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  • Ryan McGee, ESPN Senior WriterSep 6, 2023, 07:00 AM ET

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    • Senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com
    • 2-time Sports Emmy winner
    • 2010, 2014 NMPA Writer of the Year

Inspirational thought of the week:

I can’t see the future but I know it’s coming fast
It’s not that hard to wind up knee deep in the past
It’s come a lot of Mondays
Since the phone booth that first night
Through years and miles and tears and smiles
I want to get it right
From the bottom of my heart
Off the coast of Carolina
After one or two false starts
I believe we found our stride

— “The Coast of Carolina,” Jimmy Buffett

Here at Bottom 10 Headquarters, located at the base of the garbage chute where Pat McAfee throws away all of the sleeves that he cuts off his shirts, we entered Week 1 with our eyes focused on the horizon ahead and our hands firmly wrapped around the ship’s wheel as the wind of actual football filled our sails and pushed into the season. With fins to the left, fins to the right, because yes, it’s been quite a summer with rent-a-cars and westbound trains, and … OK, full disclosure, we don’t listen to a lot of Jimmy Buffett in our HQ. We’re more of a hopeful marching band and drumline descending into a sad country breakup song kind of office.

But Saturday morning, as I took the stage to co-host “Marty & McGee” from Nashville, Tennessee, built squarely in the center of Lower Broadway, a man in a parrot-covered shirt was asleep on the sidewalk outside Buffett’s Margaritaville. He suddenly jumped up, ran over to the railing and said, “McGee, Jimmy is dead, and I don’t feel so good myself. The last time I saw him was here in Nashville, and that same weekend, I watched Vanderbilt lose by a hundred points to South Carolina. Jimmy loved South Carolina. Not the team. The state. It’s sad.” And he went back to sleep.

At the time, I laughed it off. Then, as I thought about it more, I was sad too. Jimmy Buffett was indeed gone. And he did indeed love South Carolina. He wrote songs about South Carolina. He sailed off the coast of South Carolina. He had played so many sellouts all over South Carolina. Later that night, in Charlotte, North Carolina, I watched South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler spend the evening running for his life as the Gamecocks lost to UNC 31-17. During a second-half timeout, the PA system started blasting “Margaritaville” as the packed stadium sang along.

Another man in a beachy button-down shirt, much more sober than the first — at least at that point in the evening — tapped his baseball cap with a Gamecocks logo and said, “They’re playing the wrong song.” He pointed to Rattler, on the bench as his beleaguered O-line awkwardly sat next to him, silent and embarrassed. “They should be playing, ‘Nobody Speaks to the Captain No More.'”

With apologies to the Oldest Surfer on the Beach, the Son of a Son of a Sailor and Steve Harvey, here’s the 2023 Week 1 Bottom 10.

1. Arkansaw State Fightin’ Butches (0-1)

After allowing Oklahoma to squeak by 73-0, Red Wolves coach Butch Jones said, “I thought they out-athleted us.” He’s not wrong. His team also was outscored, outrushed, outpassed and out-ed as the runaway early favorite to take home the Bottom 10 title.

2. #Kentergy (0-1)

The Golden Flashes opened their season by going down to UCF. Like, literally. They lost 56-6 and had the 35-point spread covered faster than my brother-in-law slathering Country Crock and strawberry jelly on a homemade biscuit. Now they go to Arkansaw Not Arkansaw State, where they are a 38-point underdog and where head hog Sam Pittman (a longtime friend of the Bottom 10, so he knows I say this in jest) probably just ate one of those same biscuits. Or six.

3. North by Northworstern (0-1)

You know when Northwestern put this 2023 schedule together, they thought, “Are you kidding? We get In-A-Rut-gers Week 1 and then Dook Week 3?” Well, they just got Sonny-at-the-toll-booth’ed in New Jersey, 24-7, while Duke did the same to Clemson, 28-7.

4. No-Braska (0-1)

Those same conversations were likely happening in Lincoln, where the Cornhuskers saw season-opening trips to Minnesota and Colorado and thought, “Hey, this isn’t bad. We nearly beat the Gophers last year, and the Buffaloes are the defending Bottom 10 champions!” Then the Cornhuskers blew a second-half lead and lost to Minnesota, just like last year, and the Buffs are led by Deion Sanders, who spent Week 1 being anointed as the greatest coach in the history of football.

5. The Palm(in the face)etto State

There are three FBS schools in the state of South Carolina — Coastal Carolina, South Carolina and Clemson — and they all lost over the weekend. There are six FCS schools in the state of South Carolina. They went 2-4, but one of those wins was by Charleston Southern over North Greenville, one of the Palmetto State’s seven Division II schools — which went 3-4 over the weekend, including in a head-to-head matchup. So your final record for the Sandlapper schools was 5-11, with two of those wins coming head-to-head, capped by Clemson’s orange crush of a loss at Duke. I immediately texted my best friend from high school, now a highly decorated high school history teacher in Lexington, South Carolina, to make sure the following tweet (or X or whatever we’re calling it) was OK. He hung up on me. He’s a South Carolina alum. #toosoon

6. San No-sé State (0-2)

Much is being made of the fact that the ragtag fugitive fleet known as the Pac-12, soon to be the 2Pac, has yet to lose a game. It hasn’t hurt that two of the league’s best teams have played San José State, with USC and Caleb Williams winning the Trojan-Spartan War 56-28 and Oregon State rolling 42-17. The magically and creepily accurate FPI tells us the Spartans should be 1-4 entering mid-October when they visit …

7. Whew Mexico (0-1)

The No-Bos opened the season with a brutal yet financially worthwhile trip to College Station, Texas, where they surrendered so many points and yards that they asked new A&M offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino if they could borrow his neck brace for their trip back to Albuquerque. After hosting Tennessee Tech in Week 2, the No-Bos remain at University Stadium to welcome in …

8. Whew Mexico State (1-1)

The Other Aggies shocked the Week 0 world when they were run over by the preseason top/bottom-ranked UMess Minutemen like they were the Redcoats retreating on the road back to Boston. Sure, the Other Aggies rebounded with a 58-21 win over the FCS Western Illinois Leathernecks. But now they make a pilgrimage to Jamey Chadwell’s Liberty before heading up Interstate 25 to visit the No-Bos — one week before traveling to current 0-2 Huh-Why-Yuh.

9. My Hammy of Ohio (0-1)

Despite losing 38-3 to the Hurricanes in the Battle of My-Hammys, the RedHawks are a touchdown favorite this weekend as — speaking of UMass — they make the trip east to face …

10. UMess (1-1)

Yes, our old friends from the Revolutionary War reenactment camp started the year 1-0, but they followed their triumph on Lexington Green with a Bunker Hill-like effort on The Plains, blindsided 59-14 by Hugh Freeze and Auburn. After a pair of #MACtion dates with My Hammy of Ohio and Eastern not Western Michigan, UMass closes out September with visits from Whew Mexico and … yes … wait for it … this is awesome … full circle moment … Arkansaw State! Week 0 glory be damned; all Bottom 10 roads still run through Massachusetts. And like a salt and brine mix on the Mass Turnpike, it’s going to rust out the undercarriage of the 2023 college football season.

Waiting List: Huh-Why-Yuh, LS-Who, Flori-duh, No-vada, Central Not Western or Eastern Michigan, Muddled Tennessee State, TC-Who Just Played For The Natty And Then Lost To The Bottom 10 Champs?

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Ohtani falls double shy of cycle in Dodgers’ loss

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April 8, 2025

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Ohtani falls double shy of cycle in Dodgers' loss

  • Associated Press

Apr 8, 2025, 12:10 AM ET

WASHINGTON — Shohei Ohtani got going again at the plate Monday night, falling a double short of hitting for the cycle.

The three-time MVP homered, tripled, singled and walked, finishing 3-for-4 with two RBIs in the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ 6-4 loss to the Washington Nationals. It was a nice bounce-back for Ohtani after he went 1-for-11 in a weekend series at Philadelphia.

With the Dodgers down two runs and Max Muncy on third base with two outs in the ninth inning, Ohtani walked on a full-count splitter from Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan.

“He had some really good takes there,” Finnegan said. “He knows the situation, too. He knows I’m not going to give him anything too good to hit. He’s a pro. He worked his at-bat and I was able to sneak back in there 3-2. If I was going to get him out, it was because he was going to chase something out of the zone and he did his job and took ball four.”

Mookie Betts then grounded out to end the game.

Ohtani, however, focused more on the called third strike he took with a runner aboard in the eighth.

“My approach doesn’t really change — it’s to really get on base,” he said through an interpreter. “That fourth at-bat I really should have just taken a hack and see what happens.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani was unselfish in his final plate appearance when he drew a walk with the game on the line.

“It’s kind of hard to say he was struggling, but tonight he was locked in,” Roberts said. “Even that last at-bat to earn the walk versus Finnegan and not try to chase a cycle speaks to being a team player and passing the baton. He had an excellent night.”

On the pitching side, Ohtani is throwing bullpens and getting closer to live batting practice as the two-way superstar rehabs from elbow surgery.

“I feel pretty good with where I am at physically,” he said. “There’s some limitation on how hard I am supposed to throw or how many types of pitches I’m allowed to throw. Once that’s cleared, I will be able to do all of the above. I feel pretty good about throwing live BP.”

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NHL playoff watch: The Rangers’ path to the postseason

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10 hours ago

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April 8, 2025

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NHL playoff watch: The Rangers' path to the postseason

Hockey fans often hear about the dreaded Stanley Cup hangover, when a team falters in the season after their championship. But a Presidents’ Trophy hangover?

Last season, the New York Rangers finished on top of the regular-season standings. This season, it’s looking less likely by the day that they’ll even make the playoffs.

When play begins Monday, the Rangers will be six points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. With only six games left, they’ll need to come close to running the table, and will also need help from Montreal’s opponents.

Monday’s game is home against the Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+). The Lightning have clinched a berth but will still be playing hard as they have a chance to catch the Toronto Maple Leafs for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.

After the Lightning, the Rangers host the Philadelphia Flyers, then have three straight road games, against the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers. They close out the season with another matchup against the Lightning.

As noted, New York will need to gin up a winning streak here to bolster its chances. As for the Canadiens, they close out with a somewhat easier schedule: home against the Detroit Red Wings, at the Ottawa Senators and Maple Leafs, then home for the Chicago Blackhawks and the Hurricanes.

So that’s the task ahead for the Blueshirts. Will they come through?

With the regular season ending April 17, we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Clinching scenarios
Today’s schedule
Yesterday’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. WC1 Ottawa Senators
A2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Florida Panthers
M1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 Montreal Canadiens
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils

Western Conference

C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 Minnesota Wild
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 St. Louis Blues
P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers

Clinching scenarios

The Edmonton Oilers will clinch a playoff spot if they defeat the Anaheim Ducks in any fashion, AND the Calgary Flames lose to the San Jose Sharks in regulation.

The St. Louis Blues will clinch a playoff spot if they defeat the Winnipeg Jets in regulation, AND the Flames lose to the Sharks in regulation.

Monday’s games

Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).

Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers, 7 p.m.
St. Louis Blues at Winnipeg Jets, 7:30 p.m. (NHLN)
Edmonton Oilers at Anaheim Ducks, 10:30 p.m.
Seattle Kraken at Los Angeles Kings, 10:30 p.m.
Calgary Flames at San Jose Sharks, 10:30 p.m.

Sunday’s scoreboard

New York Islanders 4, Washington Capitals 1
Minnesota Wild 3, Dallas Stars 2 (OT)
Ottawa Senators 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 0
Detroit Red Wings 2, Florida Panthers 1
Buffalo Sabres 6, Boston Bruins 3
Chicago Blackhawks 3, Pittsburgh Penguins 1
Montreal Canadiens 2, Nashville Predators 1
Vegas Golden Knights 3, Vancouver Canucks 2

Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 6
Points pace: 105.7
Next game: @ FLA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 6
Points pace: 101.4
Next game: @ NYR (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 92
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 5
Points pace: 98.0
Next game: vs. TOR (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 95.8
Next game: @ CBJ (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 5
Points pace: 90.5
Next game: vs. DET (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 79.2%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 85.2
Next game: @ MTL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 5.4%
Tragic number: 6

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 79.8
Next game: vs. CAR (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 1

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 74.6
Next game: @ NJ (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Metro Division

Points: 107
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 114.0
Next game: vs. CAR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 96
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 6
Points pace: 103.6
Next game: @ BUF (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 5
Points pace: 94.8
Next game: vs. BOS (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 85.2
Next game: vs. TB (Monday)
Playoff chances: 8.5%
Tragic number: 6

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 84.2
Next game: @ NSH (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 2.5%
Tragic number: 5

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 83.1
Next game: vs. OTT (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 4.5%
Tragic number: 4

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 77.8
Next game: vs. CHI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 75.6
Next game: @ NYR (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Central Division

Points: 108
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 115.0
Next game: vs. STL (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 105
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 5
Points pace: 111.8
Next game: vs. VAN (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 4
Points pace: 103.0
Next game: vs. VGK (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 97.8
Next game: @ ANA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 99.5%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 95.7
Next game: vs. SJ (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 86.4%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 87.3
Next game: vs. SEA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0.2%
Tragic number: 1

Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 66.0
Next game: vs. NYI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 57.5
Next game: @ PIT (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Pacific Division

Points: 102
Regulation wins: 43
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 108.6
Next game: @ COL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 6
Points pace: 104.7
Next game: vs. SEA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 6
Points pace: 100.3
Next game: @ ANA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 91.7
Next game: @ SJ (Monday)
Playoff chances: 12.6%
Tragic number: 6

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 88.4
Next game: @ DAL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 1.4%
Tragic number: 2

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 79.8
Next game: vs. EDM (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 76.7
Next game: @ LA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 50
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 54.0
Next game: vs. CGY (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Note: An “x” means that the team has clinched a playoff berth. An “e” means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.

Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.

Points: 50
Regulation wins: 14

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 19

Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 24

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 21

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 23

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 24

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 32

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 27

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Utah HC to open new training facility in Sept.

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10 hours ago

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April 8, 2025

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Utah HC to open new training facility in Sept.

  • Associated Press

Apr 7, 2025, 02:36 PM ET

The Utah Hockey Club will open a new practice and training facility for team use on Sept. 1, the team announced Monday.

The 115,780-square-foot facility, built on the southeastern end of a Sandy shopping mall, will house two NHL standard ice sheets. It will also include training, medical and dining facilities as well as team locker rooms.

Building a practice facility quickly was one of the immediate challenges Utah owner Ryan Smith faced in bringing an NHL team to the Beehive State. The Utah Olympic Oval, which is primarily used for speedskating events, served as the team’s practice facility this season, but it was intended to be only a temporary solution.

“We want to be competitive in the NHL, and to do that you got to have a place where these guys can practice and they can recover, and it’s home,” Smith said. “We did a miraculous job with the Oval, but at the same time that’s not this.”

Players on Utah’s roster had input on the practice facility’s design from the dining areas to the locker rooms. The facility incorporates many of their suggestions.

“We tried to involve them as much as we can in every part of this,” Smith said.

Utah’s practice facility will also be ready for public use next January. It will feature event venues, eight community locker rooms, equipment rentals and a team store. The ice rinks will be available to the public when not in use by the team.

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