Sports
L.A. plans to start Ohtani in G7; Jays go Scherzer
TORONTO — With everything on the line Saturday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers plan to start Shohei Ohtani on short rest in Game 7. A final decision had not been made as of late Friday night, but the team is leaning in that direction.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said in a news conference after his team’s 3-1, season-saving win in Game 6 that every pitcher except Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be available.
That includes Tyler Glasnow, who was lined up to start Game 7 but came out of the bullpen to record the final three outs in Friday’s Game 6. It includes Roki Sasaki, who faced seven batters. And it includes Ohtani, whose easiest path to pitching has always been to open the game, rather than coming out of the bullpen.
Ohtani pitched six innings and threw 93 pitches in Game 4 and would be taking the mound on three days’ rest. Ohtani has previously made one start on three days’ rest, but that was after completing only two innings in a prior start in 2023. Every other major league start for Ohtani has come on five or six days’ rest.
Because of the two-way rule, though, starting Ohtani ensures he can remain in the game as the designated hitter after he exits as a pitcher. If he were to come in as a reliever and then exit with the game ongoing, Ohtani would have to play in the outfield to bat again. Closing the game — like he did to finish the 2023 World Baseball Classic for his native Japan — is also an option, but it is further complicated by having to juggle warming up while batting or running the bases.
The Blue Jays will start Max Scherzer in Game 7 and, to some extent, have every pitcher available other than Kevin Gausman. That includes 22-year-old phenom Trey Yesavage, who dominated the Dodgers in Wednesday’s Game 5, striking out 12 while throwing seven innings of one-run ball. Saturday would have qualified as Yesavage’s bullpen day. Instead, he could pitch the decisive game of the 2025 season.
“If the people who make the decision think it’s a good idea for the team,” Yesavage said, “then I’m all for it.”
ESPN’s Jeff Passan contributed to this report.
Sports
MSU’s Izzo gets raise, is highest-paid in Big Ten
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State‘s Tom Izzo is getting a $1 million raise in his five-year contract that automatically renews annually, a boost that makes him the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten with a salary of about $7.2 million.
The school said Friday that its board of trustees had approved the raise as recognition of Izzo’s “Hall of Fame legacy and demonstrates a shared commitment to achieving continued success.”
Izzo, 70, is in his 31st season with the Spartans, who are ranked ninth with an 8-1 record this season. His teams have made eight Final Four appearances and won the 2000 national championship.
The Spartans have made 27 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances after missing in each of Izzo’s first two seasons. He has a 745-303 record without a losing season.
“Coach Izzo is the ultimate Spartan — someone whose work ethic and devotion to our student-athletes, this university and the broader MSU community are unmatched,” Michigan State president Kevin M. Guskiewicz said. “We believe deeply in his ability to uphold our values, develop champions, and continue building one of college basketball’s premier programs.”
Kansas coach Bill Self has a similar contract structure. The school announced a lifetime contract for Self two years ago. His annual salary is more than $10 million. Self, who is in his 21st season with the Jayhawks, has led them to four Final Fours and two championships.
Sports
Mike White, who coached Raiders and multiple college programs, dead at 89
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Mike White, the accomplished football coach who spent time leading programs in both college and the NFL with the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, has died.
White died in Newport Beach, California, at age 89.
“The Raiders Family is saddened by the passing of Mike White, former head coach of the Silver and Black and a long-time NFL and college coach and mentor,” the Raiders said in a statement. “The prayers of the entire Raider Nation are with MIke’s family at this time.”
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Head coach Mike White of the Oakland Raiders looks on from the sideline as an assistant coach gestures during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Riverfront Stadium Nov. 5, 1995, in Cincinnati. (George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
White spent seven years coaching with the Raiders, two as their head coach from 1995-96. He previously served in a quarterbacks and offensive line coaching role.
White’s coaching career began at the ripe age of 22, when he joined the Cal Golden Bears as a defensive line coach in 1958 after being a four-sport athlete at the school in the 1950s.
EAGLES ROUT RAIDERS TO SNAP 3-GAME LOSING STREAK AS DALLAS GOEDERT SCORES TWO TOUCHDOWNS
He served in that role for six years before moving on to Stanford as its offensive coordinator and offensive line coach from 1964-71.

University of California, Berkeley, entrance sign on the corner of Oxford Street and Center Street at Berkeley, Calif. (iStock)
White’s time with the Golden Bears wasn’t over, though. He returned to Berkeley to lead them as their head coach from 1972–77.
White finally broke into the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers in 1978, where he served as the team’s offensive line coach for two years.
Then, it was back to college, this time leading the Illinois Fighting Illini from 1980-87 as head coach.
Following his time with the Raiders, White was an offensive assistant with the St. Louis Rams.
White’s coaching career spanned five decades, and he impacted many coaches and players along the way.
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“Mike was special,” Burl Toler Jr., who played for the Golden Bears from 1974-77, said of White. “He treated us like men and with a lot of respect. Mike was a very gifted and smart coach who loved Cal and loved being a coach, and he surrounded himself with a lot of like minds who instilled in us a will to succeed.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sports
Star mountaineer Samina Baig reaches final degree of South Pole in historic expedition
Pakistani mountaineer Samina Baig has successfully skied to the last degree of the South Pole, adding yet another historic achievement to her adventure milestones.
She was part of an international expedition organised by Elite Exped. The team departed from Pakistan on December 2, reached Union Glacier on December 6, and Baig completed the journey on December 14.
In a post on her Facebook page, Baig said she was deeply grateful and humbled to have successfully skied to the last degree of the South Pole, describing it as part of her pursuit of the Explorer’s Grand Slam.
She said the ski journey had never been achieved by any Pakistani before and called it one of the most challenging and meaningful experiences of her life, adding that it was still difficult to put the experience into words.
“From standing on the summit of Mount Everest in 2013 to completing the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each continent, from climbing K2 and Nanga Parbat to now reaching the South Pole, this journey has taken me across the highest mountains and the most remote places on Earth,” Baig added.
“Every step along the way has taught me patience, resilience, and the power of belief.”
She further wrote that the journey, though difficult, “has been about trusting the dream, staying committed through uncertainty, and continuing to move forward even when the path feels impossible”.
The mountaineer expressed hope that her efforts would remind others, particularly women, that dreams are worth pursuing, regardless of how long they take.
“Carrying the flag of Pakistan and my Ismaili flag across mountains, continents, and polar ice has been the greatest honour of my life. I remain grateful for every opportunity, every lesson, and every person who walked this path with me,” she said.
Baig expressed gratitude to her community members for funding the expedition and thanked her team, her family, fellow mountaineer Nirmal Purja and Elite Expeditions for their support.
“Without their trust, encouragement, and kindness, this journey would not have been possible.”
Namira Salim is Pakistan’s first astronaut and also the first Pakistani to reach both the North and South Poles. Got the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz back in 2011 for her adventure stuff.
Samina Baig is from this tiny village called Shimshal. In 2013, she became the first Pakistani woman to climb Everest. She’s also the first Pakistani to do the Seven Summits — Everest, Kilimanjaro, McKinley, Mont Blanc, Elbrus, Aconcagua, Vinson, Puncak Jaya, all of them.
In 2010, she climbed this peak nobody had climbed before, Chashkin Sar, now it’s called Samina Peak. Next year, she did another untouched peak, named Koh-i-Brobar or Mount Equality.
In 2023, she and Naila Kiani became the first Pakistani women to summit Nanga Parbat, the ninth-highest mountain in the world. And in 2022, she also conquered K2, getting there just a few hours before Kiani.
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