Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes may be the biggest, if not one of the biggest, supporters of the U.S. military members among active MLB players.

So, for him to represent Team USA at the World Baseball Classic meant a lot.

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Pitcher Paul Skenes #30 of Team USA throws during a workout at Papago Park Sports Complex on March 2, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

“First and foremost, I care because I’m from America. I love America. I’ve seen the WBCs in the past and There’s no bigger stage or no greater honor than wearing USA across your chest,” he said Monday on the MLB Network.

“And I think the other one, I went to the Air Force Academy for two years. Wanted to serve. I was intending on serving and ended up transferring out to LSU. Won a national championship there, did some cool stuff there. But there was a big part of me that was fully intent on serving in the military as a career after college. So, this is, it’s not serving but it’s a pretty close second.”

For the last two MLB seasons, Skenes has pitched for a cause bigger than wins, losses or Cy Young Awards. He teamed up with the Gary Sinise Foundation (GSF) for a strikeout campaign. For each strikeout Skenes throws this season, he pledged to donate $100 to the organization. The foundation has helped expand service efforts, providing the military, veteran and first responder communities with additional fundraising and outreach.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) watches from the dugout in the sixth inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. (Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Skenes had 216 strikeouts last season and won the National League Cy Young Award for the first time.

He made clear last week he’s pitching in the World Baseball Classic to honor the men and women in the military.

“That’s what we do it for,” Skenes told The Athletic. “This is the greatest country in the world. That’s what I believe. That’s why I wanted to serve, why I went to the Air Force Academy. And those folks don’t get the recognition they deserve.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) throws a pitch in the second inning against the Atlanta Braves during spring training at CoolToday Park on Feb. 25, 2026. (Jonathan Dyer/Imagn Images)

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“We’re doing it to represent the men and women that are fighting for us, along with many other things that make this country the greatest country in the world. That puts it into perspective a little bit.”

Fox News’ Ryan Canfield contributed to this report.

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The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers.

On a par 3, my playing partner, “Steve,” flew the green into the hedges beyond. He re-teed and without declaring a provisional hit it to 4 feet. Upon reaching the green, the group on the next tee — located on the far side of the hedges — said the ball was next to that tee, in-bounds but with no real shot. Steve was adamant that his second ball was in play, as he hadn’t said, “Provisional.” I argued that you can’t declare your own ball lost. Who was right? – Joe Lauder, Warrington, Cheshire, England

“Steve” was adamant, and he was also correct.

Sorry, Joe, but you always have the option to play under penalty of stroke and distance, and the Rules do not require you to play a ball provisionally. When “Steve” did not announce his provisional before making the stroke, that ball became his ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance. He laid 3 with a 4-foot putt for his bogey 4. And you are now better versed in Rule 18.3.

For more provisional-ball guidance from our guru, read on …

My friend drives wide right. Presuming it is lost, he hits a provisional, which also goes far right. We eventually found both balls in-bounds. Problem: the balls were identical, and neither was marked, so we couldn’t determine which was the original and which was the provisional. He was advised to play the one further from the hole as his first ball, then take a two-stroke penalty at the end of the hole. Was that correct? – Bart Calvanese, Denver, Colo.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave when we neglect to mark our golf balls differently.

Bart, when a player can’t distinguish between original and provisional, and both balls are found on the course, the player must choose one — either one — and treat it as the provisional, under Rule 18.3c(2).

Thus, your friend would have been taking his fourth stroke with the ball of his choosing. To anticipate the follow-up question, were one ball in bounds and the other OB, you’d play the in-bounds ball as the provisional.

Want to find the right gear for your bag in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

Got a question about the Rules? Ask the Rules Guy! Send your queries, confusions and comments to rulesguy@golf.com. We promise he won’t throw the book at you.

Teams that feature heavily in the NBA playoff picture meet on Tuesday as the San Antonio Spurs travel to take on the Philadelphia 76ers. The Spurs are in second place in the NBA Western Conference standings at 43-18, while the Sixers are 33-27 and sixth in the East. Both teams are coming off a loss after San Antonio fell 114-89 to New York on Sunday and Philadelphia lost 114-98 to Boston that same day. Joel Embiid (oblique) and Paul George (suspension) are out for the 76ers. 

Tipoff from the Xfinity Center is set for 8 p.m. ET. San Antonio is an 8.5-point favorite in the latest 76ers vs. Spurs odds, while the over/under is 232.5. Before making any Spurs vs. 76ers picks, check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

New users can target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $200 in bonus bets if your first $5+ bet wins:

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. The model entered Week 20 on a sizzling 41-18 roll on top-rated NBA spread picks dating back to last season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

Now, the model has simulated 76ers vs. Spurs 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NBA picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and NBA betting lines for Spurs vs. 76ers:

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Top Spurs vs. 76ers predictions

After 10,000 simulations of Sixers vs. Spurs, SportsLine’s model is going Under on the total (232.5). San Antonio has seen three of its past four games go Under the total. That’s in line with season-long trends as 59% of San Antonio’s game have failed to reach the total.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, is missing two key offensive pieces, leaving Tyrese Maxey to carry a heavy offensive load. With Victor Wembanyama locking things down defensively for San Antonio, points could be hard to come by. The model is projecting 229 points as the Under hits 57% of the time. 

How to make 76ers vs. Spurs picks

The model also says one side of the spread hits 60% of the time. You can head to SportsLine to see the model’s NBA picks. 

So who wins Spurs vs. Sixers, and which side of the spread hits 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.

Cam Newton was a one-time NFL MVP, nearly led the Carolina Panthers to the franchise’s first Super Bowl title and became a pundit on a variety of sports topics.

But in recent weeks, he seems to have pivoted to being a relationship expert of sorts.

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Cam Newton #1 of team J Balvin looks on against team Druski during the Super Bowl LX Celebrity Flag football game on YouTube at Moscone Center South on Feb. 7, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Newton appeared on the “Talk Les Show” with Courtside Les. The two talked about marriage and relationships extensively on the podcast with Les asking the former star quarterback a few hypotheticals about having a long-term partner. She asked Newton if he would want to be married to anywhere between one and five women if it were socially acceptable.

He replied, “No.”

“It’s just emotions. I want to be around who want to be around me. So, if it’s five or six or one … I like volunteers. I don’t like hostages,” he said, clarifying that he didn’t believe marriage was a hostage situation. “I don’t think it to be anything. I like volunteers, not hostages. I want people around me who want to be around me and I want them around me.”

Newton said he was fine with never being married as long as he found his life partner.

He said that he didn’t need to have a government document saying, officially, that he was married to the person he wanted to be with for the rest of his life.

Then-Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) walks on the field during the second half against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Nov. 28, 2021. (Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports)

But Les pressed him a bit. She asked whether Newton would give the woman he wanted to be with a ring even if they weren’t married and even if it was her “favorite finger.”

“What I just said, question everything – why? … Well if that’s your favorite finger when I met you, you didn’t have nothing on your finger when I met you so. It looked good then, it still looks good now,” he said.

Newton suggested that he wouldn’t want his relationship to turn into a “gift-giving contest” and if it was a sparkly ring that she wanted, and the price point didn’t matter, he would bring her to a gumball machine.

“Are we doing life together or is this a competition? So you’re basically saying if I don’t give you a ring, you’re not going to love me as much,” he said. “You can have a ring with no love and love with no ring.

“I want you to listen and play this back because this is how most women sound, ‘I just want a ring, I just want a ring, I just want a ring.’ Well, why? ‘Because of marriage, because of marriage … Find where the ring was in the Bible. … I’m not going to be bulled into giving a gift because that’s what it sounds like. It sounds like you’re trying to corner a cat.”

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton yells “I’m back!” after scoring a rushing touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in a game in 2021. (IMAGN)

Newton’s latest remarks came after he was on a separate podcast talking about the “value” of women as they have more children.

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Newton previously defended himself for saying in an interview that women should know how to cook and “when to be quiet.”

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Erling Haaland could be available for Manchester City’s match against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League as Pep Guardiola issued a more positive update on the striker.

Haaland was not in City’s squad for the 1-0 win at Leeds on Saturday after picking up an unspecified problem in training before the game. It is not thought to be a “big issue”, though, and Guardiola confirmed he is feeling “much better”.

But Guardiola said City would decide whether Haaland is fit enough to feature after training on Tuesday. “He feels much better, yesterday we didn’t train. We will decide today,” Guardiola said.

City will kick off at the same time as title rivals Arsenal on Wednesday evening, when Mikel Arteta’s side will visit Brighton looking to maintain their five-point advantage.

Meanwhile, Guardiola also said City have yet to decide whether Nico O’Reilly will be available. “The same with Nico, we’ll decide after training,” Guardiola added.

The 20-year-old has scored three goals on his last three starts since returning to midfield but was taken off at Elland Road in the 70th minute. Antoine Semenyo scored the winning goal in CIty’s 1-0 victory.

And Guardiola said City will have to be ready for the visit of relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest, have have lost both of their Premier League games since the appointment of Vitor Pereira.

“I remember playing [Pereira’s] Wolves last season, they outplayed us in the first half, we were incredibly lucky,” Guardiola said. “[He is a] top-class manager. They were alive against Brighton and Liverpool.

“When we played them with Sean Dyche, they have quality players like Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi. They have top, top players and a big squad.

“They play for important things like us and this is starting to be decisive part of the season. We have two games in the Premier League before the international break. We can’t drop points.”

The Detroit Pistons, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, will look to win their fourth game in a row when they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in a key NBA Central Division matchup on Tuesday night. Detroit is coming off a 106-92 win at Orlando on Sunday, while Cleveland downed Brooklyn 106-102 that same day. The Pistons (45-14), who have won eight of their last 10, are 21-7 on the road this season. The Cavaliers (38-24), who have won seven of their last 10, are 20-11 on their home court in 2025-26. Donovan Mitchell (groin) is out for Cleveland.

Tipoff from Rocket Arena in Cleveland is set for 7 p.m. ET. The Pistons lead the all-time series 135-109, including wins in three of their last four meetings. Detroit is a 1.5-point favorite in the latest Cavaliers vs. Pistons odds from. DraftKings Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 226.5. Before making any Pistons vs. Cavaliers picks, check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

New users can target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $200 in bonus bets if your first $5+ bet wins:

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. The model entered Week 20 on a sizzling 41-18 roll on top-rated NBA spread picks dating back to last season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.    

Now, the model has simulated Pistons vs. Cavaliers 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NBA picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and NBA betting lines for Cavaliers vs. Pistons:

New users can also target the latest Underdog promo code CBSSPORTS2, good for $75 in fantasy bonus entries when you play $5 in select states.

Top Pistons vs. Cavaliers predictions

After 10,000 simulations of Pistons vs. Cavaliers, SportsLine’s model is going Under on the total (228.5). The Under has hit in seven of the past 10 head-to-head matchups between the teams. The Under has hit in five of the last nine Detroit games, and in the last Cleveland game. The Pistons are 6-4 against the spread in their last 10 games. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are 5-5 ATS in their last 10.

The SportsLine model is projecting the Pistons’ Cade Cunningham to score 24.5 points on average and be one of four Detroit players to score 11.7 or more points. The Cavaliers’ James Harden, meanwhile, is projected to score 19.9 points as five Cleveland players score 10.2 points or more. The teams are projected to combine for 229 points as the Over hits more than 50% of the time.

How to make Cavaliers vs. Pistons picks

The model also says one side of the spread is the better value. You can head to SportsLine to see the model’s NBA picks. 

So who wins Cavaliers vs. Pistons, and which side of the spread is the better value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Pistons vs. Cavaliers spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.

Manchester United supporters are set to be left less than impressed as the calendar for the 2026/27 Premier League campaign starts to take shape

Manchester United face the prospect of not playing over the Easter weekend next season following a controversial change by FIFA.

The Daily Mail is reporting that in a tradition-defying move, FIFA have shifted the international break to encompass Good Friday and Easter Monday next season. The Sky Bet Championship is also likely to be affected by the change, which will see domestic fixtures restart with the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on April 3.

The first international break of 2027 will include Good Friday (March 26) and Easter Monday (March 29), with games set to be played on Saturday and Tuesday. The Premier League – which usually stages one round – and the second tier will subsequently be out of action.

The first Easter Saturday match took place in 1889, and games over the Easter period have been a staple for more than 100 years.

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The FA Cup quarter-finals will be played over Easter weekend this season, with a round of games in the Championship set to take place on Good Friday and another on Easter Monday.

The latest tradition-defying move in the game comes after just one top-flight fixture was played on Boxing Day this season.

United’s 1-0 win over Newcastle United at Old Trafford was the only game played on December 26, with most of the games being played the next day. But the Premier League have already confirmed that fans can expect a return to a more familiar Boxing Day schedule next season, as Boxing Day this year will fall on a Saturday, rather than last year when it fell on a Friday.

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In terms of international breaks for next season, it has also already been confirmed that the Premier League and Championship will pause following September 19 and then not restart until October 10.

The move to switch to an extended September break was approved by the FIFA Council in March 2023 and will also ensure there will be an extra week of domestic football in the calendar.

There are currently five international breaks each year which take place in March, June, September, October and November. Each lasts two weeks and allows nations to play a maximum of 10 matches, aside from major tournaments such as the World Cup, European Championship, Copa America, Africa Cup of Nations, Gold Cup or Asian Cup.

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The 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational begins this week at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Fla. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the PGA Tour tournament, including a full Arnold Palmer Invitational TV schedule, streaming information and complete tee times for the first and second rounds once they are released.

How to watch Arnold Palmer Invitational

All of the biggest stars of the PGA Tour are back in action for the Arnold Palmer’s annual event in Orlando. And with $20 million on the line, $4 million of which will go to to the winner, who could blame them?

The entire top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking will be represented in the field at Bay Hill, with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and World No. 2 Rory McIlroy leading the way. Scheffler already has a victory this season and has not finished worse than T12. That came in his last start at the Genesis Invitiational, also a Signature Event, where McIlroy finished T2 in his second PGA Tour event of the season.

Scheffler has won the Arnold Palmer Invitational twice, while McIlroy has one win (in 2018) and four top-5 finishes in his career at Bay Hill.

Elsewhere in the field, two-time major champion Justin Thomas will make his season debut this week after missing considerable time due to injury. Not including TGL, Thomas’ last competive rounds came at the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.

NBC and Golf Channel will provide TV coverage of the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational, while PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will offer streaming coverage and featured group coverage all week long. Peacock will air simulcasts of NBC’s Arnold Palmer Invitational coverage.

You can find complete information about streaming or watching the tournament on TV below.

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Tournament basics

What: 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational
Where: Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Fla.
When: Thursday-Sunday, March 5-8
Purse: $20 million ($4 million winner’s share)

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How to watch on TV

NBC and Golf Channel will air TV coverage of the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational this week. Check out the full TV schedule below.

Thursday, March 5: 2-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Friday, March 6: 2-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Saturday, March 7: 12:30-2:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); 2:30-6 p.m. ET (NBC)
Sunday, March 8: 12:30-2:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); 2:30-6 p.m. ET (NBC)

How to watch online, streaming

You can watch the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational online via PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, including exclusive early coverage beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET on Thursday and Friday, then 9 a.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday. PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will also provide featured group and featured hole coverage throughout the round. You can stream NBC’s coverage on Peacock.