The Philadelphia Phillies, frustrated in their negotiations to bring back free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto, are looking into the possibility of shaking up their roster and finding a creative way to add free-agent infielder Bo Bichette, a high-ranking Phillies executive told USA TODAY Sports.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of ongoing talks, but confirmed a report by The Athletic that the Phillies scheduled a virtual meeting with Bichette on Monday, Jan. 12 to discuss the possibility of joining the Phillies.

Two Phillies executives cautioned that signing Bichette remains a long-shot, insisting it would be complicated and involve significant roster changes, but that it’s certainly possible.

The Phillies would have to cut off negotiations with Realmuto, trade third baseman Alec Bohm and his $10.2 million salary, find a team who would take right fielder Nick Castellanos and pay at least a small portion of his $20 million salary, and perhaps move others as well.

The Phillies’ interest in potentially signing Bichette came about after the holidays when Bichette expressed a desire in playing for them, particularly after the hiring last week of Don Mattingly as their bench coach. Mattingly was the Toronto Blue Jays’ bench coach the past three years and became close to Bichette.

Bichette, 27, who has played shortstop throughout his career, also said he would be willing to move to second base, where he appeared during the World Series, or even third base.

Certainly, there is competition for Bichette, who is seeking a long-term deal likely worth at least $250 million. If the Boston Red Sox can’t re-sign shortstop Alex Bregman, they’ll turn to Bichette. The Chicago Cubs have expressed interest in both infielders. The Los Angeles Dodgers would gladly sign Bichette if he was interested on a short-term contract. And the door isn’t shut on a return to Toronto, where he has spent his entire career.

Still, with a projected luxury payroll of about $300 million, according to Spotrac, the Phillies say they would need to clear salary for Bichette. They would also need to find a catcher to replace Realmuto, 35, their three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner, who has been instrumental in their four-year playoff run.

The Phillies say they’re serious, and perhaps by next week we’ll find out just how realistic this could actually become, with Bichette being the latest high-priced star to join the Phillies.

Follow Bob Nightengale on X @Bnightengale.

PARADISE VALLEY, AZ – He’s clearly tired of getting dragged into these hypotheticals, the delicious soundbites feeding the starving masses.

But since everyone wants an answer, Pete Golding finally relented the day before the biggest game in Ole Miss history. Before we find out if this storybook, screw you ride continues for a team, a university and a community hell-bent on exposing the one thing we’ve all overlooked. 

Did Lane Kiffin make Ole Miss, or did Ole Miss make Kiffin?

“I don’t have a message for anybody else,” Golding said — because that’s how he has played the past month as the new Ole Miss coach. Stick to the script, coach the team, win the day. 

And then it happened. 

“I do think the message is I’m replaceable,” Golding continued. “You’re replaceable. Our players are replaceable. You want to build a program where it’s headed in the right direction, and one person or one player is not going to derail that.”

Let me explain for those not skilled at reading between the lines: the Ole Miss team, the program, is more than Lane Kiffin. 

In fact, it may very well be better off without him.

If this team was built Kiffin-centric, it falls apart in the College Football Playoff — instead of winning two games to set up a Fiesta Bowl semifinal showdown with Miami.

Instead of the team’s biggest and brightest players — including star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and tailback Kewan Lacy — committing to return to Oxford next season. They and many others on the Ole Miss roster have been actively recruited by Kiffin to join him at LSU, not long after he left Oxford for the bright lights and championship history of the school that just fired its coach after he won 34 games in three and a half seasons.

When you think about it, there’s really no decision to be made. Stay at Ole Miss, or leave for LSU and play for the coach who flat left you to fend for yourselves in the biggest moments of your playing careers?

Or leave for the coach who, prior to this season, hadn’t proven to be an elite coach. Hadn’t proven he could build a championship roster at the Power conference level. 

His best team — even better than this year’s white-hot group — did what his teams seem to always do: play down to competition. The 2024 Ole Miss team could’ve made the CFP and advanced this far if it didn’t collapse at home against an awful Kentucky team, and to a reeling Florida team in Gainesville.

And while Kiffin was set on the transition of former five-star quarterback recruit Austin Simmons for 2025, Ole Miss offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. found Chambliss at Division II Ferris State, and convinced him to join the Rebels as a backup. Hey, you never know what could happen. 

“There’s a plan for everything,” Chambliss said. 

This is beginning to feel like the Ole Miss plan all along. Find the one coach who can illuminate the path to winning and convince high-rolling boosters to bankroll it, and then get there and squeeze the life out of the moment. 

Kiffin showed the path, did the heavy lifting and got Ole Miss to the party. Then Golding took over and began producing a sweet symphony that only underscored the undeniable reality of sports. 

“It’s always about the players,” said Ole Miss associate head coach Joe Judge. “There’s a reason coaches aren’t out there playing. We’re here drinking coffee and eating potato chips.”

Or doing daily hot yoga sesh, and avoiding red meat.

Look, I’m not trying to minimize what Kiffin accomplished at Ole Miss. The results paint a clear picture of where it was in Oxford before he arrived in 2020, and what it became.

He had four double-digit win seasons in the past five, an unheard of string of success at a school that has never played in the SEC championship game, and hasn’t won a conference championship game since the days of legendary coach Johnny Vaught.  

He marketed the hell out of the program — “Come to the ‘Sip” — and made it hip to play in a tiny southern town where life moves as slow and sweet as sugarcane molasses. He embraced the transfer portal quickly and with robust intent while most other coaches complained about it. 

But understand this: He was given free reign at Ole Miss by an athletic director and a president that said yes to everything. 

Want to place a Ferrari in front of the Carrier House, the stately Oxford mansion and home of the university president for decades, to attract recruits? Why not.

Or an expanded staff of analysts to help build out recruiting and development, a staff so deep with coaching experience that some of those analysts could move to on-field roles while Kiffin played games with what coaches would be allowed to leave LSU and coach Ole Miss during the CFP.

Or an NIL war chest so deep, Ole Miss could annually rebuild and turn over a roster through the transfer portal, and then supplement with high school recruiting. Or the exact opposite of how championship teams are typically built.

Give all of that to many FBS coaches, and watch what happens. For every Kiffin, there will obviously be more like Billy Napier, who received the same framework from Florida and failed miserably. 

But there are also coaches like Golding, who bust their tails for years in the NCAA lower divisions, get a job at the FBS level as an assistant, and then one day find themselves staring at an opportunity they could only dream of early in their career.

Ole Miss lost at Georgia in October under Kiffin, and came back two months later — against an improved Georgia defense — and beat the Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal under Golding. Does that mean the Rebels are better off without Kiffin?

Not by a long shot.

But it does mean everybody is replaceable. 

When is Fiesta Bowl? What TV channel is Ole Miss vs Miami on?

The Fiesta Bowl is 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 8 and the main broadcast will be on ESPN.

CFP schedule, bracket

Here’s the CFP schedule with the bracket moving into the semifinals:

• CFP semifinal Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Miami, 7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, Jan. 8, State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona); ESPN (Fubo)
• CFP semifinal Peach Bowl: No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 5 Oregon, 7:30 p.m. ET, Friday, Jan. 9, Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta); ESPN (Fubo)
• National championship game: No. 1 Indiana/No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 6 Ole Miss/No. 10 Miami, 7:30 p.m. ET, Monday, Jan. 19, Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida); ESPN (Fubo)

Multiple suspects have been arrested in connection with the burglary at the home of Cleveland Browns quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, Medina County (Ohio) police said on Jan. 7.

The Medina County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release that it arrested three of the four suspects on Jan. 7. Police have also positively identified the fourth suspect, the driver, and issued a warrant for his arrest.

Sanders’ home was broken into during the Browns’ Week 11 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the same game that he made his NFL debut. Police said that the thieves stole about $200,000 in property during the break-in, which occurred around 6:46 p.m. ET.

Surveillance camera at the residence captured the suspects entering and exiting different portions of the home. It involved three masked and gloved suspects entering Sanders’ home and taking items from the home until just before 6:58 p.m.

It was the latest in a string of break-ins to the homes of professional athletes.

Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters on Nov. 2 that his home was broken into on Oct. 30. Like Sanders, the Oklahoma City Thunder guard was not home at the time of the crime.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce both had their homes burglarized during early October of the 2024 NFL season and police also responded to a break-in at Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s home during a ‘Monday Night Football’ game on Dec. 9, 2024.

The NFL sent a memo to players following the incidents at Mahomes and Kelce’s homes, warning ‘organized and skilled’ criminals were targeting athletes’ homes for burglaries across sports.

Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Glenn Hall died Wednesday, the NHL announced.

Hall, who played for the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues, died in a Stony Plain, Alberta, hospital at 94 years old, the league said. Hall had mainly lived on his farm there since retiring as a goalie.

‘Glenn Hall was the very definition of what all hockey goaltenders aspire to be,’ NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. ‘Aptly nicknamed ‘Mr. Goalie,’ Glenn was sturdy, dependable, and a spectacular talent in net.’

Hall’s record of 502 consecutive regular-season NHL games is a league record that very likely won’t ever be broken. From Oct. 6, 1955, to Nov. 4, 1962, he did not miss one match. Each of those seven seasons had 70 games, and in 1962-63 when his streak ended due to a back injury, he only missed four games.

That makes Hall the ironman of NHL goaltenders. Considering teams nowadays almost always play backup goalies once during back-to-back games and on other occasions to give the No. 1 netminder a rest, Hall will likely be the NHL ironman goalie forever. And as Bettman said, Hall recorded that streak without wearing a mask.

‘Glenn was a true star, whose career was filled with accomplishment and accolades,’ Bettman said. ‘From the moment he stepped foot in an NHL crease, Hall excelled. He won the Calder Trophy with the Red Wings, earned every win for the Blackhawks in their run to the 1961 Stanley Cup, and captured a Conn Smythe Trophy despite losing in the final with the St. Louis Blues.’

The NHL credited Hall as the ‘pioneering grandfather of the butterfly style of goaltending,’ dropping to his knees to stop low shots instead of standing up.

After retiring as a goaltender, Hall was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975 and the St. Louis Blues Hall of Fame in 2023. As a goaltending consultant for the Calgary Flames, Hall won the Cup again in 1988-89.

Hall’s No. 1 is retired by the Blackhawks. The team and chairman-CEO Danny Wirtz called Hall one of the most influential goaltenders in the history of hockey and a franchise cornerstone.

‘On behalf of the Wirtz family and the entire Chicago Blackhawks organization, we extend our deepest condolences to Glenn’s family, friends, and the countless teammates and supporters who loved him,’ Wirtz’s statement said. ‘We are grateful for his extraordinary contributions to hockey and to our club, and we will honor his memory today and always.’

The Atlanta Hawks have traded guard Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, a person with knowledge of the deal told USA TODAY Sports.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal was not yet official.

Young was in his eighth season with the Hawks, but the signs that his tenure was coming to a close had become apparent in recent months. He leaves as the franchise’s all-time leader in assists (4,837) and 3-pointers (1,295).

Young has only played in 10 games this season and did not play on Wednesday due to a quad injury. Reports of the trade emerged during the team’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans and Young was seen being embraced by members of the organization.

The four-time NBA All-Star has averaged 19.3 points, 8.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game this season.

Entering Thursday’s game, the Hawks had an 18-21 record this season and were ninth in the Eastern Conference standings. When Young is not in the lineup, though, the Hawks have produced a 16-13 record.

The trade will keep Young in the Eastern Conference, joining the Wizards, who have a 10-26 record and are 14th out of 15 teams in the conference standings.

Trae Young trade grades

Wizards

Young helps provide an offensive spark to a team that’s struggled in recent seasons and has been missing a superstar-level player on the roster since Bradley Beal’s departure after the 2022-23 season.

Young is not known for his defensive ability and could be seen as a liability on that end of the floor. He also could be a free agent after the season, owning a player option for 2026-27.

Grade: B

Hawks

McCollum may not be the standout player he was during his days in Portland, but he will bring a veteran presence to the locker room in Atlanta, which is one of the younger teams in the NBA this season. On the court, he’s averaged 18.8 points, 3.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game in 35 games played.

Kispert played the first five seasons of his career in Washington. After playing in 80 games during the 2023-24 season, he played just 61 last season and didn’t start a game. He started two of the 19 games he played in for the Wizards this season. He has averaged 10.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists during his career. Kispert did not play on Tuesday due to a hamstring injury and McCollum also sat.

Grade: B

When asked about the non-conference schedule after the LSU women’s basketball team’s loss at Vanderbilt, Kim Mulkey said the quiet part out loud.

“If we hadn’t played that schedule, we might be sitting here with a lot of losses,’ Mulkey said.

Indeed. And now, SEC play is underway and LSU’s schedule is a whole lot tougher. The average NET ranking of LSU’s opponents so far is 270th in the nation, which is the second-worst in the SEC to only Georgia.

Through two games — losses to Kentucky and Vanderbilt — it seems like LSU isn’t as good as what their unblemished non-conference record was saying. And the Tigers’ schedule doesn’t get any easier.

The Tigers will host undefeated Texas on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN), another measuring stick game for Mulkey’s team. A week into January, LSU’s ceiling is unclear.

The opposite feels true for Texas, which tested themselves in non-conference action and passed with flying colors. The Longhorns own wins over six ranked teams and could make LSU their next victim. Led by Madison Booker, Rori Harmon and Jordan Lee, coach Vic Schaefer’s squad has the look and feel of a team capable of reaching its second consecutive Final Four.

So far, the same can’t be said for LSU, which has lost in the Elite Eight in back-to-back seasons since winning the 2023 national title with a team powered by Angel Reese. The Tigers lead the nation in scoring, but lost the rebounding battle to Kentucky by double figures and then committed an astounding 22 turnovers against Vanderbilt.

LSU’s problems are just now being exposed in January. The time to fix them is running out.

Here’s the other games to watch in women’s college basketball this weekend:

Game that could shake up national rankings: Oklahoma at Kentucky

4 p.m. ET, Sunday (SEC Network)

This game could be billed as a literal clash of the titans. On one side you have Raegan Beers, the 6-foot-4 post for the Sooners who is averaging 17.4 points and 10.8 rebounds a game while shooting 59% from the floor. On the other end is Clara Strack, the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year posting 16.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. Both teams also have dynamic guards, with rookie Aaliyah Chavez shining for Oklahoma and veteran Tonie Morgan guiding Kentucky with superb passing. Kentucky will have to grapple with the absence of starting forward Teonni Key, who is out with an elbow injury.

Must-watch player matchup: North Carolina at Notre Dame

1 p.m. ET, Sunday (ESPN)

Hannah Hidalgo has been the one-woman wrecking crew for the undermanned Fighting Irish this season. She’s second in the nation in scoring with 25.3 points per game and first in steals with 5.9. She and Notre Dame will be going up against a North Carolina team led by sophomore center Ciera Toomey and senior wing Indya Nivar. Toomey is making a case for the ACC’s Most Improved Player, as she’s shooting 74.2% inside the arc, which is third nationally. And like Hidalgo, Nivar has garnered a reputation for being adept at picking pockets, posting 3.3 steals per game.

Mid-major matchup worth watching: Davidson at Richmond

6 p.m. ET, Saturday, (ESPN)

There’s a good chance the Atlantic 10 is a multi-bid league for the NCAA Tournament again this season, and the Wildcats and Spiders are jockeying for position atop the conference standings. Katie Donovan, a junior guard for Davidson, is shooting north of 50% from 3-point land this season. For Richmond, Maggie Doogan is a 6-foot-2 Swiss army knife who is the only player in the nation averaging at least 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game.

Sickos game of the week: Rutgers at Northwestern

3 p.m. ET, Sunday (Big Ten Network+)

Both of these teams could have new head coaches next season. Longtime Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown is retiring and things haven’t gone well for Coquese Washington in her four seasons leading Rutgers. Both teams are 0-4 in Big Ten play and look like longshots to make the NCAA Tournament. However, the Wildcats do feature Caroline Lau and Grace Sullivan. Lau leads the nation in assists with nine per game, and Sullivan is fifth nationally in scoring with 23.4 points per game.

Also watch…

• Columbia at Harvard: 2 p.m. ET, Saturday (ESPN+)
• Arkansas State at Troy: 4:30 p.m. ET, Saturday (ESPN+)
• UConn at Creighton: 2 p.m. ET, Sunday (truTV/HBO Max)
• Ohio State at Maryland: 4 p.m. ET, Sunday (Peacock)
• UCLA at Nebraska: 7 p.m. ET, Sunday (Big Ten Network)