| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker ·Feb 23, 2021 | | 👋 Good morning! Let's sports. Today's word count: 1,828 words (7 minutes). | | | | | | 1 big thing: 🥍 Chris Hogan returns to lacrosse |  | | | Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios | | | | Chris Hogan, a 10-year NFL veteran who won two Super Bowls as a wide receiver with the Patriots (2016, 2018), has decided to transition back to lacrosse — his first love. - Hogan starred for Penn State's lacrosse team from 2007-10 before enrolling at Monmouth University to play one season of football.
- The 33-year-old will be available for selection in the Premier Lacrosse League's Entry Draft on March 25.
🎙 Interview: I spoke with Hogan about returning to lacrosse after such a long hiatus, what kind of player he was in college, and his excitement about joining the PLL. - On the lacrosse/football crossover: "There's a ton of crossover. The hand-eye coordination, the physicalness ... And my position specifically, trying to beat the person in front of you as a receiver is no different than dodging a defender in lacrosse. So I think the transition will be seamless when it comes to the physical part of the game."
- On getting into lacrosse shape: "My strength and conditioning training really doesn't change. What I have to alter is my skill training. When I knew this was in the works a few months ago, the first thing I did was buy a new stick and a bucket of balls. The gym I work out at had a little pop up net, which I've pretty much destroyed at this point. ... Once it gets nicer outside, I'll be able to go to the field and really work on stick skills, shooting on the run and all that stuff."
- On his style of play: "I think my game will look similar to what it was in college. Just very vertical — play as fast as I can, put the ball on net and see what happens. I didn't like to come off the field in college. I enjoyed playing defense, I enjoyed getting out on fast breaks, y'know, trying to create those 4-on-3 situations."
 Photo: Justin Berl/Getty Images - Have you retired from football? "I'm not big on closing doors. Football has been such a big part of my life for the last 10 years, and I don't want to just retire. I don't know what my football future holds, and being a free agent is kind of out of your control. ... Right now, I'm just looking forward to the opportunity to try to play two sports at the professional level with the best athletes in the world."
- Would you have made this decision if the PLL didn't exist? "I don't think so. The platform that [PLL co-founder Paul Rabil] and these guys have created to grow the sport — making the game faster, making it more fun to watch, bringing the best talent together ... that's what drew me to play lacrosse again."
- Was pro lacrosse on your radar in college? "Nope, I don't think I even gave it a thought. We were more concerned with going to job fairs and building up resumes. That's what we were focused on. ... But the way the PLL is positioning itself in the sports world, I think that's becoming much more of a conversation for top college players."
The bottom line: "My first love in high school was lacrosse and I never stopped being a fan of the sport," says Hogan. "So having an opportunity to join the PLL and help grow the game — I'm really excited about that." |     | | | | | | 2. ⚾️ MLB salary arbitration, explained |  Data: MLB, media reports; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios MLB's arbitration window has ended, closing the book on a strange part of the offseason that over-indexes on lawyers and sometimes leads to bad blood between player and club, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. How it works: The process began in early December, hit another milestone in mid-January and finally ended this past Friday. - Non-tender deadline: By Dec. 2, teams had to decide whether to tender contract offers to their arbitration-eligible players (those with three to six years of service time, plus "Super Twos"). A record 59 players were non-tendered, immediately becoming free agents.
- Arbitration deadline: By Jan. 15, players who were unhappy with the state of their negotiations could file for arbitration. Of the hundreds of players tendered contracts, just 13 failed to strike a deal.
Arbitration hearing: Both sides — usually represented by labor lawyers — present a salary number for the upcoming season, based on a combination of performance, intangibles, past compensation and current salaries for comparable players. - Process: First, the player's representative gets an hour to present its case. Then, a 15-minute break before the team gets an hour to do the same. Lastly, a 30-minute break to finalize counter-arguments before each side gets 30 minutes to present rebuttals.
- Decision: After hearing the arguments, a panel of three independent arbitrators (also labor lawyers) has a day or two to deliberate and hand down its decision, which can be only the player's number or the team's, nothing in between.
- Settling: Prior to the hearing — and in the day(s) between the hearing and ruling — the player and team can choose to settle. Historically, the team wins about 60% of the time.
Of note ... This was the first year since 2018 that a new arbitration record wasn't set. In 2019, Nolan Arenado won his case for $26 million; in 2020, Mookie Betts won his for $27 million. - Given how awkward these hearings can be — as the team's job is literally to point out the player's shortcomings — perhaps it's no coincidence that Arenado and Betts are no longer on those teams.
- That's not to say arbitration is wholly evil. But it's worth considering how the process impacts the player-team relationship in the long run.
Go deeper: The wild, wonky world of salary arbitration (ESPN) | | | | | | | | 3. 🏒 Russian politics hit the NHL |  | | | Photo: David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images | | | | Rangers star Artemi Panarin is stepping away from the team after his former KHL (Russia) coach told a Russian tabloid that he beat up an 18-year-old girl in Latvia in 2011. - Nazarov alleges that Panarin, who is Russian, was detained by police and that he paid 40,000 euros to have the charges dropped.
- Panarin denies the allegations, but his decision to take a leave of absence speaks to the seriousness of the situation.
Why it matters: Nazarov is a staunch supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Panarin has shown support for opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was recently sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. "This is clearly an intimidation tactic being used against him for being outspoken on recent political events. Artemi is obviously shaken and concerned and will take some time away from the team." — Rangers statement A photo of Navalny and his family on Panarin's Instagram. Source: @artemiypanarinThe backdrop: High-profile Russian athletes rarely speak out against Putin, but Panarin hasn't been shy. In addition to supporting Navalny, he's also expressed frustration with the country's economic development. - "I think that the people who hush up the problems are more like foreign agents than those who talk about them," he said in a 2019 Russian-language interview.
- "If I think about problems, I am coming from a positive place, I want to change something, to have people live better. I don't want to see retirees begging."
| | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Axios Denver launches today! | | |  | | | | Keep up with the most important stories affecting the Denver area from tech, sports, business, and more. Curated by local reporters John Frank and Alayna Alvarez. Sign up for free. | | | | | | 4. 🏟 Where fans have returned | | Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images When the Knicks and Nets welcome fans tonight, they will become the 13th and 14th NBA teams to do so, Jeff writes. - Knicks: 10% capacity
- Nets: 10%
- Bucks: 10%
- Hawks: 10%
- Grizzlies: 11%
- Cavaliers: 14%
- Heat: 15%
- Pelicans: 16%
- Suns: 16%
- Mavericks: 20%
- Magic: 21%
- Jazz: 21%
- Rockets: 25%
- Pacers: 25%
Photo: Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The NHL doubled from five to 10 teams this week thanks to New York and New Jersey's updated guidelines, plus the long-awaited approval Ohio granted the Blue Jackets. - Blues: 7.5%
- Devils: 10%
- Sabres: 10%
- Islanders: 10%
- Rangers: 10%
- Blue Jackets: 10% (starting March 2)
- Predators: 15%
- Panthers: 25%
- Coyotes: 25%
- Stars: 30%
| | | | | | | | 5. 🏀 Men's poll: Big week coming up |  Data: NCAA; Table: Axios Visuals Surprise, surprise — the two undefeated teams who've led these rankings the first 13 weeks remain the kings of the hill, Jeff writes. - In fact, the entire top five held for a second straight week, with the Big Ten's power trio of Michigan, Ohio State and Illinois staying put.
- Roll Tide: Alabama moved up two spots to No. 6, its highest ranking since reaching No. 4 in 2006-07.
Bubble watch: Duke's four-game win streak has the Blue Devils trending toward a tournament berth, while fellow perennial March Madness participants Xavier and Wichita State are firmly on the bubble. 📆 Coming up: This week features eight games between ranked teams. - Tonight: No. 17 Kansas at No. 14 Texas (9pm ET, ESPN)
- Wednesday: No. 6 Alabama at No. 20 Arkansas (9pm, ESPN2)
- Thursday: No. 10 West Virginia at No. 2 Baylor (5pm, ESPN2); No. 9 Iowa at No. 3 Michigan (7pm, ESPN)
- Saturday: No. 5 Illinois at No. 23 Wisconsin (2pm, ESPN); No. 14 Texas at No. 18 Texas Tech (12pm, CBS); No. 2 Baylor at No. 17 Kansas (8pm, ESPN)
- Sunday: No. 9 Iowa at No. 4 Ohio State (4pm, CBS)
Go deeper: Alabama is looking like an SEC powerhouse ... in basketball (FiveThirtyEight) | | | | | | | | 6. 🏀 Women's poll: UConn stays hot |  Data: NCAA; Table: Axios Visuals The Huskies are rounding into their March form right on schedule, winning eight straight by an average of 30 points, Jeff writes. - The top five got shuffled, with NC State, Texas A&M and Stanford each moving up as South Carolina fell three spots to No. 5.
- Streak snapped: South Carolina's fall came after Tennessee snapped the Gamecocks' 31-game SEC winning streak. The only longer streak in history? The Lady Vols, themselves (36 straight from 2010-12).
Bubble watch: Oregon State (8-6) is on the outside looking in, so their final regular-season matchup — Sunday's rivalry game against No. 14 Oregon — could be their last best shot at going dancing. 📆 Coming up: This week features four games between ranked teams. - Tomorrow: Oklahoma State (17-6) at No. 7 Baylor (8pm, ESPN+)
- Thursday: No. 19 Kentucky at No. 17 Georgia (7pm, SECN)
- Saturday: No. 11 Indiana at No. 15 Ohio State (BTN)
- Sunday: No. 5 South Carolina at No. 3 Texas A&M (2pm, ESPN2)
Go deeper: Women's hoops mailbag (The Athletic) | | | | | | | | 7. 🌍 Photos 'round the world | | Photo: Buda Mendes/Getty Images RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Flamengo fans surrounded the team's bus before Sunday's match against Internacional. Flamengo won, 2-1, to leapfrog Internacional and move into first place. Photo: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images MELBOURNE, Australia — All nine NBL teams have descended on Melbourne for the inaugural NBL Cup, which will feature 36 games over four weeks. Photo: Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images UNIONDALE, New York — Looking good (and a little scary), Nassau Coliseum. | | | | | | | | 8. 📆 Feb. 23, 1992: Olympics end in France |  | | | Bonnie Blair won two speed skating golds for the U.S. in '92. Photo: Simon Bruty/Getty Images | | | | 29 years ago today, the 1992 Winter Olympics ended in Albertville, France, concluding an event that was chock-full of firsts and lasts. In with the new: - Eight nations participated in their first Winter Games: Algeria, Bermuda, Brazil, Honduras, Ireland, Swaziland, Croatia and Slovenia.
- Three events debuted: Short track speed skating, freestyle skiing (moguls) and women's biathlon.
Out with the old: - Demonstration sports, which were a way for the Olympics to test new events before making them official, had one last hurrah. Curling, a modern favorite, was among the demonstration sports that year.
- This was the last time that the Winter and Summer Olympics (Barcelona '92) happened in the same year.
Team USA ... The U.S. gold medal contingent was a women's-only affair, with speed skaters Bonnie Blair (2x) and Cathy Turner, skier Donna Weinbrecht and figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi taking home America's only golds. Go deeper: | | | | | | | | 9. ⚾️ College baseball trivia |  | | | Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images | | | | Texas is off to an uncharacteristic 0-3 start after going winless in the State Farm College Baseball Showdown at Globe Life Field. - Question: The Longhorns (six titles) are one of four schools with at least five College World Series titles. Who are the other three?
- Hint: They all have a shade of yellow/gold in their color scheme.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🎥 Monday's top plays | | Giphy - ⚽️ What a finish
- 🏀 Incredible assist
- 🏒 Dustin's dangle
Watch all 3. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Axios Denver launches today! | | | | | | | | Keep up with the most important stories affecting the Denver area from tech, sports, business, and more. Curated by local reporters John Frank and Alayna Alvarez. Sign up for free. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Taco, Tuesday" Baker Trivia answer: USC (12), LSU (6), Arizona State (5) Editor's note: In yesterday's story about London soccer clubs, we mistakenly forgot to include Fulham, which returned to the Premier League this season. Apologies. 🙏 Thanks for reading Axios Sports. Follow me on Twitter for updates throughout the day, and 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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