| | | | | | | Presented By Flatfile | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker ·Feb 16, 2021 | | 👋 Good morning! Let's sports. Today's word count: 2,186 words (8 minutes). | | | | | | 1 big thing: ⚾️ The new-look minor leagues |  Data: MiLB, MLB; Logos: SportsLogos.Net; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios When Minor League Baseball begins its 2021 season, there will be 25% fewer teams than there were at this time last year, Axios' Andrew Witherspoon and I write. The state of play: The realignment removes a net of 40 teams from 2020, for a total of 120 teams across 39 states. - 43 teams lost MLB affiliation. Two were Double-A clubs, while the other 41 were Single-A or lower.
- Three independent teams — the Somerset Patriots, St. Paul Saints and Sugar Land Skeeters — gained MLB affiliation.
Why it matters: The reshaping of the minors is a push towards modernizing MLB's development pipeline, but the changes will leave pockets of the country without access to high level baseball. What they're saying: In a letter sent to Congress in 2019, MLB cited poor facilities, geographic inefficiency, and "too many players" among the minor league system's key problems. So that's what this restructuring plan addresses. - Higher wages: Due in part to fewer roster spots, player salaries will increase between 38 and 72%.
- Less travel: Big league teams will be an average of 200 miles closer to their Triple-A affiliates, and most will be within driving distance.
- Better conditions: Under the new structure, MLB will modernize facility standards and improve amenities and working conditions.
The other side: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has vocally opposed MLB's plan since 2019, suggesting that it has "nothing to do with what is good for baseball" and "everything to do with greed." - Sanders' local team, the Vermont Lake Monsters, were eliminated, leaving them without a big league club after 27 seasons with the Athletics (2011–2020), Nationals (2005–2010) and Expos (1994–2004).
- "Closing down Minor League teams ... is a disaster for baseball fans, workers, and communities across the country. I will do all I can to fight it," Sanders tweeted last week.
Between the lines: The 40 eliminated teams aren't all going away. Some will join independent leagues, while others will join the newly formed MLB Draft League, which focuses on draft-eligible prospects.  Data: MILB, MLB; Note: Calculated using the median distance fromthe center of each state's county to their closestcurrent Minor League team; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios Notes: - The Mountain West states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Idaho were most affected by contraction. Losing seven teams hurt the largely rural states, whose best bet for baseball in 2021 are independent teams.
- Tennessee lost six teams, but the median distance to the closest team averaged across its counties only increased by 11 miles. The density of teams in the Carolinas and surrounding Southern states offset the losses.
- Vermont and West Virginia lost their only teams. The Lake Monsters' future is unclear, while the West Virginia Black Bears will join the MLB Draft League.
- The Twins' Triple-A affiliate shifted from Rochester, New York, to St. Paul, Minnesota, decreasing the state's median distance to a team by 135 miles.
Go deeper: Interact with the map (Axios) |     | | | | | | Bonus: ⚾️ From "Pacific Coast" to "Triple-A West" |  | | | Photo: Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images | | | | The reorganized minor leagues will have two Triple-A divisions, and three divisions each for Double-A, high-A and low-A. AAATriple-A East: - Midwest: Columbus Clippers (Indians), Indianapolis Indians (Pirates), Iowa Cubs (Cubs), Louisville Bats (Reds), St. Paul Saints (Twins), Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers)
- Northeast: Buffalo Bisons (Blue Jays), Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies), Rochester Red Wings (Nationals), Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Yankees), Syracuse Mets (Mets), Worcester Red Sox (Red Sox)
- Southeast: Charlotte Knights (White Sox), Durham Bulls (Rays), Gwinnett Stripers (Braves), Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins), Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals), Nashville Sounds (Brewers), Norfolk Tides (Orioles)
Triple-A West: - East: Albuquerque Isotopes (Rockies), El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres), Oklahoma City Dodgers (Dodgers), Round Rock Express (Rangers), Sugar Land Skeeters (Astros)
- West: Las Vegas Aviators (Athletics), Reno Aces (Diamondbacks), Sacramento River Cats (Giants), Salt Lake Bees (Angels), Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners)
Go deeper: See Double-A, high-A and low-A (Twitter) | | | | | | | | 2. 🎾 Aussie Open: Serena advances to semifinals | | Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images Serena Williams took down (2) Simona Halep, 6-3, 6-3, to tie Roger Federer for most Grand Slam wins (362) and reach her ninth Australian Open semifinal. - Next up: (10) Williams will play (3) Naomi Osaka in a dream matchup. Osaka leads the head-to-head series 2-1, but Williams won their most recent match.
Today's quarterfinals: - 7pm ET: (1) Ashleigh Barty vs. (25) Karolína Muchová
- 9pm: (22) Jennifer Brady vs. Jessica Pegula
Aslan Karatsev. Photo: Matt King/Getty Images Aslan Karatsev continued his unlikely run, becoming the first man in the professional era to reach the semifinals in his Grand Slam debut. - Next up: Karatsev will be joined in the semifinal round by the winner of (1) Novak Djokovic vs. (6) Alexander Zverev, which is currently in progress.
Today's quarterfinals: - 11pm: (7) Andrey Rublev vs. (4) Daniil Medvedev
- 3:30am: (5) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. (2) Rafael Nadal
Notes... - Fan update: Tournament director Craig Tiley said he's "optimistic" that fans will be permitted to return once Victoria's five-day lockdown ends on Wednesday. (Sky Sports)
- Meet Jessica: Yes, her parents own the Bills and Sabres, but Jessica Pegula has forged her own identity by persevering in the sport she loves. (ESPN)
- Fast courts: "Players are calling this the fastest Grand Slam court they've played on. Technicians say the speed hasn't changed. Who's right?" (NYT)
| | | | | | | | A message from Flatfile | | How 100+ businesses migrated customer data in 2020 | | |  | | | | Data migration is a covert challenge for startups through enterprises. - 96% of companies surveyed by Flatfile ran into problems when importing data – 23% said migrating data takes weeks.
Read the 2020 State of Data Onboarding report for more insights. | | | | | | 3. 💬 The biggest sports subreddits |  Data: News reports; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios With 430 million monthly active users, Reddit has emerged as one of the most influential — and valuable — websites on the internet, with subreddits (i.e. forums devoted to specific topics) increasingly driving the national conversation. The question: As sports fans continue to flock to Reddit, and leagues slowly embrace it as a content and engagement tool, I'm curious: Which sports subreddits currently have the most members? Here's the data... 1+ million subscribers: - 🌎 Sports: 18.5M
- 🏀 NBA: 3.8M
- ⚽️ Soccer: 2.5M
- 🏈 NFL: 2.1M
- ⚾️ Baseball: 1.5M
- 🏀 College Basketball: 1.5M
- 🥊 MMA: 1.5M
- 🏁 Formula 1: 1.4M
- 👟 Running: 1.3M
- 🏒 Hockey: 1.2M
- 🏈 College Football: 1.1M
- 🏂 Snowboarding: 1.1M
- ⛷ Skiing: 1.1M
- 🥊 Boxing: 1M
More: Disclaimer: I tried my best to include all the biggest sports communities, but considering there are 2.2 million subreddits (!!!) I almost certainly missed some. | | | | | | | | 4. ⚽️ Matchup du jour: Messi vs. Mbappé |  | | | Photo Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios. Photos: Getty Images | | | | Earlier this month, we got Tom Brady vs. Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. Today, we get Lionel Messi vs. Kylian Mbappé in the Champions League Round of 16 (Barcelona vs. PSG). - Messi, 33, remains the G.O.A.T., though he's had to reinvent himself this year.
- Mbappé, 22, is widely considered Messi's successor, and he'll play a heightened role today with Neymar sidelined (groin).
Why it matters: This is the first time these two forwards have competed at the club level. Their only previous encounter came at the 2018 World Cup, when Mbappé (2 goals) and France beat Messi and Argentina, 4-3. The big picture: They're at different points in their careers, but Messi and Mbappé are at similar crossroads, with rumors swirling that both could be leaving their clubs in the near future. - Messi's contract expires in June, he's been unhappy, and Barcelona is facing a financial crisis. Today's opponent, PSG, is a suitor.
- Mbappé has been linked to Real Madrid for most of his career, and reports indicate he could leave PSG at the end of next season.
📆 Schedule: - Today: Barcelona vs. PSG; RB Leipzig vs. Liverpool
- Tomorrow: Sevilla vs. Dortmund; Porto vs. Juventus
- Next week: Atlético Madrid vs. Chelsea; Lazio vs. Bayern Munich; Atalanta vs. Real Madrid; Mönchengladbach vs. Manchester City
All games at 3pm ET on CBS All Access, with select games on CBS Sports Network. | | | | | | | | 5. 🏀 College basketball's five-star seniors |  | | | John Petty Jr. Photo: Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images | | | | There are just five 5-star recruits from the class of 2017 that are still contributing as seniors at the Division I level. - John Petty Jr., Alabama
- M.J. Walker, Florida State
- Chuck O'Bannon Jr., TCU
- Malik Williams, Louisville
- Quade Green, Washington
Of note ... Players from the 2017 class currently in the NBA include Trae Young, DeAndre Ayton, Michael Porter Jr., Marvin Bagley and Collin Sexton. The big picture: These five players' journeys "showcase the diversity within college basketball," writes ESPN's Myron Medcalf. "Even in a one-and-done climate, each player's path is unique." "I always look back at all the adversity and just how it shaped me and how it molded me. All the times I was down, thinking to myself, 'Did I make the right decision? Did I do this right? Did I do that right?'" "I'm finally out of that. I did make the right decision. I'm on one of the most special teams that has ever done anything at Alabama. This team is going to go down in history and the guys that I'm playing with ... they're my brothers." — Petty Jr. Speaking of five-stars ... Duke freshman Jalen Johnson, a five-star recruit and a projected lottery pick, has opted out of the rest of the season. | | | | | | | | 6. ⚡️ Lightning round | | Photo: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images 🥇 Mikaela Shiffrin cemented her claim as the best American Alpine skier ever by winning her record-breaking sixth world championship on Monday. 🎙 Draymond Green sounded off about how the Cavaliers treated Andre Drummond in a must-see clip. "Everyone wants to say, 'that young man can't figure it out.' But no one wants to say the organization can't figure it out." 💔 Vincent Jackson, the former Chargers and Buccaneers wide receiver, was found dead in a Florida hotel room on Monday. He was 38. Photo: James Gilbert/Getty Images 🏁 The Daytona 500 featured a lead change on the final lap for the fourth time in six years, with underdog Michael McDowell emerging victorious after Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano were involved in a fiery wreck. 🏈 Gus Malzahn is taking over at UCF, where the former Auburn head coach will inherit a program that own the sixth-best winning percentage in FBS since 2017. 🏀 Boston College fired men's basketball coach Jim Christian, who ends his seven-year career there with a 78-132 record and no tournament appearances. | | | | | | | | 7. 🎓 Where Congress stands on NIL legislation |  | | | Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios | | | | This week, we're examining the NIL landscape and the future of college athletes' rights. The future of the NCAA could lie in the hands of Congress, as courtrooms and legislative halls attack its amateurism model and propose new paths forward. - Multiple bills have been introduced by senators from both sides of the aisle.
- Democrats have pushed a more expansive agenda, and now they control Congress.
The state of play: With the new administration focused on COVID-19 and the economy, any real progress on NIL likely won't happen in Biden's first 100 days. - That puts the NCAA on a potential collision course with Florida, whose state NIL law takes effect in July, plus 20+ other states who could pass their own legislation.
- This would create "a chaotic environment where athlete compensation is governed by differing state laws instead of a universal policy," writes SI's Ross Dellenger.
📆 Coming up: Axios Sports has partnered with The Aspen Institute on a series called "Future of Sports," and our first virtual event is this Friday. - Topic: Future of College Sports; Reimagining Athletes' Rights
- Speakers: Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence and longtime college football coach Tony Franklin.
✍️ Wanna come? Register here. | | | | | | | | 8. Feb. 16, 1953: 🇺🇸 Ted's crash landing |  | | | Photo: FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images | | | | 68 years ago today, Ted Williams crash landed his fighter jet during his first of 39 missions as a Marine Corps pilot in the Korean War. The backdrop: Williams served the final four years of World War II, missing three prime seasons (age 24–26) after consecutive second-place MVP finishes. - He won AL MVP immediately upon his return in 1946, and again in 1949, with a couple top-three finishes sandwiched in between.
- Then in 1952, on the wrong side of 30, he was recalled into action, missing all but the first six games of the 1952 season and final 37 in 1953.
The crash (landing): After his squadron successfully dropped its bombs over Kyomipo, North Korea, Williams realized his plane was aflame after getting hit either by enemy fire or the explosions below. - He didn't eject because he feared what the landing might do to his knees, recalling in a 2004 interview that he'd "have rather died than never to have been able to play baseball again."
- "I had holes all over the plane and [it] was burning like hell when I crash landed," Ted wrote to his mistress the following day. "Everybody around here now is calling me lucky. Anyway, I'm missing you."
The aftermath: Williams walked away with nothing more than a sprained ankle and was back in the air the very next day, flying another mission. Just another week in the life of Teddy Ballgame. Go deeper: | | | | | | | | 9. 🏈 NFL trivia |  | | | Mike and Maurkice Pouncey in 2014. Photo: Michael Bezjian/WireImage | | | | Mike and Maurkice Pouncey retired Friday, concluding two illustrious careers that saw the twin brothers earn a combined 13 Pro Bowl selections. - Question: Only two pairs of brothers combined for more Pro Bowl selections. Who are they?
- Hint: Their last names start with the same letter.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🏒 Smile to go: World's longest hockey game | | Courtesy: World's Longest Hockey Game 40 people in Alberta, Canada took turns playing hockey at an outdoor rink 24 hours a day, seven days a week since Feb. 4, all in the name of cancer research. - The teams, named Team Hope and Team Cure, hit the 252-hour mark at around 6am local time Monday to break their own Guinness World Record.
- Final score: Team Hope won 2,649-2,528.
Go deeper. | | | | | | | | A message from Flatfile | | How 100+ businesses migrated customer data in 2020 | | | | | | | | Data migration is a covert challenge for startups through enterprises. - 96% of companies surveyed by Flatfile ran into problems when importing data – 23% said migrating data takes weeks.
Read the 2020 State of Data Onboarding report for more insights. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Find your county" Baker Trivia answer: Peyton and Eli Manning (18 Pro Bowls), Bruce and Clay Matthews (18 Pro Bowls) 🙏 Thank you for reading Axios Sports. Follow me on Twitter for more updates throughout the day, and be sure to refer friends using your link below. | | Invite friends to follow Axios Sports Use your personal link to track how many readers you bring into the community  You currently have 00 referrals. Share with a friend For questions email referralsupport@axios.com. Participation in the Axios Sports Referral Program constitutes your acceptance of the Axios Terms and Conditions of Use, which can be viewed here. | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters.
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