© Provided by Oath Inc. Today’s Game committee member and Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa colorfully and steadfastly defended Harold Baines’ Hall of Fame election. (AP) The most heated debate at this week’s winter meetings hasn’t centered around Bryce Harper or Manny Machado’s next move. Instead, it’s centered around Harold Baines’ election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.The longtime Chicago White Sox slugger was surprisingly elected by the Today’s Game era committee on Sunday, where he joined closer Lee Smith as baseball’s newest Hall of Famers. Yet here we are, three days later, with opinions still flowing and emotions still running plenty high.That’s not just limited to the fans upset over Baines’ election. It also applies to the committee members responsible for pushing Baines through....

LAS VEGAS — Let it be recorded that when Scott Boras made his annual winter meetings performance art Wednesday, this time to argue that Bryce Harper is such a great investment he “will pay for himself”, he stood not on a soap box but an equipment box for a Washington television station. It was an unintended master stroke for the Maestro of Metaphor.Boras brought to the media the argument he is trying to pitch to owners: that Harper is the rare ballplayer who not only puts up numbers, but also sells tickets, brings in viewers and enhances franchise value. Boras ascribed to Harper leaps made by the Washington Nationals in his years there in attendance (an increase of 600,000 from the season before Harper arrived to this season), viewership (from 25,000 households to 77,000 households, he said) and franchise value ($480 million to $2 billion, he said, though the current estimate is closer to $1.7 billion)....

In less than two weeks, the NFL is going to have an awkward situation on its hands, and that's because the Raiders are officially going to be homeless.  The Raiders' lease with city of Oakland expires after the season, which means the Raiders might need to start looking for a new city to play in after their home finale against the Broncos on Christmas Eve. Although the Raiders have known all year that their lease would be expiring at the end of the 2018, no one seems to know where they're going to play next. So how did we get to this spot of total chaos, where an NFL team might be homeless? Great question. Here's three things to know about the Raiders' odd situation. 1. The situation in Oakland...

Manny Machado seems like he wants to play for the Yankees.There are multiple teams reportedly interested in the 26-year-old star infielder. But, Machado’s first choice is to sign with the Yankees if they meet his asking price, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden reported during an appearance Wednesday on CBS Sports Network.New York has scheduled a meeting with Machado, according to an earlier report from Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman. But, it is not willing to spend $300 million to sign him, the report says.Machado, who was sent from the Orioles to the Dodgers before the trade deadline, registered a .297/.367/.538 slash line in 162 total games in 2018. He also hit 37 home runs and tallied 107 RBIs.Machado has made four All-Star teams and won two Gold Glove awards in his seven-year MLB career....

Brandon Marshall’s brief stay in New Orleans is overPer Field Yates, the New Orleans Saints have released veteran wideout Brandon MarshallThe move comes as Pro Football Talk reports that the Saints have claimed tight end Erik Swoope off waivers.Check back soon for more updates on this story.Related Slideshow: Best of the 2018-19 NFL Season (Provided by USA TODAY Sports)...

Video by NFL.comIRVING, Texas — Commissioner Roger Goodell says the NFL won't pay for video evidence in cases involving domestic violence, and he defended the league's handling of those investigations.Speaking after owners held their annual winter meeting Wednesday, Goodell said the NFL's approach to dealing with domestic violence is "extraordinary" and that the league has some of the highest standards of any organization.The NFL came under scrutiny again when surveillance video showed former Kansas City running back Kareem Hunt shoving and kicking a woman in a Cleveland hotel in February. Hunt wasn't disciplined before the video was released by TMZ.The league announced what it said were stronger provisions for the Rooney Rule, which is designed to promote diversity in hiring practices....

In 1992, the Suns committed to a 40-year lease at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, but the agreement included a provision for the team to opt out at 30 years if the building — one of the oldest in the NBA — is considered obsolete.That could allow the Suns to leave downtown Phoenix in 2022 if there's no new agreement.With a City Council vote on a $230 million renovation plan delayed, it has been revealed that Suns owner Robert Sarver has told some council members he might move the team to Seattle or Las Vegas.If the Suns leave, Phoenix would have to take over operations and maintenance of the building, and would still have to invest in significant infrastructure repairs if it wants to attract concerts and other events, according to the city. ...

So it appears that we've reached the end of the story arc about Steph Curry's moon landing comments. Earlier this week, Curry hopped on the Winging It Podcast and said that he didn't believe that the moon landing was real. Naturally, that soundbite was picked up and shared all over social media and any other medium that could possibly churn content out of it. However, as it turns out, Curry does not actually believe the conspiracy.Among the fallout surrounding Curry's comments was NASA offering to give Curry a free tour of one of their lunar labs so he can learn about the moon landing and even check out some of the rocks collected from the exploration.Curry and the Warriors head to Houston on March 13, which is the only time for the rest of the season the team will be in Houston for Curry to visit NASA....

We’re getting to the time of year when momentum starts to matter for potential NFL playoff teams. Bad losses can pile up and prove mentally taxing, while a winning streak breeds swagger and confidence. With the playoffs looming, every team is looking for a hefty dose of the latter to power them through the right time of the year.Whose stock is rising — and falling — at this pivotal time of the season? Here’s a look at ten teams.Rising: Dallas Cowboys (8-5)No team has done more for their playoff aspirations in less time than the Cowboys, who have won five in a row. The acquisition of Amari Cooper, widely derided at the time for the first-round pick they gave up, now looks like a masterstroke, with Cooper looking like the No. 1 wide receiver the Cowboys dreamed he’d be. An improving offense coupled with a strong defense that shut down the Saints means Dallas should be a force to be reckoned with in the NFC playoffs, just weeks after looking like they might not even make it to that point....

Just a few years ago, Las Vegas would have been the last place you’d have ever imagined the NFL holding its draft. There would have been a better chance of having it on the moon.But with the Raiders moving to Las Vegas in 2020, with all that public stadium money that the NFL adores, the league is giving the draft to Sin City. The NFL announced Wednesday the 2020 draft will be in Las Vegas.And immediately, teams and agents are worrying about letting 21- and 22-year old college prospects loose in Vegas for draft weekend.While it makes sense on many levels to put the draft in Las Vegas, it’s just strange. The NFL has publicly denounced gambling at every chance, yet its marquee offseason event is going to the gambling capital of the United States....

The NFL had plenty of issues internationally this season, but they’re still committed to the project.The league announced it would play five games in international markets this year, one in Mexico City and four more in London.While the schedule hasn’t been set yet, the league announced the home teams for those five games would be the Rams, Chargers, Raiders, Jaguars, and Buccaneers.This year’s Mexico City game was one of the league’s biggest flops, as the top-shelf matchup between the Chiefs and Rams had to be moved back to Los Angeles at the last minute because of shabby field conditions.But that wasn’t the only issue. The league planned for the Raiders and Seahawks to play in the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium this year, but that game had to be moved to Wembley because of construction delays at the new site. And with Tottenham playing home games at Wembley this year, the turf there has been less-than-ideal for both soccer and football purposes....

2018 had no shortage of inspirational moments in sports. From handful of the most significant upsets in sports history, to triumphant comebacks that highlight both the time-honored tradition of the game as well as current times, here's a look at 25 of the most inspirational sports moments of the year.

Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre said he's "not ready" to become an NFL coach and fill the vacancy for his former team. But the Hall of Famer kept the idea open long-term, saying he's "learned to never say never" on what the future might hold. "It's definitely interesting," Favre told TMZ Sports of the possibility of coaching the Packers. "But believe me, that's not going to happen. How can you not be intrigued by that? They would never offer, but even if they would, that's ... I'm not ready for that and neither are they."Mike McCarthy's 13-season run coaching the Packers ended earlier this month after he was fired following a loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Favre said that while he felt fulfilled from coaching high school football — the 49-year-old helped Oak Grove High School win a Mississippi state championship as offensive coordinator in 2013 — he's not ready for the big time commitment just yet. ...

Saquon Barkley continues to live up to the hype that came with him in the NFL Draft. Did you see this 78-yard run against the Washington Redskins last week? The safeties had no chance:But did you know Barkley coached the offensive line to pull off the blocking scheme that made that touchdown happen? Okay, that's a bit hyperbolic, but check out this clip of a mic'd up Barkley:That's right, Barkley didn't have to worry about the safeties there.MORE:Albino animals are a stunning oddity of natureHere's an updated guide to the Packers' playoff pathThe Raiders Should Absolutely Spend 2019 In San DiegoESPN's Todd McShay gives Raiders two 1st-round Alabama defendersEagles projected to be over salary cap by highest amount in NFL in 2019...

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry believes that historically great teams in any era should be able to stand on their own merits in the annals of history, but he isn't going to let anybody think they can beat his Warriors.After hearing about Shaquille O'Neal's comments in which he said his Los Angeles Lakers team that won three titles in a row could "easily" beat the Warriors, Curry defended his team's honor."Oh, he's dead wrong," Curry told ESPN, with a confident smile, prior to Wednesday's game against the Toronto Raptors. "Of course. We'd beat them. We can go back-and-forth all day."O'Neal told USA Today Sports that his Lakers that won three straight NBA titles between 2000-02 would have no problem beating Curry and the Warriors....