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Mike Santa Barbara

Mike Santa Barbara is a Wilmington, Delaware native (Yes, it's a real place) with over a decade of sports writing experience. A diehard Philadelphia sports fan, he has two dogs named after Flyers and cried real tears when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. You can follow him on Twitter at @mike__sb.

Royals' Cole Ragans sets franchise record in impressive Opening Day start

Kansas City Royals starter Cole Ragans etched his name into team history on Opening Day.

UNC HC Mack Brown explains why ceiling for QB Drake Maye is 'so high'

North Carolina HC Mack Brown waxed poetic on the upside of QB Drake Maye with the NFL Draft a month distant.

10 predictions for the 2024 MLB season

Opening Day is upon us, and there's no better time than now to look ahead at what the new baseball season possibly has in store.

Insider shares major update on return of 76ers' Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid has missed 27 games with a meniscus injury.

Should the Eagles be concerned by departure of 'future GM' from front office?

The Eagles suffered a massive blow, losing longtime salary-cap executive Jake Rosenberg, who'd been with the team since 2012. 

Watch: Houston guard Jamal Shead's incredible basket late caps off thrilling OT win over Texas A&M

Houston guard Jamal Shead saved his team's bacon in overtime after the Cougars squandered a big lead late against Texas A&M. Onward to the Sweet 16 for Shead and Co.

Sunday's NCAA men's tournament takeaways: Defending champ UConn looking tough, Duke reasserts itself against JMU

Takeaways as the men's NCAA Tournament narrowed its field down to the Sweet 16.

Watch: Duke freshman sets incredible record in win over JMU

Helped by a historic day from a sharpshooting freshman, No. 4 Duke punched its ticket to the Sweet 16, blowing out No. 12 James Madison, 93-55, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. 

Mike Tomlin explains why Russell Wilson is ahead in Steelers' pecking order

Following the offseason transformation of the franchise's quarterback room, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin explained why veteran Russell Wilson will get the first shot at being the No. 1 guy over Justin Fields. 

Michigan hiring head coach who made the Final Four last season

Michigan is hiring Dusty May as its next head coach. May has posted a 126-69 record in six seasons at FAU and made the Final Four last spring.

NCAA explains curious circumstances behind pulling ref from women's tourney mid-game

The NCAA had an egg on its face after pulling a referee mid-game during the first round of the women's tournament due to a potential conflict of interest. However, the explanation only makes things look worse. 

Harrison Ingram's awakening from deep helps No. 1 North Carolina advance to Sweet 16

No. 1 North Carolina is Sweet 16 bound, thanks largely to forward Harrison Ingram's unconscious shooting performance from beyond the arc. 

Kansas HC Bill Self makes startling admission after loss to Gonzaga

Kansas HC Bill Self just wants to move on from this year's lost campaign.

LSU HC Kim Mulkey unleashes strong statement in response to forthcoming Washington Post article

LSU HC Kim Mulkey responded in force to an upcoming Washington Post article.

Three hottest seats on the Minnesota Vikings

. Following some significant changes, the 2024 team is taking shape, but a few positions within the franchise need to step up, or they might be shipped out. 

Friday's NCAA men's tournament takeaways: SEC's struggles have commissioner eating his words

The conclusion of the second day of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, much like day one, had its fair share of thrills and upset wins to set up an exciting Round of 32.

Three hottest seats on the Green Bay Packers

Expectations are high heading into the 2024 campaign, but the Packers will need to see improvement from several players if they want to take the next step. 

Why MLB's investigation into Shohei Ohtani/interpreter saga might go nowhere

MLB is finally getting involved in the Shohei Ohtani/Ippei Mizuhara saga. However, it might amount to nothing at all. 

Timeline of events says interpreter misled Shohei Ohtani, but questions remain regarding gambling scandal

The latest twist regarding the gambling scandal involving Shohei Ohtani and former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara paints the Dodgers star as an unknowing victim, misled by a friend. 

Kentucky HC John Calipari's words come back to haunt him in upset loss to Oakland

This year was supposed to be different for Kentucky and head coach John Calipari, but Oakland didn't get the memo.

Watch: Oakland sharpshooter Jack Gohlke makes history in upset of Kentucky

The senior racked up 32 points in Oakland's upset of Kentucky.

Explanation for changing storylines in Shohei Ohtani interpreter scandal only makes it weirder

Among the many oddities surrounding the gambling scandal involving longtime interpreter and friend of Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, Ippei Mizuhara is how quickly the account of things changed.

Three hottest seats on the Detroit Lions

Unsurprisingly, there aren't a ton of weaknesses to pinpoint on the roster, but that doesn't mean there aren't players who need to step up in 2024. 

Three hottest seats on Chicago Bears

Following a disappointing 7-10 season in 2023, the Chicago Bears are approaching the start of a new era.

When might Capitals' Alex Ovechkin top Wayne Gretzky's goals record?

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin has been on the road to catch Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record for quite some time now.