Sports
Nationals set to hire Blake Butera as manager, would be youngest in over 50 years: reports
 
																								
												
												
											
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The Washington Nationals are set to go outside the box with their reported managerial hire.
The team will hire 33-year-old Blake Butera as their new skipper, per multiple reports. Butera would become the youngest person to manage in the big leagues since 1972.
Frank Quilici was also 33 years old in his first season as manager of the Minnesota Twins.
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Hudson Valley Renegades manager Blake Butera posts the lineup before Wednesday’s game at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill on July 10, 2019. (Patrick Oehler/Poughkeepsie Journal via Imagn Content)
Butera had previously been the senior player development director for the Tampa Bay Rays. He has named to that role in October 2023 after spending four seasons managing in the minor leagues.
In his first season as manager in the minor leagues, he was just 25 years old. Over those four seasons, he had a 258-144 record with four first-place finishes. In Butera’s last two seasons managing Low-A Charleston, he won league championships and went 170-82.
Butera transitioned to coaching after spending two seasons as a player in the Rays’ minor league system. Across his two seasons in the minors, he had a .235 batting average.
BLUE JAYS ONE WIN FROM WORLD SERIES TITLE AFTER TREY YESAVAGE’S DOMINANT GAME 5 PERFORMANCE

Blake Butera (10) of Team Italy poses for a photo during the Team Italy 2023 World Baseball Classic headshots at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan, on March 4, 2023. (Mary DeCicco/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
He was drafted out of Boston College in the 35th round of the 2015 draft. Butera played four seasons at BC and was the team’s captain.
The Nationals fired manager Davey Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo in July. The pair had helped lead the franchise to a World Series title in 2019.
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Hudson Valley Renegades manager Blake Butera poses at Dutchess Stadium in Wappingers Falls, New York, on June 12, 2019. (Patrick Oehler/Poughkeepsie Journal via IMAGN)
Martinez had a 500-622 record across nearly eight seasons at the helm. Interim manager Miguel Cairo had a 29-43 record after Martinez was fired.
The Nationals hired former Boston Red Sox general manager Paul Toboni in September to replace Rizzo. They hope the combination of Toboni and Butera can help lead the Nationals back to the World Series.
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Sports
Rashford racism case: Fan facing €4K fine
 
														
Spanish authorities are recommending a Real Oviedo fan to be fined €4,000 ($4,625) for allegedly directing racist abuse at Barcelona forward Marcus Rashford.
The government’s anti-violence commission said in a statement on Thursday that during Barcelona’s 3-1 league win at Real Oviedo on Sept. 25, an Oviedo fan was heard making a racial slur in Spanish at Rashford.
“La Liga detected the images on social media and filed a complaint with the National Police,” the statement said.
“Subsequently, analysis of footage from the stadium’s Organizational Control Unit (UCO) cameras allowed for the identification of the alleged perpetrator. The processing of this proposal will be contingent upon the final decisions made in the criminal proceedings.”
The authorities are yet to confirm when a final decision will be taken.
Rashford, 27, is currently on a season-long loan at Barcelona from Manchester United.
The England forward has suffered racist abuse throughout his career.
In 2021, a man was jailed in England for racially abusing Rashford on social media after the striker had missed a penalty in England’s Euro 2020 final shoot-out defeat.
Sports
NCAA hoops tourneys to use availability reports
 
														
The NCAA announced Thursday that it will implement player availability reports for the 2026 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in March.
Teams must submit their availability reports to the NCAA the night before their games and again two hours before tipoff, according to a news release. The reports will be made available to the public.
Players will be assumed to be available unless designated as questionable or out, according to the release. Inaccurate reporting might result in penalties for the school.
The decision to require availability reports, which came after months of discussion, is part of the NCAA’s efforts to shield student-athletes from sports betting influences and protect the integrity of the games, the NCAA said.
“Implementing player availability reporting is a major step to increasing student-athlete protections by alleviating pressure for the enhancement of their college experience,” NCAA president Charlie Baker said in the release.
HD Intelligence, a data firm that works with multiple conferences on availability reports, will serve as the NCAA’s player availability service provider.
The NCAA will assess continuing the program at future Division I basketball championships and other championship events.
Sports
Lamar Jackson, Ravens capitalize on Dolphins turnover with Mark Andrews TD
 
														
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson returned to action Thursday night after missing two games with a hamstring injury, and his team’s slim playoff chances depended on him returning to his MVP form against the Miami Dolphins.
The Ravens started the season 1-5, and since the first NFL postseason in 1933, only four of 358 teams — which amounts to 1.1% — made the playoffs after starting 1-5 or worse, according to ESPN Research. But the Ravens are hopeful the return of Jackson and a wide-open AFC North will help them become the fifth team to achieve the feat.
Tyler Huntley played in place of Jackson and helped the Ravens beat the Chicago Bears last week.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, also are coming off a win as their victory over the Atlanta Falcons snapped a three-game losing streak.
Stay with this file as Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley and Dolphins reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques provide all of the highlights and key plays Thursday night.
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