We’re almost done with this.

Since Mark McGwire debuted on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot in 2007, voters have had to reckon with the context of MLB’s Steroid Era and thus far, have excluded some of the greatest players in the history of the game from Cooperstown.

And when Alex Rodriguez falls off the ballot after failing to get elected in 2031, there may never be another obvious ‘Hall of Famer’ denied due to their use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Rodriguez (fourth year) and Manny Ramirez (ninth) represent the two final would-be-slam-dunks, appropriate considering they were the only ones actually suspended for PEDs. The suspensions are explicitly a red line for some voters, who were simultaneously in favor of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens while opposing the candidacies of Rodriguez and Ramirez.

McGwire later admitted usage, while Bonds and Clemens were named in the Mitchell Report, all coming up short of the required 75% vote share in their stints on the ballot.

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Their potential inclusion was a topic of serious scholarly debate – particularly when Bonds, Clemens and Sammy Sosa debuted on the 2013 ballot. And by the time Rodriguez arrived in 2022, everybody was so beat down and resigned to their own corners that there’s no longer an effort to earnestly sway hearts and minds. Some (myself included) had bought into a prophecy that a demographic shift younger among Hall of Fame voters would get the MLB icons of our youth over the hump.

Some cases will pop up in the next few years of fringe Hall guys who got busted. But does anybody really feel strongly enough to shout in defense of Robinson Cano, Ryan Braun or Nelson Cruz?

No, it will be the end of an era when Rodriguez and Ramirez are gone from the ballot.

Wherever you land on PEDs and the Hall of Fame, it’s of the utmost importance to future generations that we don’t simply wave away the Steroid Era in a telling of baseball history. Passing down the appreciation of these generational players is more vital to baseball history than any plaque in Cooperstown.

Baseball Hall of Fame voting results

Alex Rodriguez

2022: 34.3%
2023: 35.7%
2024: 34.8%

Manny Ramirez

2017: 23.8%
2018: 22%
2019: 22.8%
2020: 28.2%
2021: 28.2%
2022: 28.9%
2023: 33.2%
2024: 32.5%

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It’s a great time to be a basketball fan in the state of Michigan.

Michigan State and Michigan faced uncertainty entering the season. The Spartans have their streak of 26 consecutive appearances in the men’s tournament, but they’ve only been to the Sweet 16 once since 2019, leaving wonder if Tom Izzo had another deep run left in East Lansing. Meanwhile, Michigan brought in Dusty May to turnaround a program that was coming off its worst season in more than 40 years.

But with a mix of old and new, the two programs are thriving and leading the Big Ten with 5-0 conference records.

May mastered the portal in his first season in Ann Arbor, primarily with him bringing Vladislav Goldin with him from Florida Atlantic. During Michigan’s five league wins that includes a sweep at the California schools, the big man has averaged a conference-best 22.0 points and added 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting 67.9% from the field.

For Izzo’s squad, it’s been a mix of veterans led by senior Jaden Akins and freshman Jase Richardson propelling Michigan State to a nine-game win streak. The Spartans have been playing the typical solid defense, but the offense has improved by getting to the foul line and making their shots at the charity stripe, the second best free-throw percentage in the country (81.5%).

It’s become somewhat normal for both fanbases to feel uneasy about the postseason, but there’s now a renewed sense of optimism, and both teams lead the top storylines from the past weekend in hoops.

Top teams survive on the road

Plenty of the nation’s top teams were tested over the weekend with road contests, likely foreshadowing numerous tough bouts heading their way in conference play.

After the thumping it took at Florida, top-ranked Tennessee regrouped and showed resilience by pulling away from Texas for a 74-70 road win. Auburn got a major scare when player of the year candidate Johni Broome suffered an ankle injury, but the Tigers rallied past South Carolina. Then there was Iowa State, who surely looked like would lose to Texas Tech before a buzzer-beater got the Cyclones into overtime before winning in the extra period. That doesn’t include Alabama, Kentucky, Florida and Connecticut leaving hostile crowds with some close victories.

With the exception of Auburn, all of those top teams earned Quad 1 victories, much needed as all of them jockey for positioning in March. Yet plenty of tests await them the rest of the way, and any opportunity to show some fight is needed.

Southern California gets big win over Illinois

The Eric Musselman experience at Southern California has had a rather bumpy start, but the first-year head coach got his first signature win when the Trojans went into Champaign and gave Illinois a taste of its own medicine.

Illinois has been a scoring juggernaut so far, but it was the USC offense that couldn’t be stopped in the second half of an 82-72 win. Trailing by three points at intermission, USC shot 57.6% from the field in the second half and limited one of the best rebounding teams in the country.

The Trojans have a long way to go before they can be considered for the tournament picture, but getting the first Quad 1 win of the season while also achieving the first ranked road win since 2010 is a great start as Musselman tries to rebuild the program.

Arizona reviving season in Big 12 play

Almost a month ago, Arizona was sitting at 4-5 after blowing a second-half lead against UCLA. The Wildcats, a regular season powerhouse under Tommy Lloyd, looked like they’d be heading toward a brutal first season in the Big 12.

Instead, Arizona has found its form and are now winners of six in a row since that loss to the Bruins, joining Iowa State and Houston on top of the conference. The Wildcats have done it against some quality opponents as well, picking up a roads win against Cincinnati and avenging a loss to West Virginia. It’s easy to tell the win streak has coincided with veteran guard Caleb Love finally shaking off a rough start to the season. Love is averaging 19.5 points per game during the win streak while the big men have continued to control the boards.

Lloyd and company are red-hot, and they’ll get week of possibly boosting the resume with Baylor and Texas Tech on deck.

Utah State continues to thrive as coaches change

It doesn’t matter who’s in charge in Logan, Utah State continues to do one thing: win.

The Aggies, now on their third coach in three seasons, are the early leader in the Mountain West and have the most wins in Division I with a 16-1 record. However, the latest victory came in one of the most ridiculous ways, with Ian Martinez converting a miraculous four-point play in the final seconds to beat Boise State.

If you haven’t watched Jerrod Calhoun’s team, they are absolutely one to watch. In addition to the raucous environment inside the Smith Spectrum, they’ve found ways to win by either scoring in bunches or playing some tough defense. The Aggies look well on their way to their third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, this time with their eyes set on reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1970.

Alcorn State becomes final team to win

There will be no winless teams in Division I this season. After starting the season 0-14 with one of the worst scoring margins in the country, Alcorn State defended its home court by beating Alabama A&M 62-52 on Saturday. It may not mean much nationally for the Braves to finally get in the win column, but it ensures there won’t be a winless team in the country, which hasn’t happened since Grambling State went 0-28 in 2012-2013.

The NFL’s wild-card round is very nearly in the books, with only one game – the Minnesota Vikings at the Los Angeles Rams – left to play Monday night.

And, with Sunday’s games through, the Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders have all stamped their berths to the divisional round.

And with that, Washington became the first lower-seeded team of the NFL playoffs to pull off the road upset. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels was efficient and directed a game-winning drive inside the final minute of the game, playing like a steady veteran.

Elsewhere, fans were treated to another efficient quarterbacking performance in the form of MVP candidate Josh Allen, who extended plays and helped humble one of the league’s top defenses.

Here are the winners and losers from Sunday of wild card weekend.

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WINNERS

Efficient Josh Allen

The Denver Broncos posted the NFL’s third-best scoring defense, allowing 18.3 points per game over the regular season. They ranked eighth in turnovers forced (25). All that Allen did was complete 20 of 26 passes for 272 yards and two scores while adding 46 rushing yards in a 31-7 rout.

As he has all season, Allen emphasized efficiency and ball protection. Coupled with his ability to extend plays, that compromised Denver’s defensive assignments and allowed Bills receivers to leak out into open space. That was most evident during a fourth-and-1 touchdown pass late in the third quarter to running back Ty Johnson in the back of the end zone, a score that built considerable momentum for the Bills.

Jayden Daniels plays like a vet, a seasoned one at that

Making his first playoff start, Daniels lifted Washington to its first playoff victory in 19 years. In fact, Daniels was 5 years old the last time the franchise broke through in the postseason, also in a road game against the Buccaneers. Yet the moment, on the road, was nowhere near too big for him – especially in high-leverage situations and in the clutch. On 15 third- and fourth-down passing attempts Sunday night, Daniels scored two touchdowns while also picking up eight first downs.

Late in the game, with the score tied at 20, Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury leaned on Daniels to make the right decision on a pair of key third downs: a 21-yard completion up the middle on third-and-6 to receiver Dyami Brown and a 4-yard keeper on third-and-2 that set up the game-winning field goal.

Philly’s hot start

Through the first 13 games of the 2024 season, the Eagles combined to score 17 first-quarter points. Over their last six, including Sunday’s victory in which they scored 10 in the first frame, that number has spiked to 65.

The Eagles have become a very difficult out, precisely because of their hot starts. Given the dominance of running back Saquon Barkley, who improbably seems to get better as a game wears on, Philadelphia can wear down opposing defenses with a barrage of rushes. Barkley (119 yards on 25 carries), however, isn’t the only weapon; quarterback Jalen Hurts (concussion) played his first game in three weeks, and the Packers had no answer for his mobility when plays broke down. Which prompts the thought: The best way to get past Philadelphia seems to be to jump out to an early lead, forcing them to throw the ball.

Joe Brady and balance

Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady deployed an effective, balanced attack to unsettle the Broncos. If anything, Brady leaned on the ground game, even though Denver ranked third in the NFL in rushing defense (96.4 yards allowed per game) during the regular season.

The Bills rushed the ball 44 times for 210 yards, with James Cook racking up 120 and one touchdown on 23 carries; the Bills averaged 10 plays per series, excluding the five-play sequence they needed to close out the game.

LOSERS

Jordan Love, Green Bay’s downfield passing game flame out

With their starters well rested, the Eagles pressured Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who never appeared to settle and struggled to push the ball down the field. The most concerning part about Love’s three picks, however, was that they came in clean pockets with time to throw.

One was a tremendous play by Eagles corner Darius Slay. Another was a misread telegraphed into the awaiting hands of linebacker Zack Baun. The final was a heave in desperation time into double coverage All came on pure dropback throws. All could’ve been avoided with checkdowns. Love has an abundance of talent. The Eagles defense is well balanced and one that forced 26 takeaways. Love and the Packers miscalculated by testing a secondary that had the fewest passing yards allowed per game (174.2).

Late Bucs fumble spoils Mike Evans gem

The NBC broadcast did a good job of hyping up the longstanding rivalry between Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans and Commanders cornerback Marshon Lattimore — with good reason. The two have feuded for years, dating back to the start of Lattimore’s run as a corner for the NFC South-rival New Orleans Saints.

Evans got the better of the matchup, beating Lattimore in single coverages when they were matched up. He hauled in all seven of his targets for 92 yards and a score. He had a key effort conversion on a third down early in the fourth quarter that extended a Tampa drive that could’ve widened the Bucs lead, but quarterback Baker Mayfield misjudged a handoff, fumbling the ball to Washington deep in Tampa territory. The Commanders took a lead on a touchdown four plays later. Though the Bucs would later tie the game, that fumble completely altered the trajectory of the game and, eventually, the outcome.

Denver’s inability to stay on the field

It was promising for the Broncos once they raced out to an early lead just five plays into the game, on a 43-yard bomb to receiver Troy Franklin. After that, however, the offense struggled to sustain any type of effective drive. Buffalo scored the game’s final 31 points. Denver’s opening 70-yard drive was its longest of the day.

The Broncos couldn’t stay on the field, running only 42 offensive plays compared to Buffalo’s 72. Denver converted just two of nine third downs. The Bills outgained Denver 471-224. Against a team like Buffalo, with Allen’s playmaking, that was going to make it very difficult to win.

PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Eagles won on Sunday. They have no plans to follow up with any celebrations.

“No Victory Monday for us,” said head coach Nick Sirianni after the NFC East champions won their playoff opener 22-10, mainly by outlasting a Green Bay Packers squad undercut by injuries – both self-inflicted and otherwise.

“We’re gonna go back to work, because we do have a lot of things to clean up.”

Philly’s first wild-card victory at Lincoln Financial Field in 11 years was hardly a crisp performance by a team that rested the bulk of its key starters in Week 18 and had quarterback Jalen Hurts back in the lineup for the first time since Dec. 22, when he suffered a concussion at Washington.

The Eagles finished with 290 yards offensively, their third-lowest output of the season. They were for two-for-11 on third down. Philadelphia committed seven penalties and only scored a touchdown on one of its four incursions into the red zone.

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“At the end of the day, stats don’t matter. The only stat that matters is that win column,” said All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley, who rushed for a playoff career-best 119 yards (on 25 carries). “If you don’t get through this one, you go home.

“We got the job done – and I don’t like saying, like, we got the job done. We got out here, we survived, we won a football game against a really good team. … At the end of the day, we did what we needed to do.”

Hurts passed for two touchdowns in his return but just 131 yards. However, perhaps far more important, neither he nor his team turned the ball over. Yet the Packers, depleted by injuries and dogged by their own penalty issues (eight for 85 yards) gave the ball away four times and missed a field goal – opportunities the Eagles turned into all of seven points. Despite a dominant first half, they only led 10-0.

“We gotta correct this tape, we have things that we have to get better from this tape,” said Sirianni, who planned to work the Eagles on Monday – unless they play next Saturday, which would trigger a mandatory day off.

“But if we play on Sunday, we’re coming back to work, we’re gonna get our lift in. … We made errors as coaches, and we made errors as players, and we’re gonna go back and get those fixed. Because all that matters is the next game, and all that matters for that next game is that we get better from the things that happened in this game and repeat the stuff that we did well in this game.”

And there was enough to like aside from Barkley’s performance and the defense generating four takeaways in a postseason game for the first time in 23 years. Philadelphia held the Pack to a season-low point total. Linebacker Oren Burks forced a fumble on the game’s opening kickoff – a play his teammates agreed set a needed tone – leading to Hurts’ first touchdown pass three plays later.

Sirianni cited a “dog mentality,” pointing to kicker Jake Elliott’s pair of fourth-quarter field goals following a missed extra point. Rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell’s play was also pivotal, including the game-sealing interception following the two-minute warning, even though his pass interference penalty led to a Packers field goal in the second half.

“The defense put us in great positions all night. Defense, man, played a helluva game today – that’s where all the credit should go,” said Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata, who said the offense would need to clean up its execution, communication and procedure.

“A lot to learn from … I know that our coaches want to be a lot more detailed in the next coming days about how we can be better.”

The team will likely also have to move forward without starting linebacker Nakobe Dean, who was carted off with a knee injury that appeared serious. He left the stadium on crutches.

Philadelphia can’t control injuries. The Eagles can’t worry about style points when they matter the least. But the NFC East champs will have to be better given their next opponent – and Barkley and his teammates were quite relieved to earn another home game in the divisional round – likely won’t be as debilitated as the Packers, who seemed to lose a player to injury every other snap in addition to their other issues. Surviving the divisional round could quite probably mean a trip to Detroit to face the high-powered Lions and an even smaller margin for error.

“I hate this quote, but ‘practice makes perfect.’ You’re never going to be perfect. But at the end of the day – I know we have all these stars and all these weapons – but the only thing that matters is winning the game,” said Barkley. “I’m gonna say that until I’m blue in the face. I truly believe that. Stat lines (are) over. It don’t matter. What you did in the regular season, it doesn’t carry over. The only stat line that matters is wins, and that’s our mindset.

“You play defense, and you run the ball – through the test of time, you’re gonna be in a good situation to win football games. I know that’s been lost in recent years, but that’s the truth. … You’re built up for a run of success, and we have that.”

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

Looking to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, Carlos Alcaraz eased into the second round at the Australian Open on Monday with an imperfect but entertaining 6-1, 7-5, 6-1 victory over Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko.

The the 21-year-old Spaniard and four-time major champion showed flashes of brilliance but also made several unforced errors in his opening match in Melbourne.

‘Honestly, the first match of the season you never know how it’s going to be. I had the confidence to think that I was going to be good, but you never know,’ he told reporters afterward.

‘I’m just really happy with the level that I played, with everything I’ve done today. But I really want to be better in the next round.’

AUSTRALIAN OPEN STORYLINES: Coco Gauff ‘confident’ in bid for second Grand Slam title

The tournament’s No. 3 seed is still fine-tuning a new service motion that he adopted in the offseason, but he found his range with some devastating winners to dispatch Shevchenko, who’s ranked No. 77 in the world.

He’ll face Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in the second round.

Australian Nick Kyrgios upset in short-lived return

Nick Kyrgios’s long-awaited return to the Grand Slam stage proved something of a letdown as Briton Jacob Fearnley sent the ailing home hero out of the Australian Open first round in straight sets on Monday.

A capacity crowd packed John Cain Arena for Kyrgios’ first match at Melbourne Park in three years, hoping the tennis showman could shrug off an abdominal strain to battle through.

Most left deflated as Kyrgios went down swinging in a 7-6 (3), 6-3, 7-6 (2) defeat, with the injury hampering his serve and movement.

Kyrgios said this loss may have been his last singles match at the Grand Slam eventKyrgios said this loss may have been his last singles match at the Grand Slam event, given his growing frustrations with injury.

‘Realistically I can’t see myself playing a singles match here again,’ the 29-year-old told reporters.

‘It’s hard. When you’re competing for the biggest tournaments in the world and you’re struggling to win sets physically, it’s pretty tough.

Novak Djokovic rallies past young American

Novak Djokovic was rattled early on by inspired American teenager Nishesh Basavareddy but rallied for a four-set victory Monday to keep his bid for an 11th Australian Open title alive into the second round.

Basavareddy, making his Grand Slam debut, made Djokovic look every one of his 37 years as he tore around Rod Laver Arena mixing clean winners with some beautifully deft drop shots.

The 19-year-old had the crowd on its feet when he broke for 4-3 in the first set with a sizzling backhand return, again when he fought off two break points to hold for 5-3, and a third time when Djokovic dumped a backhand into the net to cede the set.

But the 24-time major champion took control in the second set and outlasted his young opponent 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Djokovic hasn’t lost in the first round of a Grand Slam event since the 2006 Australian Open when he lost to American Paul Goldstein – who coincidentally is Basavareddy’s collegiate coach at Stanford.

‘This kind of match is always tricky, playing against someone who has nothing to lose,’ Djokovic said. ‘He handled himself really well and I’m sure we’ll see plenty of him in the future.’

Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff is hoping that coming through a tough first round clash with former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin on Monday will hold her in good stead for the rest of the tournament.

The third seed was given a solid workout by 2020 champion Kenin in blazing sunshine on Rod Laver Arena but extended her lengthy winning streak to reach the second round with a 6-3 6-3 victory.

‘Honestly, when I saw the draw, I was like, it’s not a great first round. She’s one of those people that she can play great tennis,’ Gauff said.

Gauff pounced to break her fellow American for a fourth time in the match and secured her 10th straight singles victory when Kenin sent a wild forehand well wide of the tramlines.

Doping in spotlight as Jannik Sinner wins first match

Jannik Sinner launched his Australian Open title defense with a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5), 6-1 win over Nicolas Jarry on Monday in a match that put the players’ contrasting doping cases in the spotlight.

World No. 1 Sinner, who avoided suspension after failing two drug tests last March, was given a good battle on a sun-drenched Rod Laver Arena by the big-serving Chilean who was banned for 11 months in 2020 for doping.

In the lead-up to the match, Jarry had told Chilean newspaper La Tercera that he wished he had ‘the same support’ as Sinner from tennis authorities following his own failed tests.

Sinner remains under a doping cloud, however, with the World Anti-Doping Agency seeking a ban of up to two years at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A hearing has been set for April.

The saga has taken little toll on the Italian’s tennis; his defeat of world No. 36 Jarry was the U.S. Open champion’s 16th win in succession and 15th at the hardcourt Grand Slams.

Add another line to Jayden Daniels’ sterling resume from his debut NFL season.

The rookie quarterback led the Washington Commanders on a drive for a last-second field goal that secured a 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs, marking the first postseason win for the franchise in 19 years. The drought was the third-longest in the NFL, trailing only the Miami Dolphins (24 seasons) and the Las Vegas Raiders (22). 

After getting the ball back with less than five minutes remaining and the game tied, Daniels and running back Austin Ekeler guided the Commanders on a 10-play, 51-yard drive to set up a 37-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez that bounced off the upright and through for the final advantage.

Daniels, who threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-35 passing, became just the fourth rookie quarterback in NFL history to win his first career playoff start on the road. 

Washington was the only lower seed to topple a hosting team in this weekend’s five games. The Commanders will face the top-seeded Detroit Lions in the divisional round on Saturday, with the Philadelphia Eagles set to take on the winner of Monday night’s contest between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings.

All things Commanders: Latest Washington Commanders news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Daniels and Washington appeared to be in a bind when, trailing 17-13 early in the fourth quarter, the offense’s long drive was stonewalled despite the unit having a first-and-goal from the Tampa Bay 1-yard line. But after linebacker Bobby Wagner recovered a fumble by Baker Mayfield, Daniels delivered on a fourth-and-2 play by finding Terry McLaurin for a 5-yard touchdown. 

The No. 2 overall pick and overwhelming favorite for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year was bloodied after a big hit from Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum in the second quarter left him with a cut to his right cheek, but he remained in the game.

This story has been updated with new information.

With the Washington Commanders’ 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night, the 2025 NFL bracket and schedule has come into full view.

The Commanders are the lowest seed remaining in the playoffs. BetMGM had them and the AFC South champion Houston Texans as three-point underdogs going into Wild Card Weekend. Now both will face their conference’s top seeds Saturday.

Oddsmakers expect tonight’s wild card game could also come down to a field goal. The final team into the divisional round will be decided in Glendale, Arizona, where the NFL moved the game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings because of the wildfires in California. Game coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN

Printable 2025 NFL playoff bracket and divisional matchups

Can’t view our graphics? Click here to see them.

How NFL playoff format works

After this weekend’s games, the records of the remaining four teams in each conference determined how the divisional championships set up:

No. 1 seed hosts the lowest remaining seed.

The next highest remaining seed hosts the other wild-card weekend winner.

Odds for NFL’s divisional games

BetMGM’s initial betting lines for next weekend’s games are set. A plus before the number signifies the amount a bettor would win on a $100 bet. A minus signifies the amount a bettor must bet to win $100.

Odds for AFC divisional games

Houston Texans (+340) at Kansas City Chiefs (-450) favored by 8 points

Baltimore Ravens (-105) at Buffalo Bills (-115) favored by 1 point

Odds for NFC divisional games

Washington Commanders (+400) at Detroit Lions (-550) favored by 8.5 points

Best offenses and defenses of the 2024 NFL season

The Chiefs finished the regular season with the league’s best record, but did so with the lowest scoring differential among the top playoff teams. They outscored their opponents by just 59 points. Their 38-0 loss to end the season didn’t help, but less than a third of the NFC-leading Detroit Lions. Both the Lions and the Bills scored more than 500 points this season – a milestone only the Dallas Cowboys hit in 2023.

In his first season back in the NFL, head coach Jim Harbaugh turned up the Los Angeles Chargers’ defense, cutting their ‘points against’ to 301 – almost than 100 points fewer than 2023 and leading the league in the category. The five-seed Chargers fell to Texans in opening game of Wild Card Weekend. Interestingly, the 10-7 Texans scored exactly as many points as they gave up this season.

Final NFL standings for the 2024 season