Manager Mark DeRosa says his premature comment about the United States having already punched its ticket to the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals before facing Italy was just an overly confident statement and reiterated Thursday he knew nothing was guaranteed at that point.DeRosa had made that remark on MLB Networks Hot Stove before the 8-6 loss to Italy on Tuesday that caused the U.S. to lose control of its WBC fate. The U.S. still advanced to a Friday quarterfinal matchup with Canada thanks to Italys 9-1 win over Mexico on Wednesday.Its just an overly confident statement on Hot Stove, period, the end, DeRosa said. And its my fault. I felt good about where we were after Mexico.DeRosa also talked about the fresh start the star-studded U.S. team has now that its loss to Italy didnt prove fatal to its title hopes.New lease on life for the boys, certainly, he said. I put ourselves in a tough spot. Tip our hat to Vinnie Pasquantino and Italy, truly. Went into that game a little overly confident and got a huge wake-up call.DeRosas comment prior to the Italy game garnered plenty of scrutiny after that loss, particularly since he had kept usual starters Bryce Harper, Cal Raleigh, Alex Bregman, Brice Turang and Byron Buxton out of his starting lineup. The U.S. needed to beat Italy to guarantee a spot in the quarterfinals. Losing left it subject to a series of tiebreakers, pending the result of Wednesday's Italy-Mexico game.He explained those decisions Thursday. DeRosa said he wanted to give starts to Ernie Clement and Paul Goldschmidt because they could end up playing major roles off the bench at some point. He also said he was limited in which pitchers he could use because of guardrails set by MLB teams, who typically restrict how much their players throw at the WBC due to injury concerns.When I looked at the lineup, I felt confident going in bottom line, DeRosa said. I mean, I also look at it from a players perspective. Like, Bryce harper was struggling a little bit. I know its three games, but from the dugout I played with him for a long time so its like, OK, maybe we get him off his feet a day. We get Goldy in there. We allow (Harper) to work with Sean Casey, Matt Holliday, maybe something clicks. And we get him right back in there and going.'DeRosa also had mentioned before Tuesdays games that some of the U.S. players were dragging. The team buses had left later than usual after a Monday night victory over Mexico as players stayed in the locker room celebrating the win.Listen, us hanging out in a clubhouse is everything I ever dreamed of creating, DeRosa said. Youve got to buy into this thing super quick and try and create a team. For those players to invite the coaches in and for us to spend time together and enjoy a huge win that we hadnt had in 20 years was something that, I looked around the room and it was super special to me.We did not lose sight of the fact that we had to go out and play well against Italy. They played a hell of a game. They smacked us in the mouth early. They got up big. We went into that game prepared to win it. I think theres a couple false narratives out there. But, no, I was well aware that we had to win that game based on all the scenarios that could take place.The U.S. is making some changes to its pitching staff heading out of pool play and into the quarterfinals.Lefty Tim Hill and right-handers Will Vest and Tyler Rogers are stepping in for two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, Michael Wacha and Ryan Yarbrough. DeRosa said left-hander Matthew Boyd also has left the U.S. team to return to the Chicago Cubs spring-training camp.And I completely understand that, DeRosa said. Theres a lot of pressure from the parent clubs to get these guys ramped up for the start of the season."If hes going to be the opening day starter for the Cubs, we had to guarantee him innings the games got to dictate now. Pool play is a different animal. Trying to weave our way through it from a pitching standpoint, all bets are off now.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Ollie Watkins delivered a moment of brilliance to hand Aston Villa a crucial 1-0 victory against Lille in their Europa League last-16 first leg.The England striker produced a superb looping header after latching onto Emi Buendia's clever flick-on, beating goalkeeper Berke Ozer with real improvisation just after the hour mark.It's a result that ends a frustrating run for Unai Emery's side, who hadn't won in their previous four matches across all competitions.Villa now head into the return fixture at Villa Park on March 19 as clear favourites to reach the quarter-finals.The four-time Europa League winning manager knows exactly what it takes to succeed in this tournament.The opening 45 minutes offered little in the way of excitement, with both teams struggling to create clear opportunities and misplacing passes in the final third.Watkins' goal was actually Villa's first shot on target all evening, and it certainly woke the match up.The chances started flowing after that. Amadou Onana struck the crossbar with a curling effort from outside the box, while Watkins himself couldn't convert when found one-on-one with Ozer.Buendia also went close late on, sending an acrobatic volley just wide from around 12 yards.What a goal that was Ollie Watkins lifts the ball over the Lille goalkeeper with his head to give Aston Villa the lead @tntsports & @discoveryplus pic.twitter.com/pj5U5pMI8v Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 12, 2026 Villa really should have extended their advantage given the opportunities that came their way after breaking the deadlock.Lille showed they're not to be underestimated, though. Veteran striker Olivier Giroud came agonisingly close to connecting with a header in the first half, glancing the ball across the face of goal.Emi Martinez also had to produce a solid save from Matias Fernandez-Pardo after Villa had taken the lead. The goalkeeper faced jeers throughout the evening following his antics during Villa's 2024 Conference League penalty shootout at this venue.It's worth remembering that Lille lost their play-off first leg at home to Red Star 1-0 before overturning the deficit in Serbia.The winners of this tie will face either Bologna or Roma in the last eight.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

One First Nation has sued the province of Alberta, arguing that allowing a possible referendum on separating from Canada is a violation of indigenous rights.

As the lapse in funding at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues, many Transportation Security Administration officers (TSA) are "struggling."Fundraisers have begun popping up at airports across the country.Some TSA officers are receiving only partial paychecks while many are receiving no pay at all.AIRPORT SECURITY STRAIN DURING SHUTDOWN GROWS AS UNPAID TSA OFFICERS WARN, WERE HURTINGDeondre White, a TSA officer atRonald Reagan Washington National Airportin D.C., told Fox News Digital this week that officers are "financially trying to do the best that they can."Denver International Airport in Colorado posted on X, "DONATIONS NEEDED! Support the dedicated TSA employees working without pay by donating $10 and $20 grocery store and gas gift cards."The post continued, "Visa gift cards cannot be accepted."It suggested that "drop-off locations can be found at Final Approach cell phone lot and in the Jeppesen Terminal," the post continued.The Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) in Nevada announced it's partnered with the Childrens Cabinet to deliver critical resources directly to impacted federal employees, such as weekly groceries.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERReno-Tahoe Airport Authority President and CEO Cris Jensen announced the collaboration in a press release."We are incredibly grateful to our TSA officers at RNO, who continue to show up every day to keep our community safe, even while facing uncertainty," said Jensen in the release."Their commitment to public safety does not go unnoticed, and we appreciate our community and the Childrens Cabinet for stepping up to support them," he added.In Seattle, the airport opened a TSA food pantry to support officers."If youd like to help, donations of non-perishable food, hygiene items, and diapers can be dropped off at the SEA Conference Center between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m," the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport posted on X.Over 300 airport security officers have left TSA since the start of the DHS shutdown, with callouts or unscheduled absences rising to an average of 6% during the shutdown, a TSA official confirmed to Fox News Digital this week.TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZWhite said that thanks to the financial support of his family, he's been able "to show up" for his work."I'm thankful for my family to be able to come to work and be able to provide gas [to travel to work] because the gas prices have been rising," he said.CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES"However, there are a lot of officers here who do not have those resources orfamily commitmentsfrom others [to help them out]."

Der Siegeszug von Alexander Zverev in Indian Wells geht weiter: Auf dem Weg ins Halbfinale war der Franzose Arthur Fils kein echter Prfstein.[mehr]

HIGH POINT, N.C. - The High Point Rockers today announced that four players from the 2025 Atlantic League South Division Championship team will be ret... - AtL High Point Rockers

Nottingham Forest reoit les Danois de Midtjylland ce jeudi soir l'occasion des huitimes de finale aller de Ligue Europa (21h00). Un match suivre en direct sur le site et l'application de RMC Sport.

A Complete Guide to Playing on an Exchange Platform The All Panel Exchange App has become one of the most popular platforms for online betting and exchange gaming. Many users today prefer exchange platforms because they offer more control, better odds, and a unique way of placing bets compared to traditional betting websites. If you are looking for a reliable platform to start your exchange...

The Big Ten says it wants the NCAA to stop its investigations related to athlete tampering because the Power Four conference believes the rules "cannot be credibly or equitably enforced." The Big Ten sent a letter to the NCAA this week that called for a pause in tampering investigations and infractions proceedings, according to ESPN, which reported late Wednesday that it had obtained the letter. In it, the conference pledged its support for "a modern framework for contact rules that addresses the varied challenges and opportunities of the current collegiate landscape." "The Big Ten is committed to quickly engaging in a deliberative process drawing on athletics administrators, compliance professionals, coaches, legal counsel, and other stakeholders from across the membership and will work to produce a comprehensive proposal," the letter reads. "We believe this collaborative, membership-driven approach is the best path to a durable solution and need the NCAAs support in this effort." The Big Ten letter was sent after the NCAA football oversight committee recommended emergency legislation to protect the transfer portal window by issuing penalties for schools and coaches who circumvent the rules. Proposed last month, the legislation would become effective immediately if approved at the Division I cabinet meeting in April. It also comes after Clemson coach Dabo Swinney accused Mississippi coach Pete Golding of tampering with transfer player Luke Ferrelli. Swinney said in January that he had forwarded evidence to the NCAA. The Big Ten letter points out that the current tampering rules were implemented before a 2025 antitrust settlement cleared the way for schools to pay players through licensing deals. They also were drafted long before today's era of almost unlimited movement via the transfer portal. "These rules were not designed for a world in which student-athletes are compensated market participants making annual decisions with significant economic consequences," the letter reads. "The collision between the old rules and new reality is producing outcomes that harm the population that the rules were designed to protect." Reporting by The Associated Press

India skipper Suryakumar Yadav recently opened up about how he backed young opener Abhishek Sharma amid his struggles during the T20 World Cup 2026.