| | | | | | | Presented By SiriusXM | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker · Feb 15, 2023 | | 👋 Good morning! Happy Hump Day. Today's word count: 1,541 words (6 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: ⚾️ Spring (training) has sprung |  | | | Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios | | | | As one sport ends, another begins: Spring training kicked off on Monday, starting the official countdown to Opening Day on March 30, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. The backdrop: This offseason was a whirlwind, especially compared to last winter's lockout-fueled stagnation. - Record spending: Teams spent a record $3.7 billion on free agents, four of whom signed $200 million deals: Aaron Judge, NYY ($360M); Trea Turner, PHI ($300M); Xander Bogaerts, SD ($280M); Carlos Correa, MIN ($200M).
- Permanent "ghost runner": The extra-innings "runner starts on second" rule was made permanent on Monday. Its impact in making games shorter has been drastic: There were more than five times as many 13-inning games in 2019 (37) as there have been in the three seasons since the rule was added (7).
- Balanced schedules: For the first time since interleague play began in 1997, all 30 teams will play each other at least once this season. As a result, teams will play 52 division games (down from 76) and 46 interleague games (up from 20).
State of play: Four major changes — all aiming to either increase action or speed up play — will debut in spring training, and many agree that the adjustment period will be something of a "s**t show," per The Athletic ($). - Shift restrictions: Defenses must have a minimum of four players on the infield dirt, with at least two on either side of second base to increase the batting average on balls in play.
- Pitch clock: A 30-second timer between batters and 15-20 seconds between pitches depending on whether the bases are empty. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said they'll use a horn at spring training to remind pitchers of the clock.
- Limited pickoffs: Pitchers may only attempt two pickoffs per at-bat when there's a runner on first, which should increase stolen base attempts.
- Bigger bases: 15-inch bases have been replaced with 18-inch bases, which "look like a pizza box," said Cora. Bigger bases mean shorter base paths, so expect more infield singles and successful steals.
Locations: Here's where all 30 teams will hold spring training — half in Florida (Grapefruit League) and half in Arizona (Cactus League). - AL East: Yankees (Tampa, Fla.), Blue Jays (Dunedin, Fla.), Rays (Port Charlotte, Fla.), Orioles (Sarasota, Fla.), Red Sox (Fort Myers, Fla.).
- AL Central: Guardians (Goodyear, Ariz.), Twins (Fort Myers, Fla.), White Sox (Phoenix), Tigers (Lakeland, Fla.), Royals (Surprise, Ariz.)
- AL West: Astros (West Palm Beach, Fla.), Mariners (Peoria, Ariz.), Angels (Tempe, Ariz.), Rangers (Surprise, Ariz.), A's (Mesa, Ariz.)
- NL East: Braves (North Port, Fla.), Mets (Port St. Lucie, Fla.), Phillies (Clearwater, Fla.), Marlins (Jupiter, Fla.), Nationals (West Palm Beach, Fla.)
- NL Central: Cardinals (Jupiter, Fla.), Brewers (Phoenix), Cubs (Mesa, Ariz.), Reds (Goodyear, Ariz.), Pirates (Bradenton, Fla.)
- NL West: Dodgers (Phoenix), Padres (Peoria, Ariz.), Giants (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Diamondbacks (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Rockies (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
Go deeper: Offseason grades for every team (ESPN+) |     | | | | | | 2. 🏈 Chart du jour: NFL broadcast booths |  Data: Sportico; Chart: Nicki Camberg/Axios Greg Olsen had a stellar season as an NFL analyst and garnered rave reviews for his Super Bowl performance alongside Kevin Burkhardt. His reward? A $7 million pay cut. State of play: When Tom Brady joins Fox Sports' broadcast booth in 2024, Olsen could see his salary go from $10 million annually as the No. 1 color analyst to $3 million annually as the No. 2, per the New York Post ($). - Brady is set to earn $37.5 million annually in his role with Fox, more than double what any other analyst makes.
- Over the course of his 10-year deal, Brady will make more money ($375 million) than he did in his 23-year playing career ($333 million).
The intrigue: Olsen reportedly has an opt-out clause in his contract, which allows him to take a job elsewhere if he's demoted at Fox and offered a lead analyst position at another network. Go deeper: Olsen's improvement is no match for Brady's star power (The Ringer) | | | | | | | | 3. 🏆 Exclusive club: Patrick, Tim and Bobby |  | | | Photos: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images; George Frey/AFP via Getty Images; Robert Shaver/Bruce Bennett Collection/Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images. | | | | Patrick Mahomes has joined Tim Duncan and Bobby Orr as the only players in the Big Four leagues with multiple championships, league MVPs and playoff MVPs in their first six seasons, Jeff writes. - Mahomes (2017-present): Super Bowl (2019, 2022); NFL MVP (2018, 2022); SB MVP (2019, 2022)
- Duncan (1997-2003): NBA Championship (1999, 2003); NBA MVP (2002, 2003); Finals MVP (1999, 2003)
- Orr (1966-1972): Stanley Cup Championship (1970, 1972); NHL MVP (1970, 1971, 1972); Playoffs MVP (1970, 1972)
| | | | | | | | A message from SiriusXM | | Stream SiriusXM now and get 3 months for free | | |  | | | | Stream more than 425 channels on your devices for free on the SXM App, including expertly curated ad-free music, live sports, personalized stations and more. Next steps: Sign up now to get 3 months free. Cancel anytime. Learn more about the offer and start streaming. See offer details. | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Shane Steichen (L) and Jonathan Gannon. Photo: Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images | | | | 🏈 Eagles exodus: Both Eagles coordinators are leaving to become head coaches, with the Colts hiring Eagles OC Shane Steichen and the Cardinals hiring Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon. 🏒 Animated hockey: Disney will air the first-ever live, animated NHL game next month (Capitals-Rangers), with players modeled after characters from the Disney's popular cartoon series, "Big City Greens." ⚽️ Down goes PSG (again!): Bayern Munich beat PSG, 1-0, in Champions League play on Tuesday, snapping the French juggernaut's 40-game home unbeaten streak and handing the club its third straight loss. 📺 Lasso's return: Season 3 of "Ted Lasso" will premiere on March 15, exactly one month from today. Get excited. | | | | | | | | 5. 🏀 Another night, another 40-point game |  | | | Photo: Stacy Revere/Getty Images | | | | Jrue Holiday scored 40 points on Tuesday night in the Bucks' 131-125 win over the Celtics. Why it matters: Holiday's scoring outburst was the 137th 40-point game this season, tying the NBA record for most in a season ... and we haven't even reached the All-Star break! Related stat: There have been 117 days this season with at least one NBA game, and all 117 days have had at least one player score 30+ points. There were five games on Tuesday — and seven 30-point performances. Go deeper: The NBA's points explosion (Axios) | | | | | | | | 6. 📺 ESPN's future under Iger |  | | | Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios | | | | Despite Bob Iger's public commitment to ESPN, the venerated sports network's future under Disney is more uncertain than ever, Axios' Tim Baysinger writes. Why it matters: ESPN, which has been a cash cow for years, is in a precarious spot now because it has stayed closely tied to the fading legacy TV model as sports costs have skyrocketed. - Some investors have tried to pressure Disney to spin it off or sell, but Iger has dismissed those calls.
- "We're not engaged in any conversations right now or considering a spinoff of ESPN. That had been done, by the way, in my absence," Iger said during the company's earnings call last week.
By the numbers: Keeping ESPN means Disney has to figure out where it fits in today's current media ecosystem. - ESPN shed another 2 million cable subscribers during Disney's last fiscal year. It fell to 74 million and has lost 10 million subs over the last two years.
- On the streaming side, where ESPN garners far less revenue per customer, ESPN+ has almost 25 million subscribers, many of them coming via the Disney bundle.
The big picture: ESPN's costs are going to rise later this year when the new NFL deal kicks in, followed by the SEC football contract in 2024. - The network will be more cost-conscious when it comes to sports rights, though that edict will be immediately tested by the NBA's new round of deal talks expected to begin this year.
- Of note: NBC Sports is set to make "an aggressive offer to win back NBA rights after more than 20 years without them," CNBC reports.
| | | | | | | | 7. 📸 Pic du jour: Coach K's return |  | | | Photo: Lance King/Getty Images | | | | Mike Krzyzewski returned to "Coach K Court" at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday for the first time since he retired last year. The game: Duke beat Notre Dame, 68-64, as Coach K's successor, Jon Scheyer, became the first ACC head coach to begin his career with 13 straight home victories. "I don't know how he felt sitting over there instead of on the bench. It just means a lot, his support. ... I wanted to make sure we got the win while he was here." — Scheyer | | | | | | | | 8. 📺 Watchlist: Top of the table clash |  Table: Axios Visuals Arsenal host Manchester City today (2:30pm ET, Peacock) in a high-stakes clash with Premier League title implications. - State of play: City would leapfrog the suddenly vulnerable Gunners with a win, though Arsenal do have a game in hand. Red-hot Manchester United is lurking.
- The backdrop: City still faces potential sanctions following last week's accusation by the Premier League that the club committed more than 100 violations of financial regulations.
More to watch: | | | | | | | | 9. 🏈⚾️ NFL/MLB trivia |  | | | Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios | | | | Two Pro Football Hall of Famers have appeared in a World Series. - Question: Can you name them?
- Hint: 1917 and 1992.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. ⚽️ 1 long drought: No PKs in Bristol | | Source: Giphy English soccer club Bristol City haven't taken a penalty kick since Nov. 6, 2021 — 66 matches ago, Jeff writes. By the numbers: Bristol plays in the English Championship (one tier below the Premier League), where teams are awarded a penalty roughly once every nine matches. - Given that expectation, the odds of going this long without a penalty kick are worse than 1 in 2,100, a local math professor told NYT.
- And get this: Bristol's last penalty broke a separate streak of 40 games without one. That means they've taken just one in their last 107 games!
Bristol face Wigan Athletic this afternoon. Can they end the drought? | | | | | | | | A message from SiriusXM | | Get free access to music, sports, news and more | | |  | | | | Subscribe to SiriusXM Streaming and get access to 3 months of free: - Expertly curated ad-free music.
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More info: Listen on your phone, at home and more with the SXM App. See offer details. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Did not miss having to spell Krzyzewski" Baker Trivia answer: Jim Thorpe (1917 World Series with the Giants) and Deion Sanders (1992 World Series with the Braves) 🙏 Have a great day! Follow us for more (@kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy). Friends can sign up here. Thanks to Matt Piper for copy edits. |  | | Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters.
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