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Shohei Ohtani was named National League MVP on Thursday, capturing all 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in the wake of another dynamic offensive season that included a successful return to pitching and was once again capped by a championship.

Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber earned 23 of the second-place votes from the BBWAA, with New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (four) and Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (three) accruing the rest. Ohtani has won four MVPs over the past five years, all of them in unanimous fashion. Only Barry Bonds has more with seven.

“It’s definitely special,” Ohtani, speaking through an interpreter, said on a conference call. “It makes it special because it was unanimous, and I would like to thank all the writers for voting for me.”

Ohtani, 31, had already joined Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as the only players to win MVP in both leagues and the only player among the four major American professional sports with more than one unanimous MVP. Now he is the first player in MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL history to win both an MVP and a championship in each of his first two seasons with a team, according to ESPN Research.

Ohtani joined the Los Angeles Dodgers on a heavily deferred 10-year, $700 million contract in December 2023, then went on to charter the 50/50 club and starred as the team’s leadoff hitter during its march toward a World Series title in 2024, ultimately becoming the first full-time designated hitter to win an MVP.

In 2025, Ohtani was just as impactful offensively, slashing .282/.392/.622 while amassing 55 home runs, setting a franchise record for a second straight year, and leading the NL with a 179 adjusted OPS. This time, he layered his prowess as a hitter with a return to pitching. Ohtani came back from a second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament to make 14 regular-season starts for the Dodgers, posting a 2.87 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 47 innings, including 16⅔ consecutive scoreless innings to end the regular season.

In October, he further cemented his legacy as the game’s greatest player. While leading the Dodgers to a second consecutive pennant in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series, Ohtani pitched six scoreless innings, striking out 10, and added three home runs. In Game 3 of the World Series, which stretched to 18 innings, he reached base all nine times he came to bat, four by intentional walk. All told, he hit eight playoff home runs, tying Corey Seager in 2020 for the franchise record in a single postseason.

Since the start of 2021, when he fully began his run as a two-way player while with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani has compiled a major league-leading 44.4 FanGraphs wins above replacement. Second on that list is New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, who edged out Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh for the AL MVP, with 42.8.

Ohtani has been with the Dodgers for only two seasons and is already the first in franchise history to capture multiple MVPs while playing for the team. After six years in which he missed out on relevant, late-season baseball while with the floundering Angels, Ohtani said he was more proud of the back-to-back championships that have been tied to that.

“Obviously I never strive to start off a season aiming to get the MVP,” Ohtani said. “Everything has to do with your teammates, and you obviously want to play good baseball. At the end of the day, we want to be playing for a World Series. I think the MVP just comes along with how you do during the season. Obviously if I’m playing well, as an individual, that means I’m helping the team win. So in that sense, hopefully I can end up with a couple more MVPs. But at the end of the day, it’s all about winning games.”

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Ex-‘Last Chance U’ coach shot on Oakland campus

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Ex-'Last Chance U' coach shot on Oakland campus

A senior member of the athletics staff at a community college in Oakland, California, was shot on campus Thursday, the second time in two days the city has had a shooting at a local school.

The Oakland Police Department said it was investigating the shooting that occurred just before noon at Laney College, where officers arrived to find a man with gunshot wounds. The victim was taken to a hospital and his condition was unknown.

The man later was identified as John Beam, the current athletic director and former head coach of the Laney football team. Beam and the Laney Eagles were featured in the 2020 season of the Netflix documentary series “Last Chance U.” The docuseries focused on athletes at junior colleges looking to turn around their lives.

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said she was “heartbroken” by “the second shooting on an Oakland campus in one week.”

“My thoughts are with Coach John Beam and his loved ones. We are praying for him,” Lee said in a prepared statement. “Coach Beam is a giant in Oakland — a mentor, an educator, and a lifeline for thousands of young people. For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our community is shaken alongside his family.”

Lee added: “We are standing together, praying for Coach Beam and his loved ones.”

Thursday’s incident came a day after a student was shot at Oakland’s Skyline High School. The student was in stable condition. Police said they arrested two juveniles and recovered two firearms.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Colorado AD will step down, take advisory role

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Colorado AD will step down, take advisory role

Colorado athletics director Rick George will step down from his role at the end of the academic year and become a special advisor to the chancellor, the school announced Thursday.

George has been the AD in Boulder since 2013, returning to the school where he once served on legendary football coach Bill McCartney’s staff as the recruiting coordinator and assistant athletic director for football operations. This coincided with Colorado’s only national title in 1990.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as Athletic Director for the University of Colorado for the last 13 years, but after considerable thought and discussions with my family dating back to last spring, I have decided it is time for new leadership to guide the department,” said George. “I wanted to make this announcement now in order to give Chancellor Schwartz plenty of time to find the right person for Colorado, and I look forward to doing everything I can to ensure a smooth transition.

“I also wanted to time my announcement so that I could support Coach Prime and our football team this season, which I’m looking forward to continuing in my new role.”

During his tenure as athletics director, George oversaw the development of a new athletics building attached to Folsom Field and was named the Athletic Director of the year in 2023-24 by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

His time as AD will perhaps be most remembered by his hiring of Deion Sanders as football coach, which generated significant national interest in Colorado football. He also returned Colorado to the Big 12, which represented a significant domino in the collapse of the Pac-12 following UCLA and USC’s departures for the Big Ten.

George also spent time as a member of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee and served on the Division I Council.

“Rick’s contributions to our university in his 13 years as head of our athletic department have been incalculable,” Chancellor Justin Schwartz said. “He is a nationally respected leader who has always kept CU at the forefront of the dynamic and highly competitive landscape of college athletics. I am grateful for his leadership and am elated he has decided to stay on as a Special Advisor and AD Emeritus.”

Prior to becoming AD, George was the Chief Operating Officer for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball.

The school did not announce a timeline for hiring a replacement.

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Yurachek replaces Rhoades as new CFP chair

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Yurachek replaces Rhoades as new CFP chair

The College Football Playoff management committee has formally approved the return of Utah athletic director Mark Harlan to its selection committee and named current committee member and Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek its new chair, the CFP announced on Thursday.

The moves come hours after Baylor athletic director and selection committee chair Mack Rhoades took a leave of absence from his job for personal reasons amid a university investigation.

“We are deeply appreciative of Mack Rhoades’ leadership and service as chair of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee this season,” CFP executive director Rich Clark said in a news release. “Mack has informed us of his decision to step down for personal reasons, and our thoughts are with him and his family during this time. We are pleased to announce that Hunter Yurachek will assume the role of Selection Committee Chair, effective immediately. Hunter’s experience, integrity, and commitment to the game make him exceptionally well-suited to lead the committee as it continues its important work throughout the remainder of the season.”

Harlan previously served a one-year term during the 2023 season. The CFP typically requires athletic directors on the selection committee to be active, “sitting” athletic directors. Because Rhoades was the Big 12’s nomination, he was replaced by a Big 12 athletic director. The 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua unanimously agreed to the changes.

Harlan is not the only committee member in his second stint with the group, as former Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long – also the CFP’s inaugural chairman – is participating again this season. The 12-person group was already one member short this season after committee member Randall McDaniel also stepped away last month for personal reasons.

Rhoades told ESPN on Thursday that he initiated the leave from his Baylor role but declined to explain why.

Baylor told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg that the university received allegations involving Rhoades on Monday. The allegations do not involve Title IX, student welfare or NCAA rules and do not involve the football program, indicating it is a separate incident from Rhoades’ alleged altercation with a football player during a September game.

Jovan Overshown and Cody Hall will serve as Baylor’s co-interim athletic directors, a school spokesman told Rittenberg. Overshown is the school’s deputy athletic director and chief operating officer, and Hall is Baylor’s executive senior associate athletic director for internal administration and chief financial officer.

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