The NCAA Tournament is officially underway. Florida Gulf Coast and Wichita State advanced to the Round of 64 with First Four wins in Dayton, Ohio. The First Four wraps up with a pair of games this evening.
White Sox slugger Adam LaRoche [[ la-ROASH ]] is stepping away from baseball. The “Chicago Tribune” reports LaRoche told teammates he is dealing with a personal issue. The 36-year-old hit a career-worst .207 last season with 12 home runs in 127 games last season.
Matt Davidson’s walk-off homer in the ninth gave the White Sox an 8-6 win over the Dodgers. Davidson went deep twice while Jose Quintana allowed three runs during his four-inning start. The Sox face the Brewers this afternoon.
Jason Heyward had two hits and three RBI as the Cubs clobbered the Padres, 11-1. Javier Baez drove in a pair during a five-run first inning. Dexter Fowler scored twice in the victory. The Cubs clash with the Royals this afternoon.
Cardinals slugger Matt Holliday is set to make his first start in left field today. He’s been getting work at first base this spring and could see significant time there this summer as a compliment to Brandon Moss and Matt Adams. Holliday has been an outfielder his whole career.
The Spurs extended their home winning streak to 41 games with a 108-87 rout of the Clippers. Tim Duncan passed John Havlicek for 14th on the all-time scoring list in the victory.
Running back C.J. Anderson is staying put. The Broncos have decided to match the offer sheet Anderson signed with the Dolphins. Multiple reports say the deal with Miami was a four-year, 18-million-dollar deal.
The Patriots have agreed to a one-year deal with veteran defensive end Chris Long. The move came hours after the Pats traded fellow defensive end Chandler Jones to the Cardinals in exchange for offensive lineman Jonathan Cooper and a second-round draft pick.
Patriots safety Nate Ebner is taking a leave of absence from the team to start training for the U.S. Olympic rugby team. The Pats have given him permission to go to the Olympic training facility. Ebner was an All-America rugby player in college before being drafted by New England in 2012.