Olympian Hilary Knight responded to President Donald Trump’s viral call with the U.S. men’s hockey team on ESPN on Wednesday.

‘I thought it was sort of a distasteful joke, and unfortunately, that is overshadowing a lot of the success, the success of just women at the Olympics carrying for Team USA and having amazing gold medal feats,’ Knight said on ‘SportsCenter.’

‘We’re just focusing on celebrating the women in our room, the extraordinary efforts, and continue to celebrate three gold medals in program history as well as the double gold for both men’s and women’s at the same time. And really not detract from that with a distasteful joke.’

During a locker room call with the men’s team, President Donald J. Trump invited the players to the State of the Union address. He briefly mentioned the women’s hockey team, which also won gold during the Olympics, saying he had to invite them too, or he would be ‘impeached.’ The men’s hockey team laughed at the president’s remark, which Knight addressed in her conversation with ESPN.

‘I think there’s a genuine level of support there and respect (between the men’s and women’s teams), and I think that’s being overshadowed by sort of a quick lapse,’ Knight said.

‘The guys were in a tough spot, so it’s a shame that sort of this storyline and narrative has kind of blown up and overshadowing kind of that connection and genuine interest in one another and cheering one another on.’

President Trump’s now viral call generated varying reactions and backlash, including rapper Flavor Flav extending an invitation to the women’s team for an alternative celebration. Team USA’s women declined the President’s invitation, citing timing and previous commitments. On Tuesday, President Trump said they would ‘soon’ visit the White House.

Several members of the men’s team eventually addressed the chatter surrounding the call, including Olympian Jack Hughes and his brother, Quinn Hughes. ‘People are so negative about things. I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them, and we know the same way we feel about them, they feel about us,’ Jack Hughes said.

‘You know, we’re really happy for them,’ Quinn Hughes said. ‘Obviously, a lot going on social media right now surrounding our team and their team, but in the last couple of summers, we’ve done a lot of training with them and got to know a lot of those girls really well.’

Knight shared that the men’s and women’s teams have supported one another in the Olympic village and on the global and professional stages. She says she looks forward to the relationships continuing. Knight also revealed what she thinks the moment taught people.

‘I think this is just a really good learning point to really focus on how we talk about women, not only in sport but in industry,’ Knight said.

‘Women aren’t less than, and our achievements shouldn’t be overshadowed by anything else other than how great they are.’

Max Scherzer is not ready to step off the mound just yet.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner is set to return to the Toronto Blue Jays for his 19th season in MLB, according to multiple reports.

Scherzer and the Blue Jays have agreed to a deal that carries a $3 million base salary for 2026 with up to $10 million in incentives, Sportsnet baseball columnist Shi Davidi reports.

Scherzer returns to a team that reached the World Series, going all the way to Game 7 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Scherzer was given the ball to start that Game 7 at home on Nov. 1 and went 4.1 innings, striking out 3. He exited with a 3-1 lead, but Toronto eventually lost 5-4 in extra innings.

The 41-year-old pitcher had a 5-5 record and finished with a 5.19 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 17 games in 2025. In three playoff appearances he posted a 3.77 ERA.

He helped fill a need in Toronto after right-hander Bowden Francis underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery. Scherzer will enter the 2026 season with a career record of 221-117 and a 3.22 ERA. He has 3,489 strikeouts, which places him 11th all-time.

LAS VEGAS — Rapper Flavor Flav has expanded the invitation to his celebration of Olympic medal winning women in Las Vegas.

‘I want to go bigger and better,’ Flav said in a Feb. 24 Instagram video. “I want to bring all United States female Olympians and Paralympians, the ones that won medals.” In an Feb. 25 interview with USA TODAY, Flav added that all athletes would be welcomed to support the women’s delegation.

‘This is really for all athletes that’s out there, busting their butt and doing a good job to make United States look good,’ Flav said. ‘I want (the men) to be here, I want them to come out so they can help support their fellow women athletes.’

Flav confirmed in the interview that the idea to hold the celebration was sparked in the wake of President Donald Trump said he ‘probably would be impeached’ if he did not invite the women’s team to the State of the Union address along with the men.

‘The invitation that was given to the women, it was some type of mediocre invitation,’ Flav said. ‘So, I’m like, ‘hey, listen, it’s okay. I’ll give you guys a party. Don’t even worry about it.”

Hilary Knight, a forward on the gold-medal winning women’s hockey team, called the president’s comments ‘a distasteful joke’ that is ‘overshadowing a lot of the success’ of the women in Italy in a Feb. 25 interview on ESPN.

In the interview, Flav said that he ‘did not blame’ the women for being offended by the comments. ‘All the women want is to be recognized for a lot of the good that they do,’ he said. ‘They’re out there doing amazing work, not only that, but it’s also good entertainment as well. You know what I’m saying? All these girls want is to just be recognized.’

Melissa Katz, a representative for USA Hockey, said in a statement to USA TODAY that the team is ‘honored and grateful for the invitations and support they’ve received’ and that they will ‘engage with the opportunities as their schedules permit.’ 

Flavor Flav’s Olympic celebration taking shape

Flav said in the interview, and his representative later confirmed, that the celebration would take place July 16 through July 19. ‘I’m going to give them a parade, they’re definitely going to have a parade. And then also, I’m going to see what type of entertainment that I can put together,’ he said.

While the Public Enemy founding member did not provide specifics on how the celebration will unfold, he did say that he has it ‘planned out’ in his mind and that he is ‘just trying to execute’ that plan. ‘It looks historical, it looks fun and it looks like whoever comes out to this event is going to have a damn good time,’ Flav said.

Flav’s representative said that MGM Resorts and women-led sports media company The Gist will partner with Flav for the ‘She’s Got Game’ weekend.

USA TODAY has reached out to both companies for comment. USA TODAY has also reached out to Clark County, the jurisdiction that oversees the Las Vegas Strip, about the potential parade.

Flav said the celebration is intended to provide recognition that he has not seen provided to female athletes.

‘I just want people to support women’s sports more,’ Flav said. ‘I’m a girl dad, and I know what it’s like when my daughters do good and they want to be recognized for something and then they don’t get recognized for it.’

Flav served as the official hypeman for Team USA Bobsled and Skeleton team in Italy and for the U.S. water polo sides in Paris during the 2024 Summer Games.

Hall of Fame pitcher CC Sabathia will be forever honored among the New York Yankees’ legends.

The team announced on Wednesday, Feb. 25, that it will retire Sabathia’s No. 52 in September.

Sabathia will become the 25th player to have his number retired at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees have the most retired numbers in the league.

‘From the first number that hung in my locker to 52 forever hanging in Monument Park – this HOF journey has come full circle,” Sabathia wrote in a post on X. “To have my number retired by the New York Yankees this year is one of the greatest honors of my life. The LegaCCy continues.”

Sabathia spent 11 of his 19 seasons in New York, retiring in pinstripes after starting 22 of the 23 games he played in during the 2019 season. He finished with a 251-161 overall record and a 3.74 ERA. He started 560 of the 561 games he played in.

He produced 3,093 strikeouts in 3,577.1 innings pitched. He won the World Series in 2009, his first season with New York. He was named as a first-ballot inductee for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025.

List of retired Yankees numbers

No. 1: Billy Martin
No. 2: Derek Jeter
No. 3: Babe Ruth
No. 4: Lou Gehrig
No. 5: Joe DiMaggio
No. 6: Joe Torre
No. 7: Mickey Mantle
No. 8: Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey
No. 9: Roger Maris
No. 10: Phil Rizzuto
No. 15: Thurman Munson
No. 16: Whitey Ford
No. 20: Jorge Posada
No. 21: Paul O’Neill
No. 23: Don Mattingly
No. 32: Elston Howard
No. 37: Casey Stengel
No. 42: Mariano Rivera and Jackie Robinson (league-wide)
No. 44: Reggie Jackson
No. 46: Andy Pettitte
No. 49: Ron Guidry
No. 51: Bernie Williams
No. 52: CC Sabathia

The Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation is upset that eight members of its delegation have been denied visas to enter the United States for the World Baseball Classic, but despite threats, MLB officials fully expect Cuba to play in the WBC beginning next week.

All coaches and players for Cuba have received visas, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Cuba, which finished tied for third in the 2023 WBC, is scheduled to open tournament play March 6 against Panama in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Juan Reinaldo Perez Pardo, president of the Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation, and Carlos del Pino Munoz, the organization’s secretary general, are among the eight members of the traveling party whose visas were denied, according to Reuters.

The visa issues are tied to the tightening of U.S. immigration laws under the Trump administration, which require specialized licensing for Cuban team members and officials to enter the United States, including Puerto Rico.

Last summer, a Venezuelan baseball team of 15- and 16-year olds was scheduled to play in the Little League Senior World Series in South Carolina, but abandoned plans when it was denied visas to enter the United States.

Team Cuba is currently on a four-game tour of Nicaragua and is scheduled to travel to Phoenix to play exhibition games early next week against the Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds. It will then travel to Puerto Rico to begin play in the WBC.

Cuba has advanced out of pool play in each of the previous five WBC tournaments, and finished runner-up to Japan in the inaugural WBC in 2006.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This story has been updated with new information.

Olympic medal-winning alpine skier Lindsey Vonn has received a monumental amount of support following the devastating injury she suffered at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

So, when she was able to get home and hold her other dog, Chance, she became emotional. Vonn shared the moment on social media.

‘Reunited with Chance,’ Vonn said in the caption of an Instagram post that featured a video of her and her furry friend. ‘Had a pretty hard day yesterday, everything just really hit me hard and I broke down. I know there will be a lot of days like this… the internal mental battle has just begun but moments like this help me so much. Just miss my boy Leo…’

Her injury is not something that Vonn will get over immediately. Instead, she said, she is taking things ‘one day at a time.’

Leo, who lost a battle to lung cancer after surviving lymphoma a year-and-a-half ago, was the second dog of Vonn’s to die since last spring. He was 13.

Lucy, another pet of Vonn’s, this one a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, died right after World Cup finals on March 30, 2025, due to kidney failure. Lucy was 9 years old.

Lindsey Vonn skiing history

Vonn, 41, was born and raised in Minnesota.

Her family moved to Colorado in the late 1990s when Vonn was a teenager.

She would go on to become recognized as one of best and most accomplished American alpine skiers. She won four World Cup championships (2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012).

Vonn is a five-time Olympian and gold medalist having won the top honor in the downhill event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. She placed third and was awarded bronze that year in the Super-G event. She won another bronze medal in the downhill event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games in South Korea.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The Los Angeles Dodgers kept raving about Roki Sasaki all spring, believing he was becoming the star pitcher they envisioned all along when they won the sweepstakes for his services a year ago.

Sasaki was hit hard, hit often and struggled with his control. He gave up three hits, including two doubles, and three runs to the first five Diamondbacks batters he faced. He threw only 17 of his 36 pitches for strikes, walking two batters with three strikeouts. He was scheduled to pitch two innings, but lasted just four outs.

“I thought he was overthrowing,’’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after their 10-7 victory, keeping them undefeated (5-0) this spring. “I haven’t seen that all spring.’’

Roberts, who was gushing over Sasaki’s bullpen sessions in his media session Wednesday morning, wasn’t panicking over his performance, saying he could have simply been overwhelmed by an adrenaline rush in his first outing. But Roberts also isn’t simply going to hand him a starting job until he proves he deserves it, either. Sasaki pitched only 36.2 innings for the Dodgers last season, spending four months in the minor leagues while overcoming a shoulder impingement injury.

“I think the first thing is,’’ Roberts said, “is that he’s just got to mix [pitches] better. He’s got to command the fastball. … Honestly, I thought today was the first day he came out of his mechanics. He just didn’t have the feel or control of that fastball.’’

Scouts in attendance also criticized Sasaki’s performance, saying he showed a lack of confidence with his body language, with one scouting saying, “He looked scared to death.’’

Sasaki’s fastball reached 98.6 mph, but there was no movement, with Sasaki giving up two of the hits with an exit velocity of 105 mph.

“In the bullpen, I felt pretty good about the forkball,’’ Sasaki said, “but once I got on the mound, it didn’t go well. And the four-seam, I felt pretty good in the bullpen, but once I got on the mound, it felt a little off.’’

Roberts has made it perfectly clear to Sasaki that he needs to command at least three pitches in his arsenal if he’s going to be a regular in the Dodgers’ ultra-talented starting rotation. Sasaki is trying to incorporate a slider to go along with the fastball and splitter, throwing his new pitch seven times in Wednesday’s game.

“I’m really impressed by Roki in the sense that he’s had a lot of success with the two pitches,’’ Roberts said, “but he has to be open and understand that if he wants to be a great as a starting pitcher in the big leagues, that third pitch is important …

“We’re expecting him to be good, he’s exepcting to be good, and to continue to get better.’’

Opening day is one month away, and Sasaki must still prove that he can be a bona fide starter after making only eight starts (1-1, 4.72 ERA) and finishing the season in the bullpen. He was a critical piece to the Dodgers’ bullpen in October, yielding just one earned run in 10.2 innings, while saving three postseason games.

Sasaki has made it clear that he wants to be a starter. The Dodgers want him to start. But he needs to prove he can do it.

Sasaki, who is staying in Dodgers camp and not pitching for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic, conceded there was at least was one positive aspect of the day.

“I was able to finish my outing,’’ he said, “without getting hurt.’’

Follow Bob Nightengale on Bluesky and X @Bnightengale.