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IN RECENT SEASONS, whenever Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper reached second base against the Washington Nationals — and then the Los Angeles Dodgers — he made a midgame recruiting pitch to an old friend. Harper knew Trea Turner was still a couple of years from free agency, but as long as his former teammate was within earshot, he wanted to plant a seed.

“For the last three years, he kept telling me, ‘We’re going to get you over here, we’re going to get you over here,'” Turner told ESPN in March. “It started as a joke, then as it got closer and [the Phillies] were in win-now mode, everything lined up. He was a big factor, for sure.”

Harper remembers the chatter on the basepaths. “Every time I’d see him at shortstop, I’d mess with him: ‘You’d look great in a Phillies uniform,'” the two-time National League MVP said.

Whether or not those whisperings were the difference-maker — Harper said he left Turner alone once his free agency actually started — the strategy paid off. Turner signed an 11-year, $300 million contract with the Phillies in December, reuniting with Harper. The two have yet to take the field together; Harper is still working his way back from offseason Tommy John surgery. But as Harper zooms through his recovery, it could happen sooner than later.

When he does, he’ll join a lineup that despite a slow start is second only to the Rays in the majors in hits; Turner’s 31, good for third-best on the squad, show how quickly he has settled in in Philadelphia.

“It’s definitely a lot better having him on this side than what I used to deal with,” Phillies catcher J.T Realmuto said. “He was never one of those players you ever looked forward to facing. He’s so dynamic and can impact the game in so many ways. He creates havoc and plays with power.”


WHEN TURNER HIT free agency as the top shortstop in a loaded class at the position, many experts predicted he would end up in Philadelphia — but he insists it was a tough decision.

“I didn’t want to be super-biased in any direction,” Turner explained. “Going through the process, I tried being as open as I could with everybody. I told teams, ‘Just be honest with me and I’ll be honest with you.’ It was a pretty hard decision. I had a few good organizations that I was dealing with. I didn’t really have one that I could eliminate pretty easily.”

While crossing off potential suitors proved difficult, there was one factor that helped Turner move Philadelphia to the top of his list: familiarity. He had played with Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Howie Kendrick, a special assistant to the GM in Philadelphia, during his time in Washington. Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long also was a former Nat. His experience with those players and coaches, along with years of road trips to the city, also meant that the Phillies didn’t feel the need to bring Turner in for a recruiting visit. Instead, they made a November trip to his Florida home.

“I don’t think we needed to meet to know that he would be a good fit,” Dombrowski said. “Enough people knew him well, but you do your due diligence. You don’t leave any stone unturned.”

At that point in the process, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if Harper had gotten involved in the sales pitch in hopes of using his relationship to help bring Turner to Philadelphia. But he instead chose to give his former teammate space.

“I didn’t want to talk to Trea,” Harper stated. “I didn’t want to have any influence on what he was going to do. He was like three to four days away from signing with the team, and he finally called me and asked certain things about where to live and things like that. I told him to enjoy it and hopefully you make the right decision for your family.

“The city, the fans, they sold it for us last year,” Harper said. “I didn’t have to.”

It wasn’t just the idea of playing in front of the passionate crowds that packed Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park during last October’s playoff run that attracted Turner, though. Owner John Middleton’s endearing style — and willingness to open up his checkbook — also helped make the decision for him.

“He’s exceeded expectations for me,” Turner said of getting to know Middleton. “He’s been incredible. Seeing him around, shagging on the field and in the clubhouse, it doesn’t feel invading to us. Super unique and it’s in a good way.”

Harper had grown similarly close to Middleton during his own free agency four years ago, so the Phillies owner made sure Harper could be the first to give his old friend a congratulatory call as soon as a deal was struck.

“I think [Turner] was a little shocked because no one had found out yet,” Harper said. “It was a couple hours before it hit the news. I was pumped for him.”


BEFORE HE EVEN played his first game in a Phillies uniform, Turner put to rest any notion that he would just be Harper’s sidekick, thanks to a World Baseball Classic performance in which he outshined even the biggest names on Team USA’s star-studded roster.

“It was electric,” said Realmuto, who also played for Team USA this spring. “He won multiple games with his bat. Everyone knows about his batting average and speed, but he can hit for power as well. He can hit home runs when he needs to. He can affect the game in so many ways.”

Though Team USA fell one win short of repeating as champions, Turner led the tournament with five home runs, hitting .391, driving in 11 and compiling an eye-popping 1.483 OPS. It was his eighth-inning grand slam against Venezuela in the quarterfinals that kept Team USA alive during one of its toughest WBC contests. Back in Clearwater, where the Phillies train during the spring, they were all smiles watching their new shortstop put on a show for the world.

“A couple people in the organization sarcastically said to me, ‘Oh, that’s a good player you got, Dave,'” Dombrowski said with a laugh.

That power he showed off in the WBC was coaxed out of him by one of his new coaches. Known for his base-stealing ability, Turner took his game to another level when he added power to his repertoire under Long’s tutelage. He averaged 36 stolen bases in his first six full seasons and he has also averaged nearly 22 home runs a season over the past four years. Add in his on-base skills and ability to play multiple up-the-middle positions defensively, and there aren’t many players who can do as many things well as Turner can.

“That’s five tools right there,” Schwarber said. “He’s got it all. He’s got the power strike with the leg kick, then he can put his foot down and go two-strike approach. Put the ball in play and run. He steals bases. His defense is underrated. Glad we have him.”

Now that he’s settling into his long-term home, Turner believes his best is yet to come. Sure, a lengthy contract can create pressure — but it also allows an opportunity to focus on his game, without the stress of free agency looming.

“I have a lot more to offer,” Turner said. “I love the game. I take pride in it. I work at it. I have more to give. I don’t know what that is, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Likewise, fans across Philadelphia are looking ahead to a date in the not-so-distant future when they’ll see Turner and Harper in the same lineup. Whether the two can help the Phillies overcome a slow start and play deep into the postseason — as the team famously did a year ago — remains to be seen. But no matter how this season plays out, the duo is likely to spend the rest of their careers in the same uniform.

“It’s great to be together again to try to chase down a championship,” Harper, who is in the fifth year of a 13-year contract that runs through 2031, said with a smile. “He has an 11-year deal [through 2033], so hopefully I can get a couple more on my contract.”

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Rule changes let Castroneves enter Daytona 500

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Rule changes let Castroneves enter Daytona 500

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves claimed a spot in the season-opening Daytona 500 as part of a slew of rule changes NASCAR announced Friday.

Castroneves is guaranteed a spot in the field under a new provision that earmarks a starting position for what NASCAR called “world-class drivers” who enter a Cup Series race. Before the Friday change, Castroneves was going to either have to earn his spot in the 40-car field on speed in time trials or finishing position in a qualifying race.

If he failed to do either, the Brazilian would be in the field as a 41st car and four open spots would still remain for drivers hoping to race in the Feb. 16 “Great American Race.” Castroneves will be driving for Trackhouse Racing in his NASCAR debut at age 49.

Under the new rule, if the provisional is used, the driver/car owner will not be eligible for race points, playoff points or prize money. Cars that finish below the driver who uses the provisional will have their finishing position adjusted upward one spot and also have their prize money, race points and stage points adjusted.

If the provisional car wins a race and/or stage, that car will be credited with the race win. It will not count toward playoff eligibility. The second-place finisher will inherit first-place points, but will not receive playoff points or playoff eligibility.

Among other changes issued Friday:

Playoff waivers: NASCAR said if a driver misses a race for anything besides a medical emergency, the driver will forfeit all current and future playoff points and will start the playoffs with a maximum of 2,000 points.

Covered under medical emergency would be emergencies for the driver, the birth of a child or a family emergency, as well as age restrictions.

It means that Kyle Larson, who is scheduled to again race in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 for a second consecutive year, must return from Indiana to North Carolina and compete in the Cup race. It was a point of contention last year when rain delayed the 500 in Indy, Larson was late to arrive in North Carolina for the 600, and by the time he got to the track, rain had stopped that race.

Larson never got to compete in the Coca-Cola 600, and NASCAR hemmed and hawed for a lengthy amount of time before finally granting him a waiver.

Waivers previously came with no penalties such as the loss of playoff points.

Penalties to manufacturers: After the penultimate race at Martinsville Speedway was marred last year by allegations of manufacturers banding together to push their drivers into the championship race, NASCAR vowed to look at how it can stop such manipulation in the future.

NASCAR said that, moving forward, violations by manufacturers may result in the loss of manufacturers points, and/or loss of wind tunnel hours. NASCAR will assess such penalties for violation of the vehicle testing policy, wind tunnel policy, event roster and code of conduct.

Performance obligation: NASCAR did not give many details on this change other than “verbiage around the 100% rule is replaced with a focus on ‘manipulating’ the outcome of an event/championship.”

Practice and qualifying: New practice and qualifying procedures were formally added to the rulebook. Group practice goes from 20 to 25 minutes; single-round qualifying at all tracks but superspeedways, which will have a final round for 10 cars; and starting position is determined solely by qualifying results instead of row-by-row designation based on which qualifying group the car was in.

Suspension deferral: NASCAR said all suspensions that are a result of a technical penalty can be deferred without appeal for the next race following a penalty. All other suspensions are effective immediately.

Damaged vehicle policy: NASCAR has altered this policy for the Cup Series after many complaints about how the rule was applied last year.

Vehicles on the DVP clock may drive to the garage or be towed to the garage and will not be ruled out of the race. Previously, if a car on the DVP clock was towed to the garage or drove to the garage, it was out of the race.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Effort to unionize college athletes hits road block

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Effort to unionize college athletes hits road block

The legal efforts to unionize college athletes appear to be running out of steam this month as a new Republican-led administration gets set to take over the federal agency in charge of ruling on employment cases.

A players’ advocacy group who filed charges against the NCAA, Pac-12 and USC that would have potentially opened the door for college players to form a union decided Friday to withdraw its complaint. Their case – which was first filed in February 2022 – was one of two battles against the NCAA taken up by the National Labor Relations Board in recent years. Earlier this week, an administrative law judge closed the other case, which was filed by men’s basketball players at Dartmouth.

The National College Players Association, which filed its complaint on behalf of USC athletes, said the recent changes in state law and NCAA rules that are on track to allow schools to directly pay their players starting this summer caused them to reconsider their complaint.

“[T]he NCPA believes that it is best to provide adequate time for the college sports industry to transition into this new era before football and basketball players employee status is ruled upon,” the organization’s founder Ramogi Huma wrote in the motion to withdraw.

The NCAA and its four power conferences agreed to the terms of a legal settlement this summer that will allow schools to spend up to roughly $20.5 million on direct payments to their athletes starting next academic year. The deal is scheduled to be finalized in April.

College sports leaders, including NCAA President Charlie Baker, have remained steadfast in their belief that athletes should not be considered employees of their schools during a period when college sports have moved closer to a professionalized model.

Some industry stakeholders believe that the richest schools in college sports will need to collectively bargain with athletes to put an end to the current onslaught of legal challenges facing the industry. Currently, any collective bargaining would have to happen with a formal union to provide sufficient legal protection. Some members of Congress say they are discussing the possibility of creating a special status for college sports that would allow collective bargaining without employment. However, Congressional aides familiar with ongoing negotiations told ESPN that influential Republican leaders in Congress are firmly against the idea.

The NLRB’s national board previously declined to make a ruling on whether college athletes should be employees in 2015 when a group of football players at Northwestern attempted to unionize. Jennifer Abruzzo, the agency’s leader during the Biden administration, signaled an interest in taking up the athletes’ fight to unionize early in her tenure. Abruzzo is not expected to remain as the NLRB’s general counsel during Donald Trump’s presidency.

Under Abruzzo, the agency’s regional offices pushed both the Dartmouth and USC cases forward in the past year. Dartmouth players got far enough to vote in favor of forming a union in March 2024, but were still in the appeals process when they decided to end their effort last month.

The only remaining legal fight over employee status in college sports is a federal lawsuit known as Johnson v. NCAA. That case claims the association is violating the Fair Labor Standards Act, which does not guarantee the right to unionize but instead would give athletes some basic employee rights such as minimum wage and overtime pay. That case is currently working its way through the legal process in the Third Circuit federal court.

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LSU’s Lacy facing charges related to fatal crash

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LSU's Lacy facing charges related to fatal crash

Louisiana State Police have issued an arrest warrant for former LSU receiver Kyren Lacy, who is accused of causing a fatal crash that killed a 78-year-old man on Dec. 17 and then fleeing the scene without rendering aid or calling authorities.

Louisiana State Police said on Friday that Lacy will be charged with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run and reckless operation of a vehicle.

Police said they have been in contact with Lacy and his attorney to turn himself in.

According to a news release from state police, Lacy was allegedly driving a 2023 Dodge Charger on Louisiana Highway 20 and “recklessly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed by crossing the centerline and entering the northbound lane while in a designated no-passing zone.”

“As Lacy was illegally passing the other vehicles, the driver of a northbound pickup truck abruptly braked and swerved to the right to avoid a head-on collision with the approaching Dodge,” a Louisiana State Police news release said.

“Traveling behind the pickup was a 2017 Kia Cadenza whose driver swerved left to avoid the oncoming Dodge Charger. As the Kia Cadenza took evasive action to avoid impact with the Dodge, it crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a southbound 2017 Kia Sorento.”

Police alleged that Lacy, 24, drove around the crash scene and fled “without stopping to render aid, call emergency services, or report his involvement in the crash.”

Herman Hall, 78, of Thibodaux, Louisiana, who was a passenger in the Kia Sorrento, later died from injuries suffered in the crash, according to state police.

The drivers of the Cadenza and Sorento also sustained moderate injuries, according to police.

Lacy played two seasons at Louisiana before transferring to LSU in 2022. This past season, he had 58 catches for 866 yards with nine touchdowns and declared for the NFL draft on Dec. 19, two days after the crash.

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