Bayern Munich's Josip Stanisic said it was "stupid" of him to push a ball boy off his stool after he tossed the ball away in stoppage time of their Champions League match against Inter Milan on Wednesday.

A 2-2 draw in the second leg at the San Siro saw hosts Inter advance to the semifinals 4-3 on aggregate.

Bayern had been pushing for a late winner when defender Stanisic tried to get the ball back into play quickly, pushing the ball boy to the ground in frustration when he threw the ball away from him.

The Inter bench leapt to their feet to confront Stanisic, who escaped punishment from the referee.

"Every team in the world wastes time when they're leading," Stanisic told German newspaper Abenzeitung after the game. "It was a bit stupid of me to push him there."

The UEFA Champions League quarterfinals brought plenty of intrigue as Arsenal beat Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain held off a valiant comeback from Aston Villa, Inter Milan knocked out Bayern Munich, and Barcelona progressed despite a second-leg loss to Borussia Dortmund.

So, as the dust settles on this week's mayhem, let's take a way-too-early look at how we think the semifinals -- to be played on April 29-30 and May 6-7 -- will play out as Mark Ogden, James Olley, Rob Dawson, Alex Kirkland, Julien Laurens and Sam Marsden make their predictions.

Arsenal vs. Paris Saint-Germain

First leg: April 29 | Second leg: May 7

OGDEN: It's such a tough game to call. PSG are the best attacking team in the competition, and their midfield of Vitinha, João Neves and Fabián Ruiz will dominate against any opponent -- Thomas Partey's first-leg suspension (due to a yellow card vs. Madrid) will also hurt Arsenal in that area -- but Aston Villa exposed PSG's defensive weaknesses and could easily have advanced instead. Arsenal showed against Real Madrid how defensively organized they are, and beating the holders 5-1 on aggregate was a real statement. But PSG are so good going forward, and they have improved so much since losing 2-0 at the Emirates in October, that they will just shade it over the two legs. PSG advance, 3-2 on aggregate

OLLEY: Arsenal's self-belief will be at new levels given they have knocked out the holders and already beaten PSG during the group phase. That said, PSG are a different proposition now and midfielder Partey's suspension causes Mikel Arteta a major headache given Mikel Merino would be the logical replacement but he is currently needed as a makeshift center-forward. It is tempting to agree with Mark, therefore, that the strength PSG have in midfield could be decisive, as good as Declan Rice was in both legs against Madrid. PSG look more able to expose Arsenal's injuries and, though I think it'll be close, they can progress to the final. PSG advance, 2-1 on aggregate

DAWSON: Arsenal will fancy their chances of beating anyone after dumping Madrid out, but PSG have clicked into gear since the turn of the year and they'll be very hard to stop. Vitinha and Neves are good enough to win the midfield battle against Rice, and then there's the pace of Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia up front when the ball turns over. It could be quite a high-scoring tie -- similar to PSG and Aston Villa -- and there are more goals in the PSG team. Arsenal are still operating without a striker and the injured Gabriel is a big miss at the back. PSG advance, 4-3 on aggregate

LAURENS: This is such an exciting tie and so hard to call. The fact that the second leg is in Paris will be an advantage to PSG, but Arsenal are probably the more complete team of the two. PSG have the energy, intensity, youth and the most firepower up front with Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola, as well as a midfield that can dominate any other in Europe. PSG will have learned a lot from their defeat at Villa Park and the lack of control they showed, so they will be a better team for it. Arsenal will also be a better team after schooling Real Madrid like they did, but no Gabriel and no Partey for the first leg is bad. PSG advance, 5-3 on aggregate

MARSDEN: PSG have so much pace and variety in attack, but more importantly, unlike Real Madrid, they are backed up by a balanced midfield and an impressive work ethic across the team. As Mark says, though, they are not bulletproof at the back, whereas Arsenal showed against Madrid how well they can defend at this level. With Bukayo Saka fit again, the Gunners can edge this tie if they get a good result in the first leg. Arsenal advance, 2-1 on aggregate.

KIRKLAND: I was so impressed by Arsenal at the Bernabéu. They dealt with Real Madrid -- in one of the most high-pressure situations imaginable -- with such poise and clarity of ideas for a relatively young team, who are inexperienced at this level. Yes, PSG are a much better team than Madrid in almost every department, but I think Arsenal's defense can cope with Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia and others, while Saka and Gabriel Martinelli can cause problems for full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes, who are at their best going forward. I agree that midfield will be key, though. Arsenal will need more man-of-the-match performances from Rice to prevail. Arsenal advance, 3-1 on aggregate.

Barcelona vs. Inter Milan

First leg: April 30 | Second leg: May 6

MARSDEN: In optimal circumstances, I think Barcelona win this tie. But they have the first leg at home three days after the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid and then the second leg is away at San Siro. If they recover from Tuesday's loss to Dortmund, keep players fresh going into the games and have left-back Alejandro Balde fit again -- a few ifs there -- I back them to make a first final since 2015. Inter have been resolute at the back, but Bayern Munich showed they can be breached. To make a more general observation, I can't remember the last time the four semifinalists felt so evenly matched. Barcelona advance on penalties, 3-3 on aggregate

OGDEN: Barcelona have outscored everybody in the Champions League this season with 37 goals, but Inter have the meanest defense -- five goals conceded and eight clean sheets in 12 games -- so this is the ultimate clash of attacking brilliance against formidable defending. Barcelona have conceded 17 goals in 12 games and that's a weakness Inter can exploit through Lautaro Martínez and Marcus Thuram. Barca have Lamine Yamal and Raphinha to test Inter's rock-solid organization, but the Serie A champions have enough experience and nous to repeat their epic 2010 semifinal win and reach the final. Inter Milan advance, 2-1 on aggregate

OLLEY: I've said for months that I think Barcelona can win it this year and I can't desert them now. Mark has said it all with the numbers so it comes down to whether Barcelona's star-studded attack can make the difference. I think they will. I can understand Sam's point about the Copa del Rey -- that isn't ideal -- but maybe the first leg being at home may help Barca. Better that than travelling after such an intense game and if they can get a fast start, it could turn the second leg into a contest where Inter have to take more risks than they may usually be comfortable with. Then, Yamal and Raphinha can have their fun on the break. Barcelona advance, 3-1 on aggregate

DAWSON: Resilience and organization count for a lot at this stage of the Champions League, and Inter have plenty of both. Barcelona will begin as favorites because of the attacking brilliance of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Yamal, but Inter's defensive discipline will make it hard to find gaps. If Inter can come away from Spain with any kind of lead from the first leg, they'll back themselves to keep Barcelona's forwards relatively quiet in the second and book their place in the final with a draw. It's going to be tight. Inter Milan advance, 3-2 on aggregate

LAURENS: Can you have more opposing styles and tactics than these two? It's Europe's most attacking front-footed team against its best defensive unit and organized side. What a clash of cultures but, as a football lover, I want to believe that the attacking team will prevail over the defensive one. We saw Barcelona suffer in Dortmund in the quarterfinal second leg; we saw Inter rattled by Bayern too. Both are fragile, but the key to this game is all about attack vs. defense. Barcelona advance, 3-2 on aggregate

KIRKLAND: Quite right Juls, you couldn't pick two more contrasting teams, and that should make this tie a lot of fun. Barcelona have been so good to watch this season, scoring goals almost at will, but Inter will be the ultimate test. Tuesday's 3-1 defeat at Dortmund was a useful wake-up call, too. Sam's right, the timing after the Copa del Rey final isn't great, but imagine Barça thrash Madrid -- again -- in that game, and then go into the Inter tie full of confidence. Of course Yamal and Raphinha will be important, but the player who makes this Barça team tick is Pedri, and if he's on form -- as he has been all season -- Barça can dominate midfield and create enough chances for the front three to finish off. Barcelona advance, 3-2 on aggregate.

In an effort to curtail players faking injuries, a concern that has permeated throughout college football for years, the NCAA announced Thursday that its Playing Rules Oversight Panel has approved changes to the injury timeout rules starting this fall.

Under the new rule approved Wednesday, if medical personnel enter the field to evaluate an injured player after the ball is spotted by the officiating crew for the next play, that player's team will be charged a timeout. If the team doesn't have any timeouts remaining, a 5-yard delay-of-game penalty will be assessed.

The proposal to adjust the injury timeout rule resulted from teams faking injuries to stop their opponents' momentum or avoid using an allotted timeout.

Prior to the 2021 season, the NCAA decided to allow schools or conferences to request that Steve Shaw, the NCAA secretary-rules editor/national coordinator of officials, conduct a postgame video review regarding questionable actions involving injuries.

If Shaw determined that a player had faked an injury to manipulate the rules, the offending team's conference was notified, and any possible disciplinary action could be made by the conference office.

The rule change for next season will provide an in-game way to curtail the faking of injuries because "Football Rules Committee members think these actions negatively affect the overall perception of the game," according to the NCAA's release.

Shaw told ESPN he will continue to review film if asked, but his role is not to determine if a player was actually hurt -- it's to decipher if a team took advantage of an injury timeout to gain an "unmerited advantage." Shaw said on average, he was asked to review just over one per week.

The rules committee put together a nine-minute video of moments that could have been construed as feigning injuries from last season, and Shaw said the video illustrates "an integrity issue in our game that needs to be addressed."

"When you watch that video, action is required," Shaw said. "Sometimes players may do it on their own because it feels accepted, and that's what we want to stop. I'm not sure there is a perfect solution, but I think this is a good first step. This will have impact to those that are very obvious and are late and looking to the sideline and going down. Coaches do not want to risk a timeout under any circumstances. Those are very valuable commodities in the game."

If it doesn't have impact, Shaw said, there will probably be another step, but "it's a good starting point and hopefully this will clean it up."

The panel on Wednesday also approved a rule change regarding overtime timeouts. If a game reaches a third overtime, each team will have one timeout beginning with the third overtime until somebody wins. Previously, each team had one timeout for each overtime period.

At the start of the third overtime, teams alternate running two-point plays until there's a winner. The intent is to keep the action moving once a game reaches the third overtime.

The panel also approved some other tweaks:

Referees will only say a call on the field is "upheld" or "overturned." The terms "confirmed" and "stands" will no longer be used on instant replay decisions.

No offensive player can be in the direct line of the snap to the potential kicker or within the frame of the snapper on punts for the formation to qualify as a scrimmage kick formation. If a team is not in scrimmage kick formation, it must have five players numbered 50 through 79 on the line of scrimmage. Additionally, if the snapper is on the end of the line by formation, the snapper will lose scrimmage kick protection, and the opposition can line a player over the snapper.

If any player on a kickoff return team makes a "T" signal with his arms during the kick, the team gives up the right to return the kick, and the play will be whistled dead.

Enhanced rules regarding simulating action at the snap and words or signals that distract opponents when they are preparing to put the ball in play will also be effective next season. No player can call defensive signals that simulate the sound or cadence of the offensive signals. The defensive terms "move" and "stem" would be reserved for players on that side of the ball and could not be used by the offense.

After the two-minute timeout in either half, if the defense commits a foul with 12 or more players on the field and all the players participate in the play, the officials will administer a 5-yard penalty. The offensive team would have the option to reset the game clock back to the time at the start of the play. If the 12th player is attempting to leave the field and has no influence on the play, the defensive team will be penalized 5 yards with no adjustment to the game clock.

Coach-to-player communication, similar to technology implemented for the FBS last year, will be allowed for teams that compete in the FCS.

Lee Corso will retire from ESPN's "College GameDay" in August, ending a career with the show that began in 1987.

"My family and I will be forever indebted for the opportunity to be part of ESPN and College GameDay for nearly 40 years," Corso said in a statement released by ESPN. "I have a treasure of many friends, fond memories and some unusual experiences to take with me into retirement."

Corso, who turns 90 on Aug. 7, is widely known for his headgear picks and "not so fast, my friend" retort when he disagreed with someone on the panel.

The headgear segment, which started in October 1995 in a game at Ohio State, has seen Corso go 286-144 in his 430 selections. In addition to wearing helmets, mascot heads and other hats, he has dressed up as the Fighting Irish leprechaun from Notre Dame, the Stanford tree and historic figures James Madison and Benjamin Franklin. His affection for the Oregon Duck led to a ride on a motorcycle with the mascot. He once held a live baby alligator in his hands while picking Florida to win and took on pop star Katy Perry in picks from The Grove at the University of Mississippi.

Corso held a No. 2 pencil for most segments; in the offseason, Corso was the director of business development for Dixon Ticonderoga, which makes the famous yellow pencils.

"Lee Corso has developed a special connection to generations of fans through his entertaining style and iconic headgear picks," ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said. "Lee is one of the most influential and beloved figures in the history of college football and our ESPN team will celebrate his legendary career during his final College GameDay appearance this August."

Corso's final broadcast will be Aug. 30, ESPN announced, saying additional programming to celebrate Corso is planned in the days leading up to that weekend.

Corso suffered a stroke in 2009, which left him unable to speak for a time, but he returned to the show later that year. His travel has been limited in recent years, but Corso was at the site of last year's national title game in Atlanta.

"ESPN has been exceptionally generous to me, especially these past few years," Corso said. "They accommodated me and supported me, as did my colleagues in the early days of College GameDay. Special thanks to Kirk Herbstreit for his friendship and encouragement. And lest I forget, the fans ... truly a blessing to share this with them. ESPN gave me this wonderful opportunity and provided me the support to ensure success. I am genuinely grateful."

Herbstreit and Corso have been part of the show together since 1996.

"Coach Corso has had an iconic run in broadcasting, and we're all lucky to have been around to witness it," Herbstreit said in a statement. "He has taught me so much throughout our time together, and he's been like a second father to me. It has been my absolute honor to have the best seat in the house to watch Coach put on that mascot head each week."

"College GameDay" has won nine Emmys during Corso's tenure with the program. The show is nominated this year for Most Outstanding Studio Show - Weekly.

"Lee is the quintessential entertainer, but he was also a remarkable coach who established lifelong connections with his players," said Rece Davis, host of "College GameDay" since 2015. "When GameDay went to Indiana last season, the love and emotion that poured out from his players was truly moving. It was also unsurprising. Every week, Lee asks about our families. He asks for specifics. He celebrates success and moments, big and small, with all of us on the set. He's relentless in his encouragement. That's what a great coach, and friend, does. Lee has made it his life's work to bring joy to others on the field and on television. He succeeded."

"Lee has been an indelible force in the growth of college football's popularity," said Chris Fowler, who hosted "GameDay" for 25 years. "He's a born entertainer and singular television talent. But at his heart he'll always be a coach, with an abiding love and respect for the game and the people who play it."

Corso spent 28 years as a college and pro football coach, including 15 years as a collegiate head coach at Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois. He played college football at Florida State, where he was known as the "Sunshine Scooter." He held the school record for career interceptions for two decades after he graduated and also played quarterback for the Seminoles.

Three weeks into the new MLB season, there's a new No. 1 on our list.

After being a unanimous choice atop our preseason rankings, the Los Angeles Dodgers have fallen from the top spot thanks to a recent rough patch (by their standards) combined with the strong performances of other National League powerhouses.

Was it the New York Mets, San Diego Padres or San Francisco Giants who replaced the defending champions atop our Week 3 Power Rankings? Which other teams off to surprising starts surged up our list? And who took the biggest April tumbles?

Our expert panel has combined to rank every team based on a combination of what we've seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts Jorge Castillo, Buster Olney and Jesse Rogers to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.

Week 2 | Week 1 | Preseason rankings

1. San Diego Padres

Record: 15-4
Previous ranking: 3

San Diego finally lost at home this week, but the Padres' advantage at Petco Park shouldn't be overlooked. It's become a more raucous environment than ever, a destination for fans who want to see a pitching staff that so far has compiled the lowest home ERA in the game and a lineup that ranks eighth in home OPS. Fernando Tatis Jr., in particular, must like the sight lines there this year; he has an OPS over 1.100 at Petco Park. San Diego has established a home environment all smaller market teams should strive for, and the Padres are winning plenty to keep fans coming back for more. -- Rogers

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

Record: 14-6
Previous ranking: 1

How much fun is Tommy Edman? Through Tuesday's games, he is tied for the major league lead with six home runs. Yes, even if it's for a moment in time, Edman has one more long ball than his teammate Shohei Ohtani, all while playing solid defense, both at second base and center field. Edman led the Dodgers last week with an OPS over .900 while Ohtani was experiencing a mini slump, especially during a weekend series loss to the Cubs. Edman remained hot with a four-hit performance against Colorado on Tuesday. He has yet to go hitless in consecutive games this season. -- Rogers

3. New York Mets

Record: 11-7
Previous ranking: 4

Juan Soto was right: Pete Alonso isn't Aaron Judge, the best hitter in the world and the American League MVP in two of the past three campaigns. But Alonso has been doing his best impression. The first baseman is slashing .356/.466/.729 with five home runs, 20 RBIs and 11 walks to 10 strikeouts hitting behind Soto through Tuesday. Alonso's 1.195 OPS and 242 OPS+ lead the National League. His hard-hit rate is in the 100th percentile. His average exit velocity and barrel rate sit in the 99th percentile. He already has posted more than half of his fWAR total from last season (1.3 to 2.1). Opponents have mostly opted to pitch around Soto and attack Alonso, but that changed in Minnesota this week when Soto clubbed home runs on consecutive days. It makes for a dangerous recipe. -- Castillo

4. San Francisco Giants

Record: 13-5
Previous ranking: 8

The Giants are rolling, thanks in part to outfielder Jung Hoo Lee. He seems to be coming into his own during his second season in San Francisco, highlighted by a two-homer performance in New York over the weekend. He leads the league in doubles (10) while slugging .647. One thing he is doing particularly well is not letting mistake pitches get by him; instead, he is doing max damage on those pitches, hence all the slug. He already has more than double the number of extra-base hits this season in less than half the at-bats he had all of last year. -- Rogers

5. Philadelphia Phillies

Record: 10-8
Previous ranking: 2

Alec Bohm notched four hits and a walk in the Phillies' first two games this season. In 15 games since, the third baseman has gone 8-for-64 with one extra-base hit (a double) and zero walks, an icy stretch that dropped him to eighth in the batting order against the Giants this week. Bohm enjoyed a breakout first half last season, which resulted in his first All-Star nod. But he stumbled down the stretch, culminating in getting benched in the NLDS against the Mets and rampant trade rumors over the offseason. Bohm is batting .228 with four home runs and a .599 OPS in 65 games since the start of last season's second half. Continued struggles could result in less playing time with Edmundo Sosa pushing for more starts. -- Castillo

6. Chicago Cubs

Record: 12-9
Previous ranking: 6

Losing pitcher Justin Steele to a season-ending elbow injury is a tough early blow. The Cubs do have some pitching depth, but no one as reliable as Steele is. Replacements for the role include veteran right-hander Colin Rea -- he threw 3 shutout innings against the Dodgers on Sunday -- and young left-hander Jordan Wicks.

Highly touted pitching prospect Cade Horton could also find his way to the majors in the coming month and Chicago's front office will hit the phone lines as well, calling on potential trade targets like Marlins star Sandy Alcantara. For now, though, expect the Cubs to look inward. -- Rogers

7. New York Yankees

Record: 11-7
Previous ranking: 5

The Yankees' starting rotation, a projected strength entering spring training, has been a weakness after injuries to Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt gutted the group. The rotation's 4.98 ERA through Tuesday was the third-worst mark in the majors. Max Fried has pitched as advertised, posting a 1.88 ERA in his four starts, but Will Warren's 5.14 ERA ranks second. Schmidt's return from a shoulder injury this week should bolster the rotation, but the Yankees need Carlos Rodon (5.48 ERA, 12 walks in 23 innings across four starts) to be better in the third year of his six-year, $162 million contract. -- Castillo

8. Arizona Diamondbacks

Record: 11-7
Previous ranking: 10

Offense, offense, offense. Arizona is becoming known for a relentless attack. After leading the majors in run scoring last season, the Diamondbacks are off to a hot start again, just behind the Cubs as the second-most prolific team in the NL. Outfielder Corbin Carroll is back to the elite form he displayed when he was named Rookie of the Year in 2023. And he has carried over a hot finish to 2024, hitting a league-leading six home runs, including a grand slam in Miami on Tuesday. Carroll's output has helped mitigate the loss of second baseman Ketel Marte, who should be back soon. There's no reason not to believe the D-backs' offense will continue to lead them all year. -- Rogers

9. Detroit Tigers

Record: 10-8
Previous ranking: 12

Kerry Carpenter clubbed 18 homers in 264 at-bats last season, and then hit a memorable three-run homer against Emmanuel Clase in the postseason. Opposing managers have been saving left-handed relievers to face him, but here is some bad news for the opposition -- the left-handed slugger's production is climbing against lefties, too. He's got two homers off lefties this season, which is one more than he had all of 2024. -- Olney

10. Texas Rangers

Record: 11-7
Previous ranking: 7

If all you looked at were the offensive numbers, the Rangers' record would make zero sense. Three key guys -- Marcus Semien, Joc Pederson and Jake Burger -- all carry on-base percentages of .220 or lower, and the deep lineup of mashers really hasn't come together yet. But the starting pitching has been really good, with Texas' rotation ERA of 3.45 ranked seventh in the majors.

Bruce Bochy noted in a text the progression of the pitching -- Jacob deGrom still refining his command, Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle have thrown well, and the hope is that Jack Leiter -- "really impressive," Bochy wrote -- is past his blister issue and will rejoin the rotation. -- Olney

11. Cleveland Guardians

Record: 9-8
Previous ranking: 22

It's too soon to know whether Emmanuel Clase's brutal start is temporary, but the struggle is real right now. He has already allowed more earned runs (6) than he did for the entire 2024 regular season, and he surrendered 15 hits in eight innings. As he dominated hitters last year, Clase pitched with precision, but so far this year, his raw stuff seems flat and he's just leaving a lot over the middle of the zone. Interestingly, his first-pitch strike rate is a career-high 75.7%, and it's fair to wonder if he's throwing too many strikes. -- Olney

12. Tampa Bay Rays

Record: 8-10
Previous ranking: 16

Junior Caminero homered in three straight games and compiled three hits in another over the past week. But lesser-known Jonathan Aranda has been the Rays' best hitter -- and the best hitter against right-handed pitching across the sport. The 26-year-old first baseman entered Wednesday leading the majors in batting average (.413), slugging (.761), and OPS (1.242) facing almost exclusively right-handers in 15 games. And the underlying numbers suggest the production isn't a fluke: He ranks in the 96th percentile or better across the majors in barrel rate, hard-hit rate and average exit velocity among other categories. Aranda is 0-for-4 with two walks in seven plate appearances against left-handed pitchers so he's likely to remain a platoon player for now, but he is capitalizing on his chances against righties after an injury-plagued 2024 season postponed his breakout. -- Castillo

13. Toronto Blue Jays

Record: 11-8
Previous ranking: 17

For a team with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santander, the Blue Jays have not hit the ball over the wall very often. Toronto's 11 home runs through Tuesday were tied for the second-lowest total in baseball. Toronto's 12 home runs through Wednesday are tied for the third-lowest total in baseball. Guerrero didn't hit his first homer until Toronto's 19th game Wednesday when he crushed a hanging slider from Spencer Strider. Bo Bichette is still looking for his first long ball.

Andres Giménez, who hit nine home runs last season in Cleveland, leads the club with three. Santander, who clubbed 44 home runs for the Orioles in 2024, went 15 games before homering as a Blue Jay. And yet Toronto is over .500 -- a great sign for a club looking to rebound from last season's last-place finish. -- Castillo

14. Boston Red Sox

Record: 10-10
Previous ranking: 9

Boston's lineup is as deep as any in baseball on paper, but it has been a boom-or-bust unit so far. On Tuesday, for example, Alex Bregman went 5-for-5 with a double and two home runs in a 7-4 win over the Rays. Before that, the Red Sox were held to four or fewer runs in eight straight games after an 18-run explosion against the Cardinals on April 6. Boston has scored one run in five games and been limited to three or fewer runs in 11 games through Tuesday. It's why they emerged from Tuesday's win one game below .500. -- Castillo

15. Seattle Mariners

Record: 9-9
Previous ranking: 19

Julio Rodriguez isn't on top of any American League leaderboard, but within the context of league-wide pitching dominance, he's actually doing more at the plate early this season than he has in the past. His wRC+ is 113 and his patience at the plate has been striking: He already has drawn 11 bases on balls, with a walk rate that doubles that of last season. "He's been as aggressive as he's always been, especially early in the count," said Jerry Dipoto, the Mariners' head of baseball operations. "But the biggest difference to me is that he gets himself dialed back in." -- Olney

16. Kansas City Royals

Record: 8-11
Previous ranking: 14

The Kansas City offense has a collective slash line of .206/.274/.308, but at the very least, Bobby Witt Jr. is hitting. He's 10-for-20 over his past six games, with three walks and four strikeouts. The lack of production from the outfielders continues to be an issue: The Royals' outfielders entered Wednesday with an wRC+ of 48, which seems impossibly low. They had two homers in 187 plate appearances. In a related note, star prospect Jac Caglianone has a .290/.356/.579 slash line in Double-A, with all of his starts at first base. -- Olney

17. Cincinnati Reds

Record: 9-9
Previous ranking: 20

The Reds finally pushed past the .500 mark earlier this week behind the strength of a pitching staff that dominated during a four-game win streak, surrendering just 16 hits in 36 innings. They allowed just nine runs (2.25 ERA) over that time frame with a minuscule 0.81 WHIP. Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott shined in the rotation while the bullpen, led by righty Emilio Pagan, was stellar. -- Rogers

18. Atlanta Braves

Record: 5-13
Previous ranking: 15

Not much has gone right for the Braves so far in 2025, but Spencer Strider's season debut against the Blue Jays on Wednesday qualifies as a resounding positive. Besides giving up an RBI single and a solo home run to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the right-hander held the Blue Jays in check over five-plus innings in his first major league start in more than a year. Strider finished with 10 strikeouts, including a vintage three-pitch strikeout of Bo Bichette to begin the outing, and became the fastest starting pitcher to 500 career strikeouts. He walked two, limited Toronto to three hits and threw 97 pitches. Most importantly, he looked uninhibited. -- Castillo

19. Milwaukee Brewers

Record: 10-9
Previous ranking: 18

Are the Brewers this year's Jekyll and Hyde? They're all over the place, giving up seven or more runs in a third of their games while also compiling four shutouts, second most in baseball. Their latest shutout came thanks to recent pickup Quinn Priester. Milwaukee acquired him from the Red Sox a week into the season -- usually marking an inventory/depth addition -- but Priester could end up being the move of the year. He has given up just one earned run in two starts: a solid performance at hitter-friendly Coors Field last week followed by five shutout innings against the Tigers on Tuesday. Milwaukee is looking for some consistency on the mound. Could Priester provide it? -- Rogers

20. Baltimore Orioles

Record: 7-10
Previous ranking: 11

Orioles general manager Mike Elias met with reporters Tuesday and maintained he believes his club is a playoff team. Baltimore then lost to the Guardians to fall to 6-10. The Orioles' offense, rightly heralded for its premier young talent, has been inconsistent, but that should improve. The bigger problem is the starting pitching. The Orioles' rotation ranks last in the majors in ERA. Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez and Albert Suarez, all projected starters during spring training, are on the injured list while Kyle Bradish isn't expected to return from Tommy John surgery until the second half. Starting pitching was the concern entering the season after Baltimore failed to replace Corbin Burnes with another front-line starter. And it has so far played out as expected. -- Castillo

21. Houston Astros

Record: 8-10
Previous ranking: 13

Jim Crane's instinct will be to hold his team together and push to make the playoffs for the ninth season in a row, and for the 10th time in the last 11 years. But without Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman, the challenges are greater. Yordan Alvarez is off to a slow start, and the AL West is more competitive than it was a season ago.

If the Astros do drift from contention, there will be teams calling on Framber Valdez, who will be eligible for free agency in the fall. The Tucker trade seemed to signal a greater willingness to identify deals that will help to turn over the roster and build around the likes of Hunter Brown, Yainer Diaz and Cam Smith. -- Olney

22. Los Angeles Angels

Record: 9-8
Previous ranking: 21

The Angels are the AL's biggest surprise so far, and given their struggles of last season, you could understand why rival executives aren't buying in yet. But there are ways in which the team is clearly distinguishing itself from the '24 edition, and of course, that starts with the right fielder.

"Mike Trout is still Mike Trout and as long as we have his presence, we have a chance," manager Ron Washington wrote in a text.

Washington also noted that the youngest Angels are benefitting from the experience of last year - Nolan Schanuel has an .856 OPS, Kyren Paris is impressing and Logan O'Hoppe has an early-season OPS near 1.000. -- Olney

23. St. Louis Cardinals

Record: 9-9
Previous ranking: 23

Even with Ivan Herrera missing time with a knee injury, Cardinals catchers still lead the league with six home runs and a lofty .329 batting average through Tuesday. Backups Pedro Pages and Yohel Pozo have held their own in Herrera's absence. Pozo made headlines after coming up from Triple-A as he collected five hits -- including two doubles and a home run -- in his first three games. The longtime minor leaguer had not seen time in the majors since 2021 when he played in 21 games for the Texas Rangers. Over 1,000 minor league games later, he's been an unexpected surprise in St. Louis. -- Rogers

24. Minnesota Twins

Record: 7-12
Previous ranking: 24

What is happening in Minnesota is the worst-case scenario -- a slow start for a team that did very little to improve over the winter after failing to make the playoffs last season. Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton are both batting under .200, at a time when Royce Lewis is on the injured list, and Bailey Ober and Chris Paddack have allowed 26 earned runs in 29 1/3 innings. The weather is always an early-season X factor for the Twins, but hey, a lot of teams have had to play in brutal conditions in the first weeks, and only two AL teams have a worse run differential so far. -- Olney

25. Miami Marlins

Record: 8-9
Previous ranking: 28

Who had the rebuilding Marlins playing .500 ball through 16 games this season? The team's relative success probably won't last much longer, but Miami has held its own through 10% of the regular season.

First baseman Matt Mervis is fueling the offense with five home runs and a 1.009 OPS through Tuesday. Shortstop Xavier Edwards, coming off an impressive 70-game sample last season, is batting over .300 again. Right-hander Max Meyer was impressive in his first three starts, holding opponents to four earned runs across 18 innings.

Chances are the Marlins will sink back down to the basement of the loaded NL East, but this start constitutes a step in the right direction. -- Castillo

26. Athletics

Record: 8-10
Previous ranking: 25

The early returns on the ballpark in Sacramento are that it's like Coors Field California. The A's have the worst home-field ERA, at 5.89, and the 1.56 home runs allowed per game is the fourth-worst ratio in the big leagues. Or maybe those numbers are rooted in a small-sample size of rough pitching performances. -- Olney

27. Washington Nationals

Record: 7-11
Previous ranking: 26

How bad has the Nationals' bullpen been this season? Bad enough for manager Dave Martinez to summon his relievers to his office for a meeting before Tuesday's game against the Pirates. Two Nationals relievers then combined to toss two scoreless innings in a 3-0 win, which qualifies as significant progress for a group that ranks last in the majors in ERA (7.21) and WHIP (1.89). -- Castillo

28. Pittsburgh Pirates

Record: 7-12
Previous ranking: 27

Stop us if you're heard this one before: The Pirates are having trouble scoring runs. It's a rinse-and-repeat scenario for the Buccos, who hit just .185 as a team last week (which, incredibly, was not the lowest batting average in MLB). That was low enough to help produce a 2-5 record for Pittsburgh, which sits in last place in the NL Central. The Pirates' overall team OPS ranks last in the NL and 29th in baseball, and that puts a tremendous strain on their young pitching staff. -- Rogers

29. Chicago White Sox

Record: 4-13
Previous ranking: 30

Andrew Vaughn has generated some ugly numbers so far this season, with a .131 batting average and two home runs in his first 61 at-bats. But the White Sox feel like he's actually swung the bat better than those numbers indicate -- Vaughn is hitting just .132 on balls in play, and he is 54th among 132 hitters in adjusted exit velocity. Whether Vaughn's early production has been nicked by bad weather, or bad luck, the White Sox anticipate better days ahead for the first baseman. -- Olney

30. Colorado Rockies

Record: 3-15
Previous ranking: 29

Let's try to find one positive thing about the Rockies, who went 1-7 over the course of the week, from last Tuesday to this one. Here it is: In their lone win -- a 7-2 victory over Milwaukee last Thursday -- outfielder Brenton Doyle went 4-for-5 with five runs driven in while scoring twice. Doyle, just 26, has an OPS over .900 (through Tuesday) that includes three home runs and a batting average over .300. See? It can be done. It just takes some looking to find the good in Colorado. A younger group of players might provide more positives this summer, but it won't show up in the standings any time soon. -- Rogers

WHEN THE LOS ANGELES Dodgers arrived at spring training, the big-spending, star-studded defending champions were the talk of the sport. But while the rest of baseball was discussing L.A.'s chances of a repeat, there was a more pressing topic at Camelback Ranch: pickleball.

Spurred on by manager Dave Roberts for weeks, a fierce one-on-one battle between assistant general manager Jeff Kingston and Triple-A manager Scott Hennessey was finally scheduled.

"It's the most-hotly-talked-about topic in my seven years with the Dodgers," pitching coach Mark Prior said.

Though perhaps without as much hype as the Kingston-Hennessey showdown, pickleball games have become the norm throughout baseball. The fast-growing sport is replacing basketball and even golf as the preferred off-day activity among front office members, coaches, umpires -- and some players.

As pickleball has gained popularity in recent years, courts have sprung up throughout the country, giving those working in baseball convenient places to exercise and exert their competitive spirit no matter what city they are in. But some of the most heated matches take place before teams hit the road for the rigors of the regular season -- with some even building courts at their spring training facilities throughout Arizona and Florida.

The Kingston vs. Hennessey clash, however, attracted so much attention that it was held off-site to accommodate all the onlookers. A large group of Dodgers personnel made the four-mile trek from the team's spring training complex to Chicken N Pickle, a popular local eatery with courts. Some in attendance estimated 80 to 100 members of the organization were present that March day, including Roberts, Blake Snell, Mookie Betts, Miguel Rojas and other players.

"Hennessey is a self-proclaimed great pickleball player," Roberts told ESPN. "When somebody is a self-advocate of themselves, I like to see it play out in competition. Word on the street was Jeff Kingston was a great pickleball player also.

"We had odds and a betting line."

Some Dodgers players were looking for an edge as they walked into the event, asking: "Can we watch them warmup before we bet?"

Hennessey was so confident that he spotted Kingston five points. Matches are played up to 11, so the idea was to level the playing field for the Dodgers executive against the former minor league outfielder turned manager.

Roberts bought into Hennessey's bravado, putting his money down on the favored Triple-A manager while president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman took the other side, betting on his underdog assistant GM.

At ESPN today, the story behind these vids, featuring the intros and final point of a fierce pickleball match between Dodgers exec Jeff Kingston and Triple-A manager Scott Hennessey. Dave Roberts bows down to the winner! pic.twitter.com/x9YjiOvA1L

Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) April 17, 2025

"Stone-cold s--- talker to the point where everyone assumed he was good if he's this confident," Kingston said of Hennessy in a phone interview. "He told Mookie to his face, 'I'll beat you tomorrow for $10K.'"

Then the unthinkable happened: Kingston won.

"The whole place is going crazy," Kingston recalled with a laugh. "Henny was speechless."

Roberts couldn't believe he lost after spending weeks hyping the match.

"He took a lot of crap," the Dodgers manager said. "Henny came in the next day and ate crow."

PICKLEBALL PROVIDED AN opportunity to break up the monotony of the spring for the Dodgers, but for the Texas Rangers it became an essential component of their 2023 march to the organization's first world championship.

The Rangers' support staff is obsessed with the sport, even playing outdoors in 40-degree temperatures in Chicago early this season. The group, led by team physical therapist Regan Wong, has been at it for several years.

"Day 1 or 2 of a series, we'll go find a court to play on," Wong said. "Either on our own or we'll mix with the locals. It's a great way to stay active. There's camaraderie. Teamwork. S--- talking. It gets our juices going."

Wong goes on apps to find courts in cities around the league, hoping they're not taken during the limited window they have before heading to the ballpark. But things got a bit more superstitious in 2023 as Texas was gearing up for a postseason run.

"When we were in a really bad funk, one of our starting pitchers asked us, 'Did you guys play today?'" Wong recalled. "And we actually didn't. He said he thought that when we played pickle on the road, our winning percentage was really good.

"So we quickly went to the calendar and looked at our road series and sure enough, it was like a 90 percent [series] win percentage."

While the Rangers were battling for the AL West crown, the team's support staff was making sure it played pickleball in every road city down the stretch.

"But in this one city we didn't," Wong said. "In Seattle, we tried to go, but the locals ran it over, so we didn't know how to get on the court."

Texas lost three of four games to the Mariners and subsequently lost the division, settling for a wild-card berth. After that, pickleball became a nonnegotiable part of the schedule in October.

"We fly 1,100 miles across to Tampa," Wong said. "Go to a workout. No plans to play because we're trying to get ready for the postseason. That same starting pitcher asks us, 'Did you play in L.A.?' Yes, we did. 'Did you play in Seattle?' We did not. 'Your fault. Where are you playing today?'"

"So we looked at each other and knew we had to play."

Texas swept Tampa Bay then flew to Baltimore, where Wong and the rest of the staff found a place. The Rangers won the series in a three-game sweep and headed to Houston for the American League Championship Series.

"I think it was the Bumpy Pickle in Houston," Wong said. "In fact, the orthopedic doctor of the Astros was on another court with his son."

After a seven-game series win, the Rangers were taking their pickleball superstition all the way to the World Series. Luckily, just outside their hotel rooms at Arizona's lavish Biltmore hotel there were pickleball courts awaiting them at the resort. Rumor has it that the noise from the balls being hit by other enthusiasts -- right outside his window -- even sent Rangers manager Bruce Bochy to the ballpark early one day.

"We had to check the box in each of the road cities," Wong said. "I'm not saying that was the reason we came out on top, but we were a little superstitious."

BECAUSE OF THE spirited nature of the sport, trash talk is a common theme among those who have adapted to pickleball culture. And in the hypercompetitive environment of professional sports, plenty of MLB teams have taken it to a new art.

There is perhaps no better example of that than the Milwaukee Brewers, who have built facilities, created an unofficial org chart title and even brought in outside help to up their games.

"We have two courts outside," general manager Matt Arnold said. "[Infield coach] Matt Erickson is our VP of pickleball operations. We even had a pickleball professional come to camp and give some lessons. We had a couple players interested."

The Brewers are one of several teams that keep regular power rankings to track their pickleball performances. Sources allowed ESPN to view Milwaukee's latest rankings, which list VP of pickleball operations Erickson at No. 1. Arnold is right behind him on the chart, which included a scouting report breaking down the 46-year-old GM's game: "High-level of paddle skill to both sides, savvy, psychological advantage over opponents, high motor, high intent, Larry Bird-type competitor."

The whole ranking might be a bit biased though -- Arnold is ahead of third-base coach Jason Layne, who sources familiar with their abilities claim is clearly better than his boss.

"It's a little like the stock ticker," Arnold said of his controversial place. "Up and down. I'm Bronny James. I'm really good in the G League but not so much in the show."

At least his ranking is higher than special assistant Matt Klentak's, whose scouting report simply says "tries hard" next to his name.

The Boston Red Sox, on the other hand, prefer tournament-style pickleball competitions to power rankings during their road trips. When pitching coach Andrew Bailey is finished poring over hitting reports for an upcoming series, he pulls out his phone to find a pickleball court then opens his laptop to create March Madness-style tournaments.

"I made it all on my computer," he said. "The Baltimore City final. The Toronto World Cup. Day 2 of a series is a little more relaxed. Whoever won last is the No.1 seed for the next game."

Manager Alex Cora was an occasional participant in Boston's games before recently announcing his retirement from competition.

"I got hurt," he said. "I'm done."

The San Diego Padres take a combined approach to satisfy their pickleball needs, using power rankings and team tournaments to determine who is the best. The competition was heated between front office members and coaching staff vying to be crowned champion -- before they had to take a hiatus because it got a little too heated.

"A spirited final and well-attended," manager Mike Schildt said. "A fair amount of trash-talking. It's a bunch of alphas going after it.

"I'm not going to lie to you. It got so competitive, we had to take a break."

After being part of those battles during his time with the Padres, Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty has brought that mentality to Chicago over the past two years.

"You have golf and all these other things, but pickleball on the road, an hour a day, it's intense," Flaherty said. "On the road we'll find a place. Sometimes we pay, sometimes they comp it."

When the A's moved from Oakland to Sacramento this season, their to-do list was packed with things to get ready for temporary life in a new city. One unexpected item: finding a local pickleball court. General manager David Forst is still scouting for new places to play to keep his weekly game going, even though the GM knows he is at a disadvantage lining up against two former major leaguers when they do take the court.

"[Assistant GM] Dan Feinstein and I have gotten into a game with [first-base coach] Bobby Crosby and [manager] Mark Kotsay," Forst said. "They have 25 years of major league service on their side of the nets. And we have nothing."

The norm across the sport is competition between members of the same organization, but some of MLB's top front office decision-makers do play against each other and couldn't wait to get their (mostly) playful shots in at fellow pickleball playing execs from other clubs. When asked who was the better player between Friedman or Arnold, White Sox general manager Chris Getz quipped, "I'm going with Friedman because he's just a little closer to the ground."

Even though Friedman is currently on the pickleball injured list, he chimed in with his own bold proclamation that he could still beat Arnold, his former Tampa Bay Rays colleague, while recovering from a torn meniscus.

"It takes four to five days to put Humpty Dumpty back together again," Friedman said. "I can still take Arnold, though."

JUST MOMENTS AFTER the New York Mets were eliminated from the postseason in October, designated hitter J.D. Martinez was asked what his immediate plans were.

"Pickleball," he said.

Martinez hasn't stopped playing, signing up with equipment company JOOLA as he potentially transitions to a life of pickleball instead of baseball.

"I see pickleball as a sport I'll be involved in for the long run," he said as part of a statement when he joined the company.

But as the sport has taken front offices and coaching staffs by storm, most players have been a little slower to get on board the pickleball train. Martinez and the Dodgers' Betts are two players who pick up a paddle on a regular basis. Or at least Betts used to.

"I'm done," he told ESPN. "I don't play anymore. I got hooked on golf again. ... I'm playing shortstop now. I don't have time to be doing all that running and stuff."

In fact, a few discussions with his boss might have convinced him to switch hobbies.

"We had many a conversation about it last spring," Friedman said. "I don't think it's a great thing for the Dodgers' ultimate success for a lot of guys to be playing pickleball."

The injury factor is a concern for some players during the season as sprains and strains -- along with the occasional fracture -- are commonplace. Still, some teams, including the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cubs, have put up nets at spring training to let their players have fun while using the movements to improve baseball skills. Philadelphia broke out a modified version to help the team's defensive performance during the spring of 2024, and Nick Castellanos was among those who became a fan of pickleball in the process.

The reaction among players who have tried it is pretty mixed.

"It's one of the more fun sports to play," Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene said. "Tork [Spencer Torkelson] and I have played. Tork is pretty good. I bet someone like Bobby Witt would be great."

A quick survey inside the Cincinnati Reds clubhouse resulted in varying degrees of interest.

"It's an older crowd, so not much risk of getting hurt," reliever Scott Barlow said. "I like it. It's only growing."

Another reliever, Brent Suter, added: "Maybe after my career. I bet Elly [De La Cruz] would be good."

Infielder Jeimer Candelario was asked if he's picked up a pickleball paddle.

"What's pickleball?" he responded.

So while you might not see your favorite MLB player taking the courts at a local park during their team's next road trip, you could see the men calling balls and strikes -- if you know where to look. Umpires have also embraced pickleball while on the road as much as anyone in the sport.

"Getting on a treadmill every day sucks," umpire Vic Carapazza said. "Playing pickle for two hours feels like 30 minutes. And you're having fun. Yeah, I've been to Central Park. I don't announce I'm an umpire, of course."

Carapazza sometimes plays with fellow umpire Chad Fairbanks, who loves it even more now that he got his son into it.

"At first he's like, 'Dad, I'm not playing pickleball, this is dumb,'" Fairbanks said. "He sees a bunch of middle-aged people playing.

"Now he's addicted."

Fairbanks' assessment of his son's interest sums up much of the feeling throughout MLB. Not everyone plays pickleball -- but those who do are obsessed with it.

"We'll play anytime in any city," Wong said. "It's so much fun."

Serena Williams says she would have been banned for 20 years and had some of her Grand Slam titles taken away if she had committed the same anti-doping offence as men's world number one Jannik Sinner.

Italy's Sinner, 23, is serving a three-month doping ban after reaching a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) over two positive drugs tests last year.

Former world number one Williams, winner of 23 Grand Slam titles, claimed in 2018 that she was a victim of "discrimination" over the volume of drug tests she was required to carry out.

An article published by website Deadspin in 2018 revealed that Williams had been tested out of competition by the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) on five occasions by June that year - more than twice as many times as other top American players.

"I love the guy, I love his game. He's great for the sport. I've been put down so much, I don't want to bring anyone down. Men's tennis needs him," the retired Williams said of Sinner in an interview with Time, external.

"[But] if I did that, I would have gotten 20 years. Let's be honest. I would have gotten Grand Slams taken away from me."

Sinner, who won the Australian Open in January, accepted an immediate three-month ban in February after he twice tested positive for the banned substance clostebol in March 2024.

Wada had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) seeking a ban of up to two years after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) cleared Sinner of any fault or negligence last year.

Williams, 43, joked that a similar case during her own career would have put her "in jail", adding: "You would have heard about it in another multiverse."