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Players Championship: Thursday’s first-round tee times, how to watch

The Players Championship was dubbed golf’s fifth major and bestowed two-word status ‒ ‘The Players’ ‒ in clubhouses around the country long ago because of the loaded fields it annually draws, the gigantic purse available to the winner and the iconic ‘Island Green’ on the par-3 17th at TPC Sawgrass that gives the entire tournament an unforgettable backdrop. It’s also because of where the event annually falls on the calendar.

After a few months of build-up, the 2025 PGA Tour season is hitting its stride ahead of The Masters next month, and this year’s Players Championship got an off-course jolt when PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan gave a positive update on a potential merger with LIV Golf during his pre-tournament news conference. But once Thursday’s first round tees off, the focus will be one group.

The PGA Tour will have the top three golfers in the current world rankings ‒ No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, No. 2 Rory McIlroy and No. 3 Xander Schauffele ‒ playing together during the first and second rounds of The Players Championship. Scheffler is going for an unprecedented three-peat after winning this tournament the past two years.

Here’s a look at Thursday’s tee times for the 144-golfer field, which features every member of the top 10 in the current world golf rankings, and how to watch the 2025 Players Championship:

Players Championship 2025 Thursday first-round tee times

All times Eastern

1st tee

7:40 a.m.: Chad Ramey, C.T. Pan, Vince Whaley
7:51 a.m.: Joel Dahmen, Patrick Rodgers, Chan Kim
8:02 a.m.: Beau Hossler, Mark Hubbard, Ben Silverman
8:13 a.m.: Rafael Campos, Davis Riley, Gary Woodland
8:24 a.m.: Joe Highsmith, Brian Campbell, Matt McCarty
8:35 a.m.: Patton Kizzire, Lucas Glover, Corey Conners
8:46 a.m.: Sahith Theegala, Matt Fitzpatrick, Will Zalatoris
8:57 a.m.: Davis Thompson, Stephan Jaeger, Tom Hoge
9:08 a.m.: Aaron Rai, Cam Davis, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
9:19 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Max Homa, Sungjae Im
9:30 a.m.: Nate Lashley, Will Gordon, Rico Hoey
9:41 a.m.: Alejandro Tosti, Isaiah Salinda, Aldrich Potgieter
12:45 p.m.: Doug Ghim, Ryan Fox, Sami Valimaki
12:56 p.m.: Andrew Putnam, Charley Hoffman, Denny McCarthy
1:07 p.m.: Daniel Berger, Min Woo Lee, Rasmus Hojgaard
1:18 p.m.: Harris English, Billy Horschel, Justin Rose
1:29 p.m.: Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele
1:40 p.m.: Collin Morikawa, Adam Scott, Tommy Fleetwood
1:51 p.m.: Keegan Bradley, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Cantlay
2:02 p.m.: Nick Dunlap, Akshay Bhatia, Tom Kim
2:13 p.m.: Harry Hall, Chris Gotterup, Si Woo Kim
2:24 p.m.: Jhonattan Vegas, Matt Kuchar, Adam Hadwin
2:35 p.m.: Sam Ryder, Greyson Sigg, Mac Meissner
2:46 p.m.: Max McGreevy, Ryan Gerard, Frankie Capan III

10th tee

7:40 a.m.: Lanto Griffin, Andrew Novak, David Lipsky
7:51 a.m.: Keith Mitchell, Justin Lower, Nicolai Hojgaard
8:02 a.m.: Michael Kim, Alex Smalley, Sam Stevens
8:13 a.m.: Maverick McNealy, Brian Harman, Tony Finau
8:24 a.m.: Ludvig Aberg, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas
8:35 a.m.: Russell Henley, Shane Lowry, Viktor Hovland
8:46 a.m.: Wyndham Clark, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth
8:57 a.m.: Thomas Detry, Sepp Straka, Nick Taylor
9:08 a.m.: J.T. Poston, Seamus Power, Mackenzie Hughes
9:19 a.m.: Chris Kirk, Luke List, Adam Svensson
9:30 a.m.: Bud Cauley, Matti Schmid, David Skinns
9:41 a.m.: Hayden Springer, Jesper Svensson, Will Chandler
12:45 p.m.: Henrik Norlander, Victor Perez, Ben Kohles
12:56 p.m.: Eric Cole, Ben Griffin, Max Greyserman
1:07 p.m.: J.J. Spaun, Jacob Bridgeman, Chandler Phillips
1:18 p.m.: Emiliano Grillo, Byeong Hun An, Adam Schenk
1:29 p.m.: Taylor Pendrith, Peter Malnati, Kurt Kitayama
1:40 p.m.: Brice Garnett, Matthieu Pavon, Camilo Villegas
1:51 p.m.: Austin Eckroat, Jake Knapp, Taylor Moore
2:02 p.m.: Nico Echavarria, Kevin Yu, Erik van Rooyen
2:13 p.m.: Karl Vilips, Sam Burns, Cameron Young
2:24 p.m.: K.H. Lee, Carson Young, Patrick Fishburn
2:35 p.m.: Trey Mullinax, Ryo Hisatsune, Laurie Canter
2:46 p.m.: Kris Ventura, Kevin Roy, Jackson Suber

How to watch 2025 Players Championship: TV, streaming for PGA Tour

The Players Championship will be carried live on TV by Golf Channel all four days. NBC will pick up live coverage of the third and final rounds. There is streaming coverage available on ESPN+, Peacock and Fubo, which is offering a free trial

Thursday, March 13

First round

7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
1-7 p.m. ET, Golf Channel
1-7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports app

Friday, March 14

Second round

7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
1-7 p.m. ET, Golf Channel
1-7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports app

Saturday, March 15

Third round

8 a.m.-7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
2-7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports app
2-7 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock

Sunday, March 16

Final round

7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. ET, ESPN+
1-6 p.m. ET, NBC Sports app
1-6 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock

Watch The Players Championship with Fubo

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Trump-backed bill to avert government shutdown passes House despite mutiny threats

House Republicans passed a federal funding bill backed by President Donald Trump largely on their own Tuesday.

It also marked one of the rare occasions in recent memory that a majority of House Democrats voted against a bill that would prevent a government shutdown.

The bill passed largely along partisan lines. 

The measure, a short-term extension of fiscal year (FY) 2024 funding known as a continuing resolution (CR), will now head to the Senate. It must pass there and get to Trump’s desk before the end of Friday, March 14, to avert a partial shutdown.

In a major victory for Trump and House GOP leaders, however, several House Republicans who professed to never have voted for a CR supported the current bill.

Among them was Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., who fully credited Trump with his decision to ‘barely’ support the bill.

‘The ‘barely’ is Donald Trump,’ Burlison said. ‘He is the difference maker. I would never support this language, but I do trust Donald Trump.’

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., was in a similar boat. He told reporters, ‘I’ll be the first guy to tell you I don’t like CRs. I’ve never voted for one.’

‘But the Democrats aren’t going to help us. And the Democrats are just going to put any shutdown on the president, which obviously isn’t good for for the party,’ Steube said. ‘So I think it’s important that we give the party, the president and the conference time to come up with a good budget.’

It includes an additional $8 billion in defense dollars in an apparent bid to ease national security hawks’ concerns, while non-defense spending that Congress annually appropriates would decrease by about $13 billion.

There’s also an added $6 billion for healthcare for veterans.

The White House has requested additional spending in areas that were not present in the last government funding extension, known as ‘anomalies.’

Among the anomalies are some added funding for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) federal benefits program, and nearly $1 billion to aid with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportations.

There is also some added funding for defense in a bid to ease national security hawks’ concerns, and about $13 billion in cuts to non-defense spending.

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Europe steps up to fund its own defense, provide security for Ukraine after Trump threats

European defense leaders are meeting in Paris this week to discuss their plans to provide Ukraine with security guarantees as the continent steps up after decades of relying on the U.S.

French President Emmanuel Macron led with an address to the Tuesday gathering of defense chiefs from 30 European and NATO countries after the U.S.’ new ‘America first’ policy direction jolted the Europeans into action. 

Macron said it was time to ‘move from concept to plan,’ and told French newspaper Le Figaro that France would boost its defense spending from 2% to 3.5% of GDP, amounting to around €30 billion annually. 

Details of any peacekeeping force are still widely in flux, but some officials said to expect a targeted deterrence force aimed at protecting key infrastructure rather than a wide blockade of the front lines. 

Europeans were dismayed last week when the U.S. announced it would pause all aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, but that pause was lifted Tuesday after Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire. All eyes are now on Russia to see if Russian President Vladimir Putin accepts the deal, which came after U.S.-brokered talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday. 

The U.S. has insisted that it is Europe’s responsibility to offer military resources to help Ukraine deter Russia from invading again once a ceasefire is reached. President Donald Trump has flirted with the idea of not protecting European nations under NATO’s Article 5 if they refuse to meet their defense spending obligations under the treaty.

The new call for Europe’s defense was a welcome development for NATO’s eastern flank, where tiny nations have for years beaten out their larger European counterparts in defense spending as a percentage of their GDP. 

‘We should not be panicking about [Trump statements],’ said Giedrimas Jeglinskas, chairman of the Lithuanian parliament’s national security committee.

‘Europeans need to think about what sort of troops to put in Ukraine,’ he told Fox News Digital. ‘Europeans need to hold most of [our security] now. We need to show good will. Next to good will, you need to show numbers. How many troops can we generate, what sort of troops can we generate, what support we’re going to need from the U.S.’ 

‘I’m not going to provide security guarantees beyond very much,’ Trump had said at his first Cabinet meeting on Feb. 26. ‘We’re going to have Europe do that.’

The United States – NATO’s most militarily powerful member – wasn’t invited to the Paris talks because European nations wanted to show that they are able to shoulder a large part of the job of safeguarding Ukraine once a truce is in effect, a French military official told the Associated Press.

But Jeglinskas said Europe should acquiesce to U.S. demands to pour more into its own defenses as it needs the U.S. for air defenses like the Patriot missile. 

‘People who are complaining about the U.S. – there’s an abundance of that in Europe – yeah, show me the alternative. There’s nothing.’ 

Over the weekend, top Trump advisor Elon Musk posted on X that the U.S. ‘really should’ leave NATO. ‘Doesn’t make sense for America to pay for the defense of Europe,’ he wrote. 

‘It’s common sense, right,’ Trump told reporters of the NATO alliance last week. ‘If they don’t pay, I’m not going to defend them. No, I’m not going to defend them.’

Jeglinskas said that in his meetings behind closed doors, U.S. officials have expressed America’s commitment to Article 5 is ‘as strong as ever.’ 

‘Sometimes Trump goes way over to get people to come to a position of reality,’ said Jonathan Bass, foreign affairs expert and Argent LNG CEO. ‘The fact that he went so far to what they considered crazy, [the Europeans] actually took him seriously and did what they needed to do.’

Lithuania is currently spending 4% on defense and plans to bump that figure to 5-6% next year, which is why Defense Minister Dovile Šakalienė told reporters her nation plans to pay U.S. defense manufacturers ‘at least $8 billion’ more in ‘the coming years’ to boost defenses. 

Russian aggression that could extend beyond Ukraine, including potentially into Baltic States like Lithuania, ‘worries us,’ she said.

‘That’s why we are really pushing forward with our military capability plans, with our defense capacity-building, infrastructure and personnel and acquisitions, from weapons to ammo, building factories, defense industries.’

Europe has offered Ukraine around $139 billion in aid since the start of the war, while the U.S. has offered around $128 billion. 

But the European Union last week proposed an $841 billion plan to ‘rearm Europe,’ which included a $158 billion emergency loan proposal to arm European capacities in vulnerable areas like air defense and ammunition. The plan also calls for relaxing strict debt ceilings agreed to by the bloc for defense spending. 

‘This is a moment for Europe, and we are ready to step up,’ said European Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen last week. 

Šakalienė said ‘strengthening the northeastern flank’ of Europe was the ‘joint goal,’ which could mean stationing hypersonic missiles aimed at Russia in Baltic states like Lithuania.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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US agriculture supply chain to be protected from Chinese Communist Party in Hinson, Ricketts bipartisan bill

Rep. Ashley Hinson and Sen. Pete Ricketts are rolling out a bicameral bill with bipartisan support that would secure agriculture supply chains in the United States from vulnerabilities and potential Chinese Communist Party exploitation, Fox News Digital has learned. 

Hinson, R-Iowa, will introduce the Securing American Agriculture Act in the House of Representatives, while Ricketts, R-Neb., will introduce the measure in the Senate. 

The Securing American Agriculture Act would require the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct an annual assessment to identify supply chain vulnerabilities, domestic production gaps and potential CCP exploitation. 

It also would direct the secretary of Agriculture to recommend ways to strengthen U.S. reliance and reduce China’s influence in the industry to mitigate potential threats. 

The bill would ensure that the USDA accurately accounts for U.S. dependence on China for critical agricultural inputs and guarantee access for American producers. 

‘China has intentionally captured a significant market share of America’s agricultural inputs — which is vital to our food supply chain — ceding leverage to our top adversary,’ Hinson told Fox News Digital Tuesday. ‘Iowa farmers have told me firsthand that if China decides to shut off U.S. access to these critical inputs, our food production would be in jeopardy. I’m proud to reintroduce this bipartisan bill that exposes and counters China’s grip on agricultural inputs to strengthen domestic manufacturing and food security.’ 

Hinson added: ‘Plain and simple: We should bring our agriculture supply chain home.’ 

And Ricketts told Fox News Digital Tuesday that ‘Communist China’s strategic control over crucial sectors of our food and agricultural supply chains poses a serious national security threat.’

‘Losing access to key inputs could reduce productivity, increase food prices and undermine food security,’ Ricketts told Fox News Digital. ‘My bill will bolster and protect these supply chains and reduce our reliance on foreign adversaries.’

The bill is also supported by House China Committee Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., who said the bipartisan bill is ‘a critical step forward in protecting our nation’s food supply and farmers from foreign adversaries, including the Chinese Communist Party, who threaten our agricultural security.’ 

‘America’s farmers are the backbone of our economy, and we must ensure they have the resources and safeguards needed to compete on a level playing field while securing our nation’s agricultural supply chains,’ Krishnamoorthi told Fox News Digital.

The bill is also supported by House China Committee Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich.; Rep, Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii; Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas; and Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Fla., among others. 

In the Senate, Democrat Sen. Elissa Slotkin; Republican Sens. James Risch, R-Idaho; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V.; Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.; Mike Crapo, R-Idaho; Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.; Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb.; and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., also support the bill. 

Slotkin told Fox News Digital that ‘food security is national security.’ 

‘We need to treat threats to our food supply chain just like any other security risk,’ Slotkin said. ‘This legislation requires us to assess those risks so we can protect our food supply. Bottom line: We need to make sure America’s agriculture supply chain is secure and stays right here at home.’ 

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Dick’s Sporting Goods is latest retailer to forecast rocky 2025 as recession fears swirl

Dick’s Sporting Goods on Tuesday said it’s expecting 2025 profits to be far lower than Wall Street anticipated, making it the latest retailer to forecast a rocky year ahead as consumers contend with tariffs, inflation and fears around a potential recession. 

In an interview with CNBC, Executive Chairman Ed Stack said the company’s exposure to China, Mexico and Canada for sourcing is very small, but it recognizes that falling consumer confidence could impact spending.

“I do think it’s just a bit of an uncertain world out there right now,” said Stack. “What’s going to happen from a tariff standpoint? You know, if tariffs are put in place and prices rise the way that they might, what’s going to happen with the consumer?”

On a call with analysts, CEO Lauren Hobart insisted the company is not seeing a weak consumer, and said its guidance is based on the overall uncertain environment.

“We definitely are feeling great about our consumer,” said Hobart. “We are just reflecting an appropriate level of caution given so much uncertainty out in the marketplace.”

Shares of the company opened about 2% lower.

Despite the weak guidance, the sporting goods retailer posted its best holiday quarter on record. Its comparable sales rose 6.4%, far ahead of the 2.9% growth that analysts expected, according to StreetAccount. 

Here’s how Dick’s did in its fiscal fourth quarter compared with what Wall Street was anticipating, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

Earnings per share: $3.62 vs. $3.53 expected

Revenue: $3.89 billion vs. $3.78 billion expected

The company’s reported net income for the three-month period that ended Feb. 1 was $300 million, or $3.62 per share, compared with $296 million, or $3.57 per share, a year earlier.  

Sales rose to $3.89 billion, up about 0.5% from $3.88 billion a year earlier. Like other retailers, Dick’s benefited from an extra week in the year-ago period, which has skewed comparisons. But unlike many of its peers, Dick’s still managed to grow both sales and profits during the quarter, even with one less selling week. 

In the year ahead, Dick’s is expecting earnings per share to be between $13.80 and $14.40, well short of Wall Street estimates of $14.86, according to LSEG. It anticipates net sales will be between $13.6 billion and $13.9 billion, which at the high end is in line with estimates of $13.9 billion, according to LSEG. Dick’s expecting comparable sales to grow between 1% and 3%, compared with estimates of up 2.5%, according to StreetAccount. 

The gloomy earnings outlook comes after a wide array of other retailers gave weak forecasts for the current quarter or the year ahead amid concerns about sliding consumer confidence and the impact tariffs and inflation could have on spending. Kohl’s also offered a weak outlook for the year ahead on Tuesday, leading its shares to plummet 15%.

Some retailers blamed an unseasonably cool February for a weak start to the current quarter, but most recognized they’re also operating in a tough macroeconomic backdrop, and it’s harder than ever to forecast how consumers are holding up. In February, consumer confidence slid to its lowest levels since 2021, the jobs report came in weaker than expected and unemployment ticked up. Over the last few years, a strong job market has led many economists to brush away concerns about rising credit card delinquencies and debt, but those cracks could grow deeper if unemployment continues to rise. 

On Monday, some of those concerns triggered a stock market sell-off, extending losses after the S&P 500 posted three consecutive negative weeks. The Nasdaq Composite saw its worst day since September 2022, while the Dow lost nearly 900 points and closed below its 200-day moving average for the first time since Nov. 1, 2023.

Beyond the uncertain macroeconomic environment, Dick’s plans to invest more heavily in its “House of Sport” concept and e-commerce in the year ahead, which it also expects will weigh on profits. The massive, 100,000-square-foot stores are a growth area for the company and include features like rock climbing walls and running tracks. 

In the year ahead, Dick’s plans to spend $1 billion on a net basis building 16 additional House of Sport locations and 18 Field House locations, which take some of the experimental elements of the House of Sport but fit it into the size of a traditional Dick’s store. 

The strategy comes at a strong point for sports in the country, which is expected to be a tail wind for the business. The 2026 World Cup will be held in North America, women’s sports are more popular than ever, and consumers are increasingly focused on health and wellness. 

“We’re going to have a moment here in the next three or four years, from a sports standpoint, that I think is going to put sport on steroids,” said Stack. “We’re going into a sports moment right now, and we are investing very heavily into that sports moment over the next several years because this is going to last through [2030] and maybe beyond.”

— Additional reporting by CNBC’s Courtney Reagan.

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Gerrit Cole injury: Yankees have few options to pick up the pieces

No, they’re not done. But it’s not going to be easy.

The New York Yankees, the closest thing to a pennant favorite in the muddled American League, took about the biggest hit a club could absorb in losing the seemingly superhuman Gerrit Cole to Tommy John surgery.

Cole will be back – probably not until fairly deep into the 2026 season. And the Yankees should return to the playoffs this year – though probably not without some roster enhancements.

A look at the reverberations throughout the Yankees roster, the AL East and the majors as a whole as Cole undergoes reconstructive elbow surgery on Tuesday:

The end of the world as they know it

For a guy with a Cy Young Award on the shelf and a once-record $324 million contract, Cole’s durability and brilliance seemed strangely underappreciated.

It didn’t help that Cole’s much-anticipated Year 1 in the Bronx – coming off a year the Yankees reached Game 6 of the ALCS – was truncated by the COVID-19 pandemic. He made his dozen starts and posted a 2.84 ERA, nudged the Yankees a round in the playoffs before an ALDS loss to Tampa Bay.

What followed were three largely fantastic seasons, during which Cole made three All-Star teams, posted 30 to 33 starts, paired a 1.01 WHIP with 11 strikeouts per nine innings and took home the 2023 Cy Young Award.

The yellow flags began waving one year ago, when an elbow scare knocked Cole out until June. The fatalists among us who figured that was a harbinger for eventual surgery were proven correct.

Even still, Cole dominated once he got his sea legs, posting a 2.67 ERA in his last 13 outings; the Yankees won his first three postseason starts and he handed them a 1-1 tie in Game 1 of the World Series before many, many things went sideways.

It is the kind of production that isn’t fully appreciated until it is gone.

Fall on me

So, who picks up the slack?

It’s a complicated problem, exacerbated by second-year right-hander Luis Gil’s lat injury that will knock him out at least two months. Put it this way: Veteran Marcus Stroman came to camp grousing that he had no rotation spot and at this rate, he’ll be starting on Opening Day.

OK, let’s not weep too much for the Yankees: Their rotation begins with $380 million worth of left-handers coming out of the chute, thanks to their $218 million off-season investment in Max Fried. It’s not that the Yankees are bereft – it’s that they have zero margin for error.

Fried has looked comfortable in pinstripes and ready to take on the next stage of his career. He must live up to it.

Lefty Carlos Rodón’s pattern of good year, bad year has largely continued into his $162 million deal with the Yankees. He must back up a solid 2024 – 32 starts, a 3.96 ERA – with continued good health and production.

Clarke Schmidt is a nice back-end rotation piece; suddenly, he’s the ranking right-hander in the rotation and above all, needs to stay healthy.

Stroman? At this stage of his career, he’s proven effective out of the gate, evidenced by his 2.60 ERA as the Yankees won eight of his first 12 starts in pinstripes; he had a 5.70 ERA in his final 18 appearances and, at 33, does not miss many bats.

The Yankees just might take that in 2025, holding the fort down until Gil returns and forming a mix-and-match at the back end of the rotation with young Will Warren and maybe non-roster invitee Carlos Carrasco, who has had a good spring, to the extent that tells us anything about what Cookie can offer after his 38th birthday next week.

After that?

The cupboard is glaringly bare.

Everybody hurts

And that lack of depth – thinned over the years by trades for Juan Soto and others – is before any other starter feels a twinge or a pull, an inevitable development during a 162-game season.

While nobody roots for a colleague to get hurt, Cole’s departure certainly raised the most eyebrows among rivals, opening the door wider for what should be a five-team AL East dogfight.

Yet everyone has their problems. Grayson Rodriguez’s elbow is barking in Orioles camp, where they were already counting on 41-year-old Charlie Morton to shore up the rotation. Boston, finally a threat after a largely moribund decade, will start the year with Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford on the injured list, with question marks on Lucas Giolito and Walker Buehler’s ability to consume significant innings.

In today’s game, attrition is inevitable. If nothing else, the Yankees at least know early on that they probably need to delve into the trade market.

Accelerate

Yep, it certainly hurts for a Yankee fan to look back at how close they came to a World Series title with Soto – because now, they could certainly use Michael King and others used to acquire Soto.

But they never stop shooting their shot in the Bronx. The question is, what’s left in the stockpile?

One year ago this week, Dylan Cease was traded to the Padres, proof enough that it’s never too late to add. But the Padres have not yet signaled they’re willing to flip Cease or King and still have a team with pennant aspirations.

The Miami Marlins would likelier draw a bigger haul for 2023 Cy Young winner Sandy Alcántara once he has a first half worth of dominant starts behind him. It’s probably the same case in St. Louis, where resetting has proven elusive, yet the returns for a Sonny Gray or Miles Mikolas would probably be better with a dozen teams, rather than two or three, in the market.

And just what do the Yankees have to deal?

Their farm system has taken hits from trades and injuries and in recent years, they’ve walked away from deals that might include anticipated stars, such as Jasson Dominguez or Anthony Volpe. So they’re probably not trading budding slugger Spencer Jones, and are thin in that mid-range prospect area that might facilitate a deal for a higher-end stopgap.

Tough spot.

Cole’s injury also means they need to start preparing for 2026 now. He’ll likely not return until around next year’s All-Star break; acquiring a starter in their walk year would put them back in the same spot come winter.

But that’s a problem for another time. The Yankees have always worried about tomorrow, tomorrow, if you will. It’s just that today got a whole lot cloudier.

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CBS, Turner announce 2025 March Madness commentators, coverage plan

March Madness is beginning with conference tournaments underway, Selection Sunday fast approaching and the start of the 2025 men’s NCAA basketball tournament less than a week away. It’s time to figure out how to watch every game or figure out the channel for truTV), and who might be on the call when the next buzzer beater or Cinderella emerges.

For the 15th season in a row, CBS and Turner Sports are combining to broadcast all 67 games of the NCAA Tournament, starting with First Four action on March 18. It will be the first March Madness on CBS since the death of the network’s longtime college basketball studio host and play-by-play announcer Greg Gumbel. But there will be plenty of familiar faces on set, with TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA’ trio of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith returning and the addition of former Michigan Fab Five star and ESPN NBA commentator Jalen Rose as an analyst.

CBS and Turner Sports have done joint coverage of the men’s NCAA Tournament since 2011. The two networks previously agreed to an 8-year, $8-billion contract extension with the NCAA for broadcasting rights to the event through 2032.

Here’s a break down of March Madness coverage plans for CBS and Turner Sports in 2025, as well as the studio and game announcer teams for this year’s NCAA Tournament:

March Madness 2025: Men’s NCAA Tournament game announcers

The lead CBS announce team of Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery and Grant Hill, with Tracy Wolfson on sideline duties, will broadcast the Final Four and national championship game from San Antonio for the second-straight season. Here’s the rest of the broadcasters for men’s NCAA Tournament games this year:

Through Final Four/national championship: Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst), Grant Hill (analyst) and Tracy Wolfson (sideline)
Through Elite Eight: Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Jim Jackson (analyst), Allie LaForce (sideline)
Through Elite Eight: Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Dan Bonner (analyst), Stan Van Gundy (analyst), Lauren Shehadi (sideline)
Through Elite Eight: Andrew Catalon (play-by-play), Steve Lappas (analyst), Evan Washburn (sideline)
First/second round: Lisa Byington (play-by-play), Robbie Hummel (analyst), Jalen Rose (analyst), Andy Katz (sideline)
First/second round: Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Jim Spanarkel (analyst), Jon Rothstein (sideline)*
First/second round: Tom McCarthy (play-by-play), Debbie Antonelli (analyst), Steve Smith (analyst), AJ Ross (sideline)
First/second round: Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Brendan Haywood (analyst), Dana Jacobson (sideline)

*Will also broadcast First Four games in Dayton, Ohio

March Madness 2025: NCAA Tournament studio commentators

As part of its 2025 NCAA Tournament coverage, CBS and Turner Sports will once again broadcast from two different studio sets based in either New York or Atlanta.

From New York: Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Clark Kellogg.
From Atlanta: Adam Lefkoe (host), Jay Wright, Candace Parker and Seth Davis

Adam Zucker (host), Wally Szczerbiak (analyst), Gene Steratore (rules analyst) and Jami Erdahl (game updates) will also work in studio roles during the the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Lefkoe, Wright, Rose and Davis will work as a team in studio during First Four action.

How to watch March Madness: TV, streaming for 2025 NCAA Tournament

The 2025 men’s basketball NCAA Tournament will be broadcast on CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV, beginning with First Four games on March 18 and 19 on truTV. First-round action starts on March 20.

NCAA Tournament games can be streamed on the March Madness On Demand app, Paramount+, Sling or Fubo, which is offering a free trial.

Watch 2025 NCAA Tournament games with Fubo

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Ukraine accepts deal, says Rubio: ‘We’ll take this to the Russians’

Ukraine on Tuesday accepted a deal put forward by the Trump administration during a meeting in Saudi Arabia, a significant step forward in securing a ceasefire agreement and bringing an end to the war with Russia.

‘We’ll take this offer now to the Russians, and we hope that they’ll say yes,’ Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters. 

Rubio, standing alongside national security advisor Mike Waltz, did not detail exactly what was in this agreement, but according to a readout provided by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, Kyiv has agreed to a 30-day ceasefire contingent on Moscow’s acceptance of the terms.

‘We hope the Russians answer to that,’ Rubio said. ‘The best goodwill gesture the Russians can provide is to say yes.’

In response to Kyiv’s willingness to accept Washington’s hard-fought preliminary proposal, President Donald Trump agreed to lift the pause on U.S. security assistance to Ukraine ‘effective immediately’ and renewed U.S. intelligence sharing.

Rubio said if and once Moscow agrees to this preliminary agreement, the real negotiations can commence. 

‘This is very serious. Today people will die in this war. They died yesterday, and sadly, unless there’s a ceasefire tonight, they’ll die tomorrow,’ Rubio said. ‘The president wants that to stop.’

‘We’ve gone from if this war is going to end to how this war is going to end,’ Waltz told reporters. 

Issues involving the return of children abducted by Russia and the return of prisoners of war will be addressed in the ‘second phase’ of negotiations, the pair said.

Waltz confirmed that the Trump administration and the Ukrainian delegation discussed ‘substantive details’ on security guarantees to ensure lasting peace between the two nations – though neither Kyiv nor Washington have yet confirmed the elements of those discussions. 

‘Both delegations agreed to name their negotiating teams and immediately begin negotiations toward an enduring peace that provides for Ukraine’s long-term security,’ the readout of the talks said. ‘The United States committed to discussing these specific proposals with representatives from Russia. 

‘The Ukrainian delegation reiterated that European partners shall be involved in the peace process,’ the readout added. 

Rubio said a mineral deal will be discussed at a further date.

‘We were here in pursuit of peace,’ he told reporters. ‘That doesn’t mean the mineral deal is not very important.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Business

Southwest Airlines will charge to check bags for the first time, launch basic economy tickets

It’s happening: Southwest Airlines will start charging passengers to check bags for the first time.

It’s a stunning reversal that shows the low-cost pioneer is willing to part with a customer perk executives have said set it apart from rivals in more than half a century of flying in hopes of increasing revenue.

Southwest’s changes come after months of pressure from activist Elliott Investment Management. The firm took a stake in the airline last year and won five board seats as it pushed for quick changes at the company, which held on for decades — until now — to perks such as free checked bags, changeable tickets and open seating.

For tickets purchased on or after May 28, Southwest customers in all but the top tier-fare class will have to pay to check bags, though there will be exceptions. Elite frequent flyers who hold “A-List Preferred” status will still get two bags and A-List level members will get one free checked bag. Southwest credit card holders will also get one free checked bag.

“Two bags fly free” is a registered trademark on Southwest’s website. But its decision to about-face on what executives long cast as a sacrosanct passenger perk brings the largest U.S. domestic carrier in line with its rivals, which together generated $5.5 billion from bag fees last year, according to federal data.

Southwest executives have long said they didn’t plan to charge for bags, telling Wall Street analysts that it was a major reason why customers chose the airline.

“After fare and schedule, bags fly free is cited as the No. 1 issue in terms of why customers choose Southwest,” CEO Bob Jordan said on an earnings call last July.

But Southwest has changed its tune.

“What’s changed is that we’ve come to realize that we need more revenue to cover our costs,” COO Andrew Watterson said in an interview with CNBC about the baggage fee changes. “We think that these changes that we’re announcing today will lead to less of that share shift than would have been the case otherwise.”

In September, Southwest’s then-chief transformation officer, Ryan Green, told analysts that its analysis showed Southwest would lose more money from passengers defecting to rivals if it started charging for bags than it would make from the fees.

“The fact that free bags is a key driver of choice creates the risk that customers may choose the competition if we change the policy,” he said.

Southwest said last month that it had parted ways with Green.

The airline also said Tuesday that it will launch a new, basic economy fare, something rivals have offered for years.

Southwest, in addition, will change the way customers earn Rapid Rewards: Customers will earn more of the frequent flyer miles depending on how much they pay. Redemption rates will vary depending on flight demand, a dynamic pricing model competitors use.

And flight credits for tickets for tickets purchased on or after May 28 will expire one year, or earlier, depending on the type of fare purchased.

It’s the latest in a string of massive strategy changes at Southwest as its performance has fallen behind rivals.

Last July, Southwest shocked passengers when it announced it would ditch its open seating model for assigned seats and add “premium” extra legroom options, ending decades of an single-class cabin.

The airline is also looking to slash its costs. Higher expenses coming out of the pandemic have taken a bite out of airline margins.

Last month, Southwest announced its first mass layoff, cutting about 1,750 jobs roughly 15% of its corporate staff, many of them at its headquarters, a decision CEO Jordan called “unprecedented” in the carrier’s more than 53 years of flying.

“We are at a pivotal moment as we transform Southwest Airlines into a leaner, faster, and more agile organization,” he said last month.

Earlier this year, Southwest announced the retirement of its longtime finance chief, Tammy Romo, who was replaced by Breeze executive Tom Doxey, and its chief administrative officer, Linda Rutherford. Both executives worked at Southwest for more than 30 years.

Southwest has also cut unprofitable routes, summer internships and employee teambuilding events its held for decades.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
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Sports

Ranking MLB’s best stadiums from 1-28* for 2025

Major League Baseball’s stadium landscape looks dramatically different in 2025, with the Tampa Bay Rays (hurricane damage to Tropicana Field) and Athletics (en route to Vegas) temporarily moving into minor-league ballparks.

After their dome’s roof was ripped off in October, the Rays will play 2025 home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the spring training training facility of the rival New York Yankees. On the West Coast, the Athletics will play the next three seasons in Sacramento at Sutter Health Park – home of the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A affiliate – while awaiting their new stadium in Las Vegas, expected to open in 2028.

In addition to the new ballparks on the MLB circuit, two others underwent naming sponsor changes for the new season. The Houston Astros’ home is now called Daikin Park after more than two decades as Minute Maid Park, while the Chicago White Sox dropped a word from Guaranteed Rate Field and now play at Rate Field.

Last year, eight USA TODAY Network reporters and editors ranked MLB’s stadiums from 1-30. With two of those stadiums out of the picture for 2025 and the temporary homes yet to host a big-league game, here’s a look at an updated 1-28:

1. PNC Park – Pittsburgh Pirates

Year opened: 2001
Capacity: 38,747

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2. Oracle Park – San Francisco Giants

Opened: 2000
Capacity: 41,265

3. Wrigley Field – Chicago Cubs

Opened: 1914
Capacity: 41,649

4. Oriole Park at Camden Yards – Baltimore Orioles

Opened: 1992
Capacity: 44,970

5. Fenway Park – Boston Red Sox

Opened: 1912
Capacity: 37,755

6. Petco Park – San Diego Padres

Opened: 2004
Capacity: 40,209

7. Dodger Stadium – Los Angeles Dodgers

Opened: 1962
Capacity: 56,000

8. Coors Field – Colorado Rockies

Opened: 1995
Capacity: 50,480

9. T-Mobile Park – Seattle Mariners

Opened: 1999
Capacity: 47,929

10. Target Field – Minnesota Twins

Opened: 2010
Capacity: 38,544

11. Citi Field – New York Mets

Opened: 2009
Capacity: 41,800

12. Kauffman Stadium – Kansas City Royals

Opened: 1973
Capacity: 37,903

13. Citizens Bank Park – Philadelphia Phillies

Opened: 2004
Capacity: 42,901

14. Comerica Park – Detroit Tigers

Opened: 2000
Capacity: 41,083

15. Daikin Park – Houston Astros

Opened: 2000
Capacity: 40,963

16. Truist Park – Atlanta Braves

Opened: 2017
Capacity: 41,084

17. Busch Stadium – St. Louis Cardinals

Opened: 2006
Capacity: 45,494

18. LoanDepot Park – Miami Marlins

Opened: 2012
Capacity: 37,442

19. Progressive Field – Cleveland Guardians

Opened: 1994
Capacity: 34,830

20. Yankee Stadium – New York Yankees

Opened: 2009
Capacity: 50,287

21. Rogers Centre – Toronto Blue Jays

Opened: 1989
Capacity: 41,500

22. Globe Life Field – Texas Rangers

Opened: 2020
Capacity: 40,300

23. Angel Stadium – Los Angeles Angels

Opened: 1966
Capacity: 45,603

24. American Family Field – Milwaukee Brewers

Opened: 2001
Capacity: 41,900

25. Nationals Park – Washington Nationals

Opened: 2008
Capacity: 41,339

26. Great American Ball Park – Cincinnati Reds

Opened: 2003
Capacity: 42,271

27. Chase Field – Arizona Diamondbacks

Opened: 1998
Capacity: 48,633

28. Rate Field – Chicago White Sox

Opened: 1991
Capacity: 40,615

TBD – Temporary homes for 2025

Athletics – Sutter Health Park, West Sacramento

Home of San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A Sacramento River Cats
Opened: 2000
Capacity: 14,000

Tampa Bay Rays – George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa

New York Yankees’ spring training facility and home of Single-A Tampa Tarpons
Opened: 1996
Capacity: 11,026

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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