By Stephen Vilardo, SuperWest Sports
Sports
Keith Olbermann sparks outrage with social media attack on Lou Holtz
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Former ESPN broadcaster Keith Olbermann once again incited backlash on social media Wednesday after he called late legendary college football coach Lou Holtz a “legendary scumbag” in an X post on the day Holtz was announced dead.
“Legendary scumbag, yes,” Olbermann wrote in response to a clip of Holtz criticizing former President Joe Biden in 2020 for supporting abortion rights.
Olbermann received scathing criticism in response to his post on X.
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“You’re a scumbag that needs mental help,” one X user wrote to Olbermann.
One user echoed that sentiment, writing to Olbermann, “You’re the real scumbag here. Lou Holtz had more class, integrity, and genuine decency in his pinky finger than you’ll ever show in your lifetime.”
Another user wrote, “You’re a grumpy, lonely, Godless man. All the things Lou Holtz was not.”
Keith Olbermann speaks onstage during the Olbermann panel at the ESPN portion of the 2013 Summer Television Critics Association tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel July 24, 2013, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Olbermann has made it a pattern of sharing politically charged far-left statements that are often combative and ridiculed on social media, typically resulting in immense backlash.
After the U.S. men’s hockey team’s gold medal win, Olbermann heavily criticized the team for accepting an invitation from President Trump to the State of the Union address. Olbermann wrote on X that any members of the men’s team who attended the event were “declaring their indelible stupidity and misogyny,” while praising the women’s team for declining the invitation.
In January, Olbermann attacked former University of Kentucky women’s swimmer Kaitlynn Wheeler for celebrating a women’s rights rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court during oral arguments for two cases focused on the legality of biological male trans athletes in women’s sports.
Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz listens before being presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House in Washington, D.C., Dec, 3, 2020. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“It’s still about you trying to find an excuse for a lifetime wasted trying to succeed in sports without talent,” Olbermann wrote in response to Wheeler’s post.
In 2025, Olbermann faced significant backlash after posting (and later deleting) a message on X aimed at CNN contributor Scott Jennings, that said, “You’re next motherf—–,” shortly after the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
Holtz was a stern supporter of President Donald Trump, even saying in February 2024 that Trump needed to “coach America back to greatness!”
Near the end of Trump’s first term, shortly after former President Joe Biden defeated him in the 2020 election, Trump awarded Holtz with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States.
After Holtz’s death was announced Wednesday, several top GOP figures paid tribute to the coach on social media.
Those GOP lawmakers included senators Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.; Todd Young, R-Ind.; Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; representatives Greg Murphy, R-N.C.; David Rouzer, R-N.C.; Erin Houchin, R-Ind.; and Steve Womack, R-Ark.; and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; Indiana Gov. Mike Braun; U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon; and Rudy Giuliani.
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Lou Holtz, former Notre Dame football coach, addresses the America First Policy Institute’s America First Agenda Summit at the Marriott Marquis July 26, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
At the time of publication, prominent Democrat leaders have appeared silent on Holtz’s passing, including prominent Democrats with a football background.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who worked as an assistant high school football coach; Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who was a recruiting target for Holtz in 1986 as a college prospect; Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, who played in the NFL; and Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Ill., who played football for the University of Illinois, have not posted acknowledging Holtz’s death.
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The Broncos sent their senior class out in style in their final regular-season game at ExtraMile Arena.
Fueled by a career-high 33 points from Drew Fielder, the nine-point win kept Boise State’s slim at-large hopes alive.
It also dealt a severe blow to San Diego State’s Tournament resume, in an inconsistent stretch for them, but that’s a column for another day.
What does the current winning streak mean for Boise State’s NCAA Tournament chances? Here are my thoughts on the path ahead.
The good news is that the final regular-season home win marks the Broncos’ fourth consecutive victory, their 10th in the last 13 games.
Since struggling to a 1-5 start to conference play in January, Leon Rice has his squad playing at a high level.
Will it be enough?
At 19-11, Boise State is putting together a strong campaign once again, but it may be too little too late for their at-large NCAA hopes.
Simply put, the Broncos still have more work to do, but not enough time in which to do it.
The regular-season finale takes them to Colorado State, obviously not a game the Broncos can afford to drop, and then a run in Vegas would be needed.
And if they are to make that run, they’d probably have to cross the finish line first to punch their ticket.
That stretch of five losses in six games to ring in the New Year put BSU in too deep a hole.
The selection committee is supposed to (and claims to) look at the totality of a season. If they do, the Broncos might just have a case.
The non-conference slate offered up a neutral site win over St. Mary’s, a victory that keeps looking better and better by the day as the Gaels are stacking the wins.
Two of the three non-conference losses came at the hands of Power Conference programs at the Maui Invitational, against USC and NC State.
The latter was a Quad 1 contest, and the Wolfpack are finishing strong.
The glaring problem with the non-conference slate is the opening loss to Hawai’i Pacific, which is difficult to overlook.
In Mountain West play, as bad as the opening stretch was, two of the three losses since then may be the most damaging.
During that 10-3 two-month period, the Broncos dropped a pair of games—to UNLV at home and Grand Canyon on the road—securing season sweeps for those opponents.
Boise State could not afford the home losses in particular, and, in any case, the Broncos should not have gone 0-4 against those two teams.
The Broncos have been playing much better over the last couple of months, a testament to Leon Rice’s ability to keep his players pushing throughout the season.
The current hot streak gives Boise State hope of making a deep run in Vegas next week. But that prospect raises another pesky issue for the Broncos this season—Utah State.
The road to the conference tournament crown would likely go through the Aggies at some point, and the later, the better.
If the MW Tournament started today, Boise would be the 6-seed, meaning a meeting with USU would only come in the title game. But that could change.
Boise State has not been competitive in its two games against the Aggies, losing by an average of 22 points per contest.
Their nine other defeats came by an average of 8.2.
While the Broncos hope to be playing well into March on neutral courts, that senior night win may not be the final game at ExtraMile for this group.
writes about various topics for SuperWest sports, including stats and records, college sports, and motorsports. He also founded and runs the Sports and Entertainment Research Center (SERC).
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Paul Scholes criticised Manchester United, and seemingly Michael Carrick, following defeat to Newcastle and it’s not the first time the midfielder has questioned his former team-mate
Paul Scholes sent tongues wagging and eyebrows raising with his post-match assessment of Manchester United‘s defeat to Newcastle. The legendary United midfielder appeared to take a dig at his former team-mate and United boss Michael Carrick in savage fashion.
“Michael has definitely got something special about him… cos United have been c**p last four games… night,” he posted on his Instagram Story, which has since been deleted.
But it’s not the first time the United icon has questioned Carrick, who is in charge at Old Trafford until the end of the season. Scholes accused Carrick and other coaches of disloyalty in 2021.
Carrick, Mike Phelan and Kieran McKenna remained at the club when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked. While caveating that the trio were ‘good friends’, Scholes wasn’t afraid to highlight that he disagreed with their decision.
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“I feel with Ole he put a lot of trust into Michael, Kieran (McKenna) and Mike Phelan which is why they shouldn’t be at the club now,” Scholes said at the time.
“They’re all good friends and they’re good people but if I was them I’d feel guilty still working at the club after Ole put so much trust in them.”
Taking an interim role to lead the team following Solskjaer’s exit, Carrick was quizzed about Scholes’ comments. The midfielder, who played alongside Scholes 160 times, revealed he had spoken to Solskjaer before taking the reins.
“It’s been an emotional few days,” he said. “The first person I spoke to after Ed (Woodward) offered me the role was Ole. I thought that was the right thing to do.”
Carrick has also spoken to Solskjaer more recently, after beating him to the United job earlier this year. The former England international suggested the pair remain close.
“Yeah, I spoke to him,” Carrick said. “I’m close, we’ve been through a lot together, so he’s been fully supportive and as you’d expect.
“He’s some man and I respect him an awful lot. He wished us all the best and he was happy that we got the right result.”
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Unquestionably, the techies and engineers who design the game’s newest equipment are fully fit to do the job — and, with each new club, to deliver dazzle to your own game. But some gearheads like to go in a very different direction, because disruption isn’t merely about breaking things. It’s about being radically better.
The golf equipment industry is loaded with big brains and lofty diplomas. Ballistics PhDs from aerospace. Engine designers from automotive. Materials scientists from advanced manufacturing. They make up a vast army of eggheads, pouring their expertise into a game governed by conformance rules and rooted in tradition.
Innovation happens constantly, though not always as dramatically or regularly as advertisements suggest. Golfers crave the next breakthrough. Manufacturers promise it with every product cycle.
But genuinely disruptive ideas are rare. They don’t arrive on schedule and can’t be conjured by a marketing blitz. On the face of it, they seem to appear out of nowhere, like a hole in one, but they spring from tireless effort, a tolerance for risk and a willingness to question what others accept as settled.
Innovators like L.A.B. Golf’s Sam Hahn, whose story you can read below, didn’t just contribute to groundbreaking products — they challenged assumptions about how gear should be designed, built and sold.
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Bradley Meinz
LONG BEFORE HE bought into the golf industry, L.A.B. Golf CEO Sam Hahn, was sold on golf. Deeply invested. Fully addicted.
As the owner of a bar and music venue in Eugene, Ore., he worked nights and played by day. When he wasn’t swinging clubs, he dissected them in niche corners of the internet, mixing it up with fellow gear obsessives, sharing reviews and strong opinions. He talked a good game and flashed one too. Looping his local muni, he whittled his handicap to scratch.
But putters drove him crazy. Like many golfers, his relationship with flatsticks followed the arc of teenage romance: hot and heavy at first, fueled by infatuation and the thrill of draining a few long bombs, until betrayal spoiled the mood. The putter would go cold. Confidence would waver. Another club would gain favor. And the pattern would repeat.
Still, through countless cycles of heartache and frustration, Hahn never lost hope that he’d find “the one.” When he finally did, it wasn’t much of a looker.
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Ever since we launched our first putter, Directed Force, golfers have been asking if we could make it less weird. DF3 was that putter. And ever since we created DF3, golfers have been asking if we could make one with an insert.
DF3i does everything golfers love about the original. It stays square by itself. It’s still irrationally forgiving on mishits. But it now has a stainless steel insert for golfers who want a faster, firmer feel at impact.
Construction: 6061 Aluminum (Head), 303 Stainless Steel (Insert)
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It was ugly, in fact. Bulbous and awkward, with a hollowed-out circle on the back, the putter — then known as the Directed Force — called to mind a metal detector married to a satellite dish. So much for appearances. The first time Hahn took it to the course, he one-putted the first seven greens.
Even when he missed, the experience was edifying. Hahn had always adjusted his stroke to fit a new putter. With the Directed Force, that burden vanished. Because the head was balanced to the lie angle of the shaft, aligning the center of gravity with the shaft and grip, there was no need to manipulate it.
“With every other putter, I was fighting to keep it square,” Hahn says. “And now I realized my job was just to let it stay square.”
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Two weeks later, the love affair was interrupted when the putter head fell off. Hahn sent it back. Along with a replacement, he received a call from Directed Force inventor Bill Presse IV, an industrial engineer in Reno, Nev., who apologized. Presse was struggling to make the company work. The two got to talking. Before long, Hahn, along with his father and brother, bought out Presse’s partners and relaunched the company as L.A.B. Golf — short for Lie, Angle, Balance. That was in 2018.
Getting a new company off the ground is like hitting driver off the deck. It’s difficult and risky. Hahn dove in with a naivete that turned out to be a strength. His outsider status gave him an edge. Hahn, who is 45, with a dark mop of hair, glasses and a lean build, had never had a commercial stake in golf. But he knew how to connect with people. He had a founder’s willingness to engage and a gearhead’s credibility with his audience. He was also online “pretty much 24-7,” he says.
When J.J. Spaun rolled in a 65-footer to win the 2025 U.S. Open with a L.A.B. in his hands, a company that began with a cultish following captured next-level national attention.
When the pandemic hit, his audience grew larger and more captive than ever. Hahn leaned into the moment, though he never thought of it as marketing. He was proselytizing what he saw as truths.
Momentum gathered gradually, then suddenly. What had begun as whispers in gear forums migrated onto the game’s larger stages. L.A.B. racked up PGA Tour wins and influencer endorsements. When J.J. Spaun rolled in a 65-footer to win the 2025 U.S. Open with a L.A.B. in his hands, a company that began with a cultish following captured next-level national attention.
A little more than a month later, L.A.B. sold a majority stake at a valuation north of $200 million.
Ever since we launched our first putter, Directed Force, golfers have been asking if we could make it less weird. DF3 is that putter.
L.A.B. Golf DF3 Custom Putter
DF3 still does everything golfers love about the original. It stays square by itself. It’s still irrationally forgiving on mishits. But there’s a lot less to think about.
The DF3 is entirely CNC milled from 6061 aluminum, with 8 screws on the bottom made of steel or tungsten in various densities to precisely target swing weight and lie angle balance each putter.
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It’s a larger operation than it once was, with 260 employees, but Hahn has stayed in Eugene, running the company out of a building that overlooks Emerald Valley Golf Course, the public course where he first put the putter into play. It takes him no more than 90 seconds to get from his desk to the first tee. He plays as much as ever, maybe more. He’s a plus-3 now.
His office is cluttered with training aids, clubs, headcovers, ball markers — all samples from aspiring entrepreneurs seeking advice. He tells them “your people are everything,” especially in an industry that is brutal on newcomers. Hahn is part of the establishment now, but the culture of his company hasn’t shifted. He has hired someone to field the flood of direct messages L.A.B. receives. But if you DM the company, there’s a good chance you’ll hear back from Hahn himself.
For golfers who know the pattern of putter romance, that kind of commitment is hard to beat.
TOKYO — Australia opened the World Baseball Classic on Thursday by beating Chinese Taipei 3-0 on Robbie Perkins’ two-run homer in the fifth inning and Travis Bazzana’s homer in the seventh at the Tokyo Dome.
The two big swings were enough in a tight game dominated by pitching on both sides. Chinese Taipei managed only three hits, and Australia had seven.
It was a critical victory for Australia, which also won its first game in 2023, defeating South Korea enroute to reaching the quarterfinals and a narrow 4-3 loss to Cuba.
Australian starter Alex Wells pitched three no-hit innings, with Jack O’Loughlin negotiating the next three and allowing only two hits and setting the stage for the bullpen.
O’Laughlin got the victory with a save for Jon Kennedy. Po-Yu Chen was the losing pitcher.
Following Perkins’ homer, Chinese Taipei put two runners on in the sixth with two out but failed to score. The second to reach base was Chieh-hsien Chen, who was hit by a pitch on his right hand and left the game.
Australia loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth and failed to score when Chris Burke popped out on the second pitch from reliever Yi Chang.
Bazzana, who is expected to start in Triple A this season in the Cleveland Guardians farm system, added the insurance run on a towering shot to right field. Bazzana was the first pick in the 2024 MLB amateur draft.
Chinese Taipei put two runners on the top of the ninth and almost tied the game on a deep flyout by Lyle Lin.
South Korea-Czechia later
In the second Group C game later in Tokyo, South Korea faced Czechia. Defending champion Japan opens play in Group C on Friday against Chinese Taipei.
The top two teams in the group advance to the quarterfinals in the United States, joining the top two in the other three groups.
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He may be one of the best players in the NFL, but Cleveland Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett isn’t great at following traffic laws.
The 2025 Defensive Player of the Year was cited for driving 94 mph in a 70-mph zone on Interstate 71 in Congress Township, Ohio, which is between Cleveland and Columbus, back on Feb. 21, according to court records.
This speeding ticket marks the ninth since Garrett has entered the NFL since his rookie season in 2017, which includes a scary moment where he flipped his Porsche in 2022 after an incident where speeding was a factor.
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Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) reacts during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Garrett was cited then for going 65 mph in a 45-mph zone at the time.
Garrett was also driving a Porsche during this traffic stop, as the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office pulled over the Browns star as he was going 24 mph over the speed limit in the early hours last month. Before being pulled over, Garrett was spotted at a college basketball game between Bowling Green and Miami of Ohio in Oxford, which is near Cincinnati.
Prior to this ticket, Garrett was pulled over during Browns training camp on Aug. 9, when he was driving 100 mph in a 60-mph zone in Strongsville, Ohio, which is near the team’s Berea training facility.
The Browns had just returned home from their preseason matchup against the Carolina Panthers, which led to a $250 fine for Garrett as well.
He was peppered with questions from the media about his speeding past following his then-eighth citation, but he declined to respond.
Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns looks on during the second quarter in the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on October 26, 2025, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
“I’d honestly prefer to talk about football and this team than anything I’m doing off the field other than the back-to-school event that I did the other day,” Garrett said to media on Aug. 20.
Garrett added that he tried to “keep my personal life personal. And I’d rather focus on this team when I can.”
It was hard not to ask Garrett about what happened in 2022, when he suffered a shoulder and biceps strains, among other less serious injuries, after his car flipped over. He had to miss the team’s Week 4 contest against the Atlanta Falcons, though he returned to his normal self that year. He had 16 sacks and two forced fumbles in 16 games for Cleveland.
This past year, Garrett broke the single-season sack record (23) with a league-high 33 tackles for loss in an insane campaign that made him a lock for the Defensive Player of the Year Award in his ninth season for the Browns. He had now made it three straight first-team All-Pro honors and five overall.
Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns looks on during warmups prior to the game at Gillette Stadium on Oct. 26, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
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But Garrett will now have to either appear in court on March 10, or pay a fine of more than $100 for his latest speeding ticket, per WKYC in Cleveland. After signing a then-record four-year, $160 million extension with Cleveland last year, the latter is likely the option he’ll choose.
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Personal vendettas rarely get in the way of sportsmanship and respect when Oleksandr Usyk steps through the ropes.
Usyk became the undisputed cruiserweight world champion with three victories on away soil, winning in Poland to get his hands on the WBO belt, before unifications in Latvia and Russia in the semi-final and final of the World Boxing Super Series.
After defending the undisputed throne against Tony Bellew, the Ukrainian then moved up to heavyweight and replicated the feat to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era – trumping the likes of Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury.
Since overcoming ‘AJ’ to become a household name, Usyk has continued to stick to his values and show complete respect to opponents – that includes Fury, who did his best to drag the Ukrainian southpaw into a war of words.
However, when speaking to DAZN Boxing, Usyk explained why the only dance partner of his career that he did not ‘love’ was Germany’s Marco Huck, who he collided with back in 2017, in the quarter-final of the WBSS.
“My weakness, [is that] I love people. I love my opponent. Only one of my opponents, I didn’t love, it is Marco Huck.
“Yeah, he is a bad guy because this man said bad words for [about] my mama.”
Following a heated build-up, Usyk declared that he would ‘bury’ Huck when they fought and that he did, knocking the Berlin-based former world champion out in his own backyard in round 10 of their battle at Max Schmeling Hall.
Years prior to the bout, Huck had enjoyed the joint longest run as champion in the cruiserweight ranks, racking up 13 defences of the WBO belt. He still competes at 41-year-old, now at heavyweight, although at a much lower level than in his day.
Losing should never be acceptable. But if they can lose the way they did Wednesday, 6-4 against the elite Carolina Hurricanes, the Canucks will earn respect and patience from their fans during what is going to be a loyalty-testing rebuild. Which ones aren’t?
Uncompetitive and unredeemable in their last two losses, and challenged Wednesday morning by general manager Patrik Allvin to show “more fight,” the Canucks dug in and competed against the soaring Hurricanes, who needed an empty-net goal from Nikolaj Ehlers to complete a hat trick that secured his team’s 15th win in 20 games.
Even after Carolina reeled off four straight goals in 10 minutes in the second period to pull away 5-2, the Canucks didn’t disintegrate as they have in so many games since the New Year when they’ve surrendered goals in bunches.
Canuck Brock Boeser scored during a five-on-three power play late in the second period, and Nils Hoglander blistered a one-timer from Elias Pettersson’s nice pass to make it 5-4 at 6:45 of the third.
And even shorthanded, but skating five-against-five with their goalie pulled, the Canucks made it uncomfortable for the Hurricanes in the final minute before Ehlers scored with 14 seconds to go.
Disappointed, but not embarrassed.
“I mean, it’s tough when you’re in a spiral like this,” centre Teddy Blueger said. “We go down like we did last game against Dallas (6-1 loss on Monday) and you can just feel the energy kind of drain out. It’s tough to pick yourself back up; that’s maybe a bit of human nature. But we’ve got to fight that. I think the least we can do is compete and fight in every game, no matter the score.
“Obviously, we’d probably like to have a couple of those goals back (in the second period) with the breakdowns and stuff. But I think in terms of competing and fighting back and not getting deflated like we have been, I thought that was pretty good tonight.”
Defenceman Filip Hronek said: “The effort was there today. I’m pretty happy about that. But we have to be consistent with that, and we have to have that effort for 60 (minutes) and not 35 or whatever minutes.”
As a group, the Canucks top players were far more noticeable than they’ve been in most games since the team collapsed into 2026 on a freefall that is now 2-17-4 since Dec. 29.
Certainly not known for his physicality, Boeser recorded a career-high seven hits as Vancouver out-hit Carolina 30-13. Specifically challenged by Allvin during the GM’s morning press conference after the Tyler Myers trade, Pettersson played with a little more spark and had his second two-point game since Nov. 17. And Hronek, the last defenceman standing from the Canucks’ National Hockey League playoff run less than two years ago, may have been the best player on either team, finishing with a goal and two assists and a plus-two rating in the loss.
The last-overall Canucks just need a lot more of this, no matter what else happens before Friday’s trade deadline.
“It feels a whole lot better when the guys are trying like that,” rookie defenceman Tom Willander said. “You know, some of these teams are very good and they’re tough, and you’re not going to win all of them. But you always have to compete. I don’t feel like it’s just about playing well; I feel like if you compete, you’re just going to get a lot better. Even practices are better.”
The Canucks weren’t winning even before they started trading important players like Quinn Hughes, Kiefer Sherwood and Myers (which is why they traded them to start this rebuild). So nobody expects this hollowed-out team to be winning now, especially with star goalie Thatcher Demko out for the season after hip surgery.
But what the Canucks had lost along with 21 of 23 games before Wednesday was baseline competitiveness — the basic, professional combination of preparedness and execution that every team requires to be respectable.
Thirteen of the previous 18 regulation losses were by three or more goals, and in its last two losses, Saturday in Seattle and Monday at home against Dallas, Vancouver was outscored 11-2.
Despite what some unfamiliar with the last century may think, these aren’t the darkest days in franchise history. The Canucks were in peril of being sold and moved a couple of times, and when Brian Burke was hired as GM in 1998, ownership charged him with saving the franchise in a city where Rogers Arena was half-empty many nights.
But this rebuild will turn black if the Canucks not only lose but surrender. Nobody wants to watch that.
So Allvin challenged his players to dig in and compete.
“I want to see more fight in the group,” he told reporters. “It’s their job, the players’ job and our job, to prepare every night for the fans and playing for the crest. You can lose games, but you’ve got to play the right way and you’ve got to compete. And that’s what I want to see from my group here moving forward. I want to see us getting better. Losing games is not great for anyone, and we owe it to the fans here that have been great in Vancouver, and our players should play hard every night.”
“One-hundred-percent agree,” Willander said. “I think that’s something (fight) you need more of. You know, you can’t always be at your best, but you can always work hard. I feel like you need to compete and show up even on the days you’re not, you know, not everything is clicking. And I feel like that’s going to be so important later on when you want to win those big games.”
From now until the end of the season, all of the Canucks’ games are big for respect – their own and from the people they need to support the rebuild by buying tickets to watch them play.
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How to run a 2026 UEFA Champions League bracket pool: Play for a dream trip, design your picks contest
Champions League is widely considered the top club tournament in soccer, and the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 begins on March 10 and March 11. The 2026 Champions League bracket is now live, and similar to the buzz that’s created around NCAA Tournament brackets, many will flock to create their 2026 UCL bracket and debate who to crown their winner in Champions League bracket pools.
Reigning champion PSG failed to secure one of the top eight spots, leaving their fate to be determined by the knockout round. No team since Real Madrid, which won three straight from 2016-18, has even won back-to-back UCL titles, so how should that affect forming a 2026 Champions League bracket strategy? You can create Champions League pools of your own to compete against friends and family, and enter your picks into the CBS Sports UCL Bracket Challenge for a chance to win a trip to London, including tickets to a UCL match and a tour of the UCL Today set. With the action so close, now is the time to set up your 2026 UEFA Champions League pool.
If you’re looking for a UCL bracket game home, CBS Sports is the perfect platform to use. You can play Bracket Games on the CBS Sports App for free and you could win big prizes.* Sign up right here.
How to create a 2026 UEFA Champions League pool with friends and family
There is a CBS Sports UEFA Champions League Bracket Challenge giving you the chance to win a trip to London to watch a UCL match and tour the UCL Today set. It’s easy to qualify for this epic trip. Simply click this link, click the “Join Now” button and enter.* Fill out your UEFA Champions League bracket before Round of 16 play begins.
Once you’ve entered CBS Sports UEFA Champions League Bracket Game, you can also set up your own 2026 UCL pools on CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports app. When you go to the website, hover your mouse over the Fantasy tab until you find the CBS Sports UCL Bracket Games logo.
Click on that logo to be redirected to the CBS Sports UCL Bracket Games page. Once you’re logged in, you’ll see a “Create Pool” button to click on and once you’ve finished choosing your UCL bracket pool settings, you’ll be able to copy the URL and send it to your friends and family.
2026 UEFA Champions League Knockout phase teams to watch
Now that you know where to play 2026 UCL Bracket Games, here are some teams to watch as the 2026 Champions League Knockout phase approaches:
Arsenal FC: The English Premier League leaders won all eight of their matches during the league phase, outscoring their opponents 23-4 in the process to produce the best goal differential in the competition. Arsenal have opened a six-point lead on Manchester City in the EPL, so they’ll still have a somewhat split focus, but this is their best chance yet at notching a UEFA Champions League title. Expect Mikel Arteta to dial in for these matchups and they should be well-rested thanks to the bye that comes with being a top-eight seed.
Manchester City: Manchester City were one of four teams that finished with exactly 16 points over eight UCL league phase contests. After being tied with the lowest goal differential and scoring the fewest goals of the four tied clubs, Manchester City are the No. 8 seed. Luckily for Manchester City, finishing last in the tiebreak didn’t result in a knockout round appearance, but they’ll have a challenging opening matchup in the Round of 16. Manchester City went 5-1-2 in the league phase, and defeated Galatasaray, 2-0, on Matchday 8 to secure a top-eight seed. Manchester City features the top goal-scorer in the Premier League in Erling Haaland, whose 22 goals are five more than any other player. He also scored in six of eight UCL contests, as he’ll be a daunting matchup for any club playing Man City. Join the 2026 UCL Bracket Game here.
How to enter 2026 UEFA Champions League Bracket Games
Sign up now before brackets are unlocked after the Round of 16 Draw. Visit CBSSports.com/UCLBracket or play on the CBS Sports App.
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Eight players were ejected after a brawl between South Alabama and Coastal Carolina in the second round of the women’s Sun Belt Tournament on Wednesday. The fracas resulted in a referee getting injured and requiring medical attention.
The incident occurred with 5:38 remaining in the fourth quarter as South Alabama’s Cordasia Harris and Coastal Carolina’s Tracey Hueston started fighting under the basket.
Staff members from both schools, teammates and referees rushed to attempt to break up the fight. Among them was referee Marla Gearhart, who caught a flailing arm and was knocked to the floor. She remained on the ground for a moment while the medical staff went over to check on her.
The conference released an update later Wednesday saying Gearhart was evaluated at the Pensacola Bay Center and was released.
Eight players were ejected immediately after the incident:
- South Alabama: Cordasia Harris, Daniela Gonzalez, Terren Coffil, Saneea Bevley, Princess Okafor Nweze, Jeriyah Baines, Amyah Sutton
- Coastal Carolina: Tracey Hueston
South Alabama eventually won the game, 80-70, but will be shorthanded for the third-round game against Texas State on Thursday due to further punishment announced by the Sun Belt. Harris, Sutton and Gonzalez were all hit with one-game NCAA suspensions “because they were deemed to have engaged in a fight,” the conference said.
In a statement, South Alabama athletic director Dr. Joel Erdmann said the university “does not condone fighting under any circumstance.” However, he said he does not agree that the actions of “all three” of Harris, Sutton and Gonzalez “rose to the level of being classified as fighting as defined by the NCAA rule book.”
“This judgment has negatively impacted the tournament experience of our suspended student-athletes and stripped them of limited opportunities to compete in the postseason,” Erdmann said. “Though I strongly disagree with the judgment of the officials, we will accept the decision from the Sun Belt Conference.”
On the Coastal Carolina side, Hueston was given a one-game NCAA suspension and suspended by the Sun Belt for the remainder of the season should the Chanticleers be invited to a postseason tournament.
Coastal Carolina athletic director Chance Miller issued an apology and said “we are extremely disappointed in the actions of one of our women’s basketball student-athletes and program,” per local CBS station WBTW News 13.
Chanticleers coach Kevin Pederson said the incident will be addressed swiftly.
“We regret the actions that took place during today’s Sun Belt Conference Tournament game,” Pederson told the local station. “In no way does what occurred reflect the core values or day-to-day mission of the women’s basketball program, as we hold our student-athletes to the highest standards both on and off the court. The actions today don’t reflect those standards, and we plan to address that quickly.”
Sports
Arjun Tendulkar and Saaniya Chandhok officially married after grand Mumbai celebrations | Off the field News
Arjun Tendulkar and Saaniya Chandok (X)
Arjun Tendulkar, the son of legendary India batter Sachin Tendulkar, has officially tied the knot with entrepreneur Saaniya Chandhok. The wedding ceremony took place on Thursday, March 5, bringing an end to a week of celebrations attended by several well known personalities from the cricketing world.The couple had earlier announced their engagement in August 2025 in a private ceremony attended by close family members and friends. Since then, preparations for the wedding had been underway, with celebrations beginning earlier this week in Mumbai.
The festivities included traditional functions such as mehendi and sangeet, where a number of former and current cricketers joined the Tendulkar family for the celebrations. The events created a festive atmosphere as friends and family gathered to mark the special occasion.Arjun’s wife Saaniya comes from a prominent business background. She is the granddaughter of industrialist Ravi Ghai, chairman of the Graviss Group. Based in Mumbai, Saaniya has built her own career in the pet care and animal welfare space. She is known for her work as a veterinary technician and entrepreneur and has been actively involved in initiatives related to animal care.While the wedding celebrations have now concluded, Arjun will soon turn his focus back to cricket. The 26 year old left arm pacer has so far made five appearances in the Indian Premier League for Mumbai Indians. In those matches he picked up three wickets while conceding 114 runs and also scored 13 runs with the bat.At the domestic level, Arjun currently represents the Goa cricket team after making his debut for the Mumbai cricket team in 2021.Ahead of the IPL 2026 mini auction, Arjun was traded from Mumbai Indians to Lucknow Super Giants. He is expected to feature for the franchise in the upcoming season as he continues to build his career in professional cricket.
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