STORRS, Conn. -- UConn coach Dan Hurley acknowledged there are things that "I wish I didn't do" as he expressed regret over making profane comments about the officiating after the Huskies' NCAA tournament loss to Florida on Sunday.

UConn's bid for a third straight national title ended with a 77-75 defeat to the top-seeded Gators in the second round.

As he walked off the floor, Hurley was caught on camera by a media member telling Baylor players as they prepared for their game, "I hope they don't f--- you like they f---ed us," referencing the officiating.

On Wednesday, the oftentimes fiery Hurley reflected on what happened.

"Those are three great officials on that game, so, although I said something in the heat of the moment, in an area of the arena that in pretty much every game I've ever coached in college has been media-free," Hurley told reporters. "Past the tunnel, by the locker rooms, in the hallway where the coaches go, that's for the combatants, that's for the competitors. That's not for camera phones. Just relative to that, those were three great refs and Florida earned it.

"If I don't go off the rails at the end there, after that three-year run ended in excruciating fashion. ... If I don't have that emotional outburst there, probably all people are talking about is the run we've had, the amazing players."

Queen City News' Joey Ellis posted video of what Hurley said. Charlotte Sports Live reported that UConn director of men's basketball communications Bobby Mullen asked Ellis to remove the video and then made a threatening comment to him. Ellis later said on social media that Mullen apologized to him.

"Bobby regrets, just like I regret the moments I've had. Obviously it's all my fault that Bobby got pulled into it," Hurley told reporters. "I set the whole thing in motion and I feel horrible. Obviously he could've handled dealing with the media person with the phone that took the video [differently], he could've obviously let it go. He should've been better trained for a situation like this, we've been in them all year.

"But Bobby's a soldier. We all fight like that for each other in our program, and sometimes we go a little too far. But Bobby's a great guy."

That capped a season in which Hurley had a number of other incidents, from having heated complaints with officials at the Maui Classic to taunting a fan after a victory at Creighton.

"This is what UConn knew they were getting, this is how I've coached obviously my entire career -- and I'm not bragging about that, I'm just surprised that people just discovered it if they're college basketball experts," he told reporters. "It's one of those things where, they're mistakes, there are things I wish I didn't do, it's part of what you get with me. I hope to not do it again. I'm going to attempt to take measures both internally, mentally and externally. ... I wouldn't change one aspect of how I coach a game or how hard we fight. [But] I'd like to get on and off the court without incident."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

NEW YORK -- The Knicks may be down to their fourth-string option at point guard.

Cameron Payne started Wednesday night's 126-113 loss to the LA Clippers with starter Jalen Brunson (ankle) and backup Deuce McBride (groin) both out, but he was forced to leave after rolling his ankle following a made basket in the first half.

Payne had played well to that point, logging 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting in just 18 minutes of work.

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game that he hadn't spoken to the team's medical staff yet to know the severity of Payne's injury and how much time he might miss.

With Payne out, Thibodeau handed the reins to rookie floor general Tyler Kolek, who has shown promise as a ball handler but illustrated defensive shortcomings in the third quarter. Clippers star James Harden repeatedly got wherever he wanted within New York's pick-and-roll defense -- a huge part of how they managed to pile on 40 points in that quarter.

"They kept coming at us with that high two-man game, and I've got to be better about defending that," said Kolek, who was held scoreless but finished with seven assists.

The injury to Payne, and the pileup of injuries at the point guard spot in general, comes at a tough time for the Knicks (45-27). Not only have they lost seven of their past 12, but they've struggled mightily against the league's elite teams overall and are running out of time to hit their stride before the postseason.

"Injuries always suck, and for some reason we just keep getting smacked with them at the same position," said wing Josh Hart, who figures to inherit more ballhandling responsibility in the short term. "We've got to piece it together and figure out a way to scratch out wins."

Thibodeau suggested that McBride, who is day-to-day, could be back the soonest of the point guards.

"It's possible [he could play Friday]," Thibodeau said.

Brunson hasn't played since hurting the ankle March 6 but is trending in the right direction. The Knicks are due to issue another update on his status in the coming days.

Thibodeau added that veteran Delon Wright, who saw action Wednesday after Payne exited, was next in line after Kolek to receive minutes at guard.

"We have more than enough," he said.

DENVER -- Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers expressed confidence that the Bucks could remain competitive without Damian Lillard but acknowledged it would take multiple players to pick up the slack while he is out.

The Bucks announced Tuesday that Lillard, a seven-time All-NBA guard, has deep vein thrombosis in his right calf and is taking blood-thinning medication. Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel.

"You hear the word blood clot ... that's not a good word, not only just in sports, but life," Rivers said before the Bucks' game Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets.

Lillard sat out a fourth straight game Wednesday, and the Bucks haven't indicated when he might return.

"We're hopeful that he's coming back," Rivers said. "It's a blow to us, obviously. It's more of a blow to Dame. That's where the emotional support goes. Guys get to play today. Dame does not, so to me, the guy I try to support more is Dame. We're just hopeful. It's such a gray area. That's where more of the support comes right now. Obviously if this lingers, that's different. But today and right now, it's all about Dame."

The Bucks also played Wednesday without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is dealing with a sprained left foot. But it's the Lillard situation that has the bigger long-term implications because of its severity.

Lillard, 34, is the second high-profile player to be sidelined this season because of the issue.

Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs was diagnosed with it in his shoulder after he returned from the All-Star Game last month and was quickly ruled out for the season. He, like Lillard, is on blood-thinning medication, but doctors have assured the Spurs there is no concern for Wembanyama's long-term health.

"I was really proud of our medical team," Rivers said. "They did everything. I don't know how many doctors we talked to. I don't want to see another doctor for a long time or talk to another one. The due diligence was all there. It made Dame feel comfortable, which is what we were trying to achieve and the most important part of it."

Lillard entered Wednesday ranked 10th in assists (7.1) and 11th in scoring (24.9). Rivers acknowledged the enormity of the task Milwaukee faces in replacing his production.

"It's going to be a committee. It's not going to be one guy. It's not even going to be Ryan and just Scoot," Rivers said, referring to backup guards Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. "It's going to be a bunch of guys. You're not going to replace what Dame does. We may be able to do different things. Defensively, we may do different things, offensively. This is part of it. Everyone goes through them. Obviously, nothing like this, but we'll figure it out. I'm very confident in our team."

Milwaukee lost 127-117 on Wednesday night, falling to sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, a half-game behind the Detroit Pistons and two games behind the Indiana Pacers. The top four teams in the conference earn home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

INDIANAPOLIS -- LeBron James might have tipped in the winner at the buzzer to lift the Los Angeles Lakers over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, but as his teammates mobbed him to celebrate, the Lakers star admitted he didn't quite know how to react.

"I really couldn't really have too much emotion because I was trying to see if I got the ball off in time, to be honest," James said after Los Angeles' 120-119 win. "But after they showed the replay on it, it was definitely gratifying."

An official's review confirmed that James' right hand touched the ball with 0.2 left, redirecting a missed floater by Luka Doncic through the hoop as time expired.

The win ended a three-game skid for the Lakers and halted a five-game winning streak for the Pacers. James also tied Kobe Bryant and Joe Johnson with the second-most winning buzzer-beaters in NBA history (eight), behind only Michael Jordan (nine).

"Just shows you what he's about," Lakers guard Austin Reaves said. "He's a winner at heart. That's really it."

The dramatic finish capped a wild fourth quarter in which Indiana surged from a 13-point deficit to tie the score. Then, after falling behind by six with 1:51 left, the Pacers took the lead on an and-1 by Tyrese Haliburton (16 points, 18 assists) with 42 seconds remaining.

"It felt like a game we won three times and we lost three times, and we ended up winning the game," Lakers coach JJ Redick said. "And it's hard to win in the NBA. It's hard to win against a great team like Indiana. Frankly, they don't ever get talked about enough nationally. They're a phenomenal basketball team."

Los Angeles won both games against Indiana this season. All five starters scored in double digits, led by Doncic's 34 points and Reaves' 24.

James' fourth-quarter efforts were preceded by the quietest offensive night of his career through three quarters. Entering the fourth, he had scored only three points on 0-for-6 shooting, the first time in 1,553 regular-season games he was held without a field goal in the first three quarters when having played in each.

"You don't really know if you are in a rhythm or if you are out of rhythm with six shot attempts," James said. "It's just about still what can I do to still affect the game."

James quickly scored eight of the Lakers' first 10 points to start the fourth to extend his record streak to 1,283 straight games with 10 points or more. He finished with 13 points, a team-high 13 rebounds and 7 assists and logged 38 minutes in only his third game back from a left groin strain that sidelined him for two weeks.

Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (14 points, 4 rebounds) also had his best game since returning from a 12-game absence because of tendinopathy in his left knee, hitting back-to-back 3s in the fourth to give Los Angeles its six-point cushion with under two minutes left.

"As a team, getting back to our rhythm is kind of hard," Hachimura said. "We still know what we used to have. But we have like 10 more games left, so we got to get back to our rhythm before the playoffs."

The Lakers (44-28) sit at No. 4 in the Western Conference after the win, a game behind the No. 3 Denver Nuggets and in a virtual tie with the No. 5 Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers' four-game trip continues Thursday in Chicago for the second night of back-to-back against the Bulls and concludes in Memphis on Saturday.

The win in Indiana served as a reminder that every game -- and every second -- will matter down the stretch.

"The game is never over until it says zeroes on the clock, literally, tonight," James said. "And just keeping our composure throughout it all."

MLB's regular season gets underway tomorrow with Opening Day baseball, so you know what that means -- it's time for season predictions!

There are lots of questions going into the 2025 season: Will the Dodgers repeat as World Series champions? What surprises will the expanded playoffs bring this year? How will Juan Soto look for the Mets -- and how will the Yankees fare without him? And when will we see Shohei Ohtani reprise his two-way role on the mound?

No one can definitively know what's in store for this season, but that doesn't stop us from making our best guesses. We put 28 of ESPN's MLB writers, analysts and editors on the spot to predict what will happen in baseball this year, from the wild-card contenders all the way up to the World Series champion, plus the MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in both leagues.

For each category, we've asked a number of our voters to explain their picks. Did they hit the nail on the head or were they way off their mark? Only time can tell -- and we'll be circling back to these predictions come October to see how well -- or poorly -- we did.

Jump to:

AL picks | NL picks | WS picks | AL awards | NL awards

AL East

Our pick: Boston Red Sox (13 votes)

Who else got votes? Baltimore Orioles (10), New York Yankees (3), Toronto Blue Jays (1), Tampa Bay Rays (1)

Boston is our voters' favorite in the AL East. How can the Orioles beat out the Red Sox for the title? The Orioles will win the division because they will cobble together enough pitching to outlast the Red Sox and Yankees. They will win because their young players -- most prominently Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Colton Cowser -- will carry the offense through the regular season. Jackson Holliday, free of last year's ridiculous expectations, will be more relaxed and productive. And here's a wild card: Tomoyuki Sugano, signed out of Japan, will be a revelation in the starting rotation and present a reasonable facsimile of the departed Corbin Burnes. But temper the excitement: Boston is my pick to end up in the World Series. -- Tim Keown

You were the only person to pick Toronto to win the division. Why are the Jays your choice? The Yankees and Orioles are already going to be several wins worse than last season because of all of those injuries they've already suffered this spring. Meanwhile, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is playing for a new contract, Bo Bichette can't possibly play as poorly as he did last season and Anthony Santander gives this lineup a nice power upgrade. If even only one of Max Scherzer and Jeff Hoffman stays healthy into September, we're looking at a potential division winner here. Throw in a little extra support from an extra-motivated Canadian fan base? Head and heart unite behind the Blue Jays in 2025. -- AJ Mass

AL Central

Our pick: Kansas City Royals (12 votes)

Who else got votes? Detroit Tigers (11), Minnesota Twins (4), Cleveland Guardians (1)

Make the case for the Royals to take home the division title. The Royals' move to get Jonathan India will ripple through how their lineup is constructed. It's a case of a player's collective impact being more valuable than his individual one. India could hit leadoff and his improvement in the walks category allows other players to be slotted correctly in the lineup -- though Kansas City still needs Hunter Renfroe and others to anchor the back end of the lineup.

Veteran pitchers Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo know the pace of the season, and the Royals could be bolstered by the young arm depth they have in their system. Keep in mind that they were in first place on Aug. 27 last year and they still made the playoffs after losing seven in a row in September. They had room to slump and still get in. I see a better September and a team that now has a taste of the playoffs; but more importantly, I see an organization that is backing up the contract it gave Bobby Witt Jr. to make sure he will not be a star in a vacuum and that the team will be competitive every year and build internally with good players. Why? Because they already have their franchise player. -- Doug Glanville

Make the case for the Tigers to take home the division title. The AL Central is winnable for any of the four teams that received votes, but my pick is Detroit. The Tigers have the best pitcher in the majors, Tarik Skubal, and a Rookie of the Year contender in pitcher Jackson Jobe. They are so unpredictable in their rotation, bullpen and lineup that matching up against them is going to be very difficult for opposing managers. And the Tigers' manager, A.J. Hinch, is as good a manager as there is in baseball in handling the strategy of the game. The Tigers played exceptionally well the last six weeks of last year. It's possible that that could continue. -- Tim Kurkjian

AL West

Our pick: Texas Rangers (18 votes)

Who else got votes? Seattle Mariners (7), Houston Astros (3)

The Rangers are the overwhelming favorite to win the division. How do the Mariners beat them? By not having one of the worst offenses in baseball. The Mariners, between their elite pitching staff and stout defense, are going to excel in run prevention again. Their starting rotation might be the best in baseball. The issue, for years, has been the offense. Last season, they ranked 21st in runs scored. Seattle famously didn't acquire a high-impact bat during the offseason. So, how are they going to flip the script? There are two reasons for hope:

1. Julio Rodriguez is due for a hot start. The star center fielder owns a .642 OPS in April/March, a .768 OPS in May and a .704 OPS in June in his three-year career. The Mariners gave him more at-bats in spring training in hopes of an early improvement. Rodriguez has also spoken highly of hitting coach Edgar Martinez, who was brought on board at the end of August last season.

2. That leads us to the second reason for optimism: The Mariners' offense was significantly better after Dan Wilson replaced Scott Servais as manager and hired Martinez. Seattle averaged the third-most runs in baseball (5.8) and recorded the second-best OPS (.804) over the season's final 34 games. Maybe it was coincidental. But there's reason to believe a turnaround is possible. -- Jorge Castillo

AL wild cards

Our picks: New York Yankees (21 votes), Houston Astros (15), Baltimore Orioles (13)

Who else got votes? Boston Red Sox (10), Seattle Mariners (6), Kansas City Royals (5), Detroit Tigers (5), Cleveland Guardians (3),Texas Rangers (3), Tampa Bay Rays (1), Toronto Blue Jays (1), Athletics (1)

Our voters view the Yankees and Astros as wild-card teams rather than division winners. Why do you think that is? The Yankees play in the game's most tightly bunched division from top to bottom -- with almost every projection system having the AL East winner and basement dweller separated by eight games or fewer -- and losing their best pitcher (Gerrit Cole) after seeing their best hitter from 2024 depart (Soto) puts them in a perilous spot. The Yankees badly need to add upper-tier pitching reinforcements and, as the season dawns, have given no indication they'll do so.

The Astros, meanwhile, lost key hitting contributors in Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker, are taking some real chances with their defensive alignment (Jose Altuve in left field?!) and no longer have quite the pitching depth that they once did. It brings them back toward an AL West pack that has solid competitors in the Rangers and Mariners and potentially a surprise squad in the A's. I personally think the Rangers rebound after their 2024 World Series hangover year. -- Tristan Cockcroft

You were the lone voter to choose the A's to make the postseason as a wild-card team. How do they get there? The AL West feels a little wide open, doesn't it? So does the entire AL, for that matter. That's not to say the A's are going to win 95 games and get a first-round bye, but if things fall right, I believe they can sneak in. It starts with a solid offense that ranked eighth in OPS during the second half of last season. That didn't feel like a fluke -- not when you have Brent Rooker and the emerging Lawrence Butler in the lineup. Both produced an OPS of .900 after the All-Star break (Butler was actually .898).

We all know the headlines the team garnered in the winter when they actually spent some capital on pitching, bringing in Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs. The A's will hand the ball off to All-Star closer Mason Miller, so they're going to win a lot of tight games. And all signs point to the group in the clubhouse embracing the move to Sacramento. If they can create a bit of a home-field advantage, watch out for the A's -- they might surprise everyone. -- Jesse Rogers

AL champion

Our pick: Boston Red Sox (10 votes)

Who else got votes? Baltimore Orioles (7), Texas Rangers (7), Seattle Mariners (2), Detroit Tigers (1), New York Yankees (1)

The Red Sox didn't even make the playoffs last year -- but this season, they're our favorite to win the AL pennant. Why? Boston had three major needs going into the last offseason: a couple of frontline pitchers and an established right-handed hitter. The Red Sox went on to land Garrett Crochet, the most coveted lefty in the trade market; signed Walker Buehler, who threw the last pitch of last year's World Series; and signed Alex Bregman, a two-time All-Star with a career adjusted OPS+ of 132. Their rotation is better, their defense is better and their lineup should be more balanced.

At the same time, they're graduating three high-end prospects into the big leagues in Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony. This could be a dynamic team cast against a mediocre AL landscape, making the Red Sox stand out. -- Buster Olney

You and a number of our other voters are predicting a bounce-back for the Rangers this year. How do you think they get back to the ALCS? When the Rangers won the World Series in 2023, they had a devastating offensive team. Last year, so many of their best hitters either got hurt or didn't perform up to expectations. There's no way that's going to happen again. And outfielder Wyatt Langford, who's entering his second season, will be a star before long. The Rangers have pitching questions, as do most teams, but they should be able to maneuver through some of those issues. -- Kurkjian

NL East

Our pick: Atlanta Braves (18 votes)

Who else got votes? Philadelphia Phillies (9), New York Mets (1)

Atlanta is once again the preseason division favorite. How can the Phillies beat out a fully healthy Braves squad? It's mostly about starting pitching. I'm a big believer in what Cristopher Sanchez has done this spring -- just look at his 29.2% K rate. If he has truly elevated his skillset to at least Aaron Nola's tier, if not a half-step behind Zack Wheeler's, and Jesus Luzardo can stay healthy as well as pitch the way he did in 2023, then the Phillies' rotation isn't simply as good as the Braves' ... it's a clear step better. Yes, yes, the Braves have all of those bad-luck injury rebound candidates to potentially elevate their win total, but the Phillies did have six wins on them in the 2024 standings and have every bit as tantalizing a 2025 ceiling. -- Cockcroft

Despite landing Juan Soto this offseason, you were the only person to pick the Mets to win the NL East. Explain your reasoning. The Braves are a better team on paper, especially given the Mets' recent run of injuries, but I think New York's willingness to spend and its depth -- particularly of prospects in the upper minors -- are being underrated as solutions to many of those problems. Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuna, Ronny Mauricio, Ryan Clifford, Drew Gilbert and Jett Williams are all position player candidates. Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Blade Tidwell are young pitchers lingering in the upper minors. Only two or three players need to play better than expected in addition to the widely expected breakout from Clay Holmes to bridge that gap. -- Kiley McDaniel

NL Central

Our pick: Chicago Cubs (15 votes)

Who else got votes? Milwaukee Brewers (8), Cincinnati Reds (5)

The Cubs are the favorite to win the NL Central, despite not having made the playoffs in a full season since 2018. What makes this year different? In going 83-79 the past two seasons, the Cubs lacked a middle-of-the-order hitter to anchor the lineup. Now they have Kyle Tucker, one of the best all-around players in the majors. Tucker, who was having his best season in 2024 before fracturing his shin, gives the Cubs their best offensive player since Kris Bryant during his MVP season in 2016. Rookie Matt Shaw also projects as a significant upgrade at third base (Cubs third basemen hit .210 last season) and the pitching staff is deeper. Throw in some Pythagorean improvement -- the Cubs were seven wins worse than expected in 2023 and five worse in 2024 -- and the arrows point to a division title. -- David Schoenfield

Why is Milwaukee still your pick to win the division even with all the support for Chicago? Because the difference between the two talentwise is pretty negligible and I like teams that have won recently. It's true the Brewers did not spend any money this winter and were raided in free agency. It's also true that Jackson Chourio is on the verge of becoming one of the best players in baseball and the Brewers' farm system consistently produces quality big leaguers -- enough to send them to the postseason five times in the past six full seasons. The Cubs are better on paper, sure, but they haven't played as much postseason baseball recently. That said, would it surprise me if the Cubs won the division? Not at all, because it's the NL Central, and just about anything can happen. -- Jeff Passan

NL West

Our pick: Los Angeles Dodgers (28 votes)

Every single voter chose the Dodgers to win the division. Is their title inevitable? Never use the word inevitable when it comes to baseball but GM Andrew Friedman has done the best possible job of fortifying his team for another seven-month grind. Because of this, the Dodgers' chances of not just another division title but a repeat World Series title are as good as any championship team since the early 2000s. The moment I picked them to repeat was the day they signed reliever Kirby Yates. It came just days after they grabbed Tanner Scott to close games. Signing the top arm in the market and then arguably the next best one is all anyone should know about L.A. This team has depth and redundancy all over the field. It'll be enough to win the division, and the Fall Classic, again. -- Rogers

NL wild cards

Our picks: Arizona Diamondbacks (20 votes), New York Mets (19), Philadelphia Phillies (18)

Who else got votes? San Diego Padres (11), Atlanta Braves (10), Milwaukee Brewers (3), Chicago Cubs (1), Pittsburgh Pirates (1), Cincinnati Reds (1)

You picked all three of the wild-card teams that received the most votes. Why will this be the NL wild-card field? The NL looks extremely top heavy this season, with a clear-cut top five. The Dodgers are heavy favorites to win it all, of course, and while the Braves face a tough three-way battle in the NL East, they are still running well over 50-50 in my projections to win that division. Meanwhile, the NL Central very much looks like a one-playoff-berth division. So that leaves the Phillies, Mets, Diamondbacks and Padres to duke it out for the three wild-card slots, with the last spot coming down to the latter pair. Right now, I just think the Diamondbacks are deeper and better balanced than the Padres. I see all of this with extreme clarity which, in my experience, means all of this will be completely scrambled by Memorial Day. -- Bradford Doolittle

It seems as if the Padres' only route to the postseason is through the wild card -- and our voters had them just missing the cut. How can San Diego replace one of the favored teams? The well-run Padres still boast plenty of talent to win 90 games again, led by multiple aces topping the rotation (Michael King and Dylan Cease), a strong, deep bullpen (watch Jeremiah Estrada) and an underrated lineup that was among the top 10 in runs scored last season. The Padres did lose some key players -- but most teams do. Still, center fielder Jackson Merrill can keep improving, as can new veteran right-hander Nick Pivetta. Don't worry about left field, because prospect Tirso Ornelas will be a star by midseason. These Padres are good enough to make their fourth playoff appearance in six seasons. -- Eric Karabell

Cincinnati received five division title votes but just your one wild-card vote in a super packed NL field. How do you think the Reds can disrupt the wild-card race? Truth be told, I'm probably rooting for this story just as much as I think it will happen. Terry Francona's return to the dugout is something to be celebrated and understood as simply a major upgrade at manager. Add to that the fact that Elly De La Cruz has had a full offseason to understand his potential, alongside the hopeful efforts of fireballer Hunter Greene on the mound and the Reds are, at the very least, going to be extremely fun to watch, never mind their actual success. -- Clinton Yates

NL champion

Our pick: Los Angeles Dodgers (21 votes)

Who else got votes? Philadelphia Phillies (3), Atlanta Braves (3), Arizona Diamondbacks (1)

Make a case for how the Phillies can beat out the Dodgers. With right-handers Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, and left-handers Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo, the Phillies can win a playoff series against any team, including the mighty Dodgers, who, before 2024, hadn't had much playoff success. The key is for the Phillies to score runs in October, but their lack of production is why they've lost in recent seasons. Who knows which Dodgers will even be on the mound then? Los Angeles has excellent pitching, but it is far from reliable. Every rotation member boasts recent injury woes. This might be a regular-season dynasty -- the Dodgers won only one playoff game during 2022-23. Any team can beat them in October. -- Karabell

Make a case for how the Braves can beat out the Dodgers. The Braves aren't as talented as the Dodgers, but they're next on the list. In a vacuum, their 89-win season followed by a wild-card-round exit in 2024 was disappointing. But reaching that point was one of the most impressive results of the year in baseball given Atlanta's dreadful injury luck. Most teams would've folded after losing their best position player (Ronald Acuña Jr.) and best starting pitcher (Spencer Strider). That didn't happen in Atlanta. If Acuña and Strider return as expected and the Braves avoid terrible injury luck elsewhere, they should be right there in October -- and anything can happen in October. -- Castillo

World Series champion

Our pick: Los Angeles Dodgers (20 votes)

Who else got votes? Philadelphia Phillies (3), Atlanta Braves (2), Boston Red Sox (1), Texas Rangers (1), Seattle Mariners (1)

Our voters are predicting the Dodgers win the first back-to-back World Series titles since the Yankees won three in a row in 1998-2000. How can L.A. do it? First and foremost, the Dodgers need health; they can't possibly thrive in October with as many injuries as they absorbed last year, particularly to their starting pitchers. They boast an incredibly deep lineup, but they need their three best hitters -- Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman -- to continue to produce like stars. They have the makings of quite possibly the best collection of starting pitchers in the sport, but that group is exceedingly volatile, which means that among the three more certain arms -- Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow -- perhaps two need to be dominant for a full season. The defense has some deficiencies, and Betts being a serviceable shortstop is especially crucial.

Just as important, they also need a little luck. There's a reason it's been a quarter century since a baseball team repeated -- this sport is incredibly unpredictable, especially when sample sizes are whittled down in October. The Dodgers are no stranger to that. But they're as well-equipped to repeat as any team has been this century. -- Alden Gonzalez

You picked a rematch of the 2023 World Series between the Rangers and Diamondbacks, with Texas prevailing again. Explain your reasoning. The Rangers' lineup is one of baseball's likeliest bounce-back units, having scored 198 fewer runs in 2024 than it did in the World Series-winning season. That team won the title despite only 30 innings from Jacob deGrom, whose stuff has popped this spring in the wake of his second Tommy John surgery.

The Diamondbacks led the majors in runs scored last season and added, conservatively, a top-10 starter in Corbin Burnes to an already-stacked rotation. And while the Dodgers will overwhelm everyone during the regular season, Arizona can set its sights on a potential rematch of the 2023 NLDS in which it swept the 100-win Dodgers out of the postseason. -- Paul Hembekides

AL MVP

Our pick: Bobby Witt Jr. (14 votes)

Who else got votes? Aaron Judge (3), Gunnar Henderson (3), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (3), Alex Bregman (2), Yordan Alvarez (1), Brent Rooker (1), Julio Rodriguez (1)

There was a nice mix of votes for a variety of players, but Witt is the favorite among our voters. Why is he your pick for MVP? If we set aside certain two-way players, Witt might already be the best overall player in the game. Even if he doesn't repeat his .332 average/.354 BABIP breakouts from 2024, his overall range of skills is good enough to get him at least 7-to-8 WAR. He's also more durable than Judge, whom Witt finished second to in the MVP race last season.

More than anything though: Witt doesn't turn 25 years old until June. He's not only still on the ascension in terms of the aging curve, but he just seems like a player driven to shore up his weaknesses. Eventually, he won't have any left. No player in baseball right now means more to his franchise than Witt does to the Royals. -- Doolittle

AL Rookie of the Year

Our pick: Jackson Jobe (9 votes)

Who else got votes? Kristian Campbell (5), Cam Smith (3), Jacob Wilson (3), Jasson Dominguez (3), Coby Mayo (2), Roman Anthony (2), Tomoyuki Sugano (1)

So many different players received votes for Rookie of the Year. Why is that -- and why was your pick Anthony? There isn't really a clear potential star that's big league ready being handed an Opening Day starting spot with plenty of slack for a slow start, though Campbell would be the closest to that. With Anthony and Mayer also circling, and Boston having a pretty good lineup, there might be room for only one of those three to really take the reins of the Rookie of the Year race.

Smith hasn't played much in pro ball yet, Wilson has limited upside, Jobe has the concerns that come with any pitcher, Dominguez has had mixed luck and health over the past few years, the Rays are not quick to call up prospects (Chandler Simpson and Carson Williams are of interest) and the Rangers' injuries mean Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter are both in the rotation now to split votes. Anthony is the best prospect of that group and I think he'll get a chance to succeed at the major league level at some point in the first half. -- McDaniel

AL Cy Young

Our pick: Tarik Skubal (12 votes)

Who else got votes? Garrett Crochet (9), Cole Ragans (3), Logan Gilbert (3), Max Fried (1)

Why do you think that Skubal will win back-to-back Cy Young honors? No AL pitcher has repeated as a Cy Young winner since Pedro Martinez in 2000, but Skubal was the easiest call of all the award picks for me -- that's how great he was in 2024, when he captured the pitching triple crown. Skubal has matured into a complete pitcher: He possesses one of the best left-handed fastballs in the game while deploying a five-pitch repertoire and averaging only 1.6 walks per nine innings. He also benefits from fewer Cy Young contenders in the AL compared to a loaded list of them in the NL. -- Schoenfield

NL MVP

Our pick: Shohei Ohtani (19 votes)

Who else got votes? Fernando Tatis Jr. (3), Elly De La Cruz (2), Juan Soto (2), Trea Turner (1), Mookie Betts (1)

Ohtani will be working back toward a two-way role this season, yet he's still our voters' favorite to win a second consecutive MVP. Why? Ohtani didn't need to pitch to become the NL MVP last year, when he was rehabbing his elbow while putting together the first 50-50 season in big league history. As tempting as it is to predict someone else to be MVP this season -- Soto, anyone? -- it just seems as if the award has become Ohtani's to lose -- probably for the next five years. He'll pitch at some point this season, and whatever he brings to the mound for the Dodgers is just another ridiculous addendum to everything else he's doing to separate himself from the field. -- Keown

NL Rookie of the Year

Our pick: Dylan Crews (12 votes)

Who else got votes? Roki Sasaki (7), Matt Shaw (5), Bubba Chandler (3), Andrew Painter (1)

Why is Crews your NL Rookie of the Year pick? A major factor for fledgling award candidates is often about opportunity. Paul Skenes didn't start last season in the big leagues (incredibly), and that might well have cost him the NL Cy Young Award.

With Crews, there is no doubt about how he'll be handled this year: Having made his debut at the end of last season, he is going to get 600 plate appearances if he's healthy, and if healthy, he's going to do a ton of damage. The second pick in the 2023 draft hits for power and steals bases, and he'll be an anchor in the Nationals' up-and-coming core of young star prospects. -- Olney

Why did you choose Sasaki? Sasaki is an easy pick here, as my No. 1 prospect in baseball who will open the season in the Dodgers' rotation and has already impressed stateside. He could be a true ace at some point in 2025 but still has some work to do diversifying his arsenal. Crews and Shaw are leading candidates as position players with Opening Day spots in the lineup, but there are questions about their ceiling this season. Chandler and Drake Baldwin lurk as potential sleeper candidates. -- McDaniel

NL Cy Young

Our pick: Paul Skenes (17 votes)

Who else got votes? Zack Wheeler (5), Blake Snell (3), Spencer Strider (2), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1)

Skenes won Rookie of the Year for his 2024 season and is our voters' favorite to win Cy Young in his second year. What makes him so dominant? Skenes is as self-aware a 22-year-old baseball player as I've ever met, and that fastidiousness informs his approach to pitching. He has immense physical gifts: the 6-foot-6 height, the capacity for his body to gain strength and supercharge its output into the arm. Skenes is still relatively new to pitching, switching full time on the mound only three years ago, so there is more to learn -- and he will do so with an open-mindedness to expanding his repertoire but a fealty to the foundational elements that brought him to this point.

In other words: The guy throws 100 mph, created one of the best pitches in the world in the splinker, added another changeup this winter and has a handful of spinny pitches with which he piles up strikeouts. There is no such thing as the perfect modern pitcher, but Skenes comes awfully close to what one might look like. -- Passan

Swiatek recently spoke out about the emotional toll she has faced in recent months, having served a one-month ban for a doping offence and not wanting to "step on the court".

Since the incident at the weekend, the second seed has gone on to reach the Miami Open quarter-finals, where she faces Filipino teenager Alexandra Eala on Wednesday.

"Security is a top priority. We monitor the network to catch these types of issues," her spokesperson said.

"Constructive criticism is one thing, and threats, hate speech or even disturbance during training is another - this cannot be condoned."

Tournament organisers and the WTA are said to have reacted quickly, putting extra security measures in place around the former long-time world number one.

Miami Open organisers told BBC Sport the safety and security of everyone at the tournament is treated "extremely seriously".

"We constantly evaluate any potential threats and take every measure to respond appropriately," they said in a statement.

Those comments were echoed by the WTA, who said "comprehensive" security protocols are in place to ensure any incidents are dealt with "promptly and effectively".

"The details of these are not something we discuss publicly, but we are steadfast in our commitment to maintaining a safe environment for players and everyone attending one of our events," said the WTA.

Swiatek's experience is the latest incident involving a WTA player, providing a stark reminder of the dangers faced by female athletes on a regular basis.

Raducanu, 22, recoiled in horror when she saw a man - who she had already reported for what was described as "exhibiting fixated behaviour" - in the stands of her match in Dubai last month.

Stephanie Hilborne, the chief executive of the Women in Sport charity, told BBC Sport that "every single woman has a level of fear".

Eala received a walkover in the fourth round when Spanish 10th seed Paula Badosa withdrew injured, but showed again why she is regarded as an emerging star in Wednesday's quarter-final.

Fearless, ferocious and hitting a flurry of winners, Eala produced a quality performance in her first career match against Swiatek.

However, they had met previously when Swiatek, along with 22-time major champion Nadal, presented Eala with her graduation certificate two years ago.

"It's so surreal," added Eala, who had Nadal's uncle, and former coach, Toni, with her team against Swiatek.

"I'm so happy and so blessed to be able to compete with such a player on this stage.

"My coach told me to run, to go for every ball, to take all the opportunities I can, because a five-time Slam champion is not going to give you the win."

The Optasia Championships DJ has a penchant for spinning 90s house classics down at The Wimbledon Club. Jonah Bryant wasnt even born then, but even with his nostalgic first name the Englishman is fast becoming the latest to break into the modern era. A top 40 player, the 19-year-old is playing his first world tour []

Paul O'Connell has been named Ireland's interim head coach for the summer tour of Georgia and Portugal after Simon Easterby was appointed to the British and Irish Lions coaching team.

Defence coach Easterby was given the Ireland interim head coach for the recent Six Nations because Andy Farrell is on a sabbatical from the role as he prepares to lead the Lions in Australia.

However, Farrell, as expected, has named Easterby in a Lions coaching team which will also have further Ireland representation in scrum coach John Fogarty and backs coach Andrew Goodman.

This led the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) to confirm later that forwards coach O'Connell, 45, will take charge of the Ireland squad in the Tests against Georgia and Portugal which take place on 5 July and 12 July.

IRFU performance director David Humphreys congratulated Easterby, Fogarty and Goodman on their inclusion in the Lions coaching team.

"It is a huge statement of faith in their skillsets and standing within the wider game, and I have no doubt that they will contribute greatly to a successful Lions tour," said Humphreys.

"Simon's appointment means that an opportunity arises for a new interim head coach for the two-match summer tour to Georgia and Portugal and I'm delighted that Paul O'Connell will assume the role for this tour."

The remainder of the Ireland coaching team for the summer Tests will be announced next week.

The venues and kick-off times for the two games are yet to be confirmed.

Ireland's tour squad is likely to be considerably understrength with a large contingent of regulars expected to be in contention for Lions selection.

Munster great O'Connell, who won 108 Ireland caps and played on three Lions tours including the 2009 series where he captained the side in South Africa, was appointed Ireland forwards coach in 2021 after Easterby switched to the defence coach role.

The Rugby Football Union would slide into months of "rancour and disruption" should a rebel motion to oust chief executive Bill Sweeney pass on Thursday, interim chair Bill Beaumont has warned.

A collective of clubs, led by those in the second-tier Championship, have forced a referendum on Sweeney's leadership.

They claim the organisation has lost touch with the grassroots game, highlighting Sweeney's salary, which has increased significantly thanks to a pay rise and a bonus scheme at a time of record RFU losses.

The RFU has tabled a rival motion, which promises to decentralise decision-making and rebuild regional support and funding for clubs.

Former England captain Beaumont accused those trying to depose Sweeney of running a campaign that had been, at times, "deeply regrettable, with demonstrably misleading claims, particularly around the game's finances".

"All of this playing out publicly has detracted from so many of the brilliant things happening in English rugby: from the incredible work of the volunteers running our grassroots game, to the strong men's Six Nations showing and now the focus on our Red Roses as they build to a home World Cup," he added.

However the Whole Game Union, which has co-ordinated the rebellion, placed the blame for the upheaval on RFU executives.

"The rancour and disruption to the game has only been caused by their intransigence and unwillingness to listen to and hear the issues raised over several years by participants, member clubs and referees' societies," it said.

"This vote for change is asking the board to remove our CEO through a managed process."