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Ichiro, CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner elected to Baseball Hall of Fame; Suns gearing up for Jimmy Butler trade?

Ichiro, CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner elected to Baseball Hall of Fame; Suns gearing up for Jimmy Butler trade?

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โšพ Good morning to all, but especially to …

THE NEWEST BASEBALL HALL OF FAMERS: ICHIRO SUZUKI, CC SABATHIA AND BILLY WAGNER

The wait is over. For two of the three newest members, it was the shortest wait possible. For the third, the longest. Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia andย Billy Wagner are officially Hall of Fame-bound, with Ichiro and Sabathia as first-ballot selections and Wagner in on his 10th and final chance.

Carlos Beltrรกn (70.3%, third year) and Andruw Jones (66.2%, eighth year) were the only other players to receive even 40% of the vote. Here are the full results.

Ichiro is the headliner, with a truly legendary journey to superstardom filled with signature moments. Dayn Perry writes in appreciation of a singular all-time great, a story full of so many amazing anecdotes it’s hard to choose a single one. If you’re a fan of baseball, of Ichiro or of great writing,ย please do yourself a favor and read this story.

Here’s more:

๐Ÿ‘ Honorable mentions

๐Ÿ‘Ž Not so honorable mentions

๐Ÿ€ Suns acquire three first-round picks from Jazz, potentially clearing way for Jimmy Butler trade

We’re officially on trade alert regarding Jimmy Butlerย — who just so happened to be rocking kicks with Phoenix’s colors Tuesday night — thanks to a trade that involves zero players. The Suns acquired three first-round picks from the Jazz and sent Utah one first-round pick. If that leaves you scratching your head, 1) I understand, and 2) let me explain.

Here are the picks Phoenix acquired:

  • 2025 least favorable first-round pick (Cleveland, Minnesota or Utah’s protected)
  • 2027 least favorable first-round pick (Cleveland, Minnesota or Utah)
  • 2029 least favorable first-round pick (Cleveland, Minnesota’s protected or Utah)

Here’s the first-round pick Utah acquired:

  • Phoenix’s 2031 unprotected first-round pick

Basically, the Suns got three picks projected to be very late in the first round; Cleveland has the best record in the NBA, for example, and there’s a good chance one of Cleveland, Minnesota, or Utah is good in 2027 and/or 2029.

There’s also a good chance the Suns are not good in 2031 —ย Kevin Durantย is 36, Butler (if they get him) 35,ย Bradley Bealย 31 andย Devin Bookerย 28 — meaning that unprotected first-round pick will be valuable, either for Utah or for another team. The Suns are very much in win-now mode. The Jazz, who still own 11 first-round picks over the next seven drafts thanks to the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert trades, are not.

So the trade, theoretically, makes sense. A potential Butler deal could be convoluted and require several teams —ย maybe Beal heads to Milwaukee, attached with a pick — so Phoenix needed all the draft ammunition it could get. It’s not worried about 2031. But as Sam Quinn writes in his trade grades, just because the logic is there doesn’t mean results will follow.

  • Quinn:Suns: C |ย The upgrade itself is not a guarantee. But even if the Suns can make it, it’s worth asking how much they really stand to gain by doing so. Phoenix is a .500 team (21-21) … This is a team with several holes: perimeter defense, rim-protection, play-making, rim-gravity. It’s hard to imagine a single trade solving all of those problems.”

๐Ÿˆ How Ryan Day, Chip Kelly led Ohio State to championship, plus big question for next season

All right, it’s time to put a bow on the college football season, and who better to do that than Brandon Marcello and John Talty, who were on the scene in Atlanta for the national championship?

History is written by the victors, and Ohio State‘s Ryan Day and Chip Kelly are among the biggest winners from the Buckeyes’ triumph. For Day, it’s theย incredible end to a trying season, Brandon writes, and for Kelly, it’s validation his move from UCLA head coach to Ohio State offensive coordinatorย worked, John writes.

From coaches to players and everyone else involved, this team was built for the 12-team playoff, Tom Fornelli adds.

  • Fornelli: “Ohio State didn’t win a national title this season by hitting the portal. It won a national title by making sure its best players returned. Players like Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau, Tyleik Williams, Emeka Egbuka and plenty of others could have left for the NFL last season. Others could have entered their names in the portal to search for greener pastures elsewhere. … That culture word you’re always hearing coaches throw around? That’s what it is.”

Here’s what else we learned from the expanded playoff, as well as our All-CFP teamย and Shehan Jeyarajah’s thoughts on why the seeding format must change.

Speaking of seedings and rankings, the battle for preseason No. 1 for 2025 will define this offseason, Shehan writes.

๐Ÿ€ NBA Eastern Conference midseason grades: 76ers get ‘F’ as spiral continues

There were legitimate reasons to be excited about theย 76ersย this year, to believe they could finally get over the hump. With All-Star wingย Paul Georgeย and a bevy of supporting players joiningย Joel Embiidย andย Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia earned an “A” in Sam’sย offseason gradesย and looked like a potential East contender alongside the cohesiveย Celtics, the new-lookย Knicksย and others.

But after that just about whatever could have gone wrong did go wrong. The Sixers are a dreadful 15-27, and they’re not only out of the playoff picture —ย but they’re even outside the play-in picture. Embiid has played in 13 games. George, who has played in just 28, said he’sย “bored”ย guarding centers. Seemingly the only positive, rookieย Jared McCain, isย out for the season. The vibes are bad. Really bad.

So after getting an “A” for their offseason, the 76ersย earned an “F” in our Eastern Conference midseason grades. They’re so bad it’s sad. Jack Maloney couldn’t even find aย reason for optimism, something we found for every other team, no matter the record.

On the other end of the spectrum (IYKYK), two Eastern Conference teams — theย Cavaliersย (NBA-best 36-6) with an “A+” and theย Pistonsย (22-21) with an “A” — have reasons to feel good. Jasmyn Wimbishย explains why for both.

โšฝ UEFA Champions League: Barcelona wins nine-goal thriller

If you needed even more reasons to watch the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona and Benfica provided them. Nine of them, to be exact. Barcelona won an absolutely bonkers 5-4 game that included ridiculous goalkeeper errors, a hat trick, a controversial penalty and Raphinha dramatics and heroics. Chuck Booth ranked the five craziest moments, though this list could have been 10 or 15 items long.

Barcelona and Liverpool, which beat Lille, 2-1, clinched spots in the round of 16, while Monacoย (1-0 over Aston Villa) continued a strong showing for France. Here are Tuesday’s results.

The one French team that isn’t doing well is the most surprising. PSG is struggling, but so is Manchester City. The two giants meet today in a crucial fixture, the latest chapter in a storied rivalry. Here are our expert picks for today’s matches.

๐Ÿ“บ What we’re watching Wednesday

โšฝย We’re watching the UEFA Champions League.ย Here’s how.
โšฝ USMNT vs. Costa Rica, 7 p.m. on TNT/truTV
๐Ÿ€ Timberwolves at Mavericks, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
๐Ÿ€ No. 13 Texas A&M at No. 16 Ole Miss (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN2
๐Ÿ€ Warriors at Kings, 10 p.m. on ESPN
๐Ÿ’ Panthers at Kings, 10 p.m. on TNT/truTV

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Author: Zachary Pereles
January 22, 2025 | 10:25 am

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