Bobby Jenks, a two-time All-Star closer and World Series champion with the Chicago White Sox, is being treated for stomach cancer.

Jenks shared his condition from a Portugal hospital bed in an interview with MLB.com on Saturday, and the White Sox later sent their best wishes via social media.

"We stand with you, Bobby Jenks," the team wrote in an Instagram post.

The 43-year-old Jenks said he was planning to recover well enough to return for a second season as manager of the minor league Windy City Thunderbolts in Crestwood, Illinois.

"Now it's time to do what I got to do to get myself better and get myself more time, however you want to look at it," Jenks told MLB.com. "I'll tell you one thing: I'm not going to die here in Portugal."

Jenks helped the White Sox win the 2005 World Series, saving four games in six appearances during the postseason run. He was an All-Star in each of the next two seasons while saving 81 games overall in 2006 and 2007. Over the next three seasons, he averaged more than 28 saves.

He retired 41 consecutive batters in 2007, matching a record for a reliever.

Jenks saved 173 games for the White Sox over six seasons before finishing his career with 19 appearances in 2011 with the Boston Red Sox.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman said he is "perfectly on track" for the team's season opener despite offseason ankle surgery. Freeman ran at 80 percent of his body weight on a microgravity treadmill during the Dodgers' first full-squad workout Saturday and also took some swings in a live batting practice session, even though he wasn't supposed to.

"I couldn't help myself," Freeman said with a smile.

Freeman spent most of October playing through significant pain in his right ankle. But most of it subsided by the World Series, which made him believe rest and physical therapy would heal it without medical intervention. But the swelling persisted through Thanksgiving, prompting an MRI that determined surgery was required.

Previously torn ligaments healed enough that they didn't need to be repaired, but Dr. Kenneth Jung had to shave bone spurs and remove a part of Freeman's cartilage that had floated to the area of his Achilles tendon. Eight weeks after the procedure, near the end of January, Freeman began to hit. The Dodgers' 35-year-old first baseman has been hitting every day since arriving at Camelback Ranch on Monday. He hopes to run at full strength by the middle of next week and play in Cactus League games, at least as a designated hitter, by the end of February.

Freeman typically likes to have around 50 plate appearances before feeling ready for a season. His later start -- and the Dodgers beginning their season in Japan on March 18, more than a week earlier than 28 other teams -- could make it difficult to reach that number, but Freeman can get additional at-bats in the backfields of the team's complex.

Freeman also played through issues on his right side after breaking the costal cartilage in his sixth rib on the eve of the playoffs, an injury that typically sidelines players for months. But that ailment also began to feel better by the World Series and did not require additional maintenance over the winter, he said. The jammed middle finger that gave him problems during the stretch run of the regular season has also fully healed.

Freeman's improved health was obvious at the start of the final round of last year's postseason. He delivered a walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the World Series, then homered in each of the next three contests, helping the Dodgers clinch their first full-season championship since 1988 and providing a storybook ending to a tumultuous season that included one of his young sons overcoming Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Freeman has been constantly hearing about his iconic home run, most notably through fans tattooing the image onto their bodies. Near Christmas, he and his oldest son, Charlie, went down what he called a "rabbit hole" on YouTube to relive the moment. In the process, Charlie learned about Kirk Gibson, who pulled off a similar feat 36 years earlier.

But Freeman is ready to move on now.

More specifically, he's focused on his yearly goal of playing every game, regardless of all that ailed him last season.

"The goal is 162," he said. "Hopefully, it's 161 because I always take the game off after we win the division."

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Dozens of photographers, camera operators and reporters fixed their eyes on the bullpen mounds that reside directly behind the Los Angeles Dodgers spring training complex on Saturday morning, where Shohei Ohtani took another step -- a rather significant one -- toward his return to a two-way role.

On 14 occasions, Ohtani settled atop a pitching rubber, went through the mechanics of his windup and fired fastballs in the direction of Dodgers catcher Will Smith, constituting his first official bullpen session of the year.

Ohtani isn't expected to join the Dodgers' rotation until some time in May and won't pitch in any Cactus League games before the team flies to Tokyo to begin its season in the middle of March. At this point, the steps are relatively minor. He still needs to increase the intensity of his throws -- his fastballs ranged from 92 to 94 mph on Saturday, a handful of ticks below what it will be in games -- and incorporate breaking pitches off a mound.

But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it's "very feasible" for Ohtani to face hitters at some point in March. What follows will require creativity, mostly due to a lack of precedent. Ohtani will spend April navigating through the final stages of his rehab while acting as an important member of the Dodgers' lineup, a set of circumstances not even Ohtani, the first two-way star since Babe Ruth, has ever experienced.

"It's going to be unique and we're going to have to do it on the fly," Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said. "We saw what he did last year trying to rehab and hit. That seemed to turn out pretty well, at least on the offensive side of the ball. It's probably going to be some version of that. Great thing is, Shohei's really dedicated to his craft, really dedicated and really meticulous about what he does. He communicates very well on what he needs those days to get ready. So we're just going to have to be nimble and we're going to have to adjust."

In lieu of Ohtani venturing out on a rehab assignment, like a normal recovering pitcher would, the Dodgers expect to stage simulated games before regular-season contests every five or six days in late March and throughout April, calling on little-used bench players or nearby minor leaguers to take at-bats against Ohtani in an effort to duplicate live action. The Dodgers hope to control as much as possible until they can't.

"Once he steps between the line of a real game, we can't control the situation," Prior said. "That'll be ultimately the principle that guides this whole thing is making sure that he's 100 percent ready to go out there and let the game dictate what happens, and he's in a position to handle that physically, mentally and emotionally."

Ohtani, the unanimous National League MVP after the first 50/50 season in baseball history last year, is expected to be ready as a hitter by the season opener. But games as a pitcher are still a ways away. Prior compared Saturday's session to dipping a toe in the water, calling it a continuation of last year's rehab, which saw Ohtani face hitters before the Dodgers began their march through the postseason.

Ohtani fired off both four-seamers and two-seamers and went from the windup rather than the stretch position, partly to put less stress on his arm. Often he looked back to glean pitch characteristics from the Rapsodo device, but the Wi-Fi was spotty.

Ohtani, who put together one of the most impressive three-year stretches in baseball history as a two-way player from 2021 to 2023, underwent a second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament in September 2023, then had surgery to repair a torn labrum on his left, non-throwing shoulder in November 2024. Earlier this week, Ohtani admitted that the left-shoulder repair has triggered some discomfort and limited his range of notice. Prior hasn't necessarily noticed.

"I'll be honest, it's crazy to think that this guy had surgery on his left shoulder in November," Prior said. "He doesn't look like he's missed a beat. There's not a lot of things that kind of surprise me, but he looks really good. And that is surprising for a guy who's had a surgery. I know it's not his throwing shoulder, but it doesn't look like his left shoulder has been impacted, at least visually to the naked eye. I'm sure he feels stuff here and there, but overall, he looks really good."

World number one Jannik Sinner has accepted an immediate three-month ban from tennis after reaching a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency over his two positive drugs test last year.

The 23-year-old Italian, who last month won the Australian Open, is suspended from 9 February until 4 May.

He will be eligible to play in the year's next Grand Slam event, the French Open, which starts on 19 May.

Wada had launched an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) over the 2024 decision by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) not to suspend Sinner.

Wada wanted a ban of up to two years but on Saturday said it accepts his explanation that he was inadvertently contaminated with the banned substance clostebol by his physiotherapist, and the case will now not take place.

The body explained it accepts the three-time Grand Slam champion "did not intend to cheat", that the drug "did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit" and this happened "without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage".

It added: "However, under the code and by virtue of Cas precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage's negligence. Based on the unique set of facts of this case, a three-month suspension is deemed to be an appropriate outcome."

In a statement released by his lawyers, Sinner said: "This case had been hanging over me for nearly a year and the process still had a long time to run with a decision maybe only at the end of the year.

"I have always accepted that I am responsible for my team and realise Wada's strict rules are an important protection for the sport I love. On that basis I have accepted Wada's offer to resolve these proceedings on the basis of a three-month sanction."

Tennis has seen some high-profile doping cases over the past six months, with leading female player Iga Swiatek accepting a one-month suspension in November after testing positive for a banned substance when she was world number one.

Sinner had previously been cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent panel after testing positive for clostebol in March 2024.

It had accepted that he had been inadvertently contaminated by his physiotherapist, who was treating a cut on his hand with an over-the-counter spray, which was later found to contain the banned substance.

The ITIA said in August that the panel found Sinner bore "no fault or negligence" for testing positive for low levels of a metabolite of clostebol - a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass.

But Wada lodged an appeal with Cas last September, stating at the time that the finding of "no fault or negligence" was not correct under the applicable rules.

It sought a ban of between one and two years, with a hearing scheduled for 16-17 April.

But Sinner has now accepted the three-month ban and the next tournament he can play in is the Italian Open, which begins on 7 May.

He will miss prestigious hard-court tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami in the US, plus many of the clay tournaments that build up to the French Open.

Wada, which has officially withdrawn its Cas appeal, says Sinner can return to "official training activity" from 13 April.

The ITIA says Wada's outcome supports its initial findings.

Garry Ringrose says Simon Easterby remains 'dead focused' on his role as Ireland's interim head coach amid reports he could be the next Wales boss.

The 49-year-old has guided the side to two bonus-point wins to start their Six Nations campaign with usual head coach Andy Farrell on secondment with the British and Irish Lions.

He has, however, been linked to the Wales job following confirmation of Warren Gatland's departure on Wednesday.

The former back row was a player and head coach with Scarlets and still lives in Wales, who Ireland play in Cardiff on 22 February.

"I only heard it off one of the lads but, sure, it's not a thing at all," said Ringrose of the reported interest.

"Simon is dead focused on trying to prepare as best we can and that's aligned with what the players are driving to."

Ireland's head of athletic performance Aled Walters, who worked at Scarlets when Easterby was a player, feels such "speculation" was inevitable.

"He's that good a coach that there's always going to be speculation in professional sport, that's human nature," said Walters.

"There's been a change with Wales, and the fact that he lives there, he was always going to be linked.

"That's the quality of the man. Credit to him and credit to the group, nothing has been said about it. 

"We just carry on preparing for Wales as we would normally."

Walters, who joined the Irish staff last year, has been impressed by how Easterby has taken to the head coach's role having been an assistant on the ticket for more than a decade.

"He's really brought his own flavour to things. It's been great to see," he added.

"Even in the autumn, he's a leader. It's not like he's been sat back in the shadows and all of a sudden thrust into the limelight.

"It hasn't felt that different. He's been there the whole time."

Inter Miami concluded the 2025 preseason with a 2-2 draw against Orlando City at Raymond James Stadium in front of a crowd of 42,017 in Tampa, Florida,

The team won the first four preseason games before drawing the fifth and final game on Friday night.

Orlando City opened up the scoring early in the first half after Martín Ojeda reached the back of the net with a left-footed shot to the opposite corner. But the Herons responded quickly, as new signing Tadeo Allende connected with Luis Suárez to earn the equalizer just seven minutes later.

Though the Herons concluded the half with eight shots, the two teams headed into the break with a 1-1 draw.

The second 45 saw Orlando City regain the lead, after a defensive error by David Martínez inspired Ojeda to obtain possession of the ball and connect with teammate Ramiro Enrique for the team's second goal of the night.

Just seconds before the final whistle, Fafà Picault scored the team's second of the night to avoid the loss.

Lionel Messi and Suarez led the attack for the majority of the match, before being substituted out in the 75th minute. The two, alongside Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, were expected to see time on the field after head coach Javier Mascherano admitted earlier this week that he wanted all players to feature in preparation for the season.

New signing Telasco Segovia earned his debut, starting the match and playing for 65 minutes prior to being replaced by Fafa Picault.

Inter Miami will officially kick off the 2025 campaign on Feb. 18 when it travels to confront Sporting Kansas City at Children's Mercy Park for the first leg of the first round of the Concacaf Champions Cup.

The Herons will then face a quick turnaround as the team hosts New York City FC on Feb. 22 at Chase Stadium for the Major League Soccer season opener.

MEDLEY, Fla. -- Napheesa Collier of the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx took home $200,000 on Friday after she beat Washington Mystics forward Aaliyah Edwards in the final of the Unrivaled 1-on-1 Tournament.

The winner's check was the largest one-day prize in women's basketball history, Unrivaled commissioner Micky Lawler said, a big payday that was among the goals of Collier and fellow WNBA star Breanna Stewart when they founded the 3-on-3 league.

Unrivaled gives WNBA players opportunities to compete in the United States and earn good salaries -- an especially attractive option for players who for years suited up overseas in the offseason to supplement their income. Players earn an average salary of more than $220,000 during the eight-week season, which is close to the maximum base salary in the WNBA.

"My entire WNBA salary is what I just got in 30 minutes of playing one-on-one," Collier said. "Which is insane to even say. And same for [playing] overseas. A lot of people, this is their full contract, so you're playing seven months for this kind of money."

Collier, a No. 1 seed in the 30-player tournament, won the best-of-three series 2-1 over the eighth-seeded Edwards to become Unrivaled's first one-on-one champion.

Each game between the former UConn standouts was played to a winning score of 8, with Edwards coming from behind to take the opener and Collier winning the final two.

Collier's five Unrivaled teammates each received $10,000 from the tournament's $350,000 prize pool. Edwards got $50,000 for reaching the final.

Collier hopes women's basketball embraces the one-on-one format.

"You see guys or boys playing in the parks -- like pickup or one-on-ones, and you don't see that on the women's side as much," she said. "So that's something we're trying to change, just that atmosphere where everything's not as organized basketball, but just playing in your backyard or at the park."

The win capped a dominant tournament run for Collier, who plays for Unrivaled's Lunar Owls and leads Unrivaled in scoring at 29.3 points per game.

Earlier Friday, Collier overwhelmed former UConn teammate and No. 6 seed Azura Stevens in their semifinal matchup. Collier scored the first eight points of the game, and the reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year relied on stifling defense to win 11-2.

Collier breezed past Katie Lou Samuelson in the first round before winning a physical second-round battle against Rickea Jackson. She then beat her Lynx and Lunar Owls teammate Courtney Williams to reach the semifinals.

She shot her way past Edwards in the decisive Game 3, making 4 of 6 shots and holding Edwards scoreless.

Edwards, who plays for the Mist in Unrivaled, beat two top-seeded opponents on her way to the final, cruising past No. 1 seed Arike Ogunbowale 11-2 in the first semifinal matchup earlier Friday. Before that, she shut down No. 1 seed Stewart 12-0 in the opening round. After earning a second-round bye, Edwards topped third-seeded Allisha Gray 12-6.

Ogunbowale and Stevens won $25,000 each for reaching the semifinals. Rounds up to the finals were single-elimination and played to a winning score of 11. All games had traditional scoring, with each basket worth either two or three points.

The 22-year-old Edwards is preparing for her second season with the Mystics and hopes her performance Friday shows how hard she has been working to improve.

"I'm proud of myself. No one could take that away from me," Edwards said. "All the work I put in. I was able to just showcase that and kind of let everyone know that, you know, I'm not one to play with."

Collier noted that the physicality of some matchups left a lot of players gassed during the tournament, which is something she said could be addressed next season.

She'd love to see a similar event for NBA players.

"It's up to the players if they want to do it," Collier said. "You're putting your name on the line. You're putting your reputation on the line. It's a vulnerable situation. So again, I really commend everyone who competed in this because ... anyone can win."

SAN FRANCISCO -- San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Castle said the Rising Stars MVP trophy he hoisted Friday night isn't the only hardware he plans to win during NBA All-Star Weekend.

Castle led Team C, coached by Chris Mullin, over Team G League, coached by Jeremy Lin, to a decisive 25-14 win in the final, scoring 11 points and collecting one of his three assists on Utah Jazz rookie Keyonte George's game-winning 3-pointer.

Team C won its first group game with Castle hitting the deciding jump shot to beat Team T, coached by Tim Hardaway Sr., 40-34. (In the first two games, the target score to reach was 40; in the final, the target score was 25.)

"To be a part of the game-winning bucket in both, it means a lot," Castle said.

The Rising Stars game, made up of three teams with seven first- and second-year players, and a fourth team with seven G Leaguers, was the start of a jampacked itinerary for Castle. The 6-foot-6 guard is also competing in the dunk contest Saturday night.

When asked what dunks he has planned for the showcase, Castle told ESPN: "I don't want to spoil anything, but I'll just say the MVP trophy isn't the only trophy I'm trying to take home."

And the Rising Stars win earned Castle's team a berth in Sunday's All-Star Game, where it will go against Shaq's OGs, featuring future Hall of Famers LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.

"As a basketball player, it's really all I can ask for, watching those guys all the time growing up, so to share my first All-Star Weekend with them and be able to share the court with them is a blessing," Castle told ESPN.

Castle will join Blake Griffin as the latest players to compete in events on all three nights of All-Star Weekend. Griffin did it in 2011 as a rookie for the LA Clippers.

The All-Star Game will mirror Friday's format, as four teams of eight players will compete in a mini-tournament with two semifinal games up to the target score of 40 and the final up to 40 as well. After particularly lackluster All-Star Games the past two years, without a whisper of defense or competitive zeal, the league changed things up with the hope of restoring interest in the February festivities.

"We're out there with nothing to lose," Castle told ESPN when asked about his young group's chances going against the Shaquille O'Neal-coached team, which also has James Harden, Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown on its roster. "We're out there playing confident, playing free. So, I just wouldn't count us out."

Coaching duties for Team C will be handed off from Mullin to Candace Parker for Sunday. Parker, acting as the team's general manager, selected Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson from Team M, coached by Mitch Richmond, to fill the eighth and final roster spot for her team.

Team G League reached the Rising Stars final with an upset of Team M in the second group-play game. Bryce McGowen of the Rip City Remix hit a 3-pointer to clinch the win 40-39. McGowen's closing shot was possible thanks only to Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons -- Amen's twin brother -- going 0-for-4 from the foul line with his team stuck at 37 points.

Castle and the Team C players earned $35,000 apiece for Friday's win and will get the chance to earn bragging rights against some of their veteran NBA teammates Sunday.

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht, Phoenix Suns rookie Ryan Dunn and Golden State Warriors second-year big man Trayce Jackson-Davis will line up against James, Durant and Curry.

"I'm playing against Bron, so I get to go against one of my teammates," Knecht said. "It'll be a lot of fun to go out there and try to make a statement."

When asked if any trash talk will be exchanged between the 40-year-old James and the 23-year-old Knecht, the Lakers rookie quipped: "I usually don't start it. I usually don't start talking. I usually try to finish it."