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.

Thursday night’s Miami Heat-Chicago Bulls game has been postponed ‘due to moisture on the floor rendering the court unplayable,’ the NBA said in a statement.

The announcement that the game at Chicago’s United Center was off came nearly two hours after the contest was supposed to tip off.

Per the NBA, ‘the date for the rescheduled game will be announced at a later time.’

The Jan. 8 game was scheduled to start a little after 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local). CHSN’s K.C. Johnson had reported at 8:49 p.m. ET that players had returned to the locker room and at 9:46 p.m. ET, Johnson reported that players had come back out to ‘mingle/talk and now are headed back to locker room.’

The Bulls said tickets for Thursday’s game ‘will be valid for the rescheduled game.’

‘We apologize for any inconvenience,’ the Bulls said.

Johnson reported the decision to postpone ‘was reached by the NBA in consultation with the officiating crew and both head coaches.’

‘We always want to try to go. But players were complaining about it on both sides,’ Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, per Johnson. ‘Staff went out there and pretty much immediately we felt that it wasn’t playable.’

This story has been updated with new information.

The Fiesta Bowl matchup between No. 6 Mississippi and No. 10 Miami turned into an instant classic, with the Hurricanes coming from behind to win 31-27 and advance to the College Football Playoff championship game.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a true CFP game without at least a little controversy — and the Hurricanes and Rebels delivered on the game’s final play.

After giving up a 3-yard go-ahead touchdown to Carson Beck with 18 seconds left, Ole Miss advanced to the Miami 35-yard line as Trinidad Chambliss completed passes of 23 and 17 yards, respectively, to set up one final shot at the end zone. Ultimately, his pass to De’Zhaun Stribling fell incomplete, with Miami defensive back Ethan O’Connor in defense.

However, Chambliss and the Ole Miss sideline were quick to call for a flag in the immediate aftermath of the incompletion, believing O’Connor had committed pass interference, which — had officials thrown a flag — would have set up another shot at the end zone, this time from the 20-yard line. Officials swallowed their whistles, ending the game.

Here’s a look at the play:

Here’s another vantage of the play, which shows O’Connor grabbing onto Stribling’s jersey as they both ran to the back of the end zone. O’Connor also appears to impede Stribling’s chances at making a play on the ball.

Ultimately, officials elected not to call pass interference, and Ole Miss fans and neutral observers alike weren’t happy officials did not call what they believed to be a game-changing penalty:

Did Miami commit pass interference? Social media reacts

AI-assisted summary
• Figure skater Maxim Naumov honored his late parents with his short program at the U.S. championships.
• Naumov’s parents, both former Olympic skaters, were killed in a plane crash in January 2025.
• He held a photo of his parents while awaiting his score, which temporarily put him in first place.
• Naumov finished the short program in fourth place and is a contender for a spot on the 2026 U.S. Olympic team.

ST. LOUIS — Maxim Naumov wasn’t going to find out his score alone.

As the 24-year-old figure skater awaited the results of his short program at the U.S. championships on Thursday, he pulled out a photo. It was a picture of him, about 3 years old, holding hands with his mom and dad. It was the first time on the ice with white skates.

Naumov’s parents, Russian Olympic pair skaters Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, were two of the 67 people killed in the January 2025 plane crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, that devastated the figure skating community. Vadim and Evgenia were two of the 28 coaches, young skaters and parents who were returning from a development camp in Wichita, Kansas, held in conjunction with last year’s 2025 U.S. nationals.

Naumov gave the photo a kiss. All he could think about were their smiles and what they would say to him.

The score was revealed. An 85.72. It put Naumov in first place for the moment. He burst into tears, holding that photo to his face as the crowd erupted in ovation.

It was his parents who got him on the ice, and in one of the biggest moments of his career, they were there to hold him one more time. 

“This program is very meaningful to me, and I spent so much time in practice connecting with it and evolving it and developing it to be as good as I can possibly make it,” Naumov told USA TODAY Sports. “To go out there and really share that emotion with everybody has been unreal.”

It’s been an emotional 12 months for Naumov. He didn’t know if he was going to continue competing after he lost his parents. But he decided to return to the ice, and it led to the beautiful moment inside Enterprise Center.

Anticipation had been building. The crowd gave him one of the loudest cheers of the night when he was announced for the warmups, and it only got louder when it was his time to take the ice. He told the NBC broadcast his family has a mantra: We have to fight. He was repeating it in his head as he walked the hallway before his performance.

He admitted it wasn’t a perfect skate, adding his dad probably would’ve told him to be “a little bit more confident.” However, he landed his jumps and avoided any major tumbles. He conveyed the emotions of the skate, the crowd taking the journey alongside him.

“I felt like I learned something new about myself every single competition that I did. Something new to work on after each one, something to focus on, something to drill in training, all leading up to this exact thing right here,” Naumov said. “It wasn’t perfect, but we still did so many of the things that we worked on, and I continue to do so.”

When he finished and he sat on the ice, the audience gave him a standing ovation. He soaked up all of it as he looked around the arena to see all the people applauding him.

“Sharing the vulnerability with the audience and me feeling their energy back has been something I remember for the rest of my life,” he said.

By the end of everyone’s short program, Naumov was in fourth place, less than three points behind third-place Jason Brown. He finished fourth at each of the last three nationals, but there is a chance for him to finish this year on the podium – and possibly achieve more by the end of the weekend.

Naumov is in the conversation to claim one of the three men’s spots the U.S. has for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Ilia Malinin is a shoe-in and Jason Brown will likely get the second selection, but the third spot is completely up for grabs. It could go to Naumov, Tomoki Hiwatashi, Andrew Torgashev or another skater.

Naumov has his eyes set on achieving “the ultimate goal” of his first Winter Olympics. He said one of the last conversations he had with his parents was about making it to Milano Cortina.

If he does get the nod, it won’t just be a major accomplishment, but also one of the biggest stories at the Games. But if he doesn’t, he has shown he is one of the most resilient skaters in the world, becoming someone you can’t help but root for.

“Even at a time like this, having the opportunity to be here again was just another example of how capable I am in really difficult times,” Naumov said. 

And he’s done it with mom and dad by his side.

Get our Chasing Gold Olympics newsletter in your inbox for coverage of your favorite Team USA athletes

Corey LaJoie will take Brad Keselowski’s place in the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford for the Feb. 1 NASCAR Clash event that unofficially kicks off the 2026 Cup Series season.

The move comes as Keselowski continues his recovery from a broken leg suffered on a family ski trip in December.

‘I’m happy for Corey to get this opportunity. I’m laser focused on being ready for Daytona,’ Keselowski said in a statement announcing the move.

Keselowski, 41, spoke at length with Fox Sports about the decision to have LaJoie run the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium and his recovery from a broken femur that also caused some nerve damage.

‘I didn’t want to rush back,’ Keselowski told Fox Sports. ‘The team and I made the decision together that if all the rehab went absolutely perfect, we’d be ready like, literally, the day of the Clash.

‘And that seemed super foolish and didn’t give us any time to do any testing on myself or anything like that.’

Keselowski is determined to return for the Dayton 500, which is slated to run this year on Feb. 15.

The 2012 Cup Series champion called it ‘kind of a freak accident’ − he slipped and fell on ice getting out of his car.

‘I just fell perfectly on a spot that broke my leg,’ Keselowski told Fox Sports. ‘I wish it was some cooler story than that, like jumping or doing something on the slopes.

‘I think everybody thinks I did it on the slopes, which sounds a lot cooler than the actual story I have, but it just was a freak accident.’

The WNBA and its players association will not agree to a new collective bargaining agreement by Friday’s deadline.

That’s according to New York Liberty All-Star Breanna Stewart, the two-time league MVP and vice president of the players association.

‘We are not coming to an agreement by tomorrow, I can tell you that,’ Stewart told reporters in Miami following an Unrivaled practice on Thursday, according to multiple reports. ‘We’re just going to continue to negotiate in good faith.’

Stewart, who is a co-founder of Unrivaled, added that calling for a labor strike is ‘not something that we’re going to do right this second, but we have that in our back pocket.’ In December, players voted to give WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike and the executive committee the power to launch a strike.

The WNBA has no plans to lock out players, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports.

The key issues currently separating the WNBA and its players are increased salaries and revenue sharing, and whether the revenue that is shared is from the league’s gross or net. The two sides have pushed their deadline twice, as it was originally supposed to be resolved by Oct. 30.

However, WNPBA executive director Terri Jackson told USA Today Sports in a statement that no one should believe the latest offer by the league is a “good deal.”

The WNBPA announced this week that it has created what it’s calling “player hubs” across the globe so that players can continue to train and keep their fitness levels high in the event of a work stoppage. Universities like Stanford, Cal, UNLV and Manhattan are opening their facilities to WNBA players, as are fitness centers operated by Bay Club and Exos.

“These facilities are valuing our players, opening their doors, and saying, ‘We’ve got you.’ That kind of support means everything to our members,” WNBPA senior vice president of player relations Jayne Appel Marinelli said in a statement. “These hubs are about standing together and making sure every player has what they need to stay ready and keep doing what they love.”

Multiple players have spoken about how crucial these negotiations are to the future of the WNBA, including Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark.

“This is the biggest moment the WNBA has ever seen, and it’s not something that can be messed up,’ Clark said last month in Durham, N.C., after a Team USA training session. ‘And, you know, we’re going to fight for everything that we deserve, but at the same time, we need to play basketball. That’s what our fans crave … because you want the product on the floor, and at the end of the day, that’s how you make the money, that’s how you’re marketable.”

While acknowledging the slim chances of an agreement by Friday, Stewart remained optimistic about reaching a resolution.

‘While we are both seemingly far apart, there is a place where we can come and find a mutual ground,’ Stewart said.

The Los Angeles Angels, along with eight other Major League Baseball teams, terminated broadcast deals with FanDuel Sports Network and its parent company, Main Street Sports Group, on Thursday, Jan. 8.

According to the Associated Press, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the league is prepared to produce and distribute the broadcasts of all nine teams — the Angels, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays.

‘No matter what happens, whether it’s Main Street, a third party or MLB media, fans are going to have the games,’ Manfred told reporters.

Main Street reportedly missed a payment to the Cardinals a month ago, while Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported that Main Street also missed a payment to the Marlins that was due on Jan. 1. Tom Friend of the Sports Business Journal reported that the Rays might have been the only team to receive their 2026 rights fee payment on time.

This has happened before; MLB took over the broadcast rights of the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023 after Main Street — then known as Diamond Sports Group — missed a rights fee payment to each team. The proverbial door however, isn’t exactly closed yet. According to Evan Drellich of The Athletic, all nine teams could return to FanDuel networks on re-negotiated deals.

Main Street is also the regional sports network (RSN) carrier for 13 NBA teams and seven NHL teams. Per the Sports Business Journal, Main Street was in negotiations with DAZN to buy the struggling network, but that talks are ‘teetering’ and the company might shutter unless a second bidder emerges.

The Minnesota Timberwolves held a moment of silence before their Jan. 8 game at the Target Center to honor Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot this week by a federal immigration officer.

Video of the Timberwolves’ broadcast of the trubute, posted to the r/NBA subreddit and reviewed by USA TODAY, shows that the moment of silence was punctuated by a fan yelling “go home ICE” followed by cheers.

The tribute came hours after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called for a moment of silence and issued a proclamation declaring Jan. 9 a “Day of Unity” in Good’s honor and asked the state to hold a moment of silence at 10 a.m. local time.

“I’d ask each and everyone to find a way to contribute in your community … to show the goodness, to rise up, to make sure that we’re being very, very clear about this, that we expect our Constitutional rights to be respected,” Walz said in a video message on X accompanying the proclamation.

USA TODAY’s eNewspaper is here – your source for timely, relevant stories, updated continuously.

Patrick Kane has joined an exclusive club, becoming the 50th player in NHL history to reach 500 goals.

Kane, 37, recorded the huge milestone when he scored twice in the Detroit Red Wings’ game against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, Jan. 8, picking up No. 500 on an empty-net score with 3:53 left.

The goal, in his 1,332nd career game, gave Kane 1,369 points, six shy of breaking Mike Modano’s mark for most points (1,374) by a United States-born player.

The Buffalo, New York, native is the fifth U.S.-born player with 500 NHL goals. The others: Joe Mullen (502 in 1,062 games), Jeremy Roenick (513 in 1,363 games), Keith Tkachuk (538 in 1,201 games) and Modano (561 in 1,499, including four in 40 games with the Red Wings).

Kane is a guaranteed first-ballot Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, having established himself as one of the best players in the game since being drafted at No. 1 overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2007. Kane went on to win the 2008 Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year, and during a decade and a half with the team was crucial to winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015. Kane was named the Conn Smythe winner as playoff MVP in 2013.

In 2015-16, he became the first American-born player to win the Hart Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player, and that same season he also captured the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s scoring champion.

As the Blackhawks went into a rebuild, Kane OK’ed a trade to the New York Rangers on Feb. 28, 2023. However, his tenure with his second Original Six franchise was short-lived. Following the Rangers’ first-round exit, Kane underwent invasive hip surgery that came with a four-to-six month recovery period.

Kane came to the Wings with 451 goals and 1,237 points in 1,180 games. He made his debut Dec. 7, 2023, and right away showed he still had it at age 35. The Wings re-signed Kane to one-year deals in each of the summers of 2024 and 2025.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.