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HOUSTON — Joe Espada took a leave of absence as bench coach of the Astros last year to spend time with his father when he fell ill with heart complications.

“I almost lost him while I was there,” Espada said. “And I asked God that day just to let him stay with me for a while longer because I wanted to share some good news in the future.”

On Sunday, he finally gave his father, Doloers, the long-awaited news of his promotion to manager of the Astros.

“I Facetimed and he started clapping,” Espada said. “His reaction was priceless.”

Espada was introduced as manager of the Astros on Monday, replacing Dusty Baker, who retired last month.

“I’m humbled by this,” Espada said. “This is a dream come true. I just can’t express my feelings about how happy I am to get to stay here and manage this team.”

It’s the first managerial position for the 48-year-old Espada, who has been Houston’s bench coach since 2018. Espada, who was born in Puerto Rico, is the second Latino manager in franchise history, joining Cuban-born Preston Gomez, Houston’s manager from 1974-75.

Espada had interviewed for multiple managerial positions in recent years without success. When Baker retired, he was optimistic he’d finally get his shot.

“I really hoped that I was going to get a chance to stay home and manage this team,” Espada said. “I love this city. I love this team. I love this community and I know I can protect and continue success and continue winning in this city.”

The Astros have advanced to the AL Championship Series in seven straight seasons and reached the World Series in 2021 and 2022, winning their second title in 2022.

“We wanted to continue the success here in Houston. … We came up with the right man for the job. Our fans deserve it,” general manager Dana Brown said.

Espada says he’ll immediately start setting up his coaching staff. In the year since Brown became the team’s general manager, he’s been impressed by Espada’s work ethic and demeanor.

“I was looking for someone with leadership skills, someone who could communicate, someone who would collaborate and ultimately someone who was humble,” Brown said. “I’ve had a chance to talk to Joe Espada almost the whole year and we’ve had great conversations, we hit it off early and I think, without a question, Joe is a good fit for this job.”

Espada began his coaching career in the Marlins organization, working in the minors until moving to the big-league club as the third base coach in 2010.

He remained with the Marlins through the 2013 season before taking a job as a special assistant to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. He joined the Yankees coaching staff in 2015 and worked as their infield and third base coach through the 2017 season.

Espada is a favorite among players and has strong relationships with everyone on the roster.

“Communication with these players is very important, empower them to have a say in the process,” he said. “I’ve seen this team win a lot of games and I know what it takes to win. I know how to push these players and when to push them and I think it matters.”

Espada was drafted by the Athletics in the second round of the 1996 amateur draft and spent nine seasons in the minors. He advanced to Triple-A as a player but retired at age 29 after failing to reach the majors before starting his coaching career.

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Wisconsin fires offensive coordinator after 2 years

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Wisconsin fires offensive coordinator after 2 years

Wisconsin fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo on Sunday, a day after the Badgers’ 16-13 home loss to No. 1 Oregon.

In a statement, Badgers coach Luke Fickell thanked Longo for his two seasons with the program, while adding, “We are not where we need to be and believe this decision is in the best interest of the team.”

Wisconsin ranks 97th nationally in scoring and 102nd in passing while operating an Air Raid-style offense that Longo brought with him from North Carolina and other stops.

The Badgers, who lost starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to a season-ending injury Sept. 14, had only three points and 88 yards in the second half against Oregon, which rallied from a 13-6 deficit entering the fourth quarter.

Wisconsin ranked 101st nationally in scoring in Longo’s 23 games as coordinator and failed to eclipse 13 points on its current three-game losing streak. Quarterback Braedyn Locke had only 96 passing yards against the Ducks.

Fickell did not immediately announce an interim coordinator for Wisconsin’s final regular-season games against Nebraska and Minnesota.

Fickell had long targeted Longo for a coordinator role, going back to his time as Cincinnati’s coach. Longo, 56, oversaw productive offenses at Ole Miss, North Carolina, Sam Houston State and other spots but never consistently got traction at a Wisconsin program that had operated dramatically differently on offense before his arrival.

“This team still has a lot in front of us and I am committed to doing everything we can to close out this season with success,” Fickell said in his statement.

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4-star QB Jones, former FSU commit, picks Florida

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4-star QB Jones, former FSU commit, picks Florida

Four-star quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. has committed to Florida, he told ESPN on Sunday, joining the Gators’ 2025 class four days after pulling his pledge from Florida State.

Jones, a four-year starter at Florida’s Mandarin High School, is ESPN’s No. 9 dual-threat passer in the Class of 2025. After multiple trips to Florida throughout his recruitment, Jones returned to campus Saturday, taking an official visit with the Gators during the program’s 27-16 win over LSU. A day later, Jones stands as the lone quarterback pledge in a 2025 Florida class that includes five pledges from the ESPN 300.

“I pretty much saw everything I needed to see when I visited last spring — I just love everything around the campus,” Jones told ESPN. “And then hanging out with the guys yesterday, seeing the camaraderie with each other, that really just sealed it for me.”

Jones was the longest-tenured member of Mike Norvell’s 2025 class at Florida State before his decommitment from the Seminoles on Thursday morning.

Jones’ exit came days after Norvell announced the firings of three assistant coaches on Nov. 10, including offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Alex Atkins. Jones was the first Florida State commit to pull his pledge in the wake of the staff shakeup but marked the Seminoles sixth decommitment since the start of the regular season, joining five ESPN 300 recruits who have left Norvell’s recruiting class across the program’s 1-9 start.

Jones’ commitment follows a key late-season victory for Billy Napier on Saturday and marks the Gators’ first recruiting win since athletic director Scott Strickland announced on Nov. 7 that Florida would stick with the third-year coach beyond the 2024 season.

Uncertainty over Napier’s future had weighed down Florida’s recruiting efforts in the 2025 class as the Gators began November with the No. 39 class in ESPN’s latest team rankings for the cycle. But Jones’ pledge comes as a boost for Florida one day after the Gators hosted a handful of high-profile flip targets, including five-star offensive tackle Solomon Thomas (Florida State pledge) and four-star wide receiver Jaime Ffrench (Texas pledge).

When Jones signs with Florida, he’ll arrive on campus flanked by fellow in-state offensive talents in four-star wide receivers Vernell Brown III (No. 44 in the ESPN 300) and Naeshaun Montgomery (No. 115), as well as four-star running back Waltez Clark (No. 223). Florida is also set to sign a pair of in-state defenders from the 2025 ESPN 300 between four-star defensive end Jalen Wiggins (No. 68) and four-star cornerback Ben Hanks Jr. (No. 121).

With Jones’ commitment, Florida has another jolt to its momentum on the recruiting trail as the Gators seek to chart a strong finish in the 2025 cycle next month. More imminently, Florida will host No. 11 Ole Miss on Saturday.

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Ted Williams’ 1946 MVP award sells for over $500K

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Ted Williams' 1946 MVP award sells for over 0K

A rare souvenir postcard picturing Hank Aaron as a rookie with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro Leagues sold for nearly $200,000 at a baseball memorabilia auction that also included Ted Williams’ 1946 AL MVP award, which went for $528,750.

The Aaron postcard from the scrapbook of scout Ed Scott, who discovered Aaron, went for $199,750 following a bidding war that soared past the pre-sale estimate of $5,000-$10,000, Hunt Auctions said.

The auction included 280 items from Williams’ personal collection that had been held by his daughter, Claudia, who died last year. Among the other items were a silver bat awarded for his 1958 batting title, which sold for more than $270,000, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom presented to him by fellow naval aviator George H.W. Bush, which went for $141,000.

The sale also included items from the collection of Rutherford Hayes Jones, the business manager of the Washington Giants, one of the earliest Black baseball teams. The trove was discovered in 2001 in a suitcase, where it had been unseen for 40 years.

A first batch of items from Claudia Williams’ collection went up for auction in 2012 at Fenway Park and garnered more than $5 million.

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