Good morning to everyone but especially to...
SKIP SCHUMAKER
There's a new manager in Miami, and you may remember his playing days from the not-too-distant past. Skip Schumaker is the Marlins newest skipper, replacing Don Mattingly.
- Schumaker, 42, served as the Cardinals' bench coach last season. Prior to that, he was the Padres' associate manager in 2020 and 2021.
- A versatile utility player, Schumaker played 11 seasons in MLB from 2005-15, mostly with the Cardinals, and won a World Series with the team in 2011. He was also on the 2006 team that won it all, though he did not play in the postseason.
- He is the 16th manager in franchise history.
It's a challenging job, though not without some key players already in place, writes MLB scribe Dayn Perry. You can keep up with all of the managerial movement this offseason here.
Honorable mentions
- Phil Kessel broke the NHL's consecutive games played record.
- Here's the men's college basketball Coaches Poll, and here's who's underrated (and overrated).
And not such a good morning for...
THE TEXAS A&M AGGIES
A bad season on the field is getting worse off the field for Jimbo Fisher and the Texas A&M Aggies. On Tuesday, three freshmen -- cornerback Denver Harris, wide receiver Chris Marshall and offensive lineman PJ Williams -- were suspended indefinitely for a locker room incident that took place during the Aggies' eventual 30-24 loss at South Carolina on Saturday.
- There are few details surrounding the exact nature of the incident.
- Harris has 14 tackles and three pass breakups this season, and Marshall has 11 receptions for 208 yards. Williams has not seen much game action. All three were top-55 recruits nationally in 2022 according to 247Sports and key parts of the Aggies' historic recruiting class.
- Harris and Marshall had already been suspended this season as two of the four players who did not play against Miami due to a violation of team rules.
It's yet another tough chapter in what's quickly becoming a lost season for the Aggies (3-4), who are at risk of failing to secure bowl eligibility for the first time since 2008. Making matters worse is the fact that there's no real end in sight or way to move on from Fisher, who signed a fully-guaranteed 10-year, $95-million contract extension just over a year ago. He'd be owed nearly $86 million in buyout money if fired after this season.
The Aggies take on No. 15 Ole Miss this weekend in College Station.
Not so honorable mentions
- Klay Thompson was hit with his first career ejection after a spat with Devin Booker.
- Adidas terminated its partnership with Kanye West following his recent antisemitic comments. Aaron Donald and Jaylen Brown, meanwhile, parted ways with West's Donda Sports.
- Aaron Rodgers is not happy with his teammates. What else is new?
- Frank Clark has been suspended two games for violating the league's personal conduct policy.
NFL Power Rankings: Are Bucs, Packers running out of time? 🏈
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The Buccaneers and the Packers have fallen to 14th and 17th, respectively, in our NFL senior writer Pete Prisco's latest Power Rankings. If you're tired of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers running the league, you're probably rejoicing right now.
But don't get too far ahead of yourself. Pete says both teams still have plenty of time to turn things around. As for the teams faring a little bit better, here's the top ten:
The biggest riser, meanwhile, is the surprise leader of the NFC West.
- Prisco: "12. Seahawks (prev. 21) -- They lead the NFC West at 4-3. Pete Carroll has done an amazing job with this team as they ready to face the 6-1 Giants."
The Patriots were the biggest fallers, going from 11th to 16th after a blowout home loss to the Bears.
NFL Trade Deadline: What move should each contender make? 🏈
We're now within a week of the NFL trade deadline, and there's plenty of potential for some significant moves before the Nov. 1 deadline. The two biggest trades so far have been for running backs: Christian McCaffrey heading to the 49ers and James Robinson to the Jets.
We got another trade Tuesday with defensive lineman Johnathan Hankins joining the Cowboys. Who could be next? Our NFL expert Bryan DeArdo answered that exact question, making moves for every playoff contender, and he has yet another running back on the move.
- DeArdo: "Bills receive RB Kareem Hunt -- Buffalo reportedly swung and missed at the chance to acquire McCaffrey, but they still have a chance at getting another versatile running back before the deadline. ... Hunt is a former NFL rushing champion who spent the past three-plus seasons sharing a backfield with Nick Chubb. He's been one of the NFL's best receiving backs since coming into the league in 2017, racking up 191 receptions and 17 touchdowns over that span."
As for a big name who wouldn't have to be traded for -- just added as a free agent -- Bryan has Odell Beckham Jr. finding a new home with one of the league's best teams. I'll let you read the story to find out, but it would certainly create plenty of headlines.
Champions League recap: PSG dominates, Juventus eliminated and more ⚽
Matchday 5 got underway Tuesday with eight matches and plenty of eyebrow-raising results. A seven spot will always catch your eye, and that's what PSG did to Maccabi Haifa win a 7-2 victory. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe both scored twice for the Les Parisiens, who clinched a berth in the Round of 16 in impressive fashion. Also clinching advancement were Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and Benfica.
But the biggest storyline is who isn't advancing. For the first time since 2013-14, Juventus will not get out of the group stage after falling 4-3 to Benfica. As that score indicates, the defense is a major issue, writes soccer expert Francesco Porzio.
- Porzio: "Experienced players like Leonardo Bonucci and Danilo are underperforming, while newcomer Bremer and young talent Federico Gatti, who played his first Champions League's match in Lisbon against Benfica, are still trying to get adjusted. On the sides, Alex Sandro is now becoming a real issue, and he actually has been for a long time. On the right side, Juan Cuadrado's performances are not at the same level as they were before."
Here are all of the day's results:
- Red Bull Salzburg 1, Chelsea 2
- Sevilla 3, FC Copenhagen 0
- Paris Saint-Germain 7, Maccabi Haifa 2
- Borussia Dortmund 0, Manchester City 0
- Dinamo Zagreb 0, AC Milan 4
- Benfica 4, Juventus 3
- Celtic 1, Shakhtar Donetsk 1
- RB Leipzig 3, Real Madrid 2
And here are today's matches, all streaming on Paramount+.
What we're watching Wednesday 📺
⚽ UEFA Champions League, 12:45 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Paramount+
🏀 Nets at Bucks, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Rangers at Islanders, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Nuggets at Lakers, 10 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Lightning at Ducks, 10 p.m. on TNT
