Good morning and happy Friday! Carter Bahns with you to close out the week and flip the page to Round 2 of the Masters, which is already underway (Follow along here). We have takeaways from yesterday’s first-round action at Augusta National and a look ahead to the rest of today’s competition.
Before the weekend arrives, we’ll also preview UFC 327 and figure out just how worried you should be about your favorite MLB team.
Let’s go.
⛳ Five things to know Friday
- Rory McIlroy is the co-leader through Round 1 at the Masters. The quest to become the Masters’ first back-to-back champion since Tiger Woods in 2001-02 is 25% complete. McIlroy shot five under par in a terrific opening round at Augusta National, placing him in a tie atop the leaderboard with Sam Burns. Perhaps getting the proverbial monkey off his back at last year’s tournament is just what McIlroy needed to remove the pressure and play his best golf.
- Joel Embiid underwent appendix surgery. The 76ers announced their star center was diagnosed with appendicitis, adding to his laundry list of career injuries. They did not detail his timeline to return, but one would imagine that the appendectomy puts his status for the NBA Play-In Tournament (assuming the 76ers don’t fall out of the running) in question. This could be the seventh postseason in which Embiid battles a health issue.
- The NFL is under investigation by the United States Justice Department. At the center of the probe is whether the NFL’s broadcast rights practices harm consumers. That the league continues to place many of its games on streaming services — thus costing fans an increasing sum of money to watch games across numerous platforms — reportedly has the attention of many within the federal government. The NFL stated in its defense that 87% of its games (and 100% of in-market games) are available on free broadcast television.
- Jackie Young will re-sign with the Aces. The No. 5 WNBA free agent, per our rankings, is reportedly finalizing a new one-year deal to remain in Las Vegas. The Aces will thus retain their top two free agents and two of the top five on the market in Young and A’ja Wilson. Tomorrow is the first day players can officially sign contracts and offer sheets, and you can keep tabs on all the moves in one place with our free agency tracker.
- Jiri Prochazka faces Carlos Ulberg tomorrow at UFC 327. The light heavyweight championship bout tops the UFC 327 card. Our experts have made their predictions for what could be a wild one. Prochazka has a lot on his mind this week as his girlfriend prepares to give birth; will that get in the way of his search to claim the vacant title? Catch the final hour of the prelims and first hour of the main card from 8-10 p.m. ET on CBS, and watch the entire event on Paramount+.
🏌️♂️ Do not miss this: Masters Round 1 takeaways, Round 2 preview
Imagn Images
Rory McIlroy’s torrid start to the tournament was the story of Thursday at the Masters, but it wasn’t the only development we’re monitoring closely through 18 holes. Before we dive deep into the key takeaways from Round 1, though, here are a few of the top highlights from the always-magical first day at Augusta National:
Now, onto the big picture. The most eye-catching performances of the day, for better or worse, set the stage for what should be a star-studded race to the green jacket. Justin Rose, for instance, is back in the mix with the 10th top-10 placement through Round 1 in his Masters career.
Of course, Augusta National took its toll on a number of players, as it does every year. It was particularly rough on a number of LIV Golf stars. Bryson DeChambeau shot a 76 to get his tournament started, and that wasn’t even the worst of it. Patrick McDonald explains:
- McDonald: “The 2023 champion noted that he had no feel in his swing and that sensation carried over to the greens, where Jon Rahm ranked third-to-last in Round 1, ahead of only Mike Weir and amateur Mateo Pulcini. Rahm’s 78 puts him in legitimate danger of missing the weekend at the Masters for the first time in his career.”
Today brings the battle to stay above the cut line. Sam Stevens and Sungjae Im get the action started with a 7:40 a.m. tee time, and here are the rest of the groupings. We have you covered with live streams of today’s featured groups, and don’t forget our live blog, which will include instant updates and analysis.
🫨 MLB panic meter
Getty Images
The Major League Baseball season is just two weeks old, which means everything we’ve seen represents less than 10% of the entire campaign. It is far too early to have red-alert concerns about the perceived top pennant contenders. No sample size is too small for passionate fanbases, though, which leads to early-season overreactions.
Matt Snyder is here to talk you off the ledge if you’re overly panicked about your team’s slow start. Take, for instance, what he has to say about the reigning AL-champion Blue Jays, who are embattled with injuries and lost three consecutive series to the Dodgers, White Sox and Rockies.
- Snyder: “The Blue Jays are only two games under .500. No team should be looking at the standings in earnest yet, but being 3 ½ games out of first isn’t even a big deal. They trailed by as many as eight games last year.”
The team Toronto beat to reach the World Series last year, the Mariners, are off to a similarly cold start. But even they received a 2 out of 10 on the panic meter.
Take the first 12 or so games of the year with a grain of salt.
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
MLB
- Eight MLB teams will get new City Connect jerseys this season, and we ranked them from the eyesores to the masterpieces.
- Following Day 3 of the college basketball transfer portal window, here are the top 25 available men’s players. We also graded the fits for some of the top commits. Meanwhile, the Texas women’s roster is in the midst of an overhaul with seven players on the way out.
- Florida secured a commitment from five-star offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller, the No. 4 recruit in the 2027 class.
- The Kings appeared to pull off an egregious tanking move, but the NBA determined it was an honest mistake.
- The average player salary in MLB is up again this year, and the Mets have the major leagues’ highest payroll.
- There will be a lot to learn at Alabama’s spring game on Saturday.
- Amid the NBA’s push to curb tanking, Adam Silver is reportedly enthusiastic about the idea of punishing the worst teams by reducing their draft lottery odds.
- Sal Stewart and Chase DeLauter headline our first MLB rookie rankings of the season.
- “The Ultimate Fighter’ makes its Paramount+ debut when the new season premieres on June 14.
- Mallory Swanson will not play tomorrow in the USWNT’s friendly against Japan, but when she returns, the “Triple Espresso” lineup will headline the roster on the road to the Women’s World Cup.
- We named one to-do item for every NBA team that missed the playoffs.
- Jordyn Tyson will reportedly host teams for a pre-draft workout after he skipped on-field drills at the NFL combine.
- Just like they did in the World Series, the Blue Jays complained about Shohei Ohtani getting extra time for his warmup pitches.
- These anime and pop culture comparisons will help you get to know the top NFL Draft prospects.
📺 What we’re watching this weekend
Friday
⛳ We’ll be locked into the second round of the Masters all day. Here’s how to watch.
⚾ Pirates at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ Pisa at Roma, 2:45 p.m. on Paramount+
⚾ Diamondbacks at Phillies, 6:40 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Angels at Reds, 6:45 p.m. on Apple TV
🏀 Cavaliers at Hawks, 7 p.m. on Prime Video
⚾ Yankees at Rays, 7:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Giants at Orioles, 7:15 p.m. on Apple TV
🤼 WWE SmackDown, 8 p.m. on USA Network
⚾ Red Sox at Cardinals, 8:15 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 Timberwolves at Rockets, 9:30 p.m. on Prime Video
⚾ Rangers at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. on MLB Network
Saturday
⛳ We’ll be locked into the third round of the Masters all day. Here’s how to watch.
⚽ AFC Bournemouth at Arsenal, 7:30 a.m. on USA Network
⚽ Everton at Brentford, 10 a.m. on USA Network
🏒 Lightning at Bruins, 12:30 p.m. on ABC
⚽ Fulham at Liverpool, 12:30 p.m. on NBC
⚽ Toronto FC at FC Cincinnati, 1 p.m. on Apple TV
⚾ Diamondbacks at Phillies, 1:05 p.m. on FS1
⚽ Austin FC at LA Galaxy, 2:30 p.m. on Fox
⚽ Juventus at Atalanta, 2:45 p.m. on Paramount+
🏒 Capitals at Penguins, 3 p.m. on ABC
⚾ Athletics at Mets, 4:10 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Angels at Reds, 4:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ Portland Timbers at Los Angeles Football Club, 4:30 p.m. on Fox
⚽ Women’s international friendly: United States vs. Japan, 5:30 p.m. on TNT
⚾ Red Sox at Cardinals, 7:15 p.m. on Fox
⚾ Giants at Orioles, 7:15 p.m. on Fox
⚽ Charlotte FC at Nashville SC, 7:30 p.m. on Apple TV
🏒 Golden Knights at Avalanche, 8 p.m. on ABC
⚽ Chicago Fire FC at Atlanta United, 8:30 p.m. on Apple TV
🤼 UFC 327: Prochazka vs. Ulberg, 9 p.m. on Paramount+ (first hour also on CBS)
⚽ Colorado Rapids at Houston Dynamo FC, 9:30 p.m. on Apple TV
⚾ Astros at Mariners, 9:40 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚽ San Diego FC at Minnesota United FC, 10:30 p.m. on Apple TV
Sunday
⛳ We’ll be locked into the final round of the Masters all day. Here’s how to watch.
⚽ Sassuolo at Genoa, 6:30 a.m. on Paramount+
⚽ Napoli at Parma, 9 a.m. on Paramount+
⚽ Manchester City at Chelsea, 11:30 a.m. on USA Network
⚾ Giants at Orioles, 1:35 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Yankees at Rays, 1:40 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Nationals at Brewers, 2:10 p.m. on Peacock
⚽ Inter Milan at Como, 2:45 p.m. on Paramount+
🏒 Penguins at Capitals, 3 p.m. on TNT
🏁 NASCAR at Bristol, 3 p.m. on FS1
⚾ Rangers at Dodgers, 4:10 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Magic at Celtics, 6 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Bruins at Blue Jackets, 6 p.m. on NHL Network
⚽ Columbus Crew at Orlando City, 7 p.m. on Apple TV
⚾ Guardians at Braves, 7:20 p.m. on NBC
🏀 Nuggets at Spurs, 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ Seattle Sounders FC at Real Salt Lake, 9 p.m. on Apple TV
