MLB's 1st Woman Ump Jen Pawol Works Spring Training, But No Permanent Role

Jen Pawol, the major leagues' first woman umpire, will return to spring training for a third straight year but did not get a full‑time MLB staff spot.
Tom Hanahan and Brian Walsh were promoted to full‑time major league umpires after debuting as call‑ups in 2023.
Longtime umpires Mark Carlson and Phil Cuzzi are leaving their on‑field roles (Carlson becomes an umpire supervisor) and Jordan Baker was promoted to crew chief.

Sports

February 20, 2026 at 8:45 PM

Ohio State is clinging to a Last Four In spot in Mike DeCourcy’s bracket and heads to No. 15 Michigan State Sunday for a résumé-boosting chance.
UCLA has slipped to the First Four Out after back-to-back 20+ point losses — its worst stretch since 1944–45 — and must bounce back Saturday at No. 10 Illinois.
DeCourcy’s snapshot shows a shifting bubble and conference bragging rights, with the SEC and Big Ten tied for the most projected tournament teams (10 each).

Sports

February 20, 2026 at 8:45 PM

Sports betting is fully legal in Connecticut (since Oct 2021) and available statewide via three main apps — DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics — plus retail kiosks at the tribal casinos.
Competitive promos and easy remote sign-ups make it simple to jump in — offers include bet-and-get deals, first-bet insurance, and high-value welcome bonuses (e.g., small bets converting to large bonus credits).
You must be 21 and physically inside Connecticut to wager (geolocation enforced); note restrictions on college betting — you can’t bet on single games involving in-state teams like UConn or on college player props.

Sports

February 20, 2026 at 8:07 PM

Tesla is pivoting from cars to humanoid robots — Optimus Gen 3 is being built for mass production and is already “learning” tasks inside Tesla factories.
Elon Musk plans to convert Model S/X plants to make Optimus, use xAI for the robot’s AI, and aims for 1 million robots a year priced around $20–30K, backed by a $20B capex push.
But EV sales and GAAP earnings fell, and the stock looks very pricey, so the big robotics bet carries substantial financial risk.

Business and Finance Technology & Computing

February 20, 2026 at 7:50 PM

The Missouri Valley Conference is a historic mid-major (founded 1907) — and because it’s often only the automatic bid that makes the NCAA tourney, the Valley’s conference tournament is extremely high-stakes and worth watching.
Belmont is dominating the men’s race, but Murray State’s 6'10" big Fredrick King (rebounding, blocks, ultra-efficient scoring) is the kind of player who can spark a classic conference-tourney upset.
On the women’s side Belmont and Murray State headline things, UNI’s Ryley Goebel is a defensive/inside force — and Valparaiso’s shocking 0-27 season gives the tournament real unpredictability.

Sports

February 20, 2026 at 7:48 PM