Sports - The Boston Globe

Patriots’ offseason moves have been OK, but they aren’t nearly enough to make the team a contender

Bill Belichick may be making the mistake — again — of thinking his team isn't that far from challenging the Bills for AFC East supremacy.

ben volin | on football

On the surface, the deal the Patriots gave JuJu Smith-Schuster (above) looks very similar to what Jakobi Meyers got from Las Vegas, but there are differences.

Diving deep on six moves the Patriots made in the first week of free agency

Not only is JuJu Smith-Schuster an upgrade over Jakobi Meyers at receiver, he also signed a team-friendlier contract.

bruins notebook
Bruins see no reason to stray from their 1-2 goaltending punch
Coach Jim Montgomery indicated earlier that he might go mostly with one goalie as the playoffs approached but has backed off that idea.

spring training report
Monday’s spring training report: Justin Turner gets a hit in return to Red Sox lineup
"I got in there, took the first pitch, and then it was kind of like a sigh of relief and, ‘All right, let’s go,' " said Turner, back in action for the first time in two weeks. 3:59 p.m.

GARY WASHBURN | ON BASKETBALL
Time for Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla to turn to Jaylen Brown and others late when Jayson Tatum struggles
Saturday night's loss to the Jazz was just the latest example. Tatum had been held scoreless since late in the second quarter.

red sox notebook
Garrett Whitlock, feeling strong and hitting 95 as he ramps up, could miss just one turn in Red Sox rotation
In his second Grapefruit League start, Whitlock worked mostly at 92-94 miles per hour and topped out at 95, though he gave a mixed review of his arsenal. 1 hour ago

college basketball
Providence native Ed Cooley jumps at chance to rebuild Georgetown men’s basketball program after 12 seasons with Friars
Cooley, who was named the national coach of the year in 2022, coached the Friars to their first Big East regular-season title and seven NCAA Tournament appearances.

TARA SULLIVAN
Tobin Anderson’s Cinderella win with Fairleigh Dickinson a moment for lower-level coaches
Anderson, who spent a decade each as a head coach in Divisions 2 and 3, struggles to get Division 1 teams interested in his experience before four-win FDU gave him a chance before this season.

bruins
Marty Walsh takes over as NHLPA executive director today. Here’s one thing that will be on the agenda.
The salary cap has been mostly flat since 2020, in large part because of the pandemic. But Gary Bettman said he's open to negotiating with the union.

MLB

Noah Song threw occasionally, but infrequently, and only on flat ground, while serving in the Navy from 2020-22. Given clearance to return to baseball in February, he's been shut down with what the Phillies described as back tightness.

Noah Song battling conflicting feelings, lost muscle memory in his return to baseball with the Phillies

Song showed a four-pitch mix and command that made it easy to project a major league starter with Lowell in 2019. Four years and one long military commitment later, he's trying to recapture the opportunity.

WBC: US 14, CUBA 2

Trea Turner, who drove in four runs, has a tournament-leading four home runs.

US routs Cuba to reach World Baseball Classic final

Trea Turner homered twice as the US reached its second straight World Baseball Classic final.

MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Rick Pitino decided to make a move of some 20 miles from Iona to St. John's.

St. John’s hires Rick Pitino away from Iona to coach its men’s program back to prominence

The 70-year-old Hall of Famer, who has coached two programs to titles, started off as a head coach at Boston University in 1978. 1 hour ago

Women's College Basketball | Minnesota-Duluth 61, Assumption 41

Assumption fell to Minnesota-Duluth in the Division 2 Elite Eight.

Assumption women’s basketball falls in Elite Eight in Division 2

The Greyhounds went 0 for 10 in the defeat at home. 31 minutes ago

NFL notebook

Adam Thielen caught 70 passes for 716 yards and 6 touchdowns with the Vikings last season.

Wide receiver Adam Thielen agrees to terms with rebuilding Panthers

Thielen, 32, a two-time Pro Bowler, was released this offseason after spending the past nine seasons with the Vikings. 1 hour ago

alpine skiing

Mikaela Shiffrin had her hands full with crystal globes for World Cup discipline and overall season titles.

Mikaela Shiffrin tops season-record $1 million in Alpine skiing World Cup prize money

Shiffrin’s win in a giant slalom Sunday was her 13th World Cup victory since October and lifted her total prize money total to $1.04 million. 30 minutes ago

NCAA MEN'S HOCKEY TOURNAMENT

A night after celebrating a Hockey East championship at TD Garden, captain Domenick Fensore learned his BU team is the No. 2 seed at the Manchester regional for the NCAA Tournament.

BU, Harvard, and Merrimack men’s hockey will all be staying in New England for NCAA regional play

The Terriers were selected as the No. 2 seed for the Manchester regional, while the second-seeded Crimson and fourth-seeded Warriors were tabbed for the Bridgeport regional.

PETER ABRAHAM

Alfredo Despaigne drew a walk to score the first run on Sunday's World Baseball Classic semifinal for Cuba.

Cuba’s semifinal place at the World Baseball Classic only heightens event’s spotlight

Ultimately, the WBC is about baseball, not politics, and the baseball has been very good. The tournament isn’t perfect, but it has become an event worth diverting some attention away from basketball or hockey.

Patriots

Patriots, special teamer Cody Davis agree on one-year deal

Davis missed the final 11 games of 2022 after tearing an ACL against the Browns in Week 6.

MEN'S NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTEBOOK

Malik Hall (center), Tyson Walker, and Michigan State pulled away from Marquette late Sunday to dismiss the Big East champions and get Tom Izzo back in the Sweet 16.

Tom Izzo back in the Sweet 16 as Michigan State upsets Marquette

The 68-year-old Hall of Fame coach reached his 15th regional semifinal and won his record 16th March Madness game with a lower-seeded team — one more than Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim.

LATEST HEADLINES

Magic Johnson joins bid to buy Washington Commanders

Mikaela Shiffrin tops season-record $1 million in Alpine skiing World Cup prize money

Assumption women’s basketball falls in Elite Eight in Division 2

Wide receiver Adam Thielen agrees to terms with rebuilding Panthers

St. John’s hires Rick Pitino away from Iona to coach its men’s program back to prominence

high schools

Worcester North's Ty Tabales hoists the Division 1 boys' basketball trophy with teammate Joseph Okla.

Title towns: See the results from the high school basketball and hockey state finals

MIAA state champions were crowned this weekend in boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, boys’ hockey, and girls’ hockey. See who won.

Complete high school coverage

SPRING TRAINING REPORT

Ryan Fitzgerald, who spent all of last season with Triple A Worcester, homered on Sunday against the Phillies.

Sunday’s spring training report: Nick Pivetta pitches into fifth in windy Red Sox win

An all non-roster lineup in Clearwater, Fla., piled up eight hits and eight walks against the Phillies.

RED SOX NOTEBOOK

Delayed by forearm stiffness and likely looking at spending April in the minors, Brayan Bello is plenty optimistic about his 2023 Red Sox season.

Brayan Bello plenty pleased with dominant two innings in first Grapefruit League work

Bello needed just 25 pitches to throw two perfect innings Sunday, likely his only Grapefruit League work before building his workload in minor league games with the hopes of an April return.

Peter Abraham | Sunday baseball notes

“I only played one season in Boston but it feels like 10 with everything that happened that season,” said Ryan Dempster, who wound up winning his only World Series in his final big league season.

A decade after a ring with the Red Sox, Ryan Dempster is starting another run – in the Boston Marathon

The righthanded pitcher, who started on Patriots Day in 2013, will attempt to run his first Boston Marathon to benefit the Lingzi Foundation

Ben Volin | Sunday football notes

It seems the Giants have learned their lesson from not triggering Daniel Jones’s fifth-year option last year.

Going deep inside the NFL’s quarterback market after a furious week of free agency

The contracts tell the story of how much teams believe in them, and how the quarterbacks are ranked among the 32 teams.

Gary Washburn | Sunday basketball notes

Kevin Garnett sees a lot of things in the state of Minnesota that he would like to be addressed.

Kevin Garnett cares more about Minnesota than any honors the Timberwolves may bestow

Garnett is not as interested in getting his flowers from the Timberwolves or a jersey retirement. He expressed disappointment in the direction of the city of Minneapolis since the murder of George Floyd in May 2020.

Chad Finn | Sports Media

Jim Nantz will soon call his last Final Four for CBS.

CBS’s Jim Nantz has seen it all. So, if he had to choose his one shining moment, what would it be?

Nantz has called 37 Final Fours (this will be his 31st as CBS’s lead announcer), eight Super Bowls, and — hello, friends — the Masters in April will be 38th.

Matt Porter | Sunday hockey notes

Blake Wheeler, 36, remains productive with the Jets, with 15 goals and 50 points in 60 games.

Blake Wheeler, a franchise fixture in Winnipeg, will always wonder what might have been if he remained with the Bruins

It has been a dozen years since Wheeler was dealt to Atlanta in a trade that helped the Bruins win their most recent Stanley Cup title.

Bruins 7, Sabres 0

Patrice Bergeron scored after just 15 seconds, and that was a sign of more to come for the Bruins on Sunday.

Seven different Bruins score as they wrap up road trip with trouncing of Sabres

Backed by Jeremy Swayman’s first back-to-back shutouts, the Bruins went home with their third straight win.

Box score: Bruins 7, Sabres 0NHL scoreboard

Bruins notebook

David Krejci sat out Sunday's game at Buffalo because he is banged up.

Bruins David Krejci, Dmitry Orlov get a brief respite against Sabres

Krejci’s absence was because of wear and tear, but Orlov got a maintenance day.

dan shaughnessy

Recent losses to the Nets and Rockets got the attention of Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, but he thinks they could be something to build off.

Brad Stevens says Celtics have things to ‘clean up’, and other thoughts

The Celtics went 5-5 in their first 10 games after the All-Star break — far off their earlier pace — and the playoffs are fast approaching.

Sunday notebooks

A decade after a ring with the Red Sox, Ryan Dempster is starting another run – in the Boston Marathon
The righthanded pitcher, who started on Patriots Day in 2013, will attempt to run his first Boston Marathon to benefit the Lingzi Foundation

Going deep inside the NFL’s quarterback market after a furious week of free agency
The contracts tell the story of how much teams believe in them, and how the quarterbacks are ranked among the 32 teams.

Kevin Garnett cares more about Minnesota than any honors the Timberwolves may bestow
Garnett is not as interested in getting his flowers from the Timberwolves or a jersey retirement. He expressed disappointment in the direction of the city of Minneapolis since the murder of George Floyd in May 2020.

Blake Wheeler, a franchise fixture in Winnipeg, will always wonder what might have been if he remained with the Bruins
It has been a dozen years since Wheeler was dealt to Atlanta in a trade that helped the Bruins win their most recent Stanley Cup title.

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At a glance

A reckoning, decades in the making: Famed Olympic runner Lynn Jennings chases down the renowned coach who abused her as a teen

John Babington was sexually abusing the future Olympian while he helped turn her into a world-class athlete. He then abused a fellow runner. Years later, their paths crossed as part of Jennings's pursuit of justice.

Massachusetts' Lynn Jennings is one of the greatest American distance runners in history. In 2017, she moved to action after learning another athlete's story of abuse, she began working to hold her former coach, John Babington, responsible for sexually molesting her and others during his career coaching women at Harvard, Wellesley, and in the Olympics.

Zdeno Chara retires

Interactive

24 seasons of defensive dominance

Zdeno Chara — Big Z, and he was belovedly known in his time with the Bruins — is hanging up his skates. Let's take a look at the stats that made the difference.

Baseball Hall of Fame 2022

Interactive

David Ortiz hit 558 regular-season and postseason home runs.

David Ortiz's long drives to Cooperstown

David Ortiz is in the Hall of Fame. Explore all 558 home runs that helped get him there.

BEST OF GLOBE SPORTS

Chaim Bloom was hired as Red Sox chief baseball officer in 2019.

Stan Grossfeld

A day with Chaim Bloom, from an early-morning run to running the Red Sox and everything in between

Patriots

Darkness on the edge of the Patriots dynasty

Katey Stone is seen behind the bench in January at Harvard's home arena, the Bright-Landry Center. A review following a tirade during a practice triggered a backlash that continues to reverberate among former players who say Stone has emotionally damaged them.

college hockey

‘A culture of complete fear’: Harvard women’s hockey coach Katey Stone under fire for alleged abusive behavior

The iconic Red Sox pitcher's heart stopped during a game with the Savannah Bananas in August. By September, he was back on a baseball diamond in New Hampshire. “I always thought I’d die on the field," he said, "but not in the [expletive] bullpen."

Stan Grossfeld

Bill Lee collapsed on the baseball diamond. It didn’t slow him down.

celtics

Why did the Celtics choose Joe Mazzulla to lead them out of crisis? It starts with his journey.

Bruins

The loudest kid at his Montreal hockey camp. A man who put his life back together. Meet Jim Montgomery, who is ready to lead the Bruins.

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Patriots’ offseason moves have been OK, but they aren’t nearly enough to make the team a contender

Diving deep on six moves the Patriots made in the first week of free agency

bruins notebookBruins see no reason to stray from their 1-2 goaltending punch Coach Jim Montgomery indicated earlier that he might go mostly with one goalie as the playoffs approached but has backed off that idea.

spring training reportMonday’s spring training report: Justin Turner gets a hit in return to Red Sox lineup"I got in there, took the first pitch, and then it was kind of like a sigh of relief and, ‘All right, let’s go,' " said Turner, back in action for the first time in two weeks. 3:59 p.m.

GARY WASHBURN | ON BASKETBALLTime for Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla to turn to Jaylen Brown and others late when Jayson Tatum strugglesSaturday night's loss to the Jazz was just the latest example. Tatum had been held scoreless since late in the second quarter.

red sox notebookGarrett Whitlock, feeling strong and hitting 95 as he ramps up, could miss just one turn in Red Sox rotation In his second Grapefruit League start, Whitlock worked mostly at 92-94 miles per hour and topped out at 95, though he gave a mixed review of his arsenal. 1 hour ago

TARA SULLIVANTobin Anderson’s Cinderella win with Fairleigh Dickinson a moment for lower-level coachesAnderson, who spent a decade each as a head coach in Divisions 2 and 3, struggles to get Division 1 teams interested in his experience before four-win FDU gave him a chance before this season.

bruinsMarty Walsh takes over as NHLPA executive director today. Here’s one thing that will be on the agenda.The salary cap has been mostly flat since 2020, in large part because of the pandemic. But Gary Bettman said he's open to negotiating with the union.

Noah Song battling conflicting feelings, lost muscle memory in his return to baseball with the Phillies

US routs Cuba to reach World Baseball Classic final

St. John’s hires Rick Pitino away from Iona to coach its men’s program back to prominence

Assumption women’s basketball falls in Elite Eight in Division 2

Wide receiver Adam Thielen agrees to terms with rebuilding Panthers

Mikaela Shiffrin tops season-record $1 million in Alpine skiing World Cup prize money

BU, Harvard, and Merrimack men’s hockey will all be staying in New England for NCAA regional play

Cuba’s semifinal place at the World Baseball Classic only heightens event’s spotlight

Patriots, special teamer Cody Davis agree on one-year deal

Tom Izzo back in the Sweet 16 as Michigan State upsets Marquette

LATEST HEADLINES

Magic Johnson joins bid to buy Washington Commanders

Mikaela Shiffrin tops season-record $1 million in Alpine skiing World Cup prize money

Assumption women’s basketball falls in Elite Eight in Division 2

Wide receiver Adam Thielen agrees to terms with rebuilding Panthers

St. John’s hires Rick Pitino away from Iona to coach its men’s program back to prominence

Title towns: See the results from the high school basketball and hockey state finals

Sunday’s spring training report: Nick Pivetta pitches into fifth in windy Red Sox win

Brayan Bello plenty pleased with dominant two innings in first Grapefruit League work

A decade after a ring with the Red Sox, Ryan Dempster is starting another run – in the Boston Marathon

Going deep inside the NFL’s quarterback market after a furious week of free agency

Kevin Garnett cares more about Minnesota than any honors the Timberwolves may bestow

CBS’s Jim Nantz has seen it all. So, if he had to choose his one shining moment, what would it be?

Blake Wheeler, a franchise fixture in Winnipeg, will always wonder what might have been if he remained with the Bruins

Seven different Bruins score as they wrap up road trip with trouncing of Sabres

Bruins David Krejci, Dmitry Orlov get a brief respite against Sabres

Brad Stevens says Celtics have things to ‘clean up’, and other thoughts

Sunday notebooks

A decade after a ring with the Red Sox, Ryan Dempster is starting another run – in the Boston MarathonThe righthanded pitcher, who started on Patriots Day in 2013, will attempt to run his first Boston Marathon to benefit the Lingzi Foundation

Going deep inside the NFL’s quarterback market after a furious week of free agencyThe contracts tell the story of how much teams believe in them, and how the quarterbacks are ranked among the 32 teams.

Blake Wheeler, a franchise fixture in Winnipeg, will always wonder what might have been if he remained with the BruinsIt has been a dozen years since Wheeler was dealt to Atlanta in a trade that helped the Bruins win their most recent Stanley Cup title.

NEWSLETTERS

Get the best breaking news, opinion, and features from Globe Sports

🏀 Sign up for Court Sense, our Celtics/NBA newsletter

Sign up for 108 Stitches, our Red Sox/MLB newsletter

Sign up for Point After, our Patriots/NFL newsletter

At a glance

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NHL

NBA

Baseball

High schools

College hockey

College basketball

College football

Golf

MLS

Premier League

Tennis

WNBA

Snowsports

World Cup

Viewers' guide

In case you missed it

A reckoning, decades in the making: Famed Olympic runner Lynn Jennings chases down the renowned coach who abused her as a teen

24 seasons of defensive dominance

David Ortiz's long drives to Cooperstown

BEST OF GLOBE SPORTS

A day with Chaim Bloom, from an early-morning run to running the Red Sox and everything in between

Darkness on the edge of the Patriots dynasty

‘A culture of complete fear’: Harvard women’s hockey coach Katey Stone under fire for alleged abusive behavior

Bill Lee collapsed on the baseball diamond. It didn’t slow him down.

Why did the Celtics choose Joe Mazzulla to lead them out of crisis? It starts with his journey.

The loudest kid at his Montreal hockey camp. A man who put his life back together. Meet Jim Montgomery, who is ready to lead the Bruins.

FROM OUR PARTNERS

red sox & MLB news

Garrett Whitlock, feeling strong and hitting 95 as he ramps up, could miss just one turn in Red Sox rotation

Monday’s spring training report: Justin Turner gets a hit in return to Red Sox lineup

Cuba’s semifinal place at the World Baseball Classic only heightens event’s spotlight

Noah Song battling conflicting feelings, lost muscle memory in his return to baseball with the Phillies

Patriots & NFL news

Magic Johnson joins bid to buy Washington Commanders

bruins notebook
Bruins see no reason to stray from their 1-2 goaltending punch
Coach Jim Montgomery indicated earlier that he might go mostly with one goalie as the playoffs approached but has backed off that idea.

GARY WASHBURN | ON BASKETBALL
Time for Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla to turn to Jaylen Brown and others late when Jayson Tatum struggles
Saturday night's loss to the Jazz was just the latest example. Tatum had been held scoreless since late in the second quarter.

red sox notebook
Garrett Whitlock, feeling strong and hitting 95 as he ramps up, could miss just one turn in Red Sox rotation
In his second Grapefruit League start, Whitlock worked mostly at 92-94 miles per hour and topped out at 95, though he gave a mixed review of his arsenal. 1 hour ago

TARA SULLIVAN
Tobin Anderson’s Cinderella win with Fairleigh Dickinson a moment for lower-level coaches
Anderson, who spent a decade each as a head coach in Divisions 2 and 3, struggles to get Division 1 teams interested in his experience before four-win FDU gave him a chance before this season.

bruins
Marty Walsh takes over as NHLPA executive director today. Here’s one thing that will be on the agenda.
The salary cap has been mostly flat since 2020, in large part because of the pandemic. But Gary Bettman said he's open to negotiating with the union.

A decade after a ring with the Red Sox, Ryan Dempster is starting another run – in the Boston Marathon
The righthanded pitcher, who started on Patriots Day in 2013, will attempt to run his first Boston Marathon to benefit the Lingzi Foundation

Going deep inside the NFL’s quarterback market after a furious week of free agency
The contracts tell the story of how much teams believe in them, and how the quarterbacks are ranked among the 32 teams.

Blake Wheeler, a franchise fixture in Winnipeg, will always wonder what might have been if he remained with the Bruins
It has been a dozen years since Wheeler was dealt to Atlanta in a trade that helped the Bruins win their most recent Stanley Cup title.