There were rumors percolating this season that trouble was brewing with San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt and the front office. And on Oct. 13, Shildt officially announced his retirement with two years left on his contract.

“Just took a lot out of me,’ Shildt told USA TODAY Sports. “Just looked in the mirror and knew I didn’t have it in my to do what it takes to lead another 90-plus win season and World Series run.

“I’m at peace and look forward to the next chapter.’

Several executives in baseball told USA TODAY Sports this summer that the relationship between Shildt and AJ Preller, president of baseball operations, and his coaching staff had become strained – but Shildt denied that was the reason for his departure.

“That wasn’t it,’ he told USA TODAY Sports.

When asked if he wanted to continue managing, he said, “Not at the moment. I need a break and take care of myself.’

Shildt, who was earning about $2 million a year, says he will immediately move from Coronado Island in San Diego back to North Carolina.

“I’m at peace,’ he said.

Shildt did not respond when asked if the two sides reached a financial settlement or whether he was walking away from his salary.

Shildt, 56, who has led his team to the postseason in each of the five full seasons he has managed in St. Louis and San Diego, informed the Padres of his decision Saturday.

“We would like to congratulate Mike on a successful career and thank him for his significant contributions to the Padres and the San Diego community over the last four years, including consecutive 90-win seasons and two postseason appearances as manager,’ Preller said in a statement.

“His dedication and passion for the game of baseball will leave an impact on our organization, and we wish him the best in his next chapter. The search for a new manager of the Padres will begin immediately with the goal of winning a World Series championship in 2026.”

Padres manager candidates

The Padres will now be looking for their fourth manager since 2019, and are one of eight teams with a managerial vacancy.

The Padres have two internal candidates who could be the heir apparent with former catcher A.J. Ellis, who’s a special assistant, and former Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais, who’s also a special assistant in the organization.

Chicago Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty, who was on the Padres coaching staff and a finalist for Shildt’s job, will be a candidate. Phil Nevin, the former Angels manager who played for the Padres and also was a finalist for the Padres job, should receive strong consideration.

Yet, the most intriguing name already circulating is a future Hall of Famer manager who began his career in San Diego.

Bruce Bochy, 70, who managed 12 years for the Padres, leading them to a World Series appearance in 1998 before winning three World Series titles with the San Francisco Giants and one with the Texas Rangers, says he still has interest in managing.

Certainly, it would quite the story if he returns to try leading the Padres to the first World Series title in franchise history.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

A second Tkachuk brother and U.S. Olympic men’s hockey player is dealing with an injury.

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk wasn’t able to finish Monday’s 4-1 loss to the Nashville Predators. He had been cross-checked into the boards in the first period by Predators defenseman Roman Josi, who was penalized on the play. Tkachuk returned but missed the final nine minutes of the game.

Coach Travis Green said after the game that Tkachuk was being evaluated and he had no update on his status. He said no when asked if the captain didn’t play the last part of the third period for precautionary reasons. He added that Josi’s cross-check was the reason Tkachuk couldn’t finish.

Tkachuk and his brother, Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk, are among the first six players named to the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team for February.

Matthew Tkachuk is out until at least December after having surgery for injuries suffered at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He missed the rest of the regular season but returned for the playoffs and led the Panthers to a second consecutive Stanley Cup title.

Lucas Raymond injury update

Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond, named to the Swedish Olympic team, left Monday’s 3-2 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was hit into the boards by Toronto’s Chris Tanev and didn’t return because of an upper-body injury. Coach Todd McLellan didn’t have an update on Raymond after the game.

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The Titans fired coach Brian Callahan on Monday.
Callahan finishes his run with a 4-19 record in Tennessee.
Tennessee dropped to 1-5 on the season after a loss to the Raiders on Sunday.

One-third of the way through their second season with Brian Callahan, the Tennessee Titans reached their breaking point.

On Monday, just one day after a 20-10 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders dropped Tennessee to 1-5, the team announced it had fired its head coach.

Callahan finishes his run with a 4-19 record. He becomes the first NFL head coach to be fired this season.

‘After extended conversations with our owner and general manager, we met with Brian Callahan this morning to tell him we are making a change at head coach,’ Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker said in a statement. ‘These decisions are never easy, and they become more difficult when they involve people of great character. We are grateful for Brian’s investment in the Titans and Tennessee community during his tenure as head coach. We thank him and his family for being exemplary ambassadors of the Tennessee Titans.’

Mike McCoy, who had been the Titans’ senior offensive assistant and was the San Diego Chargers’ head coach from 2013-16, was named the interim head coach later on Monday.

Following the loss to the Raiders, standout defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons spoke critically of the team’s preparation, saying the group was unable to capitalize on last week’s surprising victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

‘In this league, you have to learn how to be able to stack wins and carry that momentum over,’ Simmons said. ‘It started at practice. Just being honest, this was probably one of our worst weeks of practice. We came out flat Thursday. Sometimes things carry over.’

Tennessee ranks last in the NFL in total offense after six weeks with just 232.3 yards per game.

Callahan faced mounting pressure early in the season as the team’s margin of defeat expanded weekly. Following a 41-20 home loss to the Indianapolis Colts in which fans chanted ‘fire Callahan’ before halftime, he relinquished play-calling duties to quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree.

But the switch didn’t alleviate problems, with Tennessee suffering a 26-0 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 4. The team was held scoreless for the first time since October 2019, and No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward was held to a season-low 108 yards on 10-of-26 passing.

‘We’re 0-4. At this point, we have nothing to lose,’ Ward said. ‘We’ve dropped a quarter of our (expletive) games and have yet to do anything. We have to lock in, especially myself. In all three phases, we have to play together and have not done it this year yet.’

After being hired as the replacement to Mike Vrabel, whom the team will face Sunday when they host the New England Patriots, Callahan was expected to usher in a new era for the Titans with a more pass-heavy approach. But his debut season was marred by turbulent play from quarterback Will Levis and self-inflicted mistakes throughout the roster, as Tennessee tied for the NFL lead in turnovers with 34.

With the No. 1 overall pick in hand, Callahan and new general manager Mike Borgonzi took Ward. But Tennessee continued to be plagued by errors, and the team’s -78 point differential is the second-worst in the league.

After the loss to Indianapolis, Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said his team determined from pre-game introductions that the Titans were lacking in energy.

‘They kinda looked a little sluggish. They were kinda walking around. Nobody was really bouncing,’ Pittman said. ‘Right then and there, we all sat there and were like, ‘They don’t want to play today.”

The Milwaukee Brewers host the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Monday, a best-of-seven showdown with a spot in the World Series on the line.

Milwaukee had Major League Baseball’s best record in the regular season but come up against the defending World Series champions, seeking to become the first team to repeat since the New York Yankees from 1998-2000.

The Brewers won all six meetings between the two teams in the regular season.

Left-hander Blake Snell (5-4, 2.35 ERA) starts for the Dodgers, while Aaron Ashby (5-2, 2.16 ERA) opens the game for the Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

Follow for live updates:

What time is Dodgers vs Brewers today?

Game 1 of the 2025 National League Championship Serie starts at 8:08 p.m. ET .

Where to watch Dodgers vs Brewers game: TV channel, streaming

The NLCS opener will air on TBS and HBO Max and can be streamed with Sling TV.

Watch NLCS live on Sling TV

When is Shohei Ohtani pitching? Dave Roberts won’t say

MILWAUKEE — With Blake Snell starting Game 1 for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Yoshinobu Yamamoto getting the nod for Game 2, that means Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow won’t take the mound until the series shifts to Los Angeles later this week. Asked if he’s already decided which games they’ll start, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said yes. 

Would he care to share that information?

‘No,’ Roberts said, smiling. 

Aaron Ashby starts Brewers’ pitching parade

MILWAUKEE — Brewers manager Pat Murphy is completely focused on Game 1 while already thinking ahead. 

Huh? 

With only two starters – 1 ½, really – the Brewers will be leaning heavily on their relievers to get them through the seven-game series that includes just two off days. Which means Murphy has to be smart in how he uses them. Let one go an extra inning, or two, in Games 1 or 2, and Milwaukee could pay for it down the road. 

‘It’s win tonight, but when you get to about Game 4, you better be careful of what you’ve done to your pitching staff. It might show up in Game 4, Game 5,’ Murphy said ahead of Game 1. 

‘Especially the third game, OK, we just had a day off. How much do you want to use here? What do you think about?’ Murphy continued. ‘That’s where you can get exposed because now your thinking is, `We’re not playing to win tonight,’ we’re playing, `Hey, we’ve got to pitch these guys because these (other) guys are gassed.’ We’ve got to try to keep ourselves from that situation.

‘Comes down to depth and quality of depth.’ 

That helps explain Murphy’s decision to add Tobias Myers to the roster for the NLCS and remove Nick Mears. Mears has been ‘unbelievable’ for Milwaukee, Murphy said. But he’s better in short spurts, and the Brewers will need someone who can go longer. — Nancy Armour

Dodgers lineup today

Shohei Ohtani (L) DH
Mookie Betts (R) SS
Teoscar Hernández (R) RF
Freddie Freeman (L) 1B
Will Smith (R) C
Tommy Edman (S) 2B
Max Muncy (L) 3B
Enrique Hernández (R) LF
Andy Pages (R) CF

Brewers lineup

Jackson Chourio (R) RF
Christian Yelich (L) DH
William Contreras (R) C
Brice Turang (L) 2B
Andrew Vaughn (R) 1B
Sal Frelick (L) CF
Caleb Durbin (R) 3B
Isaac Collins (S) LF
Joey Ortiz (R) SS

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Lionel Messi is expected to play for Argentina against Puerto Rico at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium on Tuesday, Oct. 14, Argentina and the game’s promoter announced on Monday, Oct. 13.

The match marks a unique occasion in Messi’s career: He will play for his beloved national team at his Major League Soccer stadium.

It’s unclear if Messi will play the entire match with Inter Miami’s regular-season finale on Saturday, Oct. 18 at Nashville SC.

“We’re going to see if he’s fit to play from the start or for a few minutes. I think he’ll get those minutes, but I couldn’t say how many,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni in a press conference. “What I can say is that we’ll definitely see him so that everyone can enjoy watching him.”

Argentine media reported the change was made due to ongoing ICE protests in the Chicago area, while Chicago Park District spokesman Luca Serra told the Associated Press on Oct. 8: “The promoter made the decision this morning due to low ticket sales.”

VMG Sports posted a social media video Monday of Messi meeting CEO Javier Fernandez with the caption: “The greatest of all time, Lionel Messi, confirms his attendance for the historic match between Argentina and Puerto Rico at Chase Stadium.”

The video was filmed on Sunday, Oct. 12, as Messi returned to practice with the national team – one day after he played with Inter Miami.

Messi announced he would play in the Inter Miami match with an Instagram story post around noon before the 7:30 p.m. ET start time on Saturday, Oct. 11. He scored two goals with an assist in Inter Miami’s 4-0 win against Atlanta United to help his club move into third place in the MLS Eastern Conference. With 26 goals this MLS season, Messi is the leader for the league’s Golden Boot award.

Messi did not play in Argentina’s match against Venezuela on Friday, Oct. 10, at nearby Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. He attended the match with his wife and children as they sat in a stadium suite. There was no Instagram announcement from Messi, but Argentina announced he wouldn’t play about 2 ½ hours before the 8 p.m. ET match.

Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano was unable to say whether Messi would play against Atlanta, when speaking to reporters one day prior – on the day of Argentina-Venezuela match.

Scaloni did not declare if Messi would play one day prior to the Venezuela match, indicating he wanted to test other players on his roster.

“It’s simple. [Friday] before the match, I spoke with Scaloni, and he told me he wouldn’t use him. Then, I spoke with Leo, and there’s not much more to it,” Mascherano said after the Atlanta match.

Argentina, the defending World Cup champions, has spent the last week at Inter Miami’s training facility and stayed at a nearby Fort Lauderdale hotel during this FIFA international window, during which friendlies offered opportunities for Scaloni to finetune his roster for the 2026 World Cup.

Messi trained with the national team during night practices. He did not practice with Inter Miami, which practices in the mornings.

Messi, 38, has not yet declared if he will play in the World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada next summer.

The Milwaukee Bucks are adding another Antetokounmpo brother to their roster in another move signaling the organization’s desire to keep their franchise star happy and in the fold beyond this season.

Alex Antetokounmpo, the 24-year-old youngest brother of Giannis Antetokounmpo, is signing a two-way contract with the Bucks, according to an ESPN report on Monday, Oct. 13. The Bucks already brought back Antetokounmpo’s older brother, 33-year-old Thanasis Antetokounmpo, on a one-year contract earlier this offseason after he missed the entire 2024-25 campaign with a torn Achilles tendon.

The Bucks are set to become the first NBA team in league history to feature three brothers on the active roster of the same team as a result of this latest signing. Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo had been teammates in five previous seasons in Milwaukee (2019-24).

Alex Antetokounmpo, a 6-foot-8 forward, played parts of 2024 and 2025 for teams in Europe. He previously spent three seasons in the NBA G League, including two with Bucks’ affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. He was not a member of the Greek national team that won a bronze medal in the 2025 EuroBasket tournament, but Giannis, Thanasis and Kosta Antetokounmpo did represent Greece this past summer.

The Bucks enter the 2025-26 season unsure about their future with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’s beginning his 13th year with the franchise and has two seasons remaining on his contract. He’s eligible to sign an extension after this season but has not committed to staying in Milwaukee long-term.

“I want to be on a team that allows me and gives me a chance to win a championship,” Antetokounmpo said at Bucks media day two weeks ago. “It is never going to change. I want to be among the best.”

The two-time NBA MVP earned first-team All-NBA honors for the seventh year in a row in 2024-25. Antetokounmpo also set a career high for assists and shot better than 60% from the field for the second consecutive season (he’s the only player in NBA history to do that while averaging more than 30 points per game).

Penn State fired longtime football coach James Franklin, opening one of college football’s top jobs.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule is considered a top candidate due to his history with Penn State.
Rhule addressed the rumors, stating his love for Penn State but emphasizing his commitment to Nebraska.

Penn State fired longtime coach James Franklin on Sunday, Oct. 12, opening up one of the top jobs in college football.

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule instantly become one of the top potential candidates for the position, given he played at Penn State and has his obvious ties to athletic director Pat Kraft, who hired Rhule at Temple. Rhule addressed the rumors at his weekly press conference on Oct. 13, and mostly avoided the question, although he did mention his friendship with Kraft.

‘(Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen) and I understand the steps we need to take to make us Big Ten champions and national champions,’ Rhule said. ‘… I’m not going to talk a lot about job openings when they come. Maybe it’s been awhile here, but this is what happens when you win. I dealt with it when we won at Temple and I dealt with it all the time at Baylor.

‘I’m not going to talk about those things ever, I’m not going to talk about my contract here, I’m going to talk about the team. I absolutely love it here. I want us to continue to take the steps needed for us to turn this thing into a beast. … I’m really happy here.’

Rhule started his response by explaining his love for Penn State and Kraft, however. Rhule also mentioned how important Franklin was for stabilizing the program in a time of disarray when he took the job in 2014.

‘I love Penn State,’ Rhule said. ‘I met my wife there. It’s my alma mater. Fan since I was born, think I probably had a Penn State shirt on when I was born. I love Pat Kraft.’

Rhule has an outstanding track record as a program builder, going 2-10 in his first year at Temple before leading the Owls to back-to-back 10-win seasons in only his third and fourth season as head coach. He then went 1-11 in his first year at Baylor before going 11-3 two years later in 2019.

Rhule then jumped to the NFL, where he went 11-27 in parts of three seasons with the Carolina Panthers before heading back to college. He went 5-7 in his first year at Nebraska in 2023 but has the Cornhuskers 5-1 so far in 2025 after leading the program to their first bowl appearance since 2016 and first bowl win since 2015.

The 50-year-old coach still seems to be a top option for the Penn State opening, although he’s focused on rebuilding Nebraska for now.

‘Troy and I are in unbelievable relationship too,’ he said. ‘And Troy and I are in constant, constant, constant communication about this program and where we’re headed.’

Fully guaranteed contracts reward coaches who fail.
Oregon not a CFP lock after loss to Indiana.

If you predicted in August that Penn State’s James Franklin would be the next Big Ten coach fired after UCLA’s DeShaun Foster, I suggest you contact the feds and offer them your psychic services to help solve a few crimes.

Franklin beat Luke Fickell to the buyout bag, opening one of the Big Ten’s top jobs.

As the season hits its midpoint, the coaching carousel is already shifted into high gear. Give it a few more weeks, and it’ll be twirling at warp speed.

Here are some questions left on my mind after a seismic Week 7:

Where did Penn State go wrong with James Franklin?

Franklin’s losses to UCLA and Northwestern earned him a trip to buyout beach, where the drinks are paid for and the sun always shines.

Penn State owes Franklin a buyout topping $49 million, according to his term sheet, good for the second-largest severance pay day in college football history. That’s a sweet reward for losing to two unranked teams that were big underdogs in consecutive weeks, but that’s what happens when a school awards a coach a fully guaranteed contract.

Not accounting for bonuses, fully guaranteed contracts award a coach the same compensation whether he sizzles or fizzles.

So, why not fizzle, collect the failure money and head to a cush job with the ACC Network? That’s what Jimbo Fisher did. He owns the record for biggest buyout in college football history, topping $76 million.

What did Fisher and Franklin have in common?

Couple of things: They had Jimmy Sexton as their agent. Their contracts were fully guaranteed, meaning they’re owed their full compensation through the end of their contract term, so long as they’re not fired for cause.

The Aggies won no conference championships and made no playoff appearances with Fisher. Penn State won one conference title and made the playoff once in 12 seasons with Franklin.

After Franklin switched agents to Sexton, he received a 10-year contract extension in 2021 with his compensation fully guaranteed. Sandy Barbour was Penn State’s athletic director at the time. Interestingly, that deal came at a rocky point of Franklin’s tenure. He went 4-5 in 2020 and 7-6 in 2021 but nonetheless cashed in.

Penn State never released Franklin’s full contract. The term sheet it released does not address whether he has a duty to mitigate the damages.

Fisher’s first contract with Texas A&M was fully guaranteed. He left Florida State for the offer. He maintained a fully guaranteed deal after receiving a contract extension before the 2021 season that upped his salary and buyout. A little more than two years later, Texas A&M fired him.

Fisher did not have a duty to mitigate the damages, meaning he could collect his buyout and also cash checks from the ACC Network.

Awarding a coach a fully guaranteed contract with no duty to mitigate amounts to negotiation lunacy.

“Essentially, a coach could be owed $77 million, get fired not for cause, and the next day double dip and get another (lucrative) contract,” expert sports lawyer Martin Greenberg said to me recently, while discussing the phenomenon of fully guaranteed contracts, ‘which I find unbelievable and amazing and not something that colleges are going to be able to handle in the new era of revenue sharing and essentially pay-for-play.”

We’ll see about that last part. If revenue sharing with athletes and pay-for-play ends the practice of fully guaranteed contracts, that’s a worthy outcome.

Does Oregon need to win out to make College Football Playoff?

Maybe.

Think about it, Oregon’s best win came at Penn State, which subsequently lost to UCLA and Northwestern. The Ducks subsequently lost at home to Indiana, 30-20.

Oregon will be in fine shape with one loss. If the committee admitted one-loss Indiana last season, then it’s also going to admit one-loss Oregon.

But, what about if Oregon finishes 10-2, devoid of signature victories? That could leave the Ducks vulnerable, especially if Texas Tech and Miami each suffered a first loss in their respective conference championship game and nabbed at-large bids, turning the ACC and Big 12 into two-bid leagues.

Oregon’s remaining schedule features just one game against a ranked opponent, and are we sure Southern California is going to be ranked when that game is played on Nov. 22 in Eugene?

If the Ducks want to leave no doubt, they need to rip off six straight victories. The road begins this week at Rutgers.

Could Indiana earn a No. 1 playoff seed?

Yes. Why not?

The Hoosiers look legit, and their next six games are against unranked opponents. Take care of business, roll into the Big Ten championship undefeated, upset Ohio State and seize that No. 1 seed.

Crazier things have happened. Heck, a coach got fired nine months after coaching in a CFP semifinal.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

There’s a new and historic No. 1 in the updated the USA TODAY Sports NCAA Re-Rank 1-36 after Week 7 of the college football season.

Indiana rises six spots and replaces Oregon atop the rankings after beating the Ducks 30-20 at Autzen Stadium. The Hoosiers have the edge over No. 2 Ohio State by virtue of Saturday’s road win and a more dominant performance in each team’s matchup with Illinois. These wins and the eyeball test give Indiana a strong case for leading the re-rank.

The Ducks fall to No. 8, behind another one-loss team in No. 7 Alabama but ahead of No. 9 Georgia, No. 10 Tennessee and No. 11 LSU.

The rankings are unkind to Penn State. The Nittany Lions are down 27 spots to No. 72 after a third loss in a row led to the surprising midseason firing of longtime coach James Franklin.

Another change near the top of the re-rank sees a swap of No. 4 Texas A&M and No. 5 Mississippi after the Aggies controlled Florida and the Rebels struggled to beat Washington State by a field goal. Texas Tech moves up to No. 6 after rolling over Kansas.

Elsewhere, Notre Dame is up to No. 12 and is by far the highest-ranked two-loss team in the country. Georgia Tech climbs to No. 13 and South Florida jumps 11 spots to No. 21 after beating North Texas.

Two other teams climbing toward the top 25 are No. 26 Navy, which nailed a late two-point conversion to beat Temple 32-31 and No. 31 Brigham Young, which rose 11 spots after topping Arizona in overtime.

USA TODAY Sports college football NCAA Re-Rank 1-136