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Georgia Tech fired athletic director Todd Stansbury and head football coach Geoff Collins on Monday.

Collins was in his fourth season as coach. The Yellow Jackets have lost nine straight games to FBS opponents dating to last season and are coming off a 27-10 loss to UCF.

“I am grateful to Coach Collins for his hard work and commitment to our student athletes,” school president Angel Cabrera said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the results of our football program have fallen short of what our loyal community, fans and athletes expect and deserve. We are committed to rebuilding the program and a coaching change is a necessary first step in that process.”

Brent Key was named the interim coach for the Yellow Jackets, while Frank Neville, who is the school’s chief of staff and senior vice president for strategic initiatives, was named the interim AD.

“Todd is and will always be an admired and respected member of our community. His dedication to the success of our student athletes and his love for Georgia Tech are admirable,” Cabrera said in the statement. “The challenges the athletic program has faced in recent years have grown to a point where we need to try a new approach, and that requires new leadership.”

The buyout for Collins is expected to be $11.37 million, compared to $7.2 million it would have cost the school in January. (It would have been nearly $10.6 million at the end of the regular season.) The buyout for Stansbury isn’t considered prohibitive.

Collins was 10-28 as Georgia Tech’s coach after arriving from Temple. Stansbury had been Georgia Tech’s athletic director since 2016. Stansbury hired Collins and made the decision to bring him back last year after a 3-9 season.

Collins has three years left on his initial contract. He was making approximately $3.3 million this year.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel contributed to this report.

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M’s Crawford to IL after tweaking oblique in BP

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M's Crawford to IL after tweaking oblique in BP

ARLINGTON, Texas — Leadoff-hitting shortstop J.P. Crawford was placed on the 10-day injured list by the Seattle Mariners on Thursday because of a right oblique strain.

The move came a day after Crawford felt his oblique tweak during batting practice, resulting in him being a late scratch from the Mariners’ 5-1 loss at Texas.

“I do not have a timeline for J.P.,” manager Scott Servais said. “We’ll evaluate it as it goes along. We hope to get him back as soon as possible.”

Dylan Moore was the starting shortstop for the series finale Thursday against the Rangers. Center fielder Julio Rodriguez moved up to leadoff hitter from his usual No. 2 spot.

Seattle brought up infielder Leo Rivas from Triple-A Tacoma. Rivas, 26, has played 665 games over nine minor league seasons and was seeking his big league debut.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Mariners transferred right-hander Gregory Santos (right lat) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL.

Crawford is off to a slow start, hitting .198 with two homers and nine RBIs in his first 22 games.

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Dusty Baker wins Baseball Digest lifetime award

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Dusty Baker wins Baseball Digest lifetime award

NEW YORK — Dusty Baker has won the fourth Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Baseball Digest.

The beloved Baker retired following the 2023 season after spending 56 years in the majors as a player, coach and manager. He was honored Thursday with an annual distinction that “recognizes a living individual whose career has been spent in or around Major League Baseball and who has made significant contributions to the game.”

Willie Mays won the inaugural award in 2021, followed by Vin Scully in 2022 and Joe Torre last year.

“Receiving this award is a tremendous honor,” 74-year-old Baker said in a news release. “I never thought that I’d be in the class of the people that received this award. I know that my late mom and dad would be proud of me. This is really special.”

Baker broke into the big leagues as a teenager with the Atlanta Braves in 1968 and played 19 seasons. He made two All-Star teams, won two Silver Slugger awards and earned a Gold Glove in the outfield.

He was the 1977 NL Championship Series MVP and finished fourth in 1980 NL MVP voting before helping the Los Angeles Dodgers win the 1981 World Series.

After his playing career, Baker was a coach for the San Francisco Giants 1988-92 and then became their manager in 1993. He won the first of his three NL Manager of the Year awards with the Giants that season and spent 26 years as a big league skipper, also guiding the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals and Houston Astros.

Baker took all those teams to the playoffs, winning 10 division crowns, three pennants and finally a World Series championship in 2022 with the Astros. He ranks seventh on the career list with 2,183 wins and is the only manager in major league history to lead five franchises to division titles.

In January, he returned to the Giants as a special adviser to baseball operations.

“On behalf of Major League Baseball, I am honored to congratulate Dusty Baker as the 2024 recipient of Baseball Digest’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He joins an incredible club,” commissioner Rob Manfred said. “Dusty represents leadership, goodwill, and winning baseball. His ability to connect with others, across generations, is second to none. He is a championship manager and player. But, most importantly, Dusty is an extraordinary ambassador for our national pastime.”

Baker was selected in voting by an 18-member panel from a list of candidates that also included Bob Costas, Sandy Koufax, Tony La Russa, Jim Leyland, Rachel Robinson and Bud Selig, among others.

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MLB bringing back Players Weekend in August

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MLB bringing back Players Weekend in August

For the first time since 2019, MLB will dedicate three days in August to players, focusing on showcasing them beyond their stats and on-field performances, according to a release distributed Thursday.

From Aug. 16-18, a different aspect of players’ lives will be highlighted through in-stadium events, game broadcasts and social media.

Day 1 (Aug. 16) will feature their personalities, friendships and off-the-field interests. Day 2 will focus on their charitable causes, and Day 3 will celebrate the people who helped them on their path to the big leagues, including parents, coaches and other mentors.

During the weekend, players will wear special New Era caps featuring each players’ uniform number on the side panel in a “youthful design,” according to the release. Players also will be able to use customized bats during the games and can wear cleats with personalized designs as well.

MLB is calling the three days a “reimagined Players’ Weekend” as its previous incarnation, from 2017 to ’19, featured specially designed uniforms with player nicknames on the back of their jerseys.

The goal of the weekend is to reach younger audiences, which have been growing over the past several years. According to league data, the median age of ticket purchasers has dropped from 51 to 45 since 2019, while ticket buyers from ages 18-35 has increased by almost 10% during the same timeframe. MLB is hoping that trend continues.

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