SAN FRANCISCO — Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
I don’t know how it happened, but the Super Bowl is now only three days away — at least, that’s what I’ve been told. I actually have no idea how far away it is because I’ve lost all sense of time out here in San Francisco. If I’ve learned one thing this week, it’s that nothing about the Pacific Time Zone makes sense. I never know what time it is. I wake up at odd hours and never know when to go to bed.
If you’re wondering what I’ve been up to over the past 24 hours, I got to go down to Levi’s Stadium on Wednesday and sample EVERY piece of food that’s going to be served at the Super Bowl — and that includes oysters. Yup, they’re going to have oysters at the Super Bowl, and someone will even be shucking them.
Let’s stop talking about food, though, and start talking about football. In today’s newsletter, we’ll be making some predictions for the awards being handed out at NFL Honors. Plus, we’ve got some Super Bowl picks.
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As always, here’s your reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. Let’s get to the rundown.
1. NFL Honors is here: Here are our predictions
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If there’s one thing that always seems to get lost in the shuffle during Super Bowl week, it’s the fact that the NFL hands out all of its major awards. That will be happening during the NFL Honors ceremony.
This year, that means if you want to know who’s going to win MVP, you’ll need to tune in to the NFL Honors show, which will air at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. During the two-hour ceremony, hosted by Jon Hamm, we’ll see every award handed out — from Coach of the Year to Offensive Player of the Year to Defensive Rookie of the Year and everything in between.
Show: 2026 NFL Honors Date: Thursday, Feb. 5 Location: Palace of Fine Arts (San Francisco) Time: 9 p.m. ET TV: NBC
Before the awards get handed out, our NFL crew here at CBS Sports voted on each award. Several tight races will come to an end at the ceremony. There are five finalists for MVP, but that race feels like it’s down to Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye. Coach of the Year is also up for grabs, and it feels like that will probably go to Mike Vrabel, Mike Macdonald, Liam Coen or Ben Johnson.
So who did we vote for? Let’s check it out.
We had 12 voters, and seven of them used their MVP vote on Maye while the other five voted for Stafford (I voted for Stafford). The Coach of the Year award was also a nail-biter, with Vrabel beating out Macdonald by two votes (6-4). The only other vote-getter was Kyle Shanahan, who received three votes. You can check out our full list of award winners here.
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2. Super Bowl LX picks: We’re all taking the Seahawks
I’ve basically spent half my week tracking down everyone’s Super Bowl pick here at CBS Sports. Pete Prisco claims he’s in San Francisco, but it’s been three days and I still haven’t seen him. The good news for me is that I didn’t need to see him in person to get his pick because he wrote it for the website on Wednesday.
Anyway, I have four picks here, and we’re all taking the Seahawks, which seems like a giant jinx waiting to happen.
With that in mind, let’s get to the Super Bowl picks for a game where the Seahawks are currently favored by 4.5 points.
Pete Prisco: Seahawks 27-10 over Patriots. “I don’t think Seattle’s offense will spend the game moving up and down the field, but the Seahawks will be able to feast on short fields given to them by the defense. I think Maye will turn it over a few times and the sacks will start to wear on him. This will be a day for the Seattle defense.” For a full explanation of Prisco’s Super Bowl pick, be sure to click here.
Tyler Sullivan: Seahawks 30-17 over Patriots.“It’s hard to imagine Drake Maye and the Patriots’ offense suddenly turning the tide in this Super Bowl against a Seattle defense that was the No. 1 scoring defense this season. Moreover, the No. 1 scoring defenses that have squared off against All-Pro quarterbacks (like Maye) in the Super Bowl are 5-1 in the previous six matchups. Seattle wins this in a rather convincing fashion.” For a full explanation of Sullivan’s Super Bowl pick, be sure to click here.
Jordan Dajani: Seahawks 20-13 over Patriots.“This is the seventh Super Bowl since 1970 between an All-Pro quarterback (Maye) and the NFL’s No. 1 scoring defense (Seattle). The No. 1 scoring defense is 5-1 in the previous six matchups. … They say defense wins championships, and I think that will be proven Sunday.” If you want to read Dajani’s full pick, be sure to click here.
John Breech: Seahawks 34-20 over Patriots.“For me, the deciding factor in this game is going to be Mike Macdonald. Since being hired by the Seahawks in 2024, Macdonald has absolutely dominated young quarterbacks, and now he gets to face the second-youngest starting quarterback in the history of the Super Bowl (Drake Maye). In his two seasons on the job, Macdonald has coached six games against first- or second-year quarterbacks, and he’s gone 6-0 in those games. Those wins have come against good quarterbacks like Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams. Not only is he undefeated, but the six quarterbacks have averaged just 168.8 yards passing while throwing nine interceptions compared to just two touchdowns. If Macdonald forces Maye into a bad game, the Seahawks will likely win big.” For the rest of my pick, be sure to click here.
3. Super Bowl on Madden: We simulated Seahawks-Patriots and here’s what happened
Madden NFL 26 (EA Sports)
Alright, now that we’ve got the writer picks out of the way, let’s move on to the Madden simulation. We had Tyler Sullivan simulate the entire game on Madden — and yes, this means Sullivan got paid to play video games for two hours, and yes, I’m jealous — but the important thing here is that if his simulation turns out to be correct, then we now know who’s going to win the Super Bowl.
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Here’s what happened:
Sam Darnold takes a beating in the first half, but keeps Seahawks in the game. The Seahawks QB took a beating in the first half, getting sacked five times. Seattle’s offense sputtered for most of the half, but Darnold bounced back with a touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp late in the second quarter to tie the game at 10 heading into halftime.
Drake Maye has the longest pass of the game. The second half opened with one of the biggest plays of the game when Maye hit Hunter Henry for a 64-yard touchdown pass to give the Patriots a 17-10 lead in the third quarter.
The game comes down to a field goal. The Seahawks mounted a comeback thanks to Darnold and Kupp, who connected for a second touchdown in the fourth quarter. In the end, though, the game was decided on a Jason Myers field goal. The Seahawks kicker drilled a 20-yarder to give Seattle a 23-20 win.
This is the sixth year Sullivan has done a Super Bowl simulation, and the sim is 4-1 so far, which would seem to bode well for the Seahawks. Last year, the simulation predicted a three-point win by the Eagles, who ended up beating the Chiefs, 40-22.
If you want every detail on how the simulation played out, plus watch highlights from the game, then be sure to click here.
4. Super Bowl injury report: Seahawks could be missing a key player
There usually aren’t too many surprises on the injury report during Super Bowl week, but there was definitely one on Wednesday.
Here’s the latest on the health of both teams:
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Nick Emmanwori dealing with an ankle injury. The Seahawks rookie safety, who has been a key part of their pass defense this year, injured his ankle at practice while trying to defend a pass. Mike Macdonald didn’t offer many details. “He had an ankle today,” Macdonald said. “We brought him in to look at it, and we’ll kind of go from here and figure out what are the next steps.” On Wednesday night, video surfaced of Emmanwori returning to the team hotel, and the positive news for Seattle is that he wasn’t using crutches or wearing a boot. It’s still unclear if he’ll be able to play Sunday, so this will be a situation to monitor.
Sam Darnold’s oblique feeling better. The Seahawks QB was listed as a limited participant Wednesday, but he sounds ready to go. “It feels really good,” he said. “Definitely the time off has helped a little bit. I’m always just going to take it one step at a time, do my rehab and do everything I need to do to make sure it feels great going into practice and the game.”
Drake Maye’s shoulder improving. Maye was a full participant in practice, so the Patriots are confident in the health of his shoulder. He said Wednesday that it “feels great.” Maye was one of just five players on New England’s injury report. LB Robert Spillane (ankle) was the only player who didn’t practice.
5. Ranking all 59 Super Bowls: Two Giants wins are at the top
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There have been 59 Super Bowls played in NFL history, and Bryan DeArdo decided to rank ALL of them this week. Since he took the time to rank every Super Bowl ever played, it only makes sense for us to take a look.
I don’t want to spoil the entire list, so here’s his top 10 — plus the game he ranked last:
1. Super Bowl XXV:Giants 20-19 over Bills 2. Super Bowl XLII: Giants 17-14 over Patriots 3. Super Bowl LI: Patriots 34-28 over Falcons (OT) 4. Super Bowl XLIX: Patriots 28-24 over Seahawks 5. Super Bowl XLIII:Steelers 27-23 over Cardinals 6. Super Bowl XXXVI: Patriots 20-17 over Rams 7. Super Bowl XXXIV: Rams 23-16 over Titans 8. Super Bowl LVIII: Chiefs 25-22 over 49ers (OT) 9. Super Bowl XXXII: Broncos 31-24 over Packers 10. Super Bowl XXIII: 49ers 20-16 over Bengals … 59. Super Bowl XXXV: Raven 35-7 over Giants
With the Patriots and Seahawks set to meet again, we should probably cross our fingers for another classic. I absolutely agree with DeArdo that their first meeting was one of the five best Super Bowls of all time. It had everything, and of course, it gave us the longest-running NFL debate ever: Should the Seahawks have given the ball to Marshawn Lynch at the 1-yard line?
6. Extra points: Most expensive ticket at the Super Bowl
It’s been a busy 24 hours in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything, I put together a quick roundup for you.
Super Bowl’s most expensive seat. I was inside Levi’s Stadium on Wednesday, so I decided to look up the most expensive ticket on the secondary market and check out the view. The priciest seat is going for $30,000, and if you want to know what the view looks like, I’ve got you covered here.
49ers will likely play an international game in 2026. The 49ers have only played one international game over the past 12 years, but that number could be going up in 2026. During an interview this week, owner Jed York said the team will likely be leaving the country for one game this year, and he already has a spot in mind for that game. “We will most likely give up a home game this season to play abroad, and Mexico is always No. 1 on my list,” York said. The NFL is playing a total of nine games abroad this year, and so far, we already know five teams who will be leaving the country (Rams, Saints, Commanders, Lions and Falcons). If York is right, the 49ers will soon be joining that group.
Lions fan files $100 million lawsuit against DK Metcalf and others. In Week 16, Metcalf got into it with a Lions fan while the Steelers were in Detroit, and now, that fan has filed a $100 million lawsuit against multiple parties, including Metcalf, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ford Field Management LLC, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, Shay Shay Media LLC and All Time Sports LLC. The man is seeking monetary damages because he claims he was physically harmed and that he was also falsely accused of making racist comments towards Metcalf. If you want the full details of the lawsuit, we’ve got those here.
Maxx Crosby might be ready to move on. There are always interesting rumors during Super Bowl week, and here’s one more: During an interview Wednesday, Fox Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer was asked if he thought Crosby was done with the Raiders. His two-word answer: “I do.” That doesn’t mean a trade is imminent, but he’s certainly a player to watch this offseason.
That ban had been in place since 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the eve of the Winter Paralympics four years ago, although it was softened the following year to allow athletes to compete as neutrals.
The Russian flag has not been flown at a Paralympic Games or shown on the medal table since Sochi 2014, firstly because of the country’s state-sponsored doping scandal, before the Ukraine war led to those further sanctions.
Voronchikhina, 23, finished 2.47 seconds shy of the gold medal-winning time set by Sweden’s Ebba Aarsjoe in the standing downhill event in Cortina, while France’s Aurelie Richard took silver.
Because of the outright ban of all Russian athletes from the Beijing Games four years ago, Voronchikhina is competing at her first Paralympics, despite being a two-time world champion in the Para-alpine skiing events.
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She will compete in five further disciplines during these Games.
After returning to competition in January, Voronchikhina won four medals at her first World Cup in Saalbach, Austria, before double slalom gold in Feldberg, Germany, later in the month.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ decade-long run of playoff appearances came to an abrupt end in Week 15 last season. The Chiefs came up short at Arrowhead Stadium in a game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes sustained a season-ending ACL injury when he scrambled to try and pick up some yards in the game’s final minutes.
At the time, the Chiefs said Mahomes would “begin his rehab process immediately,” though his availability for the start of the 2026 season remained uncertain. On Thursday, FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer provided an encouraging update about the three-time Super Bowl MVP’s recovery schedule.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes grabs his knee after being injured during the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers Dec. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo.(AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
“His pain threshold is different, his work ethic is different,” Glazer said during an appearance on the “Dan Patrick Show.”
“So at first they were like, ‘Oh, you know, start of the season.’ I would probably hedge on him being [back] sooner than that. By far. Because he just attacks things.”
Glazer also noted that doctors were able to perform the procedure before significant swelling set in, which may have accelerated Mahomes’ recovery timeline.
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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) receives assistance for an injury during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium Dec. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo.(Jay Biggerstaff/Imagn Images)
“The initial reports were kind of on the fringe there, but I want to tell you, Patrick’s different,” Glazer added.
“He got (the surgery) before it swelled up. So, that was on a Tuesday. I believe it was either Thursday or Friday that week, he was already in the Chiefs’ training room doing rehab. And he had already got his knee bending at 90 degrees at that point. He’s just different, he heals differently.”
In a message posted to social media after sustaining the injury, Mahomes thanked fans and said he would put his “Trust in God.”
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs warms up before a game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium Dec. 7, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
“Don’t know why this had to happen,” Mahomes wrote. “And not going to lie, it’s hurts. But all we can do now is Trust in God and attack every single day over and over again. Thank you Chiefs kingdom for always supporting me and for everyone who has reached out and sent prayers. I will be back stronger than ever.”
The Chiefs finished the 2025 season at 6-11. Earlier this week, the team traded Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams for a package of future draft picks as part of their offseason roster retooling.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Three days after a 7-5 loss to the San Jose Sharks, which came after splitting games with the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals, the Canadiens emerged from the trade deadline the same group that went into it — unchanged in terms of their roster and still searching for the consistency they carried into the Olympic break.
Coach Martin St. Louis didn’t have a problem with general manager Kent Hughes’ lack of trade deadline activity.
“I feel good,” St. Louis said. “For me, everybody tries to improve, and there’s got to be moves that make sense for the group. But at the end of the day, the most important things you need at this time of the year are details. So, I don’t care who you add, who you subtract; if you don’t have details, it doesn’t matter. So, we’re chasing details.”
They remained elusive after a 6-5 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.
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“We shot ourselves in the foot again tonight,” he said. “That’s becoming the norm a bit. We’re stubborn. Too many turnovers. And against a team with that speed and skill, you pay cash.”
Samuel Montembeault extended his season-long struggle in net, allowing the game’s first shot twice.
The first one, which came 20 seconds in, was repealed after an offside challenge. It was retaken only 19 seconds later, counting this time for Cutter Gauthier.
Through the rest of the night, Montembeault made brilliant saves from in tight to keep the Canadiens within striking distance, but whiffed on the long ones for three of the goals against.
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A fourth got tipped right in front of him with the Canadiens up 5-4 and trying to defend their lead in the final minute of regulation.
That wasn’t on Montembeault, and neither was the loss.
The word Cole Caufield used to describe the Canadiens’ performance?
“To me, it’s a mindset, it’s not necessarily structure,” the coach said. “When you turn pucks over, there’s no structure that will defend turnovers. So, to me, that’s that. Obviously, closing the game five-on-six, we couldn’t do it again tonight. I’m looking for guys that can do it. And we have a structure, and we got out of the structure today. We gave a free shot to Trouba, and chaos can happen off that. We’re going to keep talking about it, and I’m looking for guys that can do it.”
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On Montembeault, St. Louis said, “I think everybody has a part in the goals. It’s not all the goalie. Obviously, his part is magnified, but there’s another five guys in front of him that can do a better job.”
The Canadiens will try to do that for Jakub Dobes on Saturday against the Kings.
They enter the road-trip closing game with a record of 33-18-10, 76 points, in the first wild-card position in the Eastern Conference, one point out of third in the Atlantic Division, with two games in-hand and four points up on the playoff bubble-hugging Columbus Blue Jackets.
Canadiens react to Hughes standing pat at the trade deadline
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“I told you guys going in, we really feel confident in our group. If we were to add a player, we obviously would’ve welcomed him in, and it would’ve had an impact. But we feel confident with what we have in here. We’re capable of beating anyone if we do what we’re capable of doing. Our game isn’t in the best place. Fortunately enough, we’ve done a pretty good job of putting ourselves in a good position, but that can change fast. We have a ton of confidence in this group up or down in a game, but for now, we just need to get to correcting some details and getting back to what we’ve done well for most of the year.”
“I feel like Kent and (Canadiens president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton) are two of the best in the league, and we’ve got all the faith in them, and they’ve kind of added throughout the year. Not necessarily today, but they’ve done a good job of filling holes throughout the year, and we believe in our group, and it’s on us now to come together and have a strong final push here and get into the playoffs.”
“I wasn’t all that surprised. You never really know, but I kind of assumed we were not going to make any moves. Luckily, we (kept the group intact), and we’re happy about that. But now we’ve got to pay it forward back to them.”
“I think it’s always a stressful day. You have no idea what’s going on, and you have no idea if it’s the last time you see a teammate or something like that, so you know it’s pretty stressful. I think they believe in our group and what we can do, and that’s up to us to prove them right. It’s just like last year; we didn’t do much, and we found a way. But the lack of details right now is frustrating, and it’s been a couple games in a row, and we’ve got to clean it up. We’ve got a good opportunity to do that tomorrow. We love the group that we have in here, it’s just finding ways to finish it because we put ourselves in a really good spots and this is a result we’ve had to swallow a couple times now.”
Bet365 are offering a bet £10 get £30 welcome bonus for new customers signing up for Cheltenham Festival.
It’s a simple promotion for new customers signing up to one of the best betting sites for Cheltenham 2026.
The Bet365 Cheltenham offer stands out due to its flexibility – new players can deposit and bet between £5-£10, with free bets awarded at 300 per cent of their first wager.
• Deposit and bet £7.50 – Receive £22.50 in free bets.
• Deposit and bet £10 – Receive £30 in free bets.
This means those on a lower budget can still claim a welcome bonus tailored to their needs. Free bet credits can be used on Cheltenham odds or any other sports markets on Bet365’s website or online betting app.
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However, they must be used within seven days of being credited.
Is there a Bet365 bonus code for Cheltenham 2026?
No, there is no need to enter a bonus code when signing up to Bet365 for Cheltenham.
All you have to do is click through to this link or any links to Bet365 on this page, then sign up and deposit using a valid payment method before placing your qualifying bet.
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New Bet365 feature ‘Position Payout’ for Cheltenham
Bet365’s new Position Payout market offers a simpler alternative to traditional Each Way betting and will be available on selected races at Cheltenham Festival.
Instead of dealing with place terms or fractions, bettors can see exactly what they will be paid for every finishing position before placing their stake.
Each horse displays fixed returns for finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th (and sometimes more, depending on the race).
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The higher your selection finishes, the bigger the payout. The transparency of knowing what you’ll win for each potential place removes the need to calculate 1/5 or 1/4 odds and makes it easier to understand potential returns.
Position Payout is a pre-race, fixed-odds market that can be included in multiples, with Cash Out available before the off.
However, it won’t apply to ante-post Cheltenham bets or Best Odds Guaranteed markets, but for festival races where big fields create place uncertainty, it provides a clearer, more straightforward betting option.
Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG) – BOG is a popular racing promo, whereby if the starting price (SP) is higher than the odds taken, Bet365 pays out at the bigger price.
Bet Boosts – Selected runners at Cheltenham receive enhanced odds. Each day, there will also be a Super Boost. For example, Constitution Hill was boosted to an industry-best 6/4 on the opening day of the 2025 festival.
Racing Value – ‘First past the post’ payouts now include ante-post bets, ensuring you still get paid even if your horse is later disqualified.
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Position Payout – Go to any Cheltenham race that offers the Position Payout feature. Each selection will display a return for finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. Place your bet, and the higher your selection finishes, the higher your payout.
Winnings Boost – Navigate to the selected classification or specific race and add your selection to the bet slip. Click the ‘Winnings Boost’ option at the bottom and your return will be adjusted to include the increase to your winnings.
Each Way Extra – Each Way Extra gives you the option to increase or decrease the number of places in a race when you are betting Each Way on selected races.
My Horses – Track your favourite horses and receive alerts.
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Colossus Bets – Engage in pool betting with the chance to win a share of a large prize fund.
Live Streaming – Watch all Cheltenham races live via Bet365’s website and betting app.
Racing Replay Archive – Review past performances to analyse form before placing a bet.
Responsible gambling
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Cheltenham Festival is an exciting time for punters, but it’s essential to gamble responsibly.
The same applies whether you’re using online bookmakers, online casinos, slot sites, or any other gambling platform.
Bet365 provides safer gambling tools to help players stay in control, including:
Deposit limits – Set a spending cap.
Reality checks – Receive pop-up alerts on betting time.
Time-outs – Take a short break (24 hours to six weeks).
Self-exclusion – Ban yourself from betting for six months or longer if needed.
If you or someone you know needs support, here are some UK organisations offering free, confidential help:
We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Holloway, 34, first did the point-down against Ricardo Lamas in 2016, while he repeated it against Dustin Poirier last year in becoming the first fighter to defend the BMF title.
In every fight Holloway has initiated the point-down, he has been up on the judges’ scorecards and closing in on a win, meaning he has given opponents one final opportunity to steal victory.
“My coaches aren’t a fan of it, they want me to circle away, stay away and be smart for the 10 seconds,” said Holloway.
“But they come up with great game plans and we execute it to that point. So let me have my 10 seconds of fun, you know. If I’m on the wrong end, then so be it.”
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Fans imitate the gesture during meet-and-greets with Holloway, while fellow fighters have also copied it during bouts.
Charles Oliveira, who faces Holloway for the BMF title at UFC 326 in Las Vegas on Saturday, has even been filmed training for the edge-of-your-seat exchange which follows the point-down.
Holloway has created a set of rules for any fighter, including Oliveira, planning to initiate the point-down.
“If you’re winning the fight, you are the person who can call the 10 seconds. And then when you call the 10 seconds, you cannot step back, or shoot or clinch,” said Holloway.
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“The other guy, if he obliges and then shoots or clinches, whatever, because he’s on the losing side already.”
Seven years ago a rangy young Slovenian took his first professional victory, outsprinting bona fide climbers Wout Poels and Enric Mas atop the gruelling Alto da Foia climb, the highest peak in the Algarve.
That Slovenian went on to be the dominant force of modern cycling, certainly the best rider of the 21st century and increasingly non-contentiously, the best rider of all time.
But all eras must come to an end and while Tadej Pogacar, now 27 and in his prime, shows no sign of being conquered, the next generation are coming. And this weekend’s Strade Bianche, one of the most thrilling of all the Classics, may be the time they shine.
One of them, 19-year-old Paul Seixas, is unnervingly similar in many ways to the four-time Tour de France champion – and recently took his own maiden pro victory on the very same Alto da Foia, before soloing away Pogacar-style to a dominant win at Faun Ardeche.
And in years to come the teenager from Lyon will be able to call on a similar financial might to the super-teams, as his Decathlon CMA CGM squad bid to become a top-three team in the next three seasons, having dispensed with long-time sponsor AG2R La Mondiale.
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Last year’s European bronze medallist, Seixas is one of the most exciting talents in a sport which all too frequently churns through brilliant young things and discards them when they fail to live up to expectations. French cycling abounds with such cautionary tales, most recently with the permanently unlucky Thibaut Pinot and yesterday’s hopeful, David Gaudu.
But if Seixas can keep his feet on the ground – perhaps not the best metaphor for a man whose best attribute is pedalling up into the clouds – he may yet end a French Tour de France drought going back decades, and challenge the indomitable Pogacar.
Potentially starting at Strade Bianche. The sweeping white roads of sterrato – gravel – of the Tuscan hills play host to one of the most romantic races on the cycling calendar, not quite a Monument but almost monumental in its grip on the sporting imagination.
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Pogacar crashed last year but still powered back to win (AFP via Getty Images)
Three of the last four editions have been won by Pogacar, both times soloing away into the distance, disappearing in a plume of white smoke, and striding up the punishing Via Santa Caterina to glory in Siena’s honey-coloured city centre.
But there is positive news for the challengers. This year’s parcours is slightly shorter, at 203km, and features 18km less gravel than last year, in a bid to open up the race slightly and avoid yet another Pogacar procession.
And he is not infallible: last year he made a rare mistake on the sterrato,put under pressure by Britain’s Tom Pidcock on a descent, and slid out. Pidcock – the champion in 2023 – waited for the blooded and bruised Slovenian but may have regretted the sportsmanlike gesture as he ultimately finished second, nearly a minute and a half behind Pogacar.
But the 26-year-old is at his best in Classics like Strade Bianche and remains a serious threat this weekend, even after a disappointing 48th-place finish in last week’s curtain-raiser, Omloop Nieuwsblad.
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French teenager Seixas beat Pogacar’s former teammate Ayuso to the line on stage two of the Volta ao Algarve (AFP via Getty Images)
The Briton is the undisputed core of Pinarello Q36.5, the second-tier outfit pushing to disrupt the hegemony of big-budget squads like Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
What they lack in resources they make up for in ambition and fighting talk: Pidcock’s coach Kurt Bogaerts told Dutch outlet Wielerflits this is “one of the races that [Pidcock] gets out of bed for”, and added: “Tom has a good sense of his capabilities, and then it’s a matter of waiting to see how the opposition reacts. We’re going to try to do that again.”
This is Pogacar’s first outing of the season and his form is unknown. While it’s unlikely he’ll have an off-day, the rest of the peloton can still dream of glory in Tuscany, with the season wide open before them.
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Strade Bianche is a race for the Classics specialists, but also the mavericks. Swashbuckling Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe may be in the mix; at the very least he will put in a romantic, possibly doomed attack. Wout van Aert will be there too, but on the basis of his crash-ridden, disrupted winter and season so far, it will be disappointment again for the Belgian star.
Puncheur Ben Healy – another born racer – is a major contender after a stellar 2024, in which he wore the yellow jersey, won a stage of the Tour de France, and came third in the World Championships.
Pogacar has not raced since winning his fifth Il Lombardia title in October (AP)
A race like Strade Bianche suits the Irishman’s unpredictability, as it does moustachioed cowboy Quinn Simmons. The American is another capable of keeping pace with Pogacar on difficult Classics terrain, most recently at Il Lombardia last October, and if he takes to the start line with his hair flowing in the breeze – indicative of an impending attack – he could be a major threat too.
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Seixas may have company in the young super-talent category, in the form of Pogacar’s teammate Isaac del Toro who on any given day can shine too. Here it is likely to be in the Slovenian’s shadows, as he is expected to serve as the springboard for a race-winning attack, but he has outsmarted and outmuscled teammates before, notably Juan Ayuso at last year’s Giro d’Italia.
All this may be wishful thinking, but even if it takes years to arise, the results of this spring may well set in motion the beginnings of a new era in cycling.
The decision of organisers RCS to make the parcours easier compared to some in previous years could reverse the trend of the past decade towards tougher and tougher racing, with inevitable results.
And even if brutally hilly courses are here to stay, the likes of Seixas are not content to let Pogacar run amok. Instead the talented teenager plans on taking the fight to him, come what may – and that may be just the shake-up cycling needs.
Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois collide in Manchester in two months’ time in what a sparring partner of both men calls a ‘barnstormer.’
Champion Wardley takes on challenger Dubois in one of the year’s standout heavyweight bouts, with extreme power in each corner and questions for both men to answer.
Wardley was elevated from interim to full WBO champion, and is looking to satisfy fans with a dangerous first defence. The best way to do that is by facing a genuine knockout puncher – something his record arguably lacks so far.
Speaking to Seconds Out, fan favourite heavyweight Johnny Fisher looked back on his experiences sparring both men.
“Great fight. Fabio – I’ve seen his rise. I’ve sparred him many times in the earlier days, four, five years ago. Daniel, obviously I’ve been around him in the Sims gym, been around and sparred him before that as well. It’s a fantastic match-up.
“People have written off Fabio Wardley many times. That’s probably not a wise thing to do, so I’m not going to do that. And Daniel Dubois – unbelievable, electric power that I’ve felt myself … It’s a barnstormer.”
Fisher, who did not make a prediction, went on to praise Wardley more.
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“[Fabio] is everything that we see that he is – a warrior. His mental toughness, coming back from looking like you’re in trouble, to swinging and getting someone out of there… He’s also a great boxing technician, we’ve got to give him credit for that fight with Parker as well – not just knocking someone out, showing the skills to be a world class heavyweight.”
Here is an up-to-date list of all NFL Players from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California.
Consequently, players taken in the upcoming draft will not be included until they have seen the field.
The League does not officially recognize players who appeared only in preseason exhibition games.
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Long Beach Poly is a prep football powerhouse, ranked as the No. 1 pro football player-producing high school in the state, and the second NFL football player-producing high school in the nation.
California has produced a total of 3,331 NFL players from 793 schools, with 264 pros currently active.
See where all the other schools in the Golden State rank here, with links to their respective players.
CHICAGO – The roiling, dark skies above Chicago flashed with lightning Friday evening. Incredibly, it was sunny around the Vancouver Canucks.
Blue-sky days have been rarer than wins for the Canucks this season. But the merciful passing of Friday’s National Hockey League trade deadline allowed the rain to pause above the Canucks, who took advantage of the break in the weather to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-3 in the first game of the rest of their season.
After the strain of this dismal season for the Canucks and the stifling stress of deadline week, when virtually all of their experienced players were mentioned in trade conjecture, and three – Tyler Myers, Conor Garland and David Kampf – were dealt elsewhere for draft picks, there was an obvious lightness around the team.
Judging by the boisterous cheers rolling into the hallway outside their dressing room at the United Center after the game, there was some honest-to-goodness joy, too.
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“You could feel before the game that guys were just kind of, you know, excited to play and I think looking forward to the rest of the way here, just knowing this is the group we’re going with,” veteran winger Drew O’Connor said. “It felt good, kind of a weight off our shoulders.
“It was a stressful week. It’s kind of the first time I’ve been a part of it where you didn’t really know who was going to go and who was going to stay, and it was difficult. I think it was difficult on all of us leading up to this week. We lost some guys that have been here a long time and meant a lot to the organization, so that’s difficult. At same time, I think it’s a bit of a relief now that we know what our group is. We’ve got to move forward and try to build something. It was really nice to get the win tonight.”
The Canucks will meet their newest player, waiver pickup Curtis Douglas, Saturday in Winnipeg before Vancouver plays for the second time in less than 24 hours. Maybe the rain will be back, but not the storm.
They have some emotional clarity and some freedom now to just go play the final quarter of their season, even if it starts with them hopelessly last in the NHL standings.
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Dangled as trade rentals since November, free-agent-eligible Canucks Teddy Blueger and Evander Kane were not jettisoned on Friday. General manager Patrik Allvin said he received no offers for them. He did, however, wrangle sixth-round picks from the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins for Kampf and minor-leaguer Lukas Reichel, respectively.
“Yeah, a little bit,” Blueger smiled about three hours after taking the opening faceoff. “Nothing has changed with me wanting to be here and be a part of this group. I haven’t been here that long, but I feel like we’ve been through a lot of ups and downs with guys like Fil (Chytil) and Demmer (Thatcher Demko) and Brock (Boeser). You feel like you get close with guys when you go through stuff, both the ups and the downs. And as a person, I value loyalty, so that is something that definitely plays a role with me.”
Allvin has left open the possibility of the Canucks circling back on Blueger and seeing what it might cost to bring him back next season. Kane is gone – but not yet. Management’s plan is to have him finish the season in the NHL with the Canucks before the 34-year-old embarks on free agency.
Other veterans whose names had been cast on social media like breadcrumbs to pigeons this week, like Boeser, O’Connor, Jake DeBrusk, and Elias Pettersson, survived the deadline.
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“Every time that deadline is done . . . there’s definitely a sense of relief,” DeBrusk said. “You know where you are; you don’t have to question anything. Obviously, there were some guys that didn’t know . . . and we lost some troops as well. So it’s a tough day.
“I don’t know if I agree with playing on the trade deadline day itself. Guys didn’t nap today (waiting for the deadline to pass). They (the Blackhawks) lost their captain, Nick Foligno. You’re looking at everything going on and, you know, obviously other guys in different positions are probably doing the same thing. (But) we have a job to do, and that’s what it is.”
The Canucks did the job Friday better than the Blackhawks, who traded their captain to the Minnesota Wild so the Foligno brothers, Marcus and Nick, can try and win a Stanley Cup together.
Boeser scored twice for the Canucks, capping the team’s third win in 24 games with an empty-netter. Fittingly, O’Connor, DeBrusk and Blueger all scored. Max Sasson also scored into an empty net while goalie Nikita Tolopilo, who stopped 20 of 23 shots, made his best saves at pivotal moments.
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“Yeah, it’s so hard,” Boeser said of losing Myers and Garland this week. “Some of my closest friends over the years. It sucks. We kind of knew it was coming (but) we didn’t know who was going to go. We’ve got to make sure we’re looking forward now and really start to build this thing up.
“It’s nice to get (the deadline) past and now we can just focus on some better hockey.”
Mired in a poor season personally, like so many Canucks, Boeser suddenly has six goals in his last 11 games and is up to 15 goals for the season – two behind team leader, Kiefer Sherwood, who was traded to the San Jose Sharks on Jan. 19.
“I’ll catch him,” Boeser smiled.
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He said it was “crazy” how few Canucks remain from the team that went two rounds deep in the Stanley Cup Playoffs less than two years ago.
“Someone posted the lineup of our playoff series against Edmonton, and how much has changed in just two years,” Blueger said. “Such a short period of time. Obviously, that’s not ideal, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”
The transaction Friday that will have the most immediate impact on the Canucks was the waiver claim of Douglas from the Tampa Bay Lightning. He is a six-foot-nine forward who has 92 penalty minutes (and two assists) in 29 games this season.
“With our young guys in the lineup … I want the players to feel safe,” Allvin explained. “I don’t want them to get beaten up. And we’ve been looking for a player like this with more size, physicality. So when he was available here … we felt that would be a good fit for us.”
