lowder, Reds

The seventh overall pick in 2023 out of Wake Forest, the 22-year-old right-hander rode the fast track to the majors last season – starting at High-A and ending with six starts in the majors. Lowder posted a sparkling 1.17 ERA over his 30 ⅔ innings with the Reds and is a serious candidate for the opening day rotation, despite some elbow soreness he experienced this offseason.

13. INF Connor Norby, Marlins

Acquired from the Orioles for Trevor Rogers, Norby hit seven homers with 17 RBI in 36 games for the Marlins and will be the team’s opening day third baseman. He’s got power (70 minor-league homers with an .860 OPS), will have a long leash and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him as Miami’s All-Star representative.

14. RHP Tomoyuki Sugano, Orioles

Sugano, 35, spent his entire 12-year career playing with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan before the Orioles signed him to a one-year, $13 million deal. He is a decorated pitcher from Japan: a two-time winner of the Sawamura Award – Japan’s Cy Young – a three-time Central League MVP and an eight-time All-Star. For now he has the inside track on a rotation slot after an impressive spring and an injury to right-hander Grayson Rodriguez.

15. RHP Jackson Jobe, Tigers

The game’s consensus top pitching prospect finished 2024 in the Tigers’ playoff bullpen and will end spring training on the bubble for one of their rotation spots. But Jobe, 22, will start many games in Detroit this year, toting a career 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings and 1.14 WHIP.

16. INF Luisangel Acuña Mets

The Jeff McNeil injury opens a path to regular playing time for Ronald’s brother, who had been competing for a bench role. The Mets weren’t expecting much offensively of Acuña when he was promoted at age 22 last season, but the 5-foot-8 infielder hit .308 with three homers and a .966 OPS in 39 at-bats, going on to play in nine postseason games.

17. OF Victor Scott, Cardinals

Blessed with exceptional speed, Scott made his MLB debut last season, but was overmatched at the plate (.179/.219/.283 slash line in 155 plate appearances) and couldn’t get on base enough to utilize his greatest asset. The 24-year-old has been much more successful at the plate this spring, even showing a little extra-base pop. He’s looking like the favorite for the Cardinals’ starting job in center field.

18. RHP Sean Burke, White Sox

After a three-start glimpse to end 2024, Burke, 25, will be the White Sox’s opening-day starter. A third-round pick in 2021, Burke’s ceiling may be mid-rotation starter, particularly if he cleans up command issues that saw him walk 4.9 batters per nine innings over four minor league seasons.

19. RHP Bubba Chandler, Pirates

The Pirates have the makings of an exciting young rotation if and when Chandler, 22, joins Paul Skenes and Jared Jones. It may not be long after he threw nearly 120 innings between Class AA and AAA last season. He can touch 100 mph with his fastball and is competing for a rotation spot this spring.

20. 1B/OF Jhonkensy Noel, Guardians

Things could be lighting up for “Big Christmas.” After his 13-homer debut and postseason hero turn, the club dealt first baseman Josh Naylor to Arizona, and now Noel will share first base with Kyle Manzardo. He should get at-bats in the outfield, too, where his big arm plays well; cutting his 31.8% strikeout rate would let his elite exit velocity – he clocked 115.4 mph on his second major league home run – play even more.

21. 3B Caleb Durbin, Brewers

Acquired from the Yankees in the Devin Williams trade, the speedy Durbin, 25, set an Arizona Fall League record with 29 stolen bases. He’s among the favorites to be Milwaukee’s starting third baseman.

22. INF Christian Moore, Angels

The eighth overall pick last year, Moore clubbed 34 homers in 72 games for Tennessee and then hit .347 in 20 minor-league games in his pro debut. Already knocking on the door to Anaheim, he needs to be added to the 40-man roster. If Moore isn’t in the majors on opening day, he won’t be down for long with the Angels in need of offense.

23. SS Carson Williams, Rays

He’s touched Class AAA for just four games in 2023, but Williams, 21, may not need much more of an internship. Williams projects as a potential 20-20 guy in the major leagues and has a .353 OPB and .821 OPS marks in his minor league career.

24. OF Emmanuel Rodriguez, Twins

No current vacancy at Target Field for Rodriguez, especially since the 22-year-old has never played more than 99 games in a minor league season due to various injuries. He should stick in center field and has a tantalizing combo of power and speed, and good health could get him to Minnesota sometime this season.

25. SS Colson Montgomery, White Sox

A consensus top 15 prospect as recently as 2024, Montgomery, 23, saw his star dim a bit after batting .213 with a .381 OPS in a full year at Class AAA. But opportunity has arrived on the South Side and Montgomery should soon get a long runway to establish himself as the everyday shortstop.

26. 1B/3B/OF Tyler Black, Brewers

The 33rd overall pick in 2021, Black, 24, appeared in 18 games last season for the Brewers, hitting just .204 with a .561 OPS. However, he has shown an excellent eye at the plate throughout his minor league career and he stole 47 bases at Class AA in 2023.

27. INF Hyeseong Kim, Dodgers

Los Angeles committed $12.5 million to the Korean import, but he’ll start the season in the minors. A left-handed hitter, the 26-year-old got some reps in center field before being optioned and should get called up early in the season if he can handle the bat at Class AAA.

28. RHP Zebby Matthews, Twins

Matthews, 24, is the ultimate control artist, walking just 22 batters in 205 ⅓ minor league innings. He got roughed up – a 6.69 ERA in nine starts  – in the Twins rotation at the end of last year, but was at a career high for innings and came into camp touching 97 mph. Matthews should start the year as the Twins’ sixth rotation option and will figure into it soon.

29. SS Trey Sweeney, Tigers

What looked like a white flag trade – dealing veteran starter Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers – instead netted the Tigers their starting shortstop into the playoffs. And now Sweeney, 24, is ready to hold down the role full time. He didn’t hit much – four homers and a .642 OPS in a 36-game, 119-plate appearance debut – but has 20-steal potential and should catch the ball proficiently.

30. LHP Quinn Matthews, Cardinals

Team’s top pitching prospect, 24, moved through four minor-league levels last season, culminating with four starts at Class AAA. Will likely need more minor league experience and will need to be added to the 40-man roster before he gets the call to St. Louis.

31. 3B Jace Jung, Tigers

Jung, who made his MLB debut last year, entered camp as the favorite to be the opening day third baseman but was optioned after going 4-for-33 in Grapefruit League play. The 24-year-old will get some more seasoning and be back in the majors soon, but will really need to make the most of an opportunity when it presents itself.

32. OF Tirso Ornelas, Padres

Entering his ninth season with the organization, Ornelas, 24, is making a strong case to make the 26-man roster. A .297 hitter with 23 home runs last year in Class AAA El Paso, the hulking 6-foot-3 outfielder could be an early-season callup at the least.

33. 2B Nick Yorke, Pirates

Once a highly regarded Red Sox prospect, the Pirates acquired Yorke, 22, last year and he saw action in 11 games split between second base and outfield. He might’ve been a candidate for the starting left field job if the Pirates hadn’t signed veteran Tommy Pham.

34. SS Marcelo Mayer, Red Sox

The fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft, Mayer, 22, has battled injuries throughout his four seasons in the minors. As a result, his production has been uneven and his prospect status has dimmed somewhat. He’ll likely open the season at Class AAA Worcester, but be just a Trevor Story injury away from making his MLB debut.

35. INF Thomas Saggese, Cardinals

A fast-rising prospect who can play three infield positions, Saggese hit 20 homers at Class AAA Memphis last year and earned a late-season call-up. He raised his stock by putting up a 1.118 OPS over 82 plate appearances in the Arizona Fall League but will start the regular season at Class AAA Memphis.

36. OF Jordan Beck, Rockies

Beck, 23, has a chance to play right away and stick in the outfield at Coors Field on a team looking at a number of young players. His high strikeout rate (110 in 384 plate appearances in 2024 between the majors and minors) could hold him back from doing too much damage there.

37. RHP Michael McGreevy, Cardinals

Right-hander was a first-round pick in 2021 (18th overall) who was outstanding in his four appearances for the Cardinals. In 23 major league innings, he posted a 1.96 ERA with an 18:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 23 innings. McGreevy, 24, made the Cardinals sweat their opening-day rotation with a strong spring, but will be, likely, the first man up from Class AAA.

38. 1B Kyle Manzardo, Guardians

Manzardo debuted May 6 but couldn’t make much impact in 156 plate appearances, with a .234/.282/.421 line with five homers. Like Noel, Josh Naylor’s trade to Arizona opens up at least a part-time role and the 24-year-old must seize it.

39. 3B Coby Mayo, Orioles

Mayo, at 6 feet 5, 230 pounds, is one of the best power hitting prospects in baseball. He dominated Class AAA to begin 2024 but went 0-for-15 with 10 strikeouts after a major league call-up, and with sporadic opportunities had four hits in 41 at-bats with 22 strikeouts overall. He may have little choice but to adjust to that pattern; his 54 minor-league homers the past two seasons leave little to prove at that level, but a loaded Orioles infield likely leaves only spot chances to shine in Baltimore.

40. 2B Orelvis Martinez, Blue Jays

Martinez, 23, was suspended 80 games last June for violating MLB’s performance-enhancing drug policy, just two days after his big league debut. The international free agent was one of the best power-hitting infield prospects in the minor leagues. He hit 16 home runs in 63 games at Class AAA. Over the three previous seasons, he hit 86 home runs.

41. RHP Caden Dana, Angels

42. C Kyle Teel, White Sox

The Garrett Crochet trade ripped Teel from Boston’s Big Four prospects, making them a terrific troika and leaving Teel with opportunity, albeit in a moribund organization. The Top 50 prospect has hit at every minor league level, with a career .301/.404/.444 line. With just 28 games at Class AAA, all Teel needs is time, and a callup after midseason should be in the offing.

43. 1B Ben Rice, Yankees

We saw what Rice, 26, could do in a three-homer, seven-RBI game against Boston last season. He leveled off but showed how more of that power potential in spring training, which could land him an opening-day roster spot and at least a time share at DH and to give Paul Goldschmidt a rest at first base.

44. DH Will Wagner, Blue Jays

After a strong season in Class AAA and a promising big league debut, Wagner should impact the Blue Jays. In 24 plate appearances in the majors, he hit .305 with six doubles and two home runs. A left knee injury ended his season in mid-September, but he was playing second base on a regular basis and batting in the middle of Toronto’s lineup at the time of the injury. Wagner is the son of recently elected Hall of Famer Billy Wagner.

45. RHP Mason Montgomery, Rays

He converted to relief work in August, touched Tampa Bay in September and now Montgomery, 24, is poised to become a significant piece of the Rays bullpen. The lefty now touches 98 mph with a wipeout slider and could quickly move up the pecking order in the Rays’ bullpen.

46. RHP Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers

A 6-foot-7 right-hander with a triple-digit fastball, Misiorowski can strike out batters in bunches. However, his control (5.5 BB/9 in 2024) leaves a little to be desired and is what may keep him from being a starter in the majors. Moving up to Class AAA midway through last season, he began pitching out of the bullpen, where his fastball and overpowering slider formed a deadly combination.

47. C Samuel Basallo, Orioles

A consensus top 15 prospect, Basallo’s bat could force the Orioles to get him to Baltimore soon. The 20-year-old has impressed manager Brandon Hyde with his prodigious power displays and makeup this spring, after a 2024 season where he hit 19 homers and 25 doubles as a 19-year-old in Class AA and AAA.

48. RHP Kumar Rocker, Rangers

The two-time first-round pick from Vanderbilt made his long-awaited debut in September and appears on track to start the season in the rotation with injuries to Jon Gray and Cody Bradford. He has had two arm surgeries (shoulder and Tommy John) but has dominated the minors last season (1.96 ERA, 55 strikeouts in 36 ⅔ innings) with a 99-mph fastball, hard curveball, slider and changeup. Rocker, 25, still needs to prove his stuff plays across the majors.

49. RHP Andrew Painter, Phillies

Painter missed almost all of 2023 and 2024 due to Tommy John elbow surgery and since 2021 has thrown just 125 ⅓ innings. However, his return last year in the Arizona Fall League showed that he looked like his pre-injury dominant self, throwing between 97-100 mph. While the Phillies boast pitching depth now, he could certainly be a mid- to late-season callup to bolster their staff in any fashion.

50. C Adrian Del Castillo, D’backs

There’s not nearly as much doubt Del Castillo, 25, will hit in the major leagues as he will be able to adequately play his position. While he had an .893 OPS in a 25-game big league sample size in 2024 and pounded Class AAA pitching, he only threw out 2 of 29 runners who attempted to steal against him for Arizona. He’ll start in Class AAA and has gone to work on his throwing, transfers and footwork. “If I was going to bet on somebody, I’d bet on him,” bench coach Jeff Banister told the Arizona Republic.

51. OF Johnathan Rodriguez, Guardians

Rodriguez has hit 40 home runs over 165 games at Class AAA Columbus, so there’s clearly little to prove at that level. Rodriguez, 25, did reach Cleveland for 13 games early last season but for the moment, there’s no role for him. That could change if any number of platoon guys struggle with the Guardians.

52. RHP AJ Smith-Shawver, Braves

He received call-ups each of the past two seasons, but opportunity may never be better than now. With Spencer Strider still building back up from Tommy John surgery and expected No. 5 starter Ian Anderson struggling this spring, Smith-Shawver’s capable but not dominant Grapefruit League showing has kept the 22-year-old in the mix for a rotation spot. He’s struck out 12.1 batters per nine innings in 57 minor league starts.

53. OF Kevin Alcántara, Cubs

Nicknamed “The Jaguar,” the 6-foot-6 outfielder made it to the majors last September. While Alcántara’s power is still developing and the addition of Kyle Tucker boxed him out of a potential everyday role for now, the 22-year-old could become a valuable bench option and part-timer in 2025.

54. C/OF, Dalton Rushing, Dodgers

Hit 26 homers with 85 RBI in Classes AA and AAA last season and spent time in left field with his pathway behind the plate to Los Angeles obviously blocked by Will Smith. The Dodgers’ outfield alignment could be fluid this year and his ability to fill in at catcher and first base will work to the 24-year-old’s advantage.

55. OF Justyn-Henry Malloy, Tigers

Injuries to Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling likely won’t nudge Malloy, 25, to Detroit for Opening Day, but he’s for now the lone minor league outfielder on the 40-man roster and got a 230-plate appearance look last year, during which he hit eight homers but struck out 37% of the time. Will be up at points this season.

56. Jordan Lawlar, INF, D’backs

Lawlar, the sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft, should have a spot in the team’s future if he proves himself over more than a handful of games in Class AAA. The question is where he will play this season, with Geraldo Perdomo established at his primary position (shortstop) and Ketel Marte (second base) and Eugenio Suarez (third) manning the two other spots Lawlar has played in the minors. If Lawlar, 22, continues to hit (1.030 OPS in 12 Class AAA games during an injury-shortened season) he could force himself into at least a time share.

57. RHP Thomas Harrington, Pirates

Another of Pittsburgh’s exciting young pitchers, Harrington, 23, made it all the way to Class AAA last season, pitching to a 3.33 ERA in eight starts. That’s where he’ll likely open 2025 since he hasn’t yet been added to the 40-man roster.

58. LHP Doug Nikhazy, Guardians

Nikhazy, 24, struck out a batter an inning in 24 starts at Class AA and AAA last season and nearly snagged a spot in Cleveland’s opening-day bullpen. But his present and future is as a starter, and after a stretch-out period in Columbus, will be poised should any openings arise in Cleveland.

59. RHP Cade Horton, Cubs

The Cubs’ top pitching prospect was shut down last season due to a sprained shoulder but the seventh overall pick in 2022 has looked sharp this spring. Horton, 23, isn’t on the 40-man roster and is a bit further back in the queue itching to get to the majors, but he should be up at some point in 2025.

60. OF Rece Hinds, Reds

Big-time power prospect made an instant impact in his MLB debut last season, hitting five home runs in his first six games. However, Hinds, 24, has some gaping holes in his swing, with just a 58% contact rate at Class AAA Louisville last season.

61. 2B Luke Keaschall, Twins

The second-round pick in 2023 has made a speedy rise through Minnesota’s system, hardly slowed by August Tommy John surgery. Keaschall, 22, had 15 homers and 23 steals at high A and AA last year, and owns a .419 career OBP. A call-up this season is well within reach, particularly with any injury disruption on the Twins infield.

62. LHP Shinnosuke Ogasawara, Nationals

Ogasawara, 27, signed as an international free-agent in January. He had been pitching in Nippon Professional Baseball since 2016. The Nats were hoping he could be a ready-made starter coming from Japan, but he has had a tough spring and will likely need more time to develop. While the Nats signed him with the intent of him being a starter, he has a 50-50 shot, at best, to make the rotation and could convert to a reliever. 

63. RHP Jake Bloss, Blue Jays

Bloss was traded with Will Wagner by the Astros as a part of the Yusei Kikuchi deal last July. He opened the season in High-A in 2024, but blew through three levels to reach the big leagues. In three MLB starts, he went 0-1 with a 6.94 ERA. He projects to be a quality No. 5 starter ready to contribute in 2025.

64. C/1B Moisés Ballesteros, Cubs

Hit 19 homers between Class AA and AAA with an .826 OPS and while defensive limitations may force a move to first base, the 21-year-old’s bat will play in the majors.

65. LHP Carson Whisenhunt, Giants

The 24-year-old is said to have one of the best changeups in the minors. Was knocked around in Class AAA (5.93 ERA in 25 starts) last season and is somewhat buried in San Francisco’s depth chart, but the lefty should make it to the majors at some point in 2025.

66. 3B Ignacio (Nacho) Alvarez, Braves

Alvarez is a right-handed hitter that has well-above-average contact skills. But his first stint in the majors produced a 3-for-30 performance in eight games before returning to the minors. Alvarez will most likely begin at Class AAA, where he hit 10 homers with an .864 OPS in 64 games last season.

67. RHP Brandon Sproat, Mets

The Mets rotation has been dinged by injuries in spring training but the club’s top prospect sitting in Class AAA is a big reason they’re confident about pitching depth. “This is a guy that, stuff-wise, is right there with anybody,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of Sproat, who had a 3.40 ERA with 131 strikeouts across three levels last season.

68. RH Trey Yesavage, Blue Jays

Yesavage, 21, has yet to make his professional debut, but he should be quick to the majors. The 20th overall pick last season was a combined 18-2 his final two seasons at East Carolina, with a 2.61 ERA, 1.000 WHIP and 13.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

69. 2B Juan Brito, Guardians

After Andrés Giménez’s trade to Toronto, Brito, 23, had a path to the second base job in Cleveland, but got off to a 1-for-19 start in Cactus League play and has minor-league options, which others competing for the job do not. Still, the organization’s seventh-ranked prospect is coming off a breakout Class AAA performance, with 21 homers and an .807 OPS, and the long-term job is still very much in play.

70. OF Chandler Simpson, Rays

He has just one career home run in 1,041 career minor league plate appearances – yet might be the fastest player in baseball. Simpson, 24, was clocked at 30.4 mph sprint speed this spring and stole 104 bases at Class AA and A in 2024, batting .355. Will his no-power game translate to the AL East? It will be fun to watch when the Rays decide to find out.

71. Bradley Blalock, RHP, Rockies

The Rockies are always looking for arms, and Blalock did enough this spring to warrant a hard look early this season after a six-start stint in Colorado last season. Blalock, 24, has cut down on his walk rate this spring after issuing 19 in 29 ⅔ innings for the Rockies last season. He’ll have to keep up his improved strikeout rate, too, to be effective at Coors Field.

72. OF Denzel Clarke, Athletics

Clarke, who turns 25 in May, tore up the Arizona Fall League, hitting .382 with 30 hits, 13 RBI and nine steals in 19 games but is yet to play in Class AAA. Already on the 40-man roster and a stellar defender in center, Clarke should play his way to Sacramento.

73. Cam Smith, 3B/OF, Astros

Smith, a first-round draft pick last season, came to Houston as a prized portion of the Kyle Tucker offseason trade. Smith, 22, was tearing it up at the plate in spring training and making a push to make the roster early in the season, if not by opening day. Over 32 minor league games last season, he has a 1.004 OPS with seven homers, 20 runs and 24 RBI.

74. SS/2B Cole Young, Mariners

The first-round pick in 2022 reached Class AA for 124 games last season, hitting .271 with a .759 OPS. He’ll start in Class AAA and look to get a call-up at some point. Young, 21, progressed most defensively last season, according to MLB Pipeline, though he won’t help Seattle much in the needed pop department.

75. INF Ronny Mauricio, Mets

Still recovering from ACL surgery in January 2024, Mauricio has had some setbacks and is yet to appear in a spring training game. Assuming he gets back on the field, the 23-year-old could be a versatile bench option for the Mets down the stretch and into October.

76. OF Alan Roden, Blue Jays

Roden, 25, a third-round pick in 2022, had a slash line of .293/.391/.475 with 16 home runs and 75 RBI in 126 games between Class AA and AAA in 2024. Roden has backed that up with a strong spring, with eight hits and two homers in his first 17 at-bats.

77. LHP Noah Schultz, White Sox

The White Sox have perhaps the two best lefty starter prospects in the game, and Schultz, 21, should be ready to roll by year’s end. Gotta love this combo – a 0.95 WHIP and 12 strikeouts per nine innings in his minor league career. Yet his season high in innings is just 88 1/3, and with Chicago in rebuild mode, Schultz figures to spend almost all of this season at Class AAA.

78. Spencer Jones, OF, Yankees

The 2022 first-round draft pick may not quite be ready for the Bronx, but he’s getting close. He has hit 20 homers with 88 RBI and .783 OPS over two stints in Class AA. The Yankees will see what the 6-foot-6 Jones can do in Class AAA. He could be a midseason injury to a regular away from making his debut.

79. RHP Hurston Waldrep, Braves

After a quick ascent through the minors, Waldrep struggled in both starts after a promotion to Atlanta. Yet he did post a 3.47 ERA across four levels in his first pro season. The 23-year-old is projected to be a big league starter, but could contribute more quickly as a mid-leverage reliever.

80. Greg Jones, OF/INF, Rockies

Jones, 27, will start the season in Class AAA. He has an .807 OPS in 137 games there and played right and center field and second base last season. He could get an extended big-league look if he continues to produce.

81. C Edgar Quero, White Sox

Quero has played almost the same number of Class AAA games – 28 to 26 – as fellow top catching prospect Kyle Teel – and their journey to the South Side will be interesting to watch. Quero, who turns 22 next month, is a year younger than Teel yet beginning his fifth professional season, toting an .849 career OPS.

82. RHP Chayce McDermott, Orioles

McDermott got a spot start in the majors last year, the culmination of two-plus years of progress after a 2022 trade from Minnesota. He struck out 144 in 100 innings at Class AAA last year but also walked 60. A lat injury at the start of spring training will delay his chance to impact the big league rotation.

83. C/1B Agustín Ramírez, Marlins

Has to make some major improvements defensively if he’s going to stick behind the plate, but Ramirez had 25 homers with 93 RBI and 22 steals last season. His bat should earn him playing time in Miami, be at catcher, first base or designated hitter.

84. RHP Gunnar Hoglund, Athletics

Acquired in the 2022 Matt Chapman trade, Hoglund is now three years removed from Tommy John surgery. While his velocity may not get back to where it was, Hoglund, 25, has improved his secondary pitches and could be one of the Athletics’ first call-ups when the need for a starter arises.

85. RHP Cade Cavalli, Nationals

When healthy, Cavalli has one of the top fastballs in the organization. But injuries have plagued him. He had Tommy John surgery in 2023 and experienced a dead arm and made just three minor league starts in 2024. Cavalli, 26, won’t figure in the big league plans until he can string together good health and clean starts at Class AAA.

86. INF Alex Freeland, Dodgers

The 23-year-old Freeland hit 18 homers with 31 steals and a .387 OBP across three levels last season but without a spot on the 40-man roster, finds himself behind Hyeseong Kim in line to get to Dodger Stadium.

87. 2B/3B/SS Jesús Bastidas, Astros

Bastidas, 26, tied for the most home runs in the Astros organization last season (25) to go along with 89 RBI, 15 steals and a .784 OPS for Class AAA Sugar Land. The former Yankees prospect’s speed and positional versatility also could him a leg up within the organization and make him, along with his power, a good candidate for a call-up.

88. LHP Sam Aldegheri, Angels

Acquired from the Phillies last summer, the Italian-born 23-year-old has four pitches in his arsenal and played his way to the majors at the end of 2024, striking out 134 in 19 minor-league starts.

89. 2B Javier Vaz, Royals

At 5-foot-6, the 24-year-old Vaz could be construed as a modern Jose Altuve, even if he doesn’t develop Hall of Fame hitting credentials. What he will do is hit the ball: Vaz struck out just 9.6% of the time at two levels last season and offers multi-position versatility. He’s in the right organization to value his skill set.

90. RHP Chase Dollander, Rockies

The team’s consensus top prospect and ninth overall pick in 2023 has reached as high as Class AA, where he made nine starts last season (2.63 ERA). His heavy strikeout stuff should play if he can duplicate it at Coors Field. He could get there by the early to mid-summer.

91. RHP Grant Holman, Athletics

The former starter pitched his way to the majors in 2024 with a miniscule 0.55 ERA in 40 minor-league games. Holman, 24, is set to begin the campaign in the Athletics bullpen and could earn a higher-leverage role as the season goes on.

92. INF Ben Williamson, Mariners

Williamson, 24, needs to produce over a larger sample size in the high minors to get to the majors. He has played his most minor league games at third base, but has also shortstop and second base. He did well enough at spring training to warrant a big-league look this season when he proves himself in Class AAA.

93. OF Robert Hassell III, Nationals

Originally drafted by the Padres, Hassell was shipped to the Nats as part of the Juan Soto trade in August 2022. He reached Class AAA in 2024 but went 8-for-64 with 17 strikeouts at Rochester. But after a third stint in the Arizona Fall League, the 23-year-old appears to have regained his footing. He’s on the 40-man roster and should get an opportunity if he can continue to hit in Class AAA.

94. OF Jacob Melton, Astros

Melton, a second-round pick in 2022, has played all three outfield positions in the minors while hitting 42 homers, driving in 122 runs, scoring 153 runs and stealing 81 bases over 227 games. His production and outfield versatility make him an intriguing option for Houston at some point this season. If Melton, 24, plays well at Class AAA, he won’t have much left to prove in the minors.

95. 2B Travis Bazzana, Guardians

How quickly will the reigning 1/1 reach the big leagues? Bazzana played in just 27 games after the July draft and didn’t do the Arizona Fall League, and his first full pro season will have a lot of boxes to check. But the career .360 hitter at Oregon State is advanced offensively, and the team that drafted him is certainly deficient in that area.

96. LHP Hagen Smith, White Sox

The first lefty taken in the July draft – fifth overall – may not be long for the minors. Both Smith and fellow top prospect Noah Schultz lasted deep into camp. Smith, the Arkansas product, made three Class A starts after the draft and will likely start at AA, one year after striking out 17.3 batters per nine innings as a Razorback.

97. 1B Tré Morgan, Rays

A third-round pick out of LSU in 2023, Morgan, 22, dominated at three levels in his first full pro season, with a .324/.408/.483 line from low A to Class AA and elite control of the strike zone. Power might be the last thing to develop, but Morgan is taking outfield reps to increase versatility and perhaps shorten his path to St. Petersburg.

98. C Jeferson Quero, Brewers

Quero, 22, missed all of last season after tearing his labrum in the opener and needing surgery to repair it. He’s still not all the way back to full health but should be able to DH for the Brewers’ Class AAA team in Nashville when the regular season begins. An excellent defender, Quero could be ready to replace Eric Haase as the backup to William Contreras by midseason.

99. Abimelec Ortiz, 1B, Rangers

Ortiz, 23, has big power that he has shown across all levels of the minor leagues. He was challenged more last season in Class AA, with his OPS dropping more than 200 points from Class A. He still needs to play Class AAA ball, and he’ll start there and be in position for a call-up later in the season should a need for a left-handed bat arise.

100. 3B Brady House, Nationals

House, the No. 11 overall pick in 2021, might still be one year away from holding down the hot corner in Washington. The Nationals signed Paul DeJong to play third, but House could accelerate his case by improving his strikeout-to-walk ratio, which was nearly 5:1 in 2024.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin, who wears No. 8, needs eight goals in the team’s final 15 regular season games to break Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 career goals.

That’s a pace of 0.53 goals a game and he has been clicking at a 0.58 rate since he returned on Dec. 28 from a fractured left fibula.

Ovechkin scored once during a three-game California swing. The Capitals will start a three-game homestand on Tuesday, then play eight of their final 12 games on the road.

Washington will play the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets twice.

Here’s a look at Ovechkin’s remaining 2024-25 schedule, how he fared against those teams, which games are on national television and how to stream (all times p.m. ET; television as of March 17):

Washington Capitals schedule

March 18 vs. Detroit Red Wings, 7

Streaming: ESPN+

Ovechkin career goals: 25 goals in 37 games

Ovechkin season goals: One goal in two games

March 20 vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 7

Streaming: ESPN+

Ovechkin career goals: 51 goals in 77 games

Ovechkin season goals: Two goals in three games

March 22 vs. Florida Panthers, 5

Streaming: ESPN+

Ovechkin career goals: 45 goals in 73 games

Ovechkin season goals: One goal in one game

March 25 at Winnipeg Jets, 8

Streaming: ESPN+

Ovechkin career goals: 56 goals in 74 games

Ovechkin season goals: One goal in one game

March 27 at Minnesota Wild, 7:30

Streaming: ESPN+ | Disney+ | Hulu

Ovechkin career goals: 20 goals in 24 games

Ovechkin season goals: One goal in one game

March 30 vs. Buffalo Sabres, 3

Streaming: ESPN+

Ovechkin career goals: 41 goals in 66 games

Ovechkin season goals: No goals in one game

April 1 at Boston Bruins, 7

Ovechkin career goals: 29 goals in 68 games

Ovechkin season goals: No goals in one game

April 2 at Carolina Hurricanes, 7

Ovechkin career goals: 51 goals in 91 games

Ovechkin season goals: One goal in one game

April 4 vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 7

Ovechkin career goals: 15 goals in 25 games

Ovechkin season goals: Missed earlier game with injury

April 6 at New York Islanders, 12:30

National TV: TNT, truTV

Streaming: Sling | Max | ESPN+

Ovechkin career goals: 44 goals in 71 games

Ovechkin season goals: Missed earlier game with injury

April 10 vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 7:30

Streaming: ESPN+ | Disney+ | Hulu

Ovechkin career goals: 51 goals in 91 games

Ovechkin season goals: One goal in one game

April 12 at Columbus Blue Jackets, 6

National TV: ABC

Streaming: Fubo | Sling | ESPN+

Ovechkin career goals: 26 goals in 49 games

Ovechkin season goals: One goal in one game

Note: Ovechkin scored twice in his NHL debut in 2005 against the Blue Jackets

April 13 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 8

Ovechkin career goals: 26 goals in 49 games

Ovechkin season goals: One goal in one game

April 15 at New York Islanders, 7

National TV: ESPN

Streaming: Fubo | Sling

Ovechkin career goals: 44 goals in 71 games

Ovechkin season goals: Missed game with injury

April 17 at Pittsburgh Penguins

National TV: ESPN

Streaming: Fubo | Sling

Ovechkin career goals: 42 goals in 79 games

Ovechkin season goals: No goals in three games

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

The elite minds of academia have made a groundbreaking enforcement decision for the future of college athletics, and it again underscores one undeniable reality. 

They have no idea what they’re doing.

The NCAA is on the losing end of a $2.8 billion settlement of a lawsuit that accused the organization of restricting player earning that will redefine amateurism as we know it. And what does the NCAA do before the lawsuit is officially approved by the court?

It doubles down on stupid.

The House case settlement will pay billions in back payments to former college players who were unfairly prevented by the NCAA from earning off their name, image and likeness. The settlement also provides the framework for a pool of $20 million to 23 million – that will increase annually – to pay players for the use of their NIL beginning July 1. 

That’s the bones of the litigation. Here’s the guts: the Power Four conferences – SEC. Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 – who have seized control of all things NCAA, have one goal, and one goal only on this road to perdition. 

Protect the money. 

SPRING POWER RANKINGS: Big Ten | SEC | ACC | Big 12

LOOKING AHEAD: Our way-too-early college football Top 25 for 2025

Even at the expense of more lawsuits, and more millions and billions lost. Even if it means cobbling together some big-name muckety-mucks – hey, a system designed by Deloitte Consulting LLP just sounds so fancy, they’ll buy it! – with a yet to be named czar of college football and declaring that enforcement of all things henhouse will, from this day forward, be meted out by Mr. Fox.

All because they don’t want players as employees, and don’t want them to unionize and collectively bargain. Because that’s when the real financial hit arrives. 

This $20 million to 23 million annual pool of money paid to athletes is a pittance compared to what could be lost if players organize. So what do the power conferences do?

They announce a system that evaluates NIL deals external to the schools, making sure they’re they’re legitimate and ‘within a reasonable range of compensation, and made with the purpose of using a student athlete’s NIL to advance a valid business purpose.’ Translation: their vision of fair market value.

These people never, ever, ever learn.

What’s the best way I can explain this? Imagine if the NFL, or Major League Baseball, or the NBA, hired Deloitte to devise a system that would help their commissioners manage ‘within a reasonable range of compensation’ what their players can and can’t earn off their name and likeness.

It’s the foundation of the free market. You pay what you believe something is worth — and no one can tell you what something is worth other than the highest bidder.

My initial thought is these are the dumbest financial minds ever. But you have to look closer. 

The NCAA (see: the power conferences) are willing to spend tens of millions – maybe even hundreds of millions – in future lawsuits to drag out this inevitable process of shared and collectively bargained wealth.

The longer they drag it out, the longer they wait until they pay closer to an NFL-sized percentage of revenues.

Or as former Auburn and Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne told me last week, “It’s just minor league football now. Anyone who thinks anything different is fooling themselves.”

The power conferences have decided that 10 athletic directors will set up an entity that will play judge and jury over potential enforcement issues. The entity (see: a czar and his staff) will partner with Deloitte – I’m laughing now as I type this – to assess fair market value, and what measures will be taken if the deals are out of bounds.  

Check me if I’m wrong, Sparky, but that’s the same illegal move that just cost them $2.8 billion in damages in the House case.

The people who want, more than anything, to protect their billions in annual revenue, will provide oversight of what a “legitimate” NIL deal is — and then use fancy, schmancy Deloitte to proclaim, ”Yeah, that’s right!”

Wait, it gets much better. If the deals aren’t of their perceived market value, the group run by athletic directors can fine programs and reduce the amount of future money they’re able to offer.

The hope is, in theory, that the system over time will build on itself. The more NIL deals that are filtered into the system, the greater the chance to keep future deals legitimate.

But why should athletes be subject to a mediator who declares what’s legitimate, who potentially prevents them from earning top-dollar, while Georgia pays Kirby Smart $13 million to coach football ― and resets the market with every raise given?

It doesn’t matter that Smart is paid for what he has accomplished, and that Michigan freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood is paid for what he could do. Each is worth whatever someone will pay.

There are attorneys lining up right now to take these looming cases, and sue the ever-loving bejeezus out of the NCAA. More lawsuits, more depositions, more financial experts. Years and years of litigation.

And for what? To ignore the inevitable train of collective bargaining roaring down the track. 

The NCAA’s amateurism model is a giant octopus that has fed in the depths for decades upon decades, getting fatter and fatter and more detached from reality. Only now it has been forced into the shallows.

Now it’s holding on like grim death with every tentacle, desperate to return to the depths and take the cash with it. By spending tens of hundreds of millions in legal fees to protect future billions in revenue.

Maybe they know what they’re doing after all.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

Watching West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey and his attorney general John McCuskey prattle on at a Monday news conference, demanding accountability and threatening legal remedies over — wait for it — the NCAA basketball tournament selection process, you might have wondered if this was all a setup for Kenan Thompson to run out on stage and yell “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Niiiiiiiiight!”

A mere 18 hours after the Mountaineers were controversially snubbed from March Madness in favor of North Carolina, there was really only one thing that could kill the national sympathy being directed toward Morgantown. 

And wouldn’t you know it, the politicians didn’t disappoint. 

Do you know what sports fans hate more than an NCAA tournament injustice? A gasbag governor and his obsequious sidekick grandstanding to their political base, sticking their nose into a place it doesn’t belong and making a mockery of the real problems in a state that has plenty of them. 

Seriously, gentlemen: Do you not have better things to do?

“This was a miscarriage of justice and robbery at the highest levels,” Morrisey said. “This thing reeks of corruption.” 

Is that similar to the smell emanated by a former Washington, D.C. lobbyist for the pharmaceutical industry who ran for office in West Virginia on a platform of fighting the opioid epidemic? Just wondering. 

There used to be a time in America when ambitious politicians, and particularly Republicans like Morrisey and McCuskey, would have railed against the idea of running to the courtroom to litigate any perceived minor injustice. 

Ah, well, nevertheless. 

Instead, we had Morrisey not only refusing to rule out the possibility of seeking an injunction if the NCAA doesn’t cooperate immediately with McCuskey’s investigation but also suggesting the West Virginia snub might have been retribution for the state suing the NCAA in 2023 over basketball player RaeQuan Battle’s eligibility. 

“A lot of people said, ‘What are you doing?’” Morrisey said. “We sent multiple letters they didn’t respond adequately to and we fundamentally helped change the transfer eligibility rules. So I think the answer is when you’re talking about multi-billion dollar businesses and universities that have a big stake in the outcome, absolutely (it’s worthwhile).”

Of course, one big difference: In the Battle lawsuit, West Virginia was challenging whether the NCAA’s transfer rules violated antitrust laws on behalf of a citizen fighting for his rights. But this? This is just a whole lot of whining on behalf of a basketball team that lost 13 of its 32 games including to Colorado in the Big 12 tournament. 

And it’s not even really clear what they hope to gain, other than a mention of “objective criteria” for the NCAA tournament selection process. Which, if you have followed the selection process for any length of time, is like trying to explain why “Anora” won Best Picture over “Conclave.” There is no objective criteria. That’s the point. 

And West Virginia, like every other Div. 1 school, not only knew that going in but agreed to it. 

Now, does that mean the committee got it right? No. 

West Virginia’s exclusion was stunning, given that every “bracketologist” who does this either as a job or a hobby had the Mountaineers in the field. And as we addressed Sunday night, the fact that North Carolina athletics director Bubba Cunningham chairs the selection committee isn’t a great look when the final decision was literally UNC over West Virginia. 

In cases like this, the recusal procedures to ensure Cunningham wasn’t part of the discussion or votes involving UNC don’t protect the NCAA from accusations of favoritism. That gave Morrisey the opening to pounce, and if it wasn’t him, it could just as easily have been the governor of Texas if the Longhorns got left out instead of the Mountaineers. 

“UNC had representation in the room,” Morrisey said. “It’s being reported by a number of outlets that Cunningham had a significant bonus incentive, at least $70,000, to get into the tournament, arguably more if they advanced. I want folks to let that sink in for just a minute.’

Even if Cunningham did everything by the book, the selection process has long been plagued by suspicions that committee members will do their best to take care of buddies who work at other schools. And even if Cunningham never even hinted at lobbying for the Tar Heels, these committee members are colleagues and often friends who spend a lot of time with each other inside and outside the committee room during this process. 

So something like what happened Sunday only turbocharges conspiracy theories, and it’s worth looking at whether athletics directors and conference commissioners should be the ones making these tough calls when there’s so much on the line financially.

But that’s a matter for the leaders of college sports to reckon with — not elected officials who love to use this stuff to make it seem like they’re fighting for the common man or woman when we all know it’s political theater. 

McCuskey, the attorney general, even sounded more like a message board poster than a chief law enforcement officer in repeatedly referring to the Mountaineers as “we” and making the case that a basketball team with guard Javon Small would have a chance to beat anyone in the country. 

In the end, it was deeply embarrassing for the people of West Virginia. Just like it was when some Florida politicians did the same thing after Florida State got left out of the 2023 College Football Playoff. And just like the group of legislators in Georgia, Alabama and Illinois that have recently tried to pass bills giving college athletes an exemption from state income tax on their NIL deals.

In fact, it’s probably not a stretch to say that no group of people has consistently done more to turn public opinion back toward the NCAA on a variety of issues than state-level legislators doing ridiculous things on behalf of college sports because they think it will win them more votes in the next election.

Similar to most of those efforts, Monday’s news conference was almost as funny as a variety show. Only it happened in real life, in the state of West Virginia, instead of on the SNL set where it belonged. 

Tracy Morgan appeared to fall ill and required medical attention during Monday night’s NBA game between the New York Knicks and Miami Heat at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

The ’30 Rock’ and ‘Saturday Night Live’ star was courtside for the Eastern Conference tilt, as he is for most Knicks games during the season. Social media photos showed that Morgan became ill in the third quarter, causing a delay to the game as he was tended to.

Video posted on X showed Morgan being taken off the court in a wheelchair during the delay in the third quarter. Another post alleged the actor was dealing with a nosebleed, as well.

After the delay, the Knicks closed out the matchup with a 116-95 win over the visiting Heat.

‘We hope everything’s good with Tracy Morgan,’ Knicks guard Josh Hart said after the game. ‘Avid, lifetime Knick fan so prayers go out to him and his health and safety.’

The 56-year-old comedian has dealt with multiple health issues. In 2010, he underwent a kidney transplant; in 2014, he spent two weeks in a coma following a car crash.

‘We hope Tracy feels better soon and look forward to seeing him back courtside,’ a Madison Square Garden representative told PEOPLE.

This story will be updated with more information as it becomes available.